Hawaii and Tahiti.....Welcome to Paradise with Bill & Mary Ann on the Statendam

[alibabacruisers]

Thank you Bill and Mary Ann once again for your excellent blog of your voyage! Whenever I need a cruise "fix" I know I can rely on you to give me something entertaining and interesting to read and daydream about.

 

Barbara

[WCB]

Report # 30 November 1, 2013 Friday Hawaii & Tahiti...Welcome to Paradise with Bill & Mary Ann on the Statendam

 

After breakfast, we took a walk outside to find the temperature was around 70 degrees, with a brisk wind blowing. Not quite cold, but definitely not the humid and warm weather we have enjoyed most of this voyage. May as well start packing.

 

It was fairly simple to pack, especially with the use of a hand-held scale to weigh the bags. We are sure not to be overweight on any of the four pieces we have brought. And we did well with not buying too much in the way of souveniers. Well, at least one of us did better than the other. What we did not expect, was that we would have gotten sucked into watching several episodes of Bones and Castle, two shows we don't get a chance to watch at home. Oh well, it made packing go quickly.

 

The clocks went ahead 1/2 hour again this afternoon, making that a total of two hours going forward. If it were not for daylight savings time ending Sunday, we would have put the clocks ahead one more hour.

 

Lots of activities continued on the ship, keeping everyone as busy as they chose to be. This trip will be continuing for another 30 days or so, heading south to Mexico, Central America, to Manta, and Peru, before heading back to San Diego in the beginning of December. There are a little under 50 folks continuing onward we understand. So for them, they did not have to pack, lucky ducks.

 

Instead of lemonade and ice tea being served on the outside decks, we heard that split pea soup was substitued due to the colder weather. Darn.....sorry we missed that. Come to think of it, there was no Dutch Night on this month-long trip. That is always a menu we look forward to since it offers many of our favorite dishes.....namely the Dutch pea soup. It is soooo good, we could make a meal out of it. We never saw it once, and when we asked one of the head waiters, he said that perhaps they ran out of the soup makings while sailing in Alaska. Wonder if this evening will happen on the world cruise next year?

 

Because tonight was the final formal evening, the show was early at 6:30pm for us late diners. It was the Statendam orchestra with the two opera singers we had heard at the special Mariner lunch in the showlounge. In fact, we did hear the rehearsal once again while emailing. All we missed were the costumes, which we heard from our tablemates, were gorgeous. Also, we had the pleasure of the company of John, our favorite security officer, who did decide to join our table once again. Besides being interesting, he is also a down-to-earth type of fellow who puts us all at ease. He had to leave by 9:45pm, because he was expected at the Black and Gold Gala Ball held in the showlounge. Although we did not attend, we usually hear that the officers, especially the younger ones, do a good job of hiding in a group in a corner of the room. Depending on how many ladies are onboard, they are hunted down and asked to dance. On past cruises, we have noticed that the dance floor is so limited, that you cannot even see people participating.

 

Speaking of dancing, we heard that a lady from California won the Dancing with the Stars contest last night. Despite the rocking and rolling of the ship, we were told the dancers did remarkably well. In fact, John told us that some of the real stars from that show have been instructors on some of the HAL ships. That's a pretty cool idea to attract some new passengers, we think.

 

Well, one more day at sea, and we will be back.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Just remembered that this morning, we received the photo of the Mariners Award Night us with and the group of the 5 Star Mariners with Captain Eric and the hotel manager, Bert. Suppose this is the gifted photo promised by the list of perks.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the updates.

 

Melodie, have a great cruise. I think it's similar to the one I did in 2008.

[PathfinderEss]

Thx for the updates.

 

Melodie, have a great cruise. I think it's similar to the one I did in 2008.

 

Thanks Lorekauf, hope so, haven't been on a S class ship for many years, should be interesting.:)

[cant51]

Hello All,

 

 

Her the Dutch recipe for the pea soep, the way we Dutch people make most off the time.

 

2 liter water/ 8 1/2 cups water

500 gr.slpiterwten/ 18 oz

Hamschijf met bot/ Ham whit bone

gerookt spek blokjes/ 5 ounces smoked bacon cubes

2 uien/ 2 onios

1 winterwortel Carrot (1 big one, ore 3 small)

2 prei/ 2 Leek

1 klein knolselderij/ 1 small turnip (rooted celery)

2 aardappels / 2 potatos

peper.zout / peper/salt

 

 

Rinse the spitpeas under runnig water.

 

Boil the water put the slitpeas, ham and baconcubes in the water, and start boil the water again (you must skim it at couple tims).

Peel all the vegetables and cut them the turnip and potatos in cubes, put

the vegetables in the pan on a low fire, it will take 2 1/2 till 3 hours till the soup is ready, take out the ham cut the meat from the bone in pieces and put the meat back in the pan.

 

 

I love your reports, and make your one pea soup at home :), I post this recepie befor, enjoy. ( in Holland we put in smoke sausage but I never saw that in the USA).

Edited November 3, 2013 by cant51

[WCB]

Report # 31 November 2, 2013 Saturday Hawaii & Tahiti...Welcome to Paradise with Bill & Mary Ann on the Statendam

 

Guess what we finished doing today? Yep, packing. The skies were still overcast this morning, but the seas have calmed down and so had the winds. The lower promenade deck was wet, but that was due to the extra cleaning that has been happening shipwide before we arrive to the first US port of San Diego tomorrow. There will be intensive inspections by the folks from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which is a good thing, since it keeps everyone healthy. At least on this trip, we never went into the yellow, orange , or red zones regarding any nasty virus. Having experienced that situation on the spring cruise through the Panama Canal for 12 out of the 14 days, we were happy not to repeat that.

 

Life at sea continued as a normal day, which kind of surprised us. There was no disembarkation talk in the showlounge like we always have. In our mailslot this morning, we had an envelope containing a letter for the San Diego Disembarkation Information, along with some luggage tags. These had been assigned according to the time we had requested for getting off of the ship. Since our flight is at 1:30pm, we asked to be let off later at 9:45am. If everyone adheres to their instructions regarding the customs and immigrations check, then all should go according to schedule. Specifically, we are referring to the international guests, who must be seen for a face-to-face passport check with the officials starting as early as 6:30am. We were told by some of our tablemates that this inspection is very strict and thorough, which is a good thing, even if it can be intimidating at times. The same thing happens to us as US citizens when we travel to other countries. Some of the areas that come to mind are Japan, Korea, China, and even Singapore. In Singapore, for instance, you have to go through security leaving the ship as well as returning to the ship. Passports must be carried with you all of the time while off of the ship. With the crazy things that have been occurring in the world, this will be the way of the future we are afraid.......extreme security.

 

To re-inforce that feeling of unexpected terrorism, we watched the movie, White House Down" this afternoon. Sure, it was only a movie, but it sure got us thinking what can happen, and the many reasons why it would never happen. We hope. On the lighter side, the final lectures wrapped up the subjects about everything Hawaii and Polynesian, space travel, and history of where we just traveled. The final BINGO game was held at 3:30pm with the jackpot at $25,000. There was a lottery drawing to win a cruise also. We are not sure if this jackpot actually has to be won. We would surely hear about it if someone wins.

 

Our big jobs of the day involved bringing back library books, filling our our customs form and luggage tags, and putting down our comments on the Let Us Know cards, complimenting the staff members that helped make our trip a pleasure. There were so many outstanding people, that we needed several cards to mention them properly. We also made a fast check on our shipboard account to make certain that there were no unexpected charges added to it. Last May, for some unknown reason, we had somewhere around $100. added that should not have been. Today, all was correct, and we even had a credit that will go back to our credit card on file.

 

We had a nice visit with our travel agency's hosts, who are a really neat couple we had the luck of finally meeting on this cruise. We would definitely like to sail with them on any trip, and if that ever happened to be a grand voyage, well that would be even better yet. They will be hosting the Prinsendam's Grand South America and Mediterranean in 2014. So we will see them in Ft. Lauderdale at the cocktail party and dinner that our agency always hosts. They were lucky, as they did not have to pack like us. They are staying onboard for another 30 plus days, hosting for another group of new guests. Lucky them.......

 

Well, according the the Cruise Log, we have traveled 9,958 nautical miles on this cruise. We realized how quickly the trip went at dinnertime, when we were all saying our last goodbyes. It is always bittersweet, especially when the guests bond like we think we did on this one. Before we ordered dessert, the waiters, some kitchen staff, and even a few of the room stewards paraded through the dining room, singing an Indonesian farewell song. What was missing, were the trays of melting Baked Alaska dessert, that used to have sparklers on the top. Another tradition has hit the list of disappearing things....gone, except on the longer grand voyages.

 

There was a farewell variety show held at 9:30pm, so the dining room emptied fairly quickly. Taking the stage were Stephen Clark, Jeff Burghart, and David Pengelly. We took a fast walk on the promenade deck to find it totally empty. No wonder, it was really cold outside, an indication that we are getting closer to the California coast and November's much cooler weather. We did not have to change our clocks either, since we are already where we need to be timewise. Could have used the extra hour tonight, because we will begin the day earlier than usual. Breakfast in the dining room starts at 6:30am, or 5:30am in the Lido. Will need to set the alarm for our final meal on the ship. We are missing it already, and we haven't even left.

 

We can hear the luggage being picked up in the hallway as we write this. Even though we had until midnight, most everyone had their stuff out in the hallway already by 10pm. One last night to be rocked to sleep like babies! We love it.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Ine]

Thank you so much for those wonderful reports. We hope to do this cruise next year and will certainly read again all your information.

Have a safe trip home.

[alsas]

Great time following you on this voyage. We will miss you 2014 we will be onboard the Rotterdam. But we will see you 2015 World. Have a great world Alsas

[DAllenTCY]

I tried my best to meet you this morning, but my attentions were diverted to helping a young lady (Yellow #1) in a scooter who needed transport to the airport on the HAL bus. We only had one with a lift, and I was occupied with that for a while.

The highlight of my day was meeting Copper 10-8 after so many years.

I can see why he would be great company for dinner.

 

David

Edited November 4, 2013 by DAllenTCY

[hpf]

Thanks for your great reporting. I followed along everyday, now what will I do ? I guess I'll have to start packing for our cruise, but will miss your great writing skills.

Helen

[Cruiz'nBaers]

Thank you for your wonderful posts. I have really enjoyed reading them. When DH and I retire in 2 1/2 to 3 years we would love to do this same itinerary, you have given us a great preview.

 

Linda

[Island Lovers]

A huge thank you to WCB for your frequent reports and sharing all of your experiences on this fabulous itinerary. I really enjoyed your posts from the Statendam. We can learn so much by sharing information and experiences on this board. We plan to be on this itinerary next month, and we are eagerly anticipating embarkation! Safe travels. Thanks again.

[WCB]

Report # 32 November 5, 2013 Monday Home, once again

 

The journey home was a smooth one, looking back on yesterday, now that we have been back for 24 hours. The first day back home is always a loooong one for sure.

 

The dining room was open for breakfast much earlier than usual, so we expected to see the lower level full of diners. To our surprise, there were only about twenty of us. It became obvious that the staff had not expected many more than that, because there were few waiters. The couple sitting across from us got tired of waiting for their order to be taken, causing them to walk out. Cannot say if we saw anyone offer them an apology for the delay. That is not a great way to end your trip.

 

Another elderly lady sitting closely behind us voiced her extreme disappointment with her entire cruise experience. She said that she has never had such a terrible time on a ship. We wondered what in the world could have made her so negative, short of being ill or something like that. Hard to believe that we were sailing on the same ship, since we sure do not feel that way. You are always going to make comparisons to previous trips....it's only human nature as we search for the best of anything and everything.. This poor lady found the best in nothing, leaving us feeling as bit sorry for her husband, who sounded a little more positive. Truthfully, our only disappointment was with the beef entrees in both the Rotterdam Dining Room and the Pinnacle Grill. But recalling what head Chef Bernie told us on the Amsterdam a year ago, you cannot make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. Translated, we assume he meant that if the quality is lower, there is nothing you can do to substitute for it.

 

Our time for debarking was around 9:45am, leaving us plenty of time to get to the airport for our 1:30pm flight to San Francisco. We confess that we snuck off a little ahead of our scheduled time, but we should be able to do that, being we are 5 star Mariners. The security fellow swiping our cards said nothing, other than goodbye, and please come back soon. Don't mind if we do. With that, we made our way to the lime green luggage tag section, and had free reign to locate our four yarnball-marked bags. At least we were not tripping over folks doing the same thing at the same time. As we wheeled our stuff through the customs and immigrations checkpoint, we swear the official never even looked at the declarations form, other than to make sure it was signed, and the proper "no" boxes had been marked.

 

A line of taxis and vans were waiting for all of us as we exited the terminal. We were in a taxi, and driven to the airport, a mere three miles away from the pier. Probably took no more than 10 minutes, and was well worth the $15 plus tip. HAL wanted $19 each for a bus ride, and you would have had to stop at every airline on the way. As it was, we were headed to the United terminal, about the last one at the very end.

 

Specifically, we were booked on a US Airways flight, but soon found out that our confirmation code was not recognized. Luckily, we had not waited too long to get to the desk, or we would have been a bit upset. The agent told us that we needed to check in at the United desk, which was twenty feet away. But we needed to get into line again, and wait our turn. OK, pulling our stuff through the line again, we plugged in the code, and it still didn't work. Gosh, we felt like virgin travelers that had never done this before. But maybe that was a good thing, because a very nice agent lady came over and helped us through the whole process. For some reason unknown to us, we had not been notified that the flight number had changed, nor did we get an email reminder about getting our boarding passes a day before we landed in San Diego. We had not initially booked this flight directly with the airline, so a lot of info may have been missing. They did not have our UA frequent flyer mile numbers or even our email address. And it was Sunday, a day when our travel agency is closed. All turned out OK, but next time, we need to remember to follow up a couple of days earlier to confirm the final flight, especially if that flight happens on a weekend.

 

By the way, something did occur at this airport that has never happened to one of us before now. To start with, the security line was ridiculously long, weaving back and forth like a popular Disneyland ride. That surprised us on a Sunday morning, but perhaps this was due to the incident that just occurred in Los Angeles with the horrible shooting of a TSA agent. Security was tight today. But not for one of us. The agent that was checking our passports and the boarding passes split us up by sending one of us to another line at the very end of the check point. This turned out to be the expedited line, where your shoes and jackets could be left on. Belts too. Your small bag of liquids and gels could be left inside your purse or whatever, as well as computers left in their case. One pass through the metal detector was all that this group had to do, after we put our hand carrys through the xray. Now we can say that one of us does not have "shifty eyes", which has always led to pat downs or extra screenings with the wand or wipes for suspicious powders. It also helped speed up the already too long line, where people were getting annoyed.

 

This part of the airport looked really new to us, not the old terminals where there are few stores or restaurants. At least, we had new stores to browse while we waited for our flight. Knowing that there would be absolutely no snacks on this short flight, we opted to buy a bag of very healthy salt and vinegar potato chips. Yeah, we know, not that healthy, but oh, so good. It did get us through the afternoon wthout starving. Actually, starve is what we will be doing for the next eight weeks or so before we head off again on another long voyage around the world.

 

That trip will begin January 1st, so watch for us again if you all found us entertaining. We promise to keep you amused with more stories and adventures, God-willing, in 2014! Until then...............farewell for now.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Thanks again for your wonderful travelogue and I look forward to your World Voyage in 2 months.

[hpf]

Thanks so much for your great story writing and I will definitely be here Jan 1st. to keep me occupied through the long cooold winter months.

Helen

[CoronaCRZR]

Thanks Bill & Mary Ann for yet another great daily log of your trip.

 

Look forward to continue reading about your travels on the Amsterdam next January.

 

Enjoy your World Cruise, I know I will, vicariously through your reports.

[ger_77]

Oh my gosh, enough time to get home, relax with your family and friends for a while, then off again for a world cruise in January. I can't wait! ! ! Thank you again for the time and details - it makes us feel as if we've been there with you.

 

Just a question - is there a place you post your photos that we an access them? I'd love to see the places you've been.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[cruz chic]

Thank you for the conclusion to your journey. Will be looking forward to your world cruise thread.

[erewhon]

Thank you for the detailed reports of your cruise.

[Esri]

Thanks again for sharing your adventures with those who have to travel vicariously.

 

I'm looking forward to joining you on the Amsterdam in about 60 days for some non-vicarious traveling of my own! :)

[caltnl]

Dear Bill & Mary Ann,

 

Thank you again for your wonderful reports that I have followed for several years.

 

I look forward to your World Cruise reports and Jeff's pictures.

 

Thank you,

 

Bill Hobart

[BCEagle78]

What an adventure! I looked forward every day during the cruise to see what the latest update would contain... enjoyed reading every update.

 

My wife and I are planning this same itinerary to celebrate our retirement, hopefully sometime in 2016. Can't wait to see some of these beautiful places and people.

 

Thank you so much for providing such a detailed daily review....

[TENNCruisers]

We have enjoyed your postings of the cruise. Looking forward to following you in Jan.

Orlin and Barbara

[WCB]

Greetings fellow readers!

 

First and foremost, we would like to thank you all for your encouraging posts. It is SO nice to know that someone is reading our blog, and hopefully gaining some insight into our experiences and perhaps picking up a few pointers along the way.

 

We do take a copious amount of photos, but do not post them anywhere but our files. The cost would be double, we're afraid, to include them in CC postings.

 

We were no sooner home, when we discovered that we had the HAL surveys waiting for us to be filled out online. The usual categories were there, except now the scale goes from 0 to 7 to rate them. We did like the fact that there was a space to type in extra comments after each section. Of course, we had many comments, positive and some negative, with every category.

 

What surprised us, was to find some very pointed questions regarding the shore excursions. They wanted to know if we booked theirs, or did we do our own thing on shore. And did we join a group independant of HAL, or go solo? And the best inquiry was about the prices. How did the ship's prices compare to those offered on shore? You can bet that we wrote volumns about the huge difference in costs, or should we say, over-costs. Perhaps HAL finally realizes that most seasoned passengers are not as afraid of the ship leaving them behind, or getting delayed in returning back on time. Of course, it only needs to happen once.......

 

Anyway, thanks again, and hope you all enjoy the rest of 2013 like we will!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[bcnvcanada]

Love as usual your great reports. We will be looking forward to January 4 and the start of your World Cruise. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your great adventures.