MS Zuiderdam - 16 days from Ft Lauderdale to Copenhagen - Sea Days 2 and 3

Sea Days 2 and 3

One of the “Love it or Hate it” aspects of Trans ocean cruising is getting into the rhythm of sea days.  You either love the idea of having time each day to figure out what you want to do or go nuts trying to figure out what to do with all the time uninterrupted by devices and “e-interruptions”.  Ultimately it boils down to a question of what’s more important, the destination or the journey.

If the destination is more important, then getting there at 20 miles per hour, when the destination is 2000+ miles away, is not your cup of tea.  Conversely, if the journey is more important, then the pace of trans ocean travel is perfect.

First day in the gym on our first sea day…  Nicely appointed, perhaps not as large as some we have enjoyed, but then again, since the average age on our cruise is north of 50, contention for machines and mat space was not too bad.

Learned an important lesson yesterday about the buffet layout aboard Zuiderdam and cruise ships in general.  Never assume that they’re all the same.  To date on a survey size of about 10 ships on 6 cruise lines, buffet lines on one side of the ship mirror the lines on the other side - so two sides of the same food.  Ah hah, gotcha! Because Zuiderdam is different than any ship I’ve been on before - the entree’ counter is the same on both sides but the other counters are different — pizza and fresh pasta on one side (port/left) and Asian food (sushi and hot options) on the other (starboard/right).

Entertainment thus far has been great - jazz/Motown one night; headliner comedy the next.  Fred Klett performed in the Vista theater last night and sent us home an hour later still laughing.  Comedy on a cruise ship is reminiscent of comedy when I was growing up 50+ years ago - “G” rated - and suitable for network (vice cable) broadcast during family hour.  The subject matter isn’t edgy or avant guard — rather focused on family, family situations, and married life — timeless subjects and full of humor if delivered by someone who has true comedic talent which Fred certainly has.

So what’s the take away on crossing a major ocean?  It is a return to rhythms of “Yesteryear” - reading books, watching movies, going to shows, attending lectures, and dressing up for dinner — it is the antithesis of today’s digital, plugged in, on-line lifestyle.