Sleep7

At the Happy Hour we all met our Cruise Director Bram who was terrific!! So enthusiastic and friendly and FUNNY!! He was perfect.. just the guy for the job. Included was our safety drill from the inside warmth of the lounge which was great. Met the Captain and all the Department heads. And then dinner and onto bed.. it had been a first rate first day with VERY VERY little sleep.😴

Every evening at 6pm to 7pm there was a complimentary Happy Hour. Cheers to a great upcoming week!

We made our way back to the ship as all aboard time was 6:15

The light lunch menu and dinner menu for embarkation day.

Mmm... french fries, ketchup and mayonnaise.. what a combo.😋

🌷At the floating Bloemenmarkt.. alas these would be the only tulips we would see this week. But as I said in my first post it didn't detract at all from our fantastic cruise.🌷

Some well dressed dogs and well dressed ducks too!

Some scenes of the day..

It was lucky for us that we were the first cruise of the season because we were able to get into our cabin as soon as we boarded the ship. After a fast shower and a quick lunch and we headed out to spend our first afternoon walking all around Amsterdam.

😍Oh thank you so much Miss G!! I'm so glad you are along for the "sail." I'm sure it will bring back all the lovely memories of your cruise last October.

The ship was being readied and stocked for the first cruise of the season! Avalon reps in the lounge to sign you up for an optional afternoon tour if you so chose. Today's newsletter.. easily accessible on the Avalon Go app.

Our whispers for the week and some paperwork. Met Tri our WONDERFUL room attendant for the week. What a sweetheart.

Plenty of room in the closet for a compulsive over packer!

Cabin 313.. spacious and beautiful. We had sailed on the Imagery II seven years ago already and she hadn't aged a day. Wish I could say that about us! lol

Aaaaah.. as I always say.. the BEST time of a cruise is when you are walking up the gangway for the first time. You have the whole week ahead of you to enjoy!!😊 🤗

Meeting the always cheerful and friendly Avalon representative was a treat for weary travelers. We pretty quickly boarded the bus for a short ride to the ship.

Landing in "pea soupy" weather in Amsterdam pretty much set the tone for the week.

Goodbye New York.. see you in a week!! Quick flying time of 6 hours and 20 minutes.😊

Three years into the pandemic.. to mask or not to mask aboard a flight.. that is the question. We chose not to.😷 Checked the Delta app to double check our bags made it to the plane and they did. 👏

The sun was just setting when we boarded our flight.

A feast to be had there! Even a Nathan's hot dog cart!

And then onto the Delta Skyclub which had a big line brewing.. it moved pretty quickly though.

Went lounge hopping as usual.. first to the American Express Lounge where there was no line as of yet.

Checked in and ready to GO on Saturday afternoon for our nonstop flight from JFK to Amsterdam!

Downloaded the Avalon app which was incredibly easy to use and really came in handy.