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

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 105, Sailing toward Cadiz

 

The guest for Good Morning Amsterdam was Philip Birkenstein who is onboard selling Faberge Eggs. He is always selling, not surprisingly, and he gave some additional insight about Faberge Eggs.

 

At 9 am every sea day in the Explorers lounge is the “Crafters Meet”. This was originally called “Sit, Knit and Needlework” but was changed to “Crafters Meet” after Bali. It never really mattered much what they called it after the first week as everyone who was interested knew where to go. They did try having it in the Crow’s Nest for a day or two, but that didn’t work out and it has been in the Explorers Lounge at 9 am ever since Panama Canal.

 

At 1100 am in the Queens Lounge was “Chatting with the Stripes” with Captain Mercer, Staff Captain Van Benthem and Chief Engineer Robert Vlaardingerbroek. The three officers sat on the stage and answered questions from the audience for almost an hour. I never saw it rebroadcast on TV and as a general rule, the only events consistently rebroadcast are the port lectures and Good Morning Amsterdam. If you really want to hear a lecture or speaker, best to go in person to avoid disappointment.

 

 

Here is a summary of a few of the more interesting questions and answers. 95% of the questions were on point and interesting. There were only a couple of complaint question/speeches about the volume of the ships alarms

 

Why did the ship experience an unusual heel after leaving Livorno and Monaco? An electronic device that controls stability during turns wasn’t working correctly and has been fixed.

 

Why was there black soot on deck one day? The ship will sometimes switch to a cleaner burning fuel in port but this fuel has a cleaning effect that blows out black soot after it “cleans” the stacks – There is no way to avoid the soot, but they try to get winds right so the soot blows out to sea rather than hit the Seaview pool.

 

What changes are being considered after the grounding of Tender 9 in the Cook Islands. They are looking at using more land based tenders/ferries to avoid using the ships life boats so the risk to mandatory safety equipment is less.

 

What changes are contemplated for the Amsterdam’s next overhaul? I didn’t hear the date, if it was mentioned, but they said that they will start to remodel all the atriums throughout the fleet to look more like the Koningsdam. The same for the staterooms and other public areas. While they can only do so much with the interior of a ship, the trend is to align the look and feel of all ships towards what you saw on the Koningsdam.

 

What determines which side of the ship faces the port? There are 3 factors:

 

• Certain decks can support people leaving on either side, while some decks (A deck) only support starboard side mooring.

• Sometimes they must maneuver out of the harbor at a very precise time to avoid ferry traffic so in these cases they will have the bow facing to sea.

• Sometimes certain maintenance activities require a certain side of the ship to be accessible from the pier.

 

We spent the afternoon with Crafts and Texas Holdem. The Craft today was to cut a spiral into a circle of fabric creating a ruffly ribbon. The Hold’em game could only attract 8 players as a few of the regulars have left.

 

For dinner this evening our table went to Canaletto as a group. We had a wonderful time and the food in this restaurant is always amazing. The Ragatoni, Sea Bass and the Soup are the best things going, but everything is good. Our table ordered 1 of everything (with an extra Ragatoni – it is that good!) so we were all able to share everything and it turned out to be just the right amount of food.

 

The show this evening was a local Flamenco Group from Cadiz. They joined the ship in Barcelona and would be leaving us in Cadiz. I am not a big fan of Flamenco, so I am a poor judge of how good they may be, but they were interesting and it is always fun to see something new.

 

 

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

Edited April 23, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Pete, like so many others here, I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog and the time, money and effort which has gone into sharing such a great adventure.

 

I hope to do the 2018 world cruise (if not 2019 WC) and the information you have shared is invaluable for planning.

 

Bev

 

Glad you enjoyed the blog!

[jig]

We got an email from our agent on that - thanks!

 

 

Looks like they are cancelling Santa Barbara after you get off. Something about the tendering platform needing repair. Did something happen?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Not that I am aware of....we haven't tendered since Feb 1st at the bay of Islands. I will ask around

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Dup

Edited April 23, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 106, Cadiz, Spain

 

We were cleared to go ashore in Cadiz around 7am with an all aboard of 4:30. We moored starboard side once again and while we didn’t have a view of the city, we did a have a view of another cruise ship the MSC Splendida. As we were eating our room service breakfast we watched the Splendida lower all her starboard side lifeboats into the water. Once they were in the water they all started motoring around in a circle for about 45 minutes until they returned to the Splendida and were then hoisted back aboard. There must be some requirement to operationally check your lifeboats once in a while.

 

 

Cadiz is a very convenient port for independent exploring as the cruise terminal is located near the center of town and right across the street from the Visitors Information Center.

 

We left the ship in the early afternoon and it started to rain fairly hard just as we entered the cruise terminal. The rain let up for a bit and we crossed the street to the Visitors Information Center when the rain started once again – only harder this time. I was able to pull up the weather radar map on my phone and determined that the rain would pass in about 15 minutes so we decided to wait it out where we were.

 

After the rain stopped we headed out in search of a nearby yarn shop that the people in the visitors information center said was nearby. The shop was easy to find, but once again, was closed for the afternoon break and wouldn’t open again until 5:30 pm. Judy was able to peer into the window but saw nothing but the dreaded cotton yarn, which she occasionally knits into wash cloths, but isn’t what she wants to buy on this trip.

 

A souvenir shop was nearby and we spent some time shopping for key chains and postcards and the store also sold stamps which makes it very convenient to write and mail the post cards on the spot.

 

With our shopping complete, we set out to explore the town and wandered toward the center of town where we discovered the Cadiz Cathedral and we headed inside to take a look. The admission fee was 5 Euros which included an audio tour. The tour was interesting and we spent about 1 hour inside looking around.

 

After we left the church we headed over to the seawall on the Atlantic Ocean walked about ¼ mile along the water until we turned back inland past the police station and towards the Central Market, which turned out to be closed. We weren’t particularly interested in this market, so we didn’t really care that much, but note to future cruisers – when in Spain if you are interested in shopping, you need to be finished by 2pm when many shops will start closing.

 

We continued on our big loop and came across the City Library which I always find interesting, but it was also closed, so we took a picture and kept moving.

 

After another 30 minutes of walking, we found ourselves back in the main square and we spotted a café that sold churros and chocolate. We found and empty table and decide to give them a try. After about 10 minutes we received a large order of churros served in what looked like a giant McDonald’s French Fry container and a Styrofoam cup of very thick, but unsweetened hot chocolate. We are used to Churros sold at Disneyland and State Fairs that are heavily coated with sugar and cinnamon. These Churros were thinner than the ones we normally see in the USA and didn’t have any coating so while tasty, they were not as sweet as we were expecting. The chocolate was also not sweetened and we didn’t discover a package of sugar until we had already had our fill and were ready to move on.

 

We got back to the ship exactly at the all aboard time and dropped of our purchases in our cabin before we headed to the Sail Away. Today’s snack was a miniature empanada that was pretty good but not as good as the beef/pepper spring rolls we had when we left Monaco.

 

For dinner, they had another Fresh Catch seafood choice: Grilled Sardines. I gave them a try and was presented with three small grilled sardines, complete with head, tail and all the bones. The meat came off the bones easily and the Sardines were quite tasty and nothing like what I was used to when you see them in the cans back in the USA. These sardines were probably 4 times the size of what you see in a sardine tin.

 

Virtuoso Flutist Stephen Clark was on the main stage tonight and he put on an amazing performance. We have seen at least 3 flute players this cruise and they have all been outstanding. Stephen was no exception and we are looking forward to learning more about his background at Good Morning Amsterdam in the morning.

 

 

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

[kenphy]

Funny about the lifeboats -- we always love this and fondly call it the "lifeboat races" -- seems every HAL cruise, they do it once, and it is fun to watch.

 

I am going to miss reading this cruise critic forum and your blog -- seems like we are almost friends now. Especially enjoy reading about the knitting, as I am into my second 4 foot by 3 foot cross stitch (180,000 stitches each, and 70 colors), and sometimes feel I am the only one who devotes so much time to such a hobby.

 

Safe continued journey

[jig]

Most ships leave Cadiz latter to give you a chance to take a train to Seville. But your time was right. Could have done it but cut it very close.

Chocolate is unsweetened in Spain. I had a hot chocolate there once and no amount of milk and sugar could "fix" it.

 

 

 

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[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 107, Sailing toward Funchal, Portugal

 

As we continue our journey west we are now in the North Atlantic Ocean and no longer in the relative shelter of the Mediterranean Sea. This morning was cooler than we have experienced in some time and there is noticeable deck motion once again as we are subject to the larger swells of the open ocean. The stabilizers are working as advertised and we are avoiding any roll but are subject to the rise and fall of the bow and stern as we plough through the waves and swell.

 

Tomorrow will be our last port of call for the world cruise, Funchal, Portugal, where the weather is forecast to be rainy in the morning and warming in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. We should be cleared to go ashore by 7am with the all aboard at 4:30 pm.

 

Stephen Clark was the guest on Good Morning Amsterdam and he brought two of his Altus Flutes. He is sponsored by Altus which sells flutes from about $2,000 to over $20,000. Today he brought one of his more normal flutes along with the one made from gold. He claims the golden flute has a superior tone and he tried to show us the difference with a blind audition, but he didn’t have us shut our eyes so we were influenced by our expectation and declared that the golden flute had an obviously superior sound. Stephen chuckled for a bit because I suspect he knows that any difference is probably undetectable by the average person and the collective wisdom of the audience was imaginary.

 

 

Barbara presented her port lecture on Funchal and mentioned that we would have a shuttle bus available to take us downtown, although it wasn’t that far and you could walk in if you desired.

 

The last Stir Fry of the cruise was held on the Lido deck by the pool from 11am to 2pm. We haven’t missed a one as we enjoy this type of food very much and the Amsterdam does a wonderful job of setting this up and providing the outstanding cooks. I am not sure if these are done on other cruises, but if you enjoy Mongolian BBQ or Stir Fry – don’t miss this special meal when you see it offered.

 

A good day for me on the Poker table as I managed to take the win with a full house on the final hand. It is always nice to start with an K Q , flop K Q 10 and then have another K show up on the turn.

 

Today’s project in Crafts was to make a small ‘book’ with pages impregnated with seeds. Decorated with a charm on a ribbon, it makes a nice gift for anyone who gardens.

 

Tonight was our final night for our Tablemate, Kelvin, who will be leaving the ship tomorrow in Funchal and head back to England. We will miss him a lot and we hope to sail with him again at some point in the future. We often joked about seeking out Nirvana at the various temples we visited over the cruise so he was presented with an appropriate Nirvana T shirt as a going away present. We also shared a large composite photo of our tablemates along with smaller versions of our dinner table photos from the formal nights and with guests.

 

 

Thanks to our participation in the Cruise Critic roll call, we were able to form 4 of the 7 people at our table in advance, the 5th person we picked up after the first night’s dinner, but we since already knew her from Cruise Critic, we were able to fit her into our table since we had a few open spots. The final couple was randomly assigned but was like winning the lottery as we had a very close group of likeminded people for the entire cruise. Participation in your roll call and sharing your interests in advance can help you find people who may be a good fit for your dinner table.

 

World Champion and Rock Star Juggler Mike Price provided the entertainment in the Queens Lounge this evening. He put on an amazing show that featured pure juggling of up to 7 balls at the same time, juggling numerous pins and he amazed the crowd by juggling 6 pins while riding his 6 foot unicycle across a moving stage. For his finale, he juggled numerous glowing balls and illuminated pins in total darkness while wearing glow in the dark “laser” gloves. He was the best juggler of the entire cruise.

 

 

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

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Latest cruise log - from Dubai to Rome posted on the blog under World Cruise Reference items. Also posted is the program from the Indonesian Crew show held today

 

http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Most ships leave Cadiz latter to give you a chance to take a train to Seville. But your time was right. Could have done it but cut it very close.

Chocolate is unsweetened in Spain. I had a hot chocolate there once and no amount of milk and sugar could "fix" it.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

There was a ship tour that went there that was a few minutes late.

[jig]

It's been a long time since I've had a proper Mongolian BBQ on a ship. It was normal years ago but now it's just a plain BBQ. In 4 weeks we are on the Veendam so we she'll see.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[jig]

There was a ship tour that went there that was a few minutes late.

 

 

The timing was too tight to do it on your own. If there was another stop in Spain or Portugal then one might have taken a chance. Shame as it is a beautiful city.

 

 

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[The-Inside-Cabin]

The timing was too tight to do it on your own. If there was another stop in Spain or Portugal then one might have taken a chance. Shame as it is a beautiful city.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

I need to come back to Spain, rent a car and drive around for three weeks. Wonderful country.

 

That's what was nice about this cruise.....got to sample a lot of places...some fir repeat visits....Greece, Spain, Cambodia, Vietnam - others never to see again,...Sri Lanka,

[Bescotti]

I'm interested in the 2018 WC but as I have done the Pacific several times I would probably look at the cruise from Sydney onwards.

 

Do you know if those on your cruise who joined for the second half of the cruise had any trouble fitting in? I love trivia, watercolour and craft classes but don't know if teams and places would have already been formed from the beginning of the cruise, making it hard for a newcomer to join in.

 

Your perspective, Pete, would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

Bev

[RuthC]

It's been quite an adventure discovering all these new places with you both. I've enjoyed the ride a great deal, but now it is winding down. <sigh>

Glad I don't have to pack up from this one!

 

Enjoy the journey across the ocean. And thanks for taking us along.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I'm interested in the 2018 WC but as I have done the Pacific several times I would probably look at the cruise from Sydney onwards.

 

Do you know if those on your cruise who joined for the second half of the cruise had any trouble fitting in? I love trivia, watercolour and craft classes but don't know if teams and places would have already been formed from the beginning of the cruise, making it hard for a newcomer to join in.

 

Your perspective, Pete, would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

Bev

 

I didn't hear of any issues. People were able to join our card game easily. They were also welcomed at watercolors...shouldn't be a problem!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

It's been quite an adventure discovering all these new places with you both. I've enjoyed the ride a great deal, but now it is winding down. <sigh>

Glad I don't have to pack up from this one!

 

Enjoy the journey across the ocean. And thanks for taking us along.

 

Thanks for reading Ruth! We are not looking forward to packing!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We arrived alongside the pier in Funchal around 6:30 am while it was still dark. Looking down on the pier, it looked as if it there might be a light drizzle as the ground was wet, but it was hard to tell if rain was still failing. If it was, it was very light.

 

Funchal is the main city on the island of Madeira. Madeira is part of Portugal and is located about 280 miles west of Morocco, Africa and over 500 miles southwest of Portugal. The climate is very similar to that of our hometown of San Diego as both cities are located around 32 degrees N latitude. Funchal has a population around 111,000 with the population of the entire island of Madeira being around 280,000.

 

While we were moored with our port side to the pier, the starboard side still had the preferred view. The city surrounds a shallow bay with most of the housing sitting on fairly steep hills as if on the sides of a huge amphitheater. They all have spectacular views, but have to suffer through steep, winding roads to get to their houses. Most of the houses have red tile roofs with white stucco walls.

 

By the time the sun was above the horizon, the rain was gone and the ground was starting to dry. I spotted the cruise ship “Aurora”, of P&O Line, off in the distance as she closed on Funchal. She would moor alongside, stern to bow, in about 30 minutes.

 

We left the ship around noon and the first thing we noticed was how steep the gangway was between the ship and the pier. The tide swing here is about 4 feet so they have to accommodate for that, but while the gangway was steeper than normal, it was still easily manageable. People with mobility issues probably needed assistance.

 

A shuttle bus was waiting for us on the pier leaving about 5 minutes after we boarded. While waiting we noticed that some local merchants set up a few portable souvenir stands for folks who wanted to do some last minute shopping.

 

In less than 10 minutes we were being dropped off in the center of town, which wasn’t all that far away and was quite walkable. There weren’t any restrictions about walking into town if you preferred as there were in some other ports.

 

Our plan was to take the cable car to the top of the mountain, look at the famous street sled ride starting point (we had no interest in participating) and return to the waterfront for some shopping and sightseeing as we made our way back to our starting point.

 

Once off the bus we headed off down the wide tree lined promenades bustling with tourists strolling past shops and cafes. The weather was perfect and being outside was an easy choice. Everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful day.

 

The starting point for the cable car is easy to find, simply keep walking east along the water for about ¼ mile until you see the cable cars heading up and down the mountain – and then there you are. The walk is level all the way over smooth concrete sidewalks.

 

The round trip fare to the top and back was 15 Euros and they take cash or credit cards. There wasn’t any line so in a few minutes we had our tickets and headed off to the loading platform one level up. There were about 10 people in front of us, but the cars came by about every 20 seconds so the short line moved quickly and we were on our way.

 

We climbed quickly over the city and enjoyed spectacular views in all directions. The top the mountain was still shrouded in fog from the morning hiding our ultimate destination as we watched the cable cars ahead of us disappear into the mist. Looking back toward the south, the Amsterdam and the P&O ship Aurora were the most prominent features along the waterfront.

 

 

The ride to the top took about 15 minutes and we were soon on our way walking down a narrow street at the top of the mountain toward the starting point for the street sleds.

 

The street sleds, or Tabagon’s as they are called here, operate out of a small shed on the side of the street, which remains open to cars and other traffic. The loading area outside their booth is level, but the street starts a gentle but steady slope immediately afterwards. Across the street from the loading area is a covered area that allows for a line of 20 people or so to wait under cover.

 

As we approached the starting area, we watched from behind as the sled with its two operators started their run down the street. We would wait about 15 minutes for the next sled as they must truck all the sleds and operators back up to the top before they start the process again. Once they get going, they launch a new sled with people about every 30 seconds to a minute, so the line moves pretty quickly once they get going. After they run out of sled operators, you have to wait till they bus them back to the top. They had way more sleds then they had operators, so I am sure waiting times can vary widely based on demand and the availability of sled operators.

 

Riding the sled of “Tobogan” costs 25 Euros for a single rider, 30 euros for two people and 45 euros for 3 person maximum. The ride is about 1.2 miles long and ends at a point far from the bottom of the hill. The only way to get to the bottom would be to walk or take one of the waiting taxis. If you are on a ships tour, they will have a bus available to meet you so you can continue your excursion.

 

The sled consists of a wicker basket mounted on two wooden runners. The operators must continuously push the sled down the first incline as it would probably come to a stop otherwise.

 

After watching the sleds start, I walked about 150 yards down the initial slope to the first turn. The operators would run behind the sled pushing all the way thru the first turn and beyond. We were told that there are steeper spots along the way toward the bottom where the sleds go faster and pushing is not necessary.

 

 

We watched for another 15 minutes and then we hiked back up to the top and took the cable car back down the mountain to our original starting point.

 

Once we left the cable car, we headed down to the first floor and out to the street. There was a flower festival in Funchal last week and we missed that, but we saw some of the left over exhibits that were still on display.

 

Retracing our steps, we headed back to the shuttle bus spot. Along the way we stopped at a tourist shop and picked up some post cards and other souvenirs.

 

The taxis here in Funchal are all Mercedes which tells you something about the local economy. We didn’t find out what they charged as we were able to walk everywhere except for the shuttle bus from the ship and the cable car to the mountain top.

 

The last shuttle bus was at 4pm and we arrived at the pickup point with 10 minutes to spare. The bus left promptly at 4pm and we were back on the pier in a few minutes.

 

Our final SailAway was from 4 - 5:30 at the Lido pool. They were serving cheese, lamb chops and some fresh carved prosciutto. House drinks were complimentary and waiters were wandering about with glasses of Sangria. The band Oasis, normally only seen in the Crows Nest, was once again on the mini stage next to the pool and doing a wonderful job of keeping everyone pumped up.

 

There was probably 250 to 300 people enjoying the fun at the peak and we all had a blast. People not normally seen dancing, including Judy and me, were seen dancing. Everyone was having so much fun that they extended the party until 6pm. When the band started to wrap up at 6pm the crowd started to spontaneously chant “We want more – We want more” and more we got as the band returned for one more song.

 

Dinner today offered the usual wide variety of choices, always making it difficult to pick just one. Well in this case, I had to pick two, the interesting Frango Piri Piri Chicken along with the Beechers Mac and Cheese. Judy and I shared the irresistible Snickers Cake for desert.

 

Tonight’s show was an amazing performance by the Abba tribute band Abba Fab from Arizona. The show played all the usual Abba hits ending with an exciting rendition of Mama Mia!

 

 

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

Edited April 25, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 109, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale

 

Out last port of the world cruise is behind us and we have now started our 7 sea days until we arrive in Fort Lauderdale. We will be continuing on to San Diego along with 33 other world cruisers.

 

So while others are getting their disembarkation questionnaires we have been spared that final form for a couple more weeks.

 

The ship continues to move constantly as we plough thru the Atlantic swell – fortunately neither Judy or I are prone toward seasickness so the deck motion isn’t impacting us very much.

 

The four members of Abba Fab were the guests at Good Morning Amsterdam this morning. They were the first guests of the cruise who actually plugged their own appearance during the final minutes of their show the night before. We have learned that all guest entertainers future bookings on HAL depends in a large part on passenger surveys so everything they can do to help create passenger goodwill only help people remember them fondly during survey time.

 

Abba Fab was formed in Phoenix to help two of the members drive more business into their struggling restaurant. Their act turned out to be so successful they have been able to form another Abba Fab which tours independently. They also developed a business as an agent for other guest entertainers to find them work in Branson, MO, and other land venues to help them stay busy during their time ashore.

 

The first art auction was this morning in the Explorers Lounge. They had about 20 people register and after a 30 minute introduction to art and the benefits of buying art on ships they started the auction. I didn’t register, but you could have as much champagne as you could stand if you were anywhere in the area. The Explorers Lounge was completely filled with art so the Crafters Group was moved to the Crow’s Nest.

 

 

They started the auction with art that had a starting price of over $5000. Each piece was briefly described and then the auctioneer announced the starting price. If there wasn’t any interest, he gaveled the piece off the stage on brought up the next piece. I watched for about 20 minutes and not a single person said a word the entire time, but the champagne continued to flow. I suspect that this was really a practice run to work out the kinks in moving the art on and off the stage before they hit the prime market starting April 30 with the Panama Canal Cruise.

 

As I left the area, I noticed the future cruise consultants staring at their computers trying to concentrate during the steady banter of auction chatter only 40 feet away.

 

The main event for today was the Indonesia Crew Show. Scheduled for 3pm and we arrived at 2pm to get a good seat. There were probably 20 people there already. While it may seem crazy to get to someplace so early it’s really not so bad because for the most part people will be either knitting or reading somewhere else so you can just as easily knit or read in the comfort of the Queens lounge as anywhere else. It’s not as if you have to take off work to get there early.

 

The show consisted of 8 separate acts that were all pretty good. No one will be mistaken for a guest entertainer, but we all enjoyed their energy and enthusiasm. Everyone on the stage and in the audience had a good time and many of the skits were humorous and performed slightly tongue in cheek.

 

 

Before dinner, at 7:15, there was a special Spotlight show by the two amazing artists who make up Adiago. They normally only play to small audiences in the Explorers Lounge. Due to popular demand, Gene gave them a slot on the main stage for a spotlight show. They played in front of the HAL band and put on an amazing show. For those who have ever travelled to Prague, you can’t walk 50 feet without having a chance to see a string quartet, trio or something. These guys were fantastic and were every bit as good as anything we saw during our visit to Prague a few years back.

 

After another wonderful meal, I had the Fresh Catch Hake Sautéed in Olive Oil and Judy enjoyed the Beer Braised Pork Shank, we all headed back to the Queens Lounge for a wonderful performance by Grammy Nominated Jazz Pianist Judy Carmichael.

 

Judy Carmichael performs in the style of Diane Krall – or vice versa – as I don’t know who was first – but she was spectacular and if you like Jazz you will love Judy Carmichael – don’t miss her if you have a chance.

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 110, April 24th, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale

 

The deck motion has increased significantly since yesterday and was now impacting your ability to walk straight without being careful. A few times we had some small objects tumble to the deck of our cabin during a particularly heavy pitch. We must be close the limits of the stabilizers as we are getting the occasional roll in addition to the constant pitching.

 

As I passed by the front desk, there were a couple of bowls filled with saltine crackers and green apples. Judy and I are fortunate enough to not be affected other than we need to be a little more careful walking about the ship.

 

Judy Carmichael was the guest on Good Morning Amsterdam. She started playing piano very young and can’t remember ever not playing the piano. Judy found her niche playing Jazz and was inspired by a meeting with Count Bassey who was one of her early influencers. She is from the Los Angeles area and now lives in New York City.

 

 

I went to the lecture on Christopher Columbus this morning. It was very interesting as I learned that most of my understanding of his explorations and life were very superficial. Apparently he visited the Vikings before he left and knew that there was land out there somewhere, just not exactly sure how far. Pretty fascinating story to think about how he was as much a salesman & entrepreneur as he was a sailor.

 

One important part of the ship’s crew that in many cases goes unappreciated is the Front Desk Staff. I would like to give them all a special shout out here as they have been phenomenal the entire cruise. Without exception, my every interaction with anyone behind the desk or on the phone exceeded my expectations and always left me smiling with their infectious enthusiasm and energy. When you think about what makes up most of their day – solving guest problems – they all are simply amazing in their ability to put on a smiling face constantly. A well-deserved tip of the hat to this special crew.

 

 

We spent a little time by the Seaview pool this afternoon watching the water slosh out of the pool. We found it incredibly entertaining as we wondered from pitch to roll whether or not the next wave would be the “Big One” and wash away all the deck chairs. After a bit we wandered off to BINGO!

 

Today’s Bingo was special in that it would be a single game with a single prize: A 7 day cruise in either the Caribbean or the Mexican Rivera. We didn’t win, Judy came within one number of victory, but alas B6 was never called.

 

Tonight’s dinner included one of my favorites, roast turkey, while Judy ordered the Barramundi. They were both excellent as usual.

 

Buzz Sutherland was on the main stage tonight. He is a comedian whose claim to fame is having performed in 47 different countries. The highlight of his show was a guitar solo tribute to Prince by Zebastian from the HAL band. After his show was over it wasn’t clear if he was a magician, an impersonator, or a comedian. I can only surmise that the deck motion may have affected his performance.

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Finally all caught up with posts - Whew!

 

Check older entries as last few posted very close together

[jig]

Interesting that they did not give you a WC survey. Next cruise totally different.

Totally agree about the front office staff. As we spend a lot of time at one time onboard we get to know them. We usually get them some gift. Usually chocolates. Very grateful.

 

 

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[rafinmd]

I didn't hear of any issues. People were able to join our card game easily. They were also welcomed at watercolors...shouldn't be a problem!

 

I will echo that sentiment as a former segmenter. I found no issues or favors towards the people on the full WC that affected me. I also got all the pillow gifts for my segment.

 

OK, I will mention one thing but you can see for your self if you book. Segmenters will probably only be offered a guarantee cabin. That actually worked well for me as I booked a guarantee inside

 

Royand got an outside directly across the hall from someone on the full WC. It makes sense. HAL does not want to maintain the maximum inventory for people on the full WC and doesn't want someone booking the full WC late to have to change cabins mid-cruise.

Edited April 25, 2016 by rafinmd

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Interesting that they did not give you a WC survey. Next cruise totally different.

Totally agree about the front office staff. As we spend a lot of time at one time onboard we get to know them. We usually get them some gift. Usually chocolates. Very grateful.

 

 

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We did get a survey about our preferences fir 2018 if that's what you mean