Sabin’s on the Sea 2023 - Day # 17 - Sea Day (North Sea)

by Nina Sabin - Travel Blog

Today reached our halfway point of our cruise. It is our eighth sea day since the cruise began.

Some of our readers get confused, not eight days of sea days in a row, but eight days since the cruise began. We have visited nine ports as well.

Tomorrow we will be at Rotterdam. As I mentioned yesterday, about 200 passengers will be departing and 200 will be joining us for the rest of the cruise. We have ten more ports and six more sea days ahead of us. It is like starting a whole other vacation.

Yesterday our table mate brought a rubber duck to dinner. Turns out he found it while perusing the decks.

From what has been explained to us, this has been going on for a long time on different cruises. It started from the beginning of this voyage but we are just learning about it now. Passengers from all over being these rubber ducks onto the cruise and hide them. The duck has a note with it that says you are lucky you found this ducky. The passengers that find them can either hide them again or keep them. Most like to hide them again.

One of the ladies I have been learning bridge with has found four and his them all again.

Now, as John puts it, I am obsessed to spot one. I am not obsessed but on a mission.

Hopefully in the next seventeen days we will spot one.

We have connected with several couples, two of them we have enjoyed meeting up with them on the sea days for Happy Hour. You don’t need the drink package when you get drinks for half price once in awhile. It is great getting to know couples from Australia and South Africa over drinks.

Tomorrow not only will some of the passengers get off in Rotterdam but also the captain, some of the staff, and some of the entertainers will depart as well. Their allotted time for this voyage is over and a new captain, staff, and entertainers will come on board to join us for this next part of the Viking Voyage.

Captains tend to work for three months and then are off for three months. A lot of the other staff work eight to nine months and then get off three months, the entertainers tend to be on for a week or two and then most often move to another ship. No captain or staff stays with one ship. They are all part of Holland America and can be placed on an assignment at any of the company ships.

On the way to dinner we saw oil rigs along the horizon. Interesting to see them in the middle of the North Sea.

Another towel creature awaited us tonight as we returned to our cabin. It is so fun to find an elephant with a candy on our bed.

Rotterdam is where Holland America began. We can wait to explore the roots of this cruise line.