A year and a half after booking our cruise, on Friday morning, July 22, we were up early for our trip to O’Hare Airport to make our flight to Boston for the start of the “Voyage of the Vikings.” We had had very little rain in about a month, but this morning, of course, “scattered thunderstorms” were predicted for the Chicago area. It was our hope that we might get out before any possible storms might hit and we kept watching the western skies as we rode to the airport.
Our check-in was routine and we passed through security with little problem. About an hour before departure, Barb went to buy something to take on board for lunch and when she returned, I did the same. I was in no rush as I figured we wouldn’t board for another half hour. As I returned, Barb was standing, motioning for me to hurry as they had already passed our group boarding. As we gave our boarding passes, Barb was motioned out of line to try to fit her carry on into the tiny carry on sizer. Naturally it didn’t fit. It wasn’t any larger than what I was carrying but hers was more in the shape of a duffle. When it didn’t fit, they made her put hers in the plane’s hold. It was the first time it had ever happened and so totally unexpected that she had to send it off, unlocked with medications and travel documents as well as a few other items that would have been a disaster to lose. I, with about the same size carry on, was waved through to my seat. Go figure!
We were boarded early and told that the fight was full and we were going to try to take off early so we could beat the storm front that was headed for Chicago. We were away from the gate before the original departure time and were taxing out toward the runway when the sheets of rain hit. Thunder and lightning began and the captain came on to say there was no way we could take off in this! Those who had wished for rain had their prayers answered as we sat wondering if we would make it to Boston or not. Not only were we wanting to get to Boston to be sure to board the cruise (the thought of a cancelled flight, rebooking, getting to Boston in an alternative manner, and the outside concern of missing the Saturday afternoon departure of the cruise somehow), but friends we had met on our South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand cruise, Tony and Jude Zeoli, were going to spend some time with us in Boston. Since they were busy in the evening, it was only going to be practical to see them if the plane was approximately on time.
After a few updates from the captain, we were told that the weather had lifted sufficiently to take off. However that cost us an hour and a half and we arrived in Boston about 2:30 PM rather than the scheduled arrival of 12:55 PM – too late to make our connection with Tony and Jude a possibility.
So we took the shuttle to our hotel just as rush hour was beginning. I should add that the temp In Boston was 103 on Friday (following 99 and 98 in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. We got checked in with no problem and found a Chinese restaurant within a short walk on a hot, humid day and ate there. It looked great from the outside, service and décor were excellent, but the food quality left much to be desired. Oh well.
Saturday morning we had time to kill so had a leisurely breakfast, got everything packed up and got our luggage to the lobby for a scheduled shuttle departure at noon. We got a break since we were among the earliest with our luggage ready so actually were on our way on the shuttle before 11:30 as they knew the luggage wouldn’t all fit for the people booked on the shuttle. We got to Black Falcon Pier and had our larger luggage whisked away to be delivered to our room. We processed very quickly through the boarding procedures and were on board early enough to have the Mariner’s Brunch at the Rotterdam Dining Room. We were behind a group of 8 who had met each other on previous cruises and they were busy exchanging greetings. When we were to be seated, in order for the eight of them to sit together, they needed a table for 10 and invited Barb and me to join them. We did and they were kind enough to include us in their conversation. Of course they wanted to know where we were from and that naturally elicited the comments about Illinois politics! Our response was our typical “don’t blame us, we tried to warn” response so we were forgiven.
The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and getting organized. There was a quick overview of the cruise and we were thrilled to learn that Bruce Scudder was the Cruise Director and Barbara Haenni was the Travel Guide. Both were on our 2009 Grand Voyage and are the premier Holland America people in those positions and masters of their jobs.
At dinner we connected first with Deris Aprianto, our table steward that we had first met on our Norwegian fjords cruise in 2007 with our cousins. We had seen him on two additional cruises and Barb in particular had become Facebook friends with him. She had told him we had future cruise plans and he wondered if we were willing to request him as steward as he liked our ship the Maasdam, and HAL tried, when possible to honor requests of those who cruised frequently with them. Of course we were happy to ask for him. We were joined at our table with Sally and Ange DiTomaso of Florida who were traveling with their friend, Marge Buschhoff, also of Florida who we met for the first time.
After dinner, we went to our rooms to try to organize and unpack. That’s when Barb determined that the battery for her computer, that she remembered packing was completely missing. She put it in her luggage, remembered exactly where she put it, but it was gone. Completely gone. A big bulky item like that had disappeared. What a waste to have brought an unusable computer. We searched everywhere, but when I opened the drawer where I had stored my camera equipment, there it was! Whew. In hauling “stuff” out of suitcases and getting things put away, it wound up in my drawer. Crisis averted.
The evening entertainment was at 9:30 and we knew clocks were to be set ahead so we would lose an hour of sleep, so we got ready for bed and I was out like a light.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and met a couple of French Canadian women from Montreal at breakfast. They spoke good English and Barb practiced some French on them. We wanted to hear the future cruise consultant talk about upcoming voyages for 2012 and 2013; then it was off to a Cruise Critic “Meet and Greet” where we could finally meet people with whom we had had contact before the cruise. At 11 AM, we heard Travel Consultant Barbara and her vast store of knowledge about Greenland.
By the end of the presentation it was time for lunch and then a lecture on the historical role of the Vikings in the North Atlantic. Did anyone say they would be bored on sea days? If so, it’s their own fault!
Chuck
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