Yes, three weeks have already passed
since your first Cruise
Update! I hope your brochure has arrived and you
are enjoying
the prospects of Cruising next January 19-26. Don't
miss this one!
We already have 23 Libertarians from DC, FL, MN, MA,
CT, IN, VA, WA
and AZ booked for this Cruise. One week ago the
announcement was
published in the Liberator Online (the email newsletter
of the
Advocates for Self-Government).
That means another 42,000
Libertarians will be looking into this event.
With this update I'll begin two regular
features; "frequently
asked questions" and "a day on the MS
VEENDAM" (an abbreviated log
of the week on the ship).
Question 1. What travel documents
and immunizations do I need
to travel with the MS
VEENDAM? For U.S. citizens,
a passport
is not needed. An official (raised seal) birth
certificate and
driver's license will do. Remember, a photo ID is required
for
domestic air travel these days.
Since there are no endemic diseases
in our areas of travel, there
are no required immunizations. The CDC advises
that Caribbean
travelers obtain the Hepatitis A vaccine. (I do
not, for a cruise.)
Question 2. Will I get sea
sick? Although this is a very individual
problem, it is remarkably rare on a ship this size.
Unless you get
motion sickness riding in the front seat of an automobile,
you will
do fine on a Caribbean Cruise on this size ship.
Of my 80 days at
sea, only one was rough enough to lead me to take an
anti-nausea
pill. With that, I had no problem. I enjoy
cruising without a worry,
even though I consider myself quite sensitive to motion.
(I HAVE
become ill after small boat fishing, riding in the back
of a van, or
when reading in a car, so don't join me for those activities.)
:-)
Don't wait for me to answer your question
in this feature. Send
me an e-mail with your question. I'll send you
a personal response
and it will help me address other's similar questions
in this forum.
Both the Fly Cruise Plan and the Transfers
mentioned below are
described in the Holland
America Caribbean Brochure. You can
also get information or purchase them by calling Brooke
at:
Travelmaster Inc.
120 N. Wayne Street
Angola, IN 46703
1-800-662-8010
(219) 665-1166 fax
DAY ONE ON THE MS VEENDAM
If you fly into the San Juan airport
on the Fly Cruise Plan (or
purchase a Transfer for those making their own flight
arrangements)
a Holland America Employee will greet you at your gate
and direct
you to a waiting bus. Your checked luggage will
be handled for you
and appear at your cabin this evening.
As you arrive at the San Juan pier,
the size of the many cruise
ships becomes apparent. Several HUGE ships are
in line at their
companies' terminals. There is electricity in the
air as you step up
to present your boarding documents to the Holland America
personnel
at the boarding desk, traverse the gangway and board
the MS
VEENDAM.
As you enter the ship, you find yourself
five floors up on the
Promenade Deck with an open atrium. It reminds
me of the lobby
of a Hyatt Regency Hotel. An attendant welcomes
you aboard
and directs you to your cabin. Once there, you'll
find it spotless
and ready to explore. The steward for your room
will stop by to
introduce himself. He will become a good friend
during the next
seven days, working very hard to please you.
A buffet in the Lido Cafe will be ongoing
throughout the afternoon
and evening to introduce you to the excellent quality
of food we will
be able to enjoy during our week. The first dinner
in the dinning room
will occur Saturday, since our departure from San Juan
on Friday is
at 10 PM. Dinners become a get-together for you
and your friends to
share the day's events after everyone "does their own
thing" each day.
If you've requested a table for two, each evening becomes
a private
renewal of the relationship you've come aboard to celebrate.
Before that first dinner, I'll be hosting
a cocktail party for
those in our group. This is an excellent time to
meet the new
Libertarian friends you will see on board throughout
the week. I'll
provide canapés and an open bar to welcome all
of you to this year's
Cruise. Each night after dinner you'll be able
to enjoy a stage show,
the casino, the midnight buffet, late night dancing and
more!
Next week will be DAY TWO ON THE MS
VEENDAM in the next update.
Please plan to join us. Our reserved cabins will
be gone soon, so
make your reservation before the end of next week!
Cheers!
Ken