Cruise 2, Fun stuff, Big news!

While last cruise was very exciting, this one was a little less so. It began with a stop at Half Moon Cay. Since we didn’t get off the ship last time, we were looking forward to enjoying the incredible blue water and soaking up a little extra vitamin D in the sunshine. No such luck. Since the Niew Amsterdam was in port with us and we were still recovering from stupid Code Red, all crew was required to stay aboard the vessel so as not to infect the Niew A. Begrudgingly we spent our day on the pool deck and even more begrudgingly ate in the PO for two more days before the GI had cleared the ship completely.

The next day we docked in Grand Turk. Ron and I bolted off the ship and made a beeline for Margaritaville where we devoured a huge plate of nachos and a cheeseburger. I know that neither of us should be eating such crap, but given that the last week and a half we were subjected to pure grossness for meals, we gave ourselves a pass on this one meal. Later on we walked down to Jacks Shack, played in the water, met a brown lab named Cooper; the new addition to the Jack’s Shack pooches (Remember Topher the goldendoodle from our Eurodam season?), and relaxed under the umbrellas with Shane (our cruise director) and his wife Renee (the event manager). That night we were informed that we were finally back to our normal dining routine and we were never so excited to eat in the Lido!

Ron @ Jack's Shack

Samana, Dominican Republic was our next port of call and I was back on duty as a tour escort for the catamaran snorkeling excursion. Early in the morning I helped escort guests to their tours and then later I hopped on a tender with my charges for the day and we all boarded a nice new catamaran for a few hours. I love, love, love catamarans and was about as happy as I could be when I was able to perch up front on the nets and feel the wind in my face as we skipped over the ocean to a reef a few nautical miles away. Most of the guests jumped in the water to snorkel but I preferred to just dangle my feet over the side, munch on some fresh coconut pieces and watch. I saw the jellyfish these people were swimming with and thought better of comingling with the poisonous little buggers. I prefer to stay toxin-free thankyouverymuch. After a short stop on a secluded beach, we sailed back to the dock, took a tender back and re-embarked the ship. Samana is very poor but from the ocean you would never guess that. It’s beautiful and lush and green and looks about as peaceful as can be. I almost hate to go ashore next time we’re there so as not to shatter the illusion!

One sea day and then we arrived in Bonaire. Ron had IPM so I just took a short walk downtown to get gelato, went for a stroll in the sun, and scouted out these super cute necklaces made by a local artist to bring back for Susie & Jen. I think I’m going to need to pick up a couple extra for me too!

In Curacao the following day I was assigned to another tour. The See and Sea tour combines a bus ride around town and a semi-submarine ride off the coast. The bus tour was fairly uneventful, though I did get a few shots of Willemstad and the ship from the Queen Juliana Bridge. 

View from the Bridge

The semi-sub was pretty much a nightmare for me. We were shuffled into a small space under the deck of a tiny boat and seated two by two in one long row. Of course I was stuck right in the middle. I am not a fan of enclosed spaces nor am I particularly fond of being so close to so many strangers with no known means of escape. I lasted less than 5 minutes before I excused myself to the upper level of the boat for some fresh air. I missed out on the views of tons of tropical fish, but I’m pretty OK with that. I hope I won’t be escorting similar tours in the future. That is not for me! On the upside, the boat launched from the Curacao Hilton, and I think I may have found my next vacation destination. It looks like the most perfect place to relax and spend a week enjoying the beach and pools and water sports offered there. If you’re looking into a vacation, definitely check it out. Wonderful little gem!

The Hilton - It doesn't look all that special, but it is!

There’s never much to say about Aruba unless we actually get out of the cruise ship area and do something… which has yet to happen. I have high hopes for the cruise after next that we will finally go on a little Aruban adventure. Or at the very least, I hope I can escort a tour so I can get a taste of the island. I hear it’s a ton of fun. It remains to be seen. All we did this past cruise is venture out to Starbucks to find some free internet and get back in connection with the real world. There is a funny story that goes along with this little adventure…but you’ll have to get it from us in person. I don’t think it’s blog material. But it is a good story so remind us when you see or talk to us next. On the way back we thought about stopping at the Paddock to get lunch off the ship, but both of our stomachs were acting up that day and let’s face it, we’re cheap and lunch on the ship is free. But we did stop in a shop to pick up a post card for Rosie’s son’s school project. He is going to be getting a TON of cool postcards from Felix the rabbit (via The Morrissette’s) between now and the end of May!

All aboard for two sea days in a row and we’re back to Fort Lauderdale. We had planned on escorting an excursion to the everglades but five guests came down with GI symptoms in one hour on Sunday and Ron has to stay on to super-san the theater – again! I could still escort the excursion by myself but ShoreEx kindly let me off the hook so that Ron can accompany me next cruise. I’m actually sort of relieved because I have like 400 errands I need to run today during our only day in the US so I welcomed the opportunity to relax at Panera and write this blog and then head off to stock up on groceries and other stuff.

So, two cruises in, we’re really enjoying the Noordam. I think it’s the prettiest ship we’ve been on so far. The people are very nice and laid back, although it seems like most people tend to keep to themselves on this ship. Ron makes friends easily and quickly bonded with the guys on his team, but being the strong introvert that I am, I have had a much harder time getting to know people. While I’m enjoying this opportunity, I have been really homesick and missing my relationships in California and Pennsylvania. This has given way to lots of time spent in the gym, running on deck 3, and ruminating about this part of life. It strikes me how easily The Noordam has become home. It’s interesting how familiar everything is and how things like sitting out on the deck in the evenings, or watching flying fish out the window during lunch is just so commonplace now. Everything feels so natural. It’s kind of weird. We’re incredibly blessed.

And finally, we have some news to share: We’ve been given our next ship assignment already! Assuming nothing changes in our lives between now and then, on August 10^th we will be back on the Eurodam. We’ll be joining the ship in Amsterdam and visiting several places in Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Berlin, Germany; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Tallinn, Estonia; Stockholm, Sweden; Shetland Islands, Scotland; Reykajavik, Iceland; Prince Christian Sund; Llivileq, Greendland; and then crossing over to Canada where we will tour St. John’s, Newfoundland; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; Saguenay and Baie-Comeau, Qubec; and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. (Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I lost it when I found out we’d be in PEI every week. I’ve had a life long obsession with Anne of Green Gables and have wanted to visit the setting of my beloved series for as long as I can remember. I’m elated… so say the least!)  During the fall foliage tour (which includes the Canada destinations) we will also be stopping in NYC, New York; Newport, Rhode Island; Gloucester and Boston, Massachusetts; and Bar Harbor, Maine. From there we will sail down the east coast and arrive back in Fort Lauderdale where we will experience 2010 all over again with week long cruises to Grand Turk, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay and then we should be home before Christmas. We’re absolutely thrilled to have such an amazing itinerary lined up and look forward to all these new places.

That’s it for now folks! See you next Fort Lauderdale!

Noordam: The Beginning

This past week and a half was our first cruise together on the Noordam. Ron went one cruise ahead of me to learn the shows and allow me some more time to visit friends and family. I had planned on stopping in Pennsylvania for several days before heading down to meet the ship but I ended up getting really sick and having to stay in California an extra week. I would have been just as glad for the extra time with my west coast friends but as it was, I had to cancel all of my plans and spent several days coughing and complaining. It was really nice to spend some extra time with my parents though. I really enjoyed our time together this trip.

Now that we have a full cruise down on the Noordam, I can safely say that we are in for a ton of fun and a boat load of adventures this contract.

Our first port was St. Maarten. We had been there before on the Eurodam but don’t have the lay of the land down just yet. So we just relaxed at a café near the beach and wandered around for a while. We foresee St. Maarten being our beach day more than anything else.

The next day Ron had a long work call in the theater and after my boat drill (which was an especially long and boring one) I escorted a tour in St. Lucia. In doing so I was treated to beautiful view of the Pitons (which are a World Heritage Site), a wonderful winding drive in the countryside, a stop at a chocolate plantation where I tasted a cocoa bean straight from the shell (it tastes like oranges!), pet a baby donkey, and saw how sugar was processed. The scenery in St. Lucia was really beautiful.

Petite Piton

Noordam

One of many, many beautiful views!

Barbados was our next port of call. We took a cab to the city and unsuccessfully tried to find somewhere for lunch. We quickly tired of wandering around very poor and crowded city streets, so we snapped a picture of the bridge (after which Bridgetown was named) and headed back to the cruise port where we shared a burger. We called it a day after that and went back to the ship. We figured that we would probably stay on the ship when we are in Barbados but then one of the cast members told us about a resort area that is supposed to be very pretty and a lot of fun. We’ll try that next time we’re there in March.

That night the ship went into Code Red. This is my least favorite thing about eating on ships. Code Red means that some filthy passengers didn’t wash their hands enough and a bunch of them got themselves infected with the GI illness that is so prevalent on cruise ships. Once it hits a few people on a ship it spreads like wildfire. So many of them have it that we had to shut down self service food which means that getting meals takes for-ev-er. But since none of the crew had it we were quarantined to eating in the PO instead of the Lido so the filthy passengers don’t get us sick. Sadly, on Dominica day, a few Crew members fell victim to the awful GI symptoms. So everyone got a little nervous. Luckily Ron and I made it through in full health.

The following day on Martinique I again escorted a tour. I boarded a bus of eager sightseers and a wonderful tour guide named Bridget and we all made our way around the isle. I really enjoyed the whole day. I found Martinique to be very different than any of the other Caribbean islands we have visited (and at this point we have seen almost every one of them). The French influence on the island gives way to European architecture, a peaceful presence, a value on history, lovely churches and narrow streets. We made several stops along the way and enjoyed some nice views and historical snippets but the highlight of the trip was Jardin de Balata, a botanical garden with a series of suspension bridges. Later on that afternoon we attempted to grab a bite to eat off the ship and we had high hopes for some local treats because Carnival was occurring right across from our ship. Despite the harbor being tourist-centric, barely anyone spoke a word of English (my French is far rustier than my Spanish despite the fact that I took French in school and never had any formal education in Spanish – go figure) and nobody accepted our American money so we were forced to eat more icky PO food on the ship.

Hummingbirds in the Botanical Garden

The suspension bridges

 We didn’t have high hopes for Dominica (say Dom-en-eek-uh) because we know that Samana, which is also in the Dominican Republic, is very poor and has little to do, but we were pleasantly surprised to say the least. Our day in Dominica was absolutely our favorite of the week! Some of the cast members called us in the morning and asked if we wanted to share a cab to Trafalgar Falls. Of course we jumped at the chance for a new adventure. Most people can take a short hike up to a viewing platform and watch the falls from a distance but I think we can safely attest that we are not “most people.” The five of us trekked past the viewing platform and climbed over slippery, moss covered rocks, splashed through sulfur hot springs, and navigated nooks and crannies in the landscape in order to get to the top of the falls. Once we reached our destination, we jumped in and splashed around in the waterfall. Climbing up to a remote, natural waterfall and being able to swim in it has been on what I guess you could call my “bucket list” although I would never really refer to it as that. It’s just something I have always wanted to do. We plan to go back and climb up a little further at the end of March. But our next trip to Dominica will include tubing down a river. I think I’m in love with this place!

We climbed up the waterfall on Ron's right

The whole hike consisted on climbing over rocks like this

The reward at the end of the hike!

So fun!

One nice thing about this itinerary is that we stop at St. Thomas. When we were on the Eurodam we were absolutely sick of the place but now that we’re so rarely in American ports, it’s a treat to be able to use our phones. We spent the day catching up on the every day stuff like paying bills, calling family, and returning e-mails and then met some friends at Tickles Dockside Pub for a quick drink before heading back to the ship. It’s weird to us that some of these places are becoming so familiar. We will miss some of our favorites when our time on ships wraps up.

After a day at sea we arrived in Half Moon Cay. I’m not sure why we didn’t get off the ship but I guess it didn’t seem important. We laid by the pool and enjoyed the sun and felt jealous while watching the guests eating food from the Lido. We never thought we’d wish we could eat Lido food but it sure does look good after a week of eating unidentifiable PO food. Seriously. You guys just have no idea. I can’t do it justice with words alone. It’s really something.

And then we were back in Fort Lauderdale. Lauderdale really holds a special spot in my heart now. It does feel a little like coming home every time. It’s a nice place too. We’ll have to get out there and take pictures for you all one day soon. We’re usually so busy with internet and grocery shopping that we forget that our home port is pretty too!

And off we go on our next cruise. We have some new destinations coming up and few familiar ones as well. We’ll keep you posted on our crazy life! 

How to Enjoy Ron & Kelly’s HAL Discount

1)      Call or Email us for the link to the discounts – then save it in your favorites because it self-updates every few days.

2)      We can only get the discounts while we have an active contract – that means that as of today, you must book and pay for your cruise before June 8^th 2012.

3)      It is a process to get your discounted cruise approved and booked – there are several steps and we do not have control over how quickly the process occurs. We cannot rush the approval. Once we submit the forms it is out of our hands.

4)      We have extremely limited access to e-mail and phone so once we find out whether or not your cruise has been approved we will let you know as soon as we can. No need to e-mail me 436 times. We’ll be in touch as soon as we’re able. I promise.

5)      Read the fine print! You can be bumped. We’ve never seen it happen but it can happen so if you are not prepared to deal with a snag in your travel plans however unlikely, then please feel free to book in the traditional way.

6)      Do not under any circumstances be rude or abrupt or unpleasant to any of the HAL staff or crew. (sadly, this has already happened once) It will reflect badly on us and can jeopardize our standing with HAL. If you encounter a problem, please tell us and we will gladly take care of it for you.

7)      If you use our discount, you are welcome to book on any ship that is available but we’d really love it if you would come to our ship. If you don’t want to come on our ship but you do want a discounted vacation, please carefully consider if that is an appropriate request based on the relationship you have with us.

8)      Prepare to be given special treatment, good discounts on drinks and shopping and excursions, and shown around the ports of call. Our ship is out home and we will take care of you if you come visit us.

9)      If you choose to visit our ship we will gladly hang out with you whenever you’d like but we also know that it is your vacation and we will respect your time and space.  

10)  What are you waiting for? Come visit! 

Hawaii

OK here we go! It's been a few weeks since Christmas but we wouldn't know it by the weather. It's been in the 70's and 80's at home in California and then we hopped on a ship out of San Diego to Hawaii where it was, of course, sunny and warm. 

One morning a few weeks ago I was out for my daily morning run and when I got back Ron said "get in the shower, we're going to Hawaii!" Holland America has called while I was out and said that if we could make it to the San Diego pier before sail away, we could go on our free cruise. We hurriedly cleaned and packed and rushed to the airport to return our rental car and bit our nails as my dad rushed us to the Irvine train station to catch the Amtrak. We barely made it!

We were the last people to board the ms Oosterdam (say: Oh-ster-dam) before it sailed off into the Pacific. Most free cruises allow for only a small inside cabin but this time we really lucked out with a deluxe veranda! We were amused to find a bottle of kosher Manischewitz wine that was sent to our room for the person who had canceled. 

I love having my own veranda - nobody to bug me as I enjoy the view

 After four long sea days we sailed into our first port of call - Maui. We were on the lookout for whales and were excited to see a few swimming not too far from our ship.

A Tail of a Whale

 Maui was a tendered port and we got stuck with one of the last tender tickets so we had a long wait before we could leave. We weren't quite sure what to do in Maui so we hopped a shuttle to Hilo Hattie and browsed the store for a bit. We were hungry and started browsing for something to eat and Ron found the Maui Brewing Company Tasting Room which was just across the street. We were lucky to be on the island during the short time they are open each week. We sipped some yummy craft beer for a couple hours and then walked down the main street in Lahaina popping in and out of shops, stopping for a snack, and marveling over Banyan Tree Park.

Maui Sunset

Banyan Tree Park 

 It was finally time to go back to the ship and we had to wait in line for a tender. The dock there on Maui is regulated by the port authority on the island and they will only allow one tender in at a time for safety reasons. No matter how many times you explain this to the passengers, they will tell you that you are wrong and will continue to complain while they wait for what appeared to us to be a perfectly efficient tender operation. We found this very annoying. Me more than Ron. So I tried to distract myself by messing around with my camera.

Ron waiting for tender, silently judging everyone around us for their whining

This is the "I think you're an idiot and I don't care if you know it" face

 The next day we arrived in Oahu very early. Both Ron & I had been to Oahu separately many years ago but I had such fond memories of my spring break there that I was really excited to go back. The first thing we did is hop on a bus to Diamond Head Crater for a hike. Ron has always loved to hike and I love anything active so it was a great choice for us. I had hiked it before in 2001 but Ron never had.  

 We were blessed with a ton of sunshine and a beautiful, breezy day, the hike was pleasant and the view was breathtaking.

Made it to the top!

Keep Off!

Isn't it just gorgeous!?!

 After our hike we thought we deserved a delicious lunch, and that is just what we got. We were too hot and hungry to take pictures of the place that we went and this makes me very sad because I'm certain my words will not come close to doing it justice. We chose a place called The Pioneer Saloon in a not-so-touristy part of town. We had to walk about two miles from the base of Diamond Head to get there and it was so worth it. This little kitschy hole in the wall was a hodge podge of weird tables, an old bar, a thrift shop, and Japanese food. It was neither pioneer-y nor was it saloon-y at all. In fact they had limited drink options altogether none of which included alcohol.  We ordered two meals - seared ahi with rice and salad and eel with rice and salad. We took one bite of the eel and lost our minds. it was SO GOOD. Everything there was delicious but I am telling you that eel was nearly, if not, the best thing I have ever eaten. Ever. I think Ron would agree.


After lunch we caught the bus back to the ship, showered, changed and headed back to yet another bus to Honolulu. We stopped at a store called Sand People which Jen Wade claims is her favorite store ever. I can see why. It took a ton of restraint not to buy everything in there. Ron was bored. Poor guy. We made our way to the beach and watched as the sun set and the lights on the shore lit up. 

Ron on Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background

 Then we split an appetizer of Crab and Macadamia Nut Won Tons at Duke's Barefoot Bar on the beach. Those things are also to-die-for and I will attest that they are oh so much better in Honolulu than Huntington. I can't explain it. They just are. We also indulged in a Mai Tai which I continue to claim to be the only Mai Tai that I can drink without feeling sick. They are magic.

Duke's Mai Tai - Yummy!

The next day we were in Lihue, Kauai. There is nothing to do there unless you want to take a plane or helicopter tour. That was not going to happen. Those things crash and kill people. So we opted for the slightly less exciting adventure of going to Costco and the supermarket. Anyone who has been to either of those places will tell you that half the fun is in the fact that there are chickens running around everywhere. Kinda funny. Later we walked down the beach and just kinda hung out.  

Lihue Lighthouse 

Kauai Sunset

The last day in Hawaii, we were on the Big Island. We took a shore excursion to a black sand beach, Hawaii Volcano National Park  and the Thurston  Lava Tubes.  The black sand beach was a little underwhelming. I had higher hopes. C'est la vie. 

View of the volcano from a black sand beach.

The view of the volcano from the Kilauea Overlook  at the Thomas A Jaggar Museum was really amazing though!

Ron was excited to get a new stamp in his National Park Passport

Onward to the Thurston Lava Tube! This was a really cool experience. We got to hike down into a valley and walk right through a lava tube.

 Sail away was very bright and pretty as we left the Big Island. We'd love to come back there to do some camping, more hiking, and exploring.

Then we had four more sea days back to the main land with a quick stop in Ensenada, Mexico. I will never understand why Holland America thought it was a good idea to dump a bunch of passengers off in Mexico at 8pm at night. I was scared most of the time we were outside the cruise terminal. 

Here are a few of our favorite towel animals from the trip. Ron thinks we should learn how to make them so that when we (finally) settle down in a real house on land, we can make them for our guests. 

A favorite activity on sea days on Holland America is the Ship Building Contest. We have seen some amazing ships built over the course of our cruising and we were excited to get to be a contestant this time. We built our ship out of a Styrofoam cooler, empty gallon jugs, empty beer cans and a lot of tape. I thought it would be hilarious to design the ship to float on it's side and name it the Concordia. We also attached a little life boat so our captain could safely escape it if the sea trials didn't go well. Our ship floated nicely on it's side and received acclaim from the crew who found our rendering of the recent Costa shipwreck as hilarious as we did, but the old farts *ahem* fellow passengers did not get quite the same kick out of it and we lost the contest by a landslide. The cruise director had an appreciation for our brilliance and gave us a snazzy Holland America duffle bag and the six pack of beer that was used as "cargo" in the sea trials as a prize anyhow.

All in all it was a great cruise. The highs where the veranda, visiting Kristen Klar (a former Sight & Sound co-worker who left PA for Holland America as well), meeting some new friends, and the whole day in Oahu. The only low for us was our interaction with our fellow passengers. We have never felt so unwelcome by a group of people in our lives. When we were sat at a table in the dining room you could feel the tension and reluctance to be seated with "the children" and any time we entered an elevator, the guests would look at us and say "oh, you're so young!" We felt like we were being stared at (and sometimes glared at) everywhere we went. While we had fun and enjoyed each other's company, we agree that a Holland America cruise over 10-days is not for us. (the shorter ones draw a younger crowd) We're glad we did it and it whet our appetites for ship life. We're looking forward to a great upcoming contract on the Noordam!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Some Other Stuff Too!

Well, we're back in California and are enjoying our favorite California things. In N Out Burger, Wahoo's, the beach, Disneyland, friends, family, the traffic, the smog, the lights... We've been enjoying home a lot. 

Only a few days after arriving, we were honored to be a part of our friend Steve "Barney" Graves' proposal to my oldest friend Meredith Bowdish. (Mer and I met on the slide in Kindergarten and have been close ever since) Barney and I had been working together so he could create a dream proposal for Meredith and after many phone calls, texts, and e-mails, the big day finally came. He had us pick up Meredith's 16-year-old daughter, Rianna, and take her to Downtown Disney where we set up flowers and candles on one of the patios at the Grand Californian. He told Meredith that he wanted to get pictures of them in front of the Christmas tree and on the balcony and then surprised her with a proposal on bended knee. if you look closely at this picture, you will see that he's holding the ring box upside down - we was just so nervous! 

 Of course she said "yes" and they went to celebrate at The Napa Rose while Ron and I took Rianna (or Ri-Bo as we affectionately nicknamed her) to The Rain Forest Cafe for dinner. Rianna loves Barney and is both excited and nervous about the impending marriage. It was such an honor to be a part of such a special day in our friends' lives and we wish them boundless blessings and happiness as they form their new family.

 Last week we had plans to join Barney and Meredith for a day at Disneyland. We were so excited to go (Well, Ron was a little apprehensive since he hasn't been to Disneyland as a guest in about 15 years and was afraid he would miss working there too much.) and practically ran from the car to the tram that would drop us off at the gates. Sadly, the park was so crowded that they were turning people away and wouldn't be able to let more guests in until after 6pm that evening. We'll be able to go next week when the crowds die down after the holiday vacation rush but we were still sad to miss out on the park that day. See how sad?

We settled on heading down to Newport Beach to enjoy the sunny weather and clear skies. We walked out on the pier and took some pictures.

 I had fun jumping off of benches to get some airborn shots that Ron said are for teenager. But I think they're fun!

After attending church service at Mariner's Church, we spent Christmas Eve at the Fancher house where my mom and I made dinner together. We made Beef Wellington from scratch (sauces and all), green beans almondine, salad with my homemade dressing, and mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious and we managed to not kill each other in the process of sharing a kitchen... but we came close...

Just kidding! It was really fun!

The next day we opened gifts in the morning. We were amused at the lopsided amount of gifts given to my brother and I and thought it deserved pictures and a little collage. No, this was not staged. That's what it looked like. It's a good thing I don't find fulfillment in gifts right?

 Mom and Dad did give me my two favorite gifts of the year - a Magic Bullet so we can blend smoothies on the ship next contract and a gift card to A Snail's Pace for new, custom fit running shoes! I went down and got fitted right away and I love them! What a difference the correct shoes makes!

Later that day we went to Oxnard to visit Ron's grandmother, sister, mom and her husband. We had a very nice dinner and visit but we were remiss in that we brought the camera and then forgot to take pictures! We'll be heading back up there tomorrow to celebrate Grandma's 97th birthday (wow!) and will be sure to take some then. The next day we drove to Claremont to visit Ron's dad and his wife. It was nice to spread Christmas out over three days. It made the fun last so much longer!

For New Year's Eve we were invited to do so many different things with a ton of different people but with all of the socializing and busy-ness the last few weeks, I have been feeling burned out and asked if we could just stay in for the evening. As it turned out my former roommate Chrissy and her friend Karl were looking for something mellow to do as well and were happy to just come over for snacks and games. We did end up venturing out to The Bench in Fullerton to ring in the New Year with Meredith and Barney. It was fun (and I always love time with Mer & B) but if I had it to do over again, I'd probably stay in and play games til midnight. We're getting old!

Happy New Year everyone! May 2012 be filled with an abundance of blessings, laughter, joy and the richness of life. Much love to you all.

Bye Zui

Well, our time on the Zuiderdam has come to an end. We were really sad to leave the ship. This has been such a different experience than the Eurodam and we loved just about every minute of it. We LOVE the cast, the stage crew, the Event Managers and Cruise Directors we worked with. We made friends with all kinds of people from different places in the world and from various departments on board and we can safely say that we truly enjoyed every last person we met on the ship. We’re going to miss everyone a ton. Thank you to the cast, crew and officers of the Zuiderdam for making our second contract such an outstanding experience!

During our last cruise, we went to the Black & White crew party, made a sand angel for Ben Goodner on Half Moon Cay, visited Wind & Surf Beach on Bonaire, and spent time with our Dam friends before leaving. Below are a few pictures from our last week or two. (Yes, we're tan, we know. We live in the Caribbean. it happens.) 

Black & White Crew Party

Bonaire

Half Moon Cay

Sand Angel in the making

For Ben Goodner

Last Friday we flew from Miami to California where we will be spending Christmas with our families. We have 7 weeks off between contracts and will spend at least the first few weeks in California. We applied to use our free cruise (we get one a year – great perk!) in January and are hoping to hear that we will spend about 2 of our 7 weeks on the Oosterdam sailing to Hawaii. Fingers crossed! We have kinda given up making plans for life because no matter what we think we’re going to do, God has other ideas for us. So we’re taking it day by day.

Merry Christmas everyone. May the Lord richly bless you this season. Thank you for keeping up with us as we traipse around the world. Your support and encouragement keeps us steady in an unsteady life.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6