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

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 22, Avatiu, Rarotonga

 

We arrive off Rarotonga with great expectations for wonderful port visit. The weather was beautiful, with pleasant temperatures, no humidity and seas that were calm enough to put the tenders in the water.

 

The Cook Island officials arrive to clear the ship and the crew starts to rig the tender platform in preparation for commencing tender operations. Gene announces that tendering will commence soon.

 

After about 20 minutes the Captain announces that tendering in our current position on the north side of the island is impossible and they will move the ship to the west side of the island where they expect the swells to be less. Since this will delay anyone going ashore by 2 hours, they are going to extend the all aboard by two hours from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

 

 

Since the tenders were already in the water, the Captain elected to have the tenders follow the ship to the new location rather than haul them back aboard. The orange tenders bobbed behind the mother ship as we traveled the 5 miles to our new spot. It reminded me of young ducklings following their mother.

 

While we were moving to our new location, I spoke with the Cook Island Officials who had already arrived onboard to clear the ship. They indicated that their clearance process consisted of reviewing the paperwork about the passengers, crew, cargo and reviewing any passengers who may be ill and if they have communicable diseases. The process was largely a formality for cruise lines like Holland America who have established good relationships over the years. They mentioned that our Captain was out of the norm in that most cruise ship captains in their experience would not bother with moving the ship to the alternate arrival location but would have cancelled the port and moved on.

 

We don’t anchor here at Cooks Island because the water is far too deep – over 4000 feet – so the ship hovers in place by using her thrusters and propulsion pods to stay in place as guided by the onboard computer. The change in water depth is easily seen as the deep water is a very dark blue, but the shallow water near shore – no more than chest deep is a light green, very clear, with the rocks and reefs along the bottom easily visible.

 

Tendering starts again around 10:30 and our ticket number, Blue 22 was called about 11:30 and we proceeded to deck A to board the tenders. It took till noon for us to load the tender and leave the ship. We were travelling with our dinner mates, Rick and Margaret, and planned to play miniature golf at a place called Coco Putt.

 

Coco Putt was about 1 mile down the road and we asked a taxi driver for a price for the trip. $50 NZD was the answer which was pretty steep for a one mile cab ride. I counter with $20 and he comes back with $40 but he doesn’t seem that interested in making a deal, so we decide to walk since the weather is perfect. The walk was quite pleasant but we noticed that the city busses that circle the island were never seen till we almost arrived at Coco Putt. We learned that they come by about once an hour, so while inexpensive, knowing the schedule was important to minimize your waiting time.

 

Coco Putt is a 18 hole miniature golf course, similar to the old Putt Putt courses in the USA years ago as opposed to some of the more modern mini golf course that have elaborate hazards and course layouts.

 

The course was challenging enough and fun to play – it took about 1 hour. It started to get hot toward the end of the round and we were glad to be wrapping up and ready to move on to our next activity.

 

We had about a 15 minute wait for the next bus that would take us downtown and it arrived few minutes late. However, once onboard the driver informed us that but the time we arrived downtown – 4pm, all of the shops would be closed and there would be nothing to see. We elected to get off by the tender landing, visit the vendors and head back to the ship.

 

There were only a handful of vendors, selling some jewelry, pearls, sarongs and some flower head leis. Judy picked up a head lei and we got in line for the tender.

 

This is where we heard about TENDER 9. After we were safely ashore, Tender 9 strayed from the channel and ran aground on the reef in shallow water. The tender was full – 120 people – and was stuck for over 3 hours until it could be freed with the assistance of some tugs that arrived from the city. While waiting for the rescue, many passengers elected to don a life vest and wade ashore in the waist deep water. The Captain waded out to the tender carrying a case of water to the passengers that remained onboard. While we didn’t witness any of these events, we heard many favorable comments about how the situation was handled by the ship’s officers.

 

The tender grounding caused massive delays in follow on tenders resulting in the cancellation of all afternoon shore excursions. Once everyone was onboard that Captain announced that everyone would receive complimentary wine with dinner tomorrow evening. We did notice that on our return tender there was a ships officer closely supervising the coxswain who normally works alone guiding the tender. I spoke briefly with someone who was stuck on TENDER 9 and they were in remarkably good spirits.

 

We were joined for dinner this evening by Adam and Lisa Press, who will be singing and playing the piano in a few days. We enjoyed their company very much and are looking forward to their performance. I knew that the Lido serves the same food as the MDR, but I didn’t realize that they display the food plated for serving in the LIDO. See the picture on the blog. This reminds me of restaurants in Japan that always had full size replicas of their meals in the windows along the street.

 

Bobby Brooks Wilson, son of Jackie Wilson of Motown fame, presented a very entertaining, high energy show, singing the hits of the 50’s and 60’s. He was very good and this performance also showcased the house band and made you appreciate how talented they were as well.

 

We are heading south to New Zealand, 4 days away, and will cross the international date line along the way…

 

More pictures on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Have fun! Thanks for including us on your cruise.

[Hflors]

Pete and Judy, thank you for sharing this cruise with the "rest of us". I love how you have such a "new" appreciation for all of it.

 

Please let me ask a question. I am having a hard time with your blog. I can't find the pictures. Can you or someone else show me how to pull them up on your blog? I go to the blog and even click on the day/date and all I get is a map with an over head pic of where you have been.

 

Thank you so much for doing this.

Helen

[roberts2005]

Pete and Judy, thank you for sharing this cruise with the "rest of us". I love how you have such a "new" appreciation for all of it.

 

Please let me ask a question. I am having a hard time with your blog. I can't find the pictures. Can you or someone else show me how to pull them up on your blog? I go to the blog and even click on the day/date and all I get is a map with an over head pic of where you have been.

 

Thank you so much for doing this.

Helen

 

For me I click the box below the most recent picture and the blog shows up with the pictures.

[sppunk]

Full tender. One tender ran aground - passengers stranded for hours - no injuries. - all safe...more later

 

 

YIKES! Some promising quartermaster's career was just cut short.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Pete and Judy, thank you for sharing this cruise with the "rest of us". I love how you have such a "new" appreciation for all of it.

 

 

 

Please let me ask a question. I am having a hard time with your blog. I can't find the pictures. Can you or someone else show me how to pull them up on your blog? I go to the blog and even click on the day/date and all I get is a map with an over head pic of where you have been.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for doing this.

 

Helen

 

 

On the first page you can scroll down to the latest post till you see "view more"

 

 

Then click on view more....

 

Or if you click on one of the opening pages markers, the latest post us red, a small box will pop up, click on the words "Day XX " and it will open the applicable post..

 

 

When the zoomed in Map appears, scroll down....clicking here won't work any more...

 

 

Clicking on a picture in the post will bring up a bigger picture...

 

Glad you enjoy the posts here and the pics on the blog

Edited January 27, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Duplicate

Edited January 27, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[Vict0riann]

Wow, what an adventure for those people stuck in a tender for 3 hours! And what a great Captain to really go over and above in moving the ship, and then taking water to the "marooned" passengers! We will be visiting Rarotonga in April and hope for similar treatment - not the getting stuck in a tender, of course. :D

 

We will be there on a Sunday, and we hear there's not much going on on Sundays. Did you happen to notice if the Coco Putt was open on Sundays?

[sppunk]

Wow, what an adventure for those people stuck in a tender for 3 hours! And what a great Captain to really go over and above in moving the ship, and then taking water to the "marooned" passengers! We will be visiting Rarotonga in April and hope for similar treatment - not the getting stuck in a tender, of course. :D

 

We will be there on a Sunday, and we hear there's not much going on on Sundays. Did you happen to notice if the Coco Putt was open on Sundays?

This was Captain Mercer's first time in 5 attempts to ever land there (according to his blog). I wouldn't get my hopes up super high for stopping! :)

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Wow, what an adventure for those people stuck in a tender for 3 hours! And what a great Captain to really go over and above in moving the ship, and then taking water to the "marooned" passengers! We will be visiting Rarotonga in April and hope for similar treatment - not the getting stuck in a tender, of course. :D

 

 

 

We will be there on a Sunday, and we hear there's not much going on on Sundays. Did you happen to notice if the Coco Putt was open on Sundays?

 

http://www.cocoputt.co.ck. It says they are open daily

Edited January 27, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Attending morning lecture by Joseph Kess on "Peopling the Pacific"

 

[Hflors]

On the first page you can scroll down to the latest post till you see "view more"

 

 

Then click on view more....

 

Or if you click on one of the opening pages markers, the latest post us red, a small box will pop up, click on the words "Day XX " and it will open the applicable post..

 

 

When the zoomed in Map appears, scroll down....clicking here won't work any more...

 

 

Clicking on a picture in the post will bring up a bigger picture...

 

Glad you enjoy the posts here and the pics on the blog

 

Thanks again. I believe I figured out what I am doing wrong. (I have to scroll down with my mouse, not by touching the screen) anyway it is so much more enjoyable to be able to see your pics.

 

Again thanks. I look forward to each and every post

Helen

[cccole]

Captain Mercer appears to be exceptional, I hope I will be on a cruise with him in the future. Navigating the reefs of the South Pacific islands is a challenge in a catamaran, I can't imagine a cruise ship and tenders. Just loved the tenders following behind the mother ship. Your posts on CC and your website continue to exceed our expectations and are fabulous. I so appreciate your posts when arriving at a port. It makes me feel that I'm onboard and can't wait to see what we do. Cherie

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 23, Sailing toward Waitangi, New Zealand

 

Swells continue to keep the ship in constant motion as we push southwest toward Waitangi, New Zealand. I haven’t noticed anyone complaining of seasickness, as it is pretty mild as far as ship motion goes, but you can definitely tell you are no longer on land. We have traveled over 7300 nautical miles since we began our journey January 5th.

 

Good Morning Amsterdam was an ½ hour early today to avoid conflicting with a crew fire drill. I think many people didn’t realize they moved it up a half hour as the room was never full and there were plenty of seats available when the show began.

 

Today’s guests included the Maori On Location team, known for their fearsome Haka Dance that was made famous by the “All Black” New Zealand rugby team. They surprised Gene when they leapt to their feet after being introduced and began performing a beautiful song with a choreographed dance that was not fearsome at all. The team members are very big and with their expressions and tattoos, appear quite fierce even when sitting still. This song and dance burst that bubble as the song was gentle and welcoming. They have a wonderful sense of humor and traded playful jabs with Gene throughout the interview.

 

Next up was Bobby Brooks Wilson who was on his way to the US Navy Officer Candidate School when a series of Kidney Stones resulted in his medical discharge. Now out of the Navy and down on his luck, he found himself in a Honolulu Karaoke Bar where he was encouraged to sing by some of the local Hawaii Artists who frequented the bar. His talent was obvious and they encouraged him to pursue a singing career. The rest is history.

 

The two new guest speakers are gaining a loyal following. The morning lecture by Joseph Kess, “Peopling the Pacific” was an interesting review of the many different cultures and civilizations in the south pacific. While he uses many slides in his lecture, he keeps the talk moving at just the right pace. Don’t make the mistake of saying, I will just stop by for a second, because before you know it, you will be hearing him wrap it up at the end of 45 minutes. If only all my old college professors were as interesting as Joseph.

 

The Wajang theater hosts many events during the day and this morning I attended my first Cooking demo hosted by Donna with guest chef David. A copy of the recipes is available on a table as you enter the theater which was about half full when the demo started. David would be preparing Green Lipped Mussels with Fennel & Tomato plus Pecan Crusted Rack of Lamb with a Honey Thyme Glaze. About ½ way thru the demo, a waiter arrives with a tray of the Green Lipped Mussels. They were quite good. I am not sure if every demo involves passing out samples, but I will have to stop by and check, not that we need any more reasons to eat food.

 

There are at least 4 or 5 Grand Dollar events every day and after my basketball practice I went up to the court to try my hand again at shooting baskets for another Grand Dollar Basketball Shootout. This event was different than the earlier versions in that the guests were separated into two teams who would attempt one free throw shot forward and then a second while facing backward. I elected not to participate as the payout was only $3 and the event would take ½ hour. I was hoping for another shot at the $500 half court shot!

 

The 12:30 timeslot where they used to teach the Ukelele was replaced by the Maori team teaching the Haka dance in two consecutive sessions. The 45 minute session started with learning the words to the song that accompanied the dance, followed by some of the basic moves. After the guests gave it their best shot, the Haka team performed an amazing rendition of the song and dance.

 

An interesting aside regarding seat saving. Most of the time a lonely “On Location” guide is sufficient to save a seat even with the guest is nowhere in sight. But today, during the Haka class, a friend of my was working on his laptop before class and when everyone stood up to dance, he placed the laptop on the chair while remaining within a few feet. Within a few minutes another guest picks up his laptop and placed it on the floor and proceeds to sit in the chair. Quite surprised my friend challenges the laptop mover who states that her husband needed a chair. He moves his laptop to another nearby empty chair and life goes on, but it was an interesting interaction.

 

The afternoon lecture was by Alan Wright on the topic: “Our Moon, Goddess of the Night”.

 

We decided to walk on the promenade deck and see the damage to Tender 9 first hand. A new addition to the deck were “One Way” signs indicating that counter clockwise flow is preferred during peak hours. I don’t know if this is fleet wide or was painted in response to a specific incident here. During my morning walks, everyone seem to go counter clockwise anyway, but I suppose there may have been a collision near one of the corners. Probably not a bad idea.

 

 

Today’s Arts and Crafts project was decorating a folding greeting card with a picture of the ship. One of the simpler and faster projects of the cruise.

 

Dinner tonight was a joy as always. The big hit was the Old Fashioned Wiener Schnitzel which was very good. Wine, beer and all soft drinks were complimentary due to yesterday’s tender incident. However it wasn’t clear if the beverage staff would lose their tips on the lost sales – hopefully the ship will ensure the beverage waiters are kept whole. The Dining Room Manager Tom Grindlay made the rounds with Executive Chef Peter Nozaki who made pleasant chit chat with all the tables in our zone. We told them that the food was outstanding this cruise and they hinted that their budget for Grand Voyages was a little more generous than normal and they had other flexibility not possible on shorter cruises. Tomorrow is another Gala Night with the theme “Bumpers and Bowlers” – they smiled when we asked what to expect and said we would have to wait for the surprise.

 

The show this evening “Made in England” was performed by the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers which was tribute to Elton John Songs. The singing and dancing was first class and very good. We enjoyed the show very much. Free Champagne was available at the Theater entrance in addition to the free beer/wine at dinner. We heard that the people directly affected by the tender incident received $250 in OBC, some nice chocolates and personal letters.

 

More pictures at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

 

Remember, you can subscribe to the blog by clicking a box at the bottom of any post. This will send you an email with the post as soon as it is published!

Edited January 28, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[scluvsrain]

Nice. Some OBC goes a long way in soothing affected passengers.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The-Inside-Cabin]

 

Location guide Barbara talking about New Zealand

[cccole]

When we were on North Island, NZ in November there were many campaigns for the new flag. I think there are 5 designs and the vote is in April. I may be misremembering the voting date. It was interesting to see the new designs, and if they will be decide to keep the old. Cherie

[TiogaCruiser]

Bumpers and Bowlers? Are we talking about hats here?

 

Can't wait to find out.

[SilvertoGold]

Bumpers and Bowlers? Are we talking about hats here?

 

Can't wait to find out.

 

Quaint Brit Night?

[Lizzie68]

Quaint Brit Night?

 

Given the "Made in England" theme of the show, I imagine that's quite likely.

[ozcruizer]

Day 23, Sailing toward Waitangi, New Zealand

 

The afternoon lecture was by Alan Wright on the topic: “Our Moon, Goddess of the Night”.

 

Alan Wright did a series of astronomy lectures on the Noordam repositioning cruise from San Diego to Sydney. He was extremely popular and even continued chatting in the Ocean Bar afterwards!

 

Ozcruizer

[jig]

We always got to the cooking demos. And they usually pass out something as long as it can be served in a small portion.

We have friends on the cruise, Jules and Marsha from Denver. And two more joining you in Hong Kong. They both have done many of them.

[RMLincoln]

arrrgh... quote function not working....

 

"The afternoon lecture was by Alan Wright on the topic: “Our Moon, Goddess of the Night”.

 

Alan Wright did a series of astronomy lectures on the Noordam repositioning cruise from San Diego to Sydney. He was extremely popular and even continued chatting in the Ocean Bar afterwards!

 

Ozcruizer

 

Alan Wright was on our cruise to Sydney (I think he got on in Hawaii) and his presentations were very well liked. My favorite was the one about if we are alone in the universe and if not, would we really want to know? He was fascinating and fun to talk with any time on the cruise. I except you will enjoy him. m--

[The-Inside-Cabin]

 

Another light day in the Bingo hall....they play about 50pct of the time...Gala night tonight ......Bumpers and Bowlers

[RuthC]

...Gala night tonight ......Bumpers and Bowlers

I can't wait to find out what that's all about.