One of our evening routines during our World Cruise is to curl up in our comfy bed and watch a movie that’s on our stateroom TV. There are about 50 movies available. Given some of the movies hold no interest to us and there are 124 days of the cruise, we often rewatch movies we’ve seen a number of times. Some of our favorite “reruns” are Top Gun: Maverick, Mafia Mama (of course!), Miss Congeniality. And JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. I’m always a bit unsettled with the scene between Spock and Spock Prime. I mean I really don’t think Spock and Spock Prime should be having a conversation with each other in the first place. But, that’s another story. But the time travel? That’s legit!
When you take a World Cruise, you go around the world. About 24,000 miles around the world. And it requires time travel to accomplish this feat in 124 days. For example, by the time we return from our cruise in May, we will have changed times zones 24 times. We will have crossed the equator four times. And, we will have even skipped a day all together. It’s enough to make your head spin.
We have traveled west since beginning our journey. Always west. When the captain announces a time change, we go back an hour. (Except twice we gained 30 minutes. Go figure.) This is great news in the morning if you want to sleep in. It’s not so great news when you’re ready for bed in the evening and you realize if you change your clock before retiring, you’ll be going to bed at 7 p.m. (Not that this ever happens to us…no…)
And it’s not just the time changes. I’m also confused with just the passing of time in general on a World Cruise. For example, we began this journey on January 4. It was the dead of winter in Paducah, Kentucky, where we live when we’re not traipsing around the world. When we boarded m/s Zuiderdam a few days later, It was 83 degrees. Summer in January! It got hotter and hotter as we journeyed through the Panama Canal on our way to South America. Weeks passed. Eventually it stopped being winter in Paducah and spring arrived (or tried to amidst the bad weather). During all that time, it was still summer for us as we entered the Southern Hemisphere.
Gary and I celebrated our birthdays on this cruise. It seemed like we celebrated twice because we enjoyed all the on-board celebrations (including a cupcake and card from Guest Services) and a cake and boisterous singing in the dining room. It was lovely. Then the next day I started getting Facebook messages from my at-home friends wishing me a happy birthday. I got a day older. Twice.
Even the concept of always “traveling west” is confusing to me. I’ve spent most of my geography life looking at flat maps. The US is on the left. Australia is on the right. We keep traveling “left, but now we’re on the “right” side. Meanwhile, we keep moving our clocks back one hour, but now we’re getting closer to our original time as we do that. Maybe Spock Prime isn’t as ‘illogical” as I originally thought.
We’re tucked into our little cocoon aboard the Zuiderdam, enjoying the freedom of being in a sort of suspended animation. It might not be as dramatic as the starship Enterprise, but it’s our own little time machine. And we like it. As we near the end of our journey (only a little over a month to go!), sometimes I wish I could slow down time. But, then again between the time zone changes, criss-crossing the equator, and trying to keep track of what day it is, perhaps this time traveller should just be content with the pace of the journey and hang on for the rest of the ride. Live long and prosper!
Tag Archives: Zuiderdam
Getting Organized On a Cruise
It’s obvious that going on a World Cruise takes preparation. Deciding which clothes to bring, for example, is obvious. But figuring out how to stuff everything into available suitcases is more of a challenge. Sure, you can bring everything, but where would you put it? A cruise ship cabin is notoriously small so organization is key.
But for all the organizing we did before we left for the cruise, getting organized on the cruise is a whole different situation. So, here is a partial list of some of the organizing we’ve done since we boarded the Zuiderdam one week ago.
Food Organization.
You can basically eat throughout the day on a cruise, but if you plan to do anything else (now or in the future!), I don’t recommend it. So, where to eat, when to eat, and how to eat takes organization. We try to get to the Lido (the main buffet area) by 8 a.m. for breakfast. Fewer crowds; maximum time until lunch; letting the food settle before activities (ie Pickleball). We try to eat lunch on the short side of noon. Fewer crowds (although not yesterday for some reason); maximum time until dinner; and we’re hungry after playing Pickleball. We have “fixed dining” at 5 p.m. in the dining room (known as the MDR). We want to make sure we have an appetite by then so the challenge is eating enough for lunch, but not too much even if we’re hungry.
Activity Organization.
This is still a work in progress but we have over 100 days left to get the rhythm right! Playing Pickleball is the clear priority, which means finding the right time to play with the right people. With the wind, the rocking ship, and the high temperatures, we can’t play as long as we do with our Pickleball friends in Paducah, but we’re starting to figure it out. So far, playing in the morning after breakfast but before Pickleball instruction begins seems like it might work. But afternoon Pickleball has been fun, too. We’re meeting some nice people who happen to also play pretty good Pickleball. We haven’t yet figured out the pool or whirlpools, but we will (or we won’t and who cares, really?). Meanwhile, we are only using the stairs so we do get a bit of exercise besides time on the court.
Crew Organization.
Most interesting to me is realizing that we’re not the only ones who are trying to get organized during this cruise. We’ve been on quite a few cruises in the past but the majority have been in the Caribbean and the longest has been 42 days. This World Cruise seems a lot different, particularly from what is happening on the ship. The other day, for example, we turned over our passports (Why not at embarkation? Who knows?). Supposedly we’ll get them back on February 8. The library opened several days after we set sail. I guess someone had to get the books organized. (We discovered the Sports Director putting books away the other night. Interesting.) There must have been over 100 people at the “grand opening.” It’s good to know we’re among fellow readers. We also keep hearing phrases from the crew like “we don’t know; we’ll figure it out.”
And, also interesting and seemingly unique to a World Cruise, the kitchen staff comes out into the dining room at dinner while we’re finishing dessert, and spreads out among the lingering guests to chat and ask what we think. I’m not totally sure what we are supposed to say (make more zucchini soup?), but I think it’s interesting that they drop by and ask. A few nights ago, we met one of the bakers and the guy “in charge” of the fish. We mentioned to the baker, Mike, that we haven’t seen any almond croissants in the Lido at breakfast. He made a note. Say what? Almond croissants showed up at breakfast this morning! We’re one week into our cruise and it seems like we are falling into a rhythm even while we are still getting organized. We have our library books. We’re playing pickleball. We go to church on Sundays. (Yes, they have church services with a retired chaplain Over 100 people attended this morning.) We’re meeting people (but not too many!). We’re sleeping well. We’re staying out of cold weather. Things could be a whole lot worse, that is for sure!
Here’s What I Learned During My Second Sabbatical Cruise.
I agree that two cruises within four months is kind of extravagant—and not the typical sabbatical outing. But this trip to the Panama Canal was altogether different—and beneficial in a completely different way to my sabbatical than my first cruise for two reasons:
- I went with my sister. While this might not seem like a big deal, for me, it was. I haven’t spent any significant time with my sister since we were both in high school. Let’s just say that that was a long, long time ago. Thanks to my dad who helped finance this trip, we spent 12 days together—and we even got along the whole time.
My sister and me when we were little.
- I have wanted to see the Panama Canal for about forever and, really, the only way to do that, is by boat.
So how was it? In a word, epic.
We travelled on Holland America’s Zuiderdam, either a “good old boat,” or a “needs to be in dry-dock boat,” depending on your perspective. I found I kind of liked her creaks and moans. I could relate!
To the first point: my sister.
Those who know me well know that I am actually a bit of an introvert—or as I like to remind people, I’m an introvert stuck in an extrovert’s body. My sister is both a chaplain’s wife and a social worker. She helps people. So, of course, she talks to them. I, however, am a professor. On sabbatical, no less. So I’m alone a good bit. Give me a comfy chair and a book and I’m good to go. On this cruise, however, I decided that it was time to strike out and play the extrovert. I’m glad I did because in the process, my sister and I had dinner with at least 50 different—and mostly interesting—people. Our dinners typically lasted two hours in which we would savor our lovely four-course meals.
Time for the first course.
My sister and I were quite adept at bringing people out of their shells. Between her social work skills and my curiosity, we were both able to work the crowd fairly well. Most of the people we met were retired—and thrilled to have more free time, even though they all seemed to have enjoyed their careers. Most were eager to chat. We met a former editor of the Boston Globe; a retired soprano with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus; a doctor who had climbed Kilimanjaro; another doctor who weekly travelled up to North Dakota from Minnesota to practice medicine in an area that desperately needed doctors. We met couples who had been married over 50 years. We met people who were traveling alone. We even met another set of sisters. In the process, my sister and I also learned quite a bit about each other.
Now to the second point: The Panama Canal.
To get to the canal, you have to travel a long, long way. Lots of days at sea. And the seas were something during this trip. We had near gale force winds more than one day hitting F7 on the Beaufort scale. (Even if you don’t know what that is, it sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?)
It was a lot of rocking and rolling on our ship.
One morning during our daily 7a.m. “stretch and exercise” class, we had to do all the moves sitting down because it was too difficult with the movement of the ship. So it felt like I was on a voyage, which, somehow seemed appropriate for my sabbatical.
Once we got to the canal, we entered the first set of locks (Gatun Locks) early in the morning. Each section is about 1,000 feet long. Interesting because it is also the length of the ship. It was a tight fit and quite exciting to go up 87 feet (over the three locks that make up Gatun Locks). Once we got into Gatun Lake, the real fun began. Here’s what I did: got into a lifeboat (really!), and traversed the high winds to the shore; got into a not-great bus for a 90-minute trip across not-great roads listening to a not-great guide spew political opinions (of which I disagreed) about the canal. I can sum up his viewpoint by saying he was not a fan of Jimmy Carter. Then I got into a not-great ferry boat for a very hot ride through the rest of the canal, including the San Pedro and Mira Flores locks. Then another 90-minute ride back with the same (but even more annoying by this time) guide. I was glad to get back on the big ship and was sound asleep by 8.
But the point is this. I saw the Panama Canal. Just about every inch of it. It wasn’t necessarily the most fun way to spend the day, but it was one of the most interesting days I’ve had in a long, long time.
On the canal heading toward the Bridge of the Americas.
The next morning after the ship docked in Limon, Costa Rica, I was refreshed enough to head out with my sister to the rain forest to zip line. Did I ever think I would zip line anywhere (let alone the rain forest of Costa Rica and let alone with my sister???)? Uh. No. No. No. No.
I had hoped that my sabbatical would provide a combination recovery period from a decade of administrative work and a platform for (re)launching my scholarly life. It has done that. And more. I’m looking forward to returning to campus. But, not quite yet. I still have a lot of rest, recovery and research to do!
My Year Away: World Cruise Edition. 