Trekking the Globe with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2017 World Cruise - 126 Days

[jig]

The itinerary is not in the newsletter anymore. It is on the front page of the port guide book from now on. Is there music in the ocean bar every night now? We had it once every 3 days. Other nights it was dark. And very empty.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[WCB]

Report # 119 SailingTowards Cartagena, Colombia April 28,2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Our second day at sea after leaving Ft. Lauderdale found usin fair weather, but rolling seas. Windsacross the decks exceeded 30 mph, but were better than yesterday, when we couldhave blown off the aft deck. As we dropsouth, the heat and humidity are getting worse. The only thing that might help cool things off is occasional showers,which we did have this afternoon.

 

We noticed that some work has resumed on the lower promenadedeck, but minor things, such as replacing the wooden railings, and varnishingthem. Oddly enough, the heaviest jobswere done during the grand voyage. Whathas continued, are the frequent leaks that occur without warning like in thehallways or public areas. It is common tosee buckets appear for drips and leaks. Hopefully, when this ship goes into the planned dry dock in 2018, theseplumbing issues will be corrected, along with many other needed upgrades. So far on our deck (Dolphin), we have onlyseen a few leaks that were repaired within a day. It is also the coolest deck on the ship in theair-conditioning department. Tonightthere must have been a 20 degree difference from the public areas of the ship,such as the upper dining room, the Crow’s Nest, and the elevator landings.

 

We came back from our morning walk to find a bouquet offlowers had been delivered (a President’s Club perk). Purple and white flowers were quite pretty,but obviously not the creative designs we received from Eddy and Calista. Those kids are artists, although we stillappreciate the arrangement.

 

One other thing we found out today was that after thiscruise ends in Seattle, the gratuities will go up $1.00 per person perday. That means our category will be$13.50 per person per day. Not sure whatthe suites will be, but it will also go up accordingly.

 

There was a kitchen tour today where the guests could seewhere the 12,000 meals per day are prepared. Having gone on many tours in the kitchen, we can say they have a slick operation. Speaking of food, we feel that the meals,especially dinner entrees, have been every bit as good as the grand voyage……evenbetter. Perhaps it is due to the factthat we have a table for two now, as opposed to 8 or 10. It is so much easier for the waiters to servethe plates hot and in a timely manner. Our appetizer and entrees are brought directly from the kitchen, and arenot being held on the side waiter counters.

 

The Digital Workshop has continued with classes as well as aq and a with the workshop hostess. We havealways wanted to take advantage of these classes, but found that the lineto get into the room was a mile longevery day, every class. So we gave up. If that doesn’t work for everyone, then thereis always the cooking demos and shows.

 

Trivia is taking place twice a day…the first one at 1pm, andthe second one at 7:30pm. Our buddiesDon and Alene have gathered a good team, and reported that if they win, theyget small prizes.

 

Yesterday Barbara H did her talk on Cartagena, which wecaught on TV today. Her lecture todaytook in Corinto, Nicaragua and Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Of course, we werejust recently there, but we can always learn more from listening to herlectures. Costa Rica is such a diversecountry that Barbara had a separate presentation this afternoon calledfeathers, fins, furs, and flowers of Costa Rica. Once we start hitting these ports, they willbe one after the other, so she needs to get the information out now before wearrive.

 

Our day was stream-lined with pool time, a late lunch,several walks, and finally a party. Wehad been invited by Captain Fred Eversen and Bart G, the hotel director to aCollector’s Voyage Cocktail Party held in the Crow’s Nest. There was a mixed message as the invitationmentioned that the dress code was smart casual, so no shorts or tank tops wereallowed. But, it was really a gala evening, and we would go dressedappropriately. We arrived right on timeat 7:15pm, and it appeared that we were about the last to come into theroom. Being that the seas were rolling,some folks came early to get a seat and a head start in the cocktaildepartment. We heard there were about 43of the world cruise guests that have stayed on this cruise. Several must nothave come, because there may have been about 30 of us.

 

We joined Barbara H and friends Leslie and Handler, who weresitting with Brooke, Fred’s lady. Eventually,the purser, Peter joined the group, and when Barbara had to move on, Bart tookher seat. So we had a very nice eveningwith folks we know. Captain Fred was thelast to join us all. Sure is nice that ourgroup was recognized in such a nice way. Nice appetizers were served like lobster,prawns, and pork bellies. Any drink youwanted was offered, as well as an assortment of wines.

 

We were late in getting to the dining room, but the nicething is that with a table for two, we were not holding anyone up. It did not matter if we were late. Looking around on both dining room floors, wenoticed that the folks were pretty much dressed the same as the world cruisersfor a gala night. Maybe even a bit nicer,as we saw few men in collared shirts and no jackets or ties. We ordered the rack of lamb, and it wasdelicious…..cooked perfectly, and every bit as good as the lamb chops in thePinnacle Grill. Desserts of balsamic strawberriesand cheesecake were equally a treat for both of us.

 

The show this evening was Bellissima performed by theAmsterdam singers and dancers. Also asgood as the last time we saw them. Someof the act had to be adjusted due to the ship’s motion for sure.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Cartagena, but only for a shorttime, as the ship is due to leave the port by 2pm.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[alsas]

Great report reading about the changes since the world. You are at our table for dinner which we love. We send our best wishes to all our friends that stayed onboard Safe travels

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[USN59-79]

We were on the first half of the WC, disenbarking in Hong Kong. Have very much enjoyed reading your daily reports since we got home. I am surprised that you weren't able to attend the digital classes. Sara and I took 20 different classes in the 56 days we were on board, some of them more than once. Sure, there was always a line for the next class, but there were only a couple of times that we couldn't get in. I noticed there were 24 computers in the classroom, so if there were less than 24 people in line we were fine. To be sure, we would show up about 15 minutes before the class with a book or kindle to read. I believe the instructor (who is married to the drummer in the ship's band) will stay aboard until Seattle and then undergo some more training at Microsoft in Redmond.

Ray

[WCB]

Report #120 Cartagena,Colombia April 29, 2017 Saturday Chance of rain & 91 degrees Part #1 Of 2 87 Pictures

 

Today’s port of call was Cartagena in the country ofColombia. It has a population of45,700,000 Spanish-speaking people who live in a total area of 439,621 squaremiles. The best time to visit is Januaryto March. To say it was way too hot andhumid in late April is an understatement, as today was almost unbearable.

 

Since we arrived at 8am, and would be leaving right after1:30pm, our stay was very short. Thereis a lot to see, especially the cobbled streets of Old Town Cartagena, Colombia’smost romantic colonial city. And perhapsthere might be time to try local corn cakes with cheese, pork, and toppings. Andit is definitely the place to drink some good Colombian coffee. Actually one of the main exports of thiscountry is coffee, along with emeralds, gold, cut flowers, bananas, rice, andsugarcane. Natural gas, oil, and coalare also exported. Prices for fuel mustbe good here, since the Amsterdam bunkered fuel here today.

 

Trademarks are once again, coffee, emeralds (best purchasedin high end shops for authenticity), lost cities, Shakira (entertainer),football, and cocaine (it’s written in the Lonely Planet book, what can we say?).

 

Taxis were available for $12 to $15 per taxi to the downtownarea. The businesses in town accepted the peso, US dollars, and also Euros, wewere told. Credit cards are alwayswelcomed.

 

Shore excursions offered 12 tours that ran from 2 ½ to 4hours and cost $40 to $90. They includeda basic transfer for shopping with a little touring, or less walking or lessshopping, museum, cathedral, and monastery sites, as well as jewelry-making anda tour of the Old Town on foot. By theway, there was no shuttle bus today to take the guests from the ship to thesmall terminal complex. But then, thisis not the world cruise anymore.

 

It sure was kind of Sir Francis Drake in 1586, to agree notto burn the entire city down when he invaded with his pirates. It did cost Cartagena 10 million pesos as abribe to Drake. It was no wonder that a50 foot thick wall and fortress was built to protect this city from furtherinvasions. In 1741, this helped thelocals from being sacked again by the British, as they were able to defendthemselves, sending the English packing.

 

It sure would be fun to visit here on November 11th,their independence day from Spain. Everyone dresses in costumes and masks like Mardi Gras, then paradesdown all of the streets in Old Town. Nolonger a defensive city, Cartagena is open for a most lucrative touristbusiness these days.

 

After a nice breakfast with friends Don and Alene, werelaxed until 10:30am before we ventured off of the ship. Just as we suspected, it was boiling outsideand steamy as well, with only a slight breeze blowing. Good thing we did not plan on going too far,as we have seen everything in this city numerous times. So we walked to the small terminal shop thatis really a store with a coffee and juice café outside the main door. There used to be a duty-free shop here also,but it was closed today, actually empty of all of the perfumes and liquors they used to sell.

 

There is a mini-like zoo set in a jungle of trees in theback of the store. Today we saw morebirds and animals than we have ever seen here before. And it has been cleaned up and upgraded forthe birds they house here. If you stoodstill long enough, the birds and animals would come to you.

 

The first unusual bird we spotted was a brown andyellow-breasted great kiskadee, who was building a nest on a small barge pier side. Brown pelicans flew overhead, but up quitehigh, while a few were floating in the bay. Outside the terminal, there were American flamingoes, very salmon-pinkin color. We figured they feed them “flamingochow” that has that coloring in the feed. It tends to keep them that pretty shade of coral, as the dye travels totheir feathers. They were joined by somepeacocks and black swans, where they shared a pond and a waterfall. We used to see iguanas here, but we saw nonetoday. They may have been removed.

 

Passing through the air-conditioned store, we went out theback door to the landscaped gardens. Here we saw two newly-built jungle gyms for the most beautiful macaws. There were three types here….scarlet, blue andyellow, and red, blue, and green military macaws. These birds eat fruit, nuts, and seeds, andthe females lay 1 to 4 eggs that take 28 days to hatch. The fledglings are 14 weeks old before theycan fly to join the adult flock. Thesmaller Amazon parrots were scattered through the gardens also.

 

Right in this area is a grove of huge trees, ficus to beexact. Up very high on a horizontalbranch, we could see a family of howler monkeys resting in the heat. Doubt theymove too far until later in the evening. Much cuter, we saw a ½ dozen little furry monkeys that might fit in thepalm of a hand. A large handperhaps. They wiggled down some vines tocheck us all out.

 

Around the surrounding walkways, we could see some moresquirrel monkeys rooting for some peanuts discarded by the macaws. These little guys were really cute as theycame close to everyone, probably looking for treats. Their best bet was to raid the macaw feederswhich contained mostly sunflower seeds, nuts, and sliced fruits. Later on, we gave one little monkey a coffeecandy. Delighted, he scurried off tosavor the sweet treat, taking it in and out of his tiny mouth, looking at it. He would share it with no one.

 

The macaws were something else. They can chew wood like it was paper, peelingchunks off of railings and peeler cores. Quite playful, we talked to them, hoping theywould respond. Of course, we said helloin English. Two birds started bobbing upand down, and muttered “hola” over and over…..no kidding. They did talk, but in Spanish, of course. Got some really great photos of them, and alsoa pair that were nesting in a specially-made box. Perhaps they would use that nesting box tolay their eggs.

 

We set off to explore the rest of the garden, and found thecage area. Normally this was reservedfor injured and recovering birds. Now therewas a caged area where we could enter with some games birds. We walked with some ringneck and silverpheasants, crested caracaras, and two types of toucans. There were ones with mostly green billscalled keel-billed toucans, and the other ones were channel-billed with blackbills. What we thought to be a type ofvulture, was really a pair of South American king vultures. There were a few pairs of exotic greatcurassows, with curly-crested feathers on their heads. These tropical rainforest birds can reachthree feet from the tip of their beaks to their tails.

 

We had spent over an hour here filming the animal life,which was fun. Except for the oppressingheat, which finally sent us back inside the store for two things…….to cool offand to do some shopping.

 

The locals sell some native jewelry here by the name ofMapache. Some of it is made from realgourds, but we spotted some pendant and earring sets with pastel designs onthem. Something looked familiar aboutthem, so one set was purchased. One ofus realized that the design was actually a copy of a famous Monet painting in pastelpinks, blues and greens. Also, we picked up a bag of the best hard coffeecandies we like.

 

All aboard was 1:30pm, and the ship left within 10 minutesof that time. There was no “sail away”event on the aft deck, just Amsterdam departs Cartagena. It was so hot, we thought our shoes wouldmelt into the fake teak decking on the Seaview deck 8. So needless to say, we did not last toolong. Just long enough to visit withfriends until they “melted” as well.

 

At 2pm, Barbara H gave her presentation on the Panama Canal,the second one that we have heard on this long trip. Always fun doing this transit. But the best part is the Panama rolls of course. Today we all received a letter warning ofheat exhaustion and dehydration during the transit tomorrow. One suggestion always surprises us, and thatis to avoid using seasick meds, especially the scope patch, as it tends tointerfere with sweating, and can cause over-heating. Good to remember.

 

The rest of our afternoon was keeping cool in our room whileenjoying Cobb salads from room service. Perfect. Although the sunrise and sunset is no longerlisted in the daily newsletter, we can find it on channel 44. Going out on the promenade deck, we visitedwith Canadian buddies we remembered from previous cruises. The sun was promising a good sunset, but itdipped below the gray clouds, and that was that.

 

Dinner was nice, although we only had two courses. Entrees of sliced short rib meat with mashedpotatoes was just fine. Ice creamfinished the meal. Our waiters were sogood with their service, we were done before 9:30pm. Once again, perfect. And thanks to friends Leslie and Handler, allof us that have stayed onboard since the world cruise, have been given extrainternet minutes to fill out our questionnaires for the world voyage. They thought to ask for all of us, and wecertainly appreciate it.

 

Looking forward to the Panama Canal and those tasty rolls……

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[JamesEM]

It is nice to see the Cartagena has up graded the port area, when we were there is was at best run down.

[WCB]

Report #121 PanamaCanal Transit April 30, 2017 Sunday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees Part #1 Of 2 Pictures

 

Well, here we are once again, traveling from the Caribbeanto the Pacific Ocean, via the Panama Canal. In case you all don’t remember, the Panama Canal is a 48 mile canal inPanama that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, a major key for avery successful international maritime trade. Taking 10 years to construct from 1904 to 1914, the yearly traffic hasrisen from 1000 ships in the beginning to 15,000 vessels in 2010.

 

A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco using thecanal only needs to travel 5900 miles. However,sailing around Cape Horn, at the southernmost tip of South America would take aship 14,000 miles to do the same thing.

 

The largest vessel that can use the canal is called aPanamax. Now with the increasing amountof ships that exceed that size, new locks have been built to accommodate thesewider, longer ships. We have witnessedthe progression of work on this new canal operation, which opened June 26,2016. Estimated cost for thisundertaking was US$6.2 billion dollars, doubling the canal’s capacity andallows more ship traffic, and the passage of much longer and wider shipsnow. The most recent ship to use the newset of locks was the Norwegian Pearl, a 93,530 gross ton ship. The fee for thistransit was reportedly a ½ million dollars. The cheapest fare was 36 cents for a man who swam across the canaldecades ago.

 

For the first time in many years, we were up to see the startof our transit. The Amsterdam boarded thelocal pilot and narrator by 6am on the Caribbean side at the city of Colon. However,the transit did not begin until later in the morning, after 9am. Whenwe woke up, the ship was still waiting to enter the first set of locks atGatun. So we got to see the entrancewhere a new bridge is being built across the new set of locks. It should be completed within a couple ofyears. In front of us was a car carrierand two tankers in the opposite locks. Behind us was a pretty cruise ship, smaller than us, but looked familiar. Turned out it was the Seven Seas Mariner,which we have sailed on several times over the years. She is a very nice ship and all-inclusivethese days.

 

The weather could have been better. What a difference compared to our trip inJanuary, when it was comfortable, warm, but tolerable. Today was far different as it was muggybeyond belief, overcast, and getting darker by the minute as we entered intothe first locks at Gatun. It was also interestingto watch a much larger vessel enter into the new locks when we entered intoGatun Lake. The Amsterdam sailed slowlythrough the lake until 12:45pm, when we reached the Culebra Cut. This was when the skies turned black withlightning strikes….one after the other, was following by very close-by rollingthunder. At the time, we were among ahandful of guests and security guards out on the bow watching this action. There is nothing like the sudden streak ofnature such as this storm that stirs the prehistoric rush of fight or flightreaction response. It has to be inherentin our genes, we guess. And the thoughtinstantly crossed our minds that perhaps we need to get off of thismetal-surrounded deck. But curiositykept us all there, at least until the rain began falling. The most important thing was “save the camera”. When the rain came, it was torrential,sending all of us inside to deck four behind the show lounge, and eventuallydown the steep stairs to deck three.

 

By the way, there was a very good Panamanian narrator, whogave talks during the better part of the transit. There were problems with the sound system onthe ship, where in some areas, you could barely hear him speaking, while on thepromenade deck, his voice was booming, so much so, that his words echoed, just aboutpiercing eardrums. Truthfully, it hasbeen like this the entire trip.

 

During the course of the day, Panama rolls were served onseveral decks (yes, we did get ours in the dining room at breakfast). Juice, coffee, water, and lemonade, as wellas purchased beverages were available on all outside decks. And when it got hotter, cold face towels werepassed around along with delicious fruit skewers. We had to laugh when the deck fellows came outon the bow with the wet towels just when the rain started falling really heavy.

 

We spent the majority of the day between going to the bow,and taking shelter on the lower promenade, getting the best of the pictures,and staying as dry as we could. Roomservice lunch was enjoyed in our cool room while we passed by Pedro MiguelLocks after 2pm. The scenery got interesting when we passed under the CentennialBridge, and eventually began seeing the new set of locks on this side of thecanal. Once again, we were able to seethe container ship sailing through the new lock. Towards the end of the transit, we went to theaft deck eight while we passed by the final locks at Miraflores and went underthe Bridge of the Americas. The bird life at this end of the canal wasremarkable. Never saw so many frigates,pelicans, assorted terns, gulls, and even some ibis in flight. One small shrimp fishing boat was inundatedwith sea birds…almost unbelievable. Thebest part of exiting the canal near Panama City and Ft. Amador had to be therefreshing breeze from the Pacific Ocean….welcomed by absolutely everyoneonboard.

 

At least 100 ships and smaller vessels were anchored outsidethe entrance waiting for their turn to go through the canal towards theCaribbean side. It was about 5:30pm bythe time we were heading on our way towards Costa Rica, and our next stop in Puntarenas,Costa Rica on May 2nd.

 

We had company for dinner, Alene and Don, in the PinnacleGrill at 7:30pm. Tina, the manager, hadgone home in Ft. Lauderdale, and we had a new man who took her place. He was most polite and could not do enough forus. Our meals were very good, as was theservice from the regular staff who has stayed on from the grand voyage.

 

A singer by the name of Colleen Williamson was theentertainer in the Queen’s Lounge at 10pm. It had been such a long, hot, and active day, we missed the show. We did hear that the steel band the nightbefore was outstanding, gathering a standing ovation at the 8pm show. They will be doing an afternoon performancetomorrow, and we hope to catch it.

 

A day at sea will be most welcome tomorrow…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[bettty45]

Sounds like a spectacular day for you!! Our trip in Dec thru the canal was lovely weather but once we got into the Caribbean it was rough seas and very windy and hot.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WCB]

Report # 122 SailingTowards Puntarenas, Costa Rica May 1,2017 Monday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees

 

Our day began with another nice breakfast shared with Aleneand Don. Lots of catching up to do,since we have missed our Saturday morning breakfast meetings at home sinceJanuary. The dining room wassurprisingly full of guests, who probably forgot about setting the clocks backlast night. Or they did it right, butwoke up early and decided to try eating in the dining room for a change. Whatever the reason, the staff can be readjusted to accommodate any sizecrowd. They simply pull waiters from theLido to help with the service.

 

Right before we left our room, we spotted dozens of dolphinsoutside our window. This is the bestarea to see a scores of sea life, so from here on up this part of the Pacific,we intend to keep an eye out for much more. Later in the day, we heard many more reports on dolphin sightings….alwaysa good thing. Sailing through theCaribbean, we spotted a few flying fish, and not much more. Back at our room, we had Panama Canalcertificates waiting for us, verifying that we did it again.

 

Yesterday, we got a notice from the guest relations managerregarding doing the online survey for the grand world voyage. Most of us that are still onboard from thattrip (about 43), have little or no internet minutes left. So two of our buddies asked the hotel managerif we could be given some time to do this survey. The answer was of course, and with that,every single person or couple received 30 minutes of internet. There was a hitch, however. We had to use it solely for the survey, and nothingelse. It did take over 30 minutes tocomplete, because we had many comments to add. The extra minutes were instantly credited to our account by Courtney,the librarian. Previous years, thesesurveys go away after two weeks, and the chance to respond expires.

 

It was plenty warm and humid this morning, so after ourwalk, we spent the better part of the morning finishing up photos and reportsfrom yesterday. The rest of theafternoon was spent poolside, where a wonderful breeze popped up to keep usmost comfortable. The air conditioningon the ship has been spotty. The aftsection has been stifling, especially during dinnertime. Even the midship elevator section is a hotzone. As we have mentioned before, sofar our deck has been the coolest one on the ship. (Knock on wood.)

 

There was a port lecture for Huatulco and Cabo given byBarbara H. Following her talk, the shoreexcursion pitched their tours. Many moresales promotions are always being offered. They are for jewelry, specifically jade and Mexican fire opals. And naturally, the ship has had sales onPanama items, spa treatments, and casinotournaments.

 

Captain Fred gave a behind the scenes virtual tour of theAmsterdam in the Queen’s Lounge. Itreally is a cool way to “tour” the different departments on this ship withouthaving to really do it, which for the most part, is not allowed anymore.

 

There were three happy hours today (buy one drink, and getthe second one for $2. The usual one wasat 4pm in the Crow’s Nest and Ocean Bar. The second one was at 6:30pm, also in both bars. The third one was at 9pm in the Crow’s Nestonly. Just checked to see if this isoffered tomorrow, a port day, but it is not for three times, but only two.

 

Dinner for us was back in the dining room, where we hadsalad, soup, and chicken Kiev. All of itwas very good, as was the service from our new waiters. Several of our waiters from the world voyagehave been re-assigned upstairs. Theyalways stop by and chat with us, checking to see how we are doing. There is not a crew anywhere that is thisfriendly, as well as professional. Nestor, our long-time wine steward, has been promoted to head sommelier,and Manny, another favorite beverage waiter, has been promoted to a winesteward. He will do quite well, we arecertain.

 

The show tonight was Heart and Soul, performed by theAmsterdam singers and dancers. Asalways, they did a fine job, and the audience loved them. There have been many standing ovations onthis cruise so far.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[NordicPrince]

I've followed you around the world and had a great time reading your excellent documentary. Continued good sailing. BTW things are pretty much the same as you left them back at home.

[WCB]

Report #123 Puntarenas, Costa Rica May 2, 2017 Tuesday Chance of Rain & 89degrees Part #1 Of 3 88 Pictures

 

What a night we had last night. Thunder, lightning, and rain began around 1or 2am, and kept up until daylight. Ofcourse, it kept us up for a while as well. We seldom get these kind of storms where we live, so we find itexciting. Adding to the experience wasseeing dozens of white birds, probably terns, fluttering outside our window inthe pitch black darkness. The lightsfrom the lower promenade deck must have attracted fish, which drew thebirds. There really is no otherexplanation. Even as sleepy as we were,we were glued to the window, since we will more than likely never see thisagain. Come to think of it, we did see thislast year as well. And in this samearea. Talking to friends Denise andHoward, we found out they had seen it also, and did the very same thing we did…..watchuntil sleep finally overtook them.

 

Just as a reminder, Costa Rica is a Central American countrywith 19,725 square miles of beaches, mangroves, rain forests, cloud forests,volcanoes, rivers and waterfalls, just to mention a few. The capital is San Jose, and the populationis 4,254,000 Spanish-speaking citizens. Mayis the start of the wet season, which we found out today.

 

One of the favorite dishes is casado, a plate of meat,beans, rice, and fried plantains. Theirlocal drink is palm wine or coffee, which can be found everywhere.

 

Their trademark saying is “pura vida”, meaning pure or goodlife. This slogan is printed on many souveniritems.

 

There were a total of 20 tours offered today through shore excursions. Six all day tours included lunch and ranfrom $90 to $200. They included atropical forest aerial tram ride, a visit to a coffee plantation and gardens,or a ride to a volcano. There were twotypes of rain forest canopy zip line rides also.

 

Shorter tours took in a sky walk in the forest, a ride toSan Jose, or a trip to Sarchi to see painted carts. There was an Andalusian horse show, acountryside and coffee tour, or a walk in the clouds. They offered a ride to the Pura Vida gardensor a hummingbird and butterfly excursion. The best one in our opinion, was one we have done more than twice….. themangrove cruise and train ride…….so much fun to see the birds, critters, and monkeysof the mangroves.

 

One thing for certain, it was going to be a very warm andsticky day with temps in the high 80’s and humidity in the range of 89%. In fact, this is one of those days that wenever saw the sun, as the overcast was heavy with pending rain clouds. And we were not alone as the Seven SeasMariner had joined us at the pier in Puntarenas. Christened in 2001, the Mariner is 48,075gross tons with a passenger capacity of 752 persons (all berths full). Every cabinon this ship has a veranda, and it is an all-inclusive. No bar bills and mostlyfree tours as they are complimentary. You may have to pay a little extra for a lunch on the longer tours, butusually they give you some shipboard credit upon booking a cruise that coversit. We have gone on two longer trips onthis ship, and found it to be a luxury/premium product. Of course, it was $$$$$.

 

Sleeping in a bit late, we still made it to the dining roomby 8:30am, well before closing time at 9am. Since so many folks booked excursions, there were only a handful of usthere. Of course, the service waswonderful with no waiting at all.

 

We hung out until 10:30am before we left the ship. One of us that really likes new shoes, was lookingforward to going back to a nice shoe store where the perfect pair of sandalscaught someone’s eye last January. Ninetimes out of ten, larger sizes are aproblem in some countries. Especiallyhere, where few ladies have sizes over US 9. There was no problem locating the shop or the same shoes, but there wasa problem with the size. There was notone pair of size 10 sandals or dress heels in the entire store. Darn. Had much better luck in India, but they did not sell that same style ofsandals. However, had we lived here,they would have been most happy to send for them online. Well, guess that might be something to pursuewhen we get home…..online shoe shopping.

 

We walked the downtown area of Puntarenas, before headingtowards the end of the spit. Thedowntown area was jumping with locals food shopping, as well as windowshopping, like us. Street vendors werebusy selling produce and souvenir clothing and beach wear. Prices were very inexpensive.

 

Once we got near the Puntarenas Cathedral, built in 1902,the crowds thinned out, and we encountered many kids getting out of school fortheir lunch break. We made our way backto Paseo de los Turistas, the main drag along the beach front. The best thing about this street was that itwas clear of buildings that blocked the breeze. It was incredibly hot, so that ocean breeze was a life-saver.

 

It was a bit early to go to lunch, so we continued walkingbeyond the hotel, our intended lunch spot, to the tip of the spit. Don’t know why we never walked this farbefore, but we found the San Lucas Beach Club, a food, entertainment, andmeeting place. The restaurant here was SanLucas Fish Co. Once around the tip, wesaw a huge and most inviting swimming pool of the beach club, and eventuallythe Panderia Quesada Ferry landing. Itwas situated on the backside of the spit, so we never saw this areabefore. Surrounding the ferry landing,were several bars and pubs, which looked like they would be opened for dinner,and not lunch. This whole area is afavorite spot for the locals to go on weekends, and during the peak of theseason, it would be wall-to-wall families here. Today, it was mostly empty of vacationers.

 

It was so hot, that we decided to back-track, and head forsome ice cold beers. That was at LasBrisas, a small hotel complex right on the main beach road. This hotel had the nicest open-airrestaurant, not really large, but modern and clean. Maybe inviting is a better choice of a word. The best thing was that there was a strongbreeze blowing through here now, and we knew that rain was most likely on theway.

 

We ordered Imperial beers, the local Costa Rican brew, alongwith a plate of cheese nachos and one entrée of chicken fajitas. Even though we had dined here in January, wehad forgotten the size of the appetizer, as it was huge. Oh well, dinner wasn’t until 8pm, so we couldhandle it. Shortly after we were seated,we were joined with a group of utility workers on their lunch break. What fun they all had while watching atelevised soccer game. We would see arepeat of this with many locals in the cafes and bars all the way to the ship.

 

After an hour of cooling off in the strong breeze anddowning four beers, we asked for the bill. It was a tad bit over $25…..what a deal. The rate of exchange for the Costa Rican colon to the US dollar was 540to $1 USD. In some of our previous ports,$25 would not have covered 3 beers.

 

Wanting to check out the souvenir stands on the way back, wewere surprised to find only ¼ of them were there today. Just as we began looking for treasures, the rainstarted. The vendors were either packingup for the day, or covering everything with plastic. Most all of the bus tours were not back yet,and the smart street merchants knew there would be a lot of the tourists cominghere to spend money.

 

The nicest of products here are made from Costa Rican woods. They sell bowls of all sizes, platters, icebuckets, cutting boards, figurines, and coaster sets…..one of which wepurchased. The only other item we werelooking for was a visor, which have been difficult to find in the last month ofports. Baseball caps are common, butvisors are not. Intending to buy one, weended up with 3 for $9. Since the firstvendor at the end of the stands wanted $6 each, this was a great deal. Pays to shop, even if it is a small purchase.

 

The rain was letting up, and we never did have to use ourumbrellas we packed with us all day. Actually it felt so good now that it had cooled off. And as we had expected, the little “train”ride from the ship to the shore was full of folks from both ships coming toshop onshore.

 

All aboard was 4:30pm, with a Puntarenas sail away plannedon deck eight aft. Never happened,because the rain was falling steadily now. We went to deck six forward to catch some photos of the ship’s linesbeing dropped. With several toots of theship’s horn, Captain Fred turned the ship around and headed out of the bay. Not sure the Mariner would follow us toNicaragua, as they responded to the horn with many toots of their own, like afinal goodbye.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Corinto around 9am, another repeatport of the world cruise.

 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with friends Denise andHowie from Concord. We had a two hourmeal with them, and enjoyed it immensely. Caesar salads, lobster bisque, with entrees of filet mignon and lambchops filled us to the brim. To ourdisappointment, our waitress told us that they had no more baked Alaska forthis trip. Not even our favorite CherryGarcia ice cream. So we all ordered thesecond best desserts, except Howie, who we thought, jokingly asked for thespecial ice cream. With that said, ourwaitress took off, and came back saying they located a tub of Cherry Garciatucked way back in the freezer. Allright…..we changed back to that, because it will not last much longer.

 

It had been a long day, so none of us attended the master ofmentalism, the show by Alan Chamo at 10pm.

 

Tomorrow’s port will be Corinto, Nicaragua….another hot andsteamy day, we bet.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Many thanks toSandy in Spain for your excellent info on the cotton top tamarin monkeys. Barbara and Orlin: look forward to seeing you on the Alaskareunion cruise in July.

[Overpacker]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann,

Have really enjoyed following your World Cruise adventures for several years. Thanks for taking me along. Have a quick question. I noticed you posted a brief note to Barbara and Orlin that you will be reuniting with them this summer in Alaska. Will you be doing a 7 or 14 day cruise? I assume you will be on your home away from home the ms Amsterdam. We will be boarding her on July 17th along with Captain Mercer.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[WCB]

Report #124 Corinto, Nicaragua May 3, 2017 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 92degrees Part #1 Of 3 88 Pictures

 

Here we are, once again, in the port of Corinto, Nicaragua,the second time this year actually. Thecapital of Nicaragua is Managua and the population is 5,892,000 Spanish-speakingpeople. The country has 50,323 squaremiles of farm and grazing land, as well as mountains with volcanoes. There is a colonial area in Leon, a city thatis and hour and a half ride from the port. A tour there allows you to see ruins, museums, and the Basilica Catedralde la Asuncion, a majestic landmark.

 

Speaking of tours, the ship had 12 of them today. Six of them went to Leon, some had a lunch,most did not. You could visit a bananaplantation, see a horse show, tour a rum distillery, or take a drive to atypical little city called Chinandega. Wedid that tour many years ago, as well as seeing Leon. The shortest tour was 3 hours, and thelongest was 5.5 hours. The prices rangedfrom $55 to $120.

 

Hands down, it was going to be a pretty hot day with thehighs in the 90’s with that ever-present humidity. So we hung around the ship until all of thetours went off by 10am. What a surprisewe had when we began walking through the containers in the port and extra loudfirecrackers or something went off in town. Most unnerving, many people joked that the locals were picking off thetourists.

 

Once into the center of town outside the port gate, wediscovered that a recent festival had been celebrated. It was called Feria XXI Gastronomica del Mar2017. Guess they were still having that party,because more cherry bombs were exploded as we made our way to the center oftown. They don’t fool around with measlyfirecrackers here.

 

Many souvenir tables had been added, but they were mostlyceramics. Nice but extremely breakable. We did have our eye on some of the woodproducts, however. They are much thesame as those we saw in Costa Rica, only more affordable.

 

Walking through this little town, we ran into many friendswho were shopping for bargains. Deniseand Howie had found a neat wooden sunflower to buy, and also good beers nearby.Our friend Leslie had found some practical plastic containers to use for packing,as they have been on the world cruise like us, and also have that job ahead ofthem.

 

This little town is unlike any other place we havebeen. Quaint streets are filled withbasic housing, with a couple of main streets in the center of town having a fewshops, bars, a basic market, billiard hall, barber, hairdresser, and a fewclothing stores. The center of town hasa central park, that was set up with numerous souvenir stands. There was a service happening in the localchurch, something we have never seen before.

 

There really is only one nice restaurant in town, and wewere headed that way. Dozens of bicycletaxi locals were offering city tour rides for $5 each, we assume. They can get aggressive, but once they pickup some customers, they go away for a while. One of the places they will take the folks is the Costa Azul, advertisedas a restaurant specializing in seafood. It is walkable from the ship, although we sawno one else like us doing it. It wasjust so blasted hot, and walking the streets outside the center of town, youwill find the streets about empty of people.

 

As we passed by some opened doors, we could hear anothersoccer game being shown on TV. Ifnothing else, these folks have satellite dishes, and their version of ESPN.

 

Once at the Costa Azul, we took a table on a raised patiowhich overlooked the bay and the Pacific Ocean. So far there was only one othercouple here from the ship, as well as a few locals. Ordering the local beer, our waitress broughtover two ice cold bottles of Tona beer. The beers never tasted so good, andeven better, the price was right at $2. each. Then we ordered fried white cheese on friedplantains, and one plate of chicken fingers to share. The menu was priced in US dollars, althoughtheir money, the Nicaraguan Cordoba was 28 to $1 USD. They gladly took dollars, except they had tobe fairly new. The business folks do notlike older soiled or torn bills. Thatapplies to most every foreign country that accepts the US dollars.

 

While we savored our food and drinks, two sets of mariachibands came along to play for the group that had gathered on this patio. There was a table for eight next to us,filled with crew members. They werereally having fun listening to these fellows, laughing and joking with them,despite the fact they spoke little English. Little by little, some of the little kids began working each table withtheir chicklets and toys, trying to sell them to the diners. This surprised us, as the last time we werehere, they were not allowed inside the café. If it wasn’t for the lack of a breeze, or the music, we may have lastedlonger here.

 

With one last chance to check out the souvenir tables, wenegotiated for an unusual Brazilian wood-carved elongated platter, suitable fora loaf of French bread. This one hasnatural holes from the bark in it. It weighs perhaps 5 pounds, but shipping itback home should not be a problem, since there is no weight restrictionshipping with Fed Ex. Oh, that remindsus…….we have to start packing soon.

 

It was so nice getting back onboard to cool off. If one is accustomed to extreme temps andhumidity, they can tolerate much better than us visitors. One thing for certain……. the local shopowners that sell electric fans have got to be wealthy people.

 

All aboard was 4:30pm, and the lines were dropped shortlyafter that. A wonderful ocean breeze hadpopped up on the outside decks, and there was a promise of a good sunset. Once we exited the shelter of the little harbor,deep swells from the Pacific caused the ship to roll, and the pool water to overflowon all sides.

 

Heading mostly west, we went up to the upper deck andeventually the forward section on deck six. There was a bank of thick haze on the horizon, and that is where theorange sun disappeared from sight. Nogreen flash tonight.

 

We both had the meatloaf for dinner, and it was especiallygood with frizzled onions on top and mashed potatoes on the bottom. Good old home cooking.

 

It had been such a hot and draining day, that we missed theshow called Epic Moves, a dance duo withLatin moves and quick changes between dances. We heard it was most energetic and entertaining.

 

There was a nice surprise waiting for us in the room with acard from the Captain with more shipboard credit. Always a good thing.

 

Tomorrow will find us in Guatemala, another repeat stop fromthe world cruise.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Miss Marple….yes,we highly recommend the South America/Antarctica cruise. We have done it twice.

[WCB]

Report #125 PuertoQuetzal, Guatemala May 4, 2017 Thursday Chance of Rain & 92 degrees Part #1 of 3 87 Pictures

 

Seems like we were just here in Guatemala. Oh wait….we were here in January. Not much has changed, like the capital of thecountry, which is Guatemala City. TheSpanish-speaking population is 13,277,000 people, living in an area of 42,031square miles. The dry season is fromNovember through May. And their favoritefoods are eggs, corn tortillas, beans, and fried plantains. They love to drink coffee and a velvety hot chocolate with Zacapa rum in it. Gosh, that sounds good. The name of the country, Guatemala, reallymeans a place of many trees….a little trivia news there.

 

Puerto Quetzal is really a working port with only a two orthree acre seaside park contained with a dense forest of tropical trees. Outside this little oasis are fields of openland with huge stockpiles of what appears to be coal. So there really isn’t much to do immediatelyoutside this pier area, as it is all industrial. In fact, Puerto Quetzal is the largest cargotraffic port in the country.

 

The main attraction is the colonial city of Antigua, whichis a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shoreexcursions offered four different combination tours that included Antigua , a90 minute drive out of the port. We havedone this tour and saw the Cathedral built in 1542, and the Church and Conventof Our Lady of Mercy, which has the largest fountain in Latin America. We also saw the Church and Convent of SantoDomingo, built in 1542 as well, reportedly the largest and richest monastery inAntigua. The hotels, shops, and galleriesare located in restored colonial buildings too. Also not to miss, is their jade factory where you can watch the stonecutters work on the delicate stone. Ofcourse, you can purchase some pretty nice treasures of jade there, like wedid.

 

One other tour we took in the past was to a coffeeplantation located high above Antigua, where we learned all about thecultivation and handling of the coffee beans. Also enjoyed a nice lunch at the plantation.

 

The longer tours of 9 plus hours included a flight to Tikal,the Mayan ruins, and another involved Mayan cosmology and ancient ruins.

 

We stayed in the immediate area, leaving the ship well after10:30am. The weather was going to besticky and hot once again. It was humidwith little or no air. It did improve alittle by 1pm, when the overcast cleared and we saw some blue sky. So despite the warning of rain, it did stayaway until much later.

 

The biggest job of the day was to find a pair of beadedearrings to match an existing necklace that we bought three years ago. This time, we thought to bring the necklacein a baggie in order to match the colors exactly. It was not an expensive item, but differentfrom most of their necklaces. Everytable we checked had nothing close. Butone of us did find the special wooden horse that comes apart for easypacking. The vendor discounted deeplysince this is the end of the season. Nowthe giraffes we have at home will have company.

 

We were also on the hunt for our friends we had met on the2009 world cruise. The Maasdam came intothe port shortly after we did. Theybegan in San Diego, and were heading through the Panama Canal and will end upin Boston. Sandy and Frank had emailed us, and said they would look for us whenthey got back from their tour to Antigua. The only problem was that they were docked in the container port, andnot next to us. Shuttles were bringingthe Maasdam guests to this palapa and the souvenir area. But it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Despite coming back to shore twice, our pathsnever crossed.

 

What we did not plan on was being “discovered” by otherMaasdam guests who had followed our blog the last couple of years. One fellow approached us, and asked if wewere looking for a margarita pizza and beers. Then they admitted they had read our blog for a long time now, and feltthey knew us well. As the saying goes,it really is a small world, especially with the internet these days.

 

While looking for those elusive earrings, we took notice ofa different style of beaded necklaces. The prices were all over the place, starting from $45 to $35. Samedesign, different colors. And everyvendor said his grandmother made them. Hmmm, seems we have heard that before.

 

Something we did not know, was that the Regent’s Mariner hadpulled into the port. Now there werethree cruise ships here, making it impossible to bargain for the treasurestoday. Once the folks that were on tourswould come back this afternoon, there would be hundreds of customers. Perhaps later in the day would be a bettertime to shop.

 

We were in dire need of something cold to drink, so weheaded for the restaurant we always frequent. It’s called Pez Vela Restaurant and is located directly across fromwhere the ship is docked, near the small boat marina. An open-air venue, it was already filling upwith many crew members, many from theAmsterdam, but also several of their comrades from the Maasdam. Nice to see them having so much fun, even ifthey only had a few hours off from their duties.

 

We ordered two cold Gallo beers, the local brew, along witha combined chicken and beef plate of cheese nachos. Expecting hamburger for the beef, it wasreally fajita-quality grilled steak, cut in strips. So delicious. A good sign that the nacho appetizer is the best, we noticed that mostall of the crew members ordered the generous plate, but not to share. Each person had their own heaping plate.

 

They also serve seafood dishes, something Peter, the purser,has every time we stop here. He wanderedinto the restaurant about ½ hour after we sat down. Inviting him to join us, he indicated by signlanguage that he had lost his voice, and although he felt OK, he felt it bestto dine alone. OMG, we cannot believethis virus is still onboard, and spreading through the staff members. This is a repeat of what happened last fallafter the South Pacific 53 day cruise. Hopehe gets better soon, because he is due to go home in San Francisco, of which heis most happy.

 

After enjoying our long lunch, we stopped for a little moreshopping before we went back to the coolness of the ship. That included a lastchance finding of matching earrings for the old necklace. The very last cardboard display had a perfectmatch, discovered by “eagle-eye” Bill. There was a big problem, however…..there was only one earring. The vendor went to his counter, and took outa big plastic bag full of beaded earrings. When he dumped them out, Bill instantly located the match. Just lucky. All this for a mere $5. Early on,Denise had showed us a wall hanging decoration, that would be suitable to useas a pin cushion. There was only onestore that had honest-to-goodness handmade souvenirs, and we found a similarone there.

 

We had a couple of hours to work on photos, before goingback for one more hunt for our buddies. We never did find them, but we did locate a smart vendor who was willingto sell us one of the new necklaces along with a matching pair of earrings forfar less than the other vendors. We do know that the wet season is right aroundthe corner, and these vendors will be gone for the season.

 

Speaking of rain, it held off during the sail away at 5pm,which we enjoyed with Howie and Denise, who are also outdoor folks likeus. They never miss a sail away or agood sunset. That’s how we met last fallwhile on the Tales of the South Pacific cruise. With lots of horn tooting, the Amsterdam headed into the Pacific Ocean,with the Maasdam following. They veeredoff to the south and the Panama Canal, while we went northwest. We expect that the Mariner will be overnightingin Puerto Quetzal.

 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with longtime friends Leslieand Handler, who have also stayed on for this re-positioning cruise. Over two hours passed by as we caught up onhome and ship news. They will be comingback on the Asia/Pacific cruise, then regrouping for the 2018 worldcruise. They are so organized, they willbe able to spend the holidays with family, and be ready to go again for anotherfour months. As with many of us, one ofthe hardest tasks is getting your prescription meds for longer trips. And when you are restricted to less than twoweeks to do this, it can be stressful. Thatis something that has to be right on, as you cannot always buy what you needwhile out of the country. And in some countries,we doubt the medications are really authentic.

 

All of us had planned on going to the show of the singersand dancers, but half of it was over by the time we finished dinner. And besides that, the clocks had to be setahead one hour tonight. It has nothappened often on this westbound trip, but when it does, we don’t like it. If memory serves us right, the clocks will beput back this hour after leaving Huatulco. The final hour back will occur after leaving Cabo San Lucas.

 

Once again, we were treated with lightning all night, butheavy rains as well. There would be nowalk for us on the promenade deck tonight, as when we attempted it, we may havebeen blown overboard. Yes, it was thatwindy and wet. Our room was illuminatedall through the evening, and the swells became quite pronounced by midnight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report #126 Huatulco, Mexico May 5,2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 87 degrees Part #1 Of 3 88 Pictures

 

Our port of call for today was Huatulco, located in thestate of Oaxaca of the country of Mexico. The population of this town is only 23,000 people, mostly in the touristindustry. The actual capital of Mexicois Mexico City, and the population is 111,212,000 people who mostly speak MexicanSpanish. The total area of Mexico is733,400 square miles.

 

There is a spot on the southern coast of Mexico where theSierra Madre del Sur Mountains reach the Pacific Ocean, and this is where youwill find the once sleepy town of Huatulco. This resort area has been developed since the 1980’s to what we seetoday. It has become a neat touristdestination , smaller than other Mexican cities, but laid back with nine or more bays, lots of activities, andgreat dining.

 

There are coffee-growing plantations, waterfalls, ravines,and farms. Close-by La Crucecita has aquaint church, as well as restaurants and lots of shopping. What the small town of Huatulco does not have,we bet you can find it in the more modern village of Le Crucecita. We could have hiked to this city from thepier, but why? Unless we needed to buysupplies, the last place we want to be is in a mall or even strip shoppingcenters.

 

Shore excursions offered 12 tours here today. They ran from 2 ½ to 4 hours, costing from$60 to $190 per person. The four hourtour, and the most expensive, was a chance to catch and release blue marlin,sail fish, swordfish, yellow-fin tuna, dorado, or mahi-mahi. Other tours available we most that we havetaken in past years. The wateradventures were all fun, since they gaveus the chance to sail in a catamaran to the five bays for a beach and snorkelswim. We went on a bird-watching ecoadventure, but saw very little. Duringthe later afternoon, a group was going off of the ship to do this tour. Passing he group, we bit our tongues, not mentioningto them it was highly unlikely to spot any bird life in this heat. However, maybe they will have better luck. On one stop here, we took a drive to a ruralfarm, where we sampled fried cactus served in a cheese omelette. We also learned how tortillas are made, thenpressed with an iron press. Hardwork.

 

La Brias Resort offered a 4 ½ hour get-away with passes forthe use of their pool, beaches, and renting snorkel equipment. Vouchers would also work for food at theirrestaurant, or some stuff in their boutique. We have done a similar tour while in Acapulco, and found it to be mostdelightful and safe. At that time, wewere able to get their buffet lunch at the resort, no extra charge.

 

We knew that the Amsterdam would be approaching theshoreline around 12:30pm, so we went up to deck six forward, armed with thebig camera. Sailing here all night, found that the seaswere rough and rolling, and the weather had taken a turn for the worst. It had poured all night, accompanied bylightning and thunder, which has been a constant traveler with us since leavingFlorida. Not that we mind. However, we did wonder if it was too rough toget into this port today. Hate to admitit, but one of us experienced a bit of motion sickness upon getting up thismorning. Not severe, just slightly queasy. It’s only been perhaps the second or thirdtime it was wise to take a meclizine just in case. After breakfast, the symptomsdisappeared. Eventually, we were throughthe worst of the coastal patch that produces these turbulent seas and high winds.

 

Around noontime, we began to see more bird life, as severalboobys were flying across the bow, fighting for the perch on the top of theship’s flagpole. That’s when we went todeck six forward to watch the sail into the port. Not sure we have ever come here so late inthe day, but we were happy to see the sail in. Even better, while watching the birds, we spotted some turtles, the sizeof dinner plates, floating by. They werefollowed by plenty of dolphins, most of whom were swimming under the surface ofthe water. These creatures love to duck under the bow andfollow the ship’s wake. And we have thefun of shooting them jumping and racing each other. Good thing we had the big camera, or else wedoubt the photos would have come out. Weknew tht Denise would find her way up here, and sure enough, she did come armedwith her camera. They have not been herefor many years, so they were anxious to see the changes, of which there hadbeen many.

 

Did we mention that we shared the dock with the CrystalSymphony, the ship we intend to take back to Los Angeles after next year’sworld cruise. The Amsterdam will begoing into a much-needed dry dock in 2018, and the only way back by ship wasthe Crystal Symphony. We had alwaysintended on trying a cruise on Crystal when they were docked in SanFrancisco. However, we never did, thenthey pulled out of the city, and seldom return now. Anyway, this ship is smaller than theAmsterdam, with 51,044 gross tons of luxury/premium sailing. The passenger capacity is 1010 all berthsfull, which they never are. It isdescribed as a highly comfortable ship with elegant, refined décor. For several years now, it has been almost allinclusive. All the tips are included,and the beverages are free, even the wines at lunch and dinner. One very positive aspect about this ship, isthat it does have a walk-around promenade deck, although there are no loungechairs. Another plus, we think it is announcement–free also. Over the years, we have heard many good thingsabout sailing on these ships, so we shall find out firsthand next year.

 

Once we were dock, the breeze stopped and the heat of theday settled in. It was going to beanother hot one, the same as we remember every time we are here. Going off the ship around 1:30pm was soonenough, since most all of the touring guests had left. We explored around the small town, checkingout the picturesque marina along the way. Many passengers had booked the water tours,and there were plenty of boats to take people swimming somewhere in the numerousbays. Hawkers were there to tempt us totake independent tours, at a much cheaper price as well.

 

Instead, we ducked into the block of souvenir stalls whereeverything under the sun is sold. Oneshop sells folk art, similar to our Mexican skeleton man we bought while in Guatemala. We inquired about the price of a paintedjaguar, and the amount came back around $250. No wonder he had no customers this afternoon. One pair of silk thread earrings for $3 wasfine with one of us. And we added acheckerboard tablecloth for the dining room in the brightest of colors for$22. Knowing this was a super gooddeal, we checked out more similar tablecloths in shops on the way back to thebeach. The same identical tablecloth indifferent colors was $55 in the artisan store. But wait, the vendor was willing to go to $50. It does pay to shop around.

 

It was time for something cold to drink as well aslunch. There were two restaurants thathad the big outdoor clay ovens, which we were certain were used for bakingpizza. The nicest restaurant in town wasVe El Mar, located right on the beach, and tiered for good views of thewater. Checking out the menu, wediscovered the oven was for cooking everything but pizza. It was not on the menu here, or anywhere elsenearby.

 

The next best thing was getting appetizers plates of chickenand cheese quesadillas. Ordering twoCorona beers, our cute waitress brought over a bowl of large round crispytortilla chips and some hot salsa. Alongwith the food, came the local Siamese cat, who insisted on watching every biteof food we took. Yes, one off us cavedin and gave her a bit of chicken, until she looked like she might want to jumpin our laps. That did happen in Rhodes,Greece. That’s when our waitress camealong and shooed her away temporarily.

 

While waiting for our food, many local vendors wandering throughthe customers selling jewelry, sunglasses, wooden trinkets, sun dresses,crocheted purses, hats, toys, and even some things we recognized fromVietnam. These were the little woodenclowns with a pull string, which we bought for $1 each in Viet Nam. Except here, the fellow wanted $4 each. Guess you can’t blame him for trying.

 

It was 4pm by the time we headed back, looking in the lastof the stores along the way. When it isthis hot and sticky, shopping is about the last thing you want to do. We stayed in our room working on photos untilit was time to go to dinner at 8pm. Thistime we had reservations for just the two of us in the Pinnacle Grill. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, there was aMexican Fiesta Dinner in the Lido until 8pm. The dining room menu offered the same items. For us, it was a better night for Pinnaclefood, as we tried the Jidori chicken entrees. Very tasty. Since there were onlya few tables of customers in here, our service was quick, and we were done by9:30pm.

 

Taking our PM walk on the promenade deck, we heard reallyloud mariachi music at the restaurant where we ate lunch. Sure sounded like a lot of happy folks werehaving a fine time (maybe it was the numerous margaritas and beers, too).

 

The Crystal ship had left their slip, and we would followright before 11pm. Our next stop will beafter two days at sea, and the last stop for us….Cabo San Lucas. We missed it last year, due to problems withthe platforms, so they had better stop this time…..we love it there.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[tgetz]

Thanks for taking us along

[bettty45]

What room have you been on for this journey? We have an inside room for the Grand Asia but are looking at a window. Just wondering about the location of window rooms and if some are in areas that might be in noisy areas. Can you advise us?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WCB]

Report # 127 SailingTowards Cabo San Lucas, Mexico May 6,2017 Saturday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees

 

Today was different for us, because after breakfast, we tooka very short walk, before coming back to our room to pack. Oh, how we hate that word. Ever since our head room steward left, ourassistant has been working alone for a few days. He has finally gotten a helper, but we haveseen Three working until well after 10pm every night, just to catch up. When these fellows or gals become a team,everything goes smoothly. That isprobably why the teams remain together for months at a time.

 

So while there was a live folkloric performance happeningpoolside from noon to 1pm, we missed it…..we were packing. Same goes for thewildlife imagery from the BBC’s extraordinary catalogue at 2pm or the basicSpanish lesson. Actually, our initialplan was to stash all of the fragile gifts we had received this cruise, as wellas the numerous shot glasses we purchased. This is went in the large and small ice chestswe brought. “Knock on wood”, nothing hasever broken that we put in these insulated chests.

 

It always makes us laugh when we pull out all of the stuffwe have squirreled under the bed. Thatwould be three wheeled duffels, one folded duffel, and three suitcases, two ofwhich were nested together. Our coldweather outer clothing was under there as well as all of the zip lock bags weput most everything in. Then there werethe smaller rolled duffels that were gifted to us, which we intend to take offof the ship with us in San Francisco. Everything else will be shipped via Fed Exfrom SF to our home. This has got to bethe easiest packing yet, since we do not have to worry about weights ofsuitcases for flying. And also the lastminute cosmetics that have to be in the checked luggage. No flight? No problem.

 

As long as our room looked like a hurricane hit it, wefigured we may as well double bag the little stuff….seemed like hundreds oflittle stuff. Like the drugstore thingsthat have been hanging out in the shoe bag. Then there were shoes, purses, andpiles of books that we had little time to read. Also taking a lot of time is packing the costumejewelry one of us tends to bring and collect along the way. It was already 2pm,and we had not even gotten to the clothes in the closets.

 

We had missed lunchtime in the dining room, so we made a runfor some pizza and a couple of pre-made sandwiches. Better than nothing, we guess, but the pizzais never freshly cooked when you go after 2pm. And the later you go, the slices have been sitting for a long time,either drying out or soggy. We have beenhearing better reports of pizza on some of the other newer HAL ships, wherethey have a real pizza oven, and make it order while you wait.

 

By 4pm, we had done all we cared to and watched a moviewhile eating our lunch. Time for a walkto get some fresh air. We saw Denise and Howie relaxing on the promenadelounges, and discovered we had missed pod after pod of dolphins. Figures……At least the weather has gotten morecomfortable, even though it was cloudy, it was also less humid. It seems that the air-conditioning has beenhaving problems with this warmer weather. Some areas have been stifling hot, while other like a refrigerator. Betthe crew will be glad to be getting to Alaska soon.

 

Around 5pm, we headed for deck five to listen to the OceanTrio in the Ocean Bar. Their music ispretty good, and the singer is good. Themost fun we have is watching the photographer taking pictures or trying toconvince the guests to take portraits. Two out of three of the ship’s photographers have become more aggressivewith pressuring folks to stop. Most allof them say no, thanks, while a few others like it. We are among the guests that always say no,and they know it.

 

Tonight was Gala night, and most everyone dressednicely. We only saw a few fellows inlong sleeve shirts and no jackets. Themajority in the dining room have kept to the more formal wear, especially theladies, who looked lovely. We did noticeone change when we sat down at our table. There was a new table plack with a card in the middle giving the namesof our waiter, the assistant, and our wine steward, who happens to beNestor. He is doing a duel job, as hehas taken over as the head sommelier, and most proud of it too.

 

The meal was great. We had Caesar salads, no anchovies. When it arrived, they were quite small. Guess the supply of lettuce is getting less and less. Our next big supply will be in SF forsure. We both ordered the lambwellington with bacon-wrapped green beans and tiny potatoes. The gravy was beyond excellent. Our dessert was an apple mixture in a flaky pastrywrap….ice cream on the side. So good…..

 

The show in the Queens Lounge was a repeat one for us,Shirley Dominguez, a harpist with Latin tunes.

 

The clocks went back one hour tonight, so now we only haveone more back, and we will be on Pacific time.

 

Tomorrow will be another sea day, and perhaps to get in alittle back deck time in the sun.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 128 SailingTowards Cabo San Lucas, Mexico May 7,2017 Sunday Partly cloudy & 81 degrees

 

Today was sort of repeat of yesterday, only quite a bitcooler. Usually, as we sail up the coastof Mexico, the temperatures do not drop until after we leave the sheltered bayof Cabo San Lucas. Even though thepredicted temps today were in the eighties, we noticed it never went beyond thehigh 70’s. Not that we’recomplaining. The ship has had problemskeeping the air-conditioning on a level temperature, especially in the kitchenarea. We could feel the humid heatbillowing out of the escalator exit on deck five in the dining room. Thekitchen (galley) has to be a horribly hot area in which to work recently. So the further north we go, the better itshould get for everyone.

 

Many things were happening onboard to keep the guests busy. One huge activity has got to be the art auction,which has appeared on this cruise. Theywere totally not here on the grand voyage. So they are making up for lost time. Passing by the Ocean Barthis morning, we found hundreds of paintings set up for a lightning fast artauction. Usually when these art showsoccur, sparkling wine is served. Thatreally attracts the crowds.

 

Barbara H has been giving lectures on Mayan history and Aztecmyths and legends. In between thesetalks, she has given port talks like always. Then later in the afternoon, shetalked all about flags, one of her passions. Working together with the shore excursionteam, she helps entice people to book tours. From the looks of the number of buses at each port, she has been doingher job well.

 

And of course, there are tanzanite jewelry, diamonds,gemstones, and watch sales. Spa specialshave been advertised daily, as well as shopping ashore lks given by the Port ShoppingAmbassador, Jules.

 

Trivia still happens at 1pm and 7:30pm, and tea at 3pm, butin the dining room, not the Ocean Bar. And movies are being shown in theWajang, although most all of them are repeats from the world cruise. One of the best ones we saw was on today…..Lion. Highly recommended. And Microsoft classes continue to keep thefolks lining up to get a spot in the Digital Workshop.

 

We had a special invitation to a cocktail party in the Crow’sNest with Captain Fred, Bart, our hotel director, and Erin, the cruisedirector. Lucky for us, Leslie and Handler were saving seats for us, or perhapswe happened to get there at just the right time. Once again, we arrived at 7:15pm, and mostall of the guests were already there with drinks in hand. Nice appetizers were served, as were drinksof our choice. Captain Fred joined usfor a while, followed by Peter, the head chef. He loves to discuss his job of keeping us all happy with thecuisine. He has done such a good jobthis trip, that we will all have to shed a few pounds when we get home.

 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill for us. We both had the tomato soup, 10 ounce filetmignon steaks, a half baked potato, creamy mashed potatoes, and a bowl of mushroomsto share. All of the food was excellent,served by the nicest waitresses on the ship. The new manager, Ary Ketut, has been most gracious also.

 

That’ll Be The Day: A tribute to Buddy Holly and theCrickets was the show for this evening. The performers were a group of fellows by the name of Rave-Ons. Sure brought back a lot of memories hearingthose tunes from the past.

 

Tomorrow will be our final port of this back-to-backcruise. And also one of ourfavorites. Last year, Cabo wascancelled, so we are looking forward to going back.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[pegpowell]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann.

 

I just finished reading your thread on the Great Alaska Adventure. We are doing that trip on July 31. I looked at your name and saw that you are from Clayton, CA. I taught at Mt. Diablo Elem. for over 30 years.

 

Haven't read all of this thread, but I hope you are having a wonderful trip.

Peg

[rafinmd]

I wish I had known about your Crystal plans; I would have loved to take you aboard for a sneak peek at the ship. I did have a lovely lunch with Copper10-8 in their equivalent of Dive-In.

 

I’ll make a few comments here about the Symphony. Of course I’ve already hinted about one; it’s one of the few companies which allows passengers to bring visitors on board (with advance approval, of course).

 

Before you board Symphony will go through an extensive drydock. One potential change I haven’t heard about but hope will happen is the installation of a shore power hookup. Neither ship has that right now and California limits Crystal to 4 visits per year to each port. My cruise had to change embarkation from Los Angeles to San Diego because Serenity is using all 4 allowed stops in Los Angeles. Perhaps when/if this hookup is installed Crystal will become a more frequent visitor in California.

 

Crystal ships never have had lounge chairs on the promenade deck (deck 7 by our numbers). Be sure to check out the lounge chairs at the aft on decks 8-10. They are lovely and seldom used.

 

Next year you will be boarding Symphony as I get off.

 

Roy

[WCB]

Report #129 Cabo SanLucas, Baja California Mexico May 8, 2017 Monday Partly cloudy & 76degrees Part #1 Of 3 88 Pictures

 

Honestly? 76degrees? In Cabo San Lucas? Yep, that was the high of the day, which was the first ever for us. The Amsterdam sailed into the San Lucas Bayearly this morning around 8am, under partly cloudy skies. There was a fresh breeze blowing across thedecks, promising us a most pleasant day. It has been so hot and steamy since we left Ft. Lauderdale, that we werenot complaining.

 

Cabo is located in the state of Baja California Sur and hassomewhere around 65,000 residents. Oncea haven for pirates such as Sir Francis Drake (he sure did get around) andThomas Cavendish, it is now a place of swanky new hotels and condos. Sport fishing put Cabo on the map, followedby many times shares, where folks can enjoy year-round temps in the 80’s.

 

Also famous here is El Arco, or the big hole in therocks. You can find sea lions all aroundthis area, and right into the marina where they feed on the numerous schools offish. Snorkelers and scuba divers, aswell as water sports draw the young crowds here, especially during spring break.

 

There were 16 tours offered here today. They ran from 1 hour to 5 ¼ hours. They were priced from $38 to $220. Among them were boat tours, coastalhighlights, swimming tours, and a pirate ship ride. For the more adventurous, they hadzip-lining, parasailing, horseback riding, and a cooking class taught by adancing chef. You could learn to makesalsa and mix margaritas. The snacks anddrinks were included as was learning how to dance the salsa. Later in the day, we learned that due to therough seas and cool weather, most of the swimming tours had been cancelled. Not too sure about the deep sea fishingadventure either, since the sea conditions may have caused the folks to getseasick…..about the worst way to spend 5 hours for $220 each.

 

As for us, we had a light breakfast, before heading off tothe tender boat. This was the one andonly tendering port of this 15 day trip, and we had been granted prioritytender service. So we did go to thefront desk, where Grazela escorted us down the secret door and down theelevator to deck A. We waited there toboard the next boat, which arrived in 5 minutes. We discovered that Cabo was using theirtender transfer boats as well, which was a great way to get the folks ashorequicker.

 

The ride was short, but also fun to see the pelicans and sealions as they follow the boats into the marina. It has been at least two or more years since we have been here, and wewere surprised to see how much progress has taken place since then.

 

We walked to the older part of town to Cabo Wabo, which wasjust opening up. Too early for lunch, wegot a new t-shirt, then went to check out the Hard Rock Café. Guess what? It was closed up tight….gone. Abandoned. Don’t know when thathappened, but we could not find it anywhere else, thinking they may have movedelsewhere. That is the second one gonefrom Mexico….the other one used to be in Puerto Vallarta.

 

We continued to Puerto Paraiso, the nice modern mall locatedright off the marina. Diamonds Internationalhappens to be located inside this mall, and where the shopping guide on theship had a shuttle for the guests to take there this morning. They offered a free raffle, margaritas, a charmbracelet, a free charm, and more gifts with a purchase. Bet she had a bus-load of customers. An upscale Luxury Avenue ties into PuertoParaiso with the “swanky” boutiques and the very high end stores. It also comes with extreme security withguards armed with uzis.

 

Continuing our walk around the marina, we came to a section that used to be timeshare shops. Now these have beenconverted to mostly cafes and bars, because a new and huge resort has finallybeen completed. It is called Breathless,and fits its name well. Where we used toleave the paved sidewalk and follow a sandy path to the beach, it is all nowpaved all the way to the end of the harbor. Where we used to take off our shoes to walk the surf, there is a bar andgrill with chairs and tables on the beach. Really civilized now, and much more crowded.

 

The water must have been really cold, since there were fewfolks braving the surf this morning. Wedid not even see the usual jet skis or banana boat rides along this long stretchof beach. Too cool and windy, we guess. However,if you wanted warm and a fresh-water pool, there was always the hotel andresort at Breathless, which is located on the roof of the second level,overlooking the bay. They may sell a daypass there.

 

Guess what we saw “parked” next to the Amsterdam? A large Carnival ship, the Miracle. We have no stats on the vessel, except toreport they have 18 lifeboats, holding well over 2500 passengers. Denise and Howie’s family have sailed on it,saying it was set up nicely for their young kids. Cabo’s tender boats were assisting in thetransfers to shore for them also.

 

Too chilly to walk the surf, we back-tracked to the BajaBrewing Co. for beers and pizza. Usually,we sit outside in the patio area, but today we chose to go inside. Denise and Howie were already there, so wetook the table next to them, with the high stools. Ordering the mesquite-wood fired margarita pizzawas the best move of the day….. it was so delicious (extremely thin and crispycrust), that we ordered a second. Figuredit was a good way to end our final port of this long 126 day cruise.

 

Window-shopping was all we did on the way back to the tenderlanding. We heard “two for one”, almostfree, free?, best deal of the day, it’s real silver for $1. There were fewer street vendors, but morepolice present. More than we have everseen in fact.

 

At the last big Mercado artisanal market, we searched forwoven napkins to match the new tablecloth we picked up in Huatulco. No luck though. Some vendors suggested for us to buy anothertablecloth and made our own napkins, however, their prices were twice as highas the one we bought. So we got nothing.

 

There was a boat landing outside the market, where some localswere selling fish to feed the humongous sea lions. Their barking echoed through the whole marinaas they begged. Always fun to watchthese animals close up. Even thepelicans were looking for a share, even trying to steal it from the seals.

 

All aboard was 3:30pm, so we headed back to the ship by3pm. We could see the choppy watersoutside the bay were getting rougher, so we knew we might have an interestingsail away.

 

We got to the aft deck, wearing sweatshirts, to find theMexican Ambassadors already singing and dancing up a storm by the SeaviewBar. They drew a big crowd to say “adios”to Cabo and Mexico, although the music was really loud, it was nice to have themusic back. We all really miss the funsail away parties we have always had on past cruises.

 

And once the ship rounded the corner, we got the best viewsof El Arco and the rocky outcropping Cabo is so famous for. The winds were the worst we have everexperienced, so holding the camera was a challenge. Lounges, towels, chairs, and tables had to besecured before they became projectiles. Most everyone had to hold on to the railing to get back under shelter,since the water in the pool was raining across the fake teak decking….veryslippery.

 

Of course, we took the rest of the afternoon to work onphotos and the final port report. Dinnertime was in the dining room, where we enjoyed Dutch pea soup andcoq au vin and a traditional leg of lamb meal. Both were excellent, as was the dessert of ice cream and a light cake.

 

The entertainer this evening was a rerun show from the worldcruise by Juan Pablo, a virtuoso pianist, and very talented. Also a rerun, the movie in the Wajang was TheBoat Builder, also a good movie.

 

We have two days at sea to get to our final destination ofSan Francisco.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Fred321]

It was fun reading your blog when we got home. It seemed to make our world cruise last just a little bit longer. Fun going around the world with you again. Safe trip home and hope we run into each other soon.

 

Rich and Peg

[WCB]

Report # 130 SailingTowards San Francisco, California May9, 2017 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees

 

We had a pleasant day as the ship steered northwesterlyalong the coast of Baja California. The temperatures have dropped even more since yesterday, as we suspected. But then, so has the humidity. Many folks we talked to are pleased that thesticky, humid weather has been left behind.

 

Barbara H has continued her talks which today included one onSan Francisco, a city that is near and dear to our hearts. Born and raised in the city by the bay, ithas been the center of our world with family and friends either living in or onthe outskirts of the city. Despiteknowing every nook and cranny, we still like to listen to her lectures. Of course, the bottom line, is selling thetours, of which there are only 2 offered. That is kind of interesting since the scheduled stay there is from 8amto 11pm. Perhaps the tour booklet thecollector voyage guests get is different from the continuing guests. Anyway, there is a scenic city tour for 3 ½ hoursfor $65, and the hop-on, hop-off bus for 2 ½ hours. That was $45. Finally, a tour of the city with a transfer to the airport for 4 ½ hoursfor $104 works well for disembarking guests with late flights. One funny thing that is mentioned in eachdescription is the fact that fog may obstruct the views. Oh, do we remember that well…..

 

The Mexican Ambassadors are still onboard with music anddancing in the Lido Pool area, and later on they were teaching how to shopusing the Spanish language. ExecutiveChef Petr turned up the heat in the Culinary Center with a cooking show. He is the most approachable and friendly chefwe have known for a long time. Passionate about food, he loves to talk the trade. Thanks to him, he has explained many of theproblems that have cropped up with the stoppage of the BBQ’s onboard and someof the buffets we used to have. Alsointeresting is the fact that the HALships cannot take produce onboard from many countries we have recentlyvisited. For instance, some of the SouthAmerican countries as well as Central American nations where some of the nicestproduce grows, is no longer available to HAL ships. All of the fresh producehas to be sent via containers. The few exceptions that we noticed was fresh fishcatch of the day, particularly on the world cruise, was allowed to be broughton for the guests.

 

We enjoyed a cheeseburger and a hot dog from the Dive-InGrill, except we took it to our room to eat. Mostly because there happened to be a really good movie on TV called TheEagle Huntress. It was actually more ofa documentary of a 13 year old girl who trained to become the first female tobecome a huntress using a trained eagle in Mongolia. Excellent story as well as scenery in a mostdesolate part of the world. The funnything was that this movie was shown in the Wajang, but also televised, probablyby accident. Should have been on TVtomorrow. Oh well…lucky for us..

 

Between walks on the promenade and packing, the day flewby. Visiting with friends passed therest of the day until dinnertime. Tonightwas the final gala evening for those of us that are leaving in a few days. We have noticed that there has not been anycaviar or escargots on this two week trip, but we guess that only happens onGrand Voyages. The entrees tonightincluded rack of veal, which we both ordered. It was tasty and tender, but way too much food. Had to save room for flourless chocolate cakeand an ice cream sundae. One more nightof desserts, and that will be it for sweets, at least until we come back inJuly for two weeks.

 

The show tonight was the Talk of the Town, as performed bythe Amsterdam’s singers and dancers. Good music from the big artists of the not-so-distantpast was as good as the first time we saw this performance.

 

And the good thing was that the clocks went back one hourtonight. We are finally on Pacific timenow, and very close to have gone full circle, ending where we began thisjourney on New Year’s Day.

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann