24 to 29 November 2024: Sea Days: The TransAtlantic crossing means that there will be no visible land, except at the very end when we pass the Bahamas when it is already dark outside. The sea was a bit rocky for the first three or four days by some people’s standards. I hear that the mid-ship cabins did not feel too much of the rolling; however, the higher up one went, walking, especially attempting to do so while holding a hot mug of water for tea, or a hot cup of coffee, was a little bit tricky. So it was, for example, on the Lido Deck (Deck 9 of 14) where the “buffet” dining took place. Yes, there were crew members who would graciously assist by serving hot beverages tableside if one asked, but they could only do so much, and because EVERYONE was at sea at the same time, their workload was a bit heavier than normal. That meant that one experienced a bit of a wait. Because also of the enhanced sanitation efforts on board, no one could serve him- or herself. That included the coffee/tea station. So, if one did not want to ask for service, or wait for service, one attempted to carry the hot beverages on one’s own. Our cabin was on the 11th deck, the Sun Deck, and I absolutely loved that room. But that meant that we were not only near the tippy-top of the ship, but we were also forward, where the rolling sea was definitely more palpable. Anyway, I loved the rocking at night when we were in our bed. Getting up for bathroom breaks were a little more tricky, but we anticipated the rolling and just walked cautiously. I even thought it was fun to watch people, ourselves included, wobble across the rooms, stairs, and hallways from side to side. I did not see, nor hear about, any sea sickness. Passengers on Holland America appeared to have been used to such possible sea action, and they just continued about their business, accepting the wobbles as they took place. What did we do at sea all of those days? Well, there were theatrical performances, educational talks/presentations by the onboard naturalist/botanist, music venues at night, such as in B.B. King’s Blues Club, or Rock & Roll Lounge, or the Dueling Piano Bars, or special performances by Elliot Finkel, renowned pianist from NY, and a saxophone concert,…. There was a reunion-dinner with friends from Texas who we had met last February on our Caribbean cruise and were, unbeknown to us in advance, on this transatlantic crossing, too! There was Bingo, Tai-Chi, Learn to Line Dance, Arts and Crafts (origami, water coloring, paint and sip)…, there were art auctions, jewelry and shopping specials, exhibition from the engine room, dancing, an Orange Party, a Chocolate Suprise event, a towel animal display by the ship’s crew members, afternoon tea, food, food, food, and beverages according to people’s preferences (and wallet sizes), reading and lounging, spa services,daily Mass, swimming, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets,…. There was THANKSGIVING traditional dinner on board ship in the Main Dining Room (but…it was just not the same as the one we typically share with family at home). If one gets bored, it’s sort of on that person, no one else’s “fault.” For me personally, I kept thinking about my mom, who traveled on a ship across the Atlantic in the 1950s when she first came to the U.S.: What was her ship like? She had told me about how everyone was very sea sick and in bed during her journey, how she took care of everybody else’s children because their parents could not, how she had all the food to herself…. And, I thought about how she probably counted days to her arrival in New York, what awaited her in a strange new land, with a strange new diet, with a strange new language, with a career she perhaps needed to reinvent,….All of this, this transatlantic crossing, was a perfect closing to a most miraculously memorable trip into my past. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. (AND…I learned that this is not my idea of a cruise. My idea of a cruise enjoys some sea days as long as they are in-between port days, especially ports that I have never seen). For Dad, I think he enjoyed the down time during these sea days, choosing to spend them pretty much as he pleased. He attended some of the things I did, and elected not to do so at times. He loved time spent on our state room veranda and reading in the sunny, warm weather while we were at sea. He does not have the wanderlust gene, as I and my father, definitely do. He was happy that the ship offered plenty to keep me busy while he did his own thing—but he is always loving and kind enough to do things because I enjoy them, even though for him, there are many ways to enjoy a peaceful journey, this way included. Again, though, I wouldn’t trade this for the world, which makes Dad just as happy as well.
Our Travels 