Oh, the memories! My first cruise was as a 13 year old, traveling with my family as immigrants to Canada, im 1959. We sailed on De Groote Beer, a former WW II troop ship. It was amazing for us kids, and set us up as cruise-lovers for life. My husband, in the other hand, was sea-sick the entire voyage when he came over, and it took till 1995 to persuade him to give cruising a chance. After our Southern Caribbean cruise on the Ryndam, he too was hooked. And now after 3+ years of no cruising, we’re booked to get back to it in May. Yay!
We’ll miss: croquettes at what was then the Dive-In.
The yum-yum man! Does that mean I have to bring my own ginger for after dinner?
The Crows Nest evening fun - drinks, dancing, live band, great atmosphere.
nightly chocolates
the document wallets - yes, we still use our old ones.
the poolside barbecues
tours of the bridge, kitchen, engine room
live music in the dining room
the evening productions
wine stewards
the rijsttafel lunch
i don’t miss the hutspot, I make that myself, but there used to be many dutch items in the Lido, which made it very special.
But I wouldn’t give up cruising on HAL, regardless!