Today we boarded the ms Noordam, Holland America’s newest addition to their Vista-class fleet of ships. Our 21-day cruise is actually a concatenation of a 7-day Mediterranean cruise and a 14-day Transatlantic cruise (both departing from Civitavecchia). After boarding, we learned that the planned stop in Tunis has been cancelled due to a travel warning from the US State Department. Instead, we’ll be going to Sardinia. Alas, I will not be able to check off Africa from my list of visited continents.

In an effort to stave off weight gain due to the endless supply of food on the ship, we’ve decided to always take the stairs (rather than the elevator) when we are headed to a higher deck. In addition, we visited the gym and hopefully will use it during some of the sea days. However, I predict we’ll visit the buffet far more often than the gym on this voyage.