The Cruise Lady

This is The Cruise Lady

Karen on the left and Mary on the right

One day I had taken my camera to work with me to take some pictures of cards I had given to a couple of coworkers for Valentine's Day. On the way home we always pass by our travel agent's business so I asked Alan to pull over so I could take some pictures. They always have their windows decorated. As you can see they had just put out their pictures of warm destinations. This is always a big selling point since the coldest part the year is upon us. I got my trusty camera out and walked across the street hoping to take a picture of our travel agent, Mary, standing in front of her shop but her sister was there saying that they never do pictures. I asked if Mary was there and she hollared back to her saying, "y0u'll never believe what Ms. Reardon wants". Mary came out and I told her how I am always talking about them and our wonderful trips and would like to share a picture of them. With that, Hillary said Mary said to just hand them one of their cards. Then Mary said she would accomondate me but only if I was in the picture with her. So I hollared out to Alan, who was outside, to come and take a picture of us. He thought taking a picture through the window would be a neat shot so that's what he did. Now if you look at the picture of Mary and me you'll notice that it looks as though Mary has a red truck for a body...kind of funny. That's actually our truck that was parked across the street. I am the one wearing a white top and flowered skirt. Mary has been a wonderful agent and always so helpful. We're thrilled to have her as our personal agent and have recommended others to her. So if you're looking to take a cruise, look her up in Baltimore, Maryland. I'm sure she would love to book a cruise for you! It's only 36 days until our Hawaiian cruise!

My Jewelry

Another hobby of mine that I have recently taken up is making jewelry. My friend Marie, from Starbucks, makes some beautiful bracelets and I fell in love with them so much that I bought several from her. They were all done from gems. When we went on our cruise in December I learned how to make several different types of jewelry. Once I got home I went to the local Ace Moore and bought a book on making jewelry along with the tools I would need. Then came the choosing of what kinds of beads I would work with. I chose to work with glass beads even though they are more costly than other types. I started browsing online for some sites that sold in bulk at better prices than the stores. Now, I have a wide variety of beads and have been busy creating my own designs. I have given some of my prize pieces to friends and they love them! They're always telling me about all the compliments they get on the jewelry I've given them. I am now busy making enough pieces so I can go to craft & jewelry shows and start selling them. When I retire next year I'll have a lot more time to work on my creations. I'm enjoying my new found hobby that will someday become my little business!

Iris Folding

St. Patrick's Day

Valentine's Day

Easter

Iris folding is an old technique that originated in Europe. I have seen it done with material for a wonderful affect. It's a great way to use all those scraps of wrapping paper left over from the holidays. I learned about this while on my last cruise in December in one of the craft classes. you can find free patterns online www.irisfolding.circleofcrafters.com You can also get the directions. It's really easy. You print out your pattern, choose the paper patterns you want to use. I've actually used just one kind of paper throughout the entire project as seen in the St. Patrick's Day shamrock card and the shimmering cross Easter card. If you notice in each pattern the center paper is contrast, glitter paper works best. I have also used stickers. The paper is cut into small pieces and folded in half, and layered according to the pattern directions. I find that Scotch tape works best for taping the paper to the card. An inexpensive way is to use the blue 'painter's tape' that is used to tape off window sills when painting your house walls. When finished you remove the pattern from the card and finish the card any way you choose. I have used seed beads to outline the pattern on some of my cards and on others I've used yarn or leather lacings. Whatever you choose to use ends up with its own unique affect. It can be as simple or extravagant as you choose. For the inside I like using stickers and usually print out a verse and glue inside.

So go ahead and try this fun card making technique! Happy Crafting!

Our Cruise Ends and New York City is Crazy!

Our last sunrise to enjoy on vacation.

Statues in the Theater

Statue in the Dining Room

Shrek on 34th Street in New York City

Docking in New York City

34th Street

Karen at the top of the Empire State Building

It was so windy that my fur coat was blowing away.

Wondering why the long face on Alan, then read the journal.

A view from top of the Empire State Building

Another view from the Empire State Building

So many tall buildings in New York City

The Hudson River

Day 12 Disembarkation Day

The morning of disembarkation was a relaxed one. Since we didn’t have to catch a flight we took our time enjoying a wonderful breakfast and sitting in our cabin until it was time to leave. Usually, guests are asked to leave their rooms and wait at another location but we were allowed to enjoy what time we had left. Our bags had been picked up from outside our door the previous night so all we had to deal with were our carry on, laptop and camera bags. I saw the Empire State Building from our balcony and took a picture of it and hoped that I could also get a picture of our ship from the Empire State Building. We disembarked around 10am and Alan was able to find a wheel chair for me to use, as my poor body was hurting after all the walking I’d done. We were able to find our luggage easy but it took time to find a porter to pick up the luggage. Alan had to wait in line for one. One finally came and I waited out by the curb with the luggage until Alan returned with our truck. All in all it was easy and soon we were on our way to find the Empire State Building. I was so glad that I had brought my heavy fur coat with me, as the weather had turned extremely cold and windy. And with being in the Caribbean for 12 days our bodies weren’t accustomed to the cold.

We drove to the Empire State Building and that was an adventure in itself. We couldn't park in the garages due to our truck being 2 inches too tall so we had to find a place on the street to park. We finally found one a couple of blocks away. Then when we got inside the Empire State Building I asked Alan where the camera was...it was in the truck so he walked all the way back to get it. My camera had started acting up and I thought it was due to the batteries being low so I found a gift shop inside the Empire State Building and bought some new batteries. We purchased our tickets and went up the elevator only to be stopped at a floor where we had to wait in a long line just to have our picture taken. This was something we definitely weren’t about to have done as we were in kind of a hurry so we could get back to Baltimore in time to pick up Teacup. After going through the line they put us back on the elevator to go up the rest of the way. After putting the new batteries in my camera it still isn't working so we ended up buying a disposable one at the gift shop on top of the building. Alan took a quick picture of me and we hurried back down the elevator. I had to go to the bathroom so bad and when I asked where one was after we got to the bottom I was told I'd have to go up to the 2nd floor or I could go across the street. I didn't go. I needed something to eat so I got myself a California Wrap to eat in the truck, Alan didn't want anything, and he was a bit tiffed about everything, especially the commercialism of the Empire State Building. It wasn't like this the last time we had visited. When we got back to our truck we found another souvenir, a parking ticket! We were parked in a ‘No Standing’ Area and we weren't the only ones with tickets on our vehicles. I was checking out my camera after getting into the truck and found that it worked just fine and that it apparently had something to do with my larger zoom lens. I took a quick picture of a Shrek balloon in front of Macey's on 34th Street. We finally got out of NYC and could relax. It was truly an adventure and I told Alan we'd look back on this adventure and laugh at it someday...but not this day. Soon after we were on the freeway back home Alan stopped at a rest stop where I could finally go to the bathroom. Our drive home was nice and we listened to radio stories all the way home. I ended up taking a nap a couple of times. We got back to Baltimore by 5:00pm, in plenty of time to pick Teacup up. We grabbed some dinner at KFC and called it a day. Alan got up for work Thursday morning and I bounced out of bed so I could go to work as well. Needless to say we're glad we only had to work Thursday and Friday before having a weekend. Vacations are wonderful, aren’t they!

The Final Full Day of Our Cruise

The last night we were entertained by previous entertainers such as this tenor singer.

On the last day the Seaquest Game got pretty interesting.

Bust of Queen Julianna

All the waiters had fun during their parade of desserts.

The cast and crew say Good-bye.

The crew thanks us for being a delightful audience.

The Captain bids adieu.

Our Cruise Director Trevor kept us in stitches.

Celebrating Josephine's birthday was fun!

Stuart entertained us with his pipes.

Nancyanne and Stuart.

A retired school teacher, Carla.

Alan being silly during our final night together.


Day 11

This is the last day of our cruise. The time has gone by fast but it’s been a wonderful relaxing cruise. It actually seems like we’ve been on vacation longer than 11 days, which is a good thing! I was wide-awake by 4am so I decided to make good use of my time and decided to start packing. Alan woke up early so we went and had breakfast before finishing the packing. We had a good hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, muffins and juice. Afterwards, we went back to the cabin and were completely packed by 10am! We actually ended up with more room than I thought we would have and didn’t even need to use the tote we had bought on St. Maarten.

We went to the Thermal Spa to enjoy one last day of relaxing in the mineral pool and the warmth of the heated lounge. We never did sit out by the pool as we were busy doing other things and whenever we wanted to sit out at the pool there weren’t any places to sit. We figured we got enough sun anyway during our excursions and with me being so sensitive to the sun and heat it was best I stay away from it.

The activities offered on the last day were: the morning stretch, Fab Abs fitness, Interdenominational service, Team Trivia Challenge, Privacy on the Internet seminar, Seaquest Game, Crib Players Meet, Champagne Crew Farewell and Disembarkation Briefing, Spa Secret to a flatter stomach, BINGO, Pictionary Game, Spa Secrets to beautiful hands and nails, Captain Hans Mateboer signing books, The Legend of Hemmingway speech, Photo Works with techspert, Spa Secret 5 minute makeover, Bridge and Card Players Meet, Whatever Floats Your Boat Contest (see the future of cruise and naval design as fellow guests have constructed ships out of everyday items), Line Dancing, Grand Finale Art Auction, Close-Up Magic show with Drew and Angela, afternoon tea, craft class makeup, towel folding, Noordam Superstar Singing Competition Finale, Yoga, and Hanukkah. The talk on Hemmingway told of how the famous storyteller found the Caribbean Sea to make him feel truly at home.

We headed down to the Vista Lounge and watched the Seaquest Game show and it was hilarious! At one point they had asked for a pair of trousers and it was surprising how many men offered their pants, at least they all were wearing boxers. Another time they asked for a lady’s bra and there were a lot of them. Surprising how risqué older folks can be. We stayed for the disembarkation talk and the farewell from the whole crew. They put on a nice show and filled the stage. I wonder what they think every time they do the show, probably is a nice break from their regular routines. Alan and I decided to play BINGO like we always do on the last day and we almost won a cruise, was only 1 space away! Oh well, like I was telling Alan we wouldn’t have time to take another cruise anyway since we had already booked a Hawaiian one for May. By then it was time for lunch so we headed to the Lido Deck for our usual sandwiches. We pondered about all the fun we’d had over the past 11 days. We kept busy but we also allowed time to just kick back and relax. Alan enjoyed having time to just sit in a nice comfortable easy chair and read his book.

After lunch I went to get the books that the captain had written. I’d originally just bought his one book and decided to go ahead and buy a copy of the children’s book he’d written. I thought the kids would enjoy it. After getting them signed I went to the area near the craft room and took a little nap. Alan decided to go back to the cabin.


With it being the last day I went to the jewelry shop on board the ship and decided to go ahead and purchase 2 dolphin necklaces. I had hoped that the necklace had matching earrings as I was still on my quest to find my special dolphin jumping through hoop earrings. Well these dolphins were extremely beautiful and made from the Pua Shells found in Australia. The necklaces were $28 each so it ended up being a lot more than I had wanted to pay just to turn them into earrings. Well, Alan told me to go ahead and get them as he knows how long and hard I’ve looked for them.
I did find the earring hoops that I needed to turn them into earrings and it was a bit challenging as I had to make sure the dolphins were pointed the right way to show off the pretty aqua blue shell on them. I cherish these earrings a lot and take special care not to lose them. During this trip I have acquired some pieces of jewelry like my Jackie Kennedy Collection earrings, and necklaces to go with the sundresses I bought. I also found a nice jade an amethyst ring that I got to wear until Alan was able to get my diamond ring done at a jeweler’s. Alan also bought me a lovely pair of green earrings to match the ring. When it comes to jewelry he loves buying it for me. I bought him a nice watch to wear so he would know what time it was and not have an excuse when we were to meet each other at a certain time. The watch came with a nice wallet so we ended up giving it to our son for Christmas filled with some money. The box the watch came in was very nice so I found a nice bottle of men’s cologne and put it in the box along with the wallet.

Gloria was the lady who showed us how to do all these wonderful things in the craft classes. She shared with me how she went to this doctor in Florida for her knee and had injections in them and how it really did work. Apparently this doctor is the only one in the country that does this. It’s some kind of growth hormone and it really works! Attending the craft classes has been fun, not only to learn how to do jewelry and iris folding but also all the socializing with the other ladies there. One lady I met was a real estate agent. Nancy went to them often and would help some of the ladies also. Gloria’s husband also teaches the class and he was interesting to talk to. He told of some of the cruises he and Gloria have been able to take and a lot of them free since they would exchange their craft classes for the cruise. They’ve been around the world. It must be nice to have a gig like that. He use to be a Boy Scout leader and that’s how he learned about all kinds of crafts. Gloria was a Girl Scout leader. When they first got on board this cruise they were surprised how awful the craft storage room was as far as not being organized at all. They were told to use whatever supplies were there. They had to first organize the room to even see what all was available and then figure out what crafts to do and prepare the materials that would be needed. Nancy helped out a lot with putting materials together for some of the craft classes.

After the class I returned to the cabin. Alan was out on the deck reading. Sometimes Alan gets upset about me buying something at first but later realizes how silly it was for him to act that way. After all, I thought the book would make for a nice present for the grandkids, especially little Ryan as he loves boats, cars and trains. I read the story and it was so adorable. We watched a movie on the TV before going to dinner.

For dinner I had my regular Caesar salad, watermelon gazpacho (this was really bad tasting like it was spoiled) grilled chicken with red potatoes and veggies, and Crème Brule. Nancy and I had a Beam Me Up Scotty drink to finish off our dinner and cappuccinos. She enjoyed the cappuccino as much as we did.

The Showtime for the last evening was a Farewell Variety Show. John Smitherman and Justin Miller entertained us with their musical talents. After the show Alan and I went to the Lido Deck and played some Yahtzee and Cribbage since we hadn’t played them during the entire cruise. We had a blast playing. Alan beat me at Cribbage but I beat him at Yahtzee.


It’s amazing how you can find a United Nations right here on the Noordam. Nowhere else is the term United Nations better served than on board one of the Holland America Line’s ships. Here on the Noordam, it’s proven that people of many nations, religions, and beliefs can work and live together, not only adequately, but also very well indeed. Ask any ship employee of Holland America Line what his or her fondest memory of life at sea is and they will tell you it is the joy of meeting such diverse people. On board ship they celebrate the national holidays of the Netherlands, England, the Philippines, Indonesia, the United States and Canada. Each celebration is different and accorded all respect.


Religion also plays a large part in the lives of many shipboard personnel. The staff includes the Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, Hindu, and Jewish faiths, to name just a few. All religions are respected and time and room is set aside for all to worship as he or she sees fit and proper. You will notice the word respect crops up several times in this article. It is probably the key to the harmony that is evident to all who sail Holland America Line ships, as crew and guests. It was nice getting to go to church services while on board. I not only attended the Interdenominational service but the Jewish one as well. I think everyone should go to a church service while on a cruise and thank the Lord for a safe trip and being able to visit exotic places and meet new people.

The last evening on the ship wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be as we had many happy memories and being on a longer cruise made it feel like we’d taken a real vacation. The shorter, seven-day cruises we’ve taken in the past made it seem like we had just started our cruise when it was already time to go home. We definitely like the longer cruises better. I took lots of pictures and whenever I look at them I will reflect on all the fun times. The weather was perfect for us, warm but not humid. I made a lot of jewelry at the craft classes on the ship and I learned how to do Iris Folding. I made a couple of cards for the girls at work with Iris Folding on them. I went to a Flower Arrangement Seminar and learned all kinds of tricks for elegant arrangements. Alan got to do a lot of reading in quiet places on the ship. And of course there was the famous Chocolate Buffet with gorgeous ice sculptures that we watched transformed from a block of ice. All in all we had a great time!

Today we will be sailing in the North Atlantic Ocean towards New York Bay, finally altering onto a Westerly course into New York harbor in the early hours of tomorrow. Whilst sailing in the North Atlantic we will be utilizing the Gulf Stream current. The Gulf Stream is a powerful warm current flowing from the straits of Florida to the Grand Banks, the current runs at around 3.9 knots.

The Noordam deck department thanks you for sailing with us and wishes you a pleasant onwards journey.

A Day at Sea

What a beautiful sunrise!

Rudy, Josephine and Helen

Rudy and Josephine

Creating a Phoenix from ice.

This guitar was strange in it had nothing to it, you could see right through it.

The flowers from our agent lasted throughout the entire cruise.

A beautiful arrangement of roses with white pins in the center.

Notice how wide leaves were used in this arrangement.

Learning flower arranging tips from an expert.

Cash and Helen

The Captain's Log written by our Captain.

Alan catches a few z's before dinner.

Reading out by the pool was relaxing.

Day 10

Today was a day at sea and was more relaxing since we didn’t have to hurry to catch a tour. The forecast was for partly cloudy and around 73’. After departing San Juan our course was set to 344 degrees and would continue to sail all the way back to New York. Most of the day was spent sailing in the Bermuda Triangle. The incident that consolidated the reputation of the Bermuda Triangle was the disappearance in December 1945 of Flight 19, a training squadron of five U.S. Navy torpedo bombers. In more recent history, no such occurrences have taken place…or have they?

We enjoyed breakfast in the formal dining room. I had Eggs Benedict, fresh berries and Cranberry juice. We dined at a huge table with 8 other couples. It was nice to kick back and relax for breakfast and it was quieter and less hectic than the Lido plus it was nice chatting with others at the table.

During the day I attended a floral arrangement seminar and learned unusual ways to arrange flowers. I also attended the craft classes where I made some pretty blue and silver earrings with a bracelet to match. I thought how my coworker, Alice would like them. Since this was a day at sea we kind of just played things by ear. Some of the activities on the ship were: mass, aerobics, the Life at Sea Chat with the Captain. I was able to go to the Captain’s Chat and hear about some of his adventures. He not only is a captain but a published author as well so I ended up purchasing both his books and having them autographed by him. One is a children’s book, which I’ll give to Barbara for the grandkids to read. The captain told of a rescue off Turkey in the Mediterranean where the Noordam was honored with the prestigious Ship of the Year Award. There were 2200 passengers that had been rescued and since they were illegal it brought up an interesting predicament of what to do…they of course rescued them. When asked how much gasoline the ship uses on a cruise we were told that it used $500,000 worth of fuel from New York. One time the captain chose to go through a hurricane instead of turning around as it would 4 hours of being in a hurricane versus 2 or more days in unpredictable weather. When asked about people jumping off the ship the captain said it’s usually someone wanting to commit suicide. When a person goes overboard 2 rescue boats go forward on each side and the ship does a turn-around. The ship won’t stop, as it would take longer to try to stop the ship then doing a turn-around. The turn-around method usually only takes 7-8 minutes for a rescue

Activities on the ship included: making your own Bloody Marys, Walk-a-Mile, eBay seminar, BINGO, Fat Burning from Spa Secrets, Crib Players Meet, Pool games, Younger Looking by Spa Secrets, Mixology Class, shuffleboard challenge, Herbal Remedies by Spa Secrets, Rum Running by Chris, calls England home. He started his culinary career in Mexico City working in 5 star hotels, where Photoshop, Bridge Players Meet, Team Trivia, afternoon tea, Songs and Songwriters Part II (performance featured more songs and stories of great songwriters including Rogers & Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Hogi Carmichael and more), Yoga, Hanukkah Party and service and an Ice Carving demonstration in the afternoon. During the ice carving there were also napkin folding, vegetable carving and origami. I was given a pretty origami swan that I took back to the cabin and sat inside my flowers.

Chef Rene Rojas Olea’s gave a special seminar on preparing chilled soups, which I would’ve loved to have gone to but didn’t have time to go to. He prepared chilled raspberry soup and sour cherry soup with crème fraiche and fried ginger. His background reflects an extensive and diversified 20 years in the food industry. He is from Mexico but has now developed his chef skills and gained some important experience and confidence in the culinary field. He joined the cruise ship industry in 1992 working as a Chef de Cuisine. In 2001 he was promoted to Executive Chef. By the end of 2002 he decided to change direction and moved to the UK to further his career and to gain more international experience. He has worked as Executive Chef for the Four Seasons Hotel in London. He studied in Westminster Kingsway College, one of the largest culinary colleges in London, where top chef’s train, including Ainsley Harriott and Jamie Oliver.
In 2004 Chef Rene decided to return to the Cruise Ship Industry and joined Holland America Line as Executive Chef on board the ms Zuiderdam. Over the years of his culinary career, he has worked close with great chefs like Michael Roux and Jean Marie Zimmermann. They have been a big influence and taught him precision in cooking, clean presentation and the essence of flavour. It doesn’t matter how original or wacky the food combinations are, you need to be able to taste the ingredient’s natural flavours.

This was to be our last formal evening. Stuart wore his kilts again and I wore my purple gown. Since I had gotten my hair braided I tied a black scarf around my head. Alan looked debonair in his tux. He had lost one of the cufflinks so he used the buttons on the shirt instead. We never did find them. That would cost us another $30 to the rental store but I never did see it billed to us. At dinner the couples all sat across from each other. It was amusing when the photographer came by to take our pictures as he never asked the couples if they were together or not, he just assumed. So the pictures turned out with Stuart and I being together and Nancy with Alan. It was hilarious. The pictures did turn out good so we bought them and I sent a copy to Nancy and Stuart. It makes for a good story to share. For dinner we ordered escargot, shrimp cocktails, lobster with filet mignon, and of course Crème Brule for dessert along with our cappuccinos. Nancy and I decided to order the after dinner drink, which was called ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’. It had Kailua, Frangelico (a nutty flavor), and Baileys in it. They were quite tasty, so much that we ordered them the next night as well. We were even able to keep the adorable shot glass that they were served in.

The show for the evening was called “That’s Vegas” where 14 singers and dancers took you right there to the famed city with their songs, voices, and costumes. It was a spectacular show!
We were reminded that our clocks would have to be changed back one hour the next day. We had changed our clocks up one hour at the beginning of the cruise since we would be in the Atlantic Time Zone. With turning our clocks back we would gain an extra hour of sleep and who could complain about that or an extra hour of vacation?