It’s a Helluva Day at Sea, Sir / Vegan on Holland America Cruise, Day 2

Today was our only day at sea without Alaskan scenery, not counting the glorious expanse of lapping waves that we are riding on. It was a day to explore the ship, to relax, to eat. The cruise seems far less booked than the other cruises I have done in my life. And the older crowd means it is far less annoying, socially. [Young people perform too much.] This means many parts of the ship, like the pool and the hot tub, are free and clear of people. 1

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Lunch time buffet at the Lido Deck is really the best option for some sustenance. A seeded roll surrounded by an orzo salad, a quinoa (which Ma’am remembers how to say by this equation: Katy Keene + Joaquin Phoenix) with cranberry, potatoes, and a mango and kiwi fruit salad. And another taco from the taco bar. 7

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Even with a full itinerary available, veg-out mode can really kill your motivation. We did go to the Indonesian tea & sweet treat tasting, mostly because I wanted to eat sweet rice, fried banana, and other such sweet things. 9

Vegan Dinner in the Vista Dining Room On Holland America’s Oosterdam
During my cruise I will have the opportunity to taste all of the vegan options on Holland America’s vegetarian menu. Tonight’s dinner started with some pretty standard Vietnamese Spring Rolls. They were good, but left a little bit of an oily puddle on the plate, garnished with browning frisse. 10

Soup course: The Asian Noodle Soup—a hint of lime and ginger and garnished with straw mushrooms, bean sprouts, rice noodles, vegetables and finished with coconut milk. A nice addition to my Asian-inspired vegan dinner selections. 11

My entrée, Pad Thai Noodles: Yummy pile of glass noodle with flavorful bites of eggplant, green onions, peanuts, tofu and bean sprouts. The portion was tremendous. 12

Dessert: fruit 13

Tonight was a “formal” night on the boat and my opportunity to honor the addition of my 49th state to my… neck. My crafted vintage puzzle piece necklace got some compliments from fellow cruise-goers while confusing others. 15

Another day on the Oosterdam and I’m beat. And it looks like this towel thingy needs to use the rest room. 14

Tomorrow we enter Glacier Bay. So I’m hitting the hay early to not miss a moment of the glacier viewing. Goodnight from the Oosterdam.

Current position:
58° 41.98’ N
140° 12.77’ W