Day 01 Embarkation Excitement

Mats in elevators

Here's the blurb about the ship from Holland America Line hereinafter known as HAL:

"Named for the Maas River in the Netherlands, the ms Maasdam is the fifth ship in Holland America Line's 135-year history to bear the name. At 720-feet, the ms Maasdam is designed to carry fewer guests while providing more space for maximum comfort. Many staterooms feature commanding ocean views, and each suite has a private verandah.

Featuring an interior motif that pays homage to the historical Dutch East and West India companies of the 17th through 19th centuries, the centerpiece of this elegant ship features Luciano Vistosi's "Totem," a monumental sculpture using nearly 2,000 glimmering pieces of glass, prominently displayed in a soaring three-story atrium. Other intriguing art featured on the ms Maasdam are two abstract murals painted especially for the Rotterdam Dining Room and a collection of seven iron teapots and a charcoal brazier from Japan, which date from the end of Edo period."

Our new home for two weeks. Read more about her CLICK HERE

The all-day buffet at the Lido Restaurant is probably the most popular place on the ship

We said our goodbyes and to Gary and Ann and drove the 80 or so miles to Fort Lauderdale where we dropped our car at the Park N Fly and boarded the Maasdam without event. Our cabin was ready when we got there at around one and we spent the afternoon with our somewhat abbreviated number of cruising friends Holly and Barry, and Deb and Cheryl. Deb and Cheryl are sharing a cabin since their husbands are not traveling with us this time. We enjoyed a light lunch and the Lido and gabbed the whole afternoon away on the Promenade Deck.

At dinner time there seemed to be some confusion about which table we were to be assigned. Cheryl and Deb had erroneously been designated for ‘open’ seating so I figured that one of the changes was to accommodate them, but just before dinner another change was made to the table.  Since there is six of us and we’re at a table for eight we wondered who would occupy the two final chairs. 

 

What a surprise!

Two smiling faces approached our table.  It was Jean and John from the UK. If you go back on the blog to 2007 you’ll see that they joined us on a Caribbean cruise five years ago. We have kept in touch by e-mail and only a few weeks ago they had said they could not make it to this cruise.  None of us could believe our eyes.  

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