2023 Grand World Voyage with The Inside Cabin

[riverrat]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:09 PM, CruisingGrandmaW said:

Hi Pete:

 

Well I'm excited for your group.

If weather was good today, I know you enjoyed Moorea today.

 

When I die - surely the French Polynesia is Heaven? !!! 🤞🤞

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this... loved reading your insight. We visited this past fall. Never in my life have I seen coral that equaled the color I saw in Moorea. It was mind blowing. I hovered in 5 ft of water watching families of 500 baby fish in different heads of coral, then swam up to a staghorn that was a 4 ft work of perfect art.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

SNORKELING IN THE RAIN IN RAIATEA (POST #23)

JANUARY 23, 2023

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Snorkeling around Taha’a with sharks, tropical fish, and liquid sunshine

As the Zuiderdam glided along the western side of Taha’a after first light, we could hear dozens of roosters welcoming the new day.

The ship turned into the channel between Taha’a and Raiatea, before smoothly spinning and slowly moving alongside the wharf in Uturoa.

Uturoa is not a very big town. Most of the commercial area is in this photo taken from the ship before we moored

 

Judy and I were with a group of 10 that arranged to charter the entire 12-passenger L’excursion Bleue boat for our day on the water.  You can also book seats on public tours with L’excursion Bleue and not worry about coordinating a group.  This tour is also known as “Bruno’s Tour” as Bruno will be your main contact, and he will be on the pier to coordinate the dispatch of all his boats.

One significant advantage of booking the entire boat is you can control the schedule and avoid the three shopping stops that are part of the public tour.   We took the public tour in March 2022, and you can read about that experience HERE with more detail on the shopping stops which include the following:

• Vanilla Farm
• Rum Factory
• Pearl Farm

The Zuiderdam had two gangways this morning – one forward, which was used for departing HAL tours, and one Midships for everyone else.  The welcome ceremony and ship’s officers will be at the forward gangway – so if you want to see that activity – leave a little early to allow time to observe as you walk by.

Bruno will send you a picture that shows a meeting spot near the “Shell gasoline station”.  But his boats may be tied up at any point in the small harbor – so as you come up to the first boat – look for L’excursion Bleue markings and inquire if this is your boat.  The boat drivers will not have a passenger manifest, but you may have been given a boat number and the drivers will know their number.  Look for Bruno, an older gentleman with a clipboard, as he will have the list of everyone by name and the location of your boat.

Your snorkel tour boat may be anywhere along the wharf in this small harbor

 

Our boat Captain was Rugi with his assistant Vai.

Masks and fins were available on the boat if you didn’t bring your own.  The fins provided were the large scuba fins which may be too large to maneuver in shallower water and close to coral.  We brought our shorter fins, better suited for snorkeling in shallower water.  Fins are useful as you occasionally swim against a current or want to tread water.

Once everyone on your boat is present, you will shove off and head toward your first snorkeling stop:  Blacktip Reef Sharks in deeper water.  It’s about 2.5 miles from Raiatea to Taha’a and your tour will circle Taha’a either clockwise or counterclockwise.  We are going counterclockwise today.

Our Captain, Rugi, as we sped away from Uturoa with the Zuiderdam in the background Enroute to our first stop, Vai was feeding the seabirds who were trailing our boat

 

SNORKELING WITH THE SHARKS

Rugi slowed after about 20 minutes and dropped our anchor.  We were soon in the water, enjoying the view of the many Blacktip Reef Sharks in the area.   After about twenty minutes, I noticed the water was choppy and gray clouds replaced the once-blue skies.  The wind was picking up, and Rugi and Vai waved to us to return the boat.

This shark was following the school of fish for as long as they were in sight – over 1 minute. The water here was about 10 feet deep

 

SNORKELING AND SINGING IN THE RAIN

As we headed north to our next stop – it started to rain, and the wind increased.  Everything in the boat was getting soaked.  I did bring a gallon ziplock to protect my camera and phone, but some of our money and other papers got wet as the water soaked thru the water-repellent bag.  We learned later that there is a dry storage area up forward in the boat, but next time I would bring a large 2.5-gallon zip lock bag that would hold my entire bag.  Normally the boat is dry inside, with only an occasional splash.  Be ready for a soaking – I think it is rare to encounter the driving rain we experienced,  but a large plastic bag is a cheap insurance.

John C enjoying the day

 

Rugi was smiling and “singing in the rain,” blasting his waterproof boom box as the ten of us huddled in the bottom of the boat and faced away from the wind.  The rain and high winds lasted for about twenty minutes, and we were cold and uncomfortable.

Many people hunkered down to stay out of the driving rain and wind. The rest of us kept our backs to the wind.

 

We slowed at our next snorkeling stop and debated whether or not to skip this stop and go straight to lunch.  Rugi said it was warmer in the water than in the boat, but we were skeptical.  Ellen led the way from our group and jumped into the water, and confirmed that the water was warm, and we all soon followed.  We would spend over an hour here, snorkeling some, but mainly just staying warm in the water close to the boat.

Staying in the water was warmer than being in the boat until the sun returned.

Rugi donned a makeshift shawl to keep warm in the wind and rain

 

MOTU LUNCH

We reluctantly crawled back into the boat, but we quickly warmed up as we dried, and Rugi headed the boat over to the Motu for lunch.  This Motu had a small pier, and we could walk ashore without getting wet.  On my previous trip, we were at a different Motu that required us to wade ashore.  Be ready for either possibility.

Our boat moored at this small pier where we could walk ashore without getting wet. This may not always be the case.

 

Our lunch was served under an open shelter with a thatched roof.  The woman who made the roof was helping with the food, and she said it took a couple of weeks to create and would last about five years.  Our lunch was fried chicken, grilled fish, and ceviche, along with rice and a chicken egg roll.  The sun was starting to come out and only sprinkled a few times.  After an hour, we were back on the boat heading to our final snorkeling spot.

This is the shelter where we enjoyed our lunch chicken egg rolls, fried chicken, and fish Our group enjoying lunch Judy took this photo of a Plumeria on the Motu

 

DRIFT SNORKELING

This spot, another coral garden, named because of the shallow water among a lot of coral, required us to wade ashore to a small island, then hike over rocky terrain “up current,” where we would reenter the water and drift back toward the boat.  Navigating thru the coral was a little tricky, so the group stayed together and followed Rugi and Vai.  Judy and I waded ashore, thinking we might be able to walk back in the water, but that was not possible, so we walked and waded back to the boat.  Later I swam “up current” for a hundred yards and met some of our group as they drifted back toward the boat.

One of the fish I spotted as I was snorkeling up current

 

Everyone in the group did this twice, and we spent almost 2 hours there.  The amount of fish here was amazing, and with no rain and light breezes, the afternoon was quite pleasant.  Finally we all got back on our boat headed back to Uturoa, about 40 minutes away.

Bruno greeted us as we returned, and we said our goodbyes to Rugi and Vai.  Despite a little “snorkeling in the rain,” we had a wonderful excursion on the water.

We had a great time with Rugi and Vai

TIM TAM COUNTRY

We stopped by the nearby Champion grocery and picked up our first of many Tim Tams – an Australian Cookie prevalent throughout Oceania.  The movie “Love Affair” was shown on the Mainstage this evening.

Edited January 25, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[aliaschief]

I’m enjoying following your adventures on the World  Cruise. Great memories of your French Polynesia visits that we visited on the Maasdam.

So thanks for sharing  and giving us ideas for our Jan. 2024 155 day Azamara World Cruise.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

I’m enjoying following your adventures on the World  Cruise. Great memories of your French Polynesia visits that we visited on the Maasdam.

So thanks for sharing  and giving us ideas for our Jan. 2024 155 day Azamara World Cruise.

155 Days !   Wow - It's gonna be great!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

LATE SLEEPERS IN UTUROA, RAIATEA (POST #24)

JANUARY 24, 2023

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We enjoy “late sleepers”, a light day in Uturoa, a Birthday party and a wonderful show on the Mainstage

LATE SLEEPERS

We have learned over the years that we need to take an occasional day off from touring to recover and prepare for our next adventure.  When I was in the Navy, reveille was early – maybe 6 am – and if a sailor worked late the previous evening, he could request “late sleepers”.  Once approved, the sailor’s approved “late sleepers” chit would be pinned to his rack so he would not be rousted out the following morning.

Judy and I will occasionally self-approve “late sleepers” so we can relax in our cabins and not have to get up early.  Many times that 8 am tour doesn’t sound so bad when you booked it a year ago, but once you are cruising, you sometimes kick yourself for booking so many early tours back to back.  My advice?  Know yourself and your limitations and schedule some downtime or “Late Sleepers” from time to time.

Today was a “Late Sleepers” day, and we lingered aboard until around 1 pm.  We walked up and down the two main streets which took about 90 minutes to browse through almost every shop.

UTUROA WALKABOUT

Uturoa is a small town right next to the Zuiderdam, and it was easy to explore every street in a couple of hours.

This is the complex with the higher end jewelry stores and restaurants near the ship You can easily explore Uturoa in a couple of hours Utorua has a well-stocked and airconditioned pharmacy

 

Immediately adjacent to the ship are several small huts which contain shops selling a variety of souvenirs, clothing, and local jewelry.  A larger complex holds higher-end jewelry stores, some restaurants, and specialty shops.

Most of the stores are on the street one block over from the street that is next to the dock.  Here you will find a variety of shops, including a book store, bottle shop, fabric store, grocery store, pharmacy, several souvenir shops, and a department store.

We found one store with a little bit of yarn The stores had more fabric than yarn   Uturoa is full of friendly people Another friendly shopkeeper

 

There is a small town square between these two streets where you will find a few pop-up craft shops and a stage that might have a live band or a boom box.

Here is the Uturoa town square with a few craft sellers and a stage Sometimes you will find a live band here – today – just a boom box

 

On the way back to the ship a woman selling fruit stopped us and gave us her remaining supply of Star Fruit.  All aboard was in 15 minutes so I guess she would rather give them away than toss them in the trash.  We ate a few on the ship and shared the others.  They were very good.

She gave us all her star fruit – no charge! We carry key chains from our hometown and hand them out to people we meet on the World Cruise. These huts near the ships sell locally made souvenirs  Another friendly shopkeeper

 

We left Raiatea around 4 pm and sailed into the sunset, leaving the wonderful ports of French Polynesia behind.  What a wonderful week in the South Pacific.

BIRTHDAY PARTY IN THE PINNACLE

We helped our friend Tom celebrate his Birthday in the Pinnacle Grill this evening.  He got a chance to wear the Big Birthday Hat while the staff sang the traditional Indonesian Birthday song.

Mary B with Tom wearing the Big Hat!

 

STEPHEN BARRY

Stephen Barry

Stephen Barry was on the main stage tonight.  He has a wonderful voice and performed “The Impossible Dream”, “Captured by the Moment” and one of my favorites from Phantom of the Opera “Music of the Night”.

Edited January 26, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[dchip]

Love cruising along with you even if it is in our living room. Wonderful photos and commentary. Judy’s plumeria photo is gorgeous. We had that driving rain on our fall South Pacific cruise. Unfortunately it kept raining for a couple of weeks!! 😄

Cheers, Denise and Howie, too

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Just now, dchip said:

Love cruising along with you even if it is in our living room. Wonderful photos and commentary. Judy’s plumeria photo is gorgeous. We had that driving rain on our fall South Pacific cruise. Unfortunately it kept raining for a couple of weeks!! 😄

Cheers, Denise and Howie, too

Our weather in the South Pacific was great - except for the few hours in Raiatea....

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I like the idea of carrying something from your hometown to give to people you meet. 

[mooseridge]

Wanted to thank you & friends for taking us along on your great cruise!  We board Zuiderdam May 12.  We know you are taking good care of our ship!

 

Thanks so much for your wonderful postings!

 

Ed & Marianne

Greetings from North Idaho  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

13 minutes ago, mooseridge said:

Wanted to thank you & friends for taking us along on your great cruise!  We board Zuiderdam May 12.  We know you are taking good care of our ship!

 

Thanks so much for your wonderful postings!

 

Ed & Marianne

Greetings from North Idaho  

North Idaho?  Sounds brrrrrrrr

[CruisingGrandmaW]

11 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

LATE SLEEPERS IN UTUROA, RAIATEA (POST #24)

JANUARY 24, 2023

Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2023 World Cruise

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We enjoy “late sleepers”, a light day in Uturoa, a Birthday party and a wonderful show on the Mainstage

LATE SLEEPERS

We have learned over the years that we need to take an occasional day off from touring to recover and prepare for our next adventure.  When I was in the Navy, reveille was early – maybe 6 am – and if a sailor worked late the previous evening, he could request “late sleepers”.  Once approved, the sailor’s approved “late sleepers” chit would be pinned to his rack so he would not be rousted out the following morning.

Judy and I will occasionally self-approve “late sleepers” so we can relax in our cabins and not have to get up early.  Many times that 8 am tour doesn’t sound so bad when you booked it a year ago, but once you are cruising, you sometimes kick yourself for booking so many early tours back to back.  My advice?  Know yourself and your limitations and schedule some downtime or “Late Sleepers” from time to time.

Today was a “Late Sleepers” day, and we lingered aboard until around 1 pm.  We walked up and down the two main streets which took about 90 minutes to browse through almost every shop.

UTUROA WALKABOUT

Uturoa is a small town right next to the Zuiderdam, and it was easy to explore every street in a couple of hours.

This is the complex with the higher end jewelry stores and restaurants near the ship You can easily explore Uturoa in a couple of hours Utorua has a well-stocked and airconditioned pharmacy

 

Immediately adjacent to the ship are several small huts which contain shops selling a variety of souvenirs, clothing, and local jewelry.  A larger complex holds higher-end jewelry stores, some restaurants, and specialty shops.

Most of the stores are on the street one block over from the street that is next to the dock.  Here you will find a variety of shops, including a book store, bottle shop, fabric store, grocery store, pharmacy, several souvenir shops, and a department store.

We found one store with a little bit of yarn The stores had more fabric than yarn   Uturoa is full of friendly people Another friendly shopkeeper

 

There is a small town square between these two streets where you will find a few pop-up craft shops and a stage that might have a live band or a boom box.

Here is the Uturoa town square with a few craft sellers and a stage Sometimes you will find a live band here – today – just a boom box

 

On the way back to the ship a woman selling fruit stopped us and gave us her remaining supply of Star Fruit.  All aboard was in 15 minutes so I guess she would rather give them away than toss them in the trash.  We ate a few on the ship and shared the others.  They were very good.

She gave us all her star fruit – no charge! We carry key chains from our hometown and hand them out to people we meet on the World Cruise. These huts near the ships sell locally made souvenirs  Another friendly shopkeeper

 

We left Raiatea around 4 pm and sailed into the sunset, leaving the wonderful ports of French Polynesia behind.  What a wonderful week in the South Pacific.

BIRTHDAY PARTY IN THE PINNACLE

We helped our friend Tom celebrate his Birthday in the Pinnacle Grill this evening.  He got a chance to wear the Big Birthday Hat while the staff sang the traditional Indonesian Birthday song.

Mary B with Tom wearing the Big Hat!

 

STEPHEN BARRY

Stephen Barry

Stephen Barry was on the main stage tonight.  He has a wonderful voice and performed “The Impossible Dream”, “Captured by the Moment” and one of my favorites from Phantom of the Opera “Music of the Night”.

So fun to go down memory Lane - seeing your pictures etc.

Little past FP history,

Sofitel on Moorea - our place to stay. 

 

In 1995 - had no overwater bungalows.  Bungalows were primitive but nice. 

Bathrooms in bungalow partially open near thatched roof.

Bathroom Floors & walls contained pieces of lava / sea shells

Sandy planters around interior of bathroom planted with Tropical Plants. 

No A/C - but no problem in July/August. 

No motorboats, jet skis etc were allowed in Sofitel lagoon. 

 Abundance/variety of large tropical fish to see just by wading near shoreline - with lots of coral still waist deep into the water.'

Over-time with bungalows & jet skis etc came destruction of coral.  3 years ago was our last stay at Sofitel - we had to swim clear out to reef to see the quantity of fish that used to be near the shoreline.

 

1996 - 1998.  One year between these dates.

French were the normal tourist in FP

French government was doing Nuclear Testing in the FP area.

French citizens protesting the Nuclear Testing - by not vacationing the islands.

Drove down the Price of Sofitel stay..... so little tourism that year.

Beachfront bungalow for 2 weeks = $2800.

 

1995 - 2003 - Prior to Explosion of Tourism

Locals - so friendly with big smiles --- same as your pictures - glad no change.

One could Walk/ride scooter on road.

Families stopping you - invite you in to share dinner/lunch with their family.

They knew no English - we knew no Tahitian - but smiles & gestures bound our spirits of friendship.

Invited us to their Beach Parties - public Beach that adjoins the Sofitel property.

Gave us beer out of their cooler & a home-made sandwich in a baguette.

Strummed their ukulele & sang their Tahitian songs all to our utter enjoyment.

Good times Pete -- thanks for opportunity to go down memory lane.

Love the FP People.

 

May Good Times continue to follow you as you Cruise On!

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by CruisingGrandmaW
correct grammar

[CruisingGrandmaW]

23 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

SNORKELING IN THE RAIN IN RAIATEA (POST #23)

JANUARY 23, 2023

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Snorkeling around Taha’a with sharks, tropical fish, and liquid sunshine

As the Zuiderdam glided along the western side of Taha’a after first light, we could hear dozens of roosters welcoming the new day.

The ship turned into the channel between Taha’a and Raiatea, before smoothly spinning and slowly moving alongside the wharf in Uturoa.

Uturoa is not a very big town. Most of the commercial area is in this photo taken from the ship before we moored

 

Judy and I were with a group of 10 that arranged to charter the entire 12-passenger L’excursion Bleue boat for our day on the water.  You can also book seats on public tours with L’excursion Bleue and not worry about coordinating a group.  This tour is also known as “Bruno’s Tour” as Bruno will be your main contact, and he will be on the pier to coordinate the dispatch of all his boats.

One significant advantage of booking the entire boat is you can control the schedule and avoid the three shopping stops that are part of the public tour.   We took the public tour in March 2022, and you can read about that experience HERE with more detail on the shopping stops which include the following:

• Vanilla Farm
• Rum Factory
• Pearl Farm

The Zuiderdam had two gangways this morning – one forward, which was used for departing HAL tours, and one Midships for everyone else.  The welcome ceremony and ship’s officers will be at the forward gangway – so if you want to see that activity – leave a little early to allow time to observe as you walk by.

Bruno will send you a picture that shows a meeting spot near the “Shell gasoline station”.  But his boats may be tied up at any point in the small harbor – so as you come up to the first boat – look for L’excursion Bleue markings and inquire if this is your boat.  The boat drivers will not have a passenger manifest, but you may have been given a boat number and the drivers will know their number.  Look for Bruno, an older gentleman with a clipboard, as he will have the list of everyone by name and the location of your boat.

Your snorkel tour boat may be anywhere along the wharf in this small harbor

 

Our boat Captain was Rugi with his assistant Vai.

Masks and fins were available on the boat if you didn’t bring your own.  The fins provided were the large scuba fins which may be too large to maneuver in shallower water and close to coral.  We brought our shorter fins, better suited for snorkeling in shallower water.  Fins are useful as you occasionally swim against a current or want to tread water.

Once everyone on your boat is present, you will shove off and head toward your first snorkeling stop:  Blacktip Reef Sharks in deeper water.  It’s about 2.5 miles from Raiatea to Taha’a and your tour will circle Taha’a either clockwise or counterclockwise.  We are going counterclockwise today.

Our Captain, Rugi, as we sped away from Uturoa with the Zuiderdam in the background Enroute to our first stop, Vai was feeding the seabirds who were trailing our boat

 

SNORKELING WITH THE SHARKS

Rugi slowed after about 20 minutes and dropped our anchor.  We were soon in the water, enjoying the view of the many Blacktip Reef Sharks in the area.   After about twenty minutes, I noticed the water was choppy and gray clouds replaced the once-blue skies.  The wind was picking up, and Rugi and Vai waved to us to return the boat.

This shark was following the school of fish for as long as they were in sight – over 1 minute. The water here was about 10 feet deep

 

SNORKELING AND SINGING IN THE RAIN

As we headed north to our next stop – it started to rain, and the wind increased.  Everything in the boat was getting soaked.  I did bring a gallon ziplock to protect my camera and phone, but some of our money and other papers got wet as the water soaked thru the water-repellent bag.  We learned later that there is a dry storage area up forward in the boat, but next time I would bring a large 2.5-gallon zip lock bag that would hold my entire bag.  Normally the boat is dry inside, with only an occasional splash.  Be ready for a soaking – I think it is rare to encounter the driving rain we experienced,  but a large plastic bag is a cheap insurance.

John C enjoying the day

 

Rugi was smiling and “singing in the rain,” blasting his waterproof boom box as the ten of us huddled in the bottom of the boat and faced away from the wind.  The rain and high winds lasted for about twenty minutes, and we were cold and uncomfortable.

Many people hunkered down to stay out of the driving rain and wind. The rest of us kept our backs to the wind.

 

We slowed at our next snorkeling stop and debated whether or not to skip this stop and go straight to lunch.  Rugi said it was warmer in the water than in the boat, but we were skeptical.  Ellen led the way from our group and jumped into the water, and confirmed that the water was warm, and we all soon followed.  We would spend over an hour here, snorkeling some, but mainly just staying warm in the water close to the boat.

Staying in the water was warmer than being in the boat until the sun returned.

Rugi donned a makeshift shawl to keep warm in the wind and rain

 

MOTU LUNCH

We reluctantly crawled back into the boat, but we quickly warmed up as we dried, and Rugi headed the boat over to the Motu for lunch.  This Motu had a small pier, and we could walk ashore without getting wet.  On my previous trip, we were at a different Motu that required us to wade ashore.  Be ready for either possibility.

Our boat moored at this small pier where we could walk ashore without getting wet. This may not always be the case.

 

Our lunch was served under an open shelter with a thatched roof.  The woman who made the roof was helping with the food, and she said it took a couple of weeks to create and would last about five years.  Our lunch was fried chicken, grilled fish, and ceviche, along with rice and a chicken egg roll.  The sun was starting to come out and only sprinkled a few times.  After an hour, we were back on the boat heading to our final snorkeling spot.

This is the shelter where we enjoyed our lunch chicken egg rolls, fried chicken, and fish Our group enjoying lunch Judy took this photo of a Plumeria on the Motu

 

DRIFT SNORKELING

This spot, another coral garden, named because of the shallow water among a lot of coral, required us to wade ashore to a small island, then hike over rocky terrain “up current,” where we would reenter the water and drift back toward the boat.  Navigating thru the coral was a little tricky, so the group stayed together and followed Rugi and Vai.  Judy and I waded ashore, thinking we might be able to walk back in the water, but that was not possible, so we walked and waded back to the boat.  Later I swam “up current” for a hundred yards and met some of our group as they drifted back toward the boat.

One of the fish I spotted as I was snorkeling up current

 

Everyone in the group did this twice, and we spent almost 2 hours there.  The amount of fish here was amazing, and with no rain and light breezes, the afternoon was quite pleasant.  Finally we all got back on our boat headed back to Uturoa, about 40 minutes away.

Bruno greeted us as we returned, and we said our goodbyes to Rugi and Vai.  Despite a little “snorkeling in the rain,” we had a wonderful excursion on the water.

We had a great time with Rugi and Vai

TIM TAM COUNTRY

We stopped by the nearby Champion grocery and picked up our first of many Tim Tams – an Australian Cookie prevalent throughout Oceania.  The movie “Love Affair” was shown on the Mainstage this evening.

Yes!

Bruno's Snorkel Tour (private or otherwise) is to Raiatea/Tahaa

as Patrick's Tour is to Bora Bora - The Best

Glad to See Bruno in pictures - such a nice man.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

SEA DAY BRUNCH AND COLORING FOR ADULTS (POST #25)

JANUARY 25, 2023

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We enjoy another midday brunch and spend a relaxing afternoon coloring

Heading westerly toward Tonga, four days away, we have fair winds and following seas, making for a pleasant ride and better conditions on the pickleball court.  

The Noon Time Brunch Sampler is no longer a Sunday-only affair and has been rebranded as the “Sea Day Brunch Sampler.”  The format is the same – 3 fixed courses.  You can find the menu here.  

First Course: Fresh Fruit, Granola Parfait, Norwegian Gravlax on Brioche, Deviled Egg with Crab meat, Prosciutto and Melon, Beechers Cheese, and Apricot Compote Main Course: Vegetable Frittata, Caramelized Onion, Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp, Breaded Fried Chicken Tender, Petite Tenderloin Medallion a la Minute with Bearnaise sauce on sliced roasted potato, Steamed Broccoli, Biscuit and Gravy Dessert Course: Chocolate Crème Caramel, Maple Syrup Glazed Mixed Nut Tart, Baked Pear Strudel

 

Always on the lookout for something new – I have been wondering what the “Coloring for Adults” was all about.  Scheduled for 3:30 pm in the Encounters Room on Deck 10 (port side adjacent to the crow’s nest), it’s not labeled on deck plans.  

Encounters Room is just off the Crow’s Nest

 

There were 10 people participating.  Once the host arrived she placed a pile of paper templates and boxes of colored pencils on the front table.  No words were spoken but everyone knew what to do and picked up one or more of the templates and a box of pencils.  We all worked on our own projects quietly and without any interaction.  I selected the beach scene and got to work, finishing my coloring in about 30 minutes.  

These were our choices of blank projects. Colored Pencils Ready to go!

 

After I finished, several people, after seeing my project, thought it was a water coloring.  The activity was relaxing and a fun way to spend some time on a sea day.  

Barry Seacroft, was billed as an instrumentalist.  Turns out he plays the soprano saxophone.  Many times the instrument the guest entertainer plays isn’t listed the program.  I asked one of the entertainer several years ago why they did this and he said they get a better turnout when the specific instrument wasn’t listed in the daily program.  I don’t know whether or not this is the reason that the program isn’t more specific today.  Barry played the William Tell Overture and the Flight of the Bumblebee among other classics.  We enjoyed his show very much.  

Edited January 26, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Tonight is Derby Night - 

Horse racing around the Lido Pool

Derby Hat Contest

Derby Bar Hop

 

Setting up - not sure how its going to work - Dressy Night

[oakridger]

Boy, horse racing on the deck sure is a throwback activity!  The people make it fun.

 

I remember doing the horse racing on my first cruise on Royal Viking Line in 1982!  There was also the skeet shooting and golf ball driving from the aft.  I'm glad they stopped that but the horse racing will leave no trace on the ocean floor!

 

I'll put $2 on Pete's horse to win!!  

😉

Edited January 27, 2023 by oakridger

[The-Inside-Cabin]

4 hours ago, oakridger said:

Boy, horse racing on the deck sure is a throwback activity!  The people make it fun.

 

I remember doing the horse racing on my first cruise on Royal Viking Line in 1982!  There was also the skeet shooting and golf ball driving from the aft.  I'm glad they stopped that but the horse racing will leave no trace on the ocean floor!

 

I'll put $2 on Pete's horse to win!!  

😉

I won the hat contest!  details soon

[Sea42]

15 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Always on the lookout for something new – I have been wondering what the “Coloring for Adults” was all about. 

As someone who has absolutely no artistic ability I love coloring! It's the only chance I have of making something pretty. ☺️

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Enjoying your posts and pictures. We have been blessed to have sailed on the Zdam and also to have visited the ports on your voyage.  Please say hello if you know them to Bill and Maryann and to Rich who are also posting. By the way…love the tuxedos. It is the only way to sail the seven seas! 

[julia]

Truly enjoying your thread! We will be visiting the South Pacific in a few weeks onboard the Koningsdam from San Diego, and doing several of the same snorkels.  It looks amazing!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

27 minutes ago, julia said:

Truly enjoying your thread! We will be visiting the South Pacific in a few weeks onboard the Koningsdam from San Diego, and doing several of the same snorkels.  It looks amazing!

We did the 35 day South Pacific in March 2022 - Check out the post series for more on that cruise.  https://www.theinsidecabin.com/?post_series=2022-south-pacific-cruise

[The-Inside-Cabin]

1 hour ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha.  Enjoying your posts and pictures. We have been blessed to have sailed on the Zdam and also to have visited the ports on your voyage.  Please say hello if you know them to Bill and Maryann and to Rich who are also posting. By the way…love the tuxedos. It is the only way to sail the seven seas! 

Yes - we know all the other bloggers - we will pass on your regards

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is a You Tube Short about Derby Night

 

 

[*Miss G*]

20 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here is a You Tube Short about Derby Night

 

 

 

OMG, love the hat!!!  🤣  What a great video!!  Thanks for sharing.

[1ANGELCAT]

Pete, I remember the horse racing from years ago. I was one of the jockeys who moved the wooden horses. I think the betting was $2 a race. Love the hat.

[travelnap]

Enjoy following your thread.  Thanks for taking us all along with you.