Crusan with Susan

Been a long time since I've been on a cruise ship! (or a vacation)---since 2019 when Ken (in a wheel chair) and I went on a cruise about a month before he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma and nearing the end of his 2 year battle with Charcot's foot treatments. So much has changed since then!!!! Covid, terminal cancer, life as we knew it totally gone. I often thought when GBM finally took Ken, I wanted to go on a cruise so I could be waited on and not have to do anything! Taking care of a totally bedridden loved one for 4 years and him with limited mobility for 4 years before that, it had taken quite a toll on me. This was a "healing" trip. My sister had recently lost her live in companion of 15 years, too, so I asked her if she wanted to join me. What a fun couple we should be!!! We hadn't seen each other in the last 8 years (the whole time I was taking care of Ken). she lives in Oregon and I live in Georgia. My brother also lives in Oregon, so I invited him to join us pre-cruise for a few days in Fort Lauderdale. He agreed, along with his daughter--a RN who had volunteered to fly to Georgia and give me a respite and care for her Uncle so I could get away for a few days. I had finally agreed to that, and was scheduled to go somewhere in Sept when Ken decided to leave before then. Anyway--I had 5 great days with them, then they flew home and my sister and I took a cruise.

10-24-2026 embarkation day! HAL Eurodam

10-25-2026 Half moon cay

10-26-2026 sea day

10-27-2026 Amber Cover

10-28-26 Grand Turk

10-29-26 sea day

10-30-26 Key West

10-31-26 debarkation

2026 Eurodam

It was a very therapeutic trip for all of us.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

2019 Dec Zuiderdam Cruise: ABC islands

2019-Dec. 10-20 : Zuiderdam 10 nt. sunfarer (Bonaire; Curacao; Aruba; Amber Cove; Half Moon Cay)

It's been over 2 years since our last cruise. During that cruise, we paid the $100/person for the FC Deposit. Of course we had no idea of what was to come in the next year. Ken's diabetes caused his ankle to collapse. For the next 1 1/2 years he was in and out of hospitals and Dr.s' offices. Ultimately it appears they were able to fuse his ankle and save his foot, but he's still a long way from moving well. But we hope that a cruise will be a good way to finally get a little rest and relaxation.

So I booked us an inside handicapped accessible room for $750/person with gratuities included. At that point, we weren't sure if he'd still be in his wheel chair full time or in a boot when the cruise date came. Turns out, both. So when prices for a verandah cabin dropped to $799/person shortly after final payment, I called to grab one of them. But they said we'd loose our gratuities, unless we wanted to upsell to a signature suite for $999/person---then, somehow, we would be able to keep the paid gratuities. Sounded a bit fishie, but I liked the idea of a suite, so I took it. Only thing that was a bit annoying was they wouldn't increase the OBC for booking a suite with our FCC. They said it stays at the level of your original booking. At least it was only a loss of $50 OBC. And we still had the OBC for owning CCL stock.

Then came the months of waiting to see what cabin we'd be assigned---and hopes for an offer to upsell to a Neptune Suite. Almost a month before our cruise, we got an offer. At $399/person, it really wasn't a bad deal, but I noticed there were a lot of cabins available so I declined it and hoped for better offer. 2 weeks after the upsell offer, we got an offer to buy into their new Club Orange. Still not interested. The benefits of priority boarding, special area in the restaurant for breakfast, tote bag, upgrade within booking category, designated concierge, and whatever didn't seem worth an extra $500. But they did say they'd put me on a waitlist for a Neptune Suite offer (whatever that means!).

As it turned out, we did get a waitlist call on Dec. 2nd (8 days before our sail date) offering us an upsell to a Neptune suite. But they still wanted the $399/person for it. I mentioned I hoped it would have gone down from the previous offer to which she said she could give it to us for $299/person. So, Merry Christmas to us, I took it! Maybe a bit much for the benefits, but I'm ready to be spoiled for a while. I do look forward to the breakfasts in the Pinnacle Restaurant, easy access to the Neptune Lounge, and the larger table on our verandah---as well as a much larger cabin. It'll only be our 2nd time in a suite. Only had a choice of 2 suites to choose from. We ended up going with SA 7082. Turned out to be a great cabin. As I'm sure all the Neptune Suites are.

The itinerary is one I love for the snorkeling opportunities.    Turned out Ken didn't leave the ship in ports, but I did.

My links to each day:

Dec. 8, 2019 drive day---Atlanta - S. Florida

Dec. 9, 2019 Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Dec. 10, 2019 Embarkation Day:

Neptune Suite 7082:

We had never been on the Zuiderdam before, so I'm including a bunch of random pictures from around the Zuiderdam:

Around the Zuiderdam:

Dec. 11 & 12 Sea Days:

Dec. 13, 2019 Bonaire (and a great Friday the 13th)

Dec. 14, 2019 Curacao

Dec. 15, 2019 Aruba:

Dec. 16, 2019 Sea day:

Dec. 17, 2019 Amber Cove, DR:

Dec. 18, 2019 Sea Day:

Dec. 19, 2019 Half Moon Cay:

Dec. 20, 2019 Debarkation:

I dreaded the drive from NW Atlanta (which I did all of since Ken's driving ankle is in a boot), but the overall experience made it well worth it. I had a great time. I think Ken did, too. Since this was the first real vacation he's had since his ankle collapsed 1.5 years ago, I'm sure he needed this trip, too.

(As it turned out, this was the last cruise Ken and I will ever take together! Just 6 weeks after debarkation, Ken was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer. Being spoiled on this last vacation for the 2 of us means even more to me now!)

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Around the Zuiderdam: 10-Day Southern Caribbean Sunfarer
Dec. 10, 2019-Dec. 20, 2019

Captain: Wouter Van Hougdalem
Cruise and Travel Director: Thomas Weber
Environmental Officer: James Griffiths
Chief Engineer: Wilco Otten
Hotel Director: Ron Bontenbal

Cruise Stats:
Officers and Crew---798
Nationalities of Crew---41
Average Speed: 15.70 Knots
Miles Traveled: 2625.6 Nautical Miles
Fuel Used: 223,753 Gallons
Eggs Consumed: 29,300

Now just some random photos I took around the ship. I found it to be a pretty ship. Nice decor. Nice neutral colors. I would sail on her again.

This one in one of the hallways near an elevator.

the photo shop. No longer do they put tons of pictures up. Now you can look at them in your room, I think. Or here on one of the photo shop computers.