John and Diane are at it Again!

[absolutboy20]

My apologies for asking this question if this has already been answered as I just started reading these blogs but have the three groups who are doing the live reviews met as you all are on the same ship? Its been very interesting to read to see how the different groups spend their time on board and about the ports. Also see that you're from my old college town!

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 9 - Day 64

Singapore

 

Singapore is an interesting city. It’s almost fanatically clean and well-organized, and the people are well dressed, friendly, and well-educated. The closest comparison I can come up with is the movie Pleasantville, where everyone was practically perfect in every way. I am really torn about whether I like it this way or not. What keeps running through my mind is the Italians saying, “At least Mussolini made the trains run on time.”

It’s almost too perfect. However, it is a great place to visit and we have loved every minute of our two days.

 

The decision last night between the Night Safari at the zoo and dinner was almost made for us by how tired we were. We have a lovely little Vietnamese restaurant named “Little Saigon” on Clark Quay that we like to patronize when we’re here, so that was the choice. We did decide that when we come next year we are really and truly going to go to the Night Safari.

 

To start, let me state that almost nothing is inexpensive in Singapore. The restaurants are an excellent example of this. The food at Little Saigon is excellent and really not too expensive, but the drinks. Oh my! Beer was 15 Singapore dollars ($1.25 SD=$1.00) and cocktails were 16. Since the cost was so close, I opted for a Bellini, but primarily because drinks are half price until 8:00 and we arrived at 7:45. Of course we knew from previous visits that the service is pretty slow, so we thought we’d like seconds, which we ordered at 7:58. Gotta have a backup, you know.

 

The dinners were wonderful. John had pork ribs with rice and I had noodles with seafood. The total for our dinners was almost exactly the cost of our two half-price drinks, but sitting on the Singapore River in 80 degree weather was just wonderful. It’s like that commercial that says, “XX costs XX, but XY is priceless.” That’s how I felt about last evening. We just sat and watched the hoards of tour groups getting into the junks for river cruises and admired the evening light show. It was a great evening.

 

Today we decided we’d take that wonderful recommendation about going to the zoo for breakfast, but we did not follow the advice about taking a taxi. Dumb move on our part. By the time we took the subway for 40 minutes and then the bus for 30, there was a line that Disneyland would have been proud of. It just wound around and around and around and we spent another 40 minutes in it. Waaay too late for breakfast with anyone. Believe me, next year we’ll be there at 8:30 when it opens. By the way, we so appreciated all the recommendations about things to do here. We’ve made a list, and anything we didn’t do this year we’re going to do next year - including that zoo breakfast.

 

One of our reference books states that the Singapore Zoo is the second best in the world, but it doesn’t answer all my questions: what’s number one? On what basis are the zoos evaluated? Who does the evaluating? After saying that, however, I will say that it is probably one of the best two or three zoos I’ve ever been to. It is incredibly well laid out (that Singaporean organization strikes again), it’s amazingly clean, the multitude of animals seem well cared for, and the displays are very educational, stressing the ways in which many animals are nearing extinction and how we can do something about it. It really is a lovely place, and we spent so much time there that we had to almost race back to the ship - if you can call an hour and a half travel racing. Upon arrival at the subway station (in the Harbour Mall), we still had to cash in our subway cards and then, awash with money (all of about $40.00), we headed to the grocery store in the mall for necessities - you know, the usual junk food. After going through immigration once again and then handing in our passports, we were on the ship for good. We’re tired again, but it’s all in a good cause.

 

The sailaway party was from 4:30 until 6:00, with the ship scheduled to leave at 5:00. Well, right now it’s 6:55 and we’ve have just sailed. We had been told several times that all passports must be returned and checked by the Singaporean officials before they would release the ship, but as we sat up on the aft deck enjoying chat and hors d’oeuvres, they kept announcing passenger names and asking them to PLEASE turn in their passports.

 

Anyway, now it will be a lovely sea day and then Phuket, Thailand, so I guess it’s into the shower for me and get ready for dinner.

 

P. S. Yes, we do know the others who are doing blogs. And we're glad to hear that you're a Cal Poly person - it's a great school.

[NanaLiz]

Just started following you a few days ago. We hope to do a world cruise in a few years. Thanks for sharing your journey! Liz from Canada

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[rafinmd]

Thursday, January 9 (Happy Birthday Elvis)

Transiting the Panama Canal

 

 

I haven’t checked to see what tonight’s entertainment is, but last night was just wonderful. Colleen Williamson is a mezzo soprano who sang everything from Broadway to opera. She’s not one of those sopranos who goes up into the stratosphere with her notes, but one who has the talent to almost caress every note, and we loved listening to her. Even people who don’t usually like sopranos enjoyed Miss Williamson.

 

Now it’s off to Trivia. Hope we do as well today as we did on Tuesday.

 

Colleen Williamson returned to her primary engagement as lead singer on the Crystal Symphony on February 16. She is also on the crew of my lifeboat. I chatted briefly with her following my muster drill, telling her of my plans to continue to Serenity and Amsterdam, and of the glowing reports I had seen from her show on the Amsterdam World Cruise. She commented very nicely on the people she had met on the Amsterdam. She performed essentially the same show you saw tonight, although it conflicted with the Protestant service and I only caught the first few numbers.

 

I hope Rusteem Hayourdinoff's concert was well attended. He is a fabulous artist.

 

Roy

[jvision]

I should have told you to make reservations for the breakfast. We had the ship phone the zoo a few days before we wanted to go. It's better to go the first of the 2 days so that you don't have to keep looking at your watch in order to get back to the ship before sailing. I hope you got to see orangutans, anyway. Taking a taxi is so important.

 

We get so much enjoyment from your blog. We did the 2011 WC and it's almost like re-living it again.

[absolutboy20]

I hope you didn't take my comment as a negative as I was curious just to see if you guys had happened to meet on board like a Cruise Critic meet and greet. It's been interesting to read the last few days how different people spend their time on board.

[Johnny B]

No, I didn't take it as a negative at all. I was just trying to save internet time so I probably answered a bit briefly. We know Bill and Mary Ann as well as Jeff. I think that's who you were talking about.

 

 

Monday, March 10 - Day 65

At Sea en route to Phuket, Thailand

 

After finally sailing last evening, it was remarkably quiet on board. The only negative I can come up with about cruising is the short time we spend in port, because even when we have an overnight stay, as we did in Singapore, there is so much to do and see and so little time to do and see it. Therefore, everyone seems to just run here and there and everywhere, becoming exhausted - I know we do.

 

I awoke in the middle of the night smelling smoke, but since that had happened on our approach to Singapore, I decided it was just more of the same, which turned out to be the case. It’s either a fire on shore somewhere or one of the many refineries in this narrow strait. When I awoke this morning, I looked out the window and saw only grey. There was not even a horizon; it was just grey water changing into grey sky with no line between as a result of heavy fog. It’s the first time on the cruise that this has happened and it gives our day an eerie quality. I almost feel that we’re on a ghost ship.

 

Last night the show featured a flute player who was truly talented. Since his sister played one, John is very favorably inclined toward the instrument and it truly was a lovely concert. The evening before Singapore we had a Russian pianist who was truly talented - if only he hadn’t begun with three pieces by Rachmaninoff, my least favorite classical composer. He even played one piece that had been written for just one hand; it was composed for a pianist who had lost one hand in WWI.

 

The talent we enjoy each evening is really wonderful and I know we’d pay big bucks at home to see it. Two years ago we had Michael Feinstein, the world-famous pianist and Gershwin expert on board (at great expense, I’m sure), and he performed at two concerts. I was amazed that there were any empty seats at either of them, since his concerts at home sell out almost immediately, but I think we tend to take things a little too much for granted around here. Like many of the entertainers, he wandered around the ship like just another passenger, and one evening we hung out in the Crow’s Nest with him (and his entourage) after a ball. We are just sooo lucky.

 

We’re looking forward to Phuket tomorrow - in some ways. Two years ago, John and I took an overland trip which included 3-day visits to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, where we met the ship again. The beaches off Phuket are truly among the most beautiful in the world and the food is delicious (I think I ate Pad Thai every day), but the presence of so many teenage “bar girls” really disturbed me, especially when we’d see them out and about with middle-aged men. It is a beautiful place, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

 

Before we get there, however, we’re going to a second “Sommelier Dinner” in the Pinnacle this evening. We love the idea of having outstanding food paired with great wines, and how can you dislike a meal that begins with Dom Perignon Champagne?

It looks like the menu includes beet carpacio, spinach soup, pumpkin ravioli, and a choice of beef and veal tenderloin or three different filets and sauces. I feel full just thinking about it. I shall have to have a light lunch and just remember to pace myself.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

[hotzej]

From the way you are writing about the next year and the Night Safari, it sounds like you are planning on being on the 2015 WC as well? I sure hope so, as Bill and I have signed up for this cruise for our first WC. We would love to pick your brains for ideas in each city especially Singapore and other Asian/Middle East cities. I hope to meet you all as well as your blogs have helped us to make the lap to the WC next year.

[Skipper's Mom]

Diane,

 

I have been following the World Cruises for a few years now. I truly enjoy them and hope one day to be able to do a WC. Thanks for taking us along!:):)

[MMDown Under]

On your next visit to Singapore, if you just follow the locals, you will find delicious inexpensive food.

 

In the beautiful Botanical Gardens, I eat in a small open air food court place within the gardens, where the locals eat (not the tourist one).

 

In Chinatown, I eat in one of the top Hawker Food Centres. You can't go wrong by just joining the longest queue and pointing to the picture. The most popular stalls only sell the one meal.

 

In Little India, you can try the Banana Leaf and eat authentic Indian food served on a banana leaf.

 

Singapore is a foodie's paradise! You can even learn to cook there and then eat the meal you prepared.

[Johnny B]

Tuesday, March 11 - Day 66

Patong Bay, Phuket, Thailand

 

What a gorgeous place this is, but it’s one of those places that would have been nice to visit about 30 years ago. From the ship, we can see long stretches of white beach as well as three high rise buildings, one of which is more than 30 stories tall. The best tee-shirt one can buy here says “No, I don’t want a tour, a taxi, or a massage.” Since this was a tender port, we waited until there wasn’t any wait and headed into town. It was about 90 degrees at 9:30 this morning, with more to come, but we braved the heat and walked the mile or so into the middle of town.

 

Two years ago, John and I arranged a private 10-day overland in Thailand and had a wonderful time. We spent three days each in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, and at the end I wish we had added a day each to Bangkok and Chiang Mai which could have been taken from Phuket. Our most memorable experience here was when we were walking down a side street, only a block from the beach, when a man saw us (walking side by side) and said, “Hey Mister, you want a girl?” John purposefully looked at me and said, “No, thanks.” The next question was “Want a boy?” As I think I’ve made clear, I really hate it when such idyllic natural beauty is marred by what people do to it.

 

Having said that, however, we did have a great day. After getting off the tender and walking into town, we looked to see what, if anything, had changed in the last two years. The beaches were still gorgeous and the farther we walked, the hotter it became, but we did just fine. Eventually we circled around and found the mall, which has a wonderful lower level with all Thai-made merchandise. We were able to find some great gifts and I think we’re all done with that shopping now - except for our granddaughter, and we find things for her all the time. In the back of the mall, overlooking a sunny open area, is a Thai restaurant which we patronized two years ago and I can tell you that it’s still wonderful. John prefers rice and I prefer noodles, and my pad thai was just the best. (It was on the menu for dinner tonight also, so I had it twice today).

 

By now it was almost 2:00, so we decided it was time to drop the bags at the ship and then come back to enjoy the beach for a couple of hours. There was a beach just next to the dock where the tenders stopped and the turquoise water there was absolutely pristine. While John settled down with a couple of friends on the beach, I crossed the street for an eight dollar one-hour massage. It was a true Thai massage, and there were a couple of times that I was about to call “uncle” and call a halt, but for the most part, it was a wonderful massage and my sore parts felt much better afterwards. We just hung out at the beach, swimming in the lovely water with brightly colored fish, and then took the tender back to the ship. Overall, we had a good day.

 

Last evening was our second Sommelier Dinner in the Pinnacle. The food was excellent and the wines accompanying them were even better. We began with Dom Perignon Champagne which accompanied what I thought was beef carpaccio but turned out to be beet carpaccio - something I’d never even heard of. The puree of spinach soup was topped by pernod enhanced cream, and it gave the soup a slight anise flavor. The wine with the soup was a white blend, something that I don’t remember seeing before. The star of the evening, as far as I was concerned, was the pumpkin ravioli garnished with lobster ragout - so delicious, and I don’t even like lobster that much.

 

We had an entre-act of avocado and lime granite served in an ice bowl (very clever, these chefs), followed by the main course which was three filets of beef: one grass fed, one veal, and one corn fed. I was surprised that I could easily tell the differences among the three, since I’m not much of a beef eater and thought most of it tasted alike. It was excellent, but by this time a little too much, so I left part of it on the plate. Fortunately, the dessert was a beautiful arrangement of berries (blue, straw, and ras), so it didn’t fill us up any more. It was a wonderful dinner and I wish there would be more of them.

 

Now we have three of those excellent sea days, and I just can’t wait. Next stop: Colombo, Sri Lanka.

 

P S. We are big fans of local food and try it pretty much everywhere. We believe that travelers miss out on a lot if they limit themselves to places where they could eat at home. On four world cruises, we've never had any problems with local food.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, March 12 - Day 67

At Sea en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

Some ports are just more tiring than others. Yesterday we must have walked only two or three miles, but it was 95 degrees with about 90% humidity, so we were pretty knackered. The result was that we skipped the show (a comedian, whom I hope to see on TV sometime today) and were sound asleep by 10:00. The fact that we slept until almost 8:00 this morning says even more about our low energy level. Oh well, even though I sometimes feel like I’m still 25, days like yesterday convince me that they are long gone.

 

This evening is formal and we are to attend the Captain’s Dinner in the Pinnacle. Don’t get too impressed - every passenger on a full world cruise has this honor at one time or another and there seems to be a great bragging right if you are seated at the actual Captain’s table. We, however, are going to be seated with our friend Peter Wallis, whom we refer to as “Peter Purser”, as that is his job on the ship. Peter looks like a typical accountant (whatever that is), but he has a wicked sense of humor and he’s a great friend of our friend Barbie, so the six of us will sit together at dinner - Peter, Barbie, Aart, Ellen, John and yours truly. Personally, I think we’ll have much more fun than anyone else at the dinner.

 

We also have Trivia today, as we do on every sea day, and it’s almost funny how seriously people take it. Apparently some of the trivia players have complained to Seattle about the way Gene runs Trivia, even going so far as to say that he should be replaced as Cruise Director. What rot! One team was even chanting “We want Bruce” after a game last week - which they, of course, lost. We find Gene energetic and refreshing and he has a great sense of humor. He’s also infinitely patient with people who complain or question answers, which I think speaks well of how he handles his job.

 

Speaking of Trivia, it’s beginning soon, so I’d better get there - the long walk from the library to the Ocean Bar which takes at least 3 minutes.

[Johnny B]

Thursday, March 13 - Day 68

At Sea en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

The Captain’s Dinner was lovely. We were invited to come to the Wajang (Wah Yang) Theatre for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 6:00, and it only took us until 6:10 to get ourselves glamorous enough to attend. They had converted the theatre into a cocktail lounge somehow, with small tables as well as tables set up on the stage/kitchen area. I guess with the right lighting a place looks a lot more dressed up.

 

Waiters circulated with trays of one’s choice of wines: red, white or quite good Champagne (I am firmly of the belief that life is too short to drink bad Champagne). If your tastes tended elsewhere, there was a full bar set up in the corner of the stage/kitchen, to which several people headed. The munchies were great, including small slices of tenderloin of beef wrapped in prosciutto (I think I spelled that incorrectly) and grilled garlic prawns. So yum!

 

Upon entering, we were greeted by the Captain and his wife, Karen and then we gravitated toward our friends and officers that we know. Early on in the cruise, Ellen had arranged that John and I, she and Art and Barbie would sit with Peter Purser, and that’s who we primarily spoke with. We had about a half hour of the preliminaries and then Tina, the Pinnacle manager (again) since Sam left in Singapore, came in and invited us to wander across the hallway to the dining room, where we were seated at what we’re beginning to think of as “our” table. We’ve sat there for two sommelier dinners, one Filipino dinner, lunch with Barbie and Maureen and now for the Captain’s Dinner.

 

OK, now for the salivating part. We began with a plate with four little toasts, two with Osetra caviar and two with pate de foie gras. I love the second but not the first (even though Barbie says it’s the third best, after Beluga and Sevruga), so I just handed over my little black fish eggs to her. Then we had a soup called “essence of tomato with chicken and pistachio dumplings.” That was pretty darned tasty. Next came my favorite course, lobster linguini. I guess I’m getting a taste for lobster, but only in small amounts. All three of those courses were paired with Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

 

Of course one needs a “palate refresher” (don’t you all have one between courses at dinner?). Ours was Champagne sorbet enhanced with fresh raspberry puree and it absolutely disappeared off my plate. Having refreshed our palates, we were ready for the main event. It was Double R Ranch beef tenderloin with black tiger shrimps on a bed of parsnips and celeriac puree with vegetables on the side. It really was, as promised, tender, but again, it was just too much to finish so I only took a couple of bites, and they were delicious. The beef was paired with Columbia Crest Merlot from Washington State.

 

Then, of course, there was dessert. Oh my. It was called “Pastry Chef’s Sweet Trilogy” and it consisted of two dark chocolate cups, each filled with a different treat as well as a large ivory spoon filled with creme brûlée. Everyone at the table raved about all three of the selections, but as I’ve given up sugar for Lent, I had to take a pass and just finish my wine. We had such a good time. We chatted and laughed and oohed and aahed over the food. Peter has such a sly and sharp sense of humor and we enjoyed every bit of the evening. It really is an event to look forward to when you book the full WC.

 

After dinner we headed to the show, a second appearance of the flautist, which we really enjoyed. The funny thing was when we were on our way out, we began chatting with some people we’ve seen on previous cruises and who we saw at the cocktail party before the dinner. The first thing she said was, “We went to the Captain’s Dinner tonight and we sat right at the Captain’s table.” Told you so.

 

P. S. Next year we think we're going to do Sydney to Dubai.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[Johnny B]

Friday, March 14 - Day 69

At Sea en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

Boy, when Cruise Director Gene throws a party, he really throws a party. Last night was “Disco Night,” something that most of us remember as John Travolta, pantsuits, and polyester. In fact, yesterday’s movie was “Saturday Night Fever.” The Crow’s Nest, beginning at 9:00, was the location of the festivities and it was packed. The new band, which heretofore could have been mistaken for providers of elevator music, really cranked out the dancing tunes, and it was difficult to find a place on the dance floor - but we managed.

 

The entire cruise staff was attired appropriately, Gene with polyester flared pants and an afro wig, and the Amsterdam Dancers were in attendance. They’re great to watch, but boy do they make the rest of us look like chopped liver. The only thing missing was the disco ball, but there were paper cutouts of them all over the room.

 

The food was appropriate, too. There were mini hot dogs, mini hamburgers (from before they were called “sliders”) and a chocolate fountain. Giving in to the more modern tastes, however, it was dark chocolate and very popular. Of course everyone there had come from dinner, but that didn’t stop lots of people from filling their plates with 70’s “health food.”

 

A good time was had by all, and to top it off, we even set our clocks back another hour, so we could stay up even later. It’s great to get back to the cabin at midnight and then discover it’s really only 11:00.

 

After the gym and breakfast this morning, we returned to our room to find a letter from the captain regarding piracy. In 2010, we were really looking forward to our call at the Seychelles, which everyone says is just heaven on earth, but because of concerns about pirates, we had to skip it and spend the day in Mahe, Maldives. This year, however, we are actually planning a two-day call in The Seychelles. The captain’s letter faced the piracy problem head-on, and pointed out that we have two great advantages over ships which have been taken: our maximum speed of 25 knots and the distance from the waterline to our “freeboard,” the place that pirates would board the ship.

 

Captain Mercer also pointed out several moves which are taken on board. They include being tracked by unseen warships and AWAC’s (whatever those are), a close radar watch from the bridge, extra security guards (whom we have seen patrolling the decks), four Long Range Acoustic Devices rigged, manned, and ready (they focus sound on any potential attacker, deafening that person and causing great pain), charged water hoses ready to use, and rigged razor wire on Deck 3. I think we’re ready!

 

We were told that if anyone attempts to board or even if there is a suspicious vessel, we would hear one long ring of the ship’s alarm followed by the announcement, “Testing, Testing.” This tells us to move out of our staterooms or other outside spaces and into interior spaces or hallways, staying away from windows and sitting down. I think they have all bases covered and I’m sure we’ll get safely to our scheduled ports.

 

Today’s our last sea day before Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) tomorrow, and then we have three more sea days before the Seychelles. This cruising business just gets better and better.

[sppunk]

John and Diane, AWAC is NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. It's a fleet of planes that can control and position air and sea forces to fight and catch pirates.

 

It's quite an impressive setup, actually, and worth a read when you are back home with cheaper, faster internet!

[erewhon]

Thanks for the updates.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, March 15 - Day 70

Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

You would have thought we were in India today, but we were in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, a lovely island located south of India and formerly a part of the British empire. We were here in 2012, when six of us rented a taxi van for a sightseeing tour, visiting a Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple (complete with a small elephant out front), a mosque, a snake charmer with a cobra, and finally, a wonderful buffet lunch at the Galle Face Hotel on the ocean.

 

This year, five of us (a different group) were recruited by a taxi driver with a van, offering to take us on an hour’s tour for $10.00 - total. We agreed, and returned to the Hindu and Buddhist temples (complete with snake but not elephant). We had considered stopping at the mosque again, but the female contingent in the taxi would not have been allowed in, so we took a pass.

 

We finished our tour at the Galle Face Hotel where they are now renovating half of it, so instead of enjoying the buffet lunch under the arches, we sat at a table with an umbrella overlooking the ocean. Because of the heat, the first priority was ice cold beer. Then it was lunch time, with fish and chips for Barbie, a tuna melt for me, and deviled Sri Lankan chicken that was hot enough to burn lips off for John. More beer helped. John said that it was the spiciest meal he’s had in quite a while, but delicious and well worth the pain. It was a perfect place for lunch with ocean breezes making the hot day bearable and even pleasant.

 

After lunch, we flagged down a tuk-tuk for the trip back to the ship, where some minor shopping at the dock finished our day in Colombo. It’s a lovely place and has enough of India to make it really interesting. I highly recommend tuk-tuk rides; if they don’t put you in a prayerful mood, nothing will.

 

Now we have three more sea days before The Seychelles, so we should be good and rested when we arrive.

[ger_77]

I highly recommend tuk-tuk rides; if they don’t put you in a prayerful mood, nothing will.

 

I'm loving your reports because you have a way of bringing this trip to life for us, but this comment just made me laugh. My husband said the very same thing the first time he tried downhill skiing. ;)

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[cruz chic]

Would have loved to try that chicken. I love hot food. Thx for the update.

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 16 - Day 71

At Sea en route to Victoria, Seychelles

 

Well, we’re all set for pirates now. Yesterday, razor wire was put in place all around Deck 3’s promenade and, having looked at it this morning, it’s nothing I would try to climb over or around. As we walked that deck this morning, we saw the security officers, who are now manning Deck 3 for 24 hours a day. We stopped and chatted with one, because someone last evening said that we had picked up six additional security personnel in Colombo, but he said that no, it was just the eight of them who have divided the 24/7 security watch into six-hour shifts.

 

As we were eating breakfast this morning, the captain came over the intercom and announced a crew security drill. He pretty much repeated everything that had been in his “piracy letter,” but then added that pirates often use small arms fire to aim at the bridge, hoping that some of the officers will be disabled and that the ship will either slow down or stop, rather than speed up to our maximum speed of 25 knots and haul out of there.

 

A few minutes after the captain’s information, the long blast was sounded that announced the beginning of the piracy drill. Suddenly all crew activity on the ship stopped. The coffee shop closed, service in the Lido stopped, and the room stewards were last seen sitting on the ground in the hallways outside the staterooms. One thing that you can say about drills on this ship is that they try to make them as realistic as possible.

 

So . . . we feel fairly safe now and I think everyone occasionally looks out to sea for any glimpse of a threatening vessel - or a missing Malaysian airliner. We are also moving much faster than usual, all the better to avoid spending excess time in these waters. The philosophy around here seems to be that the more knowledge passengers have, the safer they will be, and between the captain’s letter and today’s (very realistic) drill, I think that’s very true.

[eyekos]

I read that Sam, the Pinnacle Manager quit and walked off in Singapore. We know Sam from other Holland Ships and we cannot understand why he would do such a thing. He seemed like a very responsible person from our dealings with him on past cruises. Do you know the details of why he left so abruptly??? We are enjoying your blogs immensely and look forward to reading all of them with you!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Johnny B]

Monday, March 17 - Day 72

At Sea en route to Victoria, Seychelles

 

It certainly is St. Patrick’s Day on the ship. There is green tinsel hanging everywhere along with signs that have all kinds of Irish sayings. Last evening, when we got back to our cabin, we found two cards of buttons on the bed, each with clever little Irish sayings, like “I’m not Irish but kiss me anyway.” And then tonight there’s a pub crawl. It costs $20.00 and includes four different Irish-named drinks (“Patrick’s Kiss” for example) at four different bars as part of a group “crawl.” If one misses the 9:00 start, there’s still a chance because they’re going to go in the opposite direction at 10:30.

 

In the captain’s mid-day message today, he said that, while we are not activity involved in the search for the missing Malaysian plane, the officers on watch are paying close attention to our radar watching for any fields of debris - as well as “pesky little boats”, as the captain said. He added that we’re at zero degrees of latitude right now, crossing the equator yet again at 5:45 PM today. It seems that we go over and under that funny imaginary line all the time.

 

The show last night, in my humble opinion, was the best so far on the cruise. It featured a duo of English brothers called “Journey South,” who have a pretty good resumé. They came in third on Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” in 2005 and then proceeded to have a double platinum CD that went to number one on the UK charts. They began with a rocking rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and proceeded to get the sizable crowd totally involved in clapping and singing along right through the finale of a Beatles’ medley. While the typical show runs about 45 minutes, they played for a full hour, and the best news is that they will be on stage again on the 18th.

 

The brothers walked by while we were eating breakfast on the Lido and we chatted for awhile. They had said on stage that they live very near Newcastle, so we asked if they were familiar with Darlington, where our daughter’s former fiancé hails from. One of the young men told us that his wife works there, and then we talked about them being onboard in 2012, when we thought they were pretty good too.

 

Book club meets at 4:00, and we’re finishing up a fascinating novel called White Ghost Girls, about two American sisters growing up in Hong Kong in the 60’s, while their father was a war photographer in Viet Nam. The author’s descriptions of the sights and sounds and smells of Hong Kong made it a treat to read. Unlike The Girl with no Shadow, virtually everyone in the book club has really enjoyed this choice.

 

Well, got to go - book club calls.

 

P. S. We don't know exactly why Sam left, although we did like him a lot. There don't seem to be a lot of details available, but if we hear any more, we'll let you know.

[cccole]

I just have to say how much I am enjoying your daily posts. Whether its a day at sea, somewhere I've been, or somewhere I'd love to go, your descriptions make me want to be there. I am still smiling thinking about the tuk tuks. We rode in them in Bangkok and then a couple years ago in Iquitos, on the Amazon. They are so much fun!! Thank you again for taking us along on this amazing adventure. Cherie