Friday, March 17, 2023
We received our paperwork regarding the next leg of this cruise and going ashore in Ft. Lauderdale. All the paperwork said that if you were an in-transit guest, you could leave the ship anytime starting at 7:30. Just be sure to bring your in-transit cards, ship card, and passports. However, the paperwork didn’t address what to do if you were taking a Holland America tour that day. The Navigator app wasn’t much help either. Just said meet outside at 8:00. Hoping to receive more information.
We went to see our photos from the premium photo session we had. He showed us a beautiful photo book of our pictures. They were excellent. I knew it would be expensive but $1000? I nearly choked. We ended up with three 8 x 10’s for a more reasonable cost. They are wonderful photos but just know that the packages start at $1000 and go up from there. If we had known that pricing beforehand, we would not even have agreed to a session. Live and learn.
We went to the Sea View deck for the sail away. We left port at 5:30.
Our reservation at the Canaletto, the Italian upcharge restaurant, was at 7:00 so we played some slots until then. We were surprised to see that the menu was new. Now you can get their most popular items – ossobuco, chicken parmigiana, and beef short ribs – any day of the week instead of trying to make a reservation to get them when they were the “special of the day.” I did notice they had dropped the langostino soup and the caprese salad which were popular appetizers.
Tonight, I had the grilled shrimp appetizer and the spaghetti with shrimp and clams. Chuck had the veal meatballs and the ossobuco. They still offered the bread with dipping sauces and gelato for dessert.
After dinner, we went to BB King lounge to get a seat for the Orange Party. Before the party, the entertainment staff hosted Music trivia – guests against ship officers. The theme was 80’s music – title and artist. One team of guests got 30 points so the guests won.
Now it was time for the Orange Party. This party is usually held once per cruise in honor of Holland America’s Dutch Heritage and orange is the color of the royal family. Everyone is encouraged to wear something orange. The bars feature Dutch beers and drinks and waiters may come around with Dutch appetizers.
Once the party started, we realized we had chosen our seats poorly. We thought it would be great to be right by dance floor. However, as soon as the music started people flooded to the floor. Also, the HAL Kid’s Club attendants brought the children in their care to dance so that added another layer of excitement.
The dance area got so crowded that people were basically just hopping up and down or swaying where they stood. After getting our toes stepped on while sitting there, it was time to leave and call it a night. If they have a party on the next leg of this cruise, we’ll either skip it or find better seats.
There was a lot of ship motion last night and still continued this morning – so much that I had to take a Bonine. I usually don’t have to have one in the Caribbean. Must have been a storm somewhere causing all that wave action.
After breakfast, I went to a presentation in the main show room about the behind the scenes of a cruise ship. Aptly named “A City on the Sea“. The Cruise Director would bring out different officers to talk about their jobs while showing images of the places on the ships that guests don’t get to see. It was interesting.
Next, I picked up our photos from the premium session. They turned out really well. When I got back to the room, the stewards had delivered the Holland America tiles that are a thank you gift for sailing. They usually show a design of the ship that you are on. The ones we got today were made in honor of Holland America’s 150th Anniversary of their first sailing.
Then I played some slots with Chuck and finished up the afternoon relaxing on the balcony. I was happy that I wasn’t having to pack.
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