richwmn

May 4 – Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Açores Today started out overcast with a forecast of possible rain in the afternoon. I chose to walk out to the city this morning because of that forecast. However, like the last couple of ports, the day cleaned up nicely and it is very nice outside right now. The port area here is nice and well positioned to visit the city. Like many other places we have stopped the port is basically right in the city center and has no containers packed around the ship. That makes for a very nice experience. I got off the ship early to a misting rain. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, just inconvenient. Right off the ship I got a chance to talk a little bit to a gentleman selling tours. He was a very nice gentleman and very proud of his home. The price he quoted was pretty good for a group of four or so, but I hadn’t arranged with anyone on the ship to go anywhere so I just walked around a bit. The city is a typical layout with a street along the waterfront and buildings only on the side away from the shore. On the shore side there were a couple of small areas with food trucks / trailers but nothing else to obstruct the view. One street back from the shore line contained the shops, restaurants, and bars. As with the other European cities the area is extremely easy to walk. There is very little traffic and the drivers yield to pedestrians. Everyone has been very pleasant to deal with. Today's activities Today's menus Zuiderdam Docked The City

My verandah view this morning

May 3 – at sea destination Ponta Delgada, The Azores, Portugal Good morning from Zuiderdam. We are on the second sea day on the way to the Azores. After a messy start, the day turned out to be pretty nice right now.

May 2 – Medallion Ceremony & Menus There were at least two Medallion Ceremonies held today. I attended the one at 1:30pm and had a chance to talk to a couple of people. The Crow’s Nest was pretty full and well attended by the ship’s officers. After a short welcome by Ian, the ceremony consisted of him calling honorees by name and cabin number, followed by a picture with the Master of Zuiderdam and the Hotel Director. When the last picture was finished Ian said thank you and the ceremony was over. We did get wine, a mimosa, or a drink. Today’s menus including the lunch menu for the Main Dining Room and the Lido: Lido Lunch Main Dining Room Lunch Lido Dinner Main Dining Room Dinner

May 2 – at sea destination Ponta Delgada, The Azores, Portugal This cruise is drawing to a close. We are on the first of two sea days after which we will spend two days in the Azores, first Ponta Delgada then Praia da Vitoria. This morning was overcast and rainy. For at least today and tomorrow the senior staff will be busy giving out medallions for those who have crossed the 100, 300, 500, & 700 actual sea day limits. With the full cruise being 128 days I believe a majority of the 1400 passengers aboard will qualify for one of the levels. Because the Crows Nest is being used for the Medallion Ceremonies there will not be a 1:00pm trivia session normal for sea days, but we will have 4:00pm and 6:30pm sessions. There will be story telling set up on the Lido deck poolside from 9:00am till about 10:30am. Might be fun. We are also getting our passports back again this morning during the same time frame. A representative is also aboard to assist people who have luggage shipping set up to facilitate that process. He will be on board until Fort Lauderdale but expects to have everything in order by the 8th.

Irish Singers and Dancers Sunday night the show in the World Stage was a group of Irish Singers and Dancers that came aboard yesterday and left today. The put on a very good show consisting of several songs, four of which the dancers performed to. The music was very good as were the dancers. The show lasted close to an hour.

May 1 – Cobh (Cork), Ireland I relaxed a bit this morning then went to lunch. While there I ran into Kelly & Jett. They were getting ready to leave the ship and allowed me to tag along. We left the ship and headed toward St Colman’s Cathedral not too far away. We took a bit of a circular way to get there but it really didn’t take too long. When we arrived they were getting ready to start a funeral, so Jett peeked in and then we started walking again. Kelly intended to see a cemetery that contained the graves of many of the Lusitania victims. We walked uphill and it seemed like forever, but it really wasn’t that long. When we got to the top we were still not there. We had to walk down hill a bit more before arriving at the cemetery. Once there we found a sign which told us where the graves were, along with other notable areas. We took a bit of time to look around, then headed back toward the ship. We started up hill, and about the time we got to the market we saw a funeral procession headed toward the cemetery we just left. The hearse was proceeding slowly with many people walking beside and behind it. We paused in respect, then they went into the market and got some water. Near the top of the hill we stopped to take a drink, then proceeded to the top. When we passed the cathedral again there was an opportunity to go inside. From there it didn’t take long to get back to the ship. The walk was about 3 ½ miles. All in all it was a very interesting day in Cobh. this is our walk today. Note that I didn't start the tracking software until after we were gone from the ship for a bit. Today's menus Cobh, Ireland

I just realized it is 130 days today, and 140 at the end of the cruise.

May 1 – Cobh (Cork), Ireland Zuiderdam's position at 7:00am Position at Dock Today is day 118 of the World Cruise. That means I have been aboard Zuiderdam for 140 days at this point. When this cruise ends at the end of next week I will have been aboard Zuiderdam for 198 days total, almost enough to be a 4 star Mariner based on actual days alone. Two days ago when I returned to my cabin for the evening I found a Gold Medallion on my bed along with an invitation to a ceremony tomorrow. I actually hit 500 actual days almost a month ago. I remember going to my first Mariner function a long time ago and seeing people get the Bronze Medallion for 100 days and feeling like I would never do that. Things change. Today we are docked in Cobh, Ireland. We are not at an industrial port and it will be nice to walk off again in an area we can tour easily. The sail in was very nice, and the ship was turned around in a very tight area just before docking. The ship was moored quickly and we were almost immediately cleared to disembark. The weather is co-operating again so we have a great day to explore Cobh. Today's activities Sailing into Cobh today

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland It is evening aboard Zuiderdam. The entertainment in the World Stage is Irish Step Dancers and I plan to see the late show shortly. It turned out to be another nice day in port today. After a shorter than expected (15 minute) tender ride we arrived in Dún Laoghaire. It was a short walk into a town that was very active for a Sunday. The temperature was moderate and comfortable. We walked around for about an hour, then stopped for a local beer and a shot of Jamesons Black. Then back to the ship for the rest of the afternoon. The early trivia was all about movies while the late session was general. We did about the same as usual, we didn’t win but we were not too far out.

I don't quite fit either part of that description and as far as I know my health is fine.

I'll add a couple more pictures of Eidfjord from the World Cruise

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland Today's menus have been published.

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland Ship's position at 6:40am Today we are tendering into Dún Laoghaire. This is our port for Dublin, and according to Google maps it is about a 2.5 hr drive into Dublin. Luckily my Voyage of the Vikings cruise actually stopped in Dublin and I got a good tour there. Today will be tendering into the port area and walking around this area. As has happened for the past few days it was a bit overcast when we arrived but it is clearing up nicely. It is currently 8:30am and the sun is out, the forecast is for a very nice day today. View from the Observation Deck this morning Today's Activities

April 29 – Oban, Scotland By noon the day had turned nice, so I headed for the tender. Tickets were no longer required so I got on the tender very quickly. It took about 10 minutes before it was full enough to head into town. I must have heard the announcement wrong because the ride was closer to 15 minutes. The tender dropped us off right in town. There was a long ramp from the tender to the street, but it wasn’t too much of an incline. As with most of the European cities I have visited the area around the dock was very pretty and very easy to walk around. The area contained many types of shops, restaurants, and bars. The weather stayed nice while I walked around the town. When I got back to the tender I was able to get right on, but again there was a short wait while a few more people boarded. The transfer from the tender was a bit rough, but not as rough as some I have had in the past. the walk around Oban Tonight's MDR menu is now available. Pictures of Oban

On a similar note, on Dec 27th in FLL I had a turnaround day. I had an errand to run so I left the ship. When I returned and showed my 'In Transit' pass I was directed to go to the escalator to wait for a few minutes until boarding started. When I got to the escalator, the person there said that I had to wait downstairs. That person wouldn't budge until I showed them my cabin card showing 5* priority. Only then was I allowed up stairs.

April 29 – Oban, Scotland Ship's position at 6:39am Ship's position for tendering Today is another tender day, with the process expected to take about 30 minutes each way. Right now it is still overcast but it appears to be breaking and this afternoon might be nice. All aboard is 3:30pm so it will be a short visit. Last night was a movie on the Main Stage. The trivia session at 6:30pm was ‘Food & Beverage’ and was hosted by Spencer. He is listed as the sports director but previously has been part of food demonstrations and other similar occupations. His trivia was a bit difficult but was interesting. Main Dining Room Menu has not been posted

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland We got on the tender around noon and it had turned into a reasonable day. The first thing I thought when I got off the tender was “I’ve been here before!” Sure enough, Portree was a stop on the Voyage of the Vikings in August of 2018. It was a nice stop then and still is. I recognized many places and we had a good walk. After a little shopping, we returned to the ship. The walk around Portree

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland It is now 10:00am and the menus are available. In addition it has cleared up quite a bit and should be a nice experience going ashore for a while.

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland This morning we arrived in Scotland. We were at or near our anchorage at 6:30am when I arrived in the Lido for breakfast. After eating, I went out on the aft deck to take a couple of pictures. It was overcast and a bit rainy. The forecast is for clearing this afternoon so I will be going out for a bit then.

April 27 – The Orange Party This evening we had the celebration of King’s Day in the Netherlands. On the ships this is known as The Orange Party. It started at 9:00pm with the crew handing out orange hats and wigs to anyone who didn’t have on something orange. They were also handing out sparkling wine that had been colored orange. The DJ played up beat music for several hours and had quite a few people up dancing. The DJ stage Henk (Hotel Manager) & Spencer (Entertainment Staff / Sports) Entertainment Staff -- Simon, Jessica, Spencer

April 27 – at sea destination Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland It has been a nice relaxing day at sea today. The two trivia sessions have been fun, with the second having a Dutch theme. We did better on that one than I expected. The ship is all decked out in Orange for King’s Day and there will be an Orange Party a bit later. Everyone seems to be in a good mood. Here are tonight’s menus

It is about a week from when the charges are posted. I qualify this because if you are on a b2b and have the on board account linked so that you don't pay until the end of the final cruise your points won't post until after the final segment when the charges are actually posted.

April 27 – at sea destination Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland A relaxing day at sea after several port intensive days. Norway was beautiful and well worth the time spent there. Trivia last night went well. We didn’t win but had a good time. Last night on the World Stage we had another comic. Sid Davis appeared at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. I attended the early show and he was very good. He mixed jokes about himself, his family, and cruising. The audience seemed to appreciate his humor and he got a good reception. I really enjoyed the show. After the show I called it a night except for some upkeep on my laptop. After a very good night’s sleep, I woke up a bit late then went to a good breakfast. A bit later we are having a meeting for the ‘24 Grand Australia. Then the normal three sea days trivia sessions.

April 26 – Bergen, Norway As advertised, today turned out to be a bit messy. It has been cold all day with intermittent rain / slush / snow. Right now it is 2:00pm and the sun is out in full for the first time today. The city is nice, but I’m told we are not at the best dock for getting to the attractions of the town. We are at essentially a cargo port. Here are the menus and a few photos of the town. Position of Zuiderdam at dock