Circumnavigate The Globe in 123 days with Bill & Mary Ann - 2011 World Cruise

[WCB]

Report # 109 April 21, 2011 Thursday Day at Sea # 2

 

The seas have improved immensely since yesterday. We even had sunny skies when we woke up this morning. The winds were still cool, but had calmed down from yesterday's 44 knots to 22 knots. Things are looking good.

 

At breakfast this morning, we mentioned to Presti that we did in fact miss the Mariner Brunch yesterday. He promptly went to the secret stash to give us the tiles that were given to the guests at the function. He's one of the good guys in the dining room for sure.

 

We had a few jobs to do today. One was to pick up our passports at the front desk and get a copy of our shipboard account to see where we were at. We started with a lot of shipboard credit between the world cruise credit, the bonus from our 2010 Prinsendam trip, and the Carnival stock bonus. Since several tours had been refunded due to Egypt being cancelled, we ended up with more credit. And because we had pre-booked our shore excursions last fall, we've only used our credit for the bar, stores, Pinnacle Grill lunches, group visas, spa, and internet charges. We are happy to say that we still have a positive credit, which we should be able to carry over for the next cruise, beginning the day most everyone goes home. We have heard that about 100 guests will be intransit like us.

 

Another thing we needed to check on was the luggage service. We wondered if we would be able to ship our two rolled suitcases that we had brought on the plane with us in January. The answer was yes, but it would cost the same if it left from San Diego to San Francisco, as it would if it was sent from Florida to SF. The shipping charges for extra luggage pieces are not cheap. A large suitcase or trunk is $135., a medium suitcase or a cardboard box is $90., a small suitcase,duffel, a gift shop bag, or the gifted HAL bag is $65., and a garment bag is $55. There is no charge for the weight of each piece, only the size. Our luggage is considered large suitcases so the price would be $135. each. Guess we will be taking them on the plane for $25. That was a "no-brainer"! The gifted duffel bags fit in the large duffels we had shipped, so we still only have four duffels to send back complimentary, part of our cruise amenities.

 

We watched the talk on TV given by Robert Lilwall, the cyclist who continued his adventure about biking around the world. He took us through his trip in China, to a boat he hitch hiked on to Papua New Guinea, where he got lost in the jungle. After just having visited there, we decided that was one place you did not want to get lost. Great stories......he kept us interested while we packed another bag. We really did not have to do this right away, since we cannot send them off in Florida. But that will be less we have to do in a few weeks from now. And the bags for the airlines will have to be under 50 pounds, so it will be less of a worry if we figure it out now. An electronic scale has been plugged in on deck three in the atrium for the guests to check their luggage weights. Nice idea. We have brought a small handheld scale with us so that we can weigh our bags in our room.

 

The usual activites for sea days were still happening all day, but since most folks had to get a jump on packing, attendance was minimal. One thing for sure, when we took several breaks to get some fresh air on the promenade deck, it was practically empty of walkers. Perhaps no one was outside, because it had clouded up, and turned cold.

 

Around 2pm, the sun peeked out for an hour. We took advantage of that to sit on deck 9 aft, out of the wind, while watching for dolphins or tuna. We did see some fish while walking today, which is always a neat thing. On this cruise, there have been few sightings of sealife. The best sightings of dolphins we have ever seen was on a trip to Mexico from San Francisco in November.

 

We had company for dinner this evening.........friends Bill and Leta. Judi had a date, so we had room for two guests. Just as we were starting to order from the menu, a man sitting near us had a sudden medical problem. "Bright star" was announced shortly after the dining room staff ran to assess the situation. Within minutes, the doctor, nurse, as well as Captain Olav were there to help. Whatever the problem was, the bright star was called off, however the doctor escorted the ill man out of the restaurant. They can never be too careful.

 

That was when Ellen told us that the 98 year old man, a client and also a good friend of Tom and Ellen's, had passed away in the hospital in Cadiz. We all felt bad, but the fact that he had been well enough to come on a world cruise was incredible. He and his wife of 68 years had enjoyed it, especially their visit to Jerusalem, where they had met many years ago. Since they have no children, a niece will be flying to Spain to escort her elderly aunt home. So sad.

 

In answer to the Cruise Critic question about officers and wine on formal night dinners, we thought we could explain it. Those of us that happen to sit a large round table, can request an officer, staff member, or even an entertainer to join us on a formal evening. When you have such a guest, they "buy" or sign for the wine for the table members. Sometimes when the officers or a staff members cannot join us on a formal night, they send the wine anyway. If you do not drink wine, you can have sodas. This is a normal occurance on Grand Voyages, although we had a staff guest on our 14 day Alaskan cruise last summer. So that is a perk with having a large table that seats eight or more.

 

The entertainers this evening were The Scintas, a Las Vegas Family of Entertainment. Since the clocks are going back again tonight, perhaps more people will attend the show.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Goldryder]

I was aboard Costa Victoria in Cadiz when Amsterdam arrived, below are a few images from her arrival...was a bit concerned as she seemed to be requiring alot of tug assistance, something I hadn't expected to see...we left well before she did and Amsterdam (along with Iberocruceros Grand Celebration & CroisiEurope La Belle de Cadix) saluted us as we left port. Royal's Vision o/t Seas was also in port but had left mid afternoon.

[kazu]

I can't believe your cruise is nearly over or that i have spent this many days following your thread. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us.

 

it has been a joy to cruise vicariously through you :)

[FoghornLeghorn]

I can't believe your World Cruise is coming to an end...it's been such a joy to travel along with you!

 

In reading the part about shipping your duffels/luggage, I was wondering what tips you could offer about packing for long voyages. Mine will not be nearly as long, but will be my first trip for 30 plus days.

 

Any packing tips, or any tips about what to take, or not take, for long trips?

[bet410]

Like so many others, I have thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful posts! I will be doing the 2012 World Voyage and have gotten a lot of tips on what to do (and in a few cases, what not to do). I hope that next year I'll be able to meet you in person at a M&G sometime!

 

I'm sure that these write-ups must take a tremendous amount of time, and your efforts are truly appreciated!

 

Enjoy your last few weeks at sea!

[superoma]

Hope you have a blessed Easter Sunday out on the Atlantic Ocean. I have enjoyed your reports - they are the first thing I check each morning. thanks for taking us along on your journey.

[DFD1]

Bill and Mary Ann: I know what an incredible amount of time and work you have put into your amazing account of this trip and I want you to know that I have read and enjoyed every word......and I thank you so much for sharing this remarkable experience with so many of us.

 

It has been a joy reading what you have written.

 

All the best.

[clueless2]

I'd also like to thank you for allowing us to cruise the world vicariously through your posts. I check your thread at least once a day for my "fix".

[WCB]

Report # 110 April 22, 2011 Friday Day at Sea # 3

 

Well, here we are about halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, with only three more sea days to go before reaching the final destination of Ft.Lauderdale . The weather today has completely changed for the better. The sun was out, the skies were cloud-free early on, and the wind was not so chilly compared to yesterday. And the white "just-in-case" bags are gone from the elevator landings. We have heard that many passengers and crew members were plagued with mal de mar, or seasickness, the last two days. Guess we are lucky not to be bothered with the constant motion. It sure is nice during the night, since it makes us sleep like babies in a rocking cradle. We will miss that when we go home, believe it or not.

 

Many things were happening all day, starting with the "On Deck for the Cure" 5K walk around the promenade deck at 9am. Donations were made by the guests to the Susan G. Komen fund to support research on breast cancer. HAL surpassed the 2 million dollar mark in contributions last fall. Four additional companies have followed their lead by adding this walk to their itineraries.....Carnival, Seabourn, Costa, and Princess Cruises.

 

The final Mongolian Cookout took place in the Lido pool area. We are sure it was well-attended since the deck was covered with oil spills long after the cookout was over.

 

We took a few minutes from our morning walk to visit Henk, our trusted hotel manager to inquire further about the confusing luggage shipment. He agreed that we should not have gotten the incorrect luggage tags, but stated that he could not do anything to change the laws that require us to ship this luggage from San Diego. According to his records, there will be a total of 33 disembarking in San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver. Whether or not these guests know that they are not included with the group getting off in Florida, they may still be sending their bags off to the Fed Ex pile. What happens at that point, we do not know. It appeared to us that the HAL rep, who had joined our meeting, did not know either. Because of this lack of communications, HAL may be fined if anyone's bags are caught being sent off the ship without the guests going off with them. We don't think they were too thrilled that we found this glitch in their procedures. Oh well........

 

A special Indonesian tea was held in the lower dining room at 3pm. We know that they serve cakes and special sandwiches, but we have yet to attend one of these. That is close to our daily lunchtime, so we can't afford the extra calories.

 

Easter is sneaking up on us also this coming Sunday. An Easter Bonnet Fashion Parade is planned that day, where we are all invited to create a fun and festive Easter bonnet and show it off at the 9:30am Good Morning Amsterdam show. That should be interesting to watch on our room TV. Truthfully, there is an elderly little lady who wears strange and bizarre hats most every night at dinner. By bizarre, we mean hats with chickens, rabbits, flowers, flower pots on the top, yes strange is the only way to describe her bonnets.

 

It was nice enough to finally go back to the aft deck and try sunbathing for a few hours. There was a crisp breeze, but still warm in the sun. Time to start using that suntan lotion once again. It is still easy to burn in this part of the seas.

 

After 3pm, Captain Olav announced that the traveling children, all four of them, would have a chance to blow the horn as they liked. Following the hornblowing, they each got a turn to speak on the Captain's microphone, which was broadcasted throughout the ship. The three young girls all said, "Hi, Mommy", which drew laughs from the passengers. The older young man wished us all a safe and rewarding conclusion to our world cruise. We are sure that these kids will remember this experience for the rest of their lives. Lastly, Captain Olav let them steer the ship for a few miles. Since we were sitting at the back of the aft deck, we watched the wake. Yep, we were zig-zagging all the way.

 

The final giant porterhouse steak was on the menu tonight for dinner. We just had to order them, although Bill and Ellen got t-bone steaks instead. Bet they ran out of the monstrous steaks at the first sitting. They tasted wonderful, even if they were different. We are very spoiled now, and we know that these steaks will not be offered on the next cruise. Just to cover that fact, we have made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill for 2 nights on that cruise.

 

Ultimate Broadway was the entertainment by the singers and dancers of the Amsterdam this evening. Our tablemates said that last night's show was terrific with The Scintas, who sang along with a comedy act and impressions. Too bad we missed it again.

 

Of course, the clocks went back again tonight. It has really been a boost for the staff, since they are catching up on lost sleep. They all seem to be happy, but maybe that is because the trip is coming to an end, who knows?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[kazu]

Your posts have been so enjoyable - and just love that you are not letting go yet - who can blame you - I can't imagine the cruise withdrawal after this lenght of time.:eek:

 

Please have a very joyous Easter weekend and thank you again for sharing with us. :)

[CtheW0rld]

i'm going to have sympathetic withdrawl as i've being following this blog daily.

[RuthC]

Truthfully, there is an elderly little lady who wears strange and bizarre hats most every night at dinner. By bizarre, we mean hats with chickens, rabbits, flowers, flower pots on the top, yes strange is the only way to describe her bonnets.

Her name wouldn't happen to be Norma, would it? :confused: The hats sound all too familiar.

 

Have been enjoying your reports all thru the cruise. It took a while to catch up when I was trailing behind some of the same waters for five weeks, but it was a fun read.

Sorry to feel it winding down.

[demodawn]

Thank you so much for living the cruise with you. Someday when we arent working ( hopefully retired!) we can return the favor!

[Flyingfish]

Boy, am I going to miss you guys every morning while drinking my tea. We're joining the Nieuw Amsterdam this weekend in Venice for a 12 day cruise. We'll be walking in your tracks somewhat. Looking ahead to next year!

[OldCodger73]

Bill and Mary Ann, are you going to continue posting from your continuing cruise to San Diego? Hopefully, you will, that will give those of us who vicariously enjoyed your cruise a soft landing, so to speak.

[WCB]

Report # 111 April 23, 2011 Saturday Day at Sea # 4

 

Today has been the nicest ones since we sailed out of Funchal, Madeira last Tuesday. The air is beginning to get humid and the sun's rays are much stronger. Perhaps there is hope for some sunbathing later this afternoon.

 

The promenade deck was almost empty of walkers most of the morning. Of course, everyone is involved with the nagging task of packing. We remember having unlimited luggage shipment, having 22 bags to fill. Sometimes that is not a good thing, because you have little room to store all that stuff while on the cruise, unless you happen to have a suite. We have gotten by with our four duffels just fine, and in the future, will more than likely bring less. One good thing....we were able to squeeze the gifted world cruise duffels in our large dufrfel bags, saving the $130 fee to ship them home.

 

One of the highlites of our day was meeting friends Leslie and Handler for lunch in the Pinnacle Grill at noon. We kept breakfast at a minimum, because we knew we were going to order the Pinnacle cheeseburger with crispy bacon. They are the best on the ship. Where else can you have such a lunch, that includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert for a mere $5.? We love some of these perks that come with being 4 star Mariners. Since we have not been going to the Crows Nest, we barely see Leslie and Handler. So it was great to be able to catch up on news with no interruptions for a change.

 

Robert Lilwall gave his final talk on his world bike ride, including descriptions of traversing Afghanistan and Iran. We missed his lecture, but will surely watch it on TV later. He has been one of the most interesting speakers on this trip, we think.

 

A garage sale of "what was I thinking" items went up for sale in the Lido pool area this morning. This white elephant sale should produce more money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We know for a fact, that a lot of the ship's pillow gifts have already been donated to the crew and staff members. Many of the world cruise guests have down-sized their homes, and no longer have space for more stuff. Wish we would have remembered to check out the sale just for fun, but they failed to include the place in the newsletter. We found it listed elsewhere, but after it was over.

 

The other highlite of the day was the Mariners Society Pre-Dinner Cocktail Reception, held for uslate diners at 6:45pm in the Queens Lounge. Since almost everyone is a member of this society, the room was filled. We found our usual seats along the wall were already taken, so we sat next to them. In these seats, we are always taken care of by our trusted bar staff. Sometimes, a little too much. Hors d'oeuvres included bitterballen, quiche, prawns with cocktail sauce, breaded shrimp, and BBQ chicken skewers. There was caviar, but we prefer other treats over that. Bartender Gil took our drink orders and came back with doubles.......twice. He's the best bartender we know., and we are glad he joined the ship in Manila.

 

Bruce, our CD, gave his usual speech, beginning with recognizing the elite President's Club members. We were shocked when he simply asked these passengers to stand up for applause. We know for a fact that our friend Barbie and two other couples had been inducted into this special category on this world cruise. They were not given any special attention for having exceeded the 1400 days sailed mark at this function. They were not even individually announced as new members. While sailing on the South America/Antarctica Grand Voyage on the Prinsendam last year, two ladies who became Presidents Club members were given 2 dozen roses, and photos with the captain and hotel manager. Couldn't they have done this tonight in front of the crowd? Big mistake, we think.

 

From that point, Bruce singled out the new 700, 500, and 300 days sailed passengers. Each of them posed for photos with Captain Olav and Henk, our hotel manager, wearing their silver, gold, and platinum medals. The people that get the pins now include Star Mariner (1st voyage), 2 star (30 days), 3 star (75 days), and 4 star (200 days). Unfortunately, the ceremony became so drawn out, that clapping for each person or couple practically ceased. We feel that it is much better to receive your medals on shorter cruises, because there are far fewer high day members sailing on those trips.

 

Judi brought her "date" Joe to our table this evening to join our rowdy group. He was pretty quiet, so we are not sure he will join us again for the last formal evening tomorrow. Four us of had pre-ordered fried chicken for our entrees. It was delicious, and finger-licking good as the saying goes. There were more birthday celebrations tonight than on the whole trip. The singing started as early as 9pm, as most folks were eager to get to the showlounge for the special performance by Wayne Newton. Barb, Ellen, and the two of us were among the last diners to leave the room. The waiters were already clearing the tables on the lower dining level to set up for tomorrow's Easter brunch grand buffet.

 

We grabbed the camera (no flash used) to attend the third show we have seen on this entire trip. We know, we are bad when it comes to late night entertainment, but we did not want to miss this one. If you recall, Mitzi Gaynor was the first big star to start off the world cruise. Wayne Newton," Mr. Las Vegas", would surely deliver even a better show to end this long voyage.

 

There were still a few spots at our favorite deck five, back-of-the-lounge counter in the Queens Lounge. The show had already started by the time we got there. Wayne began singing a series of slow melodies, such as Lady (Kenny Rodgers). It sure did not sound like the young Wayne Newton that we remembered back in the old days when we were in high school. Guess as you get older, voices tend to change, and Wayne's has dramatically. His best assets were the back-up singers, who carried the tunes quite well. The two young ladies that accompanied him added the glitz and glamour to the production.

 

He introduced the band members, as well as giving attention to our extremely talented Adagio Strings gals and other crew musicians that shared the stage with his orchestra members. In particular, the bongo and drum players were great. We figured these introductions as well as story and joke telling, helped to stretch the show time, where he did not have to sing. What did impress us was the fact that Wayne also plays the piano, guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Boy, can he play one mean fiddle!! As the pace of the music picked up, so did the quality of his show. Too bad the dozens of folks that left the showroom on deck 5 after the first slow song, did not stay for the finish. They missed a great finale, with Wayne singing his most famous songs ....Red Roses For a Blue Lady and Dunkashane(sp?).

 

By the time we got back to our room, it was almost 11:30pm. And there was no time change reminder sitting on the bed. But we did have nice Happy Easter cards from the staff and crew.

 

Well, two more sea days, and we will be in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS By the way, Happy Easter to all!

[joangg]

Her name wouldn't happen to be Norma, would it? :confused: The hats sound all too familiar.

 

Have been enjoying your reports all thru the cruise. It took a while to catch up when I was trailing behind some of the same waters for five weeks, but it was a fun read.

Sorry to feel it winding down.

I had forgotten her name, she has problems with her vision and the sun. She was on the 1997 RTW on the old Rotterdam. She at that time taught in a Jr College in New Mexico. That's all I can remember. Does she carry a cane? Norma did.

[RuthC]

I had forgotten her name, she has problems with her vision and the sun. She was on the 1997 RTW on the old Rotterdam. She at that time taught in a Jr College in New Mexico. That's all I can remember. Does she carry a cane? Norma did.

Sounds like the same person. There's too many things in common for it to be another person.

So, she's on this year's world voyage?

[wynkys]

Hello Mary Ann & Bill,

 

I have just caught up on your latest entries and once again have enjoyed the news.

It seems incredible that you are only now coming to the end of the voyage when I feel that I have been home for so long.

Please say hello to everyone for me and safe travels back home.

 

Wayne

[callmedeb]

Thank you for doing this time after time. I really appreciate being able to "sail along" with the two of you.

 

Cheers and safe sailing,

 

Deb

[I Luv Crusin]

Report # 60 March 4, 2011 Friday Manila, Philippines

 

 

 

Do you know how some malls have live demonstrations for certain products? Well, we saw one really interesting demo with a portable 2 burner cooktop. What made this different was the fact that a pot of water could be brought to a boil in one minute. Not only that, but the cooktop never got hot, and the salesgirl actually put her hand on the cooktop after taking the pot away. To add to the magic, she placed a pot holder, as well as a book on the burner, then placed the pot with the water on top of that. It still came to a boil in one minute. Go figure? It sold for around $1800, and if we bought one today, we would get a free flat screen TV as a bonus. She really laughed when we told her we were from a cruise ship, and probably would not need a unit for our room.

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

That's an induction burner. You can get a good one burner version here in the states for less than $300.00.

 

I'm really enjoying your review. I don't know if my Dh and I will ever be able to make such a trip but love doing it vicariously through your reports!

[bcnvcanada]

OMG we just realized that we will be at the Reniassance Fort Lauderdale, tomorrow, when you arrived and depart. Will be watching your departure in the early evening. Again, THANKS FOR taking us along with you on your

world cruise. It was an awsome adventure.

[WCB]

Report # 112 April 24, 2011 Easter Sunday Day at Sea # 5

 

Happy Easter to all! We woke up to a beautiful and sunny day this morning. Captain Olav has maintained a speed of 20.6 knots as we continued the Atlantic crossing. So far there have been several whales sightings on the horizon, although we have not seen them. The most sealife we noticed today were several tiny flying fish here and there.

 

Barbara, our port lecturer, had put out a survey for the world cruisers to vote on their "Seven Wonders of the 2011 World Cruise". Here were the results: 1. Petra - The Rose Red City

2. Easter Island

3. Ephesus

4. Jerusalem

5. Fjordland National Park (New Zealand)

6. Valleys of the Kings (Luxor Egypt)

7. Pompeii & The Temple of Karnak, Egypt (tie)

For us Petra, Jordan was marvelous to see, but we will have to wait until 2012 to visit The Valley of the Kings and Karnak in Egypt before we make our final judgement.

 

The big event today was the Easter Grand Show Buffet, held in the La Fontaine restaurant. We went to the 11am viewing for photo-taking, and were able to walk right in. For us, the picture-taking was all we needed. We never eat from this buffet when it is availble at 12 to 1pm. Better safe than sorry, because this food has sat out for hours already, and we sure don't want to gamble with any ill effects for the rest of our trip. Since it was Easter, we did take a few small foil-covered chocolate Easter eggs.

 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the sun and pleasant breeze on the aft pool deck. Only the true sun-worshipers were taking advantage of this weather instead of packing, which most all other people were doing.

 

Lo and behold, when we turned on our room TV, we found that CNN and the bundled channels were back on. Thank goodness, we were really tired of seeing the HAL ads on almost every available channel since we entered the Mediterranean.

 

Tonight's dinner was the last formal evening, with The Black and Gold Ball following afterwards. It was also the "Baked Alaska Parade", denoting the end of this voyage. The only problem with that was this parade started shortly after 9pm. We had ten at our table, which included Judi's boyfriend, Joe, and Julie, our guest officer. Therefore, we had just been served the entrees, when the lights were dimmed and the parade began. Once the napkins began flying, we all had to cover our quickly cooling dinner plates to keep the crumbs off. Barb had just started her second course of soup, let alone her entree. What's the rush we asked? Oh well, we clapped and cheered as our waiters ran by with the real sparkler-lit dessert, then dove into our dinners before they were cold. The chefs followed the waiter's dessert parade, and deserved the round of applause they got from everyone.

 

Now the funny part. When the plates were given for our dessert, they were hot. And the Baked Alaska is mostly ice cream. Yep, melted dessert again. It was still good with the cherry topping. Most of our tablemates left for the ball, but Barb, Ellen, and we stayed behind, as we usually do. Tom M, our other wonderful host, joined us to linger a bit longer.

 

We had the final pillow presents waiting for us in our room. One was a very useful cookbook, written by Chef Bernie. He compiled 150 of the most popular recipes we have enjoyed on this trip. Most of the ingredients will have to be down-sized, so he included the equivalents in the back of the book.

 

The other gift was 2 fridge magnets with the 2011 world cruise map printed on them. All of these gifts given tonight are easy to pack for the folks going home tomorrow.

 

One more sea day, and the this fantastic trip comes to an end.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Yes, we will continue the reports on the next Panama cruise beginning April 26th. And Norma may be the name of the "hat lady".

[hpf]

Thank you Bill and Mary Ann for the wonderful voyage you have taken us all on. We will surely miss reading your vivid accounts of your days at sea and shore. Continued great cruising and we will all certainly be waiting for you 2012 World Voyage. Safe seas and happy cruising and a wonderful summer. Helen

[earl_m]

I have really enjoy reading about your world cruise!!