George and Deborah's Great Adventures: Final Thoughts On Cruising

We have finished our Holland America Zaandam South American Cruise. This blog post represents a chance to reflect on our first cruising experience and our thoughts going forward. It is also a chance to post some shipboard pictures that didn’t fit into previous posts.

We didn’t venture into the notion of cruising with high expectations. We knew the South American choice was the correct one since we went to places not easy or possible to reach by car. What we didn’t know was whether we could handle being with so many people and the inevitable waits in line-ups that were inevitable. Here are our thoughts in no particular order of importance:

We are glad we chose a small ship. The Zaandam only holds 1500 passengers and it was not sold out. The waits were minimal whether it was going to dinner or ashore. We always had a choice whether to dine alone or share tables (and conversations) with others.

One of Three Formal Dinner Nights

Our Favourite Wine Steward - Rose.

We Took Most Evening Meals in the Dining Room

We are glad we chose a cabin with a veranda. Folks say you don’t spend much time in your room but actually, we did. A window is a must but if you can have a veranda it makes the room so much larger. To enjoy the passing sights from a comfortable deck lounger is a big advantage. We experienced cold weather on this cruise but we still sat outside with a ship’s blanket and binoculars looking at the shore scenery or searching the ocean for other signs of life.

We Kept Two Bottles in Our Room for Pre Dinner Drinks

We are glad to have taken shore excursions. In addition to learning about new things, it is also a chance to interact with folks from different countries and cultures. Initially, we thought it would be wise to book excursions with companies not related to the ship. Savings on costs in the neighbourhood of a third off are not uncommon. The problems with private tours only surface when there is a problem. In Punta Arenas, we booked an island penguin tour. We weren’t able to go due to bad weather. If it had been private we would have lost our monies. When I lost my wallet, the ship’s tour company made the effort to retrieve it. A private company would not have been able to get it back to me.

We are glad we paid for the ship’s internet package. Regardless of how bad it is to be so dependent on the internet, it was enjoyable to sit down with my coffee each day and read the Vancouver Sun and keep up our travel blog for future reference and reminders.

We are glad we opted for the full laundry service – clean and freshly pressed clothes were a small but delightful travel luxury. Wearing our underwear inside out, for multiple days was never necessary.

We are glad the voyage took a full two weeks. We think it gave us a better picture of shipboard life and what it would hold for us in future years. The long days at sea between ports didn’t seem long at all. The ship is a small city and there are lots of things to do. We were able to exercise in the gym, go to movies in the theatre, lose our money in the casino, listen to music in the various bars, choose which venue to eat in, sit in the library to read or play games, and attend lectures and entertainment shows on the main stage.

Lots of Flowers & Art Throughout the Ship

Forward Deck Pool

Customer Service Always There To Help

Ledo Rear Deck Pool

We are simply glad we chose to go on a cruise. We don’t think it is going to be a regular occurrence in the next few years but it will be in our less active future, certainly to go to places we are not likely to see by flying in for a destination visit. The cruise to Alaska comes to mind. There were folks on this cruise that were just short of 100 years old. There were folks confined to wheelchairs. Cruising is doable for those still keen to travel but lack the patience for self-guided travel or the mobility to do so on their own. Sometimes it is good not to have to make any decisions except when and where to go for dinner.

The following are decorative towel pics created by our two excellent room attendants, Heri and Rio.