Navigate the World with Bill & Mary Ann on the Zuiderdam's 128 Day 2023 Grand World Voyage

REOVA · January 15, 2023

Glad Tina made it back to PG.

Do you know if Joe Oakes and his wife are on board this year?

WCB · January 16, 2023

No, Sylvia and Joe are not on this voyage.

Bill & Mary Ann

cruzingnut · January 16, 2023

Dave and I ate in the Pinnacle tonight so saw your group there. Henk came by and told us what was going on. We’ll be looking forward to our turn. I’m wondering what the menu was but Tina said it may change. I know they are very accommodating about dietary issues.

I think you must be in our hallway as we’ve seen the “please wear masks when entering” also.

WCB · January 16, 2023

Report #17 Sunday January 15, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 75-80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........21 Pictures

If it’s Sunday, then it’s brunch in the dining room from 11am to 1pm. Breakfast is served as usual, but the lunch menu turns into a brunch with a three- course fixed menu with sample-style tastings. Many guests love it, but we prefer the traditional breakfast and lunch meals. Since the small servings could include mystery food, it could have things one of us is allergic to. We have tried this venue on past cruises, but at least ¾ of the meal was donated to our tablemates.

We all had a job this morning with our passports, Australian and New Zealand visas, and our yellow fever certificates collected at 9:30 to 10:30 am. This happened on each passenger deck at the mid-ship elevators. Usually, these documents were taken at the time we embarked the ship on day one. Not this time. Our guess is that the process would have slowed down the January 3rd embarkation line, so the plan was to collect them 12 days into the cruise. However, there were only two front desk ladies doing the scanning and collecting on our deck, and the line backed up and snaked down the hallway at one point. In hindsight, we should have worn our masks. It took over ½ hour before we handed over the docs and passports, and received a receipt to use to retrieve them before we reach Durban, South Africa. We were reassured that everything would be locked up for safe-keeping.

Other activities today included pickleball for beginners. We have heard this sport can be a source of injuries, so following the activity in the Daily Program, were pain management and hot stone massage, both promotional features. Is there a method to their madness perhaps?

The Polynesian team is onboard with ball twirling demos, shell necklace classes, and ukulele lessons for beginners. We have not recognized any of the team that were on the recent Tales of the South Pacific, nor have we spotted Kainoa, who is frequently on these runs.

Our jacuzzi tub was fixed for the second time today. They had to search for parts to get it working again, and we sure hope it continues to operate.

A select number of President’s Club members were invited to a private dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. It was also another “dressy” evening for everyone. Pre-dinner cocktails were served at 6pm in the Pinnacle Bar. Our group were dinner mates Barb, Susie, and Woody, and we were joined by Howard, Gyl, and Don. Captain Friso and Chantal were our hosts at assigned seats in the side dining room of the restaurant. What a nice time we had, since we all have known each other for many years. Even though the menu was set, Tina, the manager, had checked with Susie and me to substitute some items due to allergies.

We had a short cocktail time with fancy canopies, then we were escorted across the hall to the restaurant by 6:30pm. The first course was a cured Norwegian salmon dotted with itty bitty osetra caviar and avocado puree and citrus compote. We learned tonight that both Friso and Chantal are vegetarian, so their courses were modified for them. Two fine wines were poured…the chardonnay from New Zealand, and the merlot from Washington state. A very hot soup was served called white langoustine, a really rich creamy soup with shredded apples. We all raved about it. Our main course was slow roasted beef tenderloin, roasted spring onions, pressed potatoes, baby beets, a dark gravy and a horseradish foam. Sure was tasty and a very special treat. Then dessert arrived which was a warm sticky date bar with amaretto sabayon, pecan crunchy ice cream and a curtain of crispy caramel. Coffee finished the meal. The head chef paid us a visit and we all thanked him for such a memorable meal. The wait staff, some of whom we know, gave us excellent service.

Tina had visited in between courses, announcing the next course. We mentioned to her that Barb and Susie were missing their favorite dining room entrée of calf’s liver. Guess what? Tina made a trip to the kitchen and brought back a few slices of the liver for each of them. How nice was that? And Barb was served her favorite crème Brule, so we knew she was a happy camper.

We were back to our room after 8:30pm and had a note to set our clocks back ½ hour. This is one of the few places in the world we do this ½ hour adjustment. And so much for another busy day on our long voyage to French Polynesia.

Bill & Mary Ann

The Other Tom · January 16, 2023

16 minutes ago, WCB said:

Other activities today included pickleball for beginners. We have heard this sport can be a source of injuries, so following the activity in the Daily Program, were pain management and hot stone massage, both promotional features. Is there a method to their madness perhaps?

Yes, there probably is. Had to chuckle at this one.

WCB · January 17, 2023

Report #18, Monday January 16, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Clouds With Periods Of Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........21 Pictures

Yesterday we were advised that there was a problem with the ship’s Navigator sight, blaming the misinformation it contained on a routine maintenance that was done. Their suggestion was to log out, then log in again. However, this morning the Captain announced early on that everything was off, especially the correct time. The app did not recognize the ½ hour increment. Even the TV in our rooms had the wrong time. People riding the elevator with us asked what time it was. Of course, one of us sets the clocks before doing anything else after dinner. Since we were on time for breakfast, we knew the time was 8am. Sure hope someone figures the app out and fixes it.

During our morning stroll, we came upon an injured bird, a small one, but not necessarily a sea bird. Sometimes these birds will hitch a ride, then end up too far out at sea to return to land. The poor little thing was barely moving, but we did not intervene. Some other folks did. Something tells us they gave it a proper burial at sea, since it was close to dying. It’s not the first time we have seen birds land on the ship, eventually dying. There was one occasion where we sailed Trans-Atlantic, and a pair of pigeons tagged along. They made it all the way to Ft. Lauderdale with the help of the outside crew who fed them and gave them fresh water daily.

There are two lecturers onboard. One is astronomer Andy Fletcher, who has talked about the universe, special relativity, space, time and finally….weirdness. Then a historian Mike West has shared interesting facts about the wonder of ships and their place in history. Neither speaker has their talks repeated on the room TV’s, which is too bad for those of us that choose not to sit in a crowded lounge.

On the other hand, the port talks are repeated on the TV, but the sound is cut in half. We did report this to Nyron and Ian, both of whom do the talks, and they were already aware of the problem. Nothing has been done to remedy this problem unfortunately. It’s another IT glitch we understand.

Anyway, on a different subject, a few days ago Ian came on the speaker and said that some very large reference books had gone missing from the new library. Oh my gosh, there are thieves among us. We had to laugh when he requested that these books be returned immediately. Then he added that we would be allowed to take a photo of a map or whatever, but do not remove these books. So, why wasn’t a sign posted saying not to take them? Yes, everything has to be in writing. Passing through the library today, we were happy to see the stack of these huge books back on the shelf. The thieves have been exonerated. And we are sure they meant no harm……

Later in the afternoon, we received a complimentary photo of our dinner group in the Pinnacle Grill last night. The ship’s photographer had taken shots from both ends of the oblong table. One of our friends was halfway blocked. Our picture was OK, but we hope our friends got the shot of the opposite side. We shall ask tonight. We also got the delivery of our every two-week delivery of 32 Coke Zeros. No flowers this time. Finally, we were given a list of the upcoming tender ports for the whole trip, and our President’s Club priority boarding privilege. It will be interesting how they will handle this procedure as there are other folks that qualify for it whether through being Neptune and Pinnacle suites and now Club Orange members. This can be quite touchy, and we do hope there is a plan where our group has a separate line or a different access to the tender platform as we did in the past.

We were two friends short at dinner this evening, as Greg and Heo attended the first Sel De Mer venue in the Pinnacle Grill. Since there is no dedicated restaurant on this class of ship for this special dinner, it is considered a “pop-up”. The same applies to the Tamarind….a pop-up. We discovered that our 10 complimentary Pinnacle Grill dinners do not apply to pop-ups and there is a full price charge plus the 18% gratuity. Even the Mariner Star program discount does not apply to these dinners. And to complete this picture, every specialty dinner is full charge as well. We will need to make reservations for the regular Pinnacle nights, because, unlike the shorter cruises, there are many more specialty dinners on this grand voyage.

Coconut-crusted shrimp was ordered by all of us, along with cabbage-bacon soup, and salads. Mains were mahi-mahi and pork tenderloin, which ended up being breaded and fried Weiner schnitzel. There are no more blueberries or black and raspberries available, so the desserts are limited to only strawberry decorated. The carrot cake was most ordered, but not the same as we have known on past cruises. The raspberry frozen yogurt was good as always.

The showlounge was a movie theater tonight with The Woman King shown. And all of the music venues were performing tonight. Once again, we had to turn the clocks back one hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in the Marquesas.

Bill & Mary Ann

RBB · January 17, 2023

15 minutes ago, WCB said:

Report #18, Monday January 16, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Clouds With Periods Of Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........21 Pictures

Yesterday we were advised that there was a problem with the ship’s Navigator sight, blaming the misinformation it contained on a routine maintenance that was done. Their suggestion was to log out, then log in again. However, this morning the Captain announced early on that everything was off, especially the correct time. The app did not recognize the ½ hour increment. Even the TV in our rooms had the wrong time. People riding the elevator with us asked what time it was. Of course, one of us sets the clocks before doing anything else after dinner. Since we were on time for breakfast, we knew the time was 8am. Sure hope someone figures the app out and fixes it.

During our morning stroll, we came upon an injured bird, a small one, but not necessarily a sea bird. Sometimes these birds will hitch a ride, then end up too far out at sea to return to land. The poor little thing was barely moving, but we did not intervene. Some other folks did. Something tells us they gave it a proper burial at sea, since it was close to dying. It’s not the first time we have seen birds land on the ship, eventually dying. There was one occasion where we sailed Trans-Atlantic, and a pair of pigeons tagged along. They made it all the way to Ft. Lauderdale with the help of the outside crew who fed them and gave them fresh water daily.

There are two lecturers onboard. One is astronomer Andy Fletcher, who has talked about the universe, special relativity, space, time and finally….weirdness. Then a historian Mike West has shared interesting facts about the wonder of ships and their place in history. Neither speaker has their talks repeated on the room TV’s, which is too bad for those of us that choose not to sit in a crowded lounge.

On the other hand, the port talks are repeated on the TV, but the sound is cut in half. We did report this to Nyron and Ian, both of whom do the talks, and they were already aware of the problem. Nothing has been done to remedy this problem unfortunately. It’s another IT glitch we understand.

Anyway, on a different subject, a few days ago Ian came on the speaker and said that some very large reference books had gone missing from the new library. Oh my gosh, there are thieves among us. We had to laugh when he requested that these books be returned immediately. Then he added that we would be allowed to take a photo of a map or whatever, but do not remove these books. So, why wasn’t a sign posted saying not to take them? Yes, everything has to be in writing. Passing through the library today, we were happy to see the stack of these huge books back on the shelf. The thieves have been exonerated. And we are sure they meant no harm……

Later in the afternoon, we received a complimentary photo of our dinner group in the Pinnacle Grill last night. The ship’s photographer had taken shots from both ends of the oblong table. One of our friends was halfway blocked. Our picture was OK, but we hope our friends got the shot of the opposite side. We shall ask tonight. We also got the delivery of our every two-week delivery of 32 Coke Zeros. No flowers this time. Finally, we were given a list of the upcoming tender ports for the whole trip, and our President’s Club priority boarding privilege. It will be interesting how they will handle this procedure as there are other folks that qualify for it whether through being Neptune and Pinnacle suites and now Club Orange members. This can be quite touchy, and we do hope there is a plan where our group has a separate line or a different access to the tender platform as we did in the past.

We were two friends short at dinner this evening, as Greg and Heo attended the first Sel De Mer venue in the Pinnacle Grill. Since there is no dedicated restaurant on this class of ship for this special dinner, it is considered a “pop-up”. The same applies to the Tamarind….a pop-up. We discovered that our 10 complimentary Pinnacle Grill dinners do not apply to pop-ups and there is a full price charge plus the 18% gratuity. Even the Mariner Star program discount does not apply to these dinners. And to complete this picture, every specialty dinner is full charge as well. We will need to make reservations for the regular Pinnacle nights, because, unlike the shorter cruises, there are many more specialty dinners on this grand voyage.

Coconut-crusted shrimp was ordered by all of us, along with cabbage-bacon soup, and salads. Mains were mahi-mahi and pork tenderloin, which ended up being breaded and fried Weiner schnitzel. There are no more blueberries or black and raspberries available, so the desserts are limited to only strawberry decorated. The carrot cake was most ordered, but not the same as we have known on past cruises. The raspberry frozen yogurt was good as always.

The showlounge was a movie theater tonight with The Woman King shown. And all of the music venues were performing tonight. Once again, we had to turn the clocks back one hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in the Marquesas.

Bill & Mary Ann

Hi Bill & Mary Ann. We met you on the New Statendam last Spring, where we were right down the hall from you. We always enjoy, and learn from, your blogs, especially now when we are anticipating being on the 2024 WC.

Interesting about your being charged full price at the Sel de Mer pop-up. We had dinner at a Sel de Mer pop-up on the Grand Africa about 2 months ago and received the full Mariner's discount. I wonder whether there has been a policy change or this is a ship by ship (or cruise by cruise) onboard decision.

Rick & Mary

SharonN · January 17, 2023

1 hour ago, WCB said:

Yesterday we were advised that there was a problem with the ship’s Navigator sight, blaming the misinformation it contained on a routine maintenance that was done. Their suggestion was to log out, then log in again. However, this morning the Captain announced early on that everything was off, especially the correct time. The app did not recognize the ½ hour increment. Even the TV in our rooms had the wrong time. People riding the elevator with us asked what time it was. Of course, one of us sets the clocks before doing anything else after dinner. Since we were on time for breakfast, we knew the time was 8am. Sure hope someone figures the app out and fixes it.

I don't think the problem was with the App it's that they were asked to change to a time that has no time zone associated with it. Manually changing the time to not match other systems in the world would cause other problems. They should have had us change it 1 hr (Alaska timezone) and then to the 1/2 hr which is Marquesas Time.

WCB · January 17, 2023

Greetings,

In regards to the specialty dining, the policy for dining in the pop-up Tamarind was not discounted for us, although it should have been. We questioned this while on the Tales of the South Pacific, and were told by the manager at the time, that our Mariner discount would not apply. Furthermore, we were not allowed to use our complimentary President's Club Pinnacle Dinner credits. We have not gone to any special pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill yet, but when and if we do, we will let you know how it works as far as the charges go.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS Rick and Mary: Yes we remember you on that cruise. It does seem that some of the "rules" are different depending on what ship you are traveling on. Not always the same.

REOVA · January 17, 2023

"There are two lecturers onboard. One is astronomer Andy Fletcher, who has talked about the universe, special relativity, space, time and finally….weirdness. Then a historian Mike West has shared interesting facts about the wonder of ships and their place in history. Neither speaker has their talks repeated on the room TV’s, which is too bad for those of us that choose not to sit in a crowded lounge."

Both have been around HAL for years. Andy was also on the ill-fated 2020 GWC. Funny thing is he isn't an astronomer but majored in history, math and philosophy and does many lectures on physics to students in a "fun" (yes weird) interpretation. Its good to see his series 1 time. The only time we've seen HAL broadcast lectures or shows was for everyone that was quarantined during the VoV in July.

kopykat · January 18, 2023

5 hours ago, WCB said:

Greetings,

In regards to the specialty dining, the policy for dining in the pop-up Tamarind was not discounted for us, although it should have been. We questioned this while on the Tales of the South Pacific, and were told by the manager at the time, that our Mariner discount would not apply. Furthermore, we were not allowed to use our complimentary President's Club Pinnacle Dinner credits. We have not gone to any special pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill yet, but when and if we do, we will let you know how it works as far as the charges go.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS Rick and Mary: Yes we remember you on that cruise. It does seem that some of the "rules" are different depending on what ship you are traveling on. Not always the same.

5 hours ago, REOVA said:

"There are two lecturers onboard. One is astronomer Andy Fletcher, who has talked about the universe, special relativity, space, time and finally….weirdness. Then a historian Mike West has shared interesting facts about the wonder of ships and their place in history. Neither speaker has their talks repeated on the room TV’s, which is too bad for those of us that choose not to sit in a crowded lounge."

Both have been around HAL for years. Andy was also on the ill-fated 2020 GWC. Funny thing is he isn't an astronomer but majored in history, math and philosophy and does many lectures on physics to students in a "fun" (yes weird) interpretation. Its good to see his series 1 time. The only time we've seen HAL broadcast lectures or shows was for everyone that was quarantined during the VoV in July.

If you read the Mariner Soxpciety benefits pdd you will see a disclaimer of no

doscoints for pop up venies

rp

WCB · January 18, 2023

Report #19 Tuesday January 17, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuka Hiva Sunny And Warmer 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........24 Pictures

Around 9am, during our breakfast service, Captain Friso made a swoop through the upper dining room to pay those of us there a quick visit. He is quite often seen in the Lido as well during lunch time doing the same thing….visiting, then eating his lunch. We shared a few “remember when” moments from several years ago, when he was Staff Captain. One of those times was a stop at Easter Island, when one of the tenderboats and a platform were badly damaged. Captain Friso literally rode the damaged platform back to the ship while being towed by one of the other boats. He remembered it well. So did we, because we had to crawl out of the shattered front window of the tenderboat to get onshore. These incidents do not happen often, but when they do, the memory lasts forever.

The biggest news of the day was Ian announcing there had been another theft in the Crow’s Nest this time. Missing now? One of the majong games. He politely requested for the game to be returned soon, and from here on out, and no games were to leave the room. Lastly, he said there were no more French Polynesian Francs available at the front desk. We have never purchased these francs because the US dollar is widely accepted in most places. And most credit cards are gladly accepted where you might getter a much better exchange rate.

After our warm walk outside, we passed through the Shops where a large plastic-like world map was on display. In a box next to the map were other smaller world maps, but not the same as the bigger one. They had a kid’s map, one with animals of each continent, and one that was for coloring with crayons. None of them had a price tag. So we asked the sales person, and he came back and said they were over $40. And the one that was on display was not in stock. Sort of the same story as the GWV t-shirts…….out of stock and we do not know when more will arrive.

Just as we rounded the corner, we came across Carol, the all-time favorite watercolor instructor from many world cruises. As we mentioned before, she and her friend, Siri, are on this cruise as passengers, and enjoying every minute of it. Anyway, we overheard Carol asking the sales person where the scotch tape was, and he pointed to the watch section. Hmmm, did not know they sold scotch tape. Of course, we had heard wrong….she was looking for the scotch tasting in the watch shop. Big difference. As one of us likes scotch, she invited us to join her even if it was only 11 am. And she insisted that the old saying that it’s 5 o’clock somewhere applied here. We might have been tempted, but the meager tasting was straight up without ice. A bit too strong and too early. But we did have a really nice visit with her as she shared some tales of her travels. Looking forward to more visits with her.

The usual day at sea itinerary was in full swing today, although we think some folks are getting antsy to walk on solid land. Good thing tomorrow we will be able to do just that. Every guest has been given the information on how the tendering service will work. For those of us that are President’s Club, Neptune and Pinnacle suites, and Club Orange, our tendering will be as simple as showing our room cards to the “guard” going down to the platform. There is no need to collect tender tickets. We have no desire to be the first ones off of the ship, because we will have plenty of time to roam the island. For the first time ever, we will be in Taiohae until 10:30pm. Not sure why since there is virtually no nightlife there. Maybe it has something to do with tides.

We were all present at dinner tonight. Greg and Heo had gone to Canaletto one evening, then to the pop-up Sel de Mer last night. They enjoyed both venues, although not every item was to their liking. They are true “foodies” and shared some photos of their various courses. The menu in the dining room tonight was much to our liking. The fish entrée was snapper and reportedly excellent. The chicken parmigiana with spaghetti was equally as good.

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · January 19, 2023

Report # 20 Wednesday January 18, 2023 Taiohae, Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia 8am-10:30pm Hot With Rain Showers And Sun 87 Degrees...Part #1 Of 5......0 Pictures ....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5

The Zuiderdam sailed into the bay at Taiohae, Nuku Hiva very early this morning. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, even though a shower passed over the island around 7am. Detailed directions were printed in the Daily Program, so everyone that wished to go ashore knew how to get tender tickets. Those that were on the one and only tour here did not need the tender tickets, nor did the Club Orange, Neptune & Pinnacle guests, or President’s Club members.

We had no intentions of going over early, so a leisurely breakfast in the dining room was what we chose to do. This morning there were six of us. Back in our room, we watched the tenders being lowered and some guests proceed to board them. Everything slowed down to the point we noticed that the boats were lined up, but going nowhere. At 9:30am, we placed a call to the front desk, where we were told that all was going well with the transfer. Then within seconds of calling, an announcement was made that due to the low tide, they were having great difficulty getting guests off of the boats. In addition, they were concentrating their efforts to get the tour groups off first. We had planned on leaving by 10am, and that’s what we did. The idea was planted early on that access to the pier was dicey at best in Taiohae, and unless you considered yourself able-bodied, you might reconsider going over to the island.

We had noticed while watching from our veranda, that Captain Frisco had donned a baseball cap, and personally drove one of the tenders to shore right after that announcement was made. We’re guessing he needed to see that everything was being done in the safest way. By the time we lined up at the tender platform, he had come back to the ship. He must have been satisfied with the process.

Perhaps that warning was exaggerated, but there were plenty of helping hands or arms as we embarked the boat and got off at the concrete tender pier. Not a problem that we could see. It was not crowded at all in the tender area, which was fine with us. Henk was on hand to make sure the tendering was safe as could be, as he always does.

Here’s a tidbit of info about French Polynesia. Did you know that French Polynesia’s 117 islands are spread over a marine area the size of Europe? That equates to 2.5 million square kilometers. The total population is 280,000 with Papeete being the capital. The language is French or Polynesian. Because of the great distance between islands, the language evolved quite differently. Local dialect may not even be understood among the diverse islanders separated by miles of open ocean. Each of the five archipelagos that comprise French Polynesia offer a different adventure. You can dive azure lagoons, relax at luxury resorts, hike the steep mountains, see the waterfalls or take in the views of the lush valleys. The aroma of the tiare flowers and frangipani blossoms fill the air no matter where you visit.

Nuku Hiva is one of the Marquesas Islands, the furthest away from the other archipelagos. It can be described as an island of snaggle-toothed volcanic peaks covered with brush and native trees. And did you know that that this island is the largest of the 117 French Polynesian islands? Even bigger than Tahiti. Even to this day, it is common to see many natives wearing their tribal tattoos, including some of the ladies. The capital is more of a large village, and easily walked from end to end. That’s exactly what we did today, like we just did back in November. Packing the umbrellas insured us that it would not rain until later in the afternoon.

Despite the clouds passing overhead, it was most warm and humid. So we took our time, and walked all the way to the end of the road, and went right for the Le Nuku Hiva Pearl Resort. By now it was close to 11:30am, and the thought of sipping ice cold beers kept us going. We had passed the several local stores, cafes, and a bank. The high school grounds were full of kids getting ready for their lunch break. The crowd of cruise ship passengers thinned out dramatically at this point. The most sought-after icon to visit was the Cathedral, which was about at the halfway point. We decided to stop on our way back.

One thing we noticed was how much greener the area looked compared to last November. At that time, the shoreline trees had lost many of their leaves, and the grass was brown. An effort had been made to water the grassy areas with hoses. These were missing today, and mother nature was taking on the chore of keeping the grounds damp. Many trees were blooming yellow blossoms and the flamboyant trees were full of red flowers. Bougainvillea was brilliant with several shades of blooms.

It took a few extra minutes to summit the road up to the hotel, as it is steep. But it was worth the climb to be seated on their newly-stained spacious patio, and take in the views of the bay and the boats in the water below. Our ship was anchored a bit further away today, perhaps due to the tidal changes. We would stay here until 10:30pm, which is the latest we have ever left.

What happened next made our day. We headed for the table we always use, and when the waitress came over, she instantly recognized us from our last visit in November. She gave us a resounding welcome back, surprising us that she remembered our last visit. We placed our order then started with two ice cold Hinano beers. Boy those went down easy. You never realize how dehydrated you can get in this tropical heat. They were so good, we ordered two more….medicinal purposes, right? Served with the beverages were fresh hot French bread rolls with butter. Offered a choice of two types of bread, she gave us each two rolls.

Our lunch consisted of a shared chicken club sandwich with a side order of fries. Our waitress gave each of us a basket of fries with our sandwich, then followed with a shared dessert of a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on the side. It was difficult tearing ourselves away from this setting, but we had a long walk to get back to the ship.

By now, the patio began filling up with guests, and among them were friends Peg and Rich, frequent repeat world cruise travelers like us. Finally, we had some time to visit with them since we were all sent home almost three years ago due to Covid. Nice to see them back, they admitted to coming to this hotel because of reading the blog. They had done an independent tour and had their driver drop them off up here. Like us, they walked back to the ship.

On our way back, we took the time to hike up to see the Cathedral, even though we did that last year. This time the school kids were out, and playing around the church grounds. It appeared to be a big deal with them if we said hello as they ran by us. We did make several short stops to cool off in the shade along the way, and that got us back to the pier by 3pm. Thank goodness there were crew members handing out either ice water or lemonade before we boarded the boat back to the ship. We had brought water with us, but every single drop was gone. The ride back was quick, and once again, there were many helping hands at the tender landing getting us back onboard safely. Once we got back in our room, we never left until dinnertime. Passing showers began close to 4pm, and continued off and on until dark.

Dinnertime found our group all present, everyone with a different story for the day’s activities. Barb and Susie had planned on going to shore together, while Woody would hold down the fort. However, when it was announced that the conditions at the pier landing were dicey, they changed their minds and stayed onboard. Too bad….they could have done it easily. Greg and Heo had never stopped in Nuku Hiva before, and did get off making it as far as the Cathedral before deciding to turn around and go back to the produce market. They even bought a few of the local pineapples and brought some to dinner to share. They were as sweet and tasty as Ian had mentioned in his port talk. Right before joining our table, the guys made a visit to the already started “Glamp-Out”, a new special event held in the Lido pool area. Based on the new idea of glamorous camping, the experience offered snacks like cut-up hot dogs and Pringles (for sale) for starters. Many other snacks and desserts were available while the Band played music and lecturer Andy Fletcher gave short campfire talks poolside. A canoe had been put in the pool as well. This event lasted until 10pm. The rest of our tablemates, including us called it a night, but not before we finished our meals of crispy spring rolls, salads, a complete turkey dinner, and one salmon plate. The sliced pineapple complimented everyone’s desserts.

The Zuiderdam left the bay silently around 10:30pm, then headed towards Tahiti, our next port of call in two days. We are happy to have two sea days to rest up.

Bill & Mary Ann

felma531 · January 19, 2023

Happy New Year from Alabama! We are enjoying your posts as always. We feel like world cruisers along with you.

Interestingly, Mike West was on the Oosterdam in November as we completed our 40 days with a transatlantic segment. All of his lectures were well attended- with six sea days it's nice to have some enrichment on the program.

We're glad to read the chef in the MDR offers some specials occasionally. We grew tired of the same offerings. Know you don't do the entertainment but it was also a repeat of what we'd seen on the NStatendam in Feb.

We know you will keep enjoying and we will keep reading! Monty and Margaret

WCB · January 20, 2023

Report # 21 Thursday, January 19, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Papeete,Tahiti, French Polynesia Sunny And Warm With Some Clouds 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.........0 Pictures

The sea swells have increased somewhat after leaving the Marquesas last night. The temperature today seemed a little cooler than yesterday, but that was only on the port side of the ship. Taking our morning walk, we discovered the starboard side was toasty. We are still heading in a southwesterly direction, but at a steeper angle now in layman’s terms. The skies were mostly cloudy, but it did not rain today.

We got a run down of yesterday’s Glamp Out from a breakfast buddy. Our friend had gone to the Lido for dinner around 6:30pm, and found there were few items left. Most of the dining room guests had opted to eat in the Lido and had cleaned out the buffet, then proceeded to fill the Lido pool area before 7pm. Figuring on locating a seat in the pool area, she found there wasn’t even standing room. The lights had been dimmed to the point she could not find any friends. Trying to make the best of it, she searched for the appetizers only to find there were a few hot dog tid bits left over. In addition the music was loud, and not up her alley, so she left. Bet she ordered room service food for dinner. The way she described everything had the three of us laughing all through breakfast. The best part had to be seeing the hotel manager, Henk and a friend, rowing the canoe in the pool. Some more thought might have to go into the planning of such events.

We have not mentioned the laundry service yet, but so far, it has worked quite well. Yesterday we had turned in a bagful, and it was returned last night after dinner. Included was a note saying ”We care for the clothes you wear. Thanks for letting us process your laundry.” Isn’t that a kick? Having complimentary service is such a wonderful perk. And this is the first world cruise we have done on this class of ship. The Amsterdam had a few self-service laundry rooms, where this ship has none. We believe this class of ship was designed for shorter cruises, where there was no demand for coin-operated washing machines and dryers. Sure don’t miss those days when we did all of our laundry ourselves.

The usual activities took place today such as the Coffee Chat with Ian at 9am. Recently we had read that this chat time had been eliminated, but it is still happening in the Rolling Stone Lounge. We suspect that the Polynesian Cultural Ambassadors will be wrapping up their activities today and tomorrow. Once we hit Papeete, we will have several port days in a row, then head towards Tonga. Wonder if there will be a New Zealand Maori team boarding to take their place?

One of our friends had tested positive for Covid yesterday. He and his wife are the most cautious people we know with wearing masks, even when they were not mandated. Just goes to show you how contagious this virus can be. He is feeling better, and so far his wife is Covid-free, as they are tested daily. He has been quarantined in their room, but she is free to move around the ship. So far, we have not seen either of them, so she is sticking close to home. And we have noticed that more of the crew are putting their masks back on.

We tried some different items for dinner tonight. Italian wedding soup for one of us, and a frisée salad for the other. It has become quite obvious that the kitchen is running short of food items. One of those has to be the oranges for fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast. And the berries…..they are gone completely. And it just so happened that Stephen, the new head of restaurant operation stopped by our table tonight. He agreed that the orange juice was not up to the standards that it should be. To us, we would say it has been watered down, although Stephen says it is the quality of the fruit. With that said, starting tomorrow, there will be no more fresh orange juice for anyone. There may be a concentrate used, which would be 100% better. Or do like one of us did……order cranberry juice. Barb touched on the subject of the shrimp cocktail she ordered. It was actually tough, and another guest at our table said hers was watery and lacked flavor. He agreed that the quality may be inferior to what we are used to, but new deliveries will be arriving in Papeete, and he hopes to make up for the shortcomings. Stephen has a wonderful sense of humor and actually thanked us for our input. It is important that someone speaks up when it is a legitimate complaint. Like last night’s cranberry sauce. It was suggested they purchase Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in cans, and he said that may be possible with Sydney’s orders.

Anyway, we both ordered a very different version of tuna for our entrees. It was breaded and fried, then covered with a marinara sauce, served on a bed of rice and spinach. Very tasty, although one of us ordered it well done, it was still moist. Today happened to be one of our fellow President’s Club member’s birthday. Three years ago, he celebrated his 80^th birthday while on the doomed 2020 world cruise. He had invited a group of friends that took over the lower center section of the dining room. When it came time for his cake, at least 100 waiters arrived to sing the special birthday song. A memorable occasion, it is something he will remember forever as we will too. Tonight, he was served his cake, which was supposed to be carrot cake, his favorite. He sent slices of red velvet cake to our table, but it wasn’t quite the same. It’s the thought that counts. And we guess the bakers ran out of carrots.

The clocks went back ½ hour this evening, putting us back to the full hour. One more day at sea, and we will be in Tahiti.

Bill & Mary Ann

WCB · January 20, 2023