welcome aboard the veendam

May 1, 2013: Fort Lauderdale… first day


This morning was absolutely crazy. I had breakfast at 7:30 (not good for my stomach since I’m used to getting up at 9 or so), then went up to my room to grab my luggage to meet the shuttle. I was already a bit freaked out since everyone I’d talked to from HAL that was staying in that hotel was going to the Amsterdam. I got downstairs before 8 and one shuttle had already gone, so I settled in to wait with the others for the next one. An hour passed and the hotel started calling to check on it since it normally only takes 30 minutes to get there and back. Another 30 minutes pass and another shuttle finally comes. It says “Amsterdam crew” on it, so I wait to ask the driver if he’s taking anyone to the Veendam. In the meantime, the van fills up. There are three of us left at this point, so the driver calls and gets another shuttle for us. We sit and talk until it finally gets there, then we have to go to another hotel to pick up more crew for the Amsterdam.

I finally get to the ship around 10:20. They’re about to start a fire/general emergency drill for Coast Guard, AND USPH is on board. What a way to arrive. Lauren (photog from the Maasdam) was getting off today, so she helped me get my stuff to my room and hung out for a while until it was nearly time for her to leave. I’d been told to wait in my room until HR called me once the drills were over for the meeting. It was after 11 when they finally called. 8 of us joined today, I was the only one in Entertainment, and the only girl. We did the normal “this is a ship, this is how you stay safe and healthy, etc” meeting, then went out to the muster stations for our first “safety drill.” After that, I was done, so I went back to the room, changed and went to lunch. I’d yet to see my roommate or my YPC.

I felt really awkward at lunch because all the guests already knew each other, and the crew knew everyone, and I knew nobody. I sat at a 2-person table off in a corner because I didn’t even know if I was allowed to eat on that side of the Lido. The officer who did our safety drill sat with me, he’s dating the YPC, who it turns out had to get off with a lot of others to get medicals. I went back to the room and met my roommate, Carly, the other Club HAL. She’s taking over as YPC in Boston. She showed me around a bit and we talked until she decided she needed a nap and I wanted to go call Mom and Dad one last time. No passenger drill today (thus, no wristband duty) because despite 600 guests disembarking today, none embarked. So, we sailed away without much notice.

Again, I went back to the room, and met Beth (the YPC) this time, who was visiting with Carly. The three of us talked for a little bit, then I went down to turn in my medical, and then back to the room to kill time until dinner. Thankfully it was an uneventful night. One of the two kids on board came, and he wanted to watch more of the movie they started a few days ago. Beth, Carly and I played Skip-Bo. His parents picked him up at 9, and we played Skip-Bo until 10 when we could finally close. I went to bed almost immediately.