July 9, Saturday - Venice to Trieste to Oosterdam
We spent a restful night at Venice Resort Airport. Breakfast was hearty and satisfying. We had a reservation on the shuttle to the airport at 10:00. Our transfer to Trieste was scheduled for 11:00 from the arrivals hall. Since we had our negative COVID certificates in hand and the drive only took 5 minutes this allowed plenty of time.
All went according to plan. Passengers for Oosterdam had been arriving on early flights. The Holland rep had already assembled them. We joined this group and took the last two seats together. At about 10:30 we were guided out and across several lots to get to our coach. All of our luggage including our carry one were stowed underneath. It felt good enough be unencumbered. At 10:45 we departed for Trieste. Either we were all accounted for or there was another coach somewhere because we left early.
The drive to Trieste was pretty and quiet. Many of those who arrived on overnight flights were sleeping. We enjoyed the sights and reveled in our energy. I don’t think we will ever plan to arrive on departure date.
The young lady in front of us on the coach using her iPhone to apply her makeup.
At the port our coach was parked and a small army of stewards handed us our carry one and started loading luggage onto carts. Those would next be seen in our staterooms.
We were directed to the far entrance to the terminal. The close entrance was for an MSC ship. It was 1:00. Our boarded passes called for us to check in at 2:20. That didn’t apply because we had the HAL transfer.
We were also aided because I had downloaded the VeriFLY app to my phone as suggested by HAL. This allowed me to scan the QR codes on our vaccination records and COVID tests. I had also answered the health questionnaire in the app. The first boarding agent took a look at the app and directed us around the line to get our boarding cards. In less than 10 minutes we were on our way to the ship.
Normally we do no have our pictures taken on the ship. It has been so long for us on land that we decided to go for the embarkation photos. The staff was so nice and professional we were happy that we did this.
We were directed to our room. This is the largest Holland America ship we have ever been on. It was not hard to find our room, but it sure was far away. Before we could open our carry on our cabin stewards arrived to introduce themselves and assure us that they were ready to help us whenever we might need them. They are both very nice. Half an hour later they delivered 2 of our 3 bags, Alice’s and the charter bag. My bag would come later they said. I thought this strange because all 3 were delivered to the ship together. Oh well.
Because we were energized and benefiting from our hearty breakfast we started unpacking. Dinner would be soon enough to eat. That would be open seating at 5:30. We had everything out of the suitcases and stowed by 4:30. My bag had not arrived yet so I called guest services. They had not received notice that everything was delivered. It should come soon. We set out to explore the ship.
It is nice, but quite different from what we are used to. The Crows Nest lounge which is on the top deck forward was always our favorite place for great views and Happy Hour cocktails before dinner. It is now a coffee bar with a minimal library, games and puzzles. The view is the only good thing left. Ocean Bar with its dance floor and good seating was our second favorite. The dance floor is gone. The seating is less than half of what it was and it is the only lounge that offers happy hour from 5 to 6. It fills fast and you need to arrive early to get a seat. The shops are greatly expanded as is the photo gallery. The Pinnacle Grill has been expanded and has its own bar.
The Main Stage seems huge and has good sight lines. The Microsoft classes are no more.
Enough already. Let’s go to dinner. But first I inquired about my still missing bag. I was asked if it had any distinguishing marks. Fortunately we use Holland America straps around the middle as security against unexpected opening in transit. She said that would help.
We have open seating for dinner that starts at 5:30. We were hungry as we had not had lunch and had avoided snacking. In the past we have used open seating to get a table for 2. This has been in areas with other 2 tops nearby. We would then have new people dining next to us. This led to many interesting conversations and even friendships. This does not work on Oosterdam. The dining room is laid out with the tables for 2 oddly placed among tables for 4,6 or 8. Not conducive to conversation.
Our dinners were excellent as was the service. I am writing this almost 2 weeks later and I don’t recall what we ate. It was good. We returned to our room after dinner and my bag had arrived. The security strap saved the day. The Holland America baggage tag had been ripped off, so the strap provided the identification needed to reunite us. Unpacking my bag would wait until after the entertainment.
The program was titled Origin Story. It was presented by our cruise and travel director supported by videos. It presented the history of Holland America Lines in excellent fashion. We learned a lot about the line and the progression of her ships. We were happy to have attended it.
Back in our room we quickly stowed my bag’s contents and went to bed. This was a full and satisfying day.
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