Venture with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2013 GW Voyage "Postcards from Paradise" 115 days

[wander]

As I said before, check with your physician, although ours sent us to a Travel expert because of our itinerary and other issues. After considering many things, we both did get the YF shot at ages 67 and 71. We had absolutely no reaction or side effects that we were aware of, so it can depend on the person. We plan on these being our last YF shots as they are good for 10 years and by the time we are 77 and 81 I don't think we will be tromping through Jungles of SA anymore. (We have done several SA Jungle trips outside of cruises.) Beautiful and fun adventures I must say in Peru (3 weeks in the deep Jungle, Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina.)

[wander]

Perhaps others have already pointed this out, but the WC on the way to Easter Island must be out of Satellite range for the internet. None of the blogs have posted for a few days.

[cruz chic]

Perhaps others have already pointed this out, but the WC on the way to Easter Island must be out of Satellite range for the internet. None of the blogs have posted for a few days.

Good info. Thx.

[cruise kitty]

I agree!! We leave shortly for a world cruise on Cunard's Queen Victoria from San Francisco.

 

Will you do a blog? If so, I'd love the link, if not, I totally understand, it's a big time commitment! Enjoy your journey!

[luvcruisn']

I am curious. Did you have to have a Yellow Fever shot to visit Manta Ecuador? We are on the Splendor of South America cruise in March/April and Holland says vaccination is required for Manta. I visited the CDC web site to see what they said and came away more confused than when I started. Any help would be appreciated. Greg

 

I also concur about the Yellow Fever shot, unless you have an exemption, if the cruise line requests that you have it, you must have it. We had a few art auction people on our Prinsendam cruise to the Amazon who did not have the shot, and they were sent home after a few days on board.

 

On my Veendam cruise from Valparaiso, Chile to New York, last April, we were required to have the shot as well. We left from Chile, and then went to Ecuador. I was over 60 when I had the shot, and had no ill effects from it.

[sppunk]

FYI Internet on the ship is barely working, hope it improves for out bloggers!

[Oahucruiser]

Will you do a blog? If so, I'd love the link, if not, I totally understand, it's a big time commitment! Enjoy your journey!

 

Sorry, no blog. I send e-mails about once or twice during each segment to family but Cunard offers 3 fabulous enrichment lectures each sea day and with all else there is to do, I can't seem to consistently find the time for blogging. I really admire all the people who can do it.

[WCB]

Report # 18 Day at Sea January 17, 2013 Thursday

 

The Amsterdam began her five day journey towards the small mystical land mass called Easter Island. We could not have asked for better weather and seas. Both were cooperating. And since we had nothing pressing to do today, the best place to chill out would be the aft pool later on.

 

In the meantime, another form had to be filled out and signed for our brief visit to Chile, the country of which Easter Island belongs. Some of the questions you have to answer include things you may be bringing into the country such as cash over 10K, plants, seeds, fruit, and cattle, and other livestock. No to all of the above. Now for the Peruvian questionnaire, we were prohibited from bringing used clothing and shoes, and items with the name brand of Pisco. Oh no, guess we are all breaking the law with our used clothing and shoes. And we certainly promise not to bring the cows and horses.

 

Ship activities were in full swing with a new Explorations speaker by the name of Sandra Millikin. She will be delivering talks on the history of architecture worldwide, a very different subject for a change. Another speaker, David Pasta, will be giving a series of lectures dealing with a journey to the center of the earth and back. He is a geology and geophysics expert.

 

Cooking demos have begun where you can learn to cook Spanish paella and steak fajitas. Everyday there are classes involving photography and computer use. And if one is inclined to exercise, there are 12 activities to do so. Most are free, but a few cost about $12. After the workouts, you can treat youtself to a bamboo massage in the spa. What exactly is that, we asked. It is a massage using warm bamboo and rattan that is used by rolling and sliding the woods over your sore muscles. Then you would know how the pie crust feels. Same idea. It comes with a high price however......50 minutes for about $160. or 75 minutes for $199.

 

Friends Ellen and Aart joined our group this evening for dinner, but the trouble with our table is that it is difficult to chat with everyone across the big round table. Most conversations happen with the people surrounding you. For that reason, our guests will have to return several times to visit properly. We ordered a particularly tasty entree of parmesan-crusted turkey breast with a side order of cheese stuffed manicotti. Our new chef, Ed Sayomac, has been doing a fine job, even though he is not entirely new to world cruises. And for those who wanted to know the dining room manager, he is Tom Grindlay, a most familiar man to most all of the repeat world cruise passengers.

 

Before we had a chance to order dessert, a very large whipped cream-covered chocolate birthday cake arrived. There must have been some confusion, because none of us had a birthday today. The name of our travel agency's president, Tom B., was mentioned. Now we were really puzzled, because today happened to be Tom's birthday, but he and his wife are not onboard. So we told our waiter to keep the cake, and present it to Joan, whose real birthday is in October. She happily went along with the waiters singing the birthday song, and we all enjoyed the generous slices of cake served with vanilla ice cream.

 

Casey had organized an early St. Patrick's Day celebration in the Crows Nest, mainly because he will be gone for the real holiday. Being Irish, he felt obliged to share the shamrock day with his best buddies. His only requirement was that we wear something green. Barb had nothing in the shade of green, so we suggested she wear some broccoli. She's such a good sport, she probably will!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS A note concerning the water system. We did have hot water back this morning, however, there must still be problems because now the water pressure has been poor at times. It's happened to all of us at one time or another to be taking a shower, and the water suddenly goes cold. Guess that is better than scalding.

[WCB]

Report # 19 Day at Sea January 18, 2013 Friday

 

Things continue to be interesting as we continue sailing towards Easter Island. We passed through a scattered fleet of Japanese fishing boats in search of squid. Nearby was their "mother" ship, according to Captain Mercer. Can't say that we have ever noticed this type of operation so far away from shore.

 

We seem to have adopted three boobys that have been circling the ship the last couple of days. They're fun to watch as they dive for the occasional flying fish. But they are dangerous because they want to fly over the outside decks, like over the sunbathers. When we see them coming, we cover our heads just in case. There was lots of evidence where they "let loose" this morning, since it was all over the pool decking.

 

Problems with the water system have continued into the early morning. Many folks, including us, noticed that the hot water decreased along with the water pressure. The timing could not have been better....right in the middle of showers. A curious thing happens when they fool with the water, because it turns a rusty color for awhile afterwards. If memory serves us right, this ship was supposed to go into drydock for some needed updating last year. But it was cancelled. Another date has been planned, and we do hope the water system will be part of that fix. When you cruise long enough, you come to realize that these things can be part of the everyday experience. There are experts onboard to handle such situations, so a little patience is due from all of us. They usually get it right in time.

 

At his 12:45pm daily talk, Captain Mercer stressed the importance of hand washing with soap, followed with lots of use of Purell. This was not a surprise, since we have witnessed extra sanitizing of hand railings and other common surfaces. Some of the cabins around us have been super-cleaned by a special team of stewards who have been suited up and masked while cleaning. That's not a good sign, and generally means that the "bug" is on the loose. The Captain indicated that several passengers have reported virus symptoms, specifically those who returned from their overland trips to Machu Picchu. What we question is the fact that for everyone that report the sickness, how many more do not? For those that report the illness, the result is an automatic forced quarantine for 48 hours, even if only one of them is sick, we heard. We have often wondered how they keep track of those people quarantined, since there are over 1100 passengers onboard right now. Well, we found out today, when we heard the story of an "escaped couple" who had violated their confinement. Apparently this couple went to the aft deck, and sat at one of the tables outside. Somehow they got busted when one of the ship's nurses approached them and ordered them back to their room. They did comply, and immediately after they left, the cleaning team came and disinfected the entire table, chairs, and surrounding area. Now we are almost paranoid about what we touch and how often we wash our hands. We've also brought our own bottles of Purell and use it all day. Hope it works. As this is being typed (after midnight), we hear the blowers outside our door, fogging the hallways. We believe the same fogging has been occuring in the dining room after all have exited.

 

Speaking of the dining room, we had company tonight with hosts Henk and Lucia joining us. We first met this wonderful couple in 2007 on the world cruise. Since then, we have sailed with them on at least two other cruises. Conversation flowed as well as the wines they offered to all. The food was good once again too. One of our favorite entrees, meatballs and spaghetti, was enjoyed by half of our tablemates. Barb had her favorite entree of calves liver, and reported it was excellent. Our table was the last to leave, an indication that all enjoyed the evening.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS The internet, as well as some of the TV feed, has become undependable for most of the day. Captain Mercer said that it is due to the area in which we are sailing. Bottom line, we are beginning to be in the middle of nowhere as far as strong signals are concerned.

[WCB]

Report # 20 Day at Sea January 19, 2013 Saturday

 

We were treated to another almost perfect day at sea as we sailed closer to Easter Island. Almost perfect, except for the internet being down since last night. Even all of the satellite feed on the TV is gone. As we explained yesterday, where there is no significant population, there is no need for the technology. Undoubtedly, the service will be restored soon.

 

While sunning at the back pool, a very familiar-looking lady sat near us. Not your usual HAL passenger, she arrived to the pool dressed in a brightly-colored full length caftan, complete with a long scarf and neat Indian beachbag. It took us a couple of minutes, but we soon remembered her from previous Radisson trips, where she was an entertainer. Her name is Bettine C. and her specialty is flute playing, or flautist. Her performance has always included an excellent backdrop on the big screens in the Queens Lounge of her travels abroad. The music she plays matches the places she visited, such as India, Mongolia, and China. We seem to remember scenes with horses in Iceland also. Well, what caught everyone's attention was when she asked a deck steward to put some sunscreen on her back, because she could not reach it, of course. We did hear her offer him some money, although we are sure he refused. No, he was thrilled to do the job, with all of his buddies watching. He got a round of applause from the staff and the guests as well, which brought a blush to his cheeks. With that, Bettine came over to us and said she recognized us, although this is her first time on an HAL ship. When we told her we had seen her on the Mariner, Navigator, and possibly the Voyager, she recalled those trips. Since then, she has performed on mostly on Saga, Cunard, and a few other smaller luxury cruise lines. She told us that she was contacted by the HAL powers-to-be while she was in Madrid less than a week ago. So it took her over 40 hours to fly from Spain to Lima, Peru. That's probably why we haven't seen her around and about on the ship until today. Since she seemed so happy to see some fans, we invited her to join our table one evening before she leaves in Tahiti. She agreed, so we will check it out with our tablemates tonight, then send her an invite.

 

This evening was formal and the theme was a new one for us........Flower Power. All were encouraged to wear something from the 60's with flowers on it. Actually the waiters were dressed the best, all with John Lennon-style rose-colored glasses. Mini-lava lamps were set on each table, the battery powered multi-colored light type. Deciding they would make a great nightlight, we thought maybe they wouldn't mind if someone took one. Noticing they leaked something oily, we passed. But then, someone was stopped on the way out of the dining room by a waiter who said these lamps were going to be used again on another evening. The head of the security team hosted our table tonight. He sat between two single ladies, and was entertained all evening, we think.

 

We have noticed that the violinist has been missing at the beginning of the dinner service the last couple of days. Bill & Leta told us today that on his way to the orchestra pit in the upper dining room, he fell and broke his arm. What a shame, since that could end his career. Sure hope he is going to be OK.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Another set of gifts this formal night........two digital photo frames with 8" screens and a 2 GB built-in memory to display photos, video, or listening to music. Very useful.

[ludynju]

hi lou from fairfield ca just around the block from you. quesion does every one get the gifts on a world cruise or just the ones that are in a special standing. how do you get the luggage ship from your house to ship.does free dry cleaning come with the cruise or do you have to be in acertain cabin type. what travel agent do you use. they do take good care of you guys.

[brownblonde]

You speak of Barb this year and also last years postings.

Who is she, your travel agt from home and if so how many people are traveling with her??

Thanks, it will make your name dropping more understandable

[harrodsfan]

Sorry you are having the bug...maybe the people from Machu Pichu had food poisoning. I got that on the regent Mariner this December. I put myself on quarantine for 24 hours to determine it wasn't anything worse. It wasn't. And I was fine the next day. My husband was fine. Not fun.

 

Loving your very detailed Blog. Thanks for taking me along.

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

I found it interesting that you noted problems with the water system. When I was on the ship from December 5 - 22, I too had terrible problems with the water system. I only had nice warm water on the December 6. After that, it was tepid at best, but mostly ice cold. And only a trickle coming out of the spigot in the tub. Then the toilet... it flushed when it was ready to do so! There was lots of gurgling in the wall behind the toilet. Hmmmm.

The problems were reported to the front desk as well as the head of housekeeping. When I left, still no change.

But it was still an awesome cruise, even though we did cruise for 14 days out of 17 under Code Red.

Bill and Mary Ann, I am absolutely loving your reports. Thank you for doing this d sharing with us.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for keeping us posted.

[WCB]

Report # 21 Day at Sea January 20, 2013 Sunday

 

The fourth day at sea brought sunny skies, rolling seas, and a party at the aft pool this afternoon at 3:30pm. We held off eating lunch, because we knew there may be special snacks at the party. The bar servers were pushing drinks at buy one, get one for $1.00, although we did not see a whole lot of sales happening. In the fine print advertising this sale, it states that it applies to only select beverages. We found out today that select means anything under $6.95. It has been reported to us by a number of different bartenders that the world cruisers are not big drinkers, compared to the cruisers on shorter trips. There is no pressure to try to get it all done in two weeks, like bar-hopping or gambling. So the people tend to pace themselves. Good thing because that bar bill can be staggering.

 

Speaking of bills, we got our first preliminary statement this morning. It was good to know that our promised shipboard credit was there. Included with the statement was the usual letter that explained that the bill could be corrected if needed, but we only have three days to do it. In addition, a new paragraph has been added saying that the crew will receive their tips at the end of every segment, not at the end of the entire cruise as some people had mistakenly thought. That settles that rumor.

 

One of us has been having a bit of an issue with the bed, or more specifically, the mattress in our room. They have seen their share of use over the years and are really due to be replaced. Anyway, during a conversation with Barb yesterday, she mentioned that she had gotten some help from the head housekeeper with her bed. They have ways of making the beds firmer. So we went right to the boss, Shiv, who we know from last year's cruise. He was more than happy to resolve our problem. By the time we went down the stairs from deck three to deck one, two fellows were already in our room assessing the situation. We asked if they could keep the joined beds the same level, and the answer was yes. So we went off to the pool, giving them a chance to do their fix.

 

We stayed at the pool party until 5pm. Bruce, the cruise director, and some of his staff, conducted some silly and fun games. The best one was the hula-hoop contest. Two men against two women. Our friend, Queen Karen, won that one hands down. That gal has got some pretty good moves. They did relay races and line dancing, and awarded little prizes like coffee mugs and Amsterdam pins. But the best part was the food the fellows passed around. Starting healthy, we had melonball skewers with little glasses of watermelon punch. Next came cucumber and shrimp canapes, then pizza topped with tomato and peach slices. Peach slices, we say? Yes, it was rather good, and the freshly baked pizza crust was excellent. Following that, we had mini-burgers, like sliders. Can you tell we were hungry?

 

Back at the room, we found the mattress job was completed. This was like the baby bear trying the beds.......one was soft, and one was hard. Oh oh, one was so hard, it would have been compared to sleeping on the floor. We discovered that a length of 1/4" plywood had been added on top of the mattress, then covered with blankets. On top of that was a foam egg crate. Knowing that sleeping on a wafer of wood may make the back problem worse, we slipped it out from the foot of the bed. Thought we had put it all back nicely, but we were surprised to find our room assistant re-making the entire bed after we alerted Shiv that we had taken the wood out. Apparently, he asked them to add even more blankets for added cushioning. Oh boy, never expected such excellent attention in such a short time. We have no doubt that it will be perfect.

 

Captain Mercer said during his afternoon talk that there are three options for a tender landing in Easter Island tomorrow. He is now leaning towards the original plan of tendering to Hanga Roa, or a landing very nearby that one. We had hoped to drop anchor off of Anakena Cove, but since there were so many problems there last year, such as destroyed pontoons, and a damaged tenderboat, it seems that option is out the window for now. All we are hoping is that conditions are going to be good enough to even get in there. Easter Island is on many guest's bucket list.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 22 Easter Island, Chile January 21, 2013 Monday

 

What a day it turned out to be............good for most guests, bad for some, and a nightmare for the crew. The final decision had been made that we drop anchor off of the major settlement of Hanga Roa, and tender into shore at the designated dropoff. It sure didn't appear to be that rough, but the winds were creating a high swell, and the surf was beating wildly at the volcanic rocky shoreline. Will it be a go or not?

 

To begin with, we have had the pleasure of visiting Easter Island three times in the past. Since we have taken tours that took us to all the moai statue sites, including the quarry, and the nicest beach area of Anakena Cove, we decided that today would be a great time to walk through the village. The last two visits were strictly at the beach, because the landing in town was impossible at that time.

 

The island is 45 square miles with 3000 residents, most of whom work for the government or are part of the Chilean military. This small island was made by volcanoes that are now extinct. Wild and domestic horses roam the hills and beaches, along with some cattle and sheep and dogs. Most everything is imported here from Chile. That includes potable water and fuel. Little food is grown locally, although we expect the fishing is good here.

 

Without having booked a tour today, getting onto the island proved to be a challenge. Being a five star Mariner should have been a help, but not so today. On the Grand Voyages, there are many, many 5 star Mariners. One of our "privileges" is being allowed to go ashore on the tenderboat, mixed in with the ticketed tour people. The term is "priority tendering". It works really well on shorter cruises. You show your room card, and you are free to go down to deck A and climb aboard the tenderboat. This procedure was written in today's newsletter. However, when we went to go at around 10am, we were stopped by a crew member who well knew who we were and and another couple with us. He said the four of us could not go downstairs to debark until tours 6 through 11 were off the ship. His suggestion was to come back around 2pm. At this point, there was smoke coming out of our ears, because he was wrong. We all asked to talk to his boss, the hotel manager. Henk happened to show up by coincidence, and we reviewed this situation. So in front of the waiting crowd, he said things were not going as planned and we may have to wait. Not the news we wanted to hear.

 

Now, if we had listened to the first crew fellow, we would never have gotten off of the ship at 2pm. Live and learn. If something is not right, question it. It was then that Henk took the four of us aside by the elevators, and escorted us down to deck A. To our surprise, there was a group of chairs that lined the hallway for the 4 and 5 star Mariners, who had been waiting, some up to 1 1/2 hours, to be mixed in with the tour groups. There were many of our long time buddies sitting there that were joking about starting a mutiny. We only had a half hour wait before we were given that priority boarding. Now the reason we may have missed going ashore was the fact that by 1pm, Captain Mercer had announced that no more passengers would be allowed to go ashore. It had become way too dangerous.

 

That fact was apparent to us when we saw the blown out side window on the tenderboat. No one could sit there because they would get drowned from the waves coming over the front of the boat. This was partly responsible for the backup of the guests, because they had to take fewer people. Our question was why weren't they putting more boats in the water? Only three were down from what we could see. We don't claim to know all the ins and outs of how a ship is run, but it seems there could have been a better plan for transporting the guests today. We have been on other ships, such as Princess, where two exits are opened and the tours go off on one, and the independant guests go off on the other. Sounds reasonable to us if there are enough crew members to handle it.

 

Finally getting to land, we took a walk....a really long walk towards town and some moai sites. The roads were muddy and dotted with rain-filled potholes. We kept way to the side of the road, so we would not get splashed with the red mud. The chance of rain was 55%, and we hoped it would not rain until later on. We have to say there were dozens of locals in their own cars and vans, who were offering the independant cruisers tours of the island. Barbie and two of her friends negotiated a ride to see the main sites and the quarry. Since she had toured the quarry in years past, she waited with the driver and saved the $60. park fee to enter. Smart girl.

 

As for us, we saw some pretty great scenery following the seaside road on the volcanic cliffs. Passing some fishing boats, we walked by a row of some rather nice homes, all complete with a moai statue in their front yard. Guess when you're in Rome, do as the Romans do. A few backpacker hostels were roadside, with tents in a yard, and a rudimentary facility nearby. We heard from Barb that a couple of very nice hotels were being built in the middle of the island, and would be a good place to try lunch next time.

 

The only thing that resembled a beach were several tiny coves mixed in between the sharp rocks. More of the locals were using them than any of us. Boulders separated the waves from the small sandy areas, and probably also kept out the unwanted sharks. Several areas on this part of the island have groups or single moai. These enormous statues are carved from soft volcanic rock and set upon a platform made of the same material. Underneath these platforms and all around the base are graves of the ancient people that erected these statues. The how and why of their existence is a mystery even today. One rule we remembered from past visits is that you never step on or around these platforms. Locals hire watchers at these sites, and if you happen to stray too close to them, you are immediately warned to get away. We call them moai "police".

 

Wildlife is limited to those roaming horses, which are rather small, but probably useful for transportation. The only birds we saw were frigates, boobys, and two sea hawks. On our way back to the tender landing, we saw an ill turtle, about 3 feet around, and being protected by three locals kids. We can't swear to it, but we have a feeling that their dad, who drove his vehicle to the area, intended to take this creature for his use. Come to think of it, the shell would probably be worth a lot of money, more so that turtle soup or whatever.

 

We got back to the pier by 3pm to find that most of the tours had arrived at the same time. Right across from the souvenier tables, there was a tent and blocks of folding chairs for the waiting guests to relax and wait for their ride back. Oh gosh, there were hundreds of people here, and all of the chairs were occupied. When the boat arrived, the first block of seated guests were called to board. We think they were only taking around 50. When they got up, all of us moved left to fill their seats, leaving the last block of seats for the new comers. This should have worked OK, if it wasn't for the few that ended around the back to sneak on first. A couple of young officers were watching this, and refused to let those people board. Things got ugly, but the officers won out in the end. The grumpy passengers had to go to the end of the line.

 

We got back to the ship after a harrowing boat ride. Instead of quartering the waves, the driver headed straight into them, causing water to come pouring in through a broken front window. We did not see it until we felt our shoes fill with sea water. The ride was so rough that some people got seasick, which is never a good thing in hot and crowded conditions. No wonder the transferring of more guests was halted early this afternoon. At least we were lucky enough to have spent the day on Easter Island.

 

By the time all the boats were loaded back on deck three, it was nearing 7pm. The planned sailaway party got rained out at 5:30pm, and was moved, band and all, to the middle pool area. It was so warm and humid in there, we left, as did many others.

 

As a way of apologizing, we had champagne or wine served at dinnertime, compliments of the Captain. That and official certificates of our visit here today was all that some of the guests had in the way of a souvenier. Bet we hear some good stories tomorrow about today's happenings.

 

Finally, we get to turn the clocks back one hour tonight. Since Easter Island chooses to be the same time as Chile, we have not changed our clocks since we left Florida. Therefore, the sunrise has been at 7:42am, and the sunset at 9:15pm. Something is not right with that. We suspect there will be many changes back one hour in the upcoming days. That's great, because everyone, especially the crew, need the extra sleep.

 

So far, the Amsterdam has sailed a total of 5021 nautical miles from Ft. Lauderdale. In the next two days, we will have to cover another 1200 miles to reach Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot of land in the massive Pacific Ocean.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Cruisergal1208]

Thank you so much for your updates. I enjoy reading of your adventures to places I most likely will never get to visit. Thank you for taking the time to take us along!!

Mary Ann

[gigianne]

What wonderful updates - thanks so much for taking the time to share them with us.

[SilvertoGold]

WCB

 

What a super accounting of a difficult day!

 

Sounds to me that the quartermaster didn't quarter the waves because that might have swamped the tender, considering the seas at the time. Straight on is not ideal but can be safer.

Also, if they were using only three tenders that could have been because the seas required the most hightly skilled quartermasters only.

 

Have never heard of anyone actually getting seasick on a tender, although I have seen some green faces. UGH! Hope never to experience a tender ride that bad!

 

Thanks for the super post.

[trikeman]

Here's a link to a picture of the tender coming back to ship from Jeff's Blog. It's the eighth picture down.

[innlady1]

Here's a link to a picture of the tender coming back to ship from Jeff's Blog. It's the eighth picture down.

 

Those are stunning! Thanks for posting. I always enjoy seeing the accompanying photos.

Also check Kween Karen's journal: www.world.kweenkaren.com. Nice photos and an interesting, brief travelogue.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for the photos.

[CairnsGuyCruiser]

G'Day U2

 

Fantastic reports.

Look forward to joining you guys in Sydney on 15 Feb

 

Cheers

 

Pat

[WCB]

Report # 23 Day at Sea January 22, 2013 Tuesday

 

Expecting today to be a sunny warm one wasn't exactly in the cards this morning. While walking the promenade deck, a sudden squall showered the ship for at least an hour. It's the South Pacific and when it rains here you know it. It's seldom a sprinkle, but a downpour. Good time to catch up on emails, since it appears the internet connection is getting better every day.

 

The president of our travel agency and his wife boarded the ship yesterday in Easter Island. Originally they were going to join us while we had our stay in Ft. Lauderdale, but a family emergency kept them at home. We had a chance to visit with them this morning and learned they stayed overnight on the island, then rented a car to tour the moai and the quarry. They enjoyed touring, but their hotel experience was less than appealing. The better accommodations can be reserved, but only for a minimum of three nights. Since this was a last minute booking, they had to settle for more of a casual experience at perhaps a one star level. One night was quite enough. They will be staying on until Papeete, where they leave for home. In the meantime, a cocktail party will be held tonight, and several lunches and dinners are planned for them with some of their longtime clients. Should be fun.

 

The 10:30am games in the atrium continue to draw a big crowd every day. Target Toss was the challenge this morning, and since it was raining, many folks joined in to try their skills. We swear it brings out the little kid in all that participate. The biggest game has to be trivia at noon, followed by an easier express team trivia at 3pm. This year the cruise director has decided to really stump the teams with very hard questions. Watercolor classes with Carol & Carol occur at 9am and 1pm. We miss our artist friend Susie, who used to wave at us down on the aft pool deck on sea days. She always had some amusing stories to tell us of the sunbathers habits outside the glass windows on deck nine. The things people do when they think no one is watching can be quite amusing.Then there is always the arts and crafts class at 2:30pm where Maureen, the instructor, keeps mostly ladies busy making unusual objects.

 

Explorations speakers continue their series with a talk on the Taj Mahal by Sandra Millikin, while David Pasta lectured on tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. If you happen to miss these talks in the Queens Lounge, you can always catch them on TV later. We frequently do just that. And lastly, if you attend the Bright White Express Bingo today wearing bright white clothing, you will get GoSmile whitening samples handed to you with the sale of a bingo card. First we ever heard of that.

 

The first Mongolian Cookout was offered at the Lido pool at 11:30am to 2pm. This is a very popular venue for the guests, where one can create their own meal. You pick your fresh veggies, meats, and seafood, then a chef will cook it in a wok with peanut oil, we presume. Those that like it, look forward to these cookouts, which happen often. We can always smell the aroma of roasted garlic while at the aft pool on these days.

 

We'd like to address some questions we have received recently. The pillow gifts are given to all that are on that particular segment we think. It does not matter where your room is located, or what level of Mariner status you are. We each get a gift. Towards the end of this long voyage, we may receive a very special gift, which is given only to those who sail the whole voyage of 115 days.

 

The luggage delivery was handled by HAL who employed Fed Ex to pick up the bags. Suites and verandas got unlimited luggage shipment, and the rest of the outside room guests got to send 4 pieces of luggage. This service is for full world cruisers only. Those who book inside rooms have to pay extra per bag that is shipped, even if they are full cruisers.

 

As far as we know, there is no complimentary dry cleaning on the Amsterdam except for those who book on deck seven. They get free laundry, pressing, and dry cleaning. Will ask if the President Club members get free dry cleaning. If they don't, they should.

 

We cannot mention the name of our travel agency on Cruise Critic, but we can tell you that our buddy, Barb, is not a travel agent. She's more like a sister to us, that we have had the pleasure of knowing since 2007. We've continued to be tablemates ever since.

 

Speaking of our travel agency, their first party was this evening. Our group is so large this year (over 300), that we had to meet in the Queens Lounge for cocktails and canapes. This was a first for us, and perhaps for them as well. The center dancefloor was converted to a lounge with small tables surrounded by chairs. Two bars were set up towards the stage, but the servers were more than happy to give us our drinks of our choice. Raymond, the assistant bar manager, took good care of us, as did Manny our favorite server.

 

Our time for the late party was over at 7:30pm, because the lounge had to be put back and cleaned up for the first show at 8pm. On our way out of the Queens Lounge, we ran into a line of early dinner people, waiting to come into the lounge to get the front seats for the 8pm show. We know these must be the "save the good seats for their friends" group. That alone has caused some pretty good fights on past cruises. Gosh, we miss all the fun, since we seldom attend these performances. Some have been good according to two of our dinnermates. But this is their first world cruise, and they are determined to do and see it all. Been there, done that.

 

As we figured it would, the clocks went back again one hour. Love it.

 

Mary Ann & Bill