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Join Pete and Judy on their FIRST World Cruise on the Amsterdam

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By The-Inside-Cabin,
in Holland America Line

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Day 32, Sailing toward Melbourne

 

Cooler temperatures greeted us this morning (Mid 60’s) with a high overcast, but good visibility, as we continue to sail west toward Melbourne. The Amsterdam continues its steady rise and fall, with an occasional pause and roll when the ship’s bow reaches its upper limit before starting down, only to rise again after pausing at the bottom. The midship Lido pool remains covered with a net, the sea view pool and deck are open but empty. Today is not very inviting for working on your tan but much better to stay inside and take advantage of the numerous activities available. A copy of every days schedule – distributed in the On Location guide – is posted on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com.

 

The Wajang Theater was overflowing for this morning’s Good Morning Amsterdam as the On Location Ambassador Dhinawan was the scheduled guest. Dhinawan will be giving Didgeridoo lessons and other demonstrations of Australian Aboriginal life and culture. Unfortunately Dhinawan was still seasick and unable to appear. Gene’s back-up guests were unable to get to the Theater in time, so after Gene entertained the crowd for a bit with his quick wit and light humor, he called it a day but everyone present received $10 in Grand Dollars as compensation.

 

Judy remained in the theater for Lee Bayless’s talk on the “Secrets of Sudoku” while I moved to the Queen’s Lounge to listen to Barbara’s presentation on what to see and do in Melbourne. Unlike location guides on other, shorter, cruises, whose focus is on where to shop, Barbara’s talks provide a useful overview about the logistics of getting around the port and a sampling of some of the interesting highlights available. Lee presented his talk last July on our one week Alaska Cruise. With a longer cruise, he added a second talk with seven advanced techniques for solving Sudoku puzzles. These techniques can also be found on his web site: http://www.secretsofsudoku.com

 

This morning’s Tai Chi class started off as Tai Chi in chairs and then was replaced by the instructors commentary on a ballet video. Tai Chi requires a more stable deck than was available today.

 

I stayed in the Theater for Alan Wright’s lecture on “Pluto – Planet of Not”. Alan is a wonderful lecturer and gave another fascinating talk on planets in general and Pluto in particular. Apparently Pluto orbits the Sun with thousands of similarly sized “Dwarf Planets” in a belt, similar to the asteroid belt that is closer to the Sun. Pluto achieved planet status since it was the first and only dwarf planet discovered back in the 30’s but when better technology emerged in the 90’s astronomers discovered 1000’s of similar celestial objects not much different than Pluto – so it was either make them all planets or create the new category of “dwarf planet” which is what occurred.

 

A Mongolian BBQ – or Stir Fry per the HAL location guide – was a lunch option at the Lido Pool. This was a repeat of the stir fry a few weeks back but the crowds were much smaller this time with much shorter lines. It was very good. During the Stir Fry, the Captain gave his daily navigational update and mentioned the note I had written him regarding global circumnavigation. Details below:

 

Before the cruise started someone on our Cruise Critic roll call inquired about the requirements for a voyage to be called a global circumnavigation. I did a little research on the internet and learned that the generally accepted requirements are:

 

• Start and finish at the same point, traveling in one general direction

• Cross the Equator

• Cross all Longitudes

• Cover a minimum of 21,600NM (a great circle)

• Reach two antipodes (two diametrically opposite places on Earth)

 

From my research we crossed our first antipode somewhere between the Waitangi and Auckland and will cross the second antipode in the vicinity of the Strait of Gibraltar. As stated, I wrote this in a note to the Captain who found this nugget interesting enough to use during his noon bridge talk today, giving me appropriate credit and my 15 seconds of Amsterdam notoriety. He also answered my letter with a handwritten note in a beautifully sealed envelope.

 

Letter-from-Capt.gif

 

Today was day 2 of the “Battle of the Sexes” $10 black jack tournament. The women played their round yesterday with the top three women posted on the board next to the table. Today the men would play to determine the top 3 who would then face the women in the finals. I had a good run of cards and finished second making it to the finals. A Blackjack tournament is as much chip management as playing your cards. Once I realized I was in second place overall with one hand to go and only time for one more round of players, I only bet the minimum to preserve my cash and my second place ranking. No one in the final round was able to leap frog me and I was in the finals with 2 other men and the 3 women from yesterday.

 

The finals would be two rounds. The first round with 7 hands would determine the highest man and women of the finalists, who would then go head to head for 3 hands. I had a good streak and managed to be the top man and then bet the woman by only $100 in the finals. This earned me $250 and a Pinnacle Grill Lunch!

 

My luck at Texas Hold’em took a turn for the worse, and I was knocked out early in the afternoon tournament.

 

The On Location Ambassador Dhinawan was scheduled this evening at 7:30 in the Queens Lounge for an overview of his activities, but it was canceled as well. Hopefully Dhinawan will be feeling better soon.

 

Tonight was special for two reasons: Gala night and Susan’s Birthday, one of our tablemates for dinner. Susan initially wanted to keep her birthday low profile, but of course, our table would have none of that. So she was greeted by a Happy Birthday morning phone call from the front desk, a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday this evening in the Crow’s Nest as well as the traditional song and cake in the Main Dining room. Dinner tonight was exceptional. Our table split between the Chateaubriand and the Dover Sole which were both phenomenal. This may have been the best meal of the cruise, but only because it was the most recent meal. The food on this Grand Voyage remains exceptional in all venues.

 

Tonight’s show “Mundo Latino” was performed by the HAL singers and dancers. The show was high energy and very entertaining – we enjoyed it very much.

 

 

HAL-Dancers.gif

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Is there an Open Dining option in the MDR on the World Cruise? Thanks, m--

 

 

Yes....lower was supposed to be all open, but some regulars insisted staying on fixed but keeping their old tables on lower and so there remains a few fixed on lower...But they were generally eating late anyway so it didn't matter.

 

Late fixed seating is half full

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RMLincoln

RMLincoln

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Thanks for the reply. We have learned to enjoy the flexibility of Open Dining, especially when we usually have the same table each night but can still have the option when it fits our schedule better to eat at a different time, instead of having to go to the Lido.

 

We're all enjoying this cruise so much! It was -3F here yesterday so cruising with you is great fun! m--

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KirkNC

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Yes....lower was supposed to be all open, but some regulars insisted staying on fixed but keeping their old tables on lower and so there remains a few fixed on lower...But they were generally eating late anyway so it didn't matter.

 

Late fixed seating is half full

 

That should make for fast service!

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Day 33, Sailing toward Melbourne

 

The seas have calmed considerably this morning. There is still some deck motion, but no longer enough to noticeably impact any activities. The net has been removed from the Lido pool and with the sun shining, the sunbathers have returned to their normal spots around the Lido and Seaview pools.

 

Good Morning Amsterdam welcomed Yoomia, the violinist we had dinner with a few nights back. She was originally from Korea but found her way to New Zealand where she lives today. Yoomia will be leaving the ship in Melbourne.

 

Following Good Morning Amsterdam, Lee Bayless spoke about the mechanics of comedy and what makes jokes funny. He also elaborated on his background and how he got his start working in the dunking booth at the Oklahoma State Fair. He had such a natural comedic talent that he was asked to join a traveling carnival when he was 14 with his parents blessings.

 

Every Sunday at sea they present the Sunday Brunch in the lower main dining room. I wandered thru the lines and while the food all looked very scrumptious it was too early for us to eat again. One of these Sundays we will have skip breakfast and take in the buffet.

 

Dhinawan was feeling better today and held his class on playing the Digeridoo up in the Crow’s Nest. He explained the history of the instrument and how it was intended to be played only by men because it was thought that the vibrations it creates were too much for women to bear. Judy took a chance and decided to give it a go anyway. I didn’t realize that the Digeridoo is nothing more than a hollow tube. You play it by making a raspberry noise into one opening and then modulating that to create different notes. You quickly run out of breath and it was difficult for me to make the appropriate sounds for any length of time. I think I will stick with the Ukulele.

 

The Boat Building competition was today. I decided not to make any entry as it was going to take more time than I originally thought back when they announced the contest. They only had 3 entries and people near the pool told me that they were not aware there was a boat building contest going on at all. The contest announcement only appeared once in the On Location with no further advertising that I saw. As it turns the entry that was the most detailed and realistic was not allowed to go in the hot tub since he broke the rules by painting his boat. This resulted in his boat finishing 3rd. The two other boats successfully floated and carried the requisite 12 pack of soft drinks. The winner received a bottle of Champagne and bragging rights for the rest of the day.

 

Boat-Contest.gif

 

As we are closing in on the end of our first segment, they had a redemption opportunity for the Grand Dollars. The prices ranged from $25 to $5000. Two people managed to accumulate 5000 Grand Dollars – but they must have pooled their dollars from several people because it would be difficult for one person to get even 1000 dollars by themselves based on what I observed.

 

The Superbowl will be shown live tomorrow morning at 10 AM in the Queens Lounge and rebroadcast at 5PM, also in the Queens Lounge. We have heard that they will cut out all the breaks for the rebroadcast as the commercials seen in the USA are not available with the ships satellite feed. A copy of the flyer with the Superbowl beverage specials is available on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com along with more pictures, menus and more!

 

There was a special show at 7:30 pm “Call My Bluff” with Event Manager Mark, Cruise Director Gene and Piano player Ash Carruthers. They would display words no one ever heard of, and in some cases, probably don’t exist and then invent definitions. The audience would then try and decide which person was telling the truth. This is the second time they have done this on this cruise and the audience is yet to win a round.

 

We were joined for dinner by Lee Bayless, the clean comedian who performed a few nights back. He lives in Choctaw, Oklahoma near Oklahoma City. We used to live in Tulsa so we enjoyed sharing stories about Oklahoma living. He opened for Don Rickles in Las Vegas when just starting out and also appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. We enjoyed listening to his insight about comedy and his experiences performing on various cruise ship lines.

 

Jamie Allen, the iMagician provided the entertainment tonight. He combined old fashioned sleight of hand with modern technology to create some amazing magic. For example, he would display an Ipad showing a moving ball on the screen but with a snap of his fingers, the ball would magically appear in his hand after disappearing from the screen. He ended the show with an amazing sleight of hand performance that made entire decks of cards appear and disappear while wearing a short sleeve shirt.

 

 

Magician-with-guest.gif

 

More at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

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The-Inside-Cabin Great Review Rare

The-Inside-Cabin

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Enjoy your day! Sounds like a great itinerary, although I would swap out the yarn shop for a quilt shop. But no shopping for me, a massive snow storm is descending.

 

 

Stay Warm! Still waiting to get off the ship. They are calling us by number. We are in group 16. They called number 5 15 minutes ago

 

 

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1of4 Excellent Advice! Rare

1of4

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Stay Warm! Still waiting to get off the ship. They are calling us by number. We are in group 16. They called number 5 15 minutes ago

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Why calling numbers if there are no tenders? I am always anxious to get going!! Wishing for a speedy exit!

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Why calling numbers if there are no tenders? I am always anxious to get going!! Wishing for a speedy exit!

 

 

We all have to go thru immigration 100pct. So it feels like a disembarkation minus the bags.

 

The tours are all going first. Hope it speeds up soon. They called numbers 5 and 6 at 7:55 am local. We are number 16, but we asked to be on wave 2 at 9am. So no complaints so far.

 

 

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jig

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On cruises I've been on going into Australia on both princess and HAL they flew out the Immagration people so that it was all clear when we arrived. Same in the other direction. Princess flew them to Mauritius for 8 sea days to Perth. We had immigration from Madagascar onboard in South Africa. Philippines in Indonesia and hk health and immigration in the Philippines. Sailing into Hong Kong from viet nam last year we were surprised that the didn't this time. We were told viet nam was not allowing Chinese officials into their country.

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On cruises I've been on going into Australia on both princess and HAL they flew out the Immagration people so that it was all clear when we arrived. Same in the other direction. Princess flew them to Mauritius for 8 sea days to Perth. We had immigration from Madagascar onboard in South Africa. Philippines in Indonesia and hk health and immigration in the Philippines. Sailing into Hong Kong from viet nam last year we were surprised that the didn't this time. We were told viet nam was not allowing Chinese officials into their country.

 

 

Not sure why that didn't happen here. Up to number 10 now.

 

 

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