The-Inside-Cabin

My blog has been updated with the complete 2024 World Cruise itinerary in table format, along with links to the MDR menu, daily program and the days entertainer. Find it HERE or click on the map on the front page of the blog.

Five-minute video with highlights of the Cake Extravaganza on 13 Jan 24

BOCA DA VALERIA – BACK TO BASICS (POST #16) 13 JAN 2024 Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise Show More Posts Exploring a small village on the Amazon River BOCA DA VALERIA Boca da Valeria (pop 75) is a tiny village on the Amazon River located about 850 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The name means Mouth of Valeria. The Valeria River is one of over 1,000 tributaries flowing into the Amazon River. The highlight of visiting Boca da Valeria is interacting with the residents. The Zuiderdam arrived a little before 7 am and stationed herself near shore using engines and thrusters to stay in the same spot. Tenders were soon in the water, and a steady stream of guests headed ashore. Open tendering was announced around 9:40, which means a tender ticket was no longer required. Based on our research, we knew that we could see most of the small village in a couple of hours, so we relaxed onboard before heading ashore. As we were heading ashore around 11 am, there were long lines of guests waiting for tenders to return to the ship. The last tender was at 1 pm. EXPLORING THE VILLAGE There is a small, covered platform that serves as a tender pier with a wooden walkway taking you ashore. The tenders landed at this covered platform. You can see the residents lining the path leading toward the small village Once ashore – a gauntlet of small children will want to grab your hand for a tour – they will expect a few dollars. We weren’t interested and kept walking – the children were not persistent and would leave you alone after a polite no or shake of the head. Children will be waiting for you as you cross over to land, ready to take you on a tour for a small donation. As we continued along the single path, lots of small children dressed in costumes were standing alongside the path looking for 1 dollar to take a picture – others were holding various small animals, turtles, lizards and sloths; men were selling 30-minute boat tours for $5. A variety of boats are used for the $5 tours There were plenty of opportunities to take 30-minute boat tours The gauntlet continued for about 200 yards – then started to thin. We continued on passing a school, church, tourist stalls, and a few bars, which made up most of what you could call “downtown.” Vendor Stalls The Church is the largest structure in the village One of two places we noticed selling beer As we continued, we encountered small groups of children ready to pose with various animals and a few adult men trying to sell boat tours. Toucan Piraiba Catfish Parakeets Parakeets! Capybara The wooden houses were all on stilts, some were open on one side, some didn’t have windows. We continued on the only path we saw for about a mile before turning around and heading back, arriving at the tender pier with about 10 minutes to spare. This dog followed me for a couple hundred yards FOR CAKES' SAKE The Lido was transformed into a delightful bakery as the Zuiderdam Chefs created dozens of tasty treats. The Lido was open for viewing at 2:45 and they started serving around 3 pm. ON THE WORLD STAGE The Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers returned to the main stage for “B Side” featuring outstanding singing and dancing.

Here is the two week entertainment schedule Entertainment guide Jan 24.pdf

Our second Formal night tonight with another Tuxedo Junction with room number roulette! We won $25! Judy bet out entire stack on Black for the final spin!

ALTER DO CHAO – RUBBER TREES AND BRAZIL NUTS (POST #15) 12 JAN 2024 Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise Show More Posts We sample wild Brazil nuts and learn about rubber trees The first port of our Amazon journey was Alter do Chao, close to the much larger city of Santarem, which we will visit in a few days. Our plan today is to visit the Tapajós National Forest, which is relatively close but takes over 90 minutes to get there by bus due to poor road conditions. City close up on the left and our tour route on the right TENDERING AND ARRIVAL We booked a tour with Gil Serique, who has a loyal following of previous guests. Gil has a website, but you pay your deposit using PayPal and the balance in USD on the day of the tour. The best way to contact Gil is by using WhatsApp at +55 93 91856051 The ship was scheduled to arrive at 11 am, with the distribution of tender tickets starting at 10:30. Not quite sure how long the lines were going to be, we headed down to the Billboard Onboard to get in line at 10 am. As it turned out, the ship was early, tickets were already being handed out, and the first tender was called in a few minutes. After a 15-minute tender ride, we arrived at the shoreside floating tender platform. The platform wasn’t connected to the beach, so we had to walk down a makeshift board directly onto the soft sand. Alter do Chao is a popular beach resort for Brazilians but not so much for foreign tourists. Dollars are accepted at most tourist shops, but you get the best exchange rate using a credit card. As always, if you plan to make a large purchase in cash, it will be worth your while to get local currency. Touristy T shirts for sale – We tried to bargain them down from $29 – They wouldn’t go lower than $27 so we left empty handed. Local tourists on a platform overlooking the tender arrival area – they enjoyed people-watching. GIL SERIQUE TOUR After passing a few local vendors on the sand, we climbed stairs to a viewing platform with some shops and a pedestrian bridge over the sand. Gil Serique was here waiting for us and directed us to follow the path to the street where we would find his buses. Gil had associates along the way directing us so we didn’t get lost. Dried Piranhas were popular items for sale Gil met us at the beginning of this pedestrian bridge Our 30-passenger bus was the largest of the three buses on this tour, and we headed off to the Tapajós National Forest. HERE is the official Brazilian Website – use Google Chrome for automatic translation. We left Alter do Chao at 10:30 am. TAPAIOS NATIONAL FOREST About halfway to the National Forest, we drove through Belterra (pop 18,000), founded in 1995 by the Brazilian Government as a rubber plantation. We were driving over VERY bumpy dirt roads for about 1/2 of the way to the Park Arriving at Tapajós National Forest around 12:30, we stopped at the main gate to pick up a local escort before driving on narrow park roads for another 30 minutes until we reached a large clearing. The Tapajós river, a major tributary of the Amazon, is visible in the distance. Gil explains the area’s history before we start on a short twenty-minute walk to see rubber trees up close. Gil Serique We could see the Tapajós river from our clearing The rubber trees are huge As we left, four large HAL buses arrived on a similar tour. We stopped about halfway back to the entrance, where we stopped again for a 90-minute walk through another part of the rainforest. We stopped frequently for detailed explanations of local flora and fauna. It was of particular interest to see the source of Brazil Nuts. Our group on the 90 minute hike through the rainforest Our guide pointed to the top of the Brazil Nut tree, holding two nut shells. You can see the Brazil Nuts inside the Brazil Nut Shell There are about twelve Brazil Nuts inside the Nut Shell. This is a photo of a shelled Brazil Nut BACK TO ALTER DO CHAO Back on the bus we headed back toward Alter do Chao, using a different route that took 1 hour and 15 minutes, arriving back at Alter de Choa at 5 pm giving us a little buffer prior to the last tender at 5:30 pm. We paused to enjoy the swing on the beach. We didn’t have a chance to explore the town, which we will do on our next visit. One of the compromises during any visit is to evaluate the value of seeing something outside the local town or visiting the town itself. Sometimes you have time for both, other times you don’t. While we enjoyed our time in the rainforest, the 4 hours of travel over rough terrain should be considered before you plan this excursion. CRIS RITCHIE We enjoyed Chris Ritchie’s second show, where he performed various hits, including Oh, What a Night, Mack the Knife, and Ring of Fire, and closed with a powerful rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.

Casino Royale is scheduled for Jan 18th instead of sometime in March per the original schedule. Casino Royale is a unique event where all the games are free, and they award special prizes like pinnacle dinners, etc. I speculate they are trying to pump up the casino business because it appears to be well below even the lower expectations of a world cruise. We leave the World Stage around 10:15 pm every evening and walk through the casino. It is not uncommon for there to be ZERO people in the casino. That's right - ZERO - no one playing any slots - all table games empty. We have yet to get more than four people for a game of Texas Hold'em. They also haven't had a Black Jack Tournament or a slot tournament - those usually get a crowd. Maybe they should try a $5 Blackjack table paying 3/2 instead of pushing the $6 table with 6/5. Or reduce the rake on the Texas Holdem Cash game. Time will tell.....

For those on the Zuiderdam Tomorrow – 18 Jan 2024, we will have a special TUXEDO JUNCTION in the CASINO at 6:30 pm. This is a FORMAL NIGHT – so your best James Bond look is suggested. Meet by the Roulette Table where we will play ‘ROOM NUMBER ROULETTE’ Here is how it works. Bring $50 – this will get you 10 Spins – If you want to risk less than $50 – that’s OK, but each spin has to be a minimum of $5 (spread across any combination) At the Roulette wheel, you can trade in your cash for Roulette Chips or use cash or regular casino chips. Then you can play your room number/birthdays or any other number…. Stay as long as you like – there is no start or finish time.. – Late comers welcome If you don’t want to play – stop by and cheer us on!” The ship will have Casino Royale from 8 – 9:30 pm see below Bond, Vesper or Le Chiffre? Dress your part as 'James Bond', a 'Bond Girl' or the 'Villain' and come play at our Casino Royale. Every visitor will receive a free ticket for our multiple prize raffles during the evening. Join in on our complimentary gaming lessons, or take your chance in the free slot tournament. We offer a wide array of 007 themed drinks for $7, but will also feature a spectacular complimentary “champagne” tower and flare tender display. Billboard Onboard will enliven the evening with three themed sets, as the whole area will be 'lit up' and sound like Vegas! 8p- 9:30p, Casino & Billboard Onboard, 2

Our final Sailaway from Brazil

We got this letter tonight about the Red Sea - Bottom Line - As expected they are monitoring the situation and making contingency plans red sea information343.pdf

HOT BRAZILIAN NIGHT ON THE AMAZON (POST #14) 11 JAN 2024 Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise Show More Posts We cross the Amazon Bar and Enjoy a hot Brazilian Night! SERVICE CALL We made a service call to Macapa, Brazil, today after crossing the Amazon River bar yesterday. During the service call, we picked up Amazon River pilots and completed some inspections by Brazilian authorities. We were at anchor during this time and passengers were not allowed to leave the ship. COFFEE CHAT Kimberly interviewed Shore Excursion Manager, Nyron, during Coffee Chat DINNER WITH CHRIS RITCHIE Guest Entertainer Chris Ritchie joined Table 89 for dinner BRAZILIAN SOCIAL NIGHT The Brazilian Cultural Ambassadors hosted a party by the Lido pool this evening at 9 pm. Everyone was encouraged to wear white. There was a great turnout with lots of enthusiasm and energy from the crowd as the Brazilian Cultural Ambassadors sang and danced on the small stage set up on the forward end of the Lido pool.

CROSSING THE AMAZON BAR (POST #13) 10 JAN 2024 Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise Show More Posts We cross the Amazon Bar and start our Amazon River journey OUR AMAZON JOURNEY We crossed the Amazon River Bar today and started our 7 day Amazon River journey. The Amazon River bar refers to the estuary where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, creating a dynamic and complex maritime environment. Here are the ports we will visit along the Amazon River over seven days. We turned around after visiting Manaus, over 900 miles upstream, and are proceeding back to the Atlantic Ocean. COFFEE CHAT Andrea and her team during Coffee Chat in the Rolling Stone Lounge HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERRY Jerry (our slot pull organizer) and Kathy @LuvsACruise(our photo book creator) had to cancel the cruise in December. A group of his friends gathered outside the Pinnacle Grill on his Birthday to commemorate his special day in front of his favorite Birthday restaurant. Kathy and Jerry CRAFT PROJECT Today’s craft project was the World Cruise Folder and bracelet Bracelet close up WORLD STAGE Camila Andrade was the featured entertainer tonight. This was her second performance. She was fabulous and performed a nice mix of Brazilian and more familiar popular songs, including The Lady is a Tramp, Love Me or Leave Me, Summertime, and a surprising cover of Creep by Radio Head. Kimberly introduced Camila Andrade

Very few signs on on tour today have English translations. Get Google Translate today! Here I am translating the sign to the building we are about to enter. very fast. No cell plan required. Download languages before you leave

I met Serge when he was Mayor. Very nice guy. Here he is in 2019 at the Imperial Beach Mayors Swim you probably remember ex Mayor, County Supervisor and Congressman Brian Bilbray. We ran into him with his cousin from Australia last December. Brian is second from left Hated to see Browns lose but happy for CJ The ship is showing the games on the stateroom TVs notice the surfer statue behind us. Twice a year the sun sets directly behind.

Keychains. We hand them out to people we meet.

We are on the HAL tour Best of Manaus

A short video as we entered the Amazon River

Per my confidential and inside sources - the correct number per the recipe card is THREE

The internet on this cruise has been so fast it is no longer a concern or limitation - I can do pretty much anything I would do ashore.

Unlike RCI, HAL doesn't have lounges for folks at various status levels. The Neptune lounge doesn't have discounted or free drinks and is not a hubbub of activity, regardless. It's more like a library than a party lounge. HAL will usually have ONE mariner event on the first day - and maybe another lunch, and that's it. Your best bet is to frequent the bars during happy hour and stick with the one you enjoy the most. You will meet like-minded people at the happy hours

SWIMMING ON DEVILS ISLAND (POST #12) 9 JAN 2024 Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise Show More Posts On our second trip to Devil’s Island we walk around the eastern coast to get to the Hôtel Iles du Salut THE SALVATION ISLANDS The cruise itinerary lists Devil’s Island, French Guinea, as our destination, but to be accurate, we never set foot on Devil’s Island, only the nearby Royal Island with a view of Devil’s Island. Devil’s Island is one of the three Salvation Islands (Iles du Salut) about 10 miles off the coast of French Guinea. The three islands are Ile Royale, the largest and where we will land, Ile Saint Joseph, and Devil’s Island, which is off-limits to visitors. The Salvation Islands were part of the French penal system and were in use from 1852 until 1953. This is the location featured in the book and movie Papillon. TENDERING Our second port of the World Cruise was our first tender port. Tender tickets are required for all guests except those in Neptune/Pinnacle Suites or the Presidents Club, who can show their key card instead of a tender ticket. On our 2020 and 2023 World Cruises, tender tickets were distributed in two locations: the Rolling Stone Lounge (4 and 5 stars) and Billboard Onboard (3 stars and below). More tickets were called from the Rolling Stone lounge, so the 4/5 stars still got priority. On this cruise, there is only one spot for tender tickets, and 4/5 stars don’t get any priority. Most of the tender ports on this cruise are not high-priority ports (like Easter Island), and with over 80% of the ship four stars or above, running a priority system created additional complexity for not much benefit. We’ll see if there is any pushback that may force a return to the process of past cruises. Open tendering was called at about 10:30 am. We relaxed in our cabin until 2 pm, headed down to Deck A, and waited about 5 minutes for the following tender with 5 passengers. Most passengers were already back on the ship when we went ashore. The tender ride was about 10 minutes. The tender pier is located behind the red star The tenders moor to a floating platform, connected to a jetty by a gangway EXPLORING THE ISLAND Once ashore, we headed down the path on the east side of the island. Holland America Refreshment tents This is the map the ship provided in 2020, which was better than the map we received today – copy HERE. We took the green route today. Back in 2020, we walked the yellow route. If you turn left from the tender pier, you will face a choice of three different routes to the summit and the Hotel The trails were dry, and the weather was warm but not blistering We came across the old workshop and then the slaughterhouse before we turned inland. Abandoned Workshop The swimming area was about 50 yards down a path that opened onto flat rocks next to the water. About 1/2 dozen tourists were swimming. They jumped off the rocks into the deep water and then climbed out using the steps. The water was warm, about 85 degrees, and over 10 feet deep Most of the swimmers jumped in the water and then used these steps to climb out These French tourists gave us the details on the swimming situation Continuing on, we headed up a switchback path with some steps that led to the top of the island and the hotel. The hotel gift shop and restaurant were closed, but we got 2 Coke ZEROS for 9 Euros. As I pulled out my bag of euros, the front desk clerk spotted all my Euro coins, and he wanted to buy them all as he had a hard time getting change. The desk clerk was happy to buy my Euro coins BACK TO THE SHIP The path back to the ship took about twenty-five minutes, but we slowed for some of the steeper stairs. The last tender was 4 PM, and we arrived with about 5 minutes to spare. These Terns were on a railing near the tender landing SAIL AWAY The Zuiderdam Grand World Voyage Band played during the sail away while the waiters passed out snacks and served drinks. WORLD STAGE Comedian Sid Davis was very funny and put on a wonderful show

Not too surprising .....

Check - I'm on it - I'll get to the bottom of this pronto! Maybe it's based on the number of Mariner Stars? I know I should have worn my 5-star pin!