Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[Greeneyed-lady Cruiser]

Dearest Mary Ann & Bill, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful adventure with all of us. I am new to this site, but not cruising. I have spent all of my spare time since finding your thread reading. WOW! I hope to do a World Cruise someday. For now I am happy to be going June 12 on a HAL Alaska - short cruise. Thank you again for taking the time to share the details. It really was the next best thing to being there. I look forward to hearing about your adventures again November 2009 and then again 2010. Glad both of you and the Giraffe made it back home safe.

[henepup]

We are still going through pictures on the 2009 world cruise. On our 4 day safari, I took over five thousand pictures, so you can see, sorting through all of them will be a major task! I am sure that I took more pictures than anyone else on the cruise.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

That's a bunch of pictures...thanks!!!

[WCB]

Yes, our giraffe seems quite happy in his new home! We have been busy fixing a few breaks and oiling down each wooden carving. Hopefully that should keep them from cracking in our dryer climate.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 135 Things we will always remember about the ports of the 2009 Grand World Voyage Part 2 June 1, 1009

 

Mariner Appreciation Days March 6 and 7

 

Holland America's CEO, Stein Kruse, and his staff joined the Rotterdam for the special event of the cruise. Originally planned in Mumbai, India, this event had been cancelled after the terrorist's attacks, and re-scheduled to happen onboard the ship. For us, this included a special lunch in the Crow's Nest with Mr. Kruse, his wife, and staff, as well as officers on the ship. We spent a pleasant meal time with Henk Mensink, the hotel manager, and six other friendly passengers.

Later that evening, an Asian Marketplace dinner and entertainment was held in the Lido restaurant and pool area. This area had undergone a marvelous transformation with a dragon stretched across the pool with a sampan actually floating in the pool. The highlights for us had to be the magician that pretended to take off my finger in a guillotine (not that funny for me), and the two ladies that fell out of the sampan later that night. Somehow we think that was attributed to the numerous drinks the bartenders freely served in the special flashing glasses!

 

Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China

 

At the Children's Palace, we saw the cutest little girls learning to be ballerinas. They were just precious! Being able to see the 110,000 objects of art in the Shanghai Museum in 1 1/2 hours was amazing. The next day, we took a thrilling ride on the Mag Lev Train, reaching speeds of 187 mph. Then we zipped up to the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Building, one of the highest towers in China. Our funniest purchase of the trip had to be the "heel" roller skates that light up when you go. Except neither of us is game to try them for fear of broken bones! The best memory had to be the harbor lights of the city....just fantastic and surreal!

 

Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

How will we ever forget the special bottle of wine with the cobra and scorpion inside it? Remarkably, it made it home in one piece! The best buy of the trip were the $1.00 bottles of ice cold Tiger beers in the pier stalls. It was also the best stop to bargain for watches and designer purses, we thought. The vendors were most accommodating!

 

Kemaman, Malaysia

 

Not the prettiest of ports, but nice sight-seeing out of the area. The Teluk Cempedak beach resort area was very scenic as we walked along the wooden beach boardwalk. And watching the monkeys frolick in the rain puddles was amusing. The heaviest monsoonal rains hit just as we returned from our tour, keeping us hostage on the bus until the worst of it passed by.

 

Singapore, Republic of Singapore

 

Purchasing the one day pass to ride the MRT (underground transit system) was a super idea! We were able to see Little India, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Clarke Quay on the river, Sun Tec City, and Raffles Hotel. Sitting at Raffle's outdoor bar was pricey, not priceless! The same Tiger beers we had in Nha Trang cost us $18.00!! Go figure........

 

Phuket, Thailand

 

The strangest thing happened while at Wat Tham Suwan Kuha cave temple. Little monkeys were everywhere, and we were told not ot feed them. No problem. But who would have guessed that when a lady went to use a handywipe from her bag, that a bold monkey would run right up her leg to take the wipe from her? Of course, it looked like food, duh!

The boat trip that took us by Khao Ping Gun or, James Bond Island, in Phang Nga Bay was exciting. The limestone monolithes surrounded by aquamarine waters was stunningly eerie.

 

Cochin, India

 

Watching how the ancient Chinese fishing nets worked was fascinating. Seeing the clever dolphins ready to pick off some of the fish was even better.

 

Mumbai, India

 

It was surprising to see how fast the Taj Mahal Hotel had been repaired after the December attacks by terrorists. On the other hand, the nearby Leupold Cafe deliberately left the bullet holes in the outside and inside walls for tourists to see. Really made us feel like that could happen anywhere at any moment. Another highlight was the shopping here. I found my favorite purchases were the beaded sandals and the most beautiful sari and earrings to match I have ever seen. Yep, that's way better than the snake wine!

 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

Going on the 4-whell drive night safari ride in the desert brought out the "little kid" in both of us. Sitting on the carpet with the low table wasn't easy, but Bill had no trouble jumping up (as did all of the fellows) to watch the gyrating bellydancer!!

To be taken by surprise to the new Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah Island was super. And to see Ski Dubai up close and personal was great. Can you imagine snow and ice and people dressed in ski clothes in the middle of the desert?

 

Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles

 

Catching fish off of the back of the catamaran was cool. Eating the same fish just moments later after it had soaked in lime juice and spices was cooler. Instant cerviche!

 

The best snorkeling was in the waters around St. Anne Marine National Park, and leaving the catamaran on a zodiac boat to the beach was a first for us. Getting out of the zodiac gracefully was even better!

 

The next four days at sea

 

Nervous, uneasy, anxious, frightened would barely begin to describe the feeling we had as we headed towards the east coast of Africa! In order to evade the pirates (currently active in these waters), we sailed at top speed directly south of the Seychelles, turned west, skirting the north end of Madagascar, then headed north up the coast of Kenya to dock in Mombasa. We'll never forget going for our evening walk to see the security guards on the promenade deck wearing shrapnel-proof vests, with hooded helmets and axes nearby in case we were attacked during the night. It was an "Oh my gosh, this is for real!" moment!! Believe us, it was a long four days!!

 

To be continued...........

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[peug]

I want to add my thanks for taking me along with you. I am especially enjoying your summary of the most memorable moments. My DH says he will never be willing to leave home for that long but I am working him up gradually :) This fall we will be on a 28 day cruise. Maybe next time I can talk him into one segment of the world cruise. Until then I will cruise along with those like you who are kind enough to spend some of your cruise time and money telling us about the world.

 

Thanks again.

[mrsltg]

My heart started beating faster as you talked about the pirates. I bet that was scary!

[WCB]

Yes, it was particularly scary, because we knew that the Maesrk Alabama had been attacked and their captain had been taken hostage.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[seaster1]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure. I felt I was by your side every moment . Again Thank You..

[WCB]

Things we will always remember about the ports of the 2009 Grand World Voyage June 5, 2009 Part 3

 

Mombasa, Kenya

 

Experiencing an overnight safari in Tsavo East National Park with our travel group had to be the ultimate for viewing Africa's wildlife. Where else could you sit on your bungalow's patio in the dark, and listen for the lions calls late at night? Or eating lunch with friends, while watching ostrich, zebra, baboons, and storks taking turns drinking from the lake down below the lodge?

And if you ever need to buy small or life-size native wooden carvings, Mombasa is THE place to do it. Sharpen up your bargaining skills, and you'll get a good deal here!

Watching the freighter, the Maersk Alabama, that had recently been attacked by pirates, coming to dock in our spot was a moving experience for all of us. We feared for the safety of her captain, who was still being held captive by the Somalian pirates. Luckily, he was rescued shortly afterwards.

 

Madagascar and French Comoros

 

Both cancelled! But we did get an extra day in Mombasa and one in Richards Bay.

 

Maputo, Mozambique

 

The name sounds far more exotic than the place actually was. We could tell that this country is fairly new to tourism, and just recently recovering from a long civil war and adapting to a new government. I had problems using my camcorder. Some of the older locals did not like it. Had I known ahead of time, I would have left it back on the ship. Bill had no problem using his regular camera. Go figure? There are some very upscale resort/hotels, however, you're on your own once you leave the front doors!

 

Richards Bay, South Africa

 

We found Richards Bay to be quite civilized. There is money here, and it was apparent with the large, modern shopping malls, and nice housing near the busy harbor.

 

Our evening safari tour to Hluhluwe Game Reserve had two surprises. The first surprise was not to trust the integrity of a safari vehicle. They are not always safe, as our buddy Handler found out when he suddenly fell from a broken step. The next surprise was while we were trying to find our way in the utter darkness to a native show in the bush. We happened to look up at the sky to see the most breath-taking view of the stars, planets, and Milky Way. The layers of glittering stars were multi-dimensional, and seemed so close, that we could reach up and touch them......no kidding! Never, ever, have we seen the night skies like this!

 

Our first game drive in Hluhluwe yielded many sightings of most of the African big five animals. However, on the second day safari here, we saw few while driving in a different area of the park. It was just the luck of the draw, we guess.

 

Durban, South Africa

 

In 2005, we found Durban to be a great drop-off point for day safaris. This time, the airport was our destination. But getting there at 6 am in the morning proved to be a problem........our ride did not show up!! Thanks to our travel group, who happened to be going to the same place, for giving us a ride to the airport with them. Bless their hearts! Our flights from Durban to Livingstone, via Johannesburg were pretty good, even riding in economy.

 

Our first sight of Victoria Falls, which was right behind our room at the Zambezi Sun Hotel, was a big "WOW"!! Going on a sundowner cruise on the Zambezi River on a boat called the "African Queen" was one of the best activies we have done while celebrating Bill's birthday!

 

Livingstone, Zambia Day 2

 

Getting totally drowned while going on a walking tour of the falls was exhilarating! But riding the African elephant, Marula, was way more fun than we ever thought it would be. Getting on and off of the elephant gracefully was equally rewarding!

 

Chobe National Park, Botswana Day 3

 

Crossing the Zambezi River in a small motorboat to go from Zambia to Botswana was unbelievably primitive, considering this is the 21st century. Well more primitive, would have been having to use oars to row across the rapids!!

Touring Chobe National Park by boat on the Chobe River, followed by a land safari revealed some of Africa's best animal sightings, almost as good as Tsavo East. Then crossing a point in the river where four countires meet - Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia was nifty.

 

Livingstone, Zambia Day 4

 

A visit to the Mukuni Village, an authentic working village of 5000 native Leya people, really thrust us back in time. It was difficult to imagine these people living in huts with no electricity or plumbing.......just a common well for water for all to use.

Getting back to the Rotterdam in Cape Town and to the comfort of our room reminded us of how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy the modern day conveniences we usually take for granted!

 

To be continued.............

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[OldCodger73]

We are still going through pictures on the 2009 world cruise. On our 4 day safari, I took over five thousand pictures, so you can see, sorting through all of them will be a major task! I am sure that I took more pictures than anyone else on the cruise.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Bill and Mary Ann, thanks for taking the time to post your blog. I've been enjoying it ever since your initial post.

 

5000 photos just on your 4-day safari, wow! I don't think I shoot that much in a year.

 

For those of us interested in photography could you, if you have time, expand a little bit on the photo aspect of your trip? For example, what camera/s were you using? If it was a DSLR what lenses did you take along? Did you shoot .jpg or raw? Did you take along extra portable hard drive/s for back up storage? Any other photo ideas or gems garnered from your trip?

 

Thanks again for providing an enjoyable vicarious around the world trip for your many readers.

[7toEleven]

I thought going on vacation shortly after your return would help with the missing your posts. Well, that only lasted so long! Do tell us that you have another one scheduled shortly!

Again, thanks so much for the journey!~

[ginger and professor]

Dear Mary ANN and Bill, we have enjoyed all of your posts and experiencing the world cruise through them. Did any of the fellow passengers have ocean view staterooms? Would these rooms be, just too confining for this length of a cruise? Thanks again for all the work of maintaining the travel logs.:)

[WCB]

I used a Canon EOS 30D camera, with a 28 x 300mm Tamron lens. I shot all jpeg images and the dimensions of the file was 1728 x 1152. The size varied from 700 to 900 kb per picture.

 

I did not use an external hard drive, but downloaded everyday to my laptop computer. I filed the pictures into folders for each port as we did them.

 

I brought three 4 gb cards for my camera, because when we went on the four day safari, I did not bring my laptop with me. I had plenty of room on the cards, and never came close to filling them. I found the smaller resolution took less space in the laptop, and allowed me to shoot a lot more pictures. I found that this size was ample enough to enlarge any picture to an 8 x 10. If I shot raw images, I would not have had the space.

 

Yes, we do have two trips booked in the future. The first one is in November to the Caribbean on Regent's Navigator, and the second is next January around South America, for 70 days on the Prinsendam.

 

Many of our friends, including ourselves, traveled in outside cabins. They are not confining, and have more usable closet space than the standard balcony rooms. The way the outside rooms are layed out, gives you plenty of space, we think.

 

Bill and Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 137 Things we will always remember about the ports of the 2009 Grand World Voyage June 9, 2009

 

Cape Town, South Africa

 

We packed in a very full day of touring Cape Town, starting with Table Mountain, Hout Bay, Chapmans Peak, Simon's Town, The Penguin Colony, and finally, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Not allowing enough time to enjoy their best calamari and fine wines was a big mistake. If we ever have the chance to visit here again, we will explore the wine country, which friends reported to be wonderful, and taste some of that fine wine and great food!

 

Luderitz, Namibia

 

We could not believe it rained over a year's worth of precipitation the one and only day we visited! We had two choices of tours here, both of which we could have done on our own But of course, hind sight is 20/20 right?

 

Walvis Bay, Namibia

 

Walvis Bay was the place to see 2000 year old trees, the tallest sand dune, and a German settlement, Swakopmund. And we were so lucky not to be stranded in the hot desert sun with a broken-down bus, like ten of our travel group were!

 

Jamestown, St. Helena, British Territory

 

Well, we spoke too soon! Today was our turn to be stuck on a hillside with a broken-down bus! But it was worth the hour wait to continue on to see Napoleon's house and gravesite.......not a bad place to be banished from France!

 

Georgetown, Ascension Island, British Territory

 

Strolling on the white sandy beach, where the turtles had just laid their eggs was super. Paying attention to the "No swimming allowed" signs on the beach was smart, except for the one passenger who underestimated the undertow and was almost sucked out to sea.

The ice cold beers were a cooling treat, especially sitting with cruise buddies at the one outdoor bar on the entire island.

 

Devil's Island, French Guyana

 

Despite the disturbing events of the past of this area, we actually had an invigorating hike around the entire island, noting all the famous buildings and their history. Running into the vivacious troupe of monkeys was a plus.

 

Port of Spain, Trinidad

 

If you like calypso and steel bands, then this is the island for you! Add the music to "Carnival" time of year, and you would see a massive, musical celebration. And we got to see the huge park where it all goes down! If we ever make it back here, we will check out the beaches, since we heard they were pretty nice.

 

Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Barbados has everything.....beautiful beaches, sugarcane fields, rum factories, caves, gardens, and views to kill for. Lunch at the private plantation with our travel group was marvelous.

 

Gustavia, St. Barts

 

"Chic" is the name of the game here, but on a smaller scale compared to the larger Caribbean islands. Seeing their exclusive beaches, yacht harbor, boutiques, and restaurants was a great way to visit our last port, since we were ending our trip in Ft. Lauderdale. And we saved major $$$ because it was Sunday, and most of the high-end stores were closed!

 

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA

 

Wow, did those 130 days go by fast, or what??? The total mileage we sailed was a whopping 40,354 nautical miles or 46,407 statute miles!! Our average speed was around 18 knots, which compared to land speed, was pretty slow.

The easiest part of leaving the ship was knowing that we only had to get our 20 pieces of luggage through customs, drop it off with Fed Ex, then be free to take our waiting limo to the Miami airport. And it worked just that easily! The hardest part of leaving the ship was having to say goodbye to so many friends and the fantastic crew who took such good care of us. But we know our paths will cross again, hopefully, on another cruise in the future.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS It has been said by famous authors that writing can be a lonely occupation. Many nights while we were writing reports at 1 am in the morning, we can agree with that sentiment. However, just knowing that with friends, family, and Cruise Critic buddies that encouraged us along the way, it was a pleasure, not a job, sharing this trip with you all!! Thanks again for all your warm comments and excellent questions as we sailed around the world!!

[Cruzin Terri]

Mary Ann and Bill,

It has been a pleasure reading of your adventures. I could only hope for such a trip.

I am sorry we did not get to meet in Barbados. It would have been fun.

I can't wait for your next trip so that we can again follow along.

Thank you.

Terri

[gammatuzie]

I have been reading about your travels since day one, Thank You so much for sharing!!! I so enjoyed your ventures.... I thought since you are doing your Jan. cruise i would share another blog I read every day !!! Captian Albert is the captian on your cruise in Jan. he blogs every day, here is his link for you to enjoy!!

http://www.avidcruiser.com/albert/

 

Once again Thank You for taking us all on your Cruise !!!!!

[WCB]

Report # 138 Follow-up on the 2009 Grand World Voyage

 

We just thought we would update you on the progress of our compensation of our 10 injured pieces of luggage

 

So far, the HAL shipping service department has offered to replace the six HAL world cruise duffel bags with new ones, we assume for 2010. However, we will have to wait until next January to receive them. That is fine with us, since we won't be needing them for awhile. We just hope that HAL doesn't forget about them!

 

As for the other four pieces of luggage, they said a check is in the mail. Hmmmm, we've heard that before!!! We will have to be patient, since HAL said it may take a few weeks.

 

We shall keep you informed of their progress, just in case more of you are going through the same procedure.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

... they said a check is in the mail.

Ah, yes. One of the three great lies. Let's hope it's the truth this time. We'll be waiting to hear.

[cant51]

Hello World cruisers,

 

I just find your fantastic World cruise review, and I reed It all, I love it, I'am glad you love the Rotterdam, I reed your post in my living room overlooking the river the Maas in Rotterdam, across the river I can see this building, the formal head office from the Hal next to the cruise terminal in Rotterdam, Thanks for the time to write the review !!! Groetjes Carin Rotterdam Holland

[WCB]

Hello everyone!

 

We are following up on our damaged baggage claim from the 2009 world cruise. We can officially say that the "check was in our mail" on July 2nd, completely replacing four pieces of luggage. Six HAL duffel bags are promised to be shipped by January 2010, we hope.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cycmom]

Hi Dorothy and George,

We are very jealous of you, since you get to join the WC in Los Angeles. We have to wait until NEXT January to do another one. Will you be joining us then? We did have such a good time in Cambodia, visiting Angkor Wat and helping to build another deep water well.

 

Have a wonderful time, all of you lucky ducks. Say hi to all the CC folks that we know, and we shall hope to see them all next year.

John and Diane

Does this mean that you are going on the 2010 full World Cruise? We are Carol & George from the '08 GWC and still considering the '10. Are you the John & Diane from California? We just returned from a 36 day cruise and are reminded how much we miss it. We love the '10 itinerary - it fits for us.. Is there a thread for the '10 GWC? If so, please direct me. Thanks!

[cycmom]

Dear Mary ANN and Bill, we have enjoyed all of your posts and experiencing the world cruise through them. Did any of the fellow passengers have ocean view staterooms? Would these rooms be, just too confining for this length of a cruise? Thanks again for all the work of maintaining the travel logs.:)

 

Hi,

We sailed on the '08 World Cruise & were wait listed for a balcony. We had an unobstructed window cabin and loved it... We have since taken a 36 day with the same type cabin and have been perfectly happy. Actually, we now prefer midship, lower floor and an outside unobstructed view - seems to sway less in rough seas and was a cozy home - especially with the big ship to roam whenever we wished.. Good luck whatever you decide - cruising with HAL is a treat:)

[happyglobetrotter]

Does this mean that you are going on the 2010 full World Cruise? We are Carol & George from the '08 GWC and still considering the '10. Are you the John & Diane from California? We just returned from a 36 day cruise and are reminded how much we miss it. We love the '10 itinerary - it fits for us.. Is there a thread for the '10 GWC? If so, please direct me. Thanks!

 

 

Hello Carol,

 

We have sailed together on the WC 2008 (remember the memorable Bali independant tour!). We also briefly met at one of the tender stations in Greenland last August while you were on Tahitian Princess and my husband Brian and I were on Maasdam. We are going on the WC 2010. And yes Johnny B is the same person that you are referring to since John and Diane are on the WC 2010 as well.

 

You can access our roll call for the World cruise 2010 under the HAL cruise roll calls for the AMSTERDAM. I started the thread.

 

We all hope that you will decide to come along with us. In order to contact me directly, please write to my email l (not 1 but l for Louise)

 

l voyer fin at gmail dot com

 

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. it was great to see you both again last August. :)

 

 

Louise

[happyglobetrotter]

Carol, please contact me via email,

 

 

Louise

[WCB]

Greetings all!

 

We are doing a follow-up on the promise of a delivery of six world cruise duffel bags that would replace the damaged bags from our 2009 World Cruise.

 

Well, they arrived, just as promised, from HAL Luggage Services on Friday, December 18th. Thankfully, they came "undamaged"!! We are now proud owners of six 2010 Grand World Voyage duffels!

 

Except, instead of going on the world cruise in January, we will be joining the Prinsendam for her 70 day Grand Voyage around South America. Of course, we shall be doing a blog!

 

Kudos to HAL!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann