Prinsendam 2005 World Tour... it has begun

[Rotterdam]

WQelcome back Stephen...

 

The LOL story reminded me of a man onboard Rotterdam V years ago - it was a 11 day carib cruise out of NYC.

 

Each day the man was seen in the same clothes...morning, noon & nite - from day one til disembarkation.

 

The kicker is on the last day he was seen hauling a big suitcase off the ship!

Sort of like Queen Elizabeth - we all wondered what he had in the bag!

 

For your Prinsemdam painting if you need to come to NYC for research - give a hollar(I'll buy the first round) - the old HAL piers are just down the street from my apartment.

 

One nice thing - now when the QM2 sails I can hear her horn going off loud & clear from my living room. Usually the ships horns are lower.....

[Himself]

Where are you guys now and when to you return to the good old USA?

 

Here in the Midwest it 6:49PM on Wednesday March 23, 2005. I am sure you are well into Thursday.

 

Himself

[dougnewmanatsea]

For your Prinsemdam painting if you need to come to NYC for research

You're really trying to get him over here aren't you ;) !

 

Maybe if you offered to pay for his airfare ;) ?

[KathieKata]

Prinsendam: Almost hard to believe the "LOL" story!! I love the part about the 'crew' having to give her a shower! Hopefully they sent her to the ships "SPA"!

Thanks for sharing the story with all of us!! Good luck with the paintings!!

[PRINSENDAM]

Doug,

 

Cost of air fare from her to New York, round trip is roughly US$1,400 at the back of the bus. Not too bad.

 

The 'problem' is the 22 hour flight time! It is a real killer. Mind you, SYD to JFK via LAX is a breeze compared to the 23 hour flight Sydney/London.

 

And get this one..... SYD to JFK.... Qantas allows two pieces of baggage up to 30kgs max each. Syd to London allows on 20kgs... TOTAL.... anything over the 20 kgs and you pay the excess.

 

 

Anyhow, before we get into that... the painting is the HAL dock in Rotterdam, not Hoboken or the later Pier 40 in NYC.

 

 

Ruth and I are trying to plan a cruise for next year. Here is what we have come up with as a possibility.

 

Mid December, fly from Sydney to JFK then down to Bermuda for Christmas.

4th January, fly to London and join SAGA ROSE at Southampton for the first half of her RTW cruise to Sydney. Sail via South America, Antarctia,Pacific islands and New Zealand to Sydney, disembarking on 6th March.

 

On 18th March fly to Honolulu to join SAGA RUBY for the homeward leg of her RTW cruise via San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Panama, Miami, Nassau, Bermuda. Horta and arrive Southampton on 23 April. With a bit of luck that might tie in with a QUEEN MARY 2 crossing to New York and we can fly back from there.

 

Just a thought for the moment but just might work out.

 

Stephen

[dougnewmanatsea]

Cost of air fare from her to New York, round trip is roughly US$1,400 at the back of the bus. Not too bad.

I guess not... But in the US lately, airfares are so low that $1,400 seems ridiculously high. I could fly round-trip from New York to Hawaii in first class for less than that! In January we flew LGA-FLL for $105 round-trip, including all taxes, fees, and whatnot. It's just crazy. (And people wonder why the US airlines are losing money!)

 

The 'problem' is the 22 hour flight time! It is a real killer. Mind you, SYD to JFK via LAX is a breeze compared to the 23 hour flight Sydney/London.

If the flight time is only one hour different, why is SYD-JFK so much easier than SYD-LHR?

 

Honestly I think I would have a hard time living so far away from anywhere. Living in NY if you want to go to Europe it's just a six hour hop across the pond... Most Americans think JFK-LHR is a "long-haul" flight!

 

Ruth and I are trying to plan a cruise for next year. Here is what we have come up with as a possibility.

Sounds nice to me! You might have to go incognito in NYC though, or else you could find yourself surrounded by crazed Cruise Critic members wanting your autograph ;) .

[Grumpy1]

Prinsendam 2005, March 24, Day 70

 

Slinkie and Grumpy are cruising the Strait of Malacca today. Malaysia is about 25 miles starboard and Indonesia to port, heading for Phuket, Thailand. The port, on the eastern side of the island, sustained little to no damage from the Tsunami and should be ready for the Prinsendam to come calling. Since the last post, Sliunkie and Grumpy have visited the ports of Tanjung Gelling (Kuantan), Malaysia and Singapore... any guess as to which was the better port?.. Tanjung Gelling is a commercial shipping port about 1/2 hour away from Kuantan. The Royal Town of Pekan is to the south and there was a tour available for that area. There was also a river cruise along the Kuantan river available, a tour of mystical Lake Chini, and tour of the Malay Lifestyles. There was a shuttle bus to the megamall in Kuantan that ran about every half hour, which was the Tour du jour for Grumpy and Slinkie. They arrived before the mall was open and walked around the block to get a feel for the local lifestyle. After the mall opened, they went in and checked out a few of the stores. Prices seemed to be pretty reasonable for mall department stores, but there wasn't anything that caught Slinkie's eye... Heading out into the mid morning heat, they headed west along the road in front of the mall, browsed in several small shops in that area and found a market area that was more like a covered flea market. The aromas around the fish monger's stalls were pretty strong and some of the garment stalls were close to those stalls. Slinkie and Grumpy passsed by those pretty quickly and got to some fresher air. No purchases there, but the prices were cheap. They then headed south to the rivrerfront. That area is being developed to be a nice attraction, but there was nothing going on during the day. It probably gets active at night and on weekends. There are several restaurants along the riverfront but no shops. The dock for river boat tours is not right in that area, so after a liesurely stroll along the waterfront, Slinkie and Grumpy headed back toward the mall.

 

There must not be any good personal injury lawyers in that area, or maybe people recognise hazards and avoid them, but walking in Kuantan is rather challanging. Besides the traffic, the sidewalks are very uneven, concrete covers are missing from the drainage trenches along the sidewalks and there are no barricades, steel grates in the sidewalks often have a corner sticking up a couple of inches... Dewey, Cheatem and Howe, Attorneys at Law, would have a field day... The people were quite friendly. Now you expect the shopkeepers to be friendly, but according to all of the news reports on CNN, Americans are hated in this part of the world. If this is true, then you would expect the local people in the markets to be wary, but everytime you smile and nod toward them the gesture is returned, fathers carrying small children on their shoulders take the childs hand, wave and smile... no indication at all of dislike or distrust. Slinkie and Grumpy have not had any feeling that they were unsafe in any of the areas they have been in.

 

Arriving back at the mall, they just missed one bus back to the port, so went inside the mall to see if there were any stores that they had missed earlier. After exploring 4 levels, they decided it was time to head back to the port.The road from Kuantan to the port goes past areas where new resorts and modern housing is being built along the coast close to Kuantan. Then suddenly the new developement ends and the houses on stilts, rundown shacks and delapidated businesses begin. It's quite a contrast. Kualu Lumpur, on the western side, is the more popular destination in Malaysia, but Kuantan seems to be growing.

 

There was a vendor area set up on the pier that had the usual carvings, silks and bamboo/silk fans for sale. Slinkie found a sun dress and Grumpy bought a bamboo/silk wall hanging with elephants, river and waterfall on it... not sure where it will hang, but it's very pretty... all in all a pretty inexpensive day...

 

The captain was anxious to get underway, and since everyone was on board by 4:30, he cast off the lines and headed out about 10 minutes early. He announced that we would be making a "highspeed run" to Singapore, and that we did. Grumpy checked the GPS and it showed a speed of 21.5 knots, just under the 22 knot rated speed and a couple of knots faster than normal. He apparently wanted extra time for security clearances in Singapore. Every passport had to be checked and stamped before anyone was allowed off the ship. Everyone had to retrieve their passport and carry it with them when leaving the ship. Passports were inspected when leaving the ship, when returning to the ship and then all passports had to be turned in and accounted for before the ship could sail. All went smoothly, though, and the ship was cleared for passengers to go ashore sometime between 7 and 8a.

 

Grumpy kept looking up at the cable car that was running right above the Prinsendam and decided that he wanted to take a ride. He and Slinkie headed out to see what they could see. The first thing they saw was the gangway, which was one of those articulated designs where you walk 50 feet one way parallel to the ship, make a U-turn and walk back 50 feet the other way to cover a distance of 25 feet from the ship to the terminal building. From there, there was a looong corridor with moving walkways... well, they used to move... but someone got hurt and sued so they just turned them off... then the passport check... more walking to get to HarbourFront. There were a lot of passengers that were having a difficult time walking that distance, but there were no carts or other assistance available.

 

Slinkie and Grumpy were up to the challenge, though, and were soon on the cable car looking down on the Prinsendam while crossing to Sentosa Island. From there, they continued to even greater heights by riding up the Carlsberg Sky Tower revolving elevator/observation deck for a panoramic view of Singapore. That is one HUGE port. Most ports have a few to a few dozen unloader cranes along their piers. Singapore has at least a hundred or more. Ships arrive or depart about every twenty minutes around the clock.

 

After getting their feet back on the ground, Slinkie and Grumpy explored the Sentosa Island Resort. Not wanting to miss out on all of the shopping, they just hit a few of the highlights... the orchid gardens, underwater world, the gift shops... found a place with a pretty good pizza for lunch and then headed back to the cable car for another ride above the Prinsendam. This time, they continued on to the other end of the line at Mt. Faber, looked around a bit and headed back to HarbourFront. There is a pretty fair sized mall on several levels there and Slinkie and Grumpy wandered around there for awhile before running into fellow CC'ers, Mr and Mrs Morebilge (Bill and Marilyn) from Vancouver. She was heading back to the ship, but he was heading out again.

 

The MRT subway has been recently extended to HarbourFront and provides a very convenient way to get around Singapore. They also have a very effective way of making sure there is no litter from discarded tickets and passes. When tickets are purchased from the machines, you pay an extra dollar. After completing your trip, you insert the ticket into the vending machine and get your dollar back. No tickets get thrown on the ground, and if someone were dumb enough to risk a $1000 dollar fine for littering, someone else would quickly pick it up for a refund.

 

Slinkie and Grumpy, along with Bill, rode the Purple line from HarbourFront to the intersection with the Red line. They transferred and went a couple of blocks to the Orchard Ave stop. $1.40 Singapore (1.5 to the USD) for the ride. One side of Orchard Ave in that area is an upscale shopping mall. The other side is Lucky Mall. Six floors, a block long, filled with hundreds of shops selling everything and evrything can be bargained for. Slinky and Grumpy parted company with Bill and got down to the serious business. There were lots and lots of jewellry stores... you expected Slinkie to find those, didn't you?.. and there was one that had a pair of earrings, Austrailian Opal, that were a near perfect match for the pendant Slinkie got in Sydney. Only problem is they were stud style and Slinkie wanted something dangly. After a bit of haggling, Grumpy came to agreement on a price and the earrings, along with another pair of gold earrings were sent out to have the studs removed from the back of the opal settings, a suspension loop soldered on, and joined to the second pair. They were ready about 1-1/2 hours later, which gave Slinkie plenty of time to prowl around the remaining shops. The earrings turned out to be the only purchase there. Slinkie and Grumpy thought about checking out Little India and Chinatown, but it was getting to be a long day and they decided to head back on the MRT. Trains run about every five minutes, so even with transfer to another line, it doesn't take long at all. A quick stop at the grocery in HarbourFront for a bottle of Merlot, pass through security and passport check and then the looooooong walk back to the ship. Grumpy would have hired a rickshaw if there had been one... hmmmm, wonder if there might be a business opportunity there...

 

Although the ship did not leave until 10p, all crew had to be back on by 8p and passengers by 9p so passports could be examined one more time. That kept several people from having dinner on shore. The Prinsendam sailed right on schedule and Slinkie and Grumpy watched the skyline from their verandah for about an hour.

 

For those that are wondering, no, Slinkie and Grumpy did not go to Raffles, home of the Singapore Sling, and therefore did not pay $18 Singapore for an "original"Slingapore Sling. Those that did, said it wasn't that good... overly sweet... if Grumpy is going to pay $12USD for a drink, it had better be something he likes really well.

 

Speaking of drinks, there was mention some time ago of the low prices for ordering a bottle of liquer to be delivered to your cabin. Expecting that they would be the standard 750ml bottles, Grumpy figured $9.50 for Bacardi Gold was a pretty good deal so he ordered a bottle. Imagine his surprise when it was delivered and turned out to be... not 750ml... 1.1 litre! Grumpy checked with his dinner companion that has also had liquer delivered to the cabin and that is the standard size. A full, old fashioned US quart!

 

OK, time to review the posts and answer the questions up through # 729.

 

First, welcome back to Prinsendam (the person) from your gruelling assignment under horrible working conditions... yeah, right... and congratulations on your commission for the new painting. Slinky and Grumpy saw the damaged painting when they boarded in Fort Lauderdale, but it was removed a few days later. It was mentioned that it might be repaired (there was a 3 cornered tear right in the middle), but apparently it will not be or, if it is repaired, it won't go back on display in the forward stairwell.

 

John and Nancy, (ARICAL2) your message has been passed along to Jack and Lynn. They were heading out and on a tight schedule and couldn't go into detail right then, but Grumpy thinks he said he has tried to reply. grumpy will try to get more details and see if he can be of any help.

 

DesrtDrmr... is that short for desert or dessert?... Grumpy and Slinkie have no plans to continue the thread once the cruise is over... but you will probably find them from time to time in Host Miriam's Floataway Lounge...

 

NitaB... make sure Miriam has a good supply of Merlot and Bacardi gold on hand... looking forward to chatting with all of you when the time constraints on internet are lifted... Just purchased a second block of 1000 minutes today... should last for the remainder of the cruise... maybe...

 

schhi, with regard to the "private deck" and whirlpool on deck 7... it doesn't seem to be that well policed, as Grumpy knows more than one person that has used the area and doesn't reside there. It really doesn't make sense to set aside a deck that will easily hold 40 people or more for 10 cabins, and likewise for one of only four jacuzzis (and the only one under cover). Most people respect the ropes and the signs on the doors, but since the area is very much underused, Grumpy doesn't think the few people that "tresspass" are inconviencing anyone.

 

Jennie, it's hard to compare Bangkok, Kuantan, and Singapore since each is so very different. Slinkie and Grumpy just like to enjoy the good parts of all of the places they visit and not dwell on too many of the negatives. They would have preferred a longer stay in Singapore, though. It's too big to begin to see it in a day. Another place to come back to another time.

 

Margie Lady, no it wasn't Jen... but Grumpy has heard that she's getting rapidly squeezed out of her cabin by the expanding purchases too. JohnnyI'mBroke's Mom knows who Grumpy was referring to, though...

 

Truby, Grumpy will have to venture up to the Crow's Nest and deliver your message to Randall... now Grumpy never goes there without Slinkie, and he always feels obliged to buy drinks when they go in... and since this is a special trip... well, you owe Grumpy a couple of drinks, now... might have to visit Ponta Delgada sometime to collect...

 

Himself... No, cabin fever is not a problem at all. Between catching up on Email, port talks, coffee chats, Exploration series lectures, and so forth, there is plenty to keep everyone occupied... and then there's all of the sports activities, crafts, card games, etc, for those that want to tax their minds or bodies.. and Slinkie asnd Grumpy return to the states on May 6... and not one dayum day sooner!

 

Cristiano... Grumpy is hearing rumors that cabin 0027 will have to be condemed following this cruise... but there is an inside on dolpin deck for those that are displaced...

 

Emerald777, Grumpy still hasn't made his first donation to the casino, but probably will before the cruise is over. There is at least one "high roller" on board, but most of the time there doesn't seem to be a lot of ********...can't promise when he'll get more pictures posted...

 

Soraya, Sweetdreams and anyone else new to the thread, welcome and thanks for the comments.

 

Tonight's another formal night, Oriental theme, but Grumpy does not have anything special for that one. He forgot to get one of those silk beanies with the braid in the back... Slinkie has a pink outfit that she picked up at Stanley Market... not really Oriental, but close enough... Time to post this, get the monkey suit on and go see Randall... wonder what outrageous outfit he will be wearing tonight...

 

Grumpy and Slinkie

 

[Sweetdreams]

Grumpy & Slinkie,

Your journal is the highlight of my day. Will you be posting pictures?

[tjcox9]

I just booked the New York to Barcelona transatlantic for May 9 and went looking to see recent posts on the Prinsendam - and I found a real treasure trove. I've spent the last several hours reading and laughing. Thanks for the wonderful updates.

 

I'm looking forward to this so much as my first and only other Prinsendam cruise was in August 2002 - Baltic region and fjords.

 

As May 9 draws closer, I'll be checking in routinely for more updates. Thanks so much for the time and effort you've put into this!

 

TJ

[mslvp7]

Hi Grumpy & Slinkie....

 

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

 

You've done an increcible job. I'm hoping a travel magazine will publish some of your articles - more people need to know about your wonderful writing style & the great things the two of you are doing.

[trubey]

Truby, Grumpy will have to venture up to the Crow's Nest and deliver your message to Randall... now Grumpy never goes there without Slinkie, and he always feels obliged to buy drinks when they go in... and since this is a special trip... well, you owe Grumpy a couple of drinks, now... might have to visit Ponta Delgada sometime to collect...

 

Thanks Grumpy. So sorry that we are forcing you up to the bar. Can they put your drinks on our tab for our Prinsendam November trip? And Ponta Delgada is absolutely a great place. If you love nature and places not crawling with tourists, this is the greatest—not so good for shopping,though.

 

With many thanks,

 

susan.

[Aussie Gal]

Doug,

 

"Honestly I think I would have a hard time living so far away from anywhere. Living in NY if you want to go to Europe it's just a six hour hop across the pond... Most Americans think JFK-LHR is a "long-haul" flight"

 

Why do we live here? Other than Stephen being married to an Aussie, we just live in the best country in the world with very little crime, wonderful weather, great food and a great way of looking at the rest of the world. There is no other place on earth I would rather be. I know the flights are long to anywhere else but we Aussies are used to it and it is just part of the sacrifice we have to make to enjoy our life in this wonderful country.

 

Jennie

[Cristiano]

Go Jennie.....great sentiments expressed......I have been to NY several times.....great city...great buildings......however give me Sydney/Melbourne any day.....give me the fresh air, the cosmopolitan life, the large open spaces and our beautiful harbour......yes we do live a long way from Europe but the distance is a blessing as we are normally immune to the 'real' world issue's.

 

 

I love the long flights to Europe or the US as when you board the plane you know that you are on an adventure, then again we are fortunate enough to travel at the pointy end, but that's another story.

 

 

As one who has been very fortunate to travel the world and who has seen so many places such as the history and beauty of Europe, the diverse culture of Asia, China, and the Middle east, the wide open spaces and magic of Africa, the beauty of Canada & Alaska, their really is no place like Australia.

 

 

We have the best beaches, the prettiest towns and cities, the most wonderful harbours and rivers, beautiful mountains, plains and deserts.

 

 

Yes we do pay a price for being so far a price of sheer bliss.

 

 

One would think that I was born here in Australia but no I was born in Italy but I feel so proud to call Australia my home and very honored to be an Australian.

 

 

Last but not least one thing I have learned in my life is that we all live on the same planet and no matter where we live it is our home and we should be very proud of it.

 

 

 

Cristiano.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi Grumpie and Slinkie,

 

All the very best for Easter.

 

You will be be celebrating it a long way from home,

in a very different climate.

We will all be having a break ,while you will be cruising on.

 

How do they celebrate Easter on board?

 

Any Easter eggs and Hot Cross buns?

 

Did the Easter bunny appear?

 

All the best

David.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Happy Easter

[Aussie Gal]

To Dave, Grumpy, Slinkie, and everyone on this Board,

 

May you all have a safe and happy Easter wherever you are in this wonderful world of ours.

 

From your friend "down under" ;) ;)

 

Jennie

[Cristiano]

 

HAPPY EASTER TO GRUMPY1 & SLINKIE

&

EVERYONE ELSE

 

 

CRISTIANO

[Ziggy7]

Happy Easter everyone!

 

 

[Mariner05]

Dear Grumpy and Slinkie:

I have been reading your very well written and complete log of your trip. You are so kind to share your experiences with us all. We have received our cabin assignment which was a guarantee. We are located in cabin E474.its an outside one on Dolphin but we just could not swing more than that because we are coming off Safari in Botwana and Zimbabwe. We live in NYC and decided to sail back to our home city. Last year we did the rest of your cruise.We sailed thorugh the Suez Canal and the middle east after India and the Orient. We look forward to seeing you at the Crow's Nest on Sunday at 4:30. Marianne and Leo will be with us. We are staying at the Table Bay Hotel in Capetown and will see the ship at the pier after our arrival from Johannesburg (Wednesday)We board the ship on Thursday after a tour of Capetown. See ya....HAPPY EASTER

[dakrewser]

There's no way I can top Ziggy's picture, so I won't even try! You win Debbie!

 

'Twas the night before Easter

 

'Twas the night before Easter. All was calm and laid back.

Fred, the mouse in the kitchen, snarfed down a late snack.

The eggs were all dyed but still drippy and sticky...

To be honest, they looked just a little bit icky.

There were big jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and such,

And as Fred stuffed his face, he sighed, "This is too much!"

Phil and Rose were in bed watching late night TV,

While munching saltines with low-sodium Brie.

 

Then a sudden commotion rang out in the night.

It shook Phil and Rose, really gave them a fright.

Phil's hair stood on end, and his eyes bugged out big...

Rose whipped off the covers and knocked off her wig.

 

They lunged to the window, yanked open the blinds...

What they saw was amazing; it boggled their minds:

Across the night sky, with a noise like the dickens,

Soared a minivan drawn by eight overgrown chickens!

 

At the wheel sat a bunny -- cute, fuzzy and fat --

In designer blue jeans and a Panama hat.

Like a speeding space shuttle, those chickens they flew,

As the van driver called to each hen in his crew:

 

"Now, Ashley! Now, Sheila! Now, Kelsey and Bo!

On Bethany, Liza! On Daphne, on Flo!"

The van made its landing lickety-split ...

Nearly wiped out the shrubs and the barbecue pit!

 

Then up on the roof, much to Phil's consternation,

They squawked of egg prices and space navigation.

They made so much noise that Phil started to stammer,

"If you guys don't shut up, we'll get thrown in the slammer!"

 

Fuzzy hopped down the chimney, amidst all this racket,

And emerged from the fireplace, adjusting his jacket.

This bunny was chic, he had class, he had flair ..

Not your average bozo, not your typical hare.

 

His ears were enormous; his huge overbite

Was right under a nose like a pink neon light.

His manner was smooth, he was hip, he was cool;

This floppy-eared bunny was no fuzzy fool.

 

"While I'm here," he smiled, "Everybody relaxes ...

I'm not selling storm windows, won't audit your taxes.

I'm just here to bring you some fun and delight.

Eat, drink, and be merry! Let's party tonight!"

 

So they sipped diet soda and swapped silly jokes,

Those birds and their bunny just being plain folks.

Then flop-ears said, "Hey, friends, we've had quite a ball,

But my chickens and I are now due in St. Paul!"

 

He crossed both his eyes. Then he wiggled one ear,

And he yelled to his chicken team, "We're outta here!"

As the minivan rose in the 3 a.m. sky,

He called out, "Later, Phil! And to you, Rose, good-bye!"

 

As he sped out of sight, his two friends heard him say,

"Happy Easter to all! Have a beautiful day!"

[Mariner05]

Dear Griumpy:

Thought I would look up our meeting tim in the Crow's Nest. I was wrong we are scheduled t o meet on April 15 at 4:30 in the Crow's Nest. I said Sunday in my last message my mistake sorry, Its Friday.........See ya

[RuthC]

Grumpy and Slinkie, I've been a bit quiet lately (too quiet), but fear not! I have not deserted you. (After all, can't pig out on chocolate and type too!)

 

I am still reading every word and enjoying the voyage.

[jbhcw]

Grumpy and Slinkie a Happy Easter to you both. I have so enjoyed your posts!.

 

To Dakrewser- so cool! Enjoyed and a happy Easter to you too.

[DesrtDrmr]

Happy Easter, Grumpy and Slinky!!

Hope you have a lovely day........

After May 6, we'll look for your posts on the Floataway Lounge..

Desert Dreamer...................but it COULD be Dessert Dreamer.........sigh..............

[Grumpy1]

Prinsendam 2005, March 26, Day 72

 

Yesterday morning (Good Friday) Grumpy and Slinkie awoke to the sounds of the starboard gangway hoist and knew that they were getting ready to dock in Phuket. Looking out, they could see a large tent city covering a large portion of the dock... No, it wasn't a refugee camp for those displaced by the Tsunami... it was the vendors setting up to welcome the Prinsendam. From her vantage point on her verandah, Slinkie could see rows of tents with shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses, carvings, etc... etc... etc... She quickly developed a plan of attack... Head down to the dock, buy everything in sight, carry it back to the cabin and THEN head into town for some serious shopping... With Grumpy in tow to carry the bags, the plan was implemented... Down the gangplank they went and were greeted at the bottom by the ships photographer for the usual gangway photo op. This time was a little different though. There was the cutest little elephant there just waiting to have his picture taken with the passengers. There were a lot more passengers that stopped for gangway photos than usual. Everyone wanted to get next to the elphant...

 

Now something strange happened there in the tent city... Slinkie did a lot of looking, but Grumpy did most of the buying... dayum, that disease must be contagious... going to have to put Grumpy in quarantine for a couple of days... Well, anyway, after lugging bags of silk shirts and other goodies back to the cabin, it was time to board the shuttle bus for a 20 minute ride into Phuket City. Immediately upon leaving the bus, Grumpy and Slinkie were greeted by the local cab drivers. Although they still refer to them as "Tuk-tuks", for the sound that the old 3 wheel cabs made, they are now miniature pickup trucks with benches in the bed on both sides. They are EVERYWHERE! One driver seemed to be on as mission to bag Grumpy and Slinkie. As they started down the street, he kept shoving a map in Grumpy's face and telling Grumpy how he would show them everthing. Grumpy and slinkie kept telling him "no" but that didn't seem to be an English word that he understood. Slinkie and grumpy ducked into a store, looked around a bit, came out and he was still there... Another store, he was still there and getting more insistant. Now Grumpy likes to treat the local people with respect, but he expects the same in return. He finally turned to the cab driver and rudely told him to go away. When he persisted, Grumpy stopped, got right in his face and told him to go away and leave him alone. It finally sunk in that Grumpy wasn't going to hire him and he went away. There were many other driver's that offered their services, but a smile and a "no, thank you" was all it took.

 

Phuket is similar to the other cities that Slinkie and Grumpy have visited recently... a mix of modern, opulent hotels and department stores along with rundown buildings and small streetfront stalls. Prices were very reasonable... often the posted prices were as low as the best that could be bargained for in other ports. There really wasn't that much on Slinkie's "must find" list, but she did find a couple of pillow covers and a shot glass. Grumpy bought her a gold ring and a matching one for himself... Uh Oh... Grumpy's buying jewellry for himself... this shopping disease is getting serious...

 

After a quick lunch at one of the local restaurants, Slinkie and Grumpy wandered about the town for awhile. They spotted a certain ship's captain and his daughter following along behind his lovely wife as she continued on her own Around the World Shopping Tour... Since she missed the ports between Honolulu and Perth, she has to make up for lost time...

 

The shuttle bus into town had picked up the first loads of passengers very close to the gangway. Someone figured out that the merchants in tent city were being deprived of sales opportunities, though, and when they returned, Slinkie and Grumpy were dropped off at a point where it was necessary to walk past the tents to get to the ship... OK, there were things that didn't get checked out the first time through... sure enough... one more purchase before getting back on board and heading up to the Lido for ice cream.

 

Sailaway was originally set for 4p but early in the morning it was announced that it was moved to 4:30p to accomodate a tour that could not be back by 4p. About 3p there was a sudden gust of wind that toppled a tent or two. It also looked like it might rain at any minute, so many of the vendors started packing up. There were still quite a few shoppers that were picking their way through the remaining stalls right up to the time for raising the gangway, and about a third of the vendors stuck it out to the very end.

 

There was a local drum and dance troupe that set up on the pier to perform for sailaway. They showed up about 3:45p and were ready at 4p and seemed a bit confused that there was still so much ******** going on... did someone forget to tell them about the schedule change?.. They put on a very nice performance though, and there was a larger than normal crowd on Lower Promenade for sailaway ceremonies.

 

The Prinsendam continues to be blessed with smooth seas as she sails from Phuket on the way to Chennai, India. With all of the storms that have been around the areas that Prinsendam has sailed through, it's amazing that it has been so calm for such a long period of time. CNNI gives a world weather report once in a while, and it looked like there was a major storm headed for Mauritius, which is on the schedule for April 6. The last report that Grumpy saw showed that storm starting to dissipate, though. Keep those wishes for fair skies and smooth seas coming... it's working, so far...

 

Last evening, so far as anyone knows, was a first on the Prinsendam. At 5p, there were 3 simultaneous religious services. The Catholic Liturgy of The Passion and Death of The Lord was held in Queen's Lounge, the Protestant Good Friday service was held in the Wajang Theatre and the Jewish Sabbath Eve Service was held in The Half Moon Room. The schedule for Sunday's Easter services has not been posted yet, but Grumpy suspects that there will be staggered services for Catholics and Protestants in Queen's Lounge.

 

Apparently there will also be traditional non-religious activities for Easter... one of the activities for this morning, according to the Daily Program, quote "Easter Egg Dying, Lido Retaurant, portside"... Now Grumpy is not opposed to Easter eggs, but thinks it's a real shame that they have to die and they want people to come and watch them die...Can't the Supreme Court intervene?.. What's that?.. You say they were misquoted?.. Nope... That's exactly what it said... so there will probably be lots of people running around Sunday looking for the dead Easter eggs... No word yet on bunnies and hot cross buns, but Grumpy's pretty sure the wascally wabbit will put in an appearance at some point. More on the Easter activities later.

 

Tjcox9, welcome to the thread... Grumpy read some of the reviews from about the time that you were on Prinsendam in Aug 2002. There were several that made him wonder if he was making a mistake by booking a 113 day cruise on an old tired tub that should have been scrapped. Fortunately, he found other reviews that were more balanced and did not dwell solely on negatives. Since you have booked again, you must have enjoyed your previous time aboard. By all reports, Prinsendam is in better shape now than she was then and is getting better all of the time, thanks to the hard work of the maintenance crews and special staff. Except SS027, Cristiano... it's beyond hope... There's a special carpet crew on board now, and they have recently been replacing carpeting on some of the stair treads. Grumpy had not noticed any excessive wear on those carpets, but apparently they were getting a little thin in places. It's nice that they are keeping ahead of it instead of waiting until holes wear through.

 

Grumpy and Slinkie would like to wish all of you a happy Easter from the middle of the Andaman Sea.