Journey with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2016 fall Tales of the South Pacific - 53 days

Enjoyed hearing about your day in Vancouver. It's really a wonderful city!

Thanks for all your nice comments.

Yes, we do request our room ahead of time when doing future bookings. We also request some extra room amenities at the same time.

Exposure to the sun will depend on the direction the ship is sailing. It totally depends on your location, but most of the time, it is half and half.

The upcoming San Diego embarkation will be the largest amount of passengers.

Peg and Rich – We will be boarding in Ft. Lauderdale next year on the world cruise.

Bill & Mary Ann

Wonderful start! Really enjoy hearing about all the President's Club perks.

You mentioned a new breakfast menu. Could you elaborate a bit?

Thanks for the photos of Vancouver, can't believe how the city has changed since my last visit when I did my AK cruise.

Report # 4 Sailing Towards Santa Catalina, California September 27, 2016 Tuesday Chance of showers & 55 degrees

Chance of showers? No way. Perhaps 55 degrees somewhere in the shade and the wind, but no clouds in sight. Even better, no fog that we experienced last night. We must have moved further away from the coastline during the wee hours of the morning.

Our first day at sea was delightful as shipboard life kicked into play. Breakfast was the first order of the day, followed by a brisk walk outside. We were surrounded with white caps and slightly rough seas. Most folks were sitting on the starboard side in whatever sun they could find.

While the first of many port talks were given by Location Guide Kainoa at 10am, we attended the first Cruise Critic meeting in the Crows Nest. There was a surprising number of guests, none of whom we have met before. The difference with these gatherings compared to previous years, is that none of the staff attends them. It is partly due to the fact that there are too many groups having meetings, as well as the meetings turning into private tour arrangements between them. These days many folks are looking for great deals, so these private tours can save folks some money. Can’t say we blame them, but it had been uncomfortable having these plans discussed when the staff members were present. If nothing else, it is always a good spot to find juice, tea, or coffee with a tray of cookies.

When the dining room offers good hamburgers or meatballs and spaghetti for lunch, we make it a point to go there. Yes, we know the pasta is available in the Lido, but in the dining room, the servings are conservative. No tempting seconds. The service has been excellent in the La Fontaine dining room.

We had intended to attend the complimentary Navigator Wine Tasting at 2pm, but we made the mistake of relaxing at the aft pool for some fresh air and sun. It was so pleasant, that we stayed until 3pm. The wind was chilly, but if you laid low, it wasn’t so bad. By the way, we noticed that there were new chairs at the tables in both the aft pool and the Lido pool area. They are much sturdier and have medium blue seat pads.

Earlier in the day, we reported to our room steward that the shower head and hose were defective. By the time we got back to our cabin, it had been replaced with a new unit. All works fine now. We stopped by Shiv’s office and thanked him for such a quick response.

Did we mention there is a new Beverage Manager Roger, and his assistant, Twinkle? We met them in 2010 while on the Prinsendam’s Grand South America cruise. Although long-time employees, Willie and Raymond will be missed, Roger and Twinkle will do a fine job. The new team will be on through the entire world cruise.

Last night, we heard we missed a fantastic sunset. So around 7pm, we went to deck nine with hopes of a repeat performance. However, no clouds, no special sunset. Perhaps as we get closer to Hawaii, our luck will change.

There were just three of us at dinner tonight. The other couple must have had a change of plans, or perhaps had trouble getting their sea legs. There are several new entrees on the menu, as well as some of the usual suspects. This evening we had cheddar beer? Soup and a sausage soup. The entrée salad was Pacific Rim with chicken breasts, so that’s what we ordered. Vicky had pre-ordered spaghetti and meatballs from the lunch menu, and was pleased with it. The staff is very accommodating. A light dessert ended the evening early.

The entertainer tonight was Mike Robinson, a comedian. We did peek in at the show last night to hear cruise director, Gene Young’s introductions of some of the staff members. Duncan Tuck followed by playing a 12 string guitar as well as a flamenco guitar. If we had stayed up longer, we could have gotten the happy hour drinks in the Crows Nest. That offer began today, but only at 4 to 5pm in the Ocean Bar and Crows Nest. Once again, the 8pm dinner folks have been ignored. We’ll have to ask Roger about this tomorrow perhaps.

Bill & Mary Ann

Love your blog. How is dolly? This sounds like a great trip we love the new dining room manager Philip. Love the new table and chairs definitely needed we have them on the Veendam about time for the flag ship.

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Thank you for responding to my "sun" question.

Have WONDERFUL, SAFE cruises! I will be following your thread.

Enjoying reading your report!

I'm ready for another one. Always enjoy your blogs.

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Report # 5 Sailing Towards Catalina, California September 28, 2016 Wednesday Cloudy & 54 degrees

There was no sign of sun anywhere this morning as the Amsterdam sailed in a southerly direction towards Avalon, Catalina Island. Hard to imagine that there is a heatwave happening in our fair state right now. We do expect that the weather to improve, since southern California is always nice this time of year.

After breakfast, we grabbed our jackets to take a walk outside. Perhaps there were about a dozen folks doing the same thing. Most were bundled up. The seas have calmed down a lot since we left Vancouver on Monday. It may be a good idea to watch for whales. And that’s exactly what happened. What we thought was another big whitecap wave, really was a female humpback with her calf following. The tell-tale sign was the blow from their spouts as they skimmed the surface of the water. As they neared the ship, we could see the dorsal fins as they slowly surfaced. Sure is nice to see, even though we soon outdistanced them by going a speedy 19 knots. Now we hope to see many more during this whole cruise, if we are lucky.

Activities on the ship were keeping folks busy on the inside of the ship. Kainoa gave a port talk on San Diego, followed by the guest speaker, Greg Redfern, speaking on sea and sky photography. What a good subject for the passengers.

Also informative are the classes happening in the Digital Workshop with Emily, the former librarian. While at sea, we noticed that there are two or three sessions. This morning organizing photos with Windows 10 was the subject, and this afternoon, how to keep your devices safe from malicious activity. Also, there was a class on bringing life to your photos with basic apps on your computer. All good and useful info.

Jewelry and art sales were being pushed, especially for the crowd that leaves the ship in San Diego. And don’t forget the spa treatments and casino games. There must be a good-size crowd leaving, because we saw disembarkation procedures on every other door in our hallway yesterday morning. Gosh, that would be hard to get onboard, and have to leave in four days. On the plus side, our tablemate Vicky said packing was a cinch…..one small suitcase that she will pull off during the first expedited debark.

At 11am, there was a Mariner Brunch in the dining room. Last night at dinnertime, we got a preview of the set menu. There were three entrees, one beef, one fish, and one vegetarian. All new and improved. Our waiter, Slamet, has been kind enough to provide a sneak peek at the following day’s menus, so we can plan our meals ahead of time, more or less. Or if we would like to order something not on the menu, we can do this as well.

Lunch for us was also in the dining room, but around 12:30pm. By then, most of the Mariner diners were done. They serve a different variety of hamburgers every day. We ordered the gouda and sauted onion burger with crispy French fries. Sure was good. We got to talking to a nice couple seated next to us. Sort of sounded like they are new to HAL, and had many good questions about the line. Since they will be leaving the ship in San Diego, they were disappointed that there will be no “gala” evening for them. Not knowing ahead of time, they packed formalwear, which they will not wear now. The dates for the dress-up evenings are not announced before the cruise on these shorter trips, only the actual number of them. We think there are 5 or 6 on this 53 day trip. With the relaxing of the dress code, it will be interesting to see how people dress up…….. or don’t.

Looks like a good movie is being shown in the Wajang later……Independence Day: Resurgence. That may be a good place to stay warm and get some of that good popcorn………..

Later in the afternoon, one of us went walking to look for whales, and one of us stayed to do some computer work. The reward for the walk was seeing more whales. Figures. The cooler weather has given us the “munchies”, so we checked out the Lido to see what small treats we could find. The pre-made sandwiches are looking a lot better. There are samples displayed of five sandwiches, along with a written description of their contents. Much better presented, we decided to try a few. Not bad.

This afternoon, we got a notice that we will share tendering services tomorrow with the 4 and 5 Star Mariner members and Pinnacle and Neptune suite guests. Feeling that was not quite right, we sort of guessed that we would get another tender pass for President Club members only. Around 6pm, we had a knock on our door, and found Christel, the guest relations manager, with a personalized letter stating that any President Club member should meet at the front desk, and be escorted to the waiting tender boat, thus by-passing the line. This really is the only civilized way to do this without causing resentment among the other guests. Christel said there are only seven of us onboard at the moment. Not that we have to be the very first off, it is nice to know we will not have to wait too long. Now we hope that the tender platforms are fully functional. On the previous world cruise, none of the platforms were operational. Sure hope they have been fixed by now……

Dinnertime was quiet as there were only the two of us. Actually, it was fine, because we can call it an early evening. We ordered one appetizer each, and the beef wellington entrée. All was excellent. So far, the quality of the food has been every bit as good as on the world cruise. And we are most pleased with the conservative serving portions. We even saved a little space for desserts of apple/walnut cake and a fruit plate with jello.

The entertainer this evening was Heather Sullivan, a young lady singer who we saw on our last cruise. She is famous for her performances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the House of Blues in LA.

Tomorrow, we will be stopping at Avalon, Catalina Island.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 5 Sailing Towards Catalina, California September 28, 2016 Wednesday Cloudy & 54 degrees

 

Activities on the ship were keeping folks busy on the inside of the ship. Kainoa gave a port talk on San Diego, followed by the guest speaker, Greg Redfern, speaking on sea and sky photography. What a good subject for the passengers.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Have you ever sailed with Kainoa before? He was on the last Panama Canal/South Pacific sailing on the Westerdam in March &April. Great speaker, great guy.

We enjoyed Kainoa back in 2008 on our sail to Hawaii and back on the Zaandam!

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We had Kainoa on an Alaskan cruise last year and he is very knowledgeable about Alaska as well.

Always enjoy your reports. Will you find out if it is true that HAL is phasing out librarians and libraries?

Thank you so much for posting. This sounds like my dream cruise.

Report # 6 Avalon, Catalina Island, California September 29, 2016 Thursday Sunny & 80 degrees Part # 1 of 2 80 Pictures

Today’s port of call was a lovely one…….Catalina Island, 26 miles off the coast of southern California. Which happens to be our home state. It’s been several years since we have been here. So long that we cannot remember the exact year that was. Much has changed since then from what we could see from the outside decks.

Since the arrival time was not until noon, we had plenty of time to have a relaxing breakfast in the dining room. Afterwards, we did our usual walk, which included the “On Deck for the Cause” 5K walk for charity. We’re not sure how the folks living on deck three liked the blasting music playing before 9am. With the longer than usual day in port, it appeared that many guests slept later.

There were 6 President Club members including us that were escorted by Christel to deck A to board the first tender boat to shore. Some of the Pinnacle and Neptune suite folks were there already. Now, we do not really care that they were there first, but some people did not like it. We’re all on the same boat going over, so it did not matter to us. As it turned out, 5 of us were invited to board first, and nothing was said by the waiting guests.

The ride was only about 10 minutes, and boy, was it going to be a nice day, or what? Little wind and 80 degrees. Simply perfect. There were maps being handed out by the information guy at the pier landing. When we asked about the Wrigley House, he drew a walking path for us to find it. It has been converted to a bed and breakfast, but we could get close enough to get some good photos.

No doubt, it was a strenuous hike uphill, but we took our time. As we began the climb, we were passed by dozens of folks that had rented the golf carts to get around the island. They cost about $40 to rent one for one hour. Not bad if you want to see the island on your own. Anyway, we noticed that the surrounding landscape was drought-resistance plants and trees. It was so dry here, that even these plants looked stressed. We suppose living on a small island, water is most precious and not wasted.

Halfway up the switchback road, we stopped at a little pet cemetery containing small, but clever tombstones and markers for cats, dogs, and even pet birds. Most all of the permanent homes had little or no gardens for pet burials, so this canyon on the hillside worked.

We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the harbor below, as well as the Amsterdam anchored close by. It was worth the hike. At the summit, there was a series of stairs that went down to a reservoir marked with a white cross. A stone bench was built into the hillside under rows of eucalyptus trees. We sat for a while watching the tenderboat traffic far below, and the tour boats floating in the shallow cove below us. And the good thing was that it was much easier going down than it was going up.

Back in town, we located the same restaurant we had dined in many years ago. It was Antonio’s Pizzeria right on the harbor. Even though they served pizzas, we went with the salads. The draft beer was excellent too. Thinking it would be more expensive than where we live, we found the price of the entrees to be much the same. It was also fun watching the locals in their boats, kayaks, and swimming at the small beachfronts.

Then we continued up Casino Way to the Casino, of course. It’s not what you think, however, because here in Catalina, casino means a meeting place. It’s a landmark from the past, which has been converted into a theater now. On the water side, people were renting snorkel equipment to swim in a huge roped-off area near the shoreline. We could see some bright orange fish among the rocks and seaweed, which are called garibaldis. The signage indicated that there were octopus, lobsters, and seals here as well.

Further up the road, we came upon Descano Beach with a restaurant, bar, umbrellas and tables, and enough beachfront to sink your toes into some sand. There were kayaks for rent, and plenty of whimsical animal inner tubes for the kids. New to the area is a rock-climbing wall and a zipline ride. That’s where we turned around to head back. If we had continued on the main road, we would have come upon a canyon full of fairly new condos. We don’t remember seeing any of this the last time we were here. These new homes must have increased the local population quite a bit.

On the way back, an ice cream shop was calling our names. One of us had a waffle cone with rocky road ice cream, and the other indulged with a chocolate-dipped, peanut covered frozen banana………sooooooo good.

We hopped on the tenderboat after looking in a few of the touristy shops on the way. We are getting better at passing this stuff up. Anyway, the boat left immediately, and we were back onboard by 5pm.

A Tex-Mex BBQ was taking place Lido Poolside at 5:30 to 8pm this evening. We always go to deck nine and take some pictures, then eat as usual in the dining room. Have to admit, the steaks and chicken on the BBQ sure smelled good. Oh yeah, they had announced that a mandatory fuel change-over had to take place this morning. It would cause black soot to be deposited from the stacks onto the outside decks. We did find the results on deck nine aft, and it was pretty nasty. This will occur again on Friday morning, and we hope it will be thoroughly cleaned up afterwards. The black soot is tracked all over the ship, and can stain shoes and clothing.

We bid farewell to Vicky, who will be going home tomorrow. We enjoyed her company at our table, although, our original couple have not been back for a few days. You never know if they decided to change to anytime dining, so they can eat earlier, since 8pm can be too late for many guests.

Our dinners were excellent once again. We all ordered the brie in the phyllo purse, and the short ribs, which was really more like pot roast with a rich gravy. Upside down pear cake and some vanilla ice cream finished the meal. Good thing we will be in port tomorrow, so we can walk off some of these calories.

We did receive some detailed info for tomorrow in San Diego, which happened to be the end of this short segment from Seattle. We will be intransit, so we should be able to avoid any lines leaving and re-boarding the ship. Sure glad we are not going home……..

Bill & Mary Ann

Beautifully written, as usual. A vivid and interesting account of Catalina. I've not been there, but after reading your posts today, I feel like I would be right at home.

Thanks for your blog. It's great fun to read.

Very nice read. Thanks for sharing..

Is Captain Mercer still onboard. He hasn't posted to his blog since September 2nd.

He got off in Seattle. He posted to his Instagram.

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I am unfamiliar with "fuel changeover" and, to my knowledge, never been on a ship where that has taken place. Can you tell me what this process is? Thanks.

I am unfamiliar with "fuel changeover" and, to my knowledge, never been on a ship where that has taken place. Can you tell me what this process is? Thanks.

This article gives a detailed explanation. It says that you have to burn clean burning diesel fuel in some parts of the world and not in others. So they change it out depending on where they are sailing since the clean burning fuel is more expensive.

http://www.marineinsight.com/main-engine/fuel-oil-change-over-procedure-for-ships-main-and-auxiliary-engine/

Report # 7 San Diego, California September 30, 2016 Friday Sunny & 81 degrees Part #1 of 2 80 Pictures

Today was a turn-around day, with some folks leaving, and new ones joining. By the end of the day, our guest population would increase to 1250. Darned near full house.

Since we were not in a hurry to get off, we hung around until 11am, doing some internet work. The Amsterdam was not alone in the port, since the NCL’s Sun was parked across from us. They appeared to be debarking their passengers like us. It was a good opportunity to complete some internet work.

It was going to be a perfect day for a walk. It was very warm, but there was a nice sea breeze. For a Friday, we thought the waterfront was very busy. Right across from the Amsterdam, was the USS Midway, which is a museum now. The top deck was full of aircraft from the war days, and it was already full of visitors.

We stopped at a very well-stocked information center where we picked up some useful information and local maps. Our day was limited in San Diego today, since all aboard time was 4pm.

We strolled the waterfront to Seaport Village, which is full of small shops and many cafes. You can pick up the Seal Tour here, which would go for a half hour city ride, then an hour water tour. We have done this many years ago, and really enjoyed it.

You can also catch a ferry to nearby Coronado Island from the small harbor. We continued past the Grand Hyatt, Marriot, Convention Center, and finally the Hilton Bayfront.

Walking through the Hilton, we navigated our way to the bridge that crosses over the highway. That took us into the Gaslamp Quarter where Petco Park sits, home to the San Diego Padres.

It was past noon already, so we headed towards the Hard Rock Café, where we ordered chicken tenders and split a burger. By the time our food arrived, we had consumed three sodas each. It was really warm today. Lunch was excellent. So was relaxing in the air-conditioning.

Heading past Horton’s Plaza, we made a stop at CVS to pick up a few essentials. They had everything we needed. Usually we walk through the mall stores, but there was no time today. Good thing the walk back was downhill, because we were fully loaded.

Being that we were intransit, we by-passed the long check-in line. All of the xray checking went on in the terminal before we were allowed to board the ship. It was easier than re-boarding in Vancouver, because customs and immigrations was not involved this time.

The nice thing was that we were not required to participate in the muster drill at 4:15pm. Close to 5pm, we went to the aft pool deck to secure our spot at the railing. Sail away was shortly after 5pm, and we found it interesting that the lines were dropped by two young ladies for a change. And they handle the heavy ropes quite easily. While we waited to leave, we watched the guests on the NCL’s Sun going through their muster drill.

One of our favorite bar waiters appeared…..Manny. He boarded the ship today after being home for a few months. Always nice to see familiar and smiling faces. Henk M, the hotel director, joined us for a while, as he made the rounds among the new guests.

Emily, the former librarian-now-tech geek, and Rene from the spa came back for a visit as well. Like more family onboard. Captain Eversen came on the speaker and announced that we may have some rough seas when we sail southwest later on this evening. His best advice, especially to the ladies, was to wear practical shoes. No problem, we will.

At one point on the way out of the bay, we witnessed a small boat, obviously out of control, going in a tight circle, and unmanned. Many coast guard vessels surrounded the spinning boat to check it out, but we sailed by too quickly to see if they were able to stop it.

We had three new diners join us this evening. Bill and Sylvia were from England, and Sharon was from outside Chicago. We were still missing our Alabama guests, although they are still onboard and assigned to the same table. That remains a mystery, since our waiters have not seen them either.

We kept our meal fairly light tonight having one shrimp cocktail and a bowl of very hot French onion soup. Entrees we both ordered were the sesame steak salad, followed by jello and a few cookies for dessert. All was good, although Sharon had to send her grilled salmon back twice….it was cold. The third time was a charm, so she hopes they get it right tomorrow night.

The dining room had emptied out by 10pm, including all of us. The good news is that we get an extra hour back on the clocks tonight, the first time change of this cruise.

We have several days at sea now as we head for Hawaii. Hope the weather will be good.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS To answer the question about the President’s Club, you need 1400 pure sea days to be inducted.

Report # 8 Sailing Towards Honolulu, Hawaii October 1, 2016 Saturday Chance of clouds & 77 degrees

The Amsterdam has begun its 5 day trek across the Pacific Ocean towards the first set of islands, which of course, is Hawaii. There were several activities planned to keep the folks busy on the way.

Shore excursions are always available, although we seldom book them anymore. They’re great for those who have never been to these upcoming ports before, a way to get the lay of the land. This very subject came up at the second Cruise Critic meeting this morning in the Crows Nest. Due to the fact that the meetings are not attended by any staff members, the members are free to discuss independent arrangements they made prior to the trip. Like we have said before, we don’t blame the passengers for going on their own, since many of the excursions on the ship have gotten so pricey. So after the initial introduction by the two leaders, the group broke off to discuss their plans. We did meet some very nice folks that have followed many of our cruises over the years. Always nice to hear that people are still reading our adventures. The meeting ended for most before 11am.

Following that, was a cocktail party hosted by Tom M, our escort for this trip. It was held once again in the Piano Bar/Rembrandt Lounge on deck five. There were about 25 of us, and we did recognize some people from previous cruises. In fact, two familiar couples asked us to join them. The bar staff was serving wine, juice, mimosas, or bloody Marys. We asked for one JD on the rocks and a rum and Coke. Trays full of fancy treats were passed among all of us. We held out because we planned to go to the dining room for lunch today.

Yesterday, we requested a table for both breakfast and lunch, and they gladly said OK. We ordered the vegetarian taquitos and sweet and sour pork. Both were very tasty. The desserts looked tempting, but we decided to pass on them.

Taking a walk outside, we found the seas to be a bit rough, and the winds were blowing quite strongly. We really did not bring any heavy jackets, so we did not last too long out there. We happened to have a chance to say hi to Captain Fred, while he was in Henk’s office. He promised us smooth seas and warmer temps in a few days.

While we were doing other things, a guest speaker, Greg Redfern, spoke about the future of manned spaceflight. Good way to learn where NASA is headed in the future.

At 2pm, hula lessons were given by the Hawaiian Ambassadors onboard. Earlier in the day, an orchid lei class was held Lido poolside. Guess we will see some ladies wearing the leis around the ship.

Other activities happened on this trip, include watercolors, tai chi, bridge instruction, and arts and crafts. We did read somewhere that many of these fun happenings will be discontinued on shorter cruises. So far we have noticed there are no dance instructors or dance hosts. Things are definitely changing…………

In the afternoon, we did try for some deck time at the back pool, but did not last long. Clouds were developing, blocking what sun there was. The chill was in the wind, making us head for some hot chocolate in the Lido. It may be a few more days before it warms up. Then we will all be complaining about the heat.

There was an unusual notice in today’s newsletter stating the delivery truck with the beverage provisions failed to make it to the ship on time yesterday. The passengers can expect a shortage of their favorite drinks, especially wine, heaven forbid. They did promise that these supplies will be forwarded to Honolulu, at a great expense to the company. Oh well, stuff happens…….

Dinnertime found seven of us at the table. Our original couple came back, so now we have three couples and one single lady. Our meals were creative tonight. One of us had the pork ribs, while the other ordered a plate of almond-crusted chicken tenders with a baked potato…..all very good. So far, we have not been disappointed with the food on this cruise.

The entertainer tonight was David Crowe, described as a kid of nerdy charisma and physicality that is absolutely captivating. Now that really tells us nothing, does it? Annie and Bill reminded us that he was on stage at the beginning of the cruise in Vancouver, and they remembered him to be a comedian.

Bill & Mary Ann

We certainly enjoyed meeting both of you yesterday!! Your information is invaluable to so many of us. Very nice to be able to thank you in person.

Cheers, Denise and Howard too

Report # 9 Sailing Towards Honolulu, Hawaii October 2, 2016 Sunday Sunny & 68 degrees

Sunday morning had a surprise……a Sunday brunch at 11 am in the dining room. For those folks that like buffets, they are in heaven with this one. It began while we were on this year’s world cruise, and has continued ever since. They are only held on a Sunday that we are at sea. We are not big on buffets, and since this one is heavy on the seafood, we usually go to the regular breakfast after 8am in the same dining room. Today one of us tried the new banana French toast. The serving size was small, but it was quite enough with some fresh mixed berries and a touch of syrup. Gotta order the berries every day, because once we get into French Polynesia, they may be gone.

The weather was nicer today. Just as Captain Fred promised, the seas have smoothed out, and the chill in the breeze was less noticeable. Perfect walking weather. So far, we have seen only two flying fish, and a couple of birds.

Ukulele lessons have begun with two classes today. In keeping with the Hawaiian theme, guest speaker, George Losey spoke about the island’s natural history. Hula lessons part two continued Lido poolside. Finally location guide Kainoa lectured on geology and geography of the Hawaiian Islands.

Checking out the aft pool deck, we ended up staying and relaxing in the comfortable sun for a few hours. It was not very crowded back there yet, but we suspect as the days get warmer, more sunbathers and swimmers will join us. At one point in the afternoon, an announcement came on the speakers that the crew were about to start up the alternate generator. Good thing the wind was blowing straight away from the ship, because the black soot that spewed out was thick. If this nasty stuff lands on your clothing, it will stain. Wonder why this exercise is not done during the night?

We ordered room service once again. Salads were great, and went well with two Lido sandwiches. It took about 30 minutes for the food to arrive, but when it did, everything was in order.

The schedule on this cruise is different from the world cruises. We always like to go to the outside area of the Ocean Bar to listen to the Neptune band play. However, they are only there at 4pm, 7pm, 8:45pm and 10:45pm. And since the buy-one-get-one for a dollar is only from 4-5pm, this whole area is dead…..no customers at 6pm. Being that this evening is the first “gala” night, the camera crew were out and about taking photos.

Most times for the first gala dinner, we get company at our table. Tonight was no exception, as Henk M, the hotel director, joined us. It is always a pleasure having him as our guest. And it gives our other tablemates a chance to ask some questions during the course of the evening. We discussed the small changes that have occurred with the HAL product, in particular, the new website that is offered for general information. It can even be accessed on cell phones, which we would not know because we don’t own one. Now if they could just get interactive TV’s in the staterooms, we’d be happy campers. Maybe someday, or not.

Entrees we chose tonight were spicy lamb chops and tender filet of beef. The chicken and swiss chard soup was piping hot, which was great. We even ordered dessert…..one lemon cheesecake, and a small serving of double Denali chocolate cake. Both sinfully good.

Henk recommended seeing the show in the Queens Lounge tonight, since this dance and song team were new onboard. Promising to be exciting, vibrant, and passionate, “Dance” was really just that. Yes, we attended, and were not disappointed. They performed dances from around the world…..the best being the tango and the flamenco. Henk had said he peeked in at their rehearsal, and stated he never saw girls be able to bend like spaghetti. Only Henk could come up with a line like that. Of course, we had to agree. Nice to be young, agile, and talented.

The good news was that the clocks went back one more hour tonight.

Tomorrow will already be “humpday”, the halfway point on our way to Hawaii.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS We just want to warn everyone that the internet may be spotty the next few days, so if you don’t hear from us every day, be patient, we will be back.