Navigate the World with Bill & Mary Ann on the Zuiderdam's 128 Day 2023 Grand World Voyage

WCB · April 1, 2023

Report # 91 Friday March 31, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Tenerife, Canary Islands Hazy And Cooler 75 Degrees Sea State Flat......Part #1 Of 1.......59 Pictures

A day at sea on our way towards the Canary Islands, found the temperature cooler at 75 degrees and the humidity of 67%. What we found really strange was the haziness in the air, which actually shrouded the horizon. The dull color of the sky blended with the ocean water as well. What we learned later was that the particles in the air was sand, carried on the winds from the Sahara Desert. While traveling on the other side of Africa on past cruises transiting the Suez Canal, we saw the same thing with smoggy-looking skies. All sand dusts. At times it can become overwhelming and obscure the air to the point one cannot see much more than a few feet ahead. There is a name for it which escapes us at the moment, and it begins with an “h”.

For the first time ever, we had no yogurt for breakfast, since the ship has totally run out of it. We thought a close substitute would be cottage cheese, but when they brought a few ramekins, it turned out to be sour cream, which they insisted the container said creamy cottage cheese. Since this item and many other things never made it to the ship yesterday, we know it will be coming soon when we arrive to the Canary Islands. We do expect many other regular every day dishes will be missing such as green salads, a lot of fresh fruit, and entrees such as fish and assorted produce.

One job we had this morning was to pick up the passports on our designated decks by 10am. This will have us prepared for our ports in Morocco. Those folks that had booked the overland in Morocco did not have to collect them. They will more than likely have a face-to-face with Moroccan officials. There was absolutely no line at 9:45am. Easy.

After our morning walk, we went up to deck 10 for a little time in the sun. It was most comfortable up there, and now several other folks have discovered this quiet area. We were lucky to get two lounges at the railing. Going back to the room by noontime, we listened to Captain Frank’s talk. Later in the afternoon, we received a letter from the Captain with an update on the health conditions onboard. The cases of the gastrointestinal illness had decreased, but they are still on the alert, and suggest keeping up the good work with our personal hand cleaning. The self-service areas in the Lido will return to normal very soon. It is funny….since the outbreak of this sickness, we have not heard the word “Covid” even mentioned. And we doubt that there are many, if any, cases onboard now.

The internet was terrible today as the connection went in and out all day long. It probably has something to do with sailing out to sea and far away from land. Hope it improves as we near the Canary Islands.

The biggest highlight of the day had to be spotting whales in the distance while sitting on our veranda. They appear to be humpback, so we looked it up on Google, and discovered they can be migrating this time of year. We had counted at least seven sightings with these whales partially surfacing and blowing their spouts. Although we never saw one dive, we did spot their fins as they rolled on their sides while eating. Then we also saw a pod or two of dolphins, but really far out. Too far for photos. We did capture some of the whales which looked like huge logs floating by, their telltale spouts giving them away. It was hard to tear ourselves away, but we had been invited to a cocktail gathering in The Retreat at 6:30pm. The theme of the party was “Out of Africa” with other invited travel friends, DJ Nyron, drinks and snacks. The suggested dress code tonight was “dressy”, and the code here was African-ish dressy. What did other invited travel friends mean? Well it turned out to be a combo party with the President’s Club members as well as the Neptune folks. In our humble opinion, it was way too crowded with up to 120 to 140 guests, who were joined by many officers as well as the Captain.

This time there were more stand-up tables, and we commandeered one. This worked well for us, since we do not like to sit in one spot. We were joined by people we had not met before, then one by one, some of the staff came along and introduced themselves. Shiv and Christel graced us with their company, and the party was complete. Bob and Martha stopped by to take some photos. Since it was African-ish clothing, more than a half dozen fellows wore tunics they purchased while in The Gambia. Some of them were twins, by accident. Made for great pictures and fun conversations. The party looked to be on-going when we left at 7:30pm, but we’re sure the bar closed at that time.

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, also at 7:30pm. Our table was waiting, a four top by the window set for two. We suspected that our favorite salad, the wedge, would not be available. And we were correct. So we ordered Caesar salads and were told we got the last ones. No more lettuce was available. It was grilled lamb chops and a shared baked potato for us. The halibut was not offered, but the substitute was sea bass. Desserts were one crème Brulé and two small scoops of the darkest red sorbet we have ever seen. Sure was tart. Chocolates were served, which we nibbled on. We enjoyed every bite as always.

Tonight the clocks went ahead one hour. That will put us on GMT plus 1, the correct time in the Canary Islands, as it is part of Spain. Now we will be current with the daylight savings time that occurred a few days ago in northern Europe.

Bill & Mary Ann

boards · April 1, 2023

What about the safety of the passengers taken off the ship for medical reasons and their families? Who is going watch out for them? You can get supplies somewhere else, but what about them?

I experienced that happening to me in New Caldonia in 2019 and all worked out, No uprising happening and we made home safe and sound. I pray that those passengers will be safe too.

CruisingGrandmaW · April 2, 2023

Hi Bill & Mary:

Love following your adventures.

The name of the Sahara sand dust storm is Haboob

WCB · April 2, 2023

Report # 92 Saturday April 1, 2023 April Fools Day Lost At Sea Sea Day Enroute To Tenerife, Canary Islands Windy And Cooler 70 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures

We did get online long enough to Google sandstorms. The name we were searching for was “haboobs”. You would never associate a sand-filled wind that settles on everything while we are at sea. Guess the Sahara is one great BIG desert. This morning the sky was not as hazy, but the winds had picked up to 45 mph and the temperature had dropped to the low 70’s. What a difference from a few days ago when we were melting in The Gambia.

At breakfast, we heard some more stories about last evening’s event in The Retreat. We had been lucky enough to get a hightop table that was more protected by the elements….namely the wind. On the far side of this deck, the winds tipped over a tray of wine with full glasses, spilling over seated guests, then breaking all over the deck. No one could move until the crew came and cleaned up the broken chards of glass that scattered under and around the tables. Guests wearing caps or hats had to hold on tight, or they would go overboard. And forget the hair-dos. It was a “big hair” evening for most, even some of the fellows.

By noontime today, the waves and the winds increased and the temperatures dipped below 70. We still spotted some whale blows on the horizon, but way too far to photograph. It would have been nice to watch from the veranda, but with the chilly wind, we needed sweatshirts and blankets because we are not willing to give up our shorts yet.

By the way, today was April Fool’s Day, and the Daily Program had some funny things printed, such as upside down. Instead of a day at sea, it said lost at sea. Hmm, that might not be so funny. Some of the elevators had different days of the week on the carpet. Oddly enough, few folks even noticed, as they do not pay attention anyway. Every day is Sunday when you are on vacation.

Later in the morning, we took our walk on the promenade deck to find it very windy. Few people were using the lounges. If they did, they were wrapped in the towels like mummies. Evidence of the sand was everywhere you looked. Common surfaces had been wiped down, but there will be a thorough cleaning later we are sure. Looking down from our veranda, even the tender boats were covered with the gritty sand. We wonder how that affects the filters that take in the air from outside? Taking this a step further, we wonder what we are breathing?

The usual events took place on the ship such as the talk on the upcoming ports in Morocco. Will watch that on TV later, even though their recording process is not working properly. We have been to Casablanca five years ago, but never stopped at Agadir or Tangier. That one kind of fascinates us from watching shows about it on the Travel Channel.

There was another Block Party at 4pm, which was promoted as meet your neighbors in the hallway. Then the officers and crew went from deck to deck with champagne and canapies. Checking the hallway after 4pm, we saw no one outside in the hall. The guests on either side of us have been sick, so they would not come out. We learned at dinnertime, that many of the people on our deck went to the elevator lobbies instead, and visited as a group. Barb said there must have been 50 people down our end. About the same time, the sun had finally come out on the port side, and we had taken advantage of it and sat on the veranda soaking it up.

At the party yesterday, we talked extensively with one of the heads of the food and beverage department, George. He had mentioned to expect a special dinner this evening in the dining room. He would not reveal what it was, but said we might be surprised. Well, when we checked out the dinner menu on the TV, we discovered there were only three starters, three mains, and three desserts. No other choices. Perhaps the surprise was we were running out of food. When Nik handed us the menus, we found they had been customized for April Fool’s Day complete with pictures and special sayings. In addition to the limited meals, we were given a flute of champagne with our dinner. Funny, we had just commented two nights ago that when we used to miss a port on previous world cruises, they would serve champagne that same evening saying they were sorry. Lo and behold, here it was tonight.

One meal combo was surf (lobster) and turf (tenderloin steak), usually reserved for formal dinner, wiener schnitzel, or salmon. Appetizers were carpaccio of beef, shrimp cocktail, or French onion soup…..no salads. Desserts were crème Brule, baked Alaska, and a chocolate sundae. Barb ordered two of the crème Brules……one for the road. Nik had made some napkin animals like a bird, an elephant, a slipper, and a rose. Woody took the rose in a glass home to Susie who did not come to dinner.

There was no entertainment in the World Stage tonight. This looks like that will occur twice a week now. However, there was an April Fool’s Day costume party in the Crow’s Nest at 9pm, ending at 10pm with awards for the best duo/group, and best homemade costume. We did spot a few folks dressed silly, but for the most part, we suspect they went back to their rooms to change.

Tomorrow we will be stopping in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. A first time visit for us…..

Bill & Mary Ann

SJSULIBRARIAN · April 2, 2023

We have haboobs here in Arizona, usually between Phoenix and Tucson. One doesn't want to be driving on I-10 when one of those comes up.

WCB · April 3, 2023

Report #93 Sunday April 2, 2023 Tenerife, Canary Islands 7am-5pm Docked Port-Side To Pier Starboard To Town Sunny And Windy, Cooler 70 Degrees Part #1 Of 4........ 72 Pictures

It has been over 20 years since we last visited the Canary Islands on a cruise ship. At that time we stopped at Las Palma, Gran Canarias, if memory serves us right. Taking a tour back then, we drove into the crater of a huge volcano where the locals had farms producing vegetables and fruit, as well as raising animals. Of course, the volcanoes were considered dormant, but who knows for sure? We do remember that local potatoes were brought onboard and they were gigantic, thin-skinned, and yellow on the inside. Also, they were full of water, making the mashed potatoes very moist and almost runny.

Today’s port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a new one for us. Had it not been a Sunday, and Palm Sunday at that, the information booths may have been opened and we might have gotten a map of the area. Without a printed map, we had to rely on our memory of what we found on Google about the city.

The Canary Islands belong to Spain, and the archipelago is autonomous. They speak Canarian Spanish and use the Euro for currency. You may have heard that these islands are named after a pretty yellow canary bird, but that is not so. The word “Canarias” actually means dog. This is also based on the info we learned 20 years ago, but a specific type of dog is indigenous here, and they are like bull mastiffs. Large and powerful, some were considered dangerous. There is much more to the story, but that’s all we can remember. And the internet has been so undependable, we cannot always get online to check the facts.

Anyway, these islands are volcanic and the beaches are natural black sand. Some exceptions are where the white sand is imported by the thousands of tons to create beaches here and there around the islands. What is their favorite food? A sauce called mojo is served with every meal especially one that has potatoes. They prefer fish, chicken, rabbit stew, and lots of fresh goat cheese. Wine is a big item here, as is olive oil. It is considered proper to leave a 10% tip on your restaurant bill. And before Covid, up to 4 million cruise ship passengers visited these islands every year.

The Zuiderdam arrived to the port under sunny skies with temps in the low 70’s. With the clocks going ahead one hour a few days ago, it was still dark at 7am, and the island was lit up. By the way, the ship docked portside to the pier, but starboard side to the island. We had company….the Costa Fascinosa was docked directly across from us, just steps away from the downtown area. This ship is 113,000 gross tons, and was built in 2012. It holds as many as 3000 guests with a crew of 1100. It also has 650 balcony rooms. It is described as an upbeat Italian ship with décor to match. Mostly trendy families sail on her, and at Christmas and Easter, it can be half full of kids. It offers continental European dining with many Italian dishes. It is reported to have 50 pasta dishes between all of the restaurants onboard. It has a three plus star rating according to Berlitz travel book, which happens to be the same as the Zuiderdam. So we expect to see a lot of folks in town today.

There were seven tours offered here beginning with Panoramic Mt. Teide for $70 and 4 ½ hours. For $90, you could book either Tacoronte Wine and Walk for 4 ¾ hours, or gardens of the valley for 4 ½ hours. Anaga Mountains and Colonial Laguna was $80 for 4 ½ hours, while for the same price, you could see Santa Cruz and Pyramid Park for 4 hours. A Tenerife 4 x 4 adventure ride in a safari vehicle was $140 for 4 ½ hours and Mt. Teide with lunch was $150 for 8 hours.

To begin, there was no TV reception here today. We know that sometimes it will be turned off temporarily while we are docking, but then it resumes for the rest of the day. Calling the front desk, we were told that the mountains were blocking the signal. We have heard that excuse more than we like. Then we were advised that the reception would return after we left this island, so we would have to wait and try it then. Kind of funny that the islanders have TV reception from satellites that are not blocked by the volcanoes. Something was not adding up.

We left the ship by 10:15am, after watching a whole lot of produce and other items being loaded into the ship. Now we know we will not all starve. This pier looked so much like the one in Funchal with high concrete walls blocking the choppy seas on the other side. Even a few vendors had small shops opened within this wall bulkhead. There was no terminal building, but just a gate to walk through. From here we followed the blue line painted on the sidewalk, which led to the lagoon where the sailboats and yachts were moored. We walked across a pedestrian bridge that crossed the highway, putting us at the base of the downtown area. This walk took us over 20 minutes. We also found it odd that there was no shuttle to take the folks to town. We did not even see taxis near the gangway either.

Our destination was the marketplace, but had sort of an idea where it was located. There were some street signs, but not detailed enough from the pier area. So we continued on the waterside promenade walkway and ended up near the central bus depot. Right across the road was a very modern building which we were told was a new aquarium. Then directly across the busy street was a rummage sale with a block-full of tables set up with stuff from old jewelry, to used books and levis, purses, backpacks, and household knick-knacks galore. If we had walked the length of this street, we would have run right into the marketplace. Instead, we continued up the road past the bus station.

This is where the road ended, and we went around the back streets, then followed that back towards what we thought was downtown. At this end of town, were two identical towers of apartments and condos, and that’s when we realized how far we had come from the pier. As luck would have it, we ran right into the old market by the name of Questra Sinosa Market, which was extremely busy today despite that fact that it was Palm Sunday. The center section of this old-tiled structure housed mostly the produce stalls. They had the nicest fresh fruit and veggies we have seen thus far, and we do hope some of it has made its way to our ship today. The outside stalls held the cheeses, chicken, deli meats, and bakery goods. There were even a few live garden plants and fresh flowers sold in stalls. Their Easter lilies were about to open up, and when they do, the aroma will carry for blocks. What a stark difference between this market and the last one we saw while in The Gambia.

Finding the main pedestrian avenues by crossing a bridge that spanned a highway and a canal, we had discovered the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. This area was full of small shops, but the cafes and restaurants were not all opened. There were a few street cafes set up with coffee and sweet pastries, but no real lunch venues. Many locals were out and about with their families and dogs. We relaxed on a nice bench in the sun watching the locals pass by. Our buddies Rich and Peg wandered by with their tablemates, and told us they had ridden the tram up the hill, then were making their way back down, also looking for the marketplace. Remarking how much this looked like Barcelona, Peg said we happened to be sitting near their La Rambla street. So we headed up the hill on this pedestrian-only avenue finding more and more people doing the same.

Many of the old colonial buildings were up this high. Some of them looked like government facilities, but others were actually clinics and a hospital. At the end of this street was a very lovely roundabout park, complete with tiled benches and a central fountain. Each bench was created by a different artist, so each one was unique . Ancient trees were in the center as well.

We did pass by one restaurant that might have been perfect for a pizza and beer lunch. However, the doors were opened to their patio seating, but no one was in there. Perhaps they opened later in the day. We continued walking back down the people-only streets until we reached a main square down by the water. There was a craft faire going on near the huge fountain and monument. At this tented faire, we did buy some almond cookies. We also saw McDonalds on the corner. It was full of lunch folks, and perhaps many cruise passengers and crew members.

Following the blue line once again, we were back to the ship by 1:45pm, where we ordered a room service lunch. Considering that many of the shorter tours were filing back on the ship, our lunch came within 20 minutes. No it was not the pizza we had wanted, but club sandwiches, and just as nice.

All aboard was at 4:30pm, but we still were not moving by 5pm. With no message from Captain Frank, we did not know what was happening. Wanting to get some photos from deck 10, we went up there to discover that we were still in the process of bunkering fuel. We watched the Costa ship leave by 5:30pm, but we did not move until close to 7:30pm. No explanation from anyone, we figured we were close to the next island of Lanzarote, and had plenty of time to get there.

Heo and Greg had dinner plans in the Canaletto, so there were just 5 of us. The salads were back on the menu. Speaking of menus, now the format was changed. There are several “everyday” items listed on one side, then the appetizers, mains, and desserts on the opposite side. Now we have a more complete list of the types of ice cream and sorbet they serve each night. If they would only drop the fancy but mysterious descriptions of the food, and use simple English, we would all be most grateful.

By the way, we did turn the TV on when we came back from dinner and guess what? No reception yet. Calling the front desk, we were told this time that the local government had blocked our signal, and it will not return until we leave Lanzarote tomorrow. How do you think the guests will like that? Has this happened to others of you that have visited these islands on a ship recently? Sure would love to know……

Bill & Mary Ann

oakridger · April 3, 2023

Thank you Mary Ann. I'll bet everyone was happy to see the fresh vegetables and fruit!

Why in the heck would the government block the tv channels for the ship? Doesn't make sense to me!!

~Nancy

Coco39 · April 4, 2023

Last year when I was in Tenerife we had TV reception. Agree it makes no sense that the Government would block TV reception.

WCB · April 4, 2023

Report #94 Monday April 3, 2023 Arrecife, Canary Islands 8am-5pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Port Side To Town Cooler And Sunny With Some Wind 72 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.........66 Pictures

Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands was our destination today. A short distance from Tenerife, we arrived on time despite leaving Santa Cruz late yesterday. The population of this island in 2018 was over 61,000 people living on an island full of volcanoes, 19^th century churches, museums, castles, beaches, lagoons, and many markets. Excursions sold here today began with panoramic Lanzarote for $50 for 3 hours, or hidden Lanzarote for $ 70 and 4 hours. Or you could see Jameos del Agua and Mirador del Rio for $80 for 4 hours, or for the same price, trekking volcanoes for 4 hours. Caesar Manrique and Canary culture was $90 for 4 hours, and for $100 you could see the island of volcanoes with a camel ride for 4 ½ hours. Last, but not least, see the best of Lanzarote and ride a camel too for $150 for 8 hours. Hopefully, not 8 hours on a camel.

This is a good time to mention the TV reception, which did not exist while in Tenerife yesterday. The last “story” about why we were blocked was due to local authorities forbidding it, more or less. However, low and behold, when we turned on the TV very early this morning, it was working. Must have been a miracle…..

Since we have never been here before, we decided to see what we could of the city today. We felt no need to leave this fine resort city. It was certainly a fine day to walk for miles, since the temps were in the 70’s, and despite some wind, the skies were blue and the sun was shining. On the horizon and over the highest volcanoes, a thin layer of fog hung over everything. And we were not alone in port today as the Mein Schiff Herz was docked across from us. This ship was the former Celebrity Mercury, one that we had sailed on many years ago. It is over 77,000 gross tons with up to 1912 passengers and 780 crew. Belonging to Marella Cruise Line, it appeals to mostly German-speaking families with kids. Once again, it rates 3 plus stars from Berlitz, the same as the Zuiderdam.

A crew drill took place at 10:30am with “a man overboard” exercise. This was a good time for us to leave the ship after doing some research online first. The shuttle bus was waiting at the end of the gangway, but once boarded, we had to wait at least 20 minutes before it left. By then, it was full of guests and crew. The ride was said to be 25 minutes, but it turned out to be about 15 minutes to Marina Lanzarote. There were two ways to walk or stay on the marina spit where we had seen some restaurants. One of them happened to be a Burger King, and we know for sure, many of the crew members will go there. And if they know their way around town, they will find a supermarket and buy snacks.

We chose to go to the main city, and not the inner marina where the small boats were in a sheltered lagoon. If we had time, we could always check this older area out on the way back. It was a very long hike, but all on level ground as we followed a wide promenade sidewalk along the coastline. We passed by the remains of which appeared to be a castle/turned museum. The best photos would be right from the walkway from the moat and bridge. No need to walk to it, as we did not feel we had time for a museum. Down a narrow alleyway, we spotted a bell tower of a church.

Numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, and hotels lined this street, all with views of the ocean. Since little was opened this early except some coffee shops, we continued walking to a very large building that soared over everything else around it. Thinking it to be apartments, we soon realized it was the Arrecife Gran Hotel and Spa, more than likely a 5- star hotel, and the nicest one in this area. We explored the lobby and did find a menu for their restaurant, which was mostly fish. Not our choice for today.

Directly next to the hotel was a long stretch of white sand beach and a shallow protected cove in which to swim or sunbathe. No one was in the water more than just their feet so we assume it was really cold. A few young ladies happened to be topless, but stayed mostly facing the water. This is common in this part of the world we guess. During the warmer summer months, we bet this beach is loaded with people. There were outside showers for washing off the sand, and very clean restrooms. We might mention that it is always wise to pack tissues since the restrooms did not have TP.

We could see a round dome further ahead, so we went to see what it might be. That happened to be Disco Lanzarote, a nightclub. But right across the road, a much more impressive colonial-style building stood out by far. Without a map, we had no idea what it was, other than it appeared regal like a government building. The name on the front was Cabildo de Lanzarote.

It was time to turn around and search for the perfect place for pizza and beer. We are not into tapas that much, and pizza sounded so much better. There seemed to be as many Italian restaurants as there were Spanish ones in this city. Spotting two Dutch friends we know by sight, but not their names, we noticed they were dining outside at La Rustica, an Italian eatery with great food and wine they said. So we entered the upper patio seating, and sat at a table on the railing. We ordered two Estrella Galicia draft beers and one extra large pepperoni pizza. Our waiter said extra large? Are you sure? Yes, we love pizza and judging from the price, we figured it would be medium size. What he did not tell us was that the pizza was almost half the size of our table. When the pizza arrived on its own wood cutting board, it was as if the music stopped, the crowd became still, and all eyes were looking at us looking at this HUGE pizza. Holy moley…..this pie was big enough for two adults and a couple of young kids. Needless to say, it took us a while, but we did a pretty good job of coming close to finishing it. The beers were excellent as well. They were served in mugs that had been frozen in ice. One thing for sure, we will not be very hungry at dinner tonight. So two pints of draft beer and the humongous pizza plus the tip cost less than $27 USD, but in Euro. There is no place where we live that we could come close to that price. It would be double that, if not more.

Time to walk back, we took our time (don’t know why?) and got back to the bus drop off point at the marina. We never did go explore the other part of the marina, but if we ever come back, we shall do that. With the buildings painted bright white and sky blue, it looked so much like we were in Greece. We suspect this may be the tourist area.

We joined the long line of guests and crew waiting for the next bus. It appeared that the Mein Schiff folks were walking back to their ship since it was on this side of the marina. We did not have a long wait, but when we got close to boarding, the coach was full. Another bus pulled up, and we got seats right in the front for the 15 minute ride back. We were in our room by 3:30pm, enjoying ice cold Cokes on the veranda. All aboard was at 4:30pm, and we expected to leave by 5pm or so.

Well that didn’t happen because of the high winds, the Captain said our departure would be delayed until after 6pm. Then that time was changed to 9pm. By the time we finished dinner, the ship had left the pier, and was backing up slowly. By the way, we had one Caesar salad, a tomato mozzarella cheese appetizer, one hake fish plate and one pasta dish with marinara sauce. Desserts were sorbet and a strawberry jello. Light as we could keep it.

We continued watching the ship while it backed out of the harbor, turned around, and headed out to sea on our way to Morocco tomorrow. The Captain mentioned that we have 226 nautical miles to sail, but warned the 40 mph gale force winds will close the outside decks to all guests tomorrow and perhaps beyond that. That is a first on this cruise. Speaking of firsts, we heard that the Zuiderdam’s visit today and yesterday was a maiden one, and there was a private ceremony which involved receiving a commemorative plaque from the Canary Islands. Pretty cool….

And we must not forget that the clocks went back one hour tonight, putting us on Morocco time. We can certainly use it.

Bill & Mary Ann

albingirl · April 4, 2023

Such a great blog. I remember visiting the Canary Islands and the mountains were so high. The roads were hairpin, in some areas, and it was quite beautiful, if not startling. We visited 3 islands and they all had unique characteristics. And, yes, we did ride the camels, lol!

WCB · April 4, 2023

Greetings.....

Yes, the fresh fruit and veggies made everyone so happy.

As far as being told the Canary Island government had blocked the TV signal? Guess that was a "little white lie".

We also enjoyed the visit to the Canary Islands and would love to go back someday.

Bill & Mary Ann

Tfquig · April 4, 2023

Let me attempt an explanation for the blocked tv signal. The satellite provider blocks the signal because a local broadcaster already owns the exclusive right to distribute the channel in that territory. The satellite company would have to negotiate an agreement to continue service there. It is the same in the USA.

Riversedge · April 4, 2023

On 3/23/2023 at 2:02 PM, WCB said:

The show tonight was comedian Martin Beaumont, who we saw while on the Nieuw Statendam last year. He kept the folks laughing. We are not sure how well attended this performance will be, since dinner participation was cut in half in the upper dining room. Many no-shows.

Bill & Mary Ann

They are still booking Martin Beaumont? How sad. We have seen him several times, the last two times were right before Covid and then 2 years later. He didn’t have a single new joke. He's a good example of how HAL needs to up their game in the entertainment world.

WCB · April 5, 2023

Report #95 Tuesday April 4, 2023 Agadir, Morocco 9am-Overnite Till 7am On The Fifth Of April Docked Port Side To Pier And Town Sunny And Very Windy 72 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.......60 Pictures

Well, here we are….back in Africa. To be more specific, we are now in Morocco, and the city of Agadir. But first, here is a bit of info on Morocco with a population of 34 million people that speak mainly Arabic. The capital is Rabat, located on the northwest coast of the country.

Visiting Morocco is like taking a magic carpet ride, especially in cities like Marrakesh, Tangier, and Fes. It has been described as “dizzying diversity” as far as the culture is concerned. It’s Arabian nights, with souqs, kasbahs, spices and dates. It is a mix of Africa, Islam, Berber with a bit of Spanish Andalusia. Want to see an endless sea of sand dunes? Take that long ride to Marrakesh, like our friends Heo and Greg plan to do. A 13 hour tour, it will be fun for them for sure, and we will look forward to their stories when they return.

Famous for their handicrafts, you can find just about anything in the souqs. They sell the most colorful items with their ceramics and clothing as well as the knock-off purses, jewelry, and watches. The market produce includes seasonal figs, pomegranates, grapes, apricots, cherries, strawberries, and peaches. Watermelon, wild artichokes, and tomatoes are abundant in the summer. Winter produce can include oranges, mandarins, onions, beets, carrots, and potatoes. However all of this comes with a warning. It is mandatory to thoroughly wash or cook the produce before eating it. Locals can test the fruit by tasting a few grapes, for instance, but don’t do it if you are visiting from elsewhere., or you could be sorry for days afterwards.

So what do the locals like to eat? Couscous steamed for hours and eaten with meat and veggies. Trademarks are mint tea, Berbers, the Marrakesh market, quality rug displays at a rug gallery, and Bogart and Bergman in “Casablanca”. A random fact is Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and its minaret is 210 meters or 689 feet tall, making it the highest worldwide. Since we are visiting during Ramadan, the mosque may not be opened to the general public when we pay a visit there.

Tours offered in Agadir begin with a city drive for $60 for 2 ½ hours, and a Fantasia horse show was $80 for 3 ½ hours. Agadir and the Berber market is $90 for 3 ¾ hours, while Paradise Valley in a 4x4 vehicle or trekking the same area are both $200 for 4 – 4 ½ hours. And the big trip was Agadir to Marrakesh for 3 days and 2 nights (44 hours) with a two night stay at the Savoy Hotel (or similar) in Marrakesh. There would be several stops for $1899 (double) or $2300 (single). There were 14 people doing it and will return to the ship in Casablanca.

And that brings us to today with our stop in Agadir. We arrived later than expected at 9am, due to leaving Lanzarote late yesterday. It seems that the high winds were giving the Captain problems, so we were lucky to get here only an hour late. He indicated at his early morning talk that the weather conditions were better than expected. This would not last. The weather here was rather cool, about 70 degrees, with a chilly breeze, even though the sun was out, there were also clouds passing over.

All of the tour times had to be adjusted, as well as the complimentary buses to town. During the morning, Captain Frank mentioned that we would be staying a bit later than the 4:30pm all aboard time, and the Lido would remain open until 3pm for the full lunch service. Nothing like the promise of food to keep the masses happy.

And it seemed that the masses had booked tours here today as we watched the exodus coming off of the gangway around 9:30am. We left the ship after 11am and boarded the shuttle for the ride to the beach area. The ride was not too long as we traveled a highway on the side of a dry barren cliffside. We were dropped off in a parking lot at the local beach filled with tons of resorts and hotels.

The first thing we spotted was a KFC, followed by a Pizza Hut, and a McDonalds. Besides snack-shopping, our crew members will be delighted to see their favorite fast food places. Once we got off of the coach, all of us were propositioned by the taxi guys offering us tours to anywhere we wished. They seemed to appear from nowhere, and did not take a no thanks easily. We did not see many folks taking them up on their offers.

About a block away, we could see the sandy beach, which was lined with a seawall and a very wide promenade walkway that appeared to go on for miles (we figured about 7 miles round trip). We lost count of the number of swanky hotel resorts that faced the beach. It looked like each hotel had their own stretch of beachfront with lounges and umbrellas. Some were filled with guests, but other not so much. Obviously it is not the high season, but we are sure these resorts fill up with many Europeans looking for sunbathing, swimming, volleyball, soccer, surf boarding, and kite surfing. Today the water looked very cold.

Despite some wind, the walk was pleasant. We did encounter numerous vendors selling pareos, tunics, and jewelry for the ladies, and sunglasses and hats for the fellows. Their white scarves they sold were perfect for protecting you from the sun and sand, which we would find out later on. The further down the beach we hiked, the fewer vendors we saw. Now the most fun sighting of the day had to be the dozen or more camels and their handlers we saw on the beach. Selling a thrilling ride, the handlers would make their animal lay down, or bring them over to the seawall, where you could mount easier. Wish we had not seen one of the owners thrashing his camel over and over with a long stick. If you have ever mounted a sitting camel, you would immediately understand the meaning of “whiplash”. Being downwind of these noisy beasts, was not the best place to be because they reeked something awful. Sure brought memories back of our first camel ride out of Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt like 22 years ago. It wasn’t only the initial whiplash, it had to be the smell that stayed with us days afterwards. We had a long ride to a Bedouin camp where we had sweet, sweet tea in a tent. The hardest thing was having to get back on the camels for the ride back. Yep, once was enough for us. We decided riding elephants was far easier. The best part of seeing the camels today had to be the colorful photos we took with other people on them. Ian had warned everyone to negotiate the on and off price before the ride, because the handlers will charge twice as much to let you off. So tourists…beware.

Getting to the end of the malecon walkway, we decided to turn back, as we had been hiking for over an hour. The wind had picked up significantly to the point where we were getting sand-blasted. This has got to be the winds the Captain said would return in the afternoon. An indication that a mini-haboob was coming was the fact we saw the hotel staff stacking the lounges and storing the umbrellas. The sunbathers had returned to their hotels, where they had use of the beautiful swimming pools. There were some nice restaurants along this stretch, but we assume they were hotel property and only for the guests. And we were not certain if these restaurants would accept credit cards or even US dollars. We do know the vendors were asking for Euro, but we never did buy anything.

The “souk” or the main marketplace was located up one of the side streets, but we did not know exactly where. After watching Ian’s talk on TV, we recalled it was a long walk to get there, so we never attempted it. Once again, we did not feel the need to purchase more souvenirs that would weigh down the luggage. All we would have come away with was a lot more photos.

Back at the parking lot, we boarded the shuttle for the short ride to the ship. We ordered room service lunch at 2pm, and it was delivered by 2:20pm….quick. We worked on photos and reports the rest of the afternoon, catching up on news. By the way, we have TV here. Later in the afternoon Ian came on the speakers and announced that our stay was being extended. Following that, Captain Frank came on and informed us that the all aboard time was extended to 9:30pm, but we would not be leaving here until tomorrow morning. Another surprise, this was due to the extreme winds once again, but he did not say we would be late getting to the next port of Casablanca in two days. In addition, the reason for the early all aboard time was for security and safety reasons. Looking out from our veranda, we saw that several police were on the dock watching any activity. Interesting…..

There was only six of us at dinner, since Susie was still not feeling up to par. The new menu seems to include many more items that we like. Tonight the appetizers were arancini and pork skewers, as well as salads and soups. Our mains included chicken breast with many fresh vegetables, and sea bass, cut thin and fried. Woody had the pork wrapped with cabbage and covered with tomato sauce, galumpki we think. Most all of us had a different dessert, except for us, we had frozen coffee yogurt. Greg and Heo were on their way to see the show Ever After, performed by the singers and dancers.

Tomorrow will be a day at sea, one of the few we have left until we cross The Pond.

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · April 6, 2023

Report #96 Wednesday April 5, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Casablanca, Morocco Rain With Sun And 45mph Wind 12' Swell With A Rolling Motion 55-68 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.......38 Pictures

About the same time we were waking up, the Zuiderdam was leaving the port of Agadir, Morocco. As promised, Captain Frank departed the port when it was felt safe to do so. The temperature began in the high 60’s , but later in the day it had dropped to 55 degrees. The winds had picked up and we were experiencing significant sea swells up to 12 feet. The “white horses” were back, which we have not seen since Captain Friso was at command. In addition to the winds and waves, it had rained during the evening and it continued on during the early morning hours. One nice thing was that it helped wash off some of that desert sand that had accumulated all over the ship. It appeared that it was going to be an overcast day at sea.

We were the very first customers at breakfast, even going after the 8am opening. When they can do it, a lot of folks like to sleep later. Especially after going on several shore excursions day after day. For the second time this cruise, Barb popped into the upper dining room and joined us for a spell. She loves the fresh squeezed orange juice, so had two glasses of it. Downstairs that would have cost her $7 plus gratuity. Crazy, huh?

Two lectures took place – one with Ian discusses the upcoming ports of Malaga, Cadiz, A Coruna, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal, and Brest, France. That is a whole lot of info for a 45 minute talk. A new speaker has boarded by the name of Dr. Palshikar lecturing on the Tangier Traveler.

It was a good day to spend some down time sitting on the veranda, even though it was chilly, and reading while watching several gannets fly by and skim the high waves. They are much prettier bird that a sea gull, and we would have loved seeing them do their high dive, but that wasn’t happening today. Oddly enough, there was a small fishing boat that we passed that had no one in it. We guess that the officers from the navigation deck had spotted this empty boat as well. There have been times when Captain Mercer actually stopped long enough to make double sure there was nobody stranded.

An ice cream social was held in the Lido at 3pm, which is a new activity here. This may have been better when the weather was warmer. Funny fact: ice cream sales increase in the wintertime….go figure.

The other big event was a special Seder Dinner that was held in the Lido portside, by reservation only. Five of our tablemates attended, although not all of them are of the

Jewish faith. Each of them get, among other items, half of a chicken and bottomless complimentary wine. We chose to have a quiet dinner for two at our table, and found many other guests were missing, also at the dinner. Or perhaps at the Tamarind which was held again in the Pinnace Grill. The menu selections were from the Culinary Council, and we had a baby beet salad, one regular salad, halibut, and tempura shrimp with the vegetarian ramen noodles and tempura vegetables. Sure was good for a change. The halibut was even better than in the Pinnacle Grill. Dessert was not fruit, yogurt, or jello, but two donut-like chocolate-filled pastries. Vanilla ice cream was suggested by Nik, so we ordered it. Very good.

The entertainer this evening was Michelle Montouri, a cabaret singer. We are sure that Greg and Heo will attend unless they call it an early night, and get some extra sleep for their 13 hour tour tomorrow. We should be in the port of Casablanca by 7am tomorrow.

Besides our pillow chocolates and a happy note of the day, we had a notice that our clocks will be going ahead 2 full hours the morning of April 8^th. Most unusual, it must have something to do with daylight savings time, which not all the countries recognize. A comedy show had to be switched to April 6^th, probably leaving the 7^th a dark night.

Bill & Mary Ann

Florida_gal_50 · April 6, 2023

They do a much better job of the halibut in the mdr (or club orange on the pinnacle ships) than the pinnacle. I’ve found it to be excellent in the mdr, not great in the pinnacle.

Tampa Girl · April 6, 2023

On 4/1/2023 at 10:06 AM, boards said:

What about the safety of the passengers taken off the ship for medical reasons and their families? Who is going watch out for them? You can get supplies somewhere else, but what about them?

I experienced that happening to me in New Caldonia in 2019 and all worked out, No uprising happening and we made home safe and sound. I pray that those passengers will be safe too.

What led you to worry that the safety of the passengers was not being maintained? It has been my experience that HAL takes very seriously its responsibilities for its passengers.

boards · April 7, 2023

7 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

What led you to worry that the safety of the passengers was not being maintained? It has been my experience that HAL takes very seriously its responsibilities for its passengers.

you are quite right, the Port Authority in New Caldonia looked after us the moment we were put off the ship (the Noordam). However there were no political problems there as were reported at that port. My wife was by herself in New Caldonia and she never feared for safety. I was just concerned if the same could be said for the passengers who were put of the ship (Zuiderdam), that was all I was thinking.

Edited April 7, 2023 by boards

WCB · April 7, 2023

Report #97 Thursday April 6, 2023 Casablanca, Morocco Docked Port Side To Pier Container Port 7am-9pm Overcast And Warming Up 80 Degrees With Some Sun Part #1 Of 3........52 Pictures

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco with a population of 4.7 million people. It is also the chief port and primary base for their Navy. One of the highlights of this city is the Hassan II Mosque, rebuilt in 1993 with the capacity to hold up to 25,000 worshippers. Its minaret is 210 meters high, which is 689 feet, the tallest in the world. The minaret has a laser beam directed towards Mecca in Saudi Arabia. However, since this is Ramadan in the Arabic world, the mosque might not be opened to the public.

The ship docked by 7am under overcast and smoggy-looking skies and temperatures in the mid 70’s. We happened to be at least two lengths of the ship away from the terminal and the tour buses as well as complimentary shuttles. We were in no hurry to get off of the ship, so we did what we always do……go to breakfast after 8am and do some internet work for a while. A crew drill began at 9:30, then we left the ship by 10:45am.

There were some tours here today, but the only one that had a description was the cooking demo and market for $170 and 5 ¼ hours. The rest of the excursions had been erased from the TV screen since they had filled to capacity and had already left the ship. Sort of forgot to look yesterday before they were gone. We do know there was a trip to Rabat, the capital, a tour that included the mosque, highlights of Casablanca and a panoramic drive.

And we were not the only ship in port today. The World Odyssey – Semester at Sea was docked near us with a capacity of 520 to 636 guests. A small German ship, it has a crew of 290 people and is on a 105 day trip from Dubai to Germany. From watching the foot traffic from our veranda, we can say that the passengers on that ship were very young, like students perhaps. And the majority of those we saw were girls with a few guys here and there.

We took the long walk out of the dock area, had the passports checked, then continued through an empty terminal, and past the taxi guys putting maps in our face in hopes of us booking a tour. On the way out, we ran into friends Peg and Rich who were already returning from their walk to town. They are brave souls that did not take the shuttle, but walked to the United Nations Square, the actual bus drop-off point. We toyed with the idea, but the way out was not an easy one. Better to ride when you’re not sure of the direction or the activity around the port gate. Although the transfer was supposed to be 20 minutes, it only took 10 or so minutes. It was actually closer than we had remembered from our last visit here in 2017.

There is not much to see at this massive square except the downtown area. There are always vendors present, like the ones selling men’s belts or sunglasses or hats. And the most interesting attraction, other than KFC, McDonald’s, and Pizza hut, has to be the souk across the street from the Hyatt Hotel. Peg and Rich said that only part of the souk was opened, but we found most all of the vendors were opening their doors when we arrived.

What we found here was an array of Moroccan items such as traditional and modern clothing, shoes, belts, ceramics, knick-knacks, and knock-off handbags and purses. Jewelry was on display in some shops as well as some small silk carpets that are used as prayer carpets. One can get lost in here quite easily and never find your way out. We did manage to buy a Burberry scarf, which will be handy when the temperatures drop in northern Europe. Then we negotiated for two dressy tops suitable for dinner on the ship. It happened to be the same shop we bought some tops in 2017.

We had researched some pizza places, but without a map, we doubt we would find them. Nothing else here appealed to us, so we got on the shuttle and rode back to the ship. We worked online until lunch arrived at 2pm. Captain Frank came on the speakers at 4:45pm and stated that the sea conditions might make for a rough and bumpy ride leaving the pier at 9pm this evening. He expected high winds tomorrow as we approached the port of Tangiers. It is located very close to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, and it always a turbulent area. He added that possible 35 knot winds may necessitate the outside decks being closed off for walking until we are safely docked. Hope we make it there since it will be a first-time visit for us.

All aboard was 8:30pm, and we watched the guests climbing the gangway while dining in the Pinnacle Grill. These guests must have been the ones on the 13 hour trip to Marrakesh. Anyway, we had our usual wedge salads, warm and delicious rolls and bread sticks with garlic butter and the cream cheese/bellpepper spread. Mains were the same – 8 ounce filet mignon steaks, a baked potato with the sides, and a shared bowl of mushrooms. Desserts were also the same – crème Brulee, the best on the ship. We made it back to our room in time to see the gangway being removed, and the ship pulling away from the pier. We understand Tangiers is quite close, and we should be docked by 8am tomorrow morning.

Bill & Mary Ann

tonto524 · April 7, 2023

Our neighbors' granddaughter is currently on the World Odyssey doing the semester at sea. She's a college junior - it's quite an amazing experience. I'll let her grandparents know that you saw the ship in port - they've been a bit nervous about the whole thing lol.

Thanks, as always, for your wonderfully informative posts. Have you planted anything this trip??

WCB · April 8, 2023

Report #98 Friday April 7, 2023 Tangier, Morocco 8am-5pm Docked Port Side To Pier Starboard Side To Town Sunny And Windy 65 Degrees Part #1 Of 5......69 Pictures

The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Tangier, Morocco, to a windy but clear and sunny morning. The temperature outside was a nippy 58 degrees, a huge difference from a week ago when we visited the Canary Islands. Tangier is the second largest city in Morocco and has a population of 95,000 people. The city is located across from the Gibraltar Strait, a mere 10 miles between the continents. Gibraltar, a UK territory, has a population of 28,000 living in 7 square kilometers. It is a little corner of England on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. From the top of The Rock, there are spectacular views, and an interesting fact is that the city houses a colony of Barbary macaques, Europe’s only primates. Later this evening, we should be passing the Rock on the portside as we enter the Mediterranean Sea on our way to Malaga, Spain.

We had company with two other ships in port. One was Oceania Sirena, launched in 1999, but re-done in 2019. It is described as having English-style charm suitable for older couples. The ship accommodates 648 guests and is 30,277 gross tons. As of 2019, all of their multi-choice dining venues were free of charge, and bottled water, sodas, and beer were included. The other ship was the Silver Dawn, an ultra-luxury vessel with up to 596 passengers and a crew of 411. Launched in 2021, it is a 40,700 gross ton ship. Having sailed with Silver Seas before, we can say they deserve the 5 star rating for sure. Except for tours, they are all-inclusive.

At breakfast this morning, our waiters brought us hot cross buns, something we always see around Easter time. They were so good, we opted out of the English muffins we usually order. Now that the ports are happening about every day, the President’s Club breakfast group has been coming later and later. Those with tours have not come at all.

We hung around until music began pouring throughout the ship at 10:30am for one hour. This was done to work on broken speakers inside and outside. Good time to leave because the crew were cleaning our veranda as well. The walk to get to the shuttle bus was not as long as yesterday’s port. Being that this was our first time visit, we felt it a good idea to take the bus to get our bearings. Without a printed map, it’s hard to navigate a good route to take. Ian’s talks do help, but he even recommends taking a photo of the local maps on the TV screen. We hate that much of the world is going paperless.

Anyway, the trip to Mandoubia Garden took about 20 minutes uphill most of the way. This park was located directly across from the maze of the old souk. Once off the coach, we wandered down the street and entered the souk at the best place we could have. It was the food section that held all of the fresh fruit and veggies, along with a number of seasonings and spices sold from sacks. We could see that some of the items such as bananas were imported. There were plenty of plastic baskets full of ripe raspberries too. Funny thing, they were packaged in the identical clear containers we buy at home. Here they cost 50 dirham or the equivalent of 50 cents USD. We pay up to $6. at home for the same amount of fruit.

The next items for sale were the chickens, which looked very fresh. Then we came upon what looked like lamb or possibly goat meat. The prices were posted at each stall, but it was all in Arabic….no English. And the vendors did not speak English, so we do not know for sure what the meat was. Finally, we entered the fish market, which was quite clean and not even smelly. Most of the catch had already been sold, but we did see tons of anchovies, small shrimp, octopus, crabs, and smaller fish. It appeared they were beginning to clean up for the day.

Going back outside this area, we entered through another portal, and into the souvenir souk. What we saw pretty much was the same as in Casablanca, but far less to choose from. The souk in Casablanca was far better, we thought. This one with multiple alleyways and streets, we still managed to get lost. Much of this market was set up for the locals, who filled the streets. Most all of the women wore robes and head scarves, while most of the men were dressed in traditional clothing too.

Few restaurants were opened, and we figured that was due to Ramadan happening now.

We had spent an hour here exploring, and thought we had seen all we needed. Somehow or another, we had made our way downhill, passing through the artist and carpet section. This part of the market appeared to be newer with much nicer stalls. However, the last thing we needed was to go to any carpet demonstration. That could go on for hours, and after their presentation, they expect you to buy something. The carpets we saw hanging on the walls of the stalls were good enough for photos, but we sure do not need to own one.

It came as a surprise to us that by the time we made our way downhill a little at a time, we had successfully come out near the port area. And we did all of the exploring without buying anything. The souvenirs we saw yesterday were much nicer we thought. As we were exiting the final archway, we heard someone behind us saying hello. It turned out to be Greg, Heo, Ginni and Rich. They happened to be leaving at the same time we were. It is a mystery how we got that timing just right as there were hundreds of folks in that souk going this way and that. They ended up taking a taxi for a tour, and we headed up the side of the hill to the old fort.

Thinking we might be able to see the insides of this fortress, it ended up being a museum and we were at the back door. Oh well, it was a nice hike up there. Going back down, we took a left turn to follow the coastline highway. The landscaped cliffside followed the fortress around the corner, then ended with clifftop housing and other buildings. Good spot for a hotel, the views of the Atlantic Ocean must be spectacular from there. The fishing boat harbor was along this stretch of road, as well as trails through the park-like setting. Pathways from the very top brought locals down to the road. We walked far enough to sit on the seawall for a while, catching the stiff breeze that was blowing. Looking down on the water side, there was a wall of concrete blocks, reminding us of being in Cadiz, Spain, not far from here. A similar wall there houses a bevy of feral cats. Just as we thought about that, we began seeing cats coming out from under the large rocks. They had made a home in here. Now in Cadiz, these feral cats are trapped, neutered, and returned to the wild. They serve a purpose and that is ridding the city of rodents. The souk and marketplace were full of them today.

From there, we headed back to the port gate, going around a mosque that was in session. It was full of men only and we could hear the Iman preaching from the inside. Locating the correct road to access the port gate, we made our way to the ship. We got back around 1:30pm, wind-blown, but happy to have gotten some good exercise.

We ordered lunch of salad, soup, and shared sandwich. One chicken quesadilla on the side and a few cookies completed our meal. As the afternoon progressed, it got colder outside. All aboard was at 4:30pm, but we did not leave until about 5:45pm, as we waited for the Oceania Sirena to leave first. We are very close to the next port of Malaga, Spain, so we will be going slow.

Once we got halfway across the opening to the Mediterranean Sea, the winds actually blew the mist right at us. These have to be extremely turbulent waters as the two seas meet. Captain Frank had said that we would be passing Gibraltar around 7pm, but we were still far from shore, and had difficulty seeing it. Once we leave Malaga, we will be passing this area again, so chances of spotting the Rock of Gibraltar may be better.

Dinner found everyone present but Susie, as she is still not feeling well. Under the doctor’s care, we hope she gets better soon. The guys shared their amusing stories from the last two days, one of which they spent in Marrakesh. Long ride, but worth it they said. They are fans of Moroccan food and enjoyed the exotic meal they were served on the tour. Heo had taken many great photos and even a video of a belly dancer. They did get back to the ship after 8:30pm, but they had kept the Lido open after that time. They said there were four bus-loads of guests that took the 13 hour tour.

The dinner menu had three choices of fish entrees. One of us had the salmon, and the other tuna (more well done). Both were pretty good. Now Barb had the Club Orange special, which was shrimp fettucine, and it tasted great she said. But it is served in the bowl where your forks and knives drop in the bowl. From now on, she has asked for that pastas to be served on a regular plate. Will see how that works. Desserts were a chocolate mousse slice and one frozen peach yogurt.

Now the strangest thing happened with the time change for tonight. It went forward 2 hours so we will be on the correct time for Spain. Our waiters suggested going to bed early, but that’s not always an option. As this is being typed, the time is 12:55am. We will not notice the difference until it is time for breakfast tomorrow. We will not worry, since we do not have a tour booked and can sleep a bit later and still not miss the dining room breakfast.

Finally leaving the continent of Africa, we are looking forward to the ports in Spain.

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · April 9, 2023

Report #99 Saturday April 8, 2023 Malaga, Spain 7am-6pm Docked Port Side To Pier Starboard Side To Town Clear And Sunny High Of 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 5......74 Pictures

Well, here we are in Spain, our first country to visit on the European continent. The population of Spain is 48.6 million people who speak Castilian and Spanish. It has been described as passionate and sophisticated with the people loving the good life. And it is more diverse than you can imagine. It is a country that was created from great civilizations than have risen and fallen, but still leaving their permanent marks. Roman ruins, powerful cathedrals, Islamic architecture, among many other things, are all part of Spain’s history.

All types of seafood, paella, tapas, and fine wines can be savored here. Have you ever tasted jamon iberico or Spanish ham, cured meats like chorizo, and so many varieties of olive oil? It is a must while in Spain. Flamenco dancing and even bull fighting can still be seen throughout the country. And that’s Spain in a nutshell.

Today our port of call was Malaga, one of the larger cities on the Mediterranean coast, also known as Costa Del Sol. The Zuiderdam arrived on time after 7am, and docked close to the Silver Dawn, the same vessel that was in Tangier yesterday. The temperature was a crisp 53 degrees on our veranda at 9am, but the skies were clear blue with little wind. We had a feeling it might warm up later and would turn out to be a swell day. And we were correct – the thermometer climbed to the mid 70’s, and we shed our long jeans and sweatshirts and put on shorts and short sleeve shirts.

There were six of us at breakfast, because many of our buddies were on tours today. There were three long ones with the best of Cordoba for $190 for 8 ½ hours, and another one was Granada and the Alhambra for $200 for 9 hours. A trip to Granada and Albaycin was $200 for 9 hours. City tours ran from $70 to $90 all about 4 hours. A drive to Mijas Village was $70 for 4 hours and tickets on the ho-ho bus was $25 for 1 ½ hours. Some of the longer tours came back late, but the ship waited to leave until they were back onboard.

We hung around until 10:45am and took the long walk off of the ship, down the gangway, and through a spacious terminal building. This terminal had many shops with everyday convenience items, some souvenirs, and even a deli. The INFO center was closed. Going down the escalator, and out the door, we boarded the free shuttle to town. It was a short drive from the port along the causeway and finally past a row of very nice restaurants and several small shops. The bus drop off was at Plaza de la Marina, right where an information shop was located. And they had real maps of the city….thank you Malaga!

We know we have been here at least three times on past cruises, but we sure did not recognize this nice port area at all. Back in the old days, we had taken tours to the Alhambra, Mijas, and Granada. So we have never been here to explore the city, and that was our goal for today. Arriving to Malaga this time of year brings the excitement of springtime as well as the busy time of Easter Week. A very Christian country, all of the major cities in Spain are loaded with churches and cathedrals and have the special happenings that are celebrated in a much different way than what we see at home. The first thing we noticed was a row of grandstands set up on the main road and up the pedestrian-only Marques De Larios. Wooden chairs were stacked up along both sides of the wide avenue in order for the folks to watch the procession that takes place on Sunday afternoon. We were told that the procession occurred on Holy Thursday and Good Friday as well. We wondered if we would see it today?

One thing for sure was that today being a Saturday brought out the locals to this area. Add the vacation folks, cruise line and ferry boat people, suddenly you have a crowd. These pedestrian streets and alleyways are full of high- end shopping, but not all of them were opened yet. The foot traffic increased dramatically the deeper we got into the maze. There is a number of churches in this part of town, but they were all closed to the public. Tomorrow will be their big day. The largest church was the Cathedral Nuestra Senora De La Encarnacion. We did locate this church, but it was closed for inspection….still impressive from the outside.

Trying to follow the map, we covered a lot of the alleyways and squares where the tables of the cafes and restaurants were filling rapidly. Many young kids were running around as well. We did cross paths with friends in search of the best paella in town, as well as Gyl and Howard who were searching for Popeye’s Chicken. They said there was a sign at the bottom of the wide street pointing this way. We did see KFC and Burger King, but no Popeye’s. We love the fact that no matter where we go, except for some parts of Africa, we can seek out the cuisine we like the best. For us, that could be pizza sometimes, and we do not apologize for it. Many of the choices today were international….something for everyone.

We headed back towards the port but decided to stroll through the Paseo Del Parque. We had spotted several horse-drawn carriages and we figured they would take folks for rides around this stretch of park. This strip was filled with indigenous as well as imported trees and shrubs. The tallest of the palms had huge nests in the tops. They were filled with some kind of noisy parrot. It took us a while to spot them, but we sure did hear them. The only other birds we saw were pigeons, doves, and seagulls.

Arriving at the end of the park, we crossed the street and entered the malecon that led to the port entrance. It was here that we had spotted a Hard Rock Café with indoor and outdoor dining. It was located right across from a colorful glass building, a museum called the Pompidou Malaga. It was our lucky day to find this fairly new Hard Rock which opened about four years ago according to our waiter. We took seats at a high-top table near the window and ordered two pints of draft beer. We shared a huge plate of nachos and added a dessert of apple crisp with ice cream. Perfect, we enjoyed the time we relaxed there watching the crowds wander by the souvenir stands nearby. Then before leaving we checked out their t-shirts, buying two of the city T’s. That would be the extent of our shopping today.

There was a craft fair across from the restaurants, and it was hopping with customers today. Continuing onward, we took our time strolling past the hordes of diners in each venue that lined this side of the Muelle 1. That led us past the lighthouse, where we crossed the street to see the Playa de la Malagueta, the local beachfront. The sandy beach seemed to go on for miles and was loaded with sunbathers and families enjoying the sunny day. The water, however, look really cold.

This stretch of the Malecon provided wonderful views of the local boats, some fabulous yachts, ferries, and the two cruise ships docked at the far end. We were back at the terminal by 3pm where we kicked back in our room, catching up on all of the hundreds of photos taken today. As we had said before, at least one of tours came back by 6:40pm, even though all aboard was 5:30pm….proof that they will wait for HAL tours. Independent late tours….not so sure the ship will wait for you. The ship finally left before 7pm.

We had guests for dinner this evening, mutual friends…..Ginni and Rich. Unfortunately, Susie is still not up to par, so missed dinner again. We’re all getting worried, but she is under the doctor’s care. Woody always brings her something special from the dining room, such as fresh blueberries. Barb was happy to see her favorite meal…..liver and onions. Except it came so thin, it was barely there. We had one fish entrée and linguini with shredded beef rib meat in the marinara sauce. That was by far the best choice on the menu for at least two of us. Desserts were light with macadamia nut and mint chip ice cream. We all told our guests to visit our table anytime as they are always welcomed.

The next stop will be Cadiz, a short distance from here. Too bad we will miss passing the Rock of Gibraltar, since it will be on the starboard side around midnight. With the two- hour advancement of the clock last night, we are all bushed. And that was one of the reasons there was a movie in the World Stage tonight. No live show….again.

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · April 10, 2023

Report #100 Easter Sunday April 9, 2023 Cadiz, Spain Docked Port Side To Pier Overcast With Sun In The Afternoon 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 4 .........73 Pictures

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

It was still rather dark when the ship arrived to the port of Cadiz this morning. This city is believed to be the oldest one in Europe with 3000 years of history. Traces of Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors can be found in this unique port city. Even Christopher Columbus and other seafarers used this port to sail to the New Continent of America. The current population of Cadiz is about 140,000 inhabitants, and it is the Old City that we plan to explore today. It’s an ancient Medieval town with all of the narrow streets, many small and large plazas, old fishing quarters, and flamenco cafes and bars.

What do the local eat and drink here? Sum it up to two things – fish and wine. Wide varieties of fish include dorados, turbot, plaice, and urtas (not sure what that is). They love the shellfish like prawns, crayfish, crabs, and razor clams. Home-made cheeses and cooked meats are sold city-wide. And we love their sweet cookies sold in most bakeries. As for the wines, there are many, but the popular ones are sherry and brandy. Arts and crafts include leather items, woven blankets, ponchos, wickerwork, and cane items. It will be interesting to see what is opened and what is not due to the fact it is Easter Sunday.

Naturally, there were tours today beginning with a ride to stunning Seville for $200 for 8 hours, and a walk through Cadiz with a flamenco dance for $100 for 3 hours. Ultimate Seville and hidden treasures was $280 for 8 hours. A transfer to Seville was $75 for 8 hours on your own. Flamenco and a Spanish meal was $150 for 2 hours, while a taste of Cadiz was $130 for 4 hours. Cadiz and Jerez with sherry was $70 for 3 ½ hours, and White Village and countryside was $80 for 5 hours. Tickets for the ho-ho bus were sold for $25 for 1 ½ hour tour. One of the best tours we have done twice was an Andalusian horse show, but it was not offered today as it was probably closed for the holiday.

The Zuiderdam was docked across the street from Old Town, but the Royal Caribbean Symphony and a Costa ship were docked, but much further away. We got lucky being so close. We left the ship around 11:30am for one heck of a long hike, but armed with yesterday’s map and a smaller local map we got in the terminal. Crossing the street, we took a left and went right up the main entrance at Plaza S. Juan de Dios. Rounding the corner across from the Cathedral, it appeared that the festivities had already happened as far as the processions were concerned.

Now we had been led to think that very little would be opened in town today. Yes, the clothing and souvenirs stores were closed, but just about every café and restaurant was opened for business. It was a good day for the street vendors that were selling souvenirs, jewelry, and sport clothing right on the sidewalks. They had little competition. Making our way around the Cathedral, we made or way to the seawall that faced the Atlantic Ocean. The views up here were wonderful, and the foot traffic was far less than in the center of town.

This is where we always see many feral, but neutered cats, that live in the rocks below the seawall. They help keep the rodent population under control. There are even cat houses set up for them and people obviously feed them too. Continuing on, we noticed that many of the locals stroll up here, some even living in the apartment buildings across the street. A great place to walk dogs, we saw many of all sizes.

We could see the remains of a castle accessible by a very long road. The name of it was Castillo San Sebastián, and has been the site of many movies scenes…even a James Bond movie. A sandy beach begins from here with many sunbathers taking advantage of the warm sands. An old but closed swim club is still here called Balneario de la Palma, which must have been something in its heyday. This area is known as Playa de la Caleta, and today the tide was out exposing acres of mossy tidal pools. One side of this mushy-looking terrain were several small fishing boats well out of water. We also spotted many people fishing with nets and others appeared to be clamming.

A little further we found Castillo Santa Catalina, an old fortress that offers views and a museum these days. Restrooms happen to be here as well, which are about non-existent elsewhere.

One of the most pleasant walks is through Parque Genoves and Jardin Botanico. It is loaded with many imported trees, palms, and cacti from everywhere around the world as well as indigenous plants. There are monuments and fountains with tiled seating here and there. Rounding the end of this peninsula, we went through another garden with massive old ficus trees and more tiled benches and fountains. The checkerboard patios were nice, except for the droppings from too many pigeons and gulls.

Our destination was our favorite little pizzeria, and we knew we could find it with the help of the maps. As long as we could locate the Plaza de Mina, we knew the way. And locate it, we did, going inside to be seated. Expecting to get menus, they pointed to the icon on the table used by the guests with cell phones. None of the waiters spoke English well, but had we taken our time, we would have noticed a menu printed on the outside wall. We did manage to order two Peroni beers and one large Margherita pizza. With an honest-to-goodness wood-fired oven the pizza was ready within 10 minutes. And it was perfect. Crispy crust and lots of sauce and cheese. Not sure what the bill would be, we were pleasantly surprised to see it was 11 euro. That’s as good as we had in Lanzarote, except today’s pizza was normal size and we were not stuffed to the gills.

We followed Calle Rosario until we got to a bakery that was selling ice cream and baked goods. Spotting pre-wrapped cookies, we bought two packages of them for room snacks, if they last that long. They are not overly-sweet, more like a shortbread cookie with zest of orange and chocolate chips. So good. We ran into Heo and Greg on the way back near the big plaza. They had just left having lunch, but paid considerably more for ala carte tapas at a fancier dining venue. All in all, we were all happy with our choices.

We headed back to the ship and got there by 3pm. Honestly, we are still feeling the effects of losing two hours in one evening. Hard to fight that tired feeling, so it was nice to relax back in our comfortable room and veranda. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. There were only six of us tonight, as Susie and Woody had a busy afternoon in town, meeting up with one of their grandsons. Bet they turned in early for the evening.

The menu had cute little pictures on it for Easter, but nothing special for this occasion. However, on the table we had a “special of the night” note with the offering of savory ham, veggies, and mashed potatoes. According to Oscar, our head waiter, so many folks complained about the choices, that they added this entrée at the last minute, printing the special notice just in time for the 5pm diners. Both of us ordered it, and the ham was delicious. We added some applesauce on the side as well . Desserts were one panna cotta and rum raisin ice cream. Nik, our waiter, brought us some of the little Cadberry chocolate eggs, just like the packaged ones we got left on the bed this morning. The bigger present was putting the clocks back one hour tonight. That will put us on Lisbon time for one day, then we set them forward tomorrow for the last stop in Spain, A Coruna. Crazy, huh?

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · April 11, 2023

Report # 101 Monday April 10, 2023 Lisbon, Portugal Docked Port Side To Pier 10am-9pm Sunny And Clear With A Slight Breeze 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.........66 Pictures

Today we are in the country of Portugal. The capital of the country is Lisbon (our port of call), and the population is 10.8 million people that speak Portuguese. Lisbon is located up the Rio Tejo, and has a wonderful scenic sail into the port. Just like in Spain, this country is filled with Medieval castles, cobblestone villages, and golden beaches. They have more museums and Cathedrals that one can count. Portugal has a long history from the Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians. All have left their mark on the towns and cities. This country, which borders Spain, has 800 kilometers of coastline. Lisbon today has a reputation of having people-packed bar-lined streets. In other words, it has a thriving nightlife, which we will not see since the ship will be leaving around 8:30pm.

What do the local like to eat? Number one has to be pastries, like pastel de nata or custard tarts. Or they crave travesseira or puff pastries with almond custard. How about tinned fish such as sardines, mackerel, or tuna? They put these on crackers or bread for a quick little snack. Francesiha is a thick open face sandwich with cheese, supposedly good for a hangover. Marzipan is a sweet confection that goes with grilled chicken covered with a hot piri piri sauce. Bifana is a bread roll with fried pork. And the wine goes well with all of it, of course.

Shore excursions today included Lisbon highlights for $70 for 3 ½ hours, as well as Lisbon and Estoril for the same price and duration. Medieval Obidos was $80 for 4 ½ hours, while Lisbon on foot and funicular was $80 for 4 ½ hours. For $130 and 8 hours, you could book the Fatima and Batalha trip. Lisbon sites was $130 for 7 ½ hours and Sintra, Cascais & Queluz was $100 for 4 ½ hours. We had done this last one, but with a lunch included, the first time we visited Lisbon. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and we decided to leave town. It was a very nice tour.

Early this morning there was scenic cruising from the Crow’s Nest and the promenade deck with commentary from Ian. It began at 8am and ended by 10am. Although it was very chilly on our veranda (temps in the 50’s) , we did watch some of the sailing into the river and the approach to Lisbon. We did get some good photos, because we will be leaving at 8:30pm and it will be dark. Going to breakfast later than usual, but still were able to get Lisbon rolls (really Panama rolls) thanks to our waiter Danu who went and found four of them. We had just missed some excitement due to the fact when the ship had turned to enter the river, it listed dramatically at least twice, and some plates went flying off on the floor. Of course the plates broke everywhere. But it was already cleaned up when we came in late.

We were finally docked by 10am, but the ship was not cleared until closer to 10:30am. It took forever for them to line the ship up for the connecting gangway onshore. Ian had to come on the speakers and mentioned that we were running late, and the guests with tours had to chill out by a bit. . Now everyone on tour has to wait in the World Stage, and we suppose the natives were getting restless. Oddly enough, we had no TV reception in the rooms all day. This has been happening so much lately, that we don’t even bother to ask why. There are a number of guests that rarely leave the ship, and enjoy watching TV in their rooms. Bet they are not happy campers.

In order to keep up with our blog, we have been staying onboard a bit later, such as noon today. We hate falling behind so this keeps us up to date, and since we were just walking the town, going off closer to lunchtime made more sense. The ship was fairly close to town, but we still had a long walk to access the big terminal, and walk back the same distance towards the downtown area. Two other ships were docked even further away. One was the Ponant L’Austral, and the other was the Semester at Sea which we saw while in Casablanca. The good thing was that the entire walk was flat and slightly uphill.

The weather was in our favor. Despite the early morning low temps, it did warm up a lot. So much so, that we still wore our shorts and short sleeve t-shirts. The last time we were here, we had no map, and had failed to listen to the port talk. So we ended up hiking uphill to a big cathedral and even higher up to another church. Thinking this was the direction to the center of town, we discovered we were lost as we were on our way to another district. Asking some locals directions was not helpful, as they did not speak any English. Nor did we speak or understand Portuguese. Finally we stopped at a newspaper kiosk, and the man understood enough to point out the street to follow that would take us to the center of town. Feeling like we had walked many miles, we did come into the correct area, Baixa where all the action was. Today we simply turned left out of the terminal and found that the main square was pretty close. However, listening to the port talk, we were led to believe it was a 5- minute walk to town. Not by a long shot, even for us, getting to the terminal then finding our way to the street outside took 15 minutes alone. Then it was easily another 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the main entrance to town and the Arco da Rua Augusta.

There were so many different types of rides available such as tuk-tuks, taxis, the Ho-Ho bus, local buses, and of course, tours either the ship ones or private ones. The best tuk-tuk had a large stuffed tiger on the roof, making it really easy to find your ride. Even though today was a Monday, it got crazy crowded after entering the main square and going under their most impressive arch. They believe in doing things big here.

Having enjoyed a nice lunch the last time we were here, we searched the same alleyway where a small café called Taberna 90 was located. Had we ventured deeper on one of the side streets where the store Zara was located, we would have found it. However, we did know there was a Hard Rock Café nearby, and by following the map from the brochure we picked up, we finally saw it behind the Theater, another impressive but imposing building. The square where the theater and other monuments are located were lined solid with restaurants, cafes, and hotels that occupied former colonial buildings.

As luck would have it, we ran right into Greg and Heo along with Ginni who were out enjoying the pastries and coffee at a small venue. They had also seen a billboard for the Hard Rock, and pointed the way there. They ended up getting a tour with one of the taxi or tuk-tuk vendors.

We were not sure if we would dine at the Hard Rock Café, but when we arrived, there was a short wait for a table for two with a high- top table and chair. We decided to stay. The place was jumping with many people of all ages enjoying the surroundings and the music video. Not sure we wanted to sit under the car that was suspended from the high ceiling though. We had a nice waiter who brought us two Sagres draft beers (really nice), and an appetizer pizza platter. You could never be bored in this café as there had to be at least four birthdays celebrated with singing from a gathering of the waiters. All of the diners joined in the clapping. We ended the light meal with another apple cobbler dessert.

On our way out, we did stop in their shop and picked up a city T-shirt. Their prices were a little lower than in Malaga, but not by much. So walking back, we went down a narrow side street, staying off of the busy and crowded avenue. Passing the tower with the elevator, we remembered the café was down an alleyway or two. And there it was, Taberna 90 with a complete Italian/Portuguese menu just like we remembered. Their pizzas were larger, and naturally far less money than the HRC. If we ever come back, we will remember this café.

We had to squeeze our way down the avenue there were so many people now. The usual vendors were not set up under the arches, like that last time we were here. There were many policemen though. It was surprising that a message had to be written on the front of today’s Daily Program warning the guests of pickpockets and the like while in the city. We do recall that our waiter at Taberna 90 back in 2019 had pushed my bag under my chair, a reminder than someone could snatch it and run. Sadly, it happens all of the time, and not just here.

The hike back to the ship was nice, since the sun was out and there was a breeze. The streets had become even busier with people on those rented scooters and bikes. When we reached the terminal building, the way we had come out was closed. We had to go up another escalator where we saw a large number of passengers in a line to begin a voyage on the Ponant ship. We did not see the other door for the Zuiderdam guests to enter. Going back down, we searched for another entrance, but had no luck. Going back up, we saw the door for us and went through their xray and the long walk back to board the ship. Perhaps this information on returning should have been explained in the port talk.

The most fun was watching the massive delivery of stores for the ship. This has to be the largest delivery of food and supplies since we left Ft. Lauderdale. They were loading from 10am to well after 8pm. Hope there are some fresh berries and Greek yogurt in the mix. Bet we have no idea how close we came to running out of many staples. The recent menus pretty much reflected the absence of food.

Dinner time found only six of us, as Susie was not there. But that is their story to tell, and we all pray she will be better soon. The appetizers were good – Portuguese soup and salt fish cake. The soup was by far better and way less salty than the fish cake. Caesar salad was a good back-up. Mains for us were the pork schnitzel, which needed more lingonberry sauce which had been thinned with something else to stretch it. A trick the chefs are doing more and more for the late-seating diners we suspect. There is no doubt that the chicken noodle soup is often watered down at dinnertime. Greg had made a pass through the Portuguese Lido Event, and brought us some of the custard tarts. They were really good, especially warm. We had a long conversation with Oscar why these events are happening in the Lido, and not in the dining room. Bottom line, it saves the company more money that way. That seems to be the same excuse for many things that have been missing on this particular world cruise.

The ship left after 8:30pm, with only the lights of the city to be seen. The scenic trip out was not as good as this morning.

The last thing we all needed was the notice that the clocks had to be pushed ahead one hour tonight. That will put us back on Spain time. On the other hand, with tomorrow being a sea day, we can sleep in a little later.

Bill & Mary Ann

DFD1 · April 11, 2023

1 hour ago, WCB said:

Report # 101      Monday April 10, 2023 Lisbon, Portugal    Docked Port Side To Pier 10am-9pm    Sunny And Clear With A Slight Breeze 75 Degrees   Part #1 Of 3.........66 Pictures

Today we are in the country of Portugal. The capital of the country is Lisbon (our port of call), and the population is 10.8 million people that speak Portuguese. Lisbon is located up the Rio Tejo, and has a wonderful scenic sail into the port. Just like in Spain, this country is filled with Medieval castles, cobblestone villages, and golden beaches. They have more museums and Cathedrals that one can count. Portugal has a long history from the Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians. All have left their mark on the towns and cities. This country, which borders Spain, has 800 kilometers of coastline. Lisbon today has a reputation of having people-packed bar-lined streets. In other words, it has a thriving nightlife, which we will not see since the ship will be leaving around 8:30pm.

What do the local like to eat? Number one has to be pastries, like pastel de nata or custard tarts. Or they crave travesseira or puff pastries with almond custard. How about tinned fish such as sardines, mackerel, or tuna? They put these on crackers or bread for a quick little snack. Francesiha is a thick open face sandwich with cheese, supposedly good for a hangover. Marzipan is a sweet confection that goes with grilled chicken covered with a hot piri piri sauce. Bifana is a bread roll with fried pork. And the wine goes well with all of it, of course.

Shore excursions today included Lisbon highlights for $70 for 3 ½ hours, as well as Lisbon and Estoril for the same price and duration. Medieval Obidos was $80 for 4 ½ hours, while Lisbon on foot and funicular was $80 for 4 ½ hours. For $130 and 8 hours, you could book the Fatima and Batalha trip. Lisbon sites was $130 for 7 ½ hours and Sintra, Cascais & Queluz was $100 for 4 ½ hours. We had done this last one, but with a lunch included, the first time we visited Lisbon. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and we decided to leave town. It was a very nice tour.

Early this morning there was scenic cruising from the Crow’s Nest and the promenade deck with commentary from Ian. It began at 8am and ended by 10am.   Although it was very chilly on our veranda (temps in the 50’s) , we did watch some of the sailing into the river and the approach to Lisbon. We did get some good photos, because we will be leaving at 8:30pm and it will be dark. Going to breakfast later than usual, but still were able to get Lisbon rolls (really Panama rolls) thanks to our waiter Danu who went and found four of them. We had just missed some excitement due to the fact when the ship had turned to enter the river, it listed dramatically at least twice, and some plates went flying off on the floor. Of course the plates broke everywhere. But it was already cleaned up when we came in late.

We were finally docked by 10am, but the ship was not cleared until closer to 10:30am. It took forever for them to line the ship up for the connecting gangway onshore. Ian had to come on the speakers and mentioned that we were running late, and the guests with tours had to chill out by a bit. . Now everyone on tour has to wait in the World Stage, and we suppose the natives were getting restless. Oddly enough, we had no TV reception in the rooms all day. This has been happening so much lately, that we don’t even bother to ask why. There are a number of guests that rarely leave the ship, and enjoy watching TV in their rooms. Bet they are not happy campers.

In order to keep up with our blog, we have been staying onboard a bit later, such as noon today. We hate falling behind so this keeps us up to date, and since we were just walking the town, going off closer to lunchtime made more sense. The ship was fairly close to town, but we still had a long walk to access the big terminal, and walk back the same distance towards the downtown area. Two other ships were docked even further away. One was the Ponant L’Austral, and the other was the Semester at Sea which we saw while in Casablanca. The good thing was that the entire walk was flat and slightly uphill.

The weather was in our favor. Despite the early morning low temps, it did warm up a lot. So much so, that we still wore our shorts and short sleeve t-shirts. The last time we were here, we had no map, and had failed to listen to the port talk. So we ended up hiking uphill to a big cathedral and even higher up to another church. Thinking this was the direction to the center of town, we discovered we were lost as we were on our way to another district. Asking some locals directions was not helpful, as they did not speak any English. Nor did we speak or understand Portuguese. Finally we stopped at a newspaper kiosk, and the man understood enough to point out the street to follow that would take us to the center of town. Feeling like we had walked many miles, we did come into the correct area, Baixa where all the action was. Today we simply turned left out of the terminal and found that the main square was pretty close. However, listening to the port talk, we were led to believe it was a 5- minute walk to town. Not by a long shot, even for us, getting to the terminal then finding our way to the street outside took 15 minutes alone. Then it was easily another 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the main entrance to town and the Arco da Rua Augusta.

There were so many different types of rides available such as tuk-tuks, taxis, the Ho-Ho bus, local buses, and of course, tours either the ship ones or private ones. The best tuk-tuk had a large stuffed tiger on the roof, making it really easy to find your ride. Even though today was a Monday, it got crazy crowded after entering the main square and going under their most impressive arch. They believe in doing things big here.

Having enjoyed a nice lunch the last time we were here, we searched the same alleyway where a small café called Taberna 90 was located. Had we ventured deeper on one of the side streets where the store Zara was located, we would have found it. However, we did know there was a Hard Rock Café nearby, and by following the map from the brochure we picked up, we finally saw it behind the Theater, another impressive but imposing building. The square where the theater and other monuments are located were lined solid with restaurants, cafes, and hotels that occupied former colonial buildings.

As luck would have it, we ran right into Greg and Heo along with Ginni who were out enjoying the pastries and coffee at a small venue. They had also seen a billboard for the Hard Rock, and pointed the way there. They ended up getting a tour with one of the taxi or tuk-tuk vendors.

We were not sure if we would dine at the Hard Rock Café, but when we arrived, there was a short wait for a table for two with a high- top table and chair. We decided to stay. The place was jumping with many people of all ages enjoying the surroundings and the music video. Not sure we wanted to sit under the car that was suspended from the high ceiling though.   We had a nice waiter who brought us two Sagres draft beers (really nice), and an appetizer pizza platter. You could never be bored in this café as there had to be at least four birthdays celebrated with singing from a gathering of the waiters. All of the diners joined in the clapping. We ended the light meal with another apple cobbler dessert.

On our way out, we did stop in their shop and picked up a city T-shirt. Their prices were a little lower than in Malaga, but not by much. So walking back, we went down a narrow side street, staying off of the busy and crowded avenue. Passing the tower with the elevator, we remembered the café was down an alleyway or two. And there it was, Taberna 90 with a complete Italian/Portuguese menu just like we remembered.   Their pizzas were larger, and naturally far less money than the HRC. If we ever come back, we will remember this café.

We had to squeeze our way down the avenue there were so many people now. The usual vendors were not set up under the arches, like that last time we were here. There were many policemen though. It was surprising that a message had to be written on the front of today’s Daily Program warning the guests of pickpockets and the like while in the city. We do recall that our waiter at Taberna 90 back in 2019 had pushed my bag under my chair, a reminder than someone could snatch it and run. Sadly, it happens all of the time, and not just here.

The hike back to the ship was nice, since the sun was out and there was a breeze. The streets had become even busier with people on those rented scooters and bikes. When we reached the terminal building, the way we had come out was closed. We had to go up another escalator where we saw a large number of passengers in a line to begin a voyage on the Ponant ship. We did not see the other door for the Zuiderdam guests to enter. Going back down, we searched for another entrance, but had no luck. Going back up, we saw the door for us and went through their xray and the long walk back to board the ship. Perhaps this information on returning should have been explained in the port talk.

The most fun was watching the massive delivery of stores for the ship. This has to be the largest delivery of food and supplies since we left Ft. Lauderdale. They were loading from 10am to well after 8pm. Hope there are some fresh berries and Greek yogurt in the mix. Bet we have no idea how close we came to running out of many staples. The recent menus pretty much reflected the absence of food.

Dinner time found only six of us, as Susie was not there. But that is their story to tell, and we all pray she will be better soon. The appetizers were good – Portuguese soup and salt fish cake. The soup was by far better and way less salty than the fish cake. Caesar salad was a good back-up. Mains for us were the pork schnitzel, which needed more lingonberry sauce which had been thinned with something else to stretch it. A trick the chefs are doing more and more for the late-seating diners we suspect. There is no doubt that the chicken noodle soup is often watered down at dinnertime. Greg had made a pass through the Portuguese Lido Event, and brought us some of the custard tarts. They were really good, especially warm.   We had a long conversation with Oscar why these events are happening in the Lido, and not in the dining room. Bottom line, it saves the company more money that way. That seems to be the same excuse for many things that have been missing on this particular world cruise.

The ship left after 8:30pm, with only the lights of the city to be seen. The scenic trip out was not as good as this morning.

The last thing we all needed was the notice that the clocks had to be pushed ahead one hour tonight. That will put us back on Spain time. On the other hand, with tomorrow being a sea day, we can sleep in a little later.

Bill & Mary Ann

Your blog is a really remarkable recounting of your trip. Thank you for sharing it with us. Just great and fun to read.

Navigate the World with Bill & Mary Ann on the Zuiderdam's 128 Day 2023 Grand World Voyage

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