Friday - boarding

We boarded Holland America Lines' Nieuw Statendam on Friday. We took an Uber from the hotel to the cruise port -- we were really glad that we did as it would have been a very long walk with luggage. The Uber driver took us right to the ship...

This picture is from the Uber car. 

He parked at the place indicated by the port folks (where the buses for excursions would park), and there was a lady right there to collect our luggage and carry it onboard for us.

We went through security in the port, checked in, and waited just a short time before they called us to board... 

Heading up the gangway onto the ship

A picture of the outside of the ship as we were preparing to get on

We had heard that boarding time was noon -- we got to the port about 10:45am, and they let us board soon after 11am. When we got on board, they directed us to go up to the buffet on deck 9...

Carl trying to decide which of the many options to try first!

A picture of Dover castle taken out of the window in the buffet dining area

When we first boarded, they said that our staterooms were not yet available, but soon after we started eating, an announcement indicated that all staterooms were now ready! So, after we ate, we headed down to deck 6...

... and checked out our room.

We have a balcony room.

Dover castle

White cliff of Dover

Bathroom 

Other part of bathroom -- it isn't huge, but the shower is bigger than the one on Gracie!

Our luggage was not yet delivered, so we decided to walk around the ship and get familiar with places that we might want to visit during the cruise.

We saw the main pool -- this one has a retractable roof to keep it more comfortable if we end up being in some colder areas.

We saw the fitness center -- nice view from the treadmills out the front of the ship. Carl said he'd take this picture so all his friends know where he'll be spending his time, uh, maybe not!

When we returned to our room, all of our luggage had been delivered. We met up with friends Joe and Pat. We had dinner with Joe and Pat, and met another couple, Steph and John, who are from England, and who also shared our table. We enjoy sharing tables on cruise ships and meeting other people.

After dinner, we went to the evening stage performance...

... it was done by the ship's entertainers and was good.

We are glad to be on the ship and able to hopefully slow down a little. (Carl is telling people that he walked every street, rode every double-decker bus, and travelled every tube line in London! He *might* be exaggerating!)