John and Diane's LAST Round the World Adventure

[RuthC]

I always enjoy your World Cruise postings, and this year is no exception. I especially like that you are not committed members of the "early to bed" society, and like to enjoy the evening. The reports on that are ever welcome.

 

Thanks for letting us know what goes on at night, and for taking us along for the ride.

[Sir PMP]

'That's really a shame that such a significant number of passengers cancelled their service charges.'

 

A lot of cruise agencies advertize Hal cruises that include these taxes, why should someone else pay them!

[limace]

Loving this and dreaming of retirement-and reading from Eugene, Oregon. How bout those Ducks? :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Johnny B]

January 8, 2015 - Day 4

At Sea en route to Colombia

 

It’s now an official world cruise; we’ve had the first formal night at which the captain introduced the top 16 officers on the ship, both those who run the ship and those who are on the “hotel” side, headed by Henk Mensink, one of our favorite people. We met our friends at 7:00, and hors d’oeuvres and beverages were being freely dispensed. It was a lovely get-together, especially since everyone was so beautifully attired.

 

On formal nights, the large tables usually have an officer as a host, and since we share a table with Jeff, Cathy and Ann on formal nights, ours was our friend Renee, whom we refer to as “Spa Renee.” She’s in charge of the hair/nail salon, the spa services, and the gym, and while I’d be pulling my hair out with that much responsibility (but then I could have them fix it, of course), she’s always calm and cool. Renee is South African and we’ve been friends for several years.

 

After dinner, the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers performed a show called “Limelight,” featuring songs from Broadway and West End plays. My favorite part of the show, which we had seen on the Christmas cruise, was a medley of Abba songs from “Mamma Mia.” The Queen’s Lounge was pretty darned full, and the high-energy performance got lots of applause. This year’s group is just about the best we’ve ever had, and we generally go to all their performances.

 

When the show was over just before 11:00, and we weren’t quite ready for “pillow islands,” so we headed up to The Crow’s Nest to join our friends Barbie, Cathy, and Peter Purser to “belly up to the bar,” sing along with the D.J.’s songs and chat with friends. We finally headed back home shortly about midnight - and even then, we still were awake at 7:00 this morning. Oh well, I feel a nap coming on!

 

Tomorrow is our first port, Santa Marta, Colombia. John went to the lecture and learned that it’s a popular beach resort as well as the oldest city in Colombia, and many of the shops and restaurants are across from an esplanade along the beach. Sounds good to me. We’ll no doubt walk the soles off our sandals and then hope to find a nice little cafe with good food and free internet - what could be better?

 

P. S. GO DUCKS! (What else would you have expected from a Left Coaster?)

[Rowsby]

P. S. GO DUCKS! (What else would you have expected from a Left Coaster?)

 

Loving your blog....especially all the great entertaining....

 

Hope you remembered to bring your "colors" for THE game....!!!

Edited January 8, 2015 by Rowsby

[Johnny B]

Friday, January 9 - Day 5

Santa Marta, Colombia

 

Another wonderful day on this cruise. No one we talked to, including several officers, had ever visited Santa Marta, so we were excited to see what it was like. We docked at 7:00 and the first passengers began disembarking at about 7:30, some for ship tours and others just to wander into town. Because the ship was in the middle of the port, we had to take a shuttle for a whole 1-1/4 minute to the port exit, but from there we were on our own.

 

Santa Marta is situated on a perfect curve of beach, which makes it a popular vacation spot for Colombians. Alongside the beach is a cobblestone esplanade, and alongside the esplanade are dozens of small tents selling everything from ship models to jewelry to hand-carved domino sets. We walked all along the beach, greeting the locals with a “Buenos dias,” and continued until we ran out of beach. Then we crossed the street to the expanse of shops and wandered until we found a cute little outdoor cafe where we enjoyed a lemonade and a beer. John believes that any place that serves the (quite good) local beer for $1.00 must be a good port.

 

After our beverage/wifi stop, we continued down to the main square, where we found a large statue of Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, who died in Santa Marta. We continued up several streets away from the beach to visit the huge white cathedral, where the Christmas ornaments and creche were still in evidence.

 

Walking the streets so far away from the beach was a great way to see how the locals live. It seemed that every third person had a small cart and was selling something - fruit, lottery tickets, fish, or shoes. We were almost never asked to buy anything; it seems that the carts are where the locals buy a lot of their merchandise. The people were friendly and we enjoyed our peek into local life.

 

We ran into our friends Cathy and Leslie, and they recommended the Gold Museum on the main square, so we headed there. The two important descriptors they used convinced us: free and air-conditioned. It’s a fascinating museum, with not only artifacts but information about the history of Santa Marta and the surrounding area. I found it most interesting, however, that this particular building is supposed to be the oldest building in Colombia (questioned by some scholars) and it is the building in which Simon Bolivar died. In fact, every room is full of displays except one which remains bare; it’s the room where Bolivar lay in state for 3 days before burial in the cathedral. A few years later, however, he was moved to Caracas, Venezuela, where he had been born.

 

By then, it was nearly 90 degrees and mid-afternoon, so we headed back to the ship for some lunch. It wasn’t too long before it was 3:30, which was all-aboard time, and that’s when the back-deck sailaway party began. While we were on the Christmas cruise, sailaways were no big deal, but on the world cruise, they are great fun. There are always hot hors d’oeuvres, drink specials and the Amsterdam orchestra, which is headlined by Darcy, a young woman with a beautiful voice and great dance songs.

 

So . . . we continue along, headed for the San Blas Islands tomorrow from 12:00 noon until 6:00 PM. I’ve known about them for a very long time, but never been there, so I’m really excited to see them up close and personal.

 

P. S. Regarding the demographics, I’ll have to sit down with Henk, the Hotel Manager, and pick his brain, but I should be able to do that in the next couple of days. One thing we have noticed is that there are younger people on this cruise every year.

[ScottishMaid]

No one we talked to, including several officers, had ever visited Santa Marta, so we were excited to see what it was like.

 

Interesting. We went there in November 2011 on the Rotterdam, from FLL to San Diego via Peru. Tom Faulkner, your FCC, was CD on that trip. We went on a tour to the National Park but the road was blocked by a big demo, purposely on the cruise ship day as they wanted the road to be paved. I believe HAL has not gone back since then. That cruise also went to the San Blas Islands.

 

Missing everyone on the Amsterdam, but loving your reports. We were on with you last winter.

Jill and Joe (Cambria)

[Johnny B]

Saturday, January 10, 2015 - Day 6

San Blas Islands, Panama

 

It’s great fun to return again and again to places we’ve grown to love, like Hong Kong or Mumbai, but we both find it even more enjoyable to visit new places, and the San Blas Islands are certainly in that category. We’ve seen photos of the islands and the people who inhabit them, but it’s always better to be able to see things in person. The San Blas Islands are a part of Panama, and they are far closer to the mainland than we had imagined. We were pretty darned excited to get here.

 

Today’s schedule called for arrival at 12:00 noon and departure at 6:00 PM. It was a tender port, and we were on the first tender with Jeff, Brad, Cathy and Ann - as well as about 80 other people - and when the captain said it was going to be rough, he knew what he was talking about. On the way to the island, it was like being in a washing machine; the waves washed up over the front windows and we just bounced every which way. Fortunately no one got sick, and after about 15 minutes we reached the island.

 

Later on, our friend Ellen Bethel described the living conditions on the island as “camping out all the time,” and I think she was pretty close to the fact. The houses had thatched roofs, dirt floors, and people either slept on blankets on the floor or in hammocks. They had electricity but no plumbing, and I don’t know if there was running water, either. However, they seemed content and were very friendly. The people are the Kuna, who ended up on these islands after escaping the Spanish conquest in order to retain their culture.

 

The craft for which they are famous is called mola and seems to be a combination of quilting and stitchery in vibrant colors. The patterns are intricate and beautifully executed, and the cost is next to nothing. Small pieces, about 6 x 6, sell for about $5.00, medium (8 x 8) for about $10.00, and large ones (12 x 12) for $20.00. I’m sure if you saw them in a shop in the states that the prices would be much, much higher. We walked through all the little streets - really more like dirt paths - looking at as many of the mola as possible. We finally settled on a large piece depicting a nativity scene and a medium one with brightly colored birds. Once we arrived back at the ship, we found some being sold here, so we picked up another one - small, but to be made medium by adding background fabric, so as to match the birds.

 

The women are fascinating to look at. Most have pierced noses and some have a tattooed line down the middle of their forehead and continuing over their nose. It seems as if each woman wears gold in some form. They make great photo subjects, but don’t try to take their photos without the necessary dollar for the privilege. Our friend Jeff will have some wonderful photos of the people, so be sure to check out his blog.

 

We returned to the ship at about 3:00, just in time for a very late lunch and that additional mola. Since most passengers seem to still be on the island, it’s pretty quiet on the ship and we do love it that way.

 

Tomorrow will be the Panama Canal, and although we’ve been through it a few times, it’s still an exciting day. Last year we went through it twice, once on the way from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale and the other at the beginning of the World Cruise. If it’s on your “bucket list,” be assured that it’s well worth it.

[gigianne]

Thanks for your reviews Diane, they are wonderful. I will always regret not buying a small purse that had been made from the Mola pieces. I have seen the people pictures that Jeff takes and am in awe. Does he ask permission to take those pictures or is he using a large zoom lens? I keep track of the sisters from what you write and on Jeff's blog. Say hello to them and let them know it's snowing in Guacamole!!!

[cruz chic]

Thanks for the update. You brought back memories from a trip I took in 2008 that included san blas islands.

[judithbiggs]

I just love those colorful molas. I have visited the island twice, and have picked up many of them which I have framed and hung in my dinette which is open to my great room and kitchen. Over the years I have received so many nice comments about my colorful and unusual wall! Glad you enjoyed your visit.

[Johnny B]

Sunday, January 11, 2015 - Day 7

Transiting the Panama Canal

 

We are definitely not in the “been there, done that” group of travelers. A friend at home had just returned from a week in Paris and told me that she didn’t have to return to France again because, “I’ve done it.” No matter how many times we’ve been somewhere, we can always find something new and exciting about it - otherwise we’d probably just quit traveling.

 

By actual count, this is our seventh transit of the Panama Canal, but every one is just as exciting as the first. I guess that’s why we set our alarm for 6:00 this morning, so that we could go forward to Deck 6’s outdoor area to watch as our ship first waited in line for the Gatun Locks and then went through all three of them, just as smooth as could be. We’re now sailing through Gatun Lake, and early this afternoon we’ll transit first the Pedro Miguel Locks and then the Miraflores Locks. The lake itself is very quite large, but it’s the jungle on both sides that makes it the most interesting. In the past we’ve seen an alligator along the shore as well as small thatched huts of the indigenous people. All told, it makes a great day.

 

Prior to each transit, HAL gives us a brochure called, appropriately, “The Panama Canal,” and each time we read through it and find things that we missed before or just plain forgot. We knew that the Canal turned 100 in August of 2014 and that over a million seagoing vessels have made use of the canal, but this year I learned that there are 100 conduits piping water in from one side of the lock to another, thereby lifting the ship uniformly to the next level. For the locks on the other side of the lake, those conduits will uniformly drain water, lowering us to the level of the Pacific Ocean. Clever people, those canal builders. The other thing that struck me this time was the width of the locks; in 1914 there must have been much narrower ships, but someone had enough foresight to plan for our much larger ships.

 

Although 94% of the ships in the world can fit through the Canal, there is concern about the other 6%. Because of that, new locks are being constructed which will accommodate even the widest ships by being 427 meters long and 55 meters wide. They were supposed to be completed in 2014, in time for the centennial, but that didn’t happen, so now they’re looking at 2016.

 

It’s a fairly quiet day on board, somewhat like a sea day but not quite. Those who are sunning on the back deck are sure to have their cameras with them, and the decks will be crowded again when we enter the next locks. It’s an exciting day, and a lot of people on board are crossing it off their bucket lists.

[cruz chic]

Love the canal. I feel the same as you do about it. I've been thru about as many times as you have. Frankly, I think I do it for the Panama rolls ;):D. Thx for the update.

[cccole]

I have soooooo enjoyed your reports for the first three ports of call (I am including the Panama Canal.) The handmade molas in the San Blas islands are just beautiful. Jeff's photos really showed how colorful they are and how varied the designs are.

 

We have only seen the Panama Canal from the Miraflores Locks but thought it was fascinating. So happy to hear that it never gets old for you. I didn't know that the new side which will accommodate larger ships had not been completed. It seemed like some of the HUGE container ships had less than an inch on each side. When you are in the locks are there other ships with you? Do I remember that many look forward to a treat "Panama rolls" served the morning of the transit?

 

Thank you so much for taking us along. Cherie

[tommui987]

It seemed like some of the HUGE container ships had less than an inch on each side. When you are in the locks are there other ships with you? Do I remember that many look forward to a treat "Panama rolls" served the morning of the transit?

 

 

Our first cruise many years ago was on the Carnival Triumph. It was too big to get into the Panama Canal. The battleship Missouri was able to get through the Canal but with only 4" or so clearance on each side of the locks - the "mules" or tractors that have cables on both sides of the locks and sort of keep the ship from banging into the sides of locks - not to mention from hitting the locks itself.

 

If the ship is small enough, there would be room for other ships to share the locks but most of the freighters/container ships are so long that they don't share the space.

 

We were fortunate enough to transit the Canal twice - once from the Atlantic and just last year from the Pacific side. It is always a fascinating trip.

 

They still serve Panama Rolls on the ship (Zuiderdam) when we went through last year.

[cccole]

Thank you Tommui987. I just remember actually holding my breath when we were visiting Miraflores in 2013 when some of those container ships passed through. The Carnival Triumph seems small in comparison, but I guess that's because the ships going through the locks were so close. I look forward to doing the transit some day in the future. We heard that the Chinese were trying to negotiate building another canal in Nicaragua that would accommodate large ships. Cherie

[snookymom]

So glad to be cruising with you again this year.

[Johnny B]

Monday, January 12, 2015 - Day 8

At Sea en route to Manta, Ecuador

 

I know there are a lot of people out there who wonder, “Wouldn’t I be bored on a world cruise?” I can’t imagine it. Yes, almost half the days are sea days (hooray!), but there is so much to do every single day, all arranged under the aegis of Gene Young, our cruise director.

 

Last evening, for example, was full of things to do. We met our usual friends in the Crow’s Nest shortly after 7:00 and listened to Darcy and the Amsterdam Orchestra sing and play. They are a lot livelier than the orchestras in past years, but we love them and think that their dance music is great.

 

At dinner, everyone was given a Panama hat (made in China), and it was great fun to see how various people looked in their hats. The hats came in four different styles, and I really liked mine enough to wear it the rest of the evening. Because there are only two of us at our table (except for the friends in front and behind us), we finished fairly early, partly because we have only two courses and most nights skip dessert. The show wasn’t until 10:00, so we had 45 minutes to kill, and since the Broncos had already lost to the Colts, we headed back up to the Crow’s Nest, not to drink but just to socialize with friends.

 

John was dead set on going to last night’s show, which was called ‘Ole-Ole Rumba Flamenca with a Difference.” I wasn’t so enthusiastic, but it turned out to be a pretty good show. The group is made up of one man (with a resemblance to George Clooney) and two women. He plays the flamenco guitar and sings, and the women dance. And boy could they dance! Even though I hadn’t looked forward to it, I did enjoy it.

 

After the show, we headed back up to the Crow’s Nest to sit at the bar with our friends Cathy and Barbie and enjoy a bit of dancing. Having a sea day the next day is a great incentive toward staying up late, and we finally headed off to bed at about midnight.

 

Today will be pretty relaxing, but this evening will be packed full of activities. We begin at 6:15 with a Sommelier Dinner arranged by our friend Jacques, the Cellar Master. The dinner consists of seemingly hundreds of courses, all paired with wines selected by Jacques. When that’s over, we’ll head to the Wajang Theatre, where the Oregon-Ohio game will be on screen. Then, no matter what’s going on at 10:00, we’ll get to the Queen’s Lounge for Bobby Brooks Wilson’s last show. He is a great singer and puts on an amazing show - one of the best.

 

So . . . if you hesitate to take a world cruise because you think you might be bored, think again. You’ll love it!

 

By the way, I sat down with Henk, the Hotel Manager (and an all-around great guy), and he broken down some of the demographics for me. There are currently 1009 passengers on board representing 25 nationalities, and about 800 of them are on for the full world cruise. As far as age goes, the bulk of the passengers are in the 66-74 age range, with the youngest being two in the 13-17 age range. There are also several passengers in their 30‘s - something that’s rather unusual on a world cruise. Sarah, a recent college graduate, is in her early 20‘s and is traveling with her grandmother. Two other 20-somethings are disembarking in Auckland for graduate school in New Zealand. The young people on board add a nice touch to the mix. The oldest passenger on board is 96 years old, and we both hope we’re still cruising when we get to that age.

 

P. S. I love those Panama/Sydney/Singapore/Hong Kong rolls too.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Monday, January 12, 2015 - Day 8

At Sea en route to Manta, Ecuador

 

 

 

 

. The oldest passenger on board is 96 years old, and we both hope we’re still cruising when we get to that age.

.

 

So this is not going to be your LAST world cruise, right?

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying all your updates, thanks.

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

Sorry about the Ducks. But a great season nonetheless. Thanks for the update on the demographics and for the great updates!

 

Edited to add: I hope to be cognizant at 96, much less on the world cruise. Pretty amazing.

Edited January 13, 2015 by thetexasaggiecruiser

[Johnny B]

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - Day 9

Manta, Ecuador

 

Greetings from the “Tuna Capital of the World.” Yep, Manta brings in more tuna, pound for pound, than any other port in the world, and you can see it everywhere along the shore. Next to the ship are huge tuna boats, one even carrying its own helicopter. Nearer to town, we walked along the beach and watched as individual fishermen carried large tuna to rocks where they could be cleaned and filleted. The pelicans and other birds were pretty excited when that happened.

 

Manta is a prosperous city, with more banks than you can shake a stick at. Since this is a “Grand Cruise,” we have shuttle service into the middle of town where there’s a market featuring Panama hats, paintings, clothing, and silver jewelry. We briefly browsed the merchandise, bought a tee-shirt for our granddaughter, and then crossed the main street to wander along the malecon, or esplanade, watching the serious business of tuna take place.

 

After a short stop for coffee and the ever-popular free internet, we walked some more, hunting for a grocery store and pharmacy to buy some things we forgot. Success! After another mile or so of wandering, our stomachs told us it was time to take the shuttle back to the ship for lunch - and a well-deserved nap.

 

The nap was to make up for last night’s activities. We began with the sommelier dinner on a James Bond theme, and masterfully worked our way through all seven (yes, seven!) courses. We began with an amuse bouche of cherries stuffed with pate (it was much better than it sounds), accompanied by Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Then we had a baby beet salad with toasted pine nuts, and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Next was my very favorite course - lobster tortellini in a wonderful light sauce, and the wine was Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay. Then for a break, we had avocado and lime sorbet before the main course: porcini duxelle crusted fillet of beef, and the Pere de Famille Cab was perfect with it. Next was our dessert, a Black Forest cherry compote and sorbet, but I took a pass on the port (not my favorite). The very last course was a selection of cheeses, and by then I could hardly eat any more. Fortunately, the courses were each quite small, but by the time dinner was over I had consumed more food and wine than I usually do in a week! It was delicious and delightful.

 

After dinner we headed across the hall to the theatre for the Oregon/Ohio State football game and stayed long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. So sad! We weren’t done yet, though; it was time to head to the Queen’s Lounge for Bobby Brooks Wilson’s last show, and it was as good as the first. He sang, danced, interacted with the audience, and received a standing ovation at the end. Unfortunately he, as well as the other entertainers, disembarked today, so we’ll have to see who got on to entertain us as we cross the Pacific.

 

It’s been a great 24 hours, and since we don’t sail until 9:00 this evening, there’s no show, per se, but there is a Big Screen Movie, something they put on when we’re in port late. Tonight’s is “This Is Where I Leave You,” and the trailer I saw for it looked pretty darned funny.

 

Now we face eight days at sea on the way to French Polynesia - I’m doing the happy dance already.

 

Note to SJSU Librarian - we'll keep cruising for a long time, but no more FULL world cruises. Need to spend more time with our granddaughter and on our volunteer projects. Go Spartans!

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - Day 10

At Sea en route to Taihoae, French Polynesia

 

Now it begins - the longest stretch at sea of the entire cruise. Eight blissful days of sun, sea, and whatever we want to do - unless we want to eat across the street, of course. What, you may ask, can one do on those eight days? The choices are (almost) endless. Here’s a sample.

 

If exercise is your interest, there’s an early morning stretch class at 7:00, followed by total body conditioning at 7:30. There’s a variety of fitness classes throughout the day, most included in our fare, and a few, like indoor cycling (spin) for a fee. If you’re interested in wet exercise, Jodie teaches aqua aerobics at 9:00, and for exercise of an eastern persuasion, tai chi is also at 9:00. A different type of exercise - dance instruction - is offered daily.

 

One of the real treats of a world cruise is the speaker series. Usually there are two speakers on board, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They change from time to time, depending on what part of the world we’re in. This morning, Tom Goltz will explain why Latin America is so different from North America, and this afternoon, Captain Paul Eschenfelder will talk about the Polynesians before the Europeans and how successful a society it was. That one really catches my interest, and I think I’ll go have a listen.

 

There are all kinds of games in which to participate: football kick, target toss, baggo, Wii, and a host of others, depending on the day. Different types of trivia games take up three time slots - team trivia at 11:45, spirits and wine (or culinary) trivia at 4:00, and pub trivia at 5:00.

 

If you enjoy the casino, it’s available 24/7 on the slots, and today there are instructions in roulette, a Texas hold-em tournament, a $10.00 slot tournament, and Vegas Night from 9:00 until 10:00. One thing that’s really clear on a world cruise as opposed to a shorter cruise is that the casino is much emptier on the former and extremely busy on the latter.

 

There are excellent computer classes offered by Craig, the “techspert” on board, using Windows and PC’s. If you just need help with your own computer (even if it’s a Mac), Lex, the ship’s IT guy, is available for three hours in the library.

 

Music is everywhere on the ship. The Neptunes play in the Ocean Bar, Gaither, a solo guitarist, plays before dinner in the Crow’s Nest, Adagio serenades with a violin and piano duo in the Explorer’s Lounge, Marcel is the DJ in the Crow’s Nest in the wee hours, and Debby Bacon entertains in the Piano Bar every evening. Speaking of Debby, she is one of the most popular folks on the ship. She plays the piano, the clarinet and two types of saxophones, sings beautifully, and is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet.

 

Since we’re in the South Pacific, we have an “on location” team made up of Hawaiians and South Pacific islanders who will teach classes and entertain. Today’s lessons will be on how to play the ukulele - part 1.

 

And food - who could forget food? Not only are there things to eat virtually everywhere on the ship, there is a daily food demonstration of how to prepare various dishes and samples are distributed. Today’s demo is of two dishes from the Le Cirque menu, Butternut Squash Soup (my favorite) and Pousin.

 

So . . . as you can see, there is plenty to do. There’s actually even more and I could go on at greater length, but you get the idea. Because of all the activities, sometimes sea days can be as tiring as ports.

[rafinmd]

The question, is there a Protestant Chaplain on board?

 

The request, say Hi to Debby Bacon from the guy who came on for the last segment last year headed home from the Crystal World Cruise.

 

Roy

[Sir PMP]

"Debby Bacon entertains in the Piano Bar every evening. Speaking of Debby, she is one of the most popular folks on the ship. She plays the piano, the clarinet and two types of saxophones, sings beautifully, and is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet."

 

PLease, say hi to her and her husband Ron from Gary and Lorna, Napa Valley, we just spent a lot of time with her on the Grand Asia Voyage...