richwmn

9 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Rich maybe we should have given Trevor Knight more of a chance last night. We found him boring and not a very good singer. Maybe his talent lies more in his guitar playing? For the first time in my memory we left early, in the middle of his third song. 

I enjoyed the show, and (out of character for me) attended the coffee chat with him at 10am this morning. Try him again, you might change your mind.

February 3^rd, 2024 – Great Barrier Reef Experience

We have been in the Great Barrier Reef area since around 6am. This is an all day experience. Our position at breakfast –

The temperature is currently 82°F / 28° C and it is rainy. The humidity is 81% with winds at about 10mph. It is pretty comfortable aboard ship.

First, I forgot to post a picture of the Grand Cruise Repertory Company from two nights ago, so here it is. I really enjoyed that show.

Next we come to yesterday. Cairns looks to be a nice place, but again a pretty big city. There was a park right at the cruise ship dock, and it was pretty easy to walk around.

We had our typical port day trivia times of 4pm and 7pm. Both sessions were enjoyable, and we did do well as a group. The 7pm session’s theme was Royalty and the questions covered many areas that have or had a monarchy. After the trivia session completed, I headed for the World Stage.

Here I must admit something. I tend to remember the shows more than the names of the performers so when I see a name I don’t really know if I have seen them before or not. In most cases, when I see the performer on stage or hear their opening, that is when I realize that I have seen them before. Such was the case with Trevor Knight, the singer last night. As soon as he walked on stage I realized that I had seen him before and enjoyed his show. Last night was also a good show. He has a nice mix of singing and talk, and a good mix of songs. He will be doing another two shows and I will be attending both. His final song was ‘I am Australian’, which has become a bit of a national anthem. A good version by the Seekers (the original singers) is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrLTe1_9zso

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

3 hours ago, kelliebiz said:

Hi Rich, any chance they’ve had any Tamarind pop ups for dinner on Volendam? I’m guessing not since they have Morimoto now. I was really hoping and crossing my fingers. No such luck so far?

For this 'Grand' cruise we had a Tamarind pop up a couple of weeks ago. It was so popular that they scheduled another one for the 29th. I don't know if this will carry over to the Canal Cruise or the Atlantic Coastal.

February 2^nd, 2024 – Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Another misty, rainy day in Australia. We arrived in Cairns on time and have been cleared to go ashore. The temperature is 79°F / 26° C with the humidity at 97% and 3.4 mph winds. It is currently raining and is forecast to remain that way most of the day.

Yesterday was a nice day in Townsville. I waited for a bit before heading out to allow for the early crowds, but didn’t wait quite long enough. There was a long line for the shuttle when I got to the meeting area. I was second or third in line when the bus filled, and people had already started going toward the next bus, so much so that I was again near the end of the line. While waiting for the line to move, a third bus pulled up and opened the door right in front of me. I took that as an invitation and entered. The third bus ended up being around half full for the ride into town.

When I got into town I ran into two friends who had made the first bus and we ended up walking around town for a bit together. We went into the Post Office store and I was tempted to buy a new phone, the prices were really good. We then went into a Woolworths and made a few small purchases.

We then walked back to the bus stop and waited just a short time for a bus to appear. We got on to another half filled bus and headed back to the terminal. Outside the terminal there was a naturalist with a lizard giving some information about it and encouraging people to interact with it. Once inside the terminal there was a gentleman selling children’s books. He signed the one that was purchased.

Got back to the ship and had a Taco Bar lunch then relaxed until the 4pm trivia. Both of our groups did well, but didn’t win. A little more time until dinner and late trivia.

Trivia last night was all about Dinosaurs and we did rather well. We tied for the win, and both teams had the same answer for the tie breaker so we were crowned as co-champions.

The show last night was the Grand Voyage Repertory Company doing a tribute to Rock. It started with an empty stage while playing Queen with ‘We Will Rock You’, with plenty of audience participation. The next 45 minutes was packed with good Rock including some from ABBA, Elton John, and several others. Again, the singers were good and performed the songs with enthusiasm. While the choreography might not have been great, it was more than good enough for the crowd that attended.

Today’s activities –

Today’s menus –

29 minutes ago, leerathje said:

I've always wondered how, on the West Coast, is Ensenada considered a distant foreign port?

 

L.

 

It isn't. For the itineraries that include Ensenada only a near foreign port is necessary.

February 1^st, 2024 – Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Today we are in port and we are just tying up. We are scheduled for being able to go ashore at 9am which is in a few minutes. Our position at breakfast (7am) –

Last night was a dressy night and most of the ship was close to formal. There was a theme night last night – James Bond and it started at 7pm with the trivia questions being based on the Bond Books and Movies. A couple of the questions were pretty obscure, but on the most part they were good. After trivia, the Casino and Mix areas took over the Bond theme.

I have to add here that we had a special presentation yesterday. The pilot we will have aboard for the next few days boarded early yesterday. When meeting with the staff he said he would be happy to give a presentation, and the ship accepted. So at 2pm the World Stage was full for him to give a talk. Many of us understood that the presentation would be about the Great Barrier Reef, which is what he is aboard for. Most of the presentation was about the life and duties of the pilot. It was very interesting. We did get some information about the Reef as well, along with some of the challenges navigation thru it.

This morning it 82°F / 28°C on the ship. The humidity is 83% and the winds are at 4.6mph. The TV display shows broken clouds. It seemed comfortable when I was out a bit earlier.

Today’s Activities –

Upcoming Entertainment –

Today’s Menus –

On 1/29/2024 at 3:50 PM, kluv2cruz said:

Is this the Archie at Ocean Bar?

Archie's last work night on Volendam was last night. Here he is

2 hours ago, kelliebiz said:

Hi Rich, yep, I have been following your 134 Days… thread. Thanks for giving a look into daily ship life 👍🏼

See you aboard when we get back to San Diego!

15 minutes ago, kelliebiz said:

Are you staying aboard for the Panama Canal transit in April? I’m boarding April 6 in San Diego for the 15 days to Ft. Lauderdale

They aren't but I am, along with several others.

January 31^st, 2024 – At Sea, Destination Townsville, Queensland, Australia

This morning the ship is proceeding on a heading of 313.9°, at a speed of 19 knots. The temperature is 81°F / 27°C with a humidity of 84%. The winds are around 19mph. The ship is moving comfortably toward our next destination.

I mentioned yesterday that Brisbane was overcast and rainy. I have been watching the Australian news channel this morning and the area around Brisbane is experiencing flooding. This is the end of a cyclone that has been in the area for the last week or so.

We did well with the 4pm trivia yesterday. I had a nice dinner in the Lido and my next activity was to watch the early show in the World Stage. This was the second show for Annie Francis. She sang songs from the ‘60’s and did them very well. She also talked a bit about her background, which was interesting. I enjoyed her show and her selection of songs.

The ship remains comfortable and the crew is excellent. Food has been good and varied, with special nights happening often in the Lido. Each of the entertainers seems to have a nightly group of people forming their audience.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

January 30^th, 2024 – Brisbane, Australia

It is almost 5pm and we are leaving Bribane. Everything has been a bit off today, so I’m a bit late doing this. We will start with the position of the ship this morning and the weather.

Last night we started with the normal trivia session at 7pm. The subject was Golf, and we won. The World Stage showed the movie ‘Australia’, a 3 hour epic. I didn’t go, but the movie got generally good reviews.

This morning we arrived at Brisbane on time. We had been warned that we would be going thru a face to face immigration inspection this morning. It was similar to what happened on the World Cruise last year. For the most part, we each walked up to the official with our passport, the official looked at the passport and the face and said thanks and we moved on. We then turned in our paperwork, followed by turning our passports over to the ship.

After we finished in the terminal, we were off to the shuttles and a 30 minute ride to the actual city of Bribane. I was lucky that the shuttle I was on had a driver that talked about the area we were passing thru and a bit about the city. After arrival at the central station, we got off the bus and I walked around a bit. It was overcast and sprinkling and wasn’t a good day to show off the city. After I walked a bit, I got on a basically empty bus and rode back to the ship.

So, even tho it is a bit late, here are the days activities and menus.

38 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I'm sorry to deviate from the libation at hand, but while you are researching Bourbon would you mind looking if they have Ron Zacappa rum? It is a lovely drop and I would like to toast my crossing the equator with a wee tot of that. Perhaps "splice the main brace". If no Zacappa I'll settle for Pusser's.

Pusser's was available on Zuiderdam last year. I'm pretty sure I was offered it this year but I will check.

January 29^th, 2024 – At Sea, destination Brisbane, Australian

Another lazy day at sea. We are moving along toward our goal of Brisbane. We are due to arrive tomorrow morning at 8am, ready to tour a new city. Our berth will be at an industrial port and will require a shuttle (about $27) to get to the nearest places of interest.

The weather on the ship is currently 81°F / 27°C under cloudy skies. When I was out on the aft pool deck a few minutes ago it was drizzling. The humidity is at 84% with winds a little more than 12mph. If it weren’t for the rain it would be a very nice day today.

On the ship it is a little before 8am on Monday morning. Due to the time difference, the second half of the first NFL playoff game is about to start. We are also scheduled to get the second playoff game in a little less than two hours. I’ll probably watch both games, I’ll have to go see if there is a party in the World Stage. We did have one last year for the Super Bowl, but I don’t remember about the playoff games.

Trivia yesterday went well. My group during the first session only got 12 of the 17 possible points, but we did enjoy it. The evening trivia highlighted company logos and we had a perfect sheet. Unfortunately, so did two other teams. We lost in the tie breaker, mostly because the question involved the HAL logo and when it was changed. We chose the most recent, but the question was about an earlier, more major, change. Always the bridesmaid . . .

My team mates for the late trivia were the Creative Writing Instructor and her husband. They are from Toronto and are leaving in a few days. While we chatted the piano bar started up. At the beginning of the cruise, or maybe during the holiday segment, he was ok. Unfortunately he hasn’t improved. He does command a bit of a crowd each session so some people must like him, but to me he is the one I am least likely to attend.

Last night on the World Stage we had a second installment of the Sand Sculptor. As I mentioned before I have seen him on a previous cruise and wasn’t really impressed so again I didn’t attend.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

January 28^th, At Sea Destination Brisbane, Australia

It is a beautiful day aboard Volendam. Aboard the ship it is 79°F / 26°C under broken clouds. The humidity is 66%, and the winds are at 7.6mph.

Last night the show was another installment of the Grand Cruise Repertory Company. This is a group of eight talented singers and dancers who put a lot of energy into the show. Maybe the show is not up to the standards of New York or Las Vegas, but it is pretty good and nice entertainment for the evening. It was a fun evening and I enjoyed the show.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

January 27^th, 2024 – Noumea, Grand Terre, New Caledonia

I was here on Noordam in 2019 and this is what I said then.

Nouema, Grand Terre is the capital of New Caledonia. Like all South Pacific Islands, it is lovely. The ship was docked in a container area and we were provided a complementary shuttle to the cruise terminal outside the secure area. Inside the terminal we had the typical vendors selling tours of the area including a Hop On, Hop Off bus. The company running the HOHO bus was a local company which, at least to me, was trying to give the impression that they were part of City Tours, which provides HOHO busses in many cities. They weren't.

The tour was 10 of whatever currency you wanted to use. Could be USD, South Pacific Franks, or Australian dollars - still 10.

The bus was comfortable and we got to see a large area of this capital city. There were a couple of recorded announcements, but the notice of stops was by the driver and not over the PA system. As a result it was hard for those in the back of the bus to know where we were.

Another pretty stop, now on the way to Sydney, Australia.

So this year Volendam is not too long to dock at the cruise terminal (as Noordam was), so that is where we docked. I had checked in advance and knew I had been here before but I didn’t really recognize anything until I walked out of the terminal and saw where the shuttle dropped us off in 2019. I walked around the terminal area a bit, seeing a somewhat typical city. After I walked I re-entered the terminal building and looked around at the various items for sale. Most of them were marked as having been locally crafted.

Noordam from Cruise Terminal

Some views of today's stop -- Noumea

January 27^th, 2024 – Noumea, Grand Terre, New Caledonia

Our second day in New Caledonia. It was a smooth ride last night and this morning from Easo. Today’s position at breakfast, around 7am was:

Last night was filled. Again the trivia questions were good and difficult enough. My team lost another session in the tie breaker. Not that it matters much, no prizes are awarded and haven’t been in quite some time.

Dinner for me last night was taco bar. I wasn’t very hungry and that seemed to be the quickest and easiest option. After the 7pm trivia it wasn’t long until the Barn Dance started. This was the party held around the mid ship Lido pool. The staff set up the area with wagon wheels, hay bales (fake), and similar props. The beverage staff was wearing plaid shirts and jeans. For the first few minutes the CD Danni led a couple of line dances and everyone, including several staff members, seemed to be having a good time. After the line dances, the band from the Ocean Bar took over and played some pretty good music.

After the barn dance was in full swing, I ventured down to the Ocean Bar to see what was going on. The band that usually plays in the Crows Nest was playing dance music and several people were sitting there enjoying the music. I had a chance to talk to the bartenders, Marist and Archie, for a bit. After a couple of songs I returned to the Lido where the band was still playing. Several food plates were distributed and were pretty good. It was good to see Senior Staff out mingling with the Guests.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia

January 26^th, 2024 – Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia

Good morning from another small island we will be tendering to. As usual, tender tickets are required for the first part of the day with open tendering happening shortly. At breakfast we were just off the point where the ship would be while we tendered ashore.

A quick highlight from last night. The comic – Stevie Joe – was very funny. He put on a good monologue with a little bit of singing involved. The singing was reasonably good as well. Carolyn @Cruising-along wouldn’t have been happy with the songs if she attended, but for a comic, he was pretty good.

We are still experiencing good seas. The weather reports for the coming days have also been favorable, but who knows, that can change. The workers are constantly taking care of the ship. It appears there was a problem on deck two with a couple of cabin but it should have been taken care of by now.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

January 25^th, 2024 – Mystery Island, Vanuatu

Late posting due to some time on the island. Our position this morning was just off the island. We were cleared to start tendering on time and it began.

So back to last night. Because it was a sea day, trivia was at 1pm and 7pm. The early trivia went well. I missed the late session (on Fashion) due to dinner in Canaletto. It was a lazy day between trivia and dinner.

Dinner in Canaletto was very nice. We were a group of six, celebrating the birthday of one. The food was very good and the company better. I had the Chicken Parm, several had Shrimp Scampi, and an order of Spare Ribs. Everyone was satisfied with the meal, and basically said the portions were more than ample.

Dinner took right at two hours which put it right in time to go to the World Stage for the evening’s show. Prior to the show, Cruise & Travel Director Daniel answered questions about today’s visit to Mystery Island. Daniel is a very good speaker and is very funny. The half hour went quickly. Then the main show began. The talent last night was Australian singer Anne Francis. She did a show of tunes from the 70’s and was very good at it. She also sang most of her time, with little chatter about the songs.

Daniel

Anne Francis

The weather today has been beautiful and the island is very nice. Most of it was covered with stalls for people selling the typical items of the South Pacific.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

Mystery Island

January 24^th, 2024 – At sea, destination Mystery Island

Our location at breakfast was –

The current weather aboard Volendam, the temperature is 82°F / 28°C and it is raining. The humidity is listed at 83% with almost 17mph winds. The ride has been smooth since we left Lautoka.

Last night was typical, two sessions of trivia and my team was up near but not at the top. Sailaway at 4:30 was nice. The weather was kind, warm and not humid. One of the bands played at the Sea View Pool while we pulled away. The crowd wasn’t big, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was also nice that many of the ship’s officers, including the Hotel Manager and Captain, made an appearance and talked to the Guests. The band played at a sound level that didn’t interfere with conversation.

I have now been on Volendam for a month with three months to go. I would like to make a couple of observations. I do need to qualify these remarks by saying that this cruise, and the last one I was on, is a Grand Cruise which most likely makes a difference. The ship, Volendam, is in good shape. She is not brand new and doesn’t have some of the facilities of the newest ships but there is enough to do. The crew is constantly working to keep the ship in good order.

The hotel staff is as good, or better, than any ship I have been on. Part of this comes from the fact that it is a smaller ship and it is easier for the staff to get to know your preferences. The few interactions I have had with Guest Services were taken care of easily. My Cabin Stewards are wonderful and take very good care of me.

The beverage staff is also top notch. Again, with the smaller Guest count it is easier for the beverage staff to get to know everyone’s preferences. There might be one or two beverage stewards or bartenders that don’t know my drink preference. I generally get service quickly and correctly.

While the food might not be Michelin Star quality, it is very good. I admit that my normal meal choice is the Lido, but the food is tasty and in good portions. Again, the Lido stewards know what I drink with my meals and often it appears without having to ask. I did the Tamarind pop up, and Pinnacle Grill and both were good. I have had better steaks than what I had in the Pinnacle, but not often. Tonight will be Canaletto and I expect it to be fine.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

On 1/22/2024 at 8:55 AM, esimon said:

Any way to identify a chartered cruise?

20 hours ago, esimon said:

Looking to book a cruise in 2025 that is currently going to be a charter. If the charter falls through, they’ll open it up to passengers, but I’m wondering what the group might be. Not too many groups that would keep me from sailing on a ship, but there are some just curious

7 hours ago, esimon said:

OK everybody can relax now I understand chartered cruises. I’m not trying to get on one. I’m trying to book in 2025 on a specific ship, that is currently chartered and I can’t get on it. My travel agent has informed me of this, so I’m not just making stuff up. If the charter doesn’t go through completely, they will open up spots on that ship. And I might want to book one. So I was wondering how to find out what the rest of the ship might be. that should end this chat thank you very much 

4 hours ago, esimon said:

Oh my God you don’t stop. If they don’t sell out the ship, they being the people who are planning the charter, they will give what’s left to HAL to sell. Or can the charter.  They the people who are doing the charter.

You have asked a question and given us no information to really base an answer on. The two resources listed in posts 2 & 3 give known Ship Charters. If you would give us the date and ship we may be able to give you additional information.

As far as the Charter itself, the Chartering Agency owns the ship for that cruise. If the cruise is not fully sold, HAL will not get the cabins back. The Charter Agency will enlist other big booking agencies to sell the additional cabins, or leave them empty. If the Charter is cancelled, any cabins sold as part of the Charter are canceled as well and any special entertainment is also canceled so that won't be a consideration.

The only way HAL, or other agencies, will sell a cabin is if a large Group is on the cruise which may effect your enjoyment of the cruise. Those Groups that are identified by the link in post #2 are the only ones known, but others may exist.

If we knew the Ship and Date we may be able to get more information.

January 23^rd, 2024 – Lautoka, Fiji

This morning we are again in Fiji. I visited here in 2019 aboard Noordam and had a good day. Our position at breakfast was -

The weather forecast was a rainy morning, clearing before noon --

Highlights for yesterday, we had two good trivia sessions both of which my team came close to winning. One we lost in a tie breaker. The music venues continue to have reasonable audiences, but not crowded. Those who chose to are able to dance, others just sit and enjoy reasonably good performances. The World Stage showed a movie last night (“Oppenheimer”), which I didn’t attend so I don’t know what kind of audience it had.

I really like the ‘feel’ of the smaller ships. I keep running into the same people and it is more a neighborhood than even the Vista ships. I am happy with the cabin I chose and hope I get to stay in it for the final leg from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal. I might not since the HAL web site currently shows that it is booked for that leg. However, I know that in the past for whatever reason this cabin has been set aside until late in the booking process. We’ll have to see what happens.

I am enjoying the weather here, particularly with the reports of very cold temperatures where I would be if not here.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

It is 11:30pm on Volendam.

I know I haven't been posting here, but I do read the Daily each day and I appreciate everyone who is keeping it going while I am on this wonderful cruise.

With that, good night all!

Rich

January 22^nd, 2024 – Suva, Fiji

Today’s position and breakfast was -

Last night was a full night. We had Beatles trivia at 7pm. Our team did very well and everyone had a good time. At 9pm we had the ABBA song bites that we missed some time ago. I thought we did well with 15 out of 17, but one of the teams was perfect. I took in the 7:30pm show and it was good. It was the Grand Voyage Repertory Company with a show called ‘Ever After’. Good singing and dancing and a good sized audience.

After the late trivia I sat in the Ocean Bar for a while and listened to that band. Both singers have good voices and seemed to be having a good time with the audience. Each song had a couple or two dancing. When I left the Ocean Bar I went up to the Crows Nest but it was a dark night there.

This morning I got a couple of things done, then took a walk into Suva for a while. It didn’t seem to have changed since the last time I was here. The weather was hot and humid. Not too bad a day for a walk.

Today’s activities –

Today’s meals –

January 21^st, at sea destination Suva, Vita Levu, Fiji

We are currently moving across calm seas and appear to be making good headway. No more announcements have been made about the incident last night, so it appears that everything has been taken care of.

It is currently 84°F / 29°C on the outer decks, and the ship seems to be comfortable inside. The humidity is 76% and the wind is at about 6mph. The skies are overcast, but the day looks nice.

I have now been aboard Volendam for a month. Like being anywhere else there have been some ups and downs, but on the whole it has been a great month. Volendam is a smaller ship that Zuiderdam from last year so it is a bit easier to get around, but Zuiderdam had a bit more to do. We are a year further out from the shutdown than the World Cruise last year and to a degree it shows. There are ways that this cruise seems more ‘Grand’ than the Grand World was last year, but contacts on this year’s World say the same thing. The crew this year has been outstanding again and it has been very easy to get to know Crew and Guests. Of course, personalities are different. Last year on the World I went to several Wine Tastings. They were presented by Jacque and I thought they were extremely good. I have been to a couple on this cruise, with another one today, and while they have been good, I enjoyed last year’s better. Totally on the presenter.

The entertainment has been, overall, good. Like food, entertainment is subjective. When talking to other Guests, one will love a particular performer while another walked out early. Every sailing has the same dynamic, not all entertainers fit all Guests.

Tomorrow Suva will be a repeat port for me. There will be many of those coming up. It is still a great cruise and much better than being at home.