When I last wrote, I was heading off to the Lido for the breakfast buffet which many said was “wonderful.” I guess it is “wonderful” if you like standing in line waiting for eggs and watching people who haven’t sanitized their hands start taking rolls out with their hands instead of the provided tongs. Me, I would have much-preferred breakfast en suite, but alas when someone says something is “wonderful” you should try it. Even if they run out of bacon.
Nonetheless, it’s Day 3 onboard Holland America Line‘s ms Nieuw Amsterdam! After breakfast, it was up to deck 11 to the cabana. As I wrote yesterday, we had yet another sea day due to less-than-desirable winds. The captain made the call to skip our stop in Grand Turk for the sake of saving the multi-billion dollar ship from damage due to the wind. Can’t say I blame him, after all, I assume he loves his job and would like to keep it.
So winds be damned, even though they were blowing at roughly 40 knots, up to the top of the ship I went to spend the day being blown about. I climbed up another deck and took a video on my iPhone demonstrating the wind velocity, which you can see below. After a few hours of trying to determine if the burn I got was related to the sun or wind, I headed back to my stateroom for a nap. After all, doing nothing tires one out. But that’s what a vacation is all about, isn’t it?
We dined at the Pinnacle Grill which is one of the alternative restaurants on the ship. It serves prime steaks and seafood and it was fabulous. I had an enormous Porterhouse which was simply divine. My traveling companions also enjoyed their meal and we left as stuffed as the Italian sausage served in Canaletto.
We were going to take in a show, but with champagne flowing freely throughout the day, I opted to return to the cabin and retire for the night. Unfortunately, on the way back we were robbed. Thievery is rampant on cruise ships and it’s legal. It’s called the casino. After about an hour I suddenly realized how the slot machines were given the name, “one-armed bandits.” I would have done much better in a dark alley playing dice with some seedy characters out of a Mary Higgins Clark novel.
I was bad and slept in this morning, getting up just in time for a special lunch for past Holland America Line cruisers. Once again the champagne flowed freely as we dined on Beef Wellington in the Manhattan Room before coming up to deck 11 to take on a glorious day at sea where the temps are now in the 80s and the sun is directly above us.
We’ve been at sea now since Sunday night. Some are longing for land. Some are longing to waste money at the island tourist traps full of trinkets. Some, like myself, are content on the water. I always hesitated about taking a transatlantic cruise due to the number of sea days, but after this, I think I can conquer that. I’ve come to realize that there is nothing more peaceful and relaxing than being on the water. During the day the sea turns to a glorious shade of blue with the sun casting its rays on the waves making for something mesmerizing. At night the moon casts its glow upon the dark blue water and the only sound you hear is the waves crashing against the ship as we glide effortlessly across the sea. A feeling of total relaxation takes over and you become one with the sea forgetting about the trials and tribulations that await life on land.
Life at sea is much different.
I like different.
Personal Day-By-Day Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Nieuw Amsterdam:
No vacation would be complete without a ton of photos, right? For this particular cruise, I took a bunch of photos of the ship’s interior, pool areas, the stateroom itself, and more. Photos can be found in the Nieuw Amsterdam Photo Tour as well as in the day-by-day review of the cruise at the links above.