Day 2 was one of those days you just sit back, relax and watch the world go by. In other words, a day at sea. Those who cruise as much as I do enjoy a sea day much better than any port day. I won’t go into my rant about Caribbean ports again, as I even get sick of myself saying over and over again “they all suck.”
The one downside to a sea day is everyone is exactly where you want to be. So if you’re looking for a place to lounge by the pool, scout out a sport early on. If you’re looking to have lunch in the Lido buffet, be prepared to spend a few minutes looking for the “perfect” table. Just don’t expect one by the window.
How do you avoid situations like this? Well on the Eurodam, the perfect solution for escaping the 2100 other people looking for the same thing you are is to rent a cabana by the day or by the week. As I wrote yesterday, that’s exactly what I did. I enjoyed breakfast served on my balcony then headed up to the cabana to lay in the sun, get my bald head burned beyond the threshold of pain and relax with only a few others. Lunchtime came and I enjoyed some rotisserie chicken; I’m dieting remember, otherwise I’d have piles of pasta, bowls of rice and two loaves of Italian bread.
When I had just enough sun that one can stand for a day, I meandered down to Deck 3 and did six laps around the ship which equates to two miles. I think that burned enough calories to make up for at least half of one Gibson martini, with exactly three onions, from the night before. Yeah, I’ve taken to gin.
The smaller ships I’ve been on such as the Oceania Riviera and Regent Seven Seas Navigator don’t have a full-wrap-around promenade deck. I find that disappointing, as there’s nothing like hitting the teak after dinner and gazing at the stars above or looking out over the rail to see a ship pass in the distance. It’s also a great place to grab a steamer chair and watch both people and the sea pass by. Occasionally you’ll be startled by some old gent snoring loudly while lounging in his chair as his wife quietly tells the passengers walking by, “you should hear him in bed.”
Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.
Side note: I’m up on Deck 11 outside my cabana writing today’s installment wishing and praying to whatever god there is that someone will bring me a hat. I forgot to bring one and unfortunately, the shops on board are closed when we’re in port. My cabana butler is on the case, but I don’t think he’s going to have much success and god forbid he brings me one that was previously worn.
After my walk, I went up to the cabana again for some afternoon champagne, a quick 15 nap to recover from my walk around the ship, and some thinking time. “I just burned close to 260 calories walking, and just drank about 200 more in champagne. How is this going to even out?”
Our rolling seas continued throughout the day and night, as the captain had previously mentioned. I happened to be speaking with a couple who were first-time cruisers and were a little upset that the captain would bring the ship into what they considered were “unstable” waters. I explained to them that this is, indeed, a ship. A ship is on water. Water moves. Water has waves. Waves hit the ship. The ship moves with the waves. They walked away mumbling something about how the motion of the ship is “absolutely ruining” their vacation.
May I suggest a trip to Disney next time?
Around 5pm pre-dinner canapes arrived in my suite, but for some reason, I received not one, but 4 shrimp cocktails. Now I’m not complaining, because those crustaceans taste great, are rich in protein, and are probably the reason I’m on Lipitor, but I don’t think I can eat that many shrimp.
Well, I did. So, no further comment on that.
Tonight is formal night. A tradition that was established by the inventor of the tuxedo many moons ago when Henry Hudson bought his first boat and decided these penguin-like costumes would look great on men. For the most part, the luxury lines have done away with this ridiculous custom and adopted a cruise-wide country club casual dress code. But other lines still feel the need to torture and annoy – if only to derive revenue from the tuxedo rental shop on board.
As you have probably guessed, I didn’t take part in this humble, yet tired, tradition and donned a sport coat. Since I don’t own a tie or a button-down shirt – they all were tossed in a big burn pile the day I left the corporate world in 1994 – I just wore a sport coat. To say the least, I was “dressed up” compared to some of the younger folk onboard.
Traditionally, Holland America attracts an older, more sedate crowd. Being this is the time of year known as “Spring Break” the demographics of the passengers on board is all over the place. That can be good for the number of Miller Lite sales, but some of the HAL traditionalists seem to be annoyed at the young whippersnappers encroaching on their turf.
Can’t we all just get along?
I had dinner in Tamarind, the ship’s Asian-inspired restaurant. When I walked in I was immediately greeted by the restaurant manager who welcomed me back and remembered me from Tamarind on Eurodam’s sister ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam. He must have ordered the memory improvement DVDs advertised on late-night television. But I was impressed and he even asked how my friends were who were sailing with me the last time I saw him 18 months ago.
Upon being seated, my lovely Asian hostess brought over some hot “welcome” tea and puffed shrimp wafers, and three different sauces ranging from mild to hot. None were too hot for my taste, but all were fairly addictive.
I had a delicious meal that started out with an appetizer of different satays which included shrimp, beef, chicken, and lamb. I was in the mood for a sushi roll, and asked if the tempura fish in one could be replaced with tempura shrimp, but was unfortunately told no. Instead, they brought me out some tempura shrimp. It’s the thought that counts, right?
For my main course, I was leaning towards a fish dish but opted instead for a wasabi and ginger-encrusted filet. I made the right choice. It was cooked perfectly and was absolutely amazing. I’ll be back to Tamarind on Thursday, so maybe I’ll get the fish.
I finished off dinner with a delicious Tempura Banana Bread Pudding that was delicious and I’m sure did nothing to help my caloric intake for the day. I guess I better do some walking before bed.
Entertainment this evening was a production show by the ship’s company of singers and dancers. The show had a sort-of carnival theme to it which is probably why it was named Dream Park. Unfortunately, Holland America has cut the live band and opted for pre-recorded soundtracks which I also tend to think has pre-recorded vocals for the backup singers. To me, that screams “cheap” and takes away from the overall performance. There’s just something that a live band brings to a show that can’t be replaced by Memorex. Despite that, the dancers and singers were very good and the only annoying part of the evening was the drunk spring-breaker who sat next to me and attempted to sing along even though she didn’t know the words to any of the songs. Being the bitch that I am, an unexplained spasm in my right arm developed several times during the performance in a moot attempt to get her to shut the hell up.
She must have a high tolerance for elbows to the kidneys, or all the alcohol just dulled the pain. Either way, I think she may have woken up this morning with more than a headache.
After the show, I did another mile around the ship’s Promenade Deck in an attempt to work off the tempura shrimp, and by midnight was exhausted and more than ready to be rocked to sleep. An elephant made of towels was waiting on my bed, although I would have much preferred Shawn Cassidy (the 70’s Shawn Cassidy, not the 2013 Shawn Cassidy).
A Dramamine with a Jack Daniels chaser and I was out like Lindsay Lohan after an all-night crack party. The rocking and rolling of the ship lulled me and my overactive bladder to sleep straight through the night only to be awakened by announcements of a crew fire drill followed by a Filipino boy bearing scrambled eggs, bacon, and yogurt. (The eggs I requested were fake ones, as I can’t stomach the concept of eating unborn chickens. I’ll save that story for another day.)
I’ll wrap up today’s post nothing that I’ve just offered $50 for the first person to go off the ship here in Grand Turk and buy me a hat! That’s another thing, in port I don’t leave the ship, but you already know that. I have an intense fear that I’m going to be kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in a foreign land and my body tossed in the ocean to be eaten by sharks.
Till tomorrow my friends!
Personal Day-By-Day Eurodam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Eurodam:
Preserving memories through photography is an essential part of any vacation, and this cruise was no exception. I captured a plethora of images showcasing various aspects of the ship, such as its interior design, outdoor pool areas, and my own stateroom. These photos can be viewed in the Eurodam Photo Tour and in the daily review of the cruise, which can be accessed through the links provided above.