For people who have never been on a
cruise, it is food galore and possibly a combination wrath of hell
for diabetics!
“Tell me Bert, you've been on the
Grand Voyage last year and you are going on a World Cruise, how come
your wife is not 400 lbs?” asked a table mate for dinner last
night.
“I have to watch what and how much I
eat, “ I reasoned
. “ I also try to do my daily walk on the
promenade deck,” I added.
On the cruise, we noticed, some
passengers eat like pigs, they eat anything and everything. We see
people staring at the Lido buffet counter as if grazing and when they
see what they want, they gorge, they fill their plates up to the
edge. Never mind if a few pieces drop off on the carpet on their way
to the table. Sometimes, the dining attendant will come to their
rescue and try to carry their multiple plates to their table.
When they get settled at their table,
there is no space left. Every inch has already been taken up with
various kinds of food
. If it is breakfast, there will be stacks of
pancakes, bacon, waffles and yogurt. There will be a plate for fresh
sliced-fruit and a separate plate for fresh bananas, oranges and
apples. There will be a plate for raisin toasts, bagels and muffins.
Don't forget the coffee and tea and orange juice and pineapple
juice to wash down the solid food. Oh, wait, a big egg omelet with
everything is coming! That's only for breakfast. Wait till you see
what they eat for lunch and dinner.
We also saw a few men with stacks of
eggs Benedict and sticky buns, their tummies sticking out too, like
watermelons. They look like they are going to compete for Mr Dunkin
Donuts 2014. None of them will be eliminated
. They are all, in our
judgement, title holders. Watching them eat makes one wonder if
they have anaconda -sized tapeworms for pets or they are simply vying
for a slot in “The Biggest Loser.”
There are also people that drink till
they can almost drop, since they do not need to drive. Well, this is
after all a Christmas holiday and a combination Panama Canal cruise,
so that's an excuse to eat and be merry. The swimming pool
area was a full house and the wine stewards keep selling the drinks
for the day.
In the movie department, Christmas tear
jerkers were continuously being shown on tv and Home Alone, the movie
and other Christmas related stories were shown several times at the
Wajang Theatre on 4th deck. Popcorn bags were ready for
the taking.
This morning, we were woken up by the
Cruise Director's announcements for the morning activities. He
emphasized that Santa Claus might be sighted at the Queens Lounge at
10:15 am.
Christmas morning on board the ship
is for the kids and the parents and grandparents on board. Despite
the already tropical feel on the air, Holland America really made it
feel like Christmas for everyone on board. Our captain announced
that the radar had picked-up something strange and the leader has a
bright red nose. Announcements were made for families to get to the
Queens Lounge. The line to see Santa stretches so long. She came
with the usual red and white velvet attire and black booties and big
boobs. Yes, the Santa was a female, after all, most of us came from
politically correct countries. So, there's really nothing wrong with
that especially if coming from my husband who likes boobies. Aside
from boobs, I mean, Santa, several HAL dancers were dressed -up in
elves costumes. Together with the all the kids, they sang carols and
danced on stage. There were candy canes, hot chocolates, eggnogs
and Christmas cookies. Dining attendants were wearing their red and
white Santa hats. For parents with kids, this is really not a bad
idea to celebrate. Imagine Christmas, minus the hustle and bustle
and minus washing the dishes and cleaning up! Husbands get
entertained too!
At the Lido buffet restaurant on the
8th deck, we saw a few dining attendants. “Were you at
the show last night?” I asked one attendant. “No, Madam, we
have to stay up late here for extra preparations for tonight. The
officers are having a special dinner tonight, all 250 of them,” she
explained.
At 11:00 pm. last night
there was a special Christmas presentation by some of the crew. The
Amsterdam crew represents 34 countries of the world and the
Indonesians have the most number, 295, followed by the Filipinos with
201 crew. There was an International Choir, a Filipino choir and an
Indonesian choir at the show. It was a very heartwarming experience
to see them singing their hearts out with popular and traditional
hymns and carols. Our Captain Fred Eversen was there for the closing
remarks as well as the “Christmas Grinch.” At the most
unthinkable moment, a man made some noise and uttered some
nonsensical things.
“Throw him off board!”
somebody answered. People started to hoot and booed the guy. No one
knew what brought this on and what his problem was. I thought he
was just frustrated because he didn't get to sit on Santa's lap!
Just because I didn't see him this morning for breakfast, does not explain he is still sleeping
in his cabin or he simply volunteered to float somewhere in the
Pacific Ocean.
Off with the Grinch, have a Jolly Christmas everyone!
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