Thank you for your patience as pictures are loading.
Our honeymoon travels begin
Our Holland America cruise started with us taking a "red-eye" flight from Sacramento on December 4th, departing about 10:15pm (Pacific time). We landed in Atlanta, Georgia, around 5:30am (Eastern time), with about a 3-hour layover before continuing on to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The flights were uneventful and we tried to sleep as much as possible. We were rushed to the transfer area to catch our bus to the pier. It's a good thing we hurried (NOT!) as we waited for about an hour before it arrived.
The check-in was smooth and very well organized. By noon, we were onboard the ms Oosterdam, lounging at the Lido Bar and enjoying our 'Cuban Mojito''s, similar to a blended margarita with fresh mint leaves. Very tasty! This helped to get us into the cruising frame of mind, but truthfully after pulling an all-niter, we just wanted to crash. But alas, the cabins weren't ready, so another round was ordered. Yum!
After getting settled, we began to explore the ship. We figured the glass panel screens on the Observation Deck were for wind deflection. We were to find that it could get mighty breezy up there!
To say the ms Oosterdam was immense would be an understatement. There were 11 decks available to the passengers - all 1800 +/- of us. The ship also holds another 800 +/- crew. We would discover the service to be excellent with a such a great passenger to crew ratio. But by this time, it was all we could manage to hit a buffet for dinner and go back to the cabin for some badly needed shut-eye. The ship was already underway towards Nassau as we were lulled to sleep.
Monday, 12/6/04 - Nassau, Bahamas - 7:00am-12:00pm
We awoke to the captain announcing our arrival in Nassau, Bahamas. Since we had figured we'd still be adjusting with jetlag, we didn't plan any tours or excursions. Our view from our 6th deck balcony overlooked the Nassau port and from there we enjoyed the morning air and scenery. Unfortunately, it was soon blocked by other cruise ships pulling into port. So we decided that we couldn't stop in Nassau and not, at least, go ashore to take in some sights.
One of the first sights was just across the inlet as we disembarked was the Atlantis hotel and resort. The pier offered some insight into life around the island such as a Bahamian naval vessel and some colorful local fishing boats.
Since we were to be docked such a short time (and we had slept late), we only made it as far as the port building. Inside were lots of booths with locally made wares for sale and a Caribbean steel drum band added to the festive atmosphere.
We made our way back to the ship and strolled the Observation deck as we left port. From there, it was astounding to see the difference in the water color. In the photos below, as we made our way past the lighthouse, the water was a brilliantly clear turquoise on the side of the inlet, whereas on the side of the Atlantic, the water was a deep navy blue.
Dinner that night was our first venture into the Vista Dining Room. As it was one of the cruise's formal nights, Bob had rented a tux and I was able to put my wedding dress to good use again. Forgive our goofy-looking grins, that's what we look like when we're starved and have *just* put the first bite into our mouths! Our table we located on the 2nd deck with a large 4'x6' window alongside. It was beautiful to watch the moonlight dance on the water during our 8 o'clock dinners.
Tuesday was a day at sea, spent alternately lounging and exploring, as we traveled on Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
