Cruising Grand on the Amsterdam Asia/Pacific

[RuthC]

Tomorrow we are in Maui. It is a tender port and according to the Daily Program the “all aboard” is at 1:30 pm -- hardly any time in port at all. We will decide in the morning whether or not it is worthwhile to go in --

It's worth it just to see the banyon tree. It fills a park! And it's just steps from the tender dock. Don't miss it (and bring your camera).

 

Thanks again for the tales from the Pacific Rim. Have a smooth, relaxing sail home.

[lizzielady]

I am so sorry to see OUR cruise come to an end. Your posts have been so interesting and written with much enthusiasm and description. Thank you for the trip! ps: Wish I could remember the answers to the trivia!

[JenSDCA]

 

 

Ed donated his eyeglasses to Poseidon. .

 

 

 

My oh my, the beach gods have a thing for Ed's lenses, no? First the camera, now the glasses. Hmmm....maybe you need to sacrifice a bottle of champagne to appease??

 

I too am sorry to see this enjoyable voyage come to a close. It has been fun to read your daily postings! I look forward to someday making such a trip.

 

I will be picking my parents up at San Diego on Sunday. I hope I can make myself obvious somehow so I can say hi to all of you from this board. Enjoy the final days of this voyage! (And seriously, consider that sacrifice before Poseidon claims something else!)

[arzz]

Last night the ship was entertained by a group of Hula Dancers from the island of Oahu. The dancers consisted of a large group of lovely ladies (and a few men) between the ages of 6 and 12 who attend this local Hula School in Honolulu. The school operates during summer vacation -- every day from 8 am to noon and has some 300 students who attend from the age of 6 every summer until they are 12. They also study their Polynesian cultural heritage. The dancers were absolutely charming and graceful, and shared their wonderful joy with us as they danced. We were honored to enjoy this fantastic local folkloric show.

 

Today we anchored off the shore of Lahaina on the island of Maui. There is no dock there so cruise ships have to tender their passengers to the island. We arrived in the pouring rain this morning. The announcement that the ship was clear and that they were ready to begin tender service was accompanied by a warning that there was lightening, thunder and high winds.

 

We went to breakfast but decided to wait to consider going in to port until a little later. We watched the tenders and the rain throughout our Lido breakfast -- it cleared a little bit. Still overcast but no longer raining so we decided to go into town.

 

In the 34 years since our last visit Maui has changed. The Pioneer Hotel is still there (it is now a Best Western) and so is the large Banyon tree in the square. The buildings look the same but they now contain all manner of tourist shops, jewelry stores and galleries. The restaurant where, 34 years ago, we ate on the deck overlooking the harbor and watched a rainbow over the sailboats is now “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”. I know we had a lovely fish dinner there in the ‘70’s. They claim to be a small independently owned chain of just 5 restaurants -- not the same as the similarly named restaurant 10 minutes from our home in Illinois.

 

The small map provided by Holland America promised that the Kaanapali Beach area has a wonderful beach and many high rise hotels. When we were there 34 years ago we stayed in a 3 story hotel on that wonderful beach and I do not remember any high rises at all. We decided not to visit Kaanapali.

 

But, when we stepped off the tender, there was the briefest whiff of floral scent in the air -- even if they no longer sell those “Maui magic mushroom” t-shirts.

 

Though we may have liked to venture far and wide on Maui, our day was cut short by the early rains, cloudy skies and the “last tender to the ship is at 1:30” sign. And wouldn’t you know it, as the ship left port the sun was shining bright -- finally -- but we were not there anymore.

 

We now have to cover 2234 nautical miles by Sunday morning to reach San Diego -- I calculate that we have to average, roughly, just under 20 knots to meet that goal. Currently we have Force 8 winds (gale force) and rough seas (up to 12 foot waves) and we are heading to San Diego at a perky 19.6 knots. We have traveled some 19,000 nautical miles (plus or minus) since we left Seattle.

[BettyPC]

This has been so wonderful. I am glad I visited this board and found your cruise! thanks so much for sharing with us.

[arzz]

We are once again in the land of no CNN and 23 hour days. One might think that the last few days at sea after a long cruise would be relaxing. Not at all so. I do not remember any sea days that have been busier sea than these last couple of days. There are just a frenzy of activities going on all the time. Many speakers, Brain Trivia Finals, talent show, garage sale, craft sale, guest chef events, many activities wrapping up like the ballroom dance lessons, and also all of the usual bingo, trivia, exercise classes, “Sports of Call”, art auctions, casino tournaments, bridge, Mah Jongg, digital workshops, and of course afternoon tea and our meals (it is in the cruise contract, is it not, that we eat at least three times a day?) And, of course, coming very soon to your nearest stateroom is the mandatory packing. :(

 

Let me address some of these diversions. The “garage sale” is where passengers are invited to bring to the atrium those items that they have acquired along the way but do not wish to take home with them -- sellers can barter or set prices as they wish -- HAL just provides is the space. It is truly amazing what people collect.

 

And there is the people watching -- it gets more interesting as the cruise progresses. Several male passengers seem to have purchased one of the “skirts” (I wish I knew their official name) that the men in Samoa wear. They are wrap around numbers, usually in a dark color like blue or green, length is set about half way between the knee and ankle, and they come complete with pockets. In Samoa I recall seeing them paired with men’s sandals -- but most of the men who are now sporting them around the ship are wearing their tie shoes and dark socks. And then there are the couples whom I have seen since our Hawaiian ports -- men in a Hawaiian print shirt, women in a matching print dress or muu muu. I can only speculate as to whether these inspired purchases will seem as smart once they get home.

 

The “Brain” Super Team Trivia finals were held in the Queen’s Lounge at 7:30 pm to an almost full house. The four top scoring “brains” from the semifinals took the stage to play a final elimination round in a very public arena. The rules were much like Jeopardy rules except that scores can not go negative. Bruce (cruise director) read questions until 30 questions were asked and answered correctly by someone. There was then one “final brain” question where each contestant wagered points just like they do on TV. Bruce came with a fishbowl filled with 150 questions. He pulled them out one at a time. If no one knew the answer he pulled another question. It took almost a half hour for the contestants to answer 30 questions correctly. Half of the questions were retread questions from this cruise, the other half of the questions in the bowl were new. It seemed like two thirds of the questions were obscure phobias and “ology’s” taken from the dictionary. In fact it was one of these questions that was drawn as the “final” question -- no one on the panel knew the correct answer. The game was won by strategy -- that is the only player who did not wager all of his points won the game.

 

All members of the winning team received prizes -- an HAL overnight bag filled with at least one of each of the prizes given away at trivia during this cruise. AND, they were all treated to lunch in the Pinnacle Grill complete with Champaign. According to a somewhat inebriated member of the winning team the lunch was absolutely fabulous.

 

Today we also had the second and last talent show of the cruise. This is the chance that anyone on board who wishes to share three minutes of their talent is welcome to do so. I was once again surprised at the talents of our shipmates -- from incredible banjo playing to amusing songs and stand up routines -- and then there were the women who did the hula -- not bad but definitely not of the caliber of that fantastic group of youngsters who entertained us a few days (and many miles) ago.

 

Just two more days at sea (one of which I am sure will be spent packing) -- and then it is over. At the outset sixty five days seemed like forever -- but I guess everything is finite.

[Foxpaw]

Hello, Cruise Critics!

 

Ahhh....what a Grand Voyage it has been! :)

 

Like anything it life, it has had it's imperfections......but they pale in comparison to the perfections we have experienced: from sunrises to sunsets; from one end of the Pacific to the other; a devoted crew from stem to stern; fine food from top to bottom; friends made at every turn; peoples and cultures to which I must return; memories to last a lifetime!

 

With my next two Holland America cruises now "on the books" and a week in Palm Springs, CA awaiting me at the end of the gangway in San Diego....as much as I hate to leave this floating palace.....I am so very grateful to have been lucky enough to be here......and to know I will return! :D

 

Best Regards,

 

Nick

[arzz]

Well, it is 7:00 pm and we are all packed and our suitcases have been delivered to the great “act of faith” in the bowels of the ship -- we have traveled some 21,000 nautical miles aboard the Amsterdam since September 19 and tomorrow morning we will be in San Diego. We have seen wonderful places, we have done wonderful things and we have made friends with absolutely wonderful folks. We listened to Bruce deliver our disembarkation talk. We played the final Snowball Jackpot Bingo. Soon, we will have our final dinner.

 

Tomorrow morning it is all over. A group of us will meet tomorrow afternoon to see the Amsterdam off to South America where she will sail for the winter. Monday morning we fly home.

 

It is amazing to me how 65 days which seemed absolutely endless two months ago actually has a finite end, and to my chagrin it has ended. I will share some of my personal thoughts on this cruise after I get home. Over the years I have done many 7 and 10 day cruises -- then we did 27 days on the Prinsendam and now 65 days on the Amsterdam. You can’t go backward -- 7 and 10 days aboard ship will never again be enough for me!

 

Viva la extended cruise!

[JLT]

This has been THE best description of a cruise that I have read. You have made the ports and the ship come alive. I hope you decide to go again next year so that you can write the description for me. I will be there but I couldn't begin to remember all the details that you have told us about. I'll be eagerly waiting for your next post.

[JenSDCA]

Thank you so much for your wonderful posts! I find myself sad that "our" voyage is coming to an end...I can only imagine how you must feel! My boys and I will be at the terminal in the morning to get Mom & Dad, but that's as close to such an adventure as I will be for some time. *sigh*

 

I hope you enjoy your day in our fine city, and that the promised rain does not arrive while you are here. Have a safe trip home!

 

~Jen

[hammybee]

Arzz,

 

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. In particular, I enjoyed your observations about your fellow passengers and onboard experiences, given the number of days at sea.

 

Have a safe trip home where "baby, it's cold outside". :)

[bcummin]

Thank you, Roxanne, for taking us along on your second Grand Voyage.

We are counting the days until we can enjoy the Buenos Aires to Lima segment of the 2009 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage.

You are most welcome to join us on the Prinsendam thread.

 

Barbara and Jack (RMC USN ret & most humble OAE)

[DeltaBC]

thank you for sharing you expeience with us it has been wonderful. Thanks again Iris

[Kween Karen]

Thank you so much for giving me a taste of what I will be experiencing on the Amsterdam in fall of 2009. This was a wonderful sample........and I learned a great deal from you. Your account of the trip was really wonderful.

[kryos]

Well, it is 7:00 pm and we are all packed and our suitcases have been delivered to the great “act of faith” in the bowels of the ship

Thank you so much for bringing us along on your adventure. I know that I for one sure enjoyed it.

 

Blue skies and a safe journey home!

 

--rita

[fann1sh]

There are obviously many people here - including me - who think they're as sad as you are your Grand Voyage is at an end.

 

Thank you so much for taking time away from your cruise, not to mention the expensive internet minutes, to blog. Your beautifully written post were so evocative. As a fellow team trivia maniac, I also appreciated the "question of the day".

[jayzee99]

Arzz: Thank you sooooo much for your wonderful travel log of the Amsterdam Pacific Rim Voyage. It takes a special person to relate the details of this trip as wonderfully as you did. Have you or are you a professional writer... it reads as if you are!

 

We are booked on the September, 2010 Pacific Rim Grand Adventure of the Amsterdam doing a very similar itinerary as you and your wonderfully explicit descriptions have really wet our appitite to what we are to see and experience. It sounds like you and everyone else had a cruise of a lifetime and we hope to have the same thanks to your comments and suggestions.

 

Also, thanks for letting us know the tour guides you used so we can make the appropriate contacts before our cruise.

 

It was really great of you to take the time out of your busy days to write such an informative and complete blog, as well as using the expensive internet minutes.

 

And finally, thanks for the educational experience of the trivea questions and answers which may be helpful on our cruise. Maybe we can even win a "DAM HAT OR A DAM TEE SHIRT (lol).

 

If you think of anything relating to tours and tour guides that you haven't already mentioned, please post it for future reference.

 

I have printed out all your blogs and placed them in a binder to take with us as a travel guide for our trip.

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve and Henny Zimmerman

mrlndr@aol.com

[Big Al B.]

Add my thanks for inviting us to join you on your voyage. I feel as if I had been right along with you.

[arzz]

We got home this afternoon to discover that our internet at home was down! It just came back up and I was surprised and humbled to hear from so many of you who took time out of your days to travel with me. Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments.

 

I will have one more post as I have much more to say about the ship and our trip in general as well as share our experience Sunday night as we watched the Amsterdam leave San Diego on its way to Valparaiso, Chile without us!:(

[rochelle_s]

I too would like to thank you for your excellent travel blog. I enjoyed it immensely. It was so nice to cruise along vicariously with you.

 

thanks again...

 

Rochelle

[MightyQuinn]

Welcome home Arzz! It's been great traveling with you on your Grand Voyage. Your posts created vivid images of exciting days in port & lazy days at sea. Such luxury was wonderful while it lasted! Thank you for taking the time & $$$ out of your vacation to share with us. I look forward to your final posts about your trip & any editorial comments on the Amsterdam. ;);)

[Kween Karen]

Oh good.....at least one more post to look forward to!!

I am anxious for your comments.......to add them to my "look forward to it" file!!

I am also interested as to how much total internet time you used.

[blue whale]

We really enjoyed reading your report of the Asian/Pacific cruise! Nice!

[BettyPC]

I have been with you also on your trip! I have really enjoyed all your experiences. Happy Thanksgiving!

[arzz]

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am currently taking a break from my preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner -- how different it was just one week ago today with everything done for me!

 

My comments and a link to some of our photos will have to wait until I clear the holiday but I can answer Kween Karen's question re the internet right now.

 

We purchased the 1000 minute internet package in advance of our cruise and received an extra 100 minutes. We travel with a laptop so all correspondence and posts were written off line. When I travel we use my aol account for email as aol works everywhere -- I use the "automatic aol" feature which allows me to fill my "mail to be sent" folder off line -- once on line it will download all incoming e-mail to the "incoming mail folder" on my computer and it sends all of my outgoing e-mail. This process took anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes depending upon the speed of the internet service the ship received at the different locations. Add another 3-5 minutes to post on cruise critic.

 

I typically downloaded my e-mail sometime early in the day -- I then read and wrote responses to my e-mails, prepared my daily posts at my leisure during the day and went on line a second time at the very end of the day -- after dinner, shows, or whatever our day brought us -- when I would send my emails and post on cruise critic.

 

I had about 240 unused minutes left when we left the ship after 65 days.