On the Open Seas

NOTE:  We're in Lima, Peru, but I'm still catching up on blogs about the cruise.  So check backwards on the blog to see if you missed a post.

20 February 2020

We’re on the Zaandam, a ship of the Holland America Line (HAL).  This is our second cruise with them, and there are perks for being a loyal member of one line.  Discounts and all that.  There are also ways to feel quite pampered, such as having breakfast delivered to your cabin at the time you choose.  Afternoon tea.  And of course, options that are outside the box – if there’s a main dish that you’d like to try, you can request an appetizer portion of it.  If you’d like three appetizers for dinner, sure, they can do that too.  It definitely is an easier way to travel, and as we’re getting older I think we like it more.

I also appreciate the accommodation for those of us with severe food allergies.  There’s a whole procedure so that food can be prepared separately to avoid cross contamination.  This includes receiving a copy of the next day’s menu, so I get to select what I’d like for the next day.  And everyone else at the table often asks if they can see the menu for tomorrow.  It’s kind of fun!

On our first night, I ended up with several waiters plus the head of food services conferring with me to ensure I could eat the item I had ordered.  It was a bit embarrassing having three or four different people coming over to speak with me to ensure I wouldn’t go into anaphylaxis at dinner, although the man sitting next to me joked that I was getting to know everyone on the ship!  So yes, it was funny, but also embarrassing.

Life at sea develops its own rhythm.  Some people attend every talk about each port visit, others attend the lectures about Antarctica.  We skip most of those port talks, and listen to the Antarctic lectures on the simulcast shipboard TV channel.  (Especially if the lecture is early, so I watch while we have brekkie.). Other people are travelling with a group (we have a knitting group aboard), or maybe they attend the classes on “Documenting your trip with Microsoft.”  (Again, not us.)  There are classes in the fitness center – and while we might go use the stationary bikes or some weight, we don’t participate in the classes. 

We usually pre-order breakfast in our room – it’s a small indulgence, but it makes it easier to start the day, especially for people like me who just wake up slowly.  And it also prevents accidental exposure to that evil mango family.

We have a little balcony on this ship, and it’s SO nice to spend an afternoon watching the sea, looking for animals.  I’ve seen whales, orcas, penguins, and those delightful leopard seals, especially the little yawning one.  There are plenty of sea birds, and we both have binoculars.  The cruise line provides a pair in our room, which is nice.  Actually, I was also the person out on the balcony each morning in Antarctica, wrapped up in the robe provided by HAL, while I marveled at the glaciers, ice bergs, and looked for all those amazing animals.  Our Expedition Team usually had someone on the bridge with the captain, and they broadcast explanations about what we were seeing, or announced whales or penguins ahead, that sort of thing – very helpful for those of us who were on the cruise to see all these things.  The balcony is exactly the right size for two chairs (with foot stools, and a tiny table), and is the perfect spot for watching the sunset, or the night sky.  The moon was half full and waxing, so the moon shadow lit up the sea as the stars filled the sky.

There are all sorts of nooks and crannies around the ship, and everyone seems to find a spot to hang out and have more space than the staterooms.  Smokers have a few designated spots.  Those who sunbathe have lounge chairs around the two pools.  There’s a library, another room with games and jigsaw puzzles, various lounges.  Walkers circle the ship on the outdoor walkway on deck 3, the lower promenade deck.  I get bored with walking in a big circle, so sometimes I’ll start on deck 10, walk around, go down the stairs, walk around that deck, and so on.  I seem to discover some new artwork, or new places to hang out, so it’s always interesting.

I personally like to spend quiet time in the area that features classical music most evenings.  During the day, this is a quiet area with cushioned chairs, a few tables, and views out the starboard side of the ship.  There are even a few electric outlets, so it’s the perfect place to write the blog or download photos from the camera and then do my editing.  The coffee bar is nearby at the Explorer’s Lounge, so I can get a strong latte, the delicious hot chocolate, or something else (although there is a charge for this specialty coffee bar).  I usually go up to the buffet to fill my Malaysian Starbucks travel cup with tea, though, because, well I do like my tea.

There are movies each day, usually related to the area we’re sailing through.  The first week, the movies have been set in various parts of Argentina:  “Gemini Man,” “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and “Evita.”  During the time in Antarctica, we had various movies that were related to that continent (including “Where Did You Go, Bernadette” which I enjoyed, as well as “Eight Below” which always makes me cry).  Our lecture series included two talks about movies set in Antarctica, and very few were actually filmed there.  The only movie filmed 100% in Antarctica is a quirky horror film created by bored scientists at one of the research stations – pretty funny that they were so bored one winter, they wrote and starred in their own movie!!  While the movie theatre is small, and the times might conflict with other fun options, the movies run on the in-ship TV channel throughout the following day.

There are performances each evening.  I went to one show, a wonderful trio of dancers who did gorgeous tangoes and bolo dancing, the “weapon” of two stones wrapped at two ends of a long leather or rope cord, but now made of rope and Teflon balls.  Bolo dancing consists of foot stomping similar to flamenco dancing, and twirling the bolos while smacking the ends on the floor, all to the same beat of the drum!  It really was one of the best shows of I’ve seen on a ship, the three dancers were very professional and were truly talented dancers!

We occasionally visit the casino, although this ship is small and seems to have a smaller casino.  I miss the Zeus machine that we enjoyed on our previous cruise.  But there are some crazy games (Monty Python's Holy Grail Killer Bunny!), and it can be fun for an hour or so.

Our cruise has more days without port stops than actual days in port, but much of that is because we have four days cruising the Antarctic Peninsula, and then days cruising across Drake’s Passage (in two directions), Beagle Passage, the Chilean fjords, and while it wasn’t on the itinerary I think we also crossed the Straits of Magellan.  Some people are bored on sea days, but I like watching the waves or the scenery, taking photos, walking around on my art photo safari, or working on the blog.  And with a kindle, I have about two thousand books to read.  I can’t say that sea days are boring, more like relaxing than anything else.

Anyway, our total distance travelled, from Buenos Aires down the coast, to the Falkland Islands, down to the Antarctic Peninsula and around, then back north to South America and through the Chilean fjords to the port town of San Antonio, took 22 days.  We travelled a total of 4,549 miles (7,320.9 km, or 5906 nautical miles).  Our ship held about 1,400 passengers, or perhaps that was the maximum capacity, not subtracting people for the single passengers in some cabins.  We had 579 officers and crew, from 32 different countries!

Here are the maps showing our route and stops.  I couldn’t find a map showing enough of Antarctica with the southern half of South America as well, so I’m stuck with two different maps.  Plus the ship's little itinerary map, and our Expedition Team's map showing exactly where we went in Antarctica.

I’ll try to put together a blog about the artwork, because some of it really was fascinating.  (And some of it should be in museums!) 

So keep checking back, more blogs to follow!