Day 54, Sailing toward Hong Kong

Heavier seas continue to rock the ship as we continue north toward Hong Kong.   They are not as bad as we experienced in the Tasman Sea, but while there is much more motion than normal, the stabilizers are keeping the roll in check and we are only experiencing the rise and fall of the bow and stern.

Good Morning Amsterdam was my first event of the day. The guest was Pingxin Xu who player the Hammer Dulcimer last evening.   He explained that his Father insisted that he start to learn the instrument when he was only six years old. Growing up in China, learning an instrument would allow one to compete for additional educational opportunities in China and help avoid being relegated to factory work.   Pingxin Xu has lived in Toronto for the last 17 years.

Barbara provided an interesting overview of what we can expect in Hong Kong. This will be our longest port visit – 3 days and 2 nights. We will be moored at the Ocean Terminal which is the best possible cruise ship location. Judy and I will be venturing out independently and I am still working out the details of what we plan to see and do.   We have both been here several times, years ago, when we lived in Japan and could travel easily throughout Asia.

Immediately following Barbara was the lecture by Hong Kong Expert Dr Ping-Wing Kam who continued his Hong Kong lecture series with an overview of the current issues facing Hong Kong today and their relationship with China.

Today is Sunday which means another Brunch in the main dining room. I usually wander thru to see what they are offering and one of these Sundays we will have to skip our normal breakfast and sample the Sunday Brunch. While they were serving brunch on deck 4 I was able to get preview of the decorations for the all-white dinner theme on deck 5.

Judy made a decorative magnet in this afternoon’s Arts & Crafts while I played in the Texas Hold’em tournament and won for the 3^rd consecutive time. My good luck continued on the Blackjack table. This continues to be a very good cruise for me in the casino.

There was only a single show today at 7:15 pm since the All White After Party would follow dinner in the Crow’s Nest starting at 9pm. Comedian Paul Adams and Spanish guitarist Vincenzo split the 45 minute block. They each turned in fantastic encore performances to a house that was 90% full.

Tonight was a Gala night with an all-white theme and the vast majority of guests dressed in all white or wore more white than normal. The dining room was decorated in all white, and the waiters wore white vests with white hats.   Dinner choices included prime rib and king crab legs.   I couldn’t decide so I selected both and they were both delicious with the prime rib being especially tasty.   Our table was hosted by one of the ships officers, 3^rd Officer Steven B, who shared some of his experiences on the high seas and the training and qualifications required for a successful career with Holland America. He provided an update on Tender 9 – They are still waiting for one of the drive shafts to be delivered before they can complete repairs.   We only have one more Tender port – Monte Carlo on April 17th

The Crow’s nest was about ½ full with a full dance floor as people danced to the live band Oasis. The drinks were at happy hour prices and they had a very tempting looking cake along with pizza for folks to munch on.

• Paul Adams
• Vincenzo