San Diego to Montreal in 134 Days

[richwmn]

February 8^th, 2024 – At Sea, Destination Darwin, Northern Territory, Australian

 

 

It has been a very good day so far. I slept in a little bit due to a time change last night. Breakfast was good, like always. It is currently 84°F / 29°C under broken clouds on the outer decks of the ship. The humidity is 73% and the winds are almost 8mph. We are headed southeast at 13knots which should get us to Darwin on time.

 

 

As always, the trivia sessions were good last night. We didn’t win but were close to the top for each. The early session is always general knowledge, the late session yesterday was Inventions. The questions covered a large area and were good.

 

As I mentioned last night, the Lido was set up for a special Indonesian meal. I didn’t participate but those who did said that it was excellent.

 

The show last night was another performance by the Grand Cruise Repertory Company, or at least part of them. The singers did a show highlighting the hits of Broadway. Each singer had a solo song, the two women did a duet, and the rest were performed by all the singers. Their voices are good, and there was a minimum of dancing. The World Stage was packed and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8 by richwmn

[richwmn]

February 8^th, 2024 – At Sea, Destination Darwin, Northern Territory, Australian

 

Another day at sea, and another good day. It is currently 82°F / 28°C with 77% humidity and winds at almost 16mph. The skies are overcast. The ship is moving east at 11 knots toward Darwin, where we are expected to arrive at 5:30am. Our schedule changed due to predicted tides. We will be leaving Darwin at 3:30pm.

 

 

After breakfast yesterday I attended a presentation by Trevor Knight on horses. In addition to being a good singer and story teller, he is very knowledgeable about horses and put on another good presentation. He will be doing one more shortly, and performing again tonight. Lunch in the lido, followed by general knowledge trivia. We then had a matinee performance by Annie Francis, and she did not disappoint. She had a nice variety of songs and the chatter between songs was short. Not too long after her show, it was (of course) time for dinner, trivia, and the evening show which was another round of the Biddies. That show was also good and ended a busy day.

 

 

 

We did change our clocks last night by 30 minute to match the time in Darwin. I had a good nights sleep, and a good breakfast again this morning. It looks to be another pretty day aboard Volendam.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I am dining in Cantaletto tonight, here is that menu.

 

 

[JohnCoffield]

Thanks for your daily reports, which I am enjoying. By the time you complete your trip it will be much closer to the one we have booked in November aboard Noordam - your reports bring it closer.

[richwmn]

February 10^th, 2024 – Darwin, Northern Territory, Australian

 

Well, it appears I failed to change the date on my post yesterday. Sorry. Today we are in Darwin and have been here for quite some time at this point. Here is today’s weather and location.

 

 

 

 

The first thing I did yesterday was to listen to Trevor Knight’s third presentation on horses. This one was his way of training horses, and it was very interesting. He also talked a bit about training dogs, which I also found interesting. This is a subject that he is well versed in, and he has a good means of presenting it.

 

So, to catch up with last night. I had dinner last night in Canteletto last night with several regular Daily posters. We had a nice dinner with good conversation. The service was wonderful and we took about two hours. We finished in time to head to the World Stage show.

 

The World Stage show last night was the third and last from Trevor Knight. He was in good form and I enjoyed the show. I might have been a bit more pleased if he had a little more singing and less talk, but the mix was really fine.

 

Yesterday, in his port talk, Daniel said that we would have an orderly process thru immigration today. In truth, it went a lot better than he imagined. It was only a few minutes after he called for deck 1, that he called for deck 2. Very shortly after that he called for deck 1, 2, & anyone ready. Another very short wait and he said anyone who was ready could proceed, and I went. I got into the terminal and walked quickly to the shuttle and got on. I was off the shuttle in Downtown Darwin very quickly.

 

After I walked about Downtown Darwin for a while I went back to the shuttle stop, and might have headed back to the ship except that the HOHO bus was sitting there so I went over, bought a ticket, and got on. I went around most of the route of the bus and saw the sights with some good commentary. I got off at the cruise terminal stop, the last one before completing the circle, and was walking back toward the ship when I ran into @Cruising-along Carolyn & Henry. They were waiting for what they thought was a different HOHO company, but when the next one from the company I had been on came by, she asked and they were on. I joined them for another round and found that the section between the cruise terminal and the starting point was very interesting and I would have missed it. We continued back to the cruise terminal, and returned to the ship.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by richwmn

[richwmn]

Current room service menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

February 11^th, 2024 – at sea, destination Broome, Western Australia

 

Another nice day aboard Volendam. The temperature is 84°F / 29°C under broken clouds. The humidity is at 81% and the winds are about 10.6mph. We are traveling west at 21 knots to arrive at Broome tomorrow morning at 5:30am.

 

 

I already talked about Darwin, so I will continue with the evening. Other than trivia last night, the topic was Europe, I didn’t do much. The World Stage had a move, ‘Moulon Rouge’, and the other venues had the normal performances

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sea42]

Did the room service club sandwich always come with Swiss cheese? I thought it was a kind of processed American cheese. Swiss would be a big improvement from what I remember!

[richwmn]

9 hours ago, Sea42 said:

Did the room service club sandwich always come with Swiss cheese? I thought it was a kind of processed American cheese. Swiss would be a big improvement from what I remember!

I rarely order from room service, and when I do it is just a BLT. Someone else will need to answer this.

 

[richwmn]

February 12^th, 2024 – Broome, Western Australia

 

Super Bowl Sunday on Monday morning aboard Volendam!

 

 

With the Super Bowl on the TV in the background, we begin our Monday morning in Broome. The position map shows us to be a little more off shore than we are, but there is a long dock that separates us from the main land. Fortunately, the dock is large enough for the shuttle busses to come all the way to the ship. Because of tides the gangway didn’t open until 7:45, but people were lined up for at least an hour to be the first ones off the ship.

 

 

 

Last night I took another break and didn’t do much other than the two trivia sessions, which both went well. The evening session was pictures of celebrities from years ago that we had to identify. It proved to be very interesting.

 

I did attend the Port Talk on Groome and Exmouth. Daniel is a good speaker and gave us quite a bit of good information about both ports. If you are so inclined, there seems to be plenty to do, and a good variety, in both ports.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some early pictures of Broome –

 

 

 

[richwmn]

February 13^th, at sea Destination Exmouth, WA, Australian

 

It is Tuesday morning on Volendam. It is currently 81°F / 27°C around the ship. The humidity is 84% and with winds are about 9mph. The ship is moving in a westerly direction at 15 knots and we are expecting to arrive in Exmouth tomorrow morning at 8:00AM.

 

 

Yesterday we had a nice day in Broome. Trivia at 4:00pm was well attended, as was the session at 7:00pm. The theme for the late session was ‘The Olympics’ and Dani did a very good job of presenting difficult questions. Even at that, one team did get everything correct.

 

The performer last night on the World Stage was Daniel Hallari. He calls his music ‘Popera’ and describes it as pop songs sung in the fashion of opera. I found that, to my taste, his music was ok. He does have a good voice and a pretty good stage presence, but I was not particularly fond of a couple of his selections. Overall it was a good show and it looked like the audience enjoyed it.

 

Today is another lazy day at sea, proceeding to Exmouth in Western Australia. The sea has been calm for most of this voyage and Volendam has been very comfortable.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruising-along]

We thoroughly enjoyed the talent of Daniel Mallari last night. Having family members who were trained in opera, we appreciated his voice and amazing range. He hit every note perfectly. If only some other recent performers could do the same!  He got a standing ovation and deserved it. 

Akos Laki the night before also put on an amazing show with his trombone performance. HAL get more talent like these two!

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

trombone

Oops, I meant saxophone!

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Always enjoy your reports and thank you for taking the time to post the menus which I enjoy. I have collected menus from countless voyages since the 1970s while they are stored in countless boxes along with other memorabilia I enjoy comparing what has changed and what has not. Sailing HAL  since 1976 has brought joy and smiles and you certainly help keep me smiling. All the best!

[richwmn]

February 14^th, Exmouth, WA, Australia

 

We are at our resting point, and the tenders have been lowered. Tendering ashore should begin in about 20 minutes, but I will wait for quite a bit later than that. The temperature is currently 79°F / 26°C with a humidity of 64%. The wind is less than 1mph and the skies are clear. Looks to be a nice day to tender ashore today.

 

 

The theme for last night’s trivia was ‘Mardi Gras’ and the questions were pretty good. We again managed to miss winning by one question. After trivia, I went to the World Stage and got there in time for Daniel’s final few questions on Exmouth. He seems to research the ports well and does a good presentation.

 

For the evening show we were again treated to the Grand Voyage Repertory Company, singers and dancers. Their shows have been good and seem to be over too quickly. All four of the singers have good voices, and all eight performers are accomplished dancers. I enjoyed the selection of songs. This group has been a good addition to the cruise and I look forward to their remaining shows.

 

I’m getting ready to tender into Exmouth, but first here are today’s activities and menus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[erewhon]

@richwmn  Rich,  were the flies still troublesome at  Exmouth?

[richwmn]

February 15^th, 2024 – at sea, destination Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia

 

Today is a sea day on Volendam, heading for Fremantle. We are currently in the Indian Ocean, headed south at about 19knots. Our expected arrival is tomorrow morning at 8am. The temperate is 73°F / 23°C under clear skies. The humidity is 89%, and the wind is at a little over 15mph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

19 hours ago, erewhon said:

@richwmn  Rich,  were the flies still troublesome at  Exmouth?

I didn't see many, but others that went to other areas said that the flies were a problem.

[bcummin]

Did you see the emus in Exmouth?

Barbara

[erewhon]

4 hours ago, richwmn said:

I didn't see many, but others that went to other areas said that the flies were a problem.

 

@richwmn  Rich, thank you for your reply.  We remember the flies were very bad.

[richwmn]

February 16^th, 2024 – Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia

 

We docked in Fremantle this morning on time, and we have been cleared to go ashore. We will be here overnight, so there is no hurry to get anything done. Also, I stopped here last year on the World Cruise and I had a nice visit then.

 

 

We had the normal sea day trivia sessions yesterday, and my group did well in both. The theme of the evening session was ‘Nautical’ and had questions that would be expected. Most teams got 13 – 15 answers correct but one team did get a perfect score.

 

The World Stage show last night was again Daniel Mallari. He did music from Broadway shows and I think that his selection of songs was better suited to him than the first show, particularly Circle of Life and I’m Still Standing. He did a solo of Jesus Christ, Superstar and while he did fine, it didn’t quite sound right (to me) without the chorus. I do think he is a good singer with a good stage presence and did enjoy the show.

 

 

I don’t say too much about food. The reason is that I feel the food is very good and since I eat in the Lido mostly the meals are not ‘plated’ so pictures wouldn’t really show anything. I have been eating quite a few salads from the salad bar, which is well stocked. The breakfasts in the morning are well prepared, whether you talk about omelets, fried eggs, or pan cakes. It has been nice to have the Taco Bar stocked each day and available from 11:30am until 8:00pm. The burgers and hot dogs at the Dive In are good and available during the same hours.

 

Today in Fremantle is going to be hot, but should be a good day. Here are today’s activities, meals, and a few pictures from the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16 by richwmn

[scluvsrain]

I haven't been on the Volendam since 2013.  I'm sure it's been updated, and I will be on the 2025 NYC 45 day Med sailing.  I'm wondering if all of the cabins (OVs) have been updated to include shower only and the interactive TVs?

 

We've booked 2704 on main deck which is far aft.  Hoping it will be quiet?  Not sure what's down below us and if there is a back door at end of corridor to the back of the ship?

 

Thanks for any info you could provide.  😄

[richwmn]

February 17^th, 2024 – Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia Day 2

 

 

 

It has been a nice evening in Fremantle. Yesterday I took a long walk thru the city which sort of mirrored my walk last year. There were a couple of differences, but not many. It again started with taking the shuttle into town. We were dropped at the same place and as with last year the volunteers were there to help us and were very nice.

 

I was on a bit of a mission yesterday. At an earlier stop I went into an Australian Post Office store with @Cruising-along Carolyn. While in there I noticed an upgraded cell phone for a price I could consider, but I wanted to be sure it would work. I talked to support and was assured that it would. I kinda tried looking for it again for the last couple of stops but wasn’t successful. I asked the volunteer for a possibility and she suggested a nearby store. That happened to be a local supplier, so they didn’t have any unlocked phones. I saw a Target, and checked there. The Post Office was also across the street, but neither had what I needed. In Target the person suggested a place named ‘Officework’. I put that in my phone and set off. For some reason I kept messing up the instructions and kept getting further from the store, so I walked back to the bus. The same nice volunteer was familiar with the store and told me how to get there. Turns out, it was very close to the dock. I walked there and found the phone, actually a little better than the one I had looked at. The employee was able to look up my carrier (T-Mobile) and said that I would have no trouble. I bought it for a little bit less than I had expected.

 

I then walked across the street, and a little bit down the road and got back on the ship. After trivia and a bit of frustration I had a new working phone.

 

It is another pretty day today and I’m sure everyone will have a good time.

 

Today’s activities –

 

 

 

 

Today’s menus –

 

 

 

 

 

Some pictures of Fremantle –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by richwmn

[richwmn]

6 hours ago, scluvsrain said:

I haven't been on the Volendam since 2013.  I'm sure it's been updated, and I will be on the 2025 NYC 45 day Med sailing.  I'm wondering if all of the cabins (OVs) have been updated to include shower only and the interactive TVs?

 

We've booked 2704 on main deck which is far aft.  Hoping it will be quiet?  Not sure what's down below us and if there is a back door at end of corridor to the back of the ship?

 

Thanks for any info you could provide.  😄

As far as I know, all cabins have been upgraded to the interactive TV system. My ocean view (3300) does have the upgraded shower and I believe most do. I don't know if there is any outside area on deck 2 to exit to, I don't think so. 

[richwmn]

I just walked back and took a look at that area. I was wrong, there is a nice little deck area there, and there are doors to get from your cabin outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by richwmn

[scluvsrain]

Rich, thank you so very much!!!  These photos are awesome and I'm so glad we booked the cabin that we did.  😄. You're the best!!!