We left Boise this morning on our “experimental” winter
cruise. We have so many friends who think that “cruising” is just the greatest
thing we thought we'd give it a try. Yes, we have cruised before, but those
don't count. Our first cruise was way back in the mid 80s. We did a
“windjammer” cruise in the Caribbean with a group from Hartwick. There were
only about 80 people on that boat. Then, in 2006 we did a paddle wheeler up
Alaska's “inside passage”. That was a great trip but, as one would expect on an
Alaska trip, it was cold, windy and rainy. Then, in 2015, we joined a group
from church for a trip to Greece which included a 3 day extension cruise in the
Mediterranean. That was a big old cruise ship (not unlike the one we're on
today) which took us to Ephasus, Patmos and Santorini. Those few days we cold,
rainy and windy. So, we've never been a on a “cruise” the way people think of
them – warm and sunny!
This trip is a common winter getaway called the “Mexican
Riviera”, 7 days with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
Departing and returning from San Diego. Our trip was organized by Journey Travel
and the City of Boise Parks and Rec Department. There are 20 people in our
group - we know none of them!
We arrived in San Diego after an uneventful flight from Boise
on Alaska. We were met at the airport by a Holland America representative and
bussed over to the ship. After going through security and getting our room keys
and official IDs, we boarded the ship around 1:00. We had a buffet lunch on the Lido Deck ( we
wonder where the word Lido comes from). Although were able to go to our
“stateroom”, we couldn't do much since our bags hadn't appeared yet. By the
way, the sun is shining brightly, the temperature is mid 70s – its awesome!
After leaving the snow and ice of Boise it feels great!
The MS Westerdam is of Dutch registry, based out of
Rotterdam. She's 935 feet long ( 3 laps to a mile on Deck 3); gross tonnage is
82,000. Average cruising speed is about 18 knots. The captain and senior crew
appear to be Dutch. Most all of the crew are from Southeast Asia. The passenger
capacity of the ship is about 1959 which makes it a “medium” size cruise ship.
There about 800 crew. The crew work on various Holland America ships for a ten
month term. She's about 20 years old and we understand she's due for a retrofit
next month.
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| MS Westerdam |
After the mandatory safety drill, we were on our way at about
5:00. Heading out of San Diego bay into a fog bank which persist the rest of
the night!
We toured around the ship to get our bearings. There's food
and drink everywhere! We had a real nice dinner in the Vista Dining Room with
some of our group. By the time we finished that it was after 8:00 so we toddled
back to our room to end the day!
I love your blog and photos! Great way to document your travel adventures. I want to try this cruise someday!
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