We knew today would be a very long one. Getting up early to beat a possible crowd for breakfast was our plan. So by 7am, we were among the first diners in the hotel’s restaurant, ordering typical bacon and eggs with lots of coffee. Better to start the day fortified, because heaven knows when we will be able to eat again. We’re joking, of course.
Our two pieces of luggage were picked up by the hotel’s staff, and brought to our waiting coach. The group had followed directions and all were present by 10:30am for the short transfer to Pier 26. Today there were only two large cruise ships in port…..the Amsterdam and the Costa Deliziosa. Turned out that there was still some confusion at the terminal, because we all had to identify our luggage and direct a porter to load the bags on a trolley. The porters were taking tips right and left, promising to load your luggage. We did not wait until the bags were loaded, but we soon learned perhaps we should have waited.
We proceeded inside, having our boarding passes and passports checked. Next was the security xray check, followed by the line-up for the embarkation procedure. Right before we went through xray, some of our buddies came to tell us that our bags were left by the wall outside. The porter did not do what he promised. We figured we would do the check-in, and perhaps go out to look again. However, the entire hall was loaded with lines of people, and we were afraid we may have trouble getting back inside. We’d have to follow up on it later. The same happened to another friend, who said her bag was missing as well. Made us all question if the fellow was really a porter. Lesson learned…..we will wait until the bags are loaded on carts next time.
No more filling out the health questionnaire. We wonder how many people really filled them out truthfully anyway. This year it appeared that the process was more organized. The line for the suites on deck seven and the President’s Club members was short, and the check-in process was speedy. From there, we went up an escalator to the upper level, where Gerald B, the Mariner Director and Orlando A, the President of HAL were waiting to greet us and join in a group photo. Most of the guests that reached this room were seated and waiting to board. However, as president Club members, we were escorted onboard ahead of everyone. A lady who thought she could sneak around us to board, was stopped by security, where her room key was checked. In fact, Christel M, the customer relations officer, also checked her status, and said, no, we are not ready for you yet. She had no choice but to turn around and go back. Nothing is worth that kind of embarrassment just to get onboard early.
One of the first officers we ran into was Phillip, the over-all head of the dining venues (formerly the dining room manager). He had been transferred to the Prinsendam, and had not expected to be back until 2020. Much to our surprise, he emailed us to inform us that by popular demand by crew and passengers, he was back on the Amsterdam. That proves that it does pay to speak up sometimes. He made his staff and his loyal passengers quite happy.
It only took a few minutes to get to our room since it is the same one we always get. Just like home to us. The desk was filled with goodies….champagne, two bottles of alcohol, candies, and several envelopes with gifts for shipboard credit. There were no flowers like we usually have, or a tray of fruit and cheese. We did put a few things away, then decided to go look around the ship. Our travel agents would be coming on for a while, and we wanted to thank them for everything. Wasn’t long before we ran into at least a dozen folks we know. Some have been onboard since Christmas, then sailed through the Panama Canal from Los Angeles.
Then it was off for a light lunch. The sandwich bar in the Lido has come back for the grand voyage. We are most happy about that. We failed to read the daily newsletter, so we missed the complimentary sparkling wine event in the Lido Dome. It was short-lived, however, since usually it goes on for hours. No more. There would be another party at 8:30pm with drinks and snacks, but that is during our dinner time. Bad timing again. Oh well, we did down the Nicolas Feuilattee Champagne in our room, gifted by HAL. That will do for quite a while.
Best buddies, Leta and Bill, were at their favorite spot, the Dive-In Grill for burgers. We are happy to report that Bill is doing much better after his accident last fall. At our yearly meeting in Honolulu last year, Bill had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance due to an injury going bad. Not the best way to spend a vacation in Hawaii. We are so happy to see them and we have lots of catching up to do.
At 4:15pm, all were invited to the mandatory muster drill. It proceeded smoothly with everyone listening for a change. Many are seasoned travelers and have done this drill more than once. We watched the action on the pier after the drill as they continued loading supplies and luggage.
Finally back at our room, we had one suitcase…a good sign that perhaps the other one was also onboard. Eventually that one showed up too. Our friend did get hers too, although she had a plug strip taken away, apparently not allowed. That’s news to us. Later three of our duffels arrived (one was really injured beyond repair). One is still missing somewhere, and by 10pm, it still never showed up.
Putting away some stuff, we soon found it was time for dinner at 8pm. We have the same table as always, but have had to reduced to an eight top. It is perfect as we can all hear better. There is a lot of space now from the serving stations and surrounding tables. Heo and Greg will like it when they arrive in Singapore to join us. In the meantime, we can invite guests and also have some crew members and officers. The meal was great, mostly because we have the same waiter now for the third year in a row……Slamet. His assistant, Marco, seems very nice. While we dined on the tasty and hot food, more waiters came to say hi, such as Gan and Nass. The staff seems to be hand-picked for these longer cruises, and we are sure happy about that. And the nice aspect of a table for three, we were done by 9:30pm.
Shortly after 9pm, the ship silently pulled out of the harbor. Slam had told us about rough seas and winds as they came into the port yesterday, so we can expect the same tonight and the following few days. We did make a sweep through the Lido Dome to see a small crowd of folks dancing to the music of the Station Band. Assorted wines and soft drinks were available as well.
Time to turn in for the night as it had been a very long day, just as we remember. Our room stewards had missed our room, and came with our stuff around 10pm apologizing profusely. It had been a long day for them as well. Plenty of time tomorrow to unpack.
Bill & Mary Ann
