Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Introduction. Last year (2008) we didn't take an overseas trip for the first time in many years. Jane had various medical problems that made it difficult for her to travel. When we came across what appeared to be a very relaxing ocean cruise, we decided it would be an excellent way for her to start traveling again. It was an 18-day repositioning cruise on Holland America's Eurodam, a new mid-size ship in service less than a year. The route was from Ft. Lauderdale to Copenhagen, with six stops en route. Most importantly, there were ten full days "at sea.." Even though we expected lots of cool, overcast, and wet weather that time of year crossing the Atlantic and in northern Europe, we decided to go. Friday, 24 April. We elected to fly to Florida a day early just to avoid any risk of us or our luggage not getting to the ship on time. We left home at 7:30 and drove to our son Joseph's house in Culpeper. He got us to Dulles about 10:00 for our 11:17 flight on Jet Blue. The weather was great and it was a very nice flight.
Saturday, 25 April. We had a breakfast snack in our
room, then took the 11:30 shuttle to the pier. Our travel agent had told us that
boarding began at 1:00 p.m., but we saw in a brochure that Holland America began
transfers from the airport at 11:00 and decided to get to the pier before lunch.
When we got there, we found that boarding had begun at 11:00. There was a long
line but it moved fast and we were processed and on board by 12:30.
We had a leisurely buffet lunch in the Lido Restaurant on Deck 9, then went on a 2:00 tour of the ship. That was very helpful in orienting us to where things were. The tour was just ending when it was announced that the cabins were ready. Our cabin was on the Main Deck (Deck 1), close to midship on the starboard side. The cabin was comfortably large and well appointed (including a full size bath tub).
A life boat drill had been announced for 4:00, so we donned our
orange vests and waited for the alarm. By the time the drill was over, our
luggage was in the cabin and we started unpacking. There was more storage space
than we needed. The ship sailed at 5:30. It was a beautiful sunny day in the upper
70s, a foretaste of the wonderful weather we would have for most of the trip.
We had been assigned "open seating" and went to the Rembrandt Restaurant for dinner at 5:45. It was a mad house and we had the worst service of the entire cruise. Our dessert arrived 30 minutes after the coffee was served (and long since finished), and there were no refills on the coffee. It was 8:15 before we left the dining room. (That's 2 hours for dinner, if you're counting.) There was a crew show at 8:00 but we didn't go. We finished unpacking and went to bed. | |||||||
