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

[cruz chic]

Thx for tge update.

[spookyfudge]

Bill and Mary, enjoy your trip, love the reports and photos. Will use your blog to try to get wife on one of these!

[lindaler]

Report # 15 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 14, 2016 Thursday Partly cloudy & 78 degrees

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS For those who may be interested in photos, our son has created a blog site, and will post from time to time.

 

Here is the site:

 

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com

 

We checked out the photos and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the link to the website. Your son did a great job.

[NMLady]

We had the pleasure of meeting Bill And Mary Ann, quite by accident in the Azores last year. We have been reading the reports of their world cruises for years. Thanks for taking the time to write these reports, it helps to get us through the Western New York winters. I have one problem with the blog in that the pictures do not look like the Bill and Mary Ann we met, not even close. Are there two Bill and Mary Ann on this cruise?

 

IIRC on last year's World Cruise I think there actually was another Bill and Mary Ann. I vaguely remember a comment about it at the beginning of that cruise in one of the blogs. Evidently you met the other couple.

Edited January 16, 2016 by NMLady

[WCB]

Report # 16 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 15, 2016 Friday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees

 

By the end of today, we should have completed the halfway mark to French Polynesia. Sure makes all of us realize the massive size of the Pacific Ocean. For days now, we have been very far from any land or islands. The only birds we have seen are four boobys that have seemed to hitched a ride with us from Panama City. At night, they are perched on the flagpole of the bow, and during the day, they are flying around the ship, and diving in the waves and wake for flying fish. These fish are few and far in between. Someone asked us if we might see whales. But we believe most of the humpbacks have headed south last fall, and are already in the feeding grounds of Antarctica. We still keep watch just in case there are a few strays.

 

Today, we thought we’d cover the activities that involve food and drink in one way or another. Not the regular meals served all day, but events that offer food demos or drink making. One such cooking show was held today in the Wajang Theater/ Culinary Arts Center that featured Gene and show chef David taking on head chef Paul and event manager Mark. Making different dishes, they battled to see what team might come out ahead.

 

There was a sign-up for a Saturday Signature Cocktails Mixology Class, where you can learn to make the specialty drinks they serve on the ship. The price is $12.50 to indulge, but free to watch. It will be held in the Crows Nest.

 

Another sign-up took place yesterday for a complimentary wine tasting if you make reservations for a dinner in the Canaletto Restaurant. We still have not eaten in there, although, we have talked to many folks who either love it or hate it.

 

Yesterday, there was a cooking demo in the Wajang on how to make stocks and sauces. Show Chef David was the host, and from what we have seen from watching his previous shows, he is a very accomplished chef, considering how young he is. Soup stocks and gravies are two areas that this staff excels.

 

An activity called Sip and Savor takes place at the Wine Cellar most days at 5pm. This cellar is really a small cubbyhole across from the Wajang, near the Pinnacle Grill. If you walk through on deck four, you’ll find people eating canapes or cheeses while drinking a variety of wines. The cost is $5 per person, not a bad price for wine and food. Since there are a limited number of seats, the group is small.

 

Have you ever heard of a “foodie fight”? Well, they have them here occasionally. We have never gone to one, so we don’t know what it involves.

 

We listened to Barbara H’s talk on Rangiroa, our second stop in French Polynesia. Since we were recently there, we recall every part of the atoll. This time we hope it will not be raining. Also, we hope the stop will not be cancelled, as it has been on some past cruises. The tides are a huge factor whether or not we get into the lagoon.

 

The guest speakers talks continued. One was all about mysterious and elusive sea creatures, and the other one dealt with the history and effects of going from sail to steam on the old ships.

 

Most of our day was spent at the pool. Even though we are crossing the Equator, the weather has been pleasant. Yes, it is warm, but not as sticky this time of year. There was even a nice almost cool breeze outside this afternoon. What has us all laughing is the fact that the time changes are not really correct. Sunrise has been somewhere around 4am, with the sun setting at 4:30pm. We don’t know the reason why, but we have been setting the clocks back daily now for four days. Tonight has the change of ½ hour back. That will put us on Marquesas time. What has occurred is that most everyone is experiencing tiredness, especially in the late afternoon. Many passengers were sunbathing today, but were secretly sleeping. The snoring gave them away. Sometimes, you simply have to give into it, and catch up on the sleep. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to get sick. And we sure don’t want that.

 

Dinnertime brought us back together for another fun evening. Fish and chips was the popular entrée tonight. And the entertainers were the four Brits named the Jack Pack, imitators of the Rat Pack. Just a way younger version. Their shows filled the Queens Lounge at both show times. We knew they would be good.

 

Cannot believe we have been on the ship for 10 days now. As always, the time is slipping by rapidly.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[roberts2005]

Thanks for your detailed report. Love your details on the ports. I file some for future reference

[cruz chic]

Thx for the information. I enjoyed reading it. I've heard the mixology classes are fun.

[WCB]

Report # 17 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 16, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy, rain & 83 degrees

 

Well, rain sure was not in the Captain’s forecast, but it is here anyway. It remains extremely muggy, and we seem to have a following wind. The Captain explained yesterday, that once we dipped below the Equator, we picked up a current that is helping us maintain a speed over 19 knots. That is good because we still have several more days at sea before arriving to the Marquesas, and the folks are getting restless. And, oh my gosh, the chefs are running out of fresh berries. The first to disappear were the blackberries, and raspberries. The whole strawberries became halved, then quartered, then gone. Doubt we see any now until we arrive to Papeete, when we get a big delivery to replenish the supplies. In the meantime, we still have plenty of blueberries and ripe bananas. Sure makes breakfast a pleasant way to start the day.

 

We took the opportunity to straighten out some misunderstanding concerning the delivery of champagne to our room, a President’s Club perk. Seems that some of us have fallen through the cracks, and were not on the list at the beginning of this cruise. Making inquiries from the chain of command, we started with the rep of the Mariner Society onboard. Still no luck. She asked us to deal directly with the beverage managers. Still no dice. So after four days, we decided to go to the man in charge of all departments, Henk, the hotel director. He was unaware of this, and took care of the deliveries within ½ hour. The bottles of bubbly are no longer MIA. On previous trips, this has never happened. Perhaps it was a computer-related problem, who knows.

 

Have we mentioned that there are at least seven kids on this cruise? They range in age from one to pre-teen. We have seen the little ones with their grandparents and mom. Seems so strange to see strollers on the promenade deck……..quite the opposite of the walkers and wheelchairs. The leader of the HAL Club and his team conduct activities during the day for each age group. We spotted seven of the kids going to the ice cream counter to get cones yesterday. Someone also told us that the deck fellows provided a blowup kiddie pool for the toddlers near the Dive In Grill. What a nice idea, since diapered babies are not allowed in the regular pools.

 

We spent some relaxing time sitting under the cloudy skies at the aft pool today. Intermittently, the rain came down in a mist, cooling us off. By 2pm, the rain became heavier, so we decided it was a good time for lunch. While we were eating in the Lido yesterday, a very friendly waiter came over to us and introduced himself. His name is Zulu, short for a long hard-to-pronounce Indonesian name. When we told him we had been on the Tales of the South Pacific last fall, he was surprised, saying he doesn’t remember seeing us. His job is in the Lido during breakfast and lunch, then is a waiter in the Canaletto in the evenings. Since we eat in the dining room most days, our paths have never crossed. Guess he will see a lot of us now, because of the sandwich bar with full service.

 

There were two football games on TV today, and they were added to channel 39 in the Sports Bar and in our rooms. Nice that they can get that feed for us. Hopefully, the same will go for the Superbowl next month. We are not sure how that day will be planned, because it appears to be the day we will be in Melbourne, Australia. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

 

Today’s subject for activities are the Grand Dollar Events, where participants receive DAM Dollars just for showing up to these events, or competing in them. For example, The Good Morning Amsterdam show at 9am on sea days draws a big enough crowd to fill the Wajang Theater. These folks get some Dollars to attend. The amount varies, depending on how many people attend.

 

Later in the day, a series of sports events take place around the ship. They can include basketball free throw, ping pong, bocce ball, silver bucket challenge, food fight culinary trivia, team trivia (wildly popular), shuffleboard, tic tac putt, and pub trivia. You can get some useful prizes by saving a lot of these Dollars. If nothing else, they are a good incentive to get folks out and about having fun.

 

A fun event is the “Whatever Floats Your Boat” Competition. The announcement went out today for all amateur or professional engineers, architects, and builders to sign up for sea trials later in the voyage. Everyday items are available to design and construct a vessel that is sea-worthy in one of the hot tubs. It’s always a kick to see what some folks can conjure up

.

We were invited to a VIP Party in the Queen’s Lounge along with other high day mariners and people on deck seven. We had planned on going but got hung up on the Packers-Arizona NFL Playoff Game.

 

The La Fontaine Dining Room was dolled up this evening for a Tropical Paradise Dinner. Colorful palm trees and hanging parrot mobiles brightened up the room. Little bouncy palm trees were on each table, and certainly found their way to people’s rooms after dinner. Knowing we liked them, our waiter, Wuhyu, took a couple of birds down, then gave them to the ladies at our table. We will hang the bird in our room by the window to give a splash of color to our growing garden. By the way, our room stewards are getting a kick out of watching the sunflower seeds grow by the day. Even one of the narcissus is pushing out a bloom already. Must be the constant light they get.

 

Speaking of light, the sun has been rising shortly after 3:30am, then setting at 4:30pm. Something is not right here, and we think we know what it is. For some unknown reason, we have done the time changes too soon to put us at the correct time for the Marquesas. We assume it was not the original plan, because the daily newsletter has the sunrise and sunset times off by an hour. The real times are on the ship info channel on TV. If you don’t check it, you miss the sunset, which happened to be rather nice tonight. Thought we would never say this, but there was no time change tonight, and we were thankful.

 

A dance team called Dance Trance entertained the crowd this evening with dance styles from around the world. Mostly Latin numbers, it was like watching Dancing With the Stars in person.

 

Three more days to go before we step on land.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. It's too bad a person has to go so far up the food chain to get issues resolved.

[WCB]

Report # 18 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 17, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees

 

Being that today is Sunday, we felt it would be the appropriate occasion to share the religious options on this ship. Actually, these services would be offered on every ship, we believe.

 

The Catholic mass was celebrated at 8am with Father Louis in the Wajang Theater. In the smaller Hudson Room, the Interdenominational services were held, also at 8am with Reverend Aaron Sutton. Finally, at 9am, Rabbi Robert Gan conducted people and events which shaped the Jewish journey. This was held in the Piano Bar. On three different cruises in past years, we have had the pleasure of sharing our dinner table with a Catholic priest, a minister, and a French Canadian Catholic priest. The first time we never knew the older gentleman traveling with his nephew was the pastor of a church in Marin County, close to where we live. He chose to blend in with the rest of us by not wearing his traditional collar. He felt it might inhibit the conversation with the rest of the tablemates. Eventually, we all guessed his profession, and he confessed. From there on, he shared much info on the workings of the church and the business end of running a parish. Sure was interesting.

 

Then we met the ship’s minister and his wife when we joined their table on a Seabourn world cruise. They both shared stories of what it was like to be sailing during the holidays with some passengers. The minister stated that it could be the most depressing time of year for some folks who have no family, and choose to sail the seven seas during that time. It became his job to counsel these troubled people……sometimes bringing him down as well. Never thought about that before then.

 

Finally, we met a most delightful French Canadian priest who traveled extensively. He was retired, but joined cruises as the ship’s priest. Many times, he went as a passenger. What a wealth of stories he had at dinnertime. We have kept in touch with him for dozens of years now, although his sailing days are over due to declining health.

 

When we went to the dining room for breakfast, the waiters were setting up for a traditional Sunday Brunch, which would start at 11am and end by 1pm. The offerings were the classic brunch items you would expect, but also seafood and sliced meats and pastries. Barb always goes to this affair, mostly because it happens only once a month. She was escorted to her table, then proceeded to fill her plate. Part way through the meal, another couple asked to join her. Although they had never met before, they turned out to be very nice. Speaking of new people, it has been really great meeting new folks on this trip. About half of the regulars are not on this trip this year, maybe because the itinerary is so similar to last year’s cruise. That could account for the larger number of younger passengers, who took advantage of a good deal when they saw it. That is, the lowering of the cruise fares. That was nice for all of us.

 

There were two more football games broadcasted on TV today. We got so caught up in yesterday’s second game with Green Bay and Arizona that we missed the VIP cocktail party with the Captain and his staff in the Queens Lounge. We think this affair was for the 4 and 5 star Mariners, as well as suite guests and the President’s Club members. We heard that we could have ordered any cocktail of our choice if we did not wish to drink wine or champagne. Oh well, maybe there will be another one before this trip is over.

 

Someone asked us today about the art auctions onboard. On the Tales of the South Pacific, the auctions were held daily. Can’t say that we have noticed much activity in that area yet………but we certainly will. Their ads are on our room TV’s, and the art desk is set up on deck four across from the Wajang Theater. The paintings are on display on the walls there, so we bet the auctions will be hot and heavy well before people get off in Sydney.

 

A different type of game show was held tonight at 7:30pm in the Queens Lounge called “Call My Bluff”. We understand three panel members (staff) give outrageous answers to definitions of obscure words. It’s up to the crowd to decide who is telling the truth. Bonnie, our tablemate, went to the show, and said she never laughed so hard ever. Said it beat any comedy show she has seen yet. Back in the 80’s, we went to a similar show on a Princess ship. We still remember some of the weird words that came up, and the super funny answers that were given. Did you know that the word “fartures” really means a stuffing that is served with a traditional turkey dinner? See, we never forgot that one.

 

There were only four of us at dinner, because Paul is a bit under the weather. Seems he feels a cold coming on, and did not want to share it with all of us. He was missed, but to help him feel better, his wife Bonnie brought him a sweet dessert with a bowl of blueberries. Sweet.

 

We did not attend the show this evening, which was a gal named Sarah Chandler, a saxophonist playing classical to pop music. Perhaps we can catch it the second time around.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[GeorgesGal]

Thanks for today's installment. I'll be following you all around the globe! ;)

 

Donna

[retiredkid]

Great update. Oh! I wish we could do a WC!

Just have to be content to live vicariously.

[flatcircle]

A different type of game show was held tonight at 7:30pm in the Queens Lounge called “Call My Bluff”. We understand three panel members (staff) give outrageous answers to definitions of obscure words. It’s up to the crowd to decide who is telling the truth. Bonnie, our tablemate, went to the show, and said she never laughed so hard ever. Said it beat any comedy show she has seen yet.

 

Wonder if "Call My Bluff" is one of Gene's favorites. He was our CD twice and each time they played the game. Best show we've ever attended, too.

Thanks so much for sharing your adventure. As we suffer through this current winter weather, it's nice to read about someone enjoying favorable weather and having a great cruise!

 

Marge

[Himself]

Thanks for keeping us up to date on your amazing voyage.

[JamesEM]

DW and I saw the show a few year back on the Amsterdam and it was funny.

[ekka49]

Thank you for your WC updates we are following with great interest.

We are doing a WC with Princess in 2017

[WCB]

Report # 19 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 18 2016 Monday Partly cloudy & 84 degrees

 

Busy, busy, busy…..that’s the name of the game on these days at sea on our long haul to the Marquesas. The weather has continued to be muggy and hot, as we are still sailing within 4 degrees of the Equator. It has impacted how many folks utilize the lower promenade deck during the day. There’s no lack of teak lounges available on this deck, where many people like to camp for the day. It is not unusual to see the ladies and the fellows reading, working the daily crossword puzzle, or simply visiting with other passengers. Needlepoint, knitting, and crocheting are projects that are done outside. Perhaps the abundance of daylight helps the crafters to see better. Then there are the daily walkers, who seem to be pretty much the same group every day. We are among that group.

 

The Tahitian team showed the folks how to tie the sarong today. Their classes have been very early in the Lido Pool, well before it gets too hot. We don’t know how people can tolerate that extreme humidity in there during the heat of the day. That’s probably why they had an activity that got the sunbathers wet playing poolside games. Everyone that participated in the games today got a free tropical cooler drink. Grand dollars were given out as well. That always draws a crowd.

 

Barbara H. talked all about Moorea, our port of call after leaving Tahiti. We did get some inside info that the ship will not be dropping anchor in Cook’s Bay, but will go to neighboring Opunohu Bay instead. The sail into Cook’s Bay is stunning, and very recognizable because it has been used in many famous movies over the years. We have been lucky to view the sail in any times on other cruise lines, mostly smaller ships. However, at Opunohu Bay, there is a better boat landing for the tender boats, and the souvenir stalls have been updated to a large permanent structure to keep the vendors and people under a roof and out of the sun and rain. Some tours are offered from here as well as shuttles and vans to shops, swimming, and hotels. So for us, this is better.

 

Today we all received a packet of arrival and departure cards for Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. Each country has a different set of cards with various questions to answer on them. Most of the details are pre-printed on these cards, but we have to fill in some blanks. That would include immigration questions like how much foreign money are you bringing into the country, or have you been on a farm recently, or have you been convicted of a crime in these countries.. The correct answers seem to be NO to all of the inquiries. Some of these countries we will visit will require a visa. The only ones we got ahead of time was for Australia. The rest that are required will be blanket or group visas, which will be charged to our shipboard accounts. On past cruises, we met some people that bought all of the visas themselves, thinking that they would save money. However, what they did not take into account was that we might not get to all of the ports. If there are cancellations in some countries, then visas are not needed. The important ones that not everyone has to get involve going on overlands such as to China or India.

 

While listening to the Captain’s daily talk at the pool, we discovered that we are situated between the footprints of the signals from different satellite feeds for the internet. Simply put, this is about the area that we lose the South American feed and start getting the Asian feed. Expecting spotty and unpredictable service, the decision was made to shut down the system until it was stable. The Captain said this was an inconvenience, but far better than attempting to log on, and spending valuable internet minutes to find out you will get nowhere. We totally agree, and appreciate the Captain being upfront about this touchy situation. You might be shocked how riled up some of the passengers get with internet at sea.

 

One aspect of sailing are the shipboard sales. Sometimes they seem endless, but that is the business end of the cruise industry. The shops onboard are often having special unveilings of jewelry and watches, etc. Tanzanite has been featured, and now we got a flyer on pearls. There is a collection of pearls from Australia now, and we suspect they are South Seas pearls. They can be exquisite, but expensive. Many of the upcoming ports will be selling the pearls, but if you do not know how to tell if they are genuine or not, you can depend on the ship’s sellers to give you quality products. There is a highend jewelry shop called Merabella, which is on all of the ships. It’s a place where if you have to ask the price of the items, then you cannot afford it.

 

Another popular product sold here are the Swarovski items. There was a talk all about the world’s leading crystal cutter in the Sport’s Bar today. Again, they are beautiful, but pricey.

 

Clothing, specifically the HAL logo t-shirts, hats, and jackets are put on sale periodically. It is not unusual to find tables of these items displayed at a reduced price. And the higher Mariner status you have, the bigger the discount you get.

 

One of the biggest money-makers on the ship is the Greenhouse Spa, where a huge variety of services are offered to everyone. The usual services are here such as haircuts, coloring, shampoos and setting. But they take it much further, and advertise frangipani scalp massage, hot stone or bamboo massage, foot and ankle massage, hydrating facials, and hair pampering. Some of these treatments can run 75 minutes and cost $139. And that’s a special. Hair pampering can set you back from $69. That would buy you a scalp treatment including a scalp, neck, and shoulder massage, finished with a wash and style. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?

 

A few folks may have taken them up on this offer today in order to look stunning at the third Gala Dinner. We were invited to the first cocktail party with our travel group in the Explorer’s Lounge at 7pm. We really refrained from shaking hands, since our host, Tom M announced that he was coming down with a cold. That is not good. Something must be spreading quickly, because our tablemate Paul was struck with the same thing yesterday. Well, maybe the good scotch whiskey and the smooth bourbon will keep us sterilized and bug-free. For most of the party, we visited with Dr. Ed and Becky, who we met several years ago. This is the first time they are sailing with our travel group. We looked for friends Bill and Leta, but they were seated in the corner, and out of sight. Eventually, they joined us before the hour was up.

 

We had company for dinner, an officer by the name of Marco from Sardinia, Italy. Since it was another Gala night, we were happy to learn more about the workings of the engine rooms on this ship. Marco said he would see if he could get permission to invite all of us for a private tour of the engine room on this ship. We have seen that deck on the Rotterdam back in 2009, but never here. What we remember the most are the tight quarters, the excessive heat, and the constant noise. Had a new respect for the fellows that work down below after that tour.

 

Anyway, the menu was different tonight in the way appetizers and entrees. There were frog legs, but no caviar. Barb always orders a handful of the tiny salty eggs, but so far, they have not shown up on the menu. The most ordered entrée was the grilled lamb chops. We added a baked potato to the plate. They were tasty, but nowhere near the quality of the chops you get in the Pinnacle Grill. However, we were pleased to find the cappuccino bomb on the dessert menu. No, not really a bomb, but a dark chocolate-covered ice cream ball. Fairly close to those “Mickey Bars” we had on the Disney ship last year. That dessert was the best part of that cruise for both of us.

 

Showtime brought the singers and dancers back to the stage this evening. They performed a top-notch operatic show that the audience loved.

 

When we got back to the room, we had two books waiting for us. Written by Paul Theroux, The Happy Isles of Oceania, was the gift for each of us. It is one of our favorite books, having read it several years ago. It is a delightful story of the author paddling his kayak between the various islands in the South Pacific. He gives an insight into the Polynesian society in an amusing way given his situation.

 

We have one more full day until we can finally stop writing “sailing towards Nuku Hiva”, as we will finally be there.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[retiredkid]

excellent update!!!

[WCB]

Report # 20 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva January 19, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 83 degrees

 

Today is day eight sailing towards the Marquesas, and there are many things happening out and about to keep the folks busy. When we went to the front desk this morning, there was a line from the Wajang Theater all the way around the atrium and down the staircase. Gosh, hope this wasn’t for turning in the landing forms we had to fill out. We do know that each and every form would be checked for correctness and signatures, and that would take time. Well, it turned out to be simply a grand dollar event, the million dollar golf putt with the cruise director Gene. The participation has to be due to the fact that it has been so hot and airless outside, that the passengers do not want to leave the comfort of the air-conditioning.

 

We had some sprinkles this morning, adding to the humidity. As long as the rain doesn’t get heavier, we’ll be happy. Not sure what tomorrow has in store for us in Nuku Hiva. We have been there when it was warm and sunny, but also when it rained cats and dogs.

 

In continuing the discussion on ship sales, we should mention an important area is Future Cruise bookings. If you zero in to a special trip, you can get some nice shipboard credit and a reduced deposit on that cruise. Usually the deposits are refundable if your plans change, but it is a win/win deal in our opinion. This year a very nice couple are the Future Cruise Consultants, Joanne and Michael. Quite often they will have a presentation in the Wajang Theater where they will preview some very interesting and diverse cruises. That is how we ended up with the idea of seeing places like Greenland, Iceland, Antarctica, and the Amazon.

 

The Photo Gallery is one place we seldom go. You have no idea how many photos we have collected over the years, so these days we pass on the photo shoots. The group of photographers on this particular trip are very polite and unobtrusive, which is nice. If you want a posed portrait, you can find these settings in many spots on deck five, especially on gala nights. Another promotion that generates some sales for the ship is their photo contest. You can submit photos taken from this trip for a small fee. The categories are water, sunsets, and landscapes as well as some other subjects. Not sure what the prizes will be, but we’ll keep you updated. This contest will be decided February 9th.

 

We have not mentioned the number of bands onboard. There is Adagio, a duo of a violinist and a piano player. They perform in the Explorers Lounge from 6 to 10pm. If we are not wrong, there used to be three of them. The Neptunes are in the Ocean Bar before each dinner time, and again from 9 to 11pm. Their music is more ballroom-themed. Dance hosts are there for the ladies too. Oasis is the name of the band that plays in the Crows Nest, again before each dinner time, and again from 9 to 11pm. Finally, the Piano Bar entertainer is Debby Bacon, who plays something different every evening. She is most popular with the folks that like the sing-a-longs. Reminds us of the Mitch Miller Days, not that we remember it that well, as we were pretty young back then.

 

Today turned out to be a movie day for us. Two good ones were playing, The Judge (excellent story and acting) and The Intern, a fairly new movie, also good. The sun had partially come out later in the day, but since it was so hot the last few days, we thought it might be good to take a break from it. Poor Leta. She and husband Bill had visited with us a few days ago, and after spending perhaps ½ hour at the aft pool, Leta had a souvenir of a sunburn on her neck, arms, legs, and feet. Proves that a high number sunblock does work. You cannot go outside unprotected in this part of the world.

 

After listening to the music at the Ocean Bar, we went up to watch the sunset. There were way too many clouds on the horizon to get even a glimpse of the sun tonight. Looks like we might be in for some rain tomorrow.

 

There were only four of us at dinner tonight. Barb was invited to a birthday dinner for her friend Don. While eating our entrees of chicken salad and a particularly good tenderloin plate, we got to know our new guests even better. Both of them are so nice, and also so happy to be on their very first world voyage.

 

The show tonight was a singer and impressionist named Robbie Howard. His performance included impressions of the stars of the Las Vegas circuit. Don’t recall that we have seen him on prior cruises. We can say that the shows have been diverse for this length of days being out at sea.

 

Tomorrow, we will be on terra firma.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Looking forward to more.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for the updates, hopefully you will have nice weather for tomorrows visit.

[WCB]

Report # 21 Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia January 20, 2016 Wednesday Chance of rain & 79 degrees

 

Well, finally, after about nine days at sea, the Amsterdam arrived to the Taiohae Bay of Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia. As a special welcome to this part of the South Pacific, the Polynesian Location Team performed a ceremonial dance on the bow of the ship at 9am. The crowd grew as we got closer to the island. We have had a similar experience when arriving to Bora Bora on previous trips, because the scenery is so stunning. Unfortunately, we will not be stopping in Bora Bora this time, so that’s probably why they planned this ceremony for today. Even nicer, they had a table set up with cold juice and trays of Nuku Hiva rolls or as we really know them……Panama rolls.

 

While there, we happened to have a chance to talk to Henk M regarding the priority tender service card we had received earlier in the trip. We thought it was odd that the directions for debarking for the President’s Club had changed. Apparently we had gotten the wrong card that said we had to go around the line in the hall on deck one, present our card, then get in line with the rest of the crowd, who were 4 and 5 star members.

 

The way it works for the President’s Club members was always for us to get escorted by a staff member, who takes us to an inside elevator. We call them the “secret” elevators. That way, we enter the waiting area on deck A, take a chair, and wait for the next tender boat. It is so much better than being paraded in front of the crowd, and taken down the stairs. Does not make you popular, so we don’t do it. After we asked Henk about the change, he checked with his wife Christel, who said the cards we had gotten were incorrect. By the time we got back to the room after the ceremony, a new card had been printed with our names on it, and a message was left on our phone for us to meet her in her office before going ashore. Now that is what we call efficient and very thoughtful. Later on at dinnertime, we found out Barb had gotten the same note, as well as a follow-up phone call of apology. Seems that many of our group had gotten the wrong info.

 

Here’s another little bit of info we gathered today. For weeks now, we have been meaning to ask why the guest lecturers do not have their talks re-played on the room TV’s. Henk M immediately contacted Gene, who let him know that the policy had been changed, and the talks were no longer allowed to be repeated during the day. Some kind of legalese reason. We assume it is fleet wide. We certainly did not expect an immediate answer, but both fellows moved quickly to answer our inquiry. Under pressure, Gene, the CD, was trying to hold the passengers back from crowding the hallways and landings, waiting for the ship to be cleared. No one was obeying his orders. He still took a moment to explain the new rules for the lecturers. He’s got our vote.

 

We heard that there was going to be a medical debark today of a person that needed to be flown to Papeete to the hospital there. We think that is the second one to leave the ship for a serious condition. We heard it was a heart attack, but cannot verify that. Too bad.

 

Now that we have entered French Polynesia, here are a few facts. The population is spread over five archipelagos: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Australis, Society Islands, and the Gambiers. The total number of islands and motus is 117, and they are spread over an area the size of Europe. Pretty impressive. Since the distance between the archipelagos was so great centuries ago, each area developed a different culture with specific traditions.

 

The best time to visit is from May through October, which is considered the cool and dry season. We agree. It was by far more pleasant last November when we stopped here. Today, you could have swam through the humidity it was so high. Even though rain was in the forecast, it never happened. Of course it didn’t, because we packed the umbrellas all day.

 

Nuku Hiva has trails to hike or horseback ride, valleys to see with vistas and waterfalls, and villages to visit. You can build up an appetite for raw fish with coconut milk (poisson cru), or Mediterranean-flavored carpaccio and Asian sashimi. The drink is Hinano beer, and their slogan is: take it slow. A random fact: 300,000 tiare flowers are picked daily in the islands for flower leis and fragranced coconut oil.

 

The island of Nuku Hiva is 127 square miles, the largest in the Marquesas, and the second largest in French Polynesia. We think the island of Tahiti is the largest. Taiohae is the administrative capital of the Marquesas with most of their buildings dedicated to that purpose. The village of Taiohae is quite pleasant with friendly natives, roaming horses, and many archaeological remains from the past. The highlight is the Cathedral of Notre Dame des Marquesas, full of wooden statues carved from sandal wood. There is also a tribute to author Herman Melville who lived here for a short time, and a cemetery dating back 100’s of years.

 

There was one tour conducted by the ship that took the folks on a drive to the interior of the island, past some archaeological sites, to a few villages and beaches, and back to Taiohae. The price? About $130. for 3 hours in a non-air conditioned 4 wheel drive on bumpy roads for 3 hours. We sort of got the impression few people booked this tour. In fact, you could have bought a similar tour right from the visitors center for $30 to $50 per person.

 

Going to shore on the very first tender boat was a good plan today. We beat the crowd, and could take our time walking the village and the shoreline like we always do. It was early enough to catch some of the fishermen casting their lines at the pier. They had already caught enough red snapper for their dinner. Sometimes, when you hit the island at the right time, you may see the guys cleaning the big fish, throwing the scraps in the water, which attracts the sharks. A few years ago, there was an invasion of the predators in the bay. We could see the dorsal fins of these sharks from the tender boat as we headed for the pier. That was sobering, and also a good reason to stay out of the water while here.

 

Our hike took us to the nearby restaurant where the passengers were already jamming the free internet. A few shops were busy nearby, as was the veggie and fruit market. We spotted some of those tasty bananas they grow here, and told the vendor we would be back to buy some later. Can you believe $2 for 16 bananas?

 

We made our way to the Cathedral of Notre Dame des Marquesas. It is a most unique church, built with rocks from all of the Marquesan islands, and filled with sandalwood carved statues resembling the natives. The acoustics in this wooden church are also well-known. Bonnie told us that she happened to visit the church when the singing group, Jack Pack, were trying out the song, Amazing Grace, inside the cathedral. Brought her and one other lucky lady to tears it was so moving. Funny, that’s not the first time that a singing group from the ship has done the same thing. It happened last year also.

 

By the time we got to the end of the main road, we had passed by the sites and taken at least 100 photos. The prize at the end of the road was hiking up the hillside to the Keikahanui Pearl Resort, where we totally enjoyed several ice cold Hinano beers with two Mediterranean Italian paninis with crispy, hot French fries. Since this spot has been eliminated from the ship’s map, there were only seven of us up there taking in the vista of the beautiful bay where the Amsterdam sat at anchor. Surrounded by many yachts and colorful racing canoes, it sure was a moment to remember. The conservative infinity pool was sure inviting, but we had not come prepared to take a dip in the water. Truthfully, we could have gone into the pool with our clothes on it was so hot and sticky, but there were two darling youngsters swimming in there, and we took pleasure in watching them dive and splash for an hour. Oh how nice to be so young and carefree. All too soon, we had to begin the walk back to the tender boats. The last boat leaving was 5:30pm, and we sure wanted to get back before that.

 

It was surprising how many folks we stopped and chatted with that we have known from other cruises. Passengers and crew members. We all agreed that this port was a delight…..so laid back and not touristy….a great way to begin our South Pacific portion of the grand voyage.

 

Just as we had planned, we picked up those little bananas, and the nice vendor gifted us with huge, ripe mango as a bonus. While we waited in line for the next tender, we listened to the native band that included drummers and scantily-clad dancing Marquesan dancers. The young ladies seem to be quite proud to display their elaborate tattoos of geckos and flowers that seem to undulate as they dance Tahitian style. So exotic.

 

As the boat passed in between the anchored yachts, the people onboard waved as we watched them hanging wet clothing on lines to dry. Some were scrubbing the decks, or polishing the brass. Others were fishing from the decks. What a way to spend their lives on the seas.

 

Coming into the air conditioning on the ship was a touch of heaven. The sail away began around 5:30pm, where the crew offered the drink of the day, the Polynesian Cooler for $6.50 along with marinated chicken skewers. The Polynesian Location Team mingled with the guests dressed in full island costumes. As they strolled the deck, they handed out fragrant frangipani blossoms to the ladies. We heard that they will be onboard until Tahiti, where they leave and probably join another ship. The folks have really enjoyed their stay here.

 

We all had stories to share at dinnertime. We had heard of another passenger accident, when someone got hurt while on the shore excursion. That require another visit to the local hospital, but at least that person was able to come back to the ship all bandaged up. The choices of courses were good tonight. Green pea soup and a pho soup were tasty. We had entrees of Chinese noodles, chicken breast, and a particularly tasty pot roast with mashed potatoes. The beef must have been filet mignon, it was so tender. We did keep dessert light.

 

The heat and humidity had gotten to most of us, so we ended the evening by 9:30pm. The entertainer was Pete Neighbour, a trumpet playing jazz artist. His show was good, but we found it difficult to make it through to the end. Captain Jonathon had mentioned during his sail away talk that we may be in for some showers tomorrow on our way to Rangiroa. It may turn out to be another movie day.

 

And we did get another ½ hour back on the clock this evening. This time, we did appreciate it.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[sandikin]

I believe the issue with televising the guest speakers' talks may have to do with controlling when they are replayed. As a guest speaker myself, I am always very happy for my talks to be aired while I am onboard. However I have seen other speakers' talks aired after those speakers have disembarked. This would cause an issue with copyright, and perhaps it became difficult to ensure this never happened. It is a shame they had to stop showing the talks on tv as I know many enjoyed being able to watch them.

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for another great report. Interesting stuff about the tender process, and timely with another thread on the forum right now. I just love that you do not like to flaunt your President's Club status, though I bet there are quite a few of you on board right now.:)

[spookyfudge]

Thanks for the great updates!

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app