Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Back home.....

So, here I am back home again….  It’s been exciting, sailing over 6 months during a pandemic is a bit different but it was great…  Knowing what I know now, I would do it all over again.  As we traveled, I had to constantly remind myself that we are still very deep into this pandemic.  Given the current state of affairs, our entire trip was centered on risk management in a world filled with unknowns…  the best approach for us was to take a very conservative approach and not venture far from the US.  So, we ended up with a solution involved 3 ships…Three ships, moving from one to the other on the same day, just grab your bags and move into a new ship...  And that’s exactly how it went…  smooth as silk. The voyages began on 10 October when I boarded the ms Koningsdam for weekly California Coast and Mexico cruises.  I had been invited to cut the ribbon to officially open the Koningsdam to begin sailing again after a pause in operations for 19 months.  The Scott sisters joined a week later.  Then, on January 2nd, we move over to my beloved Zuiderdam for three 14-day Panama Canal Voyages from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale, and back again.  We ended up in Ft. Lauderdale on February 13th where we grab our bags, once again, and move to Holland America’s newest ship the ms Rotterdam.  Was it the greatest itinerary in the world, maybe not but in this pandemic world, it was just perfect for us.  On each ship, I was so proud of the way the Holland America Team handled getting back to having guests onboard.  Was everything perfect, maybe not but given all the challenges that the cruise industry faced over the last couple of years, I give them the highest marks possible.  We have encountered so many friends along the way, both guests and crew and made countless new friends along the way.  I have only been home for a couple oof days and am already having withdrawals not seeing my wonderful friends that are part of the Holland America Team.  From Captain Timmers on down, they were all magnificent.  That sentiment equally applied to the Zuiderdam and Koningsdam….  All Ann, Cathy and myself have to say about our wonderful journey is “Job well done”!.  It was so good, in October of this year, we are going to take a similar path.  We will board the Nieuw Statendam in October until mid-January in the Caribbean, seamlessly move over to the Rotterdam until mid-April, again in the Caribbean and then head home for a couple of weeks to repack and join the Zuiderdam for 71 days sailing to Europe and back with wonderful stops in Norway, the Polar cap, Ireland, Scotland, England, Greenland and Iceland to name a few…  It will be another grand adventure with the best team on the high seas, Holland America Line….  I’m excited already!  Holland America Line is just the best….





5 comments:

  1. Hi Jeff, Glad you got home safely and had a wonderful time amid the challenges of the pandemic. I'm certain the time will fly before you're once again packing and heading out for new adventures. Fall and 2023 plans sound wonderful. Enjoy your summer and stay well.
    BVH-Groton, Ct.

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  2. Hell Jeff, Thank you for 6 months of great blogging. We love to read it every day. Since our Volandam cruise around England is cancelled this year, we are now booked on the Zuiderdam in May 2023. Perhaps we'll see you around the ship. We are curious what camera you are currently using. Can you post this? All the best from The Netherlands!

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    1. I have currently been using a Nikon D7500 with and 18-300mm lens. Currently waiting for delivery a new Nikon Z50 mirrorless camera.

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  3. Thanks for taking us along for the journey, even with the few hiccups you handled them well. Looking forward to your next adventure, we are also on the 71 day Zuiderdam voyage and I will definitely say hi (and thank you)!

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  4. Glad you are home and what a great 6 months it was. Thanks again for all the updates and pictures, they help keep me sane until my next trip. Enjoy the summer and I look forward to your next itinerary starting in October. I will be along for the ride following along with the blog.

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