Christmas Day On The Ship
On most cruise ships, a special gala turkey or ham dinner will be held in the Main Dining Room on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, with both classic holiday dishes and elevated menu choices.
December 25, 2013
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.
Most cruise ships will go out of their way to make your trip especially cheery.
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.”
Holland America Line ‘s Christmas menu offers a delightful array of main courses and desserts, including favorites.
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, eggnog’s 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.
Cruise lines will decorate public areas with garlands, gingerbread houses, menorahs and many other traditional items.
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!
Comments
Jingle All The Way..... Ho! Ho! Ho! XOX Me & Twig ( Fabulous Blogging ) From Kim Connelly, on Jan 1, 2014 at 12:36 a.m.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Fantastic cruise trip your having, have a blast on New Years Day. Cheers, Julie From Julie Lee, on Jan 3, 2014 at 12:19 a.m