WCB

Report #11 Monday January 9, 2023 Fuerte Amador, Panama Arrived Yesterday At 5pm Leave Today At 6pm Mostly Cloudy With Rain Showers 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 2......72 Pictures Last night we received a letter explaining (ahead of time) that our internet service will be experiencing slow speed, partial loss of the signal, and temporary outages. This is due to the fact that we’re heading into the middle of nowhere as we traverse the Pacific Ocean. We know this fact quite well as we recently sailed back to San Diego from the Marquesas in November. In fact, we had no internet. We have been asked to reduce our use of video streaming and large downloads as much as possible from January 10th to the 17th. When we reach French Polynesia, the service should be better. The day started off very warm with the sun shining in our room. We were the first guests to arrive for breakfast and got the best attention ever. By 8am, a few more folks showed up. Something tells us that the rest of the President’s Club members did not read the message in our original letter of perks saying that we had our own special place for breakfast in the dining room. Anyway, there were some tours today that took people mostly out of the area. There was an excursion to see the new set of locks on the Pacific side for $85 or a ride to see Old Panama for $75. An aerial tram offered views of the jungle for $130, while a canal cruise took the guests to possibly see monkeys in the canopy for $110. The Best of Panama covered the basics for $160, and there was always a visit to the Embera Indian Village for $120. That was a hoot…we did it 20 years ago. Watching from our veranda, we noticed there were few folks taking the tours. Maybe because there were shuttles taking people to either the Multiplaza Mall or Perico. We have no idea where Perico is located, but Greg and Heo were going to check it out after dinner last night just to see where the bus went. They promised us all that if they felt it was not safe to go off of the bus, they would ride back to the ship. The line waiting for the shuttles at 9:30am was very long. Since it was very hot and steamy this morning, we decided to wait until 11:45am to leave the ship. There was no walking in the terminal area at all, and no way to access where we used to tender in the small boat marina. Once we boarded a small mini- bus, we saw why there was no walking. The entire area around the new terminal was still torn up. It will be a long time before this project will be complete. The ride to the Multiplaza took about 20 minutes, and we were glad we had worn our masks. Most everyone, except crew, went mask-less and lots of them were coughing. Probably not Covid, but the start of colds or flu, who knows? Neither of us want any virus, so the masks will stay on. Buried within the downtown city of mega-towers, we arrived at the mall where we immediately recognized the entrance at Luxury Avenue. We had done this same transfer back in 2019. This mall was very nice and upscale with tons of shopping from everyday stores to the high- end ones. Basically, we went there mostly to take a walk in a comfortable air-conditioned setting. If we spotted a restaurant serving wood-fired pizza, we may have eaten lunch there. Sadly, we saw nothing like that. No matter where we looked, we could not locate a map of this mall, so we just walked each level window-shopping. Funny that in a mall this size that we would run right into tablemate Susie and Ellen outside the supermarket. Ellen had already found some fresh flowers and Susie was working on a list of forgotten items. They were heading back, and we were still wandering aimlessly. Everything we needed we had bought while in Ft. Lauderdale. One good thing was that the Panama dollar was the same as the US dollar, and they accepted both as well as credit cards. Time to head back, we left around 1:45pm and rode the little mini- bus back to the pier with Gyl and Howard. The skies were getting darker and it sure felt like rain. The weather can turn on a dime here as we saw yesterday. Back in our room, we ordered room service with a promise the food would arrive in 30 to 40 minutes. Honestly, the delivery came within 10 minutes. These guys are good. While enjoying our salad and sandwiches, we suddenly heard a huge bang outside like ka-boom. The room lit up and we saw a flash and smoke. Thinking it could be a bomb ( you never know in this part of the world), it looked more like lightning. The Captain came on the speakers and said it was a lightning strike and it hit one of our antennas. Not sure exactly what it damaged, but we are certain it can be replaced. At the same time the lightning hit, local workers were delivering produce and other items to the ship. They never missed a beat as they used a crane to lift the heavy load into the ship. Unconcerned with the blast we heard, they must have known what it was, and did not panic. By the time the job was completed, the rain began falling heavily. Around 4:30pm, the Volendam left the pier, tooted their horn, and headed south for their grand journey. We left later than expected and followed their path around 5:45pm. As we said, we will have eight days at sea in the wide-open ocean before reaching the Marquesas. We were all there at dinner, and shared stories of the day. It is nice to hear what everyone did, since we all did something different. We are getting used to the earlier dining time of 7:30pm. It is better getting back by 9:30pm to the room or have time for the show. The entertainment this evening was a show in the Mainstage called Panama. Hope it turns up on TV, because we were way too tired to stay up that late. Tonight we were all given the Orange Club menu which offered a special of the day. It was roast lamb, and one our tablemates ordered it. We had one trout entrée and one cordon bleu plate….both delicious. So far the meals in the dining room have been very good. And we had a reminder to turn the clocks back one hour tonight. That works for us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #10 Sunday January 8, 2023 Transit The Panama Canal And End In Fuerte Amador 7am -8pm Cloudy With Rain And Sun 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 4 Recently someone asked us how many times we have transited the Panama Canal. To tell the truth, we had lost track of the exact number, but it is in the 20’s. And we never tire of the sailing as it is a true wonder of the world. The Zuiderdam was in line to enter the first set of locks at Colon quite early this morning. So early, we missed seeing the new Atlantic Bridge which was completed in 2019. Breakfast was served at 7:30am, but not well-attended on deck three. Perhaps the guests had forgotten to set their clocks ahead last night, or chose to sleep in a bit later. No matter which direction the clocks are set, it does upset your internal clocks somewhat. However, one of the nicest part of breakfast was the appearance of Panama Rolls, an HAL tradition since we can remember. These rolls are made with a sweet yeast dough, and filled with a mandarin filling. Yum. We only had one each, but sure could have indulged with more. While we were dining at a window table, a “mule” went by and the driver waved to us. The ship was being raised in Gatun Locks and we happened to be at the ground level at that point. We would be in three sets of locks, which would raise the ship 100 feet above from the Caribbean Sea to Gatun Lake. In 2016, work was completed on a new set of locks here called Agua Clara Locks, which are capable of handling much larger vessels. Back in our room, we had the perfect spot to view this transit. Most of the important sites would be visible to us as we are on the port side of the ship. Weather conditions were on our side as well as it was mostly cloudy with a life-saving breeze. Our room category included the use of Bushnell binoculars, which are adequate, but not as good as the Steiner’s we always use. But now we each have a pair, and we could spot twice as much. While we were sailing in Gatun Lake for over two hours, we had time to look up some info on the country of Panama. It is a Spanish-speaking country of 3.7 million people with the capital at Panama City. Famous for their Panama Canal, it is the world’s greatest short-cut. Cutting through the Continental Divide, it links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Riddled with setbacks and tragedies, the passage was completed by 1914, and expanded by 2016 with new sets of locks. These new locks can accommodate ships with more than 14,000 containers, making the canal central to the world’s maritime traffic. Local speciality foods include sancocho or a chicken and veggie stew. Ropa vieja is shredded beef served on a bed of rice, while patacones are fried green plantains. Drinks are pipa, fruit juice or coconut water. Seco is a locally made rum mixed with milk and ice. Finally vino de palma is a fermented sap from the trunk of a palm tree…..refreshing they say. Reaching Gamboa, we saw the gate cranes, one of which is called the Titan, or also Herman the German. Not sure it is still used, but it takes powerful large cranes to service the gates that hold back the water in the channels. It is here that the river runs under the bridge from Lake Madden, and also the area where notorious Manuel Noriega was imprisoned until his death. Culebra Cut is where the canal begins to narrow and we crossed the Continental Divide. Gold Hill is located here, which was named that in order for the French to inspire workers to dig for it. No gold was ever found there, but the work was completed. Recently, rebar was added into the hillside to stabilize it from falling. Next was the Centennial Bridge, completed in 2004, which helped lessen traffic on the Bridge of the Americas. We have had the pleasure of driving over it while on a tour several years ago. We reached the Pedro Miguel Locks at 1pm, just as the Volendam was entering the first chamber. We pulled up in the adjacent lock as she was being lowered 30 ½ feet to Miraflores Lake. The ships were close enough for us to spot some people we knew on there. The Zuiderdam was next to be lowered by 1:30pm. Sometime around here, the rain began to fall in a quick, but heavy shower. It did help cool the air off briefly, but it remained humid the rest of the day. It was time for lunch, but we did not want to leave the room, so we ordered room service again. Expecting them to be very busy, we were pleasantly surprised to receive our food within 15 minutes. While dining, we entered the Miraflores locks where the visitors center is located. There were two levels of greeters today cheering the two ships onward. The new set of locks was not visible as they are located on the starboard side of the ship. Cocoli Locks were completed in 2016 and have three lanes to transit instead of two. This whole new complex is quite visible from the ships, and it is possible to see the water-saving basins that reduce the volume used during the operation. Once we passed Miraflores Locks, we knew to keep a lookout for capybaras , the world’s largest rodents. And we mean BIG. We did spot just one, and it was near 150 pounds, the size of a pig. In the past, we have seen many more, but today we were exiting earlier than usual, so they were not all out grazing. In addition, some folks spotted two caiman on the banks, where we always see them. Finally, the ship went under the Bridge of the Americas near Balboa which spans the entrance to the Canal. It cost the USA 20 million dollars in 1962, and is 5,425 feet long, almost a mile wide. It is part of the Pan-American highway linking the Americas from north to south. The Captain took his time heading towards Fuerte Amador because he had to off-load pilots and bring on a new one. The plan is to overnight in Fuerte Amador, leaving tomorrow around 5pm. Much to our surprise, when the Captain rounded the corner, we found the Volendam docked in a new cruise terminal, and we docked directly across from it. This is all new since we were here in 2019, so there is no more tendering. However, we have been advised we cannot walk out of this terminal and will have to take shuttles to two different areas of Panama City. But more on that tomorrow. Dinnertime arrived at 7:30pm, and all were present, including Ellen who was dining alone once again. Aart tested positive today, and cannot be released from his quarantine until he is negative. He looks and feels fine, but the test says otherwise. So Ellen joined our table and it was fun for all. We realized that the majority of us are President’s Club members and should have the Club Orange menus. It has one extra entrée compared to the regular menu, so our waiter promised to give us those menus from now on. This is the first world cruise that Club Orange has been an option for some folks. Not sure what our plans are tomorrow except maybe a ride on one of the shuttles. Bill & Mary Ann

Carol and Siri (watercolor gurus)are happily sailing as guests on this world cruise. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #9 Saturday January 7, 2023 Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 8am-4:30pm Hot And Humid 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.......67 Pictures Costa Rica is a Central American country of 4.8 million Spanish-speaking citizens. The capital is San Jose, and the area is quite diverse with lakes, waterfalls, volcanoes, jungles, and many beaches. It is a tropical paradise where growing bananas (among other fruit) has put them on the map. Their slogan is “Pura Vida”, which translated means pure or good life, and also reflects the standard of living which is high for this part of the world. Wildlife includes caimans, turtles, night herons, monkeys, and sloths, some of which we did see today. Our port of call was Puerto Limon, located on the Caribbean side of the country. Hot and steamy, it is a working town, so most passengers leave the area and take tours. We arrived by 8am, and found that the Volendam had beat us here. They are on their way to circle South America on a grand voyage, and we do know many folks on that cruise. While we were eating breakfast, the Marella Discovery 2 pulled into the third slot. It looked familiar to us, and upon looking it up in the cruiseship book, we realized it was the former Legend of the Seas (RCI). It appears to belong to Tui Cruise Line now. Smaller than us, we sailed on that ship in 2000 from Auckland to Sydney crossing the Tasman Sea during some pretty rough and windy conditions. Wow, 23 years ago now. Anyway, she houses up to 1800 passengers, mostly family, friendly British folks. Having taken most of the tours here already, we were in no hurry to go to shore. We like to watch the exodus from the promenade deck with the “sticky” people (tour groups with numbered stickers on their shirts) and others off for a stroll through town. We had gotten the currency conversion card, which showed 575 Costa Rican colons which equaled $1 USD. Good luck with that math. Our little cards help with the scale going up to the equivalent of $1000 USD. All of the vendors gladly accepted the USD for payment, and from the few things we priced, their quotes were correct. There is a very nice souvenir shop that we have to go through to get to the gate. We decided to check out their wares on the way back. On our way to the gate, there were several locals hawking tours, most very reasonably priced. The vehicles used were the mini vans and you had to wait until the vans were filled before they left the parking lot. They had many takers between the three ships. Some of the ship’s excursions included rides to the mountains and canals, or a town tour. We had not remembered to check these out on the TV earlier. So we missed the exact tours and prices because they had been removed from the site. There is a small park near the port where some sloths hang out in the canopy. Today there were a pair…a mother with a baby. Locals like to pretend they own them, and will point them out for a tip. Most of us know this, and do it on our own. Unless the sloths move, they are hard to see. We did cross paths with Greg and Heo briefly as they looked for the lazy creatures too. Circling the park, we came out at the seawall, where locals will have picnics later on, especially today since it was Saturday. They add some music, and you have a big party. Pura vida! Walking the seawall, we noticed there were no beaches here. Access to those might be private resorts out of town. What we saw were locals out and about, some of which were homeless people sleeping along the wall. Guess we wandered into the seedy part of town. Heading up one of the avenues, we made our way to the largest church here…..the Cathedral. It is old, but filled with beautiful stained glass windows and a vaulted wooden ceiling. Having one local coin in my pocket, I used it to light a “candle”, which was battery-operated. It is an old Catholic tradition, which we still follow today (secretly wishing for a safe and uninterrupted trip). Since we were not given a port map or guide on the ship, we had to depend on the town’s directions and map. These days, it appears we are on our own due to the fact many people have cell phones with access to all that information. It has saved HAL a lot of paper for sure. As for us, we miss that info and a convenient local paper map helping us find our way. One of the places we wanted to see was the produce and local market. It was rather crowded, so we did not linger too long. Most of the stalls were under cover and quite dark for taking good photos. And besides, the humidity was high today, and it was uncomfortably hot too. So we headed back to the ship, stopping in the souvenir shop. We did purchase an unusual wooden carved bowl to hold our pillow chocolates. We had completed a two hour hike. And it is worth mentioning here that one of us has developed a very sore shoulder and upper left arm. This could have occurred while stashing the luggage under the bed a few days ago. In the meantime, we hope the pain eases up and goes away. Back to our cool room, we downed sodas right away, then spent the afternoon relaxing on the veranda, after down-loading all of the photos. A room service lunch was perfect. One of us tried the chicken noodle soup, which still has the spaghetti for noodles, but the soup was delicious. We shared a beef panini and cheese quesadilla. We left around 5pm, with lots of horn-blowing from both HAL Captains. The Marella Discovery 2 remained behind. The Volendam followed us as we are both heading for the Panama Canal tomorrow, we assume. We had a very nice sunny day today, but tomorrow the Captain said we might hit some rain….something very common for the canal zone. We always welcome it, since it cools the air off somewhat. Dinnertime had all of us show up to share stories of the day. Barb, Susie and Woody had stayed onboard, while Greg and Heo had taken a mini van tour after our walk in the park. They had a nice time, they said. The dinner entrees have remained varied and interesting. Because we are traveling in the Caribbean Sea, the dinner have been heavy on the spicy side, like jerk chicken or fish. Not too spicy, but hot to the lips. No complaints here. One of us had the mahi-mahi and it was really good. The everyday alternate strip sirloin steak was the best ever…tender and tasty with steak fries on the side. The quality of the food so far has been a step above what we had on the Tales of the South Pacific. Of course at that time, we spent many nights dining in the Pinnacle Grill. We have yet to book a date there, but will do so soon. The guys were on their way to the Rolling Stones Lounge to listen to Steven Scott, the comedian onboard. Greg admitted he was slightly disappointed with the Mainstage singers and dancers the previous evening. The dancing was great, but the singing? Just so-so. One good thing is that the shows are 9 or 9:30pm now, and are better attended than later performances. The clocks were ahead tonight, taking back the hour they gave us a few nights ago. At dinner, Woody jokingly told our waiters he thought that was rude to give us something then take it back. Tomorrow, we will be transiting the Panama Canal , a trip we have done well over 20 times. We still marvel over the history behind it and look forward to watching the transit from our veranda. One good thing is that the outdoor speakers in our area of the ship seem to be working better than they were. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #8 Friday January 8, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Puerto Limon Cloudy With Showers And Sunshine 83 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........59 Pictures Breakfast at 8am in the upper dining room was really good. Since there are so few of us that have participated, the service is over the top. We have the undivided attention of the best waiters. There has never been a very long wait for our order to arrive. Today that was important because we had a “date” with a self-administered Covid test in our rooms between 9 and 9:30am. Last night, we all had a letter describing the need to perform the rapid antigen test, and a 13-step set of directions to complete it. Our room steward had an envelope with two tests, although they were missing the cap for the liquid vial. Going out into the hallway, everyone was outside asking where’s the cap. Apparently none of us had one. Perhaps HAL got a good deal on these almost complete test kits! The cap would have been easier to drip the drops of the liquid into the test strip, but we did the best we could. Those with problems with their eyesight may have had trouble seeing the drops go into the small hole. Once the tests were completed, we waited the required 10 minutes for them to develop. Hurray….they were both negative. In the letter, they said to take a photo of the results with a mobile device. Well, we don’t have one, so we were ready to take a picture with the camera when our room steward came inside our room, checked the results, and collected the used test components in a trash bag. Never got a photo. We would hear later in the day whether or not we would need to continue masking for a longer period. In the meantime, the mask requirement remained in place until we reach Puerto Limon. Fine with us. Shortly after that, we took a hike for 2 miles outside, until it began to drizzle. Good time to come back and take some photos of the masked boobys that had suddenly appeared. Joining them was a lone female frigate, who was dive-bombing them as they fished the surf. Best entertainment on the ship for us. While we were on the veranda, the missing bottle of rum had been delivered. Our dinner buddies have not received theirs yet, but should get them soon. We also received a very pretty flower arrangement for our President’s Club every two week perk. The flowers designs are nowhere near the artistic quality we got from Eddy and Calista, but they were really talented. So much so, they opened their own business in the Nederland’s after they left the employment of HAL. By the way, Greg pointed out that there were no more flower decorations on each dining room table. Doubt there are orchids in the Lido, but we need to check that out. There are many hidden cutbacks like this that we haven’t even begun to see as of yet. When we do, we will mention it. We did stop at the future cruise consultant’s desk just to inquire about a few trips we were interested in for 2024. There is a one-time 28 day cruise in Alaska that just came out before we left home. The deposit was quite steep booking it at home, so we waited until we were onboard where they offer a reasonable deposit. So we ended up putting down a refundable deposit and got the perks that went with the booking. Another one that caught our eye was a round trip San Diego voyage to the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia. That would take place during the same time as the 2024 Grand World Voyage, and we are not sure we want to do. Too much China for one of us. We will have plenty of time to think about it. The Daily Program was full of activities all day which included a watercolor class, Project Linus (knit and needlework), arts and crafts, and bridge class as well as trivia. There are no more dance instructors or dance hosts, which we are sure does not sit well with the ladies. Oh well, another cutback. Tonight’s attire was “dressy”, which most folks were. Although we were prepared for different types of dressier evenings, the suit had to be pressed, and the sport jacket had to be repaired. So it was the tux tonight and not too flashy clothes for me. No glitter yet. The Captain’s welcome in the Mainstage happened at 7pm. Only Greg and Heo attended and said it was packed. And that was one of the reasons we did not go. Same with Barb, Susie and Woody. The first performance of the singers and dancers was at 7:00pm, so the welcome had to be very short and sweet. Dinner items were the Culinary Council picks, which included more shrimp on a bed of greens, crabcakes, and other special appetizers. Most all of us had the crabcakes, which they raved about. There was one large one, but Greg said he would have increased that number and had that for his entrée. If it appears on the menu again, he will know to order it that way. We had one order of prime rib and one entrée of cod, which was plated nicely and excellent according to Bill. A puff pastry filled with chocolate was really nice and something new. Frozen yogurt is always my stand-by, as anything dark chocolate keeps me up most of the night and not worth it. Since some of us wished to attend the show, we ended our meal by 9:20pm. And an added perk was turning our clocks back one hour, the first one of many on this cruise. During the late afternoon, Captain Friso came on the speakers to announce that the numbers of people that tested positive for Covid were acceptable, but he wants to be on the cautious side, and continue the mask-wearing for a bit longer. Some of the captains will give the actual number of infected people, but Captain Friso has never revealed that information. And like we said, we will keep the masks on and glad to do it. We still do get a card with a reminder to set the clocks back along with a quote of the day compliments of the Captain and Crew wishing us many happy adventures. And although we told our room steward we passed on the towel animals, there was one left on our bed anyway….along with two pillow chocolates. The chocolates have been re-instated for a daily delivery every evening. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings all! The Renaissance Hotel stay was fine, but nothing fancy. Adequate. Yes, the Block Party would have been much better if they did it tonight, the first "dressy" evening and after the Covid testing. Now that Gerald (Mariner Society Director) has retired, there has been no replacement. There were no special gatherings for photos with the officers as we had in the past while waiting to board the ship. Those days are gone sadly. Many thanks Denise.....you know our blog address better than we do! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #7 Thursday January 5, 2023 Falmouth, Jamaica 10 am- 5:30pm Rain, Sun And Hot 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 4........65 Pictures Today’s port of call was a small historical town called Falmouth, located between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. It is located on the northern coast of Jamaica, the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean. And we have never been here, so we were looking forward to exploring a new area of the world. Recently we have read some negative things about crime in some of the larger cities of Jamaica, so we would assess the situation once we get there. We may explore, or we may not. After another relaxed breakfast in the upper dining room, we heard the Captain announce that the ship had slowed down due to an engine over-heating. He blamed it on the warmer waters of the Caribbean. On past cruises on the Amsterdam, the problems with the air-conditioning were always blamed on the temperature of the sea as well. Or could it be the ship was getting older? Probably a little of both. Whatever, it would not delay our time very much. If he had not told us this, we never would have noticed a difference in the speed. By the time we got closer to the island, we could see that the Caribbean Princess was already docked. She is a much larger vessel than us at 112,894 gross ton and carries up to 3000 guests. We wondered if it was full? By the time we were alongside the pier, it was close to 10am, our actual arrival time. Having been so busy with unpacking the last two days, we forgot to watch the port talk, which was on TV as well as in the Mainstage. That is very nice since we seldom make it to those talks on sea days. So we caught up with Nyron, the Shore Ex manager, and listened to his talk. Or tried to. The sound level turned up as high as could be was barely hearable. Will have to let someone know so it can be adjusted. Some of the shore excursions offered today included beach tours for $70, bobsled and falls $135, Dolphin Cove & shark show $60, Dunn’s River Falls $70, Martha Brae rafting $100, or city highlights $55. We have done many of these over the years, so decided to stick close to home. The complex where we docked was similar to what we found in St. Kitt’s, St. Maarten, or Grand Turk. We had been given a map showing the main shops which included Cariloha, Del Sol, Effys, Diamonds International, Gem Palace, Karinas among others. An interesting kiosk in the center of the complex was called Patty Port where they served a famous Jamaican patty with beef , cheese, or chicken between a pastry dough. The price was right at $3. To us they resembled a quesadilla and looked like a good snack for lunch. Actually on the way back from our walk we did find some of our friends indulging adding hot sauce to make them spicier. We waited until the majority of the guests left, including the tour groups. There appeared to be fewer groups going off. We entered the complex through the terminal hall, and explored the treasures the shops and kiosks were selling. Undoubtedly, we have so much of these souvenirs, we don’t have room for any more. But it is always fun to look and get prices. What we saw today, especially the wood carved items, were quite expensive. We can do better, especially in Namibia, not that we need any more. By the way, it had begun to sprinkle, just long enough to dampen the umbrellas. Then it stopped, and the sun came out. While we were looking over the wooden bowls, someone came up behind me and offered to bargain for the prices. Funny, it was really tablemate and friend Greg and Heo, who were on their way for a walk like us. They have been here before, and knew the way to the historical part of town. Since we were headed the same way, we stayed together as a group. Always better to have company in unknown places. Once out the gate, we navigated through the downtown streets mixing with the local shoppers. It was obvious this was a historic town with many old buildings, some built in the Georgian style of architecture. Two of those buildings were a town hall and an old Anglican church. This town was built with wide streets on a grid with a Water Square in the center of it all. This would be the place where people gathered their drinking water in the old days. We wove our way through the side streets to find the Anglican church which was built in the 1700’s. Needing restoration, it will be a miracle if this church stands up to the ravages of time and weather. Some of the clock tower had already caved in. We did not linger too long inside the church because it did not feel really safe. Street vendors had tables set up with their wares, trying to attract the tourists to buy lots of stuff. We had been given a card with the exchange rates for the Jamaican dollar , but we did not need it since the US dollar was happily accepted. We all got our fill of photos, then slowly headed back to the pier area. It was beginning to get crowded in the market areas with locals out and about doing their everyday shopping. Most everyone was friendly, and not pushy. Many years ago while in Kingston, we recall a local gal chasing us down the street demanding to braid my hair so other tourists could watch. Really? Don’t think so….. We saw none of that today…only high end shopping and souvenirs. After our two hour walk, we were back to the ship by 1pm, and decided to have a room service lunch around 2:30pm. Yesterday we had been given a notice that deck washing would occur this afternoon, and it was in process when we came back home. It would have been nice to eat outside on the veranda, but the chair pads were damp and we stayed inside the room. Once again we had salads and a shared BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which was really good. We did try a few cookies, but they were not as tasty as our last cruise. Better stick with fresh crispy apples next time. We ordered six of those for snacking. One of us has developed a nice treat by mixing Splenda (or equivalent) with cinnamon and nutmeg and using it as a dip for apple slices. Sure is delicious and much lower in calories compared to sweet desserts. The Caribbean Princess left the port around 3:30pm without blowing their horn, but possibly playing the Love Boat music. It was hard to hear over the reggae band in the complex. All aboard for us was 5:30pm, where we waited on the veranda to sail away. Due to a late arriving tour bus of 25 folks, we did not leave until 6:30pm in the dark. That must have been an HAL excursion, or the ship may have left them behind. The Staff Captain took over the helm, sailed across the northern coastline of the island, then turned south towards our next port of Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. That will be on Saturday, the 7th. All of us were at dinner around 7:30pm, and we all had stories to share. We thanked Greg and Heo for being such good tour guides, getting a chuckle from them. At the moment Woody does not have the use of his motorized wheelchair, since they left the charging cables at home by accident. Needless to say, they did not get off of the ship today. The cables will arrive to Panama City which their daughter mailed a few days ago. Barb stayed onboard, which she usually always does. Friends Ellen and Aart are here, but Aart has Covid (not a bad case) and is quarantined until Sunday we think. Sometimes Barb will go off of the ship with them. Our meals were good again tonight. We began with Thai beef and papaya salads, arancini Pomodoro, a shrimp entrée, and meatballs and spaghetti, my favorite. It did not disappoint. Black cherry frozen yogurt and one slice of chocolate whisky torte finished the meal. The best part of the dinner is the company. Tomorrow will be a day at sea with early morning Covid testing for all. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 6 Wednesday January 4, 2023 Enroute To Falmouth, Jamaica Sunny And Warm With Wind 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures What a better way to start a day than enjoying a breakfast in the Dining Room on deck three with a small group of fellow President’s Club members. Some we knew, some we did not. On recent previous our trip, we dined in the Pinnacle Grill with suite folks. Of course, there were fewer PC passengers, so there was not a problem with space. However, a decision was made to separate the two groups, which works out fine with us. The menu is the same, which includes a mimosa if desired, and extra special service. This morning about one dozen folks showed up, so we had many waiters to serve us. We lucked out and had Andri, who has been on many world voyages. Hopefully we have him as our waiter every day. While we were eating, Presty stopped by. He has taken the job of dining room manager, which he has done for several years now. We also had a visit from the new overall dining room manager for all of the restaurants (the new title escapes us). He is most pleasant and will undoubtedly do a fine job. We had forgotten to inform our room stewards that we go to breakfast at 8am, and usually return by 9:30am. Our room had not be tidied up yet, but when Pur came by, he promised to do ours among the first of his rooms from now on. That works for him especially when it is a sea day, and many folks prefer to sleep late. Good time for a promenade deck hike, we ran into Suzanne who just transferred with hubby Leon here from the Grand Africa cruise. They had a fine time and are ready for another big one, like us. It was powerfully windy outside, as we remember from previous sailings this time of year. So we did not stay out too long. Back to our room, we continued the job from yesterday. Took most of the day, but things were finding a place. By 2pm, we realized we had missed lunch, and ordered the first of many room service meals we will probably have. This room (SS) has much more space for dining with a very nice glass coffee table, a full-size couch, along with an armchair. If the weather was better, we could always dine on the veranda because there is a round table and two chairs, not to mention two padded chaise lounges with ottomans. Anyway, we ordered two cobb salads and a club sandwich to share. The meal was perfect and served within a half hour. For at least this week, we prefer to stay out of crowded venues such as the Lido. And that brings us to the subject of mask-wearing. All of the staff are still wearing them, and the guests are required to wear them indoors for the first several days. We shall be Covid testing again on Friday, and that will tell the story about how much longer we will continue to wear the masks. At 4:30pm, there was the first-ever world cruise “Block Party” where you meet with your neighbors, officers, and crew. Captain Friso announced the activity to begin and asked everyone to bring a glass out in the hallways. Complimentary wine was served as the Captain and officers traveled swiftly from one deck to the next, covering the entire ship. We have done this on a Regent ship years ago, but never on an HAL ship. With the chance that Covid is still a possibility, we decided not to participate. One cannot drink wine and wear a mask at the same time. The menu for dinner leaned more on the “dressy” night fare. Escargots, two types of shrimp cocktails, tenderloin, steak, yellow fin sole, and even lamb chops were the offerings. We have to say that the serving size has shrunk compared to the meals we had on the recent Tales of the South Pacific. If there is a dish you really like, you have to ask for doubles. We had the fish entrée and a one tenderloin, both of which were tasty, although they could have been hotter. Once again, we need to request hot food when we place our orders. All the fellows ordered dessert, which looked really good, but that sugar can catch up with one in a hurry. Nice to share a taste however which was offered by Bill. Sweet. Tomorrow we will be in or first port of Falmouth, Jamaica, a new stop for us. Greg and Heo have been there and said not to expect a whole lot. They also warned us all to be most careful if we go outside the immediate area. We will heed their suggestion. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #5 Tuesday January 3, 2023 Embarkation Day And Away We Go!!!! Sunny And Breezy 80 Degrees Part 1 Of 2......67 Pictures Another early start to the day found us on the way for our last hearty breakfast in Ft. Lauderdale. We had been given specific instructions on today’s string of events, and we needed to stay within the time limits. So we left the hotel at 8am, returned by 9am, and packed the rest of our stuff. As always, the hotel elevators were getting busier, and we knew going down to the lobby might take too much time the longer we waited. So Bill brought our one duffel to the holding area where it would join the mountain of luggage to be hauled to the cruise terminal. The next time we would see it would be in our room – hopefully. All of us met in the lobby at 10:15am, then proceeded to board the two coaches for the quick ride to Port Everglades. Well almost “quick” as both drivers had to wait for a few guests that were resolving some problems. Frankly, we could have walked faster, but not hauling our heavy carry-ons. Being patient is not one of our fortes. Our driver had us to the terminal, Pier 26, around 11am, where he was told by a local security guard we would have to wait to park because the Zuiderdam was loading for a huge world cruise. Well, HELLO, that was us. With that, we got off to wait in one undesignated line to enter the terminal. Normally, there would be another entrance for President’s Club and suite guests, but not today. However, that line did open later, unknown to us. At the door, an HAL rep was asking to see our bar-coded embarkation papers. If we did not have them (Barb did not – it was on her computer), he printed one right on the spot. Informing him that the three of us were President’s Club members, he directed us to the right end of the building and said enter where the new line for us had formed. Barb was the first to break around the corner, followed by us. We could hear some grumbling in the back round, at which time we told them we had been sent that way. Now this next part was kind of funny. The three of us had accidently missed the quick screening of our docs, Covid tests and booster cards, proof of yellow fever vaccinations, and the Australian and New Zealand visas. We assumed that would be done at the final desk as we always did in the past. So we all proceeded through the xray screening with no problems, even though the buzzer went off with the new knee. No one bothered to scan it. The first stop was at the facial recognition kiosk, which refused to work properly. The rep handed us our passports back and said let the next set of agents know we failed the screening. Finally up at the last desk, the only thing they required was our passports. No one asked for the rest of our documents, especially the ones that we had stressed over for weeks. On top of that, their computers were slow as molasses. Another head supervisor had to come facilitate the boarding for all of us. Thanking us for waiting (did we have a choice?) we were given the green light to proceed up the escalator and wait to board the ship. We would estimate there were 300 impatient guests cooling their heels there already. Luckily by 11:30am, Captain Friso and hotel manager, Henk M. were in place to greet us as we headed for the gangway. Funny, we heard Henk summon the Captain just prior to this, and he said he needed a few minutes to finish the other half of his sandwich. We breezed by them, no time for chatting as we were the first group called to board. That is one nice perk of being PClub (President’s Club) members, which is not always honored. On the other hand, if this was a shorter cruise and there were fewer PClub guests, we would have been personally escorted onboard. The three of us were just as happy to be on the ship no matter how we got on. Familiar crew members greeted us as we passed by the room card check point . From here, we found our staterooms, and dumped our heavy bags. We had noticed there was a Mariner’s Lunch in the dining room at 12pm, so we decided to try it for a change. But we had a problem….the room safe did not work. It was dead. Calling the front desk, they sent up one of the managers, who re-set it. Now we were free to go. There was a set menu with salads and a choice of three entrees. Complimentary mimosas were offered. One of us had the pot roast and the other a quiche. Both were tasty and hot. Dessert was a thin slice of Key lime pie, which we have had three servings now since we have been in Florida. Many of the waiters came to say HI, since they remembered us from the Tales of the South Pacific, ending just a mere 6 weeks ago. One important job we had to do was visit our muster station and log in with the staff there. No lifejackets required and no standing up for a group muster drill. That suits us just fine. Then we had to watch the safety video on our stateroom TV. It had to be viewed to completion before the TV would advance to the main menu. Public summons continued for the next 2 hours, asking people to do this right away. Until the entire population did this drill, we would not be able to sail away. The luggage began arriving one at a time, so we spent the remainder of the day unpacking. Once again we brought the heavy duty magnets and dowels to hang shirts. They work so well that Henk designed a similar device to lend to folks who wanted to do the same thing. We read in a greeting letter that they were limited in numbers, as were the stacks of drawers, so it was first come, first served. Our room is larger than we are used to, so we did not need anything more for storage. All aboard was 4:30pm, however, we seldom leave on time. Today was no exception, as we eventually left the port by 6:30pm. Just as well, we continued to make sense of the pile of clothing and supplies until it was dark. No way would we be able to complete the job in one day, and there was no rush to do so. By the way, we asked for the felt hangers to replace the heavy wooden ones. Our nice room steward brought 40, then 40 more, and 20 more the following day. They take up so much less space and nothing slips off of them. Fixed seating for the late dinner (or main seating) had been moved to 7:30pm. We would not have known this unless we looked at our room key, which we did to check our table number. We thought we had secured this particular table months ago, but the request had not been verified by ship services until last week. Our group of tablemates, mostly the same since the 2007 World Cruise, were pleased with the location. It was so sweet to be back together after having to leave the Amsterdam three years ago. Our waiters were Nik and Gofar and they seem to be a good fit for our lively group. Our appetizers were tasty, and the entrees were nice and hot, just the way we all like them. We talked until well after 10pm, but when we saw the drapes being pulled at the windows, we decided to call it a night. Our best bet was to move everything we had left to store onto the large couch and worry about it tomorrow. Rome wasn’t built in a day you know…. Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks for all of the nice comments! The photos will be coming shortly....stay tuned. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 4 Monday January 3, 2023 Day #3 In Fort Lauderdale, Florida Pre 2023 World Cruise Sunny & Warm 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........62 Pictures Our third day in Ft. Lauderdale was sure a busy one. The first thing on the agenda was getting ourselves to the clinic where we could get the Covid antigen tests. Expecting a line right after 8am, we were pleasantly surprised to see only a handful of folks there, five of them who we know well. A nurse came outside the door, took names, then escorted us inside one or two at a time. The actual testing was quick, then we paid the fee, and waited outside for 15 minutes for the results. The best news of the day was we were both NEGATIVE! We were handed printed copies of the tests, which we can show upon embarkation. You have no idea how many sleepless nights were spent worrying if this was going to work. Thanks to our travel agency, they located this clinic where we could walk to from the hotel. There was another option, but it involved using a mobile device, and we do not own one. Even those that had cell phones, did not trust the process and chose to pay the money for a hard copy of the monitored test. Job done. From there, we went to breakfast at the same café as yesterday. It was even more crowded, and we figured there were probably cruise ships in port today. Later on, we discovered there were four of them. We needed a few items at the supermarket, then made a stop at Ace Hardware. Last night, our little alarm clock decided to go haywire, so we located a replacement along with a thermometer for our room. Back to the hotel, we began seeing more and more people we recognized, as well as the staff that had arrived from our travel agency. It has been three years since we have seen them, and there were numerous handshakes and bear hugs. It was feeling more and more like a homecoming. We were gifted with tote bags and really nice sweatshirts, similar to what we got in 2020. They also gave us a cruise diary with all of the ports included in it along with a letter of instructions for tomorrow. Having scattered the contents of our one piece of luggage, we took the time to repack the bag, filling it to the brim. No need to worry about the weight now as it will go directly to the ship tomorrow morning to be scanned before delivered to our room. Many other guests in our group had brought most all of their luggage with them, and were able to store it in an empty hall at the hotel under lock and key. For a change, we traveled as light as we could, having shipped the bulk of the luggage back on December 14th. Feeling the need to take a walk, we left the hotel and had a huge surprise when we ran right into Captain Mercer on his way into the lobby. His wife Karen had already entered, but we knew she would be nearby. After chatting for a few minutes and sharing memories of our last painful goodbyes in 2020, they said our travel group had invited them to join us all for dinner tonight and they gladly accepted. Retirement has agreed with both of them, and Jonathon admitted that his stress level had gone down dramatically after leaving the company. Isn’t that true for all of us? We looked forward to visiting with them later on. Boy, did our travel agent keep that secret successfully or what? So we wanted to see if there were any cruise ships in Port Everglades, and once we summited the bridge, we counted four of them. Easy to remember, the names all began with an “E”. There was the Emerald Princess, Celebrity’s Edge and Equinox. The fourth vessel was an older and smaller Royal Caribbean ship, with the name hidden from our view. Sure is nice to see the industry coming back despite the pandemic. Against better judgement, we continued to hike towards the beach then realized we had missed lunch. We did make an attempt to get seats at Bubba Gump’s, but it was way too crowded and the wait would have been too long. So we turned around and made our way back to the bridge just in time to see the bars drop, and the bridge go up. It was near 4pm, and we had to be ready to meet with the group for a ride to a restaurant right after 5pm. Turned out that three of the four ships began leaving, exiting the path we always take out of the port area. Of course, we had to get photos of them as the captains began blowing the horns. Our turn will come tomorrow. Our room was being serviced, so we had to wait outside of it for a few minutes. That’s about all the time we had left before leaving again. Expecting to see our buddy Barb, she was nowhere in sight as we began boarding the two buses. We had not run into Susie and Woody yet, but we were told they had arrived to the hotel in the afternoon, but were too tired to attend the dinner. It is also possible that boarding the bus may have been challenging for Woody as well. It turned out that Barb was still on her way, and her plane had not landed yet. Thanks to our leader, he arranged for a taxi to bring her to the restaurant minutes after she arrived. He even saved her a seat at the table with Captain Jonathon and Karen, who she knows well. We both greeted her with hugs, then promised to visit later. The ride to Hugh’s Culinary Restaurant took about ½ hour. Literally, it was in the middle of nowhere, but was known to Deann, our leader’s wife, who had gone there with her golfing group. It was a really nice setting with a full bar, a table of appetizers, and many banquet tables set in the center of the room. Ordering two cocktails, we found seats at our leader’s table with some folks we had recognized from previous grand cruises. Tasty appetizers were passed around the tables by waiters. These were being cooked right in the back of the room, and arrived hot. Crabcakes, bacon-wrapped chicken, and a type of pizza bread sure tasted good since we had missed lunch. Tom delivered a short and sweet welcome, then dinner was served, beginning with salads and rolls. Those that wanted wine went directly to the bar, and ordered it. Over a month ago, we had pre-ordered out entrees. So our name tags had a colored dot indicating either beef, chicken, or pasta. They all sounded good, so we had ordered one beef and one chicken. Both were delicious with the best smashed potatoes ever. Dessert of Key lime pie followed finishing the meal nicely. Coffee was set up at a separate table, where the folks helped themselves. Tom, our leader, gave his final talk, describing the process for tomorrow’s transfer to the pier. If all goes according to plan, we should all be at the terminal by 11am give or take a few minutes. Then he surprised us all when he announced to be careful leaving the restaurant because it had rained. Never saw that coming, but it is common in Florida we understand. It had come over leaving some deep puddles, but had stopped by 9pm. Sitting directly across from the Captain and Karen on the coach, we had a nice visit with them on the ride back. Sure was interesting hearing about their 2 month adventure while being stuck on the Amsterdam before leaving in Manila for their final trip home. What a way for Jonathon to retire….never saw that situation coming. They will be staying a few days before heading back home. Tomorrow will be another marathon day, so we called it a night. The adventure continues…… Bill & Mary Ann

Report #3 Sunday January 1, 2023 Day #2 In Fort Lauderdale, Florida Pre 2023 World Cruise Hot & Humid And Sunny 83 Degrees Part #1 Of 2......60 Pictures It was a hot and humid day, or at least it felt like that to us after coming from temps in the high 20’s to low 50’s at home. It takes time to adjust. According to what our parents used to tell us, the cold weather thickens the blood while hot weather thins it out. Wonder if there is any sense to this theory? Must be what their parents told them. It was a perfect day for a lot of walking…mostly to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We headed out early around 8am to a small diner up the road apiece. It really reminds us of Country Waffles since they only serve breakfast and lunch, then close at 3pm. Maybe because it was a holiday, it was crowded. Also, their food is very good and the coffee hot. It used to be that the prices in Florida were a bit more affordable, but time has caught up with that, and it is comparable. We needed a few things at Publix, and easily found it all, plus more. Then we strolled through TJ Maxx mostly to get back in the air conditioning. Ace Hardware was our next stop, but it was closed for New Year’s. So we will come back tomorrow, time permitting. Back at the hotel, the lobby was becoming busy with people leaving and others coming in. So far, we have not recognized anyone. The majority of folks we know live on the East Coast, so they tend to come the day before the cruise. Of course, if the weather changes, some come earlier to avoid delays and cancellations. Other longtime cruisers choose to rent a vehicle and drive with all of their luggage. We did want to take a hike up the bridge to get some photos of the Intercoastal Waterway. Once you summit the center of the highway, there are benches up there where you can catch a wonderful breeze. By the time we got close to that spot, the bells went off, and it was announced that the bridge was going up shortly. We like to watch this event, although the vehicles that get held up are probably cursing. Once the four lane highway lifts, the boats can navigate under it, especially the ones with the massive masts. Due to the holiday, there were hundreds of boats and yachts out and about today. Since we were this far, we decided to continue towards the Ft. Lauderdale Beach, where we could check out the activities on the sandy beaches and also at the restaurants. It was crowded with families BBQing, swimming, playing volleyball, and relaxing under umbrellas. The parking lot was full, but that did not stop the flow of vehicles trying to get a lucky spot. All of the lifeguard stands were manned and there was a helicopter scanning the waters of the surf. Wonder if they ever spot sharks in this area? Like we said, it was hot, and the thought of enjoying a couple of ice cold beers sounded irresistible. Bubba Gump’s filled that bill, as well as a shared appetizer platter of chicken tenders, followed by a slice of Key Lime pie. This place has the best pie ever. Relaxing for an hour was even better. The walk back seemed to take less time….doesn’t it always? We saw few birds, but did spot a squirrel and a few iguanas. Once again, we stopped at the top of the bridge, and a repeat performance of the lifting and lowering happened again. By the way, there were no cruise ships in Port Everglades today. Only one ferry. And it is worth mentioning that the convention center is still undergoing renovations. It looks to be a massive project. So does the renewal of the old iconic Pier 66 Hotel. It looks like the tower will be incorporated with buildings all around it. A sign stated it would re-open in 2024. Back at the hotel, we kicked back for a few hours, watching football, then headed out for salads at Duffy’s once again. The sun was setting by 6pm, and it was still light when we headed to the sports bar. It was really jumping with customers with all of the games today. We caught the end of the 49er’s and Raider’s game, not knowing by the time we left if the tied score changed and someone won in overtime. Good news was that SF scored, and they won the game. We put on a lot of miles today, so sleeping should be great. Tomorrow we need to be up early to go for that Covid test. Once that is done and we test negative, we will be relieved. Will let you know tomorrow how this turned out. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 2 Saturday December 31, 2022 The adventure begins from Clayton to Ft. Lauderdale Tons of rain and 58 degrees Part #1 Of 1........7 Pictures Well, our adventure really began last night since neither of us slept well. No sense because we had to get up around 2am anyway. It would be nice to be able to turn your thoughts off, but you cannot help but go into overtime hoping nothing was missed. So far, we think we have covered all of the details. It rained all night, and as reported, it got heavier as the day progressed. Our driver felt it wise to get out of town before we experienced mud and rock slides on the main road towards town. One good thing about rain is that there was no fog. That could have grounded the planes easily. Traffic was really light at 3:30am especially on a Saturday. We made great time getting to SFO at 4:45am. There were two slow downs on the downtown freeway with tow trucks already taking the crashed cars away. Bet this continues all day because many folks do not drive safely in this kind of weather. Check-in was easy without a lot of people there. We were so glad we were not flying Southwest, although they were claiming it was back to business as usual. A restaurant we like to go to in the terminal was opened by 6am, and we enjoyed sharing a hearty breakfast with lots of hot coffee. Our boarding time was close to 8am, but that did not happen as planned. There was a physically-challenged fellow in a permanent wheelchair that needed special assistance. Traveling with family members, the group was there at the terminal about as long as we were. But the staff waited until the last minute to discover his wheelchair did not fit down the aisle of the aircraft. No one could board until he was transferred to an airport chair, which took almost an hour. The United team kept saying the delay was due to cleaning, but we knew that wasn’t the case. The good news was that once we were allowed to board, the pilot was able to make up some of that lost time. Except for a few patches of turbulence, the flight went well. We had more fun trying to figure out how to work the TV screen and watch a movie. They had dozens of choices, mostly old ones, but a few we had not seen. Of course if there was a screen that malfunctions, one of us would get that one. Asking a crew member, they reset the TV and it finally worked. We both watched Cold Mountain and enjoyed it enough it made the time fly. Many good actors in that movie, although it was sad, it reflected the times of the Civil War. Another good feature of watching movies is that if you turn up the volume, you cannot hear the little kids crying here there and everywhere. Perhaps because it is New Year’s Eve, there were many young families traveling today…mostly with little ones. We landed in Miami around 5:30pm EST. It was warm and partly cloudy, although by the time we got our one piece of checked luggage, it was beginning to get dark outside. Normally, we like to fly directly to Ft. Lauderdale, but there were no straight through flights today. So we joined the line for a taxi, and we were on our way to the Renaissance Marina Hotel within an hour. We assumed that our driver would know the hotel we were staying at by just telling him where it was. Yes, he did know the location, but wanted the exact address. Of course, we had it, but it was buried somewhere in one of the hand carrys. Finally finding it, it was too dark to read it and the driver did not turn on the inside light. I did have a tiny flashlite in my purse, but do you think it could be found? Oh well, something to remember next time. Print the address with dark ink and big letters. The driver put the address into his phone and got exact directions. There was no activity in the lobby and check-in was swift. Good thing because by now we were getting tired and hungry. We stashed our stuff, and headed to Duffy’s for dinner. It’s lively sports bar within close walking distance, so with all of the assorted games happening, it was loud, but good. A chicken salad and a plate of chicken tenders was just right. Back at the hotel, we will enjoy New Year’s Eve activities on the TV. It was heck of a long day. Bet we sleep really good tonight. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 1 Friday December 30, 2022 Getting ready to leave again! Rain and more rain - 58 degrees Part # 1 Of 1 0 Pictures It seems like just yesterday that we arrived home from the Alaska and Tales of the South Pacific cruises. It has been an incredibly busy 6 weeks with routine doctor and dentist appointments, not to mention getting the new Covid boosters and flu vaccines. In between all of this, many dead pine trees needed to be brought down, mostly due to the drought and old age. On the plus side, we have a mountain of firewood for several winters to come. And we only had time to do half of the job. The rest can wait until spring. Then Thanksgiving with the family happened somewhere in the mix. It was great to see everyone together, including Pepsi, the dog. It seemed like we had a lot of time to get stuff done, but the clock was ticking way faster than we thought. Funny how that seems to happen more and more these days……… Then came the packing for 128 days. There was a huge change with the size and weight of the bags this time. Never before was the size or weight a problem, but now, it must comply with airline regulations. Sixty-two linear inches and 50 pounds. In the past, we shipped large duffels that tipped the scales way over 50 pounds. No more….. We were allowed 2 pieces each, even though we upgraded to an SS suite, unlimited luggage did not come as a perk. So we searched for three perfect size duffels and added three suitcases we already had. Luggage Forward is the company being used, and we paid to ship the two extra bags. The pick-up date was December 14th with UPS as the carrier. A week prior, we received the printed luggage tags for each piece. Tracking the numbers, we learned they all arrived on December 21st. Good news, considering what has happened with the recent airline problems. At least the luggage is in Florida, and we hope we will be there without any hitches. One of us keeps a list of things to do before we go. It is mostly wrapping up everything with the house and the bills etc. Not a day went by that a phone call was necessary to confirm that everything was in place. The best thing we ever did was installing a large locked mailbox. No more dealing with the post office, as our son deals with the mailbox now. We had such a terrible experience with forwarding our mail to our son’s address. Nothing could have been more messed up when we got back. Our mail had gotten reversed with his for months afterwards. And many things went to “mail heaven”, never to be seen again. So the plan for tomorrow is to be picked up by our driver at 3:30am. He was concerned with the heavy rains expected tonight, and asked that we should leave an hour earlier, which is fine with us. Luckily, it is a Saturday, and the traffic should be light. We always like to fly ahead a few extra days, just in case there are delays or cancellations, God forbid. We have packed only one duffel to check on the plane, and a couple of hand carrys each. It is a straight through flight and will get us there after 5pm EST. One concern we have involves getting the Covid test 24 hours prior to boarding the ship on January 3rd. This might not have been necessary if it wasn’t for Australia’s requirements. Funny, because we do not get there until February, where we bet we get tested again. And we do know that most cruises this long have been required to test. Our plan is to pay a visit to a clinic close to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Hope that works…. It has been three years since we sailed on a world cruise, although we did go on back-to-backs for almost as much time early this year. We are really looking forward to the itinerary as well as seeing many old friends. We basically will make a beeline to the South Pacific, then head south to New Zealand and across to Australia. From there, we will head to the east coast of Africa, around the Cape, and up the west coast. We do have a six day overland from Durban to Cape Town for a safari. We will not go into the Mediterranean, but head north to Norway, with many stops along the way. From the Azores, we will go trans-Atlantic back to Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, there may be changes, and we have learned to roll with them. So we extend our sincere wishes to everyone for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Stayed tuned…..we will be back as soon as we get to Florida. Bill & Mary Ann PS We would like to dedicate this blog to our longtime friend RKACruiser (Bob), who suddenly passed away a few weeks ago. We met in 2002 while on an Asia/Pacific cruise, and have been in touch ever since. One of the cruises we will remember doing with him was in Alaska a few years ago. We loved his story of flying to a salmon bake, where he spotted a large bear licking the BBQ grill. Hopefully it was after the salmon bake! He will be missed!

Greetings to all! Many thanks for the wonderful comments now and along the way. They are certainly appreciated by both of us. We did arrive home safely and are trying to get the details for the Grand World Voyage taken care of. It is quite a list. In the meantime, Happy Holidays! Bill & Mary Ann PS The Tahitian pearls were bought on the ship in the Effy Shop. Also, we are glad that the Kindle incident tipped some of you off to possibly buying a new one. That's what we intend to do soon.

Report #73 Thursday November 17, 2022 San Diego, California Debark Day Sunny And Warm 70 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........26 Pictures Well the time has come when everything has come to an end. The Zuiderdam sailed slowly towards the final port of San Diego, but not before picking up the pilot at 5am. We did see this because both of us were up well before our alarm clock went off at 5am. We were docked around 6am, an hour ahead of the scheduled time of 7am. This was a good thing because we had recently received a notice that the US Customs and Border Protection Inspection could take a longer than normal time. They wrote, ”In layman’s terms, from start to finish, the entire process may take up to 4 hours”. We were highly discouraged from booking early flights or other travel arrangements before 11:30am. If you had not reserved your flights at this point, good luck. The best news was that the ship was cleared before 8am, but only the expedited guests (those who pulled their own luggage off), would be allowed to leave. Up to that point, no luggage had been unloaded in the cruise terminal. By the way, we understand there are 49 guests continuing onward for the Panama Canal re-positioning cruise. Our President’s Club buddy Howard is one of them. We will see him at the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale right before the world cruise leaves January 3rd. We also learned that the Panama Canal cruise has over 1700 guests. A pretty full house. Our final breakfast was good as usual, although many of the regulars must have had other plans, like room service or the Lido. Our waiter Raj as well as Remco the manager, made a sweep through the room to say goodbye to all of the guests. They are both headed home today and Remco may be on the same flight to SF that we are on. Upon leaving, assistant manager Alejandro gave us both a hug. Hope to see her on a future cruise, since she was a lot of fun as well as good at her job. Last evening, we confirmed our pick-up ride from SFO to our home. Every detail is in place, and now all that is left is wait for the time to leave, which for us is as late as 10am. By then, finding our luggage should be easy. When we saw the Diamond Princess coming into the harbor of San Diego, we decided the better time to leave the ship would be 9:30am, just in case that ship was cleared quicker than us. Most all of the luggage colors and numbers had been called off by now, and we breezed right through security and down the gangway. Henk and Maja were down at the bottom of the escalator, saying goodbye to the guests. We got hugs from both of them, promising to see each other soon, then off we went to find the three bags. But first, we had to present ourselves to the immigrations folks who had a counter set up on the way. We did have our passports ready for inspection, but we did not need them as the agent used the facial recognition screen instead. Dropping the masks, it took seconds to get an “OK” for each of us. With luggage in tow, we went right outside, got a taxi, and were to the airport within 10 or 15 minutes. We had until 1:47pm until our flight left, but getting to the airport was a good move. It was crazy busy, unless it is like that everyday. We guessed that with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week, many folks were flying somewhere for that event today. Checking in was easy, although one of our bags was ever so slightly over-weight, while the other two a bit under. The agent said it was OK. For the first time, we noticed there were scales along the wall near the United counters for the people to check the weight. Such a good idea, that way you could divide things up and not worry about over-weight charges. We got our boarding passes, then proceeded back outside to wait in the sunshine. We had until noon or so, before we had to go back inside the building. Walking the length of the terminals and back again, we sat outside near the International Terminal for a while. Then we had a surprise……Francisco, the dining room maitre’d came from inside and chatted with us for a bit. He was on his way home to Indonesia, a much longer and convoluted set of flights than we had. We had a good conversation regarding food-related subjects as well as serving techniques. We could tell he loves his job, and he does it well. Bet we meet on another ship in the future. Then we had to line up for the security check. There were no signs showing things we always used to do, such as separate your small liquids, take out computers, take shoes and jackets off, or empty pockets. We did end up doing all of the above except the small baggie of liquids. One of us was chosen to do the special xray, probably because of the fact I did not take off my shoes, as it is too difficult wearing a tight backbrace. Anyway, I passed the test, and we were free to go. It seemed that our flight might be delayed, because the plane was late in arriving. But when it did land, the turnover was quick but we still ended up losing 20 minutes or more. That time was miraculously made up in the air because we landed at SFO right on the money. Within minutes, we retrieved our luggage, and met up with our driver. On the road by 4pm, we ran into the normal commute traffic, and it took up to three hours to get home. Our driver said he thinks the traffic has gotten worse than before Covid hit in 2020. Anyway, we pulled into our driveway about 7pm and were happy to be home safe and sound. However, it was really cold. We have six weeks to bundle up before we head off to the nice weather again. Until then, thanks for joining us on another fun journey from Glaciers to Palm Trees! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #72 Wednesday November 16, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California Sun With Clouds 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........44 Pictures Finally, our last day at sea, and we were greeted with bright sun and blue skies. The sea conditions could not be better with no more than 3- foot swells and little wind. The temperature felt close to 80 degrees. We are guessing at the number because the nifty wall thermometer has been packed. Today was all about farewells, beginning with the Pinnacle Grill at breakfast. Raj has been our primary waiter, although the entire staff is used to serve the food. It’s not always efficient, but that’s another story. Anyway, Raj is going home tomorrow, we assume to India, but returning to a different ship in January. He has been fun. All of the staff have been most friendly. We spent the morning catching up sending reports, as the internet seemed to be working. Not the fastest speed, it eventually allowed some emails to download. During this time, we finished most of the final packing, keeping out just what we needed for Thursday. Weighing each piece and dividing up stuff, we ended with each one just under 50#. By the way, we did see a luggage scale by the front desk for the guests to use. It is still approximate due to the ship’s movement. At the moment, we are going at a slow rate of 10 knots, so the ship tends to roll a bit. There was a combined staff and crew farewell at 10am in the Mainstage. That always brings tears with some of the guests after these longer cruises. On the other hand, it may bring tears of joy to some of the crew members, happy that this trip is over. We find that with the longer the cruise, the more demanding some folks become and their expectations are big. We make an effort not to be this type of passenger…..ever. We still had some shipboard credit to use and we were successful in finding a few more small treasures. Also, we had to pick up the Effy certificate for the Tahitian pearls we purchased. It is never easy to do this, as the guarantees are kept elsewhere under lock and key. The very nice salesgirl could not leave her area of the store to retrieve it, but said the other salesman would be back shortly. Once he was there, she would be free to run and get it for us. Of course, their hope is that we continue to look at their extensive collection and find something else we could not live without. Sorry, it did not happen this time. Going outside for a walk on the promenade deck, we had a nice surprise though. We spotted the first bird we have seen since leaving Nuku Hiva a week ago. It was a white and black masked booby, all alone, and flying very close to the ship. We both whistled, and believe it or not, the bird responded by gliding within six feet of us. No kidding. Can this be a learned behavior because cruise ship folks feed them? Years ago while on a Mexican cruise on a Princess ship, we saw people throwing food to hundreds of seagulls from their balconies while docked. It didn’t take very long before the captain came on the outside speakers saying, “stop it now”. And they did. We never saw anything like it again. At 4pm, there was a drawing in the Effy Shop. Since we had 15 tickets, we decided to attend. Never winning much of anything, such as the lotto, we were more curious to see how this gathering would go. And it went as expected – drawn out instead of immediate drawing. The head salesman droned on and on about the company – blah-blah-blah, while everyone began to fidget. Finally, a few pink tickets were pulled, the first one was a “no show”. It was dropped on the floor. Another pink ticket had a winner. Now it was time for the red tickets, and two ladies were also winners of a mystery gift bag. If it was the same as the one Barbie won last spring, it contained a few useful items and a very tiny necklace and earring set. Of course, you were free to take it to any Effy store, and upgrade it to something more expensive. We were among the first to leave this event, since many of these people were maskless, as well as jammed in the store. By the time the sun was setting it was close to 5pm, an indication of how far north we have traveled. The skies were 99% cloud free, and as the Captain mentioned in his noon talk, we may have a chance at seeing the elusive green flash. Although we did not see the green flash, we did notice that the sunrays were dancing on the horizon, like pulsating orange colors. And that was that. We do have photos, but will submit them tomorrow. Dinner time came quickly, and we ordered chicken noodle soup, two ham and chicken croquettes, and a Caesar salad. Then, the gourmets we are, the best thing on the menu tonight were cheeseburgers. Yes, burgers with French fries. And not the soggy steak fries, but crispy hot ones. Made us happy campers. No room for dessert, we said our goodbyes to both maitre’ds Johnny and Francisco. Our waiters Adrian and Carl will be back on the world cruise, but probably will not be our waiters as they will be assigned to a different area. Back to the room, we lugged the three suitcases out the door and parked them against the wall for pick-up later. Got to get some quality sleep, because tomorrow will be a long day. They always are. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #71 Tuesday November 15, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California Cloudy With Showers Warm 70 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........35 Pictures The Pinnacle Grill assistant manager was back today, which was nice to see. We did not ask about Covid, but we assume that was the case, and she admitted to feeling much better. At least we know that she was not the seriously ill staff member that needed to be med-evacuated today. Later in the day, we did hear Captain Frank say that the crew member was a thirty year HAL employee, and he had visited him in the medical center, finding him in good spirits despite his condition. We did not attend the 11:30am Indonesian Luncheon today, but we did inform two of our breakfast waiters we would not be there. They would be working the upper dining room for the event. One of us decided that it was not worth the chance of an allergic reaction so close to going home. Instead we took our usual stroll, and did listen to the Captain’s talk after 12pm. Once he finished the basics of weather and position, he went into great detail about the upcoming medical evacuation. By the way, the temperature was at least 15 degrees cooler today. Feels more and more like Southern California this time of year. Gone is that sticky humidity and intense hot sun. Just before leaving our room to go walking, we noticed a small message in the veranda stateroom’s mail slots. We did not read it fully, but we caught the message that the evacuation was planned about 1 to 2:30pm. It would involve two helicopters, as well as two aircraft. Captain Frank explained that the helicopters could not fly the distance needed for the round trip without being re-fueled. And that is why there were two airplanes to do the job. Now we assume the first helicopter was for the actual patient to be lifted, while the second one held a dive team in case there was an accidental drop in the water. Never knew this could become so involved. In addition to the patient transfer, all of the outside decks were to be cleared, then closed off to guests. And for our safety, all of the guests in cabins with balconies were requested to stay inside after removing all loose belongings. Even a small towel or piece of clothing could be sucked into an engine causing it to crash. The promenade deck would be closed off in the aft section we believe. The actual pick-up would be done near the railing of the Sea View Pool. We began hearing the helicopters around 2 :15pm when they began circling the ship at a distance. They were soon followed by the airplanes. This circling seemed to go on for a while before the first attempt at a pick-up was attempted. It happened to be four decks above our veranda. It must not have worked, because the helicopter took off, and circled back. The second attempt worked as they moved the pick-up to the port side of the pool decking. By then ½ hour had passed. Captain Frank came on the speakers to announce the med-evac had been completed safely, and the patient was on his way to the hospital in San Diego. Not sure if we heard him correctly, but we thought he said it would take 5 hours of flying time to arrive there. We were sure we heard a sign of relief in his voice once this was done. This was our second med-evac this trip, since we also had one with Captain Friso while in Skagway, Alaska. That one was at nighttime in the dark, right after the ship left the port area and was enroute to the inside passage. Now that the need for speed is over, we think we will be going at a snail’s pace back to California, or going in circles? The internet began working better around noontime, so it is possible we are getting within range of another satellite footprint. Backed up emails arrived finally, and we were able to send several. It wasn’t the fastest connection, but it is working. Just it case we lost the signal, we stayed inside and sent replies back to everyone. Also worked on sending the backed up reports for the last week or so. The photos will have to wait we are afraid. But they will be sent once we get home. Thought we would include some basic info about Tahitian or Cook Island black pearls, just in case there are some folks that may be in the market for them. Black pearls are grown in the black-lipped oysters. The spectrum of colors range from purple to champagne and even peacock green. The Cook Islands claim to have the best due to the Manihiki lagoon where they are farmed. Supposedly, these pearls are second only to the Australian Golden pearls or South Seas Pearls. “Cultured” means a nucleus such as a round bead is inserted into the water sac of the oysters. If the oyster cannot expel it because it is an irritant, a layer of nacre eventually coats the bead. This is the substance that give the pearls their color. Each pearl is judged by the number of layers, and there could be thousands of such layers. The sheen, luster, as well as the symmetry contribute to the value of the pearls. Also taken into account are the size, shape, and reflection as to their worth. The same can be said for Tahitian pearls originating from French Polynesian remote lagoons mostly in the Tuamotu atolls. Did you know it would take opening 15,000 oysters to find a natural pearl? We did not know this. They are so rare, that they were reserved for royalty only. The first pearl farms began in 1961 in the lagoon of Bora Bora, with the aid of Japanese technology. The first harvest was two years later, and was highly successful. These pearls range from pale gray to deep black. The government of French Polynesia regulations dictate that 80% of the pearl’s surface cannot reveal the underlying nucleus. All those that do not qualify under these rules, are considered rejects and cannot be sold. Their quality is judged from A to D in value, and size and shape also play into their pricing. Expect a significant dent in the wallet when buying these undeniably beautiful treasures. We suspect that the sidewalk tables outside the market in Papeete do not sell the best quality of pearls, although they look pretty nice. We have been told that these pearls will not hold up when drilled for making pendants or earrings. They crack easily. The best bet in making serious purchases are the guaranteed jewelry shops. And that’s that. Dinnertime arrived shortly after a minimal sunset. Guess they all cannot be spectacular. With too many clouds on the horizon, the sun peeked through briefly, then disappeared like it has been doing for days now. We are noticing that the sunsets are earlier every night as we sail in a north-easterly direction. We are going to miss sharing these sunsets with our buddies on deck four most every evening. So what’s for dinner? Starters were one smoked chicken with marinated papaya, and one crispy shrimp appetizer. Entrees were one barramundi on a bed of hot mashed potatoes, and linguine with chicken meatballs coated with a red tomato sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. Since there are only two nights of dinner left, we indulged with desserts of a whiskey torte and a scoop of pineapple sorbet. So much for another not-so-lazy day at sea. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #70 Monday November 14, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California Cloudy With Showers Warm 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........56 Pictures We have noticed that the assistant manager of the Pinnacle Grill has been missing ever since we crossed the Equator. We quietly asked our waiter at breakfast this morning if she was OK, and he said she has been quarantined, which is what we figured. He did not mention Covid, but we assume that is the case. Hope she will be fine soon, as the quarantine these days is 5 or 6 days. After walking the promenade deck, we ducked inside to be able to hear Captain Frank’s noontime talk. Glad we did, since the outside speakers are terrible. These should be fixed when the ship goes into dry dock soon. Anyway, we have been maintaining a speed of 18 to 19 knots which in our minds, is costly in regards to fuel usage. Now we know the reason for that. According to the Captain, a staff or crew member is seriously ill, and needs to be taken off of the ship ASAP. In order to do this, the Zuiderdam will have to be within helicopter range of San Diego to expedite the transfer. Given the amount of nautical miles left, and our current speed, we will arrive to that pick-up area 15 hours ahead of schedule. Once the med-evac is completed, the ship will mosey into San Diego’s harbor at the scheduled time of 7am. Judging by the remainder of Captain Frank’s comments, we feel the Covid could be on the rise again. He mentioned the fact that fewer people have been wearing the recommended masks as requested, letting down their guard now that the trip is coming to an end. He sounded as if he is not happy about that, but they are not authorized to have the masks mandatory at this point. We are still urged to wash our hands frequently and use hand sanitizer. As for us, we have never stopped with the suggested rules. Checking our location on the navigation channel on the TV at 2pm, we see that we appear to be somewhere opposite the coast of Mexican, perhaps in the vicinity of Mazatlán. However, we are still far out to sea. At least the land is getting closer as we head more easterly now. Wonder if it is possible, they we will get the internet back and working properly? One can only hope. We feel badly for the crew who cannot do their banking or pay credit cards online, let alone contact their families. The third and final Mariner Brunch was held at 11am in the dining room. That should wrap up the events for the general population now. Since we did not attend, we never got our Delft tiles. We will have to ask Johnny in the dining room tonight. Bet he has a few to spare. There were many activities to keep the guests busy today. One of those happened to be specials in the spa. Mostly for the ladies, they offered a session in the Thermal Suite and Hydropool with facial and body scrub do-it-yourself treatments. Guess that is why we saw some ladies dressed in bathrobes waiting for the central elevator this afternoon. That is so not right. Even worse, going to the front desk in that bathrobe is not the best look. One lady just went there to ask where the pointy end of the ship was located. Guess she was lost and needed to find her way back to the room. No kidding……The pointy end of the ship? Really….. One of us has always been interested in Tahitian pearls, but never did invest in them. Today that changed when we visited the Shops and took a look at their Effy selection. Having recently studied the basics on these black pearls, we knew what to look for. Their selection was limited, but we did manage to pick out a choker of black pearls that will blend with the Effy panther earrings purchased a year ago. This was a good move to buy this jewelry, since it never loses its value. And Effy (worldwide) has a policy that they will upgrade your jewelry as long as you have the original receipt. It’s a win-win situation. A red Kate Spade purse was also another purchase….first one I own now. Going to the front desk, we cashed out most of the remaining refundable credit. Now we will not have to wait in a long line to do this in a couple of days. Of course, the remainder of cashable credit can also go directly to the credit card they have on file. The sun was out for the most part of the afternoon. It was hot at times, so we relaxed on the veranda then had lunch. The sunset was unremarkable, but better than rain. The day evaporated and soon it was time for dinner back in the dining room. We had different appetizers – one shrimp taco and a bruschetta with a tomato salsa on top. The hake fish entrée was good once again, and the loin of pork was even better with a BBQ sauce on it. We relented and tried desserts of a lemon tart and another meringue layered cake. All good. And when Johnny came along to check on us, we asked about the missing tiles. Within a few minutes he had brought two of them to us. On our last few cruises, these tiles were left in our room instead. But we are learning that the staffs on the ships do things differently, with the same result. Another exclusive event will occur tomorrow with an Indonesian Rijsttafel Farewell Lunch in the upper level of the dining room. It is held for the President’s Club members, as well as Pinnacle and Neptune suite guests. Not sure one of us can eat some of the courses (allergies), so we are on the fence as to if we will attend. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #69 Sunday November 13, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California Sunny And Warm 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........51 Pictures The seas remained rough throughout the night, but by sunrise, we had mostly blue skies, some fluffy white clouds, and warm humid temperatures. The rain has been left behind, at least for now. Being that the Zuiderdam is traveling north, we do not get blinded by the shining sun in the Pinnacle Grill at breakfast. Our days of breakfast in there are limited now as we learned earlier in the cruise, there will be too many President’s Club members to accommodate us and the Pinnacle/Neptune suites on the upcoming world cruise. Therefore, the President’s Club group will have a special area of the upper dining room set aside every morning. Who knows, it may be even better. The menu is about the same anyway, and eggs are eggs, pancakes are pancakes. Actually, we are looking forward to it. Most of the morning was used to continue packing, although it was challenging with the ship’s movement. We always wonder what it is like packing in the rooms on the upper decks? Difficult for sure. Anyway, leaving out just enough clothes for the next couple of days, most of the luggage is done. After taking down the hanging dowels that held the shirts and the shoe bag, the room looked naked. Devoid of color, no personality. Even with a larger suite, we will bring the magnets and dowels because the shirts stayed much nicer not being jammed in the closets. Taking our promenade deck walk break, we saw thousands of tiny flying fish. Always scattering from the front of the ship. Too bad there are no birds to take advantage of that. Unless we are passing islands, we bet there will be few birds until we are closer to a shoreline. We still spent some time on the veranda in between packing, which does get old in a hurry. You know it is impossible to imagine how much water covers the earth, until you spend many consecutive days at sea. No matter how far your eye takes you in a 360 degree circle, all you can see is….water. To say it is isolating is an understatement. And if you add the loss of communications via the internet, that feeling of isolation intensifies. Guess you have figured out that we still have limited internet. Talking to one of our waiters this morning, he said they have only been able to text, and even that is limited. None of us are getting incoming emails, so please know it is not our doing if you don’t get answers to questions or reports anytime too soon. Today some photos got downloaded from a camera we seldom use. They are mostly photos of food from both the dining room and Pinnacle Grill. Taken over two months ago while on the Alaskan cruises, there are also some from this South Pacific trip. The best part of the various items is the fact we did not have to cook them or clean up. And that’s the beauty of cruising. We enjoyed another room service lunch while catching up on news on the TV. It feels as if the air conditioning on the ship is experiencing problems. Despite the fact the cold air is turned up to the max, our room is about 80 degrees. Even in the Pinnacle Grill we noticed the difference this evening at dinnertime. This would be our final dinner in there, and we ordered the “usual” starters and mains we always seem to do. The 7 ounce filet mignons were about the best ever (once again). Ordering them cooked medium, they arrived more like medium rare, but so tender and tasty, we both liked them cooked a little less. We had to pass on the dessert, since we were full to the brim. Now that it is getting closer to the end of the trip, we had some shopping to do. Going to the Shops is best when the second show has started or 9:30pm. And we did find a few items to buy. The shop employees are very low-key here, compared to those on the larger ships. For that, we are grateful. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 68 Saturday November 12, 2022 Day at Sea Enroute To San Diego, California Heavy overcast and rain 80 degrees Part #1 Of 1 ........ 0 Pictures The third day at sea found the skies partly sunny, which turned to mostly cloudy, then ended up raining. The showers continued for the most part of the day, just as Captain Frank had predicted yesterday. If we had a choice, it would be nice to see the sun as we wind up this trip. But obviously, we do not have that choice. We are still happy that we can sit outside on the veranda, getting some fresh air, and not get wet. Today there was the first of three Mariner Society brunches starting at 11am in the main dining room. Since it was not hosted, and there was a fixed menu, we decided not to attend. Truthfully, we had forgotten about the invitation and had gone to breakfast like we always do. No way could we eat again at 11am, but it is always nice to be invited. Guest relations manager Michelle did give us a phone call to see if we were coming. It was possible they had some tables reserved for our PC group, but we really do not know the other members except for Howard, who had said he was not going a few days ago. The menu was basically the same as always with starters of a Caesar salad or a potato and sausage chowder. Mains were a choice of braised beef pot roast, butter basted fish fillet, or a broccoli and cheddar quiche. Dessert was a slice of key lime pie. We also heard there was complimentary champagne, and according to assistant maitre’d Johnny, there were about 300 guests. The second brunch will be tomorrow, followed by the third one on Monday. By the way, when they have these brunches, the dining room is not open to the regular diners, nor do they serve the regular lunch. We did some packing of the small stuff this morning. It was mostly the drug store and jewelry things that fill the shoe bag and earring pouch. It is tedious work, but someone has to do it. We did take a break to walk the promenade deck, but the rain got heavy , and we were getting too wet. The squalls the ship passed through are usually windy, and blow the rain sideways making walking dangerous. So we did one lap, then gave up. We can always come back later. We kept busy by filling one suitcase. There are four days left to pack the other three. This is the time of truth when we find out that we may have bought a few too many things along the way, although it has only been a few t-shirts, pareos, and fabric. The extra toiletries we picked up along the way are gone, as is most all of the stuff we brought with us 71 days ago. That should give us the extra room in the suitcases. The smart folks we know keep their luggage weights well under 50 pounds and do not worry about it. We ordered our “day at sea” room service lunch which consisted of a bowl of chicken noodle soup (spaghetti, not noodle actually), a Caesar salad, club sandwiches, apples and a couple of cookies. By staying out of the Lido, we have successfully kept our lunch at a minimum, because we do not go back for seconds. The rain continued and with that came choppy seas, high winds, and deeper swells. It became difficult to walk a straight line, and it appears that we are going at a fast clip. The internet has not improved much, but at least we are getting some connectivity sporadically. Strangely, we have not received any emails since yesterday, but may have been able to send a few. We still have a long time to go before Tuesday, when it is supposed to get better. In addition, the Kindle is not working at all. Even though I never attempted to go online, it is trying to download updates, but unsuccessfully. In the meantime, the games that are played on it (off line) will not come up. It is an older model, but it is obvious this has been blocked. Darn….I miss playing those silly games, as they are relaxing and take your mind off of everything even if it is briefly. Dinner was in the dining room, with different starters once again. One of us ordered the cold lettuce wrap lumpia, and the other had deep fried portobello mushrooms. One salad and one bowl of soup was followed by the corvina fish entrée, and linguine with short rib Bolognese sauce. It is not quite like the sauce I make at home, since I use home-made and canned tomatoes. They tend to be much sweeter. Still, the meal was just fine. We skipped dessert, preparing us to get ready for the real world when we go home….no dessert for us! The clocks went ahead the final ½ hour tonight, which is nice since it will give us a few extra days to adjust. We did feel tired all day, and we think it is due to the time change going forward. For one of us, it seems to take longer to go to sleep, then you are waking up earlier, making last night’s sleep time a total of about 4 hours. Time to go to bed now as it is already 11:30pm. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #67 Friday November 11, 2022 Sea Day, Enroute To San Diego, California Cloudy With Sun 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........24 Pictures Wishing everyone a very Happy Veteran’s Day. In remembrance, we were given a poppy to wear as a lapel decoration to commemorate the Armed Forces Community. Last night at 11:30pm, we heard a ship wide emergency call for the medical team that was needed for a passenger in the room next to us. Strange how people living around us can come and go, and we seldom if ever, see them. What impressed us was the speed and quietness of the medical team to arrive. It took maybe five minutes, and they were so quiet, if we had not heard the public address, we never would have known there was a problem. Of course, one of us peeked out the door hole, and did see an number of people in the hallway. But nothing more. They were all gone within 20 minutes. We sure hope all will be well with the guests. The weather changed somewhat as we had cloudy skies this morning, cooling things off. The most noticeable difference was a welcomed drop in the thermometer by 10 degrees. It was 80 degrees on the veranda most of the day. Comfortable. And during his noon talk, the Captain said the Zuiderdam had crossed the Equator before 9am this morning, and we are now sailing in the Northern Hemisphere. As we have primarily been sailing in a northerly direction , the clocks have not changed yet. We are currently 1 ½ hours ahead of Pacific Time. And at 2pm, there was a King Neptune Ceremony held in the Lido pool area. Most everyone knows this is an old custom of turning Landlubbers into the order of Shellbacks. Many years ago, the passengers would volunteer to participate in the madness, but these days, only crew members can do this. We have seen dozens of these extravaganzas, but with Covid still a factor on the ship, we do not want to take any chances of catching it and going home sick. Not even to get a few photos from deck 10, where you have to jockey to get a spot at the railing. The serious folks get up there an hour earlier……but what else is new? Later in the evening, we all got signed certificates of the event. However, their choice of script was not the best for the majority of us that have problems reading the printing. It’s the thought that counts…. The usual ship activities filled the afternoon, but the advertising was heavy on sales in the Shops. We will need to do this soon, since we have shipboard credit to spend. Dinner was back in the dining room, where both maitre’d’s asked where we have been. It’s nice to know someone missed us, since we were gone for two days. Many various items have popped up on the menu. One of us tried the bean soup , which was similar to dos frijoles. Good and hot too. Sesame chicken strips were tasty with the sweet and sour sauce on them. Barramundi on a bed of hot risotto was nice, and the crispy fried chicken or KFC with mashed potatoes was equally good. Comfort food we call it. We were going to skip the carrot cake for dessert, but when we heard lemon sorbet, we each had one scoop. Several of the surrounding tables were empty, due to the Tamarind pop-up in the Pinnacle Grill we suspect. For that reason, we were done with our meals by 9pm, which was fine with us. The entertainment tonight was a performance of the Jukebox Rogues, the Frankie Valle type of music. These fellows dined near us in the Pinnacle Grill a couple of nights ago, and we had to chuckle at how young they look, which they are. Or maybe we are getting older? Nah….. The clocks went forward a full hour tonight, and now we only have the ½ hour to go. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #66 Thursday November 10, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego Sunny And Warm 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........23 Pictures Day one at sea found the sun shining and the temperatures in the low 80’s. Eventually that rose to a sticky 90 degrees on our veranda. How long this will last, who knows? Pinnacle Grill breakfast will be at 8am every day now until we leave. Except sometimes the staff will open the doors early, and those who arrive on time will not get their usual table. Not that we have assigned seating, but it seems that some folks do. The only tables we do not prefer are the tables for two. There is barely room for the plates and cups, let alone all of the extras. There was a Mariner Event for a medium-sized number of guests who received their gold (500 days) medallions and also the platinum (700 days) medallions. As expected, there are several more folks on this longer trip that have more days sailed compared to a 7 day cruise in Alaska. The gathering was held in the Rolling Stones Lounge (formerly BB King’s) at 10:30am. Greeted by Captain Frank, Henk M. and Ian, the President’s Club people were seated in the booths on the upper level. Howard joined us as he usually does. Fancy canapes and beverages arrived instantly. Starting with gold medal awardees (sounds like the bag of flour), each person or couple were draped with the medallions, but not by the Captain or Henk. Michelle and Melissa from guest relations did the honors, but remained masked. The white-ribboned platinum people were next, and there were more than we usually see. Ian kind of accidently called some folks out of order, due to his notes being stapled incorrectly. Anyway the platinum medallion was a big level, since now they are halfway there to the highest level. Then all fourteen of the President’s Club members were introduced according to their number of pure sea days, beginning with 1400 days. We were last with the most days sailed. But who’s counting? At this point, it really doesn’t matter. The perks are the same and well worth the long wait to get them. Everyone had their photos taken as they always do. We heard there were two more sessions….one at 1pm and the final one at 6:30pm. That is a lot of folks earning those medallions and pins as well. Here is an amusing story regarding our session with the medallions. Knowing that it was a fancier affair, we changed to suitable clothing, like what we wear for casual dinner. After all, we would get another photo, and this time we didn’t want to be in shorts. Well, one single very elderly man came dressed in black and white polka dot boxer shorts or perhaps a swimsuit. Polka dots? Isn’t that something a woman would wear? He was also wearing a baseball cap, as we have seen him going to dinner in the dining room that way at night. We watched Henk’s face to see if he reacted with this fellow standing between him and the Captain, actually draping his arms over their shoulders no less. Lucky for him, Henk could keep from laughing. Just last night at the special dinner, we had brought up the subject with Henk concerning the dress code, or the lack of. Henk agreed there are some folks that don’t get it, but that might change. At least for the upcoming grand world voyage. There will be formal, dressy, and casual evenings in an attempt to get back to the tradition that used to make cruising special. We do hope that happens, and for the most part, the long-time cruisers tend to go that way. We worked on downloading photos and catching up on reports like all morning. Then we took a needed break for a walk outside. The regulars were back on the promenade lounges enjoying the nice breeze. Some were trying the wi-fi, but we are not sure it was working well yet. It has been spotty and slow, but better than nothing. Time for drinks in the Ocean Bar, we visited with a nice young couple from Canada. We got into a conversation regarding the dress code, and they agreed about the lack of respect with some folks. They also like the dressy nights, since most of us do not do this at home. Yesterday, we were given paper Mache orange poppies to wear for Veteran’s Day tomorrow. In the past, the poppies were in a pin form, but these are nice too. In addition, in today’s program, there was a Happy Birthday message to the Marine Corp. We had failed to read the program this morning, so we missed picking up our passports on our floor at 10am. Later in the day, one of us went with the passport receipts to the front desk and picked them up. Many others had done the same thing, so there was a line. A few days ago, we had changed a Pinnacle dinner date with tonight, since it was a Tamarind pop-up. The change of date was verbal, but somehow it did not get recorded. When we appeared at 8pm, we could tell by the look on the manager’s face, that something had fallen through the cracks. However, they had a nice booth in the corner, and seated us immediately apologizing all the way. Not a problem, we like the booth for a change. Our meal was excellent and hot. Warm breads were served along with our favorite wedge salads. One of us ordered the halibut, and the other had the lamb chops. The fish was flaky and moist, and the chops were the best ever. Ordering one dessert, our waitress Trusty brought a plate with 2 scoops just in case we want to share. She was right, we shared. Around 9pm, we saw a parade of waiters going down the hallway with trays of chocolate goodies. It was the Chocolate Surprise that lasted for ½ hour. We were surprised to see how many people lined the hallway to grab the chocolate treats as the waiters passed by. The chocolate disappeared in an instant. We both like chocolate, but one of us has a problem sleeping at night if consuming too much of the dark chocolate…the best kind. Another ending of a nice day at sea. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #65 Wednesday November 9, 2022 Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands 8am-5pm Sunny And Warm 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 7.......Text Only.....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,5,6,&7 Internet or no internet – will their attempts at creating hot spots onboard work? We were not going to spend any time waiting in line to hook up to a hot spot for a 10 minute session this morning. This is our final port of call and we do not want to waste a minute of it. And besides, the sun was out and it wasn’t raining. We left the ship at 9am joining the line on deck one to go downstairs to deck A and the tender boats. Boarding was easy because there were several fellows assisting everyone not only with walkers or wheelchairs, but everyone. The ride over was short, but as there is only one spot for the tenders, we did have to wait while bobbing up and down for a bit. There were concrete steps to negotiate, but there were helping hands here as well. Native drummer and singers greeted every tender boat full of guests. Coming over earlier, we had hoped to see large fish cleaning and shark feeding. But the stainless-steel tables were clean and very dry. That was a sign there were no fishing boats here today, thus no sharks. Darn. This pier area has a few snack shacks and a souvenir shop, as well as picnic tables, where the passengers can go online. There were many people attempting to get internet, but we don’t know how successful they were. A short walk from here was the open-air shed that houses their veggie and fruit market. The produce displayed was the healthiest we have seen so far. The cabbage and lettuce was deep green, and the tomatoes and peppers a vibrant red. The fruit looked delicious. There were far fewer souvenir stands, although we did see some black pearls being sold. This would be the last chance for the ladies to buy them. We decided to check out the tables on our way back. Way too crowded, and few of the cruise passengers were wearing masks. They were not required, but suggested. For starters, we have never seen the grassy areas so dry. Even the shoreline trees seemed to be stressed with fewer leaves. Perhaps there is a drought here. And just think, two days ago we were having rain showers like none other, and today, it is dry and arid. Go figure? We did not feel that there were a lot of guests here yet, and guessed that many might have stayed back for the free internet time. Or perhaps they decided not to come at all. It’s not exactly the port where there are many things to do. There was a tour today, where locals took their own vehicles for a trip around the island with a few stops along the way. By the time we arrived, all of those vehicles were gone. We do know some savvy folks that pre-booked an independent tour online, and probably paid a lot less. Walking the seawall, we spotted a hose pulled the length of the tree-lined grassy area. Obviously they are hand-watering this area. Normally these trees are full of white terns, but not today. We saw only a handful of those terns today. Our first stop was to go uphill and see the Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame, also named Our Lady of the Marquesas Tahia. It was built many years ago using various hardwoods from the island. It is quite beautiful with heavy wooden doors, a unique carved pulpit, altar and baptistry. The vaulted wood-planked ceiling has cupola letting in light at the very center of the church. The exterior rockwork must have been recently restored since it looks like new. Sitting in the shade outside the church, we took in the serenity of the peaceful setting. Back to the road, we slowly walked the shoreline noting that it was high tide. The population of the Marquesas is about 9350 people that are spread over six of the 12 islands here. They are located so far apart, that the locals have limited exchange with each other. That left the islands to keep their individual personalities, customs, and dialect. Our final destination was hopefully lunch at the Nuku Hiva Pearl Resort, accessed by a steep hike up the road. A few years back, this property was closed and was in the process of being restored. It is now opened and it looks great. Although we were too early for lunch, we were welcomed to relax in the pool patio and enjoy much needed Hinano beers. About 40 minutes later, the dining area opened up for lunch where we took a table near the edge of their dining patio. Not knowing what to expect as far as a possible crowd up here, we were very happy to see only a few ship folks here. We overheard someone ask about wifi, but they were told it was for the resort guests only. That’s a first. We ordered a cheeseburger with fries, two cold Cokes, and eventually a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream to share. We had it all - a nice table under the trees, an umbrella for shade, and a nice cool breeze. All this and a spectacular view of the bay below. We ended up staying for two wonderful hours. The time came to leave by 2:30pm. Making our way back downhill, we continued our hike along the sandy beach this time. This is where the locals spend the weekends picnicking and swimming, or even riding their Marquesan horses. We did see two of them today. The high schoolers were getting out of school by now, and it was nice to see some of them go down to the water, and go swimming. Back near the pier, we found all of the maps were gone, but the souvenirs were plentiful. We did buy one seed bracelet, paying $5 for it….a nice little memento. There was a long line of guests waiting for the next tender boat. It was nice that the crew had regular, orange and lemon-flavored ice water to drink while we waited. One can easily get dehydrated in this tropical climate. We had consumed beers, sodas, and water, but were still thirsty. Bet we drank four more cups of water before boarding the boat. The line began moving quickly when the tender pulled alongside. These new boats are nice, but once those side doors are closed, it is like being in a claustrophobic steam room. It was made worse by mask-wearing, half of which were not. Back onboard at 3:15pm, we went to the room and grabbed our devices to try for the wifi session at the Ocean Bar. It was still set up with hardly anyone there but the wifi guy. We were given a 15 minute session, which worked well, but slow. It was not enough time for emails to download, so we asked for another session and was given an additional 15 minutes. We had quickly typed a few messages to family and friends before we were cut off. At least our readers learned that we had not fallen off of the face of the earth. Although we did not have any time to read messages, we do want to thank those who cared enough to question what happened to us. Who knew the internet system would suffer a catastrophic failure? The Kindle could not be updated because it had been blocked. Disappointing. In time, we will be able to send more reports, but we doubt the photos will go through. They will be coming in due time, so please stay tuned. A letter had been sent to everyone again explaining the current situation with a promise of some sort of refund. We are not expecting much, nor are we demanding it. We watched the sail away from our veranda around 5:30pm, spotting some young natives rowing their racing canoes effortlessly. Nice to be young and so energetic. Guess it is a great past time for the older kids here. The mountainous island disappeared in the sea haze as the ship turned in a northeasterly direction. We shall have a total of 7 sea days to get back to San Diego on November 17th. Bet they are filled with activities about every day. Now the fun part of the evening began at 6:30pm, when we were invited to a President’s Club Inauguration Reception beginning in the Explorers Lounge. Naturally, the event was “dressy”, the second one in two days. Most everyone looked great, even the staff and officers that hosted this event. Drinks of our choice were offered as well as fancy appetizers. Captain Frank gave a nice welcome speech, then “pinned” the new inductees. We visited with Chantal, the future cruise consultant, and the staff Captain, who we had never met, but he remembered us from previous world cruises. Around 7:15pm, we all entered the Pinnacle Grill for a group dinner. The Captain and Chantal hosted the table for the four recent inductees, and the surrounding booths had two guests and an officer. We were seated with Henk, the hotel director, and Howard, who usually sits with us. The menu was set with starters of pan roasted scallops. I had a substitute Caesar salad, since I am allergic to shellfish. A seared halibut filet topped with caviar was next. A very tasty tenderloin of beef was next, then dessert followed with a creamsicle of orange sorbet with an egg white topping along with a trimmed marshmallow and two pinwheel cookies. The wines flowed of course, except for those like us that do not drink it. We were invited to order whatever we wished, but ice water was our choice. Seated across from the crowd in the side room, we had the best table. It was pretty noisy in there, and at one point, Henk placed a call to Maya, who was having such a good time. Her laughter was contagious and Henk was joking of course. The call sent her into fits of laughter, so we all joined her as well. The party ended by 10pm, where we thanked everyone for such a memorable evening. And so ends our final port day… it was doozy! And the events are not over yet…… Bill & Mary Ann

Report #64 Tuesday November 8, 2022 Day At Sea Enroute To Taiohae, Nuka Hiva Partly Cloudy With Sun 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........26 Pictures The best thing we saw first thing this morning was the sun peeking through our drapes. Why couldn’t this have been yesterday? Whatever, it sure helped to improve the mood of the guests and crew alike. Also good news was the fact that the water temps in our bathroom remained normal throughout the evening. Now we will keep our fingers crossed it will last until November 17th. After breakfast, we stopped by the front desk to drop off the extra room key for the use of the bathroom that worked. We never did use it, but we thanked them for the offer. They were just in the process of phoning our room to offer us a complimentary lunch for two in the Pinnacle Grill in apology for our recent debacle. We said thanks, but passed on the lunch, because it is too early for us at noontime. We always eat lunch around 2:30pm even with our breakfast at 8am. It was a very nice gesture. Needing to secure a spot for a complimentary tour on the 2023 world cruise, we took a ride to the Crow’s Nest to visit the Shore Excursion folks there. They did try to do something, but without internet service, it was impossible. We will have to wait until the internet is working again if that will ever happen. Spending the majority of the day doing computer work offline, we took a break for a walk on the promenade deck. For the first time in a long time, the decks were dry. And many people were taking advantage of the lounges once again. Then we went to the Ocean Bar for our noontime sodas. Bartender Ray had just made what he called the return of the chocolate volcano drink. He used the blender, then poured the rum flavored drink into a large, tall glass, drizzling it with Hershey’s chocolate sauce. He saved the last of the concoction that did not fit in the glass and poured it in another glass. He added more chocolate sauce, then handed it to us. Now this should be a dessert it was so good. Wonder if we can order these at dinnertime? Back in our room, there was a knock on the door, and our room steward handed us a vase of flowers with a note. It was from Guest Services with a message of apology once again for the water problem. We did not expect that at all, but it was a nice substitute for the lunch. Now we have three arrangements to enjoy for our last week here. During the afternoon, a note was slipped under our door regarding the internet or the lack of internet service on this ship. Tomorrow, an attempt will be made to set up limited complimentary WI-FI hotspots onboard the ship, while we are in Nuku Hiva. There will be three locations on the ship where this will occur. They are the Crow’s Nest, Ocean Bar, and Lido poolside magrodome. The times will be from 9am to noon, and 1 to 4pm. Each guest will sign in, and be allowed up to 10 minutes of time, then disconnected. They asked for us to prepare all emails prior to logging on, and refrain from video calls, sending photos, downloading newspapers, updates, or large data files. Keeping in mind that tomorrow is a port day, our last one at that, we are not sure how many folks will be willing to wait in a line to do some emailing? There should be local Wi-Fi available onshore like always as well. The letter continued by saying it was possible that service techs might be flown in a private airplane to fix the problem. The key word is “might”. The final word was that all of this will be incorporated into the measure of compensation that had previously been promised. We shall see…… Dinner was “dressy” this evening with the fancy menu. We started with shrimp appetizers, a Caesar salad, a prosciutto ham starter, and mains of yellow fin sole and one Orange Club chicken dinner. Both were good although there were a lot of rib bones in the chicken. The fish had no bones. Dessert was flourless chocolate cake. Sweet. The entertainers this evening was a group by the name of Jukebox Rogues, who sang Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tunes. We had no idea there were so any of these groups performing the same type of shows. Bet they were good as most folks here grew up with that music. Waiting for us on the bed was a form for the San Diego disembarkation options. The time clock is ticking down now……… Bill & Mary Ann