Sail Away

It’s been a day and a half of settling in! It’s our first time with Holland American Lines, so of course, our first time on the Westerdam. It’s an older ship that has been refurbished, upgraded and is now a classy lady. She’s small and I love that. We have already learned our way around the ship. The room is big-enough. We opted for a ocean view because we rarely use the balconies and so far that has been enough. Don’t put me in a room without a window! Claustrophobia, big time, sets in! The embarkation process was better than most and my dreaded emergency drill was quick and smooth. The days of hiding in the bathroom throughout this process seem to be over. The best part of Day One was my spa certificate! I won $75. OK, Justin! Watch out. I might be taking your place as the lucky one in the family! We opted for no assigned dinner time. Instead we just show up sometime between 5:30 and 8:15. The downside is we don’t get to know our wait staff as well and I guess that could lead to poorer service but so far, so good. I can only imagine how attached we’d become to a server after a month. We have a hard time saying good-bye after a week.

We attended a meet-and-greet where we met fellow travelers that will be with us on the excursions we arranged back home. Oh, Lord! Wondering why I thought this was a good idea. There are three women I’ll call the Golden Girls that can’t seem to understand that my only role was to connect them with our tour leaders. They insist I tell them what to wear, how much to pay, how far they must walk, and how much spending money they need. Stay tuned for more Golden Girl stories! Our first excursion, in a few days, should be hilarious.

We’ve listened to some great dueling piano music. George had a haircut onboard since we never found a barber in Singapore and we attended a presentation by America’s Test Kitchen. No telling what we’ll be cooking up by the time we get home. And, of course, what would life on board be without high tea? The paperwork for a Cambodia and Viet Nam visa is done and paid for. We broke down and bought an internet plan for social media only in an attempt to stay connected.

We are currently relaxing at our first port of call, Ko Samui. It’s a very picturesque beach in southern Thailand.

I think we are ready to get this cruise going!