WCB

Report #30  Sunday  January 28, 2024  Sea Day Enroute To Manzanillo, Mexico  Sunny And Warm 85 Degrees  Sea State Flat Very Little Breeze After A Very Rough Night 45mph Winds  Part #1 Of 1.......26 Pictures--Dressy Night

It has taken us this long to remember we dubbed “Sunday” as mimosa day in the Pinnacle Grill at breakfast.  As a matter of fact, fresh-squeezed orange juice, mimosas, cappuccinos and espresso coffees are complimentary every day.   They are not necessarily promoted like they were when we traveled on the Nieuw Statendam two years ago, but these items are on the menu for those who wish to order them.  Actually, one of us had the poinsettia version which is cranberry juice and champagne.  

And that leads us to Sunday Brunch, which used to be a venue every couple of weeks while on last year’s world cruise.   So far, we have not seen that happen on this trip.  But close to it, we discovered there was a Spot of Brunch in the Lido Market from 11am to 2pm where waffles, pancakes, and eggs Benedict were being served along with many other items.  The regular dining room breakfast was still an option, as was the regular lunch menu in the Lido.  This probably works better for everyone.

The biggest subject of the day had to be weather we encountered last night.  Captain Frank had predicted a very windy and possibly rough evening as we entered an area of a system along the coastline.  By midnight, it became apparent that his prediction was obviously right on.  The winds reached 45mph and combined with deep sea swells, it made for one really rough evening….extreme at times to wake one of us up all night long.   Thank goodness, by the morning, the conditions improved leaving only wet decks outside.  During his noon update today, the Captain said last night’s episode was a phenomenon which we hope would not be repeated.  The system that caused the ship to roll and pitch was far behind us now. 

But there would be something to brighten our day…….the sightings of dolphins and whales.  Taking a walk on the promenade deck around 9:30am, we saw some spouting whales in the distance.  Not quite the same as humpback whale blows, but definitely something big.  Then we saw the giant splash from one of the breaching whales.  Some friends who were also on the deck, said they may be fin whales.  They had brought up a picture of one on their phone and it sure looked the same to us.  At that point, we did not have our camera, so we headed back to the room to whale-spot from our veranda.  And we did get some shots of them as well as some dolphins.  Naturally we kept watch for an hour, and may have seen some more whales but far in the distance. 

We went to the Sea View Pool and had to pull chairs over to the poolside.  The tables had been pulled under the overhang while going through that bad weather, but not put back.   We have been finding that the wait staff back at this pool is about non-existent.  If there are a few waiters, they seem to bus tables more than anything else.  We find this most unusual as on other world cruises, these fellows or gals have been very attentive.  While we were sitting there, the Captain announced dolphins were seen on both sides of the ship.  Going to the side railing, we did see at least three of them swimming under the surface, but never jumping. 

Most of our afternoon was spent watching both football games.  The first game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens went about as expected.  The second game between the SF 49ers and the Detroit Lions was not going well, and we had to leave for dinner right after half time.  What a surprise to learn that the 49ers won that game as they were down by a lot from the very beginning.  Looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday next month.  It should be a good game.

Dressy was the code for tonight’s dinner.  We have only had one of those in the entire month.  Anyway the menu was really leaning to the formal cuisine with escargots, ½ Dover sole, with the most requested entrée being liver and onions.  Really.  We opted for shrimp cocktails, salads, and mains of lasagna and everyday chicken.   A small slice of lemon torte finished our meal. 

A vocalist by the name of DJ Bucciarelli did the Neil Sedaka Songbook.  We are sure he was good but we really wanted to get back to see who won the football game.

We do not arrive to the port of Manzanillo until noontime tomorrow.   It will be a good place to stretch our legs and take a long walk through town.   Hope it will not be too hot.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #29  Saturday  January 27, 2024   Sea Day Enroute To Manzanillo, Mexico  Sunny With A Slight Breeze A Few Clouds 85 Degrees 6' Swell  Part #1 Of 2.......44  Pictures---Casual Dress

Our day at sea was most relaxing even though the day began early with the 7:30am breakfast.   We have been used to an 8am start on sea days and the half hour early is a bit hard to get used to.  Of course, we like the table we are given every day, and the minute we arrive 5 minutes late, someone else will claim it.  Almost like a game with some folks.  By the way, our entree plates have been hot every morning, and as long as we are very specific with our order, all has come exactly correct. 

Hoping that the temperatures would have cooled down a little that did not happen.  It was just as warm and muggy today as yesterday.  The seas have smoothed out nicely and that would prove to be a very good thing later in the afternoon.

The masked and brown boobies have followed us from Costa Rica, diving after flying fish, and perching on the bow.  According to Captain Frank, they are amusing to watch however they are leaving quite a mess out there.  Now we wonder how far they will go before flying back south? 

There is a new lecturer onboard by the name of Frederick Grant.  His topic was about Mexico’s parks, reserves, and marine areas.  It’s always nice to learn as much as you can about an upcoming part of the world that we are about to visit.  Also Kimberly gave a talk on Manzanillo, the first of two ports we will be visiting in Mexico.  We caught it later when it appeared on the TV. 

Have any of you heard of an ice cream social?  And one that includes a banana-split eating contest?  Yes….the top three fastest eaters will be prized with a treat.  That happened from 3 to 4pm, but we missed it as we were on watch for any type of sea life we might see.  Just by pure luck, we were sitting on our veranda, and heard a splash near the ship right below us.  Low and behold, it was a jumping dolphin.  It popped out twice then dove.   If there was one, there must be more right?  Being patient, we waited and watched and finally we saw more splashing in the distance.  Yep, more dolphins playing in the ship’s wake.  It was far off in the distance, but the camera caught the action.  We stayed outside until after the sun went down hoping for more sightings, but saw none.  But there’s always tomorrow…..

Last night we had a reminder notice that our credit cards will be charged on January 30^th.  If we owed a balance, then the credit card on file will be charged.  If we had a credit, then it will roll over for the next period.  They do give you the choice of changing your card on file if there is a problem with the billing.  This was never done on a world cruise, but it seems to be the rule now on all of the ships, especially those with longer itineraries. 

Dinnertime had some new items with a bay shrimp appetizer, a Caesar salad, and the old stand-by of French onion soup.  Our entrees were the same…..pork tenderloin with applesauce.  Could have used a lot more applesauce, but we always forget to ask.   Desserts were one caramel flan and a fruit plate.  And one cup of hot coffee. 

A new entertainer joined the ship and her name is Michelle Montuori, a stage and recording artist.  She was billed as a cabaret singer with her own brand of humor.  We agree…she was good.

Another day at sea with hopes of seeing more of those dolphins.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #28  Friday  January 26, 2024  Quepos, Costa Rica Anchored  Tender Port  7am-4pm  Cloudy And Hot 90 Degrees  Wind Star Also Here   Part #1 Of 5.......55 Pictures---Casual Dress

The Costa Rican port of Quepos today is a new one for us.  But first of all, here is a snippet of info on this Central American country.   Costa Rica has a population of 4.8 million Spanish-speaking people.  The capital is San Jose where the coffee plantations are situated as well as the volcanoes and rainforests.  This country has a little of everything such as waterfalls, crater lakes, jungles, and beaches.  The locals are friendly and enjoy the “pura vida” or good life.  Compared to neighboring countries, there is very little poverty here as the standard of living is high.  Their secret lies in the fact that education is a top priority.  Another interesting fact is that Costa Rica has survived without an army for over 60 years, relying on their police and national guard.

The shore excursions were different here compared to the usual ones out of Puntarenas.   We were anchored off of the town of Quepos, located near the Parque National Manuel Antonio, the smallest park, but the most popular area.   This park has howler monkeys, white-face capuchins, tropical birds,  sloths, and iguanas.  A tour to this park (the only place you will see these critters) was $140 for 4 ½ hours.   A tropical forest aerial tram was $160 for 7 hours and included a lunch.  Savegre River floating adventure for 5 hours was $170, while a dolphin and whale watching tour with lunch was 7 hours and $200.   And a most interesting fact to remember, is that there are 8 species of poison-dart frogs that may be beautiful, but they have skin secretions that can cause paralysis and death if they get into your bloodstream.  Don’t touch!  Ever!

Today’s temperature must have been the hottest yet, around 88 – 90 degrees with a very high humidity.  In other words, it was extremely uncomfortable.  The breeze was almost non-existent, which did not help.  There was a sun haze that enveloped the entire harbor and hillsides all day….almost like a thin veil of fog.  Not the best friend of the cameras.

This was a tender port as well.    During breakfast, one of our waitresses told us that the line to get tender tickets was stretched from the Rolling Stones Lounge to the back end of the ship.   We had arrived at 7am, so many folks wanted to get off early in hopes of booking independent tours ashore we assume.  And there was another ship in the harbor……Windstar.  Although smaller than us by a lot, there were still many guests looking to do the same tours. 

We stayed onboard until the thundering herd got off, which was about 10am.  The tender boat ride to the marina was only about 10 minutes.  It became quite apparent what this town is all about when we saw the number of deep sea fishing boats in the Marina Pez Vela.  It is renowned for world-class sports fishing for blue marlin and sailfish.  This complex is very modern and filled with restaurants, bars, stores, and boat- related facilities. And from the signs we saw, there are competitions here.  The actual town of Quepos was about a ¼ mile walk to the left.  The park was about 5 miles away and the closest beach was about the same distance to the south.  Due to a powerful undertow, there were no usable beaches in town. 

As soon as we left the marina complex, there was a wide promenade walkway along the beach and water below.  The rocks holding up this embankment were full of iguanas of all sizes.  They were just starting to appear on the heated rocks to warm up.  This walkway was really the highlight of the town, which was basically essential shopping for locals.  The only thing touristy about it had to be the bars and restaurants.   We walked the whole area, passing the supermarket, a few fruit stands on the corners, and plenty of shoe shops.  The biggest attraction was the firehouse, where some folks were admiring the fire engines.  There was a church nearby, but asking some locals where it was did not work as they did not speak English.  And the only monkeys, toucans, and sloths we saw were the stuffed animals for sale in the toy store.  

Back to the promenade walk, we did spot every bird that lives here such as the pelicans, shore birds, herons, grackles, pigeons, doves, and a vulture.  We got back to the marina by noontime, and boarded a waiting tenderboat.  And yes, it was great to get back to the coolness of our room.  All aboard was 3:30pm, and the ship eventually left the harbor by 4:30pm.   We watched for dolphins and whales, but had no luck.  All we saw were the brown boobies that re-appeared once we got out to sea.

Dinner was good with curried chicken empanadas for starters.  One of us had chicken “spaghetti” soup and the other a Caesar salad, which arrived without the dressing.  Our waiter quickly brought one of those tiny square containers of dressing.  Mains were the everyday herb roasted chicken and a chicken scaloppini with mashed potatoes and a savory gravy.   One of the head chefs, Hari, stopped by and asked how we liked the chicken.  Very good for the scaloppini, which was a new entree for one of us.  The chef described the process of  the mushroom gravy making with added cognac and heavy cream.   He knew it would be a hit tonight.   Desserts were opera cake and sliced pineapple.  

There was a show tonight with the return of Chris Pendleton, a comedian who promised to be hilarious.  We are not sure how many people would attend the late show, since it was such a long, hot day, most of the diners had left the dining room by 9pm. 

Now we have a few days at sea before arriving to Mexico.  Hope it cools down a bit by then.

Bill & Mary Ann 

Report #27  Thursday  January 25, 2024  Sea Day Enroute To Quepos, Costa Rica  Sunny And Warm 82 Degrees  Seas Are Flat No Breeze Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress

Another day at sea was appreciated by everyone we know.  It took us most of the afternoon catching up yesterday’s events.  Like we described yesterday, one thing after another went wrong with the fuel bunkering process, and we had to leave later than expected.  Good thing the Captain said we still had leeway to make up that lost sailing time.  

Usually when we exit the Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean side is a bit cooler and less humid.  We sure did not feel that when walking the deck this morning.  There must have been a following wind that made the temperature seem much higher then the 80 or so degrees that it was.  And we had the company of a flock of brown boobies flying around the ship.  We did not see flying fish, but these birds were diving for something.   There may be small squid or similar size fish they were scooping up.  Later in the afternoon, the waters smoothed out, and we kept watch for possible dolphin sightings.  Never saw any though.

Hoping for more of a breeze on the Sea View Pool deck, we discovered it was just as warm and sticky back there.  The funny thing was that when we first boarded the ship, there were more deck attendants back here who offered you beverages, whether they be ice water or beers for instance.  The last two weeks, we have not seen that happen with any of us back here between 10 and 12 pm.  Perhaps these servers have been re-assigned to busier venues.  There is a self-service drink station in the Lido, so it is not a problem getting our own drinks.  If we were traveling on a different ship and a different cruise line, we are sure we would be bombarded with drink offers like every 5 minutes.  We will never see that happen here.

Between reports, photos, and posting the blog, the afternoon evaporated.  While having a light lunch, we listened to the port talk about Quepos, Costa Rica.   This will be a new port for us, as we always stop at Puntarenas going in this direction.  From what we have gathered, this town is a nice change from Puntarenas, and is a place for beaches and national park tours.  The photos of the marina look really nice.  This will be a tender port because there is no dock. 

This evening we were invited to a cocktail party with our travel hosts in the Crow’s Nest.    The early diners would go at 4:30pm, while the second and late seating group would go at 6:30pm.  Since this trip began, we have only been to the Crow’s Nest once to book a free tour.  So tonight, we were pleased to find a nice bar with high top stools….so much better than the very low chairs they have in the rest of the lounge.  This party was well-attended and had many key officers such as the Captain, his wife, Henk, Christel, Shiv, Maja, Michelle, and many other staff members we have met.  Twinkle, the assistant beverage manager always takes care of us with our drinks.  Some canapies were passed around, and a few short and sweet speeches were delivered. Talking to Captain Frank, he discussed the problems we had yesterday with the fuel delivery.   The main question of the day seems to be….where are we going on this cruise?  And when will we be told the itinerary changes?  The answer we seem to hear was an announcement was coming soon…like within a week.  We are betting that that itinerary will include Africa.

Dinner was good with appetizers of spring rolls, a spinach and mushroom salad, and mains of prime rib.  The meat was cooked perfectly and was tender as well.  Good thing we saved some room for dessert, since the birthday cake from last night was here for us.  We each had a slice of the cheesecake part, and we do hope our waiters will enjoy the rest of it.  To top off the evening, the clocks went back one hour.  We are on central time now.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #26  Wednesday  January 24, 2024    Transit The Panama Canal 6am-5pm    Sunny And Hot With Some Clouds 89 Degrees  Slight Breeze  Part #1 Of 4.....63 Pictures---Casual Dress  Happy Birthday Mary Ann

Today was awesome in more ways than one.  Transiting the Panama Canal was one reason, but another was the fact that today was a birthday for one of us.  Keeping quiet about it was not in the cards.  Upon leaving our room this morning, there were two balloons and a Happy Birthday note taped to our door.  Then on to breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, we were there 5 minutes when a decorated plate arrived with a special birthday cupcake. Tina and the waiters came and sang Happy Birthday then had me “blow” out the candles, which were the battery-operated luminaries.   To make the meal perfect, we took advantage of the Panama Canal rolls we love.  Some fellows sitting close to us mentioned they had ordered one dozen rolls for room service.  Then they asked for some more to go from here and the waiter brought them wrapped in a foil basket.  Yes, they really are that good.

By the time we got back to our room, we discovered two vases of flowers and cards from a favorite officer Shiv and Michelle and the front desk team.  So sweet of them to remember.  And there were cards from our agent, hosts, and other friends onboard.  Long time friends had mailed cards before we left home for each of us to open on the right day.   Later in the afternoon and evening, there were more surprises.

So back to Panama, it is a country of 3.7 million people that speak mostly Spanish.  Although we will not have a port stop here this time, we will transit through the Panama Canal.  Cutting through the Continental Divide, the Panama Canal is the world’s greatest short cut.  It links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, shortening a ship’s voyage by 7800 miles.  The construction of this canal began well over 100 years ago, and it came at a huge cost not only money-wise, but at a loss of life.  Between malaria, yellow fever, and accidents, the canal claimed many worker’s lives.  Finally after 10 years, the canal began operating in 1914 and continued with the same technology until new locks were added starting in 2016.  Over the years, we have witnessed the progress made on both ends of the canal with the new style of locks.  Finally opened a few years ago,  we have never been on a ship that actually went through the new locks.  But we have been told that with the new system, it is not as fun to watch as the old locks with the workers and the “mules” that keep the ships centered. 

We ended up watching the entire sailing from the comfort of our room and veranda.  Most all of the best things to see were on the portside, and that’s where we were.  No doubt, the water level of the canal and especially Lake Gatun is lower than we have ever seen.  Many of the islands in Gatun Lake had exposed shorelines, and the entire route was well marked with buoys.  We did have a 26 member team of Panamanians join the ship (several were pilots).  We trust they knew all of the shallow spots and kept us in the deepest waters.   And we figured that to keep the ship light in the water, we did not have full fuel tanks.  For the first time ever, the ship had to stop outside the canal beyond the Bridge of the Americas to bunker fuel. 

Entering the first locks at Gatun, we saw the Ruby Princess entering the new Agua Clara Locks.  Then a Carnival ship was behind us as we left Gatun Locks.    It appeared that neither ship was headed for the complete transit.  We assume they turned around in the lake, and went back to the Caribbean.   That may have saved them some money, since our transit was $366,000 and probably paid in cash.  By the way, the entire narration through the Canal was delivered by our cruise and travel Director, Kimberly.  She did a fantastic job, talking most all of the day from the navigation deck until well after 6:30pm.  It would have been better if she had been able to broadcast from every speaker, but it came through only on the outside decks, not near the rooms.  The room TV’s worked but the sound was only ½ of what it could be.  And in order to hear it, you had to stay inside the room. 

Usually, the ship enters the locks on the Caribbean side so early, it is dark.  Today we did the transit with the early morning sun rising behind the newest Atlantic Bridge which opened in 2019.  The Gatun Locks took us up about 100 feet in three consecutive sections.  There are also double locks here for two way traffic.   The nearby Agua Clara Locks that opened in 2016 can accommodate  much larger ships such as the Neopanamax and some of the newest cruise line behemoths.    The Zuiderdam is small in comparison, so we went the traditional route.   

The manmade Gatun Lake sits between 82 and 87 feet above sea level, and became our passage for much of the morning.  Kimberly continued her narration almost non-stop as we passed by Barro Colorado Island, home of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.   More than 100 species  of mammals and reptiles can be found here, but are seldom seen.  There are also 500 different bird species, but the majority we saw today were vultures and frigatebirds.  The busy settlement of Gamboa is located here as well as the Chagres River.

A famous section of the canal has to be the Culebra Cut, which gave the builders the most difficult challenge in the old days.  It is an 8 mile transit crossing the Continental Divide.  The rocks and soil excavated from here is said to be equal to that of 63 Egyptian pyramids.   The Centennial Bridge, built in 2004, has helped lessen traffic on the older Bridge of the Americas.   We have been lucky to have driven over this bridge while on a tour when it first opened.

By 1:30pm, we entered the Pedro Miguel Locks, where our ship was lowered 30 ½ feet to Miraflores Lake.  We did have some onlookers that came to cheer us on as we exited the lock.  From here we slowly made our way to the Miraflores Locks, where hundreds of locals came out to greet us.  The two chambers dropped the ship 54 feet, bringing us to the level of the Pacific Ocean.   The newest and larger locks, Cocoli Locks, are visible from here and opened in 2016.  Once again, we did not use the modern locks. 

As we were on our way towards the final bridge, we knew the area on the port side to watch for capybaras that sometimes graze in a field near a wooded mangrove.  We did spot six of them, one of which was a “porker”.  They are the world’s largest rodent and are on some menus in this part of the country.  We scanned the banks for other wildlife, but only saw many types of birds.  No crocs. 

The final exit from the canal was the Bridge of the Americas completed in 1962. The cost to the USA was 20 million dollars, a small amount these days, it was impressive back then.  This bridge is part of the Pan-American highway.

At 6pm, we were scheduled to bunker fuel at a Balboa anchorage.  However, due to a comedy of errors, we ended up bunkering the fuel for 12 hours instead of six hours. Some of these errors were due to mishandling of the ropes of the barge as well as the ropes getting sucked into the pumps.  This was the team of locals that had the problems.   And we are certain that Captain Frank found no humor in this situation at all.  The Zuiderdam left the area after 8am this morning and needed to do 19 knots to make up for the lost time. 

During the afternoon, we had a series of birthday deliveries.  First was another decorated cupcake on a plate from the Captain.  Then Maja,  the Guest Relations manager, and Michelle, our concierge paid us a visit carrying gifts.  One was a woven black & white bracelet from the Nautical team and a small commemorative wooden plaque,  compliments of the Technical Team with Happy B Day and my name on it.  Both came with really nice cards.

We chose to have dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, as we always do on our birthdays.  It was also another way to avoid the display of the waiters singing in the dining room.  As it turned out, we were instantly greeted by Jacques, the Cellar Master, who escorted us into the restaurant and proceeded to present us with a chilled bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne.  The real deal.  It was a gift from him, Tina, and Henk, our hotel director.  Our meal was excellent with warm rolls, wedge salads with a side of candied bacon, and two small filets with fries and a baked potato.  We had a surprise visit from Henk and head chef Neil wishing a wonderful birthday to me.  Then a three layer cake arrived and of course, all of the wait staff singing Happy Birthday.  They all had the “candles” to blow out.  We opted for a small serving of sorbet and asked for the cake to be delivered tomorrow after our dining room dinner.  Once again, it was the best birthday ever, and most unexpected.   And we did get two certificates for today’s successful crossing of the Panama Canal.  But there was one more nice surprise…..our room stewards Putu and Dedi had made a two-tiered towel “cake” tied with a ribbon and dotted with pillow chocolates and Kleenex candles.  A very nice gesture, we really appreciated adding it to the collection.

Really looking forward to a day at sea tomorrow, although we were still bunkering fuel when we called it a night by 11pm.

Bill & Mary Ann   

Report #25  Tuesday  January 23, 2024  Sea Day Enroute To The Panama Canal    Sunny And Windy 82 Degrees Sea State Rough 12'-14' Swells  Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress

Remember when we mentioned that the air-conditioning in our room was not working last night?  Well, it only got worse during the night, sending the thermometer up to 88 - 90 degrees.   Sometime around 10pm, a note was slipped under our door saying that a section of the rooms from deck one to deck eight were experiencing technical difficulties.   There was a team of technicians actively working on a resolution.  Truthfully, we think they called it a night, and resumed work at 8am this morning.  That was what we were told by the front office folks this morning before breakfast.   Furthermore, they acknowledged that our comfort was top priority, and they appreciated our patience.  What choice did we have?  Alternate accommodation was offered, but at 10pm, we chose not to leave our room.   After all, we have survived a record heat wave while on a Sri Lanka leopard safari a few years ago.  Nothing will ever match that experience. 

On our way back from breakfast, we did see two of our neighbors coming down the hallway carrying pillows from their room.  Obviously, they had re-located for the night.  Bet they were not waking up every two hours like we did.  Even going out on the veranda did not help much since it was still warm outside.  We stayed outside walking the promenade deck, then going to the Sea View Pool for an hour.   Sometime around 11am, we felt the room cooling down very slowly.  The exhaust fan in the bathroom resumed running as well, but not quite as good as it had been working.  The temperature eventually dropped to 77 degrees, but not lower than that.  We did have several phone calls from our special concierge making sure the air was working better.  We are in a particularly hot and humid part of the world, so we do hope it doesn’t fail us again. 

The seas were choppy today with quite a bit of rolling due to very deep swells.  There was no sign of any storm, but we are probably getting residuals from a system somewhere.  The Captain was correct in warning all of us to be careful walking inside and outside and especially using the stairs.  

Lunch was from the Dive-In grill with a cannonball burger and a hot dog.  One of us loves the hot dogs, but not the poppy seed rolls so much.  In our humble opinion, we don’t see how these tiny black seeds add anything special to the roll.  They usually end up stuck in between every tooth, and all over your napkin and plate.  Maybe next time, we’ll ask for a plain roll.

While working on yesterday’s photos and reports, we watched an Avatar movie.  Boy, movies have sure changed over the years.  And here we thought Star Wars and Star Trek were way out there.  It’s a whole new world out there for entertainment compared to what we grew up with.  Westerns were the big thing back then, and we still enjoy the reruns while at home. 

Dinnertime snuck up on us, and we were off to the dining room for delicious cold veggie-filled lumpia.  The best part was the sweet and sour sauce drizzled on the plates and perhaps a touch of teriyaki sauce.   A hot bowl of wonton soup and a Caesar salad were good starters.  Then we ordered the only chicken entrée on the menu which came with a cheesy pile of grits and kernel corn.   Not something we eat at home, we figured it is an acquired taste.  Desserts were a pineapple crisp and a toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. 

Back in our room, we found the temperature had dropped another degree.  What is funny that up to now, we have had to use an extra blanket on our bed at night.  Talking to some friends this morning, they agreed they have had trouble finding that sweet spot to set the thermostat.  The good news was that the clocks went back one hour, putting us on EST now.  You can bet we needed that extra hour to make up for the loss last evening.   

There was a comedian, Chris Pendleton, performing in the show lounge.   He was guaranteed for lots of laughs and a few surprises.    Tomorrow we will be transiting the Panama Canal.  As many times as we have done this transit, we still look forward to doing it.  It will be interesting to see if we notice a difference in the water levels.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #24  Monday  January 22, 2024  Willemstad, Curacao   Docked Port Side To Pier  Sunny With Clouds And A Heavy Rain Squall 85 Degrees  Part #1 Of 6.......56 Pictures

Part of the A-B-C islands, Curacao has a population of 164,000 folks that speak both Dutch, English, as well as Papiamento, a local dialect.  Once called the Netherlands Antilles, Dutch is very much part of the culture.  Willemstad, the capital, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and a “go-go” destination worldwide we understand.   

Sint Annabaai shipping channel cuts the town in half with colonial neighborhoods on one side ( Otrobanda), and old sailor districts turned edgy cafes and bars on the other side (Punda).   The popular food and drink includes funchi, a fried cornmeal cake or used as a coating.  Nasi goreng, an Indonesian fried rice, which ties the Dutch to Indonesia.  And how about iguana stew?  Yes, it will show up on some menus here.   Curacao is their signature liqueur, which is tinted blue, but is made from fermented orange rinds.  

Of course there were some HAL excursions here such as Curacao land and sea in a semi-submergible vessel for 2 ½ hours for $60.   Authentic Curacao island tour was $45 for 2 ½ hours, while Ultimate Curacao beach and turtle snorkel with lunch was $110 for 6 hours.  Cooking with a Caribbean chef with lunch was $180 for 5 ½ hours, and Caves and city highlights was $55 for 2 ¾ hours.  A trip to an ostrich farm and aloe plantation was 3 hours for $60.  The trolley train for 1 ½ hours was $45, while a country drive was $60 for 3 ½ hours.  Kimberly’s talk yesterday revealed many more activities people could do on their own.  There were various museums, including old slave houses, liqueur distilleries, government buildings, and a  mangrove park for starters.  There was a list of beaches, but nothing close-by.   Much of this city can be reached right from the area where we were docked.  And for half of the day, that is exactly what we did…..walk the city. 

Our travel group of about 70 people were invited to take a bus tour to see the Cathedral of Thorns, the Curacao Liqueur Distillery followed by a drive through the popular shopping area of the Punda district.  Finally, at 1:30pm, there was a buffet lunch at Restaurant & Café Gouverneur De Rouville.  One of us has been having some back problems, and decided not to take the bus tour portion of the tour.  Instead, we planned to meet the group at 1:15pm and join them for lunch.  

We were not alone in the port today as the Ambience was already docked in the harbor.  She was formerly the Regal Princess (1991), then sold to P&O Australia as the Pacific Dream.  Now part of Ambassador Cruise Lines, it holds 1400 passengers and has a gross tonnage of 70,285.   They boast having 89 cabins for singles.   Later in the day, we were surprised to find Celebrity’s Equinox docked right behind the Zuiderdam.  That’s a whole lot of people in town for sure. 

Willemstad is a very walkable town, where once you leave the ship, you are on your way through the Renaissance Wind Creek Resort and Mall, which is full of highend shopping.  Taking a right turn through a small tunnel, you end up in an 1828 Rif Fort, built to defend the city.  Today there are even more shopping opportunities and dining venues in the fort.  Outside the fort, we followed the main street which was lined with souvenir stands.  The biggest attraction here has to be the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge also known as the Swinging Old Lady.  This bridge rests on 16 pontoons and opens for ships and boats to enter the harbor.   Built in 1888, it costs 2 cents to cross, unless you removed your shoes, then  it was free.

Now we were in the Punda district, and one of the first buildings we saw on the right was Fort Amsterdam, built in 1634, is a museum these days and the Fort Church.  On the left of the bridge is the world-famous street of colorful buildings that are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   The main and side streets are full of old buildings with baroque gables and arched galleries that house many a boutique, jewelry shops, and art galleries. 

We also strolled by Wilhelmina Park and the statue of Queen Wilhelmina along with the I Love Curacao and Dushi signs.  This area is full of government and office buildings.  From here we made our way down the narrow streets full of souvenir shops to Marshe Nobo, the largest indoor produce market as well as handmade crafts for sale.  Plasa Bieu is where the locals go for traditional dishes, more like a cafeteria.  The aroma of fish was heavy in the air. 

From here we made our way to the Floating Market where the fishing boats from Venezuela bring their fresh catch to sell daily.  They also have the nicest selection of fruit and vegetables.  The funny thing is that we read the boxes of the fruit, finding most of it came from Argentina, Peru, and Colombia.  As for the fish, there were two tables where they usually butcher the larger varieties, but all of it was already sold by the time we got there. 

We slowly made our way around the Scharloo district and some more museums across a bridge.  The Curacao Maritime Museum was located there.  Rounding the corner, we found we were on the Handelskade street with the famous old pastel buildings.  These days they house  shops and cafes.   We needed to be across the harbor to meet our group for lunch by 1:15pm, so we crossed the swinging bridge again, located the restaurant right by the ferry landing.  

Being that we were the first ones to arrive, we had our choice of seats on the upper covered outdoor patio facing the harbor.   We were served drinks of pineapple juice with coconut rum served over ice.  Sure went down easy after three hours of exploring on foot.  That was followed by bottled beers while we waited for the rest of the people to arrive.  A nice buffet was being set up in their garden under a large tent.  Once the tables were full of guests, they called us to the line one table at a time.  Right before we were called to the line, a sudden wind came up along with a sudden downfall of rain.  The wind must have been 50 mph and blew sideways right at our group sitting on the patio.  Lucky we did not have our food yet, although the table next to us had theirs.  And it did get wet.  It passed over as quickly as it had begun.  The waiters came with towels and dried our table, while the other folks scrambled to escape the rain with no where to go.  Oh well, a little water did not hurt us, except fpr the beverages that spilled in or laps.

Our small group was the last to get our food, but the buffet was kept full and fresh from beginning to end.  Our meal consisted of a mixed green salad with Caesar dressing, a bay shrimp cocktail and a cerviche shrimp tasting.  There were squares of quiche, banana soup, a fish stew with curry, spaghetti, and rice with a beef and veggie stew.  Decadent brownies and a silky custard were there for dessert.   To make up for spilled beer and drinks from the wind,  the staff kept the beverages coming. 

Some of the guests took the shuttle back, but most of us walked.  All aboard was 4:30pm, and we still had plenty of time to wander through the stands and shops on the way back.   That’s when we noticed that the Equinox had arrived.  Shortly after getting back to our room, the Ambience left the harbor blowing the horn all the way out.  The Zuiderdam pulled away from the pier closer to 5:30pm, apparently waiting for a late-arriving guest. 

We noticed at that time that our room was heating up.   Looking at the thermometer of our projection clock, it read 86 degrees.  Checking the ceiling vents, we realized they were not working.  The exhaust fan in the bathroom went silent as well.  Calling the front desk was useless as they were not answering the phone.  So on our way to dinner, we saw our room steward who said that our block of rooms were not working.  He had no idea how long it would take to fix it.  We sure hoped by the time dinner was over, it would be repaired.

Dinner began with chicken empanadas, Caesar salads, and one Bolognese spaghetti dish and one flat iron steak meal.  Both were good.  Desserts were a slice of cake and one plate of pineapple.  And did the air-conditioning get fixed?  Nope….it was even hotter by the time we returned at 9:30pm.  A note was slipped under our door saying that technicians were working on the problem, and it would be repaired as soon as possible.  Easier said than done.  If we could not tolerate the warmer temps, we could ask to get another room for the evening.  We were lucky enough to have a tower fan, and turning that on helped a lot.  Right now, it is 11pm, and nothing is fixed.  The temperature outside is still warm, so opening the door might make it worse.    Time for a cool shower…..

Captain Frank mentioned in his talk that we will be experiencing rougher seas due to a system that has covered the entire Caribbean.  He expects high winds and deep swells by tomorrow as we head towards the Panama Canal. 

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #23  Sunday  January 21, 2024   Sea Day Enroute To  Willemstad, Curacao   Sunny  With Clear Skies 81 Degrees 21mph Wind  Part #1 Of 1........44 Pictures-----Casual Dress

A day at sea was most welcomed this morning.  Although having breakfast start every day at 7:30am is a bit early.  We used to have an 8am opening on sea days, which was nice.  Now it is the same time everyday…. port or sea day, it does not matter.   Of course, for the early birds, the Lido opens at 6:30am.  Unless we need to be the first ones off of the ship, you will never find us dining in the Lido at that time of the day. 

At his noontime talk, Captain Frank reported that we were halfway to the island of Curacao.  Our speed was around 11 to 12 knots with clear skies and following winds.  That tends to make sailing very muggy without a fresh breeze to help cool us off.  There were 7 foot swells and the temperature was 84 degrees.  The Captain warned us all to expect some changes by Tuesday as a system was developing with 15 foot swells and winds of 45 mph.   It might get rough again as we head towards the Panama Canal.  Speaking of the canal, we just read an article in the newspaper about record low water levels due to a lack of rain.  This has been the case for a few months now, and we will be interested in seeing the difference from our previous crossings.   The report claimed that many commercial vessels were lined up waiting to go through the series of locks.  So far, we have not heard that our transit has been affected.  We do know that the new sets of locks do not discharge the water they use to raise and lower the vessels.  The water is recycled.  It would be great if the Zuiderdam got to use the new locks, although something tells us that the cost would be prohibitive.  We will find out when we sail the Panama Canal on the 24^th of January…..a few days from now.

After our deck walk, we headed up to deck nine and passed through the Lido.   We had seen many very large palm fronds being brought onboard yesterday while we were in Grenada.  It appeared they were used here for decoration for “Island Dream”, a tropical paradise dinner theme this evening.  In addition, they brought on piles of white sand and then decorated it with conch shells here and there.  Someone is clever in these theme dinners, which is Caribbean-inspired tonight in the dining room as well. 

Kimberly delivered her talk on Curacao, but we intended to catch it this afternoon on TV.  Searching for it around 2pm, we could not find it.  It finally appeared on the excursion channel by 6pm.  Better late than never we say.  She has done a thorough job in the research of every port.  The main highlights are pointed out as well as opening times and cost to get in.  This is nice for the independent guests like us.  Also important, she points out the places that are closed. 

Today was a perfect one to catch up on reading for one of us.  There are so many new books in the little book room, we will not run out of choices.   Most folks have downloaded books online, but since we don’t do that, it is nice to have options.  

Around 6pm, while waiting for the sunset, we spotted some islands that Captain Frank said to keep an eye out for.  They are called Archipelago Los Roques, a group of 300 sandy islands off the coast of Venezuela.  What we saw on the horizon was Gran Roque where people go to snorkel and dive.  This entire collection of islands was made a national park in 1972.  By the time the sun went below the horizon, the view of the island was gone in the sea haze. 

What’s for dinner???  Well empanadas with chicken and beef with a mango, tomato, and onion salsa.  We could have ordered more of these and made a meal out of them.  But we had salads and one order of bay shrimp.  This year, the shrimp appetizers have been very good.  Our entrees were the rack of veal plate, served hot, with asparagus, mashed potatoes, and a delectable gravy.   The meat was cooked medium and sliced thin.  It was quite tender and very tasty.   Topping off our dinner, we had one small slice of carrot cake and a piece of rum-soaked cake.   Hmmm, good.

Curacao should be fun as we have a partial tour with our travel group.  Will explain that in tomorrow’s report.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #22  Saturday  January 20, 2024 Saint George's Grenada  Docked Starboard Side To Pier  P&O Britannia Docked Along Side Us  Sunny With Clouds & Rain Showers 85 Degrees   Part #1 Of 5.......57 Pictures--Casual Dress

Today we are visiting the Spice Island of Grenada.  They are known for the production of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and mace to name a few.  The population of this rather small island is 111,219 people that speak mostly English.  The capital is St. George’s and that is where we will dock today. 

The last time we were here was in 2022 on back-to-back Caribbean cruises.  Due to Covid, there was no world voyage that year, so we created a trip with almost as many days but stayed close to the USA.  On our initial stops here, we were not allowed access to the town unless we had booked a ship’s tour.  Having done most tours here over the years, we chose to stay in the Esplanade Mall and not exit the building.  On our final stop, we were able to go where we wished.  We pretty much did our same hike today as we did back then.

We had company today…..the P&O Britannia was also docked across from us.  And it was big compared to the Zuiderdam.  They have up to 3600 passengers with a crew of 1350.  Unlike us, they were on a 14 day round trip in the Caribbean and many of their passengers were young kids.  The town and the excursions will be busy today.  Speaking of tours, there were 5 choices which included Grenada Island drive 4 hours for $65, and the best of Grenada for 7 hours and $150 with a lunch.  Snorkeling from a 60 foot catamaran in Flamingo Bay was $75 for 2 ¾ hours, but a really fun one was a Rhum Runner Pleasure Cruise, enhanced with a powerful rum punch we were told for $75 and 3 hours.   Lastly a rainforest visit was $80 for 3 ¾ hours.  And from the looks of it, rain passed over those high peaks most of the day.

We lucked out and had the portside view of the harbor where we watched the Rhum Runner load its guests.  A little further up, several water taxis filled up with folks heading towards the beaches.  We read somewhere that the cost of these taxis is about $4 USD.   Between the Britannia and the Zuiderdam, these small boats operated all day.  Our guess was that these rides went to Grand Anse, the main resort area south of the St. George’s.   They boast white sand beaches and nice resorts, something you will not find in downtown.  The highest number of hotels, bars and cafes are also located in Grand Anse. 

North of St. George’s is an underwater sculpture park consisting of 80 life-size works.  Made from concrete, these statues have become encrusted with coral growth.  It is accessible to both snorkelers and divers, however not offered on any ship tour.  The tickets reportedly cost $2 USD to get into the park. 

What kind of food is served here?  Roti, which is seen on most all of the Caribbean islands.  It is more like a sandwich filled with all types of meats and veggies.  Oil down, an odd name, is a beef and salt pork stew with coconut milk.  Another favorite is salt fish baked with onion and veggies with a side of fried bread.  Dishes made with conch are called lambi and is typically washed down with Carib beer.  Jack Iron rum is a lethal local brew, but the chocolate produced at the Diamond Chocolate Factory, called Jouvay, is sold throughout the island.  Among the fruit grown here are papayas, custard apple, and a soursop, an acquired taste. 

Leaving the ship  by 11am, we headed through the huge Esplanade Mall to the main street.  Turning left, we walked through downtown to the bus depot.  In that same area, we found the fish market, where most all of the fresh catch had been sold already.  Not a surprise, because today was Saturday, their biggest market day.  Turning back, we went up one street and found their marketplace where you could find everything.  There was the produce, but also tents full of souvenirs.  The biggest seller had to be the bowls of assorted spices as well as necklaces made from nutmeg seeds.  We still have these mementos at home from our first visit here back in the late 80’s. 

Running into friends, we all headed towards the Sendall Tunnel which runs 350 feet under a steep knoll.  It connects the downtown to the Carenage waterfront promenade of an adjacent inner harbor.  This tunnel was built for horses and carriages in the old days, so it was narrow and not very high.  We walked through this one way tunnel the last time we were here and there were no ceiling lights.  Sure made it creepy as well as dangerous without any lights.  We recall the locals bringing out their cell phones and holding them up to see inside the tight tunnel. Now there were bright lights and we could see without the use of cell phones.   It worked for us as we safely made it to the other side.  Here we made our way to the water of the Carenage and walked the entire promenade passing many fishing boats.  It was written that there are many beachside restaurants here, but the biggest one was a Pizza Hut.  There may have been some bars, but they were not opened yet.  We all took many pictures of the boats in the harbor, especially when the sun came out and the houses on the hillsides were brilliant. 

On the way back, we wanted to stop in the House of Chocolate Museum, a very small shop with a tiny café where the folks can enjoy chocolates that were crafted on site.  Going into the door, we saw that the place was wall-to-wall jammed, so we left.  Continuing walking uphill, we realized that we had summited the top of the steep knoll that by-passed the tunnel.  It was not as strenuous as we had been led to believe, although some of those higher streets were downright vertical.  Most of the sidewalks had to be stairs.  We went as far as a Cathedral and a school, then turned around heading the same way we had come.

Back to the Esplanade Mall, we headed out the doors to the ship since we had not found any restaurant at all for lunch.  Our best bet was room service salads and a sandwich.  Once again, it was so warm outside, we appreciated cooling off in our room.  We had the best view from our veranda and stayed outside most of the time watching the boats fill up over and over. 

Sail away was after 5pm, followed by the Britannia.  We’re not sure where she is headed, but we are on or way to Curacao in a couple of days. 

Dinner was good, but different items are popping up on the entrée section.  Chicken noodle soup, a crab and shrimp appetizer, and salads were our starters.  One of us ordered the roast lamb, which looked nice, and the other a pasta dish with Italian sausage.  However, there was no sausage to be seen.  By the time our waiter came around, it was too late……it was all gone.  Oh well, pasta with a cheese sauce was fine for a change.  Desserts were a chocolate cake with caramelized popcorn, a scoop of ice cream, and a glass of sliced bananas.  They must have bought some onshore today.  Lucky. 

The entertainer this evening was a flautist by the name of Andrea Amat.   Described as “Virtuoso de Valencia”, she was guaranteed to blow everyone’s minds. 

We did have a message waiting for us on our bed concerning updated ADA signage in parts of the ship……  specifically, the Lido, self-seating bar areas, and the World Stage.  There are disabled signs on some seats with another sign designating a companion seating.  We have been asked to respect those signs and sit elsewhere if we do not need these ADA seats.  Not a problem for us, since we do not frequent these areas very often. 

Looking forward to a day at sea.

Bill & Mary Ann 

Report #21  Friday  January 19, 2024  Sea Day Enroute To Saint George's Grenada   Sunny With Broken Clouds 85 Degrees 6' Swell  King Neptune Day    Part #1 Of 1.......41 Pictures---Casual Dress

There were two highlights of the day.  One was the King Neptune Ceremony at 10am at the Lido Poolside.  Despite the heat and humidity, it was well-attended.    Viewing it from deck 10, we needed to squeeze in between many onlookers in the space left open in the dome.    We could hear Kimberly loud and clear beginning the ceremony as the “Judge”.  She did a really good job, as she did when we crossed the Equator last fall on the Volendam.    The most fun part of that ceremony was the fact that it was Kimberly’s first time crossing and was a pollywog.  There was no way the Exploration team was going to let her escape the dunking in the pool.  At the conclusion of the crazy festivity, she was tossed in, clothes and all, and then the Captain followed with his officers.  Clothes and all.  We didn’t stick around long enough to see the conclusion of this event, because it was blistering hot and crowded.   And of course, this evening we all received certificates that we had crossed the line twice in the last week or so.  Unless our itinerary changes, this will be the only time we will cross the Equator on this world cruise.

The flying fish have appeared in larger numbers this morning.   We saw them flying and diving on both sides of the ship most of the day.  There was one lone gray bird flying near the water, but it was gone right after we saw it.   So far, there are no boobies.  Hope they return as they are fun to watch.  Walking the promenade deck, we spotted at least one dozen large green grasshoppers or locusts that are on a ride to the next port.  Also, later in the afternoon, we saw one lone frigate bird flying very high near the ship. That was odd since they are usually in larger numbers and close to land.   Then we guessed perhaps this bird hitched a ride on the ship.  Lo and behold, we watched as the frigate landed in the bow area and perched on the flagpole.   Another hitch-hiker. 

Not too many folks were walking on the promenade deck.  We think it was just too warm for most folks and besides, they were positioning for the best spots in the Lido Pool area well before the ceremony began.  Knowing that the Seaview Pool would not be busy, we headed back there for some sun and fresh air.  On the way across deck 10, we spotted many casualties with the Amazon insects due to spraying we suspect.  Greg came along and we chatted for a while, exchanging what info we had heard concerning the upcoming itinerary.  There have already been some cruise ships cancelling their Suez canal sailings, which were due to happen soon.  It is going to be a test of everyone’s patience waiting for the final decision.  Will we go, or not?  Time will tell…….

Kimberly did a talk on tomorrow’s port of Grenada, and we did find it repeated on the TV, which is nice.   The only problem, however, is the fact that the sound on the TV can only be cranked up halfway.    We can hear it, but not really well.  And occasionally, the program stalls.  Must be a computer error, which also was not fixed since we were here a year ago.   Good thing for all of us that Kimberly has such a clear and distinct voice, that we understood most of her port information.

Lunch was from the Dive-In Grill with cannonball burgers made better with Gouda cheese and smoked bacon.  We think it is the best one offered.  A couple of  boxes of naked fries went well with the burgers, except now the serving is half the size that it was on last year’s world cruise.   Of course, we can always ask for doubles, but we can do without it just as easy.  The fries do tend to be on the greasy side. 

There were numerous activities to keep the passengers busy all afternoon.  It appears that the Oi Brasil team is still onboard and giving lectures, dance classes, dance aerobics,  and finally instructions on capoeira self defense on deck 10.  Now that would be something to see with the ship rolling, especially on deck 10.  Hmmm, that is an accident waiting to happen with much of this crowd.

Casual dinnertime came quickly, and we ordered bean/rice tacos for appetizers and Caesar salads.  Both were good….the taco hot, and the salad cold.  A beef tenderloin dish was one meal, and the other was a stuffed manicotti shell with cheese and a red sauce with diced bell peppers.   It was nice for a change of pace.   Desserts were one small piece of lemon meringue cheesecake and a plate of sliced pineapple.  Sliced bananas would be nice, but they have run out of them.  Don’t they always?

The Grand Voyage singers and dancers performed a Rhythm Room song and dance, which our buddy Greg said they have been enjoying most of the entertainment.   But the better plan was setting the clocks back one hour again this evening.  Now we are on Manaus time, or one hour ahead of EST.  It sure helps all of us to re-charge our batteries so to speak, making that the other highlight of the day.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #20  Thursday January 18, 2024   Day At Sea Enroute To Saint George's, Grenada  Sunny With Clouds 20 Knot Winds Rough Seas 9' Swell  Part #1 Of 1.......30 Pictures--- Formal Night

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  -Helen Keller-   That was the note left on our bed tonight with formal evening chocolate candies.  And it just dawned on us that we have only gotten these messages on dressy or formal nights.   We used to have a note every night….sometimes inspiring and at times humorous.   Guess this is another tradition that will go by the wayside, even as small of a nice touch it is.

Actually the daring adventure turned out to be the rough seas that increased through the evening.  Usually the motion rocks us to sleep, but last night, it got rocky enough to wake one of us up at 4am.  We must have been traveling in the shallow area north of the mouth of the Amazon River.  Captain Frank had warned us to expect some turbulence, and he was right on.  During the day, the further north we traveled, the waters began to smooth out. 

At breakfast, our buddies that had been at the cocktail party in the Officer’s Bar (now known as the Team Bar) exchanged thoughts about the subject of our future itinerary.  All of us have different theories, but the bottom line ends up with the questionable area…… the Suez Canal.   There may be more hots spots as well, but we do think any changes will be announced next month for sure.  Many people have independent tours off of the ship, so they need to know well in advance if their plans have to be amended or cancelled.  And those guests who booked overlands through the shore excursion department, will be credited.

Today was a relaxing one for us with our usual promenade deck walk.  However with the spray from the 10 foot waves, one side of the deck was soaked.  The other was almost dry.  The weather has stayed warm and sticky, but we do expect that to change as we get closer to the Caribbean.  And we have also crossed the Equator, where the heat and humidity is the worst.  Hope we do have the King Neptune Ceremony soon to bring us those fair seas and safe crossing.

It was a good afternoon for Cobb salads, a shared panini, and an old movie with Lee Marvin and Keith Carridine.   It was all about trains, the Great Depression, and the hobo way of life.  Glad our generation missed that time in history. 

This evening was “formal”, which was announced once again by Kimberly during her 5pm talk. She reminded the folks of the dress code for all table service dining venues.  In addition to the special dining room dinner, there was Casino Royale, described as a night of glamour, games, and entertainment – Bond style.   This was held in the Casino, Billboard Onboard, and the Gallery Bar.  Since day one on this cruise, we have noticed little activity in the Casino.  That is not unusual for a trip that is this long.  So to jump-start more interest, there were free gaming lessons, a free slot tournament, and table games.  Even raffle prizes were part of the fun.  This all began at 8pm and ended with a complimentary “champagne” tower and pour with Captain Frank.  And all this taking place with the sounds of the Rat Pack in the backround.  Of course this was right smack dab in the middle of our dinner time.   Oh well, we will certainly hear about it tomorrow, perhaps at breakfast. 

The menu was not the most appealing, and did not offer the usual surf and turf, escargots, or caviar.  We recall when caviar was served with toast points most every formal night.  The closest that got was an appetizer that had flying fish eggs.  Not quite the same.  We did order the jumbo shrimp, on the menu most everyday, and Cobb salads with tataki beef slices.  The meat was absolutely tender and delicious.  We were happy that the mains of sliced short ribs and mashed potatoes was conservatively portioned.  Dessert was a slice of cheesecake that was really more like a jello cheesecake with one strawberry and a blueberry.  (They are running out of fresh berries.)  Sliced pineapple was a good and dependable choice for one of us. 

The entertainment in the World Stage was a group called The Flyrights.  Billed as the ultimate experience, it was a fusion of Motown and Swing – a song and dance routine we think.  By the way, we have noticed more guests wearing face masks.  And some of our friends are sick with a bug of some kind.  Sure hope that nothing contagious is making the rounds.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #19  Wednesday  January 17, 2024    Sea Day Cruising The Amazon River With A Brief Stop At Macapa, Brazil Mostly Sunny With A Few Clouds  82 Degrees  Part #1 Of 1......34 Pictures---Casual Dress

It was really nice not to have to go anywhere today after having had so many ports in a row.  Like many cruise friends before us have said, “It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it”.   Just as Captain Frank had said yesterday, the local river pilots were dropped off into their pilot boat at 10am this morning.  This was near the town of Macapa, where we began our river adventure about a week ago.  Gosh, the time went by fast. 

The day began with a nice breakfast, followed by a deck walk, then up to deck 9 for some sun time at the Sea View pool.   Something funny happened up there.  We watched as one of the deck fellows proceeded to lift the wooden grates on the floor inside the outdoor pool showers.  Dozens of little Amazon critters were hiding under these grates, and scattered when he uncovered them.  Prepared with a broom and dust pan, he chased these bugs before they reached the smoker’s section.  There were too many of them as they hid under the tables and chairs.  Most guests never saw them.    At a closer look, we saw they were green grasshoppers in all sizes.  We doubt they will last long on the ship.  While we were walking the promenade, we spotted dozens of the same insect  plastered on the walls and ceilings.  We bet that after sunset, these insects will be sprayed or hosed off.  And tonight will be the final evening that the outside deck lighting will be at a minimum, since we will be leaving the river soon.

Summing up our Amazon River experience this time, we compared it to the first time we came here to the jungle.  Back then in the late 90’s, at most every port, we had dozens of canoe locals bringing their boats close to the tender landings and either selling their souvenirs or begging for anything folks would give them.    One of the worst things we saw was an older passenger bringing out a roll of quarters, and tossing them near the canoes, where the young kids would dive for the sinking coins.   Shortly after he began doing this, the captain came on the outdoor speakers telling the man to stop what he was doing, which he did.  The captain reminded the folks that someone’s eye could be taken out.  

At another port, such as Boca da Valeria,  the guests threw clothing, shoes, socks, toiletries, and fruit like oranges and apples from their staterooms to the begging natives in those canoes.  Then right before leaving one of the ports, a couple of crew members brought out cases of those small squeezable shampoos, conditioners, and lotions and dumped the contents into the water.  The little kids dove in the water and scooped up the floating toiletries and tossed them into their canoes.  We saw none of this happen on this trip, which is a good thing.  Of course there was a 50 meter warning sign for any craft to stay away from the ship and it was honored. 

Lunch was from the Dive-In Grill with one chicken sandwich and a couple of hot dogs.   Going to the grill around 2pm, there has never been a line and seldom more than a 10 minute wait.    In our opinion, we feel their burgers are the best choice or the hot dogs.  The chicken breast tends to be stringy and difficult to eat.  It tastes good, but is messy with lots of sauce. 

Yesterday we were informed our flight home in May had been cancelled, and they were offering another flight with a stopover in Houston.  No, we were not happy with that change as it would be getting us to San Francisco by midnight.  Being that we made our reservations with HAL with a hotel stay for one night including transfers, they were willing to find us another straight through flight.  So now we will be flying home at 8:30am and getting to SFO by noontime.  And there is no stop over.  Now we hope that won’t change.

We had an invitation to a special event for the President’s Club members held in the Officer’s Bar on deck four at 6:30pm.  This was a first on this ship, and we figured it was due to the fact that the number of guests in the Club are lower than last year.  Better for all of us, we located the hidden door forward on deck four.  There were as many officers as there were guests.  This lounge was half the size of the one on the Amsterdam, but very nice and cozy.  Special canapes were passed around as well as bottomless beverages.   The party lasted over an hour, and we were lucky to be able to visit with Captain Frank and his wife, Christel, Henk, Shiv, Mila, the environmental officer and the best guest relations manager, Maja.  She is the happiest person on this ship and pleasure to chat with.  When many of the guests and staff left, she went to the back of the bar, and brought over a tray full of canapies to share with us.  We did help her out, but it was our dinnertime and we finally said our thank you’s and left for the dining room.   

Our meals consisted of salads, a soup, a smoked duck appetizer, and one Weiner schnitzel and a Peruvian chicken.  Not sure which one was the best.  Our buddy Don upon leaving the dining room, ordered a slice of carrot cake for Bill, a special treat that was not on the menu.   We did share it and it was quite good. 

And as the Captain mentioned earlier, the waters at the mouth of the Amazon became a bit rough.  He did advise all of us to lash down any breakables just in case the turbulence got worse during the evening.  So far so good and it is 11pm as this is being written.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #18    Tuesday  January 16, 2024  Santarem, Brazil 8am-5pm  Tender Port Using Ship & Shore Tenders  Sunny With Some Clouds Hot 90 Degrees 58% Humidity  Part #1 Of 6......55 Pictures---Casual Dress

Last night, we all got a letter from Captain Frank in response to questions some guests are asking about the situation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal.  He reassured everyone that the safety and security of the guests and crew are top priority.  HAL has been in touch with the US Department of State and other agencies regarding this situation.  The Captain continued to give details on the security team that is onboard with us now and also shoreside.   There are some various itineraries that can be substituted in case we are unable to transit the Suez Canal to enter the Mediterranean Sea.  We have no doubt HAL will not send us into harm’s way.  And like we stated weeks ago, this may turn out to be a mystery cruise.

So we ask, what is a “Nothing Day”?  That was on the front of the Daily newsletter.  Actually, that is where the day of the week should be printed.  We can say it is Tuesday and we are in our final port of Santarem.  It is one of the oldest cities, and one of the larger ones.  Founded in 1661, the city flourished with industries such as hardwood timber, rubber, coffee, and gold mining.  Later on extensive clearing of the forest was done to cultivate soybeans, another very useful products in many ways.  It is a far cry from the Tapajos Indians that lived here for thousands of years. 

The last two times we visited here, we went on tours to see the highlights, and fish for piranhas.  Today we decided to see the city.  After tendering over in a local wooden ferry boat, we took the complimentary shuttle to Fisherman’s Square, about a three mile drive up Avenido Tapajos, named after the tribe of natives that lived here.  At the end of the riverside drive, we were dropped off across from a building with a patio that overlooked the convergence of the Amazon River and the Tapajos River.  This is another area where the waters do not mix readily.  While taking photos here, we also spotted some more river dolphins as they skimmed the surface and dove.   This is also the spot where we took a riverboat ride on the piranha fishing tour ten years ago.  At that time, the guide collected the small piranha fish we all caught and fried them up for us to taste.   Funny thing, we had just read about the parasites that are inside the flesh of the fish, and if they are not cooked properly, you could be in for a big surprise as these parasites grow in your stomach.  Yikes.   No way would we even taste them, but many others did.  This same tour was offered today for 2 ½ hours at $90 per person.  The other tours took folks on a drive-by ride through Santarem with a 40 mile drive to go back to Alter do Chao.  That was $80 for 5 hours.  Santarem Highlights was $70 for 3 ½ hours, while a trip to the Tapajos Forest was $85 for 4 ½ hours. 

There is a malecon or riverside promenade walkway that follows the river here for about 3 miles.   Besides dozens of shops, markets, cafes and bars, there are scenic views of the river activity and landmarks along the way.  Even though the weather was warm, there was a nice breeze.  So we decided to walk back towards the pier, and stop to see some sights along the way.  The Catedral Metropolitana Nossa da Conceicao was close to here, so we went up a side street and entered the church.  It was painted blue and white on the outside and stood out looming over the center of town. 

Continuing on, we followed the river side watching for birds.  We did spot more terns, greater egrets, the ever-present vultures, and some hawks.  A few of the diving birds we could not ID.  There were many markets for the locals as well as souvenir tents set up near the church.  It was close to noontime, and street food carts were appearing.  We never did see any cafes or restaurants opened along the way.  What they did have were several concrete benches in some shade along the entire malecon.  Many of us took advantage of that as the sun was quite intense.

But the best was yet to come as we got closer to the Mercado 2000, a fish and fruit market built right on the roadside.   Years ago, we recall a giant fish market that was directly on the sandy banks of the river.   Tables were set up with the fishermen’s catch of the day.  We can remember the smell and the flies.  Today, the fishermen work under a nice roof and have the convenience of stainless steel counters and plenty of sinks with clean running water.  Most of the day’s catch was already sold, but we did see a large variety of river fish.  Some were not like anything we have seen in other fish markets around the world.   Of course, this is a river and the fish would be different than ocean fish.   The majority of the fruit sold here were gigantic watermelons.

We could see activity happening on the river boats below us, so we took the time to watch.  Fishermen were fileting really huge fish, at least 7 to 10 feet in length and each one weighing over 400 pounds we bet.  Asking a local, he said they were the pirarucu that have the giant scales on their bodies.  We remembered seeing these monster fish back in the 1990’s, and were told then that their numbers were dropping due to over-fishing.   Probably regulated now, the ones we saw being skinned were still good size.  We watched as they threw the entire skins into the river where they sunk, then proceeded to carve 7 foot long filets, finally placing the fileted fish in baskets.  They were weighed, brought up to the malecon, and placed in big ice chests full of crushed ice.  Bet they were on their way to the fish market.   We had the opportunity to taste this fish on a tour back then, and it was tasty and moist with no bones.

Our ship map stopped at this point, so we guessed at the way back to the port gate.  There was no sign on the corner, so we followed the road passing Cargill, a big name in the food and copra industries.  They are a worldwide corporation, and create many products specifically related to the coconut.  Bet that soybeans are also a product they handle.  It turned out we took the right road, because as we neared the river, we could see the gate.  One of the shuttles was on its way back to drop off guests from the ship.   We checked out the souvenirs tables but saw nothing we needed.   A ferry was waiting to take us back to the ship, and it took a while to get there.    We had left the ship at 10am and got back before 2pm.  Ice cold sodas were in order.

Relaxing in our room, all aboard time came at 4:30pm, and so did the Captain with his talk.  We will head towards the next port of St. George’s Grenada in a few days from now.  In the meantime, the  Brazilian pilots will be dropped off in Macapa tomorrow at 10am.  And at that time, we will be able to say that we sailed the Amazon River without any problems of getting stuck on a sandbar, thanks to our excellent navigation team and the help of experienced river pilots.  It has been quite an adventure. 

We did spot several birds diving near some fishing boats as we left the city of Santarem.  Among the boats, we spotted more dolphins although they barely skimmed the surface, we did see them for a nano-second.  Too fast for a photo.  Passing through the different shades of water in the converging rivers, we were well on our way downriver.  At one point we smelled smoke and discovered that there was a fire on the opposite bank.  Certainly this was not a forest clearing fire, but an example of how fields are burned for future planting. 

Time for dinner right after the sun went down.  We ordered a bean soup, salad, and a shrimp cocktail. Love the red cocktail sauce.  Mains were the English dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.   Ample portions, it was very tasty.  Desserts were one crème Brule and a plate of fresh pineapple slices.   Seems they have run out of bananas.  What a surprise….

Looking forward to some lazy sea days now.  We have earned them.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #17  Monday  January 15, 2024  Parintins, Brazil  Tender Port 10am-6pm  Mostly Cloudy With Some Sun And A Rain Shower  Part #1 Of 4......55 Pictures--Casual Dress

Our breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill was a strange experience this morning.  One thing we learned was that if you do not have a menu handed to you, all of the waiters will assume you have ordered your food.  There does not seem to be one waiter that deals with us, but a team of them.  Sometimes, like today, it doesn’t work so well. 

We sort of knew that when we were asked if we needed the menu, saying no was a mistake.  With the exception of two daily specials, we have the menu memorized.  Our yogurt and berries arrived as usual, as did the coffee and the orange juice.  Then we waited to place our order.  And waited and waited.  Finally we had to ask for any waiter to take our order, since they all assumed we had done it already.   One of us ordered a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs with an English muffin.  Then a skillet breakfast was ordered without bell peppers and no chips.  Well when it arrived, it consisted of potatoes and onions, with 2 eggs on top.  No ham, no cheese.  And served on an appetizer-sized plate.  The waiter had dropped the food off, then disappeared.   Almost an hour had elapsed since we came into the restaurant at this point.  We were not alone since the couple at the table behind us was waiting for tea and pastries for 20 minutes. 

We questioned the waiter on the skillet breakfast, and he sent Tina to talk to us.  We told her in the nicest way that there was a miscommunication about what was ordered and what was delivered.  Tina offered to replace the “appetizer” with a real skillet breakfast, but we declined.  She promised to look into why that happened, apologizing for the waiter’s mix-up.  We recently spent 77 days on the Volendam, where we had the same waiter for breakfast everyday.  They did not have the entire staff waiting on each and every customer.  Sometimes when things work well, why change it?   Not a big deal, we will survive and try to keep our orders as simple as possible from here on out.

So today’s port was the small city of Parintins, made famous for their Boi Bumba Festival.  It is a well-known music and dance competition that is held here every year in the month of June.  There are two competing teams that vie for the best costumes and dances.  The theme is surrounded with folklore of a resurrected ox with each side either a blue ox or a red ox.  The company Coca-Cola picked up on this and created cans of red or blue for the opposing teams.  The soda happens to be the biggest seller in Brazil.  When the night time festival happens, it produces half of the town’s income in 2 weeks.  It is also second to the festival of Carnaval.  Flamboyant costumes, dances, singing, and floats are created year round in this community of 100,000 people. 

The biggest and  most impressive Bumbodromo stadium is located here.  It seats 35,000 people and it is where the competition takes place.  We have seen it on past stops here and discovered it was built in the shape of a bull’s head.   Today we hiked to it in the steamy humid heat of the day.

This was a tender port, where we were brought to shore, then transferred to a local wooden ferry to pass through it and onto the floating pier.   A long ramp took us up to the main road where the souvenir tents were located.  Right out of the terminal building was the Convention Center where later at 2pm, a performance of singers and dancers put on a show for the guest that paid for this shore excursion.  The cost was $100 for 90 minutes and it included the local drink of caipirinha.  The other option was taking a triciclo ride, similar to a tuk-tuk ride.  They hold two people and can be operated with a guide pedaling a bicycle or driving a motorcycle.  A group of 20 triciclos passed by us as we hiked to the small church to the left.  This tour was also 90 minutes for $45.  

Walking through the town, we made our way to the street above the river where we saw some restaurants and the local plaza for concerts.  Many small cafes lined this road.  Following the map, we made our way up some side streets where we found piles of garbage, some bagged, some not, laying outside the homes and cafes.  Much of it had been scattered, and we assumed it was by the roaming dogs.  But to our surprise, we discovered it was the vultures that got into it.  Looking down the banks of the river, we saw so much garbage floating in the river, it was off-putting to say the least.   Much of it was bits and pieces of floating Styrofoam like we saw in Manaus.   Locals paid no attention to this because the river takes it all downstream eventually. 

The highlight of this town has to be their cathedral, Catedral Nossa Senhora do Carmen, reportedly the largest church in Parintins.  It was a modern design and rather simple on the inside.  The only stained glass was over the altar.  The wooden pews were carved up with names of many local kids we assume.    Even with the high vaulted ceiling, it was extremely warm in there.  Fans were mounted at each station of the cross, but were not running.  Sitting outside to cool off in the slight breeze, we chatted with a group of fellow guests who were trying to find their way to the Bumbodromo.  Our maps claimed it was a 1.1 mile walk from the terminal.  We think they were off by a mile or more.  We all headed the way the map indicated, and finally reached the stadium.  Knowing there was not much to see since it was closed, we turned around and and headed back.   

Running into Martha and Bob, we all headed back down the ramp to the waiting tender boat.  Lined up outside the Convention Center was the group that paid to see the show.  This was the perfect time to head back and fill up on something ice cold like Cokes.  We agreed that this port might be one we could have skipped, although we are sure some folks will think otherwise.  By the way, we did see video of the costumes, singing, and dancing from our buddies that attended the show.  It was just as we expected it to be.  No more, no less.

Lunch was from the Dive-In with really quick service.  We had hot dogs and a cheeseburger, and a shared order of sticky clumps of fries.  Of course, we kept busy with photos and reports for the remainder of the afternoon.  After a three hour walk in the steamy Amazon heat, we appreciated the coolness of our stateroom.  And speaking of staterooms, there was a funny request leading The Daily newsletter today.  It said, when going ashore, please remember to carry your stateroom. Oh that’s going to be a hard thing to do….LOL.  Of course, it meant please carry your stateroom keycard. 

The ship turned around in the river around 6 pm and headed back down towards our final stop in Santarem tomorrow.   The sun went down shortly after, but not quite as spectacular as last night’s display.   Captain Frank mentioned that the clocks will go forward one hour tonight.  Like it or not, we have to do it. 

Dinner was good with smoked chicken as our appetizer along with a nice green salad with green beans and dried cranberries.  Balsamic vinaigrette made it even better.  Our entrees were the Club Orange special of sliced lamb and white beans.  Very tasty.  Desserts were one scoop of orange sorbet, and a conservative slice of a chocolate torte.  We are pleased that the portions are smaller for dessert.  Hot coffee topped off the dinner.

The entertainer was the comedian Sid Davis, but we think that many folks were done-in from today’s heat and may have missed the later show.   We know we did.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #16  Sunday  January 14, 2024  Manaus, Brazil  8am-5pm  Docked Starboard Side To Pier  Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun  79 Degrees 83% Humidity  Part #1 Of 5......66 Pictures--Casual Dress

Our port of call for today is the largest city in the Amazon with lots of people.  Its name is Manaus and it is the capital of the State of Amazonas.  It is the most unexpected city that you can imagine existing in the Amazon jungle.  The Portuguese were responsible for settling here in the mid- 17^th century, and the city has maintained its heritage ever since.  The discovery of latex produced from the rubber trees, catapulted this city to thrive during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  We have visited here several times, and have taken some of the most interesting tours.  Today we were on our own to explore the central part of the historical city.   And considering that we were here on a Sunday, we were lucky that the city was not shut down.  Just the opposite….the locals were out and about enjoying all the sights we were.

There were some shore excursions here today beginning from $75 to $230 for highlights of Manaus with a BBQ lunch, flora and fauna, a jungle trek, and the rubber story.  A guaranteed pink dolphin encounter took the folks to a submerged platform where the dolphins were hand-fed by the guides.   

The Zuiderdam arrived to the port shortly after 8am, due to slower speed limits in the river.    We got the impression that the dock we were to use was switched.  Instead of the cruise terminal dock, we were at an adjacent dock.  That complicated our exit because we had to take a small shuttle to the other nicer terminal building.  The larger tour buses were allowed to come down the ramp to pick up their guests.

Once again, we waited until the tours were off and running before we got off of the ship.  That was after breakfast at around 10am.  The cruise terminal building was nice and they had several maps, much better than the ship’s map.  In addition, there were English-speaking guides to give directions to the major sites in town.   By the way, shortly before we left the ship, there was a general warning from Kimberly to be very careful about going into town alone.  The Captain had suggested that folks went off in groups and not isolate yourselves from groups of people.  We guess that something had happened like pickpockets, and the warning went out to all.  Too bad most people had already left the ship.   We knew not to wear flashy jewelry and good watches.  We left them on the ship.  The only bag we had contained umbrellas which we never had to use.

Studying the directions, we pretty much followed the people going up one main street called Avenue Eduardo Ribeiro.  Passing a church on the way (Igreja Matriz Nsa Sra Conceicao), we followed the street which was closed to all side traffic.  The entire avenue was filled with make-shift cafes with food being cooked on site.  In between the food stalls were souvenir huts.  This went on for blocks.  Much of the food offered was foreign to us, but we are sure it was a mix of indigenous and Portuguese cuisine.   Sure smelled good, especially when they lit up the mesquite BBQ grills cooking skewered chicken and beef.  This must be a weekend food faire and this time we hit it just right.  We never tried the food, but really took a lot of pictures. 

This was the way to some of the most famous iconic sites such as the Opera House called Amazonas Teatro.  Constructed in 1896, this opera house was the epitome of elegance in this part of the world, appealing to the higher society of the rubber barons.   The dome of this structure has over 36,000 imported ceramic tiles, dazzling the skyline.  Too bad some of the modern high rises have succeeded in blocking the view of the dome.  Getting photos of the theater from the Plaza Sao Sebastiao, we wondered over to the stairs going up.  One of us climbed the stairs, getting close-ups of the building.  It was halfway closed to the public, but if you were in a group, they were allowed a short look inside.  On a previous visit here, we actually saw a performance because we had over-nighted here on the ship.  The guest capacity inside the opera house is 701 people.  

The plaza across the street had floor tiles resembling what we saw while in Rio at Copacabana Beach.   Also a Portuguese city.  Also reminded us of Portugal, the Azores, and Funchal, all settled by the Portuguese.  To the left of the theater was the Palacio da Justice in gold and white colors.   Igreja de Sao Sebastiao (church) was across from the plaza.  The entire area was surrounded with policemen keeping watch.  It was not crowded, but there were probably some pickpockets working the area that we did not see. 

We headed back down the closed-off street, checking out some souvenirs as we passed the vendors.  Most people were paying with Brazil real, but a few vendors took dollars.  There was nothing we did not already have, so came back with nothing new.  From the cruise terminal we headed left to go to the Mercado Municipal Adolpho Lisboa, or their central marketplace.  The building is just as interesting as the produce and meats inside.  Art Nouveau style was a big deal back in the 1880’s and this building is a perfect example of iron architecture.  Among other things, we found typical products from the Amazon such as meats, fish, a small amount of fruit, veggies, and spices.  Packaged nuts were for sale like Brazil nuts and cashews.   It has been from past purchases that we discovered the nut products are not quite the same as what we buy at home.  Some of them are not roasted and  not salted, so the taste and texture are foreign to us.   We have learned that the cashews have to be treated differently or they can be almost poisonous.  And that’s why we brought our stash of nuts from home.  Enough to last for four months. 

Directly across the street from the marketplace, we saw the railing where you can watch the ferries and the fishing boats landing.  A make-shift fish market was set up on the sandy banks of the river.  Best to take photos from high above the banks.  We had already been walking for three hours and decided it best to go back to the ship.  We saw no suitable restaurants…only the street market.    And it was so humid with overcast skies, we were literally melting.

We got the bus ride back to our pier, and were in our room after 1pm enjoying cold sodas again.  The ship was docked starboard today, so we could watch and hear the ship bunkering fuel all afternoon.  There was a total of three barges used.  We never saw such black sooty smoke coming out of our stacks as we did today.  Wonder if that was from the local fuel?  And the river garbage was the worst we have ever witnessed.  Styrofoam, plastic cups and glasses, and aluminum cans floated in clumps around the shoreline.   Considering that this practice has been stopped (more or less) worldwide, the news has not hit here.

And we lucked out with only a passing shower getting the area damp.   We do know they need rain, but we had hoped it would hold off until we are out of the river in a few days.  It worked today.

Remember when it was mentioned that there are no bridges in the Amazon?  Well today we saw a big one spanning the Rio Negro.  Not sure how long it has been here, but it looks very modern.  The Rio Negro is the river that dumps acidic water the color of strong tea into the muddy waters of the Amazon.  These waters do not mix easily.  Knowing what to watch for, we had the best place on our veranda to witness where these waters are side-by-side for a long ways before mixing.  The ship left the port by 5pm or so, and we had that slow speed limit leaving the city.  It was several miles before we reached the spot where eventually the waters returned to the muddy state.  We did get many pictures of that strange phenomenon.  And we were treated to a nice sunset about 6:30pm once again.  And that’s why we like late seating for dinner or we would have missed all of the sailing out of the city.

Dinnertime had a few good choices.  It was shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads for both of us.  We ordered chicken – one parmigiana and spaghetti (doubled with extra sauce) and one Portuguese-style chicken.  Don’t know whose was best, although there was enough pasta to share.  A small slice of almond cake and a dish of sliced bananas finished the meal nicely. 

The show this evening was the return of the artists David and Dawn with a musical and visual performance.  Guaranteed to amaze everyone.  We never seem to finish dinner in time to catch the shows.  Hard to burn the candle at both ends, we always say.

Tomorrow we will be in another city by the name of Parintins.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #15  Saturday  January 13, 2024  Boca Da Valeria, Brazil 7am-1pm Tender Port  Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun 85 Degrees 70% Humidity  Part #1 Of 5........62 Pictures --Dressy Night

Today’s port of call was an early one…..Boca da Valeria, which is a very quaint village with about 100 “caboclos” natives with a blend of both indigenous and Portuguese back round.  Access to this area is by tender boat as there are no paved roads as we recall.  The locals survive by fishing, growing crops, and their craft sales to tourists like us. 

But first, we were off to breakfast.  We are finding that some folks are lining up well before the doors of the Pinnacle Grill are opened at 7:30am.   Today there were eight of us to take the window seats.  Perhaps that was due to the fact our time in this port will be short from 7am to 1pm.  There were no organized shore excursions today as this village is so small, it can be walked in a short time.  We did have the best seats in the restaurant as we watched the guests boarding the tender boats right below our window.  An added surprise was spotting some river dolphins close to the shoreline.  We could see their splashes, but they were so quick, they barely breached the surface. 

Prior to our arrival today, we all received a notice asking for any donations such as school supplies, playing cards, dice, word games, children’s books in English, puppets, Legos, and puzzles.  Soaps, lotions, and toothpaste were also welcomed.   These items had to be cleared with local customers officials and if fees applied, HAL would have to pay them.  This same situation occurred while we were on the fall sailing of Tales of the South Pacific.  All donations including money for the kids on Fanning Island were to be brought over to the local officials.  However due to the cancellation of the port, the contributions had to go elsewhere.  The guests were most disappointed since they had shopped for the basic necessities for these kids while we were in Hawaii.  

Anyway, we headed for the tender boat right after breakfast for the 10 minute ride to the shore.  Some things had changed since we were here back in the 1990’s and 2014.  We sure do not remember the covered village pier pontoon that made it easy to disembark the tender boat.  Back then, we were taken further up the tributary and dropped off navigating wide boards through the muddy banks.   

And we know why it had been suggested to bring single dollar bills with us.  There was a double line of kids and their moms greeting us as we made our way towards the village.  Most every kid had a pet like baby sloths and monkeys, lizards, alligators, and small parrots.  If you took a photo, they expected one dollar.  It was the same over 30 years ago, so inflation has not hit this part of the world we guess. 

A few of the older young ladies, perhaps 16 or 18, were dressed in traditional costumes with hundreds of feathers and beads.  Little children were encouraged by their moms to take our hands to walk to the village, all with the hopes of getting tips we assume.  None of them spoke English, but we can say that all of the locals were dressed nicely in modern-day t-shirts and shorts wearing flip-flops.  It was amusing to us watching some of the young boys take their dollars and run to their snack shack to buy packaged chips and crackers.  They left the empty bags on the ground afterwards, hoping their moms did not see the evidence. 

We walked about twice as far after passing the crowded village.  The trail led to more houses on stilts, where each one had chickens, ducks, and dogs.  We saw one fat cat sleeping in a nice bed.  We could see pipes coming from the hillsides carrying fresh water to tanks mounted on the roofs.  Some larger homes had satellite dishes.  All of the houses had power.  Towards the end of the narrow trail,  we saw what we assume to be the local garbage dump where the charred soil was still smoking from a recent burn.  The largest house had a fenced yard with two pigs.  That’s where we decided to turn back. 

We did get a lot of pictures of the animals, the church, school, and snack shack.  Tables were set up under thatched roofs where the locals were hawking their treasures.  Anything made of wood had to be dropped off after we went through security on the ship to be frozen for 24 hours to kill any insects.   We had to do this with wooden puppets we bought in Bali one year.  Freezing was the only way to stop the burrowing insects in the puppet’s wood parts.

Just about when we were passing the village, the rain began falling.  Light at first, it became a cloudburst within minutes.  This time we used the umbrellas one of us thought to bring. All in all, we had spent over two hours exploring there.  And it is worth mentioning that it was wicked hot and humid today.    And when the doors of the tender boat were closed, it made it even hotter, like a sauna.

Back on the cool ship, we enjoyed ice cold sodas and eventually ordered a room service lunch.  The food has been very good and nicely presented.  The service is much quicker than the 30 to 40 minutes they predict.   Working on pictures occupied the rest of the afternoon.

Right before 1pm, the Captain sounded the ship’s horn with one long blast.  The last tender was to leave at 1pm, but it appeared they were waiting for some people.  At 1:10pm, the horn sounded again, but this time longer.  Watching the pontoon, we spotted two canoes pull over and drop off 4 people.  Guess they were not watching the time and they were lucky they were not left behind. 

At 3pm, there was a cake extravaganza held in the Lido Market.  Photos were allowed at 2:45pm, but that was when our lunch was arriving, so we missed it.   Maybe it will be repeated later in the cruise. 

Dinner was surprisingly “dressy” this evening….the first one of the cruise so far.   And it was the Culinary Dinner with special chef items.  We ordered the coconut crusted shrimp salad which was very good and one crab cake.  The entree we both ordered was the prime rib, and it was also cooked perfectly.   The plates and the food were piping hot, making a huge difference in our opinion.   Dessert was the chocolate filled craqueline, a special treat which is not served often. 

Showtime was another performance of the singers and dancers.  It appeared that most of the late dining guests were finished and leaving the dining room before the show began at 9:30pm.   They sure were not in the Ocean Bar, which has had only a handful of guests every evening.  

Tomorrow we will be in Manaus, the biggest city in this part of the Amazon.   It will be a one day stop, where in the past, we always spent two days.  Hopefully docked, we should be able to walk to the main sights from the pier.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #14  Friday  January 12, 2024  Sail By Santarem And Spend The Day At Alter Do Chao, Brazil    Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun  84 Degrees 77% Humidity  Part #1 Of 4.......65 Pictures--Casual Dress

Getting up early, we saw that we were passing the large city of Santarem under very cloudy skies.  However, this was not our port of call today.  It was Alter do Chao located further up the river.  Our arrival time was set at about 10:30am, but we got there sooner.  There was a window of opportunity for us to leave the ship before the tour groups were let off.  So we gathered our things, and happened to be the first in line for tender.  Usually, we don’t do this, but it sure looked like rain was imminent, and we wanted to walk the town before it began.  As it turned out, we had a slight passing shower later in the afternoon, and never saw any more rain for the rest of the day.  Just lucky.

There were two ship tours.  One was a 40 minute drive to Tapajos National Forest to see the flora and fauna of the canopy.  We did this tour years ago, and did see many hardwood trees such as the Brazil nut and the rubber trees.  This protected forest covers 1,482,600 acres, but we are sure that 4 ½ hours would not cover that much ground.  However it was priced right at $75.   The other excursion took the folks back to Santarem, a 45 minute local bus ride, to tour the city.  This will be a stop on January 16^th, with a similar tour.  The price was $80 for 4 ¾ hours. 

The tender ride was not 30 minutes as suggested, but more like 15 minutes as the river was smooth as glass.  We had also been warned that the tender landing may be wet and muddy.  But today, the water level of the river was so low, that all we encountered was thick deep sand on the beach.  Promoting tourism, the white sandy beaches are compared to those in the Caribbean.  It was true that the muddy water of the river was not in this area.  It wasn’t the aqua-blue of the Caribbean, but much more clear than what we have seen the last couple of days.  

Once reaching the banks of the river, we went upstairs to a café and a long fenced boardwalk that has seen better days.  We recalled having to be careful walking the loose boards of this long stretch to reach the streets of town.  Following the ship’s map, we found our way on a side street walking uphill to the main streets.  The central square was about a ½ mile walk with the Igreja Matriz Church at the top of the square.   The steps were steep without handrails, so only one of went inside the church.  Hiking further up the street, we came across the Araibe Culture Indigena, a place selling indigenous art, handicrafts, and clothing as well as a nice assortment of costume jewelry. 

We passed by numerous nice-looking cafes, bars, and restaurants, and despite the fact it was getting close to noontime,  none of them seemed to be opened.  Perhaps they would open later in the day and definitely at night time.  Checking out some of the souvenir shops, we made our way back down to the main road.  We could see the sandy spit of a small island called Ilhe do Amor, a favorite spot for the beach crowd – both local and visitors. There is a series of thatch-roofs hut with cafes and bars there.   It was interesting watching how people accessed this island since there was no bridge.  Many canoes were lined up on the banks to take folks over to the island.  But the smarter ones were actually walking through the shallow water to access it.  Those were mostly the locals.

Just as we were watching this activity, we heard a cheering roar coming from the crowd of sunbathers as two river dolphins appeared swimming around the island.  We happened to have the best view from up above and did see that one of these dolphins was the color pink.  The other was a darker gray.   They circled around the back of the spit, and continued up the other side jumping and swimming so fast, we could them moving underwater like submarines.  Bet they were after fish.   They disappeared as fast as they appeared.  Another lucky sighting.  Of course we searched for them the rest of our walk, but never saw them again.

Running across friends Mike and Nancy,  they asked if we had seen the cemetery, which we had missed.  So on the way back we headed that way.  Following the low road along the coast, we spotted a grassy field with trees, mostly mango trees, and discovered this area was full of birds.  You had to really stop and listen because they were well hidden in the grass and the trees.  Some pretty yellow and red ones flew right on the railing and posed for pictures.  They were larger than a canary, but very bright.  Of course the males had all the color and the females were a drab brown.  Normally this grassy field was not exposed, but due to the low water, now it is home to more birds.  A lady stopped and mentioned that while here in 2017, the entire island of Ilha do Amor was totally underwater with only the tops of the thatched roofs exposed.   Big difference this year.

We turned and walked up the last street and located the rather large cemetery.  It was so old that most all of the headstones had no writing.  Some of the graves were small, indicating that they were children.  One tiny gravesite had a crib next to it.  No doubt that yellow fever and malaria played a part in the infant mortality. 

We headed back to the tender landing, checking out their souvenir tables.  We already own the blow guns, masks, drums, and piranhas.  But they did have a nice collection of fun jewelry, which appealed to one of us.  And one turquoise and abalone necklace was our big purchase of the day.   By the way, we happened to notice they were selling beer for $2 a can.  It may not have been cold, but the price was good.

It had begun to sprinkle and we thought for sure the sky would open up.  However, it just stayed muggy and hot with no breeze.  The ride back was stifling inside the tender.  We spent the rest of the afternoon working in our room and going for take-out……two cannonball burgers and fries from The Dive-In.    Ice cold Cokes were the best.  

At 5pm, the Captain sounded the horn, alerting the folks to come back on the tenders.  As it turned out, some bus tours were late in getting back and 120 folks were still onshore.  Finally back onboard, they pulled the anchor and we left after 6pm.  

At dinnertime, we saw that we had stopped near Santarem where we think there was a pilot switch.  Then the ship headed to the next port of Boca da Valeria, very close to our stop today.  It will be a short day there.

Dinner was good with quesadilla starters, soup, and a Caesar salad.  Mains were a pork porchetta, and what we call KFC chicken.  Both very good and hot and tasty as well.   One of the chefs came by and inquired as to how our meals were tonight.  It seems he remembered we had received cold food last week, he advised us never to accept anything served cold, and inform the waiter or him.  He promised to make it right.  We thanked him and said that cold dinner never arrived again after that night.  He promised to keep it that way. 

And good news….the clocks went back one hour this evening, putting us at Manaus time.   Fine and dandy with us.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #13   Thursday January 11, 2024  Macapa, Brazil At Anchor  6am-11am  Service Stop Then Enroute To Alter Do Chao, Brazil In The Amazon River   Cloudy And Hot 73% Humidity  Part #1 Of 3......56 Pictures

Now that we have officially entered Brazil, some facts are in order.  The capital of Brazil is Brasilia, and the population of the country is 205.8 million folks that speak Portuguese.  This is a country of contrasts.  On one hand, you have major cities with samba, Carnaval, festivals, dazzling costumes, and all night parties.  But then there are the eco-systems of the plant and animal life only found in the Amazon region.   The jungle of the Amazon with winding waterways and lush rainforests are full of monkeys, sloths, and birds to name a few. 

Way back in the 1990’s, we took a late evening canoe excursion into the igarapes of the main river tributaries in search of alligators.  The only light in the dark canopy were the torches that were lit on the bow and aft of each 12 passenger canoe.  Now that we think of it, none of us wore life vests….crazy,  huh?   We’ll never forget when those torches were snuffed, and we were suddenly surrounded with fireflies – hundreds of them.  Pretty thrilling since we do not have these insects at home.   Our guide used a flashlight to scan the banks of the river looking for the eyes of alligators.  The size of the gator was judged by the distance between the eyes.  The bigger the space, the bigger the alligator.   At that time, the guides were able to capture the small ones, and bring them onboard the canoe.  Taping their snout, the guide brought the alligator to each of us to see and actually touch. 

All of the canoes returned to the transfer boat, and they let these alligators loose, scampering under our feet.  Never saw so many people able to lift their legs onto the benches.  We have never seen such a tour offered ever again, and we really do not know what the guides did with their captive alligators.  At that time, there was a good price for the hides.

So today we had a service stop at Macapa from 6 to 11am, located close to the mouth of the Amazon River.  It was not even mentioned in today’s Daily newsletter.  During our early breakfast, we watched some of the river traffic around the settlement.  By the way, it was already hot with temperatures at 82 degrees with humidity at 76%.  A 5 mph breeze did not help.  Our Pinnacle Grill waiters had told us that there had been a Brazilian inspection in the dining room and all of the staff were required to wear hairnets.   Once the officials left, the hairnets were taken off. 

While stopping at the front desk to collect the mini USA Times, we saw the officials there to check and clear all of the guests and crew.  Once that task was done, the group enjoyed a breakfast in the upper dining room with some of our officers.   Then at 11am, the officials departed, leaving we believe, 3 experienced local pilots.   Captain Frank said we had 326 nautical miles to reach the port of Alter do Chao tomorrow.  But first we had to navigate a narrow channel doing a speed of 7 knots.  Once we cleared the narrow part, he would pick up speed to 14 knots. 

Taking a walk on the outside decks, we decided to go up to deck 10 and see what kind of insects we could find.  The white paint on the ship attracted insects instantly, and we found numerous types of moths and beetles already taking a ride on the ceiling and walls.   No two were alike.  One of us was fortunate to have a cousin who was an entomologist and spent several years studying the Amazon insects, in particular, the mosquito that carried the diseases of yellow fever and malaria.  Many strides have been made in that area, but studies will go on forever.  As we have already stated, we have never seen a mosquito in this area, although they are surely here. 

This afternoon around 2pm, Kimberly came on the speakers and informed us she was going to do a talk while we cruised close to the river banks.   And since she was broadcasting from the navigation deck, she had to keep her talk on the quiet side.  One of the facts we noted was the amount of rain annually in the Amazon area is 400 inches.  The river is massive – the largest in the world.  There are no bridges that span it.  The river has the largest volume of freshwater in the world.  Is it the world’s longest river?  It still has not been decided if the Amazon takes the prize, or the Nile in Africa according to Kimberly. 

Did we mention that we also crossed the Equator today?  The usual King Neptune Ceremony was shelved, but will happen on our way out of the river in a week’s time.  King Neptune gracefully pardoned each and every one of us this time.  But he will return from the Briny Kingdom of Neptunus Rex.  Signed…..R

Here’s a hair-raising fact:  bull sharks have been found  2300 miles up the river, surviving in the freshwater.  Just like they do up the river in Sydney, Australia.  A good reason not to swim in the river besides avoiding the piranhas.  Another fact is that the true source of the river has never been discovered.  Many dams have been created over the years to provide hydro-electric power.  These days of “green energy sources” the dams are being re-assessed. 

Wildlife includes 3000 known species of fish, and many that have not even been discovered yet.  Larger animals are caiman, anacondas, capybaras, and sloths.  There are 400 documented amphibians, with thousands of bird species like macaws, toucans, and the ever-present vultures.  Pink river dolphins that live here are on the endangered species.  Catfish can measure up to 6 feet long.  Black caiman are also highly endangered and can measure up to 5 meters long.  In the past, deforestation occurred due to agriculture and mining industries.  Studies are being done to contain that activity.  And the rubber industry that built the big cities, such as Manaus, eventually was replaced with synthetic rubber.  So much to learn, thanks to Kimberly.

We ended up enjoying the scenic cruising from our veranda, ducking inside to cool down a lot.  Taking photos was the high point of the day.   And we were treated to a few sightings of rainbows as well as a very nice sunset, the first we have seen since leaving Florida.  And with the sunset, we did notice a slight change in the temperature for the better.

Going a bit later to the dining room, we ordered shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and mains of tortellini and sliced pork loin.  Both were very tasty and served hot the way we like it.   By the time dessert arrived, we had already missed half of the Brazilian Show Night which was held in the Lido Pool area.  It was dubbed “white night”, a tradition where folks wear white to welcome in the new year.  The Oi Brazil Cultural Ambassadors onboard put on a special performance decked out in dazzling costumes.   Music , drink specials, and more food was offered for the hour. 

Tomorrow we will be in the first port of Alter do Chao.  It’s been a while since we were there, and do not remember much of what we saw.  But we are sure it will come back to us once we step off of the tender boat.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #12  Wednesday January 10, 2024  Sea Day- Crossing The Amazon Bar As We Head Into The Amazon River Enroute To Macapa, Brazil   Rain Showers And Sun 82 Degrees  Part #1 Of 1.......No Pictures--Casual Dress

We are sailing in a very unique part of the world, where the muddy brown waters of the Amazon River meet the clear blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.   The actual mouth of the Amazon measures in the hundreds of miles, and the flow of the river extends for as many miles out to sea as well.  Today we began crossing the Amazon Bar, the shallowest area before entering the mighty Amazon River.   Captain Frank advised everyone to lash everything down in our rooms and also be careful walking around the ship and using the stairwells.  And for that reason, our room attendants had already brought in the chair and lounge pads on the veranda last night.  With normal rainfall, these conditions are to be expected, but as it turned out, none of turbulence, winds, or currents produced a problem with our navigation.  The only thing we noticed was that the aqua-blue waters of the Atlantic slowly turned to a muddy caramel color as it mixed with the river water.  We can expect this for the next 8 days or until we leave the river in a week or so. 

The ship is now headed for a service stop at Macapa, Brazil at the beginning of the river.  It is there that we pick up an experienced river pilot and some Brazilian officials.  The stop is scheduled from 6 to 11 am, then we will be on our way to the first port of Alter do Chao the following day.   For the last couple of months, we were not sure that this vessel would be able to transit the river due to low water levels and an abnormal amount of rainfall.   Several cruise lines cancelled their sailings, so we figured that might happen to us too.   Nothing worse than being stuck on a sandbar, as Captain Frank knows.   Obviously, conditions are better than predicted, and the Captain is going to make it a successful sailing. 

To insure that we can safely make it up the river, we have been asked to reduce our freshwater usage in regards to bathroom facilities.  In other words, use only  the minimal amount of water that we each need daily.  We have been asked to reduce the amount of laundry we turn in for this upcoming week.  With the reduction of waste water, it should help keeping the ship’s draft as shallow as possible.  In addition, they hope not to have to take on local fresh water for the health and safety of all onboard.  This was the same message we received back in the 90’s while sailing on the Pacific Princess up the Amazon.  So nothing has drastically changed over the years. 

Highlights of today were the port talk on Manaus, Parintins, and Santarem and a cooking demo with executive chef Neil.  We had an invite to a complimentary regional wine tasting just for our small group of President’s Club members.  If we drank wine, and were interested in purchasing one of their packages, we would have attended.  It was held at 1pm in the upper dining room.   It is always nice to be asked, even if we do not always attend these affairs. 

Another announcement was made regarding wooden souvenirs that we all like to collect in these exotic places like the Amazon.  All wood carvings bought in Brazil will be collected at the gangway and kept in a freezer for 24 hours.  This prevents unwanted pests from damaging your items and also entering the vessel.  The use of insect repellant was also advised when going ashore.   When traveling in this part of the world, we always take an anti-malarial prescription from our doctor, which we began today.  One of us takes a pill for seven days, while the other has a 21 day series.  Truthfully, in all of the times we have visited here, we have never seen a mosquito.  There are always interesting moths and other non-biting bugs, but never mosquitos.   Best to use the spray and forget about it.

There is a Brazil team onboard helping with arts and crafts projects, lecturing on discovering Brazil and legends and myths surrounding the country and teaching ballroom dancing the Brazilian way.  At 4pm, there was a class that taught the skills of Capoeira – a form of coordination, rhythm, and self-defense skills.  The traditional way resembled martial arts  and created by the slaves 400 years ago.  It was banned back then, but re-appeared as a kind of dance.    We have witnessed this display and can compare it to watching fighting chickens with lots of powerful kicks and blows.

Dinner was good tonight with a few new items on the menu.  We both ordered the beef tataki appetizer, one spinach and mushroom salad, and a mozzarella/tomato salad.  Mains were thick and juicy rack of lamb and a veal piccata with risotto.  Both were served piping hot.  Dessert was a shared tres leche pudding tasting like intense vanilla. 

The entertainer this evening was a repeat performance of Camila Andrade, an international vocalist.  We believe she was well-received with her first show.  One can also find entertainment in the Explorer’s Lounge and the Rolling Stones Lounge.   The Ocean Bar and Billboard Onboard also had music venues, although we have seen few folks attending after the late seating. 

Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Coco39,

If you are still reading the blog, can you please tell Barb to check her email.

Many thanks!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #11  Tuesday January 9, 2023  Devil's Island, French Guiana  Tender Port  Morning Rain Clearing To Sunny Skies  82 Degrees 20 knot Wind  5' Swell  Part #1 Of 5......60 Of 299 Pictures--Casual Dress

Our second port of call was in the South American country of French Guiana.  In comparison to the other countries in South America,  it is considered tiny with a population of 221,500 people that speak French and Creole.    A department of France, French Guiana uses the Euro for currency, and is considered one of the wealthiest countries  due to money provided for a stable base for satellite launching.  Since 1980, 2/3rds of the world’s commercial satellites have been launched from here at Centre Spatial Guyanais. 

Foods common to this country are “gibier”, a bush meat like capybara, wild boar, agouti (guinea pig), which are all legal to hunt.  These dishes can be found on restaurant menus as well.  “Jamais goute is a delicate freshwater fish steamed in banana leaves.  It goes well with ti’punch which is a small punch made with local rum, lime juice, and sugarcane syrup.

Our actual destination was far different from the modern world.  It was the Salvation Islands or Iles de Salut, off of the coast of the capital Cayenne.   These islands consist of Ile Royal, Ile St. Joseph, and more notably Ile du Diable or Devil’s Island.  A penal colony was created on all three islands in 1852 and lasted for 100 years until it was officially shut down in 1953.  France sent their most dangerous prisoners here, including political prisoners, thinking it was as far away from France as they could send them.   It turned out to be the most brutal, horrific penal colonies surrounded  by shark-infested waters.  Few escaped, but of the 56,000 mostly male prisoners, 90% of them died of disease (yellow fever and malaria) and abuse.  If you have ever read the book Papillon or watched the movie, you would get a hint of what life was like here and really appreciate the haunting and eeriness of these islands. 

In a nutshell, Ile Royal housed both prisoners and the guards that managed them.  Those who gave them no trouble were able to stay and work on Ile Royal.  If they tried to escape from here, they would be moved to Ile St. Joseph where conditions were much worse.  The prisoners would not be allowed to talk and were kept in dark cells.  Last but not least, Ile du Diable was reserved for the political prisoners who were kept isolated.  There were a total of 12 of these political dissidents.   When the guards and their families were assigned to this penal colony, they were faced with the same diseases that killed off the prisoners.  Evidence of that is on the headstones in the cemetery showing many families with children that perished. 

These days, tourists can tour Ile Royal while locals from the mainland can take catamarans here with a guide and see both Ile Royal and St. Joseph.  Devil’s Island is off limits to everyone.  Today the responsibility of these islands have been given to the Guiana Space Center.

We left the ship at 10am after the last of the heavy showers dropped rain on the islands.  The sun peeked out and it remained dry for the rest of the day.  But the rain had left the air extra humid with temperatures in the high 80’s.  Very sticky to say the least.  Although we have priority tendering, we seldom have the need to be the first ones off.  The nice thing is that we do not have to get tender tickets…..just show up at the stairs to the gangway, and we are free to go down to a waiting tender boat.  The loading was working well with two boats being loaded and off-loaded from the same exit. 

The ride over was quick, although a bit rough.  If memory serves us right, these waters are turbulent with strong currents, another reason escaping from here was so dicey.   And there are the ever-present sharks too.  We have been to this part of the world several times, and with each visit, we have seen new things and learned more facts.  Helping with understanding the history, were the new signs at every site.  The prevalent language was French, of course, but on the side there was an English version.  Really a great improvement since we were here back in 2020. 

After leaving the tender landing, we always take a right turn and follow the dirt road around the outer edge of the island.  It was not as muddy as we had expected, although the grass was quite damp.  We passed by the ruins of the workshop, pigsty, and the butchery.  Further up, we saw the rock tower that connected a wire to Devil’s Island for transferring food and supplies in buckets to the prisoners there. 

The prisoner’s swimming pool was next, and there were actually some local tourists swimming there.  The water was so murky, they would never see sharks if they were present.  Continuing on, we hiked uphill to the center of the island passing the Commandant’s House, then onto the Hotel.  The patio around the hotel was already filled with people from the ship, although we did not see many of them with purchased beverages.   We had been allowed to bring our own bottled water over today, so that’s what we did.  A thermos full of ice water.  At the bar in the hotel, they were selling smaller bottles of local beer for either 7 Euro or $8 USD.  Sodas were the same price.  The downside was that they were not cold.

Just as we arrived, an elderly lady had taken a fall here, and cut her head as well as shattered her glasses.  It seems to happen with every visit.  The steep steps to access this hotel do not have any handrails, which is an accident waiting to happen.  We did notice many folks having problems due to the high heat and humidity.  Good thing there were several places for folks to stop and sit for a spell in the shade.

From there, we self-toured the solitary cells and the cell blocks.  Next was the church, the hospital, the lighthouse, and the cemetery.   Directly across from the lighthouse  was the helicopter pad and equipment we suspect belongs to the Space Center.  What was missing were the variety of birds we also saw up here.  Where did the macaws, peacocks, and chickens go?  We spotted one peacock, and one tiny hummingbird feasting in a flame tree.  In a flash, it was gone.  Perhaps the birds have been removed to keep the area cleaner….who knows?

But we knew there were monkeys nearby as some friends reminded us where to find them.   Always near the cemetery, we came upon a large troupe of capuchin monkeys.  Our buddies had just come up that way and warned us that some guests had fed them cookies brought from the ship.  Not sure that is “legal”, the monkeys love the sweet treats.  But watch out when you give them the last cookie, because they will become more aggressive and come closer to look for more.  After capturing numerous photos of the amusing antics of both the adults and the babies, we took a seat alongside the road to continue watching them.  Just then, two gals we know, came down the road and warned us that some large males were right behind us in the trees.  We knew it, but they were starting to get too close for comfort.  The girls thought they would jump on our heads any minute, however the capuchins backed off the closer they got to us.  What attracts the monkeys are the bags we are carrying.  In our case, we had two umbrellas we were packing, but the monkeys see that as possible food.  Time to move on…….

This road was the easiest to navigate compared to the first trails that are made with stones.  You have to be most careful watching for the loose rocks and uneven pavement or you could do the “face plant”.  Along this road, we did spot some large agoutis which are related to guinea pigs.  They blended in so well with their black fur and blazing red backside that we had to really go slow and listen for them foraging in the leaf litter.  Hard to believe these on a restaurant menu as they are rodents.  Also in this stretch was a large iguana moving slowly by the water’s edge.

Back down to the tender area, we stopped for some drinks handed out by the crew.  Normally there is water or lemonade.  Today there was flavored water with lemons or oranges.  Not quite as refreshing as sweet lemonade, we figured they were saving on the sugar, which has become more and more expensive these days. 

This is a good spot to watch for sea turtles along the pier to the tenderboats.  Although the water was murky, we did see some turtles popping up briefly to gulp air and submerge.  Too fast for photos,  we gave up and headed for the tender boat.  Sure was nice getting back to the air-conditioned ship after our three hour tour.  We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos, eating a nice lunch, and relaxing on the veranda.   The ship left the islands around 5pm, heading down the coast of French Guiana and towards Brazil.

Dinnertime arrived quickly, and we went to the dining room, where we saw a couple in front of us arriving – one dressed appropriately, but the husband wearing shorts.   The head waiter informed him quietly there is a dress code in this dining room, and he needed to change.  The fellow handed it well, but his wife said loudly’ “I told you so!”  She promised to wait for him when he left to go back to his room.  We are glad this is being enforced, as it is only the respectful thing to do for the rest of the diners.

The show this evening was a comedian by the name of Sid Davis.  We are sure we have seen him often on other ships.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #10    Monday  January 8, 2024     Sea Day Enroute To Devil’s Island    Sun Turning To A Cloudy Day 82 Degrees Very Windy  Sea State: Rough  Part #1 Of 1........No Pictures

We swear the sea days get busier as we head towards French Guiana and infamous Devil’s Island.   For one thing, it was difficult waking up for one of us this morning after putting the clocks ahead once again.  Now we are on UTC – 3/ Brasilia time, which is two hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.  We should be on this time zone until we head back from the Amazon River in a week or so.

There were two other guests sitting in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast this morning, since we think most everyone else slept in late.  It was closer to 8:15am when the rest of the regulars appeared.  Now we get a full carafe of hot coffee, which saves the waiters from filling the cups so often.  When we sailed on the Nieuw Statendam two years ago, each of us had our own insulated carafe.  So much better as the coffee stayed hot.  We have not ordered the complimentary mimosas, but then, they have not been offered either.  Normally, we each have one on Sundays.  Why, no special reason…once a week works for us.

We received two notices this morning.  One dealt with the security information on Brazil.  The letter began stating that we are living in a changing world.  HAL decided to go into detail regarding caution while in the upcoming ports.  Dress down, leave the jewelry onboard, and don’t take a lot of cash or credit cards.  Be aware of our surroundings, and take care with purses, wallets, and cameras.  One suggestion was to be suspicious of anyone approaching you and speaking good English.  We do not expect problems in the Amazon, but it is always good advice to be careful no matter where we go.

The other notice dealt with health info in regions with extreme heat and humidity.  They added that up to 50% of travelers develop some sort of gastrointestinal upset.  Things to remember is to not drink the local water or have drinks with ice.  Bring your own from the ship.  You cannot always trust bottled water bought onshore as these can be filled with tap water and resealed to  look new.  All food should be cooked well and served hot (how about that?)  Avoid raw shellfish, cold cuts, salads and watermelon, as well as puddings.  Consume only peeled veggies and fruit as they are washed in local water.  Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer frequently.  Last but not least, do not leave the veranda door opened as it messes with the ship’s air conditioning.  Also attracts bugs like mosquitoes.  Don’t need that.    

The seas were acting up more today as we sailed off of the northern coast of Suriname.  And we noticed that all of the masked and brown boobies that had been following us were gone.   There were many flying fish of all sizes, but no hunters.  The fish will survive another day.   After our morning hike around the promenade deck, we headed up to the Seaview Pool to take in some sun.  It was quite windy and cool on our veranda, so the pool area provided some sun.  As warm and humid as it was yesterday, today it got almost cool and cloudy in the late afternoon. 

Listening to Kimberly’s port talk on Devil’s Island, Alter de Chao and Boca Da Valeria, we took notes and figured out what we will do in those ports.   We have had the pleasure of visiting all of those spots several times in past years.   And from the looks of the talk and video, not much has changed, especially Devil’s Island.  That has to be one of the most haunted places we have ever visited and remains so to this day in our humble opinion.   Doing extra research on the history as well as reading the book Papillon, we think that is the clue to getting an in depth feel for the former penal colony.   We do hope that the predicted rain showers stay away or else many of us will be dealing with the red-tinged mud from the pathways around the island of Ile Royale.  And it is also a tender port, so we think not everyone will wish to go there.

The Linus Project has begun with a large sit, knit & needlework in the Ocean Bar area.  It has been fascinating seeing what the ladies (and some fellows) create during this long voyage.  And all for a good cause. 

A lecturer by the name of Joao Bosco spoke all about the rubber boom as well as the bull festival boom-ba in Brazil. His talk was very informative and well attended.   While the lecture was in progress, so were the dance class, pickleball instructions, a poker tournament, and a bridge class.  There was coloring for adults, a watercolor painting class, and later after lunch there was arts and crafts.  Although we have not checked it out, we guarantee the class was full.  The classes are divided up into groups now.  We also need to get out and about to watch the ballroom dancing in the Ocean Bar.  There were three sessions of trivia as well.  Always popular with many passengers. 

Also popular with the guests is Happy Hour, which happens from 3:30 to 4:30pm and again from 6 to 7pm.  There is a 50% discount on all cocktails, wine, beers and house spirits.  As for us, we have been enjoying a cocktail in our room right before dinnertime.

And some good news we think……we got an email from the visa service we used for Brazil, and our visas have been granted.  Originally we were informed that the duration was for two years. However, we have been given electronic visas good for 10 years.  Although we do not require them for this trip now, they will come in handy the next time we find ourselves in Brazil.  All in all, it took 26 days to come through and we never had to produce any extra documents or photos.

Tonight was the first “pop-up” dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with Tamarind, although we did not notice fewer folks in the dining room.  Our waiters have been very good in serving us our food nice and hot.  For us it really makes a difference and we let them know that we appreciate their efforts.  Split pea soup was excellent as were our mains of a pork chop and pork belly, the Club Orange selection.  Desserts were a tiny strawberry tart and a scoop of frozen blueberry yogurt.  With the entertainment beginning at 9:30pm in the World Stage, most all of the diners leave the room by 9:15pm to get seats.  This show this evening was sort of a mystery.  It was described as a unique musical visionary with David and Dawn Meyer.  We will have to touch base with friends Greg and Heo and get their critique. 

Catching up on last night’s lost sleep should not be a problem tonight.  And while we are thinking of it, we are happy to report that the wifi in our room has been very good.  We don’t have to open the door to get a better connection on this ship. 

Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings!

Hi Coco 39 - happy to see you back reading once again.  How's Barb?  We have not heard a word from her (despite many attempts) for a few months?  Hope she is well.

Cruisingnut - Linda and Dave -  we had to stop any replies to the other blog since we got inundated with 1000 replies daily.  

Tom - As for the phone chargers we just got as gifts, one of us uses it to charge the Kindle.  Yes, we still do  not own a cell phone!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #9  Sunday January 7, 2024  Scarborough,Tobago, A Two Island Republic  Showers With Some Sun And Wind  80 Degrees......Part #1 Of 5.......48 Pictures--Casual Dress

The Zuiderdam sailed into the harbor at Rockly Bay and docked at the cruise pier at Scarborough, Tobago early this morning.  And it is the very first time we have been to this island.  We think we visited Trinidad back in 2009, which is the larger island of this two island republic.  Trinidad has pristine mangrove swamps and rain forest, side-by-side with oil refineries.  On the other hand, Tobago boasts palm trees, white sandy beaches, as well as rain forest and excellent dive spots.  In the early years, Tobago exported rum, cotton, indigo and sugar.  And like so many other Caribbean islands, eventually those industries took a back seat to tourism, which flourishes these days.

Although this island is really about the nature opportunities, some of the historic highlights include Fort King George (1770 – 1854) smaller Ft. James, and a Mysterious Tombstone (according HAL’s tour descriptions).  The major dive sights are located on each tip of the 116 square mile island – most are at the Speyside location and the other sights are around Pigeon Point.  If you were looking for those white sandy beaches, then Pigeon Point would be the best bet for dining, bars, restaurants, and public restrooms.   One of the problems with our visit today was that it was a Sunday and many of these venues were closed. 

The climate is warm (we would call hot) tropical with a constant breeze from the NE trade winds.  Those winds brought some morning showers with them, taking folks by surprise.   Since we had not left too early, we had the privilege of seeing a nice rainbow from our veranda.  The average rainfall is 40 inches, and not necessarily this time of year.  The island is a mass of coral and volcanic rock with a population of over 54,000.  The capital of Scarborough has 1000 residents that speak English with a Creole accent.  

There are about 220 bird species, some of which are migratory.  They have 23 butterfly species and 44 types of coral.  Five types of marine turtles migrate here to lay their eggs.  They do have 24 types of non-poisonous snakes, 16 kinds of lizards, 14 kinds of frogs and 17 species of bats.   Housing these creatures, there are wetlands, lagoons, waterfalls, mangroves, swamps, freshwater marshes and ponds.  Who knew?

So if you could find a place to dine (besides KFC) the favorite foods here are callaloo, consisting of leaves of a tuber filled with pumpkin, okra, and seasoning.  A snack called “doubles” is a curried chickpea mash in a soft fried bread.  Roti, a very common snack in all of the Caribbean, is split pea infused flat bread with curried meat and veggies.  “Shark and bait” is shark steak with salad on top with added sauces and bread.  Local beers are Carib and Stag, always served ice cold.  We struck out on enjoying those beers because nothing was opened. 

Ship’s tours were Tobago South for 3 hours for $70, while highlights and a folk show was 3 ½ hours for $80.   Also the same price, a glass bottom boat and snorkel was 3 hours.   A rain forest adventure for 5 hours was $115, and an island explorer with lunch was 7 hours for $160. 

Last night we were given the new port essentials info and map.  We had these same flyers while on the Tales of the South Pacific in the fall.  Essential information is on them like we used to have with the small money exchange rate cards.  Most of these flyers had local maps on the back side with some of the cafes, restaurants, and shopping areas close to the ship’s terminal. 

We left the ship by 11am, right after a rain shower passed over the island.  Bringing the umbrellas insured us that there would be no more rain, and we were correct. However, when the sun appeared, it was really hot and humid.  Passing through the small terminal, we picked up an island map full of useful info, then headed out into the melee of the taxi drivers offering us tours to anywhere.  As usual, we were interested in walking with the Botanic Garden our final destination.  Turning left, we walked through the closed Esplanade full of food and souvenir shacks.  Not one of them were opened.  Continuing on, we found the new “I Love Tobago” sign and took a few pictures.   Some of the crew members were posing in front of the sign….something they love to do.  

Walking the seaside road, we turned right and headed uphill, mostly because the main road came to an end.  There was an imposing large building on the hillside with no name.  We learned that it was a new Cultural Center.  A few government buildings were on this street as well as a Comfort Inn.  We came upon a main highway and turned right passing some mangroves and a creek.  Looking down the hillside, we saw a flock of brownish-red sheep, tethered and eating their hearts out in the weeds.  They are good for clearing vegetation, like lawn mowers.  In our area at home, herds of goats are rented to keep the vegetation down for fire safety. 

Off of this road, we saw the local high school and a lookout point at Marie Mountain.  We knew if we followed the highway, we would locate the Botanic Garden, which we eventually did.  It was located right across from their main library, which was closed today of course.   At least we did get to see the park, which was still decorated with Christmas decorations and lights.  The highlight of this park had to be the wall which was painted with murals depicting the past history of the island. 

It was a short walk downhill to the cruise terminal.  By then, we had done a three hour hike and were in need of something cold to drink.  So we went back to the ship, picking up a colorful shotglass for a little momento of having visited this island.  We ordered room service lunch, which was really good.  Chicken Caesar salad, a roast beef panini, and a chicken quesadilla was just right. 

The ship pulled out of the bay close to 5pm, and we were on our way towards French Guiana and Devil’s Island arriving on Tuesday.  It will be nice to have a sea day tomorrow.

Dinner was very good tonight.  After our “cold” dinners we had last night, we were pleased that our waiters made it a point to serve piping hot entrees tonight.  They promised to keep it that way every evening and we thanked them.  Last night was the first time in all of the years we have been cruising that our meals were actually cold.  If we had not spoken up, our waiters would have not known.

The entertainment this evening was a movie called “Air”.  Most guests see this as a dark night in the World Stage, but there was fresh popcorn served in the first 30 minutes of the movie, so all was not lost.   Oh yeah, the clocks had to be set ahead another hour.  We truly do not like that and we doubt the crew does either.  But it is what it is.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #8  Saturday January 6, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Scarborough, Tobago, A Two Island Republic  Mostly Sunny 80 Degrees  20 Knot Winds And A  6' Swell  Part #1 Of 2.......42 Pictures

Day number three at sea found us falling into our usually sea day pattern.  Beginning with breakfast, we are discovering that when ordering our food, we need to be very specific about each and every item we want.  We like Greek yogurt which resembles regular yogurt, but is much thicker and whiter in color.  Both us got the “other” kind this morning.  The waiters here seem to drop the food, then disappear.  So we finished the mixed berries with the yogurt before he reappeared to take our order.  What we think occurred was that he asked another waiter to get our starters, but did not give the correct instructions.  Not a big deal, he promised the right yogurt tomorrow. 

One of our buddies sitting across from us said his eggs Benedict was sitting on an English muffin that was like cement.  He challenged our waiter to try to cut it with a knife.  Guess we were not the only ones with a problem.  Very quickly, a new plate of food was brought to our friend, who said the muffin was just right and not a brick.  Bet that doesn’t happen again.  The omelets we ordered were just fine, but we had to order double-sized catsups and jams……and more butter.  If you don’t ask, they do not automatically bring you all of the condiments.   We do like coffee at breakfast….lots of it and hot as can be.  That has been a problem.  Tomorrow we will ask for a full carafe to be left on our table.  The folks sitting behind us did just that today and were given them.  Why not?  It saves them the trouble of pouring it all morning.  

The masked boobies were putting on quite a show all day outside mostly on the port side.  We got some good shots of them diving and actually catching some of those flying fish.  Wonder how many they can consume in a day?  A few brown boobies invaded for a while, but the white ones prevailed.  Several of the camera folks also came out to snap some shots.  These birds are curious enough to fly close to the promenade deck to check us out. 

Spending some time at the Seaview Pool, we noticed that the smoking area is on the port side now and not near the Seaview Bar.  Most all of these tables were full too.  We did not linger too long, since yesterday, we got a little more sun than we expected.  The pool lounges on this ship are set up nicely with lots of room in between them.   On the Volendam, the lounges were about touching each other, and few people were able to use them.  And to be honest, this is a whole different crowd of passengers that are busy doing many other activities besides sunbathing.

We ordered room service for lunch at 2pm and it came rather quickly.  The chicken Caesar salads were excellent along with a shared club sandwich.  Also, we got our complete delivery of the four bottles of alcohol that comes with the veranda room.  Although they were not on the written request form, we did get two bottles of Jack Daniels, one Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red.   These will last nicely for the next four months.  The last bottle of JD we ordered while on the Volendam set us back $94.  Once again, we appreciate this perk.

We did make it a point to listen to Kimberly’s talk on Tobago.  It was very informative and had lots of good hints about what to see and do outside the shore excursions.  One aspect that was not mentioned was the fact we are going to be there on a Sunday.  We bet some of the venues will be closed.

At 5pm, Kimberly came on the speakers to promote this evening’s activities.  Included in her speech, she added that tonight was formal, and the “required” attire was in force in every table service venue.  Only the Lido was exempt as always.   Now we were really curious to see how this was going to work.  Will there be people wearing jeans and baseball caps in the dining room?  Somehow, we think not.

At 7pm, there was a Captain’s welcome in the World Stage.  Still not comfortable with big crowds, we did not attend.  Normally it is so crowded that the overflow can go to the Billboard Onboard to watch a live broadcast of the affair.  Perhaps it will be repeated on the TV later.  By the way, we are still seeing some passengers wearing masks, although they are not mandatory to wear like they were last year.

Formal dinner was just that….formal.  Nice to see for a change. No jeans or baseball hats.  Now it would have been nice if our mains had been delivered hot like we prefer.  The dining room for the second fixed seating was not crowded at all, so why we had to wait almost an hour for the entrees is a mystery to us.  After our starters, we had ordered one veal entree and one beef tenderloin dish with a baked potato.  When the plates finally arrived, everything was cold, including the baked potato.  Not even warm, we could not tell our waiters since they had disappeared again.  Normally there is a two minute window where they come back to ask how everything is.  But not tonight.  Normally we do not complain, but cold is cold.  When we were about done, our waiter came by and we did inform him about the cold plates.  He looked surprised because he was not the one that brought them to us.   Apologizing, he offered to replace them, but no way were we going to wait another hour for more food we did not need.  Even when the chef came by, he was happy to hear that the food was tasty, but disappointed it was served cold.  Up until tonight,  the food has been very hot and the plates hot as well.  Somewhere along the line, these dinners took a detour long enough to get cold.  They all promised it will not happen again. 

To brighten our spirits, we had gifts waiting for us in our room.    There were two heavy duty canvas bags containing a computer-sized bag, a phone charger, a new room key holder, and a safari hat, although we are not going to Africa that we know about.  A card came with the gifts saying they were handed out now so we can use them during the cruise.  And there was a promise of a few more surprises as the voyage nears the end.  “Formal” pillow chocolates were on the bed along with a cute towel animal.  

Tomorrow we will be in Tobago and as we said, a new port for many of us.

Bill & Mary Ann