John and Diane are at it Again!

[irs101]

John & Diane

It was great having you all on the island yesterday and lovely to see the Amsterdam anchored in the bay - I pronounce her the best looking ship of the year so far (although we have the Bark Europa visiting today, so it may quickly be surpassed :) ).

 

I was stood outside work (The Castle) early yesterday holding my breath that you would get ashore - it's a great opportunity for all the traders on the island to have you visiting. If you'd been here last week, you wouldn't have made it. By this time next year we will have a new wharf in Ruperts Bay that will give more protection to tenders, so hopefully that will improve things significantly.

 

Sounds like you had a good time. You made the right choice not to go one way on the ladder - if you don't go both ways you end up in pain the next day! Make sure you come again and stay a bit longer once the airport is open. There's a lot more to the island than Napoleon and Jonathan!

 

Ian.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - Day 95

At Sea en route to Ascension Island - I guess

 

It is my firm opinion that the closer we get to the end of this lovely four-month adventure, the stranger the passengers get (including us, I guess). After the captain’s announcement about Ascension Island yesterday and the resultant cheers, I’ve heard all kinds of responses. Speaking to Barbara, our Port Lecturer, she said that she had no idea that so many people joined this world cruise just to go to Ascension Island - or at least that’s the impression she had from the responses. This morning four people at the next breakfast table from us were discussion the situation and one man was so excited about the idea of going ashore there that he was, literally, twisting around in joy.

 

If I were a betting person, I would bet that we will have a nice sail around the island because it will be waaaay too rough for tenders to go ashore. After having to cancel it last year, the captain recommended to Seattle that it be deleted from this year’s itinerary, but they decided we should keep it. My guess is that the decision to “try” to go ashore there was a political one; it keeps people happy with the itinerary and then if they can’t go ashore they’ll realize that the captain has made a good try. What really offends me, however, is people who accuse Captain Mercer of being “duplicitous” in these itinerary changes. That was the actual word someone used and he mentioned it during one of his announcements. The poor guy’s just trying to do the best he can, with veto power coming from Seattle, so we really ought to just get off his back.

 

Then there’s the Senegal/Gambia/ebola situation. Most passengers, I believe, think that the elimination of those ports was a good idea, but we keep hearing people say, “I looked online and there are no confirmed cases of ebola in those countries.” I think that the fact that people are flying out of the countries in droves and that the borders have been closed says that we’d better be careful, and that’s what we’re doing. Yes, I’d love to see more of western Africa, but one case, or even a threat of a case of anything nasty would make the Costa Concordia disaster look minor.

 

OK, now I’m off my soapbox! Last evening, with our friends Barbara and Marty, we had dinner at Dick and Jan Yettke’s table, and it was a wonderful evening. We chatted, joked, talked about the plumbing on the ship (apparently there was a bit of a problem yesterday), and then watched Dick’s card tricks after dessert. Dick and Jan are a lovely couple and we’ve enjoyed celebrating our 50th anniversaries together on this cruise.

 

The show last night was great! The three ladies form a group called “The Divas of Motown,” and boy, were they good. They began with Supremes’ songs, moved to The Jackson Five, and then included several other wonderful Motown favorites. By the time they had finished their encore of “Proud Mary,” the show had lasted an hour and they received a standing ovation.

 

So . . . time moves on and I hope everyone is happy tomorrow. Personally, I’d been looking forward to five sea days in a row, but whatever happens, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.

 

P. S. Thanks for your comments, Ian. We do hope to get back to spend more time at some time in the future. We just loved the island.

[Johnny B]

Thursday, April 10, 2014 - Day 96

Georgetown, Ascension Island - So close, and yet so far

 

The natives are restless (again). The passengers have seemed divided into two disparate groups: those who are sure we would be able to go ashore and those who didn’t even bother to get tender tickets. We had one foot in each camp: I was sure we’d never get ashore, but I picked up tender tickets anyway. Now that the captain has announced what we could all see from the ship - that it’s just too rough to land a tender ashore - we’re going to have a scenic “drive by.” Those of us who were watching the tender’s effort to get ashore saw it flying up and then down as the waves threw it around. The breaking waves onshore reminded us of Spouting Horn on Kauai. I imagine the man who was doing “the happy dance” yesterday is probably throwing breakable objects around his stateroom, but most of the passengers have the good sense to understand that you can’t always do what you’d like to do.

 

The good news is that a group of Ascension Islanders are paddling a small boat out to us and, while we’re having our scenic cruise, they’ll be selling things around the Lido pool. So . . . this has become another sea day, and the 80+ degrees and humidity make it very pleasant to be outside. As we sail around, our port lecturer, Barbara, will be narrating information about the island as we see it. All in all, we’d much rather miss this one than Easter Island or St. Helena.

 

As you no doubt read on other blogs, Stein Kruse, the President of HAL, was on the ship from Durban to Cape Town, and one of the activities he always presides over is a question and answer session, responding to pre-selected questions from the passengers. The main subject is always, always, always the internet This year, in addition to the usual complaints, passengers wanted to let Stein know what they thought about the “new and improved” internet provider - not much. Actually, one evening when Henk, the Hotel Manager, had dinner with us, he said that the system should not have been “brought onboard” without more testing. In addition, HAL has been flying techies in and out of various ports all over the world to work on it. This morning, for example, I tried to log on at about 7:30 to check email, but the system wasn’t working. A few minutes later, I ran into Jeff and Henk outside the gym (that’s as close as Jeff ever gets, I think, although I should be nicer because today is his birthday and we’re having dinner together. I do like giving him grief, however.) Henk confirmed that the system was down and had been for the previous three hours.

 

Anyway, long story longer, Stein announced that because of the problems with the new system, everyone would be receiving a 50% refund of what they had paid for internet up to April 1. That, apparently, got lots of cheers and he disembarked a few days later to general good will. Now I just have to convince them that our internet which was purchased on December 18 was part of the world cruise and deserves that 50% discount. We’ll see how that goes.

 

Tomorrow is our granddaughter Jessica’s eighth birthday, so we have our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to get through by telephone to give her our love and birthday wishes.

[Johnny B]

Friday, April 11, 2014 - Day 97

(Happy 8th Birthday to our granddaughter Jessica)

At Sea en route to Cape Verde Islands

 

We’re crossing the equator for the last time today and, as such, it’s time for the King Neptune ceremony. It really is a lot of fun and passengers seem to enjoy it, no matter how many times they’ve seen it. In fact, they enjoy it so much that strange things happen. We had an extra hour of sleep again last night, so we woke up early and headed to the gym at 6:30. As we passed by the midships pool, we noticed that the chairs had been set up for the ceremony (which is at 10:00), and even then there was someone sitting there, reserving her place three and a half hours early. When I commented on it to Barbara, our port lecturer (who always has a really funny role in the ceremony), she said, “Oh, when I passed at 6:15 she was already there.” Maybe she just spent the night!

 

* * * *

 

The ceremony is just over and it was just as much fun as always. For those of you who haven’t experienced this treat, we have King Neptune and his mermaid queen as well as the judge (who is always the cruise director). Then in come the captain, hotel manager, and three top officers (lots of stripes there) who are the “jury.” A group of crew members and officers who are new to the world cruise are brought in by “pirates” and kept in a barred “jail.” In twos and threes, the “polliwogs” are brought before the officers while the judge reads the (incredibly funny) charges. Then there are comments by the King and his Queen, after which the polliwogs must “Kiss the Fish,” a chant echoed by the spectators and it’s a real fish - yuck! Then they are each put on a table where “medical staff” cleanse them of their charges by covering them with colored goop. It used to be fish guts, but now I understand it’s a type of colored meringue. Then the “jury” decides whether they will survive (stay as they are - yuck again) or go “into the drink,” (the pool.) Of course the better choice is the pool, all the better to clean off all the gunk, but some get to survive and must sit at the end of the pool until the end of the ceremony.

 

It really is such an entertaining event to watch. The participants and the spectators really get into it, and the polliwogs even seem to enjoy it. Gene wrote a very entertaining script for the ceremony, and some of the funniest (and most suggestive) lines were for Jody, his fiancee, who was the mermaid. Bar servers were distributing drinks which they said were “vodka, gin and pineapple juice,” but I think it was just the last. One consistent role is played by Barbara, the port lecturer, who dresses as a cleaning lady each year, with a scarf tied around her head and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. She carries a bucket and broom and wanders around, cleaning up things from the ground. If you get a chance to watch such a ceremony, don’t miss it.

 

Last evening we had dinner at Jeff’s table to celebrate his birthday. It was great fun, and he showed us the photo of his stateroom decorated with a flower arrangement and a tower of 65 Diet Coke cans - his only beverage. I pointed out that if he had too many Cokes for the rest of the cruise that we’re in Cabin 6172. The highlight of the dinner was the birthday cake. Jeff’s table mate Ann had downloaded a photo of a Medicare card (appropriate to that particular birthday) and had it replicated atop the cake. It was not only appropriate but, from all comments, delicious. As the cake was served, the Captain and Karen came by to wish him a happy birthday, so we all chatted for a while.

 

Tonight the same group that gathered at Jeff’s table last night will be enjoying dinner in the Pinnacle. Jeff had wanted to get together there before the end of the cruise, and since it is rapidly approaching (two weeks from Monday), he decided that tonight’s the night. BTW, check Jeff’s blog for photos from last evening as well as the Neptune ceremony.

 

The highlight of our day, however, will be our phone call to Jessica to wish her a happy birthday. It will be 8:00 in the morning there (before school) and 2:00 here, and although it will be short (at $8.00 a minute), we can hardly wait. Today’s Facebook posting will just be photos of Jessica and her completely enamored grandparents. Check them out if you get a chance.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, April 12, 2014 - Day 98

At Sea en route to Praia, Cape Verde Islands

 

We continue along at sea, with an absolutely beautiful day yesterday. The evening was just as good as the daytime, with a wonderful dinner in The Pinnacle with our “formal night” table mates, including Jeff (who hosted), Cathy and Ann (our new friends from Canada) and Ian and Carol - more Canadians, originally from Scotland. A dinner with good food and good friends and GREAT French fries is always fun, and we just talked and laughed for almost three hours. Gene, the Cruise Director, his fiancee Jody, and some other staff friends were at the next table, so there was also some banter back and forth.

 

Instead of a show last night, there was a dance party in the Crow’s Nest. The Amsterdam singers took turns fronting the band, and the dance floor as well as the entire room was full of party-goers. They even set up heated containers with late-night snacks, including calimari, mussels, and other “fishy” food. We boogied on down for awhile, but finally called it an evening at about 11:00. There was no extra hour, so 11:00 was really 11:00. So sad.

 

One of the entertaining activities that’s been featured on board is stargazing. We have a guest speaker named Dan Benedict who gives lectures on astronomy, but additionally schedules stargazing sessions on the top deck, both at 9:15 and 11:00. This evening’s goal is to look for the Southern Cross as well as other constellations. I did take an astronomy class once, and Dave Mitchell, a friend of ours, is an astronomy professor at Cal Poly SLO, but I’ve just never taken much away from it. Perhaps this evening will be the time.

 

Captain Jonathan gives a nautical and meteorological update each day right around 12:45 (after which we go to lunch) and today he talked about the fact that we crossed the equator at 11:27 last night and are now in an area called The Doldrums, because we are neither in the North or South Atlantic trade winds. It’s also called The Horse Latitudes. I had heard that term before, but he explained that it’s called that because when ships got “stuck” without wind for their sails, they needed to lighten their loads and did so by throwing horses overboard. Sad but true. Each day he chooses a colloquial term that we use that has its origin in nautical history and he explains it. That was today’s explanation.

 

I was asked earlier whether there were children on board. When we sailed from Ft. Lauderdale, there was a lovely young mom with three beautiful and well-behaved children who stayed on until Sydney. I never heard a cross word between mother and children, the family attended church each Sunday, and the children were very good at taking care of one another. We were really sad to see them go. Currently, there are two children, one a young man of about ten years whom we see around the ship and at the show each night, and an adorable little girl of about 2-1/2 or 3 years who has charmed everyone she meets. It is unusual, but we do get children from time to time, and I agree that this is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn by seeing the world. I’d love to bring our (now) eight-year-old granddaughter along for a segment, perhaps when she’s a bit older.

 

We only have one more sea day before we arrive in Praia, the capital of the Cape Verde Islands, and we intend to enjoy it and then have a wonderful time in a place we’ve never been.

[Johnny B]

Sunday, April 13, 2014 - Day 99

Palm Sunday

At Sea en route to Praia, Cape Verde Islands

 

Palm Sunday dawned beautifully blue, with a smattering of clouds in the sky. The morning services were more than usually full, as passengers realized that today is the beginning of Holy Week. Palm fronds were distributed, along with a sheet of instructions on how to transform a palm frond into a cross. I got to step 2 and gave up; I guess I’m not very “crafty.”

 

After church we headed into the Lido for breakfast. We encountered our friend Larry, who always comments that he knows it’s Sunday when we don’t wear exercise clothes. We also ran into Renee, the spa manager (known to many of us as “Spa Renee”) who told us that Jeff was looking for us in the gym, but she straightened him out with just one word: “church.” Pastor Don told us that Easter Sunrise services will be held at 6:00 AM around the midships pool, in conjunction with the Roman Catholic congregants. The service is pretty standard for this cruise, but holding it inside is a new arrangement. The most memorable sunrise service was in 2008, when it was held outside next to the aft Lido pool. The morning was warm, the sky was clear, and we were in the middle of the Red Sea. What an experience!

 

This evening is our next to last (penultimate - I love that word) formal night, and it has given me the idea of pulling a suitcase out from under the bed (the rest are in storage) to pack all the formal wear except what I’ll wear tonight and next Sunday. During dinner last evening during dinner we were talking with Ellen and Aart across the aisle, and Ellen commented that this year, unlike previous cruises, many people are actually looking forward to going home. She said that even Barbie, who usually becomes very unhappy with anyone speaking about the end of the cruise, has commented that she’s ready for the end of the cruise. Who knew? To be honest, I think we’re pretty ready too, having discovered that 4-1/2 months is just about “it.” We still love it, but I’ll be happy to connect with friends as well as check out the house and sleep in my own bed.

 

One of the highlights of the end of the cruise is the passenger talent show, whose signups were mentioned in today’s “newspaper.” My favorite is our friend Barbara Schacter, who is as good a stand-up comedian as any we’ve had on board. Barbara and Marty are on our trivia team, and she often jokes that even though they don’t know many answers, they’re good comic relief. They’ve become good friends and we’re very glad we’ve come to know them better.

 

There is also a second “Dancing with the Stars” competition coming up. Miguel won the first one with the jitterbug, and we’re looking forward to the next one. Apparently the winner of HAL’s year-long contest will be rewarded with a free cruise. I hope Miguel enters again - what a dancer!

 

Today’s our last sea day before our three days in the Cape Verde Islands, one in Praia and two in Mindelo. Not too many passengers have been there (including us), so it should be a real treat.

[erewhon]

Thanks for the updates.

 

Crossing the Equator ceremony is always fun to watch.

[Johnny B]

Monday, April 14, 2014 (4/14/14!) - Day 100

Praia, Cape Verde Islands

 

I never cease to be amazed by the skill of the officers driving this ship. At the end of our fourth world cruise, I can say I have never even been aware of when the ship is docked, although it may be late at night or in the morning while we’re still asleep. They ease this puppy right up against the dock with never a bump. What makes it doubly amazing is that half the time they back in! This morning, for example, as we approached Praia, we sat offshore for a bit and did a 180 and then backed all 66,735 tons of sailing machine into the dock with nary a sound. They really do know their business.

 

The shuttles into town were supposed to begin at 9:00, but we headed out at 8:30 - just in case. Well, our shuttle left the parking lot at 8:40, and we were in the middle of town 15 minutes later. One of the nicest perks of a Grand Voyage is the free shuttles that are included whenever we’re away from town - which seems to be most of the time.

 

Praia is the administrative capital of the Cape Verde Islands, a former Portuguese colony which is now an independent state. It really seems a great deal like Portugal meets Africa. It has a lot of big city characteristics, even though it’s not that big, and it’s a lot of fun to walk through. We wandered from the shuttle stop to the main square (or placa), but then decided that what we really wanted to do was to visit the old city, 15 km. away. Since the taxi to take us there and back cost $50.00 and carried four people, it seemed silly not to share. Luckily, we ran into our friends Cherryl and Larry who agreed to join us for our morning’s adventure.

 

We drove over what occasionally looked like a moonscape, covered with rocks, brush and, in this case, hundreds of goats and the occasional cow. Our poor taxi driver had to swerve to avoid an animal or two. He stopped once so that we could enjoy a high overlook down onto the sea and the old city which sat upon its shore. We then continued down into what, in Portuguese, is properly called Cidade Velha, Centro Historico de Ribiera Grande. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its age and significance. We had expected a small walled “museum” town, but we found a vibrant village with shops and restaurants and people going about their business with no regard to these pesky tourists.

 

We wandered over to a prominent sign on a small street which announced that this was Calle Banana, which, along with Calle Carrera, were the two oldest streets established by Europeans (the Portuguese) in sub-Saharan Africa. The buildings really did look their age - established in the late 1400’s - but they were for the most part inhabited and some were undergoing renovation. We also found the town’s main church, finished in 1485 and visited by Vasco de Gama and Christopher Columbus on their voyages of exploration. If you’re a history buff, this is a very cool place. A nice young man went to find the key to the church and we enjoyed a short visit inside, where the central aisle is a succession of gravestones marking those who are buried below.

 

After a bit more walking around (and buying a wonderful carved statue), we hopped into our taxi and headed back to town. Once there, we walked down to the Central Market where produce of every kind is sold. The most fascinating thing for us, as tourists, was watching women in the market and everywhere else carrying almost everything and anything on their heads. They wear head coverings which are arranged so that bananas, large bowls, or even entire flats of strawberries can be carried. John will be putting a couple of photos on Facebook.

 

Finally, at about 1:00, John’s knees told him that it was time to give up walking and head back to the ship, where we had lunch and a lazy afternoon. It was a fascinating port, one which no one we knew had ever been to, and we’re now looking forward to the next two days in Mindelo, which is more a beach resort.

[pearliemae]

Thanks for yet another great report of an amazing cruise, we always enjoy your positive and informative posts. We really appreciate the time and energy you expend to bring us such interesting info.

[Johnny B]

(For some reason, this didn't post properly yesterday, so

here it is today.)

 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014 - Day 101

Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands

 

What a lovely day we had in Mindelo, the city which is the capital of Sao Vicente Island. We began the day about 9:00 with a shuttle ride into the middle of town, right next to the tourist office - how handy. Mindelo is a lovely little town, the second largest in the Cape Verde Islands, with pastel-colored colonial buildings built on a crescent-shaped bay. There are some busy markets including one called “The African Market,” but we only found out today that the name comes from its history of selling African slaves there. A distressing history for such a nice town. One of the city’s claims to fame is its wild Mardi Gras celebration.

 

We walked and walked, up the main street and then over some back streets. There’s a pretty little church and then blocks of markets, selling everything from carved wooden objects to electronic devices to fruits and vegetables. On the main street is the fish market, which is a great place to take colorful photos. Again, the women have the incredible talent of carrying almost anything on their heads, and we tried to unobtrusively take some good photos.

 

Just before noon we ran into Bill and Patty, friends from Trivia, and decided that we’d share a taxi for a tour around the island. We had read that Baia das Gatas and Calhau Beach were the most beautiful parts of the island, so we headed in that direction. The roads are, for the most part, cobblestoned, so the ride was a bit bumpy, but no one seemed to mind. We had been told that the island was in the midst of a drought, and the landscape left no question of it. There were bare hills with just scrub brush growing, and it looked like rain last fell in the 1900’s. If you closed your eyes and then opened them, you might think you were in Morocco or anywhere else in North Africa, with goats roaming everywhere.

 

We drove to the other side of the island, where the blue and turquoise sea was absolutely beautiful and rolled up against sand dunes that would have been at home in Pismo Beach (near our home). The wind’s work was evident in the naturally sculpted sandstone hills across the road from the water, where the shapes were created out of sand that was solid but not quite yet stone.

 

The two “tourist” spots we drove to, Gatas and Callau, were absolutely empty of visitors. We saw not one person on the beach, and although each beach has a restaurant, our driver told us they were only open on weekends, so there went our idea of a beach-front lunch (for that part of the day, anyway). We stopped a few times for some great photo ops, and the two-wheel drive taxi got to places that amazed us. At times we weren’t sure we’d be able to get out, but Jesus, our driver, was great at his job.

 

After about an hour and a half we drove back to the city, undecided about where to have lunch. There was an elegant yacht club right on the bay, with a beautiful pool and a restaurant next to it, but we decided we wanted to be near the beautiful city beach, so we had Jesus drop us at a restaurant which sat at the end of and above the beach. It took us quite some time to order, because Bill wanted a pizza, but there was none available today (still don’t know why), and after John ordered rice with seafood, I wanted to get calimari to share, but they didn’t have that either. Finally, we ended up with three cheeseburgers and John’s rice, and we found the local beer was just the thing.

 

We walked back to the ship at about 3:30, just in time for some rest before evening activities. A “Cabo Verde Barbecue” is on tap for this evening around the midships Lido pool. There are all the standard items: pork ribs, shrimp skewers, sausage, barbecued chicken, roast suckling pig (complete with head!) and assorted salads, breads and desserts. A local band is playing and the place is hopping. Lunch was too late for us to join in when dinner began at 5:30, but since it continues until 8:00, I imagine we’ll get there sometime.

 

We’re looking forward to our second day here tomorrow, with plans to take a taxi to Foya Branca Resort on Sao Pedro Beach to enjoy the pool, the beach, some snorkeling, and another great lunch.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 - Day 102

Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands

 

Another wonderful day here in the Cape Verde Islands. We wanted to get out of town and discover another part of the island, so with our friends Bill and Marty we decided to meet this morning, grab a taxi and head to the Foya Branca Beach Resort at Sao Pedro Beach. We bargained and arranged that for $60 total, the driver would take us to the resort, about a 15-minute drive, wait there for about two hours, and then drive us back to town. We knew that there was a day use charge for the resort because a friend had told us it would be $15.00 each. When we arrived, however, it turned out to be closer to $8.00 - a great deal. There were two large pools, one a level lower than the other, and they were surrounded by astroturf as well as lots of lounge chairs. We had a great view of the ocean, but it really can’t be considered a beach resort, as the beach there is too rough for much swimming. We were just pleased to pay a total of less than $25.00 each for what the ship provided yesterday for $80.00.

 

While we were there, Bill decided to walk down the beach, and at the village almost a mile away, he helped some local fishermen to pull in nets containing thousands of tiny little fish. Marty and I just enjoyed lounging by the pool, while John wandered around exploring the resort.

 

Once back in town, John and I walked around a bit before settling for lunch at La Pergola, the courtyard restaurant of the Alliance Francaise. John had catchupa, the national dish of Cape Verde, which is a stew made with beans, ground corn and topped by a whole grilled fish. I just had the fish, which came with rice and steamed squash. Since the fish was served whole, we had to use the lessons we’ve learned from our excellent waiters on board about how to filet a cooked fish - and it worked! The fish was delicious, and John enjoyed the catchupa, too.

 

Then it was time to head to the lovely upscale arts and crafts store we visited yesterday, where John had looked with longing at a woven hanging. I told him that if he liked it that much he should buy it, but he had to tell me where it would hang in the house first. That done, the hanging is now wrapped up in our stateroom, along with all the other things that we’re going to have to ship home.

 

Finally we returned to the ship, where a wonderful Cape Verdean musical group played and sang, using guitars, mandolin, drums and even a whistle. The singer with the group was outstanding - she had a beautiful voice and boy, did she have “the moves.” It was like attending a Fado show in Portugal for 45 minutes, followed by a standing ovation.

 

Sailaway was the last one on this side of the ocean. We joked that the world cruise is over and in five days the Caribbean cruise will begin. There are now eleven days left, but the ones I’m most looking forward to are the next five sea days.

[John Cruise]

Have really enjoyed your blog. Thanks.

Do you have any idea how many people are

playing duplicate bridge on this cruise?

 

John C

[Johnny B]

Thursday, April 17 - Day 103

At Sea en route to Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Here we are, a couple hundred miles into our Atlantic crossing, and I think the passengers are beginning to think of what four months on a cruise ship have done to their waistlines. At least I guess that’s the reason the gym is so crowded now; it’s difficult to find a machine on which to exercise or a space in the stretch or workout classes in the morning. Generally, John and I use adjacent elliptical cross-trainers, but this morning there were people on almost all of the machines, so we found whatever was available.

 

Today, finally, there’s a movie I want to see: American Hustle. However, it plays at 3:00, which is the same time as the Indonesian Crew Show, which always fills the Queen’s Lounge and is a pleasure to watch. In a discussion with Nestor, our wine steward, last evening at dinner, he told us that he can’t scare up enough Filipino crew members to put on a Filipino crew show, so I guess there won’t be one. That’s a real disappointment, because it was always such a great experience to watch, especially when Nestor was performing his song with a man singing to a woman and a woman singing to a man, one side of him dressed as a man and one side dressed as a woman. All of us who had seen it before loved it, and those who had never seen it were amazed at how talented he is. Several years ago, Nestor placed second in the Philippine Idol show in Manila.

 

* * * *

 

The Indonesian crew show was wonderful, as always, with songs and dances from several of the islands of Indonesia, including Bali, Sumatra, and Java. Three young ladies began the show with a traditional Balinese dance - you know the one where their fingers bend farther backward that you’d think anyone’s could. There were lively songs and dances, and the two highlights were the “Monkey Dance” which acts out the story of the Monkey King and his victories, and the angklung concert orchestra. The angklung is a wooden musical instrument which is played by shaking it; the smaller the angklung, the higher the tone.

 

One of our favorite parts of the show was the Master of Ceremonies. His name is Dalang Ki Broto, but everyone calls him George because of his resemblance to George Foreman. He’s our waiter on formal nights at Jeff’s table and he’s really very funny.

 

The best thing about the show was that, although it started at 3:00, every seat was taken by 2:30 and people were standing everywhere. There were standing ovations several times during the performance. We really do love our crew, and we appreciate all the hard work they do for us.

 

P. S. I don't know how many people play duplicate bridge, but I'lll ask our friend Barbara, as she's the top bridge player on the ship. I'll let you know tomorrow.

[alibabacruisers]

I continue to enjoy your blog and the details of your ports. Thank you for that!

 

On a side note, I was interested about how you ship your things home as stated in one of your recent posts. I know you said you keep the things together that you want to ship. Do you post them home in FLL or where and how? I would like to hear of your plan as we might need to think ahead and plan that for our next cruise.

[gigianne]

Diane - thanks so much for posting your world cruise journey - I realize how much time and effort and $$$ you have put into it. Say hello to Ann and Cathy for me - I can only imagine how many laughs you have had while in their company.

[erewhon]

Thank you for the updates.

[Johnny B]

Friday, April 18, 2014 - Day 104

Good Friday

At Sea en route to Bridgetown, Barbados

 

A lovely quiet day at sea. After the gym, I hurriedly showered in order to get to the Hudson Room for “morning devotions,” since it was Good Friday. What surprised me was that even though I arrived five minutes early, every chair was filled and I had to sit in the window seat in the back of the room. I heard later that it wasn’t just the Protestants who had standing room only; the Catholics were also SRO - to the extent that they had to schedule another mass for 4:30 this afternoon.

 

The service ended at 9:30, so I headed for the second half of “Good Morning Amsterdam,” since Captain Jonathan was the guest this morning. I was there for most of the Q & A, but I missed the part about the fire disabling his ship at one point in his career and forcing officers, crew and passengers into lifeboats - which were then tied together - and spending three days at sea before being rescued and taken to St. Helena. He’s had a fascinating life.

 

I’ve discovered that a nice quiet place to read in the mornings is the Crow’s Nest. I have always used the library for that purpose, but sometimes it just gets too crowded and then noisy. In the Crow’s Nest, there’s nary a sound except for the turning of pages and the occasional snore when someone falls asleep. I’m reading The Kitchen House, this segment’s book club selection. It’s about life on a plantation in the early 1800’s, told primarily from the point of view of an Irish orphan who is raised by the black house servants. It’s a great read.

 

Today was the first of two Mariner Appreciation Luncheons, today for 5-stars and tomorrow for 4-stars. We were invited for today but decided we really didn’t need another four-course lunch, so we took a pass and played Trivia instead. We even won!

Afterwards, we had lunch with Cathy and Ann and then I headed back to the Crow’s Nest to write, but it was now pretty noisy, so here I am in the Ocean Bar just writing away.

 

We’re looking forward to tonight’s show, but last night’s was just fabulous. The group was called Incognito, and it consists of three performers, two men and a woman, who have a history in London’s West End theatres. They sang everything from popular to opera, and as we left, John said, “They almost make me like opera.” Since I do like opera, I found them wonderful.

 

Sadly, we’re almost at the end of day 2 of our 5 sea days, but they’ll be full of activity and we’ll really enjoy them. Now, if only these clouds would blow away.

 

P. S. I asked and found out that there are 52 duplicate bridge players on board.

[roberts2005]

I have been really enjoying your daily reports and am also sad that the cruise is coming to an end. I have heard no mention of the casino by anyone. Is it not popular on a WC?

[Cruise NH]

Thank you for your wonderful posts, I don't know what I'm going to do in the AM now as reading the blogs has become a routine!

 

Please give my best to Barbara N. (or Barbie to you). She was always a good friend to me at work (SAT...she'll know).

 

Catherine R.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, April 19, 2014 - Day 105

At Sea en route to Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Oh, the weather. The last time we sailed on a transatlantic route at the end of the world cruise, it was blue and sunny and everyone could manage a bit more tanning on the aft deck. However, this is our third day of what the daily schedule calls “partly cloudy,” but there’s no partly about it. It’s just plain clouded over, and although it’s in the mid to high 70’s, the only thing anyone’s going to get is a “cloud burn.” Captain Jonathan said that we should begin getting sunny skies this afternoon, so we’ll wait and see.

 

Speaking of the captain, we spent some time chatting with him last evening at our “Specialists” cocktail party. He was talking about his personal blog, which is at captainjonathan.com, a website which he owns. He told us that he used to write a blog on HAL’s website until they began censoring it. Apparently he wrote about pirate waters and the razor wire that surrounds Deck 3 when we’re in those areas. It posted in the morning, and less than five hours later, it had disappeared. When Seattle was asked what had happened, the person in charge told him that they really didn’t want prospective passengers to know about these things, and when the captain said, “But it’s just fact,” it made no difference. Because of that, he decided that he needed to have his own website, so he purchased it and posts every day or two. After listening to his explanation, one of our friends leaned over and said, “I could listen to him reading the telephone book,” in response to his quite lovely English accent.

 

Our entertainer last evening was Marty Henne, a pianist, singer, and raconteur who played, sang, and talked about the music of the Gershwins. He’s had a long career in music, and the quote about him from Paul Williams was, “He’s the best musician you’ve never heard of.” He was really quite entertaining and we’re looking forward to seeing him perform again. Gene announced that there’s going to be a “piano dinner” in the Pinnacle on the 22nd, when Marty will play - I just don’t know where they’re going to put the piano!

 

At breakfast, I ran into one of the members of the British trio “Incognito” and asked him when and if they would be performing again. He said that they are doing a show tomorrow night (Easter), but it’s going to have less opera and more West End songs.

At dinner last evening, one of our tablemates said that one of the things she’s going to miss the most about the cruise is not having a live theatre performance every evening after dinner. I agree that it’s certainly not something that one usually enjoys; I think we forget how lucky we are to have such a treat. Two years ago, when we had Michael Feinstein on board, it was amazing to me that there wasn’t standing room only in the Queen’s Lounge. Our friends Barbara and Marty told us that they had seen him in concert later that year and that the tickets sold out almost immediately. We are really so spoiled!

 

Today is one of our favorite shows: the Filipino Crew Show. Just a few nights ago Nestor told us that he didn’t think it was going to happen, but apparently it was easier to get participation after the Filipino crew heard how great the Indonesian show had been, so they are anxious to show that they’re talented too. It starts at 3:00, but we’re taking books and getting there at 2:00.

 

Regarding the casino question, no it really isn’t very busy during the world cruise. We really saw the difference because we sailed on the Christmas cruise from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale when it was crowded every time we walked through. However, during the world cruise, the most crowded the casino gets is when there’s some kind of a tournament - blackjack, poker, or slots. If I were to walk through right now, there would probably be three or four people playing slots, but no one at the tables. After dinner, the numbers would rise somewhat, and there would probably be one or two tables in play, but not fully occupied. The casino has a “no smoking . . . except” rule, which states that you may not smoke there - unless you’re playing, and a couple of the tables (those nearest the other rooms) have no smoking signs on them. I have a feeling that during next year’s world cruise that the casino will have become a non-smoking room. Hope so, anyway.

 

* * *

 

The Filipino Crew Show did not disappoint. It began with the Philippine national anthem being played while Manny, our favorite bar steward, held the flag. The songs were lovely and the dances were great - my favorites being the candle light dance, during which each girl carries two candles and has an additional one on her head, and the bamboo dance, in which dancers dance between bamboo poles which are being hit against each other. A person could get some serious ankle damage doing that dance, but Sharon and Joebert were perfect.

 

Our wine steward and long-time friend Nestor sang his popular song “Forever,” in which he dresses in a tuxedo on one side and a long ruffled gown on the other. He sings the man’s part while that side is toward the audience, and then he turns and sings the female part from the other side. The other hit of the show was from wine steward En, who was dressed in a long black ruffled gown decorated with red flowers and wearing a long black wig. There’s nothing like cross-dressing to get the crowd on its feet.

 

Both crew shows were absolutely wonderful, and we are so lucky to have these great men and women working on this cruise.

[Sebboh]

I have followed your posts and the cruise sounds wonderful! I have a friend on the cruise. I have not heard from him lately. His name is Tom. He's a retired dentist travelling by himself. Please tell him I said hello and I miss him. I can not wait to see him and hear about his trip.

A

[John Cruise]

Thanks for the duplicate bridge info.

Happy Easter, and smooth sailing 2014.

JC

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thank you for your wonderful posts..

[Johnny B]

Sunday, April 20, 2014 - Day 106

Happy Easter!

At Sea en route to Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Even though it was too cloudy to see the sun, the sunrise service at 6:00 was full of passengers greeting Easter. Even our Jewish friends, Barbara and Marty showed up, with Barbara saying, “At least we meet at sunset.” Don, the new Protestant pastor (since Pastor Florence had to leave in CapeTown), and Father Bob shared duties for this ecumenical service, and we even had a choir. It was a very inspirational service.

 

At 8:00 was the regular interdenominational service, and while the Queen’s Lounge wasn’t full, it had a rather large group of folks, including some crew members. Everyone seemed to be joyous for the holiday and it was a wonderful service.

 

Today’s the big Easter Brunch Extravaganza in La Fontaine Dining Room. The staff really does put on a marvelous show - and it tastes good as well. From 11:00 until 12:00, passengers may come in, but only to take photos. Then from 12:00 until 1:00, it’s eating time, and for some people it’s pig-out time. We’ll take some photos and post them on Facebook, because it really is quite photogenic.

 

* * *

 

Well, the Grand Buffet is now history, ice carvings, chocolate bunnies and all. We went in at 11:00 to take pictures, and it really was quite beautiful, but waiting in line for them was a little disconcerting. Then, after performing dismally at Trivia, we headed down to the lunch part of it, figuring that because it was 12:20, the line would be down. Wrong! The line(s) went out the door, past the elevators, and up the stairs. After about 3 minutes of that, John gave up and decided it was Lido Grill hamburger day. I stayed with Barbie and, after about 20 more minutes, we actually were given plates and had the opportunity to fill them. By that time, I had pretty much lost interest, so I limited myself to two jumbo shrimp (doncha love oxymorons?), two slices of lobster, one slice of turkey, cranberry sauce, and two deviled eggs. The only hot dishes that I noticed were beef stroganoff and sliced beef tenderloin, but when I asked for ham, the young man told me there wasn’t any. Oh well. Even the desserts didn’t much tempt me, so I didn’t spend very much time eating. I guess the weight I’ve gained during the cruise makes me want to avoid eating very much. It isn’t that I eat a lot; it’s more that we eat three meals a day, including a two or three-course dinner, and at my age, that’s just waaaay too much.

 

The nice thing about the buffet was that people were very polite and no one pushed anyone else into the bowl of cocktail sauce - not that that was very likely. The dining room staff was great at steering people from one station to another, serving, and then finding places for everyone to sit. We ended up sitting upstairs because the Deck 4 area was completely filled. I really don’t think anyone went hungry. Actually, I think hardly anyone on this cruise has felt a hunger pang for four months. The sad part about this buffet is that at 1:00, when it ends, everything on display is simply scraped into black garbage bags and is then put into the high-temperature incinerator where shipboard waste is disposed of. We watched them do this two years ago, and it just seems such a waste, but health laws say that food cannot stay out more than two hours. It would seem a better idea to have photography from 11:00 to 11:30, with dining from 11:30 until 1:00 to consume more of the goodies, but, strangely enough, no one has asked me.

 

This afternoon will be spent watching Saving Mr. Banks, the Disney film about the making of Mary Poppins and the life of its author, P. L. Travers. Then this evening, which is formal, will begin with a Mariner Society pre-dinner cocktail reception in the Queen’s Lounge, followed by dinner at Jeff’s table, as we do on formal nights. It should be fun.

[Johnny B]

Monday, April 21, 2014 - Day 107

At Sea en route to Bridgetown, Barbados

 

We finally got a sunny day! It was great, so we headed out to “the beach” (the Deck 8 aft pool) and spent a couple of hours ruining our skin before it was time for Trivia. The bad news is that I think the world cruise is over today, and the Caribbean cruise begins tomorrow. We’ll have four Caribbean ports in a row: Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Martin, followed by two sea days and then “that’s all she wrote,” literally and figuratively.

 

The real high point of today was the Passenger Talent Show, always a hit which fills the Queen’s Lounge. Usually there are about 15 acts, only a couple of which are cringe-worthy, but today they were all great. We had a choir, a parody-singing quartet, an opera singer, a country-western singer, and our friend Barbara, who is one of the funniest women on the planet. She skirts the edge with most of her humor, which is almost all about her husband Marty. They’re on our Trivia team and we do love them to pieces, and we know that Barbara is just a hoot, whether on stage or off.

 

Another popular happening today was the White Elephant Sale in the Explorers’ Lounge. It’s an occasion when you can take anything you want to get rid of, and someone will probably give you a couple of bucks for it. One woman (who shall remain anonymous) is famous for taking every “pillow gift” as well as some dining table decorations and selling them. Her excuse is that she and her husband bring only one suitcase each (I don’t know how that’s possible, but some people do it) and they don’t have room to take things home. This year, for the first time, some women were selling clothes, one of whom explained that she had lost (!) 20 pounds on the cruise and these clothes were just too big for her now. Strange but true. I skipped the sale after an initial bout of curiosity and just went to my book club.

 

Last evening was great fun. The Mariners’ Appreciation Cocktail Party was held in the Queen’s Lounge, and awards were given out for those who had achieved various levels in Mariners’ Club. There are awards for 100 days (copper), 300 days (silver), 500 days (gold - that’s us), 700 days (platinum) and President’s Club at 1400 days. Of course most people are drawn there by the free drinks and the hors d’oeuvres. Afterwards we met the Staff Captain (next down from the captain) in the ocean bar and then he and his girlfriend joined us at Jeff’s table for dinner. A good time was had by all.

 

The show last night was Incognito again, and they were just fantastic. Their three voices are just beautiful, and this time they sang less opera, but the two they did sing were from Carmen, my favorite. In addition, they sang songs from films, theatre, and “The American Songbook.” I’ve probably said this before, but one of the nicest things about having entertainers on the ship is being able to interact with them when they’re not on stage. Most of them are quite pleased to be invited to people’s tables for dinner, and it’s interesting to hear about their backgrounds and show business experience.

 

I’m sad that our five sea days are at an end, but I’m looking forward to our next four ports - all in a row. Actually, what I’m not looking forward to is the day they deliver the empty luggage and we have to re-pack everything and find space for everything we’ve purchased. I’m sure you feel sorry for us.