Greetings! Six weeks have already
passed since your first
Cruise Update so I hope your brochure has arrived and
you
are enjoying the prospects of Cruising Alaska next June
8-15.
(If you forgot to request one, call 1-877-724-5425 and
ask for
an Alaska brochure.)
The LP NEWS shared our contact information
in the most
recent newsletter so another 40,000
subscribers have found out
about next summer's plans for cruising fun and fellowship.
We
already have 9 cruisers booked from PA, IN, and CT.
Eight
more have committed and are close to selecting their
staterooms.
I hope you will be able to join us too!
With this update I'll begin two regular
features;
"frequently asked questions" and "a day on the MS Statendam"
(an
abbreviated log of the weeks on the ship).
Question 1. Will I feel out
of place if I go as a single? Not a
bit! We have had a variety of single passengers
on each of our
prior Libertarian Cruises and they have, to my observation,
enjoyed the trip as much as everyone else. Some
singles choose
to share a stateroom with another. Some prefer
to enjoy having
a stateroom all to themselves. (Most staterooms
are available as
a single for 150 % of the "per person double occupancy
fare".)
If you are considering joining us as a single, let me
know and I'll
send more details.
Question 2. What travel documents
do I need to travel with the
ms
Statendam? For U.S. citizens, a passport is best,
but not
required. An official (raised seal) birth certificate
and photo
driver's license will do. As security measures
change, so may
the cruise line requirements. A passport will always
be accepted.
(Since 9/11/01, ships have refused to board those without
the
proper documents.)
Question 3. 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 Cruise on this size ship. Of my 109
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.
DAY ONE ON THE MS STATENDAM
If you fly into the Vancouver airport
on the Fly Cruise Plan 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 will appear at your cabin this evening.
For those making
their own flight arrangements, a transfer can be purchased
for $15
per person from a separate company. Ellen and I
usually find we
can just grab a cab when we arrive for a lower cost than
the price
of two transfers.
As you arrive at the Vancouver 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
Statendam.
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. A white gloved 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.
After "muster" (a lifeboat drill) you'll
join most passengers on
the sports deck to enjoy a "sail away" party and watch
the ships and
port as you cast off and head out to begin your vacation.
Then it's
time to meet and greet your fellow cruisers at our group's
private
cocktail party. An open bar, hot and cold Canapés
and friendly
libertarians make this a great beginning for our vacation.
Then on
to the dinning room for the first of many gourmet meals.
You'll meet
your server and his assistant when you get to your table.
They'll
pamper you at every meal and leave you wondering how
they do this
12 hours a day, seven days a week and still remain so
cheerful.
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.
Most
in our group usually share several large tables (near
each other) at the
late seating and enjoy "open seating" among our group's
tables. Each
night after dinner you'll be able to enjoy a stage show,
the casino, the
midnight buffet, late night dancing and more!
That's it for this month. The
next update will include DAY TWO ON
THE MS STATENDAM.
Please plan to join us. Unfilled staterooms
in our reserved group of staterooms will be released
after next month, so
make your reservation without delay! Send me an
email request and I'll
email you the booking form prompting all the needed information.
Cheers!
Ken
P.S. If you have any friends or family who might
enjoy receiving
these "Cruise Updates", please have them email me with
their preferred
email address.