Travel Diary: On the Good Ship Zuiderdam, Part One
We are aboard the good ship Zuiderdam for the next two weeks. Again, no real adventures to report. We have not been set upon by pirates demanding we turn over our doubloons or walk the plank. We have not seen any sea monsters. Keep watching this space for further developments along these lines.
We embarked from Florida, we will end in Quebec City eventually. Along the way we have several stops to make: various states on the Eastern Seaboard and our neighbors to the north. While we plan on begging our Canadian friends to let us stay, we doubt that wish will be granted and we will return to the USA.
The Zuiderdam is part of the Holland America cruise line. We have cruised before but only twice, both times on the Disney Wonder. The Zuiderdam is bigger than the Wonder but not by much. And it is considered a small ship by cruise ship standards. There is an argument that the size of cruise ships has grown out of control, however and the ship seems big enough to us.
The Disney people, you will be shocked to learn, cater to families. HAL is blessed with passengers graced in years and experience. Michele and I might be on the younger end of the passenger demographics. On the Disney cruises, we were among the slower people making their way through the passages, on the Zuiderdam we are among the faster. Shouts of “Slow down!” are unheard on this trip, as are shouts of “Watch out for other people!” I will admit, that the latter phrase could be a bit useful as not all of our fellow passengers are as aware of other people as we might hope.
This is not to criticize anyone. Yes, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters are plentiful, but these people are here. They are experiencing the world. They are still curious about things. The fact that they have some difficulty moving comfortably yet are here seeing and doing things is to their credit. And, I’ll add that this morning the fitness center was packed with folks working out vigorously. And I was there working out less vigorously than most. As I am in roughly the same demographic as these people I’m describing, I have no criticisms at all. As the young folks say: “We listen and we do not judge.”
The Zuiderdam has a proper game room.
It’s a Small World After All
Something that Disney and this cruise has in common: It’s a Small World, After All. The Disney version is that famous sacchrine, sickly-sweet, vaguely racist song that plays in the Disney ride of the same name. Just mentioning the title has now planted that awful song in your head, no need to thank me, Annoying you is a service I provide for free.
This cruise’s version is quite different. We have assigned seating at dinner and share a table with Jenny and James, a lovely couple about our age who live a life of retirement in Nevada. Jenny, however grew up in Minnesota and we shared that Michele and I met in Minnesota. Then, curing the course of the conversation, I mentioned I grew up in Iowa, and Jenny has relatives from Iowa. Fort Dodge, as it happens. Long story short, I grew up a few blocks from her cousins, John and Joe (twins) and went to high school with them. Unfortunately, I have no memory of them at all, but it still proves one thing: It’s a Small World, After All. It’s a Small, Small World.
jpj stories by John Jackson is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
