WCB

Report #27 Wednesday January 25, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuku Alofa, Tonga Cloudy With Sun 80 Degrees Calm Seas Part #1 Of 1........16 Pictures A day at sea is what we all needed today. In fact there will be a few more of these lazy days as we head towards Tonga. The weather has remained warm and humid, but there has been a saving breeze, mostly on the port side of the ship. Perfect for relaxing on our veranda off and on during the day. The biggest event of the day had to be the “Seaday Brunch”, instead of Sunday Brunch, since it was a weekday. Our morning waiters told us that the previous brunch attracted 600 guests, and that number was expected this morning as well. A few days ago, they started taking reservations, although we are sure a place would be found if you showed up anyway and were willing to wait. Frankly, it is not our cup of tea, so we went to our regular breakfast at 8am. The Shops onboard are finally opened all day and are beginning to bring out some new items. Today we saw white or gray quilted vests with the HAL logo on them. Of course the thought of wearing these now is not appealing, but when we hit northern Europe, they may come in handy. More Grand World Cruise t-shirts are appearing on the shelves too. We have spotted more and more people wearing them. The promotional sales are well-listed in the Activities at a Glance in the program. There is something for everyone, especially those who have lots of shipboard credit to use. We took a walk on deck 10 for a change, but it was hot by noontime. You can find shuffleboard and cornhole there, but seldom anyone playing the games. Along the railing were dozens of lounges without sunbathers. Looking down at the Sea View pool, we saw few folks in the pool and laying on the chaise lounges. What a difference from the last cruise we did in this same area. There was not a lounge to be found at that time. We must have a whole different crowd doing this cruise. Back in our room, we ordered a nice lunch complete with Cobb salads, a shared club sandwich, and a few cookies. The meal was delivered within 20 minutes, and was followed up with a phone call to check how everything was. So far, all has been perfect and we let them know. We expect tomorrow to be much the same as far as the calm seas and weather goes. Captain Friso mentioned to us that we need to enjoy the weather we have now, because there is a possibility of rain before reaching New Zealand. But that will not be until February 2nd and a lot can change by then. The dinner menu presented some new items. Each one of us ordered something different, except those meals that came with French fries did disappoint some. They were served almost cold. A couple of our tablemates sent them back, but when they returned, they were not much hotter. The only thing we could figure was that the fries were pre-dished and held in a warmer. That is not quite the same as deep-frying them, and serving them within minutes. Not happening tonight. Desserts were good however. But they always are. One of us sticks to the fruit plate most nights, while the other has the special tarts, cakes, or tortes. The rather small but decadent chocolate treat tonight was topped with caramel popcorn. A combination you never would guess to be quite tasty. This is when the smaller portions are appreciated. Bill & Mary Ann

Wow.....many thanks for the birthday wishes! They are most appreciated. Mary Ann

Report #26 Tuesday January 24, 2023 Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia Day #2 Leave 4pm Today Cloudy And Hot 90 Degrees Part #1 Of 4..........60 Pictures The Zuiderdam overnighted in Uturoa, Raiatea which usually happens in other major cities such as Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, or Hong Kong for instance. We think this extra day was added to replace the missed port of Bora Bora. Thanks to research done by fellow readers, we now know that the government decided to further limit the size of the ships arriving in the lagoon of Bora Bora beginning at the start of this year. We are far from a mega-ship, but still have too many passengers to satisfy their new rules. Hate to think that we will never visit that island ever again unless we go there on a smaller ship, which HAL does not own anymore. Bet that puts a big dent in their tourism industry. Our day began early with a knock on our door at 7:30am. Who could that possibly be that early? Turned out it was a delivery of flowers from a very favorite officer onboard that we have known for years. By the way, it was a birthday for one of us, although I like to keep it under wraps. Pretty hard on this ship. We celebrated at breakfast with mimosas, but then we do that most every day. The weather was much better today since the rain stayed away. It did eventually reach 92 degrees with a slight breeze and high humidity. Ready for another walk about, we turned left and hiked the road out of the town. On our first visit here years ago, we read that there was a resort up this way and a possible restaurant to get lunch. Well, the further out of town we got, the more dogs began to appear, protecting their territory. By the time we reached the resort, we discovered it had been damaged by a hurricane and was completely closed. We came upon the same property today, and nothing had changed, except there was a taller metal fence around the whole area. The good thing was that most of the dogs were behind gated driveways. Time to head back to town, we took our time while enjoying the breeze in between homes. All of their rock walls blocked what breeze there was. The closer to noon it got, the hotter it got. We did want to see what the town had to offer, so we went into their department store where the Hinano t-shirts were sold among other things. Something we forgot was that everyone and their brother had visited this store yesterday, and the most popular sizes were about gone off of the shelves. We did find one new design and bought it. The grocery stores were quite busy with local shoppers, so we did not go inside. We did head for the two story Marketplace, and took photos of the locally grown produce. On the second level is their jewelry collection, clothing, and artwork. The only way up there is by stairs, and since we did not need to buy anything, we skipped the climb. Time for beer and lunch, we headed back to the La Raie Gate restaurant right across from the ship. About half of the guests were locals, and the other half from the ship like us. We did a repeat of yesterday and had beers, pizza, and one dessert. Smoking is allowed here, but we had the outside seats, and the wind was blowing the right way to avoid the smoke. Back in the coolness of our room, we discovered a covered tray had arrived with a single chocolate cupcake frosted with whipped cream and sprinkled with colored coconut flakes. On the rectangular plate were the words Happy Birthday. A card was placed next to the tray with birthday wishes from Captain Friso. And here we thought they had forgotten my birthday. All aboard was 3:30pm, and we were in place on our veranda to watch the sailing out of the harbor. The Captain took the ship through the lagoon that is shared with neighboring Taha’a, an island much smaller than Raiatea. Going very slowly, he blew the ship’s horn many times, but we do not know why. Perhaps there were small boats in our way. Located on the port side of the ship, we did not get the view of the island as we left. But one of us had seen it while sailing in yesterday. Truthfully, the light was better early yesterday morning for pictures. We did have the sun and the heat until the Captain turned the ship to exit through the largest gap in the reef. Now we are heading towards Tonga, and will arrive in four days. We will also cross the International Dateline on Friday. So Saturday will not exist for us. One of our favorite entrees was on the menu tonight…….spaghetti with Bolognaise sauce. Marlin was the fish plate, and although we had all ordered desserts, a small mousse cake arrived for the birthday girl. Many waiters gathered to sing the special song, which was much appreciated. Short and sweet. Yes, it had been a very nice day in paradise. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #25 Monday January 23, 2023 Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia Cloudy With Showers And Some Sun, 90 Degrees Hot And Humid Part #1 Of 4.........77 Pictures Day #1 We are not sure that today’s port of Uturoa, Raiatea has been a stop on a world voyage in many years, since our well-traveled tablemates do not recall ever stopping here. We have been here numerous times because we have cruised on the Tales of the South Pacific every fall, except for 2020 and 2021. One of the Leeward Islands of the Society Islands, Raiatea has a population of 12,250 French-speaking people. The island can be circled on a 98 km road, but the best known fact is that this island has the only navigable river in French Polynesia. Also this island is considered sacred having the biggest marae of all of the islands by the name of Taputapuatea, which earned it a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. A marae is a temple that is built with basalt blocks placed side by side and piled up. It was a place for worship, burials, and human sacrifices. Glad to report this practice does not happen in modern days. Modern Raiatea has many activities to attract snorkelers, mountain climbers, lagoon fishing, and motu picnicking. It is also the nautical base for the yachting crowd where canoe races and regattas take place annually. This all takes place in the town of Uturoa, where our ship docked this morning, and will stay until late tomorrow afternoon. This main village is the administrative center of the Leeward Islands. And we feel it is a far different island than some of the ones we have visited already. It is opened to tourism, but still has the feel of a town in the 1950’s. And when you come to Raiatea, you get two islands for the price of one. Its smaller sister island is Taha’a, a very rural tropical setting filled with remote villages and vacation rentals. They share a lagoon also. While Raiatea grows the majority of the tiare plants, Taha’a grows vanilla beans, coconuts, and a certain type of sugarcane which is used for rum-making. Black pearls are also produced here. A few tours offered today were a motu picnic for $140, the highlights for $120, a tour of a pearl farm and snorkel for $130, a drift snorkel at Taha’a for $140, or a sunset catamaran cruise for $120. Many folks we know hired a boat driver for a few hours for lots less. While we were chatting with friends on the pier, a taxi driver came along selling a 3 hour trip to a beach 10 minutes away for $25 a person. We all forgot to ask if that was a round-trip price. He got no takers, but thanked us for listening. The ship was docked by 7am after it made its way through the lagoon of Taha’a. Normally we leave that way, but for some reason, the Captain chose to approach a different way. The dock area is spacious and all rocked and tiled. The buildings are within feet of the gangway, which was super steep today. The Amsterdam had lower openings at the pier, but this ship, the openings are higher up, creating problems with low and high tides in some of these ports. We left the ship around 10am, because earlier, the rain had come down like we had expected. It was passing showers, and it did slow down by the time we left. We took a right turn after passing through the tourist building, and made it up to the church and yacht area. Nothing special was happening today like canoe racing. We missed that one that took place last October. We did pass by the small harbor where the tour folks boarded many different vessels for snorkeling the reef. They do not have to go far to drop off the swimmers near the breaking reef and a motu or tiny islet. The experience may have been better if the clouds had left and the sky turned blue. For our own tours we have done in the water, the sun made all the difference with the colors of the fish and the corals. Today, the afternoon excursion guests may have had a better snorkel trip. One of those trips included some of the crew members and the Captain. They were headed towards a catamaran as we were going for lunch. Nice to see them have enough time to enjoy an excursion like the guests. We did stop at the restaurant directly across from the ship by the name of La Raie Gate. It is small, but their food is very good. Many people were having their salads, burgers, fish and chips, or pizza. They make the best pizza here, which are a bit on the pricey side, but so good, it is worth it for us. We added two Hinano Gold draft beers – the large size in a heavy cold mug. By noontime, the sun began peeking out and it became darned hot and muggy. The beers went down just fine. The pizza we ordered was a pepperoni and cheese, and cooked perfectly. Their dough was more like French bread and cooked until it was crispy. We did have a bit of a language problem when we asked for the menu to order dessert, but were handed our bill instead. Guess we had enough for lunch, and there is always tomorrow. We went back to the comfort of the ship, and decided to save the stroll through town for tomorrow. It was close to 3pm when we returned to our room, where we chilled out until dinnertime. Even reading on the veranda was too warm. Looking at the thermometer outside, we found it read 92 degrees in the shade. The rain never returned and the breeze had stopped. Now it was warm and humid. Some of our lady friends are not happy how the heavy humidity makes their hair go frizzy. Around 5pm we heard the sound of a drum coming from the terminal building. Sure reminded us of being in Hong Kong or Singapore. Looking from our veranda, we saw two lion dog figures performing for Chinese New Year. The tradition brings good luck we understand. We happened to be in the right place at the right time to take photos. In the backround, we could hear fire crackers going off. An early birthday happened for one of us at dinner tonight. Susie and Woody brought a gift of narcissus bulbs ready to plant, and two sets of chaise lounge ties for both of us. Great idea and very sweet. Of course, the hand-painted birthday card was more appreciated, since both of us have a collection of cards Susie has painted since 2007. She is very talented in that area. Our dinners were good. One of us had the swordfish, and the other tried the breaded pork chop…..excellent choices. By the way, our plates were hot as could be and we thanked our waiters for listening to our request. Last night the entertainers were a trio of Irish ladies doing a comedy act. It was called the comedy of the Biddy’s. Some of our tablemates liked the show, but some did not. We have seen these ladies last year while on the N. Statendam we think. Tonight there was a movie shown – the remake of Love Affair. None of us went. Another day in Raiatea tomorrow, although it sure would have been nice to make that stop in Bora Bora. We are still trying to figure out why we were able to stop there last November with more guests and crew, but not now. Perhaps their rules changed in January, or another cruise line paid more for the privilege. Too bad as it is considered the “pearl” of Polynesia. We tend to agree. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings from French Polynesia! Cruising Grandma said it all regarding the perks for booking back-to-back cruises. We did this last year, because there was no GWV in 2022. Booking in advance, our TA got us the same room for 11 cruises. The President's Club perks were given for every 10 or 11 day trip, while if this was a GWV, we would get one SBC. Since our SB account carried over, we accumulated a very nice SBC. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #24 Sunday January 22, 2023 Bahia D' Opunohu, Moorea, French Polynesia 7am-4:30pm Cloudy With Rain Showers 80 Degrees.......Part1 Of 5......60 Pictures Happy Chinese New Year…..the year of the rabbit we understand. Normally this day would have been a formal evening in the dining room, but not anymore. A few years ago, these types of events were moved to the Lido, which was decorated for occasions like today’s holiday. All of the specialty foods are serviced there now, buffet style. It used to be fun seeing the Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling in the main dining rooms, as well as the waiters dressed for the event. Sadly, a thing of the past. Anyhow, our port of call was Moorea, a tropical island with some coral beaches, vertical peaks, and very lush landscapes. The Zuiderdam floated over to this island at 4:30am from the harbor of Papeete. Only one of us was awake, the other definitely…not. While on the way towards the sister island, Captain Friso came on the outside speakers around 5am to announce that all of Moorea’s peaks were visible….something seldom seen. Not sure how many folks were up then, but at least one of us heard him. Arriving to Opunohu Bay, the Captain brought the ship straight in and dropped anchor before 7am. The forecast was mostly cloudy and chance of showers. On the way there, a sudden bolt of lightning came from an isolated cloud followed by loud thunder. That was the one and only time that occurred. We were in no rush to go ashore, so we went to breakfast as we always do. The service has continued to be over-the-top, since there were only about 10 of us dining in there. The assorted berries appeared again, and the new fresh squeezed orange juice was the best. Still enjoying the one cup of hot cappuccino. Watching the tendering process from the promenade deck, we noticed the ship was being turned to find that “sweet spot” for the smoothest transfer of guests. Once again, there were many helping hands assisting everyone on and off of the small boats. The crew members are the best. We left the ship at 10am, taking note that two platforms were being utilized. This is much more efficient than on the Amsterdam, which had only one platform in use. One nice thing is that the boats were not being loaded to the gills before we left. So much better with Covid still lurking among the population. (Another one of our friends has been infected.) A quick ride brought us to the dock where Moorean dancers greeted us as we entered the protected area of the souvenir tables. Many treasures can be found there from the famous pearls to the artistic seashell jewelry. No need for one of us to drool over the black pearls, because we purchased an elegant strand on the last cruise. We headed straight to the elderly lady we always go to. She immediately remembered us, and pointed to my earrings, a creation she sold us in November. Naturally, we easily found another set to add to the collection, making her smile. We decided to take our usual walk, even though there would not be the reward of dining in the hotel that had closed last year. Running into friends Howard and Gyl made the day for the four of us. They are walkers like us, and we seem to cross paths in every single port. Now it has become like a tradition. Taking our time, we enjoyed the fact that today was not as hot as yesterday, and for sure, we were going to get rain. Once we got to the Intercontinental Hotel driveway, now blocked, it began to drizzle. Within seconds the drizzle became a downpour, but lasting only 15 minutes or so. Not a problem since we did remember to bring umbrellas. In fact, we did see room stewards bringing the large orange umbrellas to the guest’s rooms upon requesting them. On the same property as the now closed hotel is the Dolphin Encounter, which is still in operation. A visit there is by appointment only. Since we were sitting outside the gate, a guard came and asked if we had reservations. No, we were just waiting out the storm. His English was limited, but he did suggest we try the restaurant across the road for lunch. It was called the Holy Steak House, which we assumed it was opened for dinner only. It was a short walk up a steep road, so we decided to check it out. And guess what? It was indeed opened for lunch. Hurray! Seated over-looking the lagoon and reef, we ordered two Hinano draft beers – ice cold – and a cheeseburger and fries to share. Dessert was a large slice of a brownie with nuts and a side of vanilla ice cream. Like good children, we cleaned the plate. The nice part was the fact there were only a handful of locals eating here, and for most passengers on the ship, this might be a bit too far to walk. But there is the pearl shop next door, and there was a free shuttle ride there. Best not to announce that fact, because the next time we come here, we may not have a place to sit. And yes, that has happened elsewhere. On the way back, we did have a few more raindrops fall, but it never developed into a shower. It had in fact cooled the air off nicely. There was no wait for the tender ride to the ship, and we got back before 3pm. Greg and Heo were on the same ride back, having done a fun tour on a snorkel boat, which they booked independently on shore. The remainder of the afternoon, we worked on reports and photos. Sail away arrived by 5pm, but the skies had opened up and the Seaview pool party was moved elsewhere. While the Captain was inching out of the bay, he blew the horn a total of 14 times. Why…we do not know unless there was a boat in the way. We cannot stop on a dime, so we assume if there was a boat, it moved quickly out of our way. Since there was the Chinese New Year event in the Lido, the dining room was not crowded at 7:30pm. Better for us. We ordered one swordfish plate, and one spaghetti puttenese with slices of juicy chicken on the side. Both were good. Dessert was cake with rocky road ice cream and a fruit plate. We’re going to sleep good tonight for sure. Tomorrow we will be docking in Uturoa Raiatea, which is not a usual stop for a Grand Voyage. Most of our tablemates do not recall ever being there. Hope the rain stays away, since we will spend two days there. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #23 Saturday January 21, 2023 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia 6am Till 4:30am The Next Day Hot And Humid 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 4........60 Pictures Yesterday ended the first segment of the Grand World Cruise. Last night we received the small HAL Journeys booklet along with the first sticker with the itinerary from Ft. Lauderdale to Papeete, Tahiti. It was titled an 18 day passage to French Polynesia and we traveled a total of 6,274.1 nautical miles or 7,215 statute miles. There will be folks leaving, and new ones joining, but we do not know the exact numbers yet. Along with the new segment, we were all required to attend our emergency muster station between 3 and 5pm. It is a requirement that all guests attend once every 30 days. In addition, we had to watch the safety video to completion on our room TV before it would advance to the main menu. Not all of our tablemates did this, and we never heard any names called of those who did not participate. If we were not staying until 5am the next day, it might be a different story. The Zuiderdam was already docked in the harbor at Papeete well before sunrise. There were no other large cruise ships here, but we did see a vessel by the name of Arctic, which looked to be an expedition ship. And there was one sleek yacht named Lunasea. Across the way from us were the several ferries that make runs to the nearby islands, as well as a few container ships that service the area. After breakfast, we went outside on the promenade deck to watch the goings on. Several large shipping containers were being offloaded with provisions. We sure hope the fresh berries are among the orders. At the two gangways, were many officers handing the disembarking guests fresh leis made with tiare flowers and frangipani blossoms. We could smell them three decks up. Usually we are given a single tiare flower, but they went all out today with leis. Henk, Shiv, and Maja looked up and spotted us taking pictures. All of them waved. Then within a few minutes, Edmund, the beverage manager appeared alongside us, and presented us each with a lei. What a nice surprise, as by the time we got off of the ship, all of the flowers would be gone. At 9:30am, a crew drill was about to take place, so we grabbed our stuff and headed off the ship. The dock area is still under reconstruction, so we had to take a left turn, and go through the park where the carts will set up later. It’s not that much out of the way, but it was already heating up to 90 degrees and probably as high with the humidity. We needed to get to the marketplace before noon, since today was a Saturday and they close early. On the way to the market, we passed by the little fabric shop where one of us always buys a few yards for a blouse. Determined not to buy any more fabric until I use what I have at home, we did have a quick look after the sales person recognized us from last November and motioned us to come inside. He (or she) did notice that the blouse I was wearing was a fabric still on one of their bolts. Prices have gone up since the first time we shopped here. For instance a meter was 2900 Pacific French francs or about $26 USD. It takes 2 meters for a blouse. We have to say the quality is excellent and they last a long time. In Le Marche Municipal, or the Marketplace, we strolled the lower level, then went up the escalator to the second floor. The market was decorated with Chinese lanterns for the upcoming Chinese New Year. It was quite busy with locals shopping for the weekend, as well as many cruise ship people wandering in every shop. Island clothing and pearls seemed to be the most sought-after items. Our aim was to purchase fresh tropical flowers, but on the way back from our walk. We took a path we always do, and walked to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, past McDonald’s, and to the Assembly of French Polynesia. Once again, the assembly was closed to the public. Even the craft market was not happening, and we had no access to the gardens and ponds in the back. Crossing the street, we strolled through Bougainville Park, then went back to the market. We purchased an armful of heliconia, ginger, protea, and some exotic blossoms to fill in the spaces. Once back to the ship, we arranged them in the super tall vase, and they look beautiful. And so far……not one ant. They must have been sprayed well. We chilled out for an hour, then took off for a lunch at LaPizzeria. We swear every time we go there, the pizza gets better and the beer colder. The restaurant was not really busy as we had arrived close to 2pm. We ordered two large Hinano beers and a ham and mozzarella cheese pizza to share. Cooked in a proper wood-fired oven, it is the best we will have on this trip we suspect. We topped off the meal with a shared plate of profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream and piled high with whipped cream sprinkled with slivered almonds. OK that made our day. Crossing the street, we made our way back through the harborside park to the ship. This time we were allowed back through the shortcut, mostly because the tour buses had left on their second round of excursions. All in all, we had a full day, exhausting due to the heat, but at least it was not raining. We cooled off in our room, but also relaxed out on the veranda that had been cleaned earlier in the morning. They seem to do this about every two weeks or more. Then we went to the muster as we explained earlier. All seven of us were present at dinner. Greg and Heo described their Tamarind dinner last night and said they enjoyed it, but did miss some of the items the menu used to have. We ordered one mahi-mahi dinner and the alternate steak with fries. Compared to the first steak we had, this one was just OK…not the same quality. But the appetizer chicken noodle soup was good as ever. There was a Tahitian Folkloric Show, the same as the one we saw last November. Only Heo and Greg were going, so they will report tomorrow on the performance. The ship will be in Moorea tomorrow and anchored by 7am. Gosh, it seems like we were just here, because we were. Bill & Mary Ann

Quick answer to a quick question: The only umbrellas we have seen on the ship are the large orange ones found in the Signature suites and above. They are not collapsible. The clear umbrellas are a thing of the past, also not collapsible, but did turn inside out quite often. We bring our own from home, which are collapsible. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #22 Friday January 20, 2023 Day At Sea Enroute To Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia Sunny And Warm 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........26 Pictures We were happy to find the start of the day presented itself with smoother seas and reduced rolling. The “white horses” as Captain Friso calls the waves have mostly disappeared. And even though there are dark clouds occasionally, we have managed to miss any sudden rain showers. The temperature has stayed around 80 degrees, while the humidity is constant…… slightly sticky. Typical tropical weather. We have been getting reports of the cold temps and rain in California, so we are appreciating the nice temps here. Glad to report the rain has let up, and the sun is shining back home. The highlight of our day was a chance meeting with Shiv, the head of housekeeping. He is such a delightful person, and always takes the time to chat, even though he is incredibly busy. He admitted to finally adjusting to a different ship, as his assignments have been mostly (if not all) on the Amsterdam, which is gone from the fleet now. We thanked him for the smooth laundry service, and let him know we appreciate the cute notes from the workers that are in the basket. Bet that was his idea. Then we had a session with the future cruise consultant, inquiring about a future cruise we have deposited already. The red tape of the details left us more confused as we went round and round discussing how things work. Most of it was about bookings made on the Amsterdam in 2020, and how they had been converted to this ship, which has multiple categories. Anyway, he kept saying we need to talk to our travel agent, who will indeed be able to explain things way better. We are beginning to agree with our tablemates that we don’t always need to do a grand voyage with one time PC benefits. Lots of folks have figured out that doing back-to-back voyages yields much more shipboard credit and other nice perks in the long run. Something to think about. Anyway, the future cruise consultant has set times. The morning session is first come, first served. However, the afternoon time requires an appointment. This is written nowhere except on his desk. We went back around 5:30pm to ask more questions, however, after sitting for ½ hour waiting for a lady to finish her booking, he told us we needed an appointment. Not just us, but another couple that had joined us in the line. Now we know…. Six o’clock is a great time to walk outside, since the majority of guests are eating dinner somewhere. There are no people ending around us, or meeting us head-on, as some like to walk the opposite direction. We began seeing a few white terns flying off of the ship, and then we saw a couple of boobys, we think. Since we did not spot any flying fish, these birds don’t come close to the ship. The Captain had mentioned we were close to one of the islands today, and we also had a ship on the horizon. Even though we are nearing the rest of the Society Islands, we are surprised not to see some cruise line ships or containers. Greg and Heo attended the Tamarind pop-up in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. It will be interesting to get their take on the food served there, as we found it far different than what we have eaten in the real Tamarind restaurants. Perhaps the wasabi-crusted steaks were the same, but the rest was not. By the way, those steaks were excellent on the Tales of the South Pacific. Gone are those chocolate-dipped fortune cookies one of us loved. Why change a good thing? So our dinner choices were one cod plate, which arrived late, which happens more often than we like. Sometimes five out of the seven of us will be served the main dish, while two have to wait it out. Those last to be served will always say go ahead and eat, which they do. One of us ordered the Club Orange special of short ribs with garlic-mashed potatoes. It was tasty, but not hot enough for my liking. We do request HOT food, but it has yet to arrive that way. Oddly enough, this was the case on our last cruise, until our waiters finally listened and did serve it hotter. Normally we are not that picky, but slightly warm is really not acceptable. All of our tablemates agree, and have decided to ask as a group for hotter entrees and soups. We are all looking forward to Papeete and the following stops in the next four days. Hope the weather holds up….. Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Margaret and Monty, So nice hearing from you and Happy New Year from the Zuiderdam. We have noticed many items on the dinner menu that may have been similar to what was served on the Tales of the South Pacific, but the presentation and combinations are different. There is definitely a new chef onboard. We are still waiting for some of the old standbys. Keep in touch! Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 21 Thursday, January 19, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Papeete,Tahiti, French Polynesia Sunny And Warm With Some Clouds 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures The sea swells have increased somewhat after leaving the Marquesas last night. The temperature today seemed a little cooler than yesterday, but that was only on the port side of the ship. Taking our morning walk, we discovered the starboard side was toasty. We are still heading in a southwesterly direction, but at a steeper angle now in layman’s terms. The skies were mostly cloudy, but it did not rain today. We got a run down of yesterday’s Glamp Out from a breakfast buddy. Our friend had gone to the Lido for dinner around 6:30pm, and found there were few items left. Most of the dining room guests had opted to eat in the Lido and had cleaned out the buffet, then proceeded to fill the Lido pool area before 7pm. Figuring on locating a seat in the pool area, she found there wasn’t even standing room. The lights had been dimmed to the point she could not find any friends. Trying to make the best of it, she searched for the appetizers only to find there were a few hot dog tid bits left over. In addition the music was loud, and not up her alley, so she left. Bet she ordered room service food for dinner. The way she described everything had the three of us laughing all through breakfast. The best part had to be seeing the hotel manager, Henk and a friend, rowing the canoe in the pool. Some more thought might have to go into the planning of such events. We have not mentioned the laundry service yet, but so far, it has worked quite well. Yesterday we had turned in a bagful, and it was returned last night after dinner. Included was a note saying ”We care for the clothes you wear. Thanks for letting us process your laundry.” Isn’t that a kick? Having complimentary service is such a wonderful perk. And this is the first world cruise we have done on this class of ship. The Amsterdam had a few self-service laundry rooms, where this ship has none. We believe this class of ship was designed for shorter cruises, where there was no demand for coin-operated washing machines and dryers. Sure don’t miss those days when we did all of our laundry ourselves. The usual activities took place today such as the Coffee Chat with Ian at 9am. Recently we had read that this chat time had been eliminated, but it is still happening in the Rolling Stone Lounge. We suspect that the Polynesian Cultural Ambassadors will be wrapping up their activities today and tomorrow. Once we hit Papeete, we will have several port days in a row, then head towards Tonga. Wonder if there will be a New Zealand Maori team boarding to take their place? One of our friends had tested positive for Covid yesterday. He and his wife are the most cautious people we know with wearing masks, even when they were not mandated. Just goes to show you how contagious this virus can be. He is feeling better, and so far his wife is Covid-free, as they are tested daily. He has been quarantined in their room, but she is free to move around the ship. So far, we have not seen either of them, so she is sticking close to home. And we have noticed that more of the crew are putting their masks back on. We tried some different items for dinner tonight. Italian wedding soup for one of us, and a frisée salad for the other. It has become quite obvious that the kitchen is running short of food items. One of those has to be the oranges for fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast. And the berries…..they are gone completely. And it just so happened that Stephen, the new head of restaurant operation stopped by our table tonight. He agreed that the orange juice was not up to the standards that it should be. To us, we would say it has been watered down, although Stephen says it is the quality of the fruit. With that said, starting tomorrow, there will be no more fresh orange juice for anyone. There may be a concentrate used, which would be 100% better. Or do like one of us did……order cranberry juice. Barb touched on the subject of the shrimp cocktail she ordered. It was actually tough, and another guest at our table said hers was watery and lacked flavor. He agreed that the quality may be inferior to what we are used to, but new deliveries will be arriving in Papeete, and he hopes to make up for the shortcomings. Stephen has a wonderful sense of humor and actually thanked us for our input. It is important that someone speaks up when it is a legitimate complaint. Like last night’s cranberry sauce. It was suggested they purchase Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in cans, and he said that may be possible with Sydney’s orders. Anyway, we both ordered a very different version of tuna for our entrees. It was breaded and fried, then covered with a marinara sauce, served on a bed of rice and spinach. Very tasty, although one of us ordered it well done, it was still moist. Today happened to be one of our fellow President’s Club member’s birthday. Three years ago, he celebrated his 80th birthday while on the doomed 2020 world cruise. He had invited a group of friends that took over the lower center section of the dining room. When it came time for his cake, at least 100 waiters arrived to sing the special birthday song. A memorable occasion, it is something he will remember forever as we will too. Tonight, he was served his cake, which was supposed to be carrot cake, his favorite. He sent slices of red velvet cake to our table, but it wasn’t quite the same. It’s the thought that counts. And we guess the bakers ran out of carrots. The clocks went back ½ hour this evening, putting us back to the full hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in Tahiti. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 21 Thursday, January 19, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Papeete,Tahiti, French Polynesia Sunny And Warm With Some Clouds 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures The sea swells have increased somewhat after leaving the Marquesas last night. The temperature today seemed a little cooler than yesterday, but that was only on the port side of the ship. Taking our morning walk, we discovered the starboard side was toasty. We are still heading in a southwesterly direction, but at a steeper angle now in layman’s terms. The skies were mostly cloudy, but it did not rain today. We got a run down of yesterday’s Glamp Out from a breakfast buddy. Our friend had gone to the Lido for dinner around 6:30pm, and found there were few items left. Most of the dining room guests had opted to eat in the Lido and had cleaned out the buffet, then proceeded to fill the Lido pool area before 7pm. Figuring on locating a seat in the pool area, she found there wasn’t even standing room. The lights had been dimmed to the point she could not find any friends. Trying to make the best of it, she searched for the appetizers only to find there were a few hot dog tid bits left over. In addition the music was loud, and not up her alley, so she left. Bet she ordered room service food for dinner. The way she described everything had the three of us laughing all through breakfast. The best part had to be seeing the hotel manager, Henk and a friend, rowing the canoe in the pool. Some more thought might have to go into the planning of such events. We have not mentioned the laundry service yet, but so far, it has worked quite well. Yesterday we had turned in a bagful, and it was returned last night after dinner. Included was a note saying ”We care for the clothes you wear. Thanks for letting us process your laundry.” Isn’t that a kick? Having complimentary service is such a wonderful perk. And this is the first world cruise we have done on this class of ship. The Amsterdam had a few self-service laundry rooms, where this ship has none. We believe this class of ship was designed for shorter cruises, where there was no demand for coin-operated washing machines and dryers. Sure don’t miss those days when we did all of our laundry ourselves. The usual activities took place today such as the Coffee Chat with Ian at 9am. Recently we had read that this chat time had been eliminated, but it is still happening in the Rolling Stone Lounge. We suspect that the Polynesian Cultural Ambassadors will be wrapping up their activities today and tomorrow. Once we hit Papeete, we will have several port days in a row, then head towards Tonga. Wonder if there will be a New Zealand Maori team boarding to take their place? One of our friends had tested positive for Covid yesterday. He and his wife are the most cautious people we know with wearing masks, even when they were not mandated. Just goes to show you how contagious this virus can be. He is feeling better, and so far his wife is Covid-free, as they are tested daily. He has been quarantined in their room, but she is free to move around the ship. So far, we have not seen either of them, so she is sticking close to home. And we have noticed that more of the crew are putting their masks back on. We tried some different items for dinner tonight. Italian wedding soup for one of us, and a frisée salad for the other. It has become quite obvious that the kitchen is running short of food items. One of those has to be the oranges for fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast. And the berries…..they are gone completely. And it just so happened that Stephen, the new head of restaurant operation stopped by our table tonight. He agreed that the orange juice was not up to the standards that it should be. To us, we would say it has been watered down, although Stephen says it is the quality of the fruit. With that said, starting tomorrow, there will be no more fresh orange juice for anyone. There may be a concentrate used, which would be 100% better. Or do like one of us did……order cranberry juice. Barb touched on the subject of the shrimp cocktail she ordered. It was actually tough, and another guest at our table said hers was watery and lacked flavor. He agreed that the quality may be inferior to what we are used to, but new deliveries will be arriving in Papeete, and he hopes to make up for the shortcomings. Stephen has a wonderful sense of humor and actually thanked us for our input. It is important that someone speaks up when it is a legitimate complaint. Like last night’s cranberry sauce. It was suggested they purchase Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in cans, and he said that may be possible with Sydney’s orders. Anyway, we both ordered a very different version of tuna for our entrees. It was breaded and fried, then covered with a marinara sauce, served on a bed of rice and spinach. Very tasty, although one of us ordered it well done, it was still moist. Today happened to be one of our fellow President’s Club member’s birthday. Three years ago, he celebrated his 80th birthday while on the doomed 2020 world cruise. He had invited a group of friends that took over the lower center section of the dining room. When it came time for his cake, at least 100 waiters arrived to sing the special birthday song. A memorable occasion, it is something he will remember forever as we will too. Tonight, he was served his cake, which was supposed to be carrot cake, his favorite. He sent slices of red velvet cake to our table, but it wasn’t quite the same. It’s the thought that counts. And we guess the bakers ran out of carrots. The clocks went back ½ hour this evening, putting us back to the full hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in Tahiti. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 20 Wednesday January 18, 2023 Taiohae, Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia 8am-10:30pm Hot With Rain Showers And Sun 87 Degrees...Part #1 Of 5......0 Pictures ....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 The Zuiderdam sailed into the bay at Taiohae, Nuku Hiva very early this morning. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, even though a shower passed over the island around 7am. Detailed directions were printed in the Daily Program, so everyone that wished to go ashore knew how to get tender tickets. Those that were on the one and only tour here did not need the tender tickets, nor did the Club Orange, Neptune & Pinnacle guests, or President’s Club members. We had no intentions of going over early, so a leisurely breakfast in the dining room was what we chose to do. This morning there were six of us. Back in our room, we watched the tenders being lowered and some guests proceed to board them. Everything slowed down to the point we noticed that the boats were lined up, but going nowhere. At 9:30am, we placed a call to the front desk, where we were told that all was going well with the transfer. Then within seconds of calling, an announcement was made that due to the low tide, they were having great difficulty getting guests off of the boats. In addition, they were concentrating their efforts to get the tour groups off first. We had planned on leaving by 10am, and that’s what we did. The idea was planted early on that access to the pier was dicey at best in Taiohae, and unless you considered yourself able-bodied, you might reconsider going over to the island. We had noticed while watching from our veranda, that Captain Frisco had donned a baseball cap, and personally drove one of the tenders to shore right after that announcement was made. We’re guessing he needed to see that everything was being done in the safest way. By the time we lined up at the tender platform, he had come back to the ship. He must have been satisfied with the process. Perhaps that warning was exaggerated, but there were plenty of helping hands or arms as we embarked the boat and got off at the concrete tender pier. Not a problem that we could see. It was not crowded at all in the tender area, which was fine with us. Henk was on hand to make sure the tendering was safe as could be, as he always does. Here’s a tidbit of info about French Polynesia. Did you know that French Polynesia’s 117 islands are spread over a marine area the size of Europe? That equates to 2.5 million square kilometers. The total population is 280,000 with Papeete being the capital. The language is French or Polynesian. Because of the great distance between islands, the language evolved quite differently. Local dialect may not even be understood among the diverse islanders separated by miles of open ocean. Each of the five archipelagos that comprise French Polynesia offer a different adventure. You can dive azure lagoons, relax at luxury resorts, hike the steep mountains, see the waterfalls or take in the views of the lush valleys. The aroma of the tiare flowers and frangipani blossoms fill the air no matter where you visit. Nuku Hiva is one of the Marquesas Islands, the furthest away from the other archipelagos. It can be described as an island of snaggle-toothed volcanic peaks covered with brush and native trees. And did you know that that this island is the largest of the 117 French Polynesian islands? Even bigger than Tahiti. Even to this day, it is common to see many natives wearing their tribal tattoos, including some of the ladies. The capital is more of a large village, and easily walked from end to end. That’s exactly what we did today, like we just did back in November. Packing the umbrellas insured us that it would not rain until later in the afternoon. Despite the clouds passing overhead, it was most warm and humid. So we took our time, and walked all the way to the end of the road, and went right for the Le Nuku Hiva Pearl Resort. By now it was close to 11:30am, and the thought of sipping ice cold beers kept us going. We had passed the several local stores, cafes, and a bank. The high school grounds were full of kids getting ready for their lunch break. The crowd of cruise ship passengers thinned out dramatically at this point. The most sought-after icon to visit was the Cathedral, which was about at the halfway point. We decided to stop on our way back. One thing we noticed was how much greener the area looked compared to last November. At that time, the shoreline trees had lost many of their leaves, and the grass was brown. An effort had been made to water the grassy areas with hoses. These were missing today, and mother nature was taking on the chore of keeping the grounds damp. Many trees were blooming yellow blossoms and the flamboyant trees were full of red flowers. Bougainvillea was brilliant with several shades of blooms. It took a few extra minutes to summit the road up to the hotel, as it is steep. But it was worth the climb to be seated on their newly-stained spacious patio, and take in the views of the bay and the boats in the water below. Our ship was anchored a bit further away today, perhaps due to the tidal changes. We would stay here until 10:30pm, which is the latest we have ever left. What happened next made our day. We headed for the table we always use, and when the waitress came over, she instantly recognized us from our last visit in November. She gave us a resounding welcome back, surprising us that she remembered our last visit. We placed our order then started with two ice cold Hinano beers. Boy those went down easy. You never realize how dehydrated you can get in this tropical heat. They were so good, we ordered two more….medicinal purposes, right? Served with the beverages were fresh hot French bread rolls with butter. Offered a choice of two types of bread, she gave us each two rolls. Our lunch consisted of a shared chicken club sandwich with a side order of fries. Our waitress gave each of us a basket of fries with our sandwich, then followed with a shared dessert of a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on the side. It was difficult tearing ourselves away from this setting, but we had a long walk to get back to the ship. By now, the patio began filling up with guests, and among them were friends Peg and Rich, frequent repeat world cruise travelers like us. Finally, we had some time to visit with them since we were all sent home almost three years ago due to Covid. Nice to see them back, they admitted to coming to this hotel because of reading the blog. They had done an independent tour and had their driver drop them off up here. Like us, they walked back to the ship. On our way back, we took the time to hike up to see the Cathedral, even though we did that last year. This time the school kids were out, and playing around the church grounds. It appeared to be a big deal with them if we said hello as they ran by us. We did make several short stops to cool off in the shade along the way, and that got us back to the pier by 3pm. Thank goodness there were crew members handing out either ice water or lemonade before we boarded the boat back to the ship. We had brought water with us, but every single drop was gone. The ride back was quick, and once again, there were many helping hands at the tender landing getting us back onboard safely. Once we got back in our room, we never left until dinnertime. Passing showers began close to 4pm, and continued off and on until dark. Dinnertime found our group all present, everyone with a different story for the day’s activities. Barb and Susie had planned on going to shore together, while Woody would hold down the fort. However, when it was announced that the conditions at the pier landing were dicey, they changed their minds and stayed onboard. Too bad….they could have done it easily. Greg and Heo had never stopped in Nuku Hiva before, and did get off making it as far as the Cathedral before deciding to turn around and go back to the produce market. They even bought a few of the local pineapples and brought some to dinner to share. They were as sweet and tasty as Ian had mentioned in his port talk. Right before joining our table, the guys made a visit to the already started “Glamp-Out”, a new special event held in the Lido pool area. Based on the new idea of glamorous camping, the experience offered snacks like cut-up hot dogs and Pringles (for sale) for starters. Many other snacks and desserts were available while the Band played music and lecturer Andy Fletcher gave short campfire talks poolside. A canoe had been put in the pool as well. This event lasted until 10pm. The rest of our tablemates, including us called it a night, but not before we finished our meals of crispy spring rolls, salads, a complete turkey dinner, and one salmon plate. The sliced pineapple complimented everyone’s desserts. The Zuiderdam left the bay silently around 10:30pm, then headed towards Tahiti, our next port of call in two days. We are happy to have two sea days to rest up. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #19 Tuesday January 17, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Sunny And Warmer 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........24 Pictures Around 9am, during our breakfast service, Captain Friso made a swoop through the upper dining room to pay those of us there a quick visit. He is quite often seen in the Lido as well during lunch time doing the same thing….visiting, then eating his lunch. We shared a few “remember when” moments from several years ago, when he was Staff Captain. One of those times was a stop at Easter Island, when one of the tenderboats and a platform were badly damaged. Captain Friso literally rode the damaged platform back to the ship while being towed by one of the other boats. He remembered it well. So did we, because we had to crawl out of the shattered front window of the tenderboat to get onshore. These incidents do not happen often, but when they do, the memory lasts forever. The biggest news of the day was Ian announcing there had been another theft in the Crow’s Nest this time. Missing now? One of the majong games. He politely requested for the game to be returned soon, and from here on out, and no games were to leave the room. Lastly, he said there were no more French Polynesian Francs available at the front desk. We have never purchased these francs because the US dollar is widely accepted in most places. And most credit cards are gladly accepted where you might getter a much better exchange rate. After our warm walk outside, we passed through the Shops where a large plastic-like world map was on display. In a box next to the map were other smaller world maps, but not the same as the bigger one. They had a kid’s map, one with animals of each continent, and one that was for coloring with crayons. None of them had a price tag. So we asked the sales person, and he came back and said they were over $40. And the one that was on display was not in stock. Sort of the same story as the GWV t-shirts…….out of stock and we do not know when more will arrive. Just as we rounded the corner, we came across Carol, the all-time favorite watercolor instructor from many world cruises. As we mentioned before, she and her friend, Siri, are on this cruise as passengers, and enjoying every minute of it. Anyway, we overheard Carol asking the sales person where the scotch tape was, and he pointed to the watch section. Hmmm, did not know they sold scotch tape. Of course, we had heard wrong….she was looking for the scotch tasting in the watch shop. Big difference. As one of us likes scotch, she invited us to join her even if it was only 11 am. And she insisted that the old saying that it’s 5 o’clock somewhere applied here. We might have been tempted, but the meager tasting was straight up without ice. A bit too strong and too early. But we did have a really nice visit with her as she shared some tales of her travels. Looking forward to more visits with her. The usual day at sea itinerary was in full swing today, although we think some folks are getting antsy to walk on solid land. Good thing tomorrow we will be able to do just that. Every guest has been given the information on how the tendering service will work. For those of us that are President’s Club, Neptune and Pinnacle suites, and Club Orange, our tendering will be as simple as showing our room cards to the “guard” going down to the platform. There is no need to collect tender tickets. We have no desire to be the first ones off of the ship, because we will have plenty of time to roam the island. For the first time ever, we will be in Taiohae until 10:30pm. Not sure why since there is virtually no nightlife there. Maybe it has something to do with tides. We were all present at dinner tonight. Greg and Heo had gone to Canaletto one evening, then to the pop-up Sel de Mer last night. They enjoyed both venues, although not every item was to their liking. They are true “foodies” and shared some photos of their various courses. The menu in the dining room tonight was much to our liking. The fish entrée was snapper and reportedly excellent. The chicken parmigiana with spaghetti was equally as good. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings, In regards to the specialty dining, the policy for dining in the pop-up Tamarind was not discounted for us, although it should have been. We questioned this while on the Tales of the South Pacific, and were told by the manager at the time, that our Mariner discount would not apply. Furthermore, we were not allowed to use our complimentary President's Club Pinnacle Dinner credits. We have not gone to any special pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill yet, but when and if we do, we will let you know how it works as far as the charges go. Bill & Mary Ann PS Rick and Mary: Yes we remember you on that cruise. It does seem that some of the "rules" are different depending on what ship you are traveling on. Not always the same.

Report #18, Monday January 16, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Clouds With Periods Of Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........21 Pictures Yesterday we were advised that there was a problem with the ship’s Navigator sight, blaming the misinformation it contained on a routine maintenance that was done. Their suggestion was to log out, then log in again. However, this morning the Captain announced early on that everything was off, especially the correct time. The app did not recognize the ½ hour increment. Even the TV in our rooms had the wrong time. People riding the elevator with us asked what time it was. Of course, one of us sets the clocks before doing anything else after dinner. Since we were on time for breakfast, we knew the time was 8am. Sure hope someone figures the app out and fixes it. During our morning stroll, we came upon an injured bird, a small one, but not necessarily a sea bird. Sometimes these birds will hitch a ride, then end up too far out at sea to return to land. The poor little thing was barely moving, but we did not intervene. Some other folks did. Something tells us they gave it a proper burial at sea, since it was close to dying. It’s not the first time we have seen birds land on the ship, eventually dying. There was one occasion where we sailed Trans-Atlantic, and a pair of pigeons tagged along. They made it all the way to Ft. Lauderdale with the help of the outside crew who fed them and gave them fresh water daily. There are two lecturers onboard. One is astronomer Andy Fletcher, who has talked about the universe, special relativity, space, time and finally….weirdness. Then a historian Mike West has shared interesting facts about the wonder of ships and their place in history. Neither speaker has their talks repeated on the room TV’s, which is too bad for those of us that choose not to sit in a crowded lounge. On the other hand, the port talks are repeated on the TV, but the sound is cut in half. We did report this to Nyron and Ian, both of whom do the talks, and they were already aware of the problem. Nothing has been done to remedy this problem unfortunately. It’s another IT glitch we understand. Anyway, on a different subject, a few days ago Ian came on the speaker and said that some very large reference books had gone missing from the new library. Oh my gosh, there are thieves among us. We had to laugh when he requested that these books be returned immediately. Then he added that we would be allowed to take a photo of a map or whatever, but do not remove these books. So, why wasn’t a sign posted saying not to take them? Yes, everything has to be in writing. Passing through the library today, we were happy to see the stack of these huge books back on the shelf. The thieves have been exonerated. And we are sure they meant no harm…… Later in the afternoon, we received a complimentary photo of our dinner group in the Pinnacle Grill last night. The ship’s photographer had taken shots from both ends of the oblong table. One of our friends was halfway blocked. Our picture was OK, but we hope our friends got the shot of the opposite side. We shall ask tonight. We also got the delivery of our every two-week delivery of 32 Coke Zeros. No flowers this time. Finally, we were given a list of the upcoming tender ports for the whole trip, and our President’s Club priority boarding privilege. It will be interesting how they will handle this procedure as there are other folks that qualify for it whether through being Neptune and Pinnacle suites and now Club Orange members. This can be quite touchy, and we do hope there is a plan where our group has a separate line or a different access to the tender platform as we did in the past. We were two friends short at dinner this evening, as Greg and Heo attended the first Sel De Mer venue in the Pinnacle Grill. Since there is no dedicated restaurant on this class of ship for this special dinner, it is considered a “pop-up”. The same applies to the Tamarind….a pop-up. We discovered that our 10 complimentary Pinnacle Grill dinners do not apply to pop-ups and there is a full price charge plus the 18% gratuity. Even the Mariner Star program discount does not apply to these dinners. And to complete this picture, every specialty dinner is full charge as well. We will need to make reservations for the regular Pinnacle nights, because, unlike the shorter cruises, there are many more specialty dinners on this grand voyage. Coconut-crusted shrimp was ordered by all of us, along with cabbage-bacon soup, and salads. Mains were mahi-mahi and pork tenderloin, which ended up being breaded and fried Weiner schnitzel. There are no more blueberries or black and raspberries available, so the desserts are limited to only strawberry decorated. The carrot cake was most ordered, but not the same as we have known on past cruises. The raspberry frozen yogurt was good as always. The showlounge was a movie theater tonight with The Woman King shown. And all of the music venues were performing tonight. Once again, we had to turn the clocks back one hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in the Marquesas. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #17 Sunday January 15, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 75-80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........21 Pictures If it’s Sunday, then it’s brunch in the dining room from 11am to 1pm. Breakfast is served as usual, but the lunch menu turns into a brunch with a three- course fixed menu with sample-style tastings. Many guests love it, but we prefer the traditional breakfast and lunch meals. Since the small servings could include mystery food, it could have things one of us is allergic to. We have tried this venue on past cruises, but at least ¾ of the meal was donated to our tablemates. We all had a job this morning with our passports, Australian and New Zealand visas, and our yellow fever certificates collected at 9:30 to 10:30 am. This happened on each passenger deck at the mid-ship elevators. Usually, these documents were taken at the time we embarked the ship on day one. Not this time. Our guess is that the process would have slowed down the January 3rd embarkation line, so the plan was to collect them 12 days into the cruise. However, there were only two front desk ladies doing the scanning and collecting on our deck, and the line backed up and snaked down the hallway at one point. In hindsight, we should have worn our masks. It took over ½ hour before we handed over the docs and passports, and received a receipt to use to retrieve them before we reach Durban, South Africa. We were reassured that everything would be locked up for safe-keeping. Other activities today included pickleball for beginners. We have heard this sport can be a source of injuries, so following the activity in the Daily Program, were pain management and hot stone massage, both promotional features. Is there a method to their madness perhaps? The Polynesian team is onboard with ball twirling demos, shell necklace classes, and ukulele lessons for beginners. We have not recognized any of the team that were on the recent Tales of the South Pacific, nor have we spotted Kainoa, who is frequently on these runs. Our jacuzzi tub was fixed for the second time today. They had to search for parts to get it working again, and we sure hope it continues to operate. A select number of President’s Club members were invited to a private dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. It was also another “dressy” evening for everyone. Pre-dinner cocktails were served at 6pm in the Pinnacle Bar. Our group were dinner mates Barb, Susie, and Woody, and we were joined by Howard, Gyl, and Don. Captain Friso and Chantal were our hosts at assigned seats in the side dining room of the restaurant. What a nice time we had, since we all have known each other for many years. Even though the menu was set, Tina, the manager, had checked with Susie and me to substitute some items due to allergies. We had a short cocktail time with fancy canopies, then we were escorted across the hall to the restaurant by 6:30pm. The first course was a cured Norwegian salmon dotted with itty bitty osetra caviar and avocado puree and citrus compote. We learned tonight that both Friso and Chantal are vegetarian, so their courses were modified for them. Two fine wines were poured…the chardonnay from New Zealand, and the merlot from Washington state. A very hot soup was served called white langoustine, a really rich creamy soup with shredded apples. We all raved about it. Our main course was slow roasted beef tenderloin, roasted spring onions, pressed potatoes, baby beets, a dark gravy and a horseradish foam. Sure was tasty and a very special treat. Then dessert arrived which was a warm sticky date bar with amaretto sabayon, pecan crunchy ice cream and a curtain of crispy caramel. Coffee finished the meal. The head chef paid us a visit and we all thanked him for such a memorable meal. The wait staff, some of whom we know, gave us excellent service. Tina had visited in between courses, announcing the next course. We mentioned to her that Barb and Susie were missing their favorite dining room entrée of calf’s liver. Guess what? Tina made a trip to the kitchen and brought back a few slices of the liver for each of them. How nice was that? And Barb was served her favorite crème Brule, so we knew she was a happy camper. We were back to our room after 8:30pm and had a note to set our clocks back ½ hour. This is one of the few places in the world we do this ½ hour adjustment. And so much for another busy day on our long voyage to French Polynesia. Bill & Mary Ann

No, Sylvia and Joe are not on this voyage. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #16 Saturday January 14, 2023 Day At Sea Enroute To Nuka Hiva Sunny With Clouds 75-80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........55 Pictures Part of the fun of cruising is being able to share info with friends the following day regarding events, such as the Captain’s Dinner last evening. A funny thing happened at dinner, depending on how one looks at it. If this occurred to one of us, then it’s not so funny. Anyway, towards the end of our meal, a full glass of red wine was accidently spilled , mostly in the direction of our guest host. The look on his face was priceless as he politely said it was OK….not too bad. The funniest thing was when our buddy, Barb, blurted out “It wasn’t me….I didn’t do it! Well, that presented the perfect time to call it an evening, and thank our host for joining our lively group. Not sure how he felt about the special “christening”, but if we don’t see him again, we will know why. Then we learned from a breakfast buddy that the Lido dinner did not offer lobster tails on the buffet for the formal dinner. A frequent diner in the Lido for dinner, she told us only a handful of guests ate dinner there last night. Only the filet mignon or baked tenderloin was served….no surf and turf. On one world cruise, we spotted a lady in the Lido that had ordered six lobster tails, and had a waiter pack them to her table for one. HAL has made sure that cannot happen anymore. You want extra – you pay $$$. The weather has remained perfect and the seas have been smooth. Except for an occasional roll of the ship, we have barely noticed the movement. What we have observed is the fact that fewer and fewer folks and crew are wearing masks. Truthfully, the only time we still feel vulnerable is riding in elevators. We did see a hand-written note on a cabin door up the hall from us saying do not enter without a mask. Perhaps they are elderly folks with other complications. Who knows? After the morning walk about the promenade deck, we wanderd up to deck 10 and passed by the watercolors class in progress. They use the Club HAL room and it is a small group. Coloring for adults, something fairly new, was being held in the Encounters Room….still not sure where that is located. So far our travels have not taken us by the arts and crafts session in the Lido, but we are certain it is full of crafters. We used to eat lunch around the same time of the class while on the Amsterdam, but the loudspeaker drove us out. Another great reason for getting room service. We had the best chicken Caesar salads from room service today. So far, their food and service has been top-notch. We spent the afternoon downloading photos and reading a book. Reading has not been a pastime that we always have the time to enjoy. One of the books we picked up has to do with animals…right up our alley. From dogs and cats to lions and tigers as privately-owned pets. Really interesting. Dinner was back to normal without the fancy clothes and an appealing menu. One of us had the tomato soup, while the other enjoyed the salad. Mains were English roast beef (no Yorkshire pudding), and a trout entrée, complete with two bones. First time to find those. But trout is notorious for tiny slivers of bone. Cheesecake made up for the bones. Tomorrow our table will be empty because five of us are invited to the Pinnacle Grill for the first group of the Presidents Club special dinner. Tina, the PG manager stopped by to double-check on allergies for me and Susie. Shellfish and peanuts are off the menu for us. Nice that she remembered to ask. Greg and Heo are planning on a dinner in the Canaletto. Wish they were PC like the rest of us. Bill & Mary Ann

Hello OldTymeCruiser, Could you tell us your brother's name? We will be attending a special dinner for President's Club in the Pinnacle Grill tomorrow, and perhaps he will be there also. We have not received a watch, nor have our President's Club buddies, who are all long time members. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 15 Friday January 13, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Partly Cloudy With Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures Remember when we had a few specials of the day in the dining room for breakfast? Well, that little notice was on our table his morning with a choice of a breakfast burrito or two Belgium waffles with special toppings. The daily menu is fixed, so it’s nice to have some options. We have continued to enjoy the mimosas and cappuccinos. During our morning walk, dolphins were spotted once again, but on the starboard side. Of course, we did not have the camera. Making another stop in the new library, one of us picked up an exchange book. That section had tripled in a few days, because many guests bring books with them. On the way to the elevators, we ran into a couple from Canada that we had met a year ago while on the Caribbean cruises. At that time, they had recognized us from our blog, and we chatted for a while. Turns out we have lots in common starting with knee problems and a shared interest in the outdoors and animals. What a combination. We will surely cross paths many times on this long trip. We took a walk to the Seaview pool where we noticed a new ramp was created for walkers and wheelchairs. It ended at the two jacuzzis making it ADA compliant. This must have been added during the recent dry docking. Sitting nearby, were Barb and Greg. We joined them poolside and sipped ice cold lemonade. The tables were filling quickly because it was close to noon time and the folks were coming out with Lido food. Barb and Greg were meeting Heo in the dining room, where they share the same table on sea days. Back at our room, we had a notice that we would be crossing the Equator today bringing us into the Southern Hemisphere. The actual King Neptune Ceremony will happen in March, when we cross it again. We have all been pardoned until then. Hmmmm, the last time we did that on the Tales of the South Pacific, we had nothing but driving rain most of the way back to San Diego. King Neptune was not so forgiving back then. We had another small notice that a prorated credit had been applied to our shipboard accounts for the diminished internet during our 8 day crossing. We had discovered the credit yesterday, and felt it was fair. Other than losing the TV reception this morning, the internet was not completely gone. Trying the TV around 3pm, we found it had returned. After lunch, we took another walk and returned the card with our next President’s Club benefit of sodas. We get this every two weeks, which works out nicely. Also, we requested to have our air vent filters replaced. You would be surprised how much dust can collect in them. And this room has two of these vents. After dinner, we found a note saying the work had been done. That was quick. This evening was the first “formal” evening for dinner. In fact it was named the “Captain’s Dinner”. A special menu was given and some of the larger tables were hosted by officers or staff. We had the pleasure of the company of the first electrical officer, Ben. Wine was provided for all, except those of us that requested diet Cokes instead. This is the first menu where we saw a charge if you ordered an extra entrée of surf and turf. If you preferred to have two orders, the charge was $7.50. We have seen guests order numerous lobster tails, so this was designed to stop that habit. One of us ordered the salmon plate, while the other had tortellini with a filet mignon on the side. There was no charge for doing that. Crème brulee was on the dessert menu, but it turned out to be a small tart with a crust. Not exactly what we expected. We also shared a small slice of chocolate cheesecake, the better choice in our opinion. Following dinner was the Zuiderdam Ball, which was done differently. It was not held in the Mainstage, but on the Music Walk on deck two. It spanned the Rolling Stone Lounge, Billboard Onboard, and the Ocean Bar. That began at 9pm and would last an hour where the dancing continued in the Rolling Stone Lounge. Since we were still eating dinner, we missed most of that activity as we usually always do. Back in the room, we had two gifts of diaries for the world cruise as well as a towel animal, even though we did not ask for one. They are amusing. The better gift was setting the clocks back another hour, putting us on West Coast time we believe. Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks for the "heads-up" on the wine tastings that occurred while on other HAL ships as recently as the fall of 2022. We shall pass this information to the head sommelier. The internet is spotty, but we have had luck in sending and receiving emails so far. Bill & Mary Ann PS We did lose a few shallow-rooted pine trees during the worst of the rain we have been told by our son and neighbors.

Report #14 Thursday January 12, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Cloudy With Some Sun 78 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........32 Pictures You would think that since we are getting closer to crossing the Equator, the temperatures would be stifling. Much to our surprise, we felt far less humidity, and temperatures than never exceeded 80 degrees. This suits us just fine, as we are still getting used to warmer days. It would turn out to be another day to enjoy our veranda. Our day started out with another nice breakfast, where we were invited by our “breakfast club” friends from what we all knew as “Ganville” to take a group photo. Simply put, the six of us dined in the same area on the Amsterdam for breakfast, and Gan was our waiter. One of the nice guys, he took care of us, but after Covid shut down cruising, he decided to get employment elsewhere. Many of the fellows did the same thing, but it took many of them away from Holland America Line. Now that he is not here, his colleague, Danu, has taken over as our assistant morning waiter. Another really nice waiter, he posed with the six of us, and Linda will send this via Facebook where we know Gan should see it. “Danuville” is the new name. Hope he gets a chuckle from it, and he will know he is truly missed. Andri is our main waiter, and we are so glad he stayed. They make an excellent team. Walking this morning was pleasant, since it had not gotten too warm. When we did this run last November, we had rain all the way from Papeete to San Diego. At least, it is dry, although cloudy, the sun did shine through off and on all day. Wanting to check out the limited collection of South Pacific pearls in Effy, we priced some of their necklaces and pendants. Anything with diamonds was over-the-top expensive. However a few of the strands were affordable. The sales fellow seemed most willing to give discounts as well. We do have time to make our minds up, but at least we got to see some of the items close up. One problem we could see right off the bat, was that many of the stranded pearls were chokers, and we mean chokers…..too tight for the average woman’s neck. Inquiring if they had the ability to lengthen them, they said they would work on a solution, and call us if it was possible. Passing by the Ocean Bar after 10am, we saw the group of ladies (and maybe some men) working on their Linus Project items. It is called the sit, knit, and needlework group, and the entire room appeared to be full of guests busy at their projects. I have a needlework picture framed at home with the saying “Busy hands, happy heart”. This sure could apply here and was nice to see. Of course the activities were numerous all day long, and there is something that would appeal to most everyone if they choose to be busy. Compared to the shorter cruises, the various activities offered on sea days attract many repeat passengers that enjoy being busy. And many of them know each other. Today we inquired about the ability to order dining room food during the serving times. Such as lunch from 12 to 1pm. The nice room service fellow said we can order during any meal service time, and have it delivered to our suite. And it still remains at no cost, unlike ordering from the Dive-In or the Pinnacle Grill. One of these days we will try ordering the cowboy burgers from the dining room lunch menu, and see how that works. On our last cruise, we tried two burgers and fries from the Dive In, and were disappointed as they were barely warm and the fries limpy. Even though we are a bit late reporting this, we had been invited to a wine tasting held in the Crow’s Nest two days ago. Even though we don’t drink wine, we have attended numerous tastings onboard the various ships over the years. It was always a food pairing with the different wines, which made more sense to us. In the end, we still came out not caring for the wine, but appreciating how food can taste better with it. Now the reason for these wine tastings is to obviously sell their wine packages. Yesterday we took that trip up to the Crow’s Nest to see the set-up for the second day of tastings. The wines had been separated into three cellars (categories), and presented by whites and reds, along with their clever names. And we had heard that no food was included with the tastings due to Covid restrictions. We heard many comments that people really missed the assorted cheeses, crackers, and fruit, even though the servings were small, it was better than nothing. Maybe someday, the food will return. Our dinner service was better this evening. We were all served in a timely manner, and at the same time. It sure is awkward when one or two of us has to wait for an entrée. We do believe the head waiter was aware of this situation last night, and stuck around throughout our entire meal. He asked each of us if we liked our starters and mains, more than once. Even followed us out of the dining room to make sure we were happy campers. The show tonight was a performance by vocalist Rebecca Kelly, and the fellows were on their way to listen. By the way, since early this morning we have had no TV reception, as expected according to our warning a few days ago. Luckily, the internet still worked for us. We happened to notice a mysterious credit for internet on our shipboard account. Tonight we had a message that due to the diminished connectivity during the 8 day crossing to Nuku Hiva, everyone with an internet package received the credit. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #13 Wednesday January 11, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva, Marquises Cloudy And Cooler 78 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........43 Pictures Our second day at sea was a relaxing one, just the way we like it. More friends are showing up at breakfast in the upper dining room, so we hope that this service continues. On our N. Statendam cruise last year, there were far fewer guests in the evening, and the upper dining room was closed completely, except for teatime. Our fixed seating at 8pm, became mixed with anytime dining. We did not care for the continuing meal service with some entering and others leaving around us. Anyway, the breakfast continues to be top-notch and one of us is enjoying the complimentary almond milk cappuccino as the final cup of hot coffee. Taking our morning walk on the promenade deck, we crossed paths with Greg and Heo doing the same thing. We all had a treat when we spotted many pods of jumping dolphins perhaps 100 yards away from the ship. There must have been a string of dolphins one mile long. The birds had left us however, even though we did see some small flying fish present. We did a bit of exploring, finally after being here almost a week. Taking a ride up to deck 10, we checked out the Crow’s Nest where every table had folks playing cards or table games. A few jigsaw puzzles were in progress, although one puzzle was missing four pieces. Believe it or not, some passengers will take a few pieces then add them when no one is looking. Why? Don’t know….it’s a power thing. The Shore Excursion folks were busy as was the Explorations Café. It sure looks different from the bar and bands that used to be here. Finding a narrow staircase, we went up to the Cabana area or the Retreat section on deck 11. None of the tents were occupied today from what we could see. Perhaps they are busier on shorter trips. Last fall, we did have a wonderful President’s Club cocktail party with the staff up here. It was really nice until it began to rain, when we took shelter in the cabanas. From here, we walked back downstairs (there is an elevator) and made our way through the Seaview pool area, the Lido Restaurant, and the Lido pool area. We spotted many folks we recognized from previous world cruises – all staking out their tables for the upcoming lunch buffet. We searched for friends Pauline and Mike, but they were not there yet. We did see the Lido manager Ronald, who is one of the most liked fellows onboard. Since we had a lot of sun shining on our veranda, we relaxed there and one of us began reading one of the library books. We had a nice breeze and so far, the weather has been tolerable. Still, we have to be careful because we are heading further south, and the rays are much stronger here. Lunch included two chicken Caesar salads, and a shared club sandwich. Very good. Even the 3 chocolate chip cookies have gotten better since the first day. There must be a new baker onboard. When we finished our meal, we had a phone call from the Shops. The sales gal had located a couple of world cruise t-shirts in the size we wanted, and said she would hold them for us. So we took another walk on the promenade deck, the ducked into the store. There were no other customers at this time, so as well as purchasing the t-shirts, we checked out their collection of Maui Jim glasses. Trying on several types, we ended up purchasing 2 pairs which we really needed. They are polarized and well made. We have noticed that the service at our dinner table has been not quite as seamless as it had been earlier in the cruise. If there happens to be a popular appetizer or entrée, like scallops or rack of lamb as there was tonight, our dinners do not arrive together. Telling everyone to please go ahead and eat, they do so reluctantly. This evening, we got our dinners late, even though one of our orders was the fish. Could not help but notice that my rack of lamb was fried, not roasted. It was tasty, but not the same. Anyway, we survived and enjoyed desserts of frozen yogurt and a cheesecake with meringue. And the clocks were set back another hour. Good news. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #12 Tuesday January 10, 2023 Sea Day Cloudy With Rain Showers 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........25 Pictures Our favorite “blue hat lady” (Barb) joined us at 9am for breakfast this morning, which she will do occasionally. Most mornings, she will pay a visit to the Lido for a light meal. She used to be able to get fresh-squeezed orange juice there, but no more. We do have that served to us here, as well as mimosas if we wish….complimentary. Martha and Bob joined us, which was nice. We all stayed until almost 10am. Perfect time for a couple of miles hike around the promenade deck. There were some crew members working there today, which is a common thing to see. The weather was mild although really cloudy. It was obvious that there would be some rain showers today. Greg had told us that the Shops were selling the 2023 world cruise t-shirts, but they did not all have the itinerary printed on the back. So we went to check it out, and did find a long sleeve lightweight t-shirt with a partial list of ports. Instead of each stop in Papeete, Moorea, and Raiatea, the shirt just said French Polynesia. Same for some of the stops in Africa, such as South Africa. Guess that this is as good as it will get because of the many itinerary changes that have occurred prior to the beginning of the trip. Sizes were limited, so we picked up one itinerary t-shirt, and few other items that were in the correct sizes. Right now, most of the sizes are small or xxxlarge. We know from past experience that you have to buy something when you see it and not wait. The sales folks said there may be more boxes of clothing, but they have not found them all. Not the best answer to hear, but this is how they operate the shops. The sales gal did put our name on a list if they find more regular 2023 t-shirts in the sizes we want. Then we read that the new library had a grand opening today, where the new collection of books was unveiled. We are not sure what the room was called before, but we think there was a watercolor class held in there on deck three next to Merabella. Actually, it was very nicely done with all of the subjects divided into sections. Brand new mostly hardback books lined the shelves. The popular ones have several volumes. We are limited to two books at a time, and asked to return them in a timely manner. Of course, the books need to be turned in before disembarkation. No librarian is present, and there is a simple book drop cabinet. In one corner, we spotted an exchange section. Unlike the area of the Amsterdam, this library has no chairs or tables, just simply the books. A nice addition in our opinion. We retreated to our veranda to relax and watch the boobys flying alongside the ship. Obviously they were eating something we could not see, like tiny octopus perhaps. Normally these birds dive for flying fish, but today they were skimming the surface of the water. Always fun to watch the action. Today was the first time one of us attempted to try the jacuzzi jets in our tub. Guess what? It was broken and did not work at all. So we placed a call to the front desk, and they promised to send a plumber this afternoon. He did arrive shortly after our call, and found the broken part and replaced it. Great…now we are in business. Lunch for one of us was a bowl of chicken soup with a plate of rigatoni with marinara sauce. It was the best ever, cooked fresh, and served piping hot with a side of garlic bread. Nice alternate from sandwiches. A Cobb salad and cheese quesadillas was the other lunch. A few cookies ended the meal. We had an invitation to a President’s Club Reception in the Gallery Bar at 4:30pm to 5:30pm. We were greeted by Captain Friso, Henk, Shiv, Ian, Michelle, Chantal, and other key officers and staff. There are reportedly 44 in our group, and adding the staff members, the room was full. Drinks were served and appetizers passed around while Captain Friso welcomed us back to another “full” world cruise. Everyone clapped happily. On past trips, these affairs would be scheduled between dinner times. These days, there are too many times with open seating, not counting the fixed seatings. So they did it early. We left before 6pm, then had some down time in our room where photos got downloaded before our dinner time. For some reason, our meal service was slow due to the fact so many guests had ordered the scallops for their appetizers. Not me as I am highly allergic. Our mains included barramundi and veal piccata on a bed of orzo. All very tasty. Barb got antsy and left the table before dessert which was a nice caramel Brule-like serving. On a side note, we have noticed that the chefs have re-introduced cold soups once again. And I am sure we have mentioned how often we see one or two types of shrimp for appetizers. All with no extra charges. The entertainer this evening was pianist Elliot Finkel, an artist we have had the pleasure of seeing for several years now. With credits including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Broadway, you know his show will not disappoint. Many years ago, he traveled with his father Fyvish, and also his brother Ian. Both of them have since passed away, but they were quite a trio in the day. So much for our first day at sea on our way to paradise. Bill & Mary Ann