Join Pete and Judy on their FIRST World Cruise on the Amsterdam

[The-Inside-Cabin]

A fine looking bunch. Any word how open dining is going?

 

 

I heard a few growing pains as some long timers were used to specific fixed tables in the lower dining room. I heard most were accommodated.

 

However it seems to be working itself out. Late seaters have little impact regardless. Will check it out more later.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We attended the Good Morning Amsterdam show live again this morning. Special Guests were the Finkel family. The two brothers, Xylophonist Ian Finkel and Concert Pianist Elliot Finkel were joined by their 93 year old father, Fyvush Finkel. They were a big hit again and highly recommended if you ever come across an opportunity to see their show.

 

After the morning show and before our scheduled slot pull, I wasted time trying to get a consistent internet signal to upload the latest posting. I finally gave up and went to the slot pull at 11 am.

 

The slot pull morphed into a traditional slot tournament run by the Casino. Each participant would get two turns pulling the handle with the highest 6 competing for one of the 3 winning slots. After the first two qualifying rounds we had our top six and they battled for the top 3 spots and won some cold cash. A good time was had by all. Even the non-winners received a complimentary beverage while watching the finals.

 

The afternoon craft class had us constructing a beach square scrunchy to help you keep your towel on your beach chair. Sewing was required and even though I didn't know much about sewing, I managed to muddle through with Judy's help.

 

Afterwards I managed to complete uploading the blog while listening to the Wii bowlers compete in the background up in the Crow's nest.

 

We spent a lazy afternoon in the cabin rearranging stuff to get ourselves a little more organized.

 

Dinner was wonderful as usual and the service continues to excel.

 

After dinner we enjoyed the show with Bobbie Eakes, an internationally known singer and double platinum artist.

 

Tomorrow is our first port and we will be up early, so I have to be wrapping up here sooner than later.

 

Stand by for a report on Puerto Limon tomorrow.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Free wifi on the tour bus! 1 hour bus ride not so bad after all.

 

Here is a pic of raw chocolate beans

Edited January 9, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[ShannonSC2]

I love the new Delta planes. We flew on one from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale in November. It was nice and had that fresh look to it.

 

Love your report. Never even thought of a World Cruise but this makes me want to do one after the kids are out of college. At least something to work up towards.

 

I hope you guys have a great trip. Looking forward to reading your blog and you guys posting more updates.

[cruz chic]

I'm enjoying your updates and your blog. I'm happy to hear you have some free internet. It sure helps.

[h20skibum]

Following along. What an enjoyable read each morning. I had been reading at the inside cabin, and just found this cruise critic thread this morning.

 

Have a wonderful voyage.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Following along. What an enjoyable read each morning. I had been reading at the inside cabin, and just found this cruise critic thread this morning.

 

 

 

Have a wonderful voyage.

 

 

The posts are similar, but more photos and other stuff on the blog...thanks for following

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Beautiful day here in Puerto Limon.....no humidity perfect temps.....just finished great Whitewater rafting tour

[jig]

What level and did you have to paddle? Or did you sit back and enjoy the ride? We stop there next year and like rafting but can't paddle.

[cccole]

WOW is all I can say about reading your daily posts and your blog. Do you find that walking around the ship to all the activities is good exercise so that you do not have to watch what you eat too often?

 

You mentioned that 75% of the passengers are repeat WCers. I also follow Jeff's blog because of his positive approach to travel and one of his comments was that there are more "newcomers" on this WC (this is his 10th) than any other. He notices it particularly on the pool deck. It surprises me that with just 25% first timers the tone of the cruise is a bit different. His was not a negative comment, just a different view.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking us along. "We" are certainly enjoying the adventure. Cherie

[Traveller1]

Thank you for posting--we've just found yr posts too and are also reading yr blog..great stuff!

Wendy & Al

[boaterette]

Thank you so much for posting your experiences. I am enjoying the read.

[erewhon]

Just found this great thread, thanks for reporting from the World cruise.

 

Wishing you both a fabulous cruise.

[kandj05]

WOW is all I can say about reading your daily posts and your blog. Do you find that walking around the ship to all the activities is good exercise so that you do not have to watch what you eat too often?

 

You mentioned that 75% of the passengers are repeat WCers. I also follow Jeff's blog because of his positive approach to travel and one of his comments was that there are more "newcomers" on this WC (this is his 10th) than any other. He notices it particularly on the pool deck. It surprises me that with just 25% first timers the tone of the cruise is a bit different. His was not a negative comment, just a different view.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking us along. "We" are certainly enjoying the adventure. Cherie

 

May I ask his CC name? I enjoy following live reviews.

 

And, OP...you are doing an outstanding review. Thank you for taking the time to do it.

 

Also, thank you for your service!

[candbgirl]

Jeff doesn't post his stuff on CC. He has his own blog but unfortunately I can't remember what it is. Amazing adventures I think. He has tons of pictures that are really beautiful. Have you checked out WCB's blog? They do post on CC. They are on the same WC as Pete and Judy!

[superoma]

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/ will get you to jeff's blog. You can subscribe and get an email when there is a new post

 

Don't use the / at the end, not sure why it appeared in the URL when I copied and pasted.

 

Jeff posts some amazing pictures.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited January 10, 2016 by superoma

[h20skibum]

Jeff doesn't post his stuff on CC. He has his own blog but unfortunately I can't remember what it is. Amazing adventures I think. He has tons of pictures that are really beautiful. Have you checked out WCB's blog? They do post on CC. They are on the same WC as Pete and Judy!

 

Would it be this one?

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, was our first port of the Grand World Voyage. Puerto Limon is on the east coast of Costa Rica and is not a very touristy town. There is a small tourist market set up near the pier, but most of the stores in the small town seem to cater to locals as opposed to tourists or cruise ship passengers.

 

We arrived at 7am and were cleared almost immediately. There wasn’t any immigration procedure we had to follow, nor was there any agriculture or other inspectors present on pier. If they were there, we didn’t notice.

 

Before each port they provide a small folding card, copy on the blog, under daily activities that gives the name of the port agent & phone number, current exchange rate and some helpful phrases. I always like having the name and number of the port agent in case you are delayed or need to get in touch with the ship while in port. If you are delayed and call, they may or may not wait, but your chances are better if they know your situation e.g. are you are in a taxi 5 minutes away or still in San Jose.

 

The ships photographer was taking photos on the pier using a life ring as a prop. We love taking these pictures, but I think they would do more business if they had better props, like a giant banana or something. Many passengers shun these pictures like the plague and maybe it wouldn’t matter, props or not. Fine with us as there is never any line and pictures help us recall pleasant memories when we view them years later.

 

Blue skies and puffy clouds accompanied the pleasant temperature as we walked the length of the pier to catch our tour bus for the HAL organized White Water Rafting tour. I normally don’t take ship tours as their markup usually exceeds their enhanced value. In this case, the difference between this tour and the ones I investigated prior to departure was only about $10. There were not many, if any, vendors on the pier selling private tours. They may have been there, or maybe they were sitting outside the security area, but there presence was not obvious.

 

There was about 16 people on the tour, the bus was the right size and not too crowded. Better yet, the bus had free wifi. No one announced the free wifi, so always ask, or look for the wifi symbol.

 

The 1 hour drive went pretty quick as we were able to catch up on email. Along the way, we passed banana and coca bean plantations as we drove thru a very rural area most of the time. You wouldn’t take this drive for the scenery, but it was OK. Along the way our guide provided some interesting commentary and passed around big pod that contained coca beans.

 

About 15 minutes from where we would enter the water, we stopped to change our clothes and put ALL of our belongings inside our bags we would leave on the bus. The HAL shore excursion booklet did not explain that you should bring a swimsuit, a towel and water shoes or shoes you wouldn't mind getting wet. We brought a swimsuit, but not the right shoes or towel.

 

The white water rafting was very nice and exciting enough. Probably two notches above a Disneyland ride, but it was fun and all the excitement most of us needed. We floated about 13 KM down the river and traversed numerous rapids. There were 8 people and the guide in each raft. Each of us was equipped with a hard hat, life jacket and paddle. You will definitely get wet. A camera in a plastic bag would come in handy as there were numerous spots you could have pulled it out to take some pictures as long as you could stow it for when you were bouncing thru the rapids. We were on the water about 90 minutes.

 

We saw some monkeys, a sloth and some pretty birds are both shorelines as we passed by. Our guide had an eagle eye and spotted a slot in a passing tree. We paddled to shore and secured the raft while he climbed a tree with a passengers camera to take a picture of the sloth up close. He went up 20 feet and got some amazing pictures.

 

After we got out of the water and back in the bus, we realized we needed a towel, not so much to dry off but to sit on, so water wouldn’t soak into the bus seats. But is wasn’t too bad and we managed without a towel.

 

Back at the changing station we enjoyed some complimentary light snacks, before heading back to town.

 

We arrived back in town at 2:30, with an all aboard at 3:30, so we spent an hour wandering around the town and in 1 hour we probably saw most of it. Other folks mentioned there was a pretty church worth visiting, but we missed it.

 

We bought a few post cards and a key chain. We collect key chains from all our travels and use them as Christmas Ornaments instead of more traditional ornaments. They bring back good memories and our guests always find it interesting to browse our Traveling Christmas Tree.

 

As we walked down the pier we passed a very energetic duo playing the Xylophone. For a small tip, they let me join in and release my inner Finkel (who oh by the way will be playing again tonight). I pounded the bars alongside them, trying, unsuccessfully to get a good jam going, but I failed miserably and definitely need a lot of practice.

 

The sail-away was lively with discounted frozen drinks and wandering waiters with trays of appetizers. What was missing was a live band and singer. They certainly have enough of them on the ship, and why they can’t produce them for the sail away is a mystery. Not a huge deal, but live music is always better than taped.

 

Back on the ship we received our invitation to the Captains Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill for February 29th. The invitation stated this was a one-time deal and could not be rescheduled, but I suspect that they would probably make some exceptions depending on the circumstances. Fortunately that date works for us and will not occur on one of the times we will be off the ship. A copy of the invitation will be on the blog under Daily Activities.

 

Dinner was a joy as always and the service continues to be exceptional. Late seating is probably ½ to ¾ full which helps keep things moving.

 

The Finkel brothers did an encore show tonight. Outstanding. Typical attendance (light) for a late show, but enthusiastic. The Father was in the back and did not perform.

 

Big day tomorrow as we transit the canal and then anchor outside Panama City for the night.

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to the Gatun Locks and the Panama Canal. You are drafting behind Zuiderdam...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And out into Gatun Lake...

 

[Skoogs]

Thanks for your posting, pictures and blog. The river rafting is a favorite excursion of ours. I hope the river was "high" and your trip long.

I look forward to your next update.

[TiogaCruiser]

Fabulous thread and blog.

 

And thank you to EssiesMom for posting the pix in the locks.

[DeeniEncinitas]

So fun!!!!!!!!!!

Did the white water rafting several years ago and loved it!

Photos are great!

Denise:)

[candbgirl]

Would it be this one?

 

 

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/

 

 

That's it!

[jig]

Enjoying your blog. Nice to read it from the view of a first timer. Af few years ago there was another one, legally blond. She disliked almost everything. She was so happy to get off. Pictures are real nice. You kinda answered my question by saying they gave you paddles.

Will keep reading everyday. We read all of them. We are 4 star so know the run of the ships.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Welcome to the Gatun Locks and the Panama Canal. You are drafting behind Zuiderdam...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And out into Gatun Lake...

 

 

 

Closing in on the last set of locks.....spending a lazy day in the cabin...

 

Tonight is Panama Hat Night in the MDR