2024 Grand World Voyage with The Inside Cabin

[SUESEABE]

Thank you for allowing all of us to accompany you on your wonderful journey. Safe travels home.

[flyingfish123]

Thank you so much for taking me along on your fabulous journey! 

[ski ww]

Thanks for posting your pictures & write ups, very interesting, welcome home.

[travelnap]

Thanks for taking us all along with you on this voyage.  I have enjoyed following your travels.  Have a safe trip home.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is the final 15 minutes of the Farewell toast and crew parade on the world stage.  

 

We are at the FLL airport now getting ready to fly to ATL then SAN.   I will post the complete "City at Sea" presentation later. 

 

 

 

[sterling2]

Safe travels home. Thank you for sharing your travels with us. You two clearly define “travelers” as opposed to tourists. Curious how much knitting Judy does on these trips. Thank you.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Hi, I brought yarn for several projects.  I was able to complete two summer tops in a linen yarn and a cardigan in black lace.  They were all on medium sized needles (US 7's & 8's) I also bought some yarn in Singapore and knit a beanie for each of the guys at our dinner table and used the rest of the yarn to knit a scarfette for each of the ladies.   - Judy 

[sterling2]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Hi, I brought yarn for several projects.  I was able to complete two summer tops in a linen yarn and a cardigan in black lace.  They were all on medium sized needles (US 7's & 8's) I also bought some yarn in Singapore and knit a beanie for each of the guys at our dinner table and used the rest of the yarn to knit a scarfette for each of the ladies.   - Judy 

Thanks, Judy! Sounds good considering all the tours you two were on. Very impressive!☺️

[RuthC]

Welcome back to dry land that won't get sea splashed overnight! Have a safe flight home. 

Thank you both so much for letting us ride along with you. Your adventures are fun to join in on, as you get a lot out of your travels. 
I'm looking forward to reading all about your next cruise! 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Please report on your homecoming and how joyful to see the kids and grandkids. Happy Mother’s Day 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On 5/11/2024 at 2:51 PM, RuthC said:

Welcome back to dry land that won't get sea splashed overnight! Have a safe flight home. 

Thank you both so much for letting us ride along with you. Your adventures are fun to join in on, as you get a lot out of your travels. 
I'm looking forward to reading all about your next cruise! 

Your'e welcome.  My next cruise is the 28 day Alaska on the Westerdam.  June 7th.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On 5/12/2024 at 2:47 AM, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Please report on your homecoming and how joyful to see the kids and grandkids. Happy Mother’s Day 

I will be writing up the last days tomorrow.   I had to get the cars smogged, AC fixed and try to start and get unpacked.   We don't have any children.

[RuthC]

25 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

My next cruise is the 28 day Alaska on the Westerdam.  June 7th.

Me, too! 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Thank you for sharing your cruises with us. I really appreciate all the work that goes into doing that.

 

Edited May 15 by Cruising Is Bliss

[LouChamp]

10 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I will be writing up the last days tomorrow.   I had to get the cars smogged, AC fixed and try to start and get unpacked.   We don't have any children.

Aloha. Looking forward to reading your wrap-up. Sorry about the car and the a/c. I understand being away for some time and worrying about the return. The apartment in Manhattan and Honolulu we don’t concern ourselves too much about but the house is always a worry. Nice to see it still standing upon our return but it truly is a first world problem and we are blessed to be able to enjoy them. Welcome home again. When is your next trip? 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:46 AM, LouChamp said:

Welcome home again. When is your next trip? 

28 day Alaska - Westerdam - June 9th - Seattle RT

[LouChamp]

3 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

28 day Alaska - Westerdam - June 9th - Seattle RT

Aloha.  Excellent. A beautiful ship. Enjoy!

[meg1021]

On 5/14/2024 at 6:53 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I will be writing up the last days tomorrow.   I had to get the cars smogged, AC fixed and try to start and get unpacked.   We don't have any children.

Thanks once again for your detailed posts.  I have been following along, since we're booked on the 2025 WC, and this will be our first time sailing on HAL.  You provided very good basic information, as well as giving me an idea of the types of onboard activities we can look forward to.  You mentioned in one of your posts, that HAL offered a discounted beverage package to World cruisers.  Is that a standard offering for the World Cruise?  Did they send an email offering, or does your TA inform you about special offers?

 

Enjoy your next cruise, and thanks again.  Your positive outlook regarding unexpected issues and changes was much appreciated.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

2 minutes ago, meg1021 said:

Thanks once again for your detailed posts.  I have been following along, since we're booked on the 2025 WC, and this will be our first time sailing on HAL.  You provided very good basic information, as well as giving me an idea of the types of onboard activities we can look forward to.  You mentioned in one of your posts, that HAL offered a discounted beverage package to World cruisers.  Is that a standard offering for the World Cruise?  Did they send an email offering, or does your TA inform you about special offers?

 

Enjoy your next cruise, and thanks again.  Your positive outlook regarding unexpected issues and changes was much appreciated.

This was the first time they offered a beverage package on a world cruise (to my knowledge). Whether or not they offer it again remains to be seen.     The offer appeared on the HAL website as one of the many packages available for purchase.   You TA may have some insight if they plan to offer a similar package for 2025.    I think the package was available in the October timeframe.   

[NotLikeBelleRosen,IHope]

Thanks so much for reporting on your cruise. Fun and informative (as always), a reader can't ask for more than that! I appreciate, too, the links to other bloggers on your blog. It is nice for someone who can only dream about a world cruise to see different perspectives.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

WRAPPING UP THE WORLD CRUISE

JUNE 6, 2024

Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise

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Our 128-day adventure was coming to a close as we arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Here are some of the highlights of the last few days.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

We cleared Immigration in San Juan and had two final sea days before we arrived in Fort Lauderdale. Clearing Immigration in San Juan speeds up our disembarkation as we won’t have to clear Customs or Immigration in Fort Lauderdale.

This sign is at the end of the cruise terminal piers Two bars in San Juan make claims to inventing the Pina Colada. We first went to Barrachinas- less than a mile from the ship. I couldn’t resist getting the souvenir glass. The Caribe Hilton, a few miles from the ship ($20 taxi) sounds like it has a better claim to being the first to serve the Pina Colada. Close-up of the Caribe Hilton Pina Colada – Photo by Kim C.

 

GUEST TALENT SHOW

We arrived in San Juan at 2 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Guest Talent Show was presented on the World Stage. Fourteen acts consisting of individuals and groups were ready to go at 11 a.m. Kimberly introduced each act, and the guests performed on the stage, unlike last year when they were forced to stand in the seating area directly in front of the stage. Here is a video with short clips from each performance.

 

FINAL SEA DAYS

We spent our final two sea days packing, wrapping up loose ends, and attending several traditional end-of-cruise events.

Ray, in the Ocean Bar, is the BEST!

 

CREW TALENT SHOW

The highlight of our first sea day after San Juan was the Crew Talent Show.

Nine acts from the Zuiderdam Crew were featured on the World Stage in the Crew Talent Show on May 9th, 2024. After the show, the guests voted by secret ballot. Over 600 ballots were submitted.

1. Christian from guest services sang .. Go the Distance (First Place)
2. Benja & Terrapon from Thailand danced to a popular song from their homeland
3. Julius, a Sommelier & HAL school teacher in the Philippines, – sings Journey’s Faithfully with images of his family in the background
4. Paramita, Rusdayani & Arti, from Bali – from the dining room (Ochi, Oki & Jeni) – dance in costume to a native song — Sekar Jagat Dance and one other song – Third Place
5. Richard from the tech department – from the Philippines – sings I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
6. Alif from housekeeping – traditional song
7. Dhesery Balisi has been with HAL for 8 years .. she’s a masseuse from the spa who sings I Have Nothing – Second Place
8. Ipsita from Security – from India .. she danced to several tunes from India
9. Filipino Castanet Dancers – 6 women and 6 men .. La Jota Moncadeña – Castanet Dance

 

FAREWELL PRESENTATION

The highlight of our final sea day was the Farewell Presentation on the World Stage. This consisted of the City and Sea Presentation, hosted by Cruise and Travel Director Kimberly Wells, followed by the crewmember parade. Hundreds of crewmembers from all the departments filled the stage with the sounds of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” playing in the background.

 

While waiting for the presentation, they showed a slide show featuring photographs from the entire cruise. They also played the entertainer highlight reel I put together, shown below.

 

PACKING

Many people start packing on the transatlantic crossing and finish by the time they go to dinner on the last day. We aren’t in that group and are usually up past Midnight on the final evening.

Before the cruise, we sent eight suitcases and one box with Luggage Forward. We could fit everything into the eight suitcases and didn’t need the box. We ended up checking 5 bags on our flight home. One tip Judy uses to get a little more in each suitcase is to let the suitcase stand up for a couple hours after the initial packing which allows the contents to settle opening up some more space at the top.

Amazing room stewards – Prio and Yudi Our bags in the hallway – ready to go!

 

LUGGAGE FORWARD

Luggage Forward is convenient now that you don’t have to retrieve your bags in the terminal and carry them through Customs yourself. While waiting for the crew talent show to start, Kimberly announced a glitch with the luggage forward service over the PA system. The preprinted luggage tags never made it onto the ship due to an “unfortunate incident” in San Juan. The exact nature of the “unfortunate incident” was never disclosed but I speculate that the rep had them stolen from his hotel or rental car. Guests in Neptune suites would get tags reprinted but there were too many for everyone else, so we were given special paper tags with our name to attach to our luggage. Luggage Forward would attach the real UPS tag in the warehouse ashore.

We put Air Tags in all our bags, which helped give us peace of mind that everything was moving in our direction.

NOTE: As I write this on 21 May, we now know that all our bags were tagged and are moving in the UPS system. The “unfortunate incident” added another five days to our luggage return time.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

On our last evening’s dinner, Table 89 celebrated our final birthday of the cruise, and we retired the Big Hat. The Hat was starting to get a little yellow after two years, and our waiters said they would put it to good use on the next cruise when they expected hundreds of children onboard with plenty of Birthdays. Tonight’s menu was labeled “All-Time Favorites” and included Surf and Turf, Escargot, and more. You can download the menu HERE.

Table 89’s Final Birthday Dinner

 

Our waiter, Andi, assisted by Al Rey and Denny, was outstanding and enhanced our cruise experience. We always select fixed seating, so we have the same waiters every evening, which enhances our dining room experience.

Great waiters make a great cruise – Denny and Andi were the best!

 

LEAVING THE SHIP FOR THE LAST TIME

Unlike almost every other cruise line, Holland America allows you to stay in your cabin until you are ready to leave the ship. This makes your final day more pleasant as you don’t have to wander around the public areas until your debarkation time. Most people tend to leave their rooms early anyway, so there are plenty of empty cabins to keep the room stewards busy until everyone is gone by 9:30 am.

The ship didn’t assign debarkation times. Everyone selected their own time by visiting a kiosk by the front desk and selecting a colored baggage tag corresponding to their desired debarkation time. We had a late flight and selected the last possible time which was 9 am to 9:30 am.

The ship arrived and was cleared in Port Everglades at 6:55 am. Guests who didn’t have any luggage handled by the ship could leave immediately. The first group, Purple One, was called at 7:12 am. Subsequent colors were called every 10 minutes until 9 am when they announced that every color had been called and it was time for everyone to head ashore.

As we headed down the gangway we spotted the numerous baggage cages on the dock waiting to be processed thru the Customs and Border Patrol mobile unit before being loaded into the Luggage Forward’s 40 foot tractor/trailer.

Luggage cages filled with bags for Luggage Forward. They all get scanned by customs in the truck before getting loaded into the trailer.

 

We were off the ship around 9:15 a.m. At the end of the gangway, we said goodbye to the officers: Hotel GM Henk and his wife, Christel, Cruise and Travel Director Kimberly, Guest Relations Manager Maja, and Food and Beverage Manager George.

Being one of the last people to leave the ship makes your bags easier to find. Porters were in short supply, but we could fasten our Tach Luggage together and roll it out of the terminal ourselves without assistance.

The Tach Luggage is great – fasten them together and roll them out independently.

 

CUSTOMS

Since we cleared Immigration in San Juan, we didn’t have to stop for any clearance here. A single customs agent was sitting in his booth, but he waved us through without asking any questions. If you have something to declare, you must seek out the Customs people on your own.

Once we left the terminal, a small table staffed by Security would return all items confiscated during the cruise. This is where we retrieved the chef’s knife we bought in Tokyo.

Nancy Grace, the amazing Arts and Crafts instructor, outside the terminal heading home with boxes of tools and left over supplies. She started the cruise with over twice the number of boxes you see here.

 

THE LAST MILE

Taxis are easy to find outside the terminal, and we quickly went to the FLL airport. I recommend taking a cab instead of the HAL transfer because the HAL transfer will probably drop you off between terminals at FLL, which will require you to walk a couple of hundred yards to your terminal or take the shuttle bus to other terminals. We found out later that several people who took the combined excursion with airport transfer were disappointed that they were dropped off between terminals and then discovered that luggage carts or porters were unavailable.

BACK HOME

Our flight to San Diego via Atlanta was uneventful. Everything was on time, and we walked in our Condo at 9 pm.

Living in a condo simplifies things as we don’t have any yardwork or exterior maintenance. The refrigerator was empty but was working fine. We turned on the icemaker and hot water heater. We removed the plastic wrap covering the toilets; their level was almost normal. The HVAC wasn’t cooling correctly, and we need to replace it. I disconnected the batteries on our cars, and after reconnecting the batteries, they started immediately. Our neighbor collected our mail, but we would go through that big pile in the next few days.

The cruise was now complete – we were back home. I will write up my final thoughts soon. After that I will continue to write up the various ports that I didn’t cover during the cruise. Many people use my posts has a reference and completing a detailed port visit post takes more time than was available during the cruise on many occasions.

 

One more post coming to finish the cruise

[LouChamp]

Aloha Glad you made it home safely and all is well.  Yes condo living is easier with less worries than a house.  The condos in Hawaii Florida and Manhattan are worry free but the house on Long Island while in good shape requires coddling lol.  All the best! 

[cunnorl]

    Thank You, Thank you for a great and informative report. Have learned many things from your posts and as I look forward to our first WC in 2025, they will all come in handy.

     Be safe and I look forward to your final report.

 

[no-name-at-all]

Pete, what are we all going to do without you on the 2025 World???  Your help has been invaluable to all of us — even we seasoned world travelers.

Looking forward to cruising with you in 26……..(assuming they get rid of smoking in the casino on the Volendam🤞) 
 

Bonita and Lenny