meg1021 Posted May 6, 2023 #751 Share Posted May 6, 2023 14 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said: The Daily Program is where all the activities are listed. You can see them all HERE, indexed by date in a table. Review the zoom replays, especially the general ones. HERE and HERE Check out the rest of my website as it has much more information, reference items, packing suggestions and a cost calculator. HERE HERE is a page where you can find highlights of past cruise entertainers My 3 suggestions 1). Spend 2 days (minimum) per port researching every port in advance. Plan your days for each port before you leave. Don’t be a slave to your plan but have a baseline fr9m which you deviate. 2). Know how public transportation and taxis work. If you have never used taxis or subways - take a short vacation to a big U.S. city and practice using trains, taxis and buses. All big city public transit works about the same. Know how to use your phone to find bus stops and subway stops. Know how to use your smart phone. Know how to use UBER. Know how to make local calls in a different country with a U.S. cellphone. Use maps.me or pocket earth and mark places of interest in advance. 3). Participate in your roll call. Join the photo book. Meet people in advance online. Read other blogs - see the links in my signature line below Thanks so much for your prompt and well thought out suggestions, and for the links to additional information. I should probably have added some additional context to my post. We have taken extended cruises on other cruise lines, and I wholeheartedly agree that researching ports is a must. I also intend to join the roll call, when it's up and running. I know that experienced HAL cruisers will be able to answer questions I have. In many ports/countries, we are comfortable with trains, subways, and taxis. In other countries we are not, so we would definitely prefer to use HAL excursions for safety reasons in those ports. The Zuiderdam 2025 World Cruise that we put a deposit on, has a very compelling itinerary for us. We were booked on Crystal Cruises 2023 World cruise, which had a very similar itinerary, but unfortunately Crystal went out of business (recently purchased/resurrected by A & K). Do you have any experience with overland tours that HAL offers? We've tried twice now to visit Machu Pichu on a cruise (the aforementioned Crystal cruise, and a 49 day South America cruise this past this past Jan/Feb on Oceania, which cancelled stops in Peru, due to political unrest, and destruction of the rail lines going to Machu Pichu). Perhaps the third time is the charm, and we can visit it on this HAL voyage. I know that we can do it on our own for less $, but would prefer to book through the cruise line, just in case of unforeseen issues, like we experienced with our recent Oceania cruise. I don't really like to compare cruise lines, because each one has its own strengths/weaknesses, but if you feel that HAL has a particular strength, please share it with me. Once again thanks for you response. It is much appreciated! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg1021 Posted May 6, 2023 #752 Share Posted May 6, 2023 14 hours ago, REOVA said: And be like Pete.....go on the GWC without any expectation and open mind and enjoy the adventures. You will be blessed to not have a prior cruise to compare to which helps in appreciating the Voyage. (But definitely research every port before hand). I agree with this! If you travel with the intention of enjoying yourself, you will! If you look for deficiencies, you will surely find them, and probably enjoy your experience a lot less. Having said that, we do expect basic competency in both service and accommodations. Perfection is not the goal, since it's impossible to achieve. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelker Posted May 6, 2023 #753 Share Posted May 6, 2023 9 minutes ago, meg1021 said: I agree with this! If you travel with the intention of enjoying yourself, you will! If you look for deficiencies, you will surely find them, and probably enjoy your experience a lot less. Having said that, we do expect basic competency in both service and accommodations. Perfection is not the goal, since it's impossible to achieve. Well said! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 6, 2023 Author #754 Share Posted May 6, 2023 15 minutes ago, meg1021 said: I also intend to join the roll call, when it's up and running. The roll call is up and running. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 6, 2023 Author #755 Share Posted May 6, 2023 (edited) 50 minutes ago, meg1021 said: Do you have any experience with overland tours that HAL offers? but if you feel that HAL has a particular strength, please share it with me. Once again thanks for you response. It is much appreciated! I don't have any personal experience with HAL overland tours. However, I have talked to many people who have done HAL overland tours. While they are usually double or triple the price of what you can do independently, they are always well-run and go first class, all the way. If seeing Machu Pichu is essential, I would go there on a separate land vacation. We used COLTUR Travel for our Machu Pichu trip, and they put together a great package for us. You could probably set up an entire Machu Pichu experience from the USA for the same price as the HAL overland price alone. Remember, when you book an overland off the ship, you are paying for five days of the cruise you won't be using, which increases the effective price of your overland. The price for the Machu Pichu overland advertised on the 2023 Grand SA was about $3900 per person. I think it was ultimately canceled, regardless.. HAL's strength is the individual customer service of the crew. I have sailed Seabourn, Crystal, Viking, and more - HAL is the best. Edited May 6, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REOVA Posted May 6, 2023 #756 Share Posted May 6, 2023 37 minutes ago, meg1021 said: I agree with this! If you travel with the intention of enjoying yourself, you will! If you look for deficiencies, you will surely find them, and probably enjoy your experience a lot less. Having said that, we do expect basic competency in both service and accommodations. Perfection is not the goal, since it's impossible to achieve. You won't be disappointed. However the problem with doing a HAL Grand Voyage is it does spoil you when doing a regular HAL cruise. Whether it's meeting/seeing people (some that sail every year) for 4 months or the "extras" HAL includes on these, it's a unique experience. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 7, 2023 Author #757 Share Posted May 7, 2023 We are attending the Mariners luncheon. Very nice menu. we also got our 150th anniversary tiles! soup Beef Brisket Seafood Mixed Grill Crème Brûlée Tile Presty and Judy 12 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJSULIBRARIAN Posted May 7, 2023 #758 Share Posted May 7, 2023 Do you know if HAL will be giving out the 150th Anniversary titles on any cruise during this year? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BetsyS. Posted May 7, 2023 #759 Share Posted May 7, 2023 Pete and Judy - Thanks for all your detailed reporting, beautiful pictures, menus, and schedules of activities. I have friends that I met on cruises in 1973 and 2002. I wish you all the best for the coming week and safe travels home! 😊 Betsy 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaoma Posted May 7, 2023 #760 Share Posted May 7, 2023 1 hour ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said: Do you know if HAL will be giving out the 150th Anniversary titles on any cruise during this year? We did a Caribbean Cruise on NA in March and were given the Anniversary tiles. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lido deck main Posted May 7, 2023 #761 Share Posted May 7, 2023 Pete, thank you very much for the enjoyable, information loaded blog. On my next cruise in September I will request to sit at table 89 one night and have a drink and a meal in your honour and toast to you (and the rest of the gang). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted May 7, 2023 #762 Share Posted May 7, 2023 Pete this is the BEST cruise review ever! Absolutely love your positive attitude all the way around no matter what comes your way. I have thoroughly enjoyed following along. I think it helps to follow several reviews and get different perspectives as we all travel differently. Enjoy the remaining time on your cruise, sorry to see it come to an end for sure. Will watch for future reviews. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa traveller Posted May 7, 2023 #763 Share Posted May 7, 2023 3 hours ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said: Do you know if HAL will be giving out the 150th Anniversary titles on any cruise during this year? We got them on the Westerdam in Japan last month. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 8, 2023 Author #764 Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) PRAIA DA VITÓRIA, AZORES MAY 5, 2023 We enjoy home cooked food and local wine on a beautiful island in the North Atlantic Ocean Terceira Island is one of the most beautiful and diverse islands in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. We arrived around 7 am at a commercial port and were cleared a little before 8 am. The area around the ship was an open area that was mostly empty. While there wasn’t any prohibition about walking out of the port, the nearest town was Praia da Vitória, about 2.5 miles away without much in between. The ship offered a free shuttle bus to Praia da Vitória. The town of Praia da Vitoria is on the left, showing the location of the shuttle bus drop-off spot. The ship location detail is on the right. Five of us from Table 89 booked an all-day excursion with Pro Island Tours called “Wines & Moonshines” for €500 total (€100 pp). More HERE While Pro Island Tours uses 4-wheel drive Land Rover Defender “jeeps”, none of the places we traveled to today required 4-wheel drive. The Land Rover has a total of 7 seats. Two front seats (one for the driver/guide) , three spots on the bench seat behind the front seats, and two seats facing each other in the back. Land Rover Defender Our guide and driver, Carolina, met us a little before 9 am, and we were on our way. Born and raised on Terceira Island, Carolina was very friendly and knowledgeable. Here is the description of our tour from their website: Wines & Moonshines Taste local Wines and Moonshines The trip is made comfortably in jeeps suitably equipped for the purpose and able to take you to places you did not even imagine existed. We personalize your tour to your likes; we bring you to the most important look-out places, go off-road to see some gorgeous sites, then we bring you to a beautiful location where you will have lunch in a relax atmosphere, you can walk around enjoying a glass of wine or beer if you like to, while we prepare your food, during lunch you always have wine or beer available to you, after lunch we do some tasting of our local homemade moonshines, then we continue seeing beautiful places in the Island where very few can bring you, you will get to see the Island on the outside and from the inside. We will bring you to as many places as possible to give you a very good idea of the Island of Terceira. On the wines and moonshines tour, we will bring you to see where the vines are grown the old fashion way and why this local white wine “verdelho” is so unique. We headed off on a clockwise circumnavigation of the 18-mile-wide island and would make several stops before we arrived at our lunch stop around 1 pm. The blue line marks our route today. We traveled clockwise MIRADOURO DA SERRA CUME Our first stop was Miradouro da Serra do Cume, a viewpoint over 1700 feet above sea level that overlooks Terceira’s interior. The wind was fierce, and the skies overcast, so the view wasn’t as spectacular as it would be on a nicer day, but it was still pretty good. This is the viewing platform for the Miradouro da Serra do Cume lookout As we continued down the hill, we stopped to look at some Holstein cows munching on the grass near the road. The fields are partitioned to control the cow’s grazing I didn’t expect to see bananas growing on Terceira, but we stopped and wandered thru a small banana farm. We are used to seeing bananas in Central America, which is much hotter, so it was unexpected to see them growing in a much cooler climate. The banana farm was protected on all sides by high plantings to shield the bananas from the wind SPLIT ROCK Ilhéus das Cabras, or Goat Island, is about a mile south of the main island and is more commonly known as Split Island. We stopped for a few minutes for pictures of the island, walked along a black sand beach, and enjoyed the excellent views. The weather was improving, and the coast wasn’t as windy. Ilhéus das Cabras, or Goat Island – aka Split Rock There is a big Bull Festival every August/September MONTE BRASIL PENINSULA Our next stop was the Monte Brasil Peninsula, the viewpoint located about 1500 feet above the historic city of Angra do Heroísmo, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. This charming city has picturesque streets lined with colorful buildings and stunning architecture. The view of Angra do Heroísmo from Monte Brasil Peninsula is spectacular. Near the viewpoint is a statue of Afonso VI, the second king of Portugal, who was exiled to Terceira for seven years after his brother had him declared incapable of ruling. Angra do Heroísmo Afonso VI, the second king of Portugal Once again, we turned inland, enjoying the countryside’s vibrant colors, lush green forests, and fields dotted with brightly colored houses and churches. We stopped at Lagoa das Patas, or Duck Lake, for about 15 minutes and enjoyed the idyllic setting and, not surprisingly, watched ducks as they wandered to and fro. Judy and Pete at Duck Lake Of course, there were plenty of ducks at Duck Lake LUNCH AT MATA DE SERRETA Mata de Serreta is a Forest Recreation Reserve complete with covered picnic areas. This is where we met other Pro Island Tours staff who had prepared our lunch. We enjoyed local wine, cheese, meats, and bread as we discussed what we had seen and learned more about life in the Azores and Terceira. We enjoyed these appetizers while waiting for the main course Our main course was a delicious beef stew, chicken, pork and tongue, salad, and rice. Home-made beef stew Brad is getting ready to dig into the main course For dessert, we enjoyed a Queijada da Dona Amélia, which is quite literally fit for a queen. This hallmark dessert earned its name as a tribute to Queen Amélia, who was offered the sweets on her first royal visit to the island in 1901. You can find the recipe HERE Queijada da Dona Amélia Everything was delicious, and home-cooked food is always a treat. CALHETA DOS BISCOITOS After an hour, we moved on to our final stop: Calheta dos Biscoitos, a small pebbly beach in Biscoitos. Biscoitos consists of pools surrounded by irregular configurations of black lava rocks resulting from volcanic eruptions, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by a rocky breakwater. The rocky breakwater protects Calheta dos Biscoitos from the Ocean. Biscoitos consists of natural pools The beach was empty as it was cool, windy, and early in the season. Based on the size of the parking lot, this place would get crowded with excellent weather. Table 89 at the end of the excursion. Our guide and driver, Carolina, is on the far right. WINE AND CHEESE SAIL AWAY Back on the ship, we enjoyed our final SailAway around the Lido Pool, complete with complimentary wine and some fantastic cheeses. The event was well attended, and the weather cooperated as we celebrated our departure from the Azores. Henk was manning a wine serving station. Big pours only! There were two cheese stations, one on each side of the pool. HAL Servers are the best! TOM CROSBIE Tom Crosbie was the featured entertainer on the World Stage. He displayed a fantastic talent for solving Rubiks cubes which was surprisingly entertaining, and we enjoyed his show. Edited May 8, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 8, 2023 Author #765 Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) Here are a few highlights from our first of six sea days as we head back to Fort Lauderdale Henk was the guest at Coffee Chat and discussed that the Hotel GMs, Cruise and Travel Directors, and Entertainment Directors from the Zuiderdam, Zaandam, and Volendam will meet with executives from Holland America Headquarters in Seattle on May 12th in Montreal to discuss the lesson's learned on the Grand Voyages conducted since the restart. President's Club, Pinnacle and Neptune Suite guests were invited to a "Rijsttafel" luncheon in the Main Dining Room. The food was excellent and we had a wonderful time. Here is the invitation The Menu Some of the crew were wearing colorful costumes at the door, Salad Course Main Course Rice pudding dessert Artist in residence, Ben Sack, unveiled the original ink drawing commemorating the 2023 Grand World Voyage in the Crow's Nest. Ben Sack Pianist and Vocalist Lisa Harman performed on the World Stage Lisa Harman Edited May 8, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 8, 2023 Author #766 Share Posted May 8, 2023 Last night we attended the BARN DANCE in the Rolling Stone Lounge Here was the description from the Daily Program "BARN DANCE Join us in our yeee-haaa `barn' for family-folks easy Country- Western line-dancing wearin' your best Denim, Boots, Bangles or Heels. Our own `stones' will put out of good-ole music to match, so come ya'll and have some fun, ya hear!" Judy, Pete and Pam The Band Everyone had a great time 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julia Posted May 8, 2023 #767 Share Posted May 8, 2023 So, Pete.... truthfully, are you looking forward to getting back home, or would you rather have a few more weeks (or months) onboard?! Inquiring minds want to know... 😅 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted May 8, 2023 #768 Share Posted May 8, 2023 @The-Inside-Cabin....Pete I have to comment that you and your fellow cruisers have certainly seemed to make the "best" of the changes that have happened to cruising post covid. I am following several other reviews on this cruise line and I am really surprised at the negativity. For me any day I can be on a ship is better than not being on a ship. I am surprised that folks do not realize that our entire society and world has changed since COVID. When we cruise in January I do not expect our experience to be the same a pre Covid, but we will have a great time because we are cruising. Your review has been very informative and refreshing and it give cruising a look at the "glass half full" outlook which unfortunately many are viewing it the other way. All businesses have changed and had to regroup. Thank you for all you have done in providing us with a FABULOUS review of your world cruise. I am sorry to see it come to an end. Safe travels home. 8 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albi Posted May 8, 2023 #769 Share Posted May 8, 2023 Thank you so much for taking your loyal followers on the world cruise! We enjoyed every posting and certainly value your very positive attitude. We can’t wait for your next adventure! On a personal note, you and Judy help those of us not able to join you, experience the world through your eyes! What a voyage it has been! 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 8, 2023 Author #770 Share Posted May 8, 2023 2 hours ago, julia said: So, Pete.... truthfully, are you looking forward to getting back home, or would you rather have a few more weeks (or months) onboard?! Inquiring minds want to know... 😅 I am ready to get back home and recharge. I have found that 4 months is about the right number for us. 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadabout60 Posted May 8, 2023 #771 Share Posted May 8, 2023 2 hours ago, Hogladyrider said: @The-Inside-Cabin....Pete I have to comment that you and your fellow cruisers have certainly seemed to make the "best" of the changes that have happened to cruising post covid. I am following several other reviews on this cruise line and I am really surprised at the negativity. For me any day I can be on a ship is better than not being on a ship. I am surprised that folks do not realize that our entire society and world has changed since COVID. When we cruise in January I do not expect our experience to be the same a pre Covid, but we will have a great time because we are cruising. Your review has been very informative and refreshing and it give cruising a look at the "glass half full" outlook which unfortunately many are viewing it the other way. All businesses have changed and had to regroup. Thank you for all you have done in providing us with a FABULOUS review of your world cruise. I am sorry to see it come to an end. Safe travels home. I totally agree with this. You really seem to make the most of every day - both in port and at sea. I love how you embrace the local culture and get a feel for your ports by trying to meet locals and eating the local food etc Other cruisers do seem stuck in the past and reflect too much on little changes or lack of pillow gifts. I don’t think they understand how much debt some cruise lines have. Thank you for your blogs and your positive attitude 10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 9, 2023 Author #772 Share Posted May 9, 2023 2 hours ago, gadabout60 said: I totally agree with this. You really seem to make the most of every day - both in port and at sea. I love how you embrace the local culture and get a feel for your ports by trying to meet locals and eating the local food etc Other cruisers do seem stuck in the past and reflect too much on little changes or lack of pillow gifts. I don’t think they understand how much debt some cruise lines have. Thank you for your blogs and your positive attitude My best cruise is always my current cruise - until my next cruise, that is....😀 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REOVA Posted May 9, 2023 #773 Share Posted May 9, 2023 2 hours ago, gadabout60 said: I totally agree with this. You really seem to make the most of every day - both in port and at sea. I love how you embrace the local culture and get a feel for your ports by trying to meet locals and eating the local food etc Other cruisers do seem stuck in the past and reflect too much on little changes or lack of pillow gifts. I don’t think they understand how much debt some cruise lines have. Thank you for your blogs and your positive attitude Actually this occurs no matter what year. You would be surprised to hear the number of people that do this cruise every year and find something to complain about, even 5 years ago. Some of them don't even get off the ship because they've "seen" the port before. As Pete has provided in his blogs, crusing is about seeking and exploring new areas of the World. The World is small but there is always something new to experience if you make the effort. "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." Epictetus 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 9, 2023 Author #774 Share Posted May 9, 2023 The big event yesterday was the final slot pull of the cruise - 25 of us spent $15.00 We ended up with $7.25 each! Yeah! Table 89 was well represented 25 people waiting their turn Pam hits a winner! John gets a winner! Susan gets a close call Pete comes up empty! 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea42 Posted May 9, 2023 #775 Share Posted May 9, 2023 14 hours ago, gadabout60 said: I totally agree with this. You really seem to make the most of every day - both in port and at sea. I love how you embrace the local culture and get a feel for your ports by trying to meet locals and eating the local food etc Other cruisers do seem stuck in the past and reflect too much on little changes or lack of pillow gifts. I don’t think they understand how much debt some cruise lines have. Thank you for your blogs and your positive attitude I so agree with what you're saying. I've been following 4 other blogs for this cruise and it is very interesting reading the different views of the same cruise. My favorite, besides Pete's of course, is Debra's, who is on the ship with her teenage daughter: https://livevicariouslythroughdebra.com/ She has such a refreshingly positive attitude, it is a joy to read each morning. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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