Alaska/Hawaii on the Eurodam with Bill & Mary Ann 9-23-17 to 10-17-17

Report # 5 Sitka,Alaska September 27, 2017 Wednesday, Rain & 50 degrees Part #1 Of 2 72 Pictures

The city of Sitka was our port of call today. In fact, we did arrive there well aftermidnight, but so quietly, we never knew we had docked. If we avoided rough seas and high winds, thenno one minded that we sped to get here. Sincewe had no tour booked, we could sleep in a bit later, and enjoy a leisurelybreakfast in the dining room, once again. We have decided some tables are better than others. Tables for two are scattered all over, andobviously needed to seat the crowds. Forthe first couple of days, we were escorted to a window table, but today, wewere located in the aisle way near the service station. Not the best spot, as people were coming andgoing constantly. People love to slowdown, and watch to see what you’re eating on their way out. So this is one table we will avoid ifpossible. No problem with the service or food, we arehappy to report.

The bad news was that the weather was not looking goodtoday. There was a constant drizzle,which later on, turned to constant rain. Oh well, it is to be expected this time of year. We dressed in layers, and wore our waterproofeverything. Located on the Gulf ofAlaska, Sitka is not that cold. Bet itnever went below the high 50’s today.

All aboard was 3pm, with the last shuttle leaving downtownat 2:30pm. That should allow us enough time to see thesights and perhaps have lunch. By theway, we were docked in the commercial port, the same spot we were parked lastJuly. The only difference today was thatthe line for the shuttles was at least three times longer than when we were onthe Amsterdam. Of course, that ship holdsfewer people. We sort of figured manymore people would be on tours, but it sure did not look like it. We had overheard a lady complaining that herkayak tour had been cancelled, so perhaps more of the adventurous tours werealso dropped due to the inclement weather.

The ride was about 15 minutes to downtown Sitka. About ¼ mile from the ship, we saw theremnants of a huge land slide that had blocked this road a few weeks ago. Our friend, Richard, had been onboard Regent’sNavigator when the slide occurred. Many guestshad to be brought back to the ship via boat. This must have been much bigger of a problem than a few fallen trees,since it has taken so long for them to fix it.

Once in town, we decided to take the same route we took inJuly. Time was limited, but we hoped that we would see salmon coming up Indian River. Following the Seawalk Trail, we headedtowards Crescent Harbor. Lining thisstreet was the Russian Bishop’s House, St. Peter by the Sea Episcopal Church,and the Sitka Sound Science Center. Thisis where you can see some fish ladders that lead to the science center and adjacentfish hatchery.

By the time we arrived at the Science Center, a bus stoppedto let people outside to view the small fish ladder. Although this was not the main access for thesalmon to go upstream, it attracts enough of them for study and harvesting ofeggs. Beat up and exhausted chum andpink salmon were struggling to swim upstream.

A bit further up the road, we entered the Sitka NationalHistoric Park, 107 acres of native trees and a collection of priceless totem poles. It is also the site of a bloody battle betweenthe Russians and the native Tlingit tribe, occurring in 1804. Very sacred ground. There is a two mile graveled walkway where itis possible to spot eagles, ravens, sea birds, ducks, and even mink. One critter we could have encountered wereblack bears. A sign was posted thatthere was one seen on 9-21, so be careful.

The main thing we wanted to see had to be the salmon runningup the Indian River. Coming out of theforest, you could hear the noise of the thousands of gulls, as they dined onthe dead and dying salmon. The only birdsmissing had to be the eagles. We hadseen many last July, but today there was only one lone bird on the beach side. Could be due to the fact it was raining, andthey don’t like to fly in it. Or theydon’t mix well with the gulls and ducks.

The lack of time was a factor today, limiting our time we wouldspend here. Making our way back to town,we waked to the Westmark Sitka Hotel to have lunch. Obviously, today the patio dining was closed,so it was inside seats for us. We spentabout an hour there, enjoying a shared burger, a couple of beers, and a sliceof 8 layer chocolate cake with homemade ice cream. Perfect meal for a wet and cold afternoon.

With a short walk across the street, we boarded one of thewaiting buses back to the pier. Sailaway was scheduled for 3pm, but we were delayed for over an hour. Seems that they were having a problem with theback-up diesel engine. Eventually, wewere on our way, but the Seaview Pool sail away would have been cancelledanyway, due to the soggy and cold weather.

Making a stop at the pizza place, we came away with a Margheritapie, and dined in the almost empty Lido Market.

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, but with the Sel de Mertheme. But there was a problem. Almost never, ever, do we get sea sick. But the ship began to list and pitch enoughto cause one of us to experience a bit of “mal de mer”. Probably not the best night to try Sel de Merat a fee of $49 per person, but it was only happening once this cruise, and wewere curious enough to want to check it out. Taking a seasick pill seemed to help.

Now as far as the meal went, we have to say we were mostlydisappointed. Prior to coming here, wehad to make it clear that one of us had a serious shellfish allergy. So what was the first thing offered? A seared scallop as the muse. Now this was odd. The waiter did not apologize, but simply tookthe plate, and added it to Bill’s plate. Never came an offer of a replacement, although the answer would havebeen no thanks. We had both ordered thesalad nicoise, but one of us had it without the ahi tuna. This was the best part of the meal, and alsothe tiny loaf of French bread served with a variety of dips.

Most of the mains were seafood, but they did offer lamb ortenderloin steaks. We chose the steaks,because the ones we had in the Tamarind were fabulous. Unfortunately, these were stringy andover-cooked. Chewy. Even though both entrees were supposed tocome with fries in a basket, only one basket was served. And the fries were limp and few. Sides were creamed cauliflower and brownrice, shared between us. We did not complainto our waiter about the meat, since by now, we were being assaulted by themusic from deck three and the Postmodern Jukebox performance. The singer had a piercing set of lungs thatsent a tidal wave of sound all the way into the open-walled Pinnacle below ondeck two. Our best bet was to finishwhat we could of the meal, saving a bit of room for dessert.

A “tree” of chocolate-covered strawberries appeared, alongwith our desserts of apple/ice cream and protiteroles with French-pressedcoffee. Thank goodness the music hadceased by 9:45pm, just about when we were done. The folks that were in attendance seemed to have enjoyed the show, butit is not our cup of tea.

Still trying to overcome the motion of the ship, we decidedto skip the show of the gold medal winning illusionist, James Cielen. When we returned to the room, a plate ofchocolates and a postcard recipe from Rudi Sodamin was waiting for us.

We have to mention that there are problems with theelevators on this ship. Even thoughthere are four of them in the aft, seldom are more than two working at onetime. Guess there is no ship that is totallyfunctional all of the time.

Tomorrow, the last Alaskan port will be Ketchikan

Bill & Mary Ann

Thank you for your "live" reports.

Sorry about your experience in the Pinnacle Grill.

Enjoying your reports, I had taken the last Holland AK cruise 2 years ago and had really bad weather.

How can I access the photos?

How can I access the photos?

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com

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Report # 6 Ketchikan, Alaska September 28,2017 Thursday, Rain & 50 degrees Part #1 Of 3 68 Pictures

The Eurodam had arrived well before we were awake thismorning, like about 7am. We had set the clocks forward one hour last night, sowe lost that one hour of sleep. Ketchikan is located in the Inside Passage nearthe massive Tongass Forest consisting of over 17 million acres. It is the largest in the USA. The city of Ketchikan has a population ofaround 14,000 permanent residents. Todaywith three ships in town, that number will swell by well over 6,000 folks. By the way, besides the Eurodam, the NieuwAmsterdam and the Ruby Princess were docked here.

And as we expected, it was raining. So we bundled up with the waterproof clothes,and tried to get an elevator down to the A deck. There was not one elevator working on theentire ship. Perhaps there was a crewdrill we did not know about. Anyway, wejoined the rest of the folks walking down the stairs for four decks.

The gangway was plugged because the folks debarking into thewet rain held up the flow. One crewmember was selling rain ponchos, and handing out umbrellas. So far, they have used two exits to get offin the ports, and the line has not been a factor. Same goes for coming back on, unless you arestopped because you’re carrying a souvenir knife in your bag. Those items do get confiscated until the lastday of the trip, when they’re returned.

Time on shore was quite limited today, as all aboard was12:30pm. There would be no time for aleisurely lunch, but we could make the hike to see the salmon. The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show was inprogress as we made our way towards Creek Street. You could hear the chain saws and the guestscheering them on.

Crossing the bridge over the creek, we looked for thosesalmon, and could see some in the less turbulent flow. More dead ones floated by than livefish. As we hiked up Creek Street, pastthe famous brothels,, we noticed that this usually crowded area was almostempty. Suppose the weather had somethingto do with that. The creek was swelledfrom the recent rains, so being able to see the salmon was almost impossibledown near the bridge. Going up the soakedCreekside road was our best bet.

Once up the top of the Married Man’s trail (a secret path tothe brothels in the old days), we walked along the more shallow parts of thecreek. It was there that we saw thehundreds of either pink or chum salmon fighting their way upstream. They morph into a battered, deformed creaturewhen they are at this stage in their lives. Their only purpose is to spawn, then die.

A short walk across the road is the now closedhatchery. Perhaps it is beingre-modeled, since we did tour this several years ago. There is a series of small creeks leading toholding ponds, one with a fountain here. We understand that this was created years ago to trap the salmon for easycatching. Speaking of fishing, thesesalmon will seldom bite now, as they do not need to eat to survive. They are actually living on their body fatand tissue, giving them that diseased look.

The number of dead fish lining the banks was even bigger uphere. It would be a prime spot for bearsto forage, and definitely not the place you would want to walk in the dark. We spent a little time up here, filming thefish. Some of them could have beensteelhead trout.

Pretty much soaked, we made our way back down, watching thegulls gorging on the dead salmon. Onceagain, there was not a bald eagle anywhere to be seen. The gulls were picking at the live fish asmuch as the dead ones. If you stoppedfor a bit by the railing, you could watch the fish ladders where some wereattempting the climb. Must be exhaustingto them, because scores of the fish were resting in any calm spot they couldfind.

Back to downtown, we joined the hordes of tourists takingadvantage of the many good deals in the larger shops. We also took the lastchance to pick up a few useful items at a huge discount. And besides, the oversize shop bags were free(did not have to pay for them).

If we had more time in port, it would have been nice torelax with a few beers and food, but not today. The ship loaded up and left even before 1pm. It was still raining as we sailed out of theharbor.

We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos andreports, as well as taking in a movie.

Our next stop will be the mandatory one in Victoria, Canada,but not until a 6pm arrival. We willstay until midnight.

At 8pm, we had reservations once again in the TamarindRestaurant. Once again we were mostwelcomed and pampered. Trying somedifferent dishes, we were pleasantly surprised that they were wonderful. Both of us had the fortune cookie, which endedthe meal nicely.

One more day, and this leg of the cruise will end. And we do hope to leave the cold and rainbehind. The good news is that we don’thave to pack to go home tomorrow.

Need to mention that the internet service has been mostspotty. Don’t know if it is due to thelocation, or problems on the ship. Oneof the reports took over 20 minutes to send, for an example. Sure do hope it improves.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 7 Victoria,British Columbia September 29,2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 59 degrees

The day began rather cloudy and foggy as we sailed in asoutherly direction towards our port of call for today – Victoria. Located on the southeastern tip of VancouverIsland, the city overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Begun as a trading post for Hudson’s Bay Co.,today Victoria is the provincial capital for British Columbia. There is much to see in this colonial city, butsince we will be arriving around 6pm, we doubt we will get too far in ourexploring. There were a few toursoffered here, but none of them went to the 55 acre Butchart Gardens, severalmiles out of town.

Since today was our final chance to spend some of ourshipboard credit, we made a sweep through the shops after breakfast. The shop keepers were handing out coupons fora chance to win some money to spend in the shops. It sure filled the store area up. But that’s the idea with the raffle. Knowing we will probably be overweight withour three suitcases, we purchased a nice roll-on that should take the excessweight. Much of their usual stock forAlaska was on sale up 75% off. Some ofit was regular price, which is over-priced. The guest relations manager had promised that our HAL shipboard creditwould roll over to the next 17 day leg. We hope she is correct. It isdifficult to spend all of it, since we keep getting deals in the shops. We’ll have to start looking at the betterjewelry and watches instead. They don’tweigh as much, right?

At 11:45am, we had an invitation to attend a small gatheringof Mariners in the BB King Blues Club on deck 2. We met the Captain, Hotel Director, possiblythe Cruise Director, and one other officer at the reception line. The only ones we knew were the assistantdining room head waiters. Taking acomfortable seat, we were served canapies and beverages of our choice. Guess there were about 50 people invited tothis medal ceremony. Captain Timmershanded out a few medals from bronze, to silver, and a couple of platinumones. He joked that they could be wornat the next Olympics or used a doorstop. He does have a wicked sense of humor.

At the end, we were called up to have our photo taken withthe Captain and Hotel Director, after being introduced to the group. Ithappened that we were the only President’s Club members onboard this leg of thetrip. Two 8 x 10 photos ended up beingdelivered to our room two hours later, complimentary.

The intimate party ended right after noon, when they led allof us to the dining room on deck three. We would have asked for a table for two, but it was obvious that byleaving this venue later, all of those tables were taken. Several tables towards the back had beenreserved for our group, so we joined three other couples that had been at theceremony. As always, we all had flutesof champagne for the farewell toast by the Captain. None of these tables were hosted by officersor staff, like they used to be in the not-too-distant past.

The meal was simple and began with appetizers of king crab,smoked trout, and salmon bites. Or, youcould have their beer and cheddar chowder. Entrees included beef pot roast, salmon, or an asparagus red ricecake. Dessert was the best…..a meringueand berry tart, the fruit possibly being lingonberries.

The conversation flowed, and we were on our way out by1pm. The only thing missing were thecollectible HAL tiles. They are normallyhanded out at the door, but not today. Has this tradition ended too? Weshall inquire later.

It was a good thing we took the time to relax in our roomfor a while, since the sun actually appeared, and it was almost hot. What a welcome sight. And our veranda happened to be on the “right”side to catch the rays. Also a good timeto continue with downloads and emails as the internet time we now have willexpire tomorrow. While that washappening, we began the “Game of Thrones” series, a program that has gotten somuch praise, but we have never seen before. Sure got our attention in the first couple of episodes.

Before we arrived to Victoria, we needed to get somebusiness done at the front desk. Holycow, there was a constant line of folks settling accounts and getting debarktags and whatever. Got the feeling thatsome of the staff are new, because it took a long time to get information, evenwith simple questions. We did have somerefunded port charges that could be cashed out without paying the 3% fee, so wedid that.

Around 5pm, the pilot boat pulled alongside and dropped offthe pilot. The Eurodam was dockedshortly after 6pm. A few passengers weresummoned to the Hudson Room, something to do with customs and immigrations webelieve. The entire ship was cleared before6:30pm. On our last stop here in July,it took over an hour to get cleared.

Since we had Pinnacle Grill reservations at 8pm, we had 1 ½ hourto take a quick walk to town. By now,the sun was setting and the breeze was downright cool. Wearing our arctic jackets, we made our waytowards town passing by Fishermen’s Wharf, now quiet with the rush of touristsgone for the day.

Our main destination were the Inner Harbor, the ParliamentBuilding, and the Fairmont Empress Hotel, both equally beautiful at night. The government building was lit up with over13,000 lights, and the Empress Hotel was glowing with the last rays of thesetting sun. After getting some goodphotos, we headed back to the ship.

There were a few tours offered here this evening. Most were 2 hours, and one was a dinner tourfor 3 ¼ hours. No excursions wereoffered to Butchart Gardens, since there was little time to get there andback. More than likely, it was closedbefore sunset. Just guessing though. On the corner of the Parliament Building,were several horse-drawn carriage rides being sold. We inquired if they served as a ride back tothe pier, and they said no, that would have to be treated as a taxi ride forthe rate of $100. for ½ hour. We passedon the idea. The street we followed backwas well lit, and full of other tourists coming and going. Did we mention that the NCL Pearl was alreadydocked when we got here? And followingus into port, was the Ruby Princess. Nowsomething unusual happened with her. Expecting to see the vessel docked across from us when we got back, itwas nowhere in sight. Gone. Then we recalled that the Guest RelationsManager had told us that sometimes all the ship has to do is be within theallowed mileage to shore, and they could be cleared as having visited Canada tosatisfy the Jones Act. Could be that iswhat occurred.

Having 5 minutes to change, we headed for dinner. It was a bit of a surprise to see how manyfolks were dining in the Pinnacle Grill in less than smart casualclothing. OK, we are not being stuffy,but simply reporting on what we are seeing. This is something that we have never noticed while on theAmsterdam. Given the fact that most ofthese passengers are leaving tomorrow, it is logical that their better smartclothes are already packed. Hard to getused to jeans and even baseball caps inthe elegant venues.

Some venues were closed today, since it was the final fullday of the Alaska cruise. BB King and BillboardOnboard will return tomorrow. TheMainstage show lounge was closed for the evening as well. The only entertainment was in the ScreeningRoom with movies at 7 and 9:30pm. HappyHour (buy one, get one for $2) was back at 4 and 9pm. This was not a daily special on this sevenday cruise. The casino was closed forthe gamblers though.

For those that wanted to know if there was a puzzle cornerin the Crow’s Nest, the answer is yes. There were two puzzles almost done. What we noticed was absent were the librarian and the internet person tohelp with the computer stations. We hadquestions about the internet, but were directed to the front desk staff.

Tomorrow, we will have gone full circle, and back toSeattle. Gosh, the week went by all toofast…..

Bill & Mary Ann

In regards to the tiles, there was a recent post by Btimmer on the Oosterdam sailing that the tiles now have to be requested at the front desk.

I'm really questioning the direction the line seems to be going in observing traditions .

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So glad I have found your Thread! We are doing Eurodam Alaska, first cruise of the season next year, 5/12. Your posts are fun to read. Thanks so much. I guess there won't be any great sales in shops when we go like you are finding! Haha

In regards to the tiles, there was a recent post by Btimmer on the Oosterdam sailing that the tiles now have to be requested at the front desk.

I'm really questioning the direction the line seems to be going in observing traditions .

 

 

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Interesting.Thanks for posting that, I missed it.

So many lower level Mariners might not have a clue about the tiles, so that would constitute quite a saving for HAL.

Hmm, maybe these tiles will cease to be a Mariner "reward" in the future....

Report # 8 Seattle, Washington September 30, 2017 Saturday Partly cloudy, Rain &59 degrees Part #1 Of 2 81 Pictures

One week ago, we began our Alaskan cruise from the port ofSeattle. And here we are again, but for us, it is not the end of thetrip, but the beginning of another one. We will be spending another 17days sailing to the Hawaiian Islands and back to Vancouver.

So today’s port is Seattle, and there for us to explore fora few precious hours. But first, we had an early breakfast in the diningroom, which opened at 6:30am. The Lido was opened even earlier at 6am,but we have yet to eat there, expect for pizza. Somewhere around 11am, wehad finished emails and using the last of our minutes. At the end of theday, our time will expire when the new cruise begins.

Getting a local guide, we navigated our way to town. Also had some help from the local HAL reps who directed us on how to walk outof the terminal area, as it is huge. We were advised to take the walk andbike trail along the harbor. This worked out well, because we certainlyneeded to get in some quality exercise. Ended up getting about 8 miles ofwalking, because we made it to Pike Place Market. Good thing there was anelevator to take us up several levels, because there was no way we wanted toclimb over 130 stairs from the harbor road.

Today, being a Saturday, it was a mob scene at the marketand surrounding shops and cafes. Our destination was lunch at the HardRock Café, located right up from the bustling Market. Foot traffic was soheavy, it took 15 minutes to make our way through some of themarketplace.

We had to time this right, in order to get back to the shipon time. All aboard was 4pm, and we did not want to risk beinglate. We got seats in the bar area of the café, and eventually gotserved. We shared their new burger, and sipped on beers. People were coming insideby the dozens, and in no time, the place was full of hungry and thirstycustomers. There was even a few minutes to find a new city t-shirt in theadjacent shop. It was hard to peel ourselves off of the comfortablechairs, but we had to get moving around 1:30pm.

Back-tracking, we enjoyed the sites of the city on the wayback as well. By now, clouds had moved in, and it was getting darker bythe minute. It did begin to sprinkle, which was fine, since we hadremembered to pack some umbrellas. It did not begin in earnest until wewere in the parking lot of the terminal. That was when a small bus pulledover, and the driver offered us a ride back to the entrance doors. It was sonice of him to stop, that we jumped inside, and rode the last block back. By now it was 3pm, and there were still passengers checking in at thecounter. The Ruby Princess was boarding people as well as the Eurodam. As we were in transit, we just went through the security xray, andboarded the ship.

At least we had an hour to relax in our room, and enjoy thebottle of champagne that had been placed on ice for us today. It was a giftfrom the Mariner Society. Sure helped ease the temporary pain of the longhike. At 4:15pm, we had another muster drill on deck three. It wasa surprise to hear a new Captain had joined the ship. His name is JohnScott, we believe, and he sure sounded British. During his muster talk,we could understand every word. Despite the larger number of passengersattending this drill, it went just as smoothly as it does on theAmsterdam….maybe even faster.

We understand that many people that boarded today, will onlyspend one evening here, and go off the ship tomorrow in Vancouver. On pastcruises, where there are one-night guests, they have been referred to as the“booze cruisers”. They are here for the eating, drinking, gambling andshopping. We did spot what was possibly a bachelorette party. Forthe most activity was in the dining room, where we watched at least 6 birthdaycelebrations happening. The waiters had fun singing their specialsong. Checking out the ship’s shop later, we noticed many people wereinterested in the 75% off items, which were mainly Alaska-themed things.

Tomorrow, a group of 1200 people will board in Vancouver,possibly, mostly Canadian. We will be required to bring our passports andgo off the ship by 9:45am. There will be a zero clearance, before anyonewill be allowed back on the ship. We plan to spend another day hiking anddining, before we have to go through customs and immigrations.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS We found out that no tiles were handed out atthe Mariner Lunch, because they were not delivered to the ship in time. Apparently, the boxes of Eurodam tiles were on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but werenot allowed to be transferred to us in Ketchikan, due to some trade laws. They became something like “pirate’s booty”, so to speak. Why there wasno Log of the Cruise yesterday, we shall have to investigate that. Now wehave no list of the officers on that cruise, as they were not listed anywhere.

Regarding the cruise logs, there has been an ongoing post started by Jenny's uncle that they have been discontinued or are in the process of.

Enjoy John Scott, sailed with him several times over the years.

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Good to see you guys traveling again. Always enjoy following along. We just got back from Europe and are heading for a 3 week trip in the Carib. on the Koningsdam at the end of this month. Not sure whether we'll like the big ship after all the tine we've spent on the Amsterdam but we'll see. Stay well and hope to share breakfasts with you again soon.

Rich and Peg

Report # 9 Vancouver, British Columbia October 1, 2017 Sunday Partly cloudy & 59 degrees Part #1 Of 3 72 Pictures

The weather in Vancouver, our port of call for today, wasabsolutely perfect. The sun was mostlyout, and even though there was a chill in the air, it proved to be excellentfor walking outdoors.

But first, breakfast was served from 6:30 to 8am once againin the dining room. We made it bythe skin of our teeth to enjoy buckwheat and Swedish pancakes. Both quite good. That left us some time to try to send someemails. Trouble is, they would not send,nor could we download anything. Seems wehad a plugged computer, so to speak. Theinternet service has been acceptable here, although slow as it is on otherships. The only way to figure this outwas to go to the front desk people to see if they could help, especially whenwe could not log off.

So at the desk, we were told by one of the staff that shewould need to see our computer to figure out the problem. But there was not enough time to do anythingnow, because we had to get off of the ship. We promised to be back later. Shekindly credited back all of the lost minutes, which was more than fair.

We headed for the gangway, then we were directed to the exitto the city. We had the choice of seeingthe customs agents now, or do it on the way back. Yes, later was better. As long as we had our passports with us, wewere good to go. It was a long walk toget out, because this cruise terminal is massive. Having been here just last year, weremembered the easy way out through the garage area.

By the way, opposite the Eurodam, was the Ruby Princess. Wonder if she also picked up some one-nightpassengers in Seattle like we did?

Once we got out of Canada Place, the terminal, we headed fora long walk along the waterfront. It wasvery scenic with seaplanes and yacht harbors on one side, and hotels, condos, shops,and eateries for more than a mile. Sinceit was Sunday, many locals were hiking and biking. A group of young kids were practicing withtheir master in a judo class. They wereso cute as they kicked their legs high and did all the right moves. The good thing is that the wide walkways wereseparated with the bikers on one side, and the walkers and joggers on the otherside. Once again, we spotted those self-servicerental bikes in a couple of places.

After passing a whole lot of expensive yachts and sailboats, we began our walk into Stanley Park. It is a lovely place to hike, and lots to do and see there. Did we mention that the all aboard time hadbeen extended from 3pm to 5pm? We werenot sure why, but it would work better for us.

Anyway, we covered some of the 1000 acre park, stopping bythe Rowing Club. You can actually pay totake rowing lessons here. Along the way,we had a surprise encounter with a nice couple that recognized us from theworld cruise this year, and perhaps some previous years. They were Ian and Carol, and they live herein Vancouver. We had to laugh when theytold us that for all of the years they have walked the waterfront, they havenever run into any of the HAL guests they met on cruises. Since they are dedicated walkers, like us, weknew them best from the promenade deck. Quite often, we would stop and chat on our daily walks. Upon asking if they were coming back in 2018,they said no, because they were going to places they have never been. That included Moscow, parts of Mexico, andsome of the Caribbean Islands. Good luckwith that last one, since so many of those lovely islands were hit hard byrecent hurricanes. But who knows, we maymeet again, as we always joke….on another DAM ship.

Further up the road, we stopped to look at the two horsespulling the 12 seater carriage for an hour ride in the park. The price was $42, or $40 if you were asenior. In days of old, these largehorses were used by the miners and loggers for hauling and cleaning trails. The hooves on these horses had to be the sizeof frypans. Oxen were utilized as welluntil 1889.

The information center was right up the road a piece. It also has restrooms, even though there isalways a line. What we found there weredozens of flyers and brochures all about this area. Some had good maps, which we followed tonavigate the park. Walking uphill, wecame upon a field of Canada geese, some of which were crossing the road. Seems the grass was greener on the otherside.

We went past the Harding Memorial Gardens, the Aquarium, andLumberman’s Arch, which was a fancy name for a food kiosk. The Seawall that surrounds this park was downat the bottom. From here, you have theideal view of the Lion’s Gate Bridge. It connects Vancouver to North and WestVancouver. Actually, or tablemates onthe world cruise this year live in North Vancouver. Sure is a pretty place.

Figuring we would have an hour and a half to hike, wedecided to head back. We did want tofind a place for lunch in Gastown. Assoon as we saw the Steam Works Brewing Co., we knew that was where we dined afew years ago. And it was good. As busy as it was, we got seats at a tableright away. Ordering two pilsner beers,the waitress took our order for one southwest chicken salad and one Margheritapizza. Is that perfect or what? And all was delicious. But the best was a shared dessert of whatthey called the hedgehog…..a mud pie look-alike. Starting with the oreo cookie crust, it wasthree layers of ice cream. Bottom waschocolate, middle was almond, and the top layer was coffee. It was covered with chocolate sauce andslivered almonds. Oh so good.

Back at the terminal by 3pm, we followed the directions tothe United States Customs and Border Protection, where we were cleared for ourentrance to Hawaii on October 8th. Canadian customs was simple by filling out their form, one before wearrived to Victoria, and the next for our arrival here in Vancouver. These were turned in to the front desk, andwe never had any other check with our passports. The good thing was that there was no line,and we were in and out in minutes.

Another surprise was finding a most familiar face at thesecurity kiosk on the ship. One of theguards we have come to know on world cruises was clearing the guests with theirkeycards. He was all smiles when hespotted us. HAL has the best crew ever,in our opinion.

Since we had attended the muster drill in Seattle, those ofus in transit did not have to attend today. Wonder if anyone showed up in bathrobes like two people didyesterday? We have seen some verystrange things on this trip in regards to what we consider rather inappropriatedress.

Back in our room, we found a dozen more sodas had beendelivered, part of our President’s Club perks. The beverage manager has stopped by our table every night we have beenin the dining room to inquire as to what we would like delivered. We don’t believe he is counting like they doon the Amsterdam. However, since this isa collector voyage, we usually get some canapies, chocolate-covered strawberries,and another small bouquet of flowers. Those were missing. The most important thing was that most of ourshipboard credit had been posted to our account. We will sort that out tomorrow.

It was great to spend some time literally chilling on theveranda, waiting for the sail away. Weexpected that to happen around 5:30pm, but as it turned out, we were delayedbecause the Ruby Princess was leaving first…..again. The Captain backed the ship up, and swung usaround to go under the Lion’s Gate Bridge. It was 7pm when we finally cleared the bridge, and headed out to sea. In a few hours, the Captain would drop thepilot off in Victoria, then head towards the Hawaiian Islands. Sure hope we leave the colder weather behind,and pick up those tropical breezes soon.

Our waiters welcomed us back in the dining room. Hananto and Wana are the nicest waiters, andcan’t do enough for us. We have a new wine stewardess, Karina, and although wedo not drink wine, or any other beverage, she still enjoys visiting with us. Appetizers this evening included brie in afilo purse, tomato soup, and onion soup with short rib meat. Both of us tried the prime rib, and found itcooked perfectly. Lately on the worldcruise, the prime rib entrée has been less than satisfactory. Tonight we were happy campers.

The only show in the Mainstage lounge was a preview of theupcoming entertainment of this voyage. We did not attend.

Next time we see land, it will be the island of Hawaii, andthe city of Hilo. Aloha………

Bill & Mary Ann

Enjoying your reports and photos, thank you.

Hope you have smooth seas to Hawaii.

I did not know one could walk from Pier 91 to Pikes Place along the waterfront so appreciate knowing that and that it is 4 miles OW. Thanks.

Report # 10 Day atSea October 2, 2017 Monday Partly cloudy & 57 degrees 4 Pictures

Today begins the first of a 5 day crossing towards theislands of Hawaii. And they have seen toit that the day’s itinerary was full of lots to do. Now that we are headed to the tropical areas,a Hawaiian team has been put to work teaching lei making, ukulele lessons, andhula dancing. Journeys Ashore (ShoreExcursions) did a lecture on what to see and do in the upcoming ports. Hilo and Honolulu were covered today, morethan likely, excursions advertised.

There were some games happening such as party bridge,mahjong, or chess playing. For the moreactive, there was a ping pong tournament. Trivia occurs twice……once at 1pm, and later at 7pm. That has to be the most popular activity formany of the guests. Table games andjigsaw puzzles are available in the Crow’s Nest.

We went to the dining room breakfast this morning, and founda line all the way down the hall to the elevators. First time that we haveencountered such a long wait. Take thatback, when trying to order a room service lunch later, we found that no oneanswered the phone for over 15 minutes. We gave up, and went in search of pizza and salads, which was evenbetter than what room service offers.

There was a Navigator Wine Tasting, like the one we attendedlast week. That would be at 2pm, but wedid not go this time.

But we did go to a Cruise Critic meeting in the Crow’s Nestthis morning. It wasn’t a huge grouplike on the world cruise, but a more intimate one with about 10 folks. We met some very nice people, a few that knewof our blogging. Many questions later,we talked until almost noontime. Alwaysnice to meet new people, especially those that are CC members. They seem to be more in tune with what isgoing on, not only with HAL, but other lines as well.

Speaking of familiar faces, we discovered that one of thebartenders in the Crow’s Nest was Jerry, who we met in 2009, and also again, onthis year’s world cruise. He rememberedus by name, even though we have not spent a lot of time in the Crow’sNest. Later in the day, we went back andhad a drink before dinner. It was notcrowded, so we had a chance to catch up on cruise news with him.

Just noticed that there was a guest speaker talking aboutoceans as being the lungs of the world. The speaker, Ginny Stibolt, probably filled the Mainstage lounge.

It did warm up slightly today. The seas were rolling, and we did notice themotion, especially on the highest deck. And we are so accustomed to being on deck one, that deck five is far different. The dining room manager told us thatthis will last for a couple of days, then the Captain expects the seas to levelout. We have seen a lot worse.

Having some down time, we began watching the Game of Thrones series. It is so different from most series, we willbe hooked, we’re afraid. It was a good way to pass the time while down-loadingphotos. Later on, we headed for theoffice to try going online to catch up on overdue emails. We shall see if theinternet connection will be better there. Also, we needed to sort out mistakes on our current bill. We have our doubts that the staff deals with PresidentClub members very often. They seem to bein the fog when it comes to the perks. Good thing we have it all in writing, so it can be verified. Nice that there is a section of seating,because this process took 40 minutes. Wewaited in comfort.

Checking your onboardaccount is as easy as going to their free website. Or, there is a kiosk across from the frontdesk, that can be scanned with a room key. Sounds easy, right? It is, butthat is when the kiosk is working. Wehave been here at least a dozen times, and it was working perhaps 50% of thetime.

Dinner for us this gala evening was in the Pinnacle Grill. We had nice seats in the Captain’s corner andtwo different waiters. They were mostattentive, just like we are used to on the Amsterdam. We both enjoyed the lamb chops for ourentrees, as well as the other items. After our first visit here (Sel de Mer), we had turned in a guestrelations comment card letting them know we were less than pleased with thefood and service that evening. Somethingtells us with the increased attention to us, that they got that message. Yes, we will come back here.

With gala night, comes the Captain’s welcome toast…..a whole15 minutes of it held in the Mainstage at 7:45pm. The show was Off the Charts, the singers anddancers of the Eurodam. The lounge wasfull of folks, most of whom were dressed in formal gear. We did see some guests in the Pinnacle Grilltonight in short sleeve golf shirts and tennis shoes. We always thought that was suitable in theLido, but not in the other venues on gala night. Guess we’re wrong.

On the way back to our room, we passed by Lincoln CenterStage where a group of musicians were performing masterworks by Dvorak,classical music. The room was full tocapacity. The over-flow of guests linedthe hallway, and just about blocked the people trying to walk on by. This is one of the differences you willexperience by joining a larger ship with almost double the guest population.

By the way, there isno dance floor in the Crow’s Nest, and no band playing there late atnight. We were told that the only dancefloor was in the Ocean Bar. Gosh, thereis no more merry-go-round tunes like we listen to in the Amsterdam’s Ocean Bar. Eventually, things may change on hertoo.

The clocks went back one hour this evening. We like that.

Bill & Mary Ann

It sounds like things are not going too well!!

Report # 11 Day atSea October 11, 2017 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 59 degrees

Getting the extra hour of sleep last night was nice. As always, it is better to be traveling west,as opposed to the east. That will happenwhen we head back from Hawaii to Vancouver, losing a couple of hours as we endthe cruise.

Kind of thought the weather would have warmed up by now, butit remains overcast with a chill in the breeze. The seas have calmed down, which is a good thing. There are some wishful thinkers among theguests. We spotted one lady in herswimwear relaxing on one of the teak lounges on deck three. Have we mentioned that the number of theselounges are limited on the promenade deck? Perhaps when the weather heats up, they will add more.

Breakfast in the dining room was a mess this morning. Even coming down at 9am did not find the lineshorter to get inside. Waiting 20minutes, we got to know the couple in front of us. No kidding. Then when we did get a table in the back, we had to wait quite a whileto have our order taken. Not in any particularhurry, we did not complain, like the folks within hearing distance did. This is the first time we noticed a majordifference comparing this ship to the smaller Amsterdam. Never have we had delays like this. But of course, the number of passengers hereis about double, so to accommodate 2000 people for breakfast, isdifficult. Obviously. Now we know why we have seen so many roomservice carts going up and down the hallways. Asking the most friendly Head Sommelier, he told us that the ship isalmost fully booked for this cruise.

By the time we got out of the dining room, it was10:30am. Time for a walk outside. Maybe because it has not warmed up yet, therewas only a handful of walkers. Therewere two lectures this morning, one again by Ginny Stibolt on rainforests, andthe other delivered by Lawrence Taylor on the subject of Hawaii’s largestindividually owned ranch. Wonder ifthese are repeated on our room TV during the remainder of the day? Will search for them.

Checking our shipboard account, we still needed to rectify amistake. It seems that the shipboardcredit from or travel agency had been re-adjusted to less than what was printedin our invoice. That is a first. Good thing we had brought a copy with us,because they did need to also make a copy of it for their research. This was also a good opportunity to take thelaptop to the desk outside the front desk and send and receive emails. No doubt, it worked much faster here.

When we got back to our room, we found that two bottles ofalcohol had been left for us…..gifts from the President’s Club perks. No way can we consume all of that in twoweeks. Although it was a nice gesture,we asked them if we could swap the bottles for flowers and sodas instead. They were most happy to do it later this afternoon.

Can you believe they have run out of bars of soap for thestaterooms? Our stewardess, Ayu, saidthat the box of them has not been located yet, but another bar will be comingas soon as they do find them. Bet theyare next to the cases of lost Delft tiles we did not receive on the Alaskacruise.

There was an invitation for the America’s Test Kitchenhands-On Workshop on 4 different days. Wehad the option of signing up ahead of everyone else by 5pm today. This would confirm a place in theworkshop. However, we don’t think thiswould be of interest to either of us at this time, so we did not call.

Captain Scott does his daily talk at 12:15pm on seadays. Like Captain Mercer, he enjoysgiving nautical idioms after his detailed log of the cruise.

It was too early for lunch in the dining room at noon forus, even though one of the entrees was meatballs and spaghetti. Once again, we got caught up with moreepisodes of Game of Thrones, and decided on room service soup, salad, andsandwiches around 3pm.

Did a little shopping, using some more shipboard credit. A tanzanite bracelet was the best bet , andperhaps we will check out the cameras offered in the photo shop. More than likely over-priced, it does notmatter, since the credit is “use or lose” money.

Dinner for us was in the dining room. The best item, and most popular according toour waiters, was the turkey entrée. Complete with apple stuffing, carrots, turnips, gravy and cranberrysauce, it was a fitting Thanksgiving meal. Not to mention, quite filling. The lighter ending for dessert was the orange sorbet, but the whiskey chocolatecake was good too.

Finishing by 9pm, we dropped off the six raffles tickets inthe box at the shop. A special rafflewill be held the day before we get off, and you could have a chance of winninga $300 basket of goodies. What a ploy toget folks inside the store to entice them to spend more money, credit ornot.

Since we were already down this end of the ship, we decidedto see how busy the casino was. And busyit was, because there was a lounge with piano entertainment , as well as a bar. That was fully packed. We believe this was Billboard Onboard. Passing by BB King’s All-Stars, we listenedto a couple singing with large band inthe backround. Singing tunes we knowwell, it was more rock and roll, instead of blues. Several couples were up and dancing on theobvious dance floor. There was some roomto sit inside, but fairly dark to see your way in there. The last venue was happening at LincolnCenter Stage with the second performance of movie classics. At least four or five string instruments wereplaying movie classics. From the soundof it, the tune we were hearing was from the movie Psycho. Once again, this room was full. The chairs in this long and narrow lounge arefacing forward in rows, just like in a movie theater. What a huge difference with guest participationon the Eurodam compared to a world cruise. By 10pm, the majority of the world cruisers would be in bed. Perhaps HAL has done some changes that areworking better for the crowds. At leastjudging from what we were seeing tonight.

And last but not least, the show in the Mainstage was sortof a mystery. Performed by a fellownamed Brett Cave, the description was a blend of Elton John and BillyJoel. High energy and Brett’s Englishfingers. Was he a piano man? It was too long of a wait (30 minutes) for usto find out, so we left.

Tomorrow should find us ½ way to the Hawaiian Islands, and God-willing,warm, tropical breezes.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 11 Day atSea October 11, 2017 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 59 degrees

 

 

 

Getting the extra hour of sleep last night was nice. As always, it is better to be traveling west,as opposed to the east. That will happenwhen we head back from Hawaii to Vancouver, losing a couple of hours as we endthe cruise.

 

 

 

Kind of thought the weather would have warmed up by now, butit remains overcast with a chill in the breeze. The seas have calmed down, which is a good thing. There are some wishful thinkers among theguests. We spotted one lady in herswimwear relaxing on one of the teak lounges on deck three. Have we mentioned that the number of theselounges are limited on the promenade deck? Perhaps when the weather heats up, they will add more.

 

 

 

Breakfast in the dining room was a mess this morning. Even coming down at 9am did not find the lineshorter to get inside. Waiting 20minutes, we got to know the couple in front of us. No kidding. Then when we did get a table in the back, we had to wait quite a whileto have our order taken. Not in any particularhurry, we did not complain, like the folks within hearing distance did. This is the first time we noticed a majordifference comparing this ship to the smaller Amsterdam. Never have we had delays like this. But of course, the number of passengers hereis about double, so to accommodate 2000 people for breakfast, isdifficult. Obviously. Now we know why we have seen so many roomservice carts going up and down the hallways. Asking the most friendly Head Sommelier, he told us that the ship isalmost fully booked for this cruise.

 

 

 

By the time we got out of the dining room, it was10:30am. Time for a walk outside. Maybe because it has not warmed up yet, therewas only a handful of walkers. Therewere two lectures this morning, one again by Ginny Stibolt on rainforests, andthe other delivered by Lawrence Taylor on the subject of Hawaii’s largestindividually owned ranch. Wonder ifthese are repeated on our room TV during the remainder of the day? Will search for them.

 

 

 

Checking our shipboard account, we still needed to rectify amistake. It seems that the shipboardcredit from or travel agency had been re-adjusted to less than what was printedin our invoice. That is a first. Good thing we had brought a copy with us,because they did need to also make a copy of it for their research. This was also a good opportunity to take thelaptop to the desk outside the front desk and send and receive emails. No doubt, it worked much faster here.

 

 

 

When we got back to our room, we found that two bottles ofalcohol had been left for us…..gifts from the President’s Club perks. No way can we consume all of that in twoweeks. Although it was a nice gesture,we asked them if we could swap the bottles for flowers and sodas instead. They were most happy to do it later this afternoon.

 

 

 

Can you believe they have run out of bars of soap for thestaterooms? Our stewardess, Ayu, saidthat the box of them has not been located yet, but another bar will be comingas soon as they do find them. Bet theyare next to the cases of lost Delft tiles we did not receive on the Alaskacruise.

 

 

 

There was an invitation for the America’s Test Kitchenhands-On Workshop on 4 different days. Wehad the option of signing up ahead of everyone else by 5pm today. This would confirm a place in theworkshop. However, we don’t think thiswould be of interest to either of us at this time, so we did not call.

 

 

 

Captain Scott does his daily talk at 12:15pm on seadays. Like Captain Mercer, he enjoysgiving nautical idioms after his detailed log of the cruise.

 

 

 

It was too early for lunch in the dining room at noon forus, even though one of the entrees was meatballs and spaghetti. Once again, we got caught up with moreepisodes of Game of Thrones, and decided on room service soup, salad, andsandwiches around 3pm.

 

 

 

Did a little shopping, using some more shipboard credit. A tanzanite bracelet was the best bet , andperhaps we will check out the cameras offered in the photo shop. More than likely over-priced, it does notmatter, since the credit is “use or lose” money.

 

 

 

Dinner for us was in the dining room. The best item, and most popular according toour waiters, was the turkey entrée. Complete with apple stuffing, carrots, turnips, gravy and cranberrysauce, it was a fitting Thanksgiving meal. Not to mention, quite filling. The lighter ending for dessert was the orange sorbet, but the whiskey chocolatecake was good too.

 

 

 

Finishing by 9pm, we dropped off the six raffles tickets inthe box at the shop. A special rafflewill be held the day before we get off, and you could have a chance of winninga $300 basket of goodies. What a ploy toget folks inside the store to entice them to spend more money, credit ornot.

 

 

 

Since we were already down this end of the ship, we decidedto see how busy the casino was. And busyit was, because there was a lounge with piano entertainment , as well as a bar. That was fully packed. We believe this was Billboard Onboard. Passing by BB King’s All-Stars, we listenedto a couple singing with large band inthe backround. Singing tunes we knowwell, it was more rock and roll, instead of blues. Several couples were up and dancing on theobvious dance floor. There was some roomto sit inside, but fairly dark to see your way in there. The last venue was happening at LincolnCenter Stage with the second performance of movie classics. At least four or five string instruments wereplaying movie classics. From the soundof it, the tune we were hearing was from the movie Psycho. Once again, this room was full. The chairs in this long and narrow lounge arefacing forward in rows, just like in a movie theater. What a huge difference with guest participationon the Eurodam compared to a world cruise. By 10pm, the majority of the world cruisers would be in bed. Perhaps HAL has done some changes that areworking better for the crowds. At leastjudging from what we were seeing tonight.

 

 

 

And last but not least, the show in the Mainstage was sortof a mystery. Performed by a fellownamed Brett Cave, the description was a blend of Elton John and BillyJoel. High energy and Brett’s Englishfingers. Was he a piano man? It was too long of a wait (30 minutes) for usto find out, so we left.

 

 

 

Tomorrow should find us ½ way to the Hawaiian Islands, and God-willing,warm, tropical breezes.

 

 

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Love your blog we are onboard Noordam the crossing to Hilo amazing safe travels see you onboard Amsterdam

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Report # 12 Day atSea October 4, 2017 Wednesday Mostly clear (really?) & 72 degrees

There was a hint of warmth and humidity in the air thismorning. Also present was rain, and lotsof it. Apparently a system has caught upwith us, according to Captain Scott. Abit sooner than they had expected. Instead of mostly clear, the day was mostly wet. It is to be expected in this part of theworld, especially this time of year. Itcould be worse.

The dining room breakfast was handled differentlytoday. The manager was greeting theguests, but not checking anyone into the kiosk computer, as they normallydo. All of the headwaiters were in touchwith him, locating seating for the guests. They could enter that computer info later. Now there could be two reasons for thesmaller line this morning. We suspectthat more folks went to the Lido instead, or there were more waiters to handlethe larger crowd. Whatever the reason,it worked much better this morning.

Walking our usual couple of miles on the promenade decknetted us getting wet. By the way, threetimes around this deck equals one mile. There are no suggested directional arrows, indicating that the trafficshould flow counter-clockwise. For thisreason, we had to be careful not to cut the corners too closely to the leftside, or we could have a head-on accident. No worries of that this morning, because we were about the only onesoutside.

Many things were happening around the ship, as always. The main theme now is all about Hawaii, ofcourse. Sarong tying, hula dancing,ukulele playing, and lectures kept the folks busy on this dreary day. We kept occupied with the internet on deckone, then started watching the Downton Abbey series on TV. It was disappointing to come to the end ofseason one of Game of Thrones. Certainly, there are more seasons, but guess we won’t see them here. We are probably among the few on this planetthat have not followed these sagas, but we missed both of them.

Once again, we had a light lunch of salads and a sharedpizza in the Lido around 2pm. Sincedinner will be in the Tamarind tonight, we wanted to keep it simple. For the first time this cruise, we tried abit of ice cream in the sweet section of the Lido Market. Really wanting a small cone, we weresurprised to find out they ran out of cones. A bowl would do.

There were a couple of people in the back pool, and also inthe hot tubs. Rain or not, it did notmatter to them. On our way through theLido pool area, we discovered the cabanas for rent. There were a few occupied, but for the mostpart, they were empty. Looking throughthe curtain to an unoccupied one, we saw a small table for four, some chairs,and a round lounging bed. Since thesehuts are out of the sun, we are not sure the purpose of renting them. Maybe someone out there can enlighten us.

At 8pm, we headed for the Tamarind for another delightfuldinner. One of us is hooked on theveggie spring roll appetizer. The Thaibeef salad was a good second. We orderedentrees of pork bellies, and the wasabi-crusted steak. Seems that the steak is about the only mainwithout the oyster sauce added. That canbe a sneaky condiment, because you seldom know it has been added. Was going to try the duck, but learned it hadthat sauce cooked into it.

We both ended the ample meal with the Tamarind chocolatedessert. This was a good choice, notonly due to the fact that the manager recommended it, but also for the fact itwas a conservative size. A silkychocolate mousse was the filling in a dark chocolate shell. A row of sliced mixed berries lined one sideof the dish. Another winner.

The entertainer in the Main Stage was a fellow by the nameof Randy Cabral. Seen on the TonightShow, his act was comedy and juggling. Then there were the everyday performances in the three other lounges,giving passengers many choices to spend the evening. This experience here is far different fromsailing on the world cruise. Life issimpler there.

The clocks went back one hour this evening.

Bill & Mary Ann

Enjoying your posts, and thanks for taking us along. Having been on the E'dam several times, full passenger compliment, i can say that we never had such problems with main dining breakfast. You may want to complain if this persists.

Report # 13 Day atSea October 5, 2017 Thursday Mostly clear & 68 degrees 13Pictures

This morning found the Eurodam rolling with the seas on ourway to Hawaii. The warm breezes are herefinally, and so were a dozen or more flying fish and one lone bird. Kind of suspected that we would have spotted moresea life along the way, but we haven’t.

Breakfast got even stranger this morning. Upon entering the dining room, we noticedthere was no greeter. There also was noline at all. We were summoned into theroom, where we were seated at a table for two. And seated we stayed until the waiter came along 20 minutes later forour order. We can’t figure out why theservice went so smoothly on the 7 day Alaskan cruise, and not here. This ship is about full, just like on thelast cruise, but something is different. Perhaps having so many days at sea does make difference. The guests are in no hurry to eat and run togo onshore and on tours. This shouldchange when we get to Hawaii in a few days.

More passengers moved to the outside decks today, because wehad mostly sun and the possibility of some pool time. Lounges were set up on the promenade deck,and more were added to the aft pool area. We have yet to make it to the pool, due to the rain and cold. The closest we have gotten is to the New YorkPizza venue.

For a change, we decided to try a light lunch in the diningroom. Mostly to see how the lunchservice was. It was treated the same asbreakfast, but nowhere near as crowded. Sowhile others were attending lectures or learning to hula, or going to a movie,we enjoyed a relaxing meal.

Still not quite hot enough for pool time, we spent a fewhours on our veranda, watching for the sun to peek out over on our side. The only disturbances happen to come from oursqueaky door hinges and the sound of chairs and lounges being pulled around onadjacent verandas.

The high light of our day was an invitation from the Foodand Beverage Manager, Jorn, and the Port Paper Officer, Nadia. They had invited us to dinner this evening inRudi’s Sel de Mer venue held in the Pinnacle Grill. But first, Jorn invited us to join them for adrink in the Pinnacle Grill bar across from the restaurant. This is something we do not have on theAmsterdam……the bar that is. We neverexpected the meal to last over 3 hours, but the time flew by as we all sharedinfo, mostly about this new style of cruising that HAL is developing. During the course of the evening, we learnedmuch about each of their jobs onboard. Nadia’s position was a new title for us. She explained that as Port Paper Officer, she is responsible forpassports and visas. She added thatwithout her, no one would get on or off of this ship. Her direct boss is the purser.

The meal was much better tonight, because we both had theahi tuna salad (a meal within itself) and the grilled lamb chops. Didn’t know it was possible to get betterlamb than the Pinnacle Grill, but they were beyond excellent. Desserts were profiteroles and soufflé. The officers both had fish entrees, and theylooked just as good.

We had a bit of time to watch the last of the show in theMain Stage. The performer was DaleKristien, the star of the Phantom of the Opera. Catching the last part of her show, weenjoyed listening to her sing.

One more full day at sea, and we should be arriving to Hilo on Saturday.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 14 Day atSea October 6, 2017 Friday Sunny & 77 degrees

Today’s itinerary included a new venue for us. But first, we have to report that breakfastin the dining room has improved a bit. Having 500 folks show up at 8am has over-whelmed the system, accordingto the head waiters we know well. It hasworked better for us going around 9am.

We had a “date” at10am in the new America’s Test Kitchen for a hands-on cooking class. As we are 5 star (or more) Mariners, we areentitled to one complimentary class per cruise. On the Alaska run, we never had time to sign up. And that may have happened here, but the testkitchen hostess, Kathleen, automatically signed us up for today. She did follow up with a phone call toconfirm this class. We said, “Why not?”

Today’s lesson was all about pie crusts….. specificallyfoolproof single-crust pie dough and individual fried peach pies. Right up our alley, as one of us loves tobake, and the other loves eating pies of all kinds. Making home-made pie crusts since a child atthe side of a talented baker (namely, mom), I thought all was known about the creation. Well…….turned out all was not the case.

This was an intimate class of eight students, four of us President’sClub members. Two nice ladies were fromAlabama, and a Canadian couple looked quite familiar to us. Eventually, we recalled having seen them onsome segments of the world cruise in recent years. Compared to the cooking classes with famousvisiting chefs, this was different. Nowthe itinerary is scripted quite well, and we feel the subjects have beensteered towards popular and simple dishes.

After introductions, we had to sign a public healthquestionnaire, similar to the ones we fill out upon boarding the ship. Each of us were gifted a red apron with thenew test kitchen logo on them, along with waterproof recipe cards…..thesubject, of course, pie crusts and little peach pies. Watching our young instructor, she blendedthe dough ingredients in a food processor. One mystery addition was vodka, go figure. A handheld crust blender is all I have everused. Yes, we do have the blender, butold habits die hard for certain things. Kathleen had already prepped the dough for each couple, and handed themout for us to roll out. With so muchbutter and shortening in the mix, our crust fell apart with the first stroke ofthe rolling pin. Drats! Twenty years offood service could not save one of us. The other option was to re-roll it, andpress it into the pie dish by hand. Andhoping this was not noticed by the others. The trick we learned today concerned using weights to bake the singlecrust correctly. Did you know thatpennies can be used as weights? Kathleenshowed a film where a sheet of aluminum foil was placed over the dough, thenthe pennies, stones, or a metal chain were scattered on top of the foil beforepopping it into the oven. Another hintwas not to use dry rice or dried beans as weights, as they do not conduct heatas well as metal.

The small pastry was easier. Kathleen had prepared the diced peach filling, and had it cooling in therefrigerator. We learned how to roll thedough, which did not fall apart this time, place the filling in the center,then crimping the edges with a roller and a fork. Then Kathleen deep-fried themto show us how they should look. All ofthe teams did a fine job. One thing,although, is that none of our creations were actually consumed.

Finally, we sat down at the long table, and enjoyed a smallpeach pie with coffee. After the classended, we stayed and chatted with the couple we sort of knew, sharing all sortsof news about staff and other passengers we know, mostly from theAmsterdam. It is funny that sometimes ittakes three or four years to break the ice, so to speak. Glad we did. However, with 2000plus passengers on this ship, we are wondering if our paths will cross again.

While we were gone, two blue and white striped beach towelsappeared in our room. Suspecting thesemay be doled out prior to our arrival in Hilo, these generous-size towels arenot only to be used poolside or taken off of the ship, they are available forpurchase. We feel that $27.50 is a fairprice to buy one, although they would add considerable weight to already heavyluggage. By the way, if you lose themwhile onshore, a charge of $27.50 will be added to your SB account.

Lunch for us was back in the dining room, mainly because wedid not want to wait until later in the day. We had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill tonight, so the best way toenjoy the meal in there for us, is to be hungry at 8pm. We happened to mention to Mega, that a waiterby the name of Edi, who served us a few days ago, might be good place to seatus. He remembered that, and did in fact,place us at a window table for two with Edi. We call him “fast Edi”, since he was prompt and nice as they come. Good lunch, great service.

Explorations Central lectures continued, as did all of thegames, movies, and Microsoft digital workshops to mention a few. These workshops have been full capacity everytime we pass the room. Besides the photogallery, the next largest venue for sales has to be the art gallery. These shops much larger shops have beenplaced in the well-used hallway on one of the public decks. The design by the shipbuilders waswell-thought out.

We’re still catching up on the Downton Abbey series, onehour at a time. What a soap opera. Added to the mix of TV series was Castle,which we also like. We have missed somany of those shows at home, we’re sure most of the episodes will be new forus. The best aspect of watching theseseries, is that all of the commercials have been removed, and they can bepaused to continue viewing later. Perfect.

A couple of times during the day, we stretched our legs anddid a couple of miles on the promenade deck. The sun was out, and it was much warmer, so more people were out on theteak lounges. We’re still liking theprivacy of the veranda, with the exception of the squeaky door. Today, one of the working crew happened to bepassing by our room. Actually, hestopped us and said he recognized us from the Amsterdam. Perfect time to ask how we could get rid ofthe noise in the door. Immediately, hesprayed the hinges and the squeak was gone. Thanking him, now we can go outside in silence and not bug ourneighbors.

Dinner was very good. Two Caesar salads, a shared order of prawns, jidori chicken and dessertfound us full and happy campers. Wouldhave been better if one extremely chatty woman did not hang over the oppositebooth, visiting with newly-met bar friends. We prayed that her food would arrive, so she would cease her loudintrusive talking. Frankly, we havenever seen such clueless behavior in a Pinnacle Grill restaurant. If we had a guess, we agreed that she and her two cronies must havethe explor4 package, since the drinks kept coming and coming. Perhaps we may not have noticed this if wewere in the main section of the restaurant. But we were in the small intimate area where the officer’s table of tenis situated. Despite listening to thiscontinuous exchange, we did like the food and service. Two sets of earplugs may have helpthough. Just kidding…..

Strolling deck two, we strayed through each music venue,listening to many styles of entertainment, all which were well-attended. This is such a different crowd here, makingthe most of each and every day. Nice tosee. We were way too early to go to theMain Stage for the show. A lady by thename of Frances Dilorinzo took the stage, full of energy and ready forfun. What that means, we don’t have aclue. Perhaps comedy is her forte?

We were surprised that the clocks went back one more hourtonight. We believe it has something todo with the fact that Hawaii does not recognize daylight savings time on the mainland,making it a three hour time difference instead of two.

Looking forward to getting our land legs in Hilo, Hawaiitomorrow.

Bill & Mary Ann

Thank you for your enjoyable reports.