WCB

Report #36 Tuesday October 10, 2023 Nawiliwili, Hawaii Docked Port Side To Pier 8am-6pm Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 4........77 Pictures-----Causal Dress After circumnavigating the island of Kauai yesterday, we completed the circle by entering the bay of Nawiliwili this morning at 7am. Watching from our veranda, it was a tricky maneuver for the pilot to bring the ship into the dock. He did it with ease, although we have always been told that the Captain is always at the helm, and the pilot gives the directions. The ship was cleared by the local authorities a bit after 8am. As for us, we stuck around watching the tour buses fill. It’s amusing to see the people trying to out-walk each other to get to the “best” seats in the bus. Been there, done that. We are glad we took as many tours that we did back in the early days. These days….not so much. Speaking of tours, there were a few to Waimea Canyon – one was a small group for 5 hours at $170, or a large group for $130. It is a must see in our opinion, and it is the luck of the draw to see it without the fog descending. It is visible one minute, then gone the next. An excursion that takes in the Hollywood movie scenes was 6 ½ hours for $270, while the Tropical Gardens and Waterfalls was 5 ½ hours for $210. One that we did years ago was a Wailua River cruise and the Fern Grotto, where Elvis sang one of his famous songs for 3 hours at $150. The 8 hour version was $230. Lastly, Discover Kauai was 6 ¼ hours for $210 and a Plantation Railway Train ride was $90 for 2 ½ hours. Last year when we were on this same cruise, we learned there was no longer a free shuttle to the shopping mall in Lihue, a 10 minute ride from the pier. However there were free rides to Anchor Cove or a mini mall near the cove. Truthfully, it is a 10 minute walk from the terminal to get to both the shops and also Kalapaki Beach. We left the ship around 10am and headed towards the beach and the Sonesta Hotel by Marriott. Last time we were here, it was warm and sunny, which shortly changed to cool and rainy. Taking the umbrellas insured us that it would not rain today. Turned out to be correct even though it felt like rain, it stayed away. This hotel has a lovely garden full of native species of flowers and trees like hibiscus, frangipani, flame trees, mangrove palms, banana plants and tall coconut trees. Woven in and around the garden is a pond with waterfalls and fountains. The pond is full of mature colorful koi carp. During the day, these fish are fed pelleted food and they swim right up to the very edge of the shallow steps leading to the pond. Little kids love watching it…..we do too. Continuing along the paved walkway, we passed by the hotel’s huge swimming pool (guests only) then onto the stretch of sandy beach. This is where most of the crew will go if they are allowed off of the ship. They must take turns getting some free time in the ports. Situated along this beach is Duke’s Canoe Club, a perfect spot for lunch. It was afternoon by now, so we did have a 10 minute wait for a table. For a change we decided to try the Tuesday special of carne asada cheese nachos with teriyaki marinated grilled steak strips. Surprise…it was really tasty. The beers were Duke’s Blonde Ale, brewed in Kona for this restaurant. Ice cold, they were refreshing with a slice of lemon on the glass. But the best had to be Duke’s Hula pie, a real treat made with an Oreo cookie crust, macadamia nut vanilla ice cream, covered with whipped cream and surrounded with hot fudge sprinkled with more nuts. Now that was a perfect ending to a fun meal. We made our way back ducking in and out of the shops. There was an ABC store, the equivalent of a CVS or Walgreens, but when it got too crowded, we exited quickly. We can wait until tomorrow for shopping in Honolulu. Actually, we learned that our 2 day stay there has been extended for a departure time of 11pm, giving the crew some extra time off after the dinner service is ended. Getting back to the ship by 2pm, we kept busy until sail away at 6pm. The Captain had reminded everyone to be back onboard by 5:30pm sharp, as he wanted to leave immediately after that. On one of our visits here, we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets we have seen. We figured we would miss it, since the skies were mostly cloudy. Well we were wrong as the sky developed some pretty neat rays as the sun went behind the cloudy mountains. Had we gone inside earlier, we would have missed it. The dining room dinner menu reflected the area we are visiting…..everything with a Hawaiian theme. We stuck to the regular Caesar salads, one tomato soup, and for a change…..the Club Orange alternate of roasted pork belly slices served over warm pineapple with mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. Guess you can call it the “blue” plate special referring to the blue plate it is served on. Desserts were sliced bananas and one hot fudge sundae. Tomorrow we will be in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, just a mere 100 miles away from Kauai. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #35 Monday October 9, 2023 Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Scenic Cruising Around The Island Of Kauai And The Jurassic Coast Mostly Sunny And Warm 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 5......77 Pictures-----Casual Dress Originally, our port of call would have been Lahaina, Maui one day this week. Obviously, due to the wildfires that caused such destruction, the port was eliminated, and a day of scenic cruising was substituted. Which brings us to today with a pleasant afternoon of scenic cruising of the Jurassic Coast of Kauai. After a nice breakfast that included sliced bananas to help with the muscle cramps, we took a slow walk around the promenade deck to discover we were already sailing quite close to an island, but which one? We knew that after leaving Hilo on the big island of Hawaii, we traveled across the north part of the island then turned passing Maui’s southwest coast. Turned out we were sailing by Oahu. Sure would have been nice if there was some commentary while we passed so close to this island. It was close enough to see huge clouds over the island’s center dropping massive amounts of rain. Spending time at the Seaview Pool, we chatted with our buddies. We all agreed it was going to be a very hot day, but a good one for that afternoon sailing. The plan was to pass Oahu, then go between the islands and continue up to the east and north coasts of Kauai. Kauai is among the smallest of the Hawaiian chain, but it is the oldest geologically. Millions of years old. It is also the wettest if we remember correctly. Rainfall is measured in feet and not inches. It has been given the name of the Garden Isle for the reason it is so green. Average rainfall annually is 373 inches. It is no wonder that the swollen rivers have cut the canyons that resemble the Grand Canyon in the USA. Watching the scenery from our veranda was wonderful, however the heat of the sun made us feel as if we were cooking under a broiler. The Captain had slowed the ship to 8 knots, so there was very little breeze. Our Polynesian Ambassador, Kainoa delivered the commentary at 3pm which could be heard on the bow TV station in our rooms. Too bad it was not broadcasted throughout the ship, but it was not. One of us had to pop in and out of the room to catch what he was saying, which turned out to be a good way to try to keep cooler. The bow was opened as well for the folks to view this coastline. Kainoa mentioned that few ships are allowed to sail on this side of the island, so we should consider ourselves lucky. We certainly appreciated seeing the dramatic cliffs that at one point went up as high as 4000 feet. The original people to inhabit this island were of small stature but considered strong and sturdy. They mastered pond making where fish could be stored for future use. In time, the Marquesans and the Polynesians traveled here to live. Captain James Cook landed here in the 1800’s and life for the natives probably was never the same. European diseases were introduced which was bad. Kainoa mentioned that fishing is fantastic here. Often seen are the humpbacks who come here to have their calves beginning in November. He added that the orcas will travel here during the calving season and will attack the weaker females and young whales. Tiger and white sharks are commonly seen. There is one great white shark that is said to be over 20 feet long and has been spotted in and around the islands for several years. That would keep us out of the waters. Hawaiian monk seals are located on the other side of the island. After slowly sailing past the dramatic cliffs, the Captain turned the ship so the folks on the starboard side could view the special sights. Then around 4:30pm, we headed towards a very private island called Miihow or the Forbidden Island. Not sure the spelling is correct. But the story has it that this small island was sold to the Sinclair family from New Zealand for $10,000 back in the 1800’s. They were searching for an area where cattle and horses could be raised. The twist in this story is that the family was offered property where Waikiki is located, but the offer was rejected. Anyway, the combined families of Sinclair and Robertson still own the island, which by the way, has no running water or electricity. Hard to imagine this day in age. So the men run the ranch, but the women collect tiny seashells that only exist on this island, making it into very expensive jewelry. For instance one necklace with these shells could run about $6200. Wow. As always, we kept watch for the birds around the island. There were a few boobys and seabirds we did not recognize, but the best surprise was sighting some tropic birds. They flew so fast and at a distance too far to see for sure. But the camera caught them, and we could see the long tail feathers that they have. These birds prefer tall cliffs to fledge their young, then fly out to sea to search for food. We both said that as many times that we have visited Kauai, we have never seen this part of the island. The best way to do it is by helicopter, which we saw a few flying over the canyons and the dramatic cliffs. We all agreed that today’s scenic sailing was spectacular. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the other private island, all we saw was the outline of it on the horizon. The sun had gone down, and darkness descended. We figured that we needed the extra time to sail around this island so as not to get to tomorrow’s port of Nawiliwili too soon. Tonight’s dinner was special for Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Starting with sesame crispy chicken tenders, one soup, and a salad, we had the full turkey dinner, just like we have on our Thanksgiving. Of course it would not be complete without a slice of pumpkin pie. All of it was delicious once again. Hope that the weather holds up like it did today. Could not have been better. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #34 Sunday October 8, 2023 Hilo, Hawaii Docked Port Side To Pier Sunny With Lots Of Clouds And Afternoon Showers 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.......76 Pictures-----Casual Dress Well, whale-watching on our approach to Hilo was a bust. There were none to be seen, although we really did not expect to see any humpbacks. What we did see was another brief, but nice sunrise. Waking up early does have its benefits. The ship was cleared at 8am while we were having breakfast, and we noticed there was a stream of folks passing by our window on their way to the World Stage to get “stickered” for tours. There were several excursions that included the Volcanoes National Park, the longest being up to 7 hours for $260. Shorter tours with the Volcanoes National Park included gardens or waterfalls for 3 ½ hours for $170. Hilo highlights was 3 ½ hours for $130, or Old Hilo and Akaka Falls for 5 hours for $110. A more strenuous excursion was a 6 ½ hour bike adventure for $170. A drive to Mauna Kea at 13,804 feet in elevation for 4 ½ hours ran $280 with a box lunch. Some of these tours included a stop at either the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory or the Big Island Candies. Today is Sunday, and we are not sure those factories would be operating. Definitely their shops will be opened to buy the candy and nuts. At 9:30am there was a one hour crew drill, which is announced in the rooms as well as the entire ship. Since it interrupted the TV news, we figured we would catch up on the news later on, sad as it may be. Before we left, we watched as the tour groups went off. A number of the officers, included Captain Paul, were outside wishing the excursion groups a good day. That’s nice to see. We heard there had been a medical debark when the gangway was set out, followed by some folks boarding that may have missed the ship in San Diego (we are just guessing). We set out around 10:15am expecting to join the long line for the Walmart shuttle. Once we got the shopping taken care of, we intended to take our usual hike. Well……when we stopped at the info desk, we overheard the local gal telling someone that there was no shuttle for Walmart. Did we hear that right? Yep, the lady repeated that same info that the shuttles were not running due to security reasons or some strange reason that the buses created a hazard while turning left. Huh? At first we thought that they were not here because it was a Sunday. Nope, they were not running at all any day of the week. She suggested that we could take the morning only shuttle to the fruit and veggie market in Old Town, or call for a taxi. There were no taxis in sight, so we just headed out of the port area, turned right at the highway and walked towards town. Passing Reeds Park, we went towards the water and some benches we knew were there. One of us had pulled a calf muscle and really needed to stop. Nothing really helped ease the pain, except proceeding slowly to get the circulation going. It was going to slow us down somewhat, but we were this far and turning back wasn’t in the cards. Stopping at Ponds Restaurant was an option, even though it was 11:30am, the healing powers of a draft beer surely would help. By the way, it did help. The good thing was that it wasn’t crowded yet, and we got seated near two windows that were wide open. This small but good restaurant is built over the Ice Pond where fresh water comes from a natural cold spring, making the waters brackish. Directly under the café is an enclosed pond full of turtles and koi carp. You can dine and watch the activity right below your window. We ordered a cheeseburger with fries and draft beers. Our friend Leta had been out for a walk, and spotted us sitting in the window. She came inside to buy a bottle of water and stopped to say hi before heading back to the ship. Little did we know, some other friends had seen us too. After an hour of relaxing, we resumed our walk around the kids jumping off of the railing along the Ice Pond. Their aim is to soak anyone innocently walking past them. That’s why we took a wide path and walked in the bike lane. When we reached Banyon Drive, another buddy came across the street from the corner restaurant. They had also seen us sitting in the window, even taking our photo. By stopping to chat, we thwarted another attempt at a soaking by some older high school girls. They got tired of waiting for us to pass by, and dove in the pond. Too bad. Banyan Drive is an older hotel area from the 1950’s or earlier. At one time, many famous people had a banyan tree planted with their names and dates on plaques. One of the most famous was George Herman “Babe” Ruth, back in the early 30’s. Probably all of these donors have passed on, but these trees will live on forever. We entered Lili’uokalani Park full of ponds, Japanese ornamental statues and bridges, blooming trees, bamboo groves, and the best of all…..mongoose. We knew a good spot where a nice marble bench was near a volcanic rock outcropping, and we might see the little critters hiding under the green growth. And we were correct, as out popped a little mongoose looking for something to eat. As long we did not move, it came really close, until a lady came along with a dog. We still got some good shots of it. We circled back and hiked out to Coconut Island, or as the natives call it Mokuola. There is an active attempt at putting back the names of many icons to the original Hawaiian language so they do not become lost in time and memory. Many families were having a picnic while the kids swam or dove from the old bastions of a bridge. The BBQ’s were lit and tents were put up. The day had started out cloudy, with the sun peeking through. But knowing that the weather can change on a dime, it could rain. It felt like rain. Guess what? On our way back, it rained. We had stopped to pick up a Coke, because even with the clouds, it was really warm and humid. We are only allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water that can be bought on the ship. The same rules applied in Alaska as well. That’s when the rain began, heavy enough we could barely see the ship as the shower passed by it. Oh well, we had left the umbrellas on the ship, so we just stood under some of the old banyan trees and actually stayed pretty dry. It let up long enough for us to get back to the Volendam without getting wetter. To make things easier, before going out of the terminal, the officials were using facial recognition. There was no xray at all in this terminal. The ship did that instead, and it did slow the line down somewhat. We happened to come back the same time as a couple of the tour buses. It was good for one of us, since inching up the steep gangway slowly worked just fine. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos, reports, and simply relaxing. All aboard was 5:30pm, and we left the dock shortly afterwards. We stayed on our veranda to watch the sail away instead of going to the Seaview Pool. We understand that as the ship went out of the bay at the end of the breakwater, the rain resumed. The dining room dinner was perfect tonight. There was a good choice for us with appetizers of crispy spring rolls served piping hot, and Caesar salads….hold the anchovies please. Mains were veal parmigiana served over a bed of spaghetti and grilled zucchini. Extra marinara sauce made it even better. Desserts were one hot fudge sundae and a bowl of frozen strawberry yogurt with a side of sliced bananas. Great combination. We were happy, but tired campers. The World Stage was “dark” tonight as our buddies Greg and Heo would say. We have noticed a pattern with closed venues. Entertainment in the Explorers Lounge is dark two nights a week. The Mix bar and the World Stage are each closed one night a week. We believe that occurred even more often while on this year’s world cruise. This must have something to do with the contracts of the entertainers. Hate to admit it, but in the old days, nothing ever closed. But then, nothing stays the same forever, does it? Replacing the entertainment at 9pm was a Masquerade something-or-other. Not a “ball”. Masks that had been created a few days ago in a craft class could be used, but just for fun. To tell the truth, we only saw one couple donning the masks. The ship is now heading towards the island of Kauai, passing our original call at Lahaina, Maui. That port had been cancelled months ago after the devastating fire that wiped the historic town out. Lahaina was such a unique town and we are happy to have fond memories of our many visits there. Kimo’s for hula pie was one of those memories as was the gigantic banyan tree that is hopefully on the rebound. So we shall be doing scenic cruising along the east and north coastline of Kauai. Sounds like a neat plan. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #33 Saturday October 7, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Hilo, Hawaii Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.......74 Pictures---Casual Dress Day number five at sea made all the difference with the temperature and the humidity. We are now experiencing the tropics for sure. It’s no wonder that many guests came out early for a deck walk before it got even warmer. Too bad the working crew decided to close off the forward section of the promenade to do some overhead work using power tools. We all agreed it would have been better to do this job tomorrow when the ship is docked and the people would be ashore. Perhaps this type of work is not allowed while the ship is docked. Who knows? Today there was another 10am to 12:30pm brunch in the dining room. We looked up the menu and it is a three-course meal. There are two courses offered (limited choices) and dessert. Back in our room after the brief walk, we found the veranda’s sun to be intense. That reminded us to put some suntan lotion on the list for tomorrow’s shopping in Hilo. Nothing worse than an unexpected sunburn. Lunch was via room service. It was a bit disturbing when we were asked if we were isolated. Of course, the answer was heavens, no. Obviously, some people are sick, but how many? So when the waiter arrived with our food, we could not help but ask him if many folks are currently sick. Hesitating at first, he admitted that there are many ill people. From exactly what, we don’t know, nor has anything come close to being announced. All we know is that we need to be more cautious with hand-washing and using sanitizer. Avoiding crowds is also a good idea. Captain Paul did his usual talk after 12pm, but this time he added his condolences for any guests who had family and friends in Israel during this sudden attack. The N. Statendam just happened to be in Ashdod the day before, but it has been reported that the ship had left and all was well. We spent a better part of the afternoon glued to the TV. On a positive note, the Captain said to be sure to watch for whales tomorrow upon entering the port in Hilo. Many years ago, we did see the spouts on the horizon, but that was in January. Around 4pm, we went to the Ocean Bar to listen to the music of the pianist, which led to the Ballroom Dance Hour. We get a kick out of the dance couples enjoying the music as well. Friends Rosie and Randy happened along, and we spent some nice time chatting. By 6pm, we headed back to the room for a cocktail while watching what there was of a sunset. Watching the bow channel on TV, we noticed a few more folks have discovered the secret spot for viewing the west-setting sun…..deck six forward. It was the dining room for dinner with starters of a quesadilla and an egg wrap without hoisin sauce, which may have contained oyster sauce. Our waiter had them substitute the sweet and sour red sauce we love. Mains were one pork Weiner schnitzel and a rigatoni dish with chicken meatballs…..the closest to the beef meatballs one of us has been craving. Naturally, the meatballs and spaghetti entree was last night’s dinner and we were in the Pinnacle Grill. Both mains were quite good. Dessert was a chocolate sundae and frozen vanilla yogurt, both of which came with the triangle cookie. Wonder where they have been hiding these? The clocks went back one hour tonight to be on Hawaii time. Land ho….here we come. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #32 Friday October 6, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Hilo, Hawaii Overcast And Cloudy Skies With A Little Sun 72 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........15 Pictures---Casual Dress With the hour back on the clocks last night, there was a line of guests waiting for the Pinnacle Grill to open for breakfast shortly before 8am. Ready or not….here we come. A new breakfast waiter, Agus, took our order for a change. We think we surprised him with all of the coffee we drink. The number of morning walkers doubled today. For one thing, there was no rain and even though the clouds persisted, it was warmer and a little more humid. And to top it off, there were a few masked boobies chasing after the flying fish. Studying their behavior, we think once these birds are full, they will land and rest on the water for a while. Since the closest island is Hawaii and over 700 miles away, we know these birds are true sea birds, and only go to land to raise their young. Another little observation we made is that the promenade windows are not cleaned with squeegees anymore. Years ago, we did a last-minute Alaskan cruise, taking any room we could get. That happened to be a window room on deck three. Every morning around sunrise, we woke up to the screech of our windows getting cleaned. Sort of like nails on a blackboard, we vowed never to book a room on that deck again. Now the cleaning is nearly silent. Checking out the activity at the Seaview Pool area, the Captain came on with his noon talk. He speaks so clearly, as does the cruise director, that his every word can be understood. Anyway, he and his staff captain had a bet on the type of sea birds that have been following the ship. Captain Paul guessed they were petrels, while the staff captain said they were laysan albatross. Their final decision was that they were the albatross, so the Captain gave this one to his friend. Now, in our opinion, these birds were the masked boobies, fitting the size, weight, coloration, and the areas they frequent. Perhaps they were seeing different birds that we did not see, but we know the behavior of these birds is far different from petrels or albatross. The sun had come out off and on today, so we took advantage of that on our veranda. Lunch was two burgers from the Dive-In, while we finished watching the movie Australia on our TV. We like that feature of being able to watch movies without having to get DVD’s at the front desk. When it is working, the newer flat screen interactive TV’s are a big improvement from what we had on the Amsterdam. For some reason, we have lost some of the signal around 3pm every day this week. It’s not like there are mountains to block the signal. Eventually, it comes back. It was the Pinnacle Grill for dinner this evening. It was not very busy at 7:30pm, so we got excellent service as always. The wedge salads were perfect with the hanging bacon. We both ordered steaks – one a filet and the other a smaller rib eye. French fries and mashed potatoes were the sides. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and pineapple sorbet. Nothing fancy, just refreshing. The show of Musicology with the Step One Dance Company must have been well attended since the crowd of folks filed by our “window” while we were eating dinner. We have seen this on the N. Statendam and enjoyed it. Tomorrow will be day number 5 crossing the Pacific. Ready to be landlubbers soon. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #31 Thursday Sea Day Enroute To Hilo, Hawaii Heavy Overcast With Showers And Some Sun 72 Degrees And Calm Seas Part #1 Of 1......... 4 Pictures........Casual Dress A mist of heavy fog greeted us early in the morning. Not quite thick enough for the foghorn, but enough to add a chill to the air and make the decks slippery. Good time to head for breakfast and some nice hot coffee. Captain Paul happened to make a surprise visit to the Pinnacle Grill about the same time a gentleman seated close to us was deep in a conversation with the manager about why he was not allowed to invite a friend to breakfast here. Unless that friend was in a Neptune Suite, they would not qualify to use this venue. When the Captain entered and stopped by this table, the man asked who he was….possibly another manager? Oh that was not the right thing to say, however the Captain did explain that’s how it works in here. The fact that this single person was paying double for his Neptune Suite did not make a bit of difference. With that said, he left the room. Anyway, we did finally get to meet Captain Paul, who seems very friendly, reminding us of Captain Friso who did the first half of the world cruise this year. Trying to solve our internet problems, we spoke to Joice, the assistant hotel manager, who was most helpful. Long story short (more or less) the signal in our room is weak at best. So Joice sent two IT fellows to our room within minutes to trouble-shoot. Checking the two hallway hot spots, they found them working. However, the signal in our room was all over the place. With his own laptop, one of the IT guys discovered that the distance from the hot spot made a difference in the reception. Our desk is located next to the veranda door, and the furthest spot from the hallway. As a test, we placed our laptop on the coffee table, and we got a better signal. Go figure…. Leaving the door opened also increased the signal strength, although that is not an option for us. Nothing was really solved, except for moving the computer around. Even with the upgrade of Starlink, it is not perfect. The rest of our day was more pleasant as we visited with friends. The drizzle had ceased for a while, so we went to the Seaview Pool to see if the sun was coming out. We did run into good friends and spent some time chatting. The sun eventually disappeared and it began to drizzle lightly. Most folks just sat in it. Oh well……we will get to the tropics soon we think. Lunch was Dive-In again. We did see that there was a dessert special in the Lido and while we were outside, and we did see people coming out with waffle cones that were dipped in chocolate. We stopped eating the ice cream cones when all they served were tiny old-fashioned cones on the world cruise. Other fun activities included Hawaiian bracelet making, ukulele playing, hula dancing, and aloha sunset cocktail hour. Lectures presented further education on volcanoes and iconic Hawaiian symbols. We spent some time walking the promenade and watching for flying fish, some of which were huge. No birds today. These flying fish will survive to see another day. Then at 5pm, we strolled by the Ocean Bar to find Ballroom Dancing Hour in full swing, as were the many couples who were also in full swing. Reminded us of dances one might learn at the Arthur Murray studios. Dinner was good with starters of Caesar salads, a Thai beef salad, and a bowl of bean soup. Mains were a diced short rib meat sauce with linguini….one of our favorites. And guess what was another item for dinner? Liver and onions….Barb. We thought about you. We had enough room for one hot fudge sundae and a toffee fig pudding. Good thing the portions are small. Showtime was a comedian John Wing guaranteed to make you laugh. And the clocks rolled back one more hour this evening. We believe there will be one more hour before we reach Hilo. Fine with us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #30 Wednesday October 4, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Hilo, Hawaii Partly Cloudy With Lots Of Sun And Afternoon Showers 72 Degrees Part #1 Of 1..........20 Pictures Coming back to our room after breakfast, we were surprised to find that neither of our room keys worked. We went straight to the front desk, where they made new keys. One of the fellows followed us up and tried each card. Still did not work. We waited in our room until the second set was printed, and when the fellow tried them, they both worked again. No explanation other than they had lost their magnetic strip, We do know putting your key card in a purse with magnets for closures, can erase memory. That might apply to one of us, but not both at the same time. Sure hope this is not going to happen again. During our morning walk, we saw the crew removing dozens of aluminum pouches from the tender boats overhead. Curiosity got the better of us, so we asked the workers what these were. They said Seven Oceans on them, and it turned out to be drinking water that is always stored in the boats in case of emergency. We assume they were dated and were being replaced. We always wondered how fresh water was stored in these boats, and now we know. You learn something new almost every day. Currently, we have good friends traveling on the Zaandam on the East coast. We asked them if the day of the week was printed on their Daily program. Yes, it was, and she even sent us a photo of the front page. In fact, it was the largest printed word on the front of the newsletter. We took the computer down to show this to the hotel director, but he was not in his office. But Joyce, one of the officers of a different department was there. After hearing our story concerning the lack of the day being on the newsletter, she took a photo of it with her phone, and promised to show the person who is responsible for the printing. Now we highly doubt it will be added, but we did not like being told yesterday that it was not happening on any other HAL ship. Cannot fool us old-timers…… The weather was warmer today, and we had some sun on the veranda. However, while sitting outside, a close-by neighbor appeared to be ill with a constant nasty cough. We could not help but hear him telling someone that the doctor put him on antibiotics due to his advanced age. Good grief…..we hope this is not the start of the Covid virus. Come to think of it, more than once, our room steward has asked if we were feeling OK. Then in the dining room a few nights ago, after ordering a bowl of chicken noodle soup, the head waiter asked if we were feeling seasick or ill. Nope…one of us loves chicken noodle/spaghetti soup. Anyway, it is enough for us to continue being careful with handwashing and sanitizer use. And avoiding crowds. For a change, we went up to deck nine aft right above the Seaview Pool. Enough sun was shining through the passing clouds, so we relaxed on the lounges for an hour. The outside speakers are working perfectly now, and when Captain Paul came on with his noon talk, we understood every single word. Valerie, the cruise director also spoke clearly and distinctly. Looking down below at the pool area, we can say that ½ of the lounges were occupied. Only a few folks were swimming in the clean cool water. Lunch was our Dive-In usuals – burger and chicken sandwich to go. Getting the food at 2pm only takes 10 minutes at the most. The only other event was seeing the start of the flying fish…some huge but most medium-sized. Later in the afternoon, a couple of boobys appeared. It was most entertaining watching them perform for us with soaring and diving for the fish. We expect to see many more of these cool birds the further south we drop. Then by 3pm, it began to sprinkle off and on. Nothing big, but it sure cooled the air off in a hurry. Dinner was German-themed. Now that is something new for the dining room. Lately, these special themed dinners have been served in the Lido, not in the dining room. Our salads were fairly simple, but the fried cheese was really tasty as was the beef soup with one dumpling. Our waiter is taking 30 seconds to heat the soup in the microwave and it has made a huge difference…so much better tasting. Mains were one Weiner schnitzel and the Club Orange special of Peruvian chicken. For no special reason, we have never ordered that meal, so tonight was a good time to try it. Of course it comes on a nice blue plaid plate. It was a half of a small chicken perhaps Cornish game hen and was seasoned nicely with a crispy skin. Very good. Desserts were one small fudge sundae and two tiny scoops of frozen strawberry yogurt. Yogurt has not been written in the menu, so we found out it is available every day. The World Stage hosted Humanity by the Step One Dance Company…..again. We would have missed the beginning because our meal went well past 9pm. Bill & Mary Ann

We are 99% sure that 1921 on the Volendam has a shower. We did take a look for friends on the same deck, and they also had a shower....all newly-remodeled. However, you can call ship services at HAL and have them research it. They are very accurate with their information. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #29 Tuesday October 3, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Hilo, Hawaii Partly Cloudy With Lots Of Sun 64 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.......5 Pictures Gala Night On this legendary voyage, on sea days, breakfast will be at 8am in the dining room and 7am in the Lido. Port days will be a half hour earlier, like it has always been. Showing up right after 8am at the Pinnacle grill, we noticed there were few customers. Guess boarding day was so busy that many guests slept later. Can’t say we blame them. The result for the few of us at 8am is the fact we have the attention of several waiters. And they are spoiling us. We also met the new manager, Bagus, who has stepped in for Endrian who went home. Today the weather was warm in the sun, but cool in the shade. It was 64 degrees with 12 mph winds, which picked up a lot by late afternoon. The ship is sailing at 15 knots with some listing. Heading primarily west, we have not dropped enough south to feel that tropical heat. It will be here soon enough. And despite some passing clouds, it has not rained. There was another reception for the 3, 4, & 5 star Mariners and President’s Club members at 11am in the Crow’s Nest. Usually this is held on boarding day, but too much was happening, and it was moved to today. Much wiser. There were so many of the star members, there were two starting times. Not wishing to stand in a line at the entrance, we went about 10 minutes late. Well, there was no line, but the fellow at the entrance hesitated letting us enter. He did have a list, but failed to ask our names. We assured him we had been invited, and he said please come in. As it turned out, he was the new Mariner officer who replaced Jennifer. Saying no more to him, we took our usual seats at the bar. The Beverage manager, Russell, came by and chatted for a while. When we told him that story, he laughed and motioned Arnold to come over and meet us. Well, he was surprised and apologized for the mix-up, as he should have known who his customers were. Hearing this conversation, the nice bartender pulled out a very good bottle of real champagne and poured us two drinks. We doubt if he forgets again, or we will tease him forever. He is a nice young man from the Philippines and quite friendly. Johan, the food and beverage manager promised to get us a weekly menu of the Club Orange dinner entrees. He followed through because this evening, he came to us in the dining room with the list that gave the entrées with the sides as well. It will repeat on a weekly basis. We thanked him for doing this, and it will save time for our waiter who has to look it up on his device every night. We also met the new Hotel Director, Glenn Cowly, who listened about the lack of TV since yesterday. He did admit the problem could be a number of things, but never went as far as saying something was broken. To be fair, we read our reports from last year’s cruise, and we had similar problems with both the TV and internet. It seems like our internet is working better, but no one has taken credit for fixing it. The TV reception came on briefly this afternoon, but it did not last more than ½ hour. By the time we finished dinner, the channels were back. Lunch was a Dive-In chicken sandwich and a hot dog with fries. It was ready within 5 minutes. Really great service when there is no line. Tonight’s dress was “dressy”, and guess what? The majority of passengers dressed up just fine. This time we saw some tuxes, suits, and jackets for the fellows. The ladies always look great and tonight was no exception. And we saw only one t-shirt on a guy but no baseball hats. Things are looking better. Starters for us were shrimp cocktails, a salad, and a hot bowl of tomato soup. Very good. Mains were lamb chops but with customized sides of mashed potatoes, diced carrots and a pile of asparagus. Also tasty and colorful. Desserts were a crème brulee and sliced pineapple. Better news: the clocks went back one hour, thank you. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #28 Monday October 2, 2023 San Diego, California Docked Starboard Side To Pier Mostly Sunny And Warmer 70 Degrees Part #1 Of 3..........77 Pictures Of 191.......Casual Dress While we were sailing into the harbor of San Diego very early in the morning at 6am, there was a medical call for the staff in the Lido. Boy, that is surely not the way someone expected to either end their trip or begin a new one. When these things occur, we seldom hear the outcome unless it happens to be somebody we know. And as always, we wish the person well. One of us was already up at 5:30am, so we may as well both get up and watch the sail into San Diego even if it was dark. We could hear the sea lions barking along the shoreline near the Naval Base at Point Loma. The night lights of the city were pretty as we passed by Shelter and Harbor Islands on the left side and Coronado Island on the right. Airplanes were already landing and taking off at the international airport, which is busy all day long. The Volendam was docked before 7am, and the good news was that we were the only cruise ship here today. From the looks of it, the weather was going to be perfect with a few scattered clouds, but mostly blue skies. The forecast on TV said there would be light rain, but we can never depend on their accuracy. Today was no exception… there was no rain. We set off for breakfast at 6:45am, but we were not the first there. Many customers lugged their bags to the Pinnacle Grill to relax in there to wait for their colored tags to be announced. We were cleared by the local authorities after 7:30am, and the call for debarking guests started shortly after that. Should be an easy debark since only 300 folks were getting off. While we were enjoying our breakfast, all of the deck six port side verandas were being cleaned. Then we discovered that there was a plumbing project taking place next to our cabin door in the hallway. Workers had the panel in the ceiling down and the plumbing door opened wide. Good time to take the computer down to deck five and the library to try to send emails. We still have trouble understanding why we get a better signal directly below our room, and get a poor one just a floor above. Reporting the problem yesterday, we had hoped someone would try to fix it, but nothing had changed yet. Our friends down on Dolphin deck report good speed, just like we had when we were there. Go figure…. There were a handful of shore excursions today starting with airport transfers. Those with early flights could get a transfer for $29 per person. If you had time because of a later flight, you could book that same transfer and add a zoo tour for $125 pp. A 6 ¼ hour tour to the zoo was $130, and the Old Town Trolley was a 2 hour ride for $70. City highlights was $75 for 4 hours, and if you added the airport transfer, it would cost $90. When we fly home from San Diego, we always take a taxi, since it is only about a 3 or 4 mile ride for less than $30 for both of us. Leaving the ship at 10am, we took our usual route along the waterfront to Seaport Village, a very touristy spot with shops, cafes, and some nice restaurants. We passed all of the sights like the Midway Naval aircraft carrier, many street vendors, ticket kiosks, and the info center, where we picked up a good downtown map. A convention center is here as well as a really nice marina and yacht harbor. Some of the sailing vessels moored here are quite impressive. High rise hotels face this harbor and marina, some higher and newer than others. Entering one of the big ones, the Hilton, we found our way to the walking bridge that spans the highway below and connects to the area of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Following Park Boulevard, we walked behind the stadium to the historic Gaslamp Quarter. This part of town is filled with many eateries with outside dining and dozens of shops. We did locate a CVS, but they did not have what we needed, so we continued on. There was a sports grill and bar on one corner in this district, but we failed to remember the name. Going down some streets, nothing looked familiar, so we found Market Street and heading back downhill where we knew to find a Cheesecake Factory. By now, it was time for lunch and more so….something cold to drink. So it was Cheesecake where we ordered those Stella draft beers and a Skinnylicious Mexican tortilla salad. Every Monday at home, it is Cheesecake day for us, so this was perfect. These salads are huge and easily shared. They also served their signature sourdough bread and the Indian brown bread. The best thing was sitting and relaxing for an hour or so. On the way back, we passed by the Sante Fe railroad station, then back to the waiting Volendam. We were back by 2pm and happy to retreat to the comfort of our room for a while. The plumbing job was completed and the veranda clean. Bad news is that there was no TV reception all day. Perhaps after we leave the port, it will be restored. Nope, still nothing at dinnertime. Calling the front desk, they said there was a glitch, and the IT guys were working on it. Again, not the best way to begin a legendary voyage. By the way, we need to make a correction regarding the name of the ship’s captain. It is Captain Paul Adams. The other captain we mentioned will be a guest lecturer later in the cruise. The new hotel director is also named Glenn and is from Australia. We shall also have a new Mariner rep, and hope to meet some of these officers perhaps tomorrow at the reception in the Crow’s Nest. Sail away took place around 5pm with not only drinks for sale, but also some canapies, which is the first time for us to see some food served at these events. Our friends from home joined us, as did some friends of theirs that boarded today. Rosie and Randy, who we met back in 2013 and 2015 joined the ship today too. They probably knew we would be back at the aft pool ready to take some photos of our departure. Out in the bay, it was a lot cooler, but we all hung in there until we were out to sea. We had many pelicans, seagulls, cormorants, and sea lions to see on our way out. We even got shots of the famous Coronado Hotel in the distance as we left. Pretty much chilled, we all headed back inside. Now that we have a full ship, the dining room was busy, especially at the early opening time of 5pm. Any time dining seems to be the trend so far as we can see. Starters for us were a seafood crostini and a Caesar salad, and one very hot French onion soup. Sure was good. Mains were a tenderloin steak, but sliced thinly with all recognizable vegetables. Quite tasty. One of us ordered the Club Orange special of Peruvian chicken, however, after waiting for a while our waiter Mario came and said they did not have it. Sliced leg of lamb was substituted. Now the last time we ordered the lamb, we were disappointed because it tasted like cardamom and was tough and dry. Tonight’s lamb must have been cooked on the spot, and it was the best so far. Desserts were the mini hot fudge sundae with chocolate sauce, nuts, and marshmallows. The scoop has been down-sized to a little bit of ice cream, but they are doing us a favor. Now we will have more than a few days at sea on the way to Hilo, Hawaii. Looking forward to it. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #27 Sunday October 1, 2023 Day At Sea Enroute To San Diego, California Cloudy With Some Sun 62 Degrees Causal Dress Part #1 Of 1.........34 Pictures Today will be the final one of this 5 day cruise from Vancouver for about 400 guests. And being that it is a Sunday at sea, there is another 10am brunch in the dining room. Of course, we prefer the Pinnacle Grill and did go there by 8am. There were many customers to our surprise. The skies have remained cloudy, but the chill in the air was gone. Last night we did experience some strong winds, but it has calmed down nicely today. All we need is for the sun to appear, and all will be right with our world at sea. Days like this one at sea are perfect, so one of us can work on photos without burning the candle at both ends. That tends to catch up with us with port-intensive itineraries. No doubt we will have some relaxing time as we will be spending 5 days sailing towards Hilo, Hawaii. At noon, Captain Whitaker bid his final goodbye to all as he is heading home after 2 months at sea. Captain Paul Eschenfelder will take over in San Diego for the legendary Tales of the South Pacific. We do not believe we have had the pleasure of sailing with him on past cruises. For only the second time this trip, we ordered a simple room service lunch at 2pm. They said to expect a 30 – 45 minute wait time, but it finally arrived after 50 minutes. During that time, there was an announcement that dolphins were spotted on the port side. Since one of us was sitting on the veranda, the splashing could be heard well before the announcement. There must have been hundreds of dolphins in this pod, as they swam under the surface, jumping when least expected. What a display they put on as they played in the wake left by the ship’s sailing. The ship’s speed had been reduced to a mere 10 knots and it seemed as if we were crawling along. Now we know why there is such a strict speed limit in these waters. This part of the California coast also has many whales that migrate south. We had hoped to see some spouting humpbacks, but there were none to be seen. Since we are sailing in international waters, it may be too far from the coastline to see the whales. For some unknown reason, ever since we re-located from the Dolphin deck, we have had problems with the internet. The signal has not been as strong as it was. In fact, this afternoon, we could not send the blog. No one at the front desk could explain our problem, since there were no reports of any outages. So we went down to deck five to the library/computer area and we had a strong connection with emails going out immediately. Once again, we stopped at the front desk, and reported the problem. They said they would investigate this for us. Sometimes the location of the hotspot in the hallways can affect the signal strength. Perhaps we should have contacted Jennifer, our girl Friday, but we learned from her earlier that she will be going home tomorrow and we will get a new Mariner expert in San Diego. Hope he is as good as she has been with us. We enjoyed another Pinnacle Grill dinner this evening with our favorite wedge salads, clothes line bacon, and warm rolls. Mains were lamb chops and halibut. All cooked perfectly with added sides of skinny fries and a baked potato. There was a tad bit of room for their best orange sorbet for dessert. The entertainer this evening was the comedy of Simon B. Cotter once again. He is said to be the winner of Canada’s Comedian of the year. If we have not mentioned it, the Ocean Bar has a cocktail pianist at happy hour, and the Ocean Band later. The Mix offered a piano bar entertainer, and the Explorer’s Lounge had a classical violinist this afternoon and evening. San Diego….here we come. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #26 Saturday September 30, 2023 San Francisco, California Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5pm Morning Overcast With Some Sun 60 Degrees Part #1 Of 7........69 Pictures We were up early to watch the Volendam glide under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge this fine Saturday morning. And we lucked out as there was no low fog blocking our view. There were overcast skies, but not extremely cold with temps in the low 60’s. The Oceana’s Regatta had beat us into the bay and took Pier 27, the newest cruise terminal in the city. We had the oldest one at Pier 35, however, that put us closer to Pier 39 and all of the stores and restaurants. With the assistance of a tugboat, the ship was safely alongside before 8am. Without the use of the more modern azipods, the ship needs more help with local tugs. There were a few tours offered here today and the most comprehensive of them, in our opinion, was the Ho-Ho bus or the Big Bus 2½ hour ride. The ship’s price was $63, but if you bought tickets on the Embarcadero, they were $49. A tour of SF with Alcatraz for 4 hours was $100, while SF with a drive to Sausalito for 6 ½ hours was $110. There were no wine country tours but there was a ride to Muir Woods and Sausalito for 4 hours for $110. Any one of these excursions would be a fine way to see the city, where both of us happened to be born and raised. For a Saturday morning, the area was not too crowded yet, but that would change. We learned that there were several events happening and one of them a 45 year celebration of the building of Pier 39. The other event was a swim race called Swim Across America held at Aquatic Park. After breakfast, we left the ship just as the crew drill was ending around 10 am. Walking The Embarcadero, we passed Pier 39 and the Jeremiah O’Brien ship which was docked near us. There was another celebration taking place here later. We have heard and seen so much negative things about the city we have known so well, that we were happy to see that this part of town has been kept clean of trash and a rough element of society. We did hear a very vocal religious speech-giver and a group of fellows performing street entertainment. That has been part of the city since we were little. We believe there is a large number of homeless folks, but that is in the Justin Herman Plaza near the Ferry Building. Passing through Fisherman’s Wharf brought back years of memories with all of the famous fish restaurants our parents brought us to. The names are still there, but we are not sure the original families still run them. At Hyde Street, we saw the historic sailing ships and the Aquatic Park where the swim event had just taken place. Many of the contestants had on wet suits, but those who did not were wrapped in thick beach towels. Right up the slope from the beach area is Ghirardelli Square and a shop where you can buy the best chocolate ever. And that is just what we did…..buy some chocolate squares by the pound. Or we should say by the half pound. These days it is worth it’s weight in gold. This time of year, they offer a most delicious seasonal special of caramel pumpkin spice chocolates that are to “die for”. We will savor these one day at a time, as we will the sea salt dark chocolate squares we purchased. Back-tracking, we passed Del Monte Square where the factory used to be. Several street vendors were selling things from Mexico and even Guatemala. Much of the merchandise was targeting the children. And there were many of them out with their parents today. We were in search of some peanut brittle, which we did find at a candy shop near Madame Trussand’s Wax Museum. Our last stop was at CVS for a few necessities, like popcorn. It still shocks us to see so much of their normal merchandise under lock and key due to shop-lifting. Then it was off to lunch at the Hard Rock Café. It was noontime by now, and the place was rapidly filling up with large groups. We were lucky to get a hightop table near the bar. Our meal was a shared plate of cheese nachos with grilled chicken and guacamole. Our choice of draft beers were a Lagunitas IPA and one Stella Artois. We couldn’t resist the hot fudge brownie sundae, which we split of course. The owner of the café helped us how to re-join their club which has changed in recent months. We’ll have to do it online back on the ship. He also advised us that we can obtain a real HRC card by visiting one of their casinos which we did not know. On our way out, we purchased a city T, the priciest one this year. Guess inflation continues to shock everyone nationwide. We could not leave Pier 39 without seeing the sea lions. The crowd had increased and we can say we have not seen this many tourists here in a long time. Even the sea lion area was totally crowded. We made our way past the onlookers and then back to the ship. By now, it was after 2pm, and some of our crew members were on the run since their all aboard time was closer to 2:30pm. They know not to be late. Back in our room, we ran into both room stewards, the nicest fellows, and asked if we got get a chair pad for the lounge on the veranda. Jito, the assistant, said he would be happy to “steal” one for us, which we said that would be great. No rush though as we know they were busy. Well, within 5 minutes there was a knock on the door and there was our clean chair pad. It is really nicer to have the cushion since the lounge is quite low to the floor and the pad helps us get up easier. Sail away at the aft pool was around 5pm, so we grabbed the camera, and off we went. Friends were boarding today and we knew they would show up for the sailing out of the harbor. And that they did. It was so nice seeing them and hearing they had arrived on time and were already settled. They have done this tropical cruise several times like us, and we all look forward to nicer weather as soon as possible. The sun had come out in the afternoon and it felt so nice. But once the ship sailed under the Golden Gate, the winds were bone-chilling. Never saw a deck clear out so fast. The four of us left by 6pm going inside in hopes of warming up. Looking forward to catching up on news with them now that we have 54 more days to do it. It was a casual dinner in the dining room, but hardly anyone was there at 7:30pm. Bet they spent a busy day in the city, and went early to dinner. The menu was the culinary one, which we think we had just a few days ago. It was Caesar salads for starters and a chicken meal with sour corn?...now that was odd. Tasted odd too. The other choice was rigatoni with a sausage sauce which was OK. Only one craquelin dessert was needed, then it was off the bed for us. There was an impressionist, Tyler Bryce, on the stage tonight at 9pm, a ½ hour earlier now. There are a few adjustments on this legendary cruse compared to the repeated Alaskan runs. One more day at sea, and we will be in San Diego. Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks for following along. So far, we have not had the opportunity to go to a dining room lunch. On the Zuiderdam's 2023 world cruise, they did offer hamburgers at lunchtime in the dining room. We shall check the menu on the TV and see what the menu has to offer. We grew up with Campbell's chicken noodle soup, which had nice egg noodles....still does. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #25 Friday September 29, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To San Francisco, California Overcast With Rain 55 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures Casual Dress Oddly enough, the carpet in the elevator said “Sunday”. We don’t think so, but then the day of the week has not been included on the Daily paper ever since we boarded in Vancouver. Of course, we do have a calendar where the itinerary is printed and all of our reservations for dinner are posted. Once we retired, it seems like every day is a “Sunday”. We noticed that when we left breakfast that the newly remodeled Captain’s Corner was nearly finished. The walls were lined with shelves and tables that were already beginning to be stocked with some of the more expensive HAL logo clothing. Instead of seeing the pieces of artwork on the walls, now there is a nice cubbyhole for the special items for sale. It is not ready to open yet, but we suspect when we reach San Diego, there will be a grand opening. An article appeared in yesterday’s newsletter concerned the game of pickleball, which has become quite popular on the ships these days. Now court reservations are required. One hour sessions can be booked on sea days from 12 to 4pm, and on port days, it is 9am – 4pm. And be prepared to play doubles if the demand is high. In addition, there was a meeting for those to learn the rules and regulations of the game. Perhaps court etiquette is discussed, which leads us to think there have been some problems in the past….you think? Mostly a rainy morning, we took our walk outside and believe we ran across a brief ashes-to-sea burial. Mariner officer Jennifer and her assistant carrying a large bag were leading two ladies to the aft railing on the promenade deck. We have seen this private ceremony on the N. Statendam, but the area had been roped off briefly for the private event. Researching HAL’s website, we learned that all of the legal details are provided for this service. It is a nice option for those who wish this type of burial. The sun did peek out enough to spend some time on the veranda. The cool breeze erased any heat that the sun provided. That should change in a week or so. It is a perfect place to relax and read a book. Did we mention there is a self-serve library onboard? It is not huge, but they do stock a large number of up-to-date books with several copies of the best ones. We noticed that many debarking guests donate the paperback books they have brought with them. Lunch was from Dive In again with a chicken back-flip and a cannonball burger. Fries too. No lines, no waiting. This won’t last either. The seas have calmed down and it feels as if the Captain has slowed down in order to get to SF on time tomorrow morning. During his noon talk, he mentioned the speed limit on this coastline is regulated to protect the whales. Now we are on the lookout for some. We have seen many humpbacks while sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, so we do plan to be up for the entrance to the bay. Following up with that theme, there was an EXC talk about the Pacific Giants this morning at 10am, and another lecture featuring port highlights (promoting shore excursions) by our cruise director, Kimberly at 2pm. We know the city well since we were both born and raised there. Dinner was in the dining room, which was very empty or half full depending on how you look at it. Even the waiters were milling around with little to keep them occupied. A lot of polishing was happening at their workstations. Mario, our waiter asked what we were doing tomorrow, and we told him a lot of walking and going out to lunch. He and his buddies are very thrilled to be here, but not sure if they will have much time to get off for very long. All aboard for them is 2:30pm….for the passengers it is 4:30pm. More than likely there will be CDC inspections as well as a crew drill. Anyway, we ordered one Caesar salad, one arancini appetizer, and one hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. The soup is still made with spaghetti, not noodles. It is good, but egg noodles would be nicer. Our mains were the Club Orange special. On all of the cruises we have been on since 2021, the Club Orange selection was printed in full on a special menu. Now it just says you have to ask what it is. There is no way to make your decision earlier in the day, because the actual meal is not described. Most every evening we inquire as to what the special is, and our waiter has to go ask someone. So far it has been Peruvian chicken or short ribs. Jambalaya has not been mentioned so far. So tonight we ordered the short ribs, but forgot it came with a puddle of runny mashed parsnips on the plate. Not a favorite of ours, we will remember to ask about the entire contents of the entrée. Could have substituted a baked potato for instance. Oh well we did not feel stuffed, and we added desserts of a blue sorbet with a flavor that cannot be identified, and one hot fudge chocolate sundae with no marshmallows. Looking forward to friends boarding tomorrow and also a nice hike with a great lunch. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #24 September 28, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To San Francisco, California Cloudy With Light Rain All Day 59 Degrees Part #1 Of 1...... 22 Pictures Life onboard carried on as usual starting with a nice breakfast, but missing the manager Endrian. Yuli, his most capable assistant has taken the reigns until San Diego. Last night we did not get The Daily newsletter, so we assumed that breakfast time was 7:30am. It was not, but the doors were opened for the early risers anyway. The dining room opened at 8am. There are always extra newsletters on the front desk along with the NY Times crossword puzzle and one Sudoku puzzle. The weather had improved with mostly blue skies and the sun shining on the horizon. We have almost forgotten what a beautiful sunrise looks like. Unfortunately, it would not last long. While we are thinking about it, here are a few things we noticed that are different in this A category room compared to the deck one room. There are four electric plugs on the desk area, three of which are 110. If you need more 110 plugs, bring a plug strip or borrow one from housekeeping. Our strip from home does not have a surge protector. They will not let you use the newer style. There is only one USB port located in the lamp on top of the refrigerator cabinet. The newer ships have many more ports. One is better than none, which is what we had in the deck one room. There are no felt hangers on this ship. We did have those on the Zuiderdam’s world cruise this year. We did request wire hangers and got plenty of them. Lastly, there are laundry package options on this 56- day journey. Laundry by the bag (stuff it to the gills) is $35, while unlimited laundry (no dry cleaning) is $588. Unlimited pressing is $224. The blue cloth laundry bag is $15 and the laundry return garment bag is $10. If you happen to take these home with you (by accident?), expect a charge to your account. Same goes for the beach towels and the nice soft blankets for the veranda use. Now we are really appreciating the perk for complimentary laundry. By the way, so far the return on the laundry has been the same day. Well it was great sitting on the veranda while the sun was shining. Little by little, the clouds appeared and by 1pm it was raining. Darn…. Oh well, it was time for another Mariner welcome onboard gathering in the Crow’s Nest, which we thought was 11:30am. But really, it was 11am, and we went late anyway. No problem, the second gathering began at noon, so we stayed for that one. Instead of the sparkling wine, they served sangria and another sweet wine. Not big fans of sweet wine, we opted for the sparkling wine. The nice bartender poured us two bottomless glasses. Sitting at the bar, we scanned the room to look for our buddies Bill & Leta. Turned out they were buried in a group of folks sitting across the room at the windows. Eventually, they spotted us and came to join us. We all agreed the motion of the ocean was much more noticeable because the ship was doing 14.8 knots…too slow for the stabilizers to work well. This theory was confirmed by the food and beverage manager who took some time to work the crowd. We visited with our friends until 1pm, then figured it was time for lunch. Once again, we had been invited to the Sommelier wine tasting at 1:50pm but did not attend. We do appreciate the invite anyway. The next time we see Hannah, the Sommelier, we shall ask if they are doing the light finger food pairing with the wine tasting. After Covid, many of these snack-type tasting were discontinued. And we had a reminder that we still had time to sign up for the Have-It-All perk for $60 per day per person. We had it once on a shorter cruise because it was a built-in perk. We never came close to utilizing its value. A run to the Dive In was a good choice because there was no line at all by 2pm. We had a burger, hot dog and fries again and the order was filled in less than 10 minutes. It is nice sailing with only 700 guests. The walk to get here is further now that we have moved more midship. So perhaps that will help burn the calories of one French fry. Dream on….. Taking another afternoon walk, we found the promenade deck to be deserted except for two other couples walking like us. Joining the three lanai room guests (bundled up like mummies) on their lounges, were a handful of crew members working. On our way back, we did find a crowd in the Explorer’s Lounge and figured it was time for trivia, a most popular game for many folks. This evening was “dressy” and for the most part, people were decked out nicely. What was missing was the Captain’s Welcome in the World Stage. The official start of the Tales of the South Pacific will commence on October 2nd in San Diego and there will be a welcome then. From what we have been told, three hundred of us will continue forward, and the other 400 will disembark. In fact, there were flyers on several rooms to fill out that information on getting off. Ours will come November 20th or so before this trip ends. Our dining room dinners were pretty good. Starters were a crab Louis and tomato soup. For the first time, a real surf and turf entrée was on the Gala menu. Turf was a tender filet, and the surf was lobster, with a little too many pieces of shell attached. Considered a “legendary” cruise, the menu format has gone back to what we have on a grand voyage. The best dessert was the strawberry shortcake, just the way we have it at home. Showtime in the World Stage featured a comedian by the name of Simon B. Cotter. We thought the time was 9:30pm, but looking closer at the newsletter, it had changed back to 9pm now. Then at 9:45pm, a chocolate surprise was happening on deck 5. On our way back from dinner, we checked out the activity in the Casino. It was barely occupied with guests mostly at the slots. And many were smoking. That is one thing we do not like, but then it is easy to avoid going through that part of the ship. We have another day at sea on the way to San Francisco. Hope the rain goes away. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings to everyone! Carolyn - The Amsterdam had storage space for any luggage you wanted taken out of the room. We will ask if this applies to the Volendam as well. We have stashed our airline-sized luggage under the bed with no problem. We had discovered that any souvenirs we buy, gifts we get, and extra toiletries can be stored in these suitcases. Remember, once you have them taken out of the room, you cannot ask for them back until disembarkation time. Feel free to go crazy. Thanks for the nice comments as well. We are off to a great start with some sun shining this morning. What more can we ask? Bill & Mary Ann

Report #23 September 27, 2023 Vancouver, Canada Docked Starboard Side To Pier 6:30am-4pm Overcast With Light Rain 60 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures Of 174 Well, today begins the “legendary” Tales of the South Pacific, as these longer cruises are now described. This 56- day journey will take us to warmer climates and a most beautiful piece of paradise. We will definitely welcome the warmer temperatures, even if it comes with a few tropical showers. The Volendam was docked at Canada Place, Vancouver at 6:30am about the same time we awoke. Breakfast was early, also at 6:30am, but we arrived closer to 7am. It was very sad to say goodbye to Endrian, the manager, as he will be leaving for home in Indonesia. His flight was at 1am, and it will take him up to 24 hours to get home. We could tell he was happy as a clam. If all went according to the plan regarding the room change, we should still have a few hours to enjoy Vancouver, especially since it is our final stop here. Yesterday we packed most everything we could fit in the four suitcases and left the clothes hanging in the closets. The housekeeping crew came at 9am and quickly loaded a trolley with our stuff to take to deck six. They even took the small refrigerator because we asked to keep it and also the tower fan. We followed with our valuables, stashed it away, and left the room just as the announcement came for everyone to leave the ship for the zero clearance. Perfect timing. Stopping at the front desk, we asked about our new keys and were told they would be delivered to our room mail slot by the time we got back. Fine, that will work. So we left the ship at 9:30am with our passports, old room keys, and the intransit cards to show anyone who asked. We ran into Sarah Coles once again, and she reminded us to be sure to go through the customs check on the way back. We promised to never miss that step ever again. The weather today was overcast and rainy. By the time we went outside, the rain had begun to let up. It was cool, but not really cold. This is the first time in three weeks that the waterfront was not busy with runners, bikers, and tourists. We learned one thing…..do not walk in the designated bike lane. They take their right-of-way quite seriously, maybe not quite as bad as in Amsterdam, but pretty close. We figured the wet weather kept the locals inside until later. We were correct. While we are on the subject of locals, we must comment on the pride they all take in keeping their city clean. Sadly, we cannot say the same for San Francisco where we come from. They are doing something right here. Following our usual route, we walked the waterfront all the way to Stanley Park and the kiosk there. The horse-drawn carriage ride was still being offered. Before they left, we did have a chance to pet one of the horses. A young gal was preparing them for the next 1 hour tour, and the carriage was filling with young families with kids. Knowing that we needed to make it to the restaurant by noontime, we had to head back and not venture any further. Lunch was at the Steamworks Brewery once again. We have decided that their Hawaiian pizza is the winning choice, and two Lions Head Lagers would be the perfect drink. We did add a dessert of the apple galette, since it is so good. We would need the extra energy to unpack again when we get back. Around 1:30pm, we started back, hoping that the majority of folks would be gone and the new guests already boarded. We did complete the journey back correctly, stopping at the kiosks and scanning the passports. Truthfully, there was no one directing the folks once again, but we followed the arrows and got it right. There were several guests going through here and that included up to 3200 Sapphire Princess guests that were boarding their vessel as well. We learned at dinnertime, that our ship only has 700 guests doing this 5- day sailing down to San Diego. That is less than half of the 1718 people that the ship can house. When we arrived to our new room, there were no keys in the mail slot. However, we met our new room attendant, Anom, who let us inside. He said he would check to see what happened to our keys. In the meantime, we called the front desk, and were informed that someone would deliver them as they were not printed yet. Oh well, we needed to unpack, and set up our room, pretty much the same as a regular boarding day. It took us until 4pm to get 99% organized. We could not leave the room to go to the sail away or else we would be locked out. Finally, Jennifer arrived with new keys in hand……but they did not work. She admitted they had just installed a new printer and they were having problems. Within 10 minutes, another girl had keys that did work. We were free to roam, but way too tired to go anywhere. We just watched the sailing out of the harbor going under the Lions Head Bridge from our veranda. The rain had begun to fall lightly, so we did not miss anything at the aft pool gathering. By the way, we are really going to like this new room with the balcony. It will be much more useful with the soon-to-be warmer weather. The ship left at 4pm, and we are heading around the bottom of Vancouver Island, where we began getting blocked signals for the TV reception. The internet was working, but that was cutting in and out as well. We sure hope the signal is as good as it was on deck one. It certainly is improved with the new system installed. Dinnertime came quickly, and we headed to the dining room, one floor down. Convenient location, we are about in the middle of the ship now. We were hoping to see friends Bill & Leta at their usual table on deck four, but we did not see them yet. We ordered very tasty and hot chicken tenders, one Caesar salad, and a bowl of room service chicken noodle soup. The soup came piping hot. One of us might have to order that more often. Mains were one chicken dinner and one pork tenderloin with lingonberries….really good. The maitre’d and the food and beverage manager stopped for a visit, and that’s when we learned there were only 700 guests. Both levels of the dining room were half full. Better for us, since our waiters can be more relaxed for 5 days. Then we will have a full ship after San Diego when the cruise officially begins. We were close to ordering a light dessert, when Leta, our good friend appeared at our table. She and husband Bill were seated on the opposite side of the upper dining room against a window. They spotted us, and Leta came by for big hugs. So nice to see they are back cruising….it has been 3 ½ years since we last saw them, and that was when the 2020 world cruise was halted in its tracks. She visited for a few minutes then went back to her table. When we finished dinner, we briefly stopped to say hi to Bill and promised we will have 56 days to catch up on all of the news. There was no live show this evening, but the Origin Story of HAL’s 150 years was shown once again. One interesting thing we noticed was that the Casino was advertised as being open all night for slot machines and electronic table games. Is it possible that there are some last-minute stand-by guests that got on the ship with their deeply-reduced casino deal? We will have to make a trip through the casino tomorrow and check out how busy they are. Going to sleep like babies tonight…. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #22 September 26, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Vancouver, Canada Gale Force Winds, Rough Seas Overcast With Periods Of Rain Decks Locked Down Part #1 Of 1........37 Pictures Today breakfast was at 8am in the Pinnacle Grill, but 10am for the special brunch in the dining room. For a change, many more folks showed up to dine in this nice restaurant. They have missed out on a good meal doing other things these last six days we assume. This cruise has been different because it appears that the guests are doing everything they can squeezed into 7 days. The shows, bars, lounges, and especially the food venues have been most busy. For the following 56 -day trip, we asked Endrian if he could take reservations for 10 dinners and he said of course. There will be pop-up special dinners throughout the longer cruise, but since we do not do the wine pairings or the Tamarind, we chose days that are the regular Pinnacle Grill dinner. Yes, we are going to miss Endrian as he has been one of the best PG managers ever. Back in our room, we had two more HAL tiles with a note of gratitude for our loyalty. We did have some rough sailing last night, but the motion ceased when the Captain took the ship into the channels between islands. He announced early in the day that we would try to avoid Queen Charlotte Sound because it was extremely windy, raining, with rolling seas. We feel like the horses that are galloping back to the barn at a high speed. The winds were blowing strong enough for the crew to close off the promenade deck once again. All of the teak lounges and pads were tied down like last week. We did sneak under the rope, but we could only walk on one side due to the driving rain. Others were doing the same. By the way, when we travel inside the island route, we lose TV reception. The internet has remained working, so that is a plus. We were invited to the Mariner Recognition Event at 11:30am in the Crow’s Nest. There was a total of 14 guests, including us, but there were no medallion awardees once again. Captain Whitaker was busy navigating our course through the islands, so he was a no- show. Today, none of our names or days sailed were announced. It appears that this tradition of recognition is going to be something of the past in our humble opinion. We were welcomed by Glenn, the Cruise Director, who took the place of the Captain. Francois and a few other officers were present but did not visit with the guests like they did last week. Francois and Glenn will be leaving the Volendam tomorrow and heading home. They will be missed also, but we could tell they are ready for a vacation. We met with Jennifer when the small gathering was over. She went over the information we needed for our room change that will take place tomorrow. In the letter we got yesterday, it suggested we pack our loose belongings in the morning, and leave the rest for the room stewards to move. Good thing we did not wait until tomorrow, because it took more time than we thought. Well, that meant everything in the drawers had to be packed and everything from the bathroom as well as our collection of toiletries. Our valuables such as computer, prescriptions, and jewelry, etc. would need to be hand-packed by us once the new room was cleaned and ready. Hopefully that will be before 9am. Housekeeping will move the rest, which will be four suitcases and the clothes hanging in the closet. Tomorrow will be the normal “zero clearance” morning, so we will need to leave around 9:30am and be able to spend the short day enjoying Vancouver, even if it rains like predicted. All aboard will be 3pm, but we will need to go through customs and immigrations, so that happens at 2pm. By the time we finished re-packing, it was 3pm. So one of us went to the Dive-In to get one cannonball burger and a hot dog….fries too. It stays hot when we get it ourselves. The pool had been emptied and was being scrubbed. The hot tubs remained running but had no customers. Very few folks were laying on the lounges, and the decks were in the process of being power- scrubbed as well. There may be Canadian inspections tomorrow, and they always have to be prepared. And that is why this ship gets high marks every time. Instead of walking outside, we went to check out the shops. There was one Mary Frances purse that one of us had an eye on, but it was sold. In its place was even a nicer one – a white and pink beaded bag with the Eiffel Tower on it. The name is Paris, of course. It will join the growing collection at home. The shop salesman handed us tickets for a drawing, but the time came and went and we forgot. Oh well… Spotting our room attendants, we informed them that we were all packed and the bags and clothes were ready to go tomorrow morning. They actually thanked us for being so neat for these three weeks, leading us to think that not all of the guests are so considerate. They said they will miss us. The same goes for us….they have been very prompt with their service and kept us quite comfortable. Not a day went by that Imam asked what more he could do for us. Dinner was in the dining room with starters of a breaded shrimp mixed salads. It was the Culinary Council menu and was limited to what we really like. We keep forgetting to request “hot” food, so when the halibut arrived, it was warm at best. The rigatoni with a meat sauce was the better choice tonight. At least it was warmer when served. Desserts of a chocolate- filled craqulin? like a donut made us happy and quite full. An amusing comment was made while riding the elevator today. One lady said she can’t wait to get home and stop eating. How funny is that? We get it. Tomorrow will be another busy turn-around day, so it’s off to bed for us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #21 September 25, 2023 Ketchikan, Alaska 11am-6pm Docked Port Side To Pier Overcast With Some Sun And A Few Sprinkles 57 Degrees Part #1 Of 3........77 Pictures Of 221 Ketchikan is our port of call for the third time in as many weeks. The third time is a charm. Ketchikan is situated in the middle of the Tongass National Forest with 17 million acres , the largest in the entire world. In addition to that, Misty Fjords is only 40 miles away with another 2.3 million acres. Beginning in 1883, a salmon saltery provided jobs in Ketchikan, followed by the fishing trade. Gold miners flooded the area utilizing the bars and bordellos of Creek Street. The Ketchikan Pulp Mill flourished until it declined. These days tourism ranks the # 1 industry. A population of 8200 residents keep the town prospering. As well as a land of totem poles, it is also the last port in Alaska that the Volendam will visit this season. Many of the guests, but more so the crew members will take advantage of the “close out” sales today. The ship arrived to the dock by 10:30am and we were the only vessel there. The ship was cleared before 11am, and we happened to watch the passengers going off to meet their tour guides. If we have not mentioned this yet, we have to give credit to the fantastic crew we have onboard. The gangway was very steep today, due to a 16 foot tide fluctuation. Several guests using canes, walkers, and wheelchairs were immediately given help getting down the gangway safely. We could see that the extra help was appreciated. Letting most of the tours exit first, we went off around noontime. And for a change, the weather looked great. It was partly cloudy with a little sun appearing now and then. But the best part was there wasn’t any rain. The breeze was not as cold as yesterday, and even though it felt like rain might fall, it never did. Curious to see if the pink salmon were still making their way up the creek, we took our usual walk towards the Stedman Street Bridge. From the viewpoint, we found that the creek was even more full of fish than last week. The casualties were laying on the banks all the way up the boardwalk. Taking more time to read the new signs about the salmon run, we noticed that the signs were donated by Royal Caribbean Inc. Cruise Line. The information was wonderful. At the top of the Married Man’s Trail, we stopped and watched the salmon coming up the fish ladder there. A few of the larger ones were trying to come up the rapids, only to be washed back down. Following Park Avenue, we made our way to the upper creek to find salmon congregating along the banks by the thousands. This is the start of the spawning grounds, especially where there is a bed of gravel and small rocks in the more shallow waters. We made our way up to the Deer Mountain Hatchery and the adjoining City Park. Making use of the nice benches there, we waited to see if the deer would appear like last week. No, it did not come back, but we did see an industrious Stellar blue jay planting seeds of some kind in the grassy fields. We have these same birds at home, and they seem to like staying in an area where there are trees and creeks. It was time for lunch so we made our way back down to town and the Alaska King Crab Co. across from the ship. We ordered a shared plate pf chicken tenders with the best BBQ sauce for dipping. They came with plenty of fries which went well with the Alaska Amber beers. By ordering two beers, we qualified for two free shotglasses. We split a slice of carrot cake, then left to do some shopping. There are coupon booklets for every port, and there were a few things that we wanted such as a back scratcher and a calendar. In all of the times we have visited Ketchikan, we never realized that Tongass Trading had four locations. Each coupon had a number on it, and one shop did not honor the other shops. Go figure. We got back to the ship by 3:30pm. All aboard time was 6pm, but looking out our window, we could see that the gangway was not being removed. Looking closer, we saw a firetruck and an ambulance. Oh no, another medical debark was in progress. A man was brought down on a stretcher, but the good news was that he was waving as they loaded him into the back of the ambulance. The ship left by 6:30pm and now we are on our way back to Vancouver by Wednesday with one day at sea tomorrow. The clocks went ahead one hour, which no one likes. We will not have any time changes now until we begin sailing west towards the Hawaiian Islands after October 2nd. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #20 September 24, 2023 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska 7am-5pm Cloudy And Cool With Some Rain And Sun 43 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures Of 221 Welcome to Glacier Bay….again. The weather was a chilly 42 degrees with a wind chill factor dropping it even more. It was cloudy with a little fog and drizzle, but still much better than last week’s weather. The park rangers boarded the ship at 7am, right on schedule, however, we seemed to have stopped. Something was wrong, but we did not know what it was, nor was it announced. So we went to breakfast knowing we should have plenty of time to get outside before we reached Gloomy Knob, where we work at spotting some wildlife. That was scheduled for about 8:40am, but we still were not moving after breakfast. Checking with the front desk folks, we learned that there was an emergency medical evacuation and the ship would be delayed for a total of two hours. We wondered if the evacuation would be with a helicopter, but it turned out that the patient was loaded into a tender boat, then brought to Bartlett Cove or Gustavus, the nearest town. Once the boat returned, we were on our way, silently wishing the unfortunate patient the best of luck. From here, it was the pedal to the metal as the Volendam maintained a speed of 19 – 20 knots to make up some lost time. We went to deck six forward to watch our approach into the bay. Passing by Tlingit Point, we began to see some mountain goats. They appeared so tiny they might as well as been grains of rice. With the ship doing the high speed, it was difficult holding the camera, but many good shots were taken. By the time we got to Gloomy Knob, we were able to see more goats grazing and walking along the steep granite cliffs. What a place to live. We lasted over an hour outside, spotting one Stellar sealion, until the icy chill set in, so we went back to the room to defrost. Back outside later, we passed the Reid Glacier and Lamplugh Glaciers on the way to Margerie Glacier, the most filmed glacier in the park. Then the Captain slowed the boat, due to the fact the Sapphire Princess was on her way out. Sure made for a dramatic photo as the Princess vessel sailed by us. We arrived to the end of the Tarr Inlet where the massive ice field of the Grand Pacific Glacier, located on the Canadian/US border, came into view. On the left was the face of the Margerie Glacier. Nothing much had changed with it from the last two weeks. However, once again there was no thunderous boom from cracking ice, nor was there any signs of calving the whole time we were there. On the other hand, we did spot many rafts of sea otters doing their thing in the bay. The ranger mentioned that these otters were hunted to near extinction, but have made a comeback once the trapping ceased. It was as much fun watching the folks down on the bow vying for the best spots on the railing and making trips for hot chocolate and coffee with a dash of liquor offered as well. We had been scheduled for a peek at the John’s Hopkins Glacier, but with the 2 hours we lost, it was not to be. Every time we have gone to that glacier, we have seen impressive calving. Again, it’s just luck. It is still a privilege to visit this World Heritage Site and the world’s largest protected marine sanctuary…….all 3.3 million acres of it. Time for a bite to eat at 2pm, we enjoyed one Dine In chicken “back flip” sandwich and a hot dog in our room. It felt so strange to see swimmers in the Lido Pool and many others in the jacuzzi spas. Looking out the windows, the mountains were covered with ice and snow. We assume both the pool and spas were heated. That’s the difference between a world cruise and a 7 day cruise. People make it a point to do everything they can in such a short time, and that’s what vacation is about. We knew to be back on the promenade deck when the ship passed by the North and South Marble Islands. However the ship flew past them, too faraway to see very much. The park rangers left the ship by 5pm, and we stayed outside to watch the numerous sea otters floating on their backs near the ship. Whales can also be seen here, but today we saw none. The Captain turned left after leaving Glacier Bay and headed south towards our next and our final stop in Alaska - Ketchikan. Dinnertime arrived and we were back in the dining room for a dressy evening. On this particular cruise, we have noticed that there are many folks with accents…specifically British. Endrian said that the voyage was marketed to the Commonwealth countries of England, Australia, and New Zealand to name a few. Another observation is that these folks have dressed quite nicely, even more on the formal side than the previous trips. Guess that goes with their culture and we appreciate it. Our meal began with shrimp cocktails with the red sauce followed by Caesar salads. Mains were steak – one was a sirloin strip and one was the surf and turf of a filet and a tiny grilled shrimp. The very thin cut sirloin came with a tasty gravy, but cooked more than one of us likes. The filet was more on the pink side, so we switched. The French fries were served hot and were shared. Desserts were one scoop of sorbet and a hot fudge sundae. Then on the way back to the forward elevators, we stopped at the library and picked up a couple of books to read finally. There is not a huge selection, but enough to have something for everyone. Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Cruising Grandma, Wish you had said "hi".....we love meeting nice people on the ships. In fact, some of our best buddies were chance meetings that way many years ago. While on last year's Tales of the South Pacific cruise, we did visit Tonga and Samoa and found them up and running as usual. In fact, while in Nukualofa, locals told us that most of the damage was on the opposite side of the island, and tours avoided that area. Hope the same applies to the Samoa ports. Hope to meet you in 2024! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #19 September 23, 2023 Skagway, Alaska 7am-8pm Docked Port Side To Pier But Tendered Guests To Shore Partly Cloudy With Sun 53 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.........77 Pictures Of 253 We arrived early to Skagway and found it a chilly 53 degrees, mostly cloudy, light winds, and no rain. In fact, we could see the clouds breaking up and if we were lucky, we might see some real sun later. Last night, we had no daily newsletter, and now we fear the ship might be going ”paperless”. So on our way to breakfast, we stopped by the front desk to turn in our final customs and immigrations form for Canada, and also ask why no newsletter. The front desk folks said there had been a glitch in the system and they only printed a few one page newsletters for the folks who did not have a cell phone to bring up the Navigator page. We could have read this on the room TV, but it is not convenient. We like paper. Hope this is fixed soon. Well, starting from the beginning, we woke up to “bizzarro-land”. Yesterday we had received a notice saying that due to operational problems, we would need to tender ashore in Skagway. We figured two larger ships would need the docks, and we took third place. The Volendam was brought alongside the old Railroad Dock, right across from the graffiti wall, but also near the massive slide that occurred back in 2018. There was no gangway connecting us to the roadside. We would definitely be tendering to the small marina. Oddly enough, the Sapphire Princess pulled in behind us, and not at the One or Broadway Docks. Except they had a gangway, and were required to take buses and shuttles to Congress Way to join tours or go to town. No one was allowed to walk the road. Docked portside, we watched the buses pass back and forth by our window. Very unusual as we have never had to do this before in Skagway. Oh well, first time for everything. We left the ship around 10am, and were chased by that big moose again near the stairs down to deck A. The ship’s photographers always try their best to get us to take pictures, but we always say no thank you. Now it is a game, more so when they have the funny mascots. We joined the tenderboat group going off by showing our cards. We did not need a tender ticket. The ride was 10 minutes tops. From the small boat marina we walked to Pullen Creek to see if there were any more pink salmon coming upstream. There were none, but we were more surprised not to find any dead carcasses like we saw two weeks ago. The creek was loaded with bodies. Guess the bears have cleaned up the creek, which was confirmed by one of the shop’s owners. We continued up Broadway, ducking in and out of shops, then followed the street to the Klondike Highway. We turned right at the beginning of the Pat Moore Bridge at the sign for the Gold Rush Cemetery. Lower Reid Falls is also in the same area, although the sign suggested it was ½ mile, we felt it was more than that. We walked past the White Horse Yukon Route railyard and that’s where we finally heard the whistle from a train coming back from the Yukon. Two weeks ago we must have left the ship earlier, because the trains were coming back from their early runs. Today, we saw none, and thought perhaps they were closed for the season. Glad to see they began arriving one after another to load up with more guests. It really is a nice tour. Reaching the famous cemetery by noontime, we relaxed on a bench before the climb, talking to a young couple from the Sapphire Princess. It may have been their first cruise, and were full of questions when they heard we have been on several trips, especially the longer ones. The young man said he would love to do that when he retires, which was a long way off. Yep, that’s what we said years ago, and here we are. We made the climb to the cemetery where notorious Soapy Smith and Frank Reid are both buried (far apart), along with many other townspeople from the Gold Rush Days. The story of the shoot-out between the two rivals have kept this place on the map. One thing sort of confused us concerning Soapy Smith. We read that there was a massive flood in 1919 and Soapy’s gravesite had washed away. Will have to dig deeper into that theory. After reading most of the sad headstones, we headed up the slippery wet trail to the Lower Reid Falls, a 300 foot high waterfall. The trail was fairly steep with rocks and tree roots along the way. It wasn’t so hard going up, but one of us had to be very cautious going back down. Once at the trail head, we had a choice of waiting for the S.M.A.R.T. bus, a $5 pp ride back to the pier, or hike back. Since we had the time, and it was downhill all the way, we chose to walk. Our destination was lunch at the Station Bar and Grill next to the Morning Wood Hotel. We feared that with two ships in town, it might be filled with diners, or closed for the season. But we got lucky and there was one table left, which we gladly took. Even at 1:30pm, the place was full as was the bar. Without even checking the menu, we ordered two Alaskan Amber beers, and one 14 inch Hawaiian pizza. It was even better than the one we had two weeks ago. We saved a bit of room for another Alaskan Fry Bread at the Klondike Doughboy. Having tried our first taste of one two weeks ago, we think this will become a tradition when we visit again in the future. Guess we can describe the bread as a flat-like 10 inch square donut cooked in hot oil, then covered with cinnamon sugar. They are still piping hot when you buy them. And SO good. Many of the ship’s passengers were on spending sprees here, except us. We know the prices may be better in Ketchikan and we really don’t need anything. One of us did spot a nice wool scarf with an artist’s design, but it will give us something to search for next time. We will be heading into tropical zones soon and wool is not something we need. Back to the tender spot, we were greeted with the Face Recognition computer ID, then boarded the boat for the quick ride to the ship. We were back to our room by 4pm, but had no TV reception and will not until we leave due to our location between the steep mountains. The internet was working fine. The Pinnacle Grill was our dinner venue with Caesar salads, clothesline bacon, medium lamb chops, and one shared order of French fries….the skinny ones. Wish they were “skinny” in calories since we may have over-done it a bit today. Our long hike may have compensated for it though. The ship left Skagway about when we returned from dinner….like 9pm. Looks like the Sapphire left ahead of us. Not sure we will meet again in Ketchikan. Tomorrow looks like a promising day with the weather. Today turned out to be gorgeous with lots of sun, so we wish for the same when we entered Glacier Bay once more. We shall think positive. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #18 September 22, 2023 Juneau, Alaska 12pm-10pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Rain Most Of The Day Cool 45 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures Of 215 Today is the only day on this seven day run where the Lido offers an express lunch from 11:30 to 12:30pm because our arrival to Juneau is around 1pm. Since we had a nice and early breakfast, we would skip lunch onboard and wait until we reach Juneau to dine out. It was really cold, wet, and windy so we bundled up and went to deck six forward once again to watch our sailing into Juneau. We assumed there was going to be a stop for the Tracy Arm tour to Twin Sawyer Glaciers, but we never stopped. Guess that tour was not offered today, or it was cancelled. If we had been five minutes later, we would have missed seeing a pod of six humpback whales blowing their spouts and feeding on the surface. We spotted a couple more along the shoreline, then nothing. Simply pure luck. We stayed outside on the starboard side and under some cover. It was raining and flooding under our feet again, but we were dressed for it. Never got wet. The Volendam sailed into the Gastineau Channel and reached Juneau early about 12:15pm. Already in port were the Sapphire Princess and the RCI Quantum of the Seas. The Princess ship holds up 3214 guests while the Quantum appears bigger and holds even more. Downtown will be busy today, and the tour operators will be happy with all of the tours booked. Here are some quick facts about Juneau. September’s average low is 45 degrees and the high is 57 degrees. Daylight hours are 12 hours and 25 minutes. There are 19 days of rain and zero for snowfall. Today it felt cold enough to snow, but all we had was steady rain and little wind. We left the ship at 12:30pm which was good timing because the rain let up for ½ hour. With so many folks in the downtown area, we decided to take a hike to Overstreet Park and the humpback whale figure near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge, about a mile or more away. On the way we spotted an eagle on a light standard with a crow that would not leave him alone. We did get a few pictures of them. Took us about 30 minutes to reach the park and the walkway over the shoreline. At the end is the steel-body true-to-size humpback whale breaching. It is surrounded with a fountain that signifies the splash the whale makes when crashing back down on its back after feeding. Many signs are posted explaining the interesting story behind this sculpture. It was created to commemorate Alaska becoming a state in 1959, and was dedicated in 2009 when the state turned 50 years old. The whale weighs over 6 tons and had to be shipped here in pieces then re-assembled. Our next destination was the Hangar on the Wharf for lunch of course. Today we mixed it up and ordered cheese nachos with hamburger. They were even better than what we had in Vancouver. Regular sliced black olives made both of us happy as did the fresh guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Two Alaskan Ambers went well with the appetizer. A shared dessert of mud pie was a must. The place was packed and the crowd did not thin out until after 3pm. Many of the items on the menu were fish related as you might expect. What’s big up here is crab among other things. Alaska’s commercial seafood industry employs 60,000 people producing 5 – 6 billion pounds of seafood a year. It is 60% of the US harvest. Back in town Tracy’s King Crab Shack had a line a mile long. They specialize in King crab but also offer Dungeness crab. An interesting fact about the Dungeness is the maximum life span is 10 years if they escape trapping. The males have to be 4 years old to harvest, while the females are never taken. They are thrown back to breed. One large female can carry 2.5 million eggs. That is incredible. Everyone and their brother was packing a red plastic bag from the T-Shirt Company, the busiest shop in town. We made a sweep through the store to check out their sales. Much of it was ½ off or better. Tourists and crew members were busy shopping there, their last chance for them to bring something home to their families. Our only purchase was a bag of delicious peanut brittle to enjoy in our room. We passed on the fudge, although it did look tempting, too many calories for comfort. Back on the ship by 4:30pm, we headed to our room to warm up and work on pictures. That kept one of us busy until our 7:30pm dinnertime in the main dining room. For starters we had small salads and arancini. Mains were the Club Orange special of braised short ribs which arrived on the special blue plates. It was quite tasty even if the meat was placed on a bed of pureed veggies, not potatoes. Usually we don’t indulge, but tonight we ordered one scoop of butter pecan ice cream and one extremely chocolatey torte. The ship left early at 9:20pm, and headed towards our next port of Skagway tomorrow. And there was a change of plans…..we will need to tender into Skagway because we believe two larger ships will be using the docks. At least we are still going there and not to Haines, like last week. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #17 September 21, 2023 Sea Day - Cruising The Inside Passage Toward Tracy Arm And Juneau, Alaska Cloudy With Morning Sun Turning To Heavy Fog In The Afternoon 53 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........32 Pictures Another Alaskan cruise begins, and another canvas HAL tote was gifted to us. Wine tasting would take place at 1:50pm, and we were once again invited. For most all other guests, the fee was $25. Since we do not enjoy drinking wine, we did not attend. We did go to another fine breakfast, which has been very uncrowded. The only reason we can figure why the Neptune folks are not there in large numbers, is the fact that this ship has the Pinnacle Grill on a deck with no windows. We took a walk on the promenade after breakfast and found it had turned quite chilly. The skies were overcast and cloudy so we did need warmer jackets. The best sighting we had for most of the day was the Sapphire Princess that appeared to be heading the same direction we were. Our location after coming out of the narrows was Queen Charlotte Sound where we were exposed to open seas and fog. It got thick enough that the Captain had to use the foghorn, which goes off every two minutes. Sure is an eerie sound especially when one cannot see where we are going. Sometime today or last night, a sea bird, perhaps a shearwater, landed on the promenade deck, making its way against the wall. We didn’t notice it until it moved when we walked past it. Obviously it was injured and could not walk well. Sometimes the lights on the deck attract the birds and they crash against the ship. Most times they do not survive. While we were watching the bird, three of the security staff came along and were deciding what to do with it. Not sure what they did, but an hour later, the bird was not there. Today we opted to have a Dive In lunch with two “back flips” or chicken sandwiches and some naked fries. The area was busy with both the line for burgers and hot dogs, but also the deeply-discounted HAL Alaskan clothing that has been promoted. The sales were quite healthy for the 20 minutes it took for the food to be delivered. By the way, the chicken sandwiches were very good. At 3:30pm, we headed up to deck six forward in hopes of seeing the whales that hang out there. It appeared that we were further off of the coastline than last week, and we did not see any blows or diving. What we did see was another cute little bird, a sparrow, who came hopping along behind us at the railing. Isn’t that a kick….two stowaways in one day. The Sapphire Princess was still sailing ahead of us when she took a turn towards the left. A tanker appeared on the horizon and took second place behind Princess. Eventually, we turned in the same direction and headed across the Dixon Entrance. We will sail in the open sea until we head back in going towards Tracy Arm and Juneau. Something tells us to expect some rougher seas tonight. Turns out we were correct. Dinner was back in the Pinnacle Grill where they were quite busy with nicely-dressed customers. Our meal was marvelous as always with wedge salads and clothesline bacon naturally. One halibut entrée and one filet mignon with fries and mashed potatoes filled us up. But we did leave a little space for a shared piece of Key lime pie. It was as smooth and silky as we remembered it. Good news – the clocks went back one hour and that is always appreciated. Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Coco39, Happy to hear Barb is doing well. She is not big on writing emails! On the shorter cruises, we feel that the guests do not dress the same as the longer voyages. Last night we saw two young fellows come into the dining room dressed in shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps wearing flip flops. They were seated next to folks dressed country club casual. Seems that anything goes and nothing is enforced. Perhaps swimwear may be questioned.... Bill & Mary Ann