Day 47, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia

This morning was surprising cooler than expected and overcast. Based on the heat we experienced in Darwin, I assumed that as we moved closer to the equator, the heat and humidity would get worse, so it was a pleasant surprise when the anticipated heat never materialized as the sun rose in the sky.   The skies became sunny as the day wore on.

Breaking from tradition, Good Morning Amsterdam featured an entertainer before they appeared in the Queen’s Lounge.   Comedian Paul Adams joined Gene and Donna for the morning show and exchanged jokes and light banter. Gene first introduced Paul as a singer before finally confessing that Paul was actually a comedian. Paul seems to have a quick wit and we will be looking forward to his show tomorrow evening.

We spent most of the morning in our cabin relaxing and catching up with some reading.   Judy is still working a very complex knitted lace project that requires total concentration.

I didn’t walk early in the morning so I was glad that the conditions were good for me to walk early this afternoon.   There were about the same number of walkers as there would be early in the morning, but there were many more people lounging on the promenade deck chairs.

The Seaview pool was almost empty despite the very pleasant conditions. I suspect that many people simply assumed it would be hot and didn’t bother to go outside.  Additionally, since yesterday was a port day, and quite hot, many people were probably still recovering in their cabins as we did ourselves.

I stopped by the afternoon lecture by Mel Foster who gave and interesting talk on Indonesia’s wildlife and natural history. Mel is very good and his lectures are always well attended.

Tonight was a Gala night and Judy spent some time in the Spa getting her nails done while I relaxed in our cabin and caught up on the latest USA political news from South Carolina and Nevada.   We get Fox News, MSNBC and the BBC all the time so it is easy to stay informed.   Another big plus for Holland America is they provide free access to the New York Times website 24/7.

We were joined by the Ships Doctor and her husband, Chas, again this evening for Gala night.   This is the third time they have joined our table and we always have a wonderful time.   Surf and Turf was the main item on the menu and was outstanding.   It was really exceptional and the food on this Grand Voyage continues to exceed our expectations.   On shorter cruises, the menus will repeat every cruise, so if you do a back to back in Alaska for example, you will see the identical menu again and again. Not so on this world cruise. While individual items have repeated, there has never a repeat of the entire menu.   Chas is an accomplished amateur magician and he wowed us once again during dessert with a new magic trick he picked up in Australia.

The Holland America Singers and Dancers performed the second to last show of their contract this evening before leaving the ship in Hong Kong when we will pick up a new troop of HAL entertainers. The show was called Bravo – a medley of various Broadway musical hits from Jersey Boys to West Side Story and many in-between. They impressed the audience with their performance of the finale from Dirty Dancing, complete with the amazing lift at the conclusion.

We will be in Indonesia soon and the ship will be hosting many of the crewmembers families.   Most people are starting to post notes on their doors requesting no cabin service during these ports so the cabin attendants can get more time off.

• Bravo
• HAL Singers and Dancers