Cruise Diary: Mother and Daughter Set Sail on HAL Adventure to Norway
Guest Elise is on board Rotterdam with her daughter and sent in this diary from her first day on board. Enjoy!
For my 65th birthday, my daughter surprised me with a trip to Norway aboard Rotterdam. It has been years since we took a mother-daughter trip, as my daughter is married now with three young boys. It is going to be a great vacation for us both. Off we flew to Amsterdam to join Rotterdam. Rotterdam is a gorgeous city with so much to do. We lucked out and it was Harbor Day, something that happens only once a year. Rotterdam was the center of attention among the helicopter demonstrations and water displays. It made for an exciting departure. We had quite the entourage as we set sail and passed the New York hotel and old Rotterdam.
That evening we enjoyed cocktails and dined on David Burke’s delicious dishes: A parfait of salmon and tuna tartars for the appetizer and pan-seared rainbow trout for the main. Both are highly recommended. Dessert was black forest cake for my daughter and Viennese apple strudel for me. We stayed at dinner so late we missed the show, so it was off to bed. Our first sea day was both leisurely and full of activity, as we wanted. We woke up and went to the Lido for breakfast. What a selection! The omelet station is not to be missed. Then we were lucky enough to have a tour of the galley. The crew in the kitchen work very hard to feed all of the guests.
Right after the galley tour we watched the cooking demonstration in the Culinary Arts Center. They were making two Le Cirque dishes: the famous lobster salad and the crème brulee. Both were wonderful, and I can’t wait until we dine there in a few days. I enjoyed how they let us sample what they were making and gave out the recipes.
The afternoon was just as busy. After lunch we relaxed for a little while then ventured to tea time. Yes, there’s a lot of eating on board! Tea time was wonderful and refined.
After tea was bingo (I didn’t win!) then off to a martini tasting. I like that I can do things on board that I normally wouldn’t do! Now it’s time to rest up for dinner. Tonight the featured chef is Jacques Torres. He’s known for his chocolate, so I plan on trying all of his dishes!
Tomorrow we’re in Bergen.
Tags: Cruise Diary, Culinary Arts Center, Le Cirque, ms Rotterdam, Norway, Postcards from...
Stories from the sea, past and present
Your bonding which your daughter gave is really awesome. You know what the travel is more fun and meaningful if given by beloved daughters. I must say that your daughter’s choice is perfect.
Happy to hear the cruise is going well. Mother/daughter relationships are so important and usually we don’t get this extra time to spend without our family and work distractions. Enjoy every minute you are together.