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

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do enjoy reading your detailed reports.

[WCB]

Report # 65 Manila,Philippines March 5, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 95 degrees 83 pictures

 

Day two in Manila found that it was going to be another hotone, with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. At breakfast, we learned that 800 family andfriends of the Filipino crew would be having lunch in the dining room thisafternoon. Box lunches had been preparedfor this group to be consumed at the tables. Drink stations were set up as they entered the room. Obviously, this venue was closed for thepassengers. But then, often when we arein a busy port, the dining room is closed anyway. Our morning waiters had informed us thatthere were 600, or more, guests that came on board last night after 7pm. The Lido had been transformed into arestaurant for them, as well as the Lido Pool area. We heard it was quite a success.

 

Although the shuttle was still taking folks to the mall, weopted to stay closer to the area near the ship. During the early hours of the morning, anothership had pulled into the slip across from us. And it was a monster, as far as size goes. The name of the cruise line was Dream Cruises,and the name of this ship was World Dream. Counting the number of lifeboats usually gives an indication of how manypassengers this vessel carries. Withnine boats on one side , that made a total of 18 boats. It was well over 100Kgross tons. Our cruise ship book waspublished in 2014, and this vessel did not appear in it. Later in the day, we did spot a poster that advertisedthat this cruise company would beginsending their ships here starting in the fall of 2017. Judging from the Chinese figures on the hull,we are sure this is owned by a Chinese company.

 

Around 11am, we left the ship and headed through theterminal, then out into the streets. Once we got past the gate, we were open to the dozens of scooter andtricycle drivers, offering us tours to the old walled city , and thesurrounding historical sites. Then camethe row of little horse-drawn carts, also offering an easy drive-by of the Old Town. Beenthere, done that. We simply wanted towalk to Rizal Park, which was located a couple of blocks from the pier.

 

So after saying “no thanks” dozens of times to tricycle guysand the pony-drawn rides, we arrived to the entrance to the park. A monument and he gravesite of the country’snational hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was guarded by two soldiers. He was the revolutionary who began the movementfor freedom of the country back in the late 1800’s. Sadly, it ended tragically for him, since hewas executed here, in a section of this park. On the plus side, independence was gained shortly after his death.

 

Walking all the way to the end, we came across two matchingcolonial buildings, both museums. Recallingthat we made visits to these museums the first time we were here, it was greatthat we could be happy taking just photos of the outside today.

 

One thing we noticed was that there were no street vendorsin this park today. Perhaps they havebeen forbidden to sell their treasures here. A few things of interest were the senior section, with shade to situnder tropical trees, a large area where snacks and drinks were sold, and acorner section dedicated to pigeon houses. Besides a few scattered swifts, all we saw here were pigeons.

 

We passed by an Orchidarium, which was closed, and aJapanese garden, where one elderly fellow asked if we played chess. He would gladly engage us in a game. No, we do not play, so we thanked him andcontinued on our walk. There was one localman selling umbrellas, probably cheap. Theywere not for rain, but for protection from the sun. Would have been a greatidea to bring one from the ship. Eventhe teenaged kids here use them.

 

Towards the end of this rectangular park, we came across thesmall but ornamental Chinese Park, where we paid to tour three years ago. It was probably the equivalent of one dollareach. Anyway, today it was free, but wedo suspect there may have been a charge to use the restrooms. There weremeandering paths between the walkways and bridges over some ponds. We saw cats everywhere. Surely they are used as mousers, and appearedto be feral. Some young high school agedkids were practicing a coordinated dance with an instructor. We felt worn out simply watching them.

 

Back out into the park, we passed the exact spot of Rizal’sexecution, and his memorial. A lot ofwork is being done in this area, so some of these sites were closed for re-greening.

 

It was already after noon, and we were literally meltingfrom the heat. The little breeze did nothelp cool us down. Time to head towardsthe famous Manila Hotel. Although thishotel was not on the ship’s list for visiting, we knew we could go to the smallbarroom inside and off of the lobby. Itsure was the best spot to cool off with a couple of San Miguel pale pilsnerbeers. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza toshare, and when it arrived, we were impressed. Larger than we recalled, it was really nice. So were the second round of ice coldbeers. Took us almost two hours to cooldown, and that is about how long the wait was for food. There is no such thing as being rushedhere. Several folks sitting around ushad logged on to their wifi. Many ofthem were getting shut out, due to security measures. That happened to us while we were inFlorida. We did not even attempt tobring the computer off today, since the internet was working fairly quick onthe ship.

 

Back at the terminal, we noticed a very small souvenirsection set up behind a corner of the building. In the past, the locals had printed pretty nice t-shirts for the worldcruise. Today, they were selling the goodquality t-shirts, but the printed with the map of the Philippines on the back. Last time, a lot of the world cruise portshad been dropped, so it is hard to get the correct itinerary on the back. Also, they were not dated. With the last of the pesos left, one of uspurchased a woven bracelet for the equivalent of $1.27 USD.

 

All aboard was 4:30pm, although we did stay in our roomuntil we cooled off until 5pm. While there, we had a delayed delivery of abeautiful bouquet of flowers for President’s Club. Delayed, due to the fact that the floristswish to deliver the freshest flowers so they last longer. Going up to deck nine, we caught the last ofthe brass band and local young dancers giving us a farewell showshoreside. At the same time, the World Dreamacross from us, was having their show with another brass band. Battle of thebands so to speak. We won, since we left first at 5:30pm.

 

Swinging the nose of the ship, the Captain headed west intothe setting sun. Hoping to see somepossible dolphin sightings, all we saw were bits and pieces of garbage floatingwith grassy debris. Not sure if it wascoming from river wash, or from ships. Not cruise ships with strict regulations, but cargo or container vessels? Captain Jonathon announced that we wouldbe passing the island of Corregidor on the port side, but it may be too dark tosee it. Corregidor Island was onceimportant for the country’s strategic defense as well as the site for manybattles. Today it is known for their beaches and the Pacific War Memorial. And yes, it was too dark to see it well.

 

Dinner was early for us this evening, as Barb had madereservations in the Pinnacle Grill for a table for six at 7:30pm. So we met up with Woody, Susie, Barb, andFreddie (a very nice dance host buddy), for a fun evening filled with plenty oflaughs. The food was wonderful as usual,but it took much longer for them to serve us. Guess we are spoiled, because when we go with a table for two, we aredone in an hour or so. This evening, weleft at 10:30pm, the last of the groups to leave. Guess we all missed the show of Giovanni, atrumpet player who was back with an all new show.

 

With one more day at sea, we will be in Hong Kong, where thecurrent temperature was about 60 degrees. Big change………and welcomed by most.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Copper10-8]

World Dream; she's huge! Operated by Dream Cruises and owned by Genting Hong Kong Ltd. They also own Star Cruises (who own and operate Norwegian Cruise Line - World Dream has the NCL-style hull art) as well as the two Crystal Cruise Line ships

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

What -- no margarita pizza? Hawaiian is also good.

Wonderful report.

[WCB]

Report #66 Day atSea March 7, 2018 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 75 degrees 14 Pictures

 

During the evening, the seas most have turned rough, becauseone of us woke up around 4am, feeling tad bit queasy. Seasickness? You bet, but since the Captain did notmention that in his talk yesterday, perhaps the pitching and rolling will goaway soon. No, it only seemed to getworse as the day wore on.

 

Keeping breakfast light was a good idea, but still did nothelp much. Taking a seasick pill shouldhelp, so that was next. The fresh airwas good outside, and boy, did it cool down or what? Had tobe 20 degrees less than yesterday. Thedeck on the port side of the promenade was soaked all the way to thewindows. The ship was colliding withwaves, creating giant blasts off of the hull. The winds shoved those waves right back into the ship right where wewere walking. Had to be careful walking,since the decking was flooded. At themost, there were only six of us brave souls exercising outside thismorning.

 

Did we mention that there were some new additions to the diningroom this morning? Since tonight’sdinner theme is Secret Garden Dinner, extremely tall, skinny vases were set onthe tables holding a bouquet of yellow flowers on the very top. We are talking 5 foot tall arrangements. Now with the ship rocking, we expected to seethese vases topple. But they are flaredon the bottom, and must be balanced enough to endure the motion.

 

The usual activities continued with one of them beingAmerica’s Test Kitchen: All about Eggs. Such as how to crack them, separate the yolks from the whites, fry them,and make aioli, deviled eggs, and meringues. Versatile little dudes, aren’t they?

 

Emeralds have invaded the jewelry store with an unveilingadvertised at 11am in the Ocean Bar. We have yet to attend one of thesepresentations. They did have some nicedisplays throughout the ship, so even if you are not shopping, the flashy,expensive jewelry will catch your eye.

 

The grand activity voucher redemption took place thisafternoon. It was aimed more at theguests who will be departing the ship on the second day in Hong Kong. Asking Presty how many were leaving, we weretold 85. Another 81 will bejoining.

 

Lunch was in the dining room for us. Going to the pool might have found that weblew overboard with the strong winds. Abowl of chicken noodle soup was just the thing to help with the queasies. That and a mini burger with fries. And wouldn’t you know it, they had Jamaicancalypso pie, AKA mud pie. Had to have aslice.

 

We laid low for the rest of the afternoon, working on photosand future reports. The ship’s movementseemed to get better, and according to the Captain’s PM talk, he did notanticipate these rough seas yesterday. He claimed the waves and wind would settle down the closer we got theHong Kong. Sure hope he is right.

 

Dinner was different tonight. Last night, Leta had invited us to dinnerwith her and Bill. Not wanting to wearout our welcome, we made plans to dine there in two nights. However, with not feeling well, were-considered, and did join them anyway. The dining room was festive with the special vases of tall flowers. Chair covers had been added, like we get on agala evening. Green lights were shiningon the ceilings, and the waiters were dressed in turtleneck shirts and green orgold vests. They all looked sharp. Bill had asked for the vase to be taken offof his table, since the table was too small now that we had joined them.

 

We visited until after 10pm, and missed the show again. The singer, Toni Warne, returned with a newshow. Too bad we missed the first show,because we do remember that she was an accomplished singer.

 

By the way, last night we had a message left in our roomsregarding the periodical maintenance that is necessary that will affect some ofthe staterooms. That will require thewater to be turned off from 9 am to 12 pm tomorrow. That has to be the worst time of the day todo this. Usually, this is performedduring the wee hours of the morning, but not this time. We know the drill……let the water run to clearthe sediment and discoloration for a few minutes before using. Although they say it is harmless, it israther yucky.

 

Then, we get a notice in tomorrow’s When & Where that HongKong clearance may take an hour from the time of docking at 8am. The strongest warning came with this message,that if people block the ship’s gangway, they will be REMOVED by ship’smanagement.

 

In addition to these messages, the Amsterdam is no longer allowedto dock at Ocean Terminal. We will be atthe Kai Tak Terminal, the site of the old airport. At least a complimentary shuttle will beprovided, dropping folks off at the Peninsula Hotel and back. The bad news is that the shuttle will stop at8pm, leaving little time to go to the Night Market, and get back to the shipbefore dinner. Unless you take a taxi back. Needless to say, there was a lot of passengergrumbling going on at dinner tonight.

 

Tomorrow……..our two day stay begins in Hong Kong. Can’t wait, even with the current kinks.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great reporting.

As to the Egg demonstration -- I would have skipped it as I already know how to separate eggs, make meringues, ailoi, fry them and even boil them. Been doing that for years.

Sorry that you won't be at your usual terminal in Hong Kong. Wonder how that will impact those leaving and those arriving.

[Keith1010]

Really enjoying your reports.

 

Keith

[WCB]

Report # 67 HongKong, People’s Republic of China March8, 2018 Thursday 50% Chance of Rain Part #1 Of 3 83 Pictures

 

 

Our first day in Hong Kong could not have begun more screwythan it did. Like in what could go wrong,did go wrong. First of all, the sail intothis harbor was supposed to commence at 7am, with a scenic sail in commentaryby Barbara H, our port lecturer. By the time we turned on our room TV, her talkwas about over, and we were close to docking. Checking the channel that has the camera onthe bow, we noticed that it was raining heavily. There was not one person outside watchingthis epic sail in. In fact from earlydawn until about noon, it was 100% rain. Guess we missed the Hong Kong rolls too. Darn……

 

Speaking of docking, instead of the best spot we have alwaysenjoyed at Ocean Terminal, we are now docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, theold airport. It is located far from themassive shopping mall we know so well. So instead of being able to navigate our way to downtown, we had to takea free shuttle for a long ride to the Peninsula Hotel. That part was fine, since taking a taxi wouldhave been pricey for sure.

 

Now, this is where more things went wrong. The ship’s clearance process was scheduled totake one hour to complete from the 8am arrival time. However, one public announcement afteranother came saying that it was delayed. And please do not congregate in the gangway area….or you would beremoved. This went on for two hours and10 minutes before the passengers were finally released. Shore excursions had several tours beginningat 8:30am, and obviously they were not going to leave on time. The one that may have had a problem was theovernight in mainland China, as they were supposed to take a train to getthere. Another overnight excursion wasto Macau, and with only a few ferries running there, they surely missed thetiming on that one. If any folks hadindependent tours, then they would have been out of luck this morning.

 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the ship’s water to all of thecabins and public restrooms had been turned off at 9am. And with the delay of over two hours to getoff, we are sure there were many unhappy campers among the bunch. Maybe that is why, when the gangway was opento disembark, we saw people literally running off. Probably in a hurry to find restrooms in theterminal. Normally, these water shutdownsoccur during the evenings, well after midnight. Why today during 9am to noon, we cannot figure out.

 

The airport terminal is one long stretch to navigate. First there is the Disneyland-like switchbackgangway attached to the ship. Followingsigns, we went down escalators, down hallways, and eventually ended up goingthrough two security halls. Moreescalators found us exiting into the parking garage, where we had another longwalk to wait for the bus. Some of ourfriends had left the long line, and decided to try for a taxi to town. Since we are here overnight, we were not inany hurry. Sometimes you have to realizewhat you cannot change, and deal with it. Takes lots of patience for sure.

 

Two buses filled quickly, and the ride should have taken 30minutes or less. Not so today. Even though we left the terminal at 11am, thebus was caught in traffic, and did not arrive to the Peninsula Hotel until11:45am. Then due to congestion around thehotel, the driver was not allowed to let us off in the street. He had to go around the corner twice, beforehe could park at the curb. We werefinally on our way walking by noon. Andstill in the rain, although it had let up a lot by then.

 

We navigated our way to the Ocean Terminal and the hugeshopping mall we know so well. It isHarbour City with over 450 shops. Mostly, we wanted to see what ships weredocked there today. One of the ships wasthe Super Star Virgo, the same one we were docked across from in Manila. The other ship was the Amadea, owned byPhoenix Reisen. Launched in 2006 (arebuild from another name), this 28,856 gross ton vessel holds only 594passengers. Mostly German-speaking weread. It was described as a stylish,spacious ship with fine food and good service. Not a gambling ship, we still wonder why the Amsterdam could not haveused this spot? Perhaps we don’t payenough? Who knows…..

 

Hong Kong has a population of 7,055,100 people (2012), whospeak mostly Cantonese, although many speak English as well. These people live in an area of only 426square miles, so it is no wonder that no matter where you go, it is incrediblycrowded. But that is the nature of any largecity.

 

We made our way to the Star Ferry area, and the nearbyVictorian Clock Tower, built in 1915. Itmarks the end of the Kowloon Canton Railway Station. This whole area still appeared to be underconstruction. Since we wanted to startgoing up Nathan Road, we figured we could check out the Avenue of the Starstomorrow.

 

The easiest way for us to get from here to the road thatgoes uphill, was to walk the mall, which seemed to extend for a mile. Perhaps, not quite that far, but it alwaysseems like it is. At the end, we exitedthe building via 2 sets of escalators, and proceeded up towards KowloonPark. This is another favorite place tovisit, but we would save that for tomorrow too.

 

Even though the temperature was under 60 degrees, we keptplenty warm walking uphill towards the Flower and Bird Markets. We have no idea how afar it is mile-wise, butwe do know it takes over an hour. Crossing streets is not easy at some points, because you have to go upescalators across the road, then down 4 flights of steps on the other side.

 

Did we mention that today was International Women’sDay? Good time for sales at the flowermarket. Most all of the potted plantsand bouquets were on the sidewalks, and sure made for colorful photos. Last month, Barb had brought us a slip of acactus, and we put it in water on the windowsill. It has developed some nice roots, so wethought it might be fun to find a potted plant, so we can add it to thesoil. So we picked up an anthrium withred blossoms, as we know they are hardy. At least this year, we will have a mini-garden.

 

Right next to the Flower Market is the Yuen Po Street BirdGarden. Seventy bird stalls are providedin this garden setting for the birdtraders and buyers that live here in Hong Kong. There are side courtyards with about 50 treesplanted near the bird stalls. It is acommon practice of bird owners to bring their caged birds here for a couple ofreasons. One is sharing info with each other,and the most important factor is that their young songbirds can learn to sing. Every type of bird feed is sold here, as wellas live crickets for the larger birds. One vendor even let us hold a young lorikeet, as he had a chain on hisleg. Then the vendor offered his blueand yellow macaw to hold, but we declined. That gorgeous bird had a very large and scary beak. One that could sever a finger if he chose todo so. Taking a lot of photos, we saidthanks and moved on. The decorative birdcages they sell here are always tempting to buy. But we already have a few at home….don’t needmore.

 

Heading back downhill, we strolled through the Ladies Marketfor several blocks. They sell mostlyclothing and household items here, but we did manage to find one of the foldedcloth sacks that are so useful for shopping. They never wear out, and fit in your pocket. This time we found a larger one for 30HK$,the equivalent of $3.85 USD. Good deal.

 

It was starting to get darker by now, and also starting todrizzle lightly. It has been ourexperience that sudden thunder storms can occur at any given moment. Not wanting to get caught in that possibledeluge, we continued going back. It wasalready 4pm, and we thought we would check the Night Market at Jordan Road tosee what was opened. Even though theyadvertise they open at 7pm, we know from past trips, that the stalls are set up around4:30pm. About half of the vendors wereready with their treasures to sell. Wedid locate two small “sort of” Izzy Miyake clutches at a very decent price. Can never have enough purses, right? Again, the price was right.

 

Back at the mall at Ocean Terminal, we decided to go to BLTBurger, and get a couple of ice cold beers. A bit late for lunch, we thought a small order of nachos would befine. So we ordered one appetizer, andit was a larger mound of chips, BBQ brisket, tons of cheese, sliced jalapenos,and plenty of sour cream. They were thebest we have eaten in a long time. Somuch for keeping it light. Being able to relax for an hour was wonderful too. We have to admit, it was pricey, since thepint beers were over $10 USD each.

 

Finally back at the bus stop, we boarded the waiting coachand the ride back was only 20 minutes. Surrounded by many cruise buddies, weshared our adventures of the day. Lovedoing that, since we all did something different. Now the walk through the terminal seemed totake forever, but we did get the xray check out of the way in the terminal, notthe ship. Sure was good to get home, asit had been one long day for us.

 

Dinner time came within an hour, and we did not know forsure who was coming. No one had saidthey were not coming tonight, so when two couples came over to the table to askto dine with us, we said probably no, because our table is really a “fixed”table. We are not at liberty to give ourtablemate’s seats away. Whether theywere insulted or not, we shall have to make that clear with the staff. They were just as happy to share a table forfour at the window, as there were many empty tables available.

 

We both ordered the sweet and sour chicken with rice. Excellent as always. A local Chinese Cultural Show was planned at9:30pm, so finishing dinner before that was perfect. It featured Chinese music, a spectacular dragonand Chinese dance, and the mysterious Sichuan face-changing show. That one always has us wondering “how didthey do that?” It’s always acrowd-pleaser, no matter how many times we have seen it.

 

Hope to get some quality sleep tonight, because tomorrowwill be another great day in this marvelous city. And we plan to walk until we drop once again.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad that you did not have too hot a day in Hong Kong.

We have also noticed over the last few years that HAL is choosing docks at far away places or in the freight yards -- much cheaper. And many times -- no free shuttles -- had to pay for them.

Great report

[WCB]

Report #68 HongKong, People's Republic of China March9, 2018 Friday Sunny & 64 degrees Part # 1 of 3 80 Pictures

 

As messed up as yesterday began, today was just theopposite. The sun was shining, the rainwas gone, and we had no interruption of the water service onboard. And since we had already cleared customsyesterday, there was no delay in leaving the ship this morning. So everyone was happy.

 

After a light breakfast, we did some emailing in our room. No sense taking the computer to the terminal,because everyone we asked said the speed was terrible. With just a limited time to be in Hong Kong,we sure didn’t want to spend it sitting for hours waiting for downloads. Our time would be shorter today, since allaboard was 4:45pm. The last shuttle leavingthe Peninsula Hotel was 4pm. We figuredon getting on the 3pm bus back.

 

So we headed off to Harbour City Mall once again, making ourway to the street that goes up to Kowloon Park. Figuring that we could make it to the JadeMarket with time to spare, we went there first. Most times, there are busloads of tourists there, bargaining at each andevery little stall. However, today therewere few shoppers in there. Only a lotof vendors vying for our business. It isimpossible to pause and look, and if you show too much interest, they willfollow you down the aisle. Usually weare not looking for a specific piece of jewelry, but if something catches oureye, then we might bargain for it. Naturally, a pale pink blister pearl necklace did just that….caught oureye. Choker-style, it was unique in thatthere was only one of them. Bargainingwas quick, but we did not meet her expected number. Saying we would think about it, and walkingaway, she came down the aisle and said OK. Deal done, and all were happy. Could not locate any earrings to match, so thatwill be the quest for the rest of this journey. Singapore or Phuket may be the best ports to look.

 

Very near the Jade Market, are the wet market and outdoorproduce markets. “Wet “ market means anythingthat is sold fresh, such as live fish, pork, or chickens and ducks. You have to have a strong resolve and lessthan great nose to get through this experience. The fish are kept alive in Styrofoam tubs and plastic containers, most of them withair pumped in. The fish are stillswimming, although some are upside down. Those are probably not fresh, but dead, andare sold cheaper. It is interestingwatching the butchers filet and scale the large species. The aroma of the large volume of fish is abit “fishy”, but not as bad as you might think. You just have to watch the floor, since it is always wet, and sometimes thelivelier fish jump out of the tubs and onto the floor. Frogs and turtles can be bought here too. Inthe back of these stalls, it was not uncommon to see cats patrolling the floorsand corners. Hmmm, wonder what they arelooking for? At the end of the day, webelieve everything is sold, and the entire place is hosed down.

 

In the next block, we found another produce market, set upin the middle of a pedestrian street. The nicest fruit and vegetables are sold here, along with fresh spices,condiments, and even nuts. Funny thing,we found that the oranges come from Sunkist, grown in the USA. We do know that apples are not grown here, sothey are probably imported at a steep price. Each large apple was individually wrapped, so they would not bruise. We saw pommelos (grapefruit) the size of cantelopes,and zucchini as large as seven inches thick. Some fruit and veggies were foreign to us, and none of it was labeled.

 

The open-air meat market was in the mix as well. One section had the pork butchers, with everypart of the animal for sale. Even curedhams and sides of bacon. Nothing wascovered, but there were no insects. Butonce again, there were plenty of cats. They looked well fed. Peking ducks were hanging from the ceiling,and chicken was readily available.

 

The clock was ticking, and we still wanted to walk throughKowloon Park. So we made our way downthrough King George V Memorial Park, then up to the side entrance of theelevated park. The main attraction herehas to be the swimming pool, which is never filled this time of year. Thenthere is a very nice aviary with local and imported birds of all sizes. Below the aviary is a set of ponds with ducks,geese, swans, and flamingoes. Althoughthere were more places to stroll, our time was up. So we headed across the bridge that connectsthe park to the hotel next to Harbour City Mall.

 

Having gone full circle, it was time for lunch. Pizza sounded good, if Pizza Express wasstill there. It certainly was, althougha good alternative would have been the Cheesecake Factory, which must be fairlynew. We ordered a Margherita pizza andtwo Peroni draft beers…the large ones. Needing to use the last of our Hong Kongdollars, we got pretty close to spending it all. The food is not terribly expensive, butanything alcohol is pricey.

 

Close by to the Pizza Express, is Toys R Us. We picked upsome candy to use the last of our change. We still had some left.

 

Getting back to the shuttle before 3pm, we boarded thewaiting bus, and the ride was quick, perhaps 25 minutes. All the passengers we know said the walkthrough this terminal is way too long for most of them. Some said it was one mile from the bus dropoff. With a little bit of change left,we bought some peanuts at a booth in the cruise terminal.

 

We had been wondering if we were going to be gifted theroll-on luggage on this trip. Ourquestion was answered when we entered our room, and there were two ballisticnylon expandable carry on travel bags with tons of zippers. These will be most useful for our African overland.

 

It would have been nice to have some relaxing time in ourroom, but it was not to be. There was amandatory muster drill for everyone at 4:45pm. It went smoothly and was done by 5:20pm. Grabbing the good camera, we headed to deck nine to get some photos ofthe sail away. Even though the sun wasout, a strong cool breeze popped up, and our lightweight jackets did not do thejob for too long. We discovered that theWorld Dream had docked in back of us. Lookedlike they were having a turn-over of passengers. ( By the way, thanks to CopperJohn for the detailed info on that ship.)

 

Visiting with fellow Cruise Critic members, Pete and Judy,they shared their adventurous day to Macau yesterday. Always nice to hear about successful excursionsthat folks do independently. Everythingwent smoothly for them, and we found out that the groups going overland or toMacau were allowed off of the ship by 8:30am, after attending a private customsand immigrations check. Good to know.

 

Leaving the city of Hong Kong behind was not as scenic as weremembered it. Being docked at Kai TakTerminal, we were already halfway out of the harbor. We were amused with thesightings of either fish eagles or hawks, as they followed our wake in searchof easy pickings. Once we reached theopen waters, it got really cold, and it was time to go inside. It was worth freezing just to watch thatorange sun go down behind the skyscrapers by 6:30pm.

 

Dinnertime found all of us present. Fun hearing all the stories of the last fewdays. We ordered one General Tsaochicken and one order of Shanghai ribs….both excellent. The better news of the evening was that theclocks went back one hour, the first time since leaving the last port inAustralia. All of us agreed we willsleep well tonight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report -- always love the details you give.

Glad you were able to get your Margarita pizza for lunch.

Today's gift of the HAL roll-on bags was nice.

[erewhon]

Catching up with your interesting reports.

Good that you were able to get a Margarita Pizza.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your reports.

Keith

[jig]

Report # 67 HongKong, People’s Republic of China March8, 2018 Thursday 50% Chance of Rain Part #1 Of 3 83 Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

Our first day in Hong Kong could not have begun more screwythan it did. Like in what could go wrong,did go wrong. First of all, the sail intothis harbor was supposed to commence at 7am, with a scenic sail in commentaryby Barbara H, our port lecturer. By the time we turned on our room TV, her talkwas about over, and we were close to docking. Checking the channel that has the camera onthe bow, we noticed that it was raining heavily. There was not one person outside watchingthis epic sail in. In fact from earlydawn until about noon, it was 100% rain. Guess we missed the Hong Kong rolls too. Darn……

 

 

 

Speaking of docking, instead of the best spot we have alwaysenjoyed at Ocean Terminal, we are now docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, theold airport. It is located far from themassive shopping mall we know so well. So instead of being able to navigate our way to downtown, we had to takea free shuttle for a long ride to the Peninsula Hotel. That part was fine, since taking a taxi wouldhave been pricey for sure.

 

 

 

Now, this is where more things went wrong. The ship’s clearance process was scheduled totake one hour to complete from the 8am arrival time. However, one public announcement afteranother came saying that it was delayed. And please do not congregate in the gangway area….or you would beremoved. This went on for two hours and10 minutes before the passengers were finally released. Shore excursions had several tours beginningat 8:30am, and obviously they were not going to leave on time. The one that may have had a problem was theovernight in mainland China, as they were supposed to take a train to getthere. Another overnight excursion wasto Macau, and with only a few ferries running there, they surely missed thetiming on that one. If any folks hadindependent tours, then they would have been out of luck this morning.

 

 

 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the ship’s water to all of thecabins and public restrooms had been turned off at 9am. And with the delay of over two hours to getoff, we are sure there were many unhappy campers among the bunch. Maybe that is why, when the gangway was opento disembark, we saw people literally running off. Probably in a hurry to find restrooms in theterminal. Normally, these water shutdownsoccur during the evenings, well after midnight. Why today during 9am to noon, we cannot figure out.

 

 

 

The airport terminal is one long stretch to navigate. First there is the Disneyland-like switchbackgangway attached to the ship. Followingsigns, we went down escalators, down hallways, and eventually ended up goingthrough two security halls. Moreescalators found us exiting into the parking garage, where we had another longwalk to wait for the bus. Some of ourfriends had left the long line, and decided to try for a taxi to town. Since we are here overnight, we were not inany hurry. Sometimes you have to realizewhat you cannot change, and deal with it. Takes lots of patience for sure.

 

 

 

Two buses filled quickly, and the ride should have taken 30minutes or less. Not so today. Even though we left the terminal at 11am, thebus was caught in traffic, and did not arrive to the Peninsula Hotel until11:45am. Then due to congestion around thehotel, the driver was not allowed to let us off in the street. He had to go around the corner twice, beforehe could park at the curb. We werefinally on our way walking by noon. Andstill in the rain, although it had let up a lot by then.

 

 

 

We navigated our way to the Ocean Terminal and the hugeshopping mall we know so well. It isHarbour City with over 450 shops. Mostly, we wanted to see what ships weredocked there today. One of the ships wasthe Super Star Virgo, the same one we were docked across from in Manila. The other ship was the Amadea, owned byPhoenix Reisen. Launched in 2006 (arebuild from another name), this 28,856 gross ton vessel holds only 594passengers. Mostly German-speaking weread. It was described as a stylish,spacious ship with fine food and good service. Not a gambling ship, we still wonder why the Amsterdam could not haveused this spot? Perhaps we don’t payenough? Who knows…..

 

 

 

Hong Kong has a population of 7,055,100 people (2012), whospeak mostly Cantonese, although many speak English as well. These people live in an area of only 426square miles, so it is no wonder that no matter where you go, it is incrediblycrowded. But that is the nature of any largecity.

 

 

 

We made our way to the Star Ferry area, and the nearbyVictorian Clock Tower, built in 1915. Itmarks the end of the Kowloon Canton Railway Station. This whole area still appeared to be underconstruction. Since we wanted to startgoing up Nathan Road, we figured we could check out the Avenue of the Starstomorrow.

 

 

 

The easiest way for us to get from here to the road thatgoes uphill, was to walk the mall, which seemed to extend for a mile. Perhaps, not quite that far, but it alwaysseems like it is. At the end, we exitedthe building via 2 sets of escalators, and proceeded up towards KowloonPark. This is another favorite place tovisit, but we would save that for tomorrow too.

 

 

 

Even though the temperature was under 60 degrees, we keptplenty warm walking uphill towards the Flower and Bird Markets. We have no idea how afar it is mile-wise, butwe do know it takes over an hour. Crossing streets is not easy at some points, because you have to go upescalators across the road, then down 4 flights of steps on the other side.

 

 

 

Did we mention that today was International Women’sDay? Good time for sales at the flowermarket. Most all of the potted plantsand bouquets were on the sidewalks, and sure made for colorful photos. Last month, Barb had brought us a slip of acactus, and we put it in water on the windowsill. It has developed some nice roots, so wethought it might be fun to find a potted plant, so we can add it to thesoil. So we picked up an anthrium withred blossoms, as we know they are hardy. At least this year, we will have a mini-garden.

 

 

 

Right next to the Flower Market is the Yuen Po Street BirdGarden. Seventy bird stalls are providedin this garden setting for the birdtraders and buyers that live here in Hong Kong. There are side courtyards with about 50 treesplanted near the bird stalls. It is acommon practice of bird owners to bring their caged birds here for a couple ofreasons. One is sharing info with each other,and the most important factor is that their young songbirds can learn to sing. Every type of bird feed is sold here, as wellas live crickets for the larger birds. One vendor even let us hold a young lorikeet, as he had a chain on hisleg. Then the vendor offered his blueand yellow macaw to hold, but we declined. That gorgeous bird had a very large and scary beak. One that could sever a finger if he chose todo so. Taking a lot of photos, we saidthanks and moved on. The decorative birdcages they sell here are always tempting to buy. But we already have a few at home….don’t needmore.

 

 

 

Heading back downhill, we strolled through the Ladies Marketfor several blocks. They sell mostlyclothing and household items here, but we did manage to find one of the foldedcloth sacks that are so useful for shopping. They never wear out, and fit in your pocket. This time we found a larger one for 30HK$,the equivalent of $3.85 USD. Good deal.

 

 

 

It was starting to get darker by now, and also starting todrizzle lightly. It has been ourexperience that sudden thunder storms can occur at any given moment. Not wanting to get caught in that possibledeluge, we continued going back. It wasalready 4pm, and we thought we would check the Night Market at Jordan Road tosee what was opened. Even though theyadvertise they open at 7pm, we know from past trips, that the stalls are set up around4:30pm. About half of the vendors wereready with their treasures to sell. Wedid locate two small “sort of” Izzy Miyake clutches at a very decent price. Can never have enough purses, right? Again, the price was right.

 

 

 

Back at the mall at Ocean Terminal, we decided to go to BLTBurger, and get a couple of ice cold beers. A bit late for lunch, we thought a small order of nachos would befine. So we ordered one appetizer, andit was a larger mound of chips, BBQ brisket, tons of cheese, sliced jalapenos,and plenty of sour cream. They were thebest we have eaten in a long time. Somuch for keeping it light. Being able to relax for an hour was wonderful too. We have to admit, it was pricey, since thepint beers were over $10 USD each.

 

 

 

Finally back at the bus stop, we boarded the waiting coachand the ride back was only 20 minutes. Surrounded by many cruise buddies, weshared our adventures of the day. Lovedoing that, since we all did something different. Now the walk through the terminal seemed totake forever, but we did get the xray check out of the way in the terminal, notthe ship. Sure was good to get home, asit had been one long day for us.

 

 

 

Dinner time came within an hour, and we did not know forsure who was coming. No one had saidthey were not coming tonight, so when two couples came over to the table to askto dine with us, we said probably no, because our table is really a “fixed”table. We are not at liberty to give ourtablemate’s seats away. Whether theywere insulted or not, we shall have to make that clear with the staff. They were just as happy to share a table forfour at the window, as there were many empty tables available.

 

 

 

We both ordered the sweet and sour chicken with rice. Excellent as always. A local Chinese Cultural Show was planned at9:30pm, so finishing dinner before that was perfect. It featured Chinese music, a spectacular dragonand Chinese dance, and the mysterious Sichuan face-changing show. That one always has us wondering “how didthey do that?” It’s always acrowd-pleaser, no matter how many times we have seen it.

 

 

 

Hope to get some quality sleep tonight, because tomorrowwill be another great day in this marvelous city. And we plan to walk until we drop once again.

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

I believe the HK gov wants ships to use the new term. They spent a fortune building it and in reality no one wants to use it. They are probably forcing them to.

Star cruises gets it as they sell the cruises on the street outside the mall. There are touts with clipboards outside selling cabins to the next cruise on the street. Sight I had not seen.

Macau ferry’s run all day but maybe more often in the morning. And when we arrived on the Volendam at the ocean term just a short walk away.

BLT brand is great.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[WCB]

Report # 69 Day atSea March 10, 2018 Saturday 79 degrees & Partly cloudy

 

A boring day at sea, it was not. Everyone we talked to was happy to have thatextra hour of sleep last night. Especially the crew. More timesthan not, when these crew members get some extra time off, even while in port,they use it to get some much-needed rest. Keeps them healthy.

 

After breakfast, we took our morning walk, and noticed thatthe anti-pirate fire hoses had been removed. There were no security guards on deck three duty either. Guess we are in safer waters now. Around 9:30am, there was another routinesafety drill for the crew. CaptainMercer has taken it upon himself to announce these drills, as a lot of peoplemust complain about the noise. Theseries of blasts began, and the drill proceeded like normal. Little did we know that later today, we wouldhear those blasts once again, but it was not a drill…..

 

We learned what to see and do in Phu My (pronounced foo me),Vietnam with Barbara H’s talk. To bemore exact, there is little to see and do here near the port. The main destination is Saigon, or Ho Chi MinhCity. A must-see once, although for us,we may have toured there three or four times in the past. So we suspect this port for us will be anothersea day, as in staying on the ship.

 

We received the Vietnam landing cards we need to show whenwe leave the ship in Phu My. Even if wejust walk on the dock, we need that card. When the ship leaves port, we will need to turn them in.

 

Yesterday, some friends asked if we knew the VIP’s thatjoined the ship yesterday afternoon. They had a royal welcome by the officers. Turned out that Rudi Sodamin and hiscompanion, Ann-Marie, have arrived for the first “Rudi’s Sel de Mer” PinnacleGrill dinner on March 13th. Asfar as we know, this will be the first time this ship offers this venue. And we just happen to have reservations thatevening. We did dine at that venue whileon the Eurodam, so we guess they are making it happen on this ship. We heard that this new concept will replace LeCirque on all of the ships.

 

Having been missing from the Seaview Pool for over a week,we thought we might spend a quiet couple of hours there. The temperature had gone way up from HongKong, but the skies turned mostly cloudy. Sorting photos and preparing reports kept us busy until noontime. So we went to the dining room for lunch, inhopes of catching up with Barb, who we have not seen for two days. There was a large group of diners in thecenter section of the dining room eating lunch already. Our buddies Barb, Susie, Woody and somefellow cruisers were among the group. They were all part of Ensemble, one of thetravel groups onboard. Once their lunchwas over, Barb came and sat with us, and we shared news for the last twodays. She had two busy days in HK, goingout for a Chinese lunch, then doing the town at night going to the Night Market,then to Ned Kelly’s Club. Escorted withfriends Peter and Don, she was in good hands as they had to take taxis everywhere. The shuttle had stopped running at 8pm,inconvenient for many. Guess we had tobe grateful that we had the service during the day.

 

Between the promenade deck and the Ocean Bar, we spent anice afternoon visiting with friends. It was at dinnertime that things gotrather interesting. We had all just finished dessert, when the first warningblasts were sounded from the navigation deck. Hoping it was accidental, the announcementcame from the officer of the watch that an incident had occurred, and we wereto wait for further instructions. Thiswas no drill….it was real. Wonderingwhat it could possibly be, we asked our waiter, Slam, if he ever heard this alarmgo off before. None of us have everheard that, and neither did our waiter. Slam came to the conclusion that there may be a fire somewhere on theship. Turned out, he was correct. Captain Mercer came back on the speakerssaying there was a problem with the incinerator, and there may be a smallfire. There is nothing “small” about afire on a ship. With that, we alldecided to head back to our rooms just in case we needed to do something quickly.

 

But being the curious people we are, we headed down to the promenadedeck to see if we could smell smoke. Roundingthe back of this deck, we did smell a somewhat chemical odor, which could havebeen smoke. When we circling around theaft area, we saw some commotion with some crew members with their gear on inthe center section of the deck. This mayhave nothing to do with it, but there were two fellows welding here today,sending sparks across the deck. It wasat this point that one of the crew members came over and said we needed to goaround the other side, which we did of course. Captain Mercer came on the speaker again saying not to concern ourselveswith this exercise, and all would be well soon. We prayed he was right. Probablyfor precautions, a crew remained on the deck, ready with the fire hoses. The final report from the Captain was thatthe situation had been controlled, and we need not worry ourselves with thedetails.

 

This Captain does not panic, so we trusted he was able tohandle this situation without alarming anyone needlessly. He was quitereassuring In the meantime, we will keepthose life vests close at hand just in case. Like we said, never a dull moment.

 

Hope tomorrow is less eventful.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been on several HAL ships when the fire alarms sounded -- scary. Had fires in the incinerator most times.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

Report # 69 Day atSea March 10, 2018 Saturday 79 degrees & Partly cloudy

 

< ... snip ... >

 

 

It was at dinnertime that things gotrather interesting. We had all just finished dessert, when the first warningblasts were sounded from the navigation deck. Hoping it was accidental, the announcementcame from the officer of the watch that an incident had occurred, and we wereto wait for further instructions. Thiswas no drill….it was real. Wonderingwhat it could possibly be, we asked our waiter, Slam, if he ever heard this alarmgo off before. None of us have everheard that, and neither did our waiter. Slam came to the conclusion that there may be a fire somewhere on theship. Turned out, he was correct. Captain Mercer came back on the speakerssaying there was a problem with the incinerator, and there may be a smallfire. There is nothing “small” about afire on a ship. With that, we alldecided to head back to our rooms just in case we needed to do something quickly.

 

But being the curious people we are, we headed down to the promenadedeck to see if we could smell smoke. Roundingthe back of this deck, we did smell a somewhat chemical odor, which could havebeen smoke. When we circling around theaft area, we saw some commotion with some crew members with their gear on inthe center section of the deck. This mayhave nothing to do with it, but there were two fellows welding here today,sending sparks across the deck. It wasat this point that one of the crew members came over and said we needed to goaround the other side, which we did of course. Captain Mercer came on the speaker again saying not to concern ourselveswith this exercise, and all would be well soon. We prayed he was right. Probablyfor precautions, a crew remained on the deck, ready with the fire hoses. The final report from the Captain was thatthe situation had been controlled, and we need not worry ourselves with thedetails.

 

This Captain does not panic, so we trusted he was able tohandle this situation without alarming anyone needlessly. He was quitereassuring In the meantime, we will keepthose life vests close at hand just in case. Like we said, never a dull moment.

 

Hope tomorrow is less eventful.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

Something similar happened on the Amsterdam last September on the 14-day Alaska cruise. There was a small fire in one of the engine rooms. First and second alarms sounded -- but they got it under control so no third alarm. Capt Mercer got on the speaker and explained what had happened. All was well, but it did make for a little excitement.

[WCB]

Report # 70 Day atSea March 11, 2018 Sunday Partly cloudy & 76 degrees

 

Well, we got the full story about what occurred last night whenthe emergency warnings blasts went off in the dining room after 9pm. The smoke was indeed coming from the incinerator,caused by some debris stuck in the flue. Probably not totally correct, but you get the idea. At some point there was an automatic start-upof the water pumps, that put too much pressure on some water connections ondeck six. This caused flooding on theport side, affecting about 12 cabins. Guests had to block the inside of their thresholds with every towel theyhad in the bathroom. In the hallway,workers were also damming the cabin doors from the outside. Eventually they got the water turnedoff. One of the engineers told us thatthe crew were up well after 2am, cleaning up the mess. And this morning, we saw new hallway carpeting,the color of the carpet on deck six, being cut to fit on the lower promenadedeck. Rolled up, the workers hauled thecarpet into the elevator to install it. Talkingto a couple that had one of those rooms, they said at least no one got flooded. And the good news is that we got to seefirst-hand how this possible emergency was handled.

 

At breakfast, we found the dining room to be highlydecorated for two events. One was fortonight’s gala dinner which was labeled “Red Lantern Dinner”, a chance to wearyour Asian-themed clothing. The secondevent was Sunday Brunch. Red lanternswere hung by the dozens from the ceiling lights, and a large dragon was thegreeter at the entrance. Gold and blackchair covers dressed up the room nicely.

 

As it was Sunday, a day at sea, it was Sunday Brunch Samplerat 11am. The three course set menu wasserved until 1pm. Since we had an amplebreakfast, we passed on the sampler lunch. Way too much food for us, and also too many itemswe don’t care for. Popular for manyfolks, but not our cup of tea.

 

The weather had certainly warmed up outside. We had a following breeze and choppy seaswith deep swells. Although it was cloudy,it was not looking like rain…..yet. Goodtime to spend a few hours at the Seaview pool. There were not too many people out there, only a few dedicatedsunbathers. Rain did threaten severaltimes, but we stayed on our lounges the whole afternoon. We watched as the deck crew picked up towelsand laid the lounges flat. Then theytied up the umbrellas, where some diners were enjoying lunch. They can’t get rid of us that easily. By 2pm, the clouds were gone, and the sun cameout.

 

At his PM talk, Captain Jonathon mentioned that we will notbe docking at the Phu My spot on the river tomorrow. Instead, we will be going to a containerterminal, and will have company. TheSapphire Princess ship will be docked there as well. Hoping that there may be a complimentaryshuttle to a nearby village, we discovered that there will be a shuttle. But it will go from the ship to the piergate, as no one is allowed to walk in the busy working port. From there, you could get a taxi. Highly unlikely that we will do that.

 

Our work for the day was to fill out and sign immigrationcards for Singapore, which were turned in at the front desk. While there, we had to fill out a detailedform for a lost piece of clothing. Seemsthat last week, a laundry delivery was short a blouse. Not realizing it for a few days later, wesearch the closets for it, and it was nowhere. We have lost a sock or two, but nothing really big. Barb said she already had three blousesruined, and a pair of pants ripped. Wewere told that they would put in a search for it, but so far this evening, wehave seen nothing. Reminds us to be moreobservant when getting laundry back from here on out.

 

Tried to buy some Singapore money, but it was not availableyet. We will need a little to get us toHarbourfront Station on the MRT. We caneither get a larger amount here, or buy it at a money changer in the mall.

 

We had another communication from the our hotel director,Henk. It regarded the Queen’s Loungeopening times for the evening shows. Earlyseating guests have been arriving too early to sit in the lounge until8pm. It disrupts the entire productionteam, who are busy setting up for the shows. So from now on, the lounge doors will open 45 minutes prior to the entertainment.No one will be allowed any sooner than that. Guests are asked to spend their waiting timein other public places, such as the bars, casino, shops, or any other publicplace. Never before have we seen so manynotes from Henk, but that is a good thing to put these messages on a separatepaper .

 

Speaking of our favorite hotel director, Henk M, he joinedour table for the gala night dinner. Heusually does make an appearance at least once during the grand voyage, sotonight was perfect. He was a good sportanswering the many unusual questions some of our tablemates put before him. Also good to hear the version of the alarmyesterday. He did say that this sametype of stage one alarm has happened onthis ship before, but perhaps on an Asia/Pacific Grand cruise many years ago. We hope to never hear it again, except duringdrills. The evening went by quickly aswe enjoyed entrees of rack of lamb and glazed duck. The carrot cake was not exactly like weremembered it last time we ordered it. It was white, with no sign of carrots init. Only a faded frosting carrot on thetop. The lemon cheesecake might havebeen a better choice. Next time…..

 

The evening ended quietly after the very loud show called ala Mode, a musical journey around Europe with new and old songs from the bestof European artists.

 

Tomorrow….good morning Vietnam.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report.

Sorry to hear that you will be docked in the freight area for Vietnam tomorrow.

[Coco39]

Really enjoying your updates. Hong Kong is my all time favorite city. Been there many times and can't wait until my next visit. The harbor at night is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Glad Barb got to go to Ned Kelly's - so much fun.

[WCB]

Report #71 Phu My,Vietnam March 12, 2018 Monday Mostly sunny & 96 degrees Part #1 Of 2 44 Pictures

 

Today began with another message informing us that in orderto keep their facilities in top condition, it would be necessary to performmaintenance on the hot water system. Sofrom 9:30 to 11:30am, there would be not be any hot water available. As long as they don’t shut down all of thewater, especially in the bathrooms, we don’t mind. We figured that with so many passengers ontours today, this was the best time to disrupt service.

 

The Amsterdam was docked up the river by the time we wokeup. An unremarkable pier, we were tiedup at the Tan Cang Cai Container Terminal, one place we have never been on pastgrand voyages. Basically, most all ofthe piers up this river look the same. Except today, this is such a busy working port, that we were not allowedto walk anywhere, except the immediate dock around the ship. A shuttle was offered to the port gate, whereif we wished, we could summon a taxi to take us anywhere.

 

Like we stated yesterday, we have been to Saigon severaltimes, and have left no stone unturned. And to be honest, due to the Vietnam War we remember well, some of thosestones are best left unturned. BarbaraH, our port lecturer, had warned folks that the sites in the city related tothat war, are shown through the eyes of the people here. We saw this first hand when we visited themuseum in the Independence Hall with graphic war photos. Once was enough, asmany of our well-traveled friends agreed. By the way, many of those friends stayed on the ship like us today.

 

Anyway, here are some facts about the country ofVietnam. The capital of the country isHanoi, and the population in 2012 was 87 million Vietnamese-speaking people. This slender nation is home to two differentareas. The north is tight-lipped nativesthat live in Hanoi, while Ho Chi Minh City has a go-go-go feel to it. Limestone cliffs and hill tribe villages arein the north, white sandy beaches are in the middle, while rice paddy fieldsare in the south. Truly a diversecountry.

 

The best time to visit is March and April, and September toNovember. Items to eat are pho, a noodlesoup, banh cuon, steamed rice with minced pork, and goi cuon, a summer springroll. Their favorite drink is bia hoi,or local draft beer.

 

Trademarks are conical hats, cyclos, ao dai, the beautiful silk-liketraditional dresses, and scooter gridlocks.

 

There were seven tours offered here. One overland left for Angkor Wat & Saigonfor a few days for the price of $2500. The remainder of the excursions were 4 to 9 ½ hours for the price of $60to $150. The least pricey were atransfer to Ho Chi Minh, and a short tours to Vung Tau, a seaside resort, or BaRia, a rural township. The rest werecity tours of former Saigon, all of which we have taken. One final trip took the folks to see the CuChi Tunnels from the Vietnam War era. Wehave never seen these hidden tunnels, but know friends that have. Although no one can go down the rabbit-holeshafts these days, there are places where they go through the undergroundmeeting rooms, kitchens, hospitals, and sleeping and eating areas. It is not for those with claustrophobia. That would be one of us for sure. Another aspect of this tour that stopped usfrom taking it, has to be the three hour ride each way to get there and back.

 

Or you could negotiate your own tour with van and taxidrivers at the gate. Or if you plannedwell ahead of this trip, many tours could be booked independently and on yourown. These seem to turn out to be thebest for some. The only trick is to getback to the ship before the all aboard time, or they will not wait. So far, we have heard of no one being leftbehind.

 

There were not many folks in the dining room for breakfast,since the tours left shortly after our docking time of 7 or 8am. Today there would be no lunch service inhere, so our waiters said they would get much needed free time after emergencydrills to do laundry and get some extra sleep. Unless they pooled together to take a van to a nearby town at aninflated price, they opted to stay onboard.

 

We opted to pay a visit to the three tents that had been setup shore side with vendors selling Vietnamese treasures. There was an ample supply of purses of allsizes, some jewelry, like pearls and jade pieces (probably not real), t-shirts,lacquerware, and little trinkets of all kinds. They did have a pile of Vietnamese cards andenvelopes, but what we could buy in Saigon like 10 for $2, they wanted $2 eachfor them. No deal there. We did show some interest in two sets ofthree-piece lacquer plates. The vendorimmediately said – no bargaining. Set prices. Really? We said if we buy 2 sets, can we get a better price? And the answer wasmaybe yes. So she did bargain, as longas no one else heard us doing this, she agreed. This would not happen later in the day. So we ended up spending 550,000 Vietnamese dong, or $25 USD. The US dollar is widely accepted here, andprobably preferred.

 

Back on the ship, we headed for the Seaview pool, and didfind quite a few folks there. Surprisingly, there was a stiff breeze blowing across the deck, keepingus rather comfortable in the heat. Watchingthe river activity was very interesting, as locals were dredging mud and sandfrom elsewhere, and distributing it on the banks of the river. It appeared that this was their method ofland reclamation. The bilges of many oldboats were being flushed with sea water to pump the sludge through a series ofpipes to the fill area. A few youngworkers were knee-deep in this mud, keeping the ends of the pipes clear, sothey would not block up. This went onfrom daybreak to sunset. Hard and tediouswork for this team of guys onshore, but we don’t see it as a bad thing, likesome passengers do. These young localsare learning a trade, and starting from the bottom. It is keeping them employed, making money, sothat is a good thing. So far machineryhas not replaced the job these locals can perform. And in time, perhaps these young fellows willown their own boats to do this job.

 

Nearby, there were a series of never-ending dock cranes usedfor loading or unloading cargo ships. The pier was loaded with containers being moved by huge conveyors, while16 wheeler big rigs hauled the goods away. While this was happening onshore, on the river were typical localfishing boats of all sizes. Some werecasting nets that were being passed over with much larger vessels. Don’t knowhow these nets were not ripped to shreds. Some older-style wooden boats had nets that scooped the water forsmaller fish like shrimps perhaps.

 

The only birds we spotted were egrets or cranes, flying inand around the river banks and nearby mangroves. Come to think of it, we have not seen theflying fish on our way here, so there would be a limited supply of food for thesea birds. A few days ago, we did watchwhile three white boobys followed us for a while. Then they were gone.

 

If the Sapphire Princess was anywhere in the vicinity wewere docked, we sure did not see it. Theonly vessel docked in front of us was a tanker.

 

Lunch for us was around 3pm in the Lido with sandwiches fromthe pizza/sandwich bar. By then, some ofthe tour groups were back onboard, and also doing the same thing. Normally, clean-up from the onslaught ofearlier diners is taking place, such as re-setting the tables, sanitizing allchairs and counter tops, and vacuuming. Our number one complaint here is the fact that the clean plastic glassesare not turned over, and can becontaminated during the afternoon. Ithas been suggested numerous times by the repeat passengers that this practicebe done, but it has not happened. Theyhave really come a long way to keep this venue sanitary in the last few years. Going a bit further can make a difference inthe health of the guests and crew alike.

 

Around 4:30pm, we made one last swoop through the tents onthe dock. There were a few nice smallembroidered bags that would work for over-sized sunglasses, and earlier in theday, every bag that size was $5, or less if you bought more than one. With too many guests from returning shoreexcursion buses filling these tables, the vendors were over-whelmed, and noteven there to quote pricing. Many of our friends were trying to negotiate asale, but gave up. The same purses thatwe could have bought earlier in the day for $5, were suddenly $25. Hmmmm, with that, many of us put the itemsdown and left to go back on the ship.

 

The landing cards we needed to have stamped had to be turnedin once onboard. Boxes were at ********** once we went through the security check.

 

The Phu My sail away was held at a very windy Seaview pooldeck at 5:30pm. The best little crispyveggie spring rolls were passed around several times. Of course, drinks of the day were pushed,although few of these world cruisers buy them. The ship turned around and headed down the river to the ocean, passing aslew of cargo terminals for miles. Themore interesting vessels were the Vietnamese fishing boats and the familiar redand blue wooden boats. They passed usall the way down the river, even in the dark. Many of these boats are used for night fishing with lights to attractthe fish. We never did see anothercruise ship leaving.

 

Dinner time found all present, and sharing their tales ofthe day. Listening to all, we could haveabout repeated word for word every experience they had when touring nearby VungTau or Ho Chi Minh City. The only differencewe heard was from Allan and Sandra, who had gone on their own to Vung Tau. They reported that the roads there had beenwiden and paved, even decorated with blooming flower pots all the way. Much improved from what we remember from tenyears ago. So the tourist’s dollars havehelped in this area.

 

There was a comedian, Rikki Jay, on stage tonight. He wasfast, funny, and he was calorie-free. Fewer folks in the second show, probablybecause the clocks had to be set ahead tonight, to be on Singapore time. Gosh we hate going forward, and so does thecrew.

 

One more day at sea, then we will be two whole days inSingapore. One of the best stops on thistrip for us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Keith1010]

Bill & Mary Ann:

 

Another terrific report and I am enjoying each of them.

 

Keith

[WCB]

Report # 72 Day atSea March 13, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

We think it was already 79 degrees when we went out on thelower promenade deck at 9:30am right after breakfast this morning. And was it muggy or what? Of course, we are heading south, and once againgetting closer to the Equator. It surewould have helped to have a breeze, but there was barely one stirring. Perhaps it has turned into a followingbreeze, not one that we like. At leastthere was no rain in today’s forecast.

 

This morning’s daily update talk at 9:20am is normally givenby the cruise director, Hamish. However,we think he has been under the weather with a cold, making his talks even moredifficult to understand, due to his unusual accent (Jamaican, we heard). So the event manager, Mark, has taken overthat spot. So much better we think. Manyothers agreed. Speaking of illness,Barbara H, or port lecturer has been missing her talks, with someone else doingher job in the Queen’s Lounge at 10am. We figured out why today, whenshe came back on stage with a very bad throat problem this morning. Sore throat or a bad virus…who knows? But it sure sounded to us like she needed afew more days of recovery, or else she might be stressing the vocals cords abit much. Worse-case scenario is that wehope it is nothing extremely contagious.

 

Last night, we had a note reminding us that we had put ourname on a list to buy the Grand World Voyage t-shirt and baseball cap. Way backin January, the shop had sold every one they had in stock. They had arrived and were ready forpick-up. So we went to pick it up and foundit was the incorrect size. Never knowhow well these t-shirts will launder, so it is always better to go a sizeup. The sales gal only had one in thecorrect size to exchange with us. Theextras were all small. Now how many “small”people do you think are traveling on this ship? Very, very few, we say.

 

Today we received a log of the cruise for the last 7days. This unadvertised segment was forthe trip from Hong Kong to Singapore. That was a total of 1556 nautical miles. Hardly worth flying overseas for such a short trip,but OK for the local Asians who we suspect were most of the new guests.

 

We spent the day at the pool, visiting with friends, butmostly with Barb, until she could not take the heat anymore. This is her “icecream” time. It was so warm today thatshe had to eat it quickly before it totally melted. It did look good, so we will have to get oneourselves later on.

 

Maxing out our sun time at the pool by 2pm, we headed offfor a light lunch in the Lido. Thesandwich-maker is doing a better job at keeping the makings full and neat. We always end up sitting on the side wherearts and crafts are taking place. Todaythe group was working on creating greeting cards. Always takes us by surprise to see a few menin the group. Even when they were makingearrings. Whatever floats your boat, wesay. And after we finished oursandwiches, we headed off to the ice cream corner for one scoop in a cone….onefor each of us.

 

Did we mention that Rudi Sodamin boarded the ship in HongKong? He is here to host the beginningof the new Sel de Mer specialty dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. This venue has been developed to replace theLe Cirque cuisine. Gone are thewhimsical plates with the monkey on them. Now they serve the meal on plates of blue and white shades resemblingwater themes. The charger plates wereeven more comical with food becoming the design of faces in the center. Anyway we had reservations at 8pm to try itout.

 

The other jobs we had today involved filling out arrival anddeparture cards for Thailand and Sri Lanka. It was also necessary to pick up our passports at the front desk. Lastly, we needed some Singapore dollarsbefore we arrived tomorrow. This tripseems to be flying by all too quickly now.

 

At our spot on deck five outside the Ocean Bar, we hadreclaimed our chairs that have beenblocked for the Princeton tailors display and desk. Besides listening to the music of the OceanBar’s band, we can also watch three decks of people traffic. We spotted a long-time President’s Clubmember, Ann-Marie, who happens to be the partner of Rudi. She saw us and came over for a visit. It has been at least four years since shelast sailed a segment of the world cruise, so we were surprised she rememberedus. Actually, she was thrilled to seesome of the regulars, as the majority of passengers were new to her. Telling the truth, she was sad to see some ofthe older regulars that need the assistance of walkers and scooters now, areminder that all of us are getting up there in age. She is among the group that is sad to see thetraditions that surrounded the HAL brand going away. She was on her way to join the crowd in thePinnacle Grill for dinner. Sayinggoodbye for now, we said we would see her there later.

 

Dinnertime came and we were right on time at the entrance tothe Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. This wasalmost considered a grand opening, since Henk M was greeting the guests, withRudi there checking on the customers. This event had to be sold out, and there were still many guestslingering well past their dining time. Our usual table was occupied by guests who had arrived at 5:30pm andwere still there. Funny thing…..we hadpredicted this would happen. Tina saidif she could, she would put a firecracker under their table to get them movingif she could. We have to add that Henk,our most friendly hotel director, offered to buy us a cocktail while we werewaiting. We thanked him, but declinedhis offer. Expecting the wait to be nomore than 10 minutes, we waited by the mini wine bar outside the Wajang Theater. Noelle, the marketing manager, stoppedand chatted for ten minutes until we were summoned inside. We were seated at a better table, without thewindow, where other guests passing by, stop and check out the meal we arehaving. Anyway, we had finally gottenour table by 8:25pm at that point

 

To begin, we recently dined at this venue while on theEurodam last fall. So we knew what toexpect. What we did not expect was forRudi and Ann-Marie, to send the wine steward over to offer us wine with ourmeal. We thanked him, but declined sincewe do not drink wine. Nice surprisethough. The first course was a platter with small dips, tapanades, and olives. A skinny loaf of sliced French bread goeswith that. Then a muse arrived, whichonly one of us could eat. It was thescallop. A substitute was offered forone of us in its place, but that was not necessary. At this point, we surmised that the staff wasstressed with so many full tables. Wedid not want to add to that delay, since our service was slow to begin already.

 

Next we ordered salad nicose with ahi tuna. One of us ordered it without the tuna. Later we learned from Tina, the manager, thatwe could have had the tuna cooked all the way through, and not raw. Never developed a taste for the rawfish. Both of us had ordered the rack oflamb, and it was cooked perfectly. Seasoned on the outside, it was pink and tender on the inside. The only comment we could make was that the entréewas served not on a flat plate, but in more of a soup bowl dish. The grilled vegetables, and a goatcheese/potato square were buried under the meat. Not the best presentation, but the qualityand flavor was pleasing. We added oneorder of skinny French fries to share. The most fun part of the meal.

 

Dessert was the best – profiteroles. A stack of five creampuffs, one filled withvanilla ice cream was served. Ourwaitress drizzled the cup of chocolate sauce over the top. Delicious. We were full to the brim.

 

On the way out, we stopped to thank Rudi and our friend forthe offer of wine. When asked how weliked the special wine, we had to admit that we declined since we do not drinkwine. The look of total disbelief waswhat we saw on their faces. Everyonelikes wine, except us, we guess. Withmany people it is like drinking water. For us, we prefer the water. Andthanked them again for the generous gesture.

 

Needing to take a walk for a few minutes, we went outside ondeck three. It was like walking into asauna, even at 10pm at night. CaptainMercer mentioned in his talk that tomorrow’s temps will be high, but there isalso a threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain showers. We have leaned never to go out in Singaporewithout umbrellas. “When it rains, itpours”, applies in this part of the world.

 

Here are the answers to a few recent blog questions. Although we did not get to the backside ofHong Kong Island, we heard from Barbara H that few, if any people live in thesampans or similar houseboats anymore. They may have been out-lawed. Wehave visited Lantau Island twice in past trips, but not this time. And no, we do not have a cat to board athome. A few years ago, we had a wild(feral) cat adopt us, and we purchased an automated feeder to supply meals forhim. However, over the last year, heseems to have moved on, perhaps to kitty heaven, as we think he was an oldercat.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up.

Don't know where you get the time to do such detailed reports with everything you do.

Great reports.

[jig]

Report # 72 Day atSea March 13, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

 

 

We think it was already 79 degrees when we went out on thelower promenade deck at 9:30am right after breakfast this morning. And was it muggy or what? Of course, we are heading south, and once againgetting closer to the Equator. It surewould have helped to have a breeze, but there was barely one stirring. Perhaps it has turned into a followingbreeze, not one that we like. At leastthere was no rain in today’s forecast.

 

 

 

This morning’s daily update talk at 9:20am is normally givenby the cruise director, Hamish. However,we think he has been under the weather with a cold, making his talks even moredifficult to understand, due to his unusual accent (Jamaican, we heard). So the event manager, Mark, has taken overthat spot. So much better we think. Manyothers agreed. Speaking of illness,Barbara H, or port lecturer has been missing her talks, with someone else doingher job in the Queen’s Lounge at 10am. We figured out why today, whenshe came back on stage with a very bad throat problem this morning. Sore throat or a bad virus…who knows? But it sure sounded to us like she needed afew more days of recovery, or else she might be stressing the vocals cords abit much. Worse-case scenario is that wehope it is nothing extremely contagious.

 

 

 

Last night, we had a note reminding us that we had put ourname on a list to buy the Grand World Voyage t-shirt and baseball cap. Way backin January, the shop had sold every one they had in stock. They had arrived and were ready forpick-up. So we went to pick it up and foundit was the incorrect size. Never knowhow well these t-shirts will launder, so it is always better to go a sizeup. The sales gal only had one in thecorrect size to exchange with us. Theextras were all small. Now how many “small”people do you think are traveling on this ship? Very, very few, we say.

 

 

 

Today we received a log of the cruise for the last 7days. This unadvertised segment was forthe trip from Hong Kong to Singapore. That was a total of 1556 nautical miles. Hardly worth flying overseas for such a short trip,but OK for the local Asians who we suspect were most of the new guests.

 

 

 

We spent the day at the pool, visiting with friends, butmostly with Barb, until she could not take the heat anymore. This is her “icecream” time. It was so warm today thatshe had to eat it quickly before it totally melted. It did look good, so we will have to get oneourselves later on.

 

 

 

Maxing out our sun time at the pool by 2pm, we headed offfor a light lunch in the Lido. Thesandwich-maker is doing a better job at keeping the makings full and neat. We always end up sitting on the side wherearts and crafts are taking place. Todaythe group was working on creating greeting cards. Always takes us by surprise to see a few menin the group. Even when they were makingearrings. Whatever floats your boat, wesay. And after we finished oursandwiches, we headed off to the ice cream corner for one scoop in a cone….onefor each of us.

 

 

 

Did we mention that Rudi Sodamin boarded the ship in HongKong? He is here to host the beginningof the new Sel de Mer specialty dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. This venue has been developed to replace theLe Cirque cuisine. Gone are thewhimsical plates with the monkey on them. Now they serve the meal on plates of blue and white shades resemblingwater themes. The charger plates wereeven more comical with food becoming the design of faces in the center. Anyway we had reservations at 8pm to try itout.

 

 

 

The other jobs we had today involved filling out arrival anddeparture cards for Thailand and Sri Lanka. It was also necessary to pick up our passports at the front desk. Lastly, we needed some Singapore dollarsbefore we arrived tomorrow. This tripseems to be flying by all too quickly now.

 

 

 

At our spot on deck five outside the Ocean Bar, we hadreclaimed our chairs that have beenblocked for the Princeton tailors display and desk. Besides listening to the music of the OceanBar’s band, we can also watch three decks of people traffic. We spotted a long-time President’s Clubmember, Ann-Marie, who happens to be the partner of Rudi. She saw us and came over for a visit. It has been at least four years since shelast sailed a segment of the world cruise, so we were surprised she rememberedus. Actually, she was thrilled to seesome of the regulars, as the majority of passengers were new to her. Telling the truth, she was sad to see some ofthe older regulars that need the assistance of walkers and scooters now, areminder that all of us are getting up there in age. She is among the group that is sad to see thetraditions that surrounded the HAL brand going away. She was on her way to join the crowd in thePinnacle Grill for dinner. Sayinggoodbye for now, we said we would see her there later.

 

 

 

Dinnertime came and we were right on time at the entrance tothe Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. This wasalmost considered a grand opening, since Henk M was greeting the guests, withRudi there checking on the customers. This event had to be sold out, and there were still many guestslingering well past their dining time. Our usual table was occupied by guests who had arrived at 5:30pm andwere still there. Funny thing…..we hadpredicted this would happen. Tina saidif she could, she would put a firecracker under their table to get them movingif she could. We have to add that Henk,our most friendly hotel director, offered to buy us a cocktail while we werewaiting. We thanked him, but declinedhis offer. Expecting the wait to be nomore than 10 minutes, we waited by the mini wine bar outside the Wajang Theater. Noelle, the marketing manager, stoppedand chatted for ten minutes until we were summoned inside. We were seated at a better table, without thewindow, where other guests passing by, stop and check out the meal we arehaving. Anyway, we had finally gottenour table by 8:25pm at that point

 

 

 

To begin, we recently dined at this venue while on theEurodam last fall. So we knew what toexpect. What we did not expect was forRudi and Ann-Marie, to send the wine steward over to offer us wine with ourmeal. We thanked him, but declined sincewe do not drink wine. Nice surprisethough. The first course was a platter with small dips, tapanades, and olives. A skinny loaf of sliced French bread goeswith that. Then a muse arrived, whichonly one of us could eat. It was thescallop. A substitute was offered forone of us in its place, but that was not necessary. At this point, we surmised that the staff wasstressed with so many full tables. Wedid not want to add to that delay, since our service was slow to begin already.

 

 

 

Next we ordered salad nicose with ahi tuna. One of us ordered it without the tuna. Later we learned from Tina, the manager, thatwe could have had the tuna cooked all the way through, and not raw. Never developed a taste for the rawfish. Both of us had ordered the rack oflamb, and it was cooked perfectly. Seasoned on the outside, it was pink and tender on the inside. The only comment we could make was that the entréewas served not on a flat plate, but in more of a soup bowl dish. The grilled vegetables, and a goatcheese/potato square were buried under the meat. Not the best presentation, but the qualityand flavor was pleasing. We added oneorder of skinny French fries to share. The most fun part of the meal.

 

 

 

Dessert was the best – profiteroles. A stack of five creampuffs, one filled withvanilla ice cream was served. Ourwaitress drizzled the cup of chocolate sauce over the top. Delicious. We were full to the brim.

 

 

 

On the way out, we stopped to thank Rudi and our friend forthe offer of wine. When asked how weliked the special wine, we had to admit that we declined since we do not drinkwine. The look of total disbelief waswhat we saw on their faces. Everyonelikes wine, except us, we guess. Withmany people it is like drinking water. For us, we prefer the water. Andthanked them again for the generous gesture.

 

 

 

Needing to take a walk for a few minutes, we went outside ondeck three. It was like walking into asauna, even at 10pm at night. CaptainMercer mentioned in his talk that tomorrow’s temps will be high, but there isalso a threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain showers. We have leaned never to go out in Singaporewithout umbrellas. “When it rains, itpours”, applies in this part of the world.

 

 

 

Here are the answers to a few recent blog questions. Although we did not get to the backside ofHong Kong Island, we heard from Barbara H that few, if any people live in thesampans or similar houseboats anymore. They may have been out-lawed. Wehave visited Lantau Island twice in past trips, but not this time. And no, we do not have a cat to board athome. A few years ago, we had a wild(feral) cat adopt us, and we purchased an automated feeder to supply meals forhim. However, over the last year, heseems to have moved on, perhaps to kitty heaven, as we think he was an oldercat.

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

LeCirque is gone from Holland America and from everywhere else. They went under in Dec and sadly are no more. I really liked the meal. The new one was not on the Noordam in January when we were there. Next time.

 

 

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