Stow Away with Bill & Mary Ann for 181 days on Amsterdam's So. Pacific & 2020 WC

[ger_77]

38 minutes ago, WCB said:

  We also have the crispy bread sticks as well as lavage, the thin triangles of cracker-like bread.

 

 

You had lavage?  I'm SO jealous!  That was one of the highlights of the Pinnacle for me - enjoying lavage before dinner.     On another note, in light of the fact that your wonderful cruise is now winding down, are you starting to think about packing?

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

[TropicalCanadian]

Thank you. Please keep us updated. My parents are on this cruise and I haven’t heard from them yet.

 

has their been any talk of giving everyone free internet on board so they can communicate with family and make travel plans?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Every hour there is a new twist as to where the Amsterdam will end her world cruise.

 

Keep us updated.

[Grum]

Fascinating. Thanks. Not sure how I would  react to being in your situation, but living vicariously through your reports is much less stressful. 😉

[WCB]

Report # 130   Day at Sea   March 16, 2020   Monday   Partly cloudy & 78 degrees   Part # 1 of 1

 

If there was ever a day where things went bad, well, today was one of them.  One of us is an early riser, who often turns on the computer first thing.  What a surprise to see on some websites we read that this cruise was scheduled to end in Freemantle on March 22^nd, not the 24^th, as we had been told.  Where had that information come from, we wanted to know? 

 

The stories from other friends at breakfast confirmed what we had read, even though we had not been told by the Captain here.  In fact, that announcement was not made until 11:20am, and it came with other details we did not expect.  Now this has not been put into writing yet, but every guest, with possibly a few exceptions, will have to debark in Freemantle on March 22^nd.  The few exceptions are those who can produce medical documents stating they cannot fly due to medical problems.  Only those who purchased their air through HAL will have their flights booked for them by the people on the ship.  Independent bookings were our responsibility, but we would receive a credit of up to $1250 per person for the air arrangements.  Those who qualified for free shipping of their luggage will have those pieces sent home via Fed Ex or DHL from Florida.  Suites and verandas have unlimited shipping, and the remainder of us up to an F category are allowed two pieces each.  Every extra piece we send will be charged to our accounts, the same as if we were leaving from Ft. Lauderdale.  Those who have no luggage allowance, will have to pay for all of the shipping costs.

 

Needless to say, this did not go down well with the guests, who assumed all of us would get complimentary shipping, due to the circumstances.  Then the Captain followed up with credits being given for this interruption of the cruise.   It went something like this…..50% back of the cruise fare, with a 50% future cruise credit.  OR, a 125% refund on a future cruise.  Now is this for the portion we have missed, or is it for the entire voyage?  Nobody knows.  And so far this evening, a letter has not been delivered with any details.

 

We did get a form for reimbursement charges we incur during our trips home.  We will all need to save every receipt, and send copies to HAL, and hope for some reimbursement.  Then we will have to figure out if our trip insurance will cover any of this when we get back home.  We have never had to deal with any claims, and are not certain what will be covered, if anything under these most unusual circumstances. 

 

The biggest concern is the length of the flights involved for those of us who live in North America.  As far as we know, the majority of guests are from the USA and Canada.  There is not one person that is not upset with this dilemma.  Well, we are happy for the Aussies onboard, like our tablemates Greg and Heo, who will have the shortest flight of all…..about 4 to 5 hours to get home to Sydney. 

 

Our excellent hosts did call us and offered to help with the arrangements, or relay the message to our travel agent for help.  This all went down while Seattle time was close to 11pm on a Sunday evening.  So we do not expect communications until tomorrow. It is hard, but we will have to be patient. We have probably said this before, but when we walked out of our house January 1^st, we never could have envisioned such an outcome.

 

Until we get something in writing, we decided to wait to start the packing.  And since the weather was beautiful outside, we relaxed at the back pool, cooling off in it as well.  Captain Mercer had to come on the speakers two more times during the afternoon.  One time was to tell the folks not to crowd the front desk, and give the hotel director and customer relations manager a break, so they could go to lunch.  They probably were ready to fly to the moon if they could.  The next message was not to line up at the medical center to register reasons for not flying.  You know, if they had a well thought out plan for us, none of this would be happening.  Being left in limbo is not acceptable.

 

There had been a planned complimentary sail away in the Lido Pool area had we actually gone to Darwin, which we did not.  In fact, there will be no more ports on this trip, and we are on a slow boat to Freemantle.  So in lieu of the free for all party, there were complimentary Happy Hours instead.  Just out of curiosity, we did go to the Ocean Bar, take our favorite seats, and watched the crowd grow with “Happy Hour” drinkers.  There were many of them.  The Crow’s Nest and the Seaview Bar were also included in this endeavor.  It was repeated once again at 6:30pm for one hour. 

 

During the lull at the first dinner time, we took advantage of the slower pace at the front desk, and picked up our passports, and asked if the “use it or lose it” credit on our shipboard account would be refunded.  The answer was no.  We would have to spend it onboard, the same as always.  The gifted credit from our travel agency, as well as refunded port charges is ours to keep…either in cash the day before we leave, or directly credited back to our credit card. 

 

This evening was a special one for one of our tablemates, since it was his birthday.  Woody and Susie was all set to have the special meal of empire chicken served, which was requested yesterday.  However, it did not happen, and we still do not know why.  Then we were all set for the upside down pineapple cake they requested, and that did not happen.  Someone had royally messed up, so eventually a small individual cake arrived with a large group of waiters to sing the birthday song. 

 

Right before the cake came, Greg and Heo gifted us all with a box of Tim Tams, which was so sweet.  As Barb was passing them, she clipped her glass of wine, and christened Woody with it.  Can anything else go wrong???  Good thing he was not wearing white.  The dining room manager tried to make excuses, but that only made things worse.  Like we said, this had to be one of the most trying days ever. 

 

Instead of going to the last of the flutist’s show, we took a slow walk on the promenade deck.  It was still warm and humid, even at 10pm at night.  And by the way, the clocks went back one half hour tonight, probably the last one on this screwy world cruise.

 

And we had gifts again….two Steiff penguins to add to our stuffed animal collection at home.  We sure needed the smile it produced when we saw them sitting on the bed. 

 

Hope tomorrow is a better day……And by the way, on a positive note, the plants in our window garden are blooming.  How about that?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[ScottishMaid]

Thanks for the update. Enjoy every minute left.
All residents in Bay Area counties including Contra Costa are being told to stay at home due to virus. In our part of California it is only over 65s. Schools and library shut. Starbucks is take out only. Empty shelves at grocery stores.
So enjoy the good food and socializing while you can.




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[canadianbear]

Such turmoil to this cruise and I truly feel for everyone on it.  Certainly not the way it should be on such a wonderful itinerary.  I hope everything works out but feel sorry for those that have to scramble to find their own flights home.  

[ozcruizer]

I am wondering why the Amsterdam can't be refuelled in Fremantle and supplies taken on and then sail to somewhere like Johannesburg to again refuel and then on to Fort Lauderdale.  OK, I probably don't know how long fuel lasts and of course there would be lots of sea days but surely that could suit most people from North America.  So sorry for you all that this cruise has been such a mess up.

[T8NCruise]

Seems to me, HAL is treating all of you quite shabbily.  Hoping it turns out better than it sounds.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for keeping us updated.

[Wehwalt]

I guess you get all your pillow gifts for the rest of the cruise. Of course, the baggage is already an issue ... 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Wehwalt

[FlorenceItaly]

Just an FYI from the Celebrity board

Update - We are on Celebrity Eclipse. As of midnight we were still denied entry to Chile. The new change is we will go to the port at Valparaíso Chile and anchor there. We will refuel and load of necessary provisions which will be brought to the ship. We will then continue on to dock in San Diego, Ca. . Many people on the ship were hoping for this to happen.
Captain Leo said it will take 24 hours in Valparaíso to get everything done and 10 days to San Diego.

We are so happy and relieved. Our flight from Santiago to San Diego had been canceled as had many others.

[Wehwalt]

1 minute ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Just an FYI from the Celebrity board

Update - We are on Celebrity Eclipse. As of midnight we were still denied entry to Chile. The new change is we will go to the port at Valparaíso Chile and anchor there. We will refuel and load of necessary provisions which will be brought to the ship. We will then continue on to dock in San Diego, Ca. . Many people on the ship were hoping for this to happen.
Captain Leo said it will take 24 hours in Valparaíso to get everything done and 10 days to San Diego.

We are so happy and relieved. Our flight from Santiago to San Diego had been canceled as had many others.

Thank you, that is wonderful news at a time of uncertainty. May you arrive home safe and happy.

[FlorenceItaly]

19 minutes ago, Wehwalt said:

Thank you, that is wonderful news at a time of uncertainty. May you arrive home safe and happy.

I am not on this sailing, but, this was posted on the Celebrity board so thought it may have been of interest to the HAL WC'ers.

[WCB]

Report # 131   Day at Sea   March 17, 2020   Tuesday   Partly cloudy & 82 degrees   Part # 1 of 1

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!

 

Even though the predicted weather forecast was partly cloudy & 82 degrees, we did not believe it.  Going outside for a morning walk, it was more humid and way hotter than 82 degrees.  It’s hard to fathom that when we are surrounded with so much water, that it can be so completely uncomfortable.  And the fact that the ship has been maintaining a slower speed of 12 to 14 knots,  there is precious little breeze.  This would be a great day to stay inside, and do the dirty deed……pack.

 

We were so disappointed that none of us had received that vital letter outlining what the company planned on doing with us, as far as preparing everyone for the time schedule, luggage tags, airline flights, etc.  Many of the guests have been having great difficulty trying to get flights out of Perth, and the tension has put many folks on edge, to say the least.  Unfortunately, times like these can bring out the best, but also the worst, in people.  Just go stand by the front desk, and you’ll hear some pretty bad stuff, we are sorry to report. 

 

Those who seek comfort, have gone shopping instead, to spend some of their use-it-or-lost-it shipboard credit.  That did include us,  as we have not put a dent very much in our account.  So many things have not come out of it, such as the $450 we would have had to spend to get visas in three countries in Africa.  And all of us are expecting refunded port charges for every port we missed.  We estimate this is about 20 ports, give or take a few.  These fees were included in our fares, and should be credited back to our accounts.  Strangely, there has been no mention of this, but it usually happens a day or two before the end of a cruise.  And the shops have put many specials on their products to entice the guests to spend-spend-spend.

 

All of our luggage, four duffels and three suitcases, fit under the bed.  So once we had those pulled out, we began to ziplock bag everything.  Half of the toiletries were not used, so they were double-bagged.  Funny how much time that takes.  At least it did not seem like we just did this packing a few months ago.  In reality, we had to start this  process for the world cruise in late summer.  All of the duffels were packed by September, since we left for the 51 day Tales of the South Pacific, which ended on December 18^th.  So that job was done 6 months ago. 

 

At his PM talk, Captain Mercer delivered his usual at sea reports on position and weather.  And finally, but late afternoon, detailed letter arrived to our rooms.  The message from the Captain began with, it’s been a tough few days, as we all know.  Then he went into detail on why we are ending this trip in Freemantle.  The biggest concern at the moment is getting us home in a timely manner, before things change to where we cannot make it home, wherever that may be.  There are no guarantees with anything at this point.

 

But he made it perfectly clear that no guests will be allowed to stay on this ship, since they do not even know at this point, how or where the ship will proceed.  It will depend on many things, like the ability to bunker fuel and supplies along the way.  Many ports are closing their doors to all cruise ships.  And bottom line, they are not prepared to handle medical emergencies, and if necessary, cannot get guests to medical help onshore.  Now it gets into technical areas and liability.  HAL has no choice but to repatriate everyone ASAP. 

 

We will also have a choice of refunds, which we need to clarify what we actually read.  Those who booked HAL Flight Ease, will have their flights rebooked for them.  The remainder of guests need to make their own arrangements.   

 

Later on, we got forms to fill out for shipping our luggage and including extra pieces.  Also we could add the insurance, just like we always do.  At least, we will not have to pack our bags off of the ship, which would have been a nightmare in itself.  We plan on taking just hand carry-ons, and shipping the rest. 

 

At least, we have some direction now, and things should fall into place.  We will all feel better when we have booked our air reservations and possible hotel stays in Perth. Nothing else seemed important, except for the fact we are still healthy, and plan to stay that way.

 

On a lighter note, we had a President’s Club cocktail party in the Piano Bar this evening.  Most everyone attended, some of whom had already eaten their dinners before the 6:30pm cocktails.  We were all greeted by the  Captain, Henk, and Hamish as we entered the room.  Then we found our tablemates, Susie and Woody, and our best buddy, Barb.  Taking a corner booth with some extra chairs, we all had a fine time with more longtime friends.  Feels more like extended family, since we have known most of these fine folks for years.  The drinks flowed and the “green” canapies followed.  The best were the little pups in a blanket.  Captain Jonathan and his wife, Karen, joined us for a while, but lingered after the party was over.  It was good for him to be able to relax in the company of people he has known ever since he took over as the Master in 2012.  None of us envy his job…..not one iota.  Retirement for him is looking better and better at this point, he admitted.

 

Dinner was really special this evening, since it was the two of us and Barb, just like we started out on last year’s world cruise.   We almost forgot how nice it was to talk continuously for two hours, most times not even concentrating on what we were eating.  By the way, the dining room was decorated totally green for St. Pat’s Day, and the waiters wore green-sequined vests and bowties.  And goofy green framed glasses. 

 

Entertainers were The Shamrock Tenors, a group that recently joined us in Cairns.  Actually, they had sat near us at the pool yesterday, and we heard them quietly practicing their harmonizing.  Pretty good.  We had intended to go listen to them, but Susie and Woody joined us after attending a birthday dinner at another table, so we stayed back and chatted for a while.

 

Back in our room, we had gifts of Seattle’s Best Truffles – 2 boxes of them.  They really are good,  and they will be enjoyed either here or at home.  Another gift, was an hour back on the clocks.  Always appreciated. 

 

The news around the world has been so bleak, so we might as well enjoy our few days we have left on the ship.  Then it will be back to reality when and if we make it home.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

[cat shepard]

19 hours ago, ozcruizer said:

I am wondering why the Amsterdam can't be refuelled in Fremantle and supplies taken on and then sail to somewhere like Johannesburg to again refuel and then on to Fort Lauderdale.  OK, I probably don't know how long fuel lasts and of course there would be lots of sea days but surely that could suit most people from North America.  So sorry for you all that this cruise has been such a mess up.

 

 

Evidently International air travel is about to become very restricted.

[cat shepard]

Safe travels, and hope all the HAL crews stay healthy.  Somewhere down the road I can hear people say “Where were you when Covid-19 hit?”

 

You will have a stellar response.

[cruzingnut]

14 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

I am not on this sailing, but, this was posted on the Celebrity board so thought it may have been of interest to the HAL WC'ers.

Many of us on the Amsterdam would love for this to happen as well, let me tell you.  Flight arrangements are changing as I write, for us, we’re staying in Australia as I don’t fly.

 

Linda R.

[Krazy Kruizers]

21 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Just an FYI from the Celebrity board

Update - We are on Celebrity Eclipse. As of midnight we were still denied entry to Chile. The new change is we will go to the port at Valparaíso Chile and anchor there. We will refuel and load of necessary provisions which will be brought to the ship. We will then continue on to dock in San Diego, Ca. . Many people on the ship were hoping for this to happen.
Captain Leo said it will take 24 hours in Valparaíso to get everything done and 10 days to San Diego.

We are so happy and relieved. Our flight from Santiago to San Diego had been canceled as had many others.

 

That is a good plan that Celebrity has.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report.  Glad you all are thinking positive while still on the ship.

 

Hope you soon get your hotel and air plans straightened out.

[Theresnowords]

I want to thank you for your informative posts.  My daughter is a singer on the ship (Jill).  She has no idea what is going to happen.  They have stopped crew internet in the hope of improving guest internet.  How’s that going, lol?!  I read your posts to Jill when she can call or I give her information on WhatsApp.

 

Home is Florida for us, and it is a surreal place right now.  I know Jill is a grown woman, but Moms never stop worrying.

 

Again, thank you for your posts.  Good luck with the rest of your travels.

[Roger88]

Its so nice to read your long reviews and opinions on the situation. Thank you very much guys. Its hard to find such informative information and posts anywhere on the internet. I hope your daughter is doing alright. Being a part of the team that entertains people on board the ship one needs to be very responsible. I am sure she gets all the applauses in the world. Take care guys 

[WCB]

Report # 132   Day at Sea   March 18, 2020   Wednesday   Partly cloudy & 84 degrees   Part # 1 of 1

 

Where to begin?  The days of unrest and confusion seems to be ongoing as we get closer to the debarkation day of March 22^nd.  The most crippling thing happened when we lost the reliability of the internet, which was working up until last night.  More or less.  When so many people are trying to make independent air travel, the more frustrating it became when they repeatedly were cut off of the connection.  Late last night, we did try to send an email to book our flight out of Perth, but we did not know whether or not it had sent.  And not even when we woke up at 5am to check it.  Sure is a test of our patience.

 

However, we are the luckiest people on this ship, because we have the most excellent hosts onboard, who have gone the mile to help all of us.  Today we were told by some friends that their hosts informed them that they were also on vacation, and would not have the capability to assist any of their clients with travel arrangements.  We know for a fact that our hosts stayed up throughout the night, because of the impossible time difference between here and the states.  There is a 15 hour difference from the west coast of Australia to the west coast of the USA.  We also are aware that our travel agency staff are also working overtime, and into the late night as well.  And our group on the Amsterdam are not their only clients, as they also have people stranded all over the world on other travel-related vacations.  And later this afternoon, our hosts slipped a printed confirmation and travel itinerary under our door, so we could have it all in writing.  So thoughtful.

 

Knowing that the passengers are stressing even more now, Captain Mercer announced that the folks at HAL shore side (Seattle) are going to assist everyone with their air travel.  Not only the folks that booked their air through HAL originally.  This was a great relief to many people, especially those who learned early this morning that all Delta flights that were just booked out of Australia were cancelled.  Back to the drawing board.  And we just noticed that several complimentary phones were made available at the front desk for passengers to call to make plans to go home.  The only drawback was that if they called an airline, they could have been put on hold for an hour or more. 

 

Around 1pm, a form was sent to the rooms for all to fill out their air arrangements.  That way they promised to track everyone’s flights.  This will be most helpful, and more so if the internet remains poor.

 

Later in the day, after several people found their computers had jammed up, they were told that we were situated between the satellite footprints.  They suggested that by tomorrow, we should be getting a better connection the closer we got to Freemantle.  Sure hope they are correct.  Actually by the late afternoon, we were able to get a small window where we got some emails and sent a few.  There is hope…..

 

The usual activities were happening onboard, except for port and tour talks.  We, like everyone else, kept busy with the packing.  And just like every year, we always ask ourselves why did we bring so much???  On the plus side, we purchased few souvenirs on this trips, except for a few t-shirts and fabric.  The only extra things we had to pack were the gifts that we got onboard.  And they seem to be arriving every night lately.

 

There must have been a medallion awards ceremony in the Mainstage this afternoon.  Normally, the group of President’s Club members have always been invited.  But today, it was only those who were due a medallion.  In fact, we heard that Captain Mercer was not available to attend, so each and every one of them were offered the chance to have a photo taken in the atrium outside of the Ocean Bar.  Of course, this was exactly where we happened to be sitting today.  The photo shop manager asked us politely if we could move our chairs for an hour,  so the guests could pose in front of the atrium Astrolabium.  Of course, we did, but we did not go far, just moved over 6 feet or so.  Not a problem. 

 

If today was not busy enough for our hosts, they also had a cocktail party at 6:30pm in the Explorers Lounge.  This group numbered over 100, along with several officers that joined us.  Even Captain Mercer and Karen took the time to make an appearance.  They sure are troopers under the circumstances.  During the course of the party, it was announced by the future cruise consultant, Joanne, that the deadline for choosing the options of rebate was extended until June 1^st, 2020.  Time to think about  making the best choice.

 

This evening in the Pinnacle Grill was the Tamarind theme.  We had checked out tonight’s menu in the dining room, and decided the Orange Dinner, with mostly Dutch cuisine , was not to our liking.  But the Tamarind was, so we called and got reservations at 8pm.  Expecting it to be very crowded, we were pleased that it was not.  Perhaps most of  the folks came early, as is the way things are leaning these days.  We thought we had every Tamarind dinner booked in here, but this one must have been added recently. 

 

We had the Thai salad, spring rolls, wasabi-crusted steak (over-the-top delicious) with tempura onion rings and asparagus.  We had one order of Hainan rice, then desserts of chocolate pudding-like  filling in a chocolate cup, and one chocolate-laden fortune cookie with a side of ice cream.  For lunch, we had only a little cheese and crackers, so we could enjoy dinner, but we were still full by the time we finished.  We love this venue.

 

It was still too early to go to the show of Chantelle Delaney, an international singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  Bet she was good.

 

Then back at the room, we found two more gifts.  They were blue-streaked lead free crystal bowls from Kosta Boda, a Swedish design, but made in Turkey.  We will have to make room for them in a suitcase where they will not break.

 

You know, with all the grumblings we heard today, we also noticed that many people were still laughing and enjoying what is left of this cruise.  And that was the message of the pillow card tonight:  Without laughter, life on our planet would be intolerable.  - Steve Allen –

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Edited March 18, 2020 by WCB
Did not post all of report

[ger_77]

1 hour ago, WCB said:

Today we were told by some friends that their hosts informed them that they were also on vacation, and would not have the capability to assist any of their clients with travel arrangements.

Wow, those "hosts" have more nerve than a bad tooth!  What a way to give assistance to those who are helping pay your wage.  I believe that would be the last time I went with that travel agency, and they'd be getting a wordy letter explaining why!

 

I'm glad your hosts are stepping up and doing all they can to help everyone in the group.  Thanks again for your updates.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[JamesEM]

Safe travels, and good luck with your travel arrangements.