WCB

Report #19 Wednesday January 17, 2024 Sea Day Cruising The Amazon River With A Brief Stop At Macapa, Brazil Mostly Sunny With A Few Clouds 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 1......34 Pictures---Casual Dress It was really nice not to have to go anywhere today after having had so many ports in a row. Like many cruise friends before us have said, “It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it”. Just as Captain Frank had said yesterday, the local river pilots were dropped off into their pilot boat at 10am this morning. This was near the town of Macapa, where we began our river adventure about a week ago. Gosh, the time went by fast. The day began with a nice breakfast, followed by a deck walk, then up to deck 9 for some sun time at the Sea View pool. Something funny happened up there. We watched as one of the deck fellows proceeded to lift the wooden grates on the floor inside the outdoor pool showers. Dozens of little Amazon critters were hiding under these grates, and scattered when he uncovered them. Prepared with a broom and dust pan, he chased these bugs before they reached the smoker’s section. There were too many of them as they hid under the tables and chairs. Most guests never saw them. At a closer look, we saw they were green grasshoppers in all sizes. We doubt they will last long on the ship. While we were walking the promenade, we spotted dozens of the same insect plastered on the walls and ceilings. We bet that after sunset, these insects will be sprayed or hosed off. And tonight will be the final evening that the outside deck lighting will be at a minimum, since we will be leaving the river soon. Summing up our Amazon River experience this time, we compared it to the first time we came here to the jungle. Back then in the late 90’s, at most every port, we had dozens of canoe locals bringing their boats close to the tender landings and either selling their souvenirs or begging for anything folks would give them. One of the worst things we saw was an older passenger bringing out a roll of quarters, and tossing them near the canoes, where the young kids would dive for the sinking coins. Shortly after he began doing this, the captain came on the outdoor speakers telling the man to stop what he was doing, which he did. The captain reminded the folks that someone’s eye could be taken out. At another port, such as Boca da Valeria, the guests threw clothing, shoes, socks, toiletries, and fruit like oranges and apples from their staterooms to the begging natives in those canoes. Then right before leaving one of the ports, a couple of crew members brought out cases of those small squeezable shampoos, conditioners, and lotions and dumped the contents into the water. The little kids dove in the water and scooped up the floating toiletries and tossed them into their canoes. We saw none of this happen on this trip, which is a good thing. Of course there was a 50 meter warning sign for any craft to stay away from the ship and it was honored. Lunch was from the Dive-In Grill with one chicken sandwich and a couple of hot dogs. Going to the grill around 2pm, there has never been a line and seldom more than a 10 minute wait. In our opinion, we feel their burgers are the best choice or the hot dogs. The chicken breast tends to be stringy and difficult to eat. It tastes good, but is messy with lots of sauce. Yesterday we were informed our flight home in May had been cancelled, and they were offering another flight with a stopover in Houston. No, we were not happy with that change as it would be getting us to San Francisco by midnight. Being that we made our reservations with HAL with a hotel stay for one night including transfers, they were willing to find us another straight through flight. So now we will be flying home at 8:30am and getting to SFO by noontime. And there is no stop over. Now we hope that won’t change. We had an invitation to a special event for the President’s Club members held in the Officer’s Bar on deck four at 6:30pm. This was a first on this ship, and we figured it was due to the fact that the number of guests in the Club are lower than last year. Better for all of us, we located the hidden door forward on deck four. There were as many officers as there were guests. This lounge was half the size of the one on the Amsterdam, but very nice and cozy. Special canapes were passed around as well as bottomless beverages. The party lasted over an hour, and we were lucky to be able to visit with Captain Frank and his wife, Christel, Henk, Shiv, Mila, the environmental officer and the best guest relations manager, Maja. She is the happiest person on this ship and pleasure to chat with. When many of the guests and staff left, she went to the back of the bar, and brought over a tray full of canapies to share with us. We did help her out, but it was our dinnertime and we finally said our thank you’s and left for the dining room. Our meals consisted of salads, a soup, a smoked duck appetizer, and one Weiner schnitzel and a Peruvian chicken. Not sure which one was the best. Our buddy Don upon leaving the dining room, ordered a slice of carrot cake for Bill, a special treat that was not on the menu. We did share it and it was quite good. And as the Captain mentioned earlier, the waters at the mouth of the Amazon became a bit rough. He did advise all of us to lash down any breakables just in case the turbulence got worse during the evening. So far so good and it is 11pm as this is being written. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #18 Tuesday January 16, 2024 Santarem, Brazil 8am-5pm Tender Port Using Ship & Shore Tenders Sunny With Some Clouds Hot 90 Degrees 58% Humidity Part #1 Of 6......55 Pictures---Casual Dress Last night, we all got a letter from Captain Frank in response to questions some guests are asking about the situation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. He reassured everyone that the safety and security of the guests and crew are top priority. HAL has been in touch with the US Department of State and other agencies regarding this situation. The Captain continued to give details on the security team that is onboard with us now and also shoreside. There are some various itineraries that can be substituted in case we are unable to transit the Suez Canal to enter the Mediterranean Sea. We have no doubt HAL will not send us into harm’s way. And like we stated weeks ago, this may turn out to be a mystery cruise. So we ask, what is a “Nothing Day”? That was on the front of the Daily newsletter. Actually, that is where the day of the week should be printed. We can say it is Tuesday and we are in our final port of Santarem. It is one of the oldest cities, and one of the larger ones. Founded in 1661, the city flourished with industries such as hardwood timber, rubber, coffee, and gold mining. Later on extensive clearing of the forest was done to cultivate soybeans, another very useful products in many ways. It is a far cry from the Tapajos Indians that lived here for thousands of years. The last two times we visited here, we went on tours to see the highlights, and fish for piranhas. Today we decided to see the city. After tendering over in a local wooden ferry boat, we took the complimentary shuttle to Fisherman’s Square, about a three mile drive up Avenido Tapajos, named after the tribe of natives that lived here. At the end of the riverside drive, we were dropped off across from a building with a patio that overlooked the convergence of the Amazon River and the Tapajos River. This is another area where the waters do not mix readily. While taking photos here, we also spotted some more river dolphins as they skimmed the surface and dove. This is also the spot where we took a riverboat ride on the piranha fishing tour ten years ago. At that time, the guide collected the small piranha fish we all caught and fried them up for us to taste. Funny thing, we had just read about the parasites that are inside the flesh of the fish, and if they are not cooked properly, you could be in for a big surprise as these parasites grow in your stomach. Yikes. No way would we even taste them, but many others did. This same tour was offered today for 2 ½ hours at $90 per person. The other tours took folks on a drive-by ride through Santarem with a 40 mile drive to go back to Alter do Chao. That was $80 for 5 hours. Santarem Highlights was $70 for 3 ½ hours, while a trip to the Tapajos Forest was $85 for 4 ½ hours. There is a malecon or riverside promenade walkway that follows the river here for about 3 miles. Besides dozens of shops, markets, cafes and bars, there are scenic views of the river activity and landmarks along the way. Even though the weather was warm, there was a nice breeze. So we decided to walk back towards the pier, and stop to see some sights along the way. The Catedral Metropolitana Nossa da Conceicao was close to here, so we went up a side street and entered the church. It was painted blue and white on the outside and stood out looming over the center of town. Continuing on, we followed the river side watching for birds. We did spot more terns, greater egrets, the ever-present vultures, and some hawks. A few of the diving birds we could not ID. There were many markets for the locals as well as souvenir tents set up near the church. It was close to noontime, and street food carts were appearing. We never did see any cafes or restaurants opened along the way. What they did have were several concrete benches in some shade along the entire malecon. Many of us took advantage of that as the sun was quite intense. But the best was yet to come as we got closer to the Mercado 2000, a fish and fruit market built right on the roadside. Years ago, we recall a giant fish market that was directly on the sandy banks of the river. Tables were set up with the fishermen’s catch of the day. We can remember the smell and the flies. Today, the fishermen work under a nice roof and have the convenience of stainless steel counters and plenty of sinks with clean running water. Most of the day’s catch was already sold, but we did see a large variety of river fish. Some were not like anything we have seen in other fish markets around the world. Of course, this is a river and the fish would be different than ocean fish. The majority of the fruit sold here were gigantic watermelons. We could see activity happening on the river boats below us, so we took the time to watch. Fishermen were fileting really huge fish, at least 7 to 10 feet in length and each one weighing over 400 pounds we bet. Asking a local, he said they were the pirarucu that have the giant scales on their bodies. We remembered seeing these monster fish back in the 1990’s, and were told then that their numbers were dropping due to over-fishing. Probably regulated now, the ones we saw being skinned were still good size. We watched as they threw the entire skins into the river where they sunk, then proceeded to carve 7 foot long filets, finally placing the fileted fish in baskets. They were weighed, brought up to the malecon, and placed in big ice chests full of crushed ice. Bet they were on their way to the fish market. We had the opportunity to taste this fish on a tour back then, and it was tasty and moist with no bones. Our ship map stopped at this point, so we guessed at the way back to the port gate. There was no sign on the corner, so we followed the road passing Cargill, a big name in the food and copra industries. They are a worldwide corporation, and create many products specifically related to the coconut. Bet that soybeans are also a product they handle. It turned out we took the right road, because as we neared the river, we could see the gate. One of the shuttles was on its way back to drop off guests from the ship. We checked out the souvenirs tables but saw nothing we needed. A ferry was waiting to take us back to the ship, and it took a while to get there. We had left the ship at 10am and got back before 2pm. Ice cold sodas were in order. Relaxing in our room, all aboard time came at 4:30pm, and so did the Captain with his talk. We will head towards the next port of St. George’s Grenada in a few days from now. In the meantime, the Brazilian pilots will be dropped off in Macapa tomorrow at 10am. And at that time, we will be able to say that we sailed the Amazon River without any problems of getting stuck on a sandbar, thanks to our excellent navigation team and the help of experienced river pilots. It has been quite an adventure. We did spot several birds diving near some fishing boats as we left the city of Santarem. Among the boats, we spotted more dolphins although they barely skimmed the surface, we did see them for a nano-second. Too fast for a photo. Passing through the different shades of water in the converging rivers, we were well on our way downriver. At one point we smelled smoke and discovered that there was a fire on the opposite bank. Certainly this was not a forest clearing fire, but an example of how fields are burned for future planting. Time for dinner right after the sun went down. We ordered a bean soup, salad, and a shrimp cocktail. Love the red cocktail sauce. Mains were the English dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Ample portions, it was very tasty. Desserts were one crème Brule and a plate of fresh pineapple slices. Seems they have run out of bananas. What a surprise…. Looking forward to some lazy sea days now. We have earned them. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #17 Monday January 15, 2024 Parintins, Brazil Tender Port 10am-6pm Mostly Cloudy With Some Sun And A Rain Shower Part #1 Of 4......55 Pictures--Casual Dress Our breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill was a strange experience this morning. One thing we learned was that if you do not have a menu handed to you, all of the waiters will assume you have ordered your food. There does not seem to be one waiter that deals with us, but a team of them. Sometimes, like today, it doesn’t work so well. We sort of knew that when we were asked if we needed the menu, saying no was a mistake. With the exception of two daily specials, we have the menu memorized. Our yogurt and berries arrived as usual, as did the coffee and the orange juice. Then we waited to place our order. And waited and waited. Finally we had to ask for any waiter to take our order, since they all assumed we had done it already. One of us ordered a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs with an English muffin. Then a skillet breakfast was ordered without bell peppers and no chips. Well when it arrived, it consisted of potatoes and onions, with 2 eggs on top. No ham, no cheese. And served on an appetizer-sized plate. The waiter had dropped the food off, then disappeared. Almost an hour had elapsed since we came into the restaurant at this point. We were not alone since the couple at the table behind us was waiting for tea and pastries for 20 minutes. We questioned the waiter on the skillet breakfast, and he sent Tina to talk to us. We told her in the nicest way that there was a miscommunication about what was ordered and what was delivered. Tina offered to replace the “appetizer” with a real skillet breakfast, but we declined. She promised to look into why that happened, apologizing for the waiter’s mix-up. We recently spent 77 days on the Volendam, where we had the same waiter for breakfast everyday. They did not have the entire staff waiting on each and every customer. Sometimes when things work well, why change it? Not a big deal, we will survive and try to keep our orders as simple as possible from here on out. So today’s port was the small city of Parintins, made famous for their Boi Bumba Festival. It is a well-known music and dance competition that is held here every year in the month of June. There are two competing teams that vie for the best costumes and dances. The theme is surrounded with folklore of a resurrected ox with each side either a blue ox or a red ox. The company Coca-Cola picked up on this and created cans of red or blue for the opposing teams. The soda happens to be the biggest seller in Brazil. When the night time festival happens, it produces half of the town’s income in 2 weeks. It is also second to the festival of Carnaval. Flamboyant costumes, dances, singing, and floats are created year round in this community of 100,000 people. The biggest and most impressive Bumbodromo stadium is located here. It seats 35,000 people and it is where the competition takes place. We have seen it on past stops here and discovered it was built in the shape of a bull’s head. Today we hiked to it in the steamy humid heat of the day. This was a tender port, where we were brought to shore, then transferred to a local wooden ferry to pass through it and onto the floating pier. A long ramp took us up to the main road where the souvenir tents were located. Right out of the terminal building was the Convention Center where later at 2pm, a performance of singers and dancers put on a show for the guest that paid for this shore excursion. The cost was $100 for 90 minutes and it included the local drink of caipirinha. The other option was taking a triciclo ride, similar to a tuk-tuk ride. They hold two people and can be operated with a guide pedaling a bicycle or driving a motorcycle. A group of 20 triciclos passed by us as we hiked to the small church to the left. This tour was also 90 minutes for $45. Walking through the town, we made our way to the street above the river where we saw some restaurants and the local plaza for concerts. Many small cafes lined this road. Following the map, we made our way up some side streets where we found piles of garbage, some bagged, some not, laying outside the homes and cafes. Much of it had been scattered, and we assumed it was by the roaming dogs. But to our surprise, we discovered it was the vultures that got into it. Looking down the banks of the river, we saw so much garbage floating in the river, it was off-putting to say the least. Much of it was bits and pieces of floating Styrofoam like we saw in Manaus. Locals paid no attention to this because the river takes it all downstream eventually. The highlight of this town has to be their cathedral, Catedral Nossa Senhora do Carmen, reportedly the largest church in Parintins. It was a modern design and rather simple on the inside. The only stained glass was over the altar. The wooden pews were carved up with names of many local kids we assume. Even with the high vaulted ceiling, it was extremely warm in there. Fans were mounted at each station of the cross, but were not running. Sitting outside to cool off in the slight breeze, we chatted with a group of fellow guests who were trying to find their way to the Bumbodromo. Our maps claimed it was a 1.1 mile walk from the terminal. We think they were off by a mile or more. We all headed the way the map indicated, and finally reached the stadium. Knowing there was not much to see since it was closed, we turned around and and headed back. Running into Martha and Bob, we all headed back down the ramp to the waiting tender boat. Lined up outside the Convention Center was the group that paid to see the show. This was the perfect time to head back and fill up on something ice cold like Cokes. We agreed that this port might be one we could have skipped, although we are sure some folks will think otherwise. By the way, we did see video of the costumes, singing, and dancing from our buddies that attended the show. It was just as we expected it to be. No more, no less. Lunch was from the Dive-In with really quick service. We had hot dogs and a cheeseburger, and a shared order of sticky clumps of fries. Of course, we kept busy with photos and reports for the remainder of the afternoon. After a three hour walk in the steamy Amazon heat, we appreciated the coolness of our stateroom. And speaking of staterooms, there was a funny request leading The Daily newsletter today. It said, when going ashore, please remember to carry your stateroom. Oh that’s going to be a hard thing to do….LOL. Of course, it meant please carry your stateroom keycard. The ship turned around in the river around 6 pm and headed back down towards our final stop in Santarem tomorrow. The sun went down shortly after, but not quite as spectacular as last night’s display. Captain Frank mentioned that the clocks will go forward one hour tonight. Like it or not, we have to do it. Dinner was good with smoked chicken as our appetizer along with a nice green salad with green beans and dried cranberries. Balsamic vinaigrette made it even better. Our entrees were the Club Orange special of sliced lamb and white beans. Very tasty. Desserts were one scoop of orange sorbet, and a conservative slice of a chocolate torte. We are pleased that the portions are smaller for dessert. Hot coffee topped off the dinner. The entertainer was the comedian Sid Davis, but we think that many folks were done-in from today’s heat and may have missed the later show. We know we did. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #16 Sunday January 14, 2024 Manaus, Brazil 8am-5pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun 79 Degrees 83% Humidity Part #1 Of 5......66 Pictures--Casual Dress Our port of call for today is the largest city in the Amazon with lots of people. Its name is Manaus and it is the capital of the State of Amazonas. It is the most unexpected city that you can imagine existing in the Amazon jungle. The Portuguese were responsible for settling here in the mid- 17th century, and the city has maintained its heritage ever since. The discovery of latex produced from the rubber trees, catapulted this city to thrive during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We have visited here several times, and have taken some of the most interesting tours. Today we were on our own to explore the central part of the historical city. And considering that we were here on a Sunday, we were lucky that the city was not shut down. Just the opposite….the locals were out and about enjoying all the sights we were. There were some shore excursions here today beginning from $75 to $230 for highlights of Manaus with a BBQ lunch, flora and fauna, a jungle trek, and the rubber story. A guaranteed pink dolphin encounter took the folks to a submerged platform where the dolphins were hand-fed by the guides. The Zuiderdam arrived to the port shortly after 8am, due to slower speed limits in the river. We got the impression that the dock we were to use was switched. Instead of the cruise terminal dock, we were at an adjacent dock. That complicated our exit because we had to take a small shuttle to the other nicer terminal building. The larger tour buses were allowed to come down the ramp to pick up their guests. Once again, we waited until the tours were off and running before we got off of the ship. That was after breakfast at around 10am. The cruise terminal building was nice and they had several maps, much better than the ship’s map. In addition, there were English-speaking guides to give directions to the major sites in town. By the way, shortly before we left the ship, there was a general warning from Kimberly to be very careful about going into town alone. The Captain had suggested that folks went off in groups and not isolate yourselves from groups of people. We guess that something had happened like pickpockets, and the warning went out to all. Too bad most people had already left the ship. We knew not to wear flashy jewelry and good watches. We left them on the ship. The only bag we had contained umbrellas which we never had to use. Studying the directions, we pretty much followed the people going up one main street called Avenue Eduardo Ribeiro. Passing a church on the way (Igreja Matriz Nsa Sra Conceicao), we followed the street which was closed to all side traffic. The entire avenue was filled with make-shift cafes with food being cooked on site. In between the food stalls were souvenir huts. This went on for blocks. Much of the food offered was foreign to us, but we are sure it was a mix of indigenous and Portuguese cuisine. Sure smelled good, especially when they lit up the mesquite BBQ grills cooking skewered chicken and beef. This must be a weekend food faire and this time we hit it just right. We never tried the food, but really took a lot of pictures. This was the way to some of the most famous iconic sites such as the Opera House called Amazonas Teatro. Constructed in 1896, this opera house was the epitome of elegance in this part of the world, appealing to the higher society of the rubber barons. The dome of this structure has over 36,000 imported ceramic tiles, dazzling the skyline. Too bad some of the modern high rises have succeeded in blocking the view of the dome. Getting photos of the theater from the Plaza Sao Sebastiao, we wondered over to the stairs going up. One of us climbed the stairs, getting close-ups of the building. It was halfway closed to the public, but if you were in a group, they were allowed a short look inside. On a previous visit here, we actually saw a performance because we had over-nighted here on the ship. The guest capacity inside the opera house is 701 people. The plaza across the street had floor tiles resembling what we saw while in Rio at Copacabana Beach. Also a Portuguese city. Also reminded us of Portugal, the Azores, and Funchal, all settled by the Portuguese. To the left of the theater was the Palacio da Justice in gold and white colors. Igreja de Sao Sebastiao (church) was across from the plaza. The entire area was surrounded with policemen keeping watch. It was not crowded, but there were probably some pickpockets working the area that we did not see. We headed back down the closed-off street, checking out some souvenirs as we passed the vendors. Most people were paying with Brazil real, but a few vendors took dollars. There was nothing we did not already have, so came back with nothing new. From the cruise terminal we headed left to go to the Mercado Municipal Adolpho Lisboa, or their central marketplace. The building is just as interesting as the produce and meats inside. Art Nouveau style was a big deal back in the 1880’s and this building is a perfect example of iron architecture. Among other things, we found typical products from the Amazon such as meats, fish, a small amount of fruit, veggies, and spices. Packaged nuts were for sale like Brazil nuts and cashews. It has been from past purchases that we discovered the nut products are not quite the same as what we buy at home. Some of them are not roasted and not salted, so the taste and texture are foreign to us. We have learned that the cashews have to be treated differently or they can be almost poisonous. And that’s why we brought our stash of nuts from home. Enough to last for four months. Directly across the street from the marketplace, we saw the railing where you can watch the ferries and the fishing boats landing. A make-shift fish market was set up on the sandy banks of the river. Best to take photos from high above the banks. We had already been walking for three hours and decided it best to go back to the ship. We saw no suitable restaurants…only the street market. And it was so humid with overcast skies, we were literally melting. We got the bus ride back to our pier, and were in our room after 1pm enjoying cold sodas again. The ship was docked starboard today, so we could watch and hear the ship bunkering fuel all afternoon. There was a total of three barges used. We never saw such black sooty smoke coming out of our stacks as we did today. Wonder if that was from the local fuel? And the river garbage was the worst we have ever witnessed. Styrofoam, plastic cups and glasses, and aluminum cans floated in clumps around the shoreline. Considering that this practice has been stopped (more or less) worldwide, the news has not hit here. And we lucked out with only a passing shower getting the area damp. We do know they need rain, but we had hoped it would hold off until we are out of the river in a few days. It worked today. Remember when it was mentioned that there are no bridges in the Amazon? Well today we saw a big one spanning the Rio Negro. Not sure how long it has been here, but it looks very modern. The Rio Negro is the river that dumps acidic water the color of strong tea into the muddy waters of the Amazon. These waters do not mix easily. Knowing what to watch for, we had the best place on our veranda to witness where these waters are side-by-side for a long ways before mixing. The ship left the port by 5pm or so, and we had that slow speed limit leaving the city. It was several miles before we reached the spot where eventually the waters returned to the muddy state. We did get many pictures of that strange phenomenon. And we were treated to a nice sunset about 6:30pm once again. And that’s why we like late seating for dinner or we would have missed all of the sailing out of the city. Dinnertime had a few good choices. It was shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads for both of us. We ordered chicken – one parmigiana and spaghetti (doubled with extra sauce) and one Portuguese-style chicken. Don’t know whose was best, although there was enough pasta to share. A small slice of almond cake and a dish of sliced bananas finished the meal nicely. The show this evening was the return of the artists David and Dawn with a musical and visual performance. Guaranteed to amaze everyone. We never seem to finish dinner in time to catch the shows. Hard to burn the candle at both ends, we always say. Tomorrow we will be in another city by the name of Parintins. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #15 Saturday January 13, 2024 Boca Da Valeria, Brazil 7am-1pm Tender Port Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun 85 Degrees 70% Humidity Part #1 Of 5........62 Pictures --Dressy Night Today’s port of call was an early one…..Boca da Valeria, which is a very quaint village with about 100 “caboclos” natives with a blend of both indigenous and Portuguese back round. Access to this area is by tender boat as there are no paved roads as we recall. The locals survive by fishing, growing crops, and their craft sales to tourists like us. But first, we were off to breakfast. We are finding that some folks are lining up well before the doors of the Pinnacle Grill are opened at 7:30am. Today there were eight of us to take the window seats. Perhaps that was due to the fact our time in this port will be short from 7am to 1pm. There were no organized shore excursions today as this village is so small, it can be walked in a short time. We did have the best seats in the restaurant as we watched the guests boarding the tender boats right below our window. An added surprise was spotting some river dolphins close to the shoreline. We could see their splashes, but they were so quick, they barely breached the surface. Prior to our arrival today, we all received a notice asking for any donations such as school supplies, playing cards, dice, word games, children’s books in English, puppets, Legos, and puzzles. Soaps, lotions, and toothpaste were also welcomed. These items had to be cleared with local customers officials and if fees applied, HAL would have to pay them. This same situation occurred while we were on the fall sailing of Tales of the South Pacific. All donations including money for the kids on Fanning Island were to be brought over to the local officials. However due to the cancellation of the port, the contributions had to go elsewhere. The guests were most disappointed since they had shopped for the basic necessities for these kids while we were in Hawaii. Anyway, we headed for the tender boat right after breakfast for the 10 minute ride to the shore. Some things had changed since we were here back in the 1990’s and 2014. We sure do not remember the covered village pier pontoon that made it easy to disembark the tender boat. Back then, we were taken further up the tributary and dropped off navigating wide boards through the muddy banks. And we know why it had been suggested to bring single dollar bills with us. There was a double line of kids and their moms greeting us as we made our way towards the village. Most every kid had a pet like baby sloths and monkeys, lizards, alligators, and small parrots. If you took a photo, they expected one dollar. It was the same over 30 years ago, so inflation has not hit this part of the world we guess. A few of the older young ladies, perhaps 16 or 18, were dressed in traditional costumes with hundreds of feathers and beads. Little children were encouraged by their moms to take our hands to walk to the village, all with the hopes of getting tips we assume. None of them spoke English, but we can say that all of the locals were dressed nicely in modern-day t-shirts and shorts wearing flip-flops. It was amusing to us watching some of the young boys take their dollars and run to their snack shack to buy packaged chips and crackers. They left the empty bags on the ground afterwards, hoping their moms did not see the evidence. We walked about twice as far after passing the crowded village. The trail led to more houses on stilts, where each one had chickens, ducks, and dogs. We saw one fat cat sleeping in a nice bed. We could see pipes coming from the hillsides carrying fresh water to tanks mounted on the roofs. Some larger homes had satellite dishes. All of the houses had power. Towards the end of the narrow trail, we saw what we assume to be the local garbage dump where the charred soil was still smoking from a recent burn. The largest house had a fenced yard with two pigs. That’s where we decided to turn back. We did get a lot of pictures of the animals, the church, school, and snack shack. Tables were set up under thatched roofs where the locals were hawking their treasures. Anything made of wood had to be dropped off after we went through security on the ship to be frozen for 24 hours to kill any insects. We had to do this with wooden puppets we bought in Bali one year. Freezing was the only way to stop the burrowing insects in the puppet’s wood parts. Just about when we were passing the village, the rain began falling. Light at first, it became a cloudburst within minutes. This time we used the umbrellas one of us thought to bring. All in all, we had spent over two hours exploring there. And it is worth mentioning that it was wicked hot and humid today. And when the doors of the tender boat were closed, it made it even hotter, like a sauna. Back on the cool ship, we enjoyed ice cold sodas and eventually ordered a room service lunch. The food has been very good and nicely presented. The service is much quicker than the 30 to 40 minutes they predict. Working on pictures occupied the rest of the afternoon. Right before 1pm, the Captain sounded the ship’s horn with one long blast. The last tender was to leave at 1pm, but it appeared they were waiting for some people. At 1:10pm, the horn sounded again, but this time longer. Watching the pontoon, we spotted two canoes pull over and drop off 4 people. Guess they were not watching the time and they were lucky they were not left behind. At 3pm, there was a cake extravaganza held in the Lido Market. Photos were allowed at 2:45pm, but that was when our lunch was arriving, so we missed it. Maybe it will be repeated later in the cruise. Dinner was surprisingly “dressy” this evening….the first one of the cruise so far. And it was the Culinary Dinner with special chef items. We ordered the coconut crusted shrimp salad which was very good and one crab cake. The entree we both ordered was the prime rib, and it was also cooked perfectly. The plates and the food were piping hot, making a huge difference in our opinion. Dessert was the chocolate filled craqueline, a special treat which is not served often. Showtime was another performance of the singers and dancers. It appeared that most of the late dining guests were finished and leaving the dining room before the show began at 9:30pm. They sure were not in the Ocean Bar, which has had only a handful of guests every evening. Tomorrow we will be in Manaus, the biggest city in this part of the Amazon. It will be a one day stop, where in the past, we always spent two days. Hopefully docked, we should be able to walk to the main sights from the pier. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #14 Friday January 12, 2024 Sail By Santarem And Spend The Day At Alter Do Chao, Brazil Cloudy With Rain Showers No Sun 84 Degrees 77% Humidity Part #1 Of 4.......65 Pictures--Casual Dress Getting up early, we saw that we were passing the large city of Santarem under very cloudy skies. However, this was not our port of call today. It was Alter do Chao located further up the river. Our arrival time was set at about 10:30am, but we got there sooner. There was a window of opportunity for us to leave the ship before the tour groups were let off. So we gathered our things, and happened to be the first in line for tender. Usually, we don’t do this, but it sure looked like rain was imminent, and we wanted to walk the town before it began. As it turned out, we had a slight passing shower later in the afternoon, and never saw any more rain for the rest of the day. Just lucky. There were two ship tours. One was a 40 minute drive to Tapajos National Forest to see the flora and fauna of the canopy. We did this tour years ago, and did see many hardwood trees such as the Brazil nut and the rubber trees. This protected forest covers 1,482,600 acres, but we are sure that 4 ½ hours would not cover that much ground. However it was priced right at $75. The other excursion took the folks back to Santarem, a 45 minute local bus ride, to tour the city. This will be a stop on January 16th, with a similar tour. The price was $80 for 4 ¾ hours. The tender ride was not 30 minutes as suggested, but more like 15 minutes as the river was smooth as glass. We had also been warned that the tender landing may be wet and muddy. But today, the water level of the river was so low, that all we encountered was thick deep sand on the beach. Promoting tourism, the white sandy beaches are compared to those in the Caribbean. It was true that the muddy water of the river was not in this area. It wasn’t the aqua-blue of the Caribbean, but much more clear than what we have seen the last couple of days. Once reaching the banks of the river, we went upstairs to a café and a long fenced boardwalk that has seen better days. We recalled having to be careful walking the loose boards of this long stretch to reach the streets of town. Following the ship’s map, we found our way on a side street walking uphill to the main streets. The central square was about a ½ mile walk with the Igreja Matriz Church at the top of the square. The steps were steep without handrails, so only one of went inside the church. Hiking further up the street, we came across the Araibe Culture Indigena, a place selling indigenous art, handicrafts, and clothing as well as a nice assortment of costume jewelry. We passed by numerous nice-looking cafes, bars, and restaurants, and despite the fact it was getting close to noontime, none of them seemed to be opened. Perhaps they would open later in the day and definitely at night time. Checking out some of the souvenir shops, we made our way back down to the main road. We could see the sandy spit of a small island called Ilhe do Amor, a favorite spot for the beach crowd – both local and visitors. There is a series of thatch-roofs hut with cafes and bars there. It was interesting watching how people accessed this island since there was no bridge. Many canoes were lined up on the banks to take folks over to the island. But the smarter ones were actually walking through the shallow water to access it. Those were mostly the locals. Just as we were watching this activity, we heard a cheering roar coming from the crowd of sunbathers as two river dolphins appeared swimming around the island. We happened to have the best view from up above and did see that one of these dolphins was the color pink. The other was a darker gray. They circled around the back of the spit, and continued up the other side jumping and swimming so fast, we could them moving underwater like submarines. Bet they were after fish. They disappeared as fast as they appeared. Another lucky sighting. Of course we searched for them the rest of our walk, but never saw them again. Running across friends Mike and Nancy, they asked if we had seen the cemetery, which we had missed. So on the way back we headed that way. Following the low road along the coast, we spotted a grassy field with trees, mostly mango trees, and discovered this area was full of birds. You had to really stop and listen because they were well hidden in the grass and the trees. Some pretty yellow and red ones flew right on the railing and posed for pictures. They were larger than a canary, but very bright. Of course the males had all the color and the females were a drab brown. Normally this grassy field was not exposed, but due to the low water, now it is home to more birds. A lady stopped and mentioned that while here in 2017, the entire island of Ilha do Amor was totally underwater with only the tops of the thatched roofs exposed. Big difference this year. We turned and walked up the last street and located the rather large cemetery. It was so old that most all of the headstones had no writing. Some of the graves were small, indicating that they were children. One tiny gravesite had a crib next to it. No doubt that yellow fever and malaria played a part in the infant mortality. We headed back to the tender landing, checking out their souvenir tables. We already own the blow guns, masks, drums, and piranhas. But they did have a nice collection of fun jewelry, which appealed to one of us. And one turquoise and abalone necklace was our big purchase of the day. By the way, we happened to notice they were selling beer for $2 a can. It may not have been cold, but the price was good. It had begun to sprinkle and we thought for sure the sky would open up. However, it just stayed muggy and hot with no breeze. The ride back was stifling inside the tender. We spent the rest of the afternoon working in our room and going for take-out……two cannonball burgers and fries from The Dive-In. Ice cold Cokes were the best. At 5pm, the Captain sounded the horn, alerting the folks to come back on the tenders. As it turned out, some bus tours were late in getting back and 120 folks were still onshore. Finally back onboard, they pulled the anchor and we left after 6pm. At dinnertime, we saw that we had stopped near Santarem where we think there was a pilot switch. Then the ship headed to the next port of Boca da Valeria, very close to our stop today. It will be a short day there. Dinner was good with quesadilla starters, soup, and a Caesar salad. Mains were a pork porchetta, and what we call KFC chicken. Both very good and hot and tasty as well. One of the chefs came by and inquired as to how our meals were tonight. It seems he remembered we had received cold food last week, he advised us never to accept anything served cold, and inform the waiter or him. He promised to make it right. We thanked him and said that cold dinner never arrived again after that night. He promised to keep it that way. And good news….the clocks went back one hour this evening, putting us at Manaus time. Fine and dandy with us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #13 Thursday January 11, 2024 Macapa, Brazil At Anchor 6am-11am Service Stop Then Enroute To Alter Do Chao, Brazil In The Amazon River Cloudy And Hot 73% Humidity Part #1 Of 3......56 Pictures Now that we have officially entered Brazil, some facts are in order. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia, and the population of the country is 205.8 million folks that speak Portuguese. This is a country of contrasts. On one hand, you have major cities with samba, Carnaval, festivals, dazzling costumes, and all night parties. But then there are the eco-systems of the plant and animal life only found in the Amazon region. The jungle of the Amazon with winding waterways and lush rainforests are full of monkeys, sloths, and birds to name a few. Way back in the 1990’s, we took a late evening canoe excursion into the igarapes of the main river tributaries in search of alligators. The only light in the dark canopy were the torches that were lit on the bow and aft of each 12 passenger canoe. Now that we think of it, none of us wore life vests….crazy, huh? We’ll never forget when those torches were snuffed, and we were suddenly surrounded with fireflies – hundreds of them. Pretty thrilling since we do not have these insects at home. Our guide used a flashlight to scan the banks of the river looking for the eyes of alligators. The size of the gator was judged by the distance between the eyes. The bigger the space, the bigger the alligator. At that time, the guides were able to capture the small ones, and bring them onboard the canoe. Taping their snout, the guide brought the alligator to each of us to see and actually touch. All of the canoes returned to the transfer boat, and they let these alligators loose, scampering under our feet. Never saw so many people able to lift their legs onto the benches. We have never seen such a tour offered ever again, and we really do not know what the guides did with their captive alligators. At that time, there was a good price for the hides. So today we had a service stop at Macapa from 6 to 11am, located close to the mouth of the Amazon River. It was not even mentioned in today’s Daily newsletter. During our early breakfast, we watched some of the river traffic around the settlement. By the way, it was already hot with temperatures at 82 degrees with humidity at 76%. A 5 mph breeze did not help. Our Pinnacle Grill waiters had told us that there had been a Brazilian inspection in the dining room and all of the staff were required to wear hairnets. Once the officials left, the hairnets were taken off. While stopping at the front desk to collect the mini USA Times, we saw the officials there to check and clear all of the guests and crew. Once that task was done, the group enjoyed a breakfast in the upper dining room with some of our officers. Then at 11am, the officials departed, leaving we believe, 3 experienced local pilots. Captain Frank said we had 326 nautical miles to reach the port of Alter do Chao tomorrow. But first we had to navigate a narrow channel doing a speed of 7 knots. Once we cleared the narrow part, he would pick up speed to 14 knots. Taking a walk on the outside decks, we decided to go up to deck 10 and see what kind of insects we could find. The white paint on the ship attracted insects instantly, and we found numerous types of moths and beetles already taking a ride on the ceiling and walls. No two were alike. One of us was fortunate to have a cousin who was an entomologist and spent several years studying the Amazon insects, in particular, the mosquito that carried the diseases of yellow fever and malaria. Many strides have been made in that area, but studies will go on forever. As we have already stated, we have never seen a mosquito in this area, although they are surely here. This afternoon around 2pm, Kimberly came on the speakers and informed us she was going to do a talk while we cruised close to the river banks. And since she was broadcasting from the navigation deck, she had to keep her talk on the quiet side. One of the facts we noted was the amount of rain annually in the Amazon area is 400 inches. The river is massive – the largest in the world. There are no bridges that span it. The river has the largest volume of freshwater in the world. Is it the world’s longest river? It still has not been decided if the Amazon takes the prize, or the Nile in Africa according to Kimberly. Did we mention that we also crossed the Equator today? The usual King Neptune Ceremony was shelved, but will happen on our way out of the river in a week’s time. King Neptune gracefully pardoned each and every one of us this time. But he will return from the Briny Kingdom of Neptunus Rex. Signed…..R Here’s a hair-raising fact: bull sharks have been found 2300 miles up the river, surviving in the freshwater. Just like they do up the river in Sydney, Australia. A good reason not to swim in the river besides avoiding the piranhas. Another fact is that the true source of the river has never been discovered. Many dams have been created over the years to provide hydro-electric power. These days of “green energy sources” the dams are being re-assessed. Wildlife includes 3000 known species of fish, and many that have not even been discovered yet. Larger animals are caiman, anacondas, capybaras, and sloths. There are 400 documented amphibians, with thousands of bird species like macaws, toucans, and the ever-present vultures. Pink river dolphins that live here are on the endangered species. Catfish can measure up to 6 feet long. Black caiman are also highly endangered and can measure up to 5 meters long. In the past, deforestation occurred due to agriculture and mining industries. Studies are being done to contain that activity. And the rubber industry that built the big cities, such as Manaus, eventually was replaced with synthetic rubber. So much to learn, thanks to Kimberly. We ended up enjoying the scenic cruising from our veranda, ducking inside to cool down a lot. Taking photos was the high point of the day. And we were treated to a few sightings of rainbows as well as a very nice sunset, the first we have seen since leaving Florida. And with the sunset, we did notice a slight change in the temperature for the better. Going a bit later to the dining room, we ordered shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and mains of tortellini and sliced pork loin. Both were very tasty and served hot the way we like it. By the time dessert arrived, we had already missed half of the Brazilian Show Night which was held in the Lido Pool area. It was dubbed “white night”, a tradition where folks wear white to welcome in the new year. The Oi Brazil Cultural Ambassadors onboard put on a special performance decked out in dazzling costumes. Music , drink specials, and more food was offered for the hour. Tomorrow we will be in the first port of Alter do Chao. It’s been a while since we were there, and do not remember much of what we saw. But we are sure it will come back to us once we step off of the tender boat. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #12 Wednesday January 10, 2024 Sea Day- Crossing The Amazon Bar As We Head Into The Amazon River Enroute To Macapa, Brazil Rain Showers And Sun 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.......No Pictures--Casual Dress We are sailing in a very unique part of the world, where the muddy brown waters of the Amazon River meet the clear blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The actual mouth of the Amazon measures in the hundreds of miles, and the flow of the river extends for as many miles out to sea as well. Today we began crossing the Amazon Bar, the shallowest area before entering the mighty Amazon River. Captain Frank advised everyone to lash everything down in our rooms and also be careful walking around the ship and using the stairwells. And for that reason, our room attendants had already brought in the chair and lounge pads on the veranda last night. With normal rainfall, these conditions are to be expected, but as it turned out, none of turbulence, winds, or currents produced a problem with our navigation. The only thing we noticed was that the aqua-blue waters of the Atlantic slowly turned to a muddy caramel color as it mixed with the river water. We can expect this for the next 8 days or until we leave the river in a week or so. The ship is now headed for a service stop at Macapa, Brazil at the beginning of the river. It is there that we pick up an experienced river pilot and some Brazilian officials. The stop is scheduled from 6 to 11 am, then we will be on our way to the first port of Alter do Chao the following day. For the last couple of months, we were not sure that this vessel would be able to transit the river due to low water levels and an abnormal amount of rainfall. Several cruise lines cancelled their sailings, so we figured that might happen to us too. Nothing worse than being stuck on a sandbar, as Captain Frank knows. Obviously, conditions are better than predicted, and the Captain is going to make it a successful sailing. To insure that we can safely make it up the river, we have been asked to reduce our freshwater usage in regards to bathroom facilities. In other words, use only the minimal amount of water that we each need daily. We have been asked to reduce the amount of laundry we turn in for this upcoming week. With the reduction of waste water, it should help keeping the ship’s draft as shallow as possible. In addition, they hope not to have to take on local fresh water for the health and safety of all onboard. This was the same message we received back in the 90’s while sailing on the Pacific Princess up the Amazon. So nothing has drastically changed over the years. Highlights of today were the port talk on Manaus, Parintins, and Santarem and a cooking demo with executive chef Neil. We had an invite to a complimentary regional wine tasting just for our small group of President’s Club members. If we drank wine, and were interested in purchasing one of their packages, we would have attended. It was held at 1pm in the upper dining room. It is always nice to be asked, even if we do not always attend these affairs. Another announcement was made regarding wooden souvenirs that we all like to collect in these exotic places like the Amazon. All wood carvings bought in Brazil will be collected at the gangway and kept in a freezer for 24 hours. This prevents unwanted pests from damaging your items and also entering the vessel. The use of insect repellant was also advised when going ashore. When traveling in this part of the world, we always take an anti-malarial prescription from our doctor, which we began today. One of us takes a pill for seven days, while the other has a 21 day series. Truthfully, in all of the times we have visited here, we have never seen a mosquito. There are always interesting moths and other non-biting bugs, but never mosquitos. Best to use the spray and forget about it. There is a Brazil team onboard helping with arts and crafts projects, lecturing on discovering Brazil and legends and myths surrounding the country and teaching ballroom dancing the Brazilian way. At 4pm, there was a class that taught the skills of Capoeira – a form of coordination, rhythm, and self-defense skills. The traditional way resembled martial arts and created by the slaves 400 years ago. It was banned back then, but re-appeared as a kind of dance. We have witnessed this display and can compare it to watching fighting chickens with lots of powerful kicks and blows. Dinner was good tonight with a few new items on the menu. We both ordered the beef tataki appetizer, one spinach and mushroom salad, and a mozzarella/tomato salad. Mains were thick and juicy rack of lamb and a veal piccata with risotto. Both were served piping hot. Dessert was a shared tres leche pudding tasting like intense vanilla. The entertainer this evening was a repeat performance of Camila Andrade, an international vocalist. We believe she was well-received with her first show. One can also find entertainment in the Explorer’s Lounge and the Rolling Stones Lounge. The Ocean Bar and Billboard Onboard also had music venues, although we have seen few folks attending after the late seating. Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Coco39, If you are still reading the blog, can you please tell Barb to check her email. Many thanks! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #11 Tuesday January 9, 2023 Devil's Island, French Guiana Tender Port Morning Rain Clearing To Sunny Skies 82 Degrees 20 knot Wind 5' Swell Part #1 Of 5......60 Of 299 Pictures--Casual Dress Our second port of call was in the South American country of French Guiana. In comparison to the other countries in South America, it is considered tiny with a population of 221,500 people that speak French and Creole. A department of France, French Guiana uses the Euro for currency, and is considered one of the wealthiest countries due to money provided for a stable base for satellite launching. Since 1980, 2/3rds of the world’s commercial satellites have been launched from here at Centre Spatial Guyanais. Foods common to this country are “gibier”, a bush meat like capybara, wild boar, agouti (guinea pig), which are all legal to hunt. These dishes can be found on restaurant menus as well. “Jamais goute is a delicate freshwater fish steamed in banana leaves. It goes well with ti’punch which is a small punch made with local rum, lime juice, and sugarcane syrup. Our actual destination was far different from the modern world. It was the Salvation Islands or Iles de Salut, off of the coast of the capital Cayenne. These islands consist of Ile Royal, Ile St. Joseph, and more notably Ile du Diable or Devil’s Island. A penal colony was created on all three islands in 1852 and lasted for 100 years until it was officially shut down in 1953. France sent their most dangerous prisoners here, including political prisoners, thinking it was as far away from France as they could send them. It turned out to be the most brutal, horrific penal colonies surrounded by shark-infested waters. Few escaped, but of the 56,000 mostly male prisoners, 90% of them died of disease (yellow fever and malaria) and abuse. If you have ever read the book Papillon or watched the movie, you would get a hint of what life was like here and really appreciate the haunting and eeriness of these islands. In a nutshell, Ile Royal housed both prisoners and the guards that managed them. Those who gave them no trouble were able to stay and work on Ile Royal. If they tried to escape from here, they would be moved to Ile St. Joseph where conditions were much worse. The prisoners would not be allowed to talk and were kept in dark cells. Last but not least, Ile du Diable was reserved for the political prisoners who were kept isolated. There were a total of 12 of these political dissidents. When the guards and their families were assigned to this penal colony, they were faced with the same diseases that killed off the prisoners. Evidence of that is on the headstones in the cemetery showing many families with children that perished. These days, tourists can tour Ile Royal while locals from the mainland can take catamarans here with a guide and see both Ile Royal and St. Joseph. Devil’s Island is off limits to everyone. Today the responsibility of these islands have been given to the Guiana Space Center. We left the ship at 10am after the last of the heavy showers dropped rain on the islands. The sun peeked out and it remained dry for the rest of the day. But the rain had left the air extra humid with temperatures in the high 80’s. Very sticky to say the least. Although we have priority tendering, we seldom have the need to be the first ones off. The nice thing is that we do not have to get tender tickets…..just show up at the stairs to the gangway, and we are free to go down to a waiting tender boat. The loading was working well with two boats being loaded and off-loaded from the same exit. The ride over was quick, although a bit rough. If memory serves us right, these waters are turbulent with strong currents, another reason escaping from here was so dicey. And there are the ever-present sharks too. We have been to this part of the world several times, and with each visit, we have seen new things and learned more facts. Helping with understanding the history, were the new signs at every site. The prevalent language was French, of course, but on the side there was an English version. Really a great improvement since we were here back in 2020. After leaving the tender landing, we always take a right turn and follow the dirt road around the outer edge of the island. It was not as muddy as we had expected, although the grass was quite damp. We passed by the ruins of the workshop, pigsty, and the butchery. Further up, we saw the rock tower that connected a wire to Devil’s Island for transferring food and supplies in buckets to the prisoners there. The prisoner’s swimming pool was next, and there were actually some local tourists swimming there. The water was so murky, they would never see sharks if they were present. Continuing on, we hiked uphill to the center of the island passing the Commandant’s House, then onto the Hotel. The patio around the hotel was already filled with people from the ship, although we did not see many of them with purchased beverages. We had been allowed to bring our own bottled water over today, so that’s what we did. A thermos full of ice water. At the bar in the hotel, they were selling smaller bottles of local beer for either 7 Euro or $8 USD. Sodas were the same price. The downside was that they were not cold. Just as we arrived, an elderly lady had taken a fall here, and cut her head as well as shattered her glasses. It seems to happen with every visit. The steep steps to access this hotel do not have any handrails, which is an accident waiting to happen. We did notice many folks having problems due to the high heat and humidity. Good thing there were several places for folks to stop and sit for a spell in the shade. From there, we self-toured the solitary cells and the cell blocks. Next was the church, the hospital, the lighthouse, and the cemetery. Directly across from the lighthouse was the helicopter pad and equipment we suspect belongs to the Space Center. What was missing were the variety of birds we also saw up here. Where did the macaws, peacocks, and chickens go? We spotted one peacock, and one tiny hummingbird feasting in a flame tree. In a flash, it was gone. Perhaps the birds have been removed to keep the area cleaner….who knows? But we knew there were monkeys nearby as some friends reminded us where to find them. Always near the cemetery, we came upon a large troupe of capuchin monkeys. Our buddies had just come up that way and warned us that some guests had fed them cookies brought from the ship. Not sure that is “legal”, the monkeys love the sweet treats. But watch out when you give them the last cookie, because they will become more aggressive and come closer to look for more. After capturing numerous photos of the amusing antics of both the adults and the babies, we took a seat alongside the road to continue watching them. Just then, two gals we know, came down the road and warned us that some large males were right behind us in the trees. We knew it, but they were starting to get too close for comfort. The girls thought they would jump on our heads any minute, however the capuchins backed off the closer they got to us. What attracts the monkeys are the bags we are carrying. In our case, we had two umbrellas we were packing, but the monkeys see that as possible food. Time to move on……. This road was the easiest to navigate compared to the first trails that are made with stones. You have to be most careful watching for the loose rocks and uneven pavement or you could do the “face plant”. Along this road, we did spot some large agoutis which are related to guinea pigs. They blended in so well with their black fur and blazing red backside that we had to really go slow and listen for them foraging in the leaf litter. Hard to believe these on a restaurant menu as they are rodents. Also in this stretch was a large iguana moving slowly by the water’s edge. Back down to the tender area, we stopped for some drinks handed out by the crew. Normally there is water or lemonade. Today there was flavored water with lemons or oranges. Not quite as refreshing as sweet lemonade, we figured they were saving on the sugar, which has become more and more expensive these days. This is a good spot to watch for sea turtles along the pier to the tenderboats. Although the water was murky, we did see some turtles popping up briefly to gulp air and submerge. Too fast for photos, we gave up and headed for the tender boat. Sure was nice getting back to the air-conditioned ship after our three hour tour. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos, eating a nice lunch, and relaxing on the veranda. The ship left the islands around 5pm, heading down the coast of French Guiana and towards Brazil. Dinnertime arrived quickly, and we went to the dining room, where we saw a couple in front of us arriving – one dressed appropriately, but the husband wearing shorts. The head waiter informed him quietly there is a dress code in this dining room, and he needed to change. The fellow handed it well, but his wife said loudly’ “I told you so!” She promised to wait for him when he left to go back to his room. We are glad this is being enforced, as it is only the respectful thing to do for the rest of the diners. The show this evening was a comedian by the name of Sid Davis. We are sure we have seen him often on other ships. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #10 Monday January 8, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Devil’s Island Sun Turning To A Cloudy Day 82 Degrees Very Windy Sea State: Rough Part #1 Of 1........No Pictures We swear the sea days get busier as we head towards French Guiana and infamous Devil’s Island. For one thing, it was difficult waking up for one of us this morning after putting the clocks ahead once again. Now we are on UTC – 3/ Brasilia time, which is two hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. We should be on this time zone until we head back from the Amazon River in a week or so. There were two other guests sitting in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast this morning, since we think most everyone else slept in late. It was closer to 8:15am when the rest of the regulars appeared. Now we get a full carafe of hot coffee, which saves the waiters from filling the cups so often. When we sailed on the Nieuw Statendam two years ago, each of us had our own insulated carafe. So much better as the coffee stayed hot. We have not ordered the complimentary mimosas, but then, they have not been offered either. Normally, we each have one on Sundays. Why, no special reason…once a week works for us. We received two notices this morning. One dealt with the security information on Brazil. The letter began stating that we are living in a changing world. HAL decided to go into detail regarding caution while in the upcoming ports. Dress down, leave the jewelry onboard, and don’t take a lot of cash or credit cards. Be aware of our surroundings, and take care with purses, wallets, and cameras. One suggestion was to be suspicious of anyone approaching you and speaking good English. We do not expect problems in the Amazon, but it is always good advice to be careful no matter where we go. The other notice dealt with health info in regions with extreme heat and humidity. They added that up to 50% of travelers develop some sort of gastrointestinal upset. Things to remember is to not drink the local water or have drinks with ice. Bring your own from the ship. You cannot always trust bottled water bought onshore as these can be filled with tap water and resealed to look new. All food should be cooked well and served hot (how about that?) Avoid raw shellfish, cold cuts, salads and watermelon, as well as puddings. Consume only peeled veggies and fruit as they are washed in local water. Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer frequently. Last but not least, do not leave the veranda door opened as it messes with the ship’s air conditioning. Also attracts bugs like mosquitoes. Don’t need that. The seas were acting up more today as we sailed off of the northern coast of Suriname. And we noticed that all of the masked and brown boobies that had been following us were gone. There were many flying fish of all sizes, but no hunters. The fish will survive another day. After our morning hike around the promenade deck, we headed up to the Seaview Pool to take in some sun. It was quite windy and cool on our veranda, so the pool area provided some sun. As warm and humid as it was yesterday, today it got almost cool and cloudy in the late afternoon. Listening to Kimberly’s port talk on Devil’s Island, Alter de Chao and Boca Da Valeria, we took notes and figured out what we will do in those ports. We have had the pleasure of visiting all of those spots several times in past years. And from the looks of the talk and video, not much has changed, especially Devil’s Island. That has to be one of the most haunted places we have ever visited and remains so to this day in our humble opinion. Doing extra research on the history as well as reading the book Papillon, we think that is the clue to getting an in depth feel for the former penal colony. We do hope that the predicted rain showers stay away or else many of us will be dealing with the red-tinged mud from the pathways around the island of Ile Royale. And it is also a tender port, so we think not everyone will wish to go there. The Linus Project has begun with a large sit, knit & needlework in the Ocean Bar area. It has been fascinating seeing what the ladies (and some fellows) create during this long voyage. And all for a good cause. A lecturer by the name of Joao Bosco spoke all about the rubber boom as well as the bull festival boom-ba in Brazil. His talk was very informative and well attended. While the lecture was in progress, so were the dance class, pickleball instructions, a poker tournament, and a bridge class. There was coloring for adults, a watercolor painting class, and later after lunch there was arts and crafts. Although we have not checked it out, we guarantee the class was full. The classes are divided up into groups now. We also need to get out and about to watch the ballroom dancing in the Ocean Bar. There were three sessions of trivia as well. Always popular with many passengers. Also popular with the guests is Happy Hour, which happens from 3:30 to 4:30pm and again from 6 to 7pm. There is a 50% discount on all cocktails, wine, beers and house spirits. As for us, we have been enjoying a cocktail in our room right before dinnertime. And some good news we think……we got an email from the visa service we used for Brazil, and our visas have been granted. Originally we were informed that the duration was for two years. However, we have been given electronic visas good for 10 years. Although we do not require them for this trip now, they will come in handy the next time we find ourselves in Brazil. All in all, it took 26 days to come through and we never had to produce any extra documents or photos. Tonight was the first “pop-up” dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with Tamarind, although we did not notice fewer folks in the dining room. Our waiters have been very good in serving us our food nice and hot. For us it really makes a difference and we let them know that we appreciate their efforts. Split pea soup was excellent as were our mains of a pork chop and pork belly, the Club Orange selection. Desserts were a tiny strawberry tart and a scoop of frozen blueberry yogurt. With the entertainment beginning at 9:30pm in the World Stage, most all of the diners leave the room by 9:15pm to get seats. This show this evening was sort of a mystery. It was described as a unique musical visionary with David and Dawn Meyer. We will have to touch base with friends Greg and Heo and get their critique. Catching up on last night’s lost sleep should not be a problem tonight. And while we are thinking of it, we are happy to report that the wifi in our room has been very good. We don’t have to open the door to get a better connection on this ship. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings! Hi Coco 39 - happy to see you back reading once again. How's Barb? We have not heard a word from her (despite many attempts) for a few months? Hope she is well. Cruisingnut - Linda and Dave - we had to stop any replies to the other blog since we got inundated with 1000 replies daily. Tom - As for the phone chargers we just got as gifts, one of us uses it to charge the Kindle. Yes, we still do not own a cell phone! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #9 Sunday January 7, 2024 Scarborough,Tobago, A Two Island Republic Showers With Some Sun And Wind 80 Degrees......Part #1 Of 5.......48 Pictures--Casual Dress The Zuiderdam sailed into the harbor at Rockly Bay and docked at the cruise pier at Scarborough, Tobago early this morning. And it is the very first time we have been to this island. We think we visited Trinidad back in 2009, which is the larger island of this two island republic. Trinidad has pristine mangrove swamps and rain forest, side-by-side with oil refineries. On the other hand, Tobago boasts palm trees, white sandy beaches, as well as rain forest and excellent dive spots. In the early years, Tobago exported rum, cotton, indigo and sugar. And like so many other Caribbean islands, eventually those industries took a back seat to tourism, which flourishes these days. Although this island is really about the nature opportunities, some of the historic highlights include Fort King George (1770 – 1854) smaller Ft. James, and a Mysterious Tombstone (according HAL’s tour descriptions). The major dive sights are located on each tip of the 116 square mile island – most are at the Speyside location and the other sights are around Pigeon Point. If you were looking for those white sandy beaches, then Pigeon Point would be the best bet for dining, bars, restaurants, and public restrooms. One of the problems with our visit today was that it was a Sunday and many of these venues were closed. The climate is warm (we would call hot) tropical with a constant breeze from the NE trade winds. Those winds brought some morning showers with them, taking folks by surprise. Since we had not left too early, we had the privilege of seeing a nice rainbow from our veranda. The average rainfall is 40 inches, and not necessarily this time of year. The island is a mass of coral and volcanic rock with a population of over 54,000. The capital of Scarborough has 1000 residents that speak English with a Creole accent. There are about 220 bird species, some of which are migratory. They have 23 butterfly species and 44 types of coral. Five types of marine turtles migrate here to lay their eggs. They do have 24 types of non-poisonous snakes, 16 kinds of lizards, 14 kinds of frogs and 17 species of bats. Housing these creatures, there are wetlands, lagoons, waterfalls, mangroves, swamps, freshwater marshes and ponds. Who knew? So if you could find a place to dine (besides KFC) the favorite foods here are callaloo, consisting of leaves of a tuber filled with pumpkin, okra, and seasoning. A snack called “doubles” is a curried chickpea mash in a soft fried bread. Roti, a very common snack in all of the Caribbean, is split pea infused flat bread with curried meat and veggies. “Shark and bait” is shark steak with salad on top with added sauces and bread. Local beers are Carib and Stag, always served ice cold. We struck out on enjoying those beers because nothing was opened. Ship’s tours were Tobago South for 3 hours for $70, while highlights and a folk show was 3 ½ hours for $80. Also the same price, a glass bottom boat and snorkel was 3 hours. A rain forest adventure for 5 hours was $115, and an island explorer with lunch was 7 hours for $160. Last night we were given the new port essentials info and map. We had these same flyers while on the Tales of the South Pacific in the fall. Essential information is on them like we used to have with the small money exchange rate cards. Most of these flyers had local maps on the back side with some of the cafes, restaurants, and shopping areas close to the ship’s terminal. We left the ship by 11am, right after a rain shower passed over the island. Bringing the umbrellas insured us that there would be no more rain, and we were correct. However, when the sun appeared, it was really hot and humid. Passing through the small terminal, we picked up an island map full of useful info, then headed out into the melee of the taxi drivers offering us tours to anywhere. As usual, we were interested in walking with the Botanic Garden our final destination. Turning left, we walked through the closed Esplanade full of food and souvenir shacks. Not one of them were opened. Continuing on, we found the new “I Love Tobago” sign and took a few pictures. Some of the crew members were posing in front of the sign….something they love to do. Walking the seaside road, we turned right and headed uphill, mostly because the main road came to an end. There was an imposing large building on the hillside with no name. We learned that it was a new Cultural Center. A few government buildings were on this street as well as a Comfort Inn. We came upon a main highway and turned right passing some mangroves and a creek. Looking down the hillside, we saw a flock of brownish-red sheep, tethered and eating their hearts out in the weeds. They are good for clearing vegetation, like lawn mowers. In our area at home, herds of goats are rented to keep the vegetation down for fire safety. Off of this road, we saw the local high school and a lookout point at Marie Mountain. We knew if we followed the highway, we would locate the Botanic Garden, which we eventually did. It was located right across from their main library, which was closed today of course. At least we did get to see the park, which was still decorated with Christmas decorations and lights. The highlight of this park had to be the wall which was painted with murals depicting the past history of the island. It was a short walk downhill to the cruise terminal. By then, we had done a three hour hike and were in need of something cold to drink. So we went back to the ship, picking up a colorful shotglass for a little momento of having visited this island. We ordered room service lunch, which was really good. Chicken Caesar salad, a roast beef panini, and a chicken quesadilla was just right. The ship pulled out of the bay close to 5pm, and we were on our way towards French Guiana and Devil’s Island arriving on Tuesday. It will be nice to have a sea day tomorrow. Dinner was very good tonight. After our “cold” dinners we had last night, we were pleased that our waiters made it a point to serve piping hot entrees tonight. They promised to keep it that way every evening and we thanked them. Last night was the first time in all of the years we have been cruising that our meals were actually cold. If we had not spoken up, our waiters would have not known. The entertainment this evening was a movie called “Air”. Most guests see this as a dark night in the World Stage, but there was fresh popcorn served in the first 30 minutes of the movie, so all was not lost. Oh yeah, the clocks had to be set ahead another hour. We truly do not like that and we doubt the crew does either. But it is what it is. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #8 Saturday January 6, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Scarborough, Tobago, A Two Island Republic Mostly Sunny 80 Degrees 20 Knot Winds And A 6' Swell Part #1 Of 2.......42 Pictures Day number three at sea found us falling into our usually sea day pattern. Beginning with breakfast, we are discovering that when ordering our food, we need to be very specific about each and every item we want. We like Greek yogurt which resembles regular yogurt, but is much thicker and whiter in color. Both us got the “other” kind this morning. The waiters here seem to drop the food, then disappear. So we finished the mixed berries with the yogurt before he reappeared to take our order. What we think occurred was that he asked another waiter to get our starters, but did not give the correct instructions. Not a big deal, he promised the right yogurt tomorrow. One of our buddies sitting across from us said his eggs Benedict was sitting on an English muffin that was like cement. He challenged our waiter to try to cut it with a knife. Guess we were not the only ones with a problem. Very quickly, a new plate of food was brought to our friend, who said the muffin was just right and not a brick. Bet that doesn’t happen again. The omelets we ordered were just fine, but we had to order double-sized catsups and jams……and more butter. If you don’t ask, they do not automatically bring you all of the condiments. We do like coffee at breakfast….lots of it and hot as can be. That has been a problem. Tomorrow we will ask for a full carafe to be left on our table. The folks sitting behind us did just that today and were given them. Why not? It saves them the trouble of pouring it all morning. The masked boobies were putting on quite a show all day outside mostly on the port side. We got some good shots of them diving and actually catching some of those flying fish. Wonder how many they can consume in a day? A few brown boobies invaded for a while, but the white ones prevailed. Several of the camera folks also came out to snap some shots. These birds are curious enough to fly close to the promenade deck to check us out. Spending some time at the Seaview Pool, we noticed that the smoking area is on the port side now and not near the Seaview Bar. Most all of these tables were full too. We did not linger too long, since yesterday, we got a little more sun than we expected. The pool lounges on this ship are set up nicely with lots of room in between them. On the Volendam, the lounges were about touching each other, and few people were able to use them. And to be honest, this is a whole different crowd of passengers that are busy doing many other activities besides sunbathing. We ordered room service for lunch at 2pm and it came rather quickly. The chicken Caesar salads were excellent along with a shared club sandwich. Also, we got our complete delivery of the four bottles of alcohol that comes with the veranda room. Although they were not on the written request form, we did get two bottles of Jack Daniels, one Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red. These will last nicely for the next four months. The last bottle of JD we ordered while on the Volendam set us back $94. Once again, we appreciate this perk. We did make it a point to listen to Kimberly’s talk on Tobago. It was very informative and had lots of good hints about what to see and do outside the shore excursions. One aspect that was not mentioned was the fact we are going to be there on a Sunday. We bet some of the venues will be closed. At 5pm, Kimberly came on the speakers to promote this evening’s activities. Included in her speech, she added that tonight was formal, and the “required” attire was in force in every table service venue. Only the Lido was exempt as always. Now we were really curious to see how this was going to work. Will there be people wearing jeans and baseball caps in the dining room? Somehow, we think not. At 7pm, there was a Captain’s welcome in the World Stage. Still not comfortable with big crowds, we did not attend. Normally it is so crowded that the overflow can go to the Billboard Onboard to watch a live broadcast of the affair. Perhaps it will be repeated on the TV later. By the way, we are still seeing some passengers wearing masks, although they are not mandatory to wear like they were last year. Formal dinner was just that….formal. Nice to see for a change. No jeans or baseball hats. Now it would have been nice if our mains had been delivered hot like we prefer. The dining room for the second fixed seating was not crowded at all, so why we had to wait almost an hour for the entrees is a mystery to us. After our starters, we had ordered one veal entree and one beef tenderloin dish with a baked potato. When the plates finally arrived, everything was cold, including the baked potato. Not even warm, we could not tell our waiters since they had disappeared again. Normally there is a two minute window where they come back to ask how everything is. But not tonight. Normally we do not complain, but cold is cold. When we were about done, our waiter came by and we did inform him about the cold plates. He looked surprised because he was not the one that brought them to us. Apologizing, he offered to replace them, but no way were we going to wait another hour for more food we did not need. Even when the chef came by, he was happy to hear that the food was tasty, but disappointed it was served cold. Up until tonight, the food has been very hot and the plates hot as well. Somewhere along the line, these dinners took a detour long enough to get cold. They all promised it will not happen again. To brighten our spirits, we had gifts waiting for us in our room. There were two heavy duty canvas bags containing a computer-sized bag, a phone charger, a new room key holder, and a safari hat, although we are not going to Africa that we know about. A card came with the gifts saying they were handed out now so we can use them during the cruise. And there was a promise of a few more surprises as the voyage nears the end. “Formal” pillow chocolates were on the bed along with a cute towel animal. Tomorrow we will be in Tobago and as we said, a new port for many of us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #7 Friday January 5, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Scarborough, Tobago, A Two Island Republic Mostly Sunny With Some Clouds 80 Degrees Sea State 3' 18 Knot Wind Part #1 Of 1........23 Pictures Another day at sea presented us with a beautiful sunrise, although waking up an hour earlier was not easy for one of us. Occasionally a world cruise will take an eastbound direction, where you lose an hour every few days, as opposed to going west, and gaining one hour for the most part. The couple of times the world cruise did the eastbound direction, so we opted for a different grand voyage, such as circle South America and Antarctica. It worked better for us. There has not been a crowd in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast like we expected. Customers come in slowly, but have not filled the room. Of course there are fewer guests on this cruise – about 1250 we have been told. But we are not complaining, as it has worked to our advantage and everyone else we know. According to a reliable source, we will lose more guests in the segment ports than we gain. For that reason, we bet these segments will be heavily promoted in each region we travel. There may be some good deals out there. After breakfast, we began our usual walk around the promenade deck. Once again, this deck does not have the ambience of the smaller ships like the Volendam we recently sailed on. There are only a couple of areas that have lounges, but there never seems to be anyone relaxing on them. There are walkers like us, but no one stops to chat. Perhaps as time goes on, things will change. After all, many of us are still in the process of unpacking. So back in our room, we continued to finish the job. Even with the 50 felt hangers we were given, we still needed 25 more. Of course, we exchanged them with the wooden hangers which take up so much closet space. We have to mention the subject of laundry. We are so lucky to have complimentary laundry service which is currently worth $35 a bag. Or if you chose the unlimited laundry for the entire 128 days, the price was $768. That did not include dry cleaning. And pressing only package is $384 for the whole trip. Now we really appreciate the perk of complimentary service. And by the way, so far we have turned in a full bag two days in a row, and they were returned same day. Can’t beat that. We all got a notice yesterday concerning account balance charges. The credit card authorization process has changed. In the past, we all had our charges billed at the day we debarked, whether it be a segment or two or the entire voyage. Now there will be multiple settlements during this cruise. There are seven dates (mostly segment endings) where owed money will have to be paid. If you maintain a credit, then obviously there will be no charge. And for that reason, we had the opportunity to change the card on file if the policy presented a problem. Any refundable credit at the end of the cruise will be put back on your card. Taking a break, we took a walk to the Seaview Pool to catch some sun. The clouds had gone away, and the sun was out. But that can be deceiving, as with the nice breeze, you do not feel the burn. One of us had a nice glow by the late afternoon after an hour sitting at a table by the pool. At high noon, Captain Frank sounded the horn. We like that tradition. Then cruise director Kimberly came and chatted with us for a spell. We met her on the Tales of the South Pacific, and she did remember us. Among other things, we asked if her morning coffee chats could be televised later in the day. She promised to look into that. She did explain that sometimes there are copyright laws, and everything had to be researched completely before jumping the gun. Kimberly remarked at how different this group of travelers were compared to the seven day cruisers she usually deals with. She is correct. There does not seem a need to hurry up and do everything since we have time on our side. It was time for us to move on after she left. The masked boobies appeared this afternoon, putting on a display of soaring and diving for fish. They are truly a remarkable bird, and of course, one of us got some clear shots of their performance. Finally, everything got stashed in the new drawers and also hung on the walls with the nifty magnets. There was an invitation to a President’s Club welcome reception, compliments of Gus Antorcha, the President of HAL. It began at 6:30pm in the Gallery Bar with Captain Frank, Henk M, and key officers and staff greeting each of us. Henk’s wife Christel was in attendance as was the Captain’s wife Alexandria. We were served beverages of our choice, then sat with Martha, Bob, and Mike and Pauline. Christel joined us as did Captain Frank. We all had a nice visit as we dined on numerous delicious canopies. The main subject had to be the switch with Brazil’s visa requirement. The Captain reassured us that we WILL be going up the river as long as the water level is acceptable. The hour went by, and soon it was 8pm. Time for dinner, or actually a half hour late. But none of us were holding others up as we have tables for two. Dinner was good because we had forgotten to eat lunch today and were hungry by now. Many good items were on this menu such as Thai papaya salad, arancini, Caesar salads, honey mustard chicken and meatballs and spaghetti. Call us crazy, but those are favorites of ours. The food was excellent and our mains hot. Ordering small desserts, one of us had coffee which was singly made. Our assistant waiter Al said he warms the cup up with boiling water first, then makes the coffee, which stays piping hot. One more day at sea, and we will be in our first port of Tobago. Never been there before…… Bill & Mary Ann

Report #6 Thursday January 4, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Tabago An Island Republic Still Organizing Our Room Mostly Cloudy With Some Sun 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........20 Pictures Our first full day at sea began early this morning with breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. As President’s Club members, we have the option of dining in the Pinnacle Grill along with the folks in the Pinnacle and Neptune Suites. Last year, we were told there were too many of us President’s Club members, and breakfast for us would be in the upper dining room. At first, we all resented being separated like that, but, in the long run, we had the best waiters ever and a small group of 12 or so people we knew. Breakfast in the dining room and Pinnacle Grill begins at 7:30am every day now. Whether we are at sea or in port, the time will remain the same. Easy to remember. As always, the food and service were excellent, as was the company of many friends. With only half of the unpacking done, we spent the majority of the day unloading the rest of the suitcases. We had read on Cruise Critic that a stack of four drawers with wooden tops could be delivered to our rooms, giving us more space for our stuff. So we asked our room steward for one, and he brought it in a few minutes. It fit perfectly in that extra space by the veranda door. The wall in this area was good for hanging two shoe bags, a large clock, and the world map we brought from home. When our room attendant stopped by again, he said it looked like we had room for two more. Maybe he was kidding, but we said, yes, we sure do. He disappeared down the hall and came back with two more sets of drawers. Now we have ample space for purses, camera equipment, t-shirts, extra bags of nuts, and so much more. We were sure that these drawers would be gone already, but it did pay to ask. Setting up the plug strips for the desk area took some time getting it just right. Now we have plenty of plugs for batteries, the computer, electric toothbrush charging, a waterpik, and a hair dryer. Then we heard the ship’s noontime horn blasting. Captain Frank always did this every sea day, a tradition for most vessels. During his talk, Captain Frank mentioned that we had a few brown boobies following along with us. These high-diving birds are fun to watch as they chase after the flying fish, their favorite food. Naturally, we took some time to go out on the veranda and get some good pictures. It was also a good excuse to try out those lounge chairs for a spell. Something tells us that we are going to spend lot of time outside here in the days to come. So far, the weather has remained on the cooler side, but that suits us fine. It has been smooth sailing and fair seas to this point. It took forever to unpack all of the little things that went in the shoe bags, but once done, everything we need can be seen on the wall. Several hooks were placed here and there for the calendar, lightweight jackets, the two week planner and a spot for the daily newsletter called The Daily. Then we tackled the dowels and magnets for against the ceiling shirt hanging. It has been appropriately named “Piccadilly Circus” thanks to our friend Greg. Now these forty or so shirts are not crowded in the closets and add a lot of color to our room. The real trick was obtaining black felt hangers that are so much better to use than the heavy wooden ones. And nothing slips off of them. We began with 50, and later asked for 30 more. That should do the trick with the rest of the clothing that did not get hung today. Another big job for one of us is the jewelry distribution in a mini- jewelry bag and using hangers hung from magnets for necklaces. That can also wait until tomorrow. There were dozens of activities happening all day, but we only had time for a room service lunch break, followed by a 4pm Block Party. This was fun as we all grabbed our champagne flutes and went out in the hall to meet our neighbors. Complimentary red & white wines and sparkling wine was served by our room attendants, and trays of salsa, olives, a nut mix, and tortilla chips were offered to us as we chatted. Officers including the Captain, his wife, and Henk and Crystal walked down each hallway, deck by deck greeting all of us that had gathered in the elevator lobbies. The drinks and food continued for a full hour with more visits from key staff members. The main conversation revolved around this Brazil debacle. Everyone had a different story of being stalled or rejected. We are still waiting, and really doubt that are any officials onboard doing anything to speed up the process. Later in the evening, we all would have a very nice surprise concerning these visas. Dinnertime came quickly and we dressed up a bit and headed for the upper dining room. Remember the mix-up with our table assignment last night? Well today we had a call from Presty who came through with the good news that table #66 was ours for the entire voyage. He thanked us for our patience last night and made good on his promise to grant our request from last summer no less. We met our new waiters and they seem really nice. Our mains of parmesan-coated veal loin were excellent served with creamy polenta, but he added mashed potatoes as well. And the best part was both plates were hot as could be. And we didn’t have to request it. With our table being situated close to the kitchen, our food has always been served very hot without a long wait time between courses. Yes, this is going to work out just fine. Just as we finished a small slice of carrot cake, Bob and Martha came for a visit and delivered some really good news. They had just gotten an email from our travel agency CEO saying that Brazil had agreed to delay the visa requirement to April 10, 2024. HAL will send us all a message tomorrow we suspect. As far as our visas go, we may still be getting them, as we have not heard from the visa service yet. Or they may be voided due to this situation. Time will tell, but now all of that pressure and worry is gone. More good news was that our laundry had come back this evening after turning it in this morning. Can’t ask for more than that. And it was accompanied with a personal note thanking us for sending them the laundry. One thing we did not like was having to turn the clocks ahead one hour to be on Tobago time in a few days. Eventually, we will get that hour back, and many more as we eventually head west. So much for a very busy and eventful day. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings all! Thank you so much for the encouraging words in welcoming us back. The blog site is up and running now. Looking forward to sharing this "mystery cruise" with everyone! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #5 Wednesday January 3, 2023 Embarkation Day On The Zuiderdam For The 2024 World Cruise Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 52-65 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........35 Pictures Embarkation day is always a most busy one. The first job was dropping off our duffel in the ballroom so it could be brought to the pier. Before the fun and games began, we enjoyed another early morning breakfast at Joe’s Café. No waiting to be seated, we were invited to take any booth we wished. Being here for the third day in a row, we were already part of their family. Good food and hot coffee, what more could you want? Before leaving the shopping center, we tried Ace Hardware to look for the little hand sanitizer, and found just what we wanted. Job done, we headed back to the hotel. We needed the rest of our hand carrys to be filled, then we went down to the lobby to meet with our group at 10:15am. They had two coaches for the sixty of us, although some of our friends “Ubered” to the port to be among the first to board. We were in no hurry, since there was no guarantee our room on the ship would be ready. The coach ride took all of 10 minutes. The driver got us close to the entrance, where we informed the greeter that we were President’s Club members when she asked. With a big smile she directed us to a line that took us to an area where we filled out a form regarding our not-yet-granted Brazilian visa. We were told that there were Brazilian reps onboard to assist folks like us in getting our visas quicker. So far, it is 9:30pm, and we have yet to hear from anyone regarding further info. The good news is that we were not denied boarding, as had been suggested by HAL. There is still a possibility that we might not be able to leave the ship while in Brazil, but that is still a week or more away. At least we are not sitting on the pier twiddling our thumbs while watching the ship leave Port Everglades. After having our passports scanned, and our photos taken, we were personally greeted by Maja, the nicest guest relations manager we met last year. She led us around the check-in desk, and made sure we had our boarding passes with the skew on them. Handing off our passports for safe-keeping, we were handed receipts to retrieve them later. Maja informed us that the yellow fever requirement had been lifted by Devils Island and Brazil as well for this cruise. In addition, we were not asked to produce our China and India visas at this point. From there, we went up the escalator to the second level. Finding an area not occupied with a lot of waiting people (Pinnacle and Neptune suite and the few President’s Club members, we were offered ice water or lemonade and fresh cookies. Dining room Matre’d Presty spotted us and came over for a chat. We asked if our table # 66 was assigned, and he said he figured we would keep our table from last year. No, we thought we had made that perfectly clear, and we followed up with confirmation from ship services when we got home last spring. We could tell from the look on his face, there was a problem. Pulling out his cell phone, he made some inquiries and said he would get back to us on that. He never did, but we trusted he would clear up the confusion before dinnertime. At least, the wait was short, and starting with the first row of seats, we were invited to board. We did not notice if the photographers were there, so the process was quick. The cruise director, Kimberly, Captain Frank Van der Hoven, and Henk Mensink, the Hotel Manager greeted us as we entered. Both of us got handshakes and hugs. On the way to the gangway, we were handed new logo pins for the Zuiderdam as well as a welcome card from the Captain. Boarding was as easy as showing our boarding passes. Michele, the Mariner Manager, greeted us and led us to the side elevator. She said our room was ready, and that was exactly where we headed to unload our heavy hand bags. We were grateful to see our new room with the extra corner space. This Signature Suite will work just fine. On the coffee table, we had two open-face sandwiches and a tray of fancy desserts. Our bed was filled with gift cards and letters along with the daily program. Not all of our amenities had been delivered, but a letter was there saying they would arrive within 5 days. Two bottles of sparkling wine were on ice. There was no Mariner lunch in the dining room, but there was a welcome aboard “champagne” lunch in the Lido until 4pm. Our luggage began arriving one piece at a time, and we did open the first few. Then we headed for the Lido pool area, but got side-tracked by so many folks we knew. Some were regulars and some we had not seen since 2020. Such a nice reunion. We never did make it to lunch in the Lido, but ended up dining on the fancy food in our room. More luggage arrived, but it was time for the muster check-in on deck three. We went right on down, and completed that job within minutes. So easy these days, all we had to do was run the muster drill on our TV, and we were set. While stashing our stuff, we had a phone call asking us to come down to deck A to have a bag check. It was there we ran into Shiv, the best-ever Head of Housekeeping. He also gives the best bear hugs. Opening the duffel, we showed security a large can of peanuts and the ice thermos we had brought to serve as our ice bucket. That was all they needed to see, and we were free to go, hauling the duffel with us. They would have delivered it, but we said no thanks. We did stop unpacking long enough to go to the Seaview Pool deck to the advertised Sail Away Celebration at 4:30pm. It did not happen, the actual sail away or the party. It had been delayed until later in the evening due to last minute deliveries and perhaps late-arriving guests. The ship still had not moved by 7:30pm. We never leave on time here on a long cruise. So, we did see our table we had reserved, but got into conversations with longtime fellow cruisers. Should we check at the desk first, or just sit down? Well, the head waiter came and said there was a problem, and our table was not available this evening. He called Presty, who showed up and promised he would clear up the confusion tomorrow, so in the meantime, we sat at a different table. We offered to bring our confirmation from last summer for this table, but he said no, it wasn’t necessary. Our waiters at this table on the railing were very nice and our food was excellent. Champagne was brought with compliments from Presty. Not the end of the world, we did not see this switch coming. Expect the unexpected, right? And a lovely single stem red rose was handed out to all of the ladies this evening. Nice touch. By the way, the Zuiderdam left the port during dinnertime without any fanfare that we could see. Visiting with more long-time friends we were glad to turn in after 9pm. It had been another marathon day, and we will deal with the mountain of clothes on the couch tomorrow. Stay tuned…… Bill & Mary Ann

Report #4 Tuesday January 2, 2024 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Shopping And Some Pool Time As Well As Attending A Bon Voyage Dinner And Party Partly Cloudy With Sun 52-73 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........23 Pictures Another nice day in Ft. Lauderdale, we spent it enjoying French toast and an omelet at our favorite little café at Harbor Shops. A nice touch is that their coffee is free from 6:30 to 9am weekdays, and we had our fill of it. We followed up with some grocery store shopping at Publix, finding a few room snacks as well as a couple of items we forgot. We searched for a pocket-sized hand sanitizer, but all of it was sold out. We do have at least 10 of them at home, but we forgot all but one. We would search for that item later in the afternoon. Today was the meeting day with our travel agency folks and our most wonderful travel agent. Some tables had been set up outside one of the ballrooms where excess luggage could be stored. Chatting with the head honcho and his three top agents, we also greeted our hosts, Luisa and Gene. They have hosted the world voyage for several years now, and have gotten to know us all quite well. Medium-sized back packs were handed out complete with logo windbreakers inside. Personalized diaries were available to take along with some flyers from the agency. We were pleased to see our photo from last year in one of them along with some of the other longtime customers. Printed directions for tomorrow were included, so we are all on the same page. We will need to bring our one piece of luggage down to the ballroom, and it will be brought over to the ship. The next time we see the duffel, it will be in our room. Two buses will take us and our hand carrys to the cruise terminal with an arrival time of 11am. Easy peasy….. Today the weather was mostly cloudy, but by the afternoon, the sun did come out. Lunch was light and at Duffy’s. From there we did take another walk to the Dollar Tree, finding several cruisers we knew shopping there. We searched for the hand sanitizer and came up zero, but did find a few bargains with thank you notes, a spiral binder, a notepad, and a pen holder. Our friend Ginni was shopping for Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day dinner table gifts. Never thought of that, but being a seasoned cruiser, she and friend Leslie (wish you and dh were both here) have become professional worldwide shoppers. Back at the hotel, other guests were gathering to leave to join the Disney ship. There may have been another cruise ship in port, because we saw it leaving out of Port Everglades when we left for lunch. Checking out the pool area from our window, we saw several lounges empty. So we went down for some relaxation in the warm sun, which was shared with one very young green iguana. Spending an hour there, we realized the clouds had returned as did some wind, and it actually got chilly. Oh well, time to get ready for dinner. Our group met in the lobby at 5:15pm sharp, then we were led to the nearby Boatyard Restaurant, built right on the waterway. Known for their seafood, there were more choices tonight. We went directly to the back room where tables for six were set for our group only. Somehow we always seem to come in towards the end of the line, so we took chairs at Tom and Deann’s table…same as last year. A nice couple from South Carolina joined us. Perfect. What we liked most about this format was that we bypassed the usual cocktail and canapy table and waiting at a bar to get drinks. Seated at the tables, we were served a platter of crispy fried calamari and zucchini slices. Those who love calamari loved it, but there was also a platter with sweet tomatoes and mozzarella salad with sourdough bread croutons drizzled with a balsamic dressing. While we were getting started with the food, Tom invited all of us to order a cocktail, wine or soda. A double Jack and a diet Coke were our choices. The second course was a chilled Caesar salad, followed by our choice of oak grilled flat iron steak, Greek roasted chicken, or pan roasted Scottish salmon – all served with veggies, potatoes or rice. We chose the steak cooked medium and it was delicious. We did save room for a slice of their famous creamy Key Lime pie with berries on the side, or an apple crostada with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Full to the brim, we all left the restaurant by 7:30pm, thanking our hosts on the way out. Great job guys. Expecting a busy day tomorrow, we headed to bed earlier than usual. We still are not accustomed to Eastern time, which will take a few more days. And perhaps the mystery of going to Brazil or not, will be solved tomorrow. The drama continues…… Bill & Mary Ann

Report #3 Monday January 1, 2024 New Years Day Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sunny With A Few Clouds 52-73 Degrees A Walk To The Beach And Beyond Part #1 Of 1........83 Pictures Well, today was another long one. Not a lazy first day of January 2024. The festivities of the New Year’s fireworks definitely stole a good night’s sleep from us last evening. The fireworks in all parts of the town began shortly after sunset, increased as you might expect, closer to midnight, then continued for an hour. One most disturbing thing occurred around 10:30pm, when it sounded like a car blew up in front of this hotel. One other guest made a comment to us about it this morning as we all waited for the elusive elevator. Did we mention there was a problem with one of the elevators? It had broken down a few days ago, and it had not been repaired. We were allowed to use the service elevator which was located near the lobby. If repairs are not completed before January 3rd, there may be a problem checking out of this hotel. For those who may have mobility problems and difficulty getting luggage down from the upper floors, hotel help would be provided. Hope the elevator is repaired….. So off we went to Joe’s Café, a short walk to the Harbor Shops up the road a piece. This small cozy café is opened early, but closed at 3pm, much like Country Waffles is where we live. It’s one of those rare places where everyone knows everyone. And the food, coffee and service are excellent. The hotel does have a breakfast buffet, but we are not fond of them, even on the ship. And besides, the walk did us good. As the day developed, we ended up getting more than we expected with the walking. By the way, this mini mall has Publix, Total Wine, TJMAXX, Ace Hardware, banks, and Duffy’s Bar & Grill. We have a little shopping to do, but we decided to save it for Tuesday. Before noontime after catching up on news and weather on TV, we headed out again and walked over the 17th Street Bridge, where we watched the bridge open up for vessel traffic below. Always fun to witness. Maybe not for the cars that have to stop for 5 to 10 minutes. Our destination was the Ft. Lauderdale Beach and the Las Olas area. The weather here was next to perfect with blue skies, few clouds, and temps in the low 70’s. No rain, humidity, or wind. For us it was perfect walking weather. Taking our time, we made it to the strip of hotels and restaurants that face the white sandy beach dotted with many palm trees. One of us did make a mistake, and forgot to bring a bottle of water. It doesn’t have to be hot to get dehydrated. So there were several small shops that sold water and sodas along the way. We made it almost to Sunrise Blvd, then decided to turn back and find a place for lunch. By 1pm, this whole area became quite busy with late-risers who were crowding every food eatery. We kept to the original plan, and went back to Bubba Gumps for sodas and beer with a shared appetizer of fried chicken and pickle slices. The pickle slices were a real treat. Relaxing for an hour was even better. We guess that about every single person that passed us along the way, said Happy New Year. They are most friendly here, even the kids. Crossing the E. Shaw Jr. Bridge again, we stayed and watched two sessions with the raising and lowering of the highway. We never saw so many pleasure boats out and about today, but then it was a holiday. Finally, one of us got some photos and spent some time sizing and sorting in the room before heading out to dinner. The sun had set with a beautiful orange display on the western horizon. Pictures would not have been good, since the windows in our room were rather soiled. Certainly, we will capture many more sunsets in the days to come. By 6pm, we headed off for a light dinner, but this time went to Carrabba’s Italian Grill & Bar. Our first time there, we had checked out their website, and decided they had fresh pizza as well as a variety of Italian dishes. Salad and pizza sounded good. But it was not exactly to be. The place was about full of seated guests, and even more folks lined up for “take-away”. We were seated within ten minutes, placed our order, and got some sliced bread with a tapenade with mixed olive oil. Caesar salads (dinner size) were brought within minutes and they were ice cold and delicious. For our main entrée, we decided to share meatballs and spaghetti, which we thought would be following the salads. Well, they had not anticipated the amount of take-away orders, so the folks in the restaurant were put on hold while bag after bag of container food was taken out the door. It was almost an hour waiting, when we told the waitress, we could not wait much longer. One of us was falling asleep. By magic, the heaping bowl of spaghetti with three meatballs arrived to the table. We were glad we had waited because it was excellent and more than enough for both of us. And besides that, our waitress had brought three rounds of sliced bread while we waited. Totally full, we left the restaurant by 8pm, and headed right back to our nearby hotel. Expect to sleep well tonight. Tomorrow will be an evening hosted by our travel agency with the CEO and his wife, three top agents (including ours), and 4 hosts. Should be fun. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #2 Sunday December 31, 2023 Happy New Years Eve Long Day Traveling From San Francisco To Fort Lauderdale Sunny With Blue Skies 50-68 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures A long day traveling just about sums it up for New Years Eve. Most cross-country flights that are straight through leave early in the morning, and that’s why we had to be picked up by our trusty driver at 3am. These days, we are used to waking up at all times during the night anyway, so this early start was not a big deal. There was very little traffic since it was a Sunday as well as part of the holiday vacation time for many. And it is nice to see the night lights crossing the Bay Bridge as well as the festive decorations at the San Francisco airport. We arrived to SFO by 4am, checked in at the United kiosk, turned in one piece of luggage, and headed for the security check. For the most part, we would say there were about 80 passengers milling around the United area. The security line went quickly, and not having to take our shoes off was a good thing. One of us had to take off a vest, and place it in a tub, which unseen by us, someone had dumped their belongings right on top of it. After going through the xray unit, one of us waited and waited for the vest, but never saw it. Turned out it was at the far end after the people took their things and left. That was probably the biggest event of the day. Relaxing in a quiet section of the terminal, we waited for Yankee Pier Restaurant to open at 5:45am. The hot coffee sure tasted good as did the shared bacon/sausage egg scramble. The restaurant filled within a half hour, but we continued to enjoy the coffee for a while. The flight left on time, and it was fairly smooth flying as the plane dipped south and followed the southern route all the way to Ft. Lauderdale. There were a few patches of turbulence, but not enough to distract us from the TV programs we were watching. On our last two flights, the screens or ear pieces were not working, so with this longer flight, we were happy they did. Our big snack was a beverage and a choice of a bag of chocolate-coated quinoa or salted pub mix. Better than nothing we assume. Very few folks had ordered an airline meal. We landed over a half hour early shortly after 4pm, but had to wait for the terminal to open up. The weather was in our favor since there were blue skies and temperatures in the high 60’s. No rain and little humidity. Hope it lasts. Outside the baggage area, a lady driver approached us with a $60 deal for the 15 minute ride to the hotel. We sure did not remember prices like that the last time we flew here. We questioned it, and she claimed every driver was the same price. Saying thanks, but no thanks, we found an Uber driver for half of that plus tip. Pays to question things sometimes. The lobby of the Renaissance Marina Hotel was not busy, but it sure was decorated nicely for the holidays. While waiting in a line to check in, here came friends Martha and Bob on their way to dinner already. We had forgotten that tonight is New Years Eve, and most restaurants might be booked solid. We chatted briefly and promised to catch up in the next couple of days. We learned that the hotel was booked solid as well, and they had a hard time getting us our room for a three night stay. It turned out great with a room on the eighth floor with windows on two sides. It will be fun watching fireworks this evening if we can stay awake that long. Actually, they began to go off as soon as it got dark. Taking our usual walk to Duffy’s at a nearby mall, we enjoyed Sunday night football on dozens of screens with dozens of fans cheering. The burger and salad were just right. Many people were out and about walking the street and doing the same as us. There is a slew of eateries along this main corridor. Back at the hotel, we ran into another longtime friend Karen. We all commiserated over those darn Brazilian visas. At least she had gotten hers….we are still waiting. Stashing the little bit of stuff we brought with us, we did see that we did forget a few things. We will have two days to shop for the missing items. For now, we are tired, and hope to sleep the entire night…..straight through. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings fellow readers, Many thanks for all the wonderful comments! Funny, at this point of time, we are wondering why we did not choose the New Zealand/Australia Grand Voyage. Sure would have been much less complicated. We will be on deck six, portside in a Signature Suite. Although we have sailed in a veranda on deck five aft, we found the room and veranda very comfortable and roomy. Happy New Year to all, and stay tuned..... Bill & Mary Ann PS Still waiting for that Brazilian visa......

Report # 1 Saturday December 30, 2023 Getting Ready To Embark On Another World Cruise Rain Showers With Some Sun In Our Part Of The World 48-65 Degrees....... Part 1 Of 1..........0 Pictures Well, the time of year has come when we are ready to embark on another long adventure around the world on HAL’s Zuiderdam. The original plan for this cruise was a trek up the Amazon River, back through the Caribbean, then transiting the Panama Canal. But wait, we learned that the water level in both the Amazon and the Panama Canal were at record lows. A few other cruise ships cancelled their transits to both areas. In hindsight, perhaps we would not have found us between a rock and a hard spot trying to get Brazilian visas, which were sprung upon us USA, Canadian, and Australian citizens at the last minute. Good grief…..it has turned out to be a most stressful time for all waiting to see a final approval check waiting for us on the computer every morning . As for us? We are still waiting. The way we read HAL’s communication, if we do not get approved before we get there, we will have to stay onboard the ship. There still is a possibility that Brazil could be taken off of the itinerary. Oh boy, are we off to a good start or what? With one stop in Costa Rica and one in Mexico, we will head towards Hawaii with three ports there. Then it is off to Guam, Saipan, and several visits to Japan cities. We are looking forward to this part of the cruise, since it has been many years since we have been in this area. Then we get to China. Or do we get to China? Political and health situations there have made these stops in China iffy at best. Then there was a question about visas and whether the ten year ones we have were going to be valid. Even though HAL did some tricky moves there to make it possible for the folks to get off of the ship on their shore excursions. So we are unsure if we will really go there. Hey, our buddies Greg and Heo said this is going to be a “mystery” cruise. They are so right. There doesn’t seem to be any problems with Hong Kong, Vietnam or Singapore as far as we know. Ever since we skipped Singapore in 2020, we have been hoping to go back as it is one of our favorite cities. Colombo, Sri Lanka is a one day stop, so getting transit visas there was so easy. And they were free on top of it. After putting in our applications yesterday, we had confirmation within minutes. Now they know how to welcome the tourists, unlike Brazil, who has royally screwed up in our humble opinion. Mumbai, India is an over-nighter and those without proper visas can stay onboard the ship. We do have a ten year visa that is still good, so no problem there. Then it is off to the United Arab Emirates, a wonderful and exotic place to visit, but also in a delicate area…the Persian Gulf. Close to Iran, it could be another hot spot. Traveling to Oman should be OK, but Jordan had some changes made a few months ago. But wait…..there’s more. Also a few months ago, the ports in Israel were cancelled due to the ongoing troubles there. Then more conflict has brought unrest to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Will we be able to transit the canal to Europe? We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will keep this itinerary or it will be a long ride around the Cape of Africa to get back to the USA. If that is the case, we could miss stops in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the Azores. Hopefully…..not. Yep, this is going to be a “Journey Like No Other”. Our luggage was shipped to a warehouse in Pompano Beach, Florida on December 14, and arrived a few days later. With one duffel and hand carrys, we fly out early tomorrow from SFO with a straight through flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we have a three night stay at the Marina Renaissance Hotel, with a dinner compliments of our travel agency, and transfers to the ship on January 3rd. Let the fun and games begin……….. stay tuned. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings to all readers, Thank you for your kind remarks. We did arrive home safely, but have so much to do before the next voyage, it is almost overwhelming. Scheduled routine appointments will take up half of that time. We do not have any particular packing method because each piece of luggage can only weigh 50#, and be airline size. On a longer cruise such as the world voyage, we will have 8 pieces of luggage to be shipped. These days we do not over-pack, but tend to cut back. You can really get tired wearing the same stuff unless you bring at least two weeks of daytime and dinner time clothing. It is more important to us to bring all of the toiletries including meds, as we do not wish to waste our time looking for something as simple as familiar pain meds or even toothpaste. Linda and Dave: We will miss you guys. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays! Bill & Mary Ann

Report #78 Tuesday November 21, 2023 Last Sea Day Enroute To San Diego California, USA Sunny And Warmer 68 Degrees 30mph Winds 9'-12' Swell Part #1 Of 1 ........75 Pictures Well, all good things have to come to and end, and this series of cruises is one of them. We still are fascinated at how quickly the time flies while we are on these trips. All of our cruise friends totally agree. A few days ago, we got the notices concerning disembarkation on Wednesday. The first letter came from the hotel general manager, Glenn, who reminded the folks that taking the self-assist option for leaving was best for those with flights before 1pm. That way you would not need to locate your tagged luggage in the San Diego cruise terminal, which is always mixed with hundreds of bags that look the same. Of course, you must be able to handle all of your luggage hauling it from your room all the way to the exit and the customs check. When we watched the folks getting off the ship after a 7 day Alaska cruise, many of them packed so lightly, all they had was carry-ons. This is different because everyone had at least 51 days of stuff to bring. So their time to get off will be between 8 and 9:30am. The other options for debarking included having all of your bags outside the rooms before midnight, which would show up tomorrow in the terminal, arranged by color-coded tags. The colors are brown, green, and red 1, 2, and 3. The approximate time to begin leaving would be after 8am with the final call by 9:15am more or less. Club Orange, President’s Club, and 4 & 5 Star Mariners received a package with blue tags, and we have the option of exiting any time between 8:00am and 9:30am. And that will include us. The HAL bus transfer was available for those who wished to be driven to the San Diego Airport or if their flight was later in the late afternoon, they offered a tour with a transfer to the airport as well. We believe the cost for the transfer only was $29 per person. We intend to take a taxi as the airport is only 3 miles away from the cruise terminal. By the way, no final statements are delivered to the rooms anymore. If you wish to have a copy, it is best to visit the front desk, and they will print you one. We did that this morning, and asked for the last page only. We realized that we had some credit left to spend, and would do that later in the day. Of course, if you owed any money on your registered credit card, it would automatically be billed. And for the guest’s convenience, the Navigator App will have access to your account when you return home. All we need to have to get off is our room key, a luggage tag stub, and our passport to show when we pass by the Customs and Border Protection Inspection officers. And don’t bring any organic products off of the ship or you are in trouble. We thought we had the majority of our stuff packed, but the rest took us all morning. We did good, however, not exceeding the weight on all of the bags, depending on if our scale is still accurate. Since the sun was out and the temperature was in the low 70’s, we headed up to the Seaview Pool to relax for a while. There were even folks still sunbathing even though it was very windy, this was their last chance to get that suntan. Our good buddies did the same thing coming out for some fresh air, and joined us for a while. We’re all sad to see the trip end, but with the holidays are around the corner, and we shall be busy as bees quite soon. Captain Paul came on the speakers for his noon talk. He extended many thanks to the crew and the guests equally as he was quite proud to have been on this particular cruise. Sounds to us like it has been a long time since he has visited the South Pacific, even admitting some of our ports were new to him. And he expressed his thanks with three toots of the ship’s horn. Very funny, as we have never heard that before on all of the cruises we have been on over the years. The day was full of promotions, as you might expect, especially in the Shops. Some of us even received a personal call from the front desk girls reminding us that we had credit to spend. That’s nice because it was “use it or lose it” money. Checking out every shop on the ship, we came up with no ideas. So we decided to order cocktails at the dinner table, which would use up the money fast. Then we had to drink a bottle of champagne (really sparkling wine) and the best time for that was during the sunset. The afternoon clouds had cleared up and we actually had a decent sunset after 5pm. Maybe it looked even better due to the several glasses of the bubbly. Dinner was in the dining room with a regular menu. We had been expecting the Culinary menu like we had at the end of every Alaska trip. But tonight, we had a different menu with many nice choices. We did have those cocktails, then ordered a shrimp and artichoke dip with a bread stick. It was hot and really tasty. One of us had the cabbage bacon soup, and the other preferred the Caesar salad – hold the anchovies. Mains were the chicken cordon bleu with potatoes and peas. Simple and quite good. After our desserts of a lemon meringue cheesecake, friends Leta and Bill strolled over to say goodbye. Unfortunately, they will not be on the world cruise, but are going to Japan next year. The grand trips have become too long for them, so they like shorter ones that leave from Seattle or Vancouver because they live near there. We will miss them. On the way out, we said our goodbyes to our good buddies that we will see at lunch sometime in December. When we are all at home and not cruising, we make it a point to meet at least once a month. Before dinner, Rosie and Randy came over to give us hugs as well. Hopefully they will be on another cruise like this and we will meet again. Nice kids. We will all keep in touch via the internet or the mail. Back in our room, we spotted some luggage out in the hall, and we needed to do the same thing. Checking tags and locks, it took two minutes and the job was done. Breakfast is at 6:30am tomorrow in the Pinnacle Grill, so it is early to bed for us. By this time tomorrow, we shall be home if the traffic is not horrible. It is hard to predict because it is a Wednesday that many people take off for the long holiday weekend. That might be our only savior for not getting in the middle of commute traffic. Thanks for tagging along. Once again, it has been a pleasure. Bil & Mary Ann