Day two aboard Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam has come and gone, and what an awesome day it was! I started the day having breakfast served on my verandah where the warm sunshine, bright blue water, and a gentle breeze were the perfect accompaniment to scrambled eggs, bacon, and ham. I got sausage too, but it sucked.
We arrived at Half Moon Cay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas around 8am. Normally I don’t get off the ship at port calls, but having been to Half Moon Cay before, I knew it was a beautiful stop so I rented a private beach cabana for the day and soaked up the sun.
As a lover of all things sun and sand, my first stop after dropping off my hand sanitizer and cell phone at the cabana was the beach. The clear blue water and the white powdery sand were definitely calling my name, but the water was a tad bit chilly, but shrinkage be dammed – I wasn’t getting out!
I’m always amused when I hear someone say, “there’s fish in here,” while they’re swimming in the ocean, and one of “America’s Smartest” made that very comment in the water today, before running to shore completely freaked out.
The fact that the fish poop, pee and have sex in there freaks me out a little, but I try to put that out of my mind.
As the day went on and my skin got redder and redder, some other folks I met while onboard, popped in the cabana to say hello which made for a great afternoon, albeit a short one. The last tender back to the Zuiderdam was at 2pm. With all that was going on, and my determination not to gain a single pound during this cruise, I didn’t partake of the island BBQ that was going on, other than to take deep breaths and savor the smell rather than the calories.
I did manage to speak with one of the ship’s company who actually lives on Half Moon Cay. She is one of 35 employees who live on the island and act as caretaker and assist when ships call on it. I was jealous for a moment until she started to describe just how lonely it can be considering the closest populated island is 90 miles away – or an hour-and-a-half trip by boat.
We departed around 2:30pm heading to Aruba where we’ll make landfall Thursday around 1pm as we cruise our way to the Panama Canal.
I managed to snag one of the 12 slots available for a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship. The tour takes place over the course of two days and concludes with a cocktail party with the captain. Who by the way is quite a talker. His mid-day report from the bridge includes a little history of the area we’re currently passing through along with the usual longitude/latitude, air temp, sea stage, and wind direction… as if people are really jotting those things down. His commentary is enjoyable nonetheless.
I find myself being the odd man out on a number of occasions. Besides being on board alone, with the exception of the random Filipino who comes over for late-night cocktails, I’m the guy who is saying “no” to the buffet, the dessert, the gazillion drink offerings, and the all-you-can-drink soda pass. I am, however, the guy who is sticking to my diet and exercise program, even if it kills me.
And it just may.
As I was wandering through the ship at sail-away time, I couldn’t help but notice all the wonderful samplings of finger food everyone was noshing on. (The pizza looked pretty damn good too, by the way.) Fighting the urge, I went to my suite, put on my nasty-smelling sneakers, which spend the night on the balcony due to their odor, and did 3.5 miles around the promenade deck, which takes about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, since there is no incline like on a treadmill to kick up the calorie burning, I didn’t even burn off last night’s pre-dinner cocktails.
But I’m keeping my calorie intake around 1,500 even with the booze, so Santa… I’m being good…. although I am a tad bit hungry.
Internet access is the worst I have ever encountered on a ship before. Not sure what’s going on, considering the hot spot is smack dab in the middle of my suite, but trying to post these daily blog entries burns through minutes quicker than a slow talker on a phone sex line. So pictures will come later.
Before dinner on Tuesday, I fought the battle of the low-flow shower head once again, this time switching to the shower in the bathtub rather than the actual shower to see if that would be any better. I don’t get it. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, on the water, using that water to shower with, then putting it right back into the ocean. Why can’t there be pressure? Screw this water conservation nonsense, I don’t even recycle! I just want to get clean.
Speaking of the shower. Showering on a ship in rough seas takes the same amount of dexterity as peeing in a moving bus. With soap in one hand and the fancy Italian shower thingie in the other, the ship suddenly lurched to the left leaving my legs in the bathtub and my upper body bent over the tub leaving me in the receiving position should this have been a prison shower.
I had dinner once again at the Pinnacle Grill, this time I had a simply wonderful bone-in ribeye steak that was cooked perfectly and way more than I could eat… although since I was starving, I did a pretty good job on it.
After dinner, I took in the show which featured female vocalist impressionists who did Celine Dion, Janis Joplin, Cher, and Louis Armstrong. Yeah, that’s what I said. Thankfully it was only a 45-minute show because I’m one of these people who won’t walk out of a performance no matter how bad it gets.
I ended the evening sitting out on my balcony taking in the night air as I waited for the Portuguese guy to show up with the cookies and milk I ordered.
I’m a sucker for a good cookie.
Personal Day-By-Day Zuiderdam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Zuiderdam:
Capturing memories through photography is an integral part of any vacation, and my voyage aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam was no different. Throughout my journey, I snapped countless photos, highlighting various aspects of the ship such as the stunning interior design, the inviting swimming pools, and my own cozy cabin. If you’re interested in viewing these snapshots, you can check out the Zuiderdam Photo Tour or browse the daily cruise review, both accessible through the links provided above.