Prinsendam 2005 World Tour... it has begun

[louiskam]

"Oh my, before you all write Oprah, you better be sure Grumpy and Slinkie approve"

 

May be we should simply invite the show hosts to be the CC members on this first.

[Luiza]

No stop in Manaus. Remaining ports are Namibia, St Helena, Ascension Island, Brazil, Barbados, Half Moon Cay. Fort Lauderdale, and New York.

 

Margie, Manaus is in Brazil. It is on the Amazon River. I know the ship stops in Fortaleza, Brazil, as I will be getting on the ship there. I am just not sure if it makes a stop in Manaus. Thank you for responding to my question.

[Tess2mommies]

Ice--

 

Of course!!!

You're my 'in' w/ Miss O!:D

 

BTW - are you coming on the HAL Group Cruise w/ Iggi & I???

 

Grumpy--

 

Are you and Slinkie ready to think about the next cruise???:)

 

Are you referring to the Hal O ween Dam cruise? It sounds fun, but we'd be the youngest in the group, 12 or so years younger than you!

[Margie_Lady]

Hi Luiza,

 

Thanks for the help on where Maneus was. I was wondering. Anyway, the itinerary shows only the one stop, Fortaleaza, in Brazil. Lucky you getting on there. If you run into ACD Jen, please say Hi to her from Mum.

[jhannah]

Wow! Over 30,000 views of this thread and approaching 1,000 posts. Who'd a thunk it when Grumpy1 started it off! As to Oprah, if she did a show then truly she has the ability to make her gift to the audience be a Holland America cruise! :cool:

[Luiza]

Hi Luiza,

 

Thanks for the help on where Maneus was. I was wondering. Anyway, the itinerary shows only the one stop, Fortaleaza, in Brazil. Lucky you getting on there. If you run into ACD Jen, please say Hi to her from Mum.

 

That is what I saw too, but I know it stops in Santarem too, so it must not post them all. My husband says it has to stop in Manaus. I am hoping it doesn't because I don't want to visit with his uncle there. LOL

 

I may need to wear a sign around my neck saying "Does anyone know anyone who posts on the Cruse Critic Board?"

[Ziggy7]

As to Oprah, if she did a show then truly she has the ability to make her gift to the audience be a Holland America cruise! :cool:

She would do something like that too Jim, she is a very giving person!!!! :)

[Time2sail]

Why am I addicted to your World Tour thread? And, what am I to do when the last post has been written? The humor, the drama, the action, the suspense, the mystery, well...it's just too good!!!!

[TexEm]

Here's the day by day itinerary Grumpy posted earlier:

 

Thursday, April 21, 2005 Georgetown, Ascension Island,08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Friday, April 22, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Saturday, April 23, 2005 At Sea -- --

Sunday, April 24, 2005 At Sea -- --

Monday, April 25, 2005 Fortaleza, Brazil 07:00 AM 05:00 PM

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Passing Sea Buoy -- --

Thursday, April 28, 2005 Scenic cruising the Amazon River -- --

Friday, April 29, 2005 Passing Sea Buoy -- --

Saturday, April 30, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Sunday, May, 2005 At Sea -- --

Monday, May 2, 2005 Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies 08:00 AM 06:00 PM

 

It really doesn't say that they stop anywhere other than Fortaleza once they're sailing the Atlantic until they hit Bridgetown. "Cruising the Amazon River" could mean anything, I guess. 7 days from Fortaleza to Bridgetown--makes you think they make a stop somewhere.

 

Grumpy and Slinkie--what's the word?

 

Mary

[crusinggranny]

Wondering what Grupmy and Slinkey will think when they see all this postings on Oprey? Hope they think it is a good idea. Would love to see that show.

Their postings have been so enjoyable, so I am sure seeing them on TV would be so also.

[GrannyLorr]

;) Well I came across this thread yesterday (Saturday) and have spent the entire weekend reading the whole thing! phew....just finished!!

 

Unlike everyone else in this thread, who think its all fantastic, these posts have ruined all my plans of "My First Cruise"

 

You see, I am a "Cruise Virgin", believe it or not, there are still some of us out there! I have been reading "Cruise" stuff for months now, and had already decided that a 7 or 14 day cruise wasnt for me. OK...something like 30 days or a bit more would be nice!

Well now after sitting in front of my puter for two days reading...nothing short of a WORLD CRUISE will satisfy me!

I suppose its lucky that the 2006 one is almost sold out.....will I have time to save before 2007? Any ideas on what is different for 2007?

oh yeah, my husband says "Thanks a lot Grumpy!!" (he was worried about being "stuck on a boat for 30 days!!LOL)

[Luiza]

Here's the day by day itinerary Grumpy posted earlier:

 

Thursday, April 21, 2005 Georgetown, Ascension Island,08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Friday, April 22, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Saturday, April 23, 2005 At Sea -- --

Sunday, April 24, 2005 At Sea -- --

Monday, April 25, 2005 Fortaleza, Brazil 07:00 AM 05:00 PM

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Passing Sea Buoy -- --

Thursday, April 28, 2005 Scenic cruising the Amazon River -- --

Friday, April 29, 2005 Passing Sea Buoy -- --

Saturday, April 30, 2005 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean -- --

Sunday, May, 2005 At Sea -- --

Monday, May 2, 2005 Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies 08:00 AM 06:00 PM

 

It really doesn't say that they stop anywhere other than Fortaleza once they're sailing the Atlantic until they hit Bridgetown. "Cruising the Amazon River" could mean anything, I guess. 7 days from Fortaleza to Bridgetown--makes you think they make a stop somewhere.

 

Grumpy and Slinkie--what's the word?

 

Mary

 

Thanks Mary. It has to stop I guess because we are getting off in Santarem. If it doesn't we are in big trouble.:eek:

[tropicalsunset]

You mean there's more???...... this would be an interesting companion to a geography text!! I should would be inspired to remember these places!! ;) by the way,,, if you look under your chair.... everyone has a copy!!! ;) :D

 

Enjoying the saga!!! Thanks for the memories!!!

 

Lorraine

[Sinbad37]

OK, GRUMPY! Guess I have to ask what everone wants to know! When, where & how did you and Slinkie meet! :D

[blackbird71]

OK, GRUMPY! Guess I have to ask what everone wants to know! When, where & how did you and Slinkie meet! :D

 

No I want to get down to brass tacks,,,, What size pants did he start with, and what size is he now... Inquiring minds want to know....:D:D

[Grumpy1]

Prinsendam 2005, April 17, Day 94

 

Back at sea again after a day in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Now that was an... interesting port... The Prinsendam tied up at what appears to be the coal dock, judging by the conveyor equipment and the piles of coal nearby, but the dock was very clean... as though it had been scrubbed clean just for the Prinsendam's arrival. There was an area just outside the security checkpoint where all of the tour buses and taxis gathered, and just beyond that, there was an area for the vendors to set up shop. Unlike other ports, only two shops actually had a tent or kiosk set up. All of the others just spread a blanket or tarp on the ground and laid out all of their wares. The quality of the carvings and the variety was quite good... there were some hand painted placemats and wooden bowls, wooden salad fork and spoon sets, ceremonial masks, beads... but the majority of the works were carved animals. There was ironwood, lighter woods, malachite stone... very competitive on prices... and better quality as far as artistic ability than most of the offerings that were found in Capetown. Grumpy and Slinkie had looked at the stone carvings in several ports, but most of the small pieces were quite crude and any that were well detailed were pretty expensive. Here, there were good selections with nice detail and reasonably priced. The wood carvings were also better detailed than in most of the other ports. Giraffes were everywhere... from a couple of inches to 8 feet tall... No, Grumpy was not about to try getting an 8 ft giraffe home... apparently all of the other shoppers felt the same, as the 8 footer didn't find a new home... but there are several, 4ft and smaller that are decorating cabins on the Prinsendam now... And into the Prinsendam they came... two by two... male and female of each species... wait a minute, that's a different ship...

 

Slinkie and Grumpy wandered through the market area before their tour, but figured there was plenty of stock and prices would be more negotiable later in the day. The tour that Slinkie and Grumpy had signed up for was called shipwrecks and sand dunes. It was two hours flying time in a single engine, 6 seat plane, 610 kilometer route. From the docks, they rode in a van for about a half hour to the airport. It was about 11:15a on Saturday morning... driving through town, one got thhe feeling of being in a ghost town... nice new houses, clean streets... and no one in sight! It wasn't hot, actually a little bit cool for an area that was just yards away from desert sand dunes... but there just wasn't much sign of life... very strange...

 

The airport was was more modern than many small town USA airports that Grumpy has seen... but virtually deserted except for the people associated with the air tour... Nice control tower... empty... After making the usual preflight visit to the "facilities", the 10 Prinsendamers that had signed up for the flight were loaded aboard two planes and off they went. The flight went inland to the southwest along a river... well, there is a river there at times... this wasn't one of those times... but the riverbed did look damp in spots and there was lush vegetation growing along it... and the contrast of the landscape was incredible... vast areas of barren rock... red sand dunes several hundred feet tall, that shift and move with the winds... rock plateaus with deep canyons running through... The most interesting thing is the sudden changes in the landscape... like in the US midwest when you get to the last subdivision in town and suddenly it becomes farmland, the land in Namibia changes suddenly from the barren rock to the sand dunes, to the green valleys and back to rock and sand dunes again as though it were made up of mosaic pieces. From time to time you will see a collection of modern industrial type buildings in the middle of the desert, and some granite quarries, but not much else.

 

Turning south from the riverbed, the flight continued across the desert to Soussusvlei... not much to see there, except the tallest sand dunes in the world... over 1000 feet tall... white clay hardpan plains that contrast sharply with the red dunes that move across them... and headed northwest toward the coast. They passed over abandoned diamond camps and continued to the coast just south of the shipwreck of the Eduard Bohlen. There was a colony of seals in that same area, also. The shipwreck, dating to 1909, is now a few hundred yards inland from the coast... the beaches in Florida keep shrinking, in Namibia they keep growing. The Shaunee rammed the coast in 1976 a little further north and its remains are still there, partially buried in the sand.

 

Further north is Sandwich Harbor, an early port, but now a shallow lagoon teeming with birdlife. Since it is a recognized bird sanctuary, there is a mininum flight altitude of 1500 feet. Unfortunately, the clouds had formed along the coast and that altitude was in the middle of the clouds. The plane went up to about 2100ft to get above the clouds, so there wasn't any view of the birds. Supposedly, there is a huge concentration of pink flamingoes there... 7000 birds per square kilometer... but Grumpy didn't get a chance to count them and verify that tidbit of information. The planes then returned to the airport for the return bus ride to the pier.

 

Along the highway back to town, there was a dune with several specks on the top off to one side. It looked like it could be people walking, but Grumpy wasn't sure. He snapped a few pictures with a 210mm equivalent lens and sure enough, it was another of the Prinsendam tours... people have been talking about the experience of sliding down the dune on their backsides... Dang, Slinkie and Grumpy missed the fun...

 

Arriving back at the port, Slinkie and Grumpy again went through the vendor's area and, after a bit of bargaining, added a few items to their collection of souvenirs... a wooden serving tray, a bread bowl, an ironwood carved Rhino, and 3 little malachite carvings. By that time your adventurers were starving, not having eaten since 8a and it was now 2:45p, so up to the lido for lunch and then relax a bit before the 6p sailaway. By the way, the registration form for the air tour asked for the passenger's weight. Figuring they now had a reason to weigh themselves, Slinkie and Grumpy stopped in the infirmary where they have a balance beam scale. Compared to the last visit to the doctor's office which uses the same type scale, Slinkie has gained less than 2 lbs, Grumpy has gained 6... we know who has and hasn't been eating the deserts...

 

Apparently someone is making note of the vast amount of clothing and souvenirs being brought aboard... Upon returning to their cabin after dinner Slinkie and Grumpy found two new pieces of luggage... 28" x 13" x 13" wheeled blue nylon duffel bag style, emblazoned with the 2005 World Tour emblem, zippered pouches on both ends and one side, really nice... should be able to put everything that has to go through customs in those with no problem... nice little "pillow gift"... shouldn't have to buy any other luggage now... Thanks, HAL.

 

Sea life has been much more interesting since Capetown... There were a lot of seals in the harbor at Capetown, and between Capetown and Walvis Bay, there have been quite a few seals, porpoises and dolphins around the ship, sometimes dozens at a time. Today at lunchtime Slinkie spotted a couple dozen dolphins that were putting on a show just for the Prinsendam...

 

Tonight is Black and Gold Ball, so Slinkie and Grumpy will be out tripping the light fantastic... well that's what Slinkie does... Grumpy just trips... and trods on toes... It's also Slinkie and Grumpy's 32nd anniversary (months, that is), so that's another reason to go go dancing... Hopefully, tonight will be another 25 hour day and Grumpy can catch up on his sleep...

 

About the question on the ports in Brazil... Thursday, April 28, should have read Scenic Cruising Amazon River/Santarem, Brazil, 2p to 8p. That is the only stop in the Amazon on this trip... Luiza, Grumpy knows you are brokenhearted about not stopping in Manaus....

 

OK, gang, enough of the Oprah stuff. Grumpy and Slinkie have absolutely no interest in turning this into a tv show... not even if Jerry Springer calls... make that "especially" if Jerry Springer calls... but they are flattered that some of you think it would be a good interview... no thanks.

 

Grumpy and Slinkie met with Mariner05 the other night. They were in the dining room of the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town and were beginning to wonder if that big bow of a ship approaching the window was going to stop It was nice to meet Lou and Grace. Avalon1025, James, Your greeting to your parents has been passed along... The next morning, Marianne and Leo, AtSeaDaze (not to be confused with Karen and Bob, atseadaze with all lowercase letters) recognized Slinkie and Grumpy in the Lido. There are now at least 9 couples on board that have posted on CruiseCritic, and a few others that have admitted to lurking on the thread...

 

GrannyLorr... Grumpy apologizes for ruining your cruise virginity.... wait a minute... that didn't come out quite right... anyway, thanks for some hearty laughs... responses like yours and and the more than 900 others is what makes it all worth doing this thread... Hope your husband finds out just how much fun the long cruises can be...

 

Time2Sail... "Why am I addicted to your World Tour thread? And, what am I to do when the last post has been written? The humor, the drama, the action, the suspense, the mystery, well...it's just too good!!!! "... Uh, Grumpy wants to know what thread you've been reading... Certtainly you're not referring to this thread in terms like that...

 

Luiza, if you don't spot Grumpy and Slinkie from their picture, just ask one of the ACD's... you have to say Hi to Jennifer from her mum anyway... Grumpy and Slinkie will be on deck for Sailaway from Forteleza, it's usually on the lower promenade deck on the side toward the dock... and a couple of the ACD's are usually there also... Of course, the sign will work, too...

 

CruisingGranny... You aren't the only one that will be sorry to see Slinkie and Grumpy's voyage come to an end... Slinkie and Grumpy aren't exactly thrilled about it ending either... perhaps they will have a chance to meet you someday...

 

Dakrewser.... Dave, Grumpy thought you would have researched Victoria and Alfred before responding... Albert apparently never spent any time there, but Alfred did and left his stamp on the city... he's everywhere, along with his mum, in that area..

 

Regarding the 2006 World Cruise... It's an interesting itenerary... The visit to Antartica appeals to Grumpy but not to Fair Weather Slinkie... it was also planned around the March 29, total solar eclipse which is supposed to have the best viewing from the Mediterannean... right where the Prinsendam will be... Maybe that's why it has been billed as "Circle of the Sun"... wonder if they will hand out welder's goggles for viewing?.. A few of the ports don't appeal to Grumpy, but he would go if he were planning to cruise again next year... No plans at this time, though...

 

Sinbad37... Romance???... You think there's romance between Grumpy and Slinkie??... Now what would give you an idea like that?? All Grumpy will say is that after his wife of 41 years passed away, and Slinkie's husband of 38 years passed away, they both feel very fortunate to have found each other... via the internet, of course... and started a new life together. Since they know first hand how life's plans change in a heartbeat... or lack of one... they decided to take the time now to do some of the things they had dreamed of... A World Cruise being one of those things.

 

Sweetdreams...please accept Grumpy and Slinkie's sincere condolences on the loss of your son... and thank you for sharing your thoughts...

 

That should cover about everything up to post 961... did Grumpy overlook anything?

 

Grumpy and Slinkie

 

[Cuttle]

Pure joy!

 

I just clicked onto the Board and lo and behold a new posting from Grumpy. Wow. And what a great report it is. You make everything come alive Grumpy. I was almost on the plane with you. Great commentary. And new luggage for all those little extras you are acquiring on the way. Thanks again for your posts.

[venicecruiser]

Wonderful, descriptive post.........Thanks again so much for sharing your journey with us!

 

Claudia

[Luiza]

Grumpy, thank you so much for the information. I will sure try to meet you all. Go to the jewelry store after we leave from Fortaleza, and meet my husband. He will be introducing a new line of designer jewelery from Brazilian designers. Hope to see you on our short leg of your wonderful trip.:)

[Cruising Jake]

Grumpy, I just want to applaud your humor, romance, creativity, willingness to answer questions, spend precious internet minutes on us and, of course, choice of wife. I am almost sure I will never get to visit the places you have been, but I have enjoyed your visits immensely.

 

 

Thanks.

[GrannyLorr]

*GrannyLorr, immediately logs on, and starts checking out Internet Chat Rooms, looking for "Replica Grumpys, looking for virginal Aussie Grannys, who would like to be draped with jewells"...........*....well BUGGER....none there!:( suppose I will just have to put up with the one I've got for a while longer! Can you just tell us which chat room it was Grumpy, so we get off to the right start?

[Williebill]

Hi Grumpy and Slinkie. My DW and I are still enjoying reading about your exploits. When we left you in Honolulu, we thought our cruise was finished; but reading your posts has kept the cruise alive for us. Thank you for saving us all that money!!!!!

[Williebill]

Thanks Mary. It has to stop I guess because we are getting off in Santarem. If it doesn't we are in big trouble.:eek:

 

They will stop in Santarem, Brazil on April 28.

[BCHappyGal]

Thank you again for sharing with those of us who are still having to hit the "Salt Mines" 5 days a week! i dream of taking a world cruise once we retire and have the time! Your review here has made me even more determined to make that dream come true someday. In the meantime I guess I have to be satisfied with my annual cruise.

[crusinggranny]

Grumpy, you have been so good about answering questions and I have one about tipping. We are going on a 26 day cruise in November and not sure what HAL's tipping policy is now. When we used to sail HAL, she had a no tipping policy and we tipped as we chose.

 

Now I hear that so many of the ships are charging to your cabin $10per day per person. I was wondering about that and is it just paid for at end of trip when it is a long trip, or do you tip as you go?

 

Again thank you for making this granny feel like she has been almost around the world.

You make everything so real to me.

 

Take care and you and Slinkie continue to "trip the fantastic" for you both are just that fantastic.

 

CrusingGranny