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Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

WCB

By WCB,
in Holland America Line

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 47 February 18, 2009 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

Well, the weather remained cool again today, but it is perfect for walking the promenade deck. With every delicious dessert we eat, we know that walking several miles is crucial!

 

The passengers were busy inside the ship. The seats in the small lounge across from the Ocean Bar were full of our travel group, attending the sea day coffee chat that Tom and Ellen host between 10:30am to noon. It is a nice way to keep up on everyday happenings and get to know the members better.

 

We spent some time at the back pool, despite the coolness of the wind. Barbie relaxed outside today also, but got a bit of a sunburn. It's so easy to forget how intense the sun can be "down under". Sunscreen is a must. It's very relaxing reading books, while sunbathing. The library carries a variety of materials to read, as well as an exchange book corner.....all for free.

 

A new guest chef, Paulette Mitchell, joined the ship, and will be giving a series of cooking classes in the following weeks.

 

Our tablemates gave us their opinion on the Caliente show performed by the ship's dancers and singers. They reported that it was not so hot, as the name would indicate.

 

We had guests for dinner tonight, again, compliments of Barbie. They were Robert and Bronwyn, the tai chi instructors, Martha and Nancy, and John, a dance host friend of Barb's. Margaret and Keith had eaten with friends at another table nearby. They said they could hear all the fun we were having!! Of course, we introduced our guests to "cork-forking", and they loved it! Bill was the first to finally score a hit in the flower bowl. And he got rewarded with the "baba ganoosh song"!! Oh what fun we have at table 309!!

 

The ship has swung northwards and into the Indian Ocean. We will be in the port of Fremantle tomorrow.

 

Until then,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 48 February 19, 2009 Thursday Fremantle/Perth, Australia

 

The Rotterdam sailed into the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia, early this morning. The weather could not have been more perfect...clear, sunny skies, with a fresh breeze. The temperature should be in the mid 70's.

 

Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River. The old city center, right near the pier, is full of 19th century restored buildings with fascinating maritime and convict history. In the mix, there are also numerous shops, malls, seaside restaurants, pubs, and cafes. And this is where we planned to spend the morning.

 

We visited this area in 2005, but left both cities for a tour of the Caversham Wildlife Park and a short visit to a winery. As it happened, we ended up at one of the same wineries again.

 

We left the ship around 9:30am, after passing by a security guard with her trained beagle, who sniffed my bag seaching for food. The authorities are extremely strict in all of the Australian ports, since agriculture is a vibrant industry here. No fruit, meats, vegetables, dairy, seashell jewelry, or wooden and straw products are allowed.

 

Fully armed with complimentary maps from the local information people, we strolled through town, taking many photos of the fully-restored buildings. Crossing over the railway tracks from the pier, we spotted the Fremantle Railway Station a short distance away. Trains run to Perth frequently, and that was the destination of some of our buddies today.

 

We eventually found our way to King's Square, which houses the Town Hall, Council Offices, and an ornate clocktower. Nearby, we saw the only souvenier shop, where we found our three basic treasures.......a t-shirt, a shotglass, and a hatpin. Continuing on, we saw an artists craft market, which had the most unusual items for sale. The most unique stall had jewelry fashioned from dichroic glass. What was neat, was the fact that this glass was created by NASA for use in face shields and space suits. The pieces of jewelry were created by kiln-firing the glass, which then becomes brilliant, multi-colored designs. They reflect gold, titanium, magnesium, and aluminum colors. I purchased a large butterfly pendant that was dazzling in the sunlight.

 

It would have been great if we had more time to see the Fremantle Prison and other highlights, but we had to be back to the ship by 12:30pm. So we window-shopped our way to the Esplanade Reserve, the Round House, and the fishing boat harbor. We walked past Cicerellos fish and chips restaurant, and the adjoining row of seaside cafes. A cave that led from the street to the beach looked interesting. Once we entered it, we realized it had been used to drag whales onshore for the processing of whale oil in the old days.

 

The local supermarket, Coles, was close to the pier, so we picked up a few supplies. We ran into friends there doing the same thing. Once we go into Indonesia, it will be difficult to find these everyday items.

 

At 1pm, we met with the rest of the HAL group for a four hour tour to the Swan Valley wine country. Our driver took us through the outskirts of Perth, while our guide gave excellent narration about the state of Western Australia. Here are a few facts of interest. This area is known for the mining of tin, ore, gold, and oil. They export sheep, merino wool, and fish of all kinds. Precious stones of diamonds, coral, and South Seas pearls come from this state. Seventy-five % of the colored diamonds are used for industry, while the other 25% are sold to a famous jewelry giant in South Africa.

 

Here are a few more facts.....Perth is one of the windiest cities in the world, making surfing a popular competetive sport. Back in the old days, immigrants from Europe settled the cities and valleys, using convict labor in the process. This whole area is on alert for fire danger, and water is rationed for household use and gardening.

 

The food chain, Hungry Jacks, or Burger King in our neck of the woods, offers an Aussie burger. It has a hamburger patty, with a fried egg on top, with beetroot relish on top of the egg. Hmmm, different! We must have passed a Hungry Jacks every few miles or so passing through Perth.

 

We arrived to our first stop by 2:15pm. The Houghton Winery employees served us three white and two red wines. They all went quite well with the cheese and crackers the staff offered. The outside grounds of this winery were shaded by jacaranda trees. Believe us, the shade was appreciated, because the temperatures had soared to 90 degrees. What a difference compared to Fremantle.

 

Most people bought several bottles of wine. The price was right, between $12. and $18. a bottle.

 

Our next and last stop was at the Sandalford Winery, situated with the Darling Mountain Ranges in the backround. This estate was founded in 1840, and actually had vines that were 169 years old. It all looked very familiar to us, and we realized we were here before. After our brief wine description by a very animated "wine nerd", as he called himself, we went on a short tour of the facility. On suspended walkways, we saw the huge stainless steel wine vats, two huge cylindrical wine presses, and the final barrel storage room. From a balcony, we were shown the massive greens where world-class concerts take place frequently.

 

After everyone had a chance to purchase wines, we boarded the bus for the 1 1/2 hour ride back. It was stop-and-go traffic, because we had gotten into commute time.

 

When we arrived back to the ship, our guide handed us each a souvenier glass, compliments of the Sandalford Winery. That was a nice way to end our last visit to Australia!

 

After dinner, we looked forward to attending the performance by a local Aussie group named "The Windjammers". We lasted through three songs, the first of which was "Waltzing Mathilda". Unfortunately, from there it went downhill, so we left, like others did.

 

The ship is over-nighting in Fremantle, with a sail away planned for 9:30 am tomorrow morning.

 

So ended our last night in Australia!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Mary-Ann and Bill,

 

I am so glad you enjoyed lovely Fremantle and Perth and that you have fond memories of our lovely country which is being ravished by floods and bushfires at the moment.

 

I do love reading your reports each day as they are so informative and each one makes me hope that one day in the not too distant future we too will do a World Cruise.

 

Jennie

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 49 February 20, 2009 Friday Departure from Fremantle, Australia

 

The Rotterdam's crew pulled in the ship's ropes, and we were off and sailing on a northerly course towards Indonesia. We have four days at sea now, while we traverse the sparsely populated coast of western Australia.

 

We attended the sailaway party on the aft deck around 9 am. Bloody Marys and Mimosas were being served to all, except us....it was too early for drinking, and we just ate a hearty breakfast. We have never seen such a turnout of guests. It must have something to do with the "free" drinks, ya think?? Oh, there are going to be a few with headaches today!

 

Shortly after leaving Fremantle, we noticed a spike in the temperatures and humidity. The closer we get to Indonesia, the hotter and stickier it will be. We do remember a payoff. There can be spectacular sunsets around this area.

 

We kept our pool time short this afternoon. Many people were toasted from the party this morning, so we knew to take the sun bathing slowly. The water in the pool was very refreshing and sparkling clean. So far, the aft pool has not been over-crowded. A large group seems to prefer the Lido pool with the covered dome. At least there is shade in there, for those that don't want to sun burn. The only downside to the Lido pool area, is the wonderful aroma that comes from the grill and taco/pizza bar. It becomes too hard to resist!

 

We forgot to mention the influx of travel agents that were invited to lunch and cocktails on the ship while docked in Fremantle. They had about 100 agents that were invited to a special lunch in the dining room yesterday, and another 100 that were included at the Crow's Nest for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 7 pm. Upon the suggestion from an unknown passenger, the staff kept the travel agent group separate from the bar area. They did not feel it was right to close the entire bar down to the paying guests. At least someone has listened and understood this time.

 

Also, we wanted to report that the internet connections have been really slow to non-existent since we left Fremantle. We don't know if there is a problem with the ship's equipment or problems with satellite connections. The manager has been very understanding, and will credit back minutes that have been used without success. In the past, when there was a total shutdown for logging on, a notice would be set on the ship's computers alerting users of problems. We have not seen this done on this ship yet.

 

The entertainer tonight was Larry "Link" Linkin, a clarinetist. Our tablemate, George, who also plays the clarinet, raved about this fellow's past performances on other HAL trips he sailed. We'll let you know how everyone else liked him tomorrow.

 

Three more days at sea until Indonesia!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

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markf

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after just returning from a 10 day Zuiderdam cruise-I enjoyed it but I guess i get tired of the excess--excess food -service etc-I am curious how I would handle cruise life for 128 days-curious if you had any tips--how do you eat 3 meals a day like they serve--I see you are usually enjoying a full course dinner and bkfst-

 

Any tips on life on a ship for 128 days-

what does your cruise on board bill look like by the end --if i can ask-I assume you pay it several times during the trip

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jschm27

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Hi Bill. I sailed on the pre World Cruise segment through the Panama Canal and met you on our last formal night before we disembarked in LA. We got hit by a horrible ice storm in the mid west after we got back and I am only now finding time to get back onto CC. I look forward to reading ALL of your posts! While fighting the ice, I couldn't help but think of the warm nights and great friends we made on ship!

 

Please say hi to Lee, Barbara, John and Al for me if you see them. They sat with us at table 65 late seating on the Panama Canal segment.

 

Also, to all the World Cruisers onboard ROTTERDAM: I have never been on a ship with so many friendly, out going and easy to get along with people! Thank you for the making a great cruise even better!

 

John

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 50 February 21, 2009 Saturday Day at Sea

 

The seas are much smoother now that we are sailing in the Indian Ocean off of the coast of western Australia. However, during his afternoon talk yesterday, Captain Olav mentioned that this area is known for sudden disturbances from cyclones this time of year. Sure hope he is not preparing us for one! Actually, the Captain seems to enjoy giving a bit of a lecture on subjects like this every day during his talk.

 

Just as we expected, the day started off very warm. It seems that there is a problem with the air-conditioning on the ship. It was hot everywhere last night. Perhaps the increased humidity has something to do with it.

 

Things to do and see today were beginner quick step lessons, Lembar and Komodo port talk, culinary questions and answers with the dining room heads, and the Wajang movie, The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Explorations speakers are Joseph Daley, speaking about Indonesia in modern times, and Nello Angerilli, lecturing on great global voyages. According to friend's reports, the speakers have been excellent. We have to agree, since we are watching them on TV later in the day.

 

The Brain trivia event has kept our tablemates busy at noon everyday. They continue mulling over either brilliant or stupid questions every evening during dinner. We used to like attending this event when it was sheduled at 4 pm. Those that are religious about attending would go to it even if they had it at midnight!!

 

The dance instructors have continued to use the Crow's Nest for their group's practice session during main seating cocktail hour. This has been entertaining for all of us regulars, but Barbie found it to be a MAJOR problem last night. Most of the dance hosts were up here, leaving one host to dance with 15 ladies in the Ocean Bar. Want to bet that this changes tomorrow??

 

We had a surprise guest at our table tonight.......Henk, the hotel manager. Oh, he was brave to join us for two hours! It was the perfect opportunity for all of us to ask questions. With a few of the more serious questions, he brought out his special little black notebook, and jotted down our inquiries. He promised that certificates will be arriving for the special Golden Crossing of the Dateline and Equator, as well as extra help in the laundry department. One of the funniest dilemmas was about the soft ice cream we are served for dessert. He claimed that they are addressing that problem as we spoke. Of course, just to prove our point, some of us ordered ice cream desserts. The banana split sundaes were medium soft, but Barbie's ice cream was really a milk shake! The only subject we had not solved was concerning the smoking in the casino. Prior to this grand voyage, you could not smoke in the casino until 10:30 pm. From what we saw, it did not deter anyone from gambling. Since the start of the world cruise in Los Angeles, they relaxed that rule, with smoking being allowed all day. Henk admitted that the casino manager had the power to make that call, since the concession is run by the Carnival Corporation, not just HAL. Apparently, they feel that discriminating against the smokers may decrease their revenue, and to be honest, they are here to make a profit. So be it for this cruise. Once a policy is set, they cannot change it midstream. Perhaps in the future, things may change in order to please the majority. And since HAL has been sending questionaires regarding smoking onboard, the policy may change.

 

By 10 pm, our tablemates were off and running to the showlounge to hear Craig Halliday play the violin. George proclaimed that the clarinetist, Larry Lincon's performance was brilliant yesterday. It was nice to see George so happy!

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

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DFD1

DFD1

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Thanks for taking us on your interesting visit to Fremantle and Perth. Western Austrailia is on my 'to do ' list. Reading your post makes me want to get on with it sooner, rather than later.

 

I'll be hanging on to every post for this part of your cruise. Such a fascinating part of the world.

 

Thank you again for sharing this amazing trip.

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 51 February 22, 2009 Sunday Day at Sea

 

It is hard for us to believe that we have already been on this trip for 48 days. The time has flown by as we settle into our daily routines. Our usual morning walk has become harder because of the heavy humidity and higher temperatures. Even at 8 am, after strolling two miles, we are soaked. Don't think we could ever get used to living in a climate like this.

 

The Semarang talk was held this morning. We understand that this area has been getting torrential rain for the last five days, causing major flooding. Sure hope it lets up by the time we get there on Friday, February 27th. Of course, this is the rainy season, so we have to expect some rain mixed with the sun.

 

The water color and craft classes continue on. When we go for lunch around 3pm, we see the ladies in the Lido hard at work with their projects. We noticed that there has not been a knitting program, even though there are willing ladies to do the knitting for charity. Apparently, this is another cutback, since HAL used to supply the yarn. One of our friends tried to get them to re-instate this popular activity, but had no luck.

 

Tonight was formal, once again, and we were promised that the communications officer and his wife were to join us. Our table was set for eight, but at the last minute, Ellen, our host decided to join us. And we were happy to have her. We didn't think that it would be a problem to add one more place setting, but it turned out that Tom, the dining room manager, seated the officer and his wife at another table. Oops! Despite the mixup, Tom sent red and white wines over to us anyway. That was kind, considering that we caused the change.

 

Ellen was the bearer of some sad news.......one elderly lady in our group had died in her sleep last night. Life happens, no matter where we are, either at sea or at home. We had just mentioned to Henk last night, that we have had no deaths so far. He said no, and immediately "knocked on wood", hoping it would stay that way. It was not to be.

 

On a lighter note, we got presents again tonight......two royal blue polar fleece jackets with removeable sleeves. They weigh a ton! Actually they will be perfect if we decide to go to Antarctica next year!

 

And the clocks went back one hour tonight. We all appreciate that.

 

One more day at sea, and we will be in Lombok.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS In response to the question about meals onboard the ship for 128 days, we do eat three meals a day. Even though there is a huge array of food available, we eventually end up eating the same way we do at home. Years ago, we had to get over the "eat everything on your plate" syndrome. Now, we can sample special entrees and desserts, without over doing it. And there is always the walking.............just more of it, when necessary!

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Mary Ann and Bill,

 

How sad to know that one lady in your group has died, though what a wonderful way to go. Being on a beautiful ship and just passing away in one's sleep. If only we could all have that peaceful death. I hope her partner is coping as best he can, if he is on board.

 

I love reading your daily report. I hope you are not going to be getting the heavy rains that have been causing the floods in the far north west of our country. As you mention, it is the wet season so one has to expect them but it is always better when you miss them.

 

Jennie

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brucory

brucory

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The area you are cruising in seems so remote...

 

I have some questions for you WCB.

 

Have you seen much sea life up the coast of WA?

 

Are the crew looking forward to Indonesia and will any of them get to see their families?

 

Loving your reports...

 

Brucory

 

:D:D:D

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