WCB

Report #130 Wednesday May 8, 2024 San Juan, Puerto Rico 3pm-10:30pm Docked Port Side To Pier Scattered Clouds, Rain And Some Sun 85 Degrees 78% Humidity Slight Wind 10mph Part #1 Of 6.....66 Pictures---Casual Dress Finally, we are seeing the return of the birds, the first one spotted during breakfast this morning. These appear to be the Caribbean brown boobies. By 9am, there were dozens of these soaring and diving birds having a feast of the small flying fish. We did spot one masked booby from our veranda later on. Strange, just one. The bad news was that we woke up to rain and heavily cloudy skies. We figured it would be a wet day in San Juan, but as the morning went on, it began to clear up. That would be a miracle, but sometimes things work out that way. Just as Captain Friso had promised, we arrived to the port by 2pm. At 12:30pm, Kimberly gave a sail-in commentary that could be heard about everywhere on the ship. The bow had been opened as well. We stayed on our veranda and had the best place to photograph the entrance into the harbor, passing El Morro, the oldest Spanish fort in the New World as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sun was at our back, and the views were spectacular….clear, sharp, and full of color. Eventually the skies did cloud up again, but we got lucky while doing the sail-in. The first job we all had was to have a mandatory immigration inspection in the terminal, not on the ship. Around 2pm, the passengers decks were called off starting with 10 and 8, then the rest followed. It would be a zero count inspection, and no one was allowed back on the ship until everyone had been cleared. Kimberly suggested for those who did not intend on going into town, could wait until the final call and go off last. Tour groups would go off, and go through the process then head for their buses. Simple enough, but we did hear later that three passengers had to be called to finish the roster, and they held the waiting group up until 4:20pm. It happens all of the time and that does not make these folks very popular. The crew members filed off the same time we did, but they had a separate area of the terminal for their inspection. All of them were able to return to the ship and continue working. We went off by 2:30pm and decided to take the room umbrella since Captain Friso had mentioned that the south part of the island was experiencing flash flooding. We had no way of knowing if it was heading this way but chose not to take any chances. The customs checkpoint was quick, with a short line and several officers. Then we were off and heading the way we usually walk. Uphill. In the meantime, there were some tours today which began with a historic walk-through San Cristobal Fort to see the secret tunnels and dungeons for 3 ½ hours for $55. A drive to see the highlights of San Juan for 2 ½ hours was $70, while a folkloric show in the evening was 1 ½ hour and $80. The history and cuisine of San Juan on foot was 3 ½ hours for $110 where canopies and a 3 course meal would be served. Craft cocktails and a sample of Puerto Rican food for twelve people was 3 ¾ hours for $170. Easy Old Town for 3 ½ hours for $180. This may have been a tour in an open- air vehicle for 6 people with a weight limit of 800 pounds. There was a tour listed previously that must have been cancelled. It was a bioluminescent Bay Kayak trip for 5 ¼ hours and $170. This would be a boat ride to the island where the organisms in the water light up like glow worms. There were two people to each kayak and a waiver had to be signed before going. And there was no guarantee that you would see the light show, but refreshments would be served. Too bad it was cancelled. Anyway, back to our hike uphill. Even though it never did rain, the humidity was so heavy you could cut it with a knife. And today, we were not alone as the Carnival Celebration was already docked right across from us. And it was a big one. We need to look up her stats, but we guess with 16 lifeboats, there may be up to or over 6000 passengers. The Zuiderdam looked like a baby next to her. No doubt, there will be a lot of folks in the Old Town today. We headed up the main street to the Plaza Colon, where the Christopher Columbus statue sits in the center. It reminded us of a small scale version of the monument in Barcelona. Columbus landed here in the early 1500’s followed by Ponce de Leon, who became the first governor. That was well over 500 years ago when he declared the island for Spain. Further up the street we came to the Fort San Cristobal, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest forts in the New World. Turning left on the Malecon Road, we passed the old pastel houses and businesses along the cliffsides. It was so hot and sticky, we wished for rain that never came. As we got closer to the La Perla area, we began to see swarms of tiny bugs, like knats, but smaller. They must be hatching out in the fields of very green grass surrounding the oldest Spanish fort of El Morro. Many locals were out and about, and appeared to be waving at each other. Then we ran into the bugs, and realized they were all waving them away from their faces, hair, arms, and legs. They just stuck to us, and we had to be most careful not to get them in our mouths and noses. It almost became comical when coming back down from the gates of the fort. Many guys pulled their shirts over their faces and the gals cursed while swatting at the little critters. Our best bet was staying off of the expanse of grass, because that was where they were coming from. Instead of back-tracking, we continued walking past the several plazas that eventually led back over the ridge and back into the streets of the old town. We had hoped to find the pizza place we had found several years ago, but when we got to the right street, it appeared the place had changed to something different. If nothing else, we went in search of beers somewhere. The only place that was serving draft beer happened to be Senor Frog’s. Thinking that might work, we opened the door and got blasted with unreal noise of drums and people starting a congo line. Definitely not what we had in mind, we ended up back at the ship before 6pm. We have had a bottle of sparkling wine in the refrigerator for months now, and today was a good day to pop it open and enjoy sipping it on our deck. Relaxing with the wine (which we normally don’t drink), we watched as the last of the guests on the Carnival ship boarded. It was fun watching the kids or adults riding the Celebration’s rooftop roller coaster or going down the tubular shoot to the back pool. Doing a little research on this behemoth, we learned that this new ship came out in 2022 at a cost of 1 billion dollars. At 183,521 gross tons, it is the largest ship in their fleet. At max capacity, there are 6500 guests with 1735 crew members. A big WOW. One thing we noticed when we walked back from our hike was the fact that the Celebration completely hid the Zuiderdam from sight despite the fact we were docked almost side by side with the terminal in the center. This ship was successful in blocking the entire sunset from our view as it left the harbor before 7pm. It sure was a pretty sight as it was lit up for the night as was the city. Dinnertime found many people missing. Many guests may have gone out to dinner because all aboard for us was 10:30pm. The choices were limited but we did enjoy the hot bowl of pea soup and salads. Entrees were the Peruvian chicken (half order) and they were just right. Desserts were rocky road ice cream (finally) and one Tres leches flan. The ship left after a few toots of the horn by 10:45pm. We are heading towards Ft. Lauderdale and will arrive on Saturday morning. We have two full sea days to finish the packing. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #129 Tuesday May 7, 2024 National Tourism Day Sea Day #4 0f 4 Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico Scattered Clouds 80 Degrees 73% Humidity Slight Wind And Choppy Seas Part #1 Of 1.....59 Pictures---Casual Dress Day four at sea was another pleasant day as far as the seas and temps go. Still a bit choppy, the swells and most of yesterday’s clouds were gone today. It may have rained during the evening, but blue skies were peeking through early on. If it stays this way, we will be happy, as it is not cold as our usual crossings are. Since we are getting closer to San Juan, Puerto Rico, we may as well add some info here because we have the time. The population of Puerto Rico is 3.5 million folks that speak Spanish and English. There are actually four main islands here, with the largest, San Juan, having a population of 555,000 people. Christopher Colombus landed here followed by Pone de Leon, who became the first governor of this 500 year old city. It is said to have a swashbuckling history due to its proximity to the United States. These days the islands boast salty sea breezes at numerous resorts and beaches as well as casinos for the gamblers and a high-gloss city after dark. San Juan, the capital has the old cobblestone streets, pastel colors of the colonial buildings and a famous fortress of days past. El Morro is a prime example of what this island was all about. Now it is a city of bars and clubs reverberating with “salsa” (not the dip) but the rhythms on the dance floors. The music has lasted through generations. What kind of food do they like here? The four main ingredients of Puerto Rican food are rice, beans, plantains and pork. Fried, grilled, stewed or skewered pork is the King. Their favorite lunch is a savory spit-roasted suckling pig cooked for over 8 hours until it is smoky and tender. Have any of you seen bioluminescent bays? It is nature’s magical trick, where in some parts of the world you can experience the jewel-like flicker of light dripping from your hands while night-snorkeling or kayaking. There is actually a tour offered tomorrow that will take some folks to the tiny island to kayak in the darkness of night. Interesting for sure. Many years ago, while sailing somewhere in the world, we did witness this phenomenon when we happened to look out our window in the middle of the night. The water was glowing and we could not believe our eyes. The following day, Captain Mercer explained what we had seen. Pretty cool and we didn’t have to snorkel or kayak to see it. Too bad there will not be enough time to sink our toes into the white sands and turquoise waters, as we will be arriving late in the afternoon. Captain Friso did mention he would try to get us to the port by 2pm, but then we have to deal with customs and immigrations, slowing everything down for sure. Today was a busy one with many things happening. Borrowed books had to be brought back to the library, and the photo contest has wrapped up, and we were able to get the one photo for free just for entering. Any extra ones would have a charge of $5. We had to sort through five piles of photos to locate the one we entered. Then we had some cashable credit on our account, and took care of that, getting a complete copy of the entire statement. Thanks to the refunded port charges for the change of itinerary and extra SB credit to help cover unexpected visa charges, we still had some left to take home. While getting “take-out” at the Dive In Grill, we noticed there was a White Elephant sale in progress in the Lido Poolside. Fellow guests were invited to sell whatever they chose not to take home to other guests. Many people who have done these long cruises do not need the extra gifts we got, nor do they wish to pay more to send them back home with Luggage Forward. We have heard of many people giving their small suitcases, or duffels, jackets, canvas hand bags, and even the Delft plates to their room stewards or waiters. And we do know for a fact that much of this memorabilia shows up on eBay. Believe it or not, there is a market for dated HAL items that command some nice prices. This evening was “Surprise Night” where the guests and crew were invited to the hottest club on the high seas – the Lido Poolside. DJ Nyron would be spinning the tunes, while the guests sipped complimentary sparkling wine or indulged with drink specials and a late night snack. This began at 9pm to 11pm with snacks at 10 to 11pm. This would definitely be targeted for the early diners, since we were still eating our dinners at 9pm. Our meal started with shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads. Our mains were one BBQ pork ribs, and one ziti pasta with andouille sausage (a bit heavy on the cayenne). It took a scoop of biscotti ice cream to soothe the burn. And the clocks went back one more hour, putting us on Eastern time now. Puerto Rico….here we come. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #128 Monday May 6, 2024 National Beverage Day Sea Day #3 0f 4 Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico Scattered Clouds 80 Degrees 73% Humidity No Wind And Flat Seas Part #1 Of 1.....59 Pictures---Casual Dress Our third day at sea began with even smoother seas and continuing balmy temperatures and high humidity. Looking out the window during breakfast, the sea took on the look of silk floating in the breeze. We’re almost afraid of saying this because it may jinx it. Guess what? It did. We have also been seeing more and more of an algae-like greenery in the waters ever since we left Cape Verde. Not sure if it is a type of kelp, but it seems to be getting thicker and larger in size. Usually, we are transiting the Atlantic from further north, such as from the Azores or Funchal, and we don’t recall seeing this algae as the waters have to be cooler there. In addition, we never remember having a crossing being so smooth or warm. Normally, we would be bouncing off of the walls trying to pack. But we are certainly not complaining about that. During breakfast, there was a surprise announcement from Kimberly saying that some animals had escaped from a zoo and they were filling up the Lido Poolside. In the back round, she was playing “A Lion Sleeps Tonight”, a blast from the past. Of course, we had to go get the camera and take some photos before the critters were rounded up by 9am. Last night between 11pm and 12am, the room attendants got together and provided the most creative towel animals we have seen so far. There were the usual suspects of monkeys, elephants, turtles, birds, and sea critters. Then the guys had made life-size crew members sitting in chairs or even in a wheelchair. Not sure everyone thought that to be amusing. Even the pink, green, yellow, and blue cleaning cloths were made into little lemmings. All-in-all, there were hundreds of escapees from the zoo. Good work room stewards! Today was one of presents. The first ones arrived early with the HAL Sailing 150 Years tiles. No ship design or date was on them. Although it is really 151 years, these are from last year. Later in the day, we were given the commemorative plates for the 2024 Grand World Voyage. We had been told that these plates were small, but we did not expect them to be that small. They are 6 inches in diameter and do not have an itinerary on them. Remember the movie, “Honey I Shrunk The Kids”? Well we feel that has occurred with these final gifts. Way back in 2005, we were given platters, then it went to plates, some round, some oval, but always something with the actual itinerary on them. Due to changes in itineraries, not all of the plates were correct. One year, they put the wrong world cruise on them and replacements were mailed to us. Oh well, guess we should not look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak. They will be easier to pack. Kimberly gave her last port talk on San Juan, Puerto Rico. This will be an unusual port stop because we are not due to arrive until 3pm. The Captain said he is striving to get us there at least an hour earlier. The number one priority will be doing the customs and immigrations clearing with the local officials. This will occur onshore we understand. This will be a “zero count” meaning that every person including crew has to attend before anyone is allowed back on the ship. Usually this is done in Ft. Lauderdale, but since Puerto Rico is considered part of the USA, we can get this process out of the way. It will make debarking in Florida a whole lot easier. The photo contest ended today and three photos were picked for each category. This was a plus for the photo department because many folks stopped and checked out the numerous entries. We are sure that they sold more of the pictures that have been displayed for weeks. We are not sure how these entries will be voted on or by who. The Crow’s Nest was closed from 3 to 6pm once again to accommodate another Mariner Reward Event. This must have been the last of the three sessions they did over the last sea days. There used to be one last cocktail party where the awardees were all recognized in front of the World Stage receiving their medals and having a photo taken. It was a one night event prior to each dining venue – early or late. Like many things, that has changed. We did our usual walk, then went to the Seaview Pool to find the lounges about empty. The sun was out and it was great sitting outside talking to Greg for a while. We did notice that some clouds were forming on the horizon. By 6pm, it was totally cloudy and it rained. The sea got rougher, the winds were higher, and we had some good downpours. Part of the starboard promenade deck was even flooded. So much for the totally smooth crossing. Also, Kimberly mentioned that there may be thunderstorms in San Juan. Sure hope not. Thinking on the positive side, we packed the umbrellas and have no idea which suitcase they are in. We do have the orange umbrellas in our closet, but they are quite large, so we never used them. Today was the final day for turning the laundry in and it had to be out by 12pm. For the very first time on this trip, we did not get our last laundry back the same day, not that we expected that. But as of tonight, we still have not seen it. Of course, a needed sweatshirt was turned in to be cleaned, and everything else warm is packed. We are sure they are over-whelmed in the laundry department. Tonight’s dinner was the final formal, although there are still some folks that do not comply. Their excuse is probably that they packed all of their nice clothes. We stuck to the dress code, and everyone around us did the same. Appetizers were shrimp cocktails, a Caesar salad, and one a hot bowl of tasty tomato soup. Mains were rack of lamb….about the best we have eaten so far in the dining room. They were even more tender and juicy than what we get in the Pinnacle Grill when we order the lamb chops. Desserts were one panna cotta, and one glass of vanilla ice cream with a warm fudge sauce. Good news, we think, the clocks went back another hour. No matter which way the clocks go, it still leaves us all tired. More so when it is done almost every other day. We still have another hour to go back before we get to Puerto Rico on Wednesday. We’ll be walking zombies by then. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #127 Sunday May 5, 2024 Cinco de Mayo Day Sea Day #2 0f 4 Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico Scattered Clouds 75 Degrees 73% Humidity 15mph Winds 7' Swell Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress We’re not sure if we mentioned this, but we had another hour back on the clock last night. One more hour, and we will be on Eastern Standard Time, also correct for San Juan, Puerto Rico. And the other event we forgot to mention was Derby Day, a knock-off of the Kentucky Derby. The “horses” names were Harry Trotter, Chewbacca, Hoof-Hearted, Ahhh Sol and Talk-Derby-to-Me. The best hat of the day competition was at 1:30pm. The Grand Voyage Band was present and it was fun for all that attended. Thank you for the explanation of the Dutch Liberation Day, which followed yesterday’s Remembrance Day. We learned something new. There was a final Brunch Sampler in the dining room at 11am. We are not fans of this meal, but many love it. It was breakfast as usual for us in the Pinnacle Grill, followed by a deck walk and some more packing. We are caught up with as much as we possibly can be, leaving just what we need for the rest of the week. For a change, we are ahead of the game. For our convenience, there are weigh stations in every passenger elevator lobby to assist us with the luggage weights. We still have the hand-held scale, and it works well. There were many promotions in the newsletter today, and that reminded us that we have to pay a visit to the Shops and see how we can make the best use of our non-refundable shipboard credit. A few days ago we received a call from Guest Services reminding us that we need to spend that credit or chance losing it. Nice of them to remind us, although, we have known this is something we needed to do. Something with tanzanite might work for one of us……. One of us had an appointment at 3:30pm for a haircut. The wait was over ½ hour, but well worth it since the haircut came out quite nicely. This has to be one of the busiest places on the ship, keeping our friend Rene, the manager, busy all day….even on port days as the spa is aways opened for business. During the 5pm dinnertime, we figured a visit to the Shops would be a good idea. The manager of the Effy portion of the jewelry shop was most cooperative with helping us find a tanzanite necklace and earring set, and was able to get us a discount as well. Later on, a Mary Frances beaded handbag was added to our collection. And that was a wrap. Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. By then, most everyone was almost finished and we had good service. As always, we began with the wedge salads and one order of clothesline bacon. The bacon is not quite the same as it used to be. Slab bacon was what they used to serve, but now the bacon is thinner and not as smoky. Still good, we put it on top of our salads. One of us ordered the halibut, while the other went for the ribeye steak. It was far superior to last night’s offering in the dining room. Skinny fries were shared as well as a slice of Key Lime pie. It is going to be rough going home and cutting back…….. The entertainment this evening was a singer by the name of Suzanne O. Davis with hits from the 60’s. There was also star-gazing at 8:30pm with Ted Blank, one of the three lecturers onboard. Two more sea days and we will be in Puerto Rico. Hope the weather and seas continue to be good. Today’s temperature was 75 degrees with a light breeze. Can’t beat that. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #126 Saturday May 4, 2024 Kentucky Derby Day Sea Day #1 0f 4 Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico Scattered Clouds 75 Degrees 73% Humidity 15mph Winds 7' Swell Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Dressy Dress Very few of our “breakfast club” showed up early for breakfast this morning. We’re guessing that since we have four days at sea now, many people slept in or stayed up late last night. Now you would think that those of us that were dining there would have the wait staff’s undivided attention, but that wasn’t the case. Once our breakfast was served (missing the ham) the waiters seem to disappear. One of us gets a carafe of coffee, but the other has decaf…one cup at a time. But no one was pouring it this morning. Another waiter made a sweep with the pastry tray one time only. Even one of our buddies had to get up and go help himself from the tray on a side table. We were happy to see someone spotted that and came running. We are the only ones that get the sugar-free packets….the rest of the tables have none. This has been occurring for the last month, leading us to think they are running short. Anyway, we will survive, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Unlike our dinner waiters, we do not have a designated waiter for breakfast. We spent some of the morning catching up on yesterday’s photos and labeling. We took our morning walk with pleasant temperatures and a little wind. So far, it is still on the warm side, but we don’t expect it to last long. One thing for sure, we are enjoying watching the hundreds of flying fish scatter when the bow breaks the surface. Their only worries are what is underneath them in the sea, but not overhead, since the birds are not here. Spending an hour at the Seaview Pool, we found it was plenty warm. Our regular deck waiters were not there today, and the ones that took their places never came around with ice water. It appears the jobs have been changing as we get closer to the end of the trip. Deep cleaning has continued in every restaurant as we get closer to that inspection in San Juan. We packed more luggage today, finding some clothes that were left in a side pocket of a duffel. One of us knew some things were missing, but figured they were left behind while unpacking from the Tales of the South Pacific and re-packing for the world cruise. At least one of us has some new dinner clothes for the final week here. We received several invites. One of them was for our travel group gathering at the Sunday Brunch tomorrow in the dining room. Since we do not care for the brunch menu, we will not be there. Another invitation arrived for a Mariner Society Lunch in the dining room on the 7th at 11am. It was by special invite from Captain Friso and Henk, our hotel director. Chances are they will not be hosting tables as they have done in the past. This year it appears that the officers have not been hosting tables on formal evenings either. There may be a few of them that were invited directly, but not many. The most important note came to everyone regarding the use of requested wheelchairs for disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale. It was made perfectly clear that the service is limited and it applies to guests who have used mobility devices from day one. Or perhaps if someone was injured onboard and needed assistance ever since, they would qualify for help. Otherwise, it is not an alternative for luggage/package/carry-on transportation options. You would be surprised how many folks did this years ago in order to be taken off first. No more. At 5pm, there was a requested two minutes of silence for Dutch Remembrance Day or Dodenherdenking in Dutch. It is similar to our Memorial Day and we’re certain it was honored by all in the public areas. Tomorrow is dubbed Bevrijdingsdag which might stand for Cinco de Mayo??? We sure don’t know. We received a full size photo taken with us and the Captain and Henk at the Mariner Recognition Event a couple of days ago. It was a lot more casual that the posed pictures we normally took, and probably better. Thinking back on that afternoon, we feel bad for the folks that had gotten their 5 star level medallions. Each of them should have been recognized since it took a lot of days to get to that level. At least they were invited to take a picture with the officers before leaving the party. It was “dressy” for dinner, although many of the guests chose not to be that dressy. We know that everyone is in the packing mode and use that as an excuse not to dress up. There is one more formal evening, and we are really sure many will not follow the suggestion. It’s not like the formal night will be on the last evening, as it will be on Monday with plenty of time to pack it up. Dinner time found us ordering smoked chicken slices with a raisin aioli sauce. It was really good as was the crab fritter. Following our salads was the rib steak dinner, the chef’s recommendation for the night. We did not expect the meat to be as good as in the Pinnacle Grill, but it was pretty close. There was room for a tiny scoop of Neapolitan ice cream for dessert. The entertainment tonight was another performance of the The Flyrights. They promised a sensational show – different from their last one. We shall see. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 125 Friday May 3, 2024 Mindelo, Ilha De Sao Vicente, Cape Verde 7am-6pm Docked Port Side To Pier Few Clouds With Some Sun 20mph Wind 78 Degrees Part #1 Of 6......66 Pictures-----Casual Dress Today’s port of call was the city of Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, one of the windward islands of Cape Verde. The total population of this archipelago is 553,000 people that speak mainly Portuguese, some English, and Creole. The city of Mindelo is the capital of Sao Vicente and the population is 69,900 natives (2010). Ninety-three % of the people live in and around this desert-like city. Also making them famous is the annual Mardi Gras at Carnival time, which is said to be the best among African countries. Local music called moma is the prevailing sound heard everywhere. Located 500 kilometers off the west coast of Senegal, this island chain has volcanic peaks, many beaches, verdant valleys, and seaside villages. The green valleys produce sugar cane, and flowers, not to mention a plethora of produce. Mt. Verde is the highest peak on Sao Vicente at 750 meters, and windsurfing and kite surfing are a growing fad as well. By the way, Sao Vicente island is a mere 88 square miles, not the largest of the group. The food and drink are all Portuguese-related with a creole touch. Imported olives and wines go well with the cuisine of dishes created with dried corn, beans, rice and fish or meat. Thanks to many Italian tourists, pizza and pasta dishes are available everywhere, and most lucky for us. This is truly a Mediterranean-style town attracting mostly European clientele. And cruise ship passengers like us. We have been to this city before, but it has been so long ago, we had trouble remembering most of it. Perhaps back in the old days, we did a tour that took us out of town. The currency is the Cape Verdean Escudo with 102.94 CVE equaling $1 USD. Most of the shops and restaurant will quote prices in both escudo and Euro. And most places do not accept US dollars or American Express. The most used cards here are Visa and Master Card. There were four excursions here starting with a walking tour of the town for 3 ½ hours for $55. It would take you along the beachfront road with shops and monuments, ending up at the fish market and African market. We did all of this and more for free. Then there was a drive up Mt. Verde for views of the islands (weather permitting). You would enjoy a taste of the local liqueur and some of their agriculture snacks. Around the island in a 4 x 4 vehicle for 4 ½ hours for $110 took folks to the inland agricultural area and also to see beaches and caves at a fishing village. And lastly there was a culinary experience for 4 hours and $110 to join a group that would go to a local restaurant for a taste of the meat and fish with beans, corn, potatoes and bananas. We suspect many guests took these excursions because they were priced-right. It was much cooler this morning with temperatures in the high 70’s….not 100’s like in The Gambia. There was a 20 mph breeze blowing and the humidity was 69%. A few scattered clouds were overhead, some residual fog, and no rain. Only sunshine for most of the day. We docked portside to the pier where we had the view of the seawall and the road to town. Sure resembles the same pier as in Funchal, Madeira except not as large. There was a crew drill at 9:30am which lasted for an hour. We left in the middle of it, boarded the small shuttle, and were in the center of town within minutes. It was nice that we did not have to walk in the commercial port area, although we did see people doing it. The driver let us out in the center of town where we continued to walk the entire seaside road. The first icon we saw had to be the sailfish display in the surf…reminding us of the huge one that is in Manzanillo. Just smaller. A short distance up the road was the monument of Diogo Afonso, who was the Portuguese explorer and founder of Cape Verde. The Torre de Belem, the replica of the one in Lisbon, was built in the 1920’s commemorating Lisbon’s Belem Tower. A visit here would not be complete without a stop at the local Fish Market which is always fun to see for us. The expert ladies were busy fileting tuna and other fresh catch of the day. The fishermen were hauling tubs of fish in the back entrance. There was a sign showing the type of fish they catch here as well as some of the deep sea fish that had limits on them. The walls of this market were lined with the typical Portuguese tiled pictures showing historic scenes from the past. Again, this reminded us of the fish market in Funchal which is also Portuguese. By the way, this market was clean and the smell was almost non-existent. What a difference from what we saw and smelled while in Ghana and The Gambia. Turning uphill, we came upon a series of raised squares that held the outdoor fruit and veggie market. Other stalls had a myriad of souvenirs, much of it beach-related. Flip-flops, clothing, t-shirts and African-style brightly-colored dresses were displayed. Beaded jewelry was more like you would see in the Caribbean Islands, tons of bracelets and necklaces with few earrings. Several tour buses were stopping here and letting their guests out to shop. We are not sure if they took US dollars or Euro only. Next we found a side street that took us to a church, Nossa Senhora da Luz built in 1862. There were a dozen or more fellows lingering outside the church doors, so we did not go inside. Some were looking for handouts. Across from the church was a wide strip of garden with many benches. All of the shady spots were taken by local fellows. Coming out on a side street, we turned right and saw the colonial pink and white People’s Palace or Palacio Povo built in 1858. It was temporarily closed. Close to here was the older colonial building which turned out to be the Mercado Municipal. This two story building had every fruit and veggie you could possibly want along with some extras like dried veggies, rice and staples and houseplants. Rum bottles were in the center of each display. This market was organized and very clean with tiled floors and the vaulted ceiling. The vendors were most friendly and showed us their packaged beans, corn, cashews, peanuts, cornmeal and rice. Add some meat or fish and you would have a stew or soup. From here we made our way back to the seaside road, Avenue Marginal. Following the road, we window-shopped until we passed by the ferry terminal, the port area, and eventually, the wood-fired pizza restaurant U Sabor. It was located across from the Lajinha Beach, an urban beach just a short walk from central Mindelo. The only problem was that we had to climb 34 steps to get to the patio landing of this restaurant. We will do anything for a good wood-fired pizza with beers. Just our luck, it was not crowded and we took seats at the window with a breeze. Meal times here are a lot like European restaurants where the folks dine later. Of course, we had to be back onboard by 2:30pm, and did not want to be rushed for lunch. So we ordered two Strela draft beers and one cheese, ham, salami, and mushroom pizza to share. Beers came first, then we had to wait a while for the pizza. No rush, it was nice to sit and relax after walking all morning. The pizza was really great, but the desserts we ordered were top-notch. One was called petit gateau with ice cream, and turned out to be identical to our volcano cake in the Pinnacle Grill. The second dessert was gelado bolecha, a frozen cake in the center of ice cream covered in a fudge sauce. Delicious. Hiking back down the stairs slowly, we headed across the street to the beach. There was a road that went to the port area, but we were not allowed to walk there. But on our way out of the side street, a shuttle driver stopped and picked us up. He ended up driving back to the town’s center, where we stayed on until more folks came for the ride back. This time we rode all the way back through the dock area to the ship’s gangway. We were back in our room by 2pm. Lo an behold, Kimberly came on the speakers announcing that our departure time had been changed to 6pm, due to slow- bunkering fuel. So we did not have to cut our time in town short to be back early. The complimentary wine and cheese sail away was still on as planned, although there would be no sail away until later. We got involved with downloading photos as always, and forgot the time for the free party was at 2:30 to 3:30pm. Oh well, we do not drink wine anyway, and sure did not need the cheese. But it was a nice touch for the folks that like all that. The sun was shining on our veranda all afternoon and it was great to relax out there, at least for one of us. We expect the temperatures will be gradually dropping as we make the crossing in the next four days to Puerto Rico. The Captain gave his talk at 5pm and was pleased with today’s weather. He apologized for leaving late, but it was not under his control. Now he will have to speed up to make up the lost time in order to get us on schedule to San Juan. Once again, he expects a smooth sailing with winds at 20 knots and sea swells at 6 to 7 feet. Dinner was labeled “Spice Islands” and offered some different items once again. Chicken tacos were a tasty starter, followed by a Chinese potato salad with vinegar and soy sauce. We chose the same entrée of a soy-brushed chicken with rice, carrots, beans, and eggplant. No….hold the eggplant. There was no dessert for either of us since we had indulged at lunchtime. The show was a mixed bag of the entertainment team singing various songs. We were so tired from the exercise we got as well as the warm weather we did not go. Good time to turn in early. Looking forward to four days at sea as we will have to continue the packing. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 124 Thursday May 2, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Mindelo, Llha De Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Overcast With Some Sun 20mph Wind, Rough With 8' Swells Part #1 Of 1......No Pictures-----Casual Dress We can say it again…..what a difference a day makes – referring to the weather of course. Yesterday was beyond sweltering, but today it was almost chilly. Having sailed in a northwesterly direction, we have left the coastline behind. Early in the morning there was still some of that hazy-sand in the air, but the worst of the oppressive heat was gone. The swells and waves were such that we were getting the spray coming up to our veranda, where it felt almost like rain. Sure cooled things off in a hurry. We are not complaining either. The rocking of the ship must have kept most folks sleeping later, since the Pinnacle Grill was very quiet at breakfast. After such a hot day yesterday, we even felt the effects of it. Those who had stayed onboard, of which there were many, had the best idea. This morning we all had to pick up our passports and the yellow fever certificates they had collected a while ago. This was done on each passenger deck and was completed by 10am. We will not need them in the next two ports. Someone took so many photos yesterday, it took the better part of the day to sort through them. That worked out fine since the other one of us continued with the packing. Just doing a few things here and there, we filled another bag. There are few days left now, and we had to decide what to keep out and what to pack. Taking the shirts down over the bed made the room look so plain and half empty. It takes more time than you would think, so it is good to do at least one piece of luggage a day. Captain Friso sounded the noon horn as he always does on sea days. Then he came on with positive news about the weather, which has been causing some swells like 6 to 7 feet. He expects the rolling to subside when we get nearer to the Cape Verde Islands. He also explained why he had to blow the horn several times after leaving the port yesterday. There were some fishermen with nets casted that were not moving out of the shipping lane. It is narrow, so they must have moved at the last minute. We cannot stop on a dime, and the locals should know that. The Captain continued with the plans for tomorrow. He will be opening the bow once again for scenic cruising. That might be nice if the sun comes up early. Yesterday it was still dark at 6am. The port times will be short, but he does plan on bunkering fuel to make it across the Atlantic. At 4pm, we were invited to Mariner Event held in the Crow’s Nest. Our group of President’s Club members were cordoned off in a center section with the offer of Veuve Cliquot champagne (no sparkling wine). We sat with Don, Suzanne and Leon, and Mary and Joe, who we met while on the Tales of the South Pacific cruise last fall. All of us were offered some small but odd canapies. Better to stick with the mixed nuts…at least we know what they are. Others in attendance were the 5 star members, but we are not sure if there were any other groups included. There was not enough room for more folks. The usual welcome talks were delivered, then each PC member was recognized by their number of actual sea days. The two of us and Don were the last ones announced. Photos were taken with the Captain and Henk M. standing behind each couple or single person. Instead of us going to them, they came to us. Actually, a better idea today since the rolling of the ship was much more pronounced up on deck ten. Dinner for us was supposed to be in the Pinnacle Grill, which was Tamarind cuisine tonight. When we found out they were serving a full turkey dinner in the dining room, we changed our minds, and called guest services to inform Tina we would be cancelling our dinner there. They said it was done, but around 8:30pm, Tina showed up at our table and asked if we were OK. For some strange reason, she had not gotten the message that we had cancelled. Turkey dinner has not been served here for a long time, so it was special. We caught up with Kimberly’s talk on Mindelo after dinner on TV. We have been to this port in the past, but it has been a long time ago. All aboard will be 2:30pm, so we will have most of the morning there to explore. At least the temperature should be in the 70’s. Fine with us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #123 Wednesday May 1, 2024 Banjul, Gambia Docked Starboard Side To The Pier 7am-5pm Fog Like Haze With Sun Hot 108 Degrees 25% Humidity 13mph Wind Part #1 Of 6......66 Pictures---Casual Dress Today we are in The Gambia, the smallest country in the African continent. The population is 2 million, the capital is Banjul, and the official language is English. Bordered on all sides by Senegal, The Gambia has only 80 kilometers of coastline. The seaside area is full of sandy beaches, palm trees, lagoons and fishing villages. The Gambia River runs through the entire finger of the country and is full of wildlife. Over 600 species of birds migrate here in the Bijilo Forest Park, a 51 hectare reserve. Namely, the most seen birds are bee-eaters, grey hornbills, osprey, Caspian terns, francolins, and wild doves. Larger animals are green vervet, patas, and colobus monkeys. Monitor lizards call this home too. Another area nearby is Makasutu Culture Forest which is full of wetlands, mangroves, and savannah plains. They are home to baboons, more lizards, and hundreds of birds. Canoe trips are common there. As easy day excursion is Abuko Nature Reserve with 250 species of migratory birds. Kachikally Crocodile Pool is a sacred sight where the crocodile represents the power of fertility. Nile crocs of all sizes fill this pond, which we have seen on past visits. Albert Market near the pier was founded in the mid 1800’s with a large produce market and a selection of fish. It is a main hub of activity since locals can bargain for fabrics, hair extensions, shoes, clothing, housewares and souvenirs. Gambia has one of the highest population densities in all of Africa with 115 people to every square kilometer. Forty-five percent of the population is under 14 years old. Made up of various ethnic groups, most of the natives are Muslim with a small percent Christian. Rice is a basic staple mixed with a ground nut sauce, tomatoes, fish and veggies. Seafood such as grilled ladyfish, barracuda, and butterfish are abundant. Spicy red beans are served with bread on all street corners. Fried fritters with chicken and rice are popular, and their favorite drink is a cranberry- colored juice. Restaurants are in tourist areas, but the best are located in hotels. Tours here include the Roots Experience to Juffureh and James Islands, a three hour river cruise. You will see Alex Haley’s Roots village and slave-trading station from 200 years ago. There is a visit to a slave museum and also to see a village chief to learn cultural history. Buffet-style lunch is served on the riverboat. The cost was $280 for 9 ¾ hours. A Gambia Adventure drive for 8 ½ hours and $240 took the folks to a village with beaches and cultural heritage. Tahji Nature Trail would lead the walkers to see monkeys and birds. Visit a palm wine tapper, a village school, and stop at a fishing village. Lunch would be a BBQ on a beach with time to swim. The ride was in an open-air truck accessed by a ladder. Banjul Highlights was 4 ¼ hours for $210 which went to the National Museum, Albert Market, the main mosque, and a gold and silver shop if opened. Kachikally Crocodile Pool and Bakau craft market were the other stops. Drinks would be served at the Garden Hotel. A trip to Makasutu Cultural Forest and canoe adventure was 5 ¾ hours for $250. A drive went up the Gambia River where you boarded a boat to see the mangroves, savannahs, and dense forest. It was possible to see vultures, west marshal eagles, lily trotters, pied wagtails, warblers, black and Goliath herons, rollers, and kingfishers. Larger animals are monkeys, lizards, mongoose and baboons. A buffet lunch with one drink while watching a cultural show were part of the tour. Bring sunscreen and bug spray. A drive to Abuko Nature Reserve was 4 hours for $156, and the drive was 14 miles from the pier. It is considered a bird lovers paradise and there may be sightings of turaco and paradise flycatchers, vervet moneys, bushboks, manatees, crocs, antelopes and lizards. With the extreme heat today, sightings were not guaranteed. The capital of Banjul has a population of 31,000 people that do not speak much English. In the early days, this port city was used as a slave-trading port. Today their money is the Gambian Dalasi with 67.94 dalasi equaling $1 USD. Kimberly warned us all of using caution with our credit cards and cell phones as they have been easily stolen by quick thieves. Never let your card be taken away from you when paying a bill. Best to use cash. They all took the US dollars. Buy with caution and bargain carefully. There would be few taxis and the local buses are unreliable. Free shuttles would be provided for the guests with a 15 minute ride to the downtown center. Some of the local sights could be reached on foot, but not recommended. Ladies traveling alone should stay in a group. And wearing short shorts would be frowned upon, as this is a primarily Muslim area. The famous Kunta Kinteh ferry would be docked near us, but do not take it, as their schedule takes 4 times longer to get anywhere. You would have no guarantee for getting back to the ship on time. So we discovered the reason for the seahaze fog that has shrouded the skies the last few days. It is the sands from the Sahara Desert blowing all the way here. We did notice that sand was collecting in the ship’s outside gutters and now we know why. In addition, the temperature started out being 77 degrees at 8am, but that number climbed all day. Almost to the unbelievable. The Zuiderdam arrived with no apparent problems with the shallow channel approach. The tour groups went off after 7am, although the viewing of the sail into the harbor from the bow would have been in the dark. We were greeted by a native drum band with ladies dancing – what a workout they got. Amusing to watch as our lady officers were pulled into the dance circle. Some of the guests tried imitating the gyrations of the well-endowed local gals. ….even more amusing. We figured by going off of the ship early around 9:30am, we may escape the worst heat of the day. Two small shuttles were waiting for the guests, and we climbed inside one of them. Good thing it was a short 10 minute ride to the center of town. Deep inside the Albert Market, the memory of being here was still fresh from last year’s visit. It was fresher than the fish that were laying on the boards a few inches off of the ground. Freshly caught or dried, it was fish as we have never seen them or smelled them. More flies than fish, even the feral cats or dogs did not go near them. One thing about this market that drives us nuts are the fellows that want to tag along with us. Their goal is to lead you to a stall of a friend who is selling carvings or art work. Even the little kids around 4 or 5 years old will attach themselves to you. We always say no thanks, we are simply looking. Sometimes they will go away, sometimes not. One of the guys pointed to a dark pathway saying our fellow shipmates went that way. Doesn’t matter to us, we were not with a group, and no, they did not go that way. And this is not a market with a raised roof. Hanging overhead are tarps that dip low enough we had to stoop to walk under them. Claustrophobic is the best way to describe the narrow path between the sitting vendors. To add to the confusion, delivery guys with carts and wheelbarrows will push their way through the crowd. If we did not squeeze to the side, they would have plowed right into us. Did we feel welcomed here? Nope, but this is where the shuttles bring the folks, and we would at least get some photos….good or bad – it is what it is. Speaking of pictures, some of the younger locals will smile, but not the elderly. Once again, we moved through this part of the frenzied market rather quickly. One area that is of interest to one of us is the sewing circle of mostly men that are creating the nicest dresses, shirts, and jackets. The fabrics are good quality as well as really dressy, which does not go with the territory. Realizing that we were about the only cruise people here, we made our way out to the street, then back to the bus stop. Now we know why so many folks did not get out of the shuttle once again. One whiff of the stinky fish and rotting produce was enough to send most back to the ship. And like last year, the shuttles were dropping people off in different spots. The drivers did not tell people where to catch the bus back, so some very unhappy people (some with walkers) were quite upset because they had been waiting for 45 minutes on a corner in the extreme heat for a shuttle that never came. Our driver kindly picked them up. We were back to the pier by 11am and had plenty of time to search for some souvenirs. This time it was the best place to look for something useful like some woven trivets. We found medium sized trivets for hot dishes or pots and bargained for three of them for $10. A good deal, they are flat and will pack well. Speaking of which, we had the time to put another bag together in our room in between enjoying a couple of room service sandwiches. No lunch out today. We never even saw a place to have beers. By 3pm, the thermometer soared to 108 degrees with 8mph winds and 16% humidity. Terrible. All aboard was 4:30pm, which meant nothing to some folks, the same ones that are always late because they can. In order to get some good close-up photos of hawks and vultures, we went to deck 10 despite the heat. It was also a great spot to watch the action on the pier below with people trying for last minute bargains. Henk M began to walk past the vendors reminding the few passengers to wind it up. Most listened but one lady that was undoubtedly getting the lowest price she could. There was one bus of an excursion that arrived 15 minutes late. We finally left by 5:15pm, turned around, and sailed out of the harbor following the narrow channel again. We could almost feel the grittiness of the sand in our teeth by now, and we are certain everyone will be glad to be heading towards Cape Verde now and far from the blowing sands. Sure hope we are leaving the worst of the heat behind as well. Captain Friso said all looked good for a smooth crossing. Dinnertime found some nice appetizers like arancini and a Thai beef salad. Entrees were a beef rib stew and one honey mustard chicken dish. Served extra hot. We indulged in a glass of ice cream….a good way to end a hot day. It was still in the high 80’s at 10pm. Good news – the clocks went back one hour this evening. Mark Sampson was the comedic entertainer in the World Stage. He was very funny for a change. Looking forward to a day at sea on the way to Cape Verde. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #122 Tuesday April 30, 2024 Sea Day #3 Of 3 Enroute To Banjul, Gambia Overcast Skies 85 Degrees 85% Humidity Sea State: Low Swells 11mph Winds Part #1 Of 1....No Pictures----Casual Dress Did we mention there is a photo contest happening onboard? The hopeful contestants were able to submit photos in three categories: city, people and nature. Just for the fun of it, we asked how to go about submitting a photo. The first thing we were told was from your cellphone, camera, or computer. OK…..no cell phone picture, no camera “stick”, but we did have the photo on the computer. The manager gave us the email address and said she would make a copy of the photo, and display it with the rest of them. There was no charge as there has been in the past. The winners in each category will have their prize pictures professionally framed and gifted back to them. If we wanted the enlarged photo back, they would charge $5.00. Fair enough, but as we passed through the gallery after dinner, ours was not on display yet. Oh well nothing gained, nothing lost. The deadline for submitting your best shots is tomorrow, May 1st. The weather was really strange today starting with heavy overcast and gray skies. By noontime, it was almost sunny at the aft pool, but there was a nicer breeze. A few hours later, a strange fog or sea haze developed everywhere, and it blocked the horizon. There wasn’t a chance of a sunset, but there was high humidity. During his noontime talk, Captain Friso mentioned that it is going to be very hot tomorrow in Banjul and we had to be sure to bring water with us. Once again, he did mention that the channel into Banjul will be shallow with little room for error. It sure sounds as if he still is not sure we will make it into the port. There is a plan to open the bow at 6am for scenic cruising, but we are not sure the sun will be up by then. There was a taco zone in the Lido Market for lunch today. We had custom-made hotdogs from the Dive-In Grill. They are custom in the fact that we ask for hamburger buns instead of the black-seeded hot dog buns. We always have them add pickles, tomatoes and shredded lettuce. We have quit the double-coated naked fries since they always seem to come in a greasy clump. Today we bit the bullet and began the chore of packing. Bagging up the small stuff really takes time, but once it is done, the rest falls into place. We did not realize how useful the three stacks of drawers were as they held a lot of things like clothes, socks, purses, extra toiletries, and lot of camera things. All of the contents did get packed and our kind room steward removed them later in the day. Two pieces of luggage are done, and we have seven more to go. One a day is about right we figured. During our afternoon walk, there was an announcement that there were dolphins on the starboard side. We happened to be right there, but only saw one. They must have been really fast or there were few of them. All we have seen are a couple of scattered flying fish. It was very late in the afternoon, when we spotted some dark birds flying off of the water, but at a distance where you needed binoculars. We do expect to see a lot more birds tomorrow while in Banjul. Dinnertime had some different items. We currently have a guest chef onboard who contributed to tonight’s menu. There was an interesting appetizer and one main with beef roulade. One of the starters was a crab and shrimp-like fish ball. It said it came with tater tots, but actually it was the crab and shrimp mixed with tater tots and deep fried. It was really good with an aioli sauce. One of us had the everyday shrimp cocktail and we both ordered Caesar salads. Mains were the rack of lamb with mashed potatoes – very tender, and more Pinnacle Grill quality. The other one of us had the KFC or fried chicken. Our waiter cannot say KFC, but we can. We like it as much as they do. Our waiters have been serving our food quite hot, and it really has made a difference. No dessert, except for a sliced banana and a cup of coffee. The Beatles: All Jazzed Up was the theme of the show tonight. The Grand Voyage Band returned with an encore of the best of the Beatles. Always a favorite of the crowd. Tomorrow we will be in Banjul, if we can make it through the shallow channel. We are betting it will work out just fine. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #121 Monday April 29, 2024 Sea Day #2 Of 3 Enroute To Banjul, Gambia Overcast Skies 84 Degrees 76% Humidity Sea State: Low Swells 3mph Winds Part #1 Of 1....No Pictures----Formal Dress As the days roll by, we are seeing more and more of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. Specifically, the brass is being polished, even where you cannot see it, the walls are being washed, and all of the windows are spotless. Just a guess on our part, but we think this will be in preparation for the CDC inspection when the ship arrives to Puerto Rico. We understand that when a ship enters a US port, inspections can take place. And on a long voyage such as this one, it is almost guaranteed we will be thoroughly inspected. Even in the dining room, we have seen the head waiters using flashlights in all of the serving station drawers and in every corner under the tables and chairs. Water and wine glasses are checking for spotting as are every knife, spoon and fork. It’s never too early to start this process as the days are getting fewer and fewer. In order to keep their CDC scores high, this extra-duty scouring is a must. We had been invited to a kitchen tour this morning at 10:30am, but we missed it mainly because we simply forgot to put it on the calendar. While on the Volendam last fall, we had the best kitchen tour ever, and doubt it could have been topped today. With one exception, we spotted one gentleman getting out of the elevator with a flute of sparkling wine. Another guest we know asked where that came from, and he said it was handed out after the kitchen tour. Now that was a nice touch. At the time we received the invite, we had a public health questionnaire to complete stating we were not ill. It came with a warning that if any questions were answered dishonestly, there may be serious health implications. We never had to do this last fall, but it makes sense, because we feel there are many people with colds or something similar. Today was called International Dance Day. We wonder who comes up with these things? Anyway there were three dance classes, which happen every sea day we think. One was for beginners, one for experienced dancers, and the last one was dancing with the Zuiderdam dancers. Of course, the ballroom dancing is on the itinerary every day at 4pm. Kimberly’s lecture on Banjul, The Gambia took place at 10am in the World Stage. We watched it on TV later in the day to take notes, even though we were just there last year. One thing we can say is that her pictures make the port city look a lot better than it actually is. And that makes going out of the city look even better, thus selling more excursions. Captain Friso spoke at noon and repeated some of the same adverse conditions upon entering the approach to Banjul in a couple of days. It was very difficult to hear his talk from the Seaview Pool speakers, but we think he said the way to the port was shallow and it may possibly be very windy. We sure do not recall any problems the last two times we were here, but then the tides and winds may have been in our favor. The weather today was still hot and humid with a slight breeze. And according to the Captain, it will not change until we head towards Mindelo, Cape Verde and eventually trans- Atlantic. So it is to be seen if we do make it to The Gambia. This evening was a formal one, though in this heat and humidity, we doubt people really felt like dressing up. And it was “A Night in Hollywood”, inviting the guests to gussy-up and dress the part for a night of red-carpet style fun. Not sure what this is all about, but the fun would begin at 8pm in the Rolling Stone Lounge (right in the middle of our dinner). And only the lounges, all four of them, would have entertainment and music. The World Stage was showing the movie Elvis at 8pm, which we can always watch on the TV. Actually, we already did on our last cruise in the fall. Tomorrow will be another day at sea as the ship heads northwest towards another West African country. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #120 Sunday April 28, 2024 Sea Day #1 Of 3 Enroute To Banjul, Gambia Overcast Skies 84 Degrees 76% Humidity Sea State: Low Swells 12mph Winds Part #1 Of 1....No Pictures----Casual Dress Seeing the digital scales set up in the elevator lobby of each passenger deck, we are reminded that this trip is drawing to an end soon. How it went by so fast is beyond our comprehension. Cards were distributed asking us how many pieces of luggage we would be shipping via Luggage Forward, and how many would we be taking off with us in Ft. Lauderdale. We are hoping that all of our shipped luggage will be taken off and loaded directly into the waiting vans at the cruise terminal. Otherwise, we will have to gather it all up, get it on dollies, and haul it through the customs checkpoint. Last year, we did not have to do this, as we did not see our luggage until it arrived at our house. With the final stop on this cruise being Puerto Rico, we will go through customs and immigrations there and not have to repeat the process upon landing in Florida. But we will not know that for sure until we get closer to the final days. Today was still hot and steamy with high overcast and clouds. The seas were quite smooth and there was a breeze, although it was a warm wind. We are still finding that at 10am when a World Stage talk is going on, it is a good time to do some laps on the promenade deck. Most folks are at the talk, and the deck is not crowded. Currently there are three speakers keeping the folks informed on African colonization, carbon-neutral trucking around Africa, and the end of the slave trade. Lots to take in on one sea day. While picking up some custom burgers at the Dive-In, we noticed that all of the tables and chairs had been moved aside. Then we remembered that there was an Ice Cream Social at 3pm today held in the Lido Pool area. Of course there is a section in the Lido Market just for ice cream, desserts, and sweets, but today they are beefing it up with cones, cups, and bowls with heaps of toppings. We can say that neither of us has eaten an ice cream cone this whole entire trip. We never seem to be in the right place at the right time and figured we don’t need the extra calories. Yesterday while departing Takoradi, we happened to pass by that really unusual ship that did not look like a ship we have seen before. Except it did look familiar and then we realized we had seen this ship while visiting Ghana last year. On our way out of the harbor, we spotted the KPS Osman Khan – a power ship. It is considered a special service floating power plant. Its purpose is to deliver electricity to the power grid of Ghana supplying 470 MW generation to the grid. It was re-built in South Korea by Samsung Shipbuilding in 2000 and was brought to Ghana by the Turkish government in 2016. It is 100,330 gross tons and is 981 feet in length. It can be powered with several types of fuel or natural gas. Fascinating. Captain Friso came on for his noon talk. He seems to like to project a week ahead of where we are currently located. He feels comfortable with the weather and sea conditions after we leave the last port of Africa in Cape Verde. It looks like a smooth sailing, although the North Atlantic can be unpredictable. Time will tell. Even though the skies darkened, we did not get any rain late this afternoon. One of our buddies said he spotted some dolphins early in the day, but we never did see any of them. There were no flying fish either. It sure give one a lonely feeling out here far off of the coast of West Africa. Both of us opted for the Club Orange special of Peruvian chicken for dinner. It is about half of a chicken that is spiced well and roasted in the oven. We also started with Caesar salads and a chicken appetizer and one tomato soup….really good. We shared a small slice of carrot cake, which has not appeared very often on the menu. Also very good. Two more sea days to relax before we arrive in The Gambia, another unique part of the world. Entertainment in the World Stage was a song and dance show by the Grand Voyage singers and dancers. It was titled Simply Broadway. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #119 Saturday April 27, 2024 Takoradi, Ghana Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5pm Broken Clouds Very Hot 90 Degrees 68% Humidity 10mph Wind Part #1 Of 5.....66 Pictures The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Takoradi, Ghana with the assistance of the pilot and two tugboats that all arrived late, according to Captain Friso. We were docked starboard with two gangways set up shortly after 8am. Seated at our window table in the Pinnacle Grill at breakfast, we had ringside seats to watch both tugs and the pilot boat in action. While checking out the action from deck three, we noticed some birds flying high overhead. Getting some close-ups, we decided they were the red kites seen in this part of Africa. Also present were pied crows that mixed with the kites. Both types of birds are migratory from Europe. Since we were here last year, we did remember the area well. But first we’ll tell you what the shore excursions were for today. One 4 ¾ hour trip went to a cocoa farm village to learn the process from bean-to-chocolate products. Did you know that cocoa is the number one export from Ghana – the second largest in the world? The next bus tour took folks to the “twin cities” to see the highlights of Takoradi and neighboring Sekundi 11 kilometers away. Takoradi is the main port for imports and exports with the railway system and Market Circle. Close by Sekondi is a fishing village where the local traditional fishing boats are built. Refreshments would be served while watching a cultural show for 3 ¼ hours for $230. Kakum Rain Forest and canopy walkway (30 meters high) was 7 ¼ hours for $290 which included a lunch. This national park is a place of herbal medicines where you might see elephants, monkeys, and birds like parrots and hornbills. It’s a 2 ½ hour drive each way and it was recommended to wear sturdy shoes and bring a good insect spray. Village life and castles was 7 ¾ hours for $330 with a visit to a fishing village where fish is smoked. Note: if you are sensitive to smoke….don’t do this tour. This was a stop at a school and two castles built in 1652 where slave dungeons existed. It was a 90 minute ride each way. A warning came with these tours saying that the local tour structure may provide an authentic experience. However, don’t be surprised if there are operational glitches cropping up. And the folks are paying from $190 to $330? Why so much….we do not know. It may not come as a surprise that it was hot and humid today. Unforgiving. We decided to leave the ship after 10am and take the complimentary shuttle to the city center. It was a 5 km drive to downtown from the port, and no one was allowed to walk out of the port, nor would we want to since it was a very long and dusty way to the port gate. Of course, we just missed the small shuttle, but we were next in line for the one that would come in 20 minutes. At least we were first , but somehow a line of folks appeared from the side building and rudely cut some of us off. An elderly lady questioned a man, and he simply ignored her and boarded first. Takes all kinds we say. Now here’s the funny thing that happened at the SG Bank drop-off stop. When the folks looked around at this run-down center of town with hordes of local vendors and native shoppers, only a few of us got off of the bus. The rest stayed on and went right back to the ship. This would repeat itself the rest of the afternoon. Street after street had vendors selling fresh produce and fish that had been smoked. Some fellows were selling fresh fish with flies all over them. And yes, they did smell sitting in the hot sun. All types of clothing, shoes, knock-off handbags were being sold in the center of the wide streets and along the crumbling sidewalks. Typical housewares and luggage were there too. The most colorful waxed batik fabrics were sold from tiny shops. A few pharmacies were scattered in the mix, but we did not see any restaurants. Taking photos discreetly was challenging as some locals objected even though great care was taken to keep the vendors out of the pictures, and take only the objects of interest. Trying to negotiate for a pair of sandals led nowhere. The young boy at this street stand did not understand English, nor did he know the US dollars we were offering. He went for help. A woman vendor suggested we go to a bank or ATM to get local Ghanaian cedi, since she did not take US dollars. Nope, not going to do that, we thanked her anyway. After an hour of roaming the streets and dodging the cars and people, we headed back to the shuttle stop. When the huge project of the new Market Circle is completed, all of these make-shift stalls and tables will move into the circle. It will contain 2400 stalls, 33 restaurants, and a huge food court. It is promised to be done by the fall of 2024. From the looks of it now, it might take much longer than that. The shuttle did not leave until every seat was filled and another bus arrived. Squashed like sardines, the ride was short and the air-conditioning worked well. On the pier across from the ship was a very large craft market selling all types of souvenirs, unlike downtown that sold mainly everyday items. One of us was interested in the Ghanaian jewelry made from recycled glass and sea glass. It is called Krobo, a local art, but was hard to find a lot of it today. We happened upon a nice lady who separated several from the pile. We ended up buying three of them and a pair of earrings that matched them all. Another 3 piece set of ceramic stones stood out at another table, so we got those too. There were very few t-shirts for the guys – mostly pull-over African batik stiff shirts with the vibrant colors. OK to wear here, but never at home. Several crew members were coming over to buy stuff as well. Many of the treasures we saw here like the wood-carved animals, bowls, woven baskets and masks will be repeated in the port of Bangul, The Gambia. It will be the last stop for African mementos and the prices should be just as good or better. It was oppressively hot by now and the wind was picking up the dusty sand that stuck to us all. Good time to re-board the ship and cool off with ice cold sodas. Lunch was a room service Cobb salad and two roast beef paninis. These sandwiches are really smaller than they used to be, but knowing that, you can always order more. We never do that, since the smaller portions work better in the long run. Working on photos and researching info, it was time for sail away. All aboard was 4:30pm, but our actual departure did not happen until after 6pm due to late buses coming back from tours. Captain Friso said they were escorted by police, but then, we think that is the norm here anyway. So much for unexpected glitches. It worked out better, since we caught the sun setting while leaving the port. Today was the Dutch King’s Day, and a chance to wear orange and go crazy for some. We saw some orange wigs, hats, and orange bow ties, but mostly on the waiters and head waiters. The menu was Dutch-related, except for our mains, which were the promised veal chops we had missed from yesterday’s Club Orange menu. Our waiter had promised to have the chefs serve them to us this evening, and they remembered. Because it was a special order, the chops came super- hot and extra good. A few veggies and some cilantro rice made the meal complete. But the best was yet to come….desserts of Boschebol, a Dutch chocolate éclair filled with the creamiest whipped cream in the center, drizzled with thick chocolate sauce. We don’t do dessert often, but when this appears, we each have one. The Dutch party continued at 8pm in the Crow’s Nest with another party happening in the Rolling Stone Lounge. Entertainment was a comedian named Mark Sampson telling a story about a family’s 7 year African journey using waste vegetable oil to power their 10 ton lorry. Now that is different for sure. Looking forward to three sea days. Even walking the promenade deck after dinner, we noticed it as still over 80 degrees. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #118 Friday April 26, 2024 Sea Day #4 Of 4 Enroute To Takoradi, Ghana Null Island Day And National Pretzel Day Clouds With Some Sun 85 Degrees 78% Humidity 12 mph Winds Part #1 Of 1......No Pictures---Casual Dress Besides being labeled “Pretzel Day”, the big event was to be sailing towards Null Island, which really does not exist. Go figure…… This is the so- called location where the latitude and longitude are at zero degrees or where the Equator and the Prime Meridian intersect. Obviously, this occurs in the ocean where it cannot be marked, although there is (or was) a weather monitoring station called Soul Buoy that was here a few years ago. It used to stand out of the water by 4 meters or over 12 feet, but is no longer seen. We did this same exercise last year with the same results. Now the humorous thing is that we watched many folks come outside to look for this buoy. Captain Friso slowed the ship down around 2pm, and warned all of us that we may feel some abnormal vibrations in the ship caused by waves pounding the sides of the bow. He was right. Around 2:15pm, we heard him sound the horn, assuming he had stopped at the exact co-ordinates. Those guests with GPS devices would be able to track the progress we think. In addition, last year Captain Frank was able to center the ship at the exact intersection, putting us in 4 different zones so to speak. The bow was opened prior to the stopping of the ship, which must have been oppressively hot, especially with no breeze. There was a Lido Poolside bit of fun where guests who were willing could have the chance to partake in the “Null Island Pool Jump”. This would be a celebration of becoming Emerald Shellbacks, of which we are already members. Now we have two certificates each to prove it. Captain Friso admitted that it took him 22 years at sea before he became an Emerald Shellback. Perhaps there are two ways to look at this “adventure”. It could be viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience or much ado about nothing. If nothing else, it was something different to do on another day at sea. It was entertaining watching the ship spinning 360 degrees to achieve the 0/0 degree markings before we went back to the designated direction towards Ghana. The good news was that we picked up more of a breeze again as it was blistering hot today. The other news from Captain Friso was that Ghana has been having a heatwave with hot and humid temps over 90 degrees. There is a 5% chance of thunderstorms as well. Rain would probably be welcomed. The swells would remain at 5 to 6 feet with winds the same as today. Yesterday, the Captain mentioned that there were some windy conditions in the area of The Gambia, our next port. He was worried that it may give them problems getting into the dock area. Perhaps he was just thinking out loud, as he sometimes does. So here is a bit of info on Ghana. The capital of the country is Accra and the population is 28 million. It is nick-named the African country for beginners. Known as the west coast’s golden child, Ghana has a historic culture and natural attractions. The Europeans powers discovered that this country would be good for dominance of the trade industry of the Gold Coast and the Gulf of Guinea. So the Portuguese, Dutch and Brits built coastal forts in the 17th century. Or should we say, the Portuguese built them, then the Dutch and Brits took them over. There are also nice beaches, diverse wildlife, and rich culture, not always good history, but so be it. The coastline where Takoradi is located is near forests of cocoa and rubber plantations. During the right season, you can see turtles, humpback and sperm whales from the windswept Cape Three Points. A town called Busua is near Takoradi and is a magnet for backpackers where they frequent bars, cafes, and the beaches. Surfing is a big draw with schools for beginners. On the negative side, this country is also known for the slave holding sites of the past – a horrifying history. Food and drink include fiery sauces on everything with oily soups being the norm. It is served with a starchy rice, cassava, plantains and yams. Chinese and Indian cuisine are popular in the restaurants. These days, sushi and hamburgers are served everywhere. The most common dish is a spicy stew of groundnut paste, ginger cooked with fish or meats. Common ingredients of tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, onions and palm nut are used in stews and soups. Add rice, beans and fermented corn meal and you have a meal. A few more tidbits were added with Kimberly’s lecture on Ghana. The port of call, Takoradi, has a sister city 11km away called Sekondi. Between the two cities, the population is 250,000 people that speak some English, but many other dialects as well. The local currency is 13.51 Ghanaian Cedi which equals $1 USD. The most common credit card accepted is Visa, and the vendors and taxi drivers will take US dollars. The largest industries are fishing, timber, cocoa, plywood, ship-building and crude oil. And probably tourism. Besides taking our usual walks and a visit to the Seaview Pool, we did not do very much today. It was just too darned hot, so we caught up on TV news, reading, and relaxing on the veranda drinking sodas. Lunch turned out to be snacks and apples, because we wanted to be hungry for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. After a hidden sunset with some after color, we headed off to dinner. For a change, most of the tables were full. We understand there was an African dinner pop-up last night, which usually fills this venue better than a regular evening. Perhaps there are folks like us that have complimentary dinners to use. Anyway, we had our usual wedge salads with clothes line bacon served with the salads. We like to cut it up and eat it on top of our salads. Really good. Our entrees were the rib eye steaks once again, but they kindly cut one in half, so our serving size was more manageable. We added one large serving of skinny fries to share. Dessert was ice cream and sorbet with some fresh berries. Perfect. What was also perfect was the fact the clocks went back one hour tonight. We’ll gladly take that. On the World Stage was an instrumentalist, Gary Sletcher, with deep blues on the high seas – a journey from Africa to the music of New Orleans. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #117 Thursday April 25, 2024 Sea Day #3 Of 4 Enroute To Takoradi, Ghana Clouds With Some Sun 85 Degrees 75% Humidity 12 mph Winds Part #1 Of 1......37 Pictures---Casual Dress Today was Anzac Day, similar to our Veteran’s Day in the US we believe. The officers, staff and crew of the Zuiderdam expressed their gratitude for all those that lost their lives in the service of their countries. At 6:30am there was a remembrance service held at the Sea View Poolside. Our buddy Greg, who is an Australian citizen, attended the ceremony and also had a reading for the small group of folks that represented the Commonwealth countries onboard right now. Well, we are still working on the details of our flight home that was adjusted back in January. A message sent directly from the airline to us indicated our seats had been changed, and we were not even in the same row. Michelle promised to check this out with the air/sea department in Seattle once the company opened for business. It was surely going to be another warm and sticky day with temperatures in the 80’s and the humidity at 75%. The winds were of no help at 11mph. Something we noticed yesterday was that the flying fish are back, jumping when the ship cuts through the waters. It must be due to the fact that the temperature of the water equals the air temps. Lucky for these flying fish there are no birds anywhere to be seen. At least, not yet….. Unfortunately we missed the display of the hundreds of blankets that were either knitted or crocheted at the Linus Project group that met every sea day for 2 hours in the morning. We understand that this is the largest amount ever created. Nice to see so many busy hands and happy hearts, as the saying goes. We had our daily visit with Greg and he told us there was a Seafood Symphony in the Lido Market starting at 11:30am. It did seem to be busy when we passed through the restaurant before they opened the curtains. Then Kimberly came on the speakers and invited all seafood lovers to indulge in clams, mussels, scallops, and lobster among other seafood items. By the time we were on our way back to our room, we had to wiggle through the lines at every station….it was so crowded. Many of the officers and staff were among those indulging as well. Michelle, our girl Friday, followed through with a phone call late this afternoon with the news that our original airline seats were still on file and all was correct with the flight. Good news, as long as nothing changes in the meantime. In a few days, we will need to start packing….yuck. It used to be easy with no size or weight restrictions, but now we have a limit of 50# in an airline size piece of luggage. We did bring less, but will be wishing we brought a lot less. We will be sending 9 pieces of luggage back home, only keeping our hand carrys to go to the hotel for one night, then fly home Sunday the 12th. It will be here before we know it. Dinner had the best chicken tenders with a honey mustard drizzle. They went well on top of a Caesar salad. The soup was split pea, full of diced ham and sausage. One of us ordered the pork tenderloin without the bean smear (sounds awful – looked awful), and one of us had the every day lasagna. Totally full, there was no room for dessert. We had inquired as to when the veal chop might show up on the Club Orange menu. Hazel, our head waiter, said they would have it tomorrow. But we have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill tomorrow evening, so she said she will ask if they can serve it to us the following day. Of course, that will be great…hope they remember. There was an interesting activity at 8:30pm, which turned out to be star gazing on deck 10 in the Retreat area. Astronomer Ted Blank, a guest speaker, would conduct the session (weather permitting). We did see a full moon after we left the dining room, so the skies were clear enough for this event to happen. Another option was going to see the Afro Poper Trio perform their classically trained songs in the World Stage. One more sea day, and we will be in Ghana….docked in the city of Takoradi to be precise. We need to catch up on Kimberly’s talk of this African country tomorrow on TV. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #116 Wednesday April 24, 2024 Sea Day #2 Of 4 Enroute To Takoradi, Ghana Clouds With Some Sun 75 Degrees 80% Humidity 16 mph Winds Part #1 Of 1......No Pictures---Dressy Night What a difference a day makes, as the song goes. The temperature was at least 10 degrees warmer as we sail north towards the Equator once again. We were wishing for it to warm up a little, but perhaps we wished too hard. In the days to come, we will be missing some of those cooler days in Cape Town and Namibia. After breakfast, we stopped by our room to find 2 gifts had been left on the bed. They were two duffel bags ( folded and zipped in an attached pouch) with a card saying a grand farewell gift for you. The Captain and crew wish you many happy returns. These are similar to the one gifted last year, but these are better because they have wheels. They are too large for a carry-on piece of luggage for the airplane, but would work for a medium size suitcase. Shiv mentioned that besides the duffels, we would be receiving the commemorative plates next week. It will be interesting to see the ports written on them since the itinerary had changed so much. We decided today was a good one to do some future cruise bookings to get the extra credit for booking onboard. So with what looked to be a very interesting lecture at 10am all about diamonds, smugglers, and spices of Namibia, perhaps many guests would attend that. Wrong. There was a line of folks that had signed the list, but the good thing was that there were two people doing the bookings…..Melanie and Justin. The wait was about 40 minutes, but we were comfortable in the over-stuffed chairs across from their desks. Since we knew exactly what we wanted to book, it did not take Justin long to put it together. We specifically told him not to apply any future cruise credits to those cruises and he said fine. We wanted it on the GWV for 2025. Our travel agent received the bookings within an hour, and she warned us that he had applied the credit to the Alaska cruises. She will be able to fix it before all is set in stone. And thanks to her, she will continue to keep an eye out for any and all special deals that will pop up with these trips. Like getting complimentary gratuities or HIA perks or better pricing. Now that the days are sliding by rapidly, we thought we had better do a quick check with the airlines for our flight home. Back in January, our HAL-booked air had been changed with times that did not work for us. No one likes to get home at midnight. Michelle, our girl Friday, had worked to get a better flight time and did just that. The most important thing was to secure a straight-through flight with no stop-over on the way. We had that confirmation in printing in January and thought all was correct. Well…..paying a visit to the guest relations this morning, the confirmation I showed was not the same as the info on their computer. Now they said the flight was leaving a 7am with a stop in Texas, followed by a later flight to SF getting us in after 10pm. Where did that come from? And why had no one informed us of this change? They promised to contact Seattle and have the air/sea department investigate. That put a lot of stress on a day that was meant for relaxing. Finally, at 5pm, we got a call from Michelle who said the flight number had changed and the time out of Ft. Lauderdale was at 7am. The stop in Texas was gone. That much was good, however, looking closer at a message sent directly to us from the airline, we discovered our seats were not together. The form that Michelle sent to our room had the correct seat numbers. Crazy, huh? We shall pay another visit to Michelle tomorrow and hope she can secure the original seats….aisle and middle in the same row. The lesson here was not to wait until the last minute to double check what was originally correct. Truthfully, we are learning not to trust anything anymore. Going to the Seaview Pool by noontime, we found several more passengers back there taking advantage of the warm sun. It did not last too long, since the clouds moved in and blocked he sun. We spent the remainder of the day working online and catching up on the next couple of ports to write about. There aren’t many left…. Ghana, The Gambia, Cape Verde, and Puerto Rico. Where has the time gone we all ask? The theme for tonight’s “dressy” dinner was “An Evening in Paris”. Why we don’t know as France was never on the itinerary. But it was an opportunity to add some French cuisine to the menu…namely escargots (not our favorite) and surf and turf. Starters were the everyday shrimp cocktails, which we get five now and not four. They are smaller, but still tasty. Salads were one Caesar and one nicoise without the tuna. Mains were Coq Au Vin and the everyday chicken alternate. Both were just fine. The little bananas are still good, so one of us ordered a sliced one. Tomorrow will be the third day at sea, and we do expect it to warm up even more. Bill & Mary Ann