'Twas the Week Before Christmas - Live from the Eurodam

[cruisemom42]

Oh goodie! It's like an unexpected sequel to a favorite novel. Can't wait to find out what Poohby Joe gets up to...

[1of4]

Oh Bon voyage you lucky ducks. The snow is falling and the wind is howling so I will sit inside and take advantage of your research as I wrap presents.

[OVgirl]

And please report if your cheese plates this cruise have prunes or dates. I know we usually get the dates.

[sppunk]

I know you aren't a huge fan but order a Wang Wang for me please!

[erewhon]

Bon Voyage!!:)

 

Will be following your daily reports.

[hpf]

Have a great cruise, it seems that you will be very busy documenting all that info; and I will be reading every word so I'll know what to expect, We get on just after you get off, so please be quick about that.

 

Now I will have a hard time packing as I will be too busy checking every hour to read anything new. Oh well it will be worth it.

 

Helen

[lakemurraykid]

I can't wait to follow your posts prior to getting onboard Ms. Eurodam 12/31. I love how you write and am excited to read your review. Have a wonderful cruise.

[POA1]

 

I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, because it's barely 11:00 PM on Friday, and I'm posting the Embarkation Day post. Technically, I should wait until the morning, but I'd prefer to pack up my computer now. We've got a long, long trip to Port Everglades ;) and I need to get a good night's rest.

 

From where we live in Fort Lauderdale, our "trip" to the port is 3.1 miles and takes about 13 minutes. The only reason it's such a lengthy commute is that we have to go up and over the 17th Street Causeway and wind our way through Port Everglades. If we could go in a straight line, it would be shorter. Wetter, but shorter.

 

 

View of the Nieuw Amsterdam from our balcony. The NA is in terminal 26, which is where the Eurodam will be waiting for us in the morning. (This picture was taken from our balcony two weeks ago.)

 

 

 

We plan to have a taxi pick us up around 10:30 - 10:45 AM which should get us to the terminal in time to beat the crowds. We could leave later, but when you're looking out the window at your ship, you get a little antsy. Once we get on the ship, we like to make sure that all our reservations and plans are in place so that our vacation is worry-free. For this particular trip, we need to confirm our Pinnacle & De Librije dinners, check our cabana assignment, and check on our MDR table assignment. We're supposed to be assigned to the Portofino Retreat Cabana and we asked for a table for four from a from a list of 8 possible choices. (We contacted the ship coordinator for the Eurodam a few months ago.) We're looking for a table for 4 that's a little out of the way. DFIL has trouble with background noise. (He'll never admit it, so please don't tell him I mentioned it.)

 

We also have to book an excursion for St. Thomas. We normally would have booked online prior to the cruise, but we have a fair amount of OBC through which we need to churn.

 

Since this cruise is our way of celebrating the holidays, I thought I'd resurrect one of the jingles I composed in 2015. So, here's one from the Happy HALidays Songbook. Remember: It's not plagiarizing if I wrote it myself. It's creative recycling!

 

We Wish You a Happy HAL Cruise

(Sung to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas")

 

We wish you a happy HAL cruise,

We wish you a happy HAL cruise,

We wish you a happy HAL cruise, a voyage of good cheer!

Hope your sailing's grand on the Eurodam,

We wish you a happy HAL cruise, a voyage of good cheer!

 

Oh bring us a HAL Club Sandwich,

Oh bring us a HAL Club Sandwich,

Oh bring us a HAL Club Sandwich and bring it right here!

We won't go until we get one.

We won't go until we get one.

We won't go until we get one with chips and a beer!

 

We wish you a happy HAL cruise,

We wish you a happy HAL cruise,

We wish you a happy HAL cruise, a voyage of good cheer!

 

 

If you're saying to yourself, "Self, what's the big deal with the Holland America Club Sandwich?" Well... You can read the full story here:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2037576

 

You'll need to skip ahead to Post #73 in the thread to find the answer.

Edited December 17, 2016 by POA1

[POA1]

I know you aren't a huge fan but order a Wang Wang for me please!

For you, sure. I suppose you expect me to drink it, right? ;)

[Emoliash]

Looking forward to reading. Enjoy!

 

 

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[AtlantaCruiser72]

This should be a fun festive frolic full of facts, food and frivolity!

 

BTW - one should only drink a Wang Wang if one wants to feel Wong Wong for a considerable time thereafter :o

[js4rq]

Eep how exciting! Have a great time!

[ski ww]

Just watched the Eurodam coming into harbour.

Allan

[POA1]

Just watched the Eurodam coming into harbour.

Allan

Yay! Our ship has come in! Unless I missed it, there's no sail away thread for today yet. It'll be a light day as the ships adjust for the Christmas schedule. Bedsides the Eurodam, there is the Caribbean Princess, independence of the Seas, and the Harmony of the Seas. A lovely, but breezy morning. Only a few more hours....

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking us along!

I hope Poohby Joe doesn't get a sunburn.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[POA1]

When my father gets started on embarrassing stories of my childhood, one of his favorites to tell is that - how when I was little - he and my mom couldn't tell me that we were going on vacation ahead of time. Otherwise, I'd get so excited that I'd make myself sick.

 

Luckily I'm over that now. I still get pretty pumped up and I usually wake up too early or have trouble falling asleep, but I least there's no nausea. By the way, this is one of those childhood stories that simply must be told at the holidays. Especially when there are new people in the room. It was required learning for everyone I ever dated and would probably be on my LinkedIn page if my dad had his way.

 

Speaking of excited, I woke up in time to see the Eurodam pass by. It was pretty dark and the camera was packed, so I waited for the sun to come up a bit so that I could (a) find the camera in the suitcase without turning on the lights and waking my wife, and (b) take a better picture.

 

[ger_77]

I'm excited for all four of you - like you, I have trouble sleeping the last few nights prior to leaving on vacation. Looking forward to your posts, and to the latest Poohby Joe experiences!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[albingirl]

This is going to be fun for all of us following! Thank you! I have a short cruise coming in Jan. That can't come soon enough. I appreciate your fine humor.

[teamflames]

In addition to updating our research on the Signature Beverage Package and refreshing Poohby Joe's Guide to Cabana Living, we've identified a number of pressing issues that need to be addressed. If you can think of any others, please feel free to ask. We'll put one of our highly trained research associates on the case to get you the answer pronto.

 

Items of Vast Import That We Have Identified:

 

• Lido Sandwiches: Premade only? Made to Order? Some combination thereof? What about chicken, egg, or tuna salads? Inquiring minds want to know.
  
• Half Moon Cay Lobster Shack: What's the deal with that? Menu? Photos?
  
• Dueling Pianos: Do they duel with swords or pistols?
  
• Lincoln Center Stage: How does it compare with the Explorer's Lounge/Adagio Duo? Is it still "the" hotspot for post-dinner cordials and pre-bedtime snoozes?
  
• Culinary Arts Center: Is America's Test Kitchen up and running? If not, is there a Quiz Kitchen?
  
• B.B. King All Stars: Are they playing a holiday set?
  
• Gala Nights: What's the percentage breakdown of Tuxedos, Suits, Jacket & Tie, Jacket Only, Collared Shirt & Slacks? Are the collared shirts button front or polo style? Are the Gala Night baseball caps dressier than other nights? (I'm thinking sequined Yankees logo.)
  
• Promenade Deck: Are people walking in the correct direction, or is it an unruly free-for-all? Teeming masses of humanity, wandering willy-nilly in different directions at different velocities, like so many drunken dyslexic salmon trying to swim down or upstream to spawn?
  
• Prunes: Are they readily available? Is there a Prunacolada Drink of the Day? Are evil forces trying to pass prunes off as dates?
  
• Shows: Any not to be missed?
  
• Internet Service: Costs, Plans & Speeds
  
• Interactive TVs: Do they watch you while you're sleeping?
  
• Room Service Special Requests: Can DW get her write-in chocolate croissant, or is it the end of the world as we know it?
  
• Dancing: Are there a lot of venues where I can, but absolutely will not dance?
  
• Stateroom Lights: Do we need to put a card in a slot to keep them on?
  

I'll be honest. We've got a pretty full plate investigation-wise. But, if you have something you'd like to know, please ask.

 

 

In stitches [emoji23] ... Have a great Xmas and cruise!

I think you forgot one important investigative topic:

Who/what is the librarian has it turned into an e-librarian??????

 

 

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[POA1]

The luggage is packed on a cart by the door;

We're ready to leave - just one hour more.

 

One of the absolute best things about being "local" to the port is that we don't have to worry about airline luggage limits and fees. We normally carry on wine for the cruise. But, since we have the SBP+, we opted not to take any this trip. It'll be our first trip without a couple of cases of wine since we went to Alaska in 2005 on the Volendam. Hopefully, the ship wasn't counting on our usual corkage revenue.

 

[Vict0riann]

Thank you, thank you, for our Christmas cruise-along with Poohby Joe et al!:D

 

My question is - will there be anchovies with the lunchtime salad in the Lido Market? On Prinsendam for 6 weeks, no anchovies! The first three days, I requested them, and was grudgingly brought a small plate. I gave up after that, and just stayed away from the salad display. :(

[POA1]

We're all checked in. We got the table we wanted but they got the time wrong. My first stop will be the MDR to get the seating changed to the main from early. Our confirmation and boarding pass say Main, but our room keys say 5:30. That's right in the middle of of nap time!

 

The MDR assignment is getting to be a habit. On our 2014 Nieuw Amsterdam cruise, DW and I were assigned different tables. (No, she didn't request to be seated elsewhere. :) )

[POA1]

 

My question is - will there be anchovies with the lunchtime salad in the Lido Market?

 

Got it. Will check for hairy fish on the salad bar.

[sppunk]

For you, sure. I suppose you expect me to drink it, right? ;)

 

You can overnight it to me.

[POA1]

Managed to get moved to late / main seating, but we are at an 8 top. It's not optimal, but at least the time is good. We're wait listed for a 4 top.

 

At this point, some posters would go off the rails and declare vacation ruined. Not this guy! DFIL is getting lunch. DW and I are having liquids. Food to follow. We need to drown our table assignment sorrow.