A 2-line World Cruise--Around the World on Amtrak, Crystal, and Cunard

[rafinmd]

15 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

How nice that you could stay on QM in Long Beach.  We have walked that street, and we know why it is called Long Beach!

 

We are booked for one night in the ss. Rotterdam after our next cruise.  It will be like stepping back into history!

Have you ever sailed the Rotterdam?

 

 Roy 

[Copper10-8]

Roy is safely onboard Crystal Serenity (I was his chauffeur between the port of Long Beach and the port of Los Angeles/San Pedro this morning) and she is currently sailing south-east of Catalina Island and east of San Clemente Island, next stop; Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia in seven days 

 

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9243667

Edited January 23, 2020 by Copper10-8

[rafinmd]

28 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Roy is safely onboard Crystal Serenity (I was his chauffeur between the port of Long Beach and the port of Los Angeles/San Pedro this morning) and she is currently sailing south-east of Catalina Island and east of San Clemente Island, next stop; Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia in seven days 

 

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9243667

And going somewhat into online hibernation while I deal with unpacking.

 

Roy

[Vict0riann]

On 1/22/2020 at 11:44 AM, rafinmd said:

Have you ever sailed the Rotterdam?

 

 Roy 

 

Yes, we have, Roy, at least the ms. one!  The visit to the ss. will be after a TA to Rotterdam on the ms. one, too.  

 

Bon voyage on boarding the Crystal Serenity.  Great that Copper John could take you to the other port.  

 

Just a comment on 1's and 2's.  I guess the Queen Mary must have sailed at the same time as QM2, so they had to be named accordingly.  Now there is no Queen Mary sailing, but a QE, now that QE2 is a hotel;  and that the two Rotterdams did not sail at the same time.  There must be a protocol in there somewhere!

Edited January 23, 2020 by Vict0riann

[rafinmd]

6 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Yes, we have, Roy, at least the ms. one!  The visit to the ss. will be after a TA to Rotterdam on the ms. one, too.  

 

Bon voyage on boarding the Crystal Serenity.  Great that Copper John could take you to the other port.  

 

Just a comment on 1's and 2's.  I guess the Queen Mary must have sailed at the same time as QM2, so they had to be named accordingly.  Now there is no Queen Mary sailing, but a QE, now that QE2 is a hotel;  and that the two Rotterdams did not sail at the same time.  There must be a protocol in there somewhere!

My first HAL cruise was in 1997 on the SS Rotterdam.  Other than 4 days on the Zaandam which was part of a 3rd party land trip I did not sail HAL again until 2011, a TA on the MS Rotterdam followed by a stay on SS Rotterdam.  Ironically, the CD on SS Rotterdam was one Rick Spath who is now one of the CD's on the Serenity.  We have  a bit of a special bond on that.

 

I think the naming protocol is pretty much "whoever builds the ship names the ship" so there does not seem to be a lot of consistency, as in Nieuw Statendam to be followed by plain old Ryndam.

 

This post is terribly delayed because internet performance has been awful.  Also, we are currently diverting to Cabo San Lucas for a medical emergency.    Fortunately, we have been sailing mostly South rather than West so it is not as long as it might be but we are still a day away from getting the patient ashore.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day CS0, Wednesday, January 22, 2020, Board Crystal Serenity, Los Angeles (San Pedro)

Queen Mary 2 is transiting the Suez Canal.

I did not set an alarm for my US travels but woke up earlier than any of the other hotel days, about 5:20.  Sunrise was about 6:55 and was beautiful off the back of the ship but I mistakenly deleted the photo.  While out I visited the Midship Marketplace for coffee and a muffin.  It's essentially a Starbucks  There's a place I've liked better (Promenade Café) but it's closed for renovation.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/qmmarketplace.jpg

I walked about a half hour mostly on the Promenade deck.  Except for an open aft it was originally a covered walkway circling the ship.  The starboard section has been converted to restaurants and exhibits but the port side is still suitable for walking.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/promenadeqm.jpg

While walking I did investigate the bow a bit.  There are elevated sections both far forward and near the bridge with a cutout in between.  In addition to the machinery they've put back a gun from her days as a troop ship.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/qmbow.jpg

The toilet in my cabin is a mix of old and new.  There's still a quartet of faucet handles for hot and cold salt and fresh water but only the cold fresh water faucet is still connected.  Water for baths comes from a fairly modern mixing fixture.  The toilet is now fairly standard but the handle for flushing looks more like a beer tap.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/qmbath.jpg

Copper10-8 from cruise critic came at 10 to pick me up.  I took advantage of his knowledge about behind the scenes ship operations for a question.  One of my bags is a backpack with stowable straps.  The straps give airline baggage systems a headache but he assured me they would be ok for the ship.  One little task I didn't need to worry about.  I arrived at the terminal about 10:30.  It turned out I would be waiting a while.

There was wifi in the terminal but I found it pretty unreliable.  It worked ok for a while and then quit.  I did get on again for a while about an hour later.  Boarding finally began about 12:05 and I was on board by 12:15.

I took a glance at the Waterside lunch menu and was not really inspired so I went up to the lido deck.  An advantage of Serenity over Symphony is that the Lido Marketplace is normally open for lunch.  I made a simple salad and then went out to the Trident Grill for my usual Grilled Ham and Cheese.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/1stmeal.jpg

Rooms on Crystal are officially available at 3PM although they are often ready earlier.  While waiting I stopped down at the Computer center and did a little work.  I got into my room, 7060 on the Promenade Deck about 2:25.  It's a C2 cabin, the second lowest category, and kind of my sweet spot.  The oceanview and balcony cabins are all pretty much the same, and C2 is pretty well midship.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/7060.jpg

C2 cabins are priced a little below the C1 cabins because they are considered "limited view".  The limitation is the gangway which slightly limits my view towards the sky.  7060 is one of the most limited of these cabins because the end of the gangway is considerably thicker than the middle section but the view is not at all bad:

https://limitedviewcabins.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/p7060view.jpg

I was glad to be rid of my carryon (17 pounds), holding just a few essential meds and my computer equipment.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/carried.jpg

I did not consider it one of my better Crystal embarkation days.  I understand there were about 100 crew rotations in Los Angeles and that may have interfered with the usual superb Crystal service.  The first thing I noticed was that the menus were not posted on the intranet as usual.  The lunch menu was never posted and I did not see a dinner menu until late evening.  More of a concern was luggage delivery.  The whole afternoon I did not see any crew members delivering bags to cabins on deck 7 (the available resources may have been concentrated on the upper decks where the distances are longer).  I kept checking the forward staircase staging area and finally found my biggest (50 pound) bag (upper left), the one shipped with Luggage Forward, a little before 3 and brought it back to my room.    The next 2 (the 28-pound backpack and the 10-pound stowable bag that came from the hotel) were in a big pile about 4.  I got some help digging them out of the pile from the stairway monitor for the muster drill who I think was happy to free up any possible space in the landing before the drill.  After the drill I got a call from the Concierge about the final bag (lower right, 45-pounds, sent by Luggage Concierge) and indicated the bag had arrived with a tag and that they would deliver it.  I found it at the stairway landing about 5:30.  I hurriedly took out a few things before heading to dinner.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/bagshere.jpg

Scheduled departure was 5PM, although we were still loading a few supplies.  Louis sang at 5:10 (for new readers, Crystal tradition is that "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong is played as we leave the dock).  I walked out on the Promenade deck as we sailed out the channel past the USS Iowa museum ship.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/ussiowa.jpg

I decided for the first night to dine on my own.  I think things were a little slow in Waterside as well as I was about 90 minutes dining solo while I can often do it in 60-70.    I chose the beef consume, fillet steak and ice cream for desert.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes22.jpg

The World Cruise was "officially" kicked off with a balloon drop at 8PM.  After a short count down a massive quantity of balloons and confetti were released at the Crystal Cove.  As the items started to drop the mix was so thick you couldn't see across the ship, followed by a huge pile of balloons on the floor, and finally after about a minute I could see the officials (Captain Birger Vorland, Cruise Director Rick Spath, and Crystal Society Hostess Stacey Houston) amid the debris.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/balloondrop.jpg

The show in the Galaxy (9:30) was the normal kick of f show, Crystal In Motion, featuring the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers, show band,  dance quartet, and violinist Karin Kovacova.

My parting shot will be a shout-out to the Ensemble.  I think Crystal is pretty much unique that the Ensemble is pretty much part of the crew.  While other lines have ensembles that are created for one contract and then never see each other again, Crystal has a cast of 5 guys and 5 gals, of which 1 of each will be on vacation with the other 4 performing.  Many if not most of the cast stay with the company for years.  This is also true to a large extent of the show band.  They become a cohesive unit and will often, especially on World Cruises, create their own in house productions.  They also become quite visible throughout the ship, doing things like trivia and covering the librarian's breaks.  I think all the Dance Captains and both band masters have been with the program as long as I can remember.  "Crystal in Motion" highlights that as one of the highlights of the program is an elaborate sequence of Irish Clogging.  The routine was introduced by Serenity's Dance Captain who taught it to the rest of the cast and to the cast on the Symphony.  Hats off to these talented performers.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

40 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Captain's update:

 

It is now 8:45 and Captain Vorland will provide an update at 8:55.  I will try to post quickly and head off to Protestant devotions.  At the moment we are making 21 knots and eta in Cabo should be EARLY Saturday morning.  This was announced by Rick Spath in the morning show.

 

The update

 

ETA 0400-0500.  Send ashore by tender, and return to course.  We will tentatively be 1 day late at Nuka Hiva, then Bora Bora, skipping Rangoria.

This from my thread on the Crystal forum.

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

Sorry to hear about the medical disembark already Roy ☹️ All the best to that individual with hopes to rejoin Serenity somewhere along the way although that has been proven to not always be possible

 

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9243667

[rafinmd]

43 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Sorry to hear about the medical disembark already Roy ☹️ All the best to that individual with hopes to rejoin Serenity somewhere along the way although that has been proven to not always be possible

 

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9243667

Thanks.  It's been a rough year.  While not officially part of her World Cruise, QM2 had 2 or 3 debarks on her voyage from New York to Southampton and was a half day late reaching Southampton.   While the festivities started there they also sell a New York to New York version of the World Cruise so I will call them world cruise debarkations.

 

Roy

[DeeniEncinitas]

Roy, 

Getting confused on this board! I am writing to you on Crystal board and also here. Which would be the best place so I am not double writing. Thanks! I see you’ll be in Cabo. Turning around where you were with the medical emergency to San Diego probably was father to go back. With a lot of Americans living in Cabo there is a good hospital! Now dental is a different story! I used to have a lot of expats coming home and having there dental work here. 
Have a good cruise and looking forward to your writings!

Denise😊

[rafinmd]

5 minutes ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

Roy, 

Getting confused on this board! I am writing to you on Crystal board and also here. Which would be the best place so I am not double writing. Thanks! I see you’ll be in Cabo. Turning around where you were with the medical emergency to San Diego probably was father to go back. With a lot of Americans living in Cabo there is a good hospital! Now dental is a different story! I used to have a lot of expats coming home and having there dental work here. 
Have a good cruise and looking forward to your writings!

Denise😊

Thanks.  I won't really be in Cabo, it sounds like we should arrive about 4AM and depart at 5AM (our time, 6 to 7 local time).  Probably won't be any sunrises for a couple of days as they will likely be well before 5AM our time.

 

Either and/or both is fine.  I think you have discovered Keith's blog so it may be easier for you to do things there until we get off in Sydney.  After that it will be either here or on the Cunard forum.

 

Roy

[DeeniEncinitas]

50 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Thanks.  I won't really be in Cabo, it sounds like we should arrive about 4AM and depart at 5AM (our time, 6 to 7 local time).  Probably won't be any sunrises for a couple of days as they will likely be well before 5AM our time.

 

Either and/or both is fine.  I think you have discovered Keith's blog so it may be easier for you to do things there until we get off in Sydney.  After that it will be either here or on the Cunard forum.

 

Roy

Thanks Roy!!Thats what I will do. And resume here or Cunard!

Thank you for getting back to me!

Have a good evening 

Denise😊

[rafinmd]

Day CS1, Thursday, January 23, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is in Aqaba, Jordan

I will start this post dealing with a couple of questions.  One was about self service laundries.  Serenity has one on each passenger deck.  They are free, and the one on deck 7 is right at the bow of the ship.  There are 5 each washers and dryers as well as ironing facilities, and both detergent and dryer sheets are provided.  They are open 24 hours daily with the possible exception of some extremely sensitive environmental areas.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/laundry7.jpg

The other question was about dealing with luggage between ships.  I am staying at the Four Seasons in Sydney.  While I booked it independently, it is the hotel used by both Crystal and Cunard, and it is very close to the pier.  Crystal usually provides a transfer to their hotel, complementary if booked through the line but available for purchase for independent travelers.  I expect to use that and they will pretty much take care of the luggage.  For the return to QM2 I am likely able to purchase a transfer at the hotel.  If that is not possible I am likely to pursue a "divide and conquer" strategy taking the bags over one at a time.

My first morning on the ship there was a chilly wind and I did not do as much walking as usual (also unpacking and advancing age had something to do with it).  I did walk 6 laps around the promenade deck in the morning and another 2 in conjunction with breakfast for a total of 2 1/3 miles.  It was too cloudy for a real sunrise but there was a brief opening in the clouds about 6:30.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0123.jpg

The Crystal Visions Enrichment program got off to a later than usual start due to the weekly crew drill at 10AM.  The first speaker was Olympian Jennifer Chandler with "Where do Olympic Dreams Come From".  My main takeaway is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things with the right combination of dedication and support.  Each World Cruise Crystal holds "World Cruise Games" on a segment with a lot of sea days and an Olympian is a kind of Master of Ceremonies.  Chandler won diving gold medals in the 1976 Olympics.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/chandler.jpg

After her talk I stopped by the registration desk and registered for the golf putt and sudoku events.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/wcsignup.jpg

In his noon update Captain Vorland indicated we had gone 331 miles with another 2532 miles to go to Nuka Hiva.  We were making the needed 18 knots on 3 of our 6 generators.  The temperature was officially 67F(19C) although with the wind it felt cooler.

I have a fairly standard lunch, usually consisting of a basic salad from Marketplace along with Ham and Cheese from the Trident Grill, skim milk, and likely a chunk of pineapple for desert.  For this lunch I spotted some nice green beans in Marketplace and substituted them for the salad.  One of the Lido Stewards, Reggie, has become pretty much my guardian angel.  Although I hadn't seen him since before Thanksgiving he was waiting when my sandwich was delivered and took my plate out to a table on the pool deck, and confirmed that I wanted my usual beverages.  

There are several enrichment speakers who will be new to me but the afternoon speaker was not.  It was naturalist Bill Toone, speaking on the plight of the California Condor.  A significant portion of his early working life involved efforts to save the birds from extinction.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/toone.jpg

This was the first of 5 Black Tie Optional nights of my part of the World Cruise.  I will have 13 more Gala nights on Queen Mary 2 (there is one more on each ship which will happen while I'm ashore).  While I will sometimes wear my black Travelsmith blazer on elegant nights with 18 nights and minimal points where I'm responsible for all my own luggage I brought the actual Tux.  I went to the shared table for my second time on board and chose the oxtail soup, kosher chicken, and blueberry crumble tart.  It did take longer than dining solo but I did not completely miss the Welcome Aboard party.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes23.jpg

I was a bit late and took the elevator up to Palm Court to save a little walking time.  I stopped at the toilet in the Crystal Cove and as I left someone shouted "step aside" and a gurney rushed past on the way to the medical center.  I was one of the last people to arrive at the party.  I was greeted by the officers including Captain Vorland who mentioned my plans for Friday evening.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/welcomeocy.jpg

We had the introduction of the officers and Captain Vorland made a joke about the Doctor being missing because he was seasick.  I assume by then he was aware there was a medical emergency but I doubt the patient had been assessed yet and there was no reason to dampen the party.

The featured entertainment was Classical Pianist Rustem Hayroudinoff.  He was extremely good as usual.  At the end of the show Rick Spath announced that we had made a 90 degree right turn and were headed to Cabo San Lucas.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/hayroudinoff.jpg

For years a Holland America World Cruise tradition has been that on formal nights "Pillow Gifts" were left on each bed at turndown.  I never saw this on Crystal until 2018 and seeing it then assumed that it was an extra only for those on the full world cruise.  Apparently not so because when I returned from dinner there was a ball cap and a special pin sitting on the bed.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/pillow23.jpg

My parting shot is wishes for a great outcome for the person to be transferred ashore Saturday morning in Cabo.  One of the advantages of being behind in my writing is that I have heard (from Rick Spath) that the person has been responding to the onboard treatment and while they still NEED to get to a real hospital the outlook has improved substantially.  May that continue.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS2, Friday, January 24, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.

This was one of the busiest days I have ever had at sea.  The day started with a visit to the laundry room and I walked a bit less than Thursday.  Sunrise came about 6AM and it was cloudy with the exception of a little beam of light shining down over the bow.  I walked only 5 laps around the promenade but added 2 more as I went to breakfast, and finally got in an 8th lap around what should have been sunset.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0124.jpg

After the Morning show with Rick and Stacey I went down to visit with Crystal Society Hostess Alissa Gustafsson for a few minutes.  The Crystal Society is based on what they call "cruises", although not all cruises are counted equally.  Some short cruises do not count at all, while longer cruises often get multiple credits.  This is officially my 50 cruise milestone, although I count actually 32 embarkations and 39 cruise segments.  The milestone includes a special dinner and as I am a bit of a picky eater I reviewed the menu with her.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/milestone.jpg

Up next at 9 was the Protestant devotions with Chaplain Ed Voosen.  This year it is held in the Studio (just a few doors down from me) instead of the Avenue Saloon.  This immediately followed Captain Vorland's 8:55 update on our situation with the medical evacuation.  We are heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with an arrival around 4AM Saturday.  The tender will take the patient ashore and we will resume our passage to Nuku Hiva, arriving one day late on January 30.  We will skip the port of Raiatea and arrive in Bora Bora on time.

A full day of enrichment began at 10 with Adrian Vickers speaking about the Marquesas Islands and their connection to Herman Melville.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/vickers.jpg

Astronaut Captain John Creighton followed at 11.  We have had astronauts on board before but I think this is the first time I have sailed with Creighton.  He spoke on the process of becoming an astronaut and outlined some of the everyday uses of the space program.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/crighton.jpg

In his noon update Captain Vorland indicated we had sailed 830 miles since Los Angeles and had 343 miles to go until our emergency stop in Cabo.  The weather had warmed up just slightly, now 68F/20C.

Lunch was just a bit different but not much.  I knew there would not be ice cream at dinner so instead of my usual pineapple slice I stopped by scoops ice cream.  

Team trivia happens on sea days right after the Captain's update.  That's when I eat but occasionally I drop in on it as the answers are corrected.  These were a few of the questions:

2. How many continents touch the Pacific Ocean?
5.  The 2 most populous cities in Canada are Toronto and Montreal.  What is the 3rd?
7. What is the world's most popular surname?
9. How many Olympics have been held in Australia?
13. Who wrote the Toccata in D?

There was one afternoon presentation--It was 1:30 in the Hollywood Theater.  Photographer Neil Leifer talked about what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a photographer.  Leifer did mostly sports but also covered political and other world events.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/leifer.jpg

Trivia answers:

2. 5 continents touch the Pacific ocean.
5. I would have guessed Vancouver but it is Calgary.
7. Wang
9. Australia has hosted 2 Summer Olympics
13.  This was easy for me.  Johann Sebastian Bach.

There were 16 or 17 teams and 15 questions.  Scores ranged from 7 (several teams) to one team with 13.

The World Cruise Games kickoff was held in the Crystal Cove at 5:15.  The event started with a parade of flags representing the nationalities participating.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/flags.jpg

After several speeches (I was not positioned to see the speakers) Jennifer Carlton lit the World Games torch.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/theflame.jpg

The event ended with some musical numbers by the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers including a dance to "We Will Rock You".

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/rockyou.jpg

After the ceremony I headed back to the Stardust Club for the Cocktail Party put on by my travel consortium.  I then had a little down time before dinner.

Dinner was in the Captain's Quarters.  Captain Vorland hosted along with Chief Engineer Giovanni Tropea, Chief Accountant Yvonne Carlson, and Crystal Society Hostess Alissa Gustafsson.  There were 4 guests, 2 of us celebrating 50 cruises, and 2 celebrating 75 cruises.  The evening went on for about 2 hours but it didn't seem anywhere near that long.

I had a plain bowl of greens in place of the crab salad, a chicken broth in place of the cream of parsnip soup, the beef, and the pineapple and coconut desert.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/menu50.jpg

During dinner Captain Vorland made a call to the Cabo port agent to be sure they knew our arrival time (5AM ship time vs 7AM local time) and that they would not waste 2 hours waiting for us.  He also explained to us a bit more of the mechanics of the itinerary change.  We can just reach Nuku Hiva a day late cruising at top speed.  If we skipped Nuka Hiva we would still not be able to make up enough time to get to Raitaia at a reasonable time so it was Raitaia that we skipped.

The featured entertainment was saxophone artist Tommy Prouix.  I missed the 7:45 show but attended the 9:45 show.  I didn't get a decent photo of Prouix but am including one of the Galaxy taken earlier in the day.  There was also a dance show in the Starlite Club but I did not attend.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/galaxy.jpg

As a parting shot, I remember but can't locate a thread on the Crystal Cruise Critic forum with someone asking if they could enjoy Crystal with a husband who is a picky eater.  I am actually a bit more adventurous than that person and normally can find choices on the menu that suit me quite well although I've even had tablemates who enjoyed the kids menu.  I actually considered declining the special dinner because of the limited choices I expected on the menu.  At the elegant event there was a team of 8 waiters who placed each course in front of each diner simultaneously, and my substitutions all arrived on schedule just like everyone else’s.  Am I a fit for a gourmet cruise line?  Not really.  Am I a fit for a cruise line that places the desires and needs of an individual guest ahead of their own plans?  I would say so.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS3, Saturday, January 25, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.

I will start with another of the ship's photos.  This is the opening night balloon drop.  I am right next to the mechanism that released the balloons and there was quite a bang as the balloons and confetti were dropped.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/atballoondrop.jpg

I woke somewhere around 4:30 and on the display we were still approaching Cabo but slowing down.  I was out on deck about 5 with a very nice view of Cabo.  One of the lifeboat riggings was extended but there was no sign of the tender.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/cabo.jpg

I had missed sunrise by quite a long time but there was still some color in the sky.  I found out later I was looking almost at right angles to the sun's position but the color was nice anyway.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0125.jpg

The tender returned to the ship about 5:20 and we resumed out journey towards Nuku Hiva.  In the mid-morning we crossed the Tropic of Cancer and will remain in the tropics until mid-February.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/accomplished.jpg

While not as hectic as Friday it was another busy sea day.  I did the most walking yet but it was pretty widely spaced  with 3 laps while we were in Cabo, 4 more around 6, and my 3 visits to Lido Marketplace each were done by walking around the bow, all the way back the port side, up the stairs to the buffet, and then back to my room.  

There were 3 talks, common for a sea day.  Doug Beason started things off with "The E Bomb", directed energy as a weapon.  He seemed a bit smug and full of himself to me.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/beason.jpg

Next at 11 was General Nick Halley with "War Stories from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Iraq" which really deals mostly from the point of view of models for leadership.  He's a great speaker but could use some fresh material.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/halley.jpg

In his noon update Captain Vorland talked about "roaring out of Cabo like we stole the ship".  We actually had a second emergency Friday night and discharged 2 patients.  We are traveling about 23 knots on 5 of our 6 generators (the ship was designed for a maximum of any 5 online at any time with allowance for maximum power while one unit was out for maintenance.  We have 2467 miles to cover before Nuku Hiva, just a little less than the 2532 miles we needed on Thursday.  The temperature is slowly rising, up to 73F/23C.

Lunch was a bit of a switch.  I have had Type 2 diabetes for 18 years and have controlled it without medicine for the last 17 years of that.  I try to be deliberate about what I eat and pretty much plan my meals and start with the menus for all 3 meals in the morning.  I decided that my dinner entree would be the glazed ham and for lunch chose the french fries instead of my usual ham and cheese sandwich.  I would like to have both for each lunch but it's just too much.

The 1:30 talk was in the Hollywood Theater and was Cheri Steinkellner with a behind the scenes review of Cheers.  I'm sure it was well done but it wasn't a show I watched so much of it was somewhat lost on me.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/steinkellner.jpg

I walked a final mile in the afternoon.  I finished as the sun set at 4:10 but by then it was deep in the clouds.  The best color was one lap earlier, but 2 laps earlier the colors above the rack of life rafts seemed like the perfect setting.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dusk0125.jpg

I was back at the shared table at Waterside with an entirely different group of people.  I chose the beef consume, glazed ham, and pear caramel cake.  I finished just barely in time to get a diet coke while entering the Galaxy Lounge.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes25.jpg

The featured entertainment was comedian Cory Kahaney at 7:45 and 9:45.  She was very good although I was a bit drowsy.  The Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers also performed spot show Sweet Soul Music in the Stardust Club at 8:45 and 10:45.  It was the second time I've seen that show (the first was my final night on Serenity in November).

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/kahaney.jpg

My parting shot will be a very belated wish for a great Australia day for those who celebrate it.  It is almost over here but well past on the other side of the International Dateline.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS4, Sunday, January 26, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.

I missed sunrise by about 10 minutes but the color was still great as I rounded the bow the first time.  It was a good day  for walking as I completed 4 miles a little at a time over the course of the day.  I have still been struggling with the internet.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0126.jpg

There was to be a buffet brunch and setup started early, well underway starting by 7 and continuing to almost lunch time.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/setup26.jpg

On my first Sunday at sea Pastor Ed Voosen conducted worship with Holy Communion in the Hollywood Theater at 9.

The morning presentations were Adrian Vickers at 10 on French Polynesia, how it became French, and the relationship with Paul Gauguin.  He was followed at 10 by Owen Ullmann on the 2020 Financial Outlook.  He was cautiously optimistic.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/ullmann.jpg

When Ullmann's talk ended the buffet was in full swing.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/buffet26.jpg

Many of the ship's musicians performed during the brunch including trumpeter extraordinare, bandmaster, and currently Assistant Cruise Director Raphael Dirksen.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/music.jpg

I don't always use the buffets but did this time with a small salad, waffle, and dish of fruit.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/brunch26.jpg

The 1:30 talk was Dr. Simon Spooner on Maritime Archaeology.  Spooner represents a small private foundation that explores old wrecks, mainly in the Caribbean, and talked about the challenges of research without formal financial support.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/spooner.jpg

The first World Games medal ceremony was held in the Crystal Cove.  For each event the medal winners (bronze, silver, gold) were called up to the podium individual and presented their medals by Jennifer Chandler.  After all 3 medals were presented there was a group photo with Rick Spath, Chandler, Captain Vorland, and the fitness directors.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/medal.jpg

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was held at 5:30 in Pulse.  There was a good turnout not only of Cruise Critic Members but also of ship's officers.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/mingle.jpg

There were 2 singles and 2 couples at the shared table.  One of the couples was with me on the Prinsendam's Grand South America voyage last year.  I chose the Chicken Consume, Vegetarian Pasta.  Dinner ran late and we all left before desert to get to the show.  My plan for the day had been ice cream as desert so I got that later out of Room Service.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes26.jpg

The featured entertainment was the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers with their newest full production show, "Icons In Concert".  

I was pretty tired after the show and did not accomplish a lot more.  My parting shot will be sadness at the tragic helicopter crash in California.  Rest in Peace, Kobe.

Roy

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by rafinmd

[rafinmd]

Day CS5, Monday, January 27, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.  The sun rose about 5:26 and set at 5:28.  A nearly new moon “rose” at 7:41 and set at 8PM.

I headed out to the promenade deck about 5:35 but the weather was not nice.  The one positive was that there was probably the biggest rainbow I have ever seen in front of me as I walked out the starboard forward door.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/rainbow27.jpg

Going around the bow there was still nice color although the sun had actually risen about 10 minutes earlier.  By the time I got to the stern it had started actually raining, and I walked a bit indoors.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0127.jpg

When I tried to go outside on the way to the Lido Marketplace about 7:30 the rain was just pouring down but I did eventually get in 12 times around the perimeter of the ship in the course of the day (about 3 1/2 miles).

The guest on the Morning Show was Raphael Dirkson.  A young trumpet player in 1993, he took a gig on a cruise ship to get away from Montreal winters.  As they say, the rest is history, and today he flourishes as trumpeter, bandmaster, Assistant Cruise Director, and has filled in admirably as Cruise Director.  We also filled out landing cards for people going beyond Papeete.  I filled one in for Australia, and will get another one later for New Zealand.

During the morning the photo from the milestone dinner was delivered.  The honorees were seated with the Chief Engineer, Crystal Society Hostess, Chief Accountant, and Captain Vorland standing behind us.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/photo50.jpg

Later in the morning a bound copy was also delivered.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/book50.jpg

I watched the morning presentations on TV in my room.  Owen Ullmann started things off at 10 with a talk on "Fake News", followed at 11 by General Nick Halley on Iran.

 

In his noon update Captain Vorland noted with a bit of relief in his voice that we had reached the point where the closest help in an emergency would be Nuku Hiva.  We have slowed down a bit because we had brought another air conditioner unit on line.

Lunch was absolutely my standard choices, skim milk, ham & cheese, green salad, and pineapple slice.  I took lunch out on the pool deck and noticed that we were rolling a surprising amount.  It was surprising but really not uncomfortable.  I don't understand it but will speculate that the stabilizers may be retracted to get another knot or so out of the ship.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/roll27.jpg

The 1:30 presentation in Hollywood Theater was Bill Toone and his tale of a visit to a community in Madagascar, and a friendship he made with a very young boy.  A few months after he left a storm wiped out the community.  He had lost contact but returned many years later and found the boy, now with a child of his own.

Cheri Seinkellner had a 5PM presentation in the Hollywood Theater.  I was unable to be there and so far have not found her talk on demand.  I did go out on the promenade deck 1 final time for what there was of the sunset.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dusk0127.jpg

I had an invitation for cocktails in Captain Vorland's quarters.  There was some discussion about fuel and he joked we would all get supplemental bills under our doors.  Good thing it was just a joke.

Dinner was once again at the shared table, but one of the tables seems to be a "usual" shared table and the waiters there are pretty good about keeping it moving along.  I had the veal consume, lamb shank, and blueberry pie, and was out in time to be about 10 minutes early for the evening show.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes27.jpg

That was slide pianist Judy Carmichael, accompanied by Show Band drummer Dean Mostrum and Special Events Coordinator Grant Tharp on the saxophone.  I saw her once before (Antarctica 2016 on the Symphony) and she is very good.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/carmichael.jpg

When I returned to my room the new Reflections indicated Tuesday would be my busiest sea day ever.  There was also a letter from Captain Vorland about Coronavirus.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/corona.pdf

Today's parting shot will be about the Coronavirus.  We learned our sister ship, the Symphony, will be moving her turnaround port of Hong Kong to another (most likely in Taiwan), and there will be massive travel disruptions on many fronts (Including QM2 with coming turnaround ports of Hong Kong and Singapore) so I will be closely watching that front.  May we get this under control quickly.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS6, Tuesday, January 28, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.  The sun rose at 5:47 and set at 6:01.  The moon rose at 8:41 and set at 9:12.

The photo of the letter about Coronavirus was probably not clear so  I have uploaded it as a PDF file:

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/corona.pdf

Some World Cruise sea days have been called "Crystal on Steroids".  Not for me, this time, it was "Crystal on LSD", trying to juggle so many activities.  I decided I would have only time for a 6 lap walk.  As I started the skies were largely clear but there were clouds to the east, and sunrise became more of a process than an event.  On my second lap there was just starting to be a bit of color, increasing a little bit on the 3rd and 4th laps.  I had hoped that the sun would eventually rise above the clouds but instead the clouds outran the sun which appeared below the clouds on lap 5.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0128.jpg

After my walk I had a bit of time before the morning show came on.  I finally figured out where the archived morning shows were and watched the one from Panama City where favorite entertainer and performer Jim Brochu was the guest as I worked on my Monday post.

The morning presentations were a bit early.  Journalist Owen Ullmann started things off at 9:30 with a behind the scenes look at our presidents from Carter to Obama.  He was followed at 10:30 by Astronaut John Creighton with an up to the moment update on who is doing what in space.  I watched about the first 20 minutes on TV before heading to the World Cruise Games.

My first event was the Sudoku, held in the Prego specialty restaurant at 11.  I was not thrilled with the way it was run.  There should have been a pre-registration count but the person in charge had nowhere enough sheets and had to leave for 15 minutes before returning and handing them out.  The puzzles this year were easy and I was done in about 7 minutes but many others were done ahead of me.  Rather than accepting the papers in order and scoring them later, she was scoring each one as they arrived, taking 2 or 3 minutes later for each one.  I decided I could not wait (and at least 3 of the 6 or 7 papers in line ahead of me would be correct) and did not turn in the paper, but headed immediately up to Palm Court for the Equator ceremony.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/sudoku.jpg

The ceremony was indoors, rather than around the pool but with a lot of singing, dancing, and pomp with the pollywogs not really kissing a fish but getting close to it.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/pollywogs.jpg

In his noon update Captain Vorland noted that we had 878 miles to go to Nuku Hiva, after sailing 523 miles in the last 24 hours.  The closest land is almost to Nuku, Hiva, an outpost about 30 miles closer than Nuku Hiva.  We will actually cross the Equator in the evening.

My other World Cruise Games event was the Golf Putt held in the Crystal Cove at 1PM.  There were 4 holes, each modeled after one of the ports coming later in the World Cruise.  The final hole featured the new tower in Singapore, something my future Cunard shipmates will see a lot of.  The event was organized to by the golf pro and very well run.  I had a great first hole, with just 2 but completely bombed on the second hole.  My outcome was 2-6-4-4 on the holes, far from any contention for a medal.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/puttscenes.jpg

Photographer Neil Leifer had a 1:30 presentation on Mohammed Ali at 1:30.  I caught most of that after finishing my golf round and the rest Wednesday morning in rerun.

Simon Spooner had a 4:30 presentation on recovery of LeDragon, the last French warship lost in the American revolution.  It was also the time I was booked on Closeup Magic with magician John George.  He was amazing.  The second World Cruise Games medal ceremony was held at 5:15.  The only winner I recognized was Terry (Stickman1990 on Cruise Critic) with a bronze in (I think I remember correctly) men's shuffleboard doubles.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/shuffle.jpg

Nothing jumped out at me on the dinner menu and I decided it might be a good night for Churrascaria (the steak house which takes the Lido Marketplace space in the evening).  I was up on deck 13 as the sun went (6PM) down with completely clear skies.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dusk28.jpg

Churrascaria opens at 6PM on this segment and I was in immediately and got a window table.  I watched my GPS as we crossed the Equator at 6:44PM.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/atequator.jpg

I had one sample of almost each one of the meats but no repeats, along with their special breads, a salad, steak fries, and of course the cinnamon spiced pineapple for desert.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes28.jpg

I was out just after 7, and it was still clear.  The moon is only a little sliver as it waxes but was shining brightly in the clear sky.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/firstmoon.jpg

The featured entertainment was a variety show featuring in house violinist Irina Guskova and Comedienne Cory Kahaney.  I dozed off for much of Kahaney's segment.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/variety28.jpg

Today's parting shot will again be about Corona Virus.  It is definitely becoming more disruptive and in just the last couple of days a call of the Crystal Symphony in Hong Kong has been moved to Taiwan and a call of QM2's World Cruise (with many of my future shipmates) has been moved from Hong Kong to a repeat visit to Singapore (which itself is not free of the virus).  I wish all traveling a healthy trip and alternate plans coming without too much stress.

Roy

 

[Happily@Sea]

Roy, 

 

I finished Mama Lee's book - what an interesting life. I could not live permanently in a cabin without a balcony. You should have her as a fellow passenger on this ship.

 

Do you dance? 😄

 

Thanks for the book recommendation.

 

Carole

[rafinmd]

4 hours ago, Happily@Sea said:

Roy, 

 

I finished Mama Lee's book - what an interesting life. I could not live permanently in a cabin without a balcony. You should have her as a fellow passenger on this ship.

 

Do you dance? 😄

 

Thanks for the book recommendation.

 

Carole

Thanks.  Sadly, Momma Lee had a fall a year or so ago and can no longer live on the ship.  I haven't actually sailed with her since I think the 2018 World Cruise but she does do occasional short cruises.  When I was on the Symphony Thanksgiving week and the 2 ships met in Grand Turk she was on board for that cruise which I think was 10 days.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day CS7, Wednesday, January 29, 2020, At Sea, Crystal Serenity, Black Tie Optional

Queen Mary 2 is at sea from Aqaba to Dubai, UAE.  The sun rose at 6:02 and set at 6:24.  The moon rose at 9:43 and set at 20:10

Sunrise is getting late enough so I should be able to catch it but went back to my cabin briefly and caught the sun on the horizon just as it was about to go under some clouds.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dawn0129.jpg

I am not really a theater person.  There are probably 2 musicals in existence where I can readily recall the setting.  It happened that this day Stacey Houston asked about both of them.  In the Morning show one of her questions was "where was Hairspray set".  I've seen many excerpts but never the full show, but the setting for the dance show that inspired the events is the same Baltimore studio where my morning news originates each day.  I tried to dial very quickly but there are some real fast people watching each morning.  The guest on the show was our crew officer.  I've had some sore spots on my feet and was only planning to walk 6 laps but my room was being made up as I returned from the lido and kept walking, eventually getting up to almost 10 laps.

My day's activities started with a protestant devotion with Chaplain Voosen at 9.  We are mostly singing and discussing hymns of the Christmas and Epiphany seasons.

The morning programs were Adrian Vickers on the Bounty and the arrival of Christianity to French Polynesia at 10 and General Halley on China and North Korea at 11.  I watched both real time on TV.

In his noon update Captain Vorland reported we had made enough progress that we have slowed down a bit and still plan to enter the Bay at Nuku Hiva at 7AM Thursday.  He reported it is one of the few cruise ports where we are not required to use a pilot.

The afternoon had an emphasis on the World Cruise Games.  After my normal lunch I dropped in on the World Cruise trivia, a one off event with medals to be awarded to the top 3 teams.  The questions were really hard but as I entered the room I was stunned at how easy the first one would have been for me.

Here are a few of the questions:

1. What Country is known as the land of 1000 Lakes?
2: What country is known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas
5. What are the chemical symbols for the Olympic medals?
11.  How many double word squares on a scrabble board?
13.  In what town was the Tony Award Musical Come From Away set?
14.  How many vessels are in the current Crystal fleet
15.  This is always a name that tune question.  I thought this one was extremely difficult, Beautiful Maria of My Soul.

I will post more about the World Cruise games once they are complete but there are sort of 2 parallel versions of the games that only intersect a couple of times.

The second version is for the crew and takes place mostly in crew spaces and I suspect largely at odd hours.  The first of the 2 public events was at 2PM.  By about 1:45 a huge crowd had lined up around the pool deck and around the pool as well for the Crew Tug of War.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/crowd.jpg

There were 13 teams entered representing various departments or groups of departments, with the Waterside Waiters the perennial favorites.  I was stationed at the aft corner of deck 13 and found that my camera only picked up teams pulling towards the aft.  Several of the groups were female and some accounted very well for themselves, including a group from the housekeeping department.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/housekeeping.jpg

The deck officers combined with the bosuns and the medical staff, mostly wearing nautical hats.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/deck.jpg

The engine department all came out dressed in their coveralls.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/engineers.jpg

There was a partial upset with this years winners being the team from the specialty restaurants.  I say partial upset because some of the members were recent promotions from Waterside so they may have brought the championship along with them.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/victory.jpg

The team formed a celebratory huddle after their victory.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/celebration.jpg

The other intersection of the 2 World Games programs was at 3, a "Family Paddle Tennis" event which paired passenger medal winners with a crew member.  The crew members all wore shirts like the passengers except kind of a robins egg blue.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/family.jpg

I was a bit surprised that the second Black Tie Optional night was kind of an ordinary evening.  I would have expected it might be paired with the Crystal Society Party which was held Tuesday but that was not the case this time.  The 3rd Crystal Visions program for the day came at 5PM, Doug Beason on the Future of Space, concentrating on space debris and the benefits of 3D printing.  

The World Cruise Chorus, under the direction of Ed Voosen, performed at the Cove at 5:45.  Pianist Richard Pucci along with Pastor Voosen on the guitar, provided accompaniment.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/chorus2.jpg

There appeared to be several shared tables at dinner, and some couples as well as solos were sharing.  I chose the chicken consume, pasta, and butter pecan ice cream.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dishes29.jpg

I was out in ample time for the evening show, the Crystal Ensemble of Singers in Dancers in "Crystal on Broadway--The Show"  It features selections from "Something Rotten", "Rent", and "West Side Story".  

Trivia answers
1. Finland is known as the land of 1000 Lakes?
2: Philippines is known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas
5. The medals are Bronze which is primarily copper (CU), Silver (AG), and Gold (AU).
11.  How many double word squares on a scrabble board? 17
13.  In what town was the Tony Award Musical Come From Away set?
 In my life I have been to 13 musicals and 9 of them are Come From Away, set in Gander, Newfoundland
14.  How many vessels are in the current Crystal fleet?
1 each yacht and expedition
4 river
2 ocean
Total 8

Scores ran from 3 to 10, mostly on the low end of the range.  There was a runoff among 3 teams with 7 for silver and bronze medals.

For those interested in trivia, Stickman1990 reports on it regularly on his world cruise thread on Cruise Critic:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2725767-live-crossing-the-pacific-los-angeles-–-papeete-–-auckland-on-crystal-serenity-from-22-january-–-19-february-2020/page/99/

Sadly, today's parting shot will again be about the coronavirus.  Costa has a ship being held in Rome with 2 suspected cases.  I have been reading about the topic on their Cruise Critic forum and there seems to be a lot of finger pointing in the discussion.  This is a situation that calls for everyone working together.  Please!

Roy

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by rafinmd

[Happily@Sea]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thanks.  Sadly, Momma Lee had a fall a year or so ago and can no longer live on the ship.  I haven't actually sailed with her since I think the 2018 World Cruise but she does do occasional short cruises.  When I was on the Symphony Thanksgiving week and the 2 ships met in Grand Turk she was on board for that cruise which I think was 10 days.

 

Roy

 

Sorry to hear that. She really did enjoy living on board. A short cruise is better than not cruising at all.

[rafinmd]

Thanks Carole.  The internet here has been absolutely awful.  It makes me long for the days of 1200 baud dialup.

 

Day CS8, Thursday, January 30, 2020, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

Queen Mary 2 is in Dubai, UAE.  The sun rose at 5:47 and set at 6:28.  The moon rose at 10:18 and set at 10:06PM

This is my second visit to Nuku Hiva after a 2-day stay on the Crystal Symphony in 2018.  The island has a very limited tourist infrastructure and there was just one tour, a scenic island drive.  I did the tour in 2018 and will reference my post for that date:

https://morethangetaways.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/day-symphony36-Friday-march-23-2018-arrive-nuku-hiva-marquesas/

The island is one of those places that observes local time a half hour different from it's neighbors and we adjusted the clocks back 30 minutes Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  We did not change the clocks while on the Symphony, and there are few if any places to check local time in town.

I did not adjust my watch so the alarm went off at 4:30, and I started the day with a load of laundry.  The sun rose above morning clouds (and I think a bit of the island) about 6:30.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dawn0130-01.jpg

We entered the harbor at Nuku Hiva about 7.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/arrivalnh.jpg

I headed ashore about 10:30 and spent about an hour over there.  Most of the town is along a stretch of beach at the end of the inlet.  The end of the town is pretty much the church (I did not get that far this time) and the school sits more or less midway between the church and the dock.  

Further along there is are a couple of stores.  One looked abandoned (it wasn't and I later saw people entering) but I spent a few minutes in the other.  There was limited fresh produce (mostly oranges) but quite an array of canned goods and the like along with a selection of general store goods, and quite a nice display of chocolate.  I made one small purchase.

Almost across the street from the store is a "Monument to the Dead", apparently inspired by explorer Etienne Marchand with a cannon pointed out at the sea.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/monumentrnh.jpg

I returned to the ship around noon.  While walking around the bow I got a look at one of the large statues around the island.

All Aboard was 5:30.  It was quite a quiet departure with no announcement from the Captain and no Louis singing.  The sure signs were the rumble of the anchor chain, the dropping of the anchor flag, and the whirring of the motors as the last tender was stowed.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/sailaway30.jpg

There appeared to be at least 3 different shared tables at dinner.  I chose the avocado soup (not a hit) and went off menu for a chicken breast and mashed potato, finishing with carrot cake.  We were out of the dining room by 7:30.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dishes30.jpg

The featured entertainment was comedian Tony Daro with sets.  I think I have seen him just once before, 3 years ago on the Zaandam.  As 3 years ago I thought he did well but was a bit too drowsy to have fully experienced the show.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/daro.jpg

Afterwards I pretty much settled into a near catatonic state for a couple of hours, coming to life just long enough to check out the white party..

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/white30.jpg

My parting shot will be a sad one.  While various epidemics are striking the globe death comes all too often in smaller doses.  My fire department President just lost a teen aged daughter to a sudden illness.  Rest in Peace, Hope, and may healing come to your family.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS9, Friday, January 31, 2020, [Rangiroa], At Sea, Crystal Serenity

Queen Mary 2 is at Sea from Dubai to Muscat, Oman.  The sun rose at 5:27 and set at 6:24.  The moon rose at 10:50AM and set at 11:12PM.

The weather was iffy most of the day but I did eventually get in 9 laps around the ship over the course of the day.  The sun appeared among the clouds on my second lap.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dawn0131.jpg

A half hour later I was facing a rainbow as I walked forward.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/rainbow31.jpg

The last sea day of the segment the enrichment schedule got shuffled just a bit.  Bill Toone started things off at 9:30 with a talk on gorillas.  I watched on TV and I think my biggest takeaway is that for much wildlife while poachers get a lot of attention the biggest problem with threatened species is the loss of habitat.

Ocean Views was presented at 10:45, to the best of my knowledge a Crystal exclusive.  It's an interactional session with the audience and each person gets a little clicker reporting device.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/clicker.jpg

We had a panel of previous speakers (General Halley, Doug Beason, and Owenn Ullmann with Roberto D'Alimonte acting as moderator.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/thepanel.jpg

Several questions were posed and the audience conveyed their opinions by pressing choices on the clicker, then the panelists gave their takes, and the audience voted again after hearing the speakers opinions.

One of the questions was about the effects of Artificial Intelligence.  The speakers swayed the audience relatively little although surprisingly with a right of center audience they leaned more towards a need for government controls after hearing from the speakers.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/ai.jpg

A question on Korea swayed the audience the audience quite a bit with more interest in negotiation over tighter sanctions after hearing from the experts.

The question on climate change was the most dramatic with the audience starting out with widely divergent views coming far closer together on the need for technology as a solution.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/climate.jpg

In his noon update Captain Vorland indicated we were continuing at our maximum speed but would be able to slow down a bit in the afternoon and overnight.  When we get to Papeete we will be down to 400 tons of fuel, pretty much what he considers a minimum.  During the day we got notices of severe weather in Bora Bora with an opportunity to cancel tours (I did), and I turned in my itinerary for leaving the ship for 4 days in New Zealand.

There were two afternoon talks, Photographer Neil Leifer on the NFL Golden Years at 1:30 and Olympian Jennifer Chandler at 2:30 with her Top 10 Tools for Success.

The World Cruise Games Closing Ceremony was held at 5:15.  I will have a post on the Games later but as I stood above the Crystal Cove I was intrigued by the reflections of the Torch in the glass panels lining the cutout in deck 6.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/flames.jpg

I am including a photo from the Cocktail Party in the Captain's Quarters a few days ago.  It is typical of what I will wear on Crystal Casual sea days.  That would be required on Cunard.  Crystal is not as formal but it is more Elegant and I try to reflect that at least on sea days.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/seacasual.jpg

There were again 3 shared tables I saw in Waterside.  I chose the beef consume, South Pacific Pineapple Chicken (a tad on the spicy side but still good) and Cherry Garcia ice cream.  Dinner got a bit too close to the 7:45 show and I got the ice cream via room service.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dishes31.jpg

The featured entertainment was the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers in Illuminate, the Tourist.  For those not familiar the cast wears led-studded costumes which turn on and off in sequence with the choreography.  It is performed in total darkness and no entry is allow once the show starts.  The cast used to stand outside the theater for photos but I haven't seen that lately.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/illuminate.jpg

As today's parting shot, Brexit is apparently now a reality.  May the transition be as smooth as possible.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day CS10, Saturday, February 1, 2020, Arrive Bora Bora

Queen Mary 2 is in Muscat, Oman.  The sun rose at 5:53 and set at 6:43.  The moon rose at 12:11 PM and did not set until after midnight.

When I went out to the promenade deck door the wind was howling fiercely and I walked for a half hour inside the ship.  

I did not see the sun at all but things did calm down and I walked 2 times around the perimeter of the ship on the way to the lido for breakfast.  Bora Bora started coming into view through the haze about 7:30.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/borabora.jpg

For nine days we have pretty much had the seas to ourselves, at least with regard to other cruise ships.  That changed abruptly, as the Paul Gauguin and Phoenix Reisen Albatros (originally Royal Viking Sea) were anchored and we had to anchor behind them.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/companybora.jpg

There were frequent periods of heavy rain but I thought I had a bit of a lull a little after 10.  It was a bit of a slow tender ride with (just over a mile but pretty slowly).  The pier at Bora Bora is quite long and there was room for separate landing spots for each ship's tenders lined up along the way.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/boraport.jpg

I did encounter periods of rain in the hour or so I was ashore but my Crystal Umbrella, while big and heavy, kept me pretty dry.

One of the first things I noticed on my side of the street was the Bora Bora fire station.  They had what appeared to be two pretty nice engines and a very nice ambulance.  

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/borafire.jpg

I bit further up the street on the other side was the Evangelical church.  It was walled in and closed.  Along the way I passed huge puddles of water along the road.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/borachurch.jpg

When I was in Nuku Hiva I took a picture of the store there that would not load at the time.  I will try it again now for comparison with the one in Bora Bora.  That store has quite a selection of non-grocery items but a very limited stock of fresh produce.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/storenh.jpg

Magasin Chin Lee looked more like a grocery store with a much better selection of produce, likely in keeping with being less distant from Papeete.  There was a satellite store next door more like a general store.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/magsinbora.jpg

The local school was directly across the street from the store.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/ecolebora.jpg

I returned to the ship about 12:30.  I did go out to the promenade deck a little before 4 and again before 5 to watch the other 2 ships leave.  When they were bot gone Captain Vorland came on the PA and said we would be pulling up our anchor and moving closer to town.

With just one show I decided to dine on my own to be sure to be finished before the show started.  I chose the consume double and t-bone steak along with mint chocolate chunk ice cream.  I was finished in less than an hour.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dishes01.jpg

The featured entertainment was pianist Ashley Carruthers, a showman in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis.  I saw him once before, on the 2018 World Cruise.  A real bundle of talent and energy.

An evening dance had been planned on the pool deck but the weather did not cooperate and it was moved to the Crystal Cove.  It looked pretty festive.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/stardance.jpg

As today's parting shot, it looks like the majority of groundhogs have not seen their shadow.  Many will look forward eagerly to an early spring.

Roy