Waterways of Holland & Belgium (End of Trip)

Thursday, May 10: AMS > DUB > BOS > SMF

I was up at 5:15am to fit in a workout before needing to put my bag outside the cabin for pick-up at 6:30am. I kept my yoga mat, though, and did my daily practice before packing up the last of my stuff into my back-pack and heading to the restaurant to grab some snacks for breakfast later. Our airport transfer group left the ship at 7:15am, but we didn’t make it to the airport terminal until nearly 8:30am due to an accident that resulted in closure of one lane on the approach road to the terminals. Yikes! Just over an hour to check in our bags, get our boarding passes, go through passport control and security, and make it to the gate. Good thing we were able to get some assistance and jump on a little electric cart or we might not have made it on time!!

Our transfer in Dublin was less stressful but still a bit tight on time, primarily due to the need to pass through U.S. Pre-Clearance in Dublin prior to boarding the flight. This meant that we didn’t need to clear customs when we landed in Boston, which is somewhat convenient but definitely added more time to the overall transfer process. So glad we were in Business Class and could get comfy during the flight! Mom read and slept and played games on her Kindle, and I watched 3 movies (“Molly’s Game,” “Justice League,” and “Father Figures”) during the 6+ hour flight. We arrived on time in Boston and claimed our bags. Then we parted outside by the limos when Mom met her ride home to Marshfield, and I came back inside to check in for my Jet Blue flight back home to Sac.

Since I had several hours to wait, I purchased the $40 day pass at the Aer Lingus lounge where Mom and I had waited for our outbound flight in order to have a quiet spot to do some email and blogging and take advantage of the complimentary food and drinks. Unfortunately, my return flight to Sac was delayed nearly 2 hours, but I made it home to see Mr. E and the kitties, unpack, and go to bed by about 11:30pm. Yawn…

Interesting Facts about The Netherlands

We learned lots of information and history about both Belgium and The Netherlands during the trip. A few facts that struck me:

• The Netherlands is the tallest nation in the world, although no one knows exactly why.
• Holland is actually the name of two provinces – South Holland & North Holland – that are home to the biggest cities, most important port, and capitol of the country.
• In total, The Netherlands is composed of 12 provinces, 1 of which is relatively new, and each has its own government, which makes political life quite complex.
• The majority of land in The Netherlands has been “reclaimed” by creating a series of canals and dikes in order to dry out the land, meaning that most of the country is anywhere from 4 to 22 meters BELOW sea level. Yikes! Hence the local saying that “God created the world, but the Dutch created The Netherlands.”

Characteristics of Shipboard Life

Anytime we left the boat, we had to turn in our key at Reception in exchange for a boarding pass. We then reversed the exchange when we returned to the boat. This system helps the crew to ensure that all passengers are on board before sailing to the next destination.

Each activity was announced by the Cruise Director, Amalia, over the PA system. This included a daily wake-up greeting that started off with soothing music and the sound of birdcalls! Every evening, a daily program was left in our rooms during the afternoon turn-down service, and the program included a schedule of activities, information about our excursions, and the weather prediction for the next day. We also had a “port talk” each evening to provide details about the next day’s events.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the lengthy dinners were a bit challenging for me. Breakfast was always a buffet, so that could be accessed and eaten in a more timely fashion. And for our shipboard lunches, Mom and I always opted for the “quick lunch” buffet in the lounge instead of the sit-down meal in the restaurant. But we didn’t have that option for dinner, so we had to join others for the 4-course meal, although we both usually skipped the 2^nd course of a warm appetizer and just had the salad, entrée, and dessert. Even so, this process usually lasted for 2+ hours, which was just too much. I did appreciate, however, that the kitchen was able to accommodate my dietary restrictions, and the maître d’, Cosmin, checked in with me each morning to review the day’s selections and make sure I’d have something to eat.

Although the description and diagram of the boat showed a Fitness Center, I stuck with YouTube videos in my room for my daily workouts, with the exception of the days that I went for a run. The Fitness Center was on two levels and had lovely windows but minimal equipment, and the treadmill was out of order for several days.

The housekeeping staff was very attentive, servicing the rooms in the morning and afternoon. And during the latter part of the voyage, we found awesome towel creations in our cabins each evening:

For the daily excursions, we used devices called “Quiet Vox” that allowed us to hear our local guides through a remote system with an earpiece. This made the tours much easier, as we didn’t have to huddle close to the guide to hear and could even range as much as 2 blocks away from the transmitter and still hear all of the commentary.