Venture with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2013 GW Voyage "Postcards from Paradise" 115 days

[WCB]

Report # 103 Day at Sea April 13, 2013 Saturday

 

Well, here we are, back at sea, and back to normal, so to speak. Going to breakfast and doing our morning walk felt good. So did the slightly warmer breeze we were having on the outside deck. Now that we have traveled about 300 nautical miles further northwest, the weather is much more suitable and should remain comfortable, without the heavy humidity and oppressive heat we experienced from the Seychelles to Madagascar and Mozambique.

 

Thankfully, the rolling of the seas subsided since last night. From the looks of it, most of the folks were back to attending routine lectures and ship games. The new speakers have continued their series of talks. One was Dave Smith, who presented digital photography for beginners. Good place to start. Howard Walker lectured on the historic influences of ancient western Africa. That will be a good basis for next year's world cruise, that will be visiting some of those areas. Barbara H. talked about the next ports of St. Helena and Ascension Island, both remote islands in the South Atlantic.

 

Our day was dedicated to catching up on reports and movie watching. By the afternoon, we took a break at the aft pool, finding it mostly empty of the regular sunbathers. Actually, most of the Dutch and German sun lovers left the ship in Cape Town, preferring not to sail trans-Atlantic. Don't blame them if they are closer to home by flying from here.

 

Despite occassional clouds, the sun peeked out enough to give us a little heat, and a possible sunburn if we were not careful. Perhaps it's our imagination, but one of us is experiencing some sensitivity to the sunlight. Using sunscreen has helped, but not enough. It could be a side effect of the anti-malarial medications we have been taking. And we are each taking different meds, that will not conflict with current prescriptions. Best to cover up and wear a visor. Come to think of it, regarding malaria or yelklow fever, we never saw one mosquito at the bush camp during our entire stay at the lodge. Nor did we get bit by anything, thank goodness.

 

By the time another report was cranked out and emailed, it was nearing dinnertime and our run for the dinner food inspection at the Lido. It was formal tonight, so we were having difficulty deciding what to order. The beef wellington looked the best. There were only four of us at the table, since Van and Carol had been finally invited to the Captain's Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. They eventually joined us by 9pm.because their meal had begun much earlier. Even though the menu for this dinner was unusual, they still enjoyed their experience with this event, since it was a first for them. Van thanked us for the warning about the pre-cocktail party special drink brought to their room. He was prepared with some vodka to spice up the blended cucumber concoction. He said everything tastes better with vodka, right? Anyway, we correct in choosing the beef wellington entrees, as they were tender and delicious. Even better was the dessert of Jamaican calypso mud pie. It was finally served for the first time this entire cruise.

 

 

We know we have been remiss with keeping up with the evening entertainment in the Queens Lounge, but as you all know, we seldom go. The show for this evening was presented by the Amsterdam singers and dancers with "Hit List". It featured contemporary music from the 80's, which isn't exactly new is it, since that was 30 years ago. Time flies...............

 

A good thing, the clocks went back one precious hour tonight, making us seven hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, and that much closer to home.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 104 Day at Sea April 14, 2013 Sunday

 

Another lazy day at sea found us having a repeat of yesterday. The skies remained cloudy for the better part of the day, although the temperatures are comfortably pleasant. At least it is not raining, at least not yet.

 

Most guests keep busy inside the ship as the activities are numerous as always. The speaker Howard Walker discussed Europe's decline in world power and the why of it. Hal Chorale has continued with the talented passengers, while Char, the future cruise consultant, talked about the upcoming 140th celebration of the HAL line. We shall be celebrating our own way with a special birthday for one of us that night. Nice of them to coordinate the events to occur together, ha!

 

Taking an afternoon break, we layed low on the laylows (lounges) at the aft pool. There is only one guest who can tolerate the cold water in the pool, and that sure is not one of us. It is obvious that there are fewer people sailing this segment, because most of the public areas are half full now. Normally, the folks begin using this time crossing the pond with packing chores. This year, instead of a six day crossing back to Florida, we are island-hopping on our way back with two ports in Brazil, one in Devils Island, and finally a stop in the Caribbean at St. Lucia. So perhaps the feeling of going home is not quite as strong. There is still ample time to tackle the luggage.

 

At 3pm, the Filipino crew show took place in the Queens Lounge. Well attended by the passengers, the young bar staffers, crew members, and front desk gals put on a really good show. Singing traditional songs and performing dances of their homeland, it was obvious the pride they have for the Philippines. They certainly deserved the standing ovation on the completion of the performance.

 

Dinnertime continued to be a fun occassion. Now that there are only six of us, we have gotten the chance to enjoy our tablemates even better. Although we live on opposite coasts, we seem to have many things in common. With all of us, there is a wealth of travel stories. We'll miss them when we have to move upstairs on the Panama sailing. That is when the dining venue changes to fixed seating upstairs and open seating downstairs. Since we prefer to stay with the fixed time at 8pm, we plan to move upstairs to a table for two on the railing. We did that last year, and really liked it for two weeks. So in the meantime, we can be merry and have way too much fun.

 

The entertainers this evening were two Latin couples, singers by the name of Kings of Pop, Queens of Soul. They earned a "C" from Van and Carol, as well as Joan.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 105 Jamestown, St. Helena April 15, 2013 Monday

 

St. Helena, a big volcanic rock in the middle of nowhere in the South Atlantic Ocean, was our port of call today, and an interesting one at that. The entire island is only 47 square miles, with peaks jutted up as high as 2700 feet. Only a little over 4000 people live here. What views one sees from that high up are spectacular of the deep blue ocean in the middle of nowhere, 1200 miles from the nearest landmass. And it was for the reason of its isolation, that the Emperor Napoleon was exiled to this rock for the last 6 years of his life (1815 to 1821). It was here, at the Longhouse, that he and his servants lived a nice life, although far removed from his beloved France, until he died of natural causes on May 5, 1821.

 

The last time we were here in 2009, we had taken a tour to these historical sites, finding them well worth the time and money. As well as Napoleon's Longhouse, we saw the Jonathon Plantation House, the Governor of the East India Company's residence, a Georgian-style building erected in 1792. Today is it the home of the current governor. Jonathon, a reportedly 178 year old tortoise lives on the grounds there, along with a few female tortoise friends. Anyway, at that time, we think we paid about $70. each for the ship's tour. In town, a local charitable society was selling tickets for a 2 hour tour of the houses and grounds for around $35. each. Good deal. Even better, was the price seven of our Cruise Critic pals paid for a more inclusive private tour that took in every site. It cost them $20 (including a $5. tip). Best deal of the day. Will store that bit of useful info for our next visit here.

 

Our arrival time had been slated for 11am, although Captain Jonathon had gotten us here sooner. Since the ship's tours had remained the same times, we were able to get priority tendering at the aft exit on deck one. The line of folding chairs had been set up, three thick, all the way down the narrow hallway of the tender boat exit. We had a short wait before the President's Club, deck seven, and 4 & 5 star Mariners loaded up into a waiting tender.

 

In the daily newsletter, there was a safety reminder for this morning's ride to shore. We were told to accept the sailor's help in boarding the boat, as well as hold on to the boat's handrailings. That tells us there have been accidents with less able guests. Then, right before the transfer began, an announcement was made saying only able-bodied folks could go ashore today, since there would be 13 steep steps from the concrete landing. That meant no wheelchair or scooter-bound people, unless they were capable of hauling the chairs or scooters off the boat and up the stairs by themselves. Made sense to us, because it is dangerous. We have seen broken arms and legs with the regular guests on previous trips. So you can imagine our surprise when we saw two such chair-seated ladies way up the top of the hill, shopping. Guess they cannot be totally denied for fear of litigation. As it turned out, sometime in the early afternoon, a man did fall, requiring an ambulance and a ride to the hospital with a broken ankle.

 

We spent the day wandering through the Archway that led to the Grand Parade, or city square. From there we visited the Castle Gardens, Anna's Place, St. James Church, and the bottom of Jacob's Ladder. This cliffside stairway has 699 steps, straight up from the seaside to a cliff 900 feet high above the town. It was originally built in 1829 for the soldiers to haul ammunition and supplies to the garrison atop Ladder Hill. The locals say that the ladder breaks your heart going up, and breaks your neck going down. We can testify that it kills your back going up and destroys the knees going down! We did it one way in 2005, and would not repeat the hike. Whether or not you actually accomplished the climb, you can purchase a certificate at the Museum at the base saying you did.

 

The Museum was the first place we stopped for t-shirts. Knowing that their supply is limited, we wanted to get the best choice for style and size. Besides the t-shirts and printed handbags, some local jewelry, books, and common supplies are sold here in a variety of tiny shops and stores. The best attraction are the small niches where cafes, bars, or restaurants serve the best cold beers, wines, coffee, and sandwiches. Pizza, our choice for lunch, was not available today, since the only pizza shop was opened on weekends only.

 

After slowly hiking all the way uphill to the only hospital on the island, we made our way back down to stop at the Consolate Hotel for a rest break and beers. The place was crowded with guests, but we found a perfect spot at a table with our buddy from Australia. Finally, we had a chance to catch up with Sir Pat, a former tablemate from the 2011 world cruise. He's got quite a following of passengers, since he has been sailing frequently of late, taking numerous HAL ships everywhere. He is also sending us his blog with photos, so we have not missed anything in his adventure here.

 

After taking far too many pictures, we decided to walk back to the pier. We were intercepted by a pier worker, who said we had to wait for the shuttle to take us past two pieces of huge machinery that were operating on the dock. Must be a safety precaution. So we had 10 minutes to cool our heels in the small terminal with a few other guests before the bus arrived, almost full. Three seats for empty, and we found them for the 2 minute ride. At least the waiting tenderboat driver did not keep us bobbing at the pier long. Half full, we left for the ship.

 

Cheeseburgers and fries drew us to the Pool Grill, then we retreated to our room to download the pictures. Sailaway came at 5:30pm, and by the time we joined it, the sun was starting to set on the island. It was much prettier with the golden hues of the sun turning the volcanic cliffs the same color. With the sun down, it actually turned rather cool. It had been a very warm day in the canyon where Jamestown was located. Up high in the tree-covered hilltops, it was much cooler according to Mike and his group, who had the affordable tour there today. We think a nice day was had for all, but for the one man who broke his ankle.

 

Dinner was fun, but all of us were pretty exhausted after a day on St. Helena. We headed our own ways shortly after 9:30pm, either to go to the show,a multi-instrumentalist, Anne Rayner, or to enjoy music and more wine in the Crow's Nest. We had a date with a room movie and catching up on reports.

 

We had a notice that tomorrow at 2pm, we would need to put the clocks ahead. What? That makes no sense........

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 106 Day at Sea April 16, 2013 Tuesday

 

Remember when we mentioned that the clocks would go forward today at 2pm? And we felt that was odd. Well, upon leaving our room to go to breakfast this morning, our nice room stewards mentioned that this may be cancelled, despite the fact that they had just slipped a notice under our door stating it would happen this afternoon. They were right, as the public announcement soon came from Bruce that it was indeed cancelled. Good, we hate putting clocks forward, and so does the crew.

 

A handful of passengers were on the promenade deck today, even though the weather was almost perfect. It has been warming up a little every day, and we love it. On watch for sealife, we finally saw some in the way of flying fish. These were larger than the ones we have seen while sailing on our way to and around Africa. At closer inspection, we could see they were blue in color and meaty-looking, much like the ones we enjoyed butterflied and deep fried while having lunch in Barbardos a few years ago.

 

The afternoon lent itself to some quality sunning time at the aft pool while reading and relaxing. Later, we watched a repeat of a movie that we have seen in bits and pieces for at least five different times this cruise. We cannot figure out that with the thousands of movies out there that can be shown, why would someone at HAL decide to run and rerun most of the same movies constantly? This is a comment we have made every year when filling out their questionnaires. So far, they have not listened, or addressed the subject yet. Yes, we have seen some more recent films, but most of the alternate stations have the old ones. Even the cartoon channel has been repetetive, making us feel sorry for the one kid onboard.

 

Our "lesson" printed in the daily newsletter talked about the Atlantic Ocean, the one we are transiting now. Did you know that its surface area is 31,660,000 square miles, not including the marginal seas of the Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean, Arctic Ocean, and the North, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black Seas. Add these together, and you come up with over 41 million square miles at an average depth of 12,881 feet. Now that is one heck of a lot of sea water with a lot of impressive numbers.

 

Both explorations speakers continued their lectures. Howard Walker got into the subject of 21st century global superpowers, while David Smith talked about getting photos of people from different cultures. We have experienced that situation where taking photos can be quite sensitive, and much be accomplished with caution.

 

Dinnertime snuck up on us, but it was a quiet one with our friend Barbie. We were back to homebase talking about past cruises, funny stories, and things that we have shared together since meeting in 2007. The rest were dining in the Pinnacle Grill, using the last of their "freebies", the newly gifted dinners from becoming 5 star Mariners. Our turn will be on Saturday.

 

A world renowned marionette artist by the name of Phillip Huber performed a promised captivating show tonight. Will report on his show tomorrow as told to us by our friends.

 

Our destination Wednesday is Ascension Island, another British Overseas Territory. If everyone thought yesterday's stop was a small island, wait until they see the one tomorrow....................

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Esri]

Report # 106 Day at Sea April 16, 2013 Tuesday

 

*snip*

Even the cartoon channel has been repetetive, making us feel sorry for the one kid onboard.

 

*snip*

 

Don't feel sorry for the kid. They don't mind watching the same thing over and over. Of course, being FORCED to watch the same things over and over could make them whine about something they gladly do all the time at home....

 

Feel sorry for his parents. ;)

[WCB]

Report # 107 Georgetown, Ascension Island April 17, 2013 Wednesday

 

Yesterday, we all received tour information and disclaimer notices from the folks at Ascension Island. It was issued from Ascension Island Government Conservation and Heritage Tours. Essentially, it stated that all passengers wishing to participate in any island tour given by an islander, had to sign and turn over a copy of the personalized forms to our driver. If not, we would be denied the tour. With our signature, we agreed that any potential risks and hazards were "on our own". Since the shore excursion group on the ship was not offering any tours here tomorrow, this would have been our only option. With signing your life away, how many guests were going to do that? Few, we figured, but as it turned out....NO ONE.

 

Starting at the beginning, the Amsterdam arrived to the Clarence Bay of Ascension around 8am, well before our scheduled time of arrival. Upon waking up, we noticed that we had been circling the tiny island earlier. After breakfast, we got our cameras and went to the bow for a close look at the island and the waters surrounding it. To our amazement, we saw hordes of black triggerfish of all sizes, swimming towards the ship to take shelter underneath it. We have never seen so many fish in one bay on this whole trip. While photographing them, along came some green turtles swimming deeper under those fish. A few times they briefly surfaced, flipped over, and dove again. Following that, a school of what we believe to be yellow fin tuna swam under the vessel. This seemed to be a fish paradise, but also a fish feeding frenzy, as the weaker or dead ones were being devoured by the triggerfish. They are known for their beaky teeth that can crush coral to sand. Anyway, this was a good way to start the day, and we were really looking forward to going ashore.

 

The officials boarded around 9am, and shortly thereafter, we had stamped landing permits delivered to our rooms. These had to be carried with us when we went to shore. Even that form had do's and dont's required by the government. When we visited last in 2009, we did nothing more than board the tenderboat, and go ashore. There were no formalities like we are being subjected to today. Something bad must have happened on this island, involving litigation, in the last four years. We DO promise NOT to swim, climb cliffs, litter, or touch the turtles or go near the wild donkeys. There was a 10 pound fee for this certificate, which we found out later from Peter the purser, that fee was the actual port charge for each of us. By the way, the legal tender of Ascension as well as St. Helena, is the British pound at .65 to one US dollar. Yes, it is not a good deal for us, except for the fact that everything we saw was priced fairly. For instance, a t-shirt of good quality was about $13., while a large beer was $3. also a good value.

 

Here's a bit of history on this volcanic rock. Ascension was discovered in 1501, but went uncharted. It was then re-discovered in 1503 on Ascension Day, thus the name. It was a significant piece of property in the period that Napoleon was kept as a prisoner on nearby St. Helena, because the British were worried about a possible rescue attempt. A naval garrison was established, which later became a food supply and sanitorium for ships engaged in the suppression of the slave trade from the West African coast. The Royal Marines took over in 1823. Eventually, Ascension became a dependency of St.Helena.

 

Today, the main export here is Ascension Island postage stamps, strangely enough. Tourism was never big, because of the island's inaccessibility. A few guest cottages and a hotel were built mostly for sport fishermen. It sure was not for the 18 hole golf course, made of oiled sand on volcanic ash and rock. Recently, a lucky fisherman caught a 1400 pound marlin, but was unable to release it due to injuries. It was reported that all of the islanders (around 1000 people) enjoyed fresh fish for a week.

 

We have been lucky to have made two stops here, one in 2005 and again in 2009. At that time, we chose to walk the town, which consists of one store/postoffice, a hotel, a church, and a nice bar with ice cold beers. Walking on Long Beach, we discovered what looked like tractor tracks in the sand. Turned out they were the drag marks from the large green turtles, who use these beaches every night to lay their eggs. The season begins in January, and is at the end now, although four years ago, we saw signs of many empty rubbery egg shells, and dead baby turtles that did not make it to the water. While listening later in the afternoon to a talk given by two naturalists from the island, they said that one night a week ago, they went down to the beach to find 400 turtles laying their eggs. It was a record-breaker and a good sign that since the early 1930's, a ban on turtle hunting for food has helped bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

 

By 10am, with the Landing Permits in hand, we went down to deck A aft to enter the tenderboats for the "privledged few", the President Club members, suite people, and the 4 & 5 star Mariners. It was working too good to be loaded up on the first boat over to shore, but that was a good thing to get there early. Well, we slowly sailed towards the concrete landing, but slowed down to a stop once we got close. There was a problem of some kind, because we were the first boat over, and we were not waiting for another to offload. Something was wrong. After bobbing up and down in the boat for several minutes, the driver turned around and proceeded back to the ship. While we had been enjoying the company of good friends, Alan and Sandra, tendering over, a decision had been made by Captain Mercer and the local officials to abort the landings on the island. Turns out that conditions were far too dangerous for us to get off, and if we remember right, it was a "wet" landing at that. If the waves were high, we could get wet up to our knees. That must have been the case today. We further learned that the first tenderboat could not be ited alongside the landing, having its ropes snapped more than once. So much for our stay at Ascension Island.... it was cancelled.

 

The group of islanders that had boarded may have anticipated this cancellation, because they had brought many boxes of souveniers with them to sell on the ship. Along with the sought-after postage stamps and cards, they sold t-shirts, island prints, maps, and a variety of small souveniers. It was a shopping frenzy on deck five forward, as at least 800 people swarmed the tables. Well most of the passengers had something from this island, besides the unused landing pass stamp.

 

Now the plan was to pull the anchor and set sail around the island at 1pm, with a commentary given by Barbara H. who would point out the major sites on the island. It turned out that this was the best way to see the beaches, coves, mountains, valleys, volcanic cauldrons, and the abandoned NASA station. Boatswain Bird Island was a white-coated rock filled with indigenous birds. The airstip, Wideawake Airfield, named after a noisy bird, and the Military Base were the rest of the sites we saw from the shoreline. It was sure a terribly hot day out, watching this from the aft deck. But when the ship sailed on a different part of the island, the winds got so strong, it took more than one baseball cap overboard. By 3pm, we continued sailing in a westerly direction and towards Brazil, the next country we will visit.

 

At dinner tonight, we had a nice surprise with the offer of champagne, beer, or soft drinks with our meal, with sincere apologies about the cancelled port today. We wonder why we cannot have a complimentary glass of house wine? Not that we drink it, but many others do. One of us asked the wine steward if a glass of wine could be substituted, and he said NO. So instead, she asked our very nice waiter, Ketut, for a bottle of really good beer. He came back with a blue aluminum bottle of Micelob, and a second one of Bud. Another strange thing, is that if we chose to have something other than the champagne, we had to get it from our waiter. Our wine steward, who is not friendly at all, will not even get a complimentary Coke for us. It must have something to do with the lack of the 15% tip when the drinks are free. That really looks bad with their service, we all think.

 

Another nice thing was turning the clocks back this evening. At least, we ended the day on a positive note, but leaving looking forward to our scheduled stop next year on the 2014 world cruise.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 108 Day at Sea April 18, 2013 Thursday

 

 

This afternoon we found that we are too far out of range for the internet, and they will not change satellites while we are in Brazil. It is possible that we may not have any service until we leave South America. So if the reports are late in coming, we are sorry. It's out of our control.

 

Today was a special one for HAL, because it happened to be the 140th anniversary of the company's start. Founded in 1873 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, the company began with cargo and passenger ships. The official name was Nederlandsch-Amerikaanche Stoomvaart Maatschappij, or NASM, or Netherlands-American Steamship Company. Later, it was known as Holland America Line. Nearly one million immigrants traveled on their ships from 1880 to 1920. And today with a fleet of 15 ships, and with a new one on the way, HAL sails to thousands of ports of call around the world. And they look forward to bringing us all a once in a lifetime experience......every time.

 

It was a blistering hot day outside as we travel northwest towards Brazil. One of us did not last very long walking the promenade deck after breakfast this morning. The humidity is back, and with following winds, there was hardly a hint of a breeze on any outside deck. We had no problem finishing the large bottle of water we brought to the pool. We fill our thermoses with the water and ice from our room, and it usually lasts all afternoon. Good thing that deck steward Manny comes around frequently with more glasses of ice water. Cooling off in the pool helped, but lots of folks were doing the same thing. We lasted until 3pm, then headed back to the room to cool off.

 

We had forgotten that a special celebration was happening in the Queens Lounge at that time. It was called a Tea Dasant, which sounded like a dance to us. We heard that they had champagne, birthday cake, prizes and fun. Little did we know that Bill, who shares his birthday with todays special HAL day, would be called to the stage for a special gift presentation. One other lady was also gifted for her birthday today as well. So it came as quite a surprise when at 5pm, our room steward handed us a gift wrapped in nice paper with a card. Who could that be from? Opening the card, Bill discovered it was from Captain Mercer, Henk Mensink, Bruce Scudder, and Char, the future cruise consultant. They had all personally signed the card. The gift was a ceramic replica of the Amsterdam. So now he can say that very special people gave him a ship. How thoughtful was that? Always wishing to keep a low profile on his birthday, it probably would have taken a team of horses to drag him up on any stage anyway.

 

Barbara H. gave a presentation of our first Brazilian port of Fortaleza. Our stop will be on Sunday, which is never a good day to visit any port. Most places will be closed early or not at all. The Captain mentioned that it may be raining when we are there too. That would be a first for us, as it has always been hot and dry when we were there. But Carol and Van said on their South American Grand Voyage, it rained cats and dogs, so who knows. It is what it is.

 

Only one speaker, Mr. Walker, gave a lecture on the rise of China, India, and regional powers in the 21st century. He sure deals with heavy subjects.

 

Hosts Henk and Lucia joined us this evening for a fun birthday celebration dinner. Everyone enjoyed the lemon cheesecake with lots of candles. Van pulled out a package containing birthday napkins with cupcakes on them, bubbles to blow, and a gazoo to play happy birthday with the waiters and us all singing. It was absolutely a hoot, as it sounded like he was calling ducks. What fun we have............

 

The entertainers could not top our evening, but they were a combo of Anne Rayner and a classical guitar man called Declan Zapala.

 

Two more days at sea before Brazil.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 109 Day at Sea April 19, 2013 Friday

 

It was another lazy, hot, humid day as we sailed closer to South America, and the country of Brazil. We had a few important jobs this morning after breakfast, so we cut our walk short. Truthfully, one of us was really glad to quit the walk since it was so darned sticky and uncomfortable. We could always make up the exercise later in the day.

 

Thank you notes were in order for the thoughtful card and gift given by the "top four" staffers. We still do not know how these gifts were announced yesterday in the Queens Lounge, but we found it puzzling and amusing how many folks we have never met said happy birthday during our promenade walk earlier. Once the notes were written, we turned them in to the nice gals at the front desk for delivery.

 

A notice was printed in the daily newsletter stating that we were getting an intermittent signal for the internet. The connection would at best be slow or lost unexpectantly. This was not expected to change until we left Brazil. Well, you never know that for a fact, unless we tried to connect. The plan was that if no one was trying, then it would work better for us. And that was what happened, at least today, both in the morning and in the afternoon. Even the Captain had made a special announcement over the PA system repeating the same printed message. Tomorrow, things may be different, but today it worked.

 

Everyone doing the full cruise received their Fed Ex luggage delivery tags and info letter this morning. To be more specific, those who had unlimited shipping, or four bags allowed for free. If anyone needs to send more than their alloted number of bags, they can do so for a price. Those with inside rooms and all the segment people would have to pay to ship luggage home. Living in Canada, they have to pay more than double. Small suitcases, duffel, and the HAL gifted bag, will cost $65. to ship ($130. for Canadians). A medium suitcase or cardboard box will be $90. (Canadian - $190.) And finally, a large suitcase or trunk will be $125. ($260. for Canadian). There was no mention of weight limits, or even exact measurements of each size. Added insurance is also available to purchase. And finally, those leaving in Florida, have to send it home from there, while those of us getting off in San Diego, Seattle, or Vancouver have to take all of our stuff off when we debark in those cities. No exceptions.

 

As we had missed our walk this morning, we caught up with it mid day. And for the very first time this trip, we sat on the very comfortable padded teak deck chairs on the promenade deck for an hour or so. No wonder people come out here every single day with their books and newspapers. It's the next best thing next to having your own private veranda, although the lounges on those are not as nice. We have to admit it was nice to take a break from the penetrating rays of the equatorial sun at the aft pool. No sunscreen can protect you for very long no matter what the number is printed on it.

 

Another way to escape the heat is to go to lectures in the Queens Lounge. Barbara H. talked about Belem, the second port in Brazil. So many folks who required them, had such a terrible time getting their Brazilian visas, that the ports we will be visiting will not be what they may expect. They are not like going to Rio, not by a long shot. However, if they have never visited Brazil before, these cities will give them a flavor of what the big cities have to offer. One of the most memorable experiences we recall, was the samba dinner and show while in Rio last year. Both were over the top.

 

Two explorations speakers were lecturing today. David Smith demonstrated how to make slide shows, photo book creations, online sharing, and social networking. Howard Walker spoke about international conflict and cooperation that will keep diplomats awake at night. Van has said that he has thoroughly enjoyed Howard's lectures, and is proud of the fact he can make it through the hour without falling asleep.

 

We tried something different today...a room service lunch, which was delivered in a timely manner. The club sandwiches with a creamy potato salad were just right, and we could enjoy them while watching a good movie, The Man on a Ledge. It is probably an older movie, but one we have not seen already. One of these days, we should figure out how to use the DVD player in our room too. A booklet we have in our rooms offers pages of movies by categories, and they are complimentary for pick up at the front desk. Nothing is current, but that's OK if they are new to us.

 

A new celebrity guest chef has joined us by the name of Chris Smith. He is a certified executive chef with over 20 years of experience in the culinary field. Specifically, he is an expert with diabetes type 1, a disease he was diagnosed with at the age of 27. And his choice of food he prepared today in the culinary center sounded good. He prepared chicken tortellini and tomato soup, smoked poblano and roasted vegetables. Mmmm, good.

 

The Carnival Night Ball was the theme for the dining room tonight. It was brightly decorated in turquoise, purple, and pink banners with the waiters to match. Feather boas were on each seat for the ladies, or the fellows if they chose to wear one. Whatever. But why would they dress the waiters in lime green and purple velour ruffled shirts in this heat, is a mystery to all of us. Sure the dining room is air-conditioned, but with such hot temps outside, it is not as efficient as it should be. Some of us had the filet mignon entree, and we can report that the beef was tender and delicious. Finally. But the best was the dessert of cappachino bombs, the chocolate coated mocha ice cream ball, that reminded us all of the old-fashioned frozen chocolate-covered fudge bars on a stick.

 

We'll report tomorrow on the Carnival Ball with live music, dancing, and chances to win champagne prizes. As for us, we had a date with another documentary movie we also have never seen.

 

Formal night gifts were delivered to each of us that are full cruise guests. They are more napkin rings that match the set we received on the night of the Captain's Dinner months ago. The included card mentioned that since these ceramic items have been customed-made by Royal Goedewaagen, and are given by popular request by the long traveled guests. One good thing is that they are small and easy to pack at this point.

 

Note to Bill, our eldest son - Happy Birthday!!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[I Luv Crusin]

Now that I've caught up with all your posts I have to say THANK YOU! Your day-by-day account of your trip has been fun to read. Over the years I've looked at world cruises but I fear that they will always be out of reach for us! In the meantime I'm planning on a NE/Canada cruise next summer.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise! I know I will from my armchair!

[WCB]

Report # 110 Day at Sea April 20, 2013 Saturday

 

With the clocks rolling back one hour every evening for the last three days, it seems like breakfast is being served at was just recently the wee hours of the morning, then lunch served at breakfast time. It is definitely an adjustment that sets us back a bit. For this reason, and the fact that it has been sweltering outside, many folks are laying low these days. Instead of walking the promenade deck, they are snoozing on the lounges instead.

 

Surprisingly, we got TNT, TCM, and ESPN back on our room TV's today. Perhaps we have gotten the go-ahead to switch to a different satellite feed, because we have not had these stations for a long time now. TNT disappeared when we left the coast of South America several months ago. Then eventually the other stations began losing their signals, until they disappeared altogether. That may have happened once we left the Orient. Whatever the reason, we are glad they are back with some alternate things to watch. We don't even mind the commercial interruptions, as they are even better than reruns. As for the internet, it was up and running fine this morning.

 

There was only one speaker late this morning, Howard Walker. His subject was about behind embassy walls worldwide. He touched on the core functions, reporting, representations, and negotiating. And how diplomats are selected and trained. Wonder if he will address past and recent tragedies involving embassies, as well as in Libya?

 

At 2:30pm, the Indonesian crew put on a show in the Queens Lounge, a performance that is done on every long cruise, perhaps even twice on the world cruise. Many of the talented room stewards and dining rom staff presented traditional music, song, and dance from their homeland. It is a much better time to put on this performance in the early afternoon for the passengers, since it was always done after the evening show around 11pm. Few folks were able to stay up that late, so this is better. And since it has been so hot outside, we are sure the lounge will be filled on both decks four and five.

 

With next years world cruise in mind, we have been re-considering our dinner table location. Because the itinerary is so similar to this year's cruise, many of our friends who normally dine with us are doing something different. The Prinsendam's Grand Voyages and the Asia/Pacific have drawn many folks away from the 2014 world cruise. And since we do not wish to invite a lot of revolving company, we are scouting out a 6 top in the center section of deck four. We do have friends joining us that we have not seen in three years, and we think they will also enjoy a more intimate table. Besides, we are all getting to the stage where the hearing isn't as good as it used to be, and the table for 10 to 12 is really too big.

 

We had a great Pinnacle Grill dinner tonight. The service was excellent, and the pace of our dinner was perfect this time. The arugula salad with warm bacon dressing was our starter, along with fresh slices of bread. They even serve three different types of butter, as well as a tray of three flavors of salt mixtures. For our entrees, we chose different steaks.....one of us had a filet mignon, and the other a New York strip. They were both cooked perfectly and were tender and tasty. Baked potatoes, sauted onions, and a creamy bowl of spinach accompanied our meals. There was barely any room for dessert and coffee, but we managed to save a bit of space, of course. One of us had vanilla ice cream, and the other had the baked Alaska, truthfully ordered for the Jerry Garcia ice cream in the middle of the cake and meringue. We left happy, full campers, but needed a walk around the promenade deck for sure. It was still sticky and warm outside, but it would be. We are slowly approaching the Equator, where the temperatures of the sea and the air are the same......hot and hotter!

 

Anyway, tomorrow's port is Fortaleza, and during his talk this afternoon, Captain Jonathon mentioned that we might have some rain while there, as it is raining and has been for a couple of days now.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[FL..NC]

Enjoy your day's account of your trip. Will be doing this next year. So many tips!!! thanks.

[WCB]

Report # 111 Fortaleza, Brazil April 21, 2013 Sunday

 

The Amsterdam arrived to the shores of Brazil early this morning, a few days after our aborted attempt with the landing at Ascension Island. We think everyone was ready to step onshore at the port of Fortaleza, even if it was not the most attractive dock we have seen. Situated in northeastern Brazil, Fortaleza is the capital of Ceara State and one of its chief seaports. The main exports are coffee, cotton, carnauba wax, beans, rice, sugar, fruits, rubber, hides, skins, and rum. It cannot be compared to the vibrant and famous Rio de Janerio in the south, since this area seems to be more suited to the more laidback seaside vacationers from here, or other places in the world. To be sure, they have the hot sun and white sandy beaches, although if we remembered correctly, the water may be not suited for swimming due to pollution.

 

Since we have been here twice in the last ten years, and taken tours of the city and the outskirts, we opted to take advantage of the complimentary shuttle offered. And since it was Sunday, we knew our time in town would be limited to before and after their lunchtime closing hours (noon to 3pm). Actually, after lunch was out, because the all aboard time was 2:30pm.

 

First of all, the ship was tied up about as far away from the waiting tour buses as they could be. It appeared to us while walking the dockside road, that it was crumbling like it was falling apart. People complained, but it did them absolutely no good. If they were unable to walk the distance, they just had to stay on the ship today.

 

The shuttle bus stop was around the corner, where we took our place at the end of the line of about 60 people. Several crew members were standing in the line too, but quickly stood aside and let the guests board the coaches first. Disappointed that we had not made it on the first bus, we thought we would have an hour wait for the bus to return. Some of the crew left the line, and walked to the gate, where taxis were waiting to take customers to town. The crew usually does not have the luxury of lots of time once off the ship. If they only had 2 hours, then they would spend half of their break getting to town and back again. For that reason, many of them gave up, and returned to the ship. To our surprise, two more nice, large buses came to take the rest of us to town, about a 25 minute ride. At least these coaches were roomy and air-conditioned.

 

We passed many highlights of the city while riding the shoreline road full of highrises and hotels. Leaving the pier gate, we noticed that there were absolutely no people walking on the streets. No one. That is why Barbara H. sternly warned everyone about the safety factor here in Brazil. If you do feel safe, then you are clueless. Especially walking alone, without a big group. There were even local cops a few blocks away from the pier gates, turning folks (mostly crew) around, and sending them back for the bus or taxis.

 

So it was a good thing that we were being driven to the Old Jail Handicraft Market. There is a much larger market, the Mercado Central, but with it closing at noon, the other smaller venue must have been substituted today. We heard a story about the mugging of a since-retired tai chi couple, who had decided to walk the four blocks from the central market to the jail market. They were attacked by a gang of older kids in the middle of the day, while separating themselves from the crowd of passengers. Keeping that in mind, we were not going to leave the walls of the prison for sure.

 

The "jail" has a series of small stalls, coverted cells really, with a central courtyard. If you did not know the history, you would think this was a fine place in the past. Many souveniers were sold here such as lace items, either tablecloths, placemats, or clothing. One shop sells an artist-quality t-shirts and tops that we have purchased on past trips. Today, we found another print we liked, and of course, bought it. The vendor smiled when she saw that one of us was wearing the 10 year old t-shirt from the same artist. Good advertising.

 

We also had luck locating some colorful cotton napkins to match a tablecloth and runner we bought here and in Recife last year. The Brazil real is the legal tender with 2 reals to 1 US dollar. These vendors were not willing to bargain deeply, but we did negotiate a price for 10 napkins at $2. each. Good buy we thought.

 

It was obvious to us that more passengers had taken the free bus, instead of going on organized tours. In no time, the stalls and the aisles were jammed with buyers, and no way would they bargain any more. We headed back about an hour after we had arrived. By then, the stall doors were slowly being closed for lunchtime. The bus took the shoreline road back, giving us some good shots at the stretch of pretty beach. Several cafes with colorful umbrellas lined the beach along the way. The only people in the surf were the young local teenagers, who are probably immune to the tainted water, we hope.

 

Back at the pier, there was a set-up of two tables of some souveniers. A large off-white canvas and crocheted beachbag caught our attention, and with the two zippered compartments with inside pockets for keys or whatever, the price was right. So we bought it, saying "obrigado", or thanks in Portuguese to the elderly vendor. Standing in the hot sun all day long, he earned his money today.

 

The ship left sometime after 3pm, after getting a big delivery of local fresh fruit and vegetables. We would see every dessert on the menu this evening having some type of berry in or on it.

 

We had our final cocktail party with our travel agency tonight at 6:30pm in the Queens Lounge. It was nice as it could be in that venue, but we truly hope that next year, the party gets moved back to either the Explorers Lounge or the Crows Nest. We know that the size of the group matters, and this year, our numbers were big. So far, that is not the case for 2014. We find the Queens Lounge too large, and the seating too confining, where you cannot move freely in between the chairs and tables to visit everyone you would like to. We are still trying to figure out who ordered the raw salmon and salted herring for hors d'oeuvres. So when a single tray of jalepeno poppers arrived, they were snatched away in a heartbeat. At least we were able to order our special cocktails, even though getting two was a challenge. At 7:20pm, our hosts each gave a short and sweet talk, and then invited us to vacate the lounge, because the 8pm show was going to start soon. As we left, a line was already forming for the show of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. "Abbacoustic Variety Show" was the title with songs from the group Abba the focus of the music.

 

Dinner was good tonight with the appetizers of Chinese potstickers, and the entrees of pork loin roast with a sweet applesauce on the side. The creamy mashed garlic potatoes left us happy campers. Or was it the desserts of chocolate chip ice cream and the berry bread pudding? All of the above, we're afraid.

 

One day at sea, and we will be in Belem, the second and last port of Brazil for this cruise.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 112 Day at Sea April 22, 2013 Monday

 

As we are now sailing along the east coast of Brazil, and basically heading in a northwesterly direction, we have picked up a pleasant breeze. Although still warm and humid, the following wind has disappeared, giving us better conditions for staying outside.

 

One of us was rewarded with a brief sighting of a sea turtle, while taking a break from our sweaty hour walk in the morning. See, someone has to keep watch for the flying fish, the handful of masked boobys, and various sealife like the turtle. Naturally, the rest of the excuses for stopping did not provide any more sightings, but you never know if you don't take the time to look.

 

Morning activities included a talk all about Devil's Island coming up soon. Photographer David Smith gave instructions on how to edit travel images. His wife, Anna, spoke about her experience with buying exotic fabrics of the world. We understand that this couple had not been scheduled to stay this long, but something went wrong along the way, and they have stayed on the ship for a little while longer. Lastly, the HAL Chorale group had another practice at 4pm, with a show to follow very soon. It's hard for us to believe that this trip will be over for most everyone in a little over a week.

 

The final tours are being advertised for St. Lucia, our last port of the world cruise. The St. Lucia tram and the canopy zipline still have space available. Taking the gondola up to the 2000 foot above sea level would be OK, but coming down a zipline through the tree canopy is a bit over the top for one of us. Thanks, but no thanks.

 

Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we should be heading up the southern channel of the mouth of the mighty Amazon River. The city of Belem is the ultimate destination, but the furthest we can get up the tributary is a place called Icoaracy, a small rural fishing village. Unable to dock, the Amsterdam will be at anchor, and local wooden ferries, capable of holding from 100 to 200 passengers at a time will be used to transport us to shore. Only able-bodied folks are advised to go, since these ferries are not equipped to handle anyone in wheelchairs, etc. You have to be able to walk onboard by yourself. And to add to this scenario, there may be thunder showers, very common in these parts of Equatorial Brazil.

 

So, as of tonight, we are seriously considering not even going ashore. Written in the daily newletter, there was a warning that even though they are planning to debark the 4 and 5 star Mariners and other selected guests at a separate exit, this may change if the local officials choose to do something different. Perhaps there may be a shortage of ferries. This is something we will not know until tomorrow.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[bcnvcanada]

It is hard to believe that the WC is coming to and end. Your reports have been our early morning reading with coffee the last months. Hopefully, you will continue your reports thru the canal again. Thanks again for all the time and efforts as you shared your travels.

[WCB]

Report # 113 Belem, Brazil April 23, 2013 Tuesday

 

Belem was founded in 1616, becoming the main reference of the Portuguese presence in the Amazon. The colonial buildings reflect the heritage of the Portuguese people. The building fronts are covered in mosaic tiles, high ceilings, attics, and lobbies. Belem was born with the exploration of Brazilian wood, then flourished with the rubber economy. It is the most modern of river cities with the forest closeby. Many rivers, streams, and canals flow into the Guajara Bay and ultimately into the Amazon. Belem (Bethlehem) is the capital of Para State, and one very busy area of the Amazon Basin.

 

Since we have visited here twice in the past, as recent as last year, we left our decision to make our way ashore on the weather. If it was raining, we would stay on the ship. However, upon waking up, we noticed blue sky and scattered clouds. Looking like it was going to be OK, we went to the dining room for a quick breakfast, then gathered our stuff to spend a few hours in Belem. And if we took two umbrellas with us, that would guarantee that no rain would fall. So what if the bag felt like it weighed 20 pounds? Guess the bottles of water helped with the extra weight, but from experience, we knew not to leave home without it.

 

We had the perk of the separate tender ride from the aft exit of the ship. The booked tour people went on another crowded shoreside ferry boat. We heard later that the tour folks got priority debarking at Icoaracy, making the priviledged ferry wait until the paid passengers were off their boat. Sure made for some grumpy people, we heard later. That is why we are never in that big of a hurry to be first, because sometimes first is last.

 

Once we landed at the floating dock in this smaller town, our complimentary buses were lined up and waiting for the one hour or so transfer to Belem. Much to our delight, these double-decker buses were the best coaches we have had so far on this entire trip. It was a steep climb to the top level, but once up there, we found first class seats with leglifts and plenty of knee room. And the air-conditioning worked well.

 

The last time we were here, we did not pay too much attention to our surroundings. This time we noticed that Icoaracy was more than a fishing village, but a full-blown city with hotels and restaurants a few blocks up from the boat landing. Instead of the riverside veggie and fruit stalls we have always seen, there were regular department stores and cafes where the locals were busily shopping. This would probably be an OK place to explore, if you were in a group.

 

The comfortable coach ride brought us to the riverside section of Belem, where we began our walk along the riverbanks. We discovered a whole new area that we never saw before this year. A re-modeled series of old transport buildings have been converted into a two story restaurant and shopping complex. Well-guarded would be an understatement, since there were armed military guys at each entrance and exit. Since we had come here at 10am, there were no venues opened yet. In fact, even at noon, there was little sign of places opening for lunch. Brazil is one of those places in the world that favors late hours for everything. They sleep late, work late, and dine even later. Too bad we would not have the time to leisurely dine here today, because we were concerned about getting back to the ship on time.

 

Once out of the terminal building, with the mandatory pit stop at an extremely well maintained restroom, we found our way into the beginning of the craft market. The first person we ran into was Mike, who was sitting in the shade, while waiting for his wife and their other buddies, who were shopping nearby. Mike is not a long distance walker, so he was happy as a clam sitting there in the company of the armed guards. No doubt he will feel safe this morning.

 

The market was already crowded with the HAL folks on a tour, as well as the hundreds of us who chose the free ride here. The expected treasures were sold here such as t-shirts, caps, leather sandals, handbags, watches, and some jewelry. A pair of string butterfly earrings caught our eye, and had to have them for $5. Continuing on, we walked through the food market, where the vendors were just setting up their bowls of rice, salads, salsas, chicken and a peculiar-looking elixir of acai juice. It is a purple fruit that the locals add to every dish they eat. And it is supposed to have miraculous ingredients that cure everything. Not sure how that would set with our "gringo" stomaches, we passed on any tasting. We'll simply take their word for the miracles of healing. At least this place was not trashed yet, because the feeding frenzy had not begun. Once the people hit, it looks like a hurricane had gone through.

 

We walked towards the Ver-O-Peso Market created in 1688, where food items have always been sold by the weight, and still are. It was a way for the Portuguese to collect tax on everything entering and leaving Amazonia. The vendors had tables full of veggies, fruits, rice, flour, and nuts. Brazil nuts. It was mesmerizing watching the people cleaning these nuts, one at a time, with either a machete or knife. They take off the majority of the husks, then sell the nuts by the gram or whatever. These nuts are supposedly the best, however, once you become accustomed to roasted, salted nuts, these tend to taste bland. So we did not buy any of them.

 

At the far end of the food stalls are the wooden, ceramic, and straw souveniers. We quickly found a wooden-constructed purse, although the quest for a wooden mask turned up nothing. The ceramic ones were interesting, but too heavy and fragile to pack for shipping home. Next to the souveniers were the cages full of live poultry, guinea pigs, and small pet rats. We have heard that snakes are sold here, although we did not look for them.

 

Across from the animals, was the building that housed the fish market by the name of Mercado de Ferro, or the Iron Market. Here we saw a variety of small to very large fresh fish for sale. Some of the fish were unrecognizable as most were from the river, and not all the fish have even been identified yet. Outside the building, was a street market where more fishermen were selling the catches right on the sidewalk. Fins and tails were laying everywhere, so we had to walk carefully so as not to slip in the muck. This drew the vultures and cranes to pick up the mess.

 

Finally, we made our way to the old fort with cannons, and the church across from the small park. At least there was a nice spot facing the river with benches in the shade. We stayed for a few minutes, until we noticed that some folks were filming a movie there. With a long walk back, we decided to backtrack to the bus stop. We got there around 1pm, a bit disappointed that the cafes had not opened up fully yet. Ice cold beers would have been perfect. But the last shuttle was at 3pm, and we know from experience that traffic can make a one hour ride into a three hour one. As it turned out, the ride was one hour, and so comfortable, that one of us may have snoozed on the way back for a couple of minutes.

 

We boarded a different type of ferry on the ride back. We could climb up a steep, narrow ladder to gain access to the top level, partially opened in the back with plastic chairs for seating. We had the whole area to ourselves, since no one chose to sit in the sun. Actually, a breeze had picked up, and it was nice. Then we remembered that we had packed those umbrellas, and were glad we never had to use them. Apparently, it had rained hard last night, judging from the puddles we saw all the way to Belem.

 

The boat ride was fairly quick, taking about 20 minutes. The nice part was that we were where we needed to be to gain entrance to the ship. Everyone, whether or not they could climb that ladder, had to come to the top deck to get off. We heard that one fellow got stuck, due to his size. How embarrassing is that? Anyway, with much pushing, they popped him out so the others could get out.

 

It was nice to be back on the cooler ship, although at the sailaway party, some threatening showers nearby cooled things off. We think that not too many folks made it out of their rooms after a day in Belem. The heat and humidity turned their afternoon naps into a much longer one than usual. We were treated to occassional thunder, followed by some lightening and a brief sprinkle. Double rainbows appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared as fast as they came. We stayed outside with friends until almost 7pm before we headed down to get ready for dinner.

 

At dinnertime, we had champagne gifted, cheers from the crew. The card on the tables had a quirky poem that wished all well. Now we asked if the champagne could be wine, beer, or a soft drink. The answer was yes to any of those, however, the wine steward would only pour the champagne. The rest was up to our waiter, who finally explained a new process they have implemented on the world cruise. If we choose a different beverage, our waiter has to key in that info on a computer. At that point, a runner gets the message, goes to the nearest bar, and brings those drinks to our waiters. If these beverages are not free, like tonight's, our waiter gets an 8% service charge or tip. The wine stewards only deal with the bottles of wine from the special packages people purchase. Confusing, but something to remember for future cruises. Bill was offered a beer tonight, but forgot to follow up with the request with our waiter. He would have brought it after dinner, but he said no. He'll get two next time, maybe.

 

Not expecting presents this evening, we were surprised to find two little suitcases sitting on our bed after dinner. They were a pair of Steiff teddy bears, much larger than the keyfobs, but very cute and cuddly. They are made of the same fabric that the blankets were made from. We calculated that there will be one more gift on the final formal evening next week. That should be a commemmorative plate of some sort of the 2013 world cruise.

 

Looking forward to a day at sea tomorrow, although it will be Mariner Day and a busy one.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[irwinler]

Acai juice tastes good and is good for you. We get it at Cosco here in Florida. We recommend it. Don't know how it would be added to other foods??

nmi

[WCB]

Report # 114 Day at Sea April 24, 2013 Wednesday

 

This day at sea was dubbed Mariner Appreciation Night, and also Mariner Appreciation morning for some of us. A special brunch for those of us who had over 500 days, including the President Club members, was held in the upper dining room at 11am. Some of the higher day guests were assigned to larger tables to be hosted by some of the staff members. We shared a table with Scott and Karen, who we know from many other grand voyages, and another couple we remembered by the names of Marge and George. Hard to forget them, since they wear matching shirts quite often. Our host for the brunch was Char, our future cruise consultant.

 

The meal consisted of a seafood cocktail or a caesar salad, followed by three choices of entrees. One was a salmon plate, a filet mignon, and a vegetarian manicotti. We ordered one steak and one vegetarian, sharing a little with each other. As always, the meal was fine. Especially the dessert of a berry-topped napoleon. Champagne was poured freely for the entire brunch. At each place setting, was a commemorative tile trivit, a nice momento of the trip. We have a growing collection of these tiles at home. We understand that there will be two more brunches like this for the remaining Mariners, one on Friday and one on Sunday.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the aft pool in the partly cloudy sun. A nice breeze was blowing across the deck as we sailed in the still muddy waters off the coast of Brazil and the mighty Amazon River. We seem to remember that the flow of the water from the river is so massive, it carries the brown silt a hundred miles out to sea.

 

Barbara H. gave her last port talk on Castries, St. Lucia coming up on Saturday. Speaker Howard Walker spoke about the relative decline of the 20th century great powers of Japan and Russia. Photo guru David Smith lectured on how to amaze your friends with your photos and videos with good planning, music sources, and good techniques.

 

Passengers have been invited to have a swap meet, with "what was I thinking when I bought that" souvenier. You can sell or swap any item you like. On past cruises, we have heard of some ladies selling some of their formal clothing to fellow guests. Like we said, anything goes. This will take place tomorrow afternoon at sailaway time.

 

Tonight was the special Mariner Appreciation Cocktail party in the Queens Lounge. Those of us who were due to receive a medal on this trip had gotten them delivered to their rooms a few days ago. During the party, Bruce called each person or couple to the front of the room to get their photos taken with the Captain and Henk, our hotel manager. There were many 300, 500, and 700 recipients that got their medals.

 

We had company this evening, a friend of Barb's that we had seen for a short time on last year's world cruise. It was nice to finally meet Renee, since we have heard nice things about her. She kept us laughing for two hours, so we hope she plans on coming back next year.

 

And for the last time, we had the final presents waiting for us in our room. It was the special ceramic plate made by Royal Goedewaagen. The plate has the unique Dutch floral design, as well as the itinerary of this 2013 world cruise printed on the rim. They are a very nice keepsake to add to our growing collection as well.

 

Tomorrow, we shall be at Devil's Island, a particularly different type of stop.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Himself]

With the AMSTERDAM heading to St.Lucia, Ft. Laudedale cannot be far away!

[DFD1]

We'll say a final farewell later, but please know how much we've enjoyed reading your posts. They are always beautifully written and great fun to read. We also learn a lot as well. Thank you.

[WCB]

Report # 115 Devil's Island, French Guyana April 25, 2013 Thursday

 

Our port of call for today was Devil's Island, belonging to French Guyana, a mere 9 miles away from the three islands comprising the Iles du Salut. These islands have a dark side, having been a notorious French penal colony founded in 1852, then closed as recently as 1952. Typical inmates would have been thieves and murderers, as well as political prisoners. The most dangerous of those prisoners were the political ones, so they were kept isolated on the smallest island, Devil's Island. The famous movie, "Papillon", depicted the true story of one such prisoner, and his escape from the island. Because of yellow fever, leprosy, and malaria, more than 80,000 prisoners, guards, and their families died. Those that tried to escape to the mainland faced treacherous currents and waters full of sharks. Like we said, this place is both mysterious and intriguing.

 

The Amsterdam dropped anchor very near the tenderboat landing on the largest island of Ile Royale, a 70 acre rock. From the looks of it, this was going to be a very hot and humid day, with a chance of showers. A little rain would have been nice, since it may have cooled things down somewhat. We were in no great big hurry to go to shore, because we have been here so many times that we have lost count. Knowing what to expect, however, would only add to our enjoyment here today.

 

By the time we tendered over, the priority exit had stopped, and we were asked to use the forward exit. Little did we know that something would go wrong with the aft hatch, causing a long delay in leaving. Anyway, once off the boat, we took a counterclockwise walk around Ile Royale. The first creatures we saw were the sea turtles lazily swimming along the shoreline. Some of them were pretty large as they surfaced quickly for a breath of air. A few large iguanas were sunning on the rocks, also watching the turtles swim by them.

 

Three years ago while on the Grand South America/Antarctica voyage, we had planted our amaryllis bulb at the base of the insane asylum. Hoping it would have survived, we went in search of it, but there was no trace of the plant anywhere. It was a long shot anyway, because with all the rain here, it probably had rotted or got eaten by an agouti. Right around the corner from there, we ran into a troupe of monkeys. We are not sure of the exact breed, but these are not the cute-looking squirrel monkeys. We did get some good photos, but there were too many folks doing the same thing, and they got spooked and ran off. We would look for them later.

 

Directly across from this point of the island is the real Devil's Island, the smallest one of the three with 34.6 acres. Although our map showed a footpath around this island, we have never seen anyone walking it. An interesting fact here is that a concrete cable tower is still standing that used to connected Devil's Island to Ile Royale with a rope. Food and supplies were put in a large bucket, then sent over to the prisoners by that cable. That was really solitary confinement, although the prisoners lived in their own huts.

 

We slowly made our way uphill to the ruins of the director's quarters, which serves as a museum now. Climbing more steep steps, we found ourselves at the restaurant and hotel, which used to be the guard's mess hall. Directly across from the restaurant are the chicken houses. Other birds hang out here too, such as peacocks, pheasants, and three beautiful Amazon parrots. Squawking loudly, these birds were quite territorial as they defended their space from the invading tourists that insisted on getting close-up photos of them. When they felt pinned in, they sought refuge in the canopy of the trees nearby. For that reason, many of our buddies never saw them.

 

It was close to noon, and beer time. We bought two almost cold ones in the restaurant, and sat with the rest of the hot and sweaty tourists on the island. The currency used here is the Euro (.75 US to 1 Euro). There were other groups here today from the mainland. Some were French, but many other groups were military guys in uniform. We are guessing that some of them were there to work clearing some areas of the island, as we saw weedeaters being loaded on their boat when they left.

 

As a note to ourselves, we must remember to carry a small flashlight with us at all times. We could have used it when going into some of the restrooms on this island. Guess they never thought about a window when they added the convenience of toilets here. Once the doors closed, you were in total darkness. This is not the first time that has happened in the course of this 115 day trip.

 

We took our time walking through the old barracks, chapel, lighthouse, and prison hospital, taking more photos of bees and hummingbirds feeding on the blue-flowering butterfly bushes. One path led us down to the road that continued the walk around the island. We passed the cemetery of the guards, their wives, and children. That's where we found the monkeys hiding in the trees once again. By now, most of the folks had headed back to the ship. It was just too darned hot and sticky. At least we had the monkeys to ourselves for a while. Thinking ahead, we had brought along a ziplock bag full of trail mix with added yogurt chips resembling chocolate chips. By now, they had melted with the nuts, making nice large clusters. Boy, did those monkeys come flying out of the trees for that, or what? Sure got some good pictures as they licked their little fingers with the unexpected sweet treat. A few stray passengers strolled down with us, and were very happy to have gotten some pictures also.

 

It was a long walk back in the heat, but with the many palm trees, we were mostly in the shade. It sure was a pretty sight when the ship came into view through the palms. We hung around the little bay near the tender landing, watching the many sizes of sea turtles eating along the slippery rocks. All aboard time was 2:30pm and we had stayed until 2pm, long enough to appreciate the coolness of the ship and our room.

 

The sailaway, one of the last for this voyage, was planned at around 3pm. At the same time, there was an ice carving demo held at the aft pool, with the commentary given by Adele, the social hostess. However, halfway into her written reading, she commented that no one was listening. Of course, they were not, since they were deep into early cocktail time and visiting with their friends. Actually, we heard that Adele has formally resigned, and this will be her last cruise for the time being. Most all of Bruce's team will be leaving when he does, which will be at the end of this trip we think.

 

Pool games also kept some folks busy, as well as the Grand Voyage Swap Meet, where some guests brought stuff to swap or sell around the aft pool. To our surprise, the items some people chose to sell were the gifts kindly given to us by the staff. One couple brought the entire collection, but must have been asking way to much for each piece. We're not sure they sold anything. Maybe we are wrong, but we believe that selling the gifts was an insensitive thing to do while onboard. And stupid, because if they attempted to sell these treasures online once at home, they could make a whole lot more money. We know for a fact that the dated gifts become valuable collector items for those who are serious HAL memorabilia collectors.

 

Well, we all waited and waited for the ship to leave, but it did not. Remember there was a problem with the aft hatch? Well, the hydraulics had failed, and it could not be closed. There was no way we could sail with it open. Hanging over the aft railing, we could see several workers and their bosses trying to figure it out and getting nowhere fast. The sun was setting by the time the Captain announced that the hatch was manually pulled in, and we could leave. That was finally 7pm, and we wondered if that meant that we would miss the last port of call in St. Lucia. No, the Captain said that if he put the pedal to the metal, and did a speed of 20 knots, we could still make it there on schedule. Hope he is right, since our last visit there was in 1995, and we sure don't want to miss it this time.

 

Dinner was fun with our group of five, as we shared island stories of our visit today. There was no entertainment this evening....only a movie, appropriately, Papillon, a chilling story about convicts on Devil's Island. Also, a pajama party was held in the Crows Nest at 9:30pm, where guests were invited to wear their craziest pajamas for prizes. Don't know how many people will show up for that activity, because the dining room was half empty tonight. We think most people called it an early evening due to the hot and humid day we spent here off the coast of South America. At least, we got certificates with proof that we were here today, not as prisoners, but as honored guests.

 

Got a day at sea tomorrow, which will be great

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 116 Day at Sea April 26, 2013 Friday

 

You could sure tell that this cruise is winding down. Fewer people were at breakfast, and even less were sitting on the promenade deck as we took a walk this morning. Packing must be the activity on most folk's minds, although there will be three sea days to do this on our way back to Ft. Lauderdale after leaving St. Lucia. And we did get an extra hour's sleep last night with the clocks going back for the final time on this trip. Sometimes that throws people off of their daily routine.

 

The weather was less than inviting as the day wore on. It was quite overcast when we woke up and remained that way all day. The humidity was still there, but the high temperatures we experienced yesterday were gone. But then, so was the sun. It's funny how the clouds make the sea and the sky all look the same, or at best, different shades of grey. Almost depressing.

 

It was a good excuse to make it a two movie day, while trying to download photos from yesterday. A problem occurred when our computer , or the program where we download photos, ran out of space. Guess it is time for a new one. One of us spent the entire time of watching the movie "Papillon" to try to make room for pictures. And that movie ran 2 1/2 hours. The only thing was that we did not recognize any of the actual buildings we saw yesterday in the movie. Even the ocean scenes with plunging cliffsides did not exist there. Of course, the actual events of the movie were taken from a book written by a prisoner, who may or may not have been on Devils Island. The scenes of the real prison ruins were shown at the movie's end, and they were the real thing.

 

A different activity for this morning was a Friday Market, where the ship's stores sold some items on tables around the Lido pool. That and the Mongolian Cookout, also happening in the same area, filled the center of the ship with people. We are not sure what they were thinking, other than having the cookout brought more people in contact with the sales. Maybe they are more clever than we know.

 

At 3pm, the dance teachers Judy and Mike, showcased their students with a special dance performance that hilighted their new talents. This was held in the Queens Lounge. The HAL Chorale group are still practicing, so their show will be coming up soon as well.

 

The biggest announcement in the newsletter dealt with laundry. The folks have one more day to turn in their laundry in order to get it back on time for their departure on May 1st. Wonder how much that will slow down normal service for those of us that are staying on?

 

The entertainer this evening was Lorraine Brown, advertised with a velvet voice and personality. We guess that means she is a singer. We spotted her a couple of days ago, as she was getting a one on one demo on the muster drill.

 

When we took our nightly stroll outside, we noticed that the decks were wet from rain. Sure hope this doesn't continue tomorrow...........

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 117 Castries, St. Lucia April 27, 2013 Saturday

 

Twenty-seven miles long, and 14 miles across, the island of St. Lucia is one of the Windward Islands. Created by volcanoes, St.Lucia has peaks that tower over 3117 feet, forested hills, sulfurous pits, and valleys full of banana plants. In fact, 70% of the island's earnings come from the export of bananas, as there are 2000 banana farms on the small island. The population of 145,000 are mostly natives of African descent. Hotels and miles of golden sand beaches have brought tourists here as well. Cruise ships bring many guests here. As many as four ships can be seen here on a single day during the peak season.. The downside to that scenario, is that the vendors are not willing to bargain much at all. And we found the prices to be way out of whack for typical souveniers.

 

We were here on a Carnival ship somewhere around 1995. At the time, we had taken a tour, which took us up to the scenic volcanic peaks and rainforest. So we do not remember anything of the town of Castries, except that we must have been here on a weekend, and the stores closed early. In our daily newsletter, it stated that the shop hours were 8 to noon on Saturdays, although large malls tend to operate from 9am to 9pm every day. We do not know where these malls were located, because they did not show up on the ship's map.

 

Back to the start, the ship arrived here early at around 8am, which was good because it could have been much later due to the problem we had with the hatch and our leaving late from Devils Island. The Captain was able to keep his promise and get us here on schedule. It was promising to be a good day weatherwise, with some clouds floating by, and a slight chance of rain. That rain never happened, because we packed two umbrellas with us to town.

 

There had to be a dozen shore excursions today, but since we have been on one that did the whole island, we decided to walk to town. There was a cute little water taxi that was taking folks to the center of Casries from Pointe Seraphine where the ship was docked. It cost $10. per person for a round trip. Walking to town took only about 15 or 20 minutes. We think we made it to the center of town before the folks even boarded the little taxi, since there was a mile-long line.

 

On the way, we passed a man who was selling his coconut carvings of small birds and a half coconut as a feeder.. They were hanging from a tree with strings. He claimed he personally created each one, but we also saw these in huge amounts in the marketplace.

 

There was a huge market that included veggie and fruit stalls, meat sellers, and souvenier stands. One huge building had clothing, handbags, swimwear, wooden carvings, jewelry, and masks for sale. But upon asking the price for a few items, we were shocked that things cost four times more than they should. It was obvious that too many cruise ships passengers come here, and that keep the prices up. Even though we were told that most of the ships will be re-locating to Europe and Alaska for the late spring season, the vendors still did not want to bargain to make any sales. For that reason, we saw few treasures being sold anywhere. One of us was looking for a visor, a simple item, but almost non-existent here. Baseball caps, woven hats, and ladies or mens safari hats were everywhere.

 

We covered the entire marketplace, then decided to go back to the ship. This area had no restaurants or cafes at all, so looking for our favorite pizza was not an option. In our opinion, this market was not the cleanest place we had been, or the most welcoming for cruise passengers. The only restrooms we saw had a charge to use them. In this area, Belem in Brazil had them beat by miles with their newer facilities and cafes. Perhaps, you would have to find the places on the island where the nice hotels are located, and you would find the nicer cafes and restaurants.

 

On the stroll back, we sat for a while on the seawall. A very young policeman came along to chat. Wanting to know where we came from, he told us some info about his island. He sort of suggested that we would be pleased to see the rest of the island, and not just the waterfront and marketplace. We did tell him that we did tour the island several years ago and enjoyed the views. Then he went into detail about the nearby stores, explaining where the grocery store was located, as well as the bigger outlets. They are are related to each other, like our Walmarts, Kmarts, and Costcos. We thanked him for the information, then continued walking.

 

Back at Poine Seraphine and the dock, there were many pierside shops offering better souveniers. That's where we found the coveted St. Lucia visor for a grand total of $7. Not a bad deal at all. Back on the ship, we had a soda break and a few crackers and cheese. After a quick walk around the dock area, we went to the aft pool for some quiet sun time and a swim. The water was chilly and clean, but felt oh so good. Between reading a book and watching helicopters and planes landing at the small nearby airport, the afternoon flew by quickly.

 

The sailaway party was at 5:30pm, and was attended fairly well, despite the fact that it was dinnertime for half the folks. Bill and Leta came to this last sailaway, and stayed until the sun went down, giving us all a treat to photograph.

 

Our host, Tom M., joined us for dinner this evening. He is always a pleasure to have as a guest, keeping us all entertained with cruise stories. On the menu tonight was the 22 ounce ribeye steaks, and of course, we both ordered one. Since our lunch was really just a snack, we really enjoyed the tasty steaks. They were tender, juicy, and seasoned nicely. So much better than the beef they served during most of this trip. It took long enough, but perhaps they have finally used up the last of the imported beef.

 

Now we have three days at sea as we sail towards the final port of Ft. Lauderdale, a complete circumnavigation of the world in 115 days. Wow!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 118 Day at Sea April 28, 2013 Sunday

 

Packing must have been on the agenda for most folks today, because the boat was like a ghost ship. The weather was sure cooperating too, as it had really cooled off overnight as we sailed in a northwesterly direction. As we passed many islands in the Caribbean, there were occassional rain showers in the afternoon.

 

Even though we do not have to pack now, we did some anyway. Starting with the breakables that were gifted on this cruise, we quickly filled one duffel bag. The ice chest we brought worked well for these delicate items, especially the Delft tile gifts. Unlike some folks that tried to divest themselves of these presents, we treasure the plates, vases, coffee cups, and platters we have collected over the years. They are indeed one of a kind.

 

We did take several breaks, spending time walking on the promenade deck. Some masked boobys have joined the ship, and put on quite a show with their diving-for-fish skills. At one point, we even saw a small dinnerplate-size turtle go swimming by. There should be some good luck mojo with sighting a lone turtle like that, as this is our second such sighting while out at sea.

 

There were two jobs we had to do today besides a little packing. Deciding it would be far easier to ship all of the luggage, instead of taking two suitcases on the plane with us in San Diego, we purchased two more Fed Ex tags for the extra pieces. The first four duffels are shipped complimentary, and we would have had to pay $50. at the airport for the other two. Then there is always the worry about being overweight on those bags. Now we will not have to be concerned, because those suitcases have no weight limit. And with past cruises, we have gotten all of our luggage delivered to our home within a week's time. And having only our hand carrys with us, flying home will be a breeze. The Fed Ex gals had no line when we went to see them at 5:30pm. They had the new tags printed up in a few minutes, and billed to our shipboard account. Easy.

 

The other job was to pick up our passports at the front desk. On May 1st, we will have to clear the ship with everyone else, passing through customs and immigrations with our passports. Hopefully, we will do this in a small group, as we have booked a shore excursion for that morning, and should return before 3pm.

 

All of the speakers went home yesterday in St. Lucia, so there are no more lectures scheduled. Those guests that participated in the games and activities that paid DAM Dollars were able to pre-order their prizes today, with the final pickup tomorrow in the Queens Lounge.

 

By the time we went for lunch in the Lido, the waiters were cleaning up after an Indonesian lunch. All that was left were the decorations of the pretty umbrellas and the statues. Instead, we had turkey and swiss cheese sandwiches on ciabatta rolls. These guys make one good sandwich. We usually top lunch off with a small ice cream cone.....the only disappointment was that they have run out of sugar cones until we reach Florida. Life is tough...............ha-ha.

 

Dinnertime was International Favorites and also a most important birthday...............Captain Mercer turned 60 something today. So for his special day, he treated all of us to free wine, beer, or sodas with our meal. What a guy. Our international meal consisted of a crispy egg roll, potato salad which was mostly a regular salad, spaghetti, and chicken cordon bleu. Dessert was the best, a lemon tart with blueberries on top. We're going to miss these desserts, since we sure don't do this at home.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Carolin]

Thank you.. I have enjoyed your wonderful reports.

[DeniceRG]

Thank you for taking us around the world with you! I always enjoy reading your reports!!

 

Denice