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07/12/2005: "Newcastle trip...part 1!"
music: The sounds of the outdoorsmood: Quite well...
For all of you who were anxiously waiting, here is part 1 of our Newcastle trip.
The trip started off Friday. I had arranged with my boss that I could leave work at 14:30 about 4 hours earlier than normal.
It was quite nice weather while walking from work to the busstop, so that got me perfectly in the mood.
However: I did start to become worried, too much the Titanic idea in my head. This would be my first time ever on a boat, let alone the first time at sea. So yes: the nervoursness started to built up a bit while walking to the busstop.
After coming home Angela and I packed. She had already started when I was still at work but I also had to get some clothes. We did this and when we thought we had everything got in the car and drove to the terminal. Check-in started at 16:00, we were there a bit later so all perfectly in time. It was quite busy, but the queue looked longer than it really was and it went quite fast.
The lady at the check-in desk asked us whether we would want to make a reservation for dinner and buy the vouchers, as it would be a bit cheaper now than on the boat. We discussed this and in the end decided to purchase the Scandinavian buffet only for the first evening: the second evening we could then still see what we wanted to do for dinner.
After check-in it was passport control... We were lucky, one week later and we would have been screened to death probably, but now we could continue walking after 2 looks at our passport. Pretty good and quick if you ask me.
Then time came to board and we walked via a flight of stairs into a sort of tunnel which connects the mainland with the boat.
Our boarding pass doubled as key card for the room, so immediately when we came on board we started the search for our room. I have to say: it was still pretty easy, but the boat is huge! Luckily I did have Angela as my guide though, so she wasn't too fazed by it all and I felt a bit more relaxed because of it, probably.
The first time trying the key card: that was fun! Why? Because it took me about 5 times to get it right! After that most of the time Angela let me open the door as I needed the practice...
Anyway: we dropped most of our luggage and then went up on deck. It was brilliant: standing on deck, watching IJmuiden glide away... Great to see it from the waterside instead of the lighthouse, that's for sure! Not too long after the boat had set sail and we had left IJmuiden behind the 2 bars located at the sundecks were opened. We decided we needed something to drink and to eat, but the only thing they had in these bars as far as food was concerned was 'the original American hotdog' and some peanuts. Well, Angela and I both took the hotdog and something to drink: it indeed didn't kill you but it did it's best!
Immediately during boarding we had seen what films they had in the cinema and we decided to buy two tickets for: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The film in itself was somewhat weird, but it would not nearly have been such a disappointing experience if only that was the problem though! You had two parts to the cinema: A & B and I guess both were as uncomfortable and lousy. It didn't matter in which cinema you were: the sound was crap and we heard the other film better than our own, the screen quality was lousy and it looked more like some sort of auditorium than a cinema... We've seen the film but really it was a waste of money.
If ever you go with that boat: do not buy tickets for the cinema as you will be utterly dissappointed! Luckily though, the food was a lot better...
I'll try to write part two tomorrow...I guess this might end up as a pretty long read! 