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Posted on 12/22/2003 8:52:51 PM PST by DoughtyOne
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Here are some more pics from our last cruise...we'll call this bunch "Beach Blanket Bingo"!
I'm sick o' wasting leather on gritty paving stones
And blasted winter weather wakes the fever in my bones
I'll walk barefoot with freepers on this dandy, sandy strand
This neater, sweeter island in a cleaner, greener land
Ship me to this paradise
I'll put shades upon my eyes
While lookin' lazy down the shore where no whinin' liberal cries
On the beach at Half Moon Cay
Where the flyin' freepers play
With our bods beneath umbrellas on a shiny, briny day
And the sun comes up like thunder out of Nassau 'crost the Bay!
Leni
Leni
Then, ahah!.....
After dinner, hook up with some freeper buddies and hit the world-famous Havensight shopping district in the cool of the evening for a treasure trove of shopping experiences in this duty-free port.
End up with a delicious tropical drink at an outdoor bistro on the waterfront. The super abundance of stars twinkling in a balmy, black-sky night will be a canopy over your head. No pollution in the Caribbean, the sky is a marvel to behold every night, either from on shore or from the ship's deck.
As you sip your adult beverage, you'll experience the festive lights and fun night scenario all around you. You'll be almost spellbound at the the sight of the glittering lights of the anchored, glorious Zuiderdam as you gaze out on the water.
Amble back to the ship at your leisure to find your fellow freepers (maybe in the popular Crow's Nest lounge). Tell them all about the unique things you purchased in duty-free Charlotte Amalie, whose friendly confines are only a veritable arm's length from the Zuiderdam's railings.
See # 46 on this thread for another look at Havensight, THE place in the Caribbean to shop for interesting items and to gawk at treasures for sale from around the world.
Then you can stop in the casino on the way back to your cabin. Throw in a couple of quarters, hit a winner, then to a comfy bed with the Dutch chocolate truffle on your fluffy feather pillow.
Leni
She'll book a great cabin for you and yours. If you want, she'll take care of your air reservations also. She can also book you for the Comfort Inn where early bird freepers who fly into Ft. Lauderdale on Friday will be staying overnight and having fun. Participating in a top-notch vacation the freeper-way is so darn easy as the work is all done for you and the getaway is yours to just enjoy.
This wonderful cruise will be a great way to start your summer off right. The health of mind and spirit needs regular reinforcement, especially now when the tensions of our busy lives and crummy political situations wrack our poor bods and brains every day to the point of overload.
In other words, get out from behind the computer for a week, get some fresh air into those neglected lungs.......and exercise your stagnating muscles as you MOVE, MOVE, MOVE doing fun things on ship and shore.
We freeper cruisers will solve all national and world problems on this fantastic voyage. Guaranteed.
Register now so you can contribute to the sparkling dialogue, lively debate and intelligent discourse we'll squeeze in between eating, swimming, sunning and scads of fascinating shore excursions to choose from.
Leni
The program showed what's in store for us visually in the British Virgin islands around Tortola, one of our ports of call.
The sights and dramatic tropical coastlines of the islands were so incredibly beautiful as to be breathtaking. I was totally gobsmacked by what I was watching and could hardly believe that we freepers will be in this same area next month.
I think that the serene, laid-back little paradise island of Tortola is going to be a highlight of our voyage.
Wow, I wish everyone still thinking about signing on for this cruise could have seen what I saw tonight.....azure and emerald pieces of heaven on earth.
Leni
Folks, time is growing short. Phone Wanda tomorrow for your registration. The economy is looking up, you deserve rack of lamb and lobster tails for a diet upgrade, and your epidermis is lookin' mighty pasty. You need a vacation anyway, so why not take it with freeper buddies and have the time of your life?
You're only a phone call away from the Magic Elixer of Sunshine, Repose, Romance, and a possible $5000 in the ship's Snowball Bingo.
Leni
The expanded 130 seat Lido Restaurant follows with some of the ship's more vibrant color schemes. The carpet pattern, which is repeated throughout the public areas, is rather wildly evocative with stripes, spots, and obtuse shapes in shades of blue, purple, and black. The wood-framed chairs are upholstered in bright fuchsia, pink, turquoise, orange, and lavender and the lamps feature pliable rubber shades in contrasting colors. The Lido is one of the public areas that drew comparisons to Carnival and NCL in theme and feel, although its layout is an expanded version of that found on the earlier HAL ships. An added feature is the number of different stations (Continental, Italian, Asian, deli, salad bar, desserts) which is similar to what one would find on Carnival.
Folks, every cruise ship has a "Lido" deck and restaurant. Holland America Lidos are about the best in the Caribbean.
Take a good look at the photos above. The Zuiderdam Lido is a beautiful restaurant vastly superior to the rather chaotic and so-so Lidos we experienced on previous freeper cruises.
Because of the new concept of five different specialty food stations noted above in Doughty's post, there's no more lengthy standing in line pushing a food tray. You get your food faster and hotter.
The food stewards are inconspicuous but attentive, and they're there if you need them. HA stewards are totally congenial.
If you choose to eat al fresco, a few steps will take you and your tray out the door (held open by a doorman) to the spotless deck with loads of tables. Look for your freeper friends, eating and chatting away.
One day you may prefer a change of pace and order hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian sausages, etc. with great trimmings grilled off on a corner of the deck. The meat is really superior, you'll love these grilled treats.
Some days, a small guitar trio of ship's musicians will entertain during lunch. Sometimes a larger band.
If the ship is ploughing at sea, it's exhilirating to eat outdoors. If you're in port, you can enjoy the beautiful island panorama before your eyes or watch (from your high perch) the always-fascinating port activity way down below.
Smokers are treated with respect on the Lido, separate, but not shunted off into unattractive corners and inconvenient areas like we experienced on our other two cruises.
If you choose, you can always eat a waitered breakfast and lunch selected from a menu in the main dining room. These are nice, quiet meals, but I prefer the Lido any day.
The food on HA ships are soooo good and varied. The informal ambience is great. I love the breakfasts....in particular their really delicious plump sausage links with made-to-order eggs.
HA makes all its own bakery, and boy, are they skilled at it. Their breakfast sweet rolls (I love the raisin ones), their various white, rye, wheat, raisin breads, their crispy bread rolls (out of this world), and an incredible choice of pastries baked from the traditional Old European-style recipes just can't be beat, anywhere!
I hope they're still making it, but my favorite is a slice of double dark-chocolate Jack Daniels Whiskey cake with thin, rich dark-chocolate icing. Which makes it triple-dark chocolate, dahlings!
Not to mention, of course, the chafing dish of the world-renowned HA warm 'n creamy bread pudding featured every day at lunch. The pudding is laden with raisins and a huge pot of creamy hot custard sauce is sitting there for you to ladle over this marvelous dessert like mom used to make.
The Lido is also the scene of the midnight buffet. The cruise lines have cut down on the lavish midnight buffets because folks just don't eat that way any more. Still, you'd be surprised at the goodies they do lay out for late-night snackers.
Sometimes, when I've put my last nickel into the slot machine, I'll stop in at the Lido around the witching hour. I'll take a glass of iced tea and a pastry out on deck. Under the glistening stars and the tropical moon, the very quiet, almost deserted Lido area is so relaxing and peaceful. It's always warm and balmy on deck late at night. In the far, far distance you may see the glorious sight of another cruise ship with its running lights brilliant on the seascape.
A few minutes enjoying yourself and then you take off to your comfy bed. Such a tranquil moment of time in this hectic world is a true gift to yourselves.
Remember, you can eat all you want on a cruise. Believe me, you work it off just walking the huge ship, and participating in activies both aboard and on shore excursions.
Register with Wanda right now, freepers, families and friends.
See ya all on the Lido....it's neat-o!
Leni
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