Trip Report Contents
Part Two: To Boston and Sailing Away
Flying the same day the cruise sets
sail is a tricky proposition: it’s not
really possible to build it too much time-cushion and what it is possible to
build in can quickly melt away with even minor delays. And, add to that the possibility of delayed
or missing baggage, and these can be pretty stressful times. Luckily for us our flight was on-time leaving
and getting into Boston. My bag was the
first up on the carousel, followed shortly afterward by Mike’s. Outside there was a nice queue of
taxis and we were soon in a tunnel under Boston Harbor and in short order pulling
up at the cruise terminal.
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| Terminal A at Washington National: like stepping back in time |
Arriving at the terminal always
seems like a bit of a circus: vehicles
are disgorging people, baggage is being hauled hither-and-fro, attendants are
scooping up the suitcases and spiriting them away. It all happens so quickly, so we scrambled a
bit to get our HAL-issued baggage tags and such attached and get them otherwise
ready to check.
In the check-in hall all went
pretty smoothly. New to me since I last
took this cruise was the requirement to complete and submit Canadian customs
forms upon embarkation. It was also new
to the cruise line, so there were some uncertain shrugs when we posed questions. We had no trouble sorting through everything
and, within a couple of minutes of checking in we were called to board.
Aboard by noon, I was surprise that
the staterooms were rooms were ready. We
went to the room to check things out a bit, and then headed to the
returning-cruisers luncheon in the main dining room, for our first taste of the
gluttony that was to come.
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| The Starter: antipasto |
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| The Soup: cream of broccoli |
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| The Main: salmon, veggies, and potatoes |
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| The Dessert: fruit plate, a restrained choice. Perhaps my last of the trip! |
After lunch we headed to back to
find our baggage already delivered, another pleasant surprise. We decided we’d scout the ship out a little
before beginning our unpacking.
Since I’d been on the same ship and
cruise a few years earlier, and had also been on the almost-identical
Staatendam, I felt comfortable that I knew the lay of the ship. Experience also had taught me that making
dinner reservations for each night was a must-do: the prime times and spots are quickly
snagged by savvy travelers and we wanted to be among them.
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| On Maasdam's sports deck, looking out toward the Boston skyline |
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| A coffee break in the library |
Back in the room we unpacked and
unwound a little from the early-morning travels. I even took a quick nap, which was nice. For dinner that night we ate at the Pinnacle
Grill, the up-charge dining venue, though at no charge, one of the benefits I
got by booking through American Express.
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| The Amuse-Bouche: scallop |
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| The Starter: a sea-sampler of salmon, prawn, and scallop. I focused on the salmon and seaweed, which were both wonderful |
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| The Salad: A Caesar, made tableside. It was okay. The first time I had it at the Pinnacle was still the best. A good Caesar Salad is like a drug: no time is as good as the first time. Alas ... |
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| The Main: lobster tail |
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| The Dessert: souffle |
After dinner we went to the
showroom, where they gave an hour-long sampling of the talent onboard and what
to expect over the coming nights. We
closed out the night in the piano bar and then turned in.
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| Saturday night's town critter. No clue what it was supposed to be. (The critters got better as the week progressed.) |
