Fri, Jan 20: Boarding the ship in San Diego

Boarding the Holland America ship, Statendam, today.  
San Diego from the ship:

Just on the way out, Mary checked her email before we got out of range.  Surprise!  Our neighbor had left us a message that one of our eucalypist trees fell into the street.  No damage or injuries, and the city cut up the tree and left it in our yard.  Okay, so we can deal with that when we get back.  

General comments on the cruise:

We enjoyed the cruise very much. Lots of classes and presentations to keep us busy, lots of time to just relax and read. We took Mary’s mom along, and she enjoyed it a lot. We cruised on Holland America, a smallish ship these days - passenger count was about 1200. The average age on board was 74, so mom fit in well – she is 83. She is quite social, made lots of friends, and enjoyed the cruise and the shows a lot, and also the shore excursions, except sometimes too much walking for her. There were two early teens, and two 4 or 5 year olds, all with extended family (parents and grandparents).  Other than that, all were older adults.

We bought several paintings at the art auctions on board to put in our library once we get rid of a large file and shelving unit, and one large one that will go over our bed, rotating with one we already have there, and won a few “free” ones (free except it is just the painting, not the frame). Mary bought a tanzanite stone (later made into a ring) in Puerto Vallarta and an emerald ring in Cartagena. They had classes on board about what to look for in the jewels, and they had stores they recommended that sell good quality stones at fair prices. Mary knew exactly what she wanted in an emerald ring, and she found it – but very expensive. She settled for a ring for a lot less, same color and quality, smaller stone, simpler setting, and no diamonds in the setting. Mary’s mom also bought a couple of paintings, a chocolate diamond ring and earrings, and a tanzanite ring. 

Best parts – Panama Canal, mangrove boat ride in Chiapas, Everglades tour, meeting people on the boat, learning about history and culture of Mexico, Antigua, jewelry, and art.

For the first 48 hours, at the buffet, we were served by the crew – to prevent spread of disease.  They also had hand sanitizers everywhere, and going in to eat they had crew stationed just outside with a sanitizer to make sure everyone sanitized their hands.

Weather was generally hot and humid, except Antigua at 5,000 feet, which was about 68 degrees.