richwmn

However, multiple passengers can use one multipackage as long as no more than 4 devices are used at one time

09/16/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 Greetings from Westerdam on our last sea day before Japan. In a conversation yesterday it was noted that the weather information on the tv has not been updating for the last couple of days. Currently it is showing exactly the same information as yesterday at this time. We are proceeding Southwest at 16 knots to arrive Kushiro tomorrow. It seems that every day since we left Alaska we have had a time zone change, and last night was no exception. Tonight isn’t either for that matter. It has made for some interesting times. This morning, for the first time I remember, the Lido was crowded at 7:00am when they opened for breakfast. Almost every table on the starboard side had a couple seated at it, or was full. Most days at 7:00am plenty of tables are empty, one of the reasons I like to eat breakfast then. The trivia report for yesterday, it was pretty good. My team won the first session and did well on the second session. The third session was Guests vs Officers and had a huge number of officers participating. Three tables were set up, the first being Engineering, the second Hotel, and the third Misc (including some from the first two). All of the participants stood up and introduced themselves. They ranged from the Staff Captain all the way down to a couple of Cadets. We had five general questions, five photos of stars as youngsters to identify, and five songs. It was really a good variety and the pictures were especially difficult. We did well, but the officers were (again) declared the winners. After trivia ended the tables and chairs were removed from the dance floor and the band began to play for the Orange Party. This also had a lot of participation and the band was as good as previous days, although a bit loud. We retreated to the Crow’s Nest which was not as quiet as most nights. It was the starting point for the Pub Crawl, and staff was doing a very good job stirring them up. The crowd was about 50 guests or so and seemed to be having a good time. Earlier in the afternoon our Cruise and Travel Director Karlijn gave a talk on the next two ports. The presentation started with quite a bit of information about entering Japan, followed by information on the ports. Karlijn is a very good speaker and gave us a lot of useful information. It was a nice presentation. I also did a wine tasting yesterday. Although I am not much of a wine drinker, these sessions are good for finding out the differences in wines, and being able to try various wines. I have found several that I do enjoy, and would happily drink if the situation comes up. The Cellar Master gave a bit of a speech, then the actual tasting was done by the sommelier. I did enjoy the session and came away with a little more appreciation of the variety of wines. Today’s activities and menus –

I actually did the wine tasting today, and it was a pretty good experience. The Cellar Master spoke first and introduced himself and mentioned a couple of upcoming events. The sommelier took over and I thought was very good. He talked about a couple of things that I hadn't heard at previous wine tastings. It was a nice experience and the wines were good.

I'm actually surprised that they told you the money would be refunded to your credit card. Usually the cost of the canceled excursion is placed in your onboard account so you can spend it elsewhere. It is then refunded at the end of the cruise if anything is left over.

09/15/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 Another day at sea, with one more to go before arriving in Japan. The temperature outside is 54°F / 12°C. We currently have scattered clouds with a humidity of 83% and winds at 30 mph. We are still proceeding West, although a little South, at 15 knots. We had another time change last night, and it looks like we might have more before reaching Kushiro. Luckily, the time changes in this direction make for 25 hour days, but it still messes things up a bit. Yesterday was another full day aboard Westerdam. Plenty of activities for those who wished to partake, and no problem if you didn’t want to. All four music venues were open with Billboard and Rolling Stone having good crowds. I still need to make it to the Classic Trio, but when I have walked by they also had good crowds. Third Avenue West in the Ocean Bar plays soft jazz that allows conversation and always draws a good audience. Trivia yesterday had two sessions dedicated to the Beatles. The first one, at 1:00pm, was about the history of the Beatles, while the late one was identifying the songs. High score early was 15 out of 17, while during the evening most everyone got a perfect score. The songs to identify were their biggest hits which were easy to recognize. My meals yesterday were again in the Lido and were fine. Lunch was crowded early but went smoothly, dinner was a normal crowd. The food was good and service was very good and with a smile. We listened to about an hour of the Rolling Stone Lounge band and again found them to be very good. The 9:00pm session was Country Music and showcased one of the ladies doing an exceptional job of playing the fiddle. All three of the singers have good voices and know the songs they are singing. Jose came in for a while and joined the dancers. A little more about Jose. He is proving to be a very good entertainment host. He is very active and also engaging the audience. He has been the trivia host, a line dance teacher, a game host, and I’m sure other activities and has done them with enthusiasm. He has also been very approachable around the ship. Today’s activities and menus –

You really shouldn't need anything. They have the reservation already, and the credit will go to your onboard account as a refundable credit. Whatever non refundable OBC you have will be used first to cover your expenses and anything left will be refunded to the card on file at the end of your cruise.

09/13/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 Due to the International Date Line, Friday the 13th disappeared! 09/14/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 After skipping Friday the 13th, it is now Saturday on Westerdam. Around the ship it is 54°F /12°C with overcast skies. The humidity is at 87% and the winds are blowing at 18 mph. We are still heading basically West, although a bit Southerly, and our speed id 15 knots. Yesterday evening we crossed the International Date Line, so we escaped Friday the 13th. We are now 16 hours ahead of the east coast. In addition to going forward a day, we had a two hour time change. I attempted to stay awake very late last evening, but I was still wide awake at 4:30 this morning. I suppose I will drop off for a nap later this afternoon. For yesterday’s activities, it was a typical sea day. The tech talks and Bingo had good audiences, and seemed that the participants were enjoying themselves. Third Avenue West had the night off, so the Ocean Bar was mostly empty. The Piano Duo continue to have a good audience which seems to be entertained. Rolling Stone continues to be loud but pretty good, again with large audiences that seem involved. I have only seen the Classical Trio while walking by and they seem good with an involved audience. The music trivia last night had a theme of the ‘90’s, which is a bit outside my interests. We did well, however, getting 23 of the 30 correct. This seems to be the era that Jose and the bar staff enjoy as they were very involved and when prompted did a dance to one of the songs, with the beverage manager looking on. It made for a very interesting trivia session. On the World Stage last night we had Buddy Fitzpatrick again. Although the program said he was back with an all new show, he didn’t quite deliver. He started out with a few jokes, but went back to talking about where people were from. Somehow I don’t think that he really had a routine prepared, but most of the audience seemed to enjoy what he provided. The cabin, beverage, and food staff all continue to be excellent. The ship is in good shape and the crew keeps her up well. We are at sea until Tuesday, so plenty of time to relax and enjoy the entertainment provided. Today’s activities and menus –

Greetings from Westerdam where it is now 8:17pm on Friday the 13th. We have crossed the International Date Line and effectively skipped Friday. Hope everyone is doing well, have a great Friday and weekend!

09/12/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 Good morning from Westerdam! Another day at sea on the way to Japan. The temperature is 50°F / 10°C under overcast skies. The humidity is 88% and the winds are 26 mph. We have been experiencing a bit of rough seas for the past day. Our current heading is west at 15 knots. OK, I’m back from breakfast and ready to face the day. Lots going on today, including the three trivia sessions that have been hosted each day. All four music venues will be open this evening and we have available various classes including tech, origami, Japanese writing, and many more. From what I have heard, all the classes have been informative and fun. Yesterday was a very good and relaxed day at sea. Like my previous long cruises I have settled into a routine. Breakfast then updating CC and FB, then lunch. After noon my activities are more out and about, including the three trivia sessions, listening to music in one of the venues (primarily Ocean Bar), and attending some of the ‘game shows’. I have also listened to some of the Techspert presentations but I have always had a few problems with the information they present. Last night on the World Stage the movie ‘The Great Gatsby’ was presented. Last night was dressy and the Masquerade Ball was held in the Rolling Stone Lounge. It seemed to be well attended and everyone seemed to be having fun. The theme of the late trivia was ‘90’s music and we were surprised at how well we did. We got a total of 32 points out of 34 possible, but two teams (at least) got perfect scores. Today’s activities and menus –

No, and I expected to hear from her at Trivia

Greeting from Westerdam! If any of the Daily readers would like to get together, show up at Billboard tomorrow at 2pm (after trivia). I'd love to see y'all Rich

09/11/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17 Westerdam is heading for Japan. The weather out is a bit colder. The temperature is 48°F/ 8°C. We have overcast skies with winds at 30 mph and humidity at 96%. We are currently headed west at 15 knots. Yesterday was a good day, both at Dutch Harbor and on the ship. While the weather wasn’t great I had a nice walk. Many people were able to see the few sights available and seemed to enjoy the port. On the ship, we had our normal three trivia sessions and my groups managed to win two of them. Jose is still an energetic and good host. I also watched a game called Secret Identities. Three staff members were seated and given ‘Identities’ which they had to guess by asking yes and no questions. The identities were in groups. One round they were snail, lobster, and chicken (animals) and the next round were escargot, lobster tails, chicken wings (food). The staff members did well and a lot ended up funny. The entertainment on the World Stage was again Annie Gong. This was going on at the same time as ‘Secret Identities’ which I enjoyed. As I mentioned before, Annie Gong is a talented musician, just not my style. I’m sure that she will have another show over the next few days at sea. The Rolling Stone Lounge Band was off last night, while the other groups played and were enjoyed by large audiences. The Piano Players were playing to a full Billboard and the Ocean Bar Jazz group played good music at a volume that allowed polite conversation. All four venues will be filled tonight with music so it should be a good evening. Today’s activities and menus –

I did end up taking the tender off the ship today. I left my cabin at 10:00am and went to the priority tender ticket area. I had a very short wait before we were allowed to go to the tender. We boarded quickly and after the promised 20 minute tender ride we were ashore. As I mentioned, the shuttles were 18 passenger vans. It seemed like about 200 guests were waiting to board the shuttles and nothing told us which area to wait in for each destination. I walked toward town for a bit, then returned to the ship. The tender ride back was good and I was back on the ship around noon.

I don't think so, totally different activities. We have a LOT of sea days coming up that the Mixology classes could be scheduled on.

09/10/2024 Dutch Harbor, Alaska 0800-1700 Today we are at Dutch Harbor. Due to a Coast Guard ship being at our berth, we will be tendering. It is currently raining, with a temperature of 48°F/9°C. The humidity is 100% and the winds are 12 mph. It is not looking good for a visit to Dutch Harbor today. As mentioned we are tendering which means wait for the tender. Then it is a 40 minute trip into town on shuttles. The shuttles are six vans each carrying 14 guests. I have been told that it is walkable, but in the rain? In addition, it is a small town with only a couple of things to do. There has been talk about the Northern Lights. From what I have seen, it should appear between two and three in the morning. I happened to wake up at 2:40 so I went to the Sea View pool area to check it out. I couldn’t see much of anything, then the fog horn sounded. No chance of the lights so I returned to my cabin and went back to sleep. For yesterday, it was a nice sea day aboard Westerdam. I actually got a couple of things done so I won’t have as much to do during my short time at home before Christmas. Lunch in the Lido and I didn’t do Asian for the first time in several days. However, the main serving line does have a slight Asian flair so I still had that flavor. Trivia has been good. Jose continues to be a good entertainer, and is still high energy. Probably do to being a sea day, the Billboard area was overwhelmed. It is difficult for most of the sessions to find a place for your team since another activity is scheduled for the area with no time for the audience to change. Therefore, trivia players are lined up like vultures waiting to grab empty spaces so there is room for a team. My team got a perfect score on the music trivia, it was ‘70’s music. After the 4:00pm trivia we decided last minute to try Canaletto for dinner. They had a place available so we sat down to a very enjoyable meal. I posted pictures of the meals last night. Sorry I messed up the presentation on mine, I didn’t think to take a picture right away. Service was excellent and so was the food. The entertainment on the World Stage was the second the Tap Chaps. The two men and one lady seem to be very talented and also seemed to be enjoying themselves. They entertained a good sized audience for the first show and the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves. Today’s activities and menus –

That wonderful young lady took care of us last night. A real pleasure.

Canaletto Tonight Scallops (Special of the Day) Chicken Parmesian

09/09/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10 Good morning! Today is our second day at sea prior to Dutch Harbor. It is currently 52°F/11°C. We have overcast skies with a humidity of 96% and winds of around 16 mph. Yesterday the Captain informed us that we would be tendering into Dutch Harbor tomorrow. It seems that the Coast Guard decided to pull into the port and will be taking up the berth we had been assigned. We will get exact information today. Trivia continues to go as it has. We have been just off the lead most days and have won a couple of times. Last night was music trivia, as it will be every evening and we got a perfect score. Unfortunately, so do about four other teams. We didn’t have any tie breakers so that remained the outcome. Jose continues to be a fun and energetic host. The show last night was entitled ‘Solid Gold’ and was a performance by the ‘World Stage Reparatory Group’. This appears to be a re-branding of the group from the GANZ. This was a different group of singers and dancers and were again very good. Last night was songs from the ‘70’s, which they performed very well. They are scheduled to appear several more times during the rest of the cruise. I haven’t talked about the lectures because I haven’t attended one yet. We have had several each day from three different presenters. Other guests have given mixed reviews of the lectures, but like many other aspects of the cruise, this is subjective. I mentioned early on that Westerdam has a full taco bar set up by the Dive In. Last night I tried it for the first time and it was as expected. It had all the ingredients that I would expect and it made for a tasty dinner. It is stocked from about 11am until 6pm, so it is a handy place to pick up something for most of the day. At 2:00pm we had an ice cream social. It was set up around the mid ship lido pool and was more ice cream than social. They had two stations set up at the forward part of the area with long lines choosing between six flavors of ice cream. Then everyone sat and ate, with really no socializing while I was there. Today’s activities and menus –

This morning --

This morning on Westerdam

09/08/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10 Good Morning from Westerdam. Yesterday was a very good day visiting Hubbard Glacier. We had a good day for the visit, and I posted pictures yesterday afternoon. The day was cool and clear and we had a good view all day. Currently it is 54°F/12°C around Westerdam. A few clouds are in the sky, the humidity is 84% and the winds are just under 5 mph. Another nice day in Alaska. As I generally do, I was at all three trivia sessions yesterday. The early session was about food, the middle was general, and the last was music of the ‘50’s. There is one team that stays together and has been winning, generally with a perfect score, all the contests. For me they are still fun. For the music session my team only missed one artist for a score of 33 out of 34, but two teams had perfect scores. Jose is still very animated and the trivia sessions are very good. Prior to the evening trivia session I stuck my head into the RS Lounge and watched the end of HAL’s version of ‘Deal or No Deal’. Jose was host and did a pretty good job of running the game. I was there for the final offer. Two amounts remained, $5 and $300, with an offer of $137. The player turned down the offer and his box ended up having the $5 value. The show on the World Stage was billed as ‘Instrumentalist Annie Gong’. In the past when the talent was billed as an instrumentalist, they played several instruments. Annie plays an electric accordion which has the ability to add other instruments via the left hand keyboard. She is very accomplished at her instrument and has a good dialogue to go along with her performance. Today’s activities and menus –

Happy to. First, and important, I use Linux rather than Windows or MacOS so it is fairly easy for me. For the menus, they are stored as pdf files and are displayed by your browser. My pdf reader, along with quite a few more, has the option to save the pdf to your local drive which I do. Then I have a command line program that converts the pdf files to images. For the Daily Sheets, prior to this cruise I simply took pictures of them. This cruise I realized that I had an old USB flat bed scanner that would fit in my luggage. After making sure it was capable of scanning the handouts, I packed it. I then scan each page and the software saves each page as a separate image file. I really doubt that either Windows or MacOS has a driver for the old flat bed scanner I am using and I don't remember one being sold as a current device for a while. edit: I'm going to eat my words here. After I wrote the above I checked and Amazon has several 'portable scanners' that would accomplish the task and would be usable with current Windows and MacOS computers.

A few more pictures of Hubbard Glacier

Someone just walked up to me and mentioned that it's World Beard Day today. I wonder why he would do that?

This change is not showing up on online sites. Would you post or email me the actual itinerary so it is correct on the Daily thread. Much appreciate it.