I LOVE CRUISING

Me, Dad, and Elly - the first time that I was on a ship.

Summer of 1955

Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite childhood memory is, I can quickly answer that it is the times that our family travelled to Holland...not so much being in Holland, but the ocean crossing on one of Holland America Lines' ships.

My parents and their two children, Jake and Mieke, immigrated to the United States in January 1948. Saying goodbye to family there, my Dad promised that he would come back to Holland every five years, so the relatives would be able to see their children growing up.

My Dad was pretty good about keeping that promise. In the summer of 1955 our whole family traveled to the "old country", this time with four children, Jake, Mieke, Elly, and me. I was only three years old at the time, so I have few memories of that trip.

Then again on June 23, 1961, our whole family, including Tony this time, departed for the homeland. After all the necessary immunizations, and the careful packing for our big family, we left from the train station in Pomona California, taking a 4-day train ride across the country. When we arrived in New York, we caught a taxi to the port. I remember feeling very afraid at this point in the trip, because traffic and the disposition of the cab-driver, true to NY's reputation, were mean and frantic. When we arrived at the port, I kept asking, "where is the boat? where is the boat?" What I did not realize was that I was standing right beside it. I thought that I was walking next to a navy blue wall, but that wall, that TALL wall, was our ship!

Elly, Jake, Mom, Dad, Tony, Mieke, & Me.
Summer 1961

I was old enough to remember this trip. And what fond memories I have of being on the Maasdam and the Nieuwe Amsterdam. These positive experiences gave birth to my love of cruising.

I wanted to give my children the same experience that my parents gave me, so in August of 1994, Harry and I took our whole family on a cruise to Mexico. You will have to ask them if that trip figures into their favorite childhood memories.

Adriana, Jake, Elly, Me, Joey, Dad, & Peter