Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on Holland America Line's MS Oosterdam

Departure from Ft. Lauderdale on a perfect evening. We try to be on the stern (we've nicknamed it the "poop deck") for every  arrival and departure when we get to cruise, and enjoy the heck out of what's going on in the port around us.

We love watching the intrepid pilot boats coming and going in every port.

Why we pay extra for a balcony room.

I was up for the next morning's sunset.

We took the backstairs high-end restaurant kitchen tour, very interesting and informative! Not that we actually paid to eat at this restaurant...

Really interesting to see how the menus are so strictly planned.

The sweets make Allen happy.

Gotta show I was there too.

The ship has a fridge devoted just to florals.

Met Randy Borg, who played for Nebraska when it was national champion in 1972. He went onto play for the Redskins. Had a discussion with him re concussions, he’s had 24+, we didn’t notice he needed a walker until he was leaving his table. He was proud to show us his championship ring and told the story of how he also had one made for his mother.

First of three gala nights, me and the captain, a Dutch cutie.

We’ve had two reports of whale sightings, although not by us. However, Allen got to see a pod of porpoises playing as they travelled alongside our ship.

I’ve got outside on our “veranda” several times during the night just to see the stars. There is zero light pollution in the mid-Atlantic, the Milky Way is easy to see, and the stars go from horizon to horizon in all directions. Just magic. 

The first time I went to trivia I joined Kelly. She and I became friends, and I enjoyed meeting her mom, dad, and partner; together we’re a pretty good team! Introduced Allen to all one night when we met by chance, and that’s when we discovered her dad is a retired Air Force general and the entire clan are staunch Trumpers. It was as if a veil had descended across Allen’s face as Kelly’s dad talked up Trump immediately after shaking hands with Allen. Kelly and I had a talk about this and agreed to be politics-free friends, but I think we’re both somewhat awkward around each other now.

My team and EmCee Warren

We actually won one match in this highly competitive contest, our reward this pin.

We really enjoyed the BB King club band every evening.

And I took the backstage tour provided by the resident singing/dancing ensemble, a really talented group. Aussies, Brits, Filipinos, Americans, including a guy from Harrisburg, PA.

We got to go onstage and into the dressing rooms.

America's Test Kitchen gave demos 2x day most days. While I didn't attend most, I did steal most of the recipe cards.

Just liked this gal's flippers.

(Ignore the awful shirt.) Sabine, the Netherlands, and Warren, England, are our Cruise Director and Assistant Director, both phenomenal, calm, unflappable, and great reps for the cruise line. Got to know them both as Sabine ran the team trivia contests and Warren the music trivia events, both of which I attended daily. Had some great conversations with them in passing elsewhere on the ship. Sabine knows how to pronounce my name precisely like my mom, and she gave me a hug and a kiss as we were leaving the ship.

Remind me to tell you the joke all trivia players played on Warren the last night of the cruise...priceless and so funny!

My trivia gang, including Donna, an adopted solo traveler from Australia. Kelly's dad is an AF General, Richard Carr, a very decorated and high-end pilot, who just loved me ;-)

High tea every day at 3:00 p.m.

Allen has particularly enjoyed the gym in the upper bow, the musicians of the Lincoln Center Stage, and the resident dance/song ensemble. I really enjoyed the Captain’s presentation on the ship behind the scenes and also the backstage tour and talk in the performance venue. The resident ensemble is the best we’ve enjoyed on any cruise to date. Another favorite event was on-board musicians playing a live score while an Arctic/Antarctica episode of BBC’s World program played.

My newest BFF, Donna, and Allen. She makes me want to go to Australia, as if I needed a reason. I will miss her companionship.

Happy hour on our Cabin 7027 veranda.

Health: both of us came down with the kennel cough that was definitely going around the ship. Allen took 1.5 days off in Barcelona, as it hit him far worse than it did me, although I also lost a day but on the boat.

And, somewhere between the line dancing class and dancing at the nightclub on board, I wonked my newly repaired knew and have been hurting since. I'm so mad that I was so stupid.

Movies watched:

Darkest Hour

A Dog’s Promise

Tulip Fever

The Post

A Year in Tuscany

Lady Bird

Despicable Me 3

Blue Collar Comedy Tour

Dunkirk (Allen)

Kinky Boots

Phantom Thread

The Boss

Wonder

About Time

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Gen Richard Carr, USAF

Lyndon Schneiders - Wilderness