Rare WCB Posted January 17, 2019 #1 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Report # 1 Ready – set – go January 15, 2019 Tuesday Rainy and 55 degrees Usually by now, we would be sailing southwest towards French Polynesia or the Hawaiian Islands as we begin the circumnavigation of the globe. However, we are starting three weeks later, on January 22nd instead. You may ask why? Well, we assume by popular request, the final segment will be northern Europe, not an area normally visited on a grand voyage. At least, not for the Holland America Line in recent years. The Amsterdam will be heading that way towards the third week of April, which should present us with cool temperatures, but on the way towards springtime. So where else are we going? After boarding in Ft. Lauderdale, we will have stops in Santa Marta, Colombia and the San Blas Islands, Panama. The ship will transit the Panama Canal, with an overnight visit in Fuerte Amador (Panama City), Panama. Salaverry, Peru is the next stop, followed by two full days in Callao (Lima), Peru. Arica, Chile, will be the final port before we head west for another Chilean visit….Easter Island, a most unique place in the Pacific. On the way towards French Polynesia, we will drop anchor at Pitcairn Island, which is loaded with history. Hopefully, the natives will be able to bring their treasures onboard to sell. The most beautiful ports in Polynesia will be Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, where we cross the International Date Line, thus losing one full day of the calendar. No worries, however, since Captain Mercer always promises to give back all of those missing hours one at a time before returning to Florida. There is only one stop in Tonga….no Fiji or Papua New Guinea this year. Heading south, we will visit Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, and Picton….all in New Zealand. Then going west, the next ports will be two days in Sydney, Townsville, Cairns, and Darwin….all in Australia. Then things get exotic such as stops in Komodo, Bali, and Semarang in Indonesia. Mid-March finds us in Singapore for two days, but no Hong Kong this time. Again, some favorite places have to be skipped to make time for northern Europe. Sri Lanka and two ports in India follow….namely Cochin and Mumbai. Then it is off for two days in Aqaba, Jordan with a transit through the Suez Canal. This will find the ship in the Mediterranean, but with only a few ports. We will head directly for Italy with a visit to Naples, followed by Barcelona and Cadiz, Spain. This is where the cruise turns north going to Lisbon, Portugal. One more visit to Leixoes in Portugal, and we sail to Cherbourg, France. A stop in Zeebrugge, Belgium, will give all a chance to see Brussels. One port in the Netherlands will be Amsterdam, then it is off to Copenhagen, Denmark. Cruising Oslofjord, we will stop in Oslo, Norway. Then off to Flam, viewing the Sognefjord in Norway. Portree Scotland will be a first for us, as will be Belfast, Ireland. We have been to Dublin and Cobh, Ireland, but it has been many years ago. The final European port will be Bantry in Ireland. Transatlantic sailing will bring us to Ft. Lauderdale, and going home for most. The two of us will be sailing onward towards Seattle, with stops in Colombia, the Panama Canal again, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, San Francisco, Victoria and Vancouver, Canada, and finally Seattle, where we fly home to SF on June 3rd. Great way to spend the first half of the year, right? In the meantime, much of the in-and-around the house chores have kept us busy. A couple of years ago, we had a 40 year old pine tree decide to kick the bucket. Figured it was a good time to have it taken down before it crashed the house and blocked the driveway. Splitting and stacking the future firewood was accomplished by the more industrious one of us. The other one of us has been occupied whipping up some new clothes for the trip, making good use of the fabric shopping abroad. Still trying to figure out what to do with the waxed fabric from Africa….. Our four duffels have made their way to Florida. Normally we track them from day one, only to be frustrated as they sometimes separate and go different ways. As we don’t need any extra worries, this time we waited until they all arrived four days later. Where they went in the interim, it doesn’t matter, since they are where they need to be. Now the last of the concerns has to do with the situation with the airport security check, namely the TSA agents. Due to the recent government partial shutdown, the security teams have been slow or missing in action. There is no control over this, so we simply pray for the best. Going to the airport very early is another option, which we have already planned to do. In addition, this is another reason we spend three nights in Ft. Lauderdale prior to a long cruise. It gives us a little wiggle room for possible delays. Bad weather this time of year comes to mind as well. So the next time you hear from us will be either at the airport, if we get stuck (heaven forbid), or when we check into the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Looking forward to an exciting trip! To be continued….. Bill & Mary Ann PS This is where you can find the blog complete with photos when it is available: https://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestyling Posted January 17, 2019 #2 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) This will be my 3rd world cruise reading your blog! Thank-you for taking the time to do your reports. Have a wonderful voyage. Edited January 17, 2019 by freestyling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunnorl Posted January 17, 2019 #3 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thank you for taking us all along on this wonderful journey! Safe travels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchip Posted January 17, 2019 #4 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Excited to see the blog beginning! Your itinerary looks fantastic. It will be a wonderful read for all of us living vicariously through you. No worries about SFO. I checked yesterday and found out that all the agents at SFO aren’t government workers. It has been smooth as silk there. Wishing you a very happy Grand World Voyage, Denise and Howie too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakridger Posted January 17, 2019 #5 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Bon Voyage Bill and Mary Ann! I'll be sailing across the South Pacific around the same time as you so will be interested to glean any tips for things to do onshore. I've followed your blogs for a few years and get so much enjoyment from them. Thanks again for all your efforts to share your experiences! ~Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI66774 Posted January 17, 2019 #6 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Love your blog! Happy sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana in Ohio Posted January 17, 2019 #7 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thank you for taking all of us world cruise dreamers along with you. Diana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare whogo Posted January 17, 2019 #8 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I will be with you in spirit, always enjoy your blogs. The itinerary: Tuesday, January 22 Fort Lauderdale, FL 9:00pm Wednesday, January 23 At Sea Thursday, January 24 At Sea Friday, January 25 Santa Marta, Colombia 8:00am 5:00pm Saturday, January 26 San Blas Islands, Panama Noon 6:00pm Sunday, January 27 Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) Sunday, January 27 Fuerte Amador, Panama 8:00pm Monday, January 28 Fuerte Amador, Panama 5:00pm Tuesday, January 29 At Sea Wednesday, January 30 At Sea Thursday, January 31 Salaverry (Trujillo), Peru 3:30am 5:00pm Friday, February 1 Lima (Callao), Peru 10:00am Saturday, February 2 Lima (Callao), Peru 6:00pm Sunday, February 3 At Sea Monday, February 4 Arica, Chile 8:00am 6:00pm Tuesday, February 5 At Sea Wednesday, February 6 At Sea Thursday, February 7 At Sea Friday, February 8 At Sea Saturday, February 9 At Sea Sunday, February 10 Easter Island, Chilean dependency 8:00am 6:00pm Monday, February 11 At Sea Tuesday, February 12 At Sea Wednesday, February 13 Pitcairn Island, UK Territory 8:00am Noon Thursday, February 14 At Sea Friday, February 15 At Sea Saturday, February 16 Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands 8:00am Sunday, February 17 Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands 5:00am Sunday, February 17 Moorea, Society Islands 8:00am 5:00pm Monday, February 18 Bora Bora, Society Islands 8:00am 11:00pm Tuesday, February 19 At Sea Wednesday, February 20 Cross International Dateline (Cruising) Friday, February 22 At Sea Saturday, February 23 Nuku'alofa, Tonga 8:00am 5:00pm Sunday, February 24 At Sea Monday, February 25 At Sea Tuesday, February 26 Auckland, New Zealand 7:00am 6:00pm Wednesday, February 27 Tauranga, New Zealand 7:00am 7:00pm Thursday, February 28 At Sea Friday, March 1 Wellington, New Zealand 8:00am 11:00pm Saturday, March 2 Picton, New Zealand 7:00am 2:00pm Sunday, March 3 At Sea Monday, March 4 At Sea Tuesday, March 5 Sydney, Australia 7:00am Wednesday, March 6 Sydney, Australia 6:30pm Thursday, March 7 At Sea Friday, March 8 At Sea Saturday, March 9 Townsville, Australia 8:00am 5:00pm Sunday, March 10 Cairns, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm Monday, March 11 At Sea Tuesday, March 12 At Sea Wednesday, March 13 At Sea Thursday, March 14 Darwin, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm Friday, March 15 At Sea Saturday, March 16 At Sea Sunday, March 17 Komodo, Indonesia 7:00am 4:00pm Monday, March 18 Benoa, Bali 8:00am 11:00pm Tuesday, March 19 At Sea Wednesday, March 20 Semarang, Indonesia 7:00am 5:00pm Thursday, March 21 At Sea Friday, March 22 Singapore 10:00am Saturday, March 23 Singapore 6:00pm Sunday, March 24 At Sea Monday, March 25 At Sea Tuesday, March 26 At Sea Wednesday, March 27 Colombo, Sri Lanka 6:00am 6:00pm Thursday, March 28 At Sea Friday, March 29 Cochin, India 8:00am 6:00pm Saturday, March 30 At Sea Sunday, March 31 Bombay (Mumbai), India 7:00am Monday, April 1 Bombay (Mumbai), India 6:00pm Tuesday, April 2 At Sea Wednesday, April 3 At Sea Thursday, April 4 Muscat, Oman 8:00am 6:00pm Friday, April 5 At Sea Saturday, April 6 At Sea Sunday, April 7 At Sea Monday, April 8 At Sea Tuesday, April 9 At Sea Wednesday, April 10 Petra (Aqaba), Jordan 8:00am Thursday, April 11 Petra (Aqaba), Jordan 11:00pm Friday, April 12 At Sea Saturday, April 13 Suez Canal (Cruising) Sunday, April 14 At Sea Monday, April 15 At Sea Tuesday, April 16 Naples, Italy 8:00am 6:00pm Wednesday, April 17 At Sea Thursday, April 18 Barcelona, Spain 8:00am 6:00pm Friday, April 19 At Sea Saturday, April 20 Cadiz, Spain 7:00am 5:00pm Sunday, April 21 Lisbon, Portugal 9:00am 6:00pm Monday, April 22 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal 8:00am 4:00pm Tuesday, April 23 At Sea Wednesday, April 24 Cherbourg, France 7:00am 5:00pm Thursday, April 25 Zeebrugge, Belgium 8:00am 5:00pm Friday, April 26 Amsterdam, Holland 8:00am 6:00pm Saturday, April 27 At Sea Sunday, April 28 Copenhagen, Denmark 8:00am 5:00pm Monday, April 29 Oslo, Norway 10:00am 6:00pm Tuesday, April 30 At Sea Wednesday, May 1 Flam, Norway 8:00am 6:00pm Thursday, May 2 At Sea Friday, May 3 Isle of Skye (Portree), Scotland 8:00am 6:00pm Saturday, May 4 Belfast, Northern Ireland 10:00am 11:00pm Sunday, May 5 Dublin, Ireland 10:30am 10:00pm Monday, May 6 Cork (Cobh), Ireland 10:00am 11:00pm Tuesday, May 7 Bantry, Ireland 8:00am 5:00pm Wednesday, May 8 At Sea Thursday, May 9 At Sea Friday, May 10 At Sea Saturday, May 11 At Sea Sunday, May 12 At Sea Monday, May 13 At Sea Tuesday, May 14 At Sea Wednesday, May 15 At Sea Thursday, May 16 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare boards Posted January 17, 2019 #9 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thank you for taking us along with you on this exciting cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare rafinmd Posted January 17, 2019 #10 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Following from the Prinsendam. Are you flying home from Ft. Lauderdale this time? Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted January 17, 2019 #11 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Some detail questions, please, if you have time and willing: ----Do you bring things for your cabin to make it more "home" for these long journeys? ----How have you sorted out the packing for all the different climates? ----How have you evolved in your packing and travel planning after several of these long journeys? ----Have you created little onboard "rituals" for yourself over time? (Like never miss the peanut butter silk pie on embarkation day) ----Do you do fixed or anytime dining, even if you don't go every night? TIA We shared aTales of the South Pacific with you a few years ago and I know you two look very much at home on this ship, which it almost is - you do make these cruises look so easy and doable to settle in for so long. We went to Easter Island and Pitcairn on the first Maasdam InDepth last Sept - we were not allowed to have anyone from Pitcairn come on board due to a "policy" decision so I wonder if this has now changed. Many were disappointed, but it was clear before we left- "scenic cruising only". What did your itinerary state? Besides seeing as many of the stunning moai as possible on Easter Island, be sure to try their poisson cru - absolute best, no matter where we tried it. The fish must be fresher than tomorrows catch on Easter Island - just yummy, sweet and tender. Wishing you the best for another wonderful trip. Always enjoy your superb eye for detail and willingness to take us all along. Edited January 17, 2019 by OlsSalt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllinoisGirl1978 Posted January 17, 2019 #12 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted January 17, 2019 #13 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Looking forward to following your World Cruise again this year. Hope all goes well with TSA and getting to Ft Lauderdale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TiogaCruiser Posted January 17, 2019 #14 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Now it feels like the new year. Thank you for taking us along with you again. I’ll be making margarita pizza this weekend in your honor. Your comment about waxed fabric from Africa has me intrigued. Is it batik, or a waterproof fabric? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybear Posted January 17, 2019 #15 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Tagging along from land and sea! Bon voyage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted January 17, 2019 #16 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Your itinerary & blog are wonderful . We wish you a great cruise . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hflors Posted January 17, 2019 #17 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I am so looking forward to your blog!!! I always feel as if I am also along...… Awesome itinerary!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martezz Posted January 17, 2019 #18 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Looking forward to following you again on your world cruise adventure. We also were on the Massdam cruise that went to Easter Island. We were very disappointed that the residents of Easter Island were not allowed to come onboard. It will be interesting to see if they can come onboard the Amsterdam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted January 17, 2019 #19 Share Posted January 17, 2019 This will be great! Thanks for taking us along. Bon Voyage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Boston Posted January 17, 2019 #20 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Safe travels Bill & Mary Ann. I always enjoy following your travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ski ww Posted January 17, 2019 #21 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Looking forward to reading your posts, enjoy. Bon Voyage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbhcw Posted January 17, 2019 #22 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Safe trip...and hope all is well at the airport! Thank you again for doing such a wonderful blog...always look forward to your posts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martezz Posted January 17, 2019 #23 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Meant to say, the residents of Pitcarin Island were not able to come onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlf1 Posted January 17, 2019 #24 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I have been checking daily in anticipation of yet another enjoyable and entertaining blog. Thanks for your time and efforts in doing this. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyCam Posted January 17, 2019 #25 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I am so happy to begin another vicarious world adventure with you! Thank you so much for your time and effort in doing this. I have just taken my second Holland America cruise and found your tips so helpful. I am a big fan of breakfast in the dining room! Bon Voyage! 🛩⛴⚓️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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