Personalities

On the Passage to Venice Cruise

Asep

Asep was the first person we saw almost every morning. He prepared the trays for us to use at the buffet. If we weren't in a cheery mood before our encounter with him, we were afterwards. Always smiling and singing, he gave everyone a lift when meeting him.
So we chose him as the poster boy for our Personalities section.

Nurse Judy Van Dalsen

Owen's health is such that he must receive injections every two weeks. He was definitely ready for his vitamin B12 shot when we met Judy on April 12^th. Her shots were the easiest of any that he has received in his whole life! There is a secret to how she accomplishes this feat, and she showed us what it is.

Passengers Rudy & Maria Fluck with Gene Covey

The Flucks were our dinner companions the first night on board. They accomplished the feat of getting a reassignment from late to early sitting the following day. We encountered them in the library with their new early sitting dinner companion a couple of days later.

Owen Tyler on the Treadmill

You can't go on an 18-day cruise without getting some extra physical activity. Modern cruise ships have fully equipped health clubs for the convenience of the passengers. We took advantage of it on sea days when we could find the equipment free. The Holland America ships all have a wrap-around promenade deck to allow passengers to get their miles of fast walking or slow strolling at any time of the day or night.

David & Abigail Sinko, and Tracy Meyer

We were fortunate to be seated with this trio in the main dining room for lunch one day. We found them to be very interesting and congenial. David had recently returned from Africa doing weeks of research on the history and origin of the banjo. He participated in the making of a documentary film on the subject. He is a sound professional working with musical groups and recording in Nashville. We often saw him with help-mate Tracy around the ship and on shore excursions.

David's mother, Abigail is something of a phenomenon herself. Holland America has a sort or awards night recognizing the passengers for the number of days they have cruised with the line. On that night, we learned that she had cruised more than 730 days on HAL ships!
We think she has earned a place on the board or at least a block of stock for that loyalty!

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