Live from the 2022 Grand Africa

[Fred321]

We were onboard Zaandam for this year's Voyage of the Vikings. Ran into Afton who was in charge of the Pinnacle. Last time we saw him was in the MDR on the ill fated 2020 World Cruise. We asked if he was going to join us on the Zuiderdam for the upcoming world cruise. He said that he hoped so but wasn't sure yet. If you have the chance can you find out if he has heard about his future yet? Thanks. Tell him Rich and Peg say hi to our favorite fisherman and hope we see him soon.

[aliaschief]

Enjoying all the post on this cruise. Maybe some day.

[whogo]

"In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods; they have not forgotten this."
Terry Pratchett

[whogo]

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Edited November 3, 2022 by whogo

[whogo]

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[vinonme2]

Pre cruise, were you provided with a list of special or theme dinners, celebrations etc. as was done with previous Grand Voyages?  

I'll be on the Grand World and am trying to determine clothing, on board expenses, etc. 

Thank you.

[Scrapnana]

10 hours ago, vinonme2 said:

Pre cruise, were you provided with a list of special or theme dinners, celebrations etc. as was done with previous Grand Voyages?  

I'll be on the Grand World and am trying to determine clothing, on board expenses, etc. 

Thank you.

There was a page on the HAL website although I think some of them changed (I haven't been able to get on the HAL website for over two weeks to check).

[Scrapnana]

On 11/3/2022 at 7:38 PM, Fred321 said:

We were onboard Zaandam for this year's Voyage of the Vikings. Ran into Afton who was in charge of the Pinnacle. Last time we saw him was in the MDR on the ill fated 2020 World Cruise. We asked if he was going to join us on the Zuiderdam for the upcoming world cruise. He said that he hoped so but wasn't sure yet. If you have the chance can you find out if he has heard about his future yet? Thanks. Tell him Rich and Peg say hi to our favorite fisherman and hope we see him soon.

I will see what I can find out.

[Scrapnana]

 Into the Gulf of Aden - November 4

 

All of my usual sea day activities so I will not bore you with listing them.

 

Today was a tad cooler, a little less muggy, and had more of a breeze so I was able to take my after-trivia walk around the Promenade deck.  Sunset was at 4:38 and it got dark as I was walking.  As mentioned in the letter we received, not all of the lights came on outside.  I also noticed that there were at first two and later three security officers with binoculars out on the deck as we exited the Red Sea and entered the Gulf of Aden.  The narrow divide between Yemen and Djibouti is only about 18 miles across.  (At one time there was a plan to build an 18-mile bridge to connect the two countries but nothing has been done about it for a number of years.) The covers are off of the sound machines and I am not sure if the security men were concerned about the close distance at the exit of the Red Sea or that we were entering the "High Risk" area.  It will be interesting to see how long they will continue their surveillance on the Promenade deck.

 

Except for Pete, we were all back at the dinner table and talked about where we had eaten the night before.  We talked until after 9 o'clock.  I went to the show afterwards.  It was a singer, Maria Campos, who sang show tunes.

 

Before returning to my cabin, I took a final lap around the deck.  There were two security men who were likely using night vision goggles because I could not see anything more than 6 feet from the ship.

 

 

1pm trivia - I had 9 out of 19, the winners had 16

1.  What type of acid is used in car batteries?

2.  Which part of the human body contains the most gold?

3.  What was the first James Bond book?

4.  How did Alfred Nobel make his money?

5.  Which leader lives in the Potola Palace?

 

 

1.  sulfuric

2.  toenails

3.  Casino Royale

4.  dynamite

5.  Dalai Lama

 

4pm trivia - I had 7 out of 18, the winners had 16

1.  Which fruit contains the most protein?

2.  Canus Lupus is the scientific name for what animal?

3.  What color are flamingoes when they are hatched?

4.  What M&M color was discontinued in 1976 and later brought back?

5.  Black Forest Cake originated in what country?

 

 

1.  guava

2.  wolf

3.  grey

4.  red

5.  Germany

[Scrapnana]

To Quit or Not to Quit - November 5

 

I have been contemplating not going to trivia anymore.  It really isn't much fun playing alone.  One of the best things about trivia is being able to bounce ideas off of each other and often coming up with an answer.  I finally decided to keep going (at least for now) in hopes that I will hear something that will help me when playing trivia on the world cruise.

 

I did not go to crafts today and swam instead.  There was a major breeze out and I had to put a small table on top of my shoes so they would not blow away (I had that happen once).  With the breeze, the sun did not seem so hot.

 

After 4pm trivia, I sat out by the Lido pool (which is partially covered) and read some.  I then tried to print something in the library but the printer was out of paper.  I went to Guest Services where I was told someone had just gone to put paper in it, so I went back to the library - still no paper - so I gave up and did my four laps around the Promenade deck.  There were still two security men out scanning the sea.  

 

Pete was back at dinner tonight but Sherry was not.  I skipped the show tonight and took a lap around the deck.

 

As the day ends, we are entering the Arabian Sea which is a part of the northern Indian Ocean.

 

1pm trivia - I had 11 out of 17 and the winners had 15

1.  How many bathrooms does the White House have?

2.  Which nut is used to make marzipan?

3.  Which country has the most vending machines per capita?

4.  What is the deadliest insect?

5.  What does Hakuna Matata mean?

 

 

1.  35

2.  almond

3.  Japan

4.  mosquito

5.  no worries

 

 

4 pm trivia - I had 10 out of 18 and the winning team had 15.

1.  What is the only rock that floats?

2.  What is the collective name for a group of cobras?

3.  Which country comes last alphabetically?

4.  In what country was the first motorway built?

5.  What two words are combined to make the food "Spam"?

 

 

1.  pumice

2.  quiver

3.  Zimbabwe

4.  Italy

5.  spiced ham

 

[Scrapnana]

On 11/3/2022 at 7:38 PM, Fred321 said:

We were onboard Zaandam for this year's Voyage of the Vikings. Ran into Afton who was in charge of the Pinnacle. Last time we saw him was in the MDR on the ill fated 2020 World Cruise. We asked if he was going to join us on the Zuiderdam for the upcoming world cruise. He said that he hoped so but wasn't sure yet. If you have the chance can you find out if he has heard about his future yet? Thanks. Tell him Rich and Peg say hi to our favorite fisherman and hope we see him soon.

I spoke with him today and he sent you his regards.  He got a big laugh about your "favorite fisherman" remark.  He said as of right now he is going to the Oosterdam but things could change.

[Fred321]

Thanks very much. Really appreciate you taking the time. We'll keep our fingers crossed the we see his smiling face.

[Scrapnana]

And Now for Something Completely Different - November 6

 

(2 points if you recognized the title comes from Monty Python.)

 

Actually, today brought two different "somethings".  First, I was invited to go to Sunday Brunch with (knitting) Judy and Bob, and Sandy.  We went at 10 (when it opened) and it was not busy at all, it really picked up at 11.  They are doing the sampler plates, so everyone gets small portions of the same thing.  It adds up to a lot of food by the time you get to dessert.

 

The second "something" is I now have a trivia team!  I received a comment on my blog last night that there was a team that only had five and I would be welcome to join them.  The trivia today was really hard, but we had 13 out of 18.  Not all of them play every day at the 4pm trivia but even having one or two is great.

 

As we waited for crafts, Sandy and Judy (Bob) taught me how to play the Left, Center, Right game and we passed the time quickly playing a number of hands (we were not betting money only slips of paper).  In crafts, we sewed little baskets that you could put odds and ends in.

 

4pm was music trivia (at which I am always bad).  This was described as 60s, 70s, 80s Rock but it was really almost all Hard Rock and we did not do well.  The only one I knew for sure was Bohemian Rhapsody.  One team knew them all!

 

After reading for a while by the Lido Pool and making another pitcher of tea, I went for my 4-lap afternoon walk.  It was already dark but there was an almost full moon, so the water was pretty.  One of the LRADs had been covered and there was only one security person on deck.

 

Only Judy, Bob, and me for dinner.  There was no show only the movie "Out of Africa" which started the same time as dinner.  The planning usually favors those who eat early.

 

I took one lap around the deck - there were two security officers out.

 

I forgot to mention that yesterday in his noon update, the Captain mentioned that after a couple of days with none, there have been a few new cases of Covid.  He reminded us to use vigilance.

 

1pm trivia - We had 13 out of 18 and the winning team had 16.

1.  What is the name of the hill on which Jerusalem stands?

2.  What is the capital of Sardinia?

3.  What constellation contains the Big Dipper?

4.  When did Mount Vesuvius last erupt?

5.  Who was the first to say, "Time is Money"?

 

 

1.  Zion

2.  Cagliari

3.  Ursa Major

4.  1944

5.  Ben Franklin

[sandiego1]

Glad you have a team to for trivia and you won’t miss out on something you enjoy!

Edited November 6, 2022 by sandiego1

[Oahucruiser]

Your blog doesn't update for me.  The last post I have is about Aqaba.  I have to go to "Blog Archives and then click on November, 2022" and then I can read the current happenings.  Any ideas?   Love reading all of this just like I did when you first sailed on Cunard and all the adventures since then. ~ Aloha from Hawaii

[cccole]

3 hours ago, Oahucruiser said:

Your blog doesn't update for me.  The last post I have is about Aqaba.  I have to go to "Blog Archives and then click on November, 2022" and then I can read the current happenings.  Any ideas?   Love reading all of this just like I did when you first sailed on Cunard and all the adventures since then. ~ Aloha from Hawaii

I always go to the 1st post on this amazing thread and click on "here."  It seems to work for me.  Cherie

[Scrapnana]

21 hours ago, Oahucruiser said:

Your blog doesn't update for me.  The last post I have is about Aqaba.  I have to go to "Blog Archives and then click on November, 2022" and then I can read the current happenings.  Any ideas?   Love reading all of this just like I did when you first sailed on Cunard and all the adventures since then. ~ Aloha from Hawaii

How do you access the blog - type in the address, saved as a shortcut, getting an email that there is a new post, something else?  I access it so often that all I have to type in the search bar is the 2 (from 2022) and the latest post pops up so I am not sure what works for everyone else.  I just saved it in "Favorites" and when I update it later, I will see what comes up.

[highland cruiser]

Enjoying all your posts.  I am glad you are now on a trivia team.  You will be a great addition.  We are just watchers at trivia!  I am always amazed at the questions that people know the answer to!!  

Stay well and safe.

 

[Scrapnana]

Let's hope this isn't the calm before the storm! - November 7

 

 Most of today the water was so calm it looked like glass.  There was a spectacular sky around sundown and the moon shining off the water was beautiful.  My pictures don't do it justice.

 

In knitting, we talked about corner-to-corner afghans and I finally was able to get the printer in the library to work and make copies with the directions.  One person told me you could print from an iPhone or iPad and someone else said you could only print from the computers in the library (and have I mentioned that there are only three computers?).  I had e-mailed myself the file about C2C afghans and was waiting for it to open up and decided to try printing one more time from my iPad.  Was I surprised when I heard the printer start up and papers begin to come out of it!

 

In the Captains' noon update, he mentioned that they were seeing numerous flying fish, so after lunch I walked a lap around the deck but didn't see any so I went up to "my deck" (for those new to my blog, in 2018 I had cabin 6102 which has a huge deck in front of it, right below the bridge, that I called "my deck") and spent about 10 minutes looking but still could not find any flying fish.

 

Trivia was at 2 today (instead of the normal 1pm) and I was able to play with my new team.  Trivia is on the schedule for 2pm tomorrow, also, so I don't know if this is a permanent change or not.  

 

In crafts we made a snail card and earrings.

 

After 4 pm trivia, I did my four laps around the deck and many people (even crew) were taking pictures of the sky and water.  The LRADs and security guards are gone from the deck.

 

Only Judy, Bob, and me for dinner.  I went to see Robbie Howard (the impressionist) for his second show after dinner and then did two laps around the deck.

 

1pm trivia - We had 14 out of 18, the winners had all 18

1.  Area 51 is located in what US state?

2.  What programming language shares its name with an Indonesian island?

3.  On a dart board, what is directly opposite #1?

4.  What is the largest art museum in the world?

5.  Which kind of turtle cannot retract into its shell?

 

 

1.  Nevada

2.  Java

3.  19

4.  Louvre

5.  sea turtle

 

4pm trivia - I played alone and had 9 out of 17, the winners had 12

1.  What was the first ever video on You Tube?

2.  What animal's name translates to "water horse"?

3.  In what year did the Sony Walkman come out?

4.  In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?

5.  What is the name of the cowgirl in Toy Story?

 

 

1.  Me at the Zoo

2.  hippopotamus

3.  1979

4.  1989

5.  Jessie

 

I don't usually post pictures but this sky and water was too beautiful not to share.

[Oahucruiser]

7 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

How do you access the blog - type in the address, saved as a shortcut, getting an email that there is a new post, something else?  I access it so often that all I have to type in the search bar is the 2 (from 2022) and the latest post pops up so I am not sure what works for everyone else.  I just saved it in "Favorites" and when I update it later, I will see what comes up.

I have been clicking on your blog in my "favorites" but I just tried typing the 2 into the URL as you suggested and it worked.  Genius!  Thank you!

Edited November 7, 2022 by Oahucruiser
incorrect spelling

[amoba]

Hi,  I’m really enjoying reading about your daily adventures, trivia, crafts, meals, shore excursions, plus seeing all the photos (which I’m able to access from the link in post #208).  The calm seas and sunset look amazing.  I’ll be joining in Cape Town and wonder if there’s a way to reserve a spot on a trivia team, an early seating dining table, the watercolor class, or anything else that might be tricky finding a spot if I wait until aboard.  Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.  After reading this blog (and that of G and J Travels), I feel like I know a bit about the ship, activities, plus several of the ports, and can’t wait to be there with you all myself, in just a couple of weeks.  Keep having a great time, entertaining us with tales of your adventures and time aboard, and see you at the meet and greet.  Thanks for all the info, take care, Vicki 1946

[Chris kelowna]

Hi Scrapnana, thank you for your trip report - I am really enjoying traveling along with you! About the flying fish, in early 2020 we were on a cruise around Australia. We were told there were flying fish but I couldn't see any. Eventually I did - they were quite small and close to the ship. They were dark coloured and didn't show up very distinctly against the water. It wasn't until I focussed that I could see them. There were hundreds!! Good luck seeing all kinds of sea life!

[Scrapnana]

19 hours ago, Oahucruiser said:

I have been clicking on your blog in my "favorites" but I just tried typing the 2 into the URL as you suggested and it worked.  Genius!  Thank you!

Glad it worked!

[Scrapnana]

18 hours ago, amoba said:

Hi,  I’m really enjoying reading about your daily adventures, trivia, crafts, meals, shore excursions, plus seeing all the photos (which I’m able to access from the link in post #208).  The calm seas and sunset look amazing.  I’ll be joining in Cape Town and wonder if there’s a way to reserve a spot on a trivia team, an early seating dining table, the watercolor class, or anything else that might be tricky finding a spot if I wait until aboard.  Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.  After reading this blog (and that of G and J Travels), I feel like I know a bit about the ship, activities, plus several of the ports, and can’t wait to be there with you all myself, in just a couple of weeks.  Keep having a great time, entertaining us with tales of your adventures and time aboard, and see you at the meet and greet.  Thanks for all the info, take care, Vicki 1946

 

I will see if I hear about any openings after Cape Town.  I am not sure how many are getting off there that might create openings in trivia, water color classes, etc.  If I find anything out I will post it.  Be sure to come to the Meet and Greet after Cape Town, you may be able to meet up with people that can help.

[Scrapnana]

Maybe not so "live" for a bit...

 

We received a note today that we can "expect to see a reduction in deliverable satellite connectivity" which "may result in a slower browsing experience, up to partial loss of signal and temporary outages".  This should only run from today through to the 10th.  So, if you don't hear from me for a while, I have not fallen off the edge of the earth and will return when the bandwidth gods allow.