Amsterdam Asia/Pacific 31 Day Report

[bobpatj]

This is a bit later than I’d planned to write it, but the holidays were quite busy, so this was put on hold.

 

We flew CLE to LA to San Diego on November 2, for an overnight in SD. I'd never been there before but Bob had been there for Navy basic training, a long time ago, and saw little of the city, then. We had a great time and had most of the next day, to walk around, take the trolley and see as much as we could. Our flight to LA was in the late afternoon, and from there it was LA to Hong Kong to Singapore. Our luggage was checked through from San Diego, so I was just a bit worried that we might never see it again, but it arrived with us. We left San Diego on a Thursday, and arrived in Singapore on Saturday afternoon, totally losing Friday, somewhere along the way! Cathay Pacific took very good care of us, on the long flights.

 

Singapore:

 

HAL put us up in the Ritz Carlton Millennium hotel which was really ritzy! We were too tired to go anywhere else for dinner, but there were at least 4 restaurants in the hotel, and the one we chose was wonderful. The next day, our HAL group were taken by bus either directly to the ship or on a short morning tour of Singapore. We chose the tour and were let off at Chinatown and then taken to the Botanical Gardens, with a walk through the National Orchid Garden - beautiful! We got to the pier just as thousands of people were arriving to take a Star Liner, somewhere in Asia, and it took forever to get through security. Once to the HAL desk, it was a breeze. There were only 63 of us boarding in Singapore, all the rest of the passengers were on for the full 62 days. Our pictures were on our key cards, so we didn't have to show any other picture ID to get on and off the ship. The SOE features were wonderful, except for the Crow's Nest. I didn't like what they had done there. The dance floor was enlarged but some seating was lost. There's more, but it's hard to describe.

 

At Sea:

 

We had many days at sea, so there was lots of time for trivia, sports, lectures, demonstrations, etc. Our first day out, we crossed the Equator and the “King Neptune” ceremony was great fun to watch. Since we couldn't go to Bali, we were given an extra day in Perth/Fremantle which meant 5 days at sea, before our arriving there.

 

Perth/Fremantle:

 

This was our introduction to WA, (Western Australia), and the "Aussie Salute," swatting away the tiny flies that were around your face, clothes, everywhere! We toured Perth on our own with another couple, on our first day, taking a printed walking tour that the port talk person gave us. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant right on the Swan River. What a beautiful city and beautiful weather! Fremantle didn't seem like much, the first day. It is a port city, and the area we were docked in was not very attractive. The second day, we had a "Twin Cities" tour by bus, and a river cruise on the Swan River, from Fremantle to Perth. We got to see the nicer areas of Fremantle and when we returned, found a good lunch spot and walked around the very busy shopping, restaurant area, which on that Sunday afternoon was very crowded.

 

Adelaide:

 

We were now in SA (South Australia). The city was about 30 minutes by bus from the pier. Our tour was with our tour group, Mariner Club, and we visited the South Australia Museum, that had a wonderful exhibit of Aboriginal art and history. We then had afternoon tea, which was more like a meal, at the Ayers House. We next walked through the Botanic Gardens and were bussed back to the ship. Another day of beautiful weather.

 

Sydney:

 

Pinch me! I can't believe I was really there. Fantastic city! We docked at Circular Quay, which is so close to the Opera House, the Bridge, and the "Rocks" historical shopping area. Bob and I walked to the Opera House after breakfast and took a guided tour. Then we walked through the beautiful nearby park and back to the ship. It was a Saturday, and we saw one wedding party in the park and several more near where we were docked. Beautiful weather, again! In the afternoon, we took a harbor cruise tour and then looked around the shops in the "Rocks." We didn't sail away until after 11 pm, and the city lights were so beautiful. I want to go back!!!

 

Brisbane:

 

Pronounced Brisbin! A warmer and sunny day. We went to the "touristy" Woolshed, where a demonstration was given on sheep shearing, and eight different varieties of sheep were displayed, then outdoors to see a demonstration on how dogs herd the sheep. There were other animals to see, too - kangaroos, wombats and koalas. For a fee, you could have your picture taken holding a cuddly koala, and we did it. We were dropped off in town and had lunch, looked in some shops and took the ship's shuttle back, again we were docked quite away from the city.

 

Nomea, New Caledonia:

 

Our only French speaking port. Bob took a snorkeling tour here and I learned about the early people of the island, the Kanaks, at the very beautiful Tjibaou Cultural Center. Very enjoyable, but hot!

 

Suva, Fiji:

 

Fiji is known to have a lot of rain, and though we had a beautiful sunny morning, it rained in torrents in the late afternoon. We took a tour to the "Harbor Arts Village," where a show is put on by dancers and firewalkers, introducing us to native culture before the Christian missionaries came. They had some nice shops there, too. "Bula" is the greeting, in Fiji. There was a big shopping area, in town, which we checked out after having lunch in the Lido. Many stores were run by people from India selling their clothing and jewelry. We got back to the ship before the rains came.

 

Apia, Samoa:

 

We were here on a Saturday, and all the stores closed at noon. Our tour was in the morning and was too long to be back for any shopping in town. We visited the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, his home in Samoa. He's buried up the hill from the home. We rode in an open-air bus on hard wooden seats. This is the way the natives travel, and so did we! The market, in town, was the place to be, on a Saturday morning - a very large place and very crowded. We stopped at a golf course where we could cool off, under cover, and buy cold drinks. It was a very hot day! We went to a "Kava Ceremony," at the National University of Samoa, all performed in Samoan, so we weren't sure what was going on. Dancing followed and that was nice. The people and their language are so similar to Hawaiian. In spite of the heat, after lunch on the ship, we walked around town and stopped at Aggie Gray's Hotel for a cool drink. What a lovely place that is!

 

Christmas Island, Kiribati:

 

We were unable to go ashore. Only the first four tenders made it to shore and it was determined that it was unsafe to continue. The water was too shallow and winds were picking up. Those who made it to shore were brought back as soon as they could be located. One of the tenders scraped bottom and it took a few days to get it repaired.

 

Honolulu, Hawaii:

 

It had been many years since I'd been here and I'm sure we docked in the same location, right next to the Aloha Tower. It was another beautiful warm day. How lucky we were! Bob and I took the Arizona Memorial and Missouri, "Mighty Mo," tour, very interesting and moving. Our bus then drove us around Honolulu, the main streets decorated for their Christmas lighting ceremony, that night. We drove through Punchbowl Cemetery before going back to the ship. The area by the ship and the Aloha Tower is full of many shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we sailed away.

 

And so, it was back to San Diego on Dec. 7th - 31 wonderful days on this "dream cruise," I hope this wasn't too much for you to read! Let me know if you have any questions. I’m sure there’s a lot that I’ve left out.:)

[RuthC]

Pat, thank you so much for your report! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it---you brought back so many memories from my South Pacific cruise.

I was receiving e-mails from several passengers during the cruise, but you added a new perspective. As a matter of fact, everyone I got e-mails from was on our '04 cruise! Not-so small world on HAL long cruises, eh?

Did you enjoy the Robert Louis Stevenson place? I did, very much. Did you think the tourguides in the house understand English? I got the feeling they had memorized a set script, but don't know the language! Kind of like some singers who sing a language they don't understand. Very strange in that postion.

I remember that big shopping area in Fiji. What a hot mob-scene!

Too bad you didn't get to Christmas Island---guess that's the odds there.

Anyway, this was a great read. Thanks again.

My best to you and Bob. Looking forward to seeing you again.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Better late than never.

 

Thanks for posting your review. Enjoyed reading it.

[WCB]

Hi,

 

Enjoyed reading your report...never too long! We just got back from a Tahiti to Hawaii cruise, including Christmas Island. We were all able to get ashore, and had a great time seeing the bird islands, manta rays, and colorful locals.

We are booked for the 2007 world cruise on the Amsterdam, and are wondering how much closet and drawer space is there for a long trip. We have a balcony cabin. Would appreciate your thoughts.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[bobpatj]

RuthC,

 

Our young tour guides were able to answer questions, so they not only spoke Engish well, but understood it. There was a different guide for each room. The dresses that the young women wore had such beautiful prints and colors. It was fun to see that R.L. Stevenson had nonworking fireplaces in two rooms to remind him of his homeland.

 

:)

[bobpatj]

WCB,

 

The Amsterdam is a wonderful ship for long cruises. Your balcony cabin should have lots of drawer and closet space for what you need to bring. Obviously, you'll be wearing the same outfits more than once! There is a passenger laundry and irons & ironing boards, and the ship's laundry service is very good. There're the options of unlimited laundry service, by the piece or you can stuff all you can fit in the laundry bag, in your room, for whatever the price per bag is, on that cruise. There are several people, on this message board, who have taken the World Cruise and might give you hints.

[RuthC]

RuthC,

 

Our young tour guides were able to answer questions, so they not only spoke Engish well, but understood it. There was a different guide for each room.

It's the questions that made me wonder. I remember that there was a different guide for each room; I asked one a question and she merely started her little speach again. Maybe I asked the one person who didn't understand! Glad your experience was better.

The dresses that the young women wore had such beautiful prints and colors.

I remember a blue plaid uniform. I was told that was a "Stevenson" tartan, which was a new one to me. My Mom was a "Stevenson", but our tartan was from an ancestor with a different name.

Anyway, thanks for the follow-up.