John and Diane's Konigsdam Adventure

[Love the beach]

What a wonderful day you had . onboard Veendam a few weeks ago outside life boat drill as usual. Sunday board Zuiderdam we will let you no where there lifeboat drill is. Xxxxxx

 

 

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Onboard Oosterdam last month muster was outside as usual. On Koningsdam in August it was not. You're probably right about the deck being too narrow for it to be held there.

[hpf]

The 1, 2, & 3 blasts for Muster has been on our last 2 cruises. One 2 years ago on the Stantendam, and last year aboard the Prinsendam. It seemed to work out really well, however we were on the Promenade deck and not inside in the showroom.

I am enjoying your reports very much and I make sure I check every day for anything new. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Helen

[Johnny B]

October 25, 2016 - Day 13

At Sea en route to Palma, Mallorca

 

Another calm and quiet sea day. Of course I could wish for some sun, but it is actually fairly warm out side, so John is lounging on the balcony, watching the ocean go by. Since John grew up on the ocean (in Cayucos, California), working on his father’s fishing boat, he loves nothing more than just watching the ocean and looking for differences in different areas as well as flying fish and other critters of the sea.

 

This morning was the first Cruise Critic “meet and greet” of this portion of the cruise. It was held in the Crow’s Nest and was just a crush. It was nice to meet some people we’ve known before and a couple of people were nice enough to ask, “Are you the Diane who writes the blog?” I had to answer in the affirmative and then they said the same kinds of nice things that you folks online have mentioned. One of the new passengers introduced himself to me and asked me why I hadn’t answered his question on my blog. I apologized and told him I’d find it and do just that. There was no program at this meeting, but it was nice to eat cookies and meet new people. Finally, when it got just too crowded, we headed for the elevator.

 

One of the things that impresses me about this ship is the range of entertainment available every day. There is almost always a show in the World Stage, the huge theatre space at the front of the ship. Tonight we have a group called “Casablanca Steps” who, according to the Daily Navigator, will give us “splendidly spiffing musical fun from the 20’s and 30’s.” The shows in the World Stage are at 7:15, 8:30, and 10:00, so with our 8:15 dinner time, we can see the show either before or after dinner.

 

If your taste runs to classical (and mine does), there is the Lincoln Center Stage, and according to the announcements we’ve heard, HAL and Lincoln Center have a partnership in providing musicians for the cruises. They perform three nights on most nights, tonight at 6:00, 7:15 and 8:30. Across the way from Lincoln Center Stage, but beginning later in the evening, is Billboard Onboard, where two talented young singers/piano players perform three times most evenings, at 9:15, 10:30, and 11:45. Finally, and for those who really like to boogie, there are B.B. King’s All Stars with great blues in the midships Queen’s Lounge, which is on two decks, 2 and 3. They perform almost every night at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15.

 

There’s also a pianist in the Ocean Bar from 6:45 until 8:45, so as you can see, if you like music, this ship provides a great deal of it. Our only disappointment is that there’s no music (except canned) in the Crow’s Nest, because, on the Amsterdam, that’s where we’ve always gone both before and after dinner for drinks and dancing.

 

Yes, there are a lot of advantages to a large ship, but I’m still leaning toward the cozy feeling of our well-loved (and well-traveled) Amsterdam.

 

P. S. I don't remember the name of the restaurant in Barcelona, but it's in a square just off La Rambla - to the right, near the bottom of the street. As you enter the square, it's in the far right corner on the back of the square. Hope that helps.

 

P. S. We'll board in San Diego on December 21.

[Johnny B]

October 26, 2016 - Day 14

Palma, Mallorca

 

What a lovely port this was. We’ve never been to Mallorca before and thoroughly enjoyed it. At the port, a young man was handing out maps of the city and, in addition to showing us the downtown area, it had a walking tour of the highlights of the city. That’s right up our alley, so we began at number 1, the cathedral, and walked (almost) the whole route. Some of the “highlights” were a bit questionable, like Giovanni’s gelateria, but most were well worth seeing.

 

Palma has a lovely moderate climate, so we saw, quite unsurprisingly, palm trees as well as bougainvillea and hibiscus. Since we found free wifi almost city-wide, I was able to look up such important items as the average temperature of Palma in January, which is 50 degrees F. Temperate indeed.

 

Almost every hundred yards is a little plaza (or placa, as most here speak Catalan), and tables and chairs outside bars and cafes abound. There is one long boulevard which has just about every upscale store anyone could want, from jewelry to fashion to leather goods. We popped into El Cortes Ingles, the largest Spanish department store, and with five above-ground and two basement floors is no doubt the largest in Palma, it contains anything you would want to buy.

 

When we had passed number 24, the last stop on the map, and were on our way to the shuttle stop, we came across yet another plaza near the water with several restaurants, and since it was about 1:30, we decided lunch was in order. Most restaurants seemed to specialize in tapas, so we decided that they would make a fine lunch - and they did. The four we chose were little meatballs in sauce, spicy potato wedges, fried calamari, and shrimp cooked in garlicky olive oil. They were delicious, and although not an inexpensive lunch, it was a great choice. The tapas were rounded out by tinto limon, very thirst-quenching on a warm, humid day.

 

All-aboard was at 4:30 and we sailed a few minutes before 5:00. Right now we’re in the bay off Mallorca, headed for Barcelona and Montserrat tomorrow. Catch you then.

[alsas]

Majorca our favourite place used to vacation there 2wks every summer before we emigrated to USA

 

 

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[kazu]

Great report. sounds like a marvellous day. You are going to love Montserrat :)

[Johnny B]

October 27, 2016 - Day 15

Barcelona, Spain

 

Yesterday I failed to mention that the previous night had been a “gala evening,” using the new wording which has replaced “formal.” I guess the new terminology provides passengers with more variation in their attire, and that there certainly is. Because we spend so much time on board ship, I have made the back of my closet my “cruise closet,” and over the years I’ve added quite a few evening gowns to my collection - usually from the Nordstrom Rack or, occasionally, even Ross Dress for Less. When we sail, I always bring at least a few pieces of formal attire, and this cruise is no different. However, the variety of clothing for the “gala evening” was mind-boggling. Many of the men wore tuxedos and if they didn’t, most of the rest wore either dark suits or at least sport jackets (John looks very good in his tuxedo). I saw only a few men in jeans and only one in sweatpants. The ladies’ clothing hit both ends of the spectrum, from long gowns to capris and casual tops. I don’t expect everyone going on a cruise to go out and buy an evening gown that they’ll never wear again, but doesn’t everyone at least have a dress? Even if you don’t, Ross and Marshall’s have some cute dresses for next to nothing. Am I a dress snob? Not really, since I dress very casually most of the time, but I do believe in dressing for the occasion.

 

* * * *

 

Last week in Barcelona we had rainy weather and just wandered around the city, but today we had sunny weather - so we went to Montserrat, where the weather was cold and drippy. Gluttons for punishment, I guess. We had booked a semi-private tour through Spain Day Tours and found ourselves two of six headed to the site of the well-known Black Madonna, high in the mountains overlooking Barcelona. We were joined by George and Maxine and Gary and Marty, and we were driven by the tall, dark and handsome Miguel in a Mercedes SUV - what luxury! These kinds of tours are very popular with Cruise Critic roll call members, and not only are they almost always much smaller than HAL tours, they are a heck of a lot less expensive. Today, for example, we had an 8-hour tour including our visit to Montserrat and an afternoon visit to a Cava winery (with extensive tasting) for $79.00 each. The ship charged just about the same price for a 4-hour bus rive up to Montserrat, no time to hear the world-famous boys’ choir, and a return to the ship in time for lunch. No comparison. Actually, my main problem with ship tours is not the price; it’s the bus. It takes so long to get 40 or 50 people onto and off a bus that it really cuts into tour time.

 

Montserrat is a lovely place. As we approached a turnout, Miguel stopped the car to show us the town at the top of some very rocky mountains. At this point, he pointed out the cable car which sailed across the valley and up to the town, so we opted to jump right on. For 5.3 euros each (senior discount from 7), we went one way into the sky, sailing over a river and valley and up, up, up the rocky mountain until we reached Montserrat. What a thrill! If you want to see this marvelous site, you can actually take a train from Barcelona to the location of the cable car and then either take a cog railway train or the cable car up the hill.

 

Once we arrived “up top,” Miguel went over the options and told us that if we wanted to see the Black Madonna, we’d better do that first, before the busloads of tour groups arrived. It was excellent advice, because we ended up spending only 10-15 minutes in line, while the later groups circled around like a Disney ride and had to wait for almost an hour.

 

The Madonna itself is carved wood that has blackened over the centuries. Legend has it that it was carved in the Holy Land about the time of Christ, but Miguel said that most archeologists believe it dates from about the 15th Century. It is behind glass, but the globe which she holds in her hand is exposed, and visitors are encouraged to touch or kiss her hand (I took a pass), and then spend time in Mary’s chapel praying in her name.

 

The whole town is really quite striking, especially shrouded in fog and mist which gave it an even more mystical feeling. A couple of people told us to skip the boys’ choir and take the cog railway (almost vertically) up the next mountain for the amazing view, but it was so foggy that there would be no view at all, so we’ll put it off until next time. There’s a quite nice hotel (we were told) as well as a pilgrim’s hostel for those who would like to spend more than just a day.

 

After listening to the choir in a church so crowded that any fire marshall would have a hemorrhage, we met Miguel and headed to a lovely little family-run Cava winery. Our guide explained that Cava is to Spain what Champagne is to France, with the only difference being the cost and the location. After a tour of the thousand-year-old farm house, we had an opportunity for some tasting and boy, were those bubblies excellent.

 

Finally we headed back to Barcelona, where Miguel gave us a short driving tour of the city and then dropped us off at our ship. It was a great day and we enjoyed every minute. This evening we’re invited to a dinner in the Culinary Arts Center, a perk for passengers who are doing both legs of this 28-day voyage. We’ve been anxious to try it out, and we’re even more anxious since we don’t have to pay for it. The report will follow.

[cccole]

Montserrat sounds wonderful. How nice to have a handsome guide and a small group. I may have missed this in your report, but did you have food served with the Cava? Or since it was an 8 hour tour did you pack some snacks? What a great day!!!! Thanks for taking us along, Cherie

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

October 27, 2016 - Day 15

Barcelona, Spain

 

I don’t expect everyone going on a cruise to go out and buy an evening gown that they’ll never wear again, but doesn’t everyone at least have a dress? Even if you don’t, Ross and Marshall’s have some cute dresses for next to nothing. Am I a dress snob? Not really, since I dress very casually most of the time, but I do believe in dressing for the occasion.

 

* * * *

 

 

I too believe in dressing for the occasion. However.... no matter how much a dress costs, expensive or next to nothing, I will not buy. I cannot remember the last time I wore a dress. Oh wait.... yes, I do. It was in 1996 for my daughter's wedding. Seriously. Ok, maybe once or twice since then. I dress very fancy for formal/now gala nights.... and I am wearing some form of pants. Pants can be very dressy. So.... maybe you might be a dress snob. LOL ;)

[Lady Arwen]

I too believe in dressing for the occasion. However.... no matter how much a dress costs, expensive or next to nothing, I will not buy. I cannot remember the last time I wore a dress. Oh wait.... yes, I do. It was in 1996 for my daughter's wedding. Seriously. Ok, maybe once or twice since then. I dress very fancy for formal/now gala nights.... and I am wearing some form of pants. Pants can be very dressy. So.... maybe you might be a dress snob. LOL ;)

 

I'm with you! I can't wear my fancy high heals anymore (bad knees!) so I wear evening pants with pretty flats and a fussy top. My dress days are long gone but I still feel dressed up! I envy ladies in their cocktail dresses and stilettos!

[Johnny B]

Friday, October 28, 2016 - Day 16

Alicante, Spain

 

What a beautiful town on the Mediterranean. A highlight was the free shuttle provided from the port to the middle of town, where there is a line of small tents with merchandise, and the whole thing is identified as an outlet mall.

 

We went into town this morning and found the same curved, wave-like tile patterns on the walkways as are found in Portugal and its islands. It seemed that, except for the language, we could have been in Santa Barbara, with beautiful stucco buildings and oceanfront views. A stop for cappuccino was required, and of course, the wifi was free. I love the fact that it’s pronounced “wee fee” almost everywhere in Europe.

 

Above the city sits the Castle of Santa Barbara (coincidentally), with adobe-colored walls, not only around the castle itself, but down the hillside as well. It looked like a looooong walk, and only later did we learn that there was an elevator we could have taken. Oh well, next trip! Instead of a tour, we just wandered around this beautiful old town and admired the buildings, many of whose exteriors were adorned with art of the early 20th Century.

 

While some people were heard to complain that the area is over-built, there are still beautiful beaches, the people are friendly, and Mother Nature was at her best today. Although tempted to have tapas or paella for lunch today, we just couldn’t justify it after last night’s Culinary Arts dinner.

 

And what a wonderful dinner it was! We were seated with an Australian couple for our 8:15 dining experience, and we just chatted and chatted for the next 2-1/2 hours. The dining room is built around an open kitchen, and four or five chefs/cooks were busy there all evening. The head chef was fitted with a microphone, and he kept up a narrative most of the evening, explaining what he was doing and why. There were also a few TV screens around the room so that we could see exactly what he was cooking. We began with an amuse bouche of strawberry/orange juice, with a bite of watermelon on the side. It was served with a spoon, but I felt like I should be drinking it instead of using that spoon.

 

Everyone had the same first two courses; the only choices were for the main course and dessert. Our first course was called a “sprouting salad of golden beets.” You’d expect a salad of golden beets to actually have some beets in it, wouldn’t you? Well in this one, the golden beets had been pureed and were the base to some red beets, goat cheese, and dried apples. It was pretty darned good. Next we had celery and kale risotto. The chef is very, very fond of butter, and as he was explaining how he made the risotto and we were watching on the screens, he just kept adding lump after lump of butter - and then more butter. The risotto was, as you might imagine, very creamy, and the handful after handful of parmesan didn’t hurt either. John was just about salivating while watching the video, and it did not disappoint. It was excellent.

 

For a main course, we had a choice of rib eye cap (not sure what that means), poached seabass, and quinoa with zucchini. Among the four of us, we had all three, and everyone loved their choice. While preparing the seabass, it was fun to watch the video screen which showed the chef using a blowtorch to char the skin of the bass before poaching it. The meal was complemented by Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, included with the dinner. The wine stewards made sure that wine glasses were never empty.

 

Then it was time for dessert, with a choice of a chocolate cylinder filled with sweetened mascarpone or a cheese plate with wild honey. John had the chocolate, which looked yummy, and I had the cheese plate, which I gave up on after finishing about half of it. Finally, we had petit fours pops, two chocolate, one passion fruit, and one lemon. They were the perfect ending to a perfect dinner. Even though there were multiple courses, each was small so I don’t think anyone was too awfully full.

 

We finished dinner at about 10:45, having missed the entire 10:00 show. As we headed toward the forward elevator, we heard “Celebrate” being sung by the B.B. King group, so we jumped in to dance awhile. While we were on the dance floor, a lady came up and asked if we were John and Diane, to which we answered that we were. Her name was Gail, and she told us that she had been reading my blogs for years. In fact, she said that she had had some serious health problems, and reading my blog helped her keep up her spirits. What a wonderful compliment! Anytime we can do something that makes someone else’s life easier, we should celebrate it, so the song was well chosen.

 

Tomorrow is Malaga (again), but we’re headed for Granada, where we’ve never visited. It should be a wonderful experience.

 

P. S. Ok, OK, I agree about the pants. I have a pair of palazzo pants that can easily be worn on formal nights. It's the capri jeans that make me want to tear my hair out.

Regarding Montserrat, we had lunch in the little cafeteria there.

[Ayrity]

Wow! Diane that sounds like an amazing evening! As I'm sure many people are tired of hearing on this forum, my fiancee and I are getting married on the Koningsdam on November 9th in Ft. Lauderdale, and we are staying to do the b2b afterwards as our honeymoon. Really appreciate all the reviews and information.

 

Glad I booked the Culinary Arts Dinner early since your review sounds like exactly what I want it to be! I'm a huge culinary nerd and used to work as a chef so I am really excited to be kept in the know as dinner is made. (Just so you know the rib eye cap is also callled a 'spinalis' steak and is a cut that is very hard to find since you have to cut a perfectly good set of ribeye up to get it, kind of like the best of both worlds between a skirt and flank with all the flavor of ribeye).

 

Continue your amazing voyage and make sure the ship makes it to us on the 9th!

[Johnny B]

Saturday, October 29, 2016 - Day 17

Malaga, Spain

 

Last week (was it only last week? it seems like a month ago) when we were in Malaga, we had a tasty tapas tour and then a well-deserved nap. Today was much busier, as we docked 40 minutes late and then rushed to our Spain Day Tour to Granada to see the 14th century Alhambra. Because of unexpected maintenance to the starboard azipod (sp?) we had to slow down significantly during the night. We were supposed to dock at 8:00 and leave at 8:30, but we docked at about 8:45 and our bus was underway at 9:15. It’s a 2-1/2 hour drive to Granada, allowing for a 25-minute comfort and snack stop along the way, so we arrived just about 11:45. We had a guide on board who was very knowledgeable and told us a great deal about Malaga, Granada, and the entire area. The terrain was very reminiscent of Southern California, with olive trees everywhere, mountains edging valleys that looked like Santa Barbara, and apparently there are archeological digs unearthing new finds all the time.

 

There were 32 people on our bus, but upon arrival, we were divided into two groups of 16 and introduced to our guide, Christina, who was absolutely, positively excellent. She knew the Alhambra backwards and forwards and there wasn’t a question that she not only answered, but added background information so we would better understand what we were seeing. She talked about the Muslims bringing algebra, geometry, and advanced medicine to Spain - until they were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition.

 

Our first stop was at The Generallife, the extensive and beautiful gardens which adjoin the palace. This was the summer residence of the Muslim king, and I’d choose it too. There is greenery everywhere, with tall, sharply trimmed hedges of juniper and cypress as well as beautiful flowers of all kinds and colors. The hedges create “rooms” for relaxing on a hot summer day and paths that took one into beautiful natural areas.

 

After the gardens, we went into the Alhambra, or palace, itself, and the place was amazing. Since Muslims do not believe in representing people or animals, the decorations were colorful designs, many with Arabic writing on them. The three things that were prized were water, plants and sun, and many of the courtyards were places that any of us would treasure, with bubbling fountains, shrubs, flowers and plenty of sunshine.

 

At the end of our 2-1/2 hour tour, I grabbed a postcard (since we send one to our granddaughter from each port) and headed to the bus. We drove to the downtown area of Granada, and while our bus guide led most of the group into the center of town, we saw a pretty little cafe across the street, so we found a table, enjoyed a couple of Tintos, and pretty much decimated the plate of olives that had come with them. As I recall, the two drinks cost 4.20 euros, or about $4.50 based on today’s exchange rate. Life in Spain is very inexpensive.

 

The bus came back to collect us at 3:30 and we headed straight back to the ship - no stop this time. As we approached the Koningsdam, our bus guide pointed out the huge - no enormous, yacht next to our ship. It’s called Octopus, and it belongs to Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft. Oh my, you’d have to really have a lot of money to afford that behemoth - and of course he does.

 

We were back on board by 5:15, mixed a couple more tintos, and then made our weekly phone call to our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter at 6:00, which is 9:00 AM in Davis, CA where they live. The captain told us that tonight is European Daylight Savings Time in reverse, so we turn our clocks back an hour and get an extra hour’s sleep. There are just treats around every corner.

[DFD1]

Terrific account of what was surely a lovely day. Thanks for sharing.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review

 

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[Johnny B]

October 30, 2016 - Day 18

Cadiz, Spain

 

We decided yesterday that this was our fifth visit to Cadiz, and we like it better every time we visit. A couple of those times we traveled outside of the city, once to Seville (highly recommended), but a couple of them just let us wander the streets and squares and enjoy soaking up another culture. Cadiz is our first port outside of the Mediterranean; we passed by Gibraltar and the Pillars of Hercules in the middle of the night and are now officially in the Atlantic.

 

One of the highlights of this visit was seeing another part of the city - the oldest part. We began our walk with a detour to see what an enormous statue was about, and that led us to some small streets which took us to the other side of this peninsula which is Cadiz. On that side, along the ocean, we saw locals fishing with some of the longest fishing poles I’ve ever seen and some lovely squares. Cadiz is an extremely attractive city, with beautifully maintained green squares around almost every corner. We walked about a mile along the ocean, with a stop for cappuccino (and free wifi) at a cafe on the beach. As we continued, we saw an entrance into some type of a large park, so we detoured into it. The park turned out to be the city’s botanical garden and contains over a hundred species of plant, flower and tree. One of my favorite parts of the park was a concrete or stone structure with steep steps leading to a bridge which took us to the other part of the structure. In the bottom part of this childhood delight were small caves in which to play (if you’re under four feet tall).

 

From the botanical garden, we wandered down narrow stone streets into the oldest part of the city. Cadiz is one of oldest continually occupied cities in the world, the oldest in Spain, founded by the Phoenicians long, long ago. We had learned on our tour to Granada that the Phoenicians were the earliest traders, and their name came from “Phoenix,” the word for red - because they painted their faces with that color.

 

This part of the city was once a vineyard, but now it’s a warren of narrow streets with shops and restaurants everywhere. There were even Christmas decorations being installed. Since it was about 1:00 by then, we found a restaurant, and as it was John’s last chance to have paella in Spain, he opted for that. I had some calamari, liberally covered with the lemon juice I squeezed over it. With those two items, a couple of tintos and some rolls fresh out of the oven, it was a delightful lunch. Just as good, however, was watching the parade of Spaniards wandering up and down the street. It was a Sunday, and whole families were out for the day, including grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, and all the kids. Because lunch in Spain is between 2:30 and 3:00, it seemed that only tourists were eating as early as 1:00 or 1:30, but that was OK with us.

 

After lunch it was time to head back to the ship, and while we didn’t know the exact route, we just wandered in the right direction until we found the square in which we’d spent some time last week, had a couple more tintos, and then walked from there to the main square and thence to the ship.

 

Overall, it was a lovely, leisurely day, walking wherever our feet took us and enjoying a city that we both thought we could live in. The lifestyle is relaxed, the cost of living is low, the people are friendly, and the food is wonderful. What more could you want?

[Johnny B]

Monday, October 31 - Day 19

Happy Halloween!

At sea en route to Funchal, Madeira

 

The only thing better than a sea day is a sea day on the open ocean with a bit of rolling and every excuse to stay inside and do nothing - or something, if you wish. The ports have been so intensive on this part of the cruise - five in five days - that it is wonderful just to have a leisurely sea day.

 

During the night before last, as I mentioned earlier, we passed through the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar) and, at long last, left the Mediterranean and entered the Atlantic Ocean. Since the Med has felt like crossing a lake for the first 18 days, it’s great to be out to sea where we really feel that we’re at sea.

 

So. . . what to do on a sea day? Well, today is payday for these two retired civil servants, so it’s bill-paying day. That takes awhile and way too many internet minutes, especially since the net is soooo slow onboard ship. Right now I’m sitting in the Explorations Cafe, watching the ocean go by under cloudy skies and enjoying a cappuccino - one that does not provide free wifi! This is a great place to do anything online, since the reception is much better than in our cabin. It’s also a great people-watching place, and since it adjoins the Crow’s Nest, I can be amazed by the number of people who have cocktails at 10:00 in the morning!

 

John was going to try to wait until we got home to get a haircut, but it was driving him crazy so he’s made an appointment for a haircut today. On the appointment slip, it says to come 15 minutes early, which I really don’t understand. How many times have you had to sit and wait for a hairdresser’s appointment? I think he’s going to interpret the 15 minutes as 5 and show up then. If he has to wait beyond his appointment time, I’m sure I’ll hear about it. I’m going to be patient and wait for the day after we get home so Amy can work her magic on my hair, although the haircut I had in Uzes, France, was actually very good.

 

We thought we’d try lunch in the Dutch Kitchen, a restaurant that we pass every evening on the way to dinner but where we’ve not stopped to eat. We’ve talked about it several times, but, as you know, many times talk doesn’t convert into action - so today is the action. Afterwards, at 1:30, we’ll be in the Crow’s Nest at Team Trivia, but instead of a team of six, which is maximum, we’ll be a team of two. We should have fun anyway. We already have our team set up for the world cruise, and that one will have six.

 

* * * *

 

We did it! We had lunch in the Dutch kitchen and it was excellent. John had a grilled ham and cheese (lots of butter on the bread, I think) and I had a bowl of Dutch pea soup, with chopped ham and carrots. It was so thick it almost could have been eaten more easily by a fork, but I stuck with the spoon. John ordered a side of fries, which came with sides of mayo (very popular in Belgium and Holland) and peanut sauce (who knew?) No ketchup here. My side was six little Dutch pancakes, drizzled with butter and a side of powdered sugar for dipping. I loved them.

 

I imagine a nap will fit into the afternoon’s schedule, and that will make it the perfect sea day.

[lindafromwoking]

if you go to Cadiz on another cruise I would recommend the "white villages and countryside" excursion. Takes you to beautiful Vejer de la Frontera where I lived for 3 years. It is a very pretty hilltop village.

[Johnny B]

November 1, 2016 - Day 20

Funchal, Madeira

 

If you ever have a chance to visit Madeira, either as a one day port stop or a week long vacation spot, do it. It is a little tropical paradise in the Atlantic Ocean, part of Portugal and populated by people who are incredibly proud of their home.

 

We docked at 8:00 and, even though a shuttle was available for $10 per person, we opted to walk the mile or so into town. It’s a really pretty walk along the ocean, and with the weather sunny and beautiful, it was too tempting to turn down. Before walking, however, we bought our last postcard of the trip to send to our granddaughter, and while I was writing it, John was chatting with the merchant about last year’s devastating fires. Since Funchal is built up a hill, it’s easy to see where the charred trees and where a great deal of damage was done. Two hotels and several houses were burned, although the fire fighters were able to save hundreds more houses as well as the cable car that takes visitors to the top of the mountain. The gentleman John spoke to told him that the pyromaniac who set the fire was at it for the third (!) time. After the first fire he set, he spent a year in jail. After the second, it was only six months, but since at least one person died in this last fire, he’s spending the rest of his life there.

 

Our first stop in town was the beautiful botanical garden in the middle of Funchal, a stop we’ve made on each of our visits here. It has plumeria, bougainvillea, hibiscus, and other plants and flowers we’re used to seeing in Hawaii rather than Europe. We continued on, always admiring the sidewalks and their almost mosaic art. If you’ve been in Portugal, Brazil or Madeira, you’ve seen the black and white patterns made of small stones which decorate virtually every sidewalk or square in sight. It must have taken a great deal of time and effort to create these extensive works of art, but they are just so beautiful to look at now.

 

We continued our walk around a few corners and found a cute little cafe with outdoor seating and the all-important wifi. Their cappuccino was excellent and we spent a pleasant half hour on our break.

 

Then we continued more into the old part of town, much of which was closed because of All Saints Day, but we just walked until we came to the water again. There were innumerable cafes and restaurants, most of which were beginning to fill up for lunch, but we opted to wait until we returned to the ship. Gaining weight on the ship isn’t a problem, but we’re trying to lose what we put on in our eight European weeks of eating out for lunch and dinner.

 

Finally we headed back to the ship, another mile or so, and got back just as the tour buses were disgorging 50 passengers per bus, so the lines to get back on the ship were lengthy. I think we waited 30 minutes or so to get to the gangplank, go through security, and re-board the ship. Lunch was waiting for us in the Lido, and then it was time to return to our cabin for a bit of relaxation.

 

This evening will be a return trip to Tamarind, and we’re both really looking forward to it. It should be a much quieter evening than yesterday, however, when many of the passengers wore costumes and some of us danced into the wee hours in the Queen’s Lounge. Fortunately, since we’re westbound, we’re getting to turn our clocks back an hour about every other night. It might make naps unnecessary, but I hope not.

 

P. S. Thanks for the tip on the "white villages." We'll be back here as part of the WC next spring.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - Day 21

At Sea - The first day of seven

 

We’ve begun the long trip home, seven days at sea with some rolling seas - at least for today. We’ve noticed the telltale signs: barf bags near the elevators, green apples at the Front Desk, and saltines at every meal. One of our favorite beverage servers, Jessica, was looking a little “green around the gills” last evening, but she was able to find some drops to put behind her ears which are supposed to do the same thing as the little seasick band-aid looking thing that people use. This morning she said she was feeling a lot better.

 

Last evening was our second dinner at Tamarind, and it almost makes me wish we ate there every night. For starters, I had the absolutely delicious Shanghai ribs John had last time, and although I would have like to pick them up and gnaw on them, I did use knife and fork and actually removed all the meat without wearing any of it. John had the soup called “Pearls of the Orient” and he thought it was delicious. For his second, which I skipped, he had egg rolls which looked pretty good.

 

For our last dinner, John had red curry chicken, but this time he ordered the grilled lobster. He thought it was pretty good, but he still wished he had ordered the curry again. I had Szechuan shrimp which was awfully good. My only problem was in determining what was shrimp (and they were not shrimpy) and what was tail. After the first one, however, I figured it out and enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

My dessert stayed the same as last time: mango mousse with mango sorbet. John, however, took our server’s advice and had the mini Thai donuts, which is a six-high pile of little bitty donuts which the server begins with and then pours over it three sauces: vanilla, chocolate, and ginger. He liked it, but he’d stick with chocolate next time. It was a lovely dinner and I’d go back any time.

 

Tonight is our second “gala” evening of this part of the cruise, so I’ll have to figure out what to wear - always a challenge, but less so when one only brings three evening gowns. I’ve already worn one this segment, so it narrows my choice down to two. I guess I can just flip a coin.

[Johnny B]

November 3, 2016 - Day 22

At Sea en route to Ft. Lauderdale

 

After a cold and rolling day at sea yesterday, today has turned out to be sunny and fairly warm - or at least warm enough to sit on the back deck and soak up some sun in a swimsuit. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, since all the lounges on the aft deck and around the Lido pool were covered with beach towels and people in all states of dress and undress (swimsuits, of course), some of whom actually made it into the pool. Actually, during our two hours beside the aft pool, I actually dipped into the pool once - for about two minutes. I’m not much about swimming, but I do love lying in the sun - much to the irritation of my dermatologist.

 

The longer we’re on the ship, the more crew members we get to know and the more we learn about their working conditions. One of the things that’s interesting is the rotation schedule they have. For example, the wine stewards in the dining room move one position on every new cruise. During the first 12 days, Cherry was our wine steward, but when the 16 day segment began, we lost Cherry and gained Ronel. While they’re both very good at what they do, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Cherry is bubbly and outgoing, and when we see her around the ship she calls out to us in greeting. Ronel is rather quiet and shy, and he thanks us for our business far more than he needs to. We do like him a lot.

 

Our dining room steward and assistant, Suta and Pur, were supposed to be rotated downstairs on this segment, but we asked Hardy, the upstairs manager, if they could stay and he very kindly said that they could. When we asked him about the rotations and the reasoning behind them, he told us that the responsibilities on upper and lower decks were different and they want to make it as fair as possible. There are also rotations among the bar staff, so when we see a server in one location one night, we might see him/her somewhere else the next.

 

Some of the rotations which are difficult for us to understand are ones that have taken place between last year’s world cruise and this year’s. One of our officer friends in the dining room was transferred to another one of the HAL ships, even thought he was quite near to retirement. Other friends who were officers in the beverage section were also transferred to other ships when everyone on the world cruises loved them. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the thinking in Seattle.

 

If you ever wondered why you should be on good terms with your dining room stewards, we are a good example. I mentioned earlier that when I told Suta that I loved pad thai, he expectedly brought it to me one night. Tonight we’re going to be having an Indian dinner after telling Suta how much we like Indian food. Apparently the crew has three choices of dinner: Indonesian, Filipino, or Indian. What we’re having is the crew’s Indian menu for tonight. We didn’t even know that this was a possibility, but since we love Indian food, we’re really looking forward to it - even though some of the items on the menu (which we saw last night) are not familiar to us.

 

We sail on at 18.2 knots per hour, and in just five more days we’ll be in Ft. Lauderdale. At the very least, we’ve avoided all those political advertisements.

[Johnny B]

November 3, 2016 - Day 22

At Sea en route to Ft. Lauderdale

 

After a cold and rolling day at sea yesterday, today has turned out to be sunny and fairly warm - or at least warm enough to sit on the back deck and soak up some sun in a swimsuit. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, since all the lounges on the aft deck and around the Lido pool were covered with beach towels and people in all states of dress and undress (swimsuits, of course), some of whom actually made it into the pool. Actually, during our two hours beside the aft pool, I actually dipped into the pool once - for about two minutes. I’m not much about swimming, but I do love lying in the sun - much to the irritation of my dermatologist.

 

The longer we’re on the ship, the more crew members we get to know and the more we learn about their working conditions. One of the things that’s interesting is the rotation schedule they have. For example, the wine stewards in the dining room move one position on every new cruise. During the first 12 days, Cherry was our wine steward, but when the 16 day segment began, we lost Cherry and gained Ronel. While they’re both very good at what they do, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Cherry is bubbly and outgoing, and when we see her around the ship she calls out to us in greeting. Ronel is rather quiet and shy, and he thanks us for our business far more than he needs to. We do like him a lot.

 

Our dining room steward and assistant, Suta and Pur, were supposed to be rotated downstairs on this segment, but we asked Hardy, the upstairs manager, if they could stay and he very kindly said that they could. When we asked him about the rotations and the reasoning behind them, he told us that the responsibilities on upper and lower decks were different and they want to make it as fair as possible. There are also rotations among the bar staff, so when we see a server in one location one night, we might see him/her somewhere else the next.

 

Some of the rotations which are difficult for us to understand are ones that have taken place between last year’s world cruise and this year’s. One of our officer friends in the dining room was transferred to another one of the HAL ships, even thought he was quite near to retirement. Other friends who were officers in the beverage section were also transferred to other ships when everyone on the world cruises loved them. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the thinking in Seattle.

 

If you ever wondered why you should be on good terms with your dining room stewards, we are a good example. I mentioned earlier that when I told Suta that I loved pad thai, he expectedly brought it to me one night. Tonight we’re going to be having an Indian dinner after telling Suta how much we like Indian food. Apparently the crew has three choices of dinner: Indonesian, Filipino, or Indian. What we’re having is the crew’s Indian menu for tonight. We didn’t even know that this was a possibility, but since we love Indian food, we’re really looking forward to it - even though some of the items on the menu (which we saw last night) are not familiar to us.

 

We sail on at 18.2 knots per hour, and in just five more days we’ll be in Ft. Lauderdale. At the very least, we’ve avoided all those political advertisements.

[Johnny B]

November 4, 2016 - Day 23

Still at sea

 

When crossing large stretches of ocean, like the eight days between the West Coast and Tahiti or the seven days between Madeira and Ft. Lauderdale, it’s always lovely just to laze away the days lying in the sun and catching up on my tan. That worked very well yesterday, but today there’s no chance. It’s gray, rainy and rough and there’s absolutely no chance of a tan. We both like the rolling, but I certainly don’t like the gray and rainy. We can feel the rolling in our cabin on Deck 6, but when I come up to Deck 12 to write, it’s really like an “E” ride. (If you don’t understand that reference, ask your parents). The captain, in his 12:45 daily report, indicated both yesterday and today that he had changed course somewhat to avoid the major storms currently in the Atlantic. He also told us that we are now more than a thousand miles from the nearest land - a long way to swim.

 

Last evening at dinner, we had a really delicious Indian meal that was one of the three crew dinners: Indian, Filipino, and Indonesian. We began with a tomato based soup that was flavored with curry and caraway seeds. It was a little spicy, but not too much. Next we had fried tofu patties in an Indian seasoning. Now I’m not really a tofu fan, but as it picks up flavors from everything that’s with it, it was really pretty good. The chile oil really spiced it up and made it quite tasty. Our main course was a combination of dal, a lentil stew, as well as biryani rice with anise seeds. Those two were just delicious, and we did everything but lick the plates.

 

Since there was no Indian dessert, we opted to split a serving of apple strudel with vanilla sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I find that, although I have a monster sweet tooth, getting just a few bites is usually enough for me.

 

The show last night was a comedian from Hermosa Beach, California. He started out a little slowly but picked up speed as the show progressed. His funniest joke was about a colonoscopy, and considering the age of the audience, was very well received. We have definite preferences for each evening’s entertainment. Neither of us like ventriloquists or magicians, although we have several friends who love them. We do like comedians, singers, and the ship’s singers and dancers. There is also an outdoor movie twice each evening which is shown on a screen next to the Lido midships pool. We’ve never been on a ship that had such, but we’ve docked next to ships where we could see outdoor movies playing. I think, as long as we’re done with dinner by 10:00, that tonight will be our first outdoor big screen movie.

 

Tonight we’ll be having dinner with Jade, one of the security officers whom we know from the Amsterdam. We’ve been on a couple of world cruises with her and have developed a light, teasing relationship. Because she’s not the security supervisor (an officer with a stripe), it was necessary for us to write a note to her supervisor to ask for her to join us for dinner. It was approved, but then I had to answer some questions: where were we going to have dinner? would we be going anywhere first? What time would we be meeting? I mean, we are all adults and can manage these things on our own, but I guess they have very strict rules. To answer the second question, we’ll be meeting in the Tamarind bar, a lovely, understated little area in the Tamarind restaurant which we didn’t even discover until our second dinner there. Then we’ll be able to just take the elevator down from the tenth floor to the third for dinner. We’re looking forward to the whole evening.

[Johnny B]

November 5, 6, 2016 - Days 24, 25

At Sea en route to Ft Lauderdale

(I don’t know when this will post, because the internet has been down all day)

 

I don’t know why, but it seems a looooong way from Madeira to Florida. I usually love long stretches of sea days, but on this crossing, I think I just want to be at home. Maybe its because the weather has been quite changeable, sometimes gray and cloudy, sometimes bright and sunny, and sometimes wet and rainy - and today we’ve had all three in a period of about two hours. Right now the rain is really coming down, but from about 11:00 until 1:30, it was warm and sunny and we were able to catch up on some tanning alongside the midships pool. Oh well, such is the Atlantic. During the captain’s noon announcements today, he let us know that we are now over the deepest part of the Atlantic. I don’t remember how deep it is, but it’s over my head.

 

The evening before last, we enjoyed the company of Jade, our friend who’s a security supervisor. We learned the set-up of the security department, which on this ship, has 16 security personnel, two security supervisors (of which Jade is one) and the chief of security, who is an officer with a stripe. We began with wine in the Tamarind Bar, a great little place that we only discovered on our second trip to the Tamarind restaurant. We knew that on other restaurants that have Tamarind restaurants there are attached bars that were called “The Silk Bar,” but we didn’t know of such a thing on this ship. It’s small and beautifully designed and only holds enough chairs for about a dozen people.

 

When the three of us headed down to the dining room, we saw four strangers sitting at our table! As a surprise, the dining room guys had set up a table overlooking the ocean not too far from our regular table. We had a lively discussion for almost two hours over dinner, covering everything from exciting security events (those that weren’t top secret),

to whether ships have a brig (Amsterdam does; Koningsdam doesn’t), to life in the Philippines to Jade’s 15-year-old son, who lives with her mother and older sister at home. It seems that that’s the way of life for the high percentage of Filipinos who live overseas, with grandparents taking care of their grandchildren during the long stretches when the parents are working in many places around the world. I remember when my brother needed home care for Alzheimer’s, it was provided by two young Filipino men who had left family at home to come to the States to provide care for those who needed it here and to financially support families at home in the Philippines.

 

While we were in the Tamarind bar with Jade, we saw our friend Stephanie, another acquaintance from the Amsterdam. We had intended to ask her to have dinner with us, so we used that opportunity to do so. We suggested meeting in the same place the next night and then having dinner at our (real) table in the dining room. We assured Jade that we didn’t do this every night, that actually she was the first guest we’d invited to join us for dinner. After we got back to our room that evening we realized that we’d made reservations for Caneletto the next night, so we decided that we’d need either to add a spot for Stephanie or just cancel the reservation. The addition of one guest wasn’t possible, so we just cancelled and decided to eat at our regular table.

 

So . . . last evening we met Stephanie at the Tamarind, where we talked about all those things that people discuss in order to learn more about each other. She lives in Spokane, Washington and it turns out that she and I are only five months apart in age. Then we headed down to our table where we ate and chatted and laughed for two hours and then, because there weren’t any activities in which we were really interested, we just headed back to our cabin to set our clocks back and hour and have an early evening.

 

Today was Sunday, so instead of the gym, our usual schedule is to shower, have cappuccinos in the Explorations Cafe, and then attend interdenominational services at 9:00. We were told that HAL’s practice is to have a Protestant minister on board for any cruises over ten days, and for this segment we have a retired pastor of the Reformed Church (formerly the Dutch Reformed Church). It was held in a double meeting room on Deck 1 and I think every chair was filled. The singing was spirited, the sermon was interesting, and it seemed that everyone had their “spiritual update” for the week.

 

On the seven days of our crossing, the pastor holds a Bible study at 8:30, and then at 10:00, Scott Hearing, a Cruise Critic member, holds daily devotions with a theme of “Seven Things We Have Learned From The Titanic.” I know, it seems strange to learn about a shipwreck on a cruise, but it really is an interesting study and Scott has put a lot of work into organizing it. I’ve learned far more about that memorable event that I ever knew before.

 

So, we will continue, chugging along at about 18.5 knots per hour for another two days. We learned from Jade that, although we’re scheduled to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00 AM, we’ll actually be docking at 5:00 AM. John and I will be disembarking precisely at 8:00 so that we can gather up our three bags, pass through Immigration and Customs as quickly as possible, and head outside to grab a taxi for the airport. After almost three months, it will be good to be home.

[oliver1821]

It was so nice following your adventures on the Kdam!!! Will be boarding her in 37 days so your review was most helpful!!

 

Thank you!!