Journey with Bill & Mary Ann on the Amsterdam's 2016 Grand World Voyage - 114 days +

[sahara1]

Thank you for your answer. One more question. Do these bottles of wine have to be consumed in your cabin? Glad you are having such a wonderful time.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

Sorry the visit to Mooloolaba was cancelled.

[Ferry Beach Kayaker]

I just googled the route from the cruise terminal to a nearby bus stop in Balmain and asked for walking directions. It gave me an almost 5 km route out via the port access road and back up. It mentions restricted roads. My guess is that there is no port exit to Balmain area at the cruise terminal.

 

Last year we overnighted in Sydney at a friends house and got back to the ship about 4 hours before the all aboard time. It wasn't enough time to take the shuttle. So we went exploring. We walked to the port gate that up Buchanan Street and around a park. We walked through a very upscale residential area and ended up on the Main Street in Balmain with lots of cafes and stores and a public library with free wifi. It took us 40 minutes to walk uphill and about 25 minutes to walk back to the ship.

[teamflames]

Last year we overnighted in Sydney at a friends house and got back to the ship about 4 hours before the all aboard time. It wasn't enough time to take the shuttle. So we went exploring. We walked to the port gate that up Buchanan Street and around a park. We walked through a very upscale residential area and ended up on the Main Street in Balmain with lots of cafes and stores and a public library with free wifi. It took us 40 minutes to walk uphill and about 25 minutes to walk back to the ship.

 

 

Did you enjoy it? Balmain has changed a lot over the last 25 years transforming from a working class suburb to one of the more affluent Sydney suburbs. It's pub culture is changing to more of a cafe culture from what I saw on my recent visit. That walk you did is part of a longer one I used to do a lot. I'm not sure of how far the walk is to the port gate but for the mobile there are a few different options for picking up buses to get to the different ferry stops within Balmain (there are 3). The easiest though would be a straight ferry from white bay if it is offered.

But Balmain is a nice alternative for those not in a rush

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

[jig]

Library's are great for free wifi. Even if the req a card they will almost always give you a visitors password. The one in waverly is good for that. Though the one in customs house is pretty bad.

[Going Coastal]

The library in Dunedin also had excellent WiFi, no password necessary.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the information on the additional wine packages. If we opt for the 48 bottle Wine Compass package (which is a bottle every 3 days) we would save almost $200 over the regular 7 bottle Navigator package. I don't see that package available yet for 2017. You mention you can buy it before hand and save a little more, do I assume it will appear as time gets closer.

 

Thanks and I am enjoying your updates.

[USN59-79]

Thanks for the information on the additional wine packages. If we opt for the 48 bottle Wine Compass package (which is a bottle every 3 days) we would save almost $200 over the regular 7 bottle Navigator package. I don't see that package available yet for 2017. You mention you can buy it before hand and save a little more, do I assume it will appear as time gets closer.

 

Thanks and I am enjoying your updates.

We took the second half of the 2014 WV. Interesting to note that the wine package prices are the same, although I think they were called Admiral and Navigator packages. I bought the 12 bottle package for $386 at half price for 4-star status. The 15% gratuity is based on the pre-discount price, so the waiter gets the same no matter who buys it. So it came to about $21 per bottle; not a bad price.

[WCB]

Report # 44 Sailing Towards Cairns February 13, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy, rain & 79 degrees

 

Another day at sea turned out to be a wet one. Guess we have been lucky to have had such agreeable weather so far, so some rain has been expected. If today had been a port day, it would have been miserable. Obviously, we had passed Mooloolaba sometime early this morning, not able to stop there. Conditions were so bad, that we never would have been able to tender ashore.

 

However, we would find out that there was an alternate plan for us during the Captain’s pm talk. A new port had been determined as a good spot on our way to Cairns by the name of Townsville. It had everything we need, in particular, a place to dock. Since we have never been there before, it will be nice to explore the town. The most we can hope for is that this storm we are in, actually part of a cyclone, will be gone by Monday. So the plan is to spend Valentine’s Day at sea, and arrive in Townville the following day.

 

Most of our day was spent visiting with friends, walking the deck, and going to a long lunch with Barb. We have sure enjoyed our lunches with her, and the food and service has been excellent in the dining room.

 

We had been invited by Christel to have a 15 minute videoed session with Orlando, the visiting President of HAL. He conducted a series of Q&A sessions with several other passengers, most of whom we knew. We are not sure of the purpose of the interview, but we simply replied to basic questions regarding why we like to cruise. Orlando was cordial, very friendly, and did remember us from last year. Even if nothing follows up with the interview, it was nice visiting with him anyway.

 

At 4:30pm, we were invited to a cocktail party in the Queens Lounge with our entire travel group and hosts, compliments of Orlando and Gerald, the head of the Mariner Society. Also present were Justin, the Director of Pricing and Demand, who continued a conversation with us in connection to the interview. Some very fancy canapes were passed around by the waiters, as were any cocktails we wished. A live band with singers played for the group, which was a nice touch. Sitting with friends was so much fun, we stayed well beyond the hour cocktail time. In fact, the early dinner folks were already beginning to file into the lounge at 6:30pm for the 8:15pm show this evening. They were saving seats, believe it or not. The entertainer this evening was Patrick Murray with Matilda, his lovely dummy.

 

There were only five of us tonight, because Paul and Bonnie were dining with a couple of friends that they ran into yesterday. Long story short, they met quite by accident, not knowing any of them were going on the same cruise. Small world.

 

We watched a movie called Self/Less, a 2 hour flick, that turned out to be good. So here it is, past midnight and time to wrap this up.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Lizzie68]

As always, I am really enjoying your reports, and especially the photos on your blog. Great pics of the Beach party!

[retiredkid]

thanks for the update.

[jig]

People are arriving at 6:30 for the 8:15 show?? When do they have dinner? Does someone sit there the whole time?

[WCB]

Report # 45 Sailing Towards Townsville, Australia February 14, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 85 degrees 53 Pictures

 

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! A few days ago, we got a nice box of chocolate truffles from our travel agency and our hosts. Today, we had 2 red long-stem roses on our bed with chocolate suckers and a nice card waiting for us after breakfast. Nice touch.

 

A normal sea day, this was not. Far from it. We woke up to blue skies and soaring temperatures…..no rain, thankfully. The color of the water outside was finally that aqua-green, an indication we are sailing in much more shallow seas as we travel between the dozens of islands that dot the east coastline.

 

As the Mariner Appreciation Days continue, the morning was dedicated to a special presentation by the President of HAL, Orlando Ashford. It was scheduled for 10am to 11:30am, however, the Queens Lounge was filled on both levels well before that. Cruise director Gene announced the start of the talk, introducing Mr. Ashford to the crowd. Orlando gave a brief thanks to the other CEO’s onboard, as well as thanking us, the passengers for making this all possible. He added that the company must be doing something right to have been in the cruising business for the last 143 years. He’s got a point. He turned our attention to the new ship, the Koningsdam, which will debut this April.

 

With the aid of two videos, he showed us a short clip of the new build, pointing out the ultra-modern design, which is bright and light. It will be bigger and better, so they say. They will offer NY pizza, the largest Queens Lounge dance floor of any HAL ship, a brand new wine blending bar, and a dedicated spot for the Canaletto restaurant. An innovative café will feature farm to table vegetarian cuisine.

 

The ship will be in the port for Rome the same day we will be there. So, the powers to be have decided to arrange the chance for us to visit the ship. That should be fun, since we doubt we will ever sail on that ship.

 

A surprise to all of us was the announcement that HAL is changing its logo of Signature of Excellence to Savor the Journey. Exactly what this means, is still not clear. We have already seen many upgrades referring to the SOE, so most of that work must be complete. Of course, all of the ships, in particular, the ones that are getting older, are always in the process of being repaired or overhauled periodically.

 

We all wondered what the itinerary for 2018 will be? After hearing Orlando’s talk about it, we still don’t know much. He promised it will be westbound, as they have learned that eastbound is not favorable. Whether the cruise will go through the Suez Canal or sail around the Cape in South Africa, we still do not know. What we do know, is that the same head team of Captain Mercer, Henk Mensink, and Gene Young will be back in 2017. It is also possible that we will not be voting on an assortment of different itineraries for the 2018 word cruise. Doubt it ever made a huge difference what we thought.

 

Gerald, the Mariner head honcho, was next. He showed original photos from the very first world cruise on the old Statendam back in 1958. It sailed out of New York City and went eastbound for 110 days. She held 400 guests who relaxed with little to do onboard.

 

He also showed an around the world cruise that took place in 1926, where 500 students and their instructors sailed for 8 months on the SS Ryndam. It was named the University at Sea.

 

He announced that there will be four Grand Voyages in 2017, with the fall Asia/Pacific coming back to the Amsterdam. It will be round trip from San Diego.

 

By 11am, it was time for the question/answer period. Roaming crew members took questions from the audience. Orlando handled most all of these questions. The first one asked was about the poor quality of the internet service on this ship. Orlando admitted they were frustrated by the service, and they were working on it. Truthfully, that was his reply to most all of the questions to come.

 

One person wanted a non-smoking policy to include the verandas. It is being tested on the Noordam already. They are providing space for the smokers, but will stop it on the verandas to see how well it is accepted.

 

One man asked why we don’t go to the Philippines, which we have for two years, as recent as four years ago. He should have asked someone before speaking up.

 

Someone asked why there was not a better venue for religious groups. Few folks agreed with that. That was almost as strange as the person that asked for warmer pool temps. Isn’t that the point of cooling off in the pool? It’s not a substitute for a shower or bath.

 

One lady wanted to know when we will be getting new flat screen TVs. The answer was that they are coming. Hope it is in our lifetime. To take it a step further, we would like the interactive TVS. They are much more practical. Again, they might be coming.

 

Smaller ships was discussed. The smallest in the fleet, the Prinsendam, happens to be the most costly to sail. We will never have another one of those size ships when the Prinsendam is retired. Orlando did mention that she is close to the end of her days.

 

One person said the music played in the lounges was not good for dancing. She was asked if she danced enough at the beach party the other night. Orlando asked how many folks liked that party, but he did not get a standing ovation at all. The clapping was lukewarm, in our opinion. Sure it was fun, but not exactly appropriate to this particular crowd. He claimed 85% of the cruisers liked it.

 

The single ladies, and perhaps some of the married ones, want more cruises with dance hosts. Simple way to attract more cruisers, we think. Many want to see more single person staterooms as well. They are working on it.

 

Someone said that the muster drill procedures are out of date on this ship, and other HAL ships. Guess what? They are working on it.

 

It was Gerald’s turn to answer some questions about the Mariner Club. They want to know if there will be another level added anytime soon. It was suggested that a 1000 day level (6 star) is on the “plate”. One lady would like shipboard credits for spending money in the casino. Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

 

Captain Mercer addressed one inquiry about why the Koningsdam could not be used for a world cruise. He said it was too big to fit in many ports, and he, for one, would never want to take that size of a ship on such a long voyage. We feel that filling it with 2600 passengers would be impossible.

 

Henk, the hotel director, never had a chance to answer any questions, although the question about the air-conditioning should have been his to answer. A lady asked why this ship has been so cold. Orlando laughed, and said he was burning up in his suit in the Queens Lounge. He had no good reply to that question. Perhaps he should have suggested she wear a sweater.

 

With that, the meeting ended exactly at 11:30pm. Good thing, because trivia was starting in 15 minutes, and you don’t mess with trivia.

 

We had an hour before we had to be in the Culinary Arts Center (aka Wajang Theater) for the cooking demo with guest chef, George Geary. Barb and Martha joined us, along with two other ladies. Since this class was announced this morning, the rest of the group failed to show up. Great, more room for us. There were four stations set up on the large counter with ingredients for four different courses to be prepared. All the food we did make, was not for consumption, however. Probably a safety issue.

 

So the two ladies took over the beef in garlic sauce, and the roasted red pepper tomato cream soup. Barb and Martha tackled the basil and lavender scallop dish, while Bill & I took care of the garlic mashed potatoes. The dessert, a chocolate pots de crème, was prepared in the Pinnacle Grill by their chefs, as was the entire meal we would eat in there later.

 

The best part of the demo was using the invection cooktop, a first for us. Instant heat cooked the beef, soup, scallops, and potatoes in minutes, with the help of using the correct pots and pans. Oddly enough, many of the needed utensils were missing, such as spoons, forks, paring knives, and mashers. One recipe called for the use of a blender. Nope, there was none.

 

George gave a little direction, but for the most part, he entertained us with kitchen stories from his work on TV shows he has been on over the years. He did not seem to mind that we had things flying back and forth, like wet paper towels, or bowls and spoons. He knows us and even gets in on the fun himself. The nice thing is that all got very nice Culinary Arts aprons, printed recipe cards, and bottles of water. Not sure why we got the water, but it will be good to take ashore tomorrow.

 

Lunch followed in the Pinnacle Grill. George joined us as the fun continued for another hour. Big mistake, they served us all wine, white and red. That kept us there even longer. The best part was that the class was free for all of us, a 5 star Mariner perk. This was the first time we joined the group, and it was a hoot. Who cared that our mashed potatoes looked like potato soup? Without that potato masher, it was hard to make it smooth. At least we didn’t use our fingers to dump the Dijon mustard into a bowl like Barb did. We almost died laughing because she couldn’t find a spoon. She just said watch this…….then used her fingers. Hey, we were not eating it anyway.

 

We walked after lunch on the promenade deck, but not for too long. It was really hot and humid, and with the wine at lunch, we needed to take a break. Good time to download the morning photos, and cool off in the room.

 

By 4:15pm, the first cocktail party was held for the early diners in the Queens Lounge. We snuck in to the deck five level just to see the decorations. Also, we wanted to see if the President Club members were sitting in the corral. We ran right into Christel, who was watching from deck five, all by herself. She said, yes, the corral was up, so we took some photos. Two of the waiters tried to give us champagne, even though we were obviously in our shorts, they were kind to offer it anyway. We declined saying we would be back later. By the way, the decorations were quite nice, as were the addition of flowers everywhere.

 

Our party began at 6:45pm, and we went early to get our pick of the seats in the corral. Ellen W, a PC friend who is not here this year, refers to the corral as the “best in show”, alluding to the Westminster Dog Show. Yep, it feels that way. Konnie teased the heck out of us when she entered the room. Only she can get away with that. Anyway, we did have nice hors d’oeuvres, the good champagne, and cocktails of our choice. The band played and the cruisers danced before Orlando took the stage to announce awards for some of the deserving crew members. Among the recipients were a kitchen worker, the beverage manager, Willie, the purser, Peter, and a tailor who works in the laundry area. They got a loud round of applause.

 

Gerald, Henk, Stein and Linda Kruse came into our circle to chat with each and every one of us. The time for dinner came quickly.

 

We had company at our table tonight…..the doctor and her better half. She remembered us from several previous cruises, but never had the chance to say hello. We were glad to get to know her better, especially if it was social and not for medical reasons. She agreed. Towards the end of the meal, her partner did a few magic tricks…very entertaining, better than most comedians. We both order the rack of veal, and boy, was it good.

 

Most folks were going to the Valentine’s Day Ball to hear singers Liam John Burrows, an Australian, and Darcy Jones, a singer from Memphis. More complimentary champagne was served there too.

 

Back at our room, we had gift waiting for us. They were heart-shaped Valentine votive candle holders with the HAL logo. They were designed in Sweden, and made in Slovenia. They are heavy, because they are full lead crystal made by Orrefors. Nice gifts.

 

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to this new port…..Townsville.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Lots of good info.

[alibabacruisers]

Thanks for letting us go with you on your world cruise...it is great fun to be able to relax after getting home from work and just imagine being there! :)

[Tampa Girl]

Did they say when the itinerary for the GV Asia-Pacific 2017 would be announced?

[WCB]

Report # 46 Townsville, Australia February 15, 2016 Monday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees Part # 1 of 3 80 Pictures

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the port of Townsville, Australia around 7am. There was not a cloud in the sky, and upon going outside on the promenade deck, we realized the temperature today was going to exceed 88 degrees for sure. The level of humidity has increased as well, making the heat even more intolerable.

 

Gene finally announced that we were cleared by the local authorities, and free to leave the ship by 8:30am. But he had to announce several times not to remove food of any kind from the ship. The ladies had to be careful about the type of jewelry that was worn, such as earrings and necklaces made with seashells, beads, coral, seeds, and wood were not allowed to leave the vessel. One time a hand fan was in our bag, and it had some bamboo on the handle. Think the cute little beagle security dog had found that. They let it pass, but better not to bring it.

 

It was obvious that we were docked in a working container port and NOT allowed to walk out of the port area. It was mandatory to take the complimentary shuttle buses to the city center, which was fine with us. It was only a 10 minute ride. We had a nice breakfast in the dining room first, then headed off around 10ish. Figuring that most of the folks would have gone off by then, we found we were wrong. In fact a snake-like line had formed while waiting for the bus. Half of the people were in some shade, but most were out in the hot sun. It wasn’t long before one elderly lady fainted, while waiting in the sun. Security fellows ran to help her, getting her into a chair, and eventully into the shade. Not sure what happened with her, because the buses were back from town, and we loaded up quickly.

 

Maps had been handed out last night, and they turned out to be better and more complete than what the local information center had. The plan was for the people to be dropped off in the center of town, then take another bus that went in a large rectangle drive, following the Strand, the waterfront road that runs for 2.5 km or 1.5 miles. There were a total of 8 stops along the way.

 

Or, you could walk. That’s what we decided to do. We followed the map which took us to nearby Flinders Street, the historic area of the early Townsville, circa 1800’s. On this strip, there are a total of 25 buildings or parks related to that period. Originally a developing seaport, and more so when gold was discovered in 1867. At one point, the city was the port for five major goldfields, and the major supply center for northern Australia. The sugar industry eventully replaced the gold business. Today, Townsville is the administrative center for North Queensland, but still preserving its heritage from its golden past.

 

The city has a population of around 200,000, and is the second largest in the state of Queensland. It is the commercial port for shipping cattle, timber, fish, boats and maybe still sugar. There are manufacturing facilities, agricultural outlets, and a base for the military. And because the city gets 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s a popular vacation destination for the local Aussies, as well as international tourists. It is advertised that there are 3000 rooms for caravans, campers, backpackers, bed and breakfast vacationers, and resort hotel seekers.

 

As we walked towards the small boat marina, we did notice many restaurants that could be possible stops for us later. Most every place we checked out was closed, we assumed until dinner time. We would find out later that they were completely closed, as in gone out of business. Since we never did hear any rumors from the locals, we cannot comment on the employment in the region. We do know that the cattle shipping is good here, since we were docked across from a ship that transports them out of the area. Cattle trucks came one after the other, off-loading their trailers all day. Wonder what these cows think? Like are we going for a ride? Oh boy. Little do they know where they are headed. We’re thinking McDonalds, Burger King, etc.

 

Our hike took us to the marina, where many boats were moored. There was a nice manicured strip of park with greens and trees, which housed the Anzac Memorial. Close together near here were the Museum of Tropical Queensland and the Reef HQ Aquarium. The museum housed the natural and cultural heritage of North Queensland. The cost to get in was a bargain today at 15% off, the fee was $11 Australian ($7.86 US). And the aquarium is described as the largest living coral reef aquarium in the world. They feature dive shows, a predator exhibit, and an interactive experience dealing with the Great Barrier Reef. The fee to get in for an adult was $28 Australian ($20 US). If you decided to explore both venues, it would take most of your time in port.

 

Since we wanted to see more of the city, we continued on to the Strand, a grassy waterfront promenade with a long stretch of beach, BBQ facilities, freshwater showers and restrooms, pools, and views of the ocean to die for.

 

The beach was beautiful, but there not lone soul on it. Signs were posted that it was not safe to go in the water due to box jellyfish infestation in the water. They are here from November through May. The only safe places to swim are the designated net-proof places along the waterfront. Then there is the Tobruk Memorial Baths with a 50 meter eight lane freshwater pool. The price to swim there was $5 for adults and $3 for kids under 12. There was also a neat water park along the way, suitable for the little ones. In between the fountains that sprayed water, there was a huge bucket that filled to half full, then dumped lots of water that spread out overhead. Finally, there was the rock pool, a tidal swimming area with stinger resistant netting. It is filtered even though it is saltwater. It appeared to be free, opened to the general public.

 

Along this long stretch of beach, there were some cafes and places to serve lunch and beer. We were hoping for pizza, in particular, margherita pizza, but we could not find that on the menus. We decided to check out the restaurants around the bus stop later.

 

Leaving the beachfront, we headed towards the Queens Garden, located below Castle Hill. This monolith is a 945 foot mountain made out of pink granite. We have read that the views from the top are spectacular, and there were trails to hike it. We considered it for a nano second, and came to the conclusion that with the ridiculous heat today, we would be crazy to climb it. We did go to the gardens however. Finding the gate to the Queens Garden, we walked in the most needed shade in the gardens that had been created in 1870. Benches placed under the largest fig trees gave us a chance to cool down. The oldest botanic garden in Townsville, the park consists of 4 hectares ( almost 10 acres). We saw many flowers planted under the shade of frangipani, palms, bamboo, and fig trees.

 

Quite by accident, we stumbled upon a series of cages full of native birds. There were sulfur-crested cockatoos, galahs, Indian runner ducks, peacocks, and bush hens, all in snake-proof cages. They were well-kept, but hidden from sight. Next to the Queens Gardens, we located the Queens Park. Bordering that park, were large trees with giant seed pods that were drying up and falling by the tons. Obviously, nothing eats these huge seeds, so they littered the ground. Being heavy, no cars would park under these trees either.

 

There was little or no breeze in this park, so we headed back down to the waterfront. At least the wind was blowing there. We ran into our tablemates Bonnie and Paul, who were doing the same walk as us, except in reverse. Seems we think in similar ways, having a lot of the same interests. Outdoors, birds, animals, and water sports are common grounds with all of us. They sent us down to the palm trees by the beach to see the red-tailed black cockatoos. The trees were full of these pretty birds, eating the nuts in the branches. Some rainbow lorikeets were among the tree nut diners. They were more interested in the palm tree blooms.

 

Eight kilometers (5 miles) from the shoreline was Magnetic Island, a 20 minute ferry ride from the marina. The fee was $32 Australian ($23 US) for a round trip ticket. We found out later that the Captain and his wife Karen and the Kruses had gone over there for the day. There are 23 beaches there, most of them netted for the jellies. There are also koalas and wallaby living wild there. The island has a lot of history, because it had been a fort that defended Townsville during World War ll. You can rent a car or a scooter for the day on this island.

 

By the time we hiked to the rock pool at the end of the Strand, we realized that the walk back would have been too far on such a hot, hot day. Our water supply was gone, and so was a lot of our time. All aboard was 4:30pm, and it was already 1:30pm. We really wanted to find a place to get some ice cold beers, but it was not to be.

 

A shuttle finally appeared at the pickup point, and we headed back to the drop-off in town. The restaurants we thought would be opened by now, were not. The only option was McDonalds and we chose not to go there. Getting off of the bus, we were directed to stay there and wait for the bus back to the ship. The second bus came, and a group of us filed on it. Instead of turning and going back to the port, this bus headed back to where we just came from. Oh well, guess lunch is out, as we were going backwards. The driver picked up a few more people, then we did head back towards the Ross Creek bridge and the road back to the port.

 

Hot and thirsty, we went back to the coolness of our room, and had a few sodas. Lunch was in the Lido, where many other folks had the same idea. Since we still have some good ice cream in our freezer, we got two ice cream cones, and enjoyed our treat in the room. The ice cream girl got her laugh for the day, since we don’t think she believes us when we say we have ice cream in our room. Actually, it will be gone with four more cones. May have to look for more either in Cairns or Darwin.

 

The sail away began after 4:30pm. Leaving the coolness of our room, we were surprised to find that it had not gotten cooler by now. It was still muggy and in the 90’s we bet. Very few people were at the aft deck….it was sizzling out there. We could still see some of the larger jellyfish swimming around the aft of the ship. Odd creatures, they are. We also watched more cattle trucks delivering cows to the waiting ship across from us. Surprisingly, there was no odor coming from that vessel as the Captain had warned this morning.

 

Tempting egg rolls were offered at the sail away, but we knew dinner was at 7pm, and did not want to fill up here. The ship was away from the shore with the pilot boat following closely behind us. Once past most of the outlying islands, some local fellows got off on the pilot boat, but we suspect we still have one while sailing through the barrier reef islands on the way towards Cairns.

 

As long as the day was, it wasn’t over yet. We had an invite to a President’s Club Dinner from Orlando Ashford and his wife, Samantha. Other special guests were Captain Mercer and wife Karen, Arnold Donald and his wife Hazel, Stein Kruse and wife Linda, and Gerald Bernhoft, our friend and Director of the Mariner Society. Henk Mensink took the final spot at the long table in the King’s Room. There was a total of 10 members at this dinner, most of whom we know. Lucky for us, we were seated with Linda Kruse, and friends Don and Barb. Across from us was Orlando and his wife.

 

As soon as we were seated at our pre-assigned places, a gift was presented to us, announced by Gerald. It was a nickel-plated silver tray, reminiscent of the first world cruise gift given back in 1948 on the old Statendam. Our tray has the Amsterdam’s image stamped on it with the 2016 World Cruise printed under the ship. Nice momentum of this special evening.

 

The menu was interesting. Everyone but one of us had a fish with spinach starter, a tiny morsel of food. One of us had a cheesy substitute, which was better. Mary Ann is not a fish lover, nor can she eat any shellfish….allergies. The next course was a caviar tower with apple slices and a half of a quail egg. The substitute for this was little green eggs (gelatin) with apple slices and egg. A shrimp plate with roasted artichoke with curry oil was next. Little slices of a suspicious hot pepper was placed on the artichoke. Better to not eat it, than be sorry if it turned out to be habineros (SP?). My substitute was a delicious veggie eggroll. The main was a piece of roasted rack of veal, broiled lobster (carrots and cabbage) with a mushroom puree, buttered leeks, and forbidden rice. Don’t remember seeing the rice. Each course was announced by Master Chef, Rudi Sodamin, who has joined the ship while the CEO’s are visiting.

 

Red and white wines were served until it was time for dessert. This was a basket of chocolate treats, a candy basket full of pudding, and surrounded with fresh berries. Really good. Coffee served in Versace cups and saucers ended the meal with a plate of chocolate truffles on the side. This was as good as it gets, in our opinion. The evening ended at 9:30pm, which was still close to our regular time.

 

Showtime was a singer by the name of Patrick Mc Mahon, with songs from Kenny Rodgers, Neil Diamond, and Johnny Cash. Gosh, right up our alley, but we were so tired and hot, dressed in our formal clothes, we called it a night.

 

Looking forward to our next port of Cairns, which happens to be tomorrow. Sure hope it is slightly cooler tomorrow………

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for another great report. That dessert sounds very much like the one we had at the Captain's dinner on the Westerdam. Delicious!

 

You two must be very fit given the amount of walking (hiking!) you do in every port.:)

[erewhon]

Thank you for your interesting reports.

[ekka49]

From someone who lived in Townsville for 8 years, I would like to tell everyone following your blog,that your report card on Townsville was very accurate in every detail. The only thing you missed was our Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was in Townsville on the same day

I will be visiting Townsville next week for a family reunion.

[WCB]

Report # 47 Cairns, Australia February 16, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 90 degrees Part # 1 of 3 80 Pictures

 

Our port of call for today was Cairns, Australia, also known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First sighted by Captain James Cook on June 10th, 1770, which happened to be the religious day of Trinity Sunday. Cook named the inlet Trinity Bay, which has remained to this very day.

 

By 1876, gold was discovered, with the settlement of Cairns the main city. The inland railroad was built in 1885, making Cairns thee main center. Today it is the tourist capital of Northern Australia.

 

So what is here to see and do? Number one is the Great Barrier Reef. A typical tour to the reef would include a boat ride to a permanent pontoon, where you can snorkel, dive, go in a submersible vessel, or even go on a 10 minute helicopter ride from the pontoon. Shore excursions had an 8 hour tour for $300 that did include lunch. Not bad considering that a helicopter ride out to the reef and back again would set you back a whole lot more. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $859 for a a seven hour day.

 

You can leave town and head for the mountains on the Kuranda Railway, built in 1882. Deep gorges, rugged mountains, waterfalls, bridges, and tunnels can be seen on the way to the Kuranda Ranges.

 

You can tour the Daintree Rain Forest or go to Crocodile Park, and see huge “salties” jump many feet in the air to gobble a chicken.

 

We have gone on two different reef tours over the years. One was great, but the second one could have been disastrous. It was a “wall” dive, where the coral and fish were on a vertical sea wall out in the reef. There was a dangerous hidden riptide that we failed to recognize. We soon found out why there was a rope to hold onto while swimming over this wall. Letting go of the rope to follow a huge sea turtle was a mistake, since we ended up being swept far away from the pontoon. By the time we looked up from the speedy turtle, the pontoon was a speck on the horizon. We did swim until we made it back to the rope, but it took an hour. At least we did not have to be hauled into a zodiac boat by the backs of our swimsuits, like some other swimmers had to be. We informed all of our friends that were headed out to the reef to please read the warning material they give you on the boat.

 

We had been hoping for a cooler day in Cairns, but it was not to be. In fact, it was even hotter, if that was possible. Even by the time the ship was docked in Trinity Bay at 8am, we bet the temperature was already headed above 90 degrees. To make the heat worse, there was barely a breeze.

 

And we had company……the Pacific Princess was docked right in front of us. She is considered a small ship at 30,277 gross tons. Transferred over from Renaissance, she is the former R Three, and was redone in 2002. There are from 688 to 826 passengers, who are described as a mature crowd that likes the “English country house” décor the ship offers. We think she is on their world cruise like we are……..a little under 100 days we hear.

 

We headed out after a light breakfast, around 10am. Cairns Central Shopping Mall was our destination, since it has a shave shop that sells old-fashioned double edge razor blades. Good ones , at that. We cannot find this brand at home, unless we go online to order them. The best part of the walk in town was coming to one of the main streets, where huge trees are filled with fruit bats. Totally creepy, these unsightly creatures hang upside down, and fan their wide wings to keep cool. It appeared that these trees were alive as the bats fought to create a cooling breeze.

 

Many of us were standing outside the dripline to get photos, when a local gal came along and said these old trees were going to be taken down soon. Apparently, some of the businesses, in particular, the restaurants, were complaining about the unsanitary mess these birds make on the sidewalks. Got to agree, it is disgusting, but that has always been the personality of this town.

As these trees are removed, the concentration of the bats on the remaining trees got heavier. As we walked to the corner of Aplin and Lake Streets, we paused to watch the bats as they flew from tree to tree.

 

That’s when we saw a most fascinating event happen. A very large sea eagle appeared from one of the trees, also flying into the trees with the bats. Out of the blue, a siren went off, like from an ambulance. That sent hundreds of the bats flying overhead. Suddenly, the sea eagle attacked a large bat, taking it down to the ground, fatally injured by the bird’s talons. Happened so fast, we almost missed it. As the eagle sat on the ground with its kill, a couple of brave magpie larks pecked at the sitting bird, trying to drive it out of the area. We suspect that these birds had a nest nearby. The eagle flinched, but did not move.

 

A curious crowd had gathered by now, watching like we were and also taking pictures. It made the eagle nervous, so it finally flew with the dead bat to a high tree branch. It’s possible that the eagle had a nest in that tree as well. He or she would have a constant source of food, that’s for sure.

 

Time to head for the water and the Esplanade, where you can walk the bay for quite a long ways. Trying to ignore the heat, we followed the water’s edge to take photos of the shore birds feeding in the low tidal pools. We decided not to go all the way to the mangroves, because the small camera was not the best for taking the shots in the distance.

 

We turned and went back towards the marina and the shallow saltwater swimming lagoon, where many people were already cooling off in the waters. Sure looked inviting, but we had to head for lunch. There is a restaurant near the ship that serves excellent pizza. Finding that it was not crowded yet, we took seats in the breeze and under a fan. We had ice cold beer, while we waited for a margherita pizza. It was just as good as we remembered it.

 

It was still early when we went back to the ship, but it sure was nice to cool down for an hour, downloading photos from the morning. We left again by 2:30pm, but armed with the good camera this time. One positive thing was that a strong breeze was blowing by now, helping to make the heat of the day tolerable. So we back-tracked, taking close-up pictures of the fruit bats, the esplanade, and all of the water and shore birds.

 

On the way back, we took a different path, and came across a small store. We bought a couple of ice cream cones, and sat outside of the cruise terminal finishing them.

 

Not wanting to be the last to board, we walked to the entrance and ran right into Gerald B, Mariner Director, as he was leaving for the airport, and eventually home, which is Seattle. We say eventually, because we believe he and the CEO’s are going to pay a visit to the new ship, Koningsdam, while it is in Venice at the shipyard. We sure do hope that a visit will be arranged for all of us while we are both in the port for Rome in April.

 

Just as we got to the line to get on the ship, some of the CEO’s and their wives were arriving back to the ship after a day trip to the reef. The two fellows, Stein and Arnold are leaving the ship also today, so they needed to clean up and get a ride to the nearby airport. Guess we won’t be leaving too soon after the all aboard time of 4:30pm.

 

Guess who we ran into on our way back? Sir Pat, as we call him, or PapaKu, as the crew calls him. Pat D has been our tablemate, and lives in Cairns. We figured that if he was not cruising himself, he would make an effort to board this ship. Spending the afternoon in the Crows Nest, he met up with dozens of folks that know and love him. Perhaps he will consider joining the Amsterdam next year on some segments.

 

Boy, did that air conditioning feel great after a day of unrelenting heat. We went to the sail away, and shared the fun with Bill and Leta. They have invited us to dinner tomorrow, so that should be nice. Some tasty snacks were passed around the deck for a change. They were breaded ham and cheese, hot and really good with a honey-mustard dip. Martha was looking for Bob, who happened to be late getting back from the reef trip. One good thing, he was not worried about missing the ship, because his tour was booked through shore excursions. Private groups may not be so lucky, as the Captain will not wait too long beyond their leave time.

 

Dinnertime came quickly enough, with the three of us sharing our dinner event with the rest of our group. They were curious as to the type of food we were served. Did we mention that we ate the first course out of a sardine can? That was different…..We also found out that a special celebration was taking place in Townsville yesterday. Apparently it was a milestone date that the city was formed, and there was going to be a fireworks display, as well as other festivities, when it got dark. The officials had invited us to stay, but we needed the time to get to Cairns. So the offer was politely declined. Too bad.

 

During the sail away, Captain Jonathon gave his PM talk, including some info on the reef sailing the next three days. We were supposed to anchor at Sherrard Island overnight, to take in the sunset and sunrise on the reef. It’s not going to happen, although we could not hear the exact reason for that. All we know is that this has never happened when it has been on the itinerary a few years ago. We will be sailing directly to the final stop in Australia….Darwin.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS By the way, our buddy Olaf, came from the big box discount warehouse at home. And the reason the amaryllis did so well has to be the amount of light and heat we get in the room. Speaking of heat, the air-conditioning on the ship is having problems keeping all the areas equally cool. It’s always a problem with excess heat and humidity.

A correction in yesterday’s report…..the Statendam sailed her first world cruise in 1958, not 1948.

[alsas]

When you describe everything it beautiful especially the ICE COLD BEER,

[ScottishMaid]

Looks like you have 3 sea days from Cairns to Darwin. On the Volendam last October during the Circumnavigation cruise we had 4 sea days which allowed us to leave Cairns an hour later, anchor at Sherrard for 12 hours, and arrive at Darwin at the cooler time of 6:45 am. It was 84 at Cairns, around 80 and breezy when at anchor and 84 at Darwin (felt hotter since humid) according to the Cruise Log.

[WCB]

Report # 48 Sailing Towards Darwin February 17, 2016 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 89 degrees 45 Pictures

 

Today was slated as being the start of a Great Barrier Reef Experience. We were supposed to have scenic cruising on the way to Sherrard Island for an overnight anchorage. The point was to see the sunset and the sunrise on Sherrard Island. Well, that changed, when it was announced that due to the distance to Darwin, our next port, we would not be able to stop overnight. In fact, Captain Jonathon added that Sherrard isn’t really an island, but it is an underwater coral garden.

 

This cancellation was not a surprise to us. The same thing happened back in 2012, we think, when the entire reef itinerary never happened. Further information was that it would cost too much to do an anchorage that included overtime and the necessity of running an extra generator. In our way of thinking, shouldn’t that have been factored into the equation at the beginning of the cruise?

 

The scenic cruising we did today was actually pretty good. The reef pilot took us close to deserted islands, and sand banks as the ship zig-zagged most of the day as we headed north. Thank goodness for a strong breeze blowing, because it sure was hot out today. We photographed every island and spit all morning and afternoon from the aft deck. Occasionally, a local ship or freighter passed by us. We did expect to see some wildlife, but all we saw were a few birds, and some jumping fish in the ship’s wake.

 

We have been so busy catching up with reports and photos that we have missed giving news on the ship’s events. New people have joined such as the speakers. Andrew Johnson has begun a series of talks all about tourism. Today his topic was tourism’s positive potential contribution to the local environment. Melvin Foster has come onboard to talk about the convict history of Australia. Mel was on most of the Tales of the South Pacific last fall. He is quite savvy on the subject of sea fare history and piracy. The guests really liked his presentations. Today his subject is about the first settlers of Australia: the swindlers, doxies, debtors, and thieves. Bet that is not boring…….

 

It appears a new guest chef has taken George G’s place. Her name is Janella Purcell, and she will begin her cooking talks today at 11am. Not sure what her specialty is yet.

 

Barbara H, our port lecturer, talked all about Darwin today. Hope her talk is on TV later. Every time we have been to Darwin, we have taken a different tour. So we do not remember what the town has to offer for those of us on foot. Guess we will find out when Barbara’s talk is repeated on the TV later.

 

We had an invite to dinner tonight with Bill and Leta. They have a table for two, but it is a 4 person table. Like our group, they always like fixed seating, but not upstairs on deck five. We helped them to secure this location when we were here last fall. Since there are fewer late seating guests, it was not a problem getting their table.

 

Dinner was great. We ordered the ginger pork, and were not disappointed. Our hosts, Wendy and Steve, happened to be joining Del and Konnie next to us. They said that the Pacific Princess will be in port the same day we will be in Darwin. There is a couple on that cruise that we all know. Interesting comparing their perks with ours. Seems they get a lot of free internet on that ship, and they said it was fast. Go figure…..

 

The entertainment this evening was a trumpet player by the name of Gary Guthman. Doubt we will go, but are sure to get a report from our tablemates tomorrow. They go to everything.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[alsas]

Can you post where to go to view your photos?