John and Diane "Ferry Boat" Adventures on the world cruise

Thanks Diane for the book club titles. As you know I always like to read them. I will appreciate knowing the rest of them if you can find them.

Barbara

Diane, what a lovely thing to do with Shane. Good for you. Thanks for the daily reports. I look forward reading them each day.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

At Sea en route to Victoria, Seychelles

Sometimes you want to get out of the city but really don’t want to do much - like drive three hours to see elephants. Our solution was to sign up for an HAL tour to a beach resort where there was nothing to do except walk across pristine sand to the beach, swim in a pool where the temperature was absolutely perfect, or use hotel internet to catch up on everything that required being online.

There were two buses of us, and we were the lucky bus. It was a one-hour drive to the resort, unless you were on the other bus with the driver who got lost and took an hour and a half to get there. The resort itself was very nice, with dozens and dozens of chaise lounges on the sand under the shade trees. On a day when the temperature was supposed to be 95 with similar humidity, those shade trees were just lovely.

There were the requisite vendors, primarily selling enormous pieces of patterned fabric, but there were also a few selling woven bracelets and one man selling leather luggage totes. I saw several people with the fruit of their bargaining, and the lady behind us bought a really nice tan leather tote.

John wandered across the great expanse of sand to the beach, and his report was that he was really glad he’d worn flip flops because of the heat of the sand. He also said that the ocean felt like bathwater, something that’s quite common in the Indian Ocean, I believe. I’m more of a pool person, so I tried that and just had to sigh. I felt like Goldilocks; it wasn’t too warm or too cold - it was just perfect. I swam around for a bit and then found my lounge chair again so I’d be dry by our 3:00 time for re-boarding the bus.

The buses showed up promptly at 3:00, even though the woman waiting next to me began complaining about it being “late” at about 2:50. I don’t know how anyone can complain after such a heavenly day, but some people manage to do so. Our return trip was another hour, while the driver of the other bus managed to get lost again and took the same 90 minutes that he’d taken on the way out.

The sailaway was a good chance to catch up with friends, and we spent a good deal of time chatting with Ann and Cathy, our good friends from Canada. They (along with Jeff) are disembarking in Seychelles for a 10-day Africa overland, so we don’t have much time with them and wanted to take advantage of the time we have.

We have found out that the “Big Shots” from Carnival and HAL are boarding in Reunion Island and the big party will take place on April 2 (at sea) before reaching Cape Town. We were told that the party will take place on Deck 5, beginning at the Explorers’ Lounge and extending to the Queen’s Lounge and then to the Crow’s Nest. We can’t quite wrap our heads around the locale, but it will just be nice to be in attendance for this party, since we’ve been elsewhere for the last two.

Today’s going to be a busy day. At 11:00 I’m working with Shane, at 1:00 we have wine-tasting with Jacques, at 2:00 I have Book Club, and at 4:30 we have an Ensemble cocktail party. I know, I know - that’s a lot of alcoholic beverages, but we really don’t drink much at these events. Speaking of Book Club, Courtney gave me a list of the rest of the books. The first was The Readers of the Broken Wheel Recommend, followed by The Dry (about Australia), then the two I mentioned earlier, Crazy Rich Asians and Circling the Sun. Originally HAL had suggested adding a fifth book, China Rich Girlfriend, a sequel to the earlier “rich” novel, but there’s just not enough time. I’m halfway through “The Sun,” and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. After today’s wild schedule, I think I’ll just relax tomorrow and finish the book for our next meeting.

It’s wonderful to be on board again, and even though we’re only on for 20 days, we’re taking full advantage.

Thanks for the additional titles. I have requested the last three from my public library.(The first two were on shelf so I have them now) The Dry must be quite a book as all 44 copes (print, large print, and e-book are in use by others). Thanks again and happy reading.

Barbara

Your beach day sounds heavenly to me. I would be hoping for a late bus!!! Wasn't the "big" party on a previous WC upon arriving in South Africa and Desmond Tutu the guest celebrity? Shane is a lucky young man to have tutoring from such wonderful people. As always, I enjoy all of your reports and appreciate you taking us along!!! Cherie

Your beach day sounds wonderful.

We would not want to ride around for hours just to see elephants.

Sound like another great day.

Keith

Thursday, March 22, 2018

At Sea en route to Victoria, Seychelles

Yesterday was one of those sea days that was busier than a port day. I didn’t even have time for a nap! All in all, it was a great day with lots of activities and lots of socializing.

I was supposed to tutor Shane from 11:00 until 12:00 yesterday morning, so I went over to “our” desk at the other end of the library at 10:55. I was quite surprised when Bonita just kept working on math until 11:30, but I decided she must have been in the middle of something important. Then Shane and I worked on his language arts booklet until 12:00, when I told him I needed to meet my husband for lunch. When I found John, he was sitting outside with Rich and when he asked me what time it was I said it was a few minutes after 12:00 - no later than 12:15. He looked at his phone and said, “It’s only 11:45.” This led to a discussion which led me to the realization that I hadn’t set my phone back the 30 minutes the night before to get off Indian time. Bonita had worked just the right time, I shorted Shane by 30 minutes, and I ended up feeling like an idiot. Oh well.

After lunch, there was a wine tasting that Jacques organized in the Crow’s Nest. There are three levels of wines available in packages, and each package has about 16 wines, so there are 48 possible wines. Jacques had set up the Crow’s Nest in three areas, for Package #1, #2, and #3, each of which had 16 bottles that we could taste. I hope no one tried to taste all 48! I stuck with the Meiomi rose, and it was wonderful. Our wine steward from last year, knew I didn’t just want to taste, so she gave me a very nice pour.

There were small platters of meats and cheeses, too, so it was a good thing that I’d had only a small lunch.

At 2:00, it was Book Club, and about 30 ladies met in the Piano Bar to discuss the first half of our current book. There were lots of different opinions about Beryl Markham and her parents and social circle, so it was a good discussion. We’ll discuss the second half of the book in a few days.

At 3:00, I had some free time, so I tried to make progress in the book. Then at 4:30 there was an Ensemble cocktail party, and there we were at the alcohol trough again. Ensemble is an consortium of travel agencies located in Canada, the US and Australia, and Louisa and Gene are the representatives on board. It was nice to catch up with Florin, the Food and Beverage Manager, and Shiv, the Head of Housekeeping. A few other officers were scattered throughout the Explorers’ Lounge, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Dinner last evening was a “dress in your Indian clothes” theme, so I put on my white pants as well as my shiny new pink top which I bought in Singapore’s Little India. John and I have full Indian garb at home, but just wearing tops was enough for a short trip which did not include Mumbai. Dinner had some wonderful Indian dishes, and John’s butter chicken was absolutely wonderful. My Indian-sauced fish was good, but not up to John’s dinner.

Since Will and Nancy were feeling under the weather, the four of us decided to go sit outside on the Promenade Deck where, coincidentally, Ginni happened to have a bottle of Deep Eddy, a lemon-flavored vodka popular in Texas, where they live. The closest comparison I can make is with limoncello, but Deep Eddy is sweeter and I think has a higher alcohol content. We were so involved in our conversation that we didn’t realize the time until the 10:00 show was half over, so we missed the encore performance of a great violinist. However, the Deep Eddy made it worth it.

Tonight is the Sommelier Dinner in The Pinnacle. Even though it’s a set menu with no choices, we almost always love all the courses along with their matched wines. We’re going with all four of our table mates, so it should be a wonderful evening.

You certainly did have a busy day.

We love those cellar master dinners.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Last day at sea en route to Victoria, Seychelles

Walking around the Deck 3 promenade is never so much fun as when we’re in pirate waters. We are in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the usual preparations have taken place. There are water cannons on both sides (one right outside our cabin) and sound cannons front and back (which will deafen any wannabe pirate). In addition, there are extra security patrols with binoculars, and we noticed when we went outside the other evening that most of the outside lights are turned off. When it’s dark, it’s really, really dark. Of course we’ve never had nor expected a pirate attack, but the preparations are fascinating. We are also told that if a certain alarm is sounded, we are to get away from any part of the ship with windows and remain seated, preferably in a hallway, because the captain may have to make sharp turns at 25 knots per hour. We feel really safe and we certainly trust Captain Jonathan.

In my first post, I made mention of the term “ferry boat people.” John and I were talking about that with some friends who are also on for a segment, and we realized that while we certainly don’t feel “out of it” since we have so many WC friends, people who have never been on a world cruise might indeed feel isolated. Our advice is twofold: if you can only sail for a segment, try for the first segment from Ft. Lauderdale; and, more importantly, jump into activities where you can meet other passengers. On HAL most people are pretty friendly, but you have to reach out in some way. We’re enjoying our “ferry boat” status, but are looking forward to our full cruise in 2019.

Last evening was the Sommelier Dinner in The Pinnacle, and it was, as always, excellent. The focus was on South Africa (since we’re almost there), and all the wines and much of the food were from that lovely country. As we were seated (with our usual table mates Rich, Ginni, Nancy and Will), a nice young man came around and poured our first wine of the evening, Kleine Zalze chenin blanc from Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was my favorite wine of the evening. It was paired with an African rock lobster salad on a bed of chopped celery and melon. Quite tasty, it was.

The second course was a double oxtail consomme, paired with a Haute Cabriere chardonnay from Franschhoek, South Africa. Since I’m an ABC wine drinker (anything but chardonnay), I just continued with the chenin blanc. The chardonnay was poured again (except for my chenin blanc) for the third course, Dover sole with caramelized onions and wrapped in filo dough and baked. Oh my, was that ever delicious.

Our “intermezzo” was called “oranje spoom.” It was a small glass cup filled with a tiny scoop of orange sorbet in a sparkling wine. Palates duly cleansed, we continued on with South African lamb kebabs (quite tasty), paired with Webersburg cabernet sauvignon from Stellenbosch. That was a lovely red. Finally it was time for dessert, a Zulu raisin cheesecake along with Doolhof Dark Lady of the Labyrinth pinotage. What a great finish! Even though sommelier dinners cost $79, we think they are well worth it because of the quality of the food and wine. We’re only sorry that we were able to enjoy only one because of our short time on the ship.

After dinner, we headed to the encore show of The Jukebox Rogues. We had loved the first show, but this one was even better. As I mentioned earlier, they sing all those wonderful songs from the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s. Our favorites last evening were two songs from Les Miserables and some Frankie Valle selections. While most shows are almost exactly 45 minutes long, this one was just about an hour and everyone stood and clapped like crazy at the end. A great ending to a great day.

AH -- so the ship is prepared again for pirates.

The cellar master's dinners we have gone to were also great but lasted so long we couldn't make it to any show.

Great report.

So happy to stumble across another "live" cruise post from you! Thanks for taking the time to share your voyage with those of us at home.

Sue/WDW1972

I love the Meiomi Rose! So happy to see the ship carrying it. I was also on for a segment - Auckland to Hong Kong.

Is Shane still working on his crochet blanket? One of the sit and stitch ladies was teaching him when I was still on the ship.

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You all are really making us homesick. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Enjoy, and see you next year.

leslie & handler

Saturday, March 24, 2019

Victoria, Seychelles

For a lot of people, The Seychelles is heaven on earth. It’s beautiful, tropical, and flowers abound. The beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world. It’s also so close to the equator that the weather is consistent throughout the year. Today, for example, it was about 85 degrees, but the downside was that the humidity was even higher than that. A lady we met in the elevator on our return commented that she loved it because it was just like home. I don’t know where she lives, but I guess it’s possible to get used to this kind of weather.

In California, more specifically in San Luis Obispo, we have fairly consistent weather throughout the year, but we actually live in somewhat of a desert-like climate, so we just don’t “do” humidity. While I’d like to have the temperature stay at about 75 or 80 all year, that’s just not going to happen. I wouldn’t trade our 50 and 60 degree winter days for high humidity, though.

Six of us met at the bottom of the gangplank at about 10:30 this morning and headed into town to see what was going on. Four of us had visited here before, but were looking forward to it again. Because the ship is docked only about a half mile from the center of town, HAL decided we didn’t need shuttle busses, so everyone had to hoof it if central Victoria was their destination.

We wandered through the town, appreciating the French and English colonial buildings. The French originally settled these islands, but in the early 1800’s, the British took them over, hence the cars which drive on the “other” side of the road. As we walked we saw the city’s central market and headed inside to peruse a huge variety of goods: clothing, fruit, fish, spices, and lots of other things. Since we were greatly in need of wifi, we found a cafe up the stairs where, since it was about noon, we could enjoy some local beer without guilt. Between the heat and the humidity, those icy cold beverages really hit the spot. The wifi was OK, but since the cafe was pretty full, it was really slow. Finally the place began to empty out, so the internet speeded up and we were actually able to read the emails that we weren’t able to access on board.

Shared fish and chips did just fine for lunch, but then it was time to head out in search of the botanical gardens with their famous tortoises. If you get to The Seychelles, you really ought to visit these gardens; they’re even more of a tropical paradise than the rest of the city. The “frosting on the cake,” however, is the collection of huge tortoises in their specially developed environment. Most of them have shells around a yard long, the oldest one is 96 years old, and they expect him to live much longer. Ginni wanted to feed them, so she paid the extra $4.00, was given some branches from a ginger tree, and entered the compound. The rest of us were surprised at how much faster those critters can move than we expected. They just loved their branches.

After entertaining ourselves with the tortoises, it was time to head back to the ship - and some air-conditioning. Although all-aboard isn’t until 10:30 tonight, I think I’ll be happy to just get a shower, read more of my Book Club selection, and head to dinner at 8:00. I really am a weather wimp, and it just feels so good to enjoy the AC.

Love your report.

I hope you are going to post pictures when you get home.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Palm Sunday

At Sea en route to Reunion Island

We didn’t sail last night until 11:00, and since I was out like a light by 10:45, I’ll have to take the captain’s word for it. The nice thing about sailing in and out of ports is that the process is so smooth that you really wouldn’t know it was happening unless you were watching. Today we’re at sea again, sailing south for two days from Seychelles to Reunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. The sea is flat, the weather is balmy with just a few clouds, and a lot of people are recovering from a long, hot day yesterday.

I guess that was the cause of a very small group of people in the gym this morning.

Since it’s Palm Sunday, church was even more full than usual, and palm fronds were handed out at both the Roman Catholic and Protestant services. At breakfast, after the service, one could see greenery on many of the tables in the Lido. Pastor Al, the Protestant pastor, announced that sunrise services would be held next Sunday in the Lido, and they’re usually held at about 6:00. Our most memorable Easter sunrise service was in 2008 when passengers gathered in the open air near the pool on Deck 8 aft, and we watched the sun rise over the Red Sea on our approach to Egypt. It was just magical.

Today is the annual WC auction, offering primarily art created in the painting and watercolor classes, but also including wine selections, a night in a suite, and such things that HAL can offer.

The captain’s announcement at 12:45 today told us that the weather is beautiful (which we noticed) and that the temperature will continue in the mid to high 80’s tomorrow, but will be accompanied by rain off and on throughout the day. He also always tells us the water depth, and today it’s about two miles down. I can’t even imagine that!

It’s fairly obvious that the executives from HAL and Carnival are boarding soon. If there’s brass anywhere on the ship, it’s being polished. If there is carpet anywhere, it’s being vacuumed. If there’s a top-level officer on the ship, he/she is running around making sure everything is perfect. For the first time in three world cruises, we’ll actually be here for the “big party” on April 2, although I have a feeling it won’t be as big as it has been in prior years. I’m anxious to see, however.

We have one more sea day before Reunion, so I should be able to finish my Book Club selection. I do have a few more days, however, so I can feel free to procrastinate until the 29th.

Enjoying your review.

WC auction -- are you going to bid for anything?

Monday, March 26, 2018

At Sea en route to La Possession, Reunion

Another sunny and warm sea day, with the anticipation of a really lovely French port tomorrow. We were in Reunion a few years ago and it’s just like stepping onto a little bit of France. There is a monument to Napoleon at the top of the town’s hill, a statue of Antoine de St Exupery (sp), the author of the The Little Prince. He was born on the island and then went on to bigger and better things. My favorite discovery on the island was “Paul,” one of our favorite bakery/restaurants where we often stop for lunch in Paris. There’s nothing quite like a genuine French baguette!

The show last night was a juggler/magician/comedian, and the best thing was that he needed to have some audience members on stage for his act. The first volunteer was Shane, and it was a perfect opportunity for a young man who embraces every opportunity on this cruise. I’m sure that half of our hour today will be occupied with his excitement about this new adventure.

Today is the Mariner luncheon, but since it’s such a mob scene, I think we’ll take a pass on it. On the 29th, we’ve been invited to Orlando Ashford’s luncheon for passengers with more than 500 days (I think we’re between 800 and 900, but I never look it up). We’re not too sure about that one either. We tend to avoid the dining room except for dinner. I know a lot of people enjoy breakfast and lunch there, but they serve just too much food for me. We even skipped the delightful Sunday brunch yesterday for the same reason, but we ARE reserved for the “special” Easter Sunday brunch. We’ve heard that it will a more than usual spectacular “tasting” meal.

This is our second “Gala” night, so it’s time to take out the formal wear, find some matching jewelry, and then dance the night away. I know that these used to be “formal” nights, but apparently too many people have complained about having to don formal wear so not only has the terminology changed, but the number of “gala” nights has decreased. Our friend Heidi, whose late husband was a hotel manager on HAL, told us that in “the old days,” port days were informal, which meant women wearing a dress or skirt and men wearing a jacket and tie after 5:00 - anywhere on the ship. Every sea day, however, was formal, and if you were out and about on the ship, you’d jolly well better be wearing something that could be considered formal. For the ladies, that meant full-length gowns, and for the men it was at the very least a dark suit, but usually a tuxedo.

When John and I took the Canberra from San Francisco to Nassau (through the Canal) in 1967, the dress code was much the same. On port days it was coats and ties for men and dresses for women - everywhere in first class (when ships had classes) My, how things have changed. Denim is now allowed in the dining room, but not shorts, and a collared shirt is expected. Oh for the good old days!

P S. I only bid for a couple of things, but I was outbid on all of them.

We gave up the Mariner brunches a long time ago. Couldn't stand the pushing and shoving to get a table.

OH I remember those years when we really had to dress up -- informal and formal nights. On the QEII we were in the Queen's Class and every night was formal.

Sorry you didn't win anything at the auction.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

La Possession, Reunion

If there’s anything better than a French meal, I certainly don’t know what it is. Even if our visit would only be for a day, we’d been looking forward to visiting Reunion Island for some time, and it might have had something to do with the food.

We were docked just before 8:00 this morning in La Possession, the port for Reunion, and the “all ashore that’s going ashore” announcement was made at about 8:10. There were, of course, the many, many tour buses waiting for their occupants as well as several shuttle buses waiting to drive us either to downtown La Possession or to St. Denis, the capital city of the island. As soon as our shuttle bus was filled, we headed to St. Denis, a 20-minute drive along the ocean, always our favorite view.

When we arrived, most of the shuttle passengers headed up the main street, the rue de Paris, while we headed down the street to the park along the ocean. We stopped to take a photo of John in front of the statue of Roland Garros, a local hero. He was born on Reunion and became one of the greatest heroes of WW I as a pilot, keeping in mind that this was only about 15 years after the Wright Brothers first flight. When he was killed in the war in 1918, his fame continued, and even today, the French Open tennis tournament takes place at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris. As a tennis fan (short for “fanatic,”) John was quite pleased to be in the same photo.

We wandered all over St. Denis, finding a lovely pedestrian shopping street, buying some ibuprofen at a pharmacy, and discovering the Grand Marche, or Great Market, where all kinds of local products were on sale. Another benefit to the market was the free wifi which we were only too happy to use.

Some of the things we like the best about St. Denis are the old colonial buildings from the 18th and 19th century. Most have been converted into offices or apartments, and some have even been torn down to be replaced by modern office buildings. So sad.

After seeing a great deal of the city, we headed back down toward the ocean until we found ourselves at Paul, the bakery/restaurant I mentioned yesterday. It was coming up on noon, so we shared a salad and a baguette sandwich, which took us back to picnics in Paris in the little park behind St. Germain church. While we tried to use their free wifi, we found it impossible to access, so after we finished lunch, we walked outside where the city-wide free wifi made it possible for us to check up on email, post on Facebook, and catch up with friends‘ texts.

Then it was time to hop aboard the shuttle again for the return trip along the ocean and back to the ship. Once we returned and headed up to the Lido, we were reminded that Orlando Ashford is boarding today (along with his family and a large number of “the brass”) and he’s being welcomed by a party around the midships Lido pool. Free liquor will flow freely and Chef Petr (correct spelling) has many different kinds of yummy appetizers promised. It should be a wild, crowded time, and we just hope no one ends up in the pool.

As our adventure continues at sea, we’ve received some emails and texts from our neighbors that there have been two break-ins within our 28-home neighborhood, and while our friend Vikki spends the night there sometimes and checks every day or so, we’re still rather uncomfortable about the situation. Apparently the same person/people are responsible, since the same kinds of things have been taken in both burglaries, mostly jewelry. I guess the sheriff’s office has been quite involved and is trying to get some fingerprints from the crime scenes. Oh well, just one more thing to worry about.

We’re not tempted to fly home or anything as drastic as that, since if they break into our house for jewelry, they’ll get the best you can buy on sale at Kohl’s.

Sounds like you had a lovely day in Reunion.

Sorry you have to worry about homes in your area being broken into while you are gone. We have an alarm system and our neighbor next door still comes into the house and checks everything out -- just to be on the safe side. We still worry though.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

At Sea en route to Maputo, Mozambique

Sailaways are always lovely things; we’re disengaging the ropes and heading out into the open sea again. We love to stand on the back deck and watch a port, no matter how much we love it, recede into the distance as we move into what seems like the unknown, the magnetism of the sea.

Well . . . yesterday was a sailaway to remember. During the day, Orlando Ashford, President of HAL and Arnold Donald (yes, you read that correctly), the CEO of Carnival Cruises, boarded the ship and will head up a number of celebrations as well as some more serious meetings. To greet them, Henk and his hotel crew set up an event around the midships pool with free-flowing drinks as well as hors d’oeuvres being continually passed around. It began at 5:00 and lasted until 6:30; people appeared like ants at a picnic at about 4:45 and by 6:40, the deck was almost empty. It’s amazing what free alcohol will do for a party! What really added to the fun was the Station Band playing in the small gazebo, and the dancing never stopped. It’s even more fun when officers join in; Hamish, the Cruise Director, Mario, the Assistant Cruise Director, Mark, the Events Manager and even Henk, the Hotel Director, were out there dancing up a storm.

There are, of course, many more events planned with the “Top Brass,” including a President’s Club dinner this evening. I guess our invitation was lost in the mail. Today and tomorrow there are lunches for those with 500 days or more and the annual “Big Party” will be on April 2, the evening before we arrive in Cape Town. It’s always fun to participate in these events, but sometimes, especially if drinks are free, the crowds get a bit too thick.

Today John will be attending Barbara’s (the port guide) talk on Maputo. It’s our only new country this cruise, and we’re really looking forward to it. On Barbara’s recommendation, we signed up for the walking tour of the city, since one can see so much more on foot than on a bus. Yesterday, as I was passing the chenin blanc table, I heard one woman carrying on and on and . . . about her four-hour bus tour. We do have a booklet that describes the tours in detail and, for the most part, the descriptions are accurate. A word to the wise: if you do sign up for an HAL tour, read the entire description. We have had one or two experiences when the description bore no similarity to the actual tour, but they’re usually pretty good (we assume, since we usually take zero HAL tours, this one being an exception).

A sad note, at least for me, is that Courtney, our librarian, had to disembark yesterday because her herniated disc was getting so bad that she needs to fly to Holland to have surgery on it. I’ll miss her both in the library and at Book Club, speaking of which I’d better grab my book and finish it; the meeting is tomorrow!

Wonderful report.

Always interesting to see how many extra parties there are and who is invited when the big brass arrive on a ship.

Sorry to hear your librarian had to fly home for surgery. Hope it goes well.

I am curious if the “Pastor Al” was someone we met on a previous cruise. Would you know (or care to share) any other details about him? Is he traveling with his wife?

Are the ministers on the cruise paid...or volunteer?

Thanks for taking time out of your cruise to blog...I enjoy reading!