richwmn Goes around the world in a daze

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the pictures, brings back great memories.

 

[richwmn]

April 26 – Bergen, Norway

 

As advertised, today turned out to be a bit messy. It has been cold all day with intermittent rain / slush / snow. Right now it is 2:00pm and the sun is out in full for the first time today. The city is nice, but I’m told we are not at the best dock for getting to the attractions of the town. We are at essentially a cargo port.

 

Here are the menus and a few photos of the town.

 

Position of Zuiderdam at dock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by richwmn

[POA1]

Rich -

 

1 really like the Google maps screenshot of where you are each day. I'm stealing it in December - with attribution, of course

 

[POA1]

I'm running the beta version of maps on a Pixel 7 Pro, but I think this works everywhere. When you are displaying a map, touch the left edge of the screen to hide the search box and all the info pane. (You may have already known that.) Depending on what information is showing at the bottom of the screen, you may have to swipe down on the drawer control to hide it at first. This even works from the map search.

Edited April 27, 2023 by POA1

[richwmn]

April 27 – at sea destination Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

 

 

A relaxing day at sea after several port intensive days. Norway was beautiful and well worth the time spent there. Trivia last night went well. We didn’t win but had a good time.

 

Last night on the World Stage we had another comic. Sid Davis appeared at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. I attended the early show and he was very good. He mixed jokes about himself, his family, and cruising. The audience seemed to appreciate his humor and he got a good reception. I really enjoyed the show.

 

After the show I called it a night except for some upkeep on my laptop. After a very good night’s sleep, I woke up a bit late then went to a good breakfast. A bit later we are having a meeting for the ‘24 Grand Australia. Then the normal three sea days trivia sessions.

 

 

 

[richwmn]

April 27 – at sea destination Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

It has been a nice relaxing day at sea today. The two trivia sessions have been fun, with the second having a Dutch theme. We did better on that one than I expected. The ship is all decked out in Orange for King’s Day and there will be an Orange Party a bit later. Everyone seems to be in a good mood.

 

Here are tonight’s menus

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by richwmn

[alibabacruisers]

I will have to try and learn how to use those "maps" and I wish I were more tech savvy.

[richwmn]

April 27 – The Orange Party

 

This evening we had the celebration of King’s Day in the Netherlands. On the ships this is known as The Orange Party. It started at 9:00pm with the crew handing out orange hats and wigs to anyone who didn’t have on something orange. They were also handing out sparkling wine that had been colored orange. The DJ played up beat music for several hours and had quite a few people up dancing.

 

The DJ stage

 

 

 

Henk (Hotel Manager) & Spencer (Entertainment Staff / Sports)

 

 

Entertainment Staff -- Simon, Jessica, Spencer

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by richwmn

[richwmn]

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

 

 

 

This morning we arrived in Scotland. We were at or near our anchorage at 6:30am when I arrived in the Lido for breakfast. After eating, I went out on the aft deck to take a couple of pictures. It was overcast and a bit rainy. The forecast is for clearing this afternoon so I will be going out for a bit then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

It is now 10:00am and the menus are available. In addition it has cleared up quite a bit and should be a nice experience going ashore for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

April 28 – Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

We got on the tender around noon and it had turned into a reasonable day. The first thing I thought when I got off the tender was “I’ve been here before!” Sure enough, Portree was a stop on the Voyage of the Vikings in August of 2018. It was a nice stop then and still is. I recognized many places and we had a good walk. After a little shopping, we returned to the ship.

 

The walk around Portree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by richwmn

[richwmn]

April 29 – Oban, Scotland

 

 

Ship's position at 6:39am

 

Ship's position for tendering

 

Today is another tender day, with the process expected to take about 30 minutes each way. Right now it is still overcast but it appears to be breaking and this afternoon might be nice. All aboard is 3:30pm so it will be a short visit.

 

Last night was a movie on the Main Stage. The trivia session at 6:30pm was ‘Food & Beverage’ and was hosted by Spencer. He is listed as the sports director but previously has been part of food demonstrations and other similar occupations. His trivia was a bit difficult but was interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dining Room Menu has not been posted

 

[richwmn]

April 29 – Oban, Scotland

 

By noon the day had turned nice, so I headed for the tender. Tickets were no longer required so I got on the tender very quickly. It took about 10 minutes before it was full enough to head into town. I must have heard the announcement wrong because the ride was closer to 15 minutes.

 

The tender dropped us off right in town. There was a long ramp from the tender to the street, but it wasn’t too much of an incline. As with most of the European cities I have visited the area around the dock was very pretty and very easy to walk around. The area contained many types of shops, restaurants, and bars.

 

The weather stayed nice while I walked around the town. When I got back to the tender I was able to get right on, but again there was a short wait while a few more people boarded. The transfer from the tender was a bit rough, but not as rough as some I have had in the past.

the walk around Oban

 

 

Tonight's MDR menu is now available.

 

 

Pictures of Oban

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by richwmn

[richwmn]

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland

 

 

Ship's position at 6:40am

 

Today we are tendering into Dún Laoghaire. This is our port for Dublin, and according to Google maps it is about a 2.5 hr drive into Dublin. Luckily my Voyage of the Vikings cruise actually stopped in Dublin and I got a good tour there. Today will be tendering into the port area and walking around this area.

 

As has happened for the past few days it was a bit overcast when we arrived but it is clearing up nicely. It is currently 8:30am and the sun is out, the forecast is for a very nice day today.

 

View from the Observation Deck this morning

 

 

 

 

Today's Activities

 

 

[richwmn]

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland

 

Today's menus have been published.

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

April 30 – Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland

 

It is evening aboard Zuiderdam. The entertainment in the World Stage is Irish Step Dancers and I plan to see the late show shortly.

 

It turned out to be another nice day in port today. After a shorter than expected (15 minute) tender ride we arrived in Dún Laoghaire. It was a short walk into a town that was very active for a Sunday. The temperature was moderate and comfortable. We walked around for about an hour, then stopped for a local beer and a shot of Jamesons Black. Then back to the ship for the rest of the afternoon. The early trivia was all about movies while the late session was general. We did about the same as usual, we didn’t win but we were not too far out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by richwmn

[StLouisCruisers]

I wish I'd known you were anchoring in Dun Laoghaire instead of in Dublin itself.  I could have brought this up ahead of time, but alas! 

 

In 2015 the Royal Princess anchored there and tendered us to shore.  Then we walked from the tender dock to the train station in Dun Laoghaire, bought tickets to Dublin Pearse Station and it took 15 to 20 minutes to arrive downtown.  Very inexpensive and they go often, like every 15 minutes.  We had been told driving to Dublin would take at least an hour due to traffic.  Reversed the train ride on the return home and enjoyed a great day visiting the sights.  I don't remember if there were taxis at the tender dock for those who can't walk to the train station.  Hopefully others will read this and look into it if they anchor in Dun Laoghaire.

[richwmn]

May 1 – Cobh (Cork), Ireland

 

 

Zuiderdam's position at 7:00am

 

Position at Dock

 

 

Today is day 118 of the World Cruise. That means I have been aboard Zuiderdam for 140 days at this point. When this cruise ends at the end of next week I will have been aboard Zuiderdam for 198 days total, almost enough to be a 4 star Mariner based on actual days alone. Two days ago when I returned to my cabin for the evening I found a Gold Medallion on my bed along with an invitation to a ceremony tomorrow. I actually hit 500 actual days almost a month ago. I remember going to my first Mariner function a long time ago and seeing people get the Bronze Medallion for 100 days and feeling like I would never do that. Things change.

 

Today we are docked in Cobh, Ireland. We are not at an industrial port and it will be nice to walk off again in an area we can tour easily. The sail in was very nice, and the ship was turned around in a very tight area just before docking. The ship was moored quickly and we were almost immediately cleared to disembark. The weather is co-operating again so we have a great day to explore Cobh.

 

Today's activities

 

 

Sailing into Cobh today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by richwmn

[richwmn]

46 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Today is day 118 of the World Cruise. That means I have been aboard Zuiderdam for 140 days at this point.

I just realized it is 130 days today, and 140 at the end of the cruise.

 

[lcand1923]

Congratulations, Rich, on 500 Sailing Days!

 

Thank you, again, for taking the time to post each day.  I really appreciate it.

[POA1]

Congratulations on your Gold Medallion!

[richwmn]

May 1 – Cobh (Cork), Ireland

 

I relaxed a bit this morning then went to lunch. While there I ran into Kelly & Jett. They were getting ready to leave the ship and allowed me to tag along. We left the ship and headed toward St Colman’s Cathedral not too far away. We took a bit of a circular way to get there but it really didn’t take too long. When we arrived they were getting ready to start a funeral, so Jett peeked in and then we started walking again.

 

Kelly intended to see a cemetery that contained the graves of many of the Lusitania victims. We walked uphill and it seemed like forever, but it really wasn’t that long. When we got to the top we were still not there. We had to walk down hill a bit more before arriving at the cemetery. Once there we found a sign which told us where the graves were, along with other notable areas. We took a bit of time to look around, then headed back toward the ship.

 

We started up hill, and about the time we got to the market we saw a funeral procession headed toward the cemetery we just left. The hearse was proceeding slowly with many people walking beside and behind it. We paused in respect, then they went into the market and got some water. Near the top of the hill we stopped to take a drink, then proceeded to the top. When we passed the cathedral again there was an opportunity to go inside.

 

From there it didn’t take long to get back to the ship. The walk was about 3 ½ miles. All in all it was a very interesting day in Cobh.

 

this is our walk today. Note that I didn't start the tracking software until after we were gone from the ship for a bit.

 

Today's menus

 

 

 

 

Cobh, Ireland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by richwmn

[richwmn]

Irish Singers and Dancers

 

Sunday night the show in the World Stage was a group of Irish Singers and Dancers that came aboard yesterday and left today. The put on a very good show consisting of several songs, four of which the dancers performed to. The music was very good as were the dancers. The show lasted close to an hour.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by richwmn

[erewhon]

@richwmn  Rich, 

Warmest Congratulations on receiving your Gold medallion.

Enjoying your reports and photos, thank you.

[richwmn]

May 2 – at sea destination Ponta Delgada, The Azores, Portugal

 

 

 

 

This cruise is drawing to a close. We are on the first of two sea days after which we will spend two days in the Azores, first Ponta Delgada then Praia da Vitoria. This morning was overcast and rainy.

 

For at least today and tomorrow the senior staff will be busy giving out medallions for those who have crossed the 100, 300, 500, & 700 actual sea day limits. With the full cruise being 128 days I believe a majority of the 1400 passengers aboard will qualify for one of the levels.

 

Because the Crows Nest is being used for the Medallion Ceremonies there will not be a 1:00pm trivia session normal for sea days, but we will have 4:00pm and 6:30pm sessions. There will be story telling set up on the Lido deck poolside from 9:00am till about 10:30am. Might be fun. We are also getting our passports back again this morning during the same time frame. A representative is also aboard to assist people who have luggage shipping set up to facilitate that process. He will be on board until Fort Lauderdale but expects to have everything in order by the 8^th.