Hitch a Ride with Bill & Mary Ann on Holland America's 2018 World Cruise - 113 days +

[Coco39]

Given your comments about the ship, I wonder if HAL will refurbish it and then sell it to another cruise line. It does sound like lots of repairs need to be done.

[WCB]

Report # 56 Day atSea February 25, 2018 Sunday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees

 

We didn’t think it could get hotter, but walking outsidefrom the air-conditioned interior of the ship, proved us wrong. Perhaps there was more of a following windwith the addition of some clouds, it sure felt hotter and more humid. Two miles around the promenade left ussoaked. On the horizon, no matter whereyou looked, heavy clouds were dumping rain. It was inevitable that we would run into some also.

 

We went to breakfast, like usual, but we did forget it wasSunday Brunch Day. The seat covers werestill on the dining room chairs, left on from last night’s gala dinner, makingthis brunch special. Since most of the brunchofferings were fish-based today, we decided not to attend. The problem we see with this specially-servedmeal, is that there are no choices. Youeither eat what they serve, or you do not. There are no alternates.

 

So it would be another day at the pool for us. In theshort time we changed, and returned to deck eight, it was raining heavilyoutside. So typical of this part of theworld. Every one of the sunbathers ran forcover, but two people remained, covering their heads with towels. In about ten minutes, the shower passed over,and the sun came back out. Within thehour, the entire deck that had been flooded, was dry. The good thing was that it cooled down theair, and it was actually pleasantly warm the rest of the afternoon. At least we had a constant breeze at the backrailing.

 

Captain Jonathon came on the speakers for his PM talk. As we near the country of Indonesia, and the islandof Bali, many of the crew members will be re-uniting with family and friends. Afew of our waiters told us that they can smell the spices in the air. TheCaptain said there will be a large number of relatives and kids of the crewvisiting for the next two days. Somewhere in the numbers of 500. Should be fun seeing that many kids runningaround the ship. We heard that thedining rooms will be used to serve lunch to the visitors for the next twodays.

 

As for the passengers, the Captain said he was going to lookinto his crystal ball for the weather report. The prediction is for a very hot visit with a50% chance of rain. As for us, we didhave a 9 hour tour planned, but are re-considering due to back problems. We should have remembered that the buses aresmall, and the seats are made for Indonesian-size people. Not necessarily good for those of us withlong legs. Anyway, we did ask to see ifanyone was looking for tickets, since this was a tour we booked through ourtravel group. So far, there are notakers. We are certain that we have beenon this particular excursion in the past, so we won’t miss anything new. And besides, it was one of our complimentaryexcursions for booking with our travel agency.

 

While we were reading at the pool, Henk M, the hoteldirector, stopped by for a private chat, as he often does on these long voyages. We discussed the changes that have been madeover the last year, and how they have been mostly resolved. Henk asked for more opinions that he canaddress, although we only had a few questions for him. Some of the conversation had to do with theupcoming dry-docking after this cruise is over. He filled us in on the planned work to be done. Besides the things we have already mentioned,Henk said the aft pool will be made more accessible with handrails and possiblystairs going in and out of the tiled pool area. The decking will be replaced as well, the best news we have heard sofar. No more burning our feet off. Before he left us, he promised us that he will be joining our table oneevening before the cruise ends, as he always does.

 

This afternoon we received a message written by the Captainconcerning our continuing voyage through Indonesia to the Philippines. In a nutshell, he stated that this area in theCelebes and Sulu Seas have seen random attempts at boarding ship by localpirates. Not a comforting thought. However, he has reassured us that there aresafety precautions that will be in effect with everything but the razor wireadded to the lower promenade deck railings.. Warships will patrol these waters, and our security guards will berotating on a 24 hour anti-piracy watch. The four LRADS will be rigged and manned,ready to use, as well as the water hoses on deck three. The Captain’s ending sentence was: Iemphasize that these precautions are in the unlikely event of a boardingattempt, so please do not concern yourself unnecessarily. Pretty hard to do when we read thisletter. However, we have had this typeof warning on every world cruise since 2009, and they have kept us safe.

 

We had a dinner invite to the Canaletto with some of ourtravel group tonight, but since we do not care for the food in there, we wentto the dining room. Funny thing is that one of us ordered the spaghetti withBolognese sauce. Italian for sure, butmade to perfection. The other choice for dinner was a beefbourgonoin, more of a beef stew. Alsodelicious. Ending the meal with a hotfudge sundae sprinkled with slivered almonds was even better.

 

What even topped that was seeing a most beautiful sunset rightbefore going to dinner. We have alwaysremembered seeing the best sunsets ever in this area. Hopefully there will be more to follow.

 

Entertainers in the Queen’s lounge were Llia & Olesja, aspectacular duo acrobatique. It’s hardenough doing this on solid ground, but with a moving ship, they did a fine job.

 

Finally, we put the provided notice in our mail slot relievingour guys of their duties for two days. As long as we have dry towels, we will be fine. Not all of the crew members are from the islandof Bali, and some will not have visiting family. So it is not like we are totally beingabandoned.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is good to hear that the ship is prepared in case a stray pirate should appear.

We would do the same -- sign the card and relieve the crew of duties for a couple of days so that they can be with their families.

[WCB]

Report # 57 Benoa,Indonesia February 26, 2018 Monday 55% Chance of rain & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 80 Pictures

 

We have entered into a new country after leavingAustralia. It is Indonesia, anarchipelago with over 17,500 islands. Itis the world’s largest archipelago with these islands spread over an area of73,516 square miles. The population in2012 was 240,272,000 of Bahasa Indonesian-speaking people. The capital is Jakarta, on the island ofJava. There is a staggering variety ofpeople and cultures ranging from the Muslims of Java, the Hindus of Bali, andthe animist tribes of Papua. Temples,beaches, lush jungles, and animals unique to nowhere else in the world can befound in Indonesia.

 

The best time to visit is from May to September, when theskies are drier. However, after watchingairplanes flying over the ship just about every 5 minutes on the average, wewould say this might be a peak season for tourism. There is so much to see such as the stupas atBorodudur, shadow puppet shows, batik-dyeing, and ancient arts. The never-ending rice paddies and tieredtemples can be touristy, but they are sublime.

 

It is an area with steaming volcanoes and disturbingearthquakes……the ring of fire to be exact. Talking to some of our head waiters, they have told us that the volcanoactivity is a way of life for many families. They evacuate, wait it out, then return until the next warning. Theone thing we’d like to see someday are the orangutans at the Tanjung Putting NationalPark in Borneo. WE have already walkedwith the Komodo dragons twice, also another thrilling experience.

 

The specialties of the house, so to speak, are nasi goring orfried rice with many interpretations. Spicyrending is one dish we had at lunch a few days ago. It was basically beef cooked slowly withroasted coconut and lemongrass. Didyou know that they produce a very special coffee here? It is called civet coffee, and is made frombeans retrieved from the droppings of civet cats. Sounds rather unpleasant, butit is quite expensive.

 

There were 12 tours sold here, some were repeated both days,as we are here overnight. They cost $95to $225 for a duration of 3 hours to 9 hours. Actually, we had a free excursionhere today, but the more we considered the amount of riding in a tight bus, andthe three stops we would make, we decided against it. We have gone on most every excursion here, sostaying behind on the ship was a better option for us.

 

Our friends, Bill and Leta, went on the Munduk highlands andSangeh monkey forest tour today. It wasa freebie for them , since they booked a veranda room. This is the exact tour we took three yearsago. Back then it also included a lunchbuffet stop and a visit to Tanah Lot on the ocean.

 

The monkeys are really macaques, and can be verynaughty. They are highway robbers,taking every opportunity to steal anything on you that is not tied down. Sunglasses in particular catch theirattention. We saw this happen on that tour,and the guide could not get their prescription glasses back. We were all warned prior to this stop, butpeople don’t listen. It’s mostly the bigdominant males that do the stealing. Andif you chase them down, they will expose those huge canine teeth, and threatenyou. Not so cute when they do that.

 

Many of the sites are located higher in the mountains. Among those are the temples at Mt. Agung(elevation – 10,309 feet), the most recent volcano to go off. We wondered last December if we would evenstop here, but obviously, the volcano went silent. At least for a while. More recent eruptions have made the news, butwe were told that it was in the Sumatra area, very far from here.

 

Other significant mountains are located in the center of theisland. They are Mt. Batur (5676 feet),Mt. Batukara (7468 feet), Mt. Sangiyang (6637 feet), Mt. Sengayang (6867 feet),and Mt. Catur (6884 feet). They are mostrevered and have many temples dedicated to them.

 

Villages of Ubud and Mas offer unique paintings and woodcarvings. If memory serves us right, themost elite of hotels are located in this area. Several folks we know booked an overnight stay here, using theiramenities and dining out for two days. Judging from the amount of planes landing today, there has to bethousands of rooms available to house this many tourists. Nice to know since ithelps their economy.

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the harbor of Benoa around 8am. Many years ago, we tendered to shore at adifferent bay. That took us to avillage, where we could roam around and do some shopping. We liked it better, because here, there arevendors outside the gate, but no easy access to anything else. There was no free shuttle, because this docklocation was remote, too far from any site. Taxis had to be used, and negotiated wisely. Not always easy in this part of the world. One good thing was that many of our crewmembers recommended their brothers and cousins to drive many guests around theisland. And they kept the fees more thanreasonable.

 

The ship was finally cleared by officials before 9am, andthe tour groups were off and running. Going out on the promenade deck, we could hear the unmistakable music ofthe gamelan band with the gongs and percussion instruments. Indonesian dancers greeted the guests as theyran for their coaches. Secretly we werehappy knowing that we would be spending a quiet day, relaxing at the aft poolfor a few hours.

 

During breakfast, we watched as the waiters prepared thetables by removing all of the table ware, glasses, and utensils. The plan was to invite the Indonesian guestsof the crew, and give them a boxed lunch with beverages here. Much nicer than the outside tents that wereused in the past. At least the familiescould dine in the comfort of air-conditioning.

 

All afternoon, we were happy to watch the groups of 10 beingescorted on a ship’s tour. We expectedthe little kids to be in the swimming pools, but they were not. Since many folks were on tours, we had thepool to ourselves until around 2pm. Ofcourse, it must have been at least one million degrees outside, putting oursunscreen to a good test. By the way, it worked. No burns. And spending most of the time in the pool was good therapy for sorebacks.

 

Susie had a visitor from the past, a waiter she and Woodyhad back in the 1990’s. He lives inLombok, the nearest island to Bali, and came over by ferry with hisfamily. We did meet him, and welcomedhim onboard. We don’t think he stillworks for HAL, but has started businesses in the meantime. It was most obvious how much he respectedSusie and Woody. They spent the day on atour with him, wearing them out to the bone we heard later on. All in all, we could see that it was aspecial day for all. Even more fun, wasseeing so many of the visitors wearing the Panama straw hats and the colorfulbowler hats from recent gala evenings. Somehow, we knew that would happen.

 

We visited with Barb, who also stayed onboard. She was busy helping Don McD hand outchocolate candy he bought while in Australia to the little ones as they enteredthe ship. He loves doing this, as wellas other special things for the crew members. Many folks we know handed outtheir pillow candies they have saved since day one.

 

Although a breeze popped up outside, the sun wasunrelenting. Time to cool off in orroom, and make a run for Dive In burgers. They really are the best hamburgers, besides the ones in the PinnacleGrill for lunch. The best part of this meal is that you do not eat too much,like you are tempted to do in the Lido. Too many choices.

 

We worked on photos until it was time for the sun to go down. That was around 6:30ish. And what a nice one it was. While we waited for the colors to deepen, wemarveled at the continuous stream of jets coming into their InternationalAirport close by. There was a laser beamlight guiding their way to the runway. Darknessdescended rather quickly, and so did we…..descended down to get ready fordinner.

 

There were seven of us present, all having done something differenttoday. Brenda was done-in, since shespent one of those long days on a 9 hour tour. So she was the one missing. Asalways, it was fun sharing our stories. All during dinner, we had the perfect seats to watch the continuouslightning show in the skies over the mountains. Also nice was the fact that dinner was completed before 9:30pm, and intime for the local entertainment. Agroup of Balinese dancers , dressed in the most gorgeous costumes in vibrantcolors. Always a pleasure to watch thegraceful moves of the talented dancers.

 

Tomorrow should be a repeat of today, with more officialsand family members touring the ship.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report.

I was surprised that they made box lunches for everyone visiting the ship.

Nice to have a relaxing day.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your reports.

Keith

[WCB]

Report #58 Benoa,Bali Indonesia February 27, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 84 degrees Part #1 Of 2 80 Pictures

 

Today was much the same as yesterday in that more familieswould be coming onboard to spend time with their crew member. However, the numbers were much smallertoday. It did not appear that a hugesandwich bag lunch was going to be set up in the dining room. The regular lunch service for the guests waslimited to the Lido, as that occurs sometimes while we are in port. Perhaps the lunch was served to this group ofvisitors, we hope.

 

Mid-morning, we went over to the vendors beyond thefencing. Nothing much had changedhere. All of the souvenirs were much thesame, and the vendors were every bit as aggressive as we remembered. Saying no does not mean no to them. If these folks would just let us all lookfirst without any pressure, we would have bought things. Of course we already own most everything theyare selling here. The wood carvings wereinteresting, but do we really need a third Komodo dragon that weighs 10pounds? We did see one large,mean-looking lion, but knowing that these wooden carvings tend to crack in thedry California heat, we changed our minds.

 

On the opposite side of the bus parking lot, we found a newArt Market, where it appeared the vendors were more laid back. At least the stalls here were not crowdedtogether as much, and there was a lot of space in front of the row of shops. The clothing items were much nicer here, andif you did a little bit of bargaining, you could come out with some gooddeals. We did negotiate for one silkytop, and the vendor was happy to take Australian dollars. Naturally, she wanted to sell us many moreitems at a reduced rate, but we declined.

 

A White Gala Night is coming up soon, so many ladies werelooking for something white to wear, having forgot to bring somethingsuitable. Many of them were trying onlacey tops and shawls with matching balloon pants. Some of them looked great, but we can see ifmany of the gals showed up in the same clothes, it could be awkward. It was so warm, that we were literallymelting. Time to leave and go back.

 

Looking forward to a dip in the pool, we changed afterfinishing emailing. While on our wayinto the terminal this morning, we ran into Eddie’s family, all of whom weredoing things on their phones or tablets. They said that the speed was excellent. So good that they were doing Facebook, which is normally slow asmolasses. Wish we had known this beforewe downloaded more anti-virus stuff.

 

So off to the pool we went, only to find the water had to beover 100 degrees. We did go in, but only for a minute or two. One of us had a theory why it was sohot. Has something to do with coolingequipment down with water, such as a heat exchanger. Just guessing, as this pool was much more refreshingyesterday. We still lasted back there,basically alone, until 12:25pm. You may ask why that time. Well it had something to do with a phenomenonconcerning the lack of a shadow at exactly 12:30pm. The guest lecturer had included this in histalk recently, and reminded the folks in the Lido before coming outside. Now the funniest thing occurred right before12:30pm. A huge dark cloud covered thesun, long enough to block any chance of seeing any shadows anywhere. Too bad, as we did want to see if this wastrue. Maybe another time. By the way, the cloud drifted away within 10minutes.

 

There would be even more entertainment we did notexpect. Directly behind our ship, wasone of the party pirate ships. A groupof what appeared to be soldiers with rifles were gathering on the dock near theship. Three more sinister-looking guyswere milling about. Then suddenly aftera bus of guests arrived, they broke into a “skit”, with a pirate take-over ofsorts. They rolled on the ground whilethe fellows with the rifles took them hostage, putting them in a waiting policevan. Considering the state of the worldin regards to these things happening for real, we are not sure this is anecessary part of the “show”. We have tosay it did amuse the lunch guests that kept appearing at the vessel. While we watched, this act occurred threemore times before their lunch was over.

 

Shortly after noon, another ship appeared on thehorizon. It was the Regatta belonging toOceania Cruises. This vessel is 30,277 gross tons, a small ship, and was transferredto Oceania in 2003. A 824 passengership, she was the former RTwo (Renaissance). Described as informal, thispremium ship is for mature age cruisers. We had heard she was coming into the port,but wondered where they would dock. Turns out they did not dock, but anchored out beyondthe bay. Tender service began, and theirguests were being dropped off near the end of the dock on a floating pontoon. If we heard correctly, the Regatta will be inthis port for three days, and will probably take our slip once we leave. Also heard that they may be on a 180 dayworld cruise.

 

Feeling that we were “cooked” by 2pm, we left to haveanother room lunch with Dive In burgers. This time we added the fries, but decided they still are not or favoritestyle of fries. Double-dipped meansdouble the oil. So next time we will dowithout the extra calories.

 

Spending a little time at the Ocean Bar, we found that thePrinceton tailors have arrived. They setup their desk in the area we usually sit. And although they were scheduled to open for business from 7 to 10pm,they already had customers lined up. Thesales manager was busy measuring the fellows for the custom-tailored clothing. Princeton has been coming to the HAL shipsfor 17 years, and do a wonderful job. Yes,they are pricey, but we have not been disappointed with the quality of thefabrics or the professional sewing. Onprevious cruises, they have graciously done some minor alterations on some ofthe clothing we purchased from them with no charge at all.

 

Going out before sunset, we ran into Eddie and Calista, theflorists, who live off of the Crow’s Nest on deck nine. Often, they come out here to watch the sunset,like we do. Otherwise, they are on deckA, working without windows or fresh air. We asked when they can come to our table for dinner, and they told ussoon, as they requested to host our table. March 1st will be the next gala evening, so we look forwardto their visit. We thought it was nicewhen they asked if Barb was also there as usual, as she has known them from dayone.

 

We stayed on deck nine until darkness fell, and the pirateboat drifted on by the ship. All lit upwith music blasting, we waved to them as they partied hardy all the way back totheir slip. It must have been thenightly dinner cruise.

 

Dinner had some unusual items once again. The most exotic had to be the crocodile entrée. Sorry, it is not for us, although we did tastea tiny piece of it at a deck BBQ two years ago. Tasted like chicken with a fishy flavor. One lady commented in the elevator today that they might as well serveus snake, and get it over with. Nope….wedon’t do snake either. Our entrees wereleg of lamb with the most savory reduced gravy. So much better than crocodile for sure. One of us ordered the Indonesian fried banana with a different type oftapioca used in Indonesian cooking. Thetapioca was the size of green peas, but tasted somewhat like tiny balls of softgummy bears. The banana was tempuracoated, and was delicious. Slam, our waiter, even brought a bit of chocolatesauce to top it off. Nice to trysomething new for a change.

 

The Amsterdam had left the port silently around 8:15pm. We watched as the lights of the harbor and islandfaded as we headed north.

 

Got a few days at sea now as we head for the Philippines. Bet many passengers will be sleeping in lateto recover from two such busy and hot days in Bali. By the way, one couple we know deserves anaward for enduring the longest tour yet. Try 14 hours yesterday. They didnot get home until after 11pm, saying they will never do that again…ever. Really fun tour, but getting car sick on thewinding road back to the port was not the best way to end an excursion.

 

We have to add another informative communication from Henk Mconcerning fair treatment for all of the crew members. As we are approaching another area of theworld where a number of our crew come from, many of us passengers had asked ifthey would get equal time off to share visits with their families and friends. In a long note, Henk said absolutely it hadbeen arranged “in house” that within their ranks, crew members are able toexchange favors with each other, gaining them a lighter workload for a few days. It is not feasible to have “a day off”, but thecrew members understand that when they sign on for their contract. As it works for them, we are glad to see theyare equally as happy as well. Henk endedhis message with – “and so it goes”, inhis humorous way.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[erewhon]

Thank you for your reports.

Good that HAL continues to look after the families of the crew .

We thought that the children looked really cute dressed in their Sunday best when they visited on board ship in Bali. ( when we were on board Volendam and Maasdam).

[Krazy Kruizers]

You were wise to spend another day on the ship relaxing especially since you have been there before.

It is nice that HAL does take care of its crew.

[WCB]

Report # 59 Day atSea February 28, 2018 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 81 degrees

 

Well, today ends the month of February. It was an interesting day for sure. After breakfast, we went down to thepromenade deck for the first walk of the day. At 9:30am, there was a planned anti-piracy drill, and even though wewere encouraged to take part in the drill, it was not mandatory. Guest services would be limited with someoperational adjustments. Nothing newhere, as we were complying with the International Regulations of Safety of Lifeat Sea.

 

To backtrack a bit, we have to answer a recent questionregarding these procedures. That is,have these drills taken place in this area of the world before? We thought hard about that, and we can sayno, not that we recall. Apparently therehas been a different type of piracy recently in these waters, not exactly likethe type in Somalia or Yemen. As westated, the security measures are the same as what happens when we arrive toIndia, only there was no mention of the razor wire.

 

So this morning the first thing we saw were some flying fish– the first ones in weeks. Shortlyafter, we saw something in the water, and realized we were seeing dolphins. Silently, they slowly surfaced and dove onthe top of the waves. Love seeing this. When the bell rang for the drill, wewere all asked politely to leave the lower promenade deck. Those with cameras in hand were asked to stepinside first, we think. The crew memberswere manning the water hoses and beginning to turn them on. From past drills, we found that the waterpressure created a nice stream of mist. Whatever else was utilized here, we never saw. Except while standing at the railing, wecould hear the Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADS) sounding off. Wherever they were aimed, we are sure thesound was effective. Close up to them,they created a harmless buzz.

 

Back inside the ship, we headed down the stairs to ourroom. We found all of the room stewardsstanding in the hallway, having put the special yellow vacant signs in each andevery door. Although they warned us tostay away from the window, they said nothing when we went inside the room. In a real drill, we would have been requiredto stay in the hallways, sitting down on the floor. That way if the Captain had to turn the shipsuddenly, no one would fall over. Now wethink there was much more participation with the guests than we were warnedabout. Glad this was only a drill, andnot the real thing. Highly unlikely, butwe never say never will this happen to such a large cruise ship.

 

Another question we would like to address is about theconstant work keeping this vessel “ship-shape”. We have come to realize that the older a ship becomes, the moremaintenance is required. This ship waschristened in 2000, so it is going on 19 years old. A teenager for people, but probablymiddle-aged for a ship. Things we do notsee could be rusting water pipes, or out-of-date plumbing. Air-conditioning can be problematic, as canbe normal wear-and-tear of public areas. Covering up rust outside is ongoing constantly. There never is the feeling that the ship hasbeen readied for a grand voyage, as we have seen work being done every year.

 

The most dramatic changes can happen during dry or wetdocking. New carpeting and updated upholsteryis instantly appreciated. The worstscenario is when the ship goes into a dry docking, and the work has not beencompleted on time. We believe we coveredthat years ago, when we took the South America Grand Voyage on thePrinsendam. Major work continued forhalf of that cruise, and the passengers were sure grumpy about that. The company did make up for the inconveniencewith shipboard credit towards all future bookings we had with them.

 

So the bottom line is that if you can live with the littlepainting, or the small maintenance jobs, then this type of long cruise willwork for most.

 

We missed Barbara H’s talk on Puerto Princesa, but hope tocatch it later on TV. We were there onlyonce, but remembered a very walkable town that was low-key andcountry-like. But we’ll deal with thosedetails in tomorrow’s report.

 

The weather was wonderful today, much more comfortable thanthe last two days in steamy Bali. Abreeze kept the aft deck doable. Susiejoined us for long enough to figure out some computer and photo problems, andleft before she was toasted. Unless youdo the tanning gradually, you could be in for some discomfort. By the way, the pool had cooled downsomewhat, and swimming was refreshing today. Asking Shiv about the temperature, he indicated that the heater had beenturned off, but the heat in the water remained. We think someone forgot about the heater, and left it running way toolong. But what do we know?

 

Lunch for us was in the Lido, where we found the sandwichbar was looking much better. The binswere full of makings, and they had a tub filled with sliced pickles. Even the small details can make ushappy. Slices of pizza can be picked uphere, and occasionally we do that. It isOK, but nowhere near as good as on the Eurodam. They had a dedicated pizza station, using different recipes, and abetter pizza oven. Obviously, we are notstarving, but we prefer the large variety of sandwiches here.

 

We met Barb for drinks at the Ocean Bar. She was going to another Pinnacle Dinner withher travel group, so would be missing at our table. Also gone were Bonnie and Paul, who havedecided to take Wednesdays off, and dine with other people, or bythemselves. So with three seats empty,our two single fellows had invited the guest speaker, Dr. Alan Wright and hiswife to our table. We are really not bigon inviting unknown guests to the table, since it can change the dynamics. We had been expecting to get to know ourthree new tablemates better, but that was not going to happen with a guestspeaker. Most times, even tonight, thespeaker takes the floor because he had a trapped audience. At a slight disadvantage, we have notattended his lectures, and did not have the opportunity to catch it on TV asthe talks are not repeated. So it was anight of listening more than anything else. Oh well, it gave us a better chance to enjoy the delicious prime ribthey served once again.

 

At the end of dessert time, Slam brought us two large platesof the tropical fruit that was offered in the Lido today. It included passionfruit, rambutan, jackfruit,papaya, and three other unrecognizable Indonesian fruits we have seen, butnever tasted. Slam showed us how to peeland cut some of the fruit, and avoid the seeds. As a kid, he grew up with this fruit, but said one of their favoriteswas durian. That was not servedtoday. Nor is it allowed onboard. But wewere told that one of the crew did bring some cut and wrapped withcellophane. Left in his cabin, his roommatereported that it stunk up the room terribly, and had to be aired out somehow. Today while walking outside, we got whiffs ofthat undeniably bad smell coming up from the lower decks.

 

Anyway, the show tonight was a performance by Toni Warne, asinger from the UK. She has been on thisship for a few world cruises, and is popular with the regulars.

 

We took our nightly walk and can report we saw no pirates. Only a few fishing boats in the distance, andconstant bits and pieces of discarded garbage floating by. Not sure where it is coming from, but it wassuggested that freighters and container ships may be the culprits. Who knows?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great reading.

Glad that the crew had their "pirate" drill so that should something happen, they will know what they are suppose to do and all their equipment is in working condition.

Did you have snake fruit?

[WCB]

Report # 60 Day atSea March 1, 2018 Thursday Partly cloudy & 81 degrees

 

Another day at sea, but a far different one. The skies were dark with clouds, but it wasstill warm and humid. Yesterday at noon,we were located about 6 degrees south of the Equator. Today, Captain Jonathon mentioned that wewere 1 degree south, and would cross the “line” at 9pm this evening. You would expect the temperature to beunbearable, but with the cloud cover, and eventual rain showers, we stayedrelatively comfortable at the Seaview pool.

 

We received a notice and declaration papers for a mandatorybody temperature check for the Philippines. This will take place on Friday between 10 and 12 am in the Explorer’sLounge. If we remember correctly, wewill do this again before we reach Hong Kong. We have always passed these tests, but we wonder what would happen if wehad a fever? Probably get denied todebark the ship, is our guess.

 

During his PM talk, the Captain described the type of shipswe were seeing in these waters. Most ofthem were large bulk carriers, suitable for transporting grains and coal fromnorthern Australia to Indonesia. Heexplained that once the ships unloaded their cargo, the ballasts were filledwith water to keep them sailing smoothly. Probably not exactly nautically correct, but the idea makes sense. And since there is a lot of shipping trafficthrough these straits, it has become a hotspot for piracy. Besides a few scattered fishing boats, thingshave remained calm. As for the 24 hourwatch, we have not seen evidence of that, at least not on the lower promenadedeck. Possibly the security team is onthe navigation deck.

 

After we got rained out at the pool, we went to a somewhatlate lunch in the Lido. The sandwich barwas fully stocked with fresh makings, and when asked for a ciabatta roll, thechef went and found a fresh loaf. Notonly that, the three types of pizza were arranged nicely and labeledproperly. The few comments we made acouple of days ago to the hotel director, Henk, obviously worked well.

 

We did get outside a few times during the day, and had theluck of seeing dolphins in the wake. They were so quick, you had to be looking really hard. We had been hoping for another great sunset,but with the rain and clouds, it was not to be. Seeing dolphins was a good substitute.

 

This evening was a gala one with the theme “WhiteDinner”. A little corny, but thedescription said all-white clothing symbolized purity and elegance. That might be stretching it….. although manyfolks looked great in their white dress clothes, although some chose just theopposite. Black, everything black. One comment we heard from several friends(mostly the ladies) is that they do not look good dressed in white, as theysaid it washed them out. And there isthe “Murphy’s Law” factor…..if you wear light colors, you will be a magnet foraccidental spills. Just about Barbie,she will agree.

 

We had company this evening. The florists onboard, Eddie and Calista, a very talented young Dutchcouple, joined the seven of us. Brendahad a date with the Captain, so she was absent. Actually it was the Captain’s dinner she attended. She missed a fun evening while both Eddie andCalista shared much of their work details with us. We have known them since 2008, and havewatched the progression of their talent as the years went by. Not only florists, but artists with theirover-the-top designs. We remarked aboutthe newly added pillars of white sticks being used in the Explorer’s Loungefloral piece. Single stem flowers nowoccupy little glass vials of water, which are attached to the sticks. This type of floral design showed up on theEurodam last fall. Eddie said they werethe ones to develop this concept, and HAL liked it so much, it is now the basicflower arrangement on all of their ships in the fleet. Pretty well-earned bragging rights, we think.

 

Our dinner lasted beyond 10pm, and we even had more companywhen friend Susie joined us. We all hada good chuckle when at 9pm, we paused and swore we felt the “bump” when we wentover the Equator.

 

Back in our room, there were two gifts waiting…..they weresecrid aluminium RFID-NFC card protectors. Not sure what any of that description refers to? OK, they are pocket-sized cases with metalfor protecting credit cards, we think. It has been a long time since we got gifts, that we almost forgot aboutgetting them. Now we just have to findout how they work.

 

Hope the weather improves tomorrow, as we sail north towardsthe Philippines.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hope you pass your "body" temperature tests tomorrow.

Curious as to know if those pocket size cases are for credit cards.

[WCB]

Report # 61 Day atSea March 2, 2018 Friday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Funny thing….we got the directions for how to use the creditcard holders we were gifted last night. Not that they were that complicated, but the directions described how itworked and how many cards it would hold. One of our buddies slipped her room key card in it, and got itstuck. Someone had to help her get itout of the slot using tweezers.

 

Wonder if anyone ever looks out the window before writingthe daily forecast? Partly cloudy turnedinto torrential rain, although it stayed warm and balmy all day.

 

At 9:30am, there was another crew drill, which involvedusing part of deck three for the drill. We had walked a couple of laps, but then were stopped by the securityguards, who kept the foot traffic out of the forward area. As the drills only last a short time, all ofthe dedicated walkers go the opposite direction.

 

Something we noticed with the security guards was the factthey were wearing safety vests. Like inbullet proof vests. We learned later on during the Captain’s talk that the shipwould be sailing through a choke point in the current straits. Evidence of that was seeing numerouscontainers, freighters, and bulk carriers coming and going. And very close to us. We sure don’t remember having to take theseprecautions here, but things have changed globally with more incidencesoccurring with ship take-overs.

 

We also received green shore passes that we will have tocarry with us tomorrow in port. Theseare in lieu of packing our passports. Wewill use these in Manila, and before we leave the city the following day, wewill deposit them at the gangway.

 

Between 10am and noon, we were invited to mandatorytemperature check in the Explorer’s Lounge. So right after breakfast, we headed that way even though we were 15minutes early. The line was alreadymoving, because the officials opened up well before 10am. Our room key cards were scanned, then wesimply walked to the collector of our declarations saying we weresickness-free. A camera was set up whichproved to be a double duty temperature taker. If one of us had a fever, an alarm would have gone off. As no alarmsounded, we considered ourselves fever-free. Painless.

Right before noon, an announcement was made that 130 peoplestill needed to go to the check.

 

The sun was not out, but it was bright outside. So we headed to the pool, and did get torelax for an hour or so. The highlightof the morning was seeing some sperm whales, or that was what we were told bythe officer of the watch when he announced their presence. Expecting to see a very large whale, we onlysaw what appeared to be over-sized dolphins. Guess we have never seen sperm whales before, although the blows wereunmistakable. Barely breaking thesurface, they appeared to resemble floating logs.

 

We all got settled back on the lounges, when the skiesturned black as ever, and when the first raindrops fell, we picked upeverything and took shelter. It camedown quick and heavy, followed by thunder right overhead. We joined Barb who had gotten the table inthe Lido by the sliding doors. Sheteased people coming in from the downpour that we should charged one dollar toget inside. She does have a wicked senseof humor.

 

The usual activities continued, probably fuller with gueststoday since the weather had turned so wet. We had a better activity – meet Bab, Susie and Woody for lunch in thedining room. All three of us ordered thesouthern fried chicken, which was a thinly-pounded chicken breast dipped in thebest breading. Mashed potatoes andsteamed veggies came on the side. Niceto have something other than a sandwich for a change. All of us commented to Philip, the manager,that we were pleased that the food was super-hot. He went on to explain that the plates arekept hot in a warmer, then the hot food is added right before serving. Sure makes a difference.

 

Having almost run out of our first internet package, weworked on sending the last of the emails we had. For some reason, we had trouble sending anything. For most of this trip, the internet has beenworking OK. Yes, not really fast, butacceptable. We started a new 1000 minute plan, and the emails still would notmove. Maybe later, it will be better.

 

On our way to the Ocean Bar for listening to the music, westopped by the library and had a chat with Courtney. She said the internet was being sluggish, notworking too well today. Others around ussaid the same thing. Checking our account,she offered to refund some of the minutes we lost in trying to connect. We thanked her, and did discover that laterin the day, we were able to connect to get off some important emails.

 

Tonight we were guests of Leta and Bill, longtime friends. They have a table for two, and like companysometimes. Always nice for us, becausewe could talk for hours, catching up on stuff. They shared what they did on their day in Bali and the tour theytook. It was an all-day one where theywent to see the highlands and the macaque monkeys. Leta said these monkeys were all over them,especially those who chose to feed them. They laughed when we told them the story of the tourists that lost theircell phones, when some monkeys stole them off of people’s selfie sticks. Imagine that? The guides had warned everyone about glasses, hats, or loose items, butnot losing cell phones. One place wevisited like this actually had kids that would climb the trees to retrievestolen items. Of course, if returned,you would have to reward these kids. Made us wonder if these macaques are trained?

 

We stayed talking until all of the tables around us wereempty. By then, the waiters were settingup for breakfast. None of us wereinterested in the show, which was a fellow by the name of Scott Harris. He was a comedian from Canada, just back fromentertaining the troops.

 

Taking our final walk of the evening, we found that thelower promenade deck had gone “dark”. All of the light s had been turned off, and the 24 hour watch continuedwith the security guards. One passengerwas chatting with the guards, while they scanned the surrounding waters withtheir night vision binoculars. Not agreat idea, each of the guards stayed polite, but did not encourage theconversation. They had a job to do, andit should be respected.

 

Tomorrow, we shall be in another country – the Philippines.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful retails.

Glad you passed your "temperature" and are healthy so that you can get off the ship tomorrow.

[Keith1010]

Sounds like another wonderful day.

 

Keep enjoying.

 

Keith

[WCB]

Report #62 Puerto Princesa,Philippines March 3, 2018 Saturday Isolated thunderstorms & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 84 Pictures

 

Day 58 of the world cruise has found us in yet anothercountry….the Philippines. And also pastthe halfway mark of this voyage. Sure hasgone by fast. Anyway, the country of thePhilippines consists of 7107 islands, scattered like jewels across the PacificOcean. The population is over 98,000,000people that speak mainly Filipinoa. Thecapital is Manila, a huge city of over 13 million folks.

 

Once a Spanish colony followed by an American colony, theislands have their unique character. Someare covered by jungles, volcanoes, beaches, and coral reefs. Other like Manila, boast that they have theworld’s 3rd largest mall (based on 29912 stats), complete with movietheaters, a ferris wheel, and an ice rink.

 

To avoid typhoon season, the best time to visit is Septemberthrough May. There are many things tosee such as rice terraces of a epic scale, or whale sharks on their annualmigration. Corregidor Island and a tourto learn about WWII history, or the diving sites of WWII shipwrecks will keep you busy for a time. Easier is a ride in a jeepney, the wildlydecorated stretched jeeps that serve as buses that can be found all over the islands.

 

If it is food you are looking for, try adobo, pork or chickenstewed in vinegar and soy sauce. It istheir national dish. Drink tanduay rumserved with coke and a twist of lime. It’sa Cuba-Libre Filipino-style.

 

Trademarks are San Miguel beer, cock-fighting, extremeCatholicism, coral reefs, coco-palm plantations, revolutions, and more beaches than you cancount. Another trademark are Imelda Marcos’shoes.

 

Today’s port was Puerto Princesa, on the island ofPalawan. Claimed for Spain in 1872,eventually a military government was established by America when the countrywas turned over in 1898. A penal colonywas opened, a prison without walls so to speak. It was more of a modern farm, where prisoners learned useful skills

 

Then WWII hit the Pacific, and this island became a playerin the history. Much evidence is leftthese days, depicting that history. Fastfacts show that 261,800 people live in the city, and they speak four languages,one of which is English. There are62,247 households, and the main jobs include farming, fishing, commerce, trade,and tourism. January to April are thedry season, while May to December is the rainy season. Although our forecast called for isolatedthundershowers, we never saw it. Thetopography is 24% flat to gentle, 11% moderate, and 65% rugged and verysteep. That is evident in the photos ofthe view we have of the rest of the island from the bay we are docked at.

 

The tours offered today were just a few. One was a highlight tour for $100 and for4.75 hours. That included a visit to thepenal colony, a museum, and a WWII memorial park. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral wasincluded as was a souvenir stop.

 

A boat tour to Honda Bay and surrounding islands was $155for 7 hours. That included swimming,snorkeling, a white sandy beach and a picnic lunch.

 

The longest and most unusual excursion was to SubterraneanRiver National Park for $200 and 8.5 hours. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, a 2 hour ride brought the folks to onecanoe ride, to another canoe ride that took everyone through a 2 mile stretchof an underground river with caves. Andalthough the tour description said there was a buffet lunch on the beach, itwas actually held at a nice hotel, we heard later.

 

All of these tours came with a warning that due to limitedtourism infrastructure, don’t expect too much as the tours are part of the city’scharm. The Amsterdam stopped here backin 2013, so in 5 years, we bet theexcursions have improved. The onlydifference we saw was that the multi-colored straw sombreros the locals gaveeach passenger five years ago, have been replaced with a very nice shellnecklace with a city medallion attached to the bottom. We think we got both of these gifts lasttime.

 

We recalled that most everything in this city was walkablewithout transport. This time there was ashuttle offered to a new shopping mall that opened as recent as 6 monthsago. It was a 15 minute ride, dependingon traffic, so we knew we could walk the distance almost as quickly.

 

Leaving before 10am, we soon discovered that the temperaturewas going to be in the high 80’s, but the humidity was so heavy, you could cutit with a knife. If this is the coolertime of year, we would hate to be here in the warm season. A nice informative map was handed out, and acouple of ladies at the tourist tent were most helpful. Once out of the gates, we were approached by50 or more tricycle drivers offering us rides all over the city. Some did not accept “no thanks” too well, butindicated we could not walk that far. Yes, we know, as we have been here before.

 

Our destination was not the mall, but the Central PublicMarket in the center of town. Thiscomplex has to be one of the largest of its kind that we recall. And today being a Saturday, it was crowded tothe max. Families were there buyingfresh tropical fruit, veggies, staples, and fish or meat. The covered market is built on a hillside,with each type of food separated in sections. The produce and all related spices and sauces are the first stalls yousee. Going in deeper, we found the porksection, where everything related to this animal is butchered and sold. From roasts to chops, to innards, legs, andeven heads, nothing is wasted. Hams,bacon, and sausage are abundant. None ofit was covered or refrigerated, and none of it smelled bad. Just fresh.

 

Each level above this section, had chicken, fish, but nobeef that we saw. The fish area had tobe as large as the pork. We had to becareful where we walked, since the aisles were narrow, and the concreteflooring was slotted so the water used to clean tables and cutting boardsflooded the floors. We could only hopethat when everything is sold for the day, all of the surfaces weresterilized. If nothing else, we did takenote that all of their pre-cooked dishes were stewed or boiled well. The heat was incredible in here, so we movedas quickly as we could, trying to stay out of the way of the locals. The little kids were the cutest, as they loveto connect with waving and smiling for their pictures to be taken.

 

Out in the streets, it was almost as crowded andbustling. Besides incredible traffic,the many little shops and cafes were full of Saturday shoppers. Mini-malls filled the spaces in between thesmall stores. The new indoor complex wascalled SM Mall, and very modern. It wasnot too large, but a huge addition to this compact city. The best aspect had to be theair-conditioning when we walked through the front guarded security doors. Many of our friends remarked tht we could beanywhere in the world with this mall. However, we did not take much time in here, as we really didn’t need tobuy anything. Later in the day, Susietold us she found incredible bargains in this mall, even easy access to buyingaffordable prescription drugs. All youneeded were the local pesos or a credit card.

 

We did spot a McDonalds next to a Jollibee, the most-often-seendouble for fast food restaurants here in the Philippines. Two good aspects of McD’s are the fact youcan get free internet there, and also use their restrooms, even without buyingthe food, we hear. Busload after busloadof our passengers were filling this mall, so we left. The worst part was hitting that wall of heatonce outside. Had it been closer tolunchtime, we may have stayed and tried one of the pizza places here.

 

Back-tracking was easier, because the tricycle guys weretargeting the folks coming, not going back so much. Other forms of easy transit were small pick-uptrucks with covered bench seating in the bed. Made for the size of the locals, they were not designed for tourists, asreported by our tablemates who are as tall as we are. Once they squeezed through the opening, theysat bent in half while sitting on the bench seats. No way can you sit up straight, because yourhead will hit the roof. But the ride tothe Butterfly garden was about 30 cents each.

 

On the way back, we swung uphill to the ImmaculateConception Cathedral, the sight where the first mass was conducted in1872. Long since gone, the originalchurch sat here, until this one was built in 1961. This church was built as an angular structure,not the conventional design of most Catholic churches. One of the volunteer women caretakers sort ofindicated that we needed to view the inside from the outside, so we went acrossthe back of the now empty church and took a few photos, not disturbing anyonewho might be praying.

 

Across from the church’s patio, is the Plaza Cuartel, a NationalHistorical Site. It is a restored ruinof an old prison with a gruesome story. On the evening of December 14, 1944, Japanese soldiers brutally burned150 American prisoners of war in the cells. Their remains have been buried in St. Louis County, Missouri since1952. Only 11 fellow prisoners survivedto tell the story.

 

On the way downhill, we passed by Princess Eulalia Park wherea princess statue is erected – a perennial remembrance of the city’s foundersin 1872. Back down at the pier, weentered through the commercial gate, and went through the terminal building,where passengers were attempting to go online. Asking our friend Jean, she said it was sloooooow. Not great. Makes sense because there were few people there.

 

We made it back to the ship on time for a dining room lunch,that included gallons of ice tea with lemon. No kidding. We had brought water with us, but it was notsufficient. The lunch menu is so nice inthe dining room. We had one salad, onemini Philly cheesesteak sandwich, and one big bowl of room servicechicken/spaghetti soup. It should benoodle soup, but they don’t use noodles. Gan, our happy waiter, made sure that it was full of diced chicken andplenty of spaghetti, since he is always afraid it would not be enough. Gosh, we just ate breakfast at 8am. But it would be a long stretch before dinnerat 8pm, so we did add a small dessert before leaving.

 

All aboard was at 5:30pm, so we went off again at 4:30pm tocheck out the souvenir stands on the pier. Most all of the treasures were pearls of all colors, sizes, andquality. Unless you know what you arelooking at, we felt the prices were too high. What we thought we costume jewelry, turned out to be valuable strings ofsilver or white fresh-water pearls. Bestto save our money, and buy at a qualified dealer.

 

At 5:30pm, we had been invited to a special President’s ClubMembers exclusive, fun, and festive sail away party. It was called “Beat you to the Punch” sailaway from Puerto Princesa. That makessense now, because three types of Filipino punch was offered for thisgroup. Except few took that drink andopted for their favorite wine, beer, or cocktail. The location was a cordoned-off section ofthe lower promenade deck, starboard side, aft. Eight raised cocktail tables were set up, but there was no seating forthe older folks. Hard for them to standfor one hour, we think. The number ofmembers invited was 47, including the 10 new people who will be inducted thistrip. The eight tables would have workedfor this size group. Now they made a bitof a mistake, since the invitation included bringing travel companions. What did that mean? Friends, family, boy or girl friends? Nobody knew. So the group was close to almost double it seemed, but no room for that many. Don’t get us wrong, we were glad to seesome extras, but the venue should have been in a bigger place. Nowthat we are thinking about it, we realized that 5:30pm is the start of dinnertime, and the staff probably figured not everybody would attend. They missed itthis time. With this group growing asquickly as it is, they’ll have to reassess the gatherings.

 

Canapes were nice with six varieties of blue cheese and paterounds, scallops in a spicy sauce, prosciutto wrapped shrimp, potato rounds inaioli, and caviar with lobster on spoons. That would hold us nicely until dinner. Barb and us stayed until all were gone, chatting with Christel, theguest relations manager we love.

 

Dinner found Rudi Sodamin’s favorite rosemary chicken entrée, which weboth ordered. One of our tablemates,Paul, had a birthday today, so we shared a very sweet black forest cake toppedwith mounds of whipped cream.

 

Going outside to walk off a few calories, we found the deckshad been lights out once again. Still indangerous waters we guess.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report. I am surprised that you didn't have lunch ashore -- pizza.

The sail away cocktail party sounded great but strange that there wasn't any place for people to sit -- and it was at a strange time.

[Copper10-8]

Just a heads up; the anti-piracy drill usually takes place when Amsterdam departs Sri Lanka on her way to either India and/or the Arabic ports in Dubai and Oman. A part of the Indian Ocean is designated as a HRA (High Risk Area) when it comes to piracy, the area around Somalia, Yemen and the Gulf of Aden with the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb being prominent.

 

This year, and I know I'm preaching to the choir here ;), Amsterdam is not heading that way and, instead is heading south-west to the Seychelles, French Ile d'Reunion, Mozambique and the biggie; South Africa :D

 

There has been some pirate activity in the Celebes and Sulu Seas, hence the much earlier drill as you described. It has not been done this early before

 

Lastly, Amsterdam has four LRADs, two of which are mounted forward and a remotely controlled; the other two, know as 'Hyper Spikes" are portable and are each carried by a security guard, all of which have been trained in the use and operation of the LRAD (Long Range Acoustical Device). The sailors are the ones who operate the fire hoses

[Floridiana]

Very interesting report. We went through the same seas last year at this time. If the crew had a safety pirate drill, it would have been done when we were ashore in Pare Pare on Sulawesi. We did not have a temperature check and no green card to go ashore, no passports taken ashore either. Different cruise line.

 

Our excursion director told us that a few years ago they could not dock in Sandakan (in Malaysia at the tip of Borneo) because terrorists/pirates/kidnappers had come over from islands south of Mindanao on boats. The islands form a choke point your captain was mentioning.

[WCB]

Report # 63 Day atSea March 4, 2018 Sunday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees 39 Pictures

 

After such a busy day yesterday, we figured today would be agood one to relax, and do as little as we liked. It appeared that many people were “done in” with the heat and humidity, as we saw fewerfolks at breakfast, and even less on the promenade deck at 10am. Sleeping later may have been a better optionfor some. And besides, it was SundayBrunch morning, where the special meal began at 11am and lasted until 1pm. We have heard that the guests have been mostpleased with the creative small tastings provided at this meal. As for us, if the sun is out, we will be outsideenjoying it.

 

So that’s what we did. Went to the aft pool, and one of us continued reading a book that hastaken one month to complete. Still notdone. It was warm, but breezytoday. Much more comfortable. But then, we realized that we have beenheading north, and that certainly makes a difference in the intensity of thesun. Not quite as humid today aswell. Hope it stays that way. All during the afternoon, the Amsterdamsailed in the Sulu Sea, passing in between the many islands of the Philippines. Lots more ship traffic here as well. Actually it was nice to see something other thanwater all around us for a change. You wouldthink that we would see birds, but we did not. Not even gulls. The most birds wesaw yesterday were the swallows around the pier. If we went inland, high in the mountains andjungles, that is where the most colorful of birds survive.

 

Barb joined us for a bit, as she always does. We made plans for dinner with friends Susie,Woody and Don, since most all of the people at our table were absenttonight. Only one would remain, and hewas planning on inviting strangers. Ifhis guests were the same ones that came unexpectedly last week, then we decidedto opt out. That is one plus about thesecond seating dinner. There are manyvacant tables, even at the fixed seating on deck five. We had no problem getting a table for six at8pm. The six of us all share manymemories, and are on the same page, so to speak. Perhaps we might make this a weekly habit.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Manila, but with three other largeships we understand. We received amessage from Henk that due to the large numbers of passengers and crew from allfour ships, the planned crew member family and friends visit had been revokedby local authorities. But only tomorrow,during the daytime. Their guests will beallowed to board after 7pm, when we know that two of the ships will be leavingthe port. The second full day in Manilawill host over 1000 or more local guests. We know the crew members involved were disappointed, but these thingsare out of their control. CaptainJonathon tried hard, but you cannot fight customs and immigrations. They have the final word.

 

The entertainment was a guest who has performed here before. His name is Bernie Fields and he plays theharmonica at symphonies, concert halls, and on television. His show is always a hit.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[jig]

Very interesting report. We went through the same seas last year at this time. If the crew had a safety pirate drill, it would have been done when we were ashore in Pare Pare on Sulawesi. We did not have a temperature check and no green card to go ashore, no passports taken ashore either. Different cruise line.

 

Our excursion director told us that a few years ago they could not dock in Sandakan (in Malaysia at the tip of Borneo) because terrorists/pirates/kidnappers had come over from islands south of Mindanao on boats. The islands form a choke point your captain was mentioning.

 

 

 

Was that on the last statendam? I saw that was a port stop and it’s very rare. Great little place much closer to the Monkeys and orangutans the Kota Kinabalu. Sorry you missed it. We spent 4 days there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Floridiana]

Was that on the last statendam? I saw that was a port stop and it’s very rare. Great little place much closer to the Monkeys and orangutans the Kota Kinabalu. Sorry you missed it. We spent 4 days there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Not a -dam ship, different line. We did not miss it. We saw the orangutans and the proboscis monkeys.

Lucky you that you had so much more time, a land trip I assume.

[WCB]

Report #64 Manila,Philippines March 5, 2018 Monday Partly cloudy & 95 degrees Part #1 Of 3 80 Pictures

 

Manila, our port of call for today, has a population over 13million people, all of whom own a car or scooter, according to a giggling portlecturer, Barbara H. There are sixdistricts and twelve cities in the metropolitan area. Who knew it was once part of the MalayKingdom, a Hindu empire, and a Bruneian sultanate? Eventually Spain ruled for 300 years, untilthe United States won control in 1898.

 

Despite extensive damage during WWII with the fightingbetween the American and Japanese armies, the city is now full of modern skyscrapers, and old neighborhoods. Andtraffic…unbelievable traffic. Things tosee are churches, museums, forts, cathedrals, and parks. One of the largest malls in the world existshere by the name of SM Mall of Asia. Thebest way to get there is by taxi from the pier.

 

Pork adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. A delicacy of isaw is pig or chickenintestines barbequed on a stick. Sinanglay is a tilapia fish stuffed with tomato and onion, then simmeredin coconut milk. Finally, for breakfast,they start the day with tapsilog – a beef jerky with fried garlic rice and afried egg.

 

Shore excursions offered six tours today, ranging from 3 to8 ½ hours for $100 to $240. There werefour city tours that went to the historic part of the city, and some went tothe newer modern downtown. One excursiontook in Corregidor Island, full of WWII history, and the other tour went toTagaytay, a summer retreat resort over an hour’s drive into the mountains.

 

The ship was docked in Manila Bay before 8am and cleared bythe authorities by 8:15am. We had beentold there would be a total of four ships in port, although we only sawthree. Of course, we were one, theSuperstar Virgo was the second, and the third was Costa Atlantica. If there was a fourth, it was hidden fromsight.

 

The Star Cruises Virgo is 75,338 gross tons, and was builtin 1999. She holds from 1804 to 2800passengers, mostly Asian. It isdescribed as a large ship for family friendly and casual-style cruising. The Costa Atlantica is 85,700 gross tons,built in 2000. She holds from 2112 to2680 passengers, and is an Italian ship with “volume” everywhere (loud, weguess). We read that the waiters in thedining room actually dance at their tables – a bit of show business.

 

After breakfast, we went to deck three to take a fewphotos. Good thing we did, because thewelcome committee of local xylophone players and dancers were putting on a showon the dock. The costumes were colorfuland unusual, especially for the fellows. Eventually they packed it up, and left as the tour buses loaded and left.

 

We have visited Manila on past cruises, and have takenalmost every tour. So like many otherpassengers, we opted to take the complimentary shuttle service to the RobinsonsPlace Manila shopping mall. Leaving theship at 10am, we joined the line for the shuttle for the 3o minute drive to themall. Since the traffic was not too badthis early, it only took 15 minutes. Closer to the mall, the lights took forever to change, and the cars,trucks, jeepneys, and motor scooters blocked the intersections.

 

It really was not that far from the ship, but walking thedistance would have been difficult. Thetemperature was climbing to over 90 degrees, and there was little shade on theway. Also, we were not too sure how safeit would be walking without a lot of other people around us from the ship. Halfway there, we spotted at least 50well-armed riot police, lined up and facing banks and hotels and a very busystreet. Whatever the reason, it did notleave us with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Forsure, we will not be walking back this way at all. It would be the bus for us.

 

Once at the front entrance, we went through the doors andpast the armed security guard. Noscanning xray machine, but he did have a wand. Although this mall was not the largest one in town, it was stillbig. And there was no paper map of theplace either. Our only hope to get thelayout was to find a kiosk that was computerized. There were four levels of this mall, but thedeeper we went in, the longer it got. Wefigured that part of this complex was added on to an older mall.

 

But we soon learned that we did need their currency, as theydid not all take every type of credit card. Mostly Visa and Master Card. NoAm Ex. With the help of an info gal atthe entrance, we finally located the money changer on the fourth floor. It was well worth waiting in line for 10 ormore minutes, since we had leftover Australian and New Zealand dollars. They gladly took the foreign currency, and convertedit to pesos. We ended up coming outalmost even to what we paid on the ship to buy it. Cashing some US dollars was about thesame. Little fee, and no 3% like theship charges. Now if we turned in theforeign money on the ship, we would have had to go back to the US dollar, thenbuy pesos. Thus losing on bothtransactions. If you have no otherchoice, then it is different. Use theship’s service.

 

We ran right into Barb and her dancing buddies, Freddie andMaurice, as they were searching the kiosk for directions also. Funny how manyfamiliar people we saw in this spacious mall. Eventually, as the day advanced, there were thousands of locals andtourists in here. So what are the chancesyou will see ones that you know?

 

Not really needing anything, we strolled every floorbrowsing until it was time for lunch. Inthe past, we have dined at TGI Fridays. It had moved locations since we were here last. Asking the manager, he said that the new locationopened up two years ago. Now there is amulti-level H&M Store there. Anyway,we ordered two appetizers with the local San Miguel draft beer, which wasreally tasty. The breaded and friedchicken tenders were good with the honey mustard sauce and spicy ranchdip. The chicken quesadilla was thebest. Made the way we like it. We saved a little room for dessert, which wasclassic mud pie. It was the best part oflunch today. The restaurant filled upwith customers by the time we left.

 

The shuttle bus was waiting outside, off- loading more shipguests. Our buddies, Bill and Leta, werejust getting off to go for a walk in the mall. They asked if we left them anything to buy, and we assured them webought nothing but lunch. Due to trafficnow, the ride back was twice as long. Makingit worse, someone had mistakenly gotten on the wrong bus (ours), and they weredropped off at the front of the Manila Hotel. Took us even longer to get out of the side road. Oh well, the ship was over-nighting here, sothere was no hurry to get back.

 

Of course, our room was so nice and cool, we stayed in andworked on photos. Knowing that the Lidopool area was being set up for the Filipino families coming on board, we wentto deck nine to check it out. The staffwas setting the tables with purple bowler hats for their dinner buffet. The crowd of up to 1200, we heard, wasexpected between 6 and 11pm. Tomorrowthere will be another event planned for as many people once again.

 

The sun would be setting by 6:04pm, so we ended up stayingup there until it did. It was not adisappointment, as we watched the sun go down behind an island, Just before it did, the Superstar Virgodropped their lines, and left the bay to the music of a brass band with batontwirlers dancing up a storm. Rightbefore they sailed away, their mandatory muster drill took place. Fun watching somebody else do that for achange.

 

Dinner found five of us present, as three had eatenearlier. That’s what nice about openseating. Even though we have fixedseating, we also have the option of anytime dining sometimes. And being that we are overnight here, somefolks opted for dinner out in the city. The shuttle ran until 7:30pm, but you could take a taxi back.

 

Just as we sat down, The Costa Atlantica sailed out of theharbor. Sure was a pretty sight as sheleft with all of her lights on. Thenshortly afterwards, that fourth ship appeared. Guess a Silverseas ship was docked near them, but blocked from ourview. None of us could see which one itwas, but it was nice watching them leave. Now we are wondering if any more ships will arrive tomorrow morning?

 

Instead of live entertainment, the Queen’s Lounge wasconverted to the 90th Annual Academy Awards show. It was treated like Superbowl, with the offerof a paid champagne happy hour, and butler-style service. Since the show was shown on TV this morningat 5:30am, and rerun again at 9am, we wonder how many folks will go tonight? None of us at our table chose to go, sincenone of us are real movie buffs.

 

And besides, tomorrow will be another busy, and time to getsome rest.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Keith1010]

I look forward to reading your daily posts.

 

Keith