San Diego to Montreal in 134 Days

[Cruising-along]

We enjoyed last night’s show too. Overall we’ve enjoyed all of them, with only a few that we didn’t care for. I guess that’s to be expected on a 94-day cruise. 
 

Also will add to Lorraine’s opinion about the talks — very good! And Daniel our Cruise Director makes everything fun. 

[richwmn]

revised activities for today and some pictures of Cook Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

March 21^st, 2024 – at sea, destination Bora Bora, French Polynesia

 

Good morning from Volendam. We are currently sailing Northeast at 13 knots toward Bora Bora, our surprise port. The TV weather information shows light rain, although I didn’t notice it when I was at breakfast. The temperature is 82°F / 28°C with a humidity of 76%. The winds are at 13.4mph.

 

 

 

Yesterday we were supposed to call at Cook Island. Due to the sea state we were unable to use the tenders to get to the island so we ended up circling the island then getting an early start toward Bora Bora. The staff did a good job of changing from a shore based day to a sea based day. Additional activities were quickly added and a list was distributed to the cabins.

 

Due to a comment yesterday, and the fact that one was happening right away, I decided to give the Tech talk another listen. I followed that with the Coffee talk between Daniel and the Staff Captain. I will address the tech talk shortly. The chat between Daniel and the Staff Captain was entertaining. Daniel is a natural comic and doesn’t realize it. The Staff Captain has an interesting background and provided insight into the decision making process that led to skipping Cook Island.

 

After the Coffee Chat, I went up to the Lido Deck for lunch, then to my cabin and relaxed a bit. I got a little bit involved in things and missed the 4pm trivia session. During the morning announcement the Captain announced a ‘free drink’ hour between 4 and 5 pm in all the bars aboard, so at 4:30 when I realized what time it was I went up to the Ocean Bar, which was overflowing, then on to Mix. My trivia team was still there and let me know they had done fine. I saw @cruising sister and @Cruisercl sitting at the bar and had a discussion with them about my earlier comment about the Tech person.

 

In an earlier comment I mentioned that I felt the tech presenter was doing a ‘sales pitch’ for certain apps / products. I later amended that to ‘validating a purchase decision’. I keep up with tech, and have for a very long time. I get frustrated when presenters focus on one product to the exclusion of other similar products. This causes one program to thrive while other similar products, which might actually be better, don’t get used.

 

Today we get to do the safety drill again. This is required every thirty days on extended cruises. We are supposed to watch the TV presentation again, then report to our life boat, and finally the Captain will make an announcement about 2pm about the lifeboat proceedure.

 

Today’s activities and meals –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by richwmn

[cunnorl]

 Thanks Rich for all your detailed reports. Been enjoying following along.

I agree with you about Daniel. the CD. He was on our Aust/NZ circumnavigation in 2022. He is very funny and tells great stories.Dont think he even realizes it!

[richwmn]

March 21^st, 2024 – at sea, destination Bora Bora, French Polynesia

 

In my previous post for today I failed to mention the show last night. In the World Stage last night we had the second show presented by Celtic Grá. They are a four piece group that was backed by three members of the ship’s entertainment staff. The band is a lead singer (Rebecca Harkin), with a piano player, a fiddle (violin) player, and a dancer. For most of the show, the female lead singer is the star of the show. Rebecca is a very good singer, with a good amount of talk between her songs. The piano player and fiddler are also very good. The dancer is an entertaining portion of the show. For a few minutes in the middle of the show, Rebecca leaves the stage and the band did a short piece which was also entertaining. It was a very nice evening in the World Stage.

 

 

 

[richwmn]

March 22^nd, 2024 – Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

 

Good morning from our surprise port. When this cruise was first announced, Bora Bora was part of the itinerary. However, it was pulled because the local government wanted to restrict visits to cruise ships smaller than Volendam. Several days ago the Captain announced that due to ongoing negotiations, our stop here was reinstated.

 

 

The temperate is 82°F / 28°C under scattered clouds. The humidity is 69%, and the wind is just under 6mph. We are currently in our position for tendering and the tenders have been lowered into the water.

 

Yesterday was a fine day at sea. As usual, there was plenty going on for those that wanted to. Plenty of people did laps around the promenade deck, others were on the loungers around the pool. Various talks and presentations were available.

 

We didn’t have an early session of trivia. What we did instead was have our monthly safety drill. It went without any problems, and the ship carried on. The process post covid is very easy and took very little time.

 

We did have a late session of trivia, with a theme of ‘Dutch’ to complement the ships Orange theme of the day. Shortly before 7pm, the Captain showed up and announced his intention to play again. I don’t know how he ended up doing but the winner was a Dutch couple who got everything right and was awarded a bonus point for humming the National Anthem of the Netherlands when the question concerned it. It was a very entertaining session of trivia.

 

Shortly after trivia ended the Crows Nest was filled with people for the Orange Party. The Ocean Bar Band was the entertainment and was very good, keeping people on the dance floor for most of the evening. The Captain and his wife showed up, him in a bright orange shirt, her in a very nice orange dress. Several people who failed to bring, and didn’t want to purchase, anything orange showed up with their life vests around their necks. Many people were wearing orange wigs. It was a good time for all. When the Crows Nest Party broke up, I headed in but heard music from the Ocean Bar. I was pleased to find the Dance Band playing there and stayed a few minutes to listen to them. They are also a very good band.

 

 

 

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bora Bora from the ship --

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

March 23^rd, 2024 – Bahia d’ Opunoha (Moorea), French Polynesia

 

Good morning from Moorea, on our first of two days here. The temperature is 84°F / 29°C with only a few clouds. The humidity is 68% and the winds are a little under 4mph. It looks to be a good day here.

 

 

I had some good news yesterday. When I booked the final, Fort Lauderdale to Montreal segment of this cruise, it was just before final payment and I could only book it as a guarantee. I was checking yesterday and found that I am remaining in my same cabin all the way to Montreal!

 

Yesterday was a very nice day in Bora Bora. It was a short tender ride, and the local population had a nice setup for greeting us. The tender dock is also within a short walk from quite a bit of interesting things to do. All the people were very friendly and seemed happy to have us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did have two sessions of trivia yesterday. The early session was interesting and we did well, but again just missed winning. The late session was all about Elvis. Dani had a nice mix of questions. Some examples, the name of Elvis’s home and where it is, also his middle name, did he serve in any military. She also had questions about two songs and a movie or two. The only question we missed was which of his movies did he not sing in. One team did manage to get all the questions correct and win outright.

 

At the same time trivia starts, Daniel is usually on the World Stage taking questions about the next port. Since trivia only lasts about 15 minutes, I generally make it to the stage early enough to catch the last couple of questions. I have really enjoyed the way Daniel handles the questions and his natural sense of humor.

 

The show last night was the second by Andy Buenger. He is a very talented musician and gives a good amount of humor in his presentation.

 

 

This morning we arrived on time in Moorea, and the tenders went out quickly. As this is an overnight port, the tenders will be running until midnight and begin again tomorrow morning at 7am. It looks to be another nice day in the South Pacific.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by richwmn

[oakridger]

Rich, did you get off the ship in Moorea?  If so, what did you do?  I'll be there next year so am curious to find out interesting things to do.

 

~Nancy

[richwmn]

March 24^th, 2024 – Bahia d’ Opunoha (Moorea), French Polynesia (day 2)

 

Woke up this morning to the same view as yesterday. We are again in Moorea, and it is another beautiful day. Tenders started up this morning at 7am and will be going till about 4pm. The temperature outside is 88°F / 31°C under clear skies. The humidity is at 70%, and the wind at a little over 8mph.

 

Here are today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jimdee3636]

@richwmn

It's great that you're keeping the same cabin all the way to Montreal, but given all the free (and mostly favorable) publicity you're giving HAL, they ought to comp you the final segment!

 

Jim 

[richwmn]

3 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@richwmn

It's great that you're keeping the same cabin all the way to Montreal, but given all the free (and mostly favorable) publicity you're giving HAL, they ought to comp you the final segment!

 

Jim 

I got a very nice upgrade for the World Cruise last year

[lakedweller64]

good morning Rich We will be joining you in San Diego.Have you noticed any smoke issues from the casino? 

[richwmn]

5 hours ago, lakedweller64 said:

good morning Rich We will be joining you in San Diego.Have you noticed any smoke issues from the casino? 

The casino hasn't really been busy and I haven't really noticed any smokers, but then I haven't really looked for them either.

[Cruising-along]

On 3/23/2024 at 9:38 PM, oakridger said:

Rich, did you get off the ship in Moorea?  If so, what did you do?  I'll be there next year so am curious to find out interesting things to do.

 

~Nancy

Hi Nancy, I don’t know what Rich did in Moorea, but some did the glass bottom boat, some snorkeling. We took tours around the island both days and saw a Polynesian show. 
 

 

[richwmn]

March 25^th, 2024 – Huahine, French Polynesia

 

This morning we had another beautiful sail in to a Polynesian port. Huahine is a group of two small islands, and our tenders are taking us to the smaller of the two. It is currently 82°F / 28°C with light rain. The winds are about 12mph and the humidity is at 78%.

 

 

 

Yesterday was day two in Moorea. It was a nice day for me on board the ship, as Moorea is a rather small port and I had visited previously. It is very relaxing to stay aboard the ship while the majority of the Guests are ashore.

 

The two trivia sessions yesterday were both interesting. I didn’t mention that my group is down to 7 now, so we generally don’t make two teams but one member doesn’t play. The early session we did well, but again lost by one incorrect answer. The evening session was to identify birds from images. Most of the group decided that they wouldn’t do well with the images and went to the information lecture on the port. Paul and I took one for the team and showed up. We ended up getting 13 points. I would like to say that I helped, but really Paul was the one who surprised himself and got a majority of those points.

 

After the early trivia session ended, I headed to the Seaview pool where the sail away party was just getting underway. As has been the case for several ports, the Ocean Bar Band was set up and played two sets for those who attended. The bar staff was, of course, well represented and everyone had a good time. We had a little bit of rain around 5pm when we actually started moving, but that didn’t last long.

 

When the late trivia session ended, the Grand Voyage Repertory Company had another show. This show was titled ‘Guitar Rock’. While the group didn’t actually play the songs, they sang and danced to some iconic rock songs for their 45 minute show. They always put on a very good, energetic show and seem to be having fun while doing it. They have two more shows before the Grand Voyage ends in San Diego.

 

 

It is a little before 9am, and open tendering has now been announced. The tender ride is less than 500 meters, so it will be a quick ride. Here are today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oakridger]

Thank you @Cruising-along.  Your Moorea pictures are gorgeous!!

 

 

~Nancy

[richwmn]

March 26^th, 2024 – Papeʻete, Tahiti, French Polynesia (day 1)

 

Good morning from another beautiful day in French Polynesia. It was a very nice sail in this morning. We are berthed and have been given clearance to go ashore. We have two days here, so no hurry to do anything.

 

 

 

Yesterday was a very nice day. The temperature was comfortable aboard the ship. I actually didn’t go ashore, but from the ship the island was very pretty.

 

I know that I mention trivia every day, but that is something I have participated in since my very first cruise. We had two sessions again and did well with both. We were surprised with a win in a tie breaker for the early session. Usually when we tie, we lose the tie breaker. The late session was ‘Finish the Lyrics’, and most of the songs were familiar. Despite that, we only got 8 right while the winner got 16 points. We were missing four of our regular players due to other activities, and they might have helped.

 

After trivia I talked to the Shops Director for a few minutes and ended up at the World Stage just after the show started. The show was the second performance by David Copperfield. I was still skeptical and to some degree expected to leave fairly quickly. I was again pleased with the show. As I mentioned before, he is a better singer than comic, even though he was billed as a comedian. I would enjoy the show more if he stuck to singing rather than comedy.

 

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berthed in Papeʻete
 

 

 

 

[Cruising-along]

Rich I agree about the show last night. I thought his first show was much better, he probably did more singing than comedy. Unfortunately it seemed like the first half of the show last night fell flat. 
I’m looking forward to the local cultural show tonight. 
 

Today we had a short tour this morning and then walked to the market where I got flowers for the cabin. 
 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

March 27^th, 2024 – Papeʻete, Tahiti, French Polynesia (day 2)

 

Good morning! We have the rest of the day here and one more stop in French Polynesia and then we are heading back toward San Diego. It is another pretty day here, and it is expected to remain the same.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was a lazy day. Plenty of things going on around the ship. Most of the venues had something going on and the Casino seemed to be open for the evening.

 

So I always talk about trivia, and we did have two sessions yesterday. My group did very good at both sessions. The late session theme was ‘Mythical Creatures’. Our host showed pictures of various Creatures of fantasy and legend and had us identify them. The creatures included Pegasus, Phoenix, Minatour, Unicorn, Wearwolf, and twelve more.

 

After the evening trivia session ended I headed to the World Stage for the show which was provided by a group from Pape’ete. They showcased local music and dancing. The show lasted the normal 45 minutes and was high energy and very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned on the Daily Thread, the internet is currently out for Guests so I’m not sure when this will be posted.

 

Today’s activities and menus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oakridger]

I wonder if the dance troupe you saw in Papeete was the same one I saw there on a different cruise line in 2019.  That group was the best cultural dance show I have ever seen!  So professional and talented.  The musicians and dancers were all top-notch.  I'm glad you had a great show there as well!

 

~Nancy

[richwmn]

March 28^th, 2024 – Fakarava, French Polynesian

 

I know it sounds repetitious, but it really is another beautiful day today – just maybe a little bit warmer than most would want. For the most part, the weather has been really nice the entire time I have been aboard Volendam.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was day two in Pape’ete, and I got off the ship and walked around a little bit. Since I was just here a year ago, nothing has changed. When you get off the ship there is quite a bit of shopping and a Burger King. It is an easy port to walk around.

 

Back on the ship, it was a nice relaxed day. Like every day when the ship is in port, the on board experience is very nice. The meals were good, and the service was great. The 4pm trivia went well, and again we tied, but could have won outright. After trivia, there was a nice sailaway party featuring the Ocean Bar band. The special for the party was a pineapple shaped container with unlimited Piña Colada for $18. I passed on that.

 

 

 

 

The World Stage featured Lisa Harman, a very talented pianist and singer. She did a couple of songs by Elton John, and a very good rendition of Barbra Streisand. She had a good mix of talk and singing and presented a very good show. She will have two more shows on this cruise, and will remain on the ship at least the first part of the canal transit.

 

 

 

 

This morning was are tendering into Fakarava, another small island. The main feature here seems to be beaches and snorkling.

 

 

Today’s activities and menus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

March 29^th, 2024 – at sea, destination Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

 

Good morning and I hope everyone has a great day on this Good Friday. Volendam is currently heading Northeast at 14 knots toward our final stop on this Grand Voyage. After we leave Taiohae we will have all sea days until we reach San Diego on Saturday, April 6^th. The TV weather shows that we are currently having light rain, although I didn’t see it a few minutes ago when I captured our position. The temperature is 82°F / 28°C with a humidity of 77% and winds at a little over 8mph.

 

So a little about yesterday. We were at Fakarava on the island of Tuamotu in French Polynesia. It is a very small island which from the ship looks like a long, curved, narrow strip of land in the middle of the ocean. It is almost a circle so the inside cove is well protected. The main features are some very nice beaches and, of course, shopping. Since it is a small island, it is a tender port.

 

I didn’t attend either trivia session yesterday, other things got in the way. We had a pretty nice sailaway at 5pm with a small crowd. The band didn’t play, but the ship provided extra speakers for the piped in music. Whoever selected the music did a good job and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

 

 

On the World Stage last night we had Patrick McMahon, a country and western singer from Australia. He put on a very good show, with a minimum of talk and a good selection of songs. He is a talented guitar player and singer. I did enjoy the show and will attend again.

 

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[XBGuy]

21 minutes ago, richwmn said:

 

So a little about yesterday. We were at Fakarava on the island of Tuamotu in French Polynesia. It is a very small island which from the ship looks like a long, curved, narrow strip of land in the middle of the ocean. It is almost a circle so the inside cove is well protected. The main features are some very nice beaches and, of course, shopping. Since it is a small island, it is a tender port.

 

 

Would that make it an atoll?

[richwmn]

55 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

Would that make it an atoll?

It was not referred to as an atoll in the talks.

 

"An atoll is a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls." (from Wikidiffs)

[oakridger]

From Google Maps.  They call it an atoll.  It's a nice place to visit for a Polynesian experience!