The Cruise starts?

Don reporting

Sunday, 29th September, the day my cruise starts. Up early sorting my luggage and checking the coastal weather. Yes the high winds and seas are still forecast to reach the Seattle area today. I grab some breakfast and then take a taxi down to Target department store - sea-sickness tablets the top of my list.

I finish packing and take another taxi out to Pier 91, the cruise terminal, and board the Holland and America ship Oosterdam. The boarding process was quick and relatively painless - some airlines could learn a few things here. I find my stateroom (posh-speak for cabin) and as my luggage had not arrived I head up to the Lido restaurant, on deck 9, for lunch. The Lido is self-service buffet but for the first 48 hours after boarding, for health reasons, staff are there to hand out any food you want. My selection of food was influenced by the forecast of high winds and high seas. Back to my room and finding that my luggage had arrived I started to unpack. Plenty of storage room for my clothes and cases.

While unpacking the cabin sound system went 'Bing! Bong! ... this is your captain speaking...'  Good and bad news - due to the high winds and 30 feet waves out at sea we were not sailing today so tonight at least I will have another sleep in a stationary bed.

Next morning we had a large cruise ship tied up at the next wharf. Later the captain announced several cruise ships had entered port overnight because of the storm. Also that we would be sail at noon and about 4 pm would be dropping off the pilot, turning south at Port Angeles heading for LA. Just to cheer us up he asked that we stow everything securely in our cabins, then assured us that everything was being done for our comfort and safety and that he would update us in the morning.

Well it is four fifteen and the boat (sorry ship) has just started to rock slightly. I am off to the deck to check things out.

I have just been for a turn round the deck - cold and breezy. Another announcement - it appears we won't be out in the open sea for about four hours, the decks will be roped off, and the swimming pools are being drained. 

A photo while on deck looking forward to some funny weather.

Before coming on this trip I read a book by the navigation officer on board the HMNZS Endeavour when I went to the Antarctic in December 1959. He states that anyone who survived that trip would never be sea-sick again - I hope he is correct!

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