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Eurodam Sept 1 Our Story

COLLEYBERRY

By COLLEYBERRY,
in Holland America Line

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hoss23

hoss23

Posted
Posted

Colleen, you should be proud. I am not surprised at the reaction to your review, as it is the best I have ever read. I have lived one hour from Manhattan for my entire 60 years, and, hearing you describe the sailaway out of NY. and passing the Statue of Liberty, even though you are not an American citizen, brought a tear to my eye. You have a talent, your humor and insightfullness are a pleasure to read. Let us know when youfirst book goes to print, as I want to get on the waiting list.

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COLLEYBERRY

COLLEYBERRY

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Thankyou everyone ! Your kind remarks are truly heart warming. The last time I did any writing was for English Lit. courses ( 100 yrs ago ) it kind of feels like opening a rusty tool box. But I am having fun with this ,so as long as you are , let's get on with the story..........

 

 

Newport RI.

 

Breakast in the cabin,another of my favorite things about cruising.How many is this now? Let's see, we have,the wake,the promenade,dinner alone with my husband, the bathrobes and we haven't even talked ice cream cones yet.

 

.But breakfast in the cabin that's a category all on it's own. You see, as working wife and mother, for someone to deliver your breakfast,....bringing you food that you haven't shopped for ,prepared or tidied the kitchen after, well ....it just makes you very ,very happy.

 

The breakfast choices are varied and plentiful .Short of Eggs Benedict, I can't think of what else you could want for breaky.

By simply filling out the card the night before ,hanging it on the door handle,your breakfast of choice, will arrive in the morning ,at the appointed time(1/2 hour window)

 

We usually leave a couple of dollar bills (for tip)out the night before ,it's easier than fumbling for money in a mornnig fog. I do try and pull my self together a little before breakfast arrives ,no sense in frightening the poor lad ,besides the crashing dishes could wake the neighbours.

 

Room service coffee is quite good ,we order a large pot.The bacon(something I don't eat in my real life) is just the right amount of crispy.and DH has aquired a taste for Muselix.The omelettes are nice and fluffy.

Yogurt and fruit if not eaten at breakfast can be tucked in the fridge for a later nosh. Not that that's even necessary. There's so much food on a cruise ship ,one could be like a newborn ,feeding every two to four hours.on demand.

 

Newport morning ,we had our second cup of coffee out on the balcony.

Newport is a tendered port. and we were anchored off Goat Isalnd.

We looked out onto an absolutely beautiful day.

 

The weather on this cruise was wonderful, that is until Hurricane Hannah,chased us out of Charlottetown PEI,but that's another story.

 

This day, however, was what I call a 'Goldilocks' day, neither too hot,nor too cold ,but just right. Blue skies and a delicious breeze.

 

We were in no hurry.Thanks to Sail 7s' kind advice, that Newport could easily be done on our own ,( so glad we opted for this ,it worked out perfectly) we didn't have an excursion to meet..

 

Uninterrupted converstions ,add that to my list of favorite things. No cell phones( he doesn't bring it) ,kids ,or dog,... all those things that can instantly halt the flow of communication between you and your spouse.

What ever crisis,was happening back home ( baring anything really bad)would simply have to wait until we returned.The luxury of enjoying an unhurried , uninterrupted coffee, on beautiful morning ....sigh.

 

Our plan for the day, was after tendering into Newport,we would go to the Tourist Information Centre.( it.s a block and a bit from where the tender lets you off.)

We wanted to find out about a bus that could take us to the Cliff Walk and the mansions.This turn out to be ridculously easy,( you were so right Sail) You simply walk through the tourist center, out a set of doors,two yellow poles mark the bus/trolley stop.( every 15 mins) A mere five dollars ,buys you a pass for the day, that can take you all around Newport.

The trolley took us right to the Breakers( the most oppulent of the mansions) .We planned to do the Cliff Walk (a fabulous walking path of public access,with the Atlantic ocean on one side and the lawns of the mansions on the other.) and then tour the Breakers.

 

We dressed for the day,( good walking shoes being the first priorty,)and headed to the Queens Lounge where we were to wait for our turn to tender.

 

In the hallway we meet Anom. He began apologizing profusely, for not doing the 'turn down service' for our cabin the night before. I assured him that it was perfectly alright , we had simply been exhausted and retired early. All the while thinking it would have been more of a ' tuck in' service than a 'turn down' one.:D I teasingly asked if I would get two chocolates on my pillow this evening.

 

In the Queens Lounge we chatted with another couple from Canada,there were a fair number of us aboard.

Soon our ticket color was called and we boarded the tender.I sat by a window, my seat of choice on a tender.

 

Newport is lovely ,I could happily live there. The overall sense of it, as the tender motored closer was, well very....... marine ,sea resort,New Englandy.( I know that isn't a word,but some how it works )

 

Sail boats and beautiful yachts( testimony to the considerable wealth that must reside in the area) were plentiful. I had a picture of Newport in my mind before we came and on this pretty morning ,she was just as I imagined.

 

As I stated eariler, we easily found the trolley to the Cliff Walk. The trip (about 15 mins.) took us past beautifully kept homes and gardens.We passed the Touro Synagogue( Americas oldest), the Newport Art Museum,and the Tennis Hall of Fame .( see how easy it would be to get to everything ,with your pass)

 

The Breakers was the last stop. Taking a street that ran along side of the mansions' property, we easily walked to the Cliff Walk.

 

The Cliff Walk was absolutely wonderful.

We couldn't have asked for a better day .The sky was blue,the sun warm ,but tempered by the ocean breeze. Waves crashed against rocks below the walkway. The Atlantic, a vast expanse ,dotted with white caps and sunlight ,had sea birds soaring above(.and that was just one side of the path ) On the other, cool green lawns ,separated us from the

enornmus mansions , those famous "summer cottages"of the1900s wealthiest.

 

DH didn't know what to photograph first. He was throughly enjoying himself,DH was raised by the ocean and any time spent near the sea brings out the best in him.

 

However, at one point that day, his usual good sense ,briefly left town.

Men ! gawd! Why do they do stuff like this???:confused:

 

Suddenly, this man whom I adore ,father of my children,began climbing down over the rocks that border the path.

"What are you doing?? I said.

No ,that's not true,what I really said was".What the HELL are you doing!!!??

" I just want to get a better shot of this." was his reply.

 

There was this surfer in a wet suit and a point of land or something......I don't know what kind of photographic composition he was trying to achieve......I just knew that Newport, most probably had a bylaw about foolish tourists climbing on rocks, periously close to the ocean.

 

I could picture the headlines "Canadian Tourist Rescued from Rocks at Cliff Walk.".Well ,I quickly decided I would call for help if it became necessary but I would claim I had never seen him before in my life.

 

I held my breath ,until Spiderman made his way back to terre ferme.

 

"What were you thinking !!! ?? said I in a gentle tone:rolleyes:

 

" C'mon Colley( that's' the name he uses when he thinks he might be in dodo) How many rocks to you think I climbed over as a kid.??"Then he gave me that goofy 'sea grin' of his,and I forgave him(a little,it was still dumb) cause he looked so happy.(he did get some great shots )

Besides it was too perfect of a day to be really annoyed at anything.

 

We turned around on the path (after going a considerable distance ) and headed back toward the the Breakers.

 

As we neared the mansion we noticed a young woman ,she was standing on some wood ,taking photographs over the fence of the Breakers.

 

She hopped down as we approached . She said to DH "You can get a great shot from up there, pointing to the wood"

 

She and I exchanged a few pleasantries. Then ,,,you know that feeling when someone seems familiar, but you just can't put your finger on how you might know them. This young lady seemed so familiar to me.

Then the light bulb went on.

 

"Excuse me " I said " is your name Pam ?" She looked surprised and said "Yes"

 

It was Captain vanDonselaars' lovely wife. I told her I had recgonized her from her photos on the Eurodam Blog.and that I had enjoyed the photographs she had taken for the site.

 

What a delightful, engaging young woman.Conversation flowed easily from one topic to the next. We chatted for several minutes.Shared a little of the Cliff Walk , then we parted ways,DH and I off to our Breakers tour and she off to take more photos for the Blog.(checked the Blog when returned home and there it was the photo she had taken just before we meet , DH has the same one) She certainly is a lovely ambassador for Holland America and great testimony to her husband wisdom.

 

Next stop was the Breakers.Where Anderson Cooper of CNN ,grandpa spent his summers.(Anderson is Gloria Vanderbilts 'son)

 

DH indulged me in this tour,but when it was over he did say he had enjoyed it

After viewing all the opulence he asked me if I thought he was an 'underachiever":D

 

The grounds are beautiful and the setting is spectacular.

The interior of the home is room after room of marble and gilt. High ceilings and grand staircases. The kichen and bathrooms( both salt and fresh water ) are very interesting.

In truth the decor is too garish for me ,but the workmanship in wood and marble is stunning.

My favorite part of the Breakers, is a large covered balcony that faces the ocean,I can imagine what a welcome respite this would have been for the occupants ,on warm summer evening.

 

There are wonderful photographs of the Vanderbilts, that I found very interesting.

 

There was a moment when I thought ,for all his gazillion dollars. poor

Mr. Vanderbilt, in one respect wasn't as lucky as DH and I.

We were viewing his bedroom,his bed seemed so very small and frankly quite lumpy(hope it was feathers).I knew then ,he had never slept on a bed as comfortable as a Holland America bed:p

 

We took the trolley back to theTourist Center. Walking toward the tender landing we noticed quite a line up. We joined the line and ended up chatting with a fun group from Misissippi.

Suddenly, one of the ladies in the group said to DH and I "Are you Mr.and Ms Eurodam?" We didn't know what she was talking about .We laughingly said "No "

Then they explained ,Holland America,has two mystery passengers if you identify them ,you can win a prize .You ask people at random,it is a great way to break the ice. I was asked four times and met some very nice people.

 

The tender wait was a tad long .I was glad to finally get aboard and snag my window seat. It was a little stuffy ,so I was happy when the tender picked up speed and a breeze came in the window.

 

I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me. There seemed to be a symphony of accents.,each had theiir with own unigue charm.There was the Australian accent, that sounds friendly without even trying, a wonderful melodic drawl from a southern state, a Scottish brogue( my personal favorite), the NewYork accent that I recgonized from movies and the quick sharp tones of the Asian tongue.

I thought about our ' tender of the world ', with everyone onboard heading in the same direction. Wouldn't it be nice if the world were more like our congenial little boat.

 

As we headed toward our big Dutch ship,my own Irish heritage was making itself known, despite sunscreen ,I was feeling

quite 'sunkissed'. This evening was the first formal night , I hoped all the sun and ocean breezes ,had only resulted in a nice glow and not a sauteed look..

 

On returning to the ship ,we called inroom dining,and ordered smoked salmon and a cheese plate. That and a glass of wine on the balcony was perfect ,we were well passed lunch. Siesta time ( a nap ,not something I ever get to do in my real life)

 

Time to fluff and buff.

We decided we would have dinner at 7pm ,that way we wouldn't be rushed and could catch the 9.00pm show.We weren't able to reserve a table for that time ( they leave that block of time open for AYWD) You can certainly make reservations,just before 6pm or at 8pm. We decided to just take our chances and wait for a table for two for as long it would take.

 

DHs' rental tux worked out very well,it fit him perfectly. We had brought a formal vest from home(silver/pewter) white dress shirts and long pewter silk tie.The tux came with two wing collared shirts ,bow tie ,studs and cuff links. He could change up the look ,which ever way he decided to go.

The tux is not an Armani, but my theory is you pray for dim lighting and walk fast.No,seriously it was just fine, it was a 100% wool. The pants and jacket hung nicely and he was comfortable wearing it..

 

You know there is something about a guy in a tux.That fellow you have been married to for so long, seems to be that little bit more charming and witty.Looking so good .I call it the ' Tux Factor '

 

'DH refers to it as ,to parapharse...'.aquiring good fortune ' ;) '

 

We had our formal pictures taken ,before dinner. ( they turned out well,we ended up purchasing them)

 

Table worked out perfectly,we only waited a few minutes,and were given

#109 (one of the water view tables we had liked)

 

We both had the New Zealand rack of lamb ,it was delicious and done just the way we like.

 

The show that evening was Justin Miller a talented classical guitarist

We enjoyed him very much . He played music from many genre,and between songs ,imparts knowledge about the musics' history and the artists that performed or wrote the pieces.

 

His tone and technique were beautiful. His rendition of Danny Boy ,made

eyes well up. My Irish grandfather had a wonderful baritone singing voice. At family gathering we could always count on hearing Danny Boy.

But when Justin played Annies' Song by John Denver ,(the soloist, sang this at our wedding,yes we were married in the 70s) I was a mess.

 

During the show there was a medical crisis, I couldn't see what was happening, but I must say the cruise director Susan Wood equited herself very well. Taking control of the situation She called for the lights to be brought up and had medical personel there within a matter of minutes. Justin left the stage,in deference, and Susan had calming words for the audience .I was most impressed. When it came to the welfare of a Holland America guest the 'show did not go on' until their needs were met.

 

After the show ,we stopped in at the Piano Bar ,for awhile. Then took a stroll on the promenade. The promenade at night ,has an allure all of it's own. The dark sky and the dark sea are quite a combination.

We had discovered a staircase on the deck plans( I think it's more for crew use) that took just around the corner from our cabin. We called it our secret staircase. We were soon back at 4183,the day was winding down to a pleasant end.Sitting on the balcony ,lulled by the wake,it was time to call it a night.

Tomorrow was our "ships' day" we were going to take the day to explore the Eurodam and experience the ship when everyone else was in port............ to be con'd p.s .I found two chocolates on my pillow.

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sail7seas

sail7seas

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Colleen...........

 

WONDERFUL installment ....like the others. :)

 

Very happy I could help in a little way for you to enjoy Newport fully. We never tire of port calls there.

 

Your descriptions and style are so enjoyable.

 

Many, many thanks for such a great read.

 

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RuthC

RuthC

Posted
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Because it sounds like a fan. (Or at least some sort of white noise) Therefore it will help me sleep.

Then you would only hear the wake if the balcony door were to be left open---which it is not supposed to be.

Perhaps you're not aware that leaving the door open cuts off the air conditioning for every cabin on the same line. That could include inside and outside cabins which have no other source of air.

Please don't plan on leaving your balcony door open. If you need a fan for noise, ask your steward to provide one. They are available.

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Crazy

Crazy

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I am enjoying reading this post. I will be on the Eurodam, September 2009, Canada/New England. I am going to have the same "aft" cabin that I had on the Eurodam when she left Rotterdam in 2008. It was a great adventure to be on the first sailing of this new ship.

 

Emily

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COLLEYBERRY

COLLEYBERRY

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Once again everyone ,Thankyou, your response has been overwhelming!! It's impressing the heck out of my kids( thanks for makin' Momma look good !)

I have taken the day off from writing (I have got to get some things done around here:)

I am back to work Monday. I'll try for another post this weekend.

eh2zed thanks for the tip on Eggs Benedict,if I had only known.:)

8373 seth, how I envy you your upcoming cruise.,I know you will love the stateroom. The sound of the wake is very,very,muted with the door closed. The "white noise' you like ,I think will be provided by the air conditioning. ( you can ask for a fan if you need to ,but I don't think it will be necessary)

There is vibration and motion in the stern cabin,but it was nothing that I found intrusive. In fact I kind of eguate it to " the baby in the car principle"

Take a fractious baby on a car ride and poof their asleep.

Have a wonderful cruise !!

Again everyone, you sure make a girl feel swell !:) :) :)

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8373seth

8373seth

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Then you would only hear the wake if the balcony door were to be left open---which it is not supposed to be.

 

Perhaps you're not aware that leaving the door open cuts off the air conditioning for every cabin on the same line. That could include inside and outside cabins which have no other source of air.

Please don't plan on leaving your balcony door open. If you need a fan for noise, ask your steward to provide one. They are available.

I've never heard that before. I've only cruised on Princess and we always leave the door open at night (we've never been at the stern). There has never been anything posted or mentioned in paper work about this. Where did you hear this?

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8373seth

8373seth

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Then you would only hear the wake if the balcony door were to be left open---which it is not supposed to be.

 

Perhaps you're not aware that leaving the door open cuts off the air conditioning for every cabin on the same line. That could include inside and outside cabins which have no other source of air.

Please don't plan on leaving your balcony door open. If you need a fan for noise, ask your steward to provide one. They are available.

 

The more I think about this the less I understand what you are saying. You are saying that every time we open the balcony door the air conditioning for another cabin is turned off? So during the day the air conditioning is mostly off because people will leave their balcony doors open? I can understand the cruise line advising you to close your door due to safety reasons but not for air conditioning. In other words, why should my door being open affect someone else's air?

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COLLEYBERRY

COLLEYBERRY

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Holland America does ask it's guest to keep their balcony doors closed. If I am not mistaken there is even a sticker on the balcony door to that effect.

It has been explained here on CC, by experts far more in the know than I.

Essentially, if I am understanding it correctly,the air conditioning system is indeed all connected and the harder it would have to work at one end to battle warm air,the more diminished it's capability at the other.Aside from energy conservation ,leaving the door open can effect your fellow passengers.

The wonderous wake is only steps away,I know you will love the stern cabin. H:) ppy Sailings !

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mamaofami

mamaofami

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Colleyberry, I'm loving this review. If you ever tire of the medical field, you have a natural with writing. I can't wait to hear more.

I was on deck 5, a stern VA right above you, and found it to be smaller than I had expected after being on the Noordam. I didn't even notice that deck 4 was longer. Sitting and watching the wake, or breakfast out on the veranda and watching the wake are two of my favorite things.

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tamsno

tamsno

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Colleyberry, Thank you for the pleasure of your delightful prose and poetry. I'm encouraged to start writing again. The sea is a wonderful inspiration. I could watch it glide by for hours, and have cheerfully done so. Sailing out of New York was a thrill for me too! Even though I grew up in Brooklyn and had many ferry rides and crossed many bridges, it was very special. Later on, from our port side veranda we could see Coney Island with the lighted Empire State Building in the background. Looking forward to your next installment.

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