The Inside Cabin

Day 106 – At Sea

by | Apr 20, 2018 | 2018 Grand World Voyage, Sea Day | 0 comments

  1. The Journey Begins – The 2018 Grand World Voyage
  2. Leaving San Diego for Fort Lauderdale
  3. Arriving in Fort Lauderdale and our first day
  4. Fort Lauderdale – Day 2
  5. Day 1 – The Adventure Begins
  6. Day 2 – Our First Sea Day – Abba Fabulous!
  7. Day 3, Georgetown, Grand Cayman
  8. Day 4, At Sea En Route Puerto Limon (San Jose), Costa Rica
  9. Day 5, Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
  10. Day 6, Transit the Panama Canal
  11. Day 7, Fuerte Amador, Panama
  12. Day 8, At Sea
  13. Day 9, At Sea
  14. Day 10, At Sea
  15. Day 11, At Sea
  16. Day 12, At Sea
  17. Day 13, At Sea – Enroute to Nuku Hiva
  18. Day 14, At Sea, Enroute to Nuku Hiva
  19. Day 15, At Sea – Enroute to Nuku Hiva
  20. Day 16, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
  21. Day 17, At Sea
  22. Day 18, Avatoru, Rangiroa, French Polynesia
  23. Day 19, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
  24. Day 20, Mooera, French Polynesia
  25. Day 21, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
  26. Day 22 – At Sea
  27. Day 23, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
  28. Day 24, At Sea
  29. Day 25 – Alofi, Niue
  30. Day 26 – At Sea – Crossed Dateline – Jan 29th GONE!
  31. Day 27 – At Sea
  32. Day 28 – At Sea
  33. Day 29 – Auckland, NZ
  34. Day 30 – Tauranga – 3 Feb 2018
  35. Day 31 – Napier
  36. Day 32, At Sea – Super Bowl Monday
  37. Day 33, Port Chalmers, Dunedin
  38. Day 34, Fjordlands National Park – Milford Sound
  39. Day 35 – At Sea – Enroute Sydney
  40. Day 36 – At Sea
  41. Day 37 – Sydney, Australia
  42. Day 38 – Sydney, Australia
  43. Day 39 – At Sea
  44. 2020 World Cruise Possibilities
  45. Day 40, Hobart, Tasmania
  46. Day 41, At Sea
  47. Day 42, At Sea
  48. Day 43 – Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
  49. Day 44 – Adelaide, South Australia
  50. Day 45 – At Sea
  51. Day 46 – At Sea
  52. Day 47 – Albany, Western Australia
  53. Day 48 – 21 Feb Perth
  54. Day 49 – Perth Yarn Crawl
  55. Day 50 – At Sea
  56. Day 51 – At Sea
  57. Day 52 – At Sea
  58. Day 53 – Benoa, Bali
  59. Day 54 – Benoa – Bali
  60. Day 55 – At Sea
  61. Day 56 – At Sea
  62. Day 57 – At Sea
  63. Day 58, Puerto Princesa
  64. Day 59, – At Sea
  65. Day 60, Manila, Philippines
  66. Day 61, Manila, Philippines
  67. Day 62 – At Sea
  68. Day 63 – Hong Kong
  69. Day 64, Hong Kong
  70. Day 65 – At Sea
  71. Day 66 – At Sea
  72. Day 67 – Phu My, Vietnam
  73. Day 68 – Siem Reap (ms Amsterdam at Sea)
  74. Day 69 – Siem Reap
  75. 2020 World Cruise – w/detailed dates
  76. Day 70 – Singapore
  77. Day 71 – At Sea
  78. Day 72 – Phuket
  79. Day 73 – At Sea
  80. Day 74 – At Sea – Enroute to Sri Lanka
  81. Day 75 – Columbo, Sri Lanka
  82. Day 76 – At Sea – Enroute to the Seychelles
  83. Day 77 – At Sea
  84. Day 78 – At Sea
  85. Day 79 – Victoria, Seychelles
  86. Day 80 – At Sea
  87. Day 81 – At Sea
  88. Day 82 – St Denis – Reunion Island
  89. Day 83 – At Sea
  90. Day 84 – At Sea
  91. Day 85 – At Sea
  92. Day 86 – Maputo – Safari Day 1
  93. Day 87 – Kambaku River Sands – Safari Day 2
  94. Day 88 – Kambaku River Sands – Safari Day 3
  95. Day 89 – Kambaku River Sands – Safari Day 4
  96. Day 90 – Cape Town, South Africa
  97. Day 91, Cape Town, South Africa
  98. Day 92 – At Sea
  99. Day 93, Walvis Bay, Namibia
  100. Day 94 – At Sea
  101. Day 95 – At Sea
  102. Day 96 -Luanda, Angola
  103. Day 97 – At Sea
  104. Day 98 – At Sea
  105. Day 99 – Crossing the Equator
  106. Day 100 – At Sea
  107. Day 101 – At Sea
  108. Day 102 – Banjul, Gambia
  109. Day 103 – Dakar, Senegal
  110. Day 104 – At Sea
  111. Day 105, Praia – Cape Verde
  112. Day 106 – At Sea
  113. Day 107 – At Sea
  114. Day 108 – At Sea
  115. Day 109 – At Sea – April 23, 2018
  116. Day 110 – At Sea
  117. Day 111 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
  118. Day 112 – At Sea
  119. Day 113 – At Sea
  120. Day 114 – Fort Lauderdale
  121. 2018 World Cruise Entertainers

Day 106 – April 20 – At Sea

Today is the first of five sea days before we arrive in San Juan Puerto Rico. We will clear Immigration in San Juan, but we won’t clear Customs until we arrive at Fort Lauderdale. Clearing Immigration will make our Fort Lauderdale arrival faster as the longest lines are typically the queue for the Immigration officers.

The Amsterdam was moving quite a bit today, nothing that would knock things off tables but enough where we certainly were aware we were on a ship.

Fedex Shipping

With about a week to go in our Grand World Voyage, it’s time to start thinking about packing. The surest sign of the approaching end of our cruise is the announcement about when the FedEx representative, Sarah Coles, is available for consultation on Deck Three in the Atrium. A schedule was set up for each Deck to avoid people waiting around like we remember happened in 2016.

Our concern was that we are going on another cruise after we arrive in Fort Lauderdale and would not return to San Diego until May 17. We wanted to delay our shipment en route so we would be home before it arrived. Sarah advised us to use the phrase ‘Hold at Station’ which meant that the local FedEx office would hold our baggage until we arrived at home and requested delivery. As it turned out, we learned that FedEx will only hold items for seven days before they return them to the sender. FedEx did try to call us before they shipped our bags back but we were at sea and couldn’t receive a phone call. Then I got an email from the FedEx tracker saying our bags were now heading back to Fort Lauderdale. I was able to contact Sarah and she turned our shipment around. We ended up getting our bags without a problem. If you contact the station where your bags will be held as soon as they arrive I suspect they’ll be allowed to hold them longer than seven days, but this is something to be aware of for future travelers who may not arrive home immediately after the cruise.

Ask the Captain

Capt. Johnathan Mercer hosted an “Ask the Captain” session this morning at 11 AM in the Queens Lounge. Capt. Mercer opened his presentation with a very interesting slideshow showing the bridge and other behind the scenes areas of the ship. After his remarks, about 20 minutes worth, he spent another 20 minutes answering questions. The questions were all good, on point, and no one was crabby or asking questions about issues that would best be directed to the hotel director one on one. I always go to these events on every ship when offered, and even though about 80% of it is the same, I learn something new every time.

Captain Mercer – Ask The Captain

Artist in Residence

Ben Sack, our artist in residence, opened his exhibition today where he displayed his original drawing commemorating the 2018 Grand World Voyage. He is offering six different sizes from 14 x 12” up through 60 x 72” and ranging in price from $100-$2000. He was also offering the original drawing for $24,000. Judy and I purchased one of the middle size reproductions. It was shipped to our home about a month after we returned home.

Ben Sack and Judy

Whole Chicken Challenge

You may recall that back on Day 80, the ship sponsored a Silent Auction to raise money for the Mondesa Youth Opportunities Organization located in Namibia. We successfully bid on an auction offered by Grahame, the Holland America Orchestra drummer, for a Whole Chicken Challenge. It was never exactly clear what this consisted of. We later learned that Grahame would quite often eat half of a rotisserie chicken in the Lido during lunch. He and I decided that we would both try to eat an entire roasted chicken in one sitting at some point in the future. Well tonight was the night. Judy made arrangements with Presty, the Assistant Dining Room Manager, to reserve the table next to Table 303. She also asked for two whole roasted chickens, stressing that they needed to be whole and not cut up. (Presty decided to provide three whole roasted chickens, just in case.)

We invited the other members of the HAL Orchestra to join us at the Competition Table. Grahame and I decided that we would approach this like a Championship Prize Fight. We entered the ‘Competition Area’ wearing a fighter’s robe, the terrycloth robe from our stateroom, with towels draped over our heads trying to capture the atmosphere of heavyweights entering the arena prior to a prize fight.

Here is a video of the Whole Chicken Challenge and as you will discover after watching, Grahame was victorious in overtime.

 

Tango Cervilla

Tonight’s show was a tango dance team from Buenos Aires called Tango Cervilla, featuring
Victor and Denisa. Unfortunately, due to the excessive ship motion, they had to cancel their tango show and reschedule that for later. They presented a different show tonight that was easier to perform when the deck was moving. Their dancing was marvelous and we enjoyed their show very much.

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