Day 2 - Copenhagen to Sea (July 2nd)

It dawned on me why the Danes are so thin when I saw the barrage of bikes camouflaging the entrance to Central Station. (< pic left) We knew our visit to Copenhagen wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Little Mermaid so with only hours before our Baltic cruise departure, we grabbed some pastries(Danishes?) and coffee before making our way by Copenhagen Metro to Osterport Station. After a 5-minute walk through a picturesque park to the statue for a photo stop, (pic right >) we hurried back to the hotel to collect our luggage. We only had enough Danish Kronor for one of us to ride the Metro to Nordhavn station where our ship was closely docked so we risked arrest and boarded the Metro with a single ticket. Boarding of trains requires no turnstile check and we were prepared to play stupid tourist. From the line of taxis approaching the docks and the surprised look on the port security officer's face, we knew we were in the minority of passengers who wheeled their 20kg cases over tracks and curbs from the Metro station to the pier.

The MS Rotterdam VI, launched in 1998, is the flagship of the Holland America Line. We immediately noticed that it felt like a larger version of the MS Noordam, the ship we sailed the Western Mediterranean in 2004. Most people consider the MS Rotterdam VI to be a sleek and elegant ship harkening back to the ocean liners of days gone by but something about it felt dated and overdone with the ersatz gold staircase and dark patterned color schemes. Many of the lounges seemed misplaced with walkways partioning the seating areas. One path even led straight through a myriad of slot machines into a sports bar sandwiched amongst gift shops. Where is the enjoyment in watching a baseball game with a beer when a store clerk is selling gold by the inch six feet away? Needless to say, on first impression, we weren't as impressed as we'd hoped to be. On the other hand, we immediately fell in love with the Crow's Nest. This is a lounge high above the ship, which boasts a 225-degree view with wonderful leather chairs and footrests that line floor to ceiling windows. We knew this would be a great place to enjoy a martini in peace. Our cabin was a welcome surprise. An amazingly comfortable pillow top mattress on the bed, a large flat screen television and a comfortable seating area welcomed us. So did Hermanto, the cabin steward who familiarized us with our new home for the next 12 days.

Sail away took place Lido Deck aft by the pool where the entertainment staff had some giveaways to get passengers hyped for the cruise ahead. The lucky winner of a limited edition piece of art turned out to be somebody by the name of Marty. Coincidentally, I had been corresponding via email for over a month with someone of the same name. I was trying to get a group together so that we could arrange a discounted private tour of St. Petersburg, our 2nd port of the cruise. Marty was kind enough to let Janet and I join his group. We had been sitting beside Marty and his wife, Karen the entire duration of the sail away festivities, clueless to our email familiarity. When rain hit, we continued getting acquainted with Marty and Karen inside the Lido Cafe. Marty is an extroverted type from Long Island, NY who teaches high school math and sports various humorous t-shirts relating to his chosen profession. Clearly he loves what he does. Karen is quieter with a charm of refined elegance. Still, you can tell she's game for fun, immediately likeable and one of those people who has the skill to relate to anyone. Their polar personalities created a nice balance.

Dinners on Holland America still follow the age-old tradition of assigned seating with formal dress attire at least twice per week. Passengers have the option of a 5:45, 6:15, 8:00 or 8:30 sitting where you sit with the same guests at the same table each night. Having experienced more flexible options on other lines, we weren't looking forward to adopting this routine. At our table of 8 we sat with Pearl and Alan from Palm Beach, John and Helene from Montreal, and Carla and Gary from Toronto. We felt lucky to be sitting at a table of such friendly and diverse people. The only thing that struck us as odd was the fact that we were the only two at the table to order wine with our meals. To me, drinking water with a filet mignon is like drinking coffee with artificial creamer. We began to recognize some of the crew from our previous cruise on the now retired Noordam. Amazingly, many of them remembered us. I assumed the biracial aspect of our relationship may have had something to do with it. Nightlife appeared to be a little staid on the Rotterdam (or as I was told, on Baltic Cruises), so after a few rounds of blackjack in the casino, we made our way back to our cabin for our first night of sleep upon the Baltic Sea.