And Away We Go!

Day 1, Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Element Hotel > Boarding Holland America Eurodam

• Last minute repacking of bags, attaching the Eurodam bag tags, and placing the bags by the door for the bellman to schlep them downstairs.
• Down to the third floor lobby from our 18th floor room. Decent continental buffet selections: little omelet bites, fingerling potatoes, a chocolate croissant, and a fruit selection.
• Back to the room: blogging for me, news-reading for Jas. Realized I forgot a couple of items. Deodorant! Walked down the street a block to the Fresh Market and bought Tom's Natural Deodorant. Had also forgotten a couple other things, like a small serving tray to bring back food items from the Neptune Lounge to our room. No such item in this store, so let it go.
• Back to room, killing time until 10:30, checkout on third floor, then first floor to show the HAL rep which bags were ours and get checked off list.
• Connect with our travel pals on the patio in front of the restaurant. The Zuiderdam around-the-world cruise passengers were on bus #1, so we watched, with envy, as their bags were loaded and they boarded the bus. Twenty minutes later, they were gone and our bus pulled up. Same drill - bags loaded, then passengers. Half an hour later, we were at Port Everglades.
• Wait on bus until all luggage is unloaded from bus. All the roll-aboard handles have been extended, find your bag and lower the handle to indicate the owner has acknowledged its presence, go get in line for security. The snake line seems very long, but moves quickly.
• I believe we boarded the bus around 11:30. At 12:30 we are in our room, dropping our carry-ons and heading to the Main Dining Room (MDR) for Mariner's Lunch. I've read about the Mariner's lunch for several years, but it's only served from 12:00-1:30 on embarkation day and I've never been onboard in time to partake. Success and thanks to Jas for humoring me.

I ordered the Classic Club Sandwich and cup of Tomato Bisque. Jas went for the Croque Madame and Tomato Bisque. We could have ordered dessert in the MDR, but chose instead to go up to the Lido (buffet), where Jas got a slice of cheesecake, and I chose the dessert the Holland America Line is reknowned for - bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Soooo good!

One of my favorite features on HAL are the custom-designed Delft dinnerware and the monogrammed utensils. Can you see the little circle HAL logo on the bread plate? Love it! Oh, and note the freshly made potato chips in their sweet little basket.

After lunch, we visited the Greenhouse Spa and Salon and booked two massages each for the ten days we'll be aboard. Tip: The spa is busiest on sea days, so if you book for a port day, you'll have a greater choice of appointment times.

Back to the room, ducked into the Neptune Lounge to introduce ourselves to the assistant concierge. After another half hour, our bags arrived and we met our lead Steward, Lukman. Spent the remaining time unpacking and settling in before heading to the Ocean Bar for cocktails with our pals.

Several months ago, we had pre-booked the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse for our sail day dinner. I've read that it's not as busy the first night. Cruisers don't seem to think of booking one of the upcharge restaurants on the first night. All the better for us.

The photos above: 1) My favorite of all soups on HAL is Forest Mushroom Soup. 2) This is how the Forest Mushroom Soup arrives from the kitchen. Then the waiter brings a silver pitcher bearing the liquid soup, which is poured over the truffle oil, crème fraîche, and scallion churro nestled at the bottom of the bowl. The truffle oil rises to the top and creates a lovely sheen across the dark soup. 3) Jas's appetizer, Panko Fried Stuffed Mushroom Caps, with Beyond Meat mince, vegan mayonnaise remouloade, and parsley. A lovely vegetarian or vegan dish, if you are so inclined. 4) Jas's entrée, Grilled Lamb Chops with Controne bean purée and garlic chips. 5) I wasn't very hungry, so ordered the crabcake appetizer for my entrée. I ate two, and Jas finished them off. They were that good! 6) Kerry's side with her entrée, Beecher's lobster mac & cheese. Do you see the size of that side?! Four diners could have shared it! From the world-reknowned Seattle cheesemaker.

I wasn't feeling well, and left at this point in the meal to go back to the room and slide into bed. Desserts and after-dinner drinks were ordered and consumed. I was told later that the other two couples went straight home, but Jas wandered the ship for a while before carefully coming into our room so he wouldn't wake me. Whattaguy.