2024 Grand World Voyage with The Inside Cabin

[Btimmer]

We received those roller bags on the Grand South America and one was utterly destroyed by ship or dock personnel when transferring it to shore upon disembarkation.

[BetsyS.]

Sorry to hear that about your roller bag.

[Toad]

I will be on a 35day legendary cruise and was hoping to get one of those bags: they look great.  Are these only for people on the world cruise?  

[WriterOnDeck]

7 hours ago, Toad said:

I will be on a 35day legendary cruise and was hoping to get one of those bags: they look great.  Are these only for people on the world cruise?  

I don't know about the Legendary cruises, as they are fairly new. But the bag has come on all the Grand cruises I've been on, not just the World. I got the same bag on the Grand South America last fall as I just got on the World.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

13 hours ago, Hygge! said:

So glad they have wheels this year. Two good looking guys. Tell us about your quilt! 

It's called the "Southern California Quilted Throw".  56 x 70 inches.   By Spartina 449

$108. 

They have quilts and hand bags for many touristy areas. Check out their website - for retail locations or buy online direct 

 

 

 

more HERE and HERE

 

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. The bags are great and the rollers of course help. We are blessed to have a few from crystal and Cunard our HAL ones do not have the rollers. Pete and Judy…do you miss your kids?

[Wehwalt]

We, first segment guests, got those bags before we disembarked in HNL. Came in handy at the airport when we had a bag over fifty pounds and had to use it. We also got the plate, don't know if you've seen those yet. Smaller than in recent years and without the route map. Just as well, considering.

[Toad]

Years ago I remember getting mugs with the first letter of the ship on them.  I still have lots of those.😁

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is the final 2 week entertainment guide

 

 

[weeislayman]

2 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I don't know about the Legendary cruises, as they are fairly new. But the bag has come on all the Grand cruises I've been on, not just the World. I got the same bag on the Grand South America last fall as I just got on the World.

My wife and I are on a ‘Legendary’ cruise just now.  It is a repositioning cruise from Australia to Vancouver.  They just call it ‘Legendary’.  We have done this Repositioning cruise before.  Can’t see any difference.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We arrived at Null Island yesterday. This is the point where the Prime Meridian intersects the equator. Crossing the equator here makes you an Emerald Shellback. We didn't have a ceremony, but King Neptune, aka Entertainment Director Phillip, was the guest at Coffee Chat!

Lots of fun!

 

Around 2 PM, the Captain opened the bow, maneuvered the ship to the prime meridian and the equator, and came to a brief stop.   The buoy is no longer around, but I took a little Photoshop license to simulate what it may have looked like.  

Here is a screenshot of our phone at Null Island!

 

I think I see it!

Over there!

Yes - there it is! 

 

And of course - we received a certificate!

 

Meanwhile, back at the Seaview Pool - there was the Null Island "Pool Jump" where King Neptune ordered Henk and the Captain into the pool, fully dressed!

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

WALVIS BAY AND SANDWICH HARBOR, NAMIBIA

APRIL 22, 2024

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We slip into Walvis Bay shrouded with heavy fog and travel to Sandwich Harbor over the dunes.

ARRIVAL IN THE FOG

Our escorting tugboat was barely visible through the thick fog, and we approached Walvis Bay early this morning. I wouldn’t have been surprised if we stayed outside the harbor until the fog burned off. Still, the Captain and his bridge team skillfully and safely brought us alongside the pier, arriving at 8 AM, but this was a little late as we were scheduled to be cleared and going ashore by 8 AM.

The visibility was about 200 feet as we approached Walvis Bay

The ship was cleared at 8:30, and we left immediately as we had an 8:30 pick-up time for our private tour to Sandwich Harbor.

Still foggy as we walked down the pier at 8:30 AM

Usually, in Walvis Bay, a shuttle bus is provided to the Dunes Mall and the Waterfront area, which has some restaurants. Today, we learned that the shuttle would only go to the Dunes Mall. If you want to walk to the waterfront area, it’s a little less than a mile.

If you haven’t booked a tour here, you will always find tour operators selling tours at the end of the pier.

SANDWICH HARBOR TOURS

Sandwich Harbor, about 25 miles south of Walvis Bay, is a very popular destination. The trip requires using four-wheel-drive vehicles, and if the tide is low, you can have a great time running on the smooth sand. Otherwise, you will have to go up and down the dunes away from the beach and may not have enough time for the round trip.

There are several companies offering tours. We chose the half-day option for $135 with Sandwich Dune Tours – HERE.

HAL offers the identical tour for about $500. In 2023, the HAL tour was $229. If you are interested in this tour, you may be able to use the HAL best price guarantee. I asked onboard about the reason for the huge price difference, and they didn’t have a good explanation.

The Sandwich Dune Tour is listed as starting at 8 AM, and since we arrived at 8 AM, this may have been a problem. But the company assured me they would pick us up at the pier at 8:30 and wait if necessary. They were very responsive to emails, and I recommend using them.

Our driver was waiting for us, with my name on a sign. We piled into his Toyota Fortuner 4 x 4 and headed off to their nearby office, where we were joined by another guest from the ship. There would be three guests in our Fortuner and four in the other.

Here is a video of our excursion

 

HEADING SOUTH TO SANDWICH HARBOR

Our two Fortuners headed south, and after a few miles, we drove off the road and onto the sand of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. We stopped to let the air out of our tires, reducing the pressure from 29 PSI to 11 PSI. This increased the surface area of the tires, increasing traction and improving ride quality and handling.

When we started, the tide was low, which allowed us to drive on the smoother sand above the surf and make good time. After a few miles, we stopped to take some pictures and use an outhouse toilet—this would be the only toilet on the trip.

We stopped at the entrance to the park

 

We continued south until the sand dunes met the sea where we turned inland and climbed up the dunes until we reached the summit with an amazing view of Sandwich Harbor to the south.

Our driver ran up the dune during one of our stops – no one else followed

 

We were trailing many other tours, including the seven vehicles on the HAL tour, which were already on the summit when we arrived. They left after a few minutes, and we were all alone.

Walking up to the summit Heading back to our vehicles Sandwich Harbor

 

Heading back down, we swooped down one dune and then back up another, where we stopped for our mid-morning snack. The snack turned out to be an elaborate mini buffet with sparkling wine, beer, and soft drinks, along with chicken tenders, ribs, fish, red velvet cake, and more.

This “snack” was far more elaborate than we expected There were 7 guests and 2 drivers in our two vehicles We spotted the vehicles in other tours below on the beach

 

HEADING BACK TO WALVIS BAY

After about 10 minutes, we headed back north; this time, we drove up and down the steep dunes. Our driver, Hans, would stop at the top of one dune, then accelerate down, slaloming across the sand into the valley while picking up enough speed to carry us up on the other side, where we would stop and repeat down the next dune. We probably did this ten times on the way back before we ran out of dunes and were back on the beach. The water was closer this time as we raced back toward Walvis Bay.

The various vehicles tend to follow the same line through the dunes.

After we were back in Walvis Bay, we headed over to Flamingo Beach, where we spent a few minutes observing the flamingos and taking some pictures.

The flamingos are within a few miles of the port

 

BACK ON THE SHIP

About seventy children from Namibia’s Bernard Nordkamp Center (BNC) from Windhoek, Namibia, spent the day in Zuiderdam enjoying the pool and ice cream. At 3 PM, the children performed various songs for the capacity crowd on the World Stage. After the performance, Hotel General Manager Henk and the Captain presented a check for $20,000 to the director of the BNC, MaryBeth Gallagher. The $20,000 was raised on the ship with the silent auction a few days ago and supplemental cash donations.

BNC Director, MaryBeth Gallagher. accepts the check – After the presentation a passenger kicked in another $4K to make the amount and even $20K

Here is what the BNC center is all about from their website:

The BNC endeavors to compensate for the failings of the Namibian public education system by providing education subsidy to motivated grade 1 to 7 students. The 170 children who attend the BNC receive extra classes in maths and English (reading and writing) as well as homework assistance. There are additional classes offered in music, dance, sports, drama and visual arts.

As the performance was closing, the PA system announced “Mooring Emergency”. The Captain and Henk quickly left. We learned later that high winds started to push the ship away from the pier, creating too much tension on the mooring lines. The bridge team turned on the bow thrusters to keep us pushed against the pier.

WORLD STAGE

Instrumentalist Gary Sletcher was the headliner on the world stage.  He played the saxophone and sang a variety of African songs.

[Toad]

I’m interested in Hal’s “best price guarantee “, is it really a thing”?

[The-Inside-Cabin]

12 hours ago, Toad said:

I’m interested in Hal’s “best price guarantee “, is it really a thing”?

Yes - Here is a snippet - I can't find more - the website isn't cooperating

 

Here is an old thread with more

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Our day in Takoradi - 

 

I took the shuttle bus to the circular market, which is still under construction.

 

I did a one-mile loop around the side streets. No one takes dollars, and there are no money changers nearby—one ATM is 1/4 mile away. My advice is to take a tour of this port.

 

 

We bought fabric in this shop last year - we had a guide who helped with changing money - No dollars and no money changers - no credit cards - no sale.

 

I poked my head in this restaurant - 

 

More street vendors in town

 

 

Back on the pier - a nice selection of vendors - all of them took dollars - do your shopping here.

 

We did our 20-minute bridge tour - nice

 

 

Orange Party tonight had a huge turnout - Fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Drink Domino is a standard performance on HAL Bar Hops

 

 

 

 

[Toad]

Inside” - Thanks for the link to the best price guarantee program. Enjoy your last couple of weeks!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

6 hours ago, Toad said:

Inside” - Thanks for the link to the best price guarantee program. Enjoy your last couple of weeks!

The Sandwich Island tour should be an easy challenge.   There were three or more operators selling tours for about $135 each.

[ski ww]

Loved your pictures of your Walvis Bay stop. all those sand dunes brought back some great memories of our stop there on the Prinsendam in 2008

[Toad]

9 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The Sandwich Island tour should be an easy challenge.   There were three or more operators selling tours for about $135 each.

Go for it!

[jimdee3636]

@The-Inside-Cabin

I think you once said that, despite your CC "name," you're not sailing in an inside cabin. But have you met people on this WC who are in an inside cabin for the whole cruise? If so, do they regret doing it, or are they pleased that they can take several more cruises in the future with the money they saved? My wife and I have sailed in insides a few times without a problem, but only on short cruises, which we hardly ever take anymore. Even an ocean view cabin would be tough for a 128-night sailing.

 

Jim

 

 

[sandiego1]

2 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@The-Inside-Cabin

I think you once said that, despite your CC "name," you're not sailing in an inside cabin. But have you met people on this WC who are in an inside cabin for the whole cruise? If so, do they regret doing it, or are they pleased that they can take several more cruises in the future with the money they saved? My wife and I have sailed in insides a few times without a problem, but only on short cruises, which we hardly ever take anymore. Even an ocean view cabin would be tough for a 128-night sailing.

 

Jim

 

 

We did our 1st WC in an OV cabin in 2019. It wasn’t worth the premium over an inside as we were always hot. The sun reflecting off the water forced us to keep our curtains closed except when we were in Northern Europe. In 2023, we opted for a large inside “J” cabin for the WC and loved it. Not only was it much more spacious than all non-Neptune suite cabins, but it was much cooler. We didn’t miss the outside view at all. And, because of the darkness, it was easy to nap and to sleep at night. We booked the 2025 Pole to Pole cruise in another inside.

 

In the past, we have only cruised in a Neptune suite or a handful of times in a balcony.

[cccole]

You are getting so many questions towards the end of your cruise.  Please do not respond to this until you are happily home.  Is it possible that HAL can give a best price guarantee because no other tour can guarantee that the ship will wait for you?  This would be an easy out for them.  I use your tour recommendations and thank you for such detailed posting.  Enjoy every nano second of the sunset of this cruise,  Cherie

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@The-Inside-Cabin

I think you once said that, despite your CC "name," you're not sailing in an inside cabin. But have you met people on this WC who are in an inside cabin for the whole cruise? If so, do they regret doing it, or are they pleased that they can take several more cruises in the future with the money they saved? My wife and I have sailed in insides a few times without a problem, but only on short cruises, which we hardly ever take anymore. Even an ocean view cabin would be tough for a 128-night sailing.

 

Jim

 

 

We know many people who sail on inside cabins exclusively without an issue.   Insides vary in size and certain ones can be pretty roomy.   @sandiego1 gives a great answer above.    I think if you are happy with insides on two week cruises you will be ok on longer cruises.   

[Btimmer]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

We know many people who sail on inside cabins exclusively without an issue.   Insides vary in size and certain ones can be pretty roomy.   @sandiego1 gives a great answer above.    I think if you are happy with insides on two week cruises you will be ok on longer cruises.   

We've sailed for months in inside cabins and find them quite nice.  That being said, we also enjoy having light in the morning.  Currently we're on a 33 day cruise on the Majestic Princess about 3 days away from reaching Hawaii.  We're in a balcony cabin and it's been nice.  For our upcoming 44 day cruise on the Volendam FLL to Alexandria and return, we're booked in an inside cabin.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We had our second-to-last Formal night. The theme was Night In Hollywood. The Rolling Stone lounge was turned into a Hollywood Premiere red carpet. The hallway outside was lined with Walk of Fame Stars and a Hollywood Sign.  Guests could create their own star by drawing one with a Sharpie.  

 

The Hollywood Sign - on Deck 2!

 

The Zuiderdam Walk of Fame!

 

Lots of glitz and glamour all around!

 

Our Formal Portrait from the Ship's photographers

 

Our table was hosted by Chief Engineer Wilco - great conversation!

 

Here is the excerpt from the daily program 

 

Tonights Menu HERE