- Day D-2 Leaving Imperial Beach, California
- Day D-1 Arriving in Fort Lauderdale
- Day 1- The Grand Voyage Begins! 115 Days
- Day 2 – At Sea – Enroute Costa Rica
- Day 3 – Cruising the Carribean
- Day 4 – At Sea Enroute to Costa Rica
- Day 5 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
- Day 6- Cruising the Panama Canal
- Day 7 – Fuerte Amador, Panama
- Day 8 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 9 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 10, At Sea – Enroute Nuku Hiva
- Day 11 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 12 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 13, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 14, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 15, Sailing toward Nuku Hiva
- Day 16, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
- Day 17, Sailing toward Avatoru
- Day 18 – Avatoru, Rangiroa
- Day 19, Papeete, Tahiti and taking the ferry to Mo’orea
- Day 20, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Day 21, Sailing toward Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 22, Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 23, Sailing toward Waitangi, New Zealand
- Day 24, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 25, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 26, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 27, Waitangi (Bay of Islands) New Zealand
- Day 28, Auckland, New Zealand
- Day 29, Sailing toward Picton, New Zealand
- Day 30, Picton New Zealand
- Day 31, Sailing toward Melbourne, Australia
- Day 32, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 33, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 34, Melbourne, Australia
- Day 35, Sailing toward Sydney Australia
- Day 36, Sydney, Australia
- Day 37, Sydney, Australia
- Day 38, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 39, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 40, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 41, Townsville, Australia
- Day 42, Cairns, Australia
- Day 43, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 44, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 45, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 46, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Day 47, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 48, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 49, Benoa, Bali, Indonesia
- Day 50, Sailing towards Semarang, Indonesia
- Day 51, Semarang, Java, Indonesia
- Day 52, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Day 53, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 54, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 55, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 56, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 57, Hong Kong
- Day 58, Hong Kong
- Day 59, Hong Kong
- Day 60, Sailing toward Da Nang
- Day 61, Da Nang, Vietnam
- Day 62, Da Nang, Viet Nam
- Day 63, Sailing toward Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 64. Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 65, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Ms Amsterdam sailing toward Sihanoukville
- Day 66; Siem Reap to Sihanoukville – while Amsterdam is moored at Sihanoukville
- Day 67, Sailing toward Singapore
- Day 68, Singapore
- Day 69, Singapore
- Day 70, Singapore
- Day 71, Sailing toward Phuket, Thailand
- Day 72, Phuket, Thailand
- Day 73, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 74, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 75, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 76, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Day 77, Colombo, Sri Lanka to New Delhi, India
- Day 78, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 79, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 80, New Delhi, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 81, New Delhi to Dubai
- Day 82, Dubai, UAE
- Day 83, Dubai, UAE
- Day 84, Sailing toward Muscat
- Day 85, Muscat, Oman
- Day 86, Sailing toward Salalah, Oman
- Day 87, Salalah, Oman
- Day 88, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 89, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 90, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 91, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 92, Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 93, Sailing toward the Suez Canal
- Day 94, Transiting the Suez Canal
- Day 95, Haifa, Israel
- Day 96, Ashdod, Israel
- Day 97, Sailing toward Piraeus, Greece
- Day 98, Piraeus (Athens,) Greece
- Day 99, Katakolon, Greece
- Day 100, Sailing toward Civitavecchia, Italy
- Day 101, Civitavecchia, Italy
- Menus and On Locations updated…more posts coming soon
- Day 102, Livorno, Italy
- Day 103, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Day 104, Barcelona, Spain
- Day 105, Sailing toward Cadiz
- Day 106, Cadiz, Spain
- Day 107, Sailing toward Funchal, Portugal
- Day 108, Funchal, Portugal
- Day 109, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 110, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 111, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 112, April 26, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 113, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 114, April 28, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 115, April 29, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 116, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Day 117, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
- Day 118, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 119, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 120, Cartagena, Colombia
- Day 121, Transiting the Panama Canal
- Day 122, Sailing toward Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 123, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 124, Corinto, Nicaragua
- Day 125, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
- Day 126, Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
- Subscribe to this blog! – Check box at bottom of this page
- Day 127, Huatulco, Mexico
- Day 128, Sailing toward Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 129, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 130, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 131, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 132, San Diego, California
- Opening the Package! What is inside?
- That’s Entertainment!
- PACKING FOR A WORLD CRUISE
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 1
- Amazing end of cruise video!
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 2 – Pre and Post Cruise Expenses
- Holland America SELLS OUT 2017 World Cruise Inside Cabins – Segments still avail for less the $5,000 per cabin!
- How Much Does it Cost to Go on a World Cruise? Part 3 – Onboard Spending and Calculator
“Oscar Night” came to the Amsterdam at 9:30 AM Monday Morning. The Queens Lounge was decorated with a movie theme, special drinks were offered and light pastries with coffee and OJ were provided on tables set up on deck 4 right inside the Queens Lounge door. The room was probably ½ full, and the large picture and sound was wonderful with the Oscars seeming slightly more glamorous when shown on a big screen. The normal morning events: Good Morning Amsterdam, Tai Chi and the usual 10 am and 11 am presentations were cancelled.
See special Oscar Drinks HERE
At times there was 50 knots of relative wind over the deck, but since it was right down the bow it didn’t seem so bad when out on the promenade or on your verandah. I was interested in seeing if there was any spray coming over the bow so I ventured up to the deck 6 observation deck right below the bridge where I would have a clear view of the bow. There are two ways for passengers to get to this area.
- Go to deck 6 and proceed all the way forward down the port passageway, turn left and go out the door directly onto the deck.
- Go all the way forward on deck 3 promenade where you will see several sets of doors. There are some marked staff only and others that are unmarked. Go thru the unmarked double doors and then up three levels to the deck 6 observation deck.
Once on the observation deck, and as expected with 50 knots of wind, it was almost impossible to stand still and walk in a straight line. There wasn’t any spray coming over the bow so I took a few pictures, looked at the Long Range Acoustic Devices mounted for anti-piracy measures, and quickly sought shelter inside the ship. We learned from last night’s dinner guest, Steven, one of the ships third officers, that the Amsterdam’s high freeboard (the distance between the water and an open deck) provides another level of security against pirates since it makes a hostile boarding difficult.
Here is a picture of an aircraft carrier taking water over the bow in heavy seas!
Stir fry was an option again for lunch today near the Lido pool. There is no longer much of a wait to get your food cooked as the number of cooking stations seems to be just right to avoid any lines. See my post from February 18TH, on the blog, for pictures and a more detailed description of how the stir fry works. We always look forward to the stir fry’s and the cooks do a wonderful job.
Florist Eddy presented a flower arranging demonstration in the Wajang theatre at 1PM. It was amazing to watch him work as he explained some of his tips about arranging flowers. I learned that if you add a teaspoon of bleach to a liter of water and use this mixture in your flower vase, the plants will last longer since the bleach will kill bacteria than can cause plants to shrivel sooner. Eddy also explained that Tulips are among the few flowers that continue to grow even after being cut and placed in a vase. After the demonstration, I went to the Atrium on deck 5 where the other florist, Callista, was selling fresh flowers and some beautiful vases that are exclusive to Holland America.
During Crafts today Judy made a greeting card with a “Spinelli” design glued to the front. My winning streak at Texas Hold’em came to an end when my three nines were beat by a full house on the river. I can’t complain as I have had more than my share of good cards recently.
Once during the world cruise, every full cruise passenger is invited to the Pinnacle Grill for the Captain’s Dinner. The Captain and his wife will host one of the very large tables in back with the remainder of the guests being spread around the other tables. Each table is hosted by one of the ships officers. Dinner is at 6pm and starts with a receiving line with the Captain and his wife with the ships photographer standing by to take pictures. Unlike shorter cruises, where handshaking is avoided, the Captain and is wife, Karen, will greet you with a pleasant smile, a few kind words and firm handshakes.
The menu is fixed and I have posted a copy on the blog in place of the normal main dining room menu under the world cruise reference section. Our host was Nicolai, the ships IT manager, and we were joined by another couple from Ontario, near Toronto. Nicolai is from Serbia and he shared his interesting background and how he came to be working for Holland America. He is having a wonderful time on the world cruise and enjoys his job because he gets to work in many different areas as opposed to being very specialized if he was working ashore. We learned that there are two antennas for the ships internet, a primary and a backup. HAL contracts with vendors for a minimum amount of bandwidth, but the actual number may be greater depending on conditions and how many other ships may be sharing the same “lines”. There are over 300 antennas throughout the ship so you can get a Wi-Fi signal almost anywhere. There are still a few obsolete “Wi-Fi hotspot” signs around the ship that used to indicate the Wi-Fi hotspot locations when there were only a few.
The Pinnacle Grill staff prepare a different menu for each of the 12 Captains Dinners, but again there are no choices the night of your meal. They will accommodate dietary restrictions if you let them know in advance. Here’s a description of the courses we were served.
- “Peanut Butter and Jelly” with Foie Gras, Rhubarb, Brioche and caviar
- Roasted Corn and Butternut soup
- Caprese – Tomato and Mozzarella
- Mushroom Duxelle Crusted Petit Tendeloin
- Red Velvet Cake
The HAL singers and dancers performed for the last time this evening as they will be leaving the ship in Hong Kong. The show, “Rock at the Opera”, was a wonderful combination of singing and dancing. They performed a variety of hits from pop “operas”, like Pinball Wizard and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Their final number was a stirring rendition of Con te Partiro (Time to say Goodbye) made famous by Andrea Bocelli. Martin opened the number and was joined by Beth singing in Italian. Emily joined in next singing in English and finally Daniel completed the quartet and they finished the song together alternating between English and Italian. They received an enthusiastic standing ovation and after the final curtain calls, we will be saying goodbye to this wonderful group of performers.
This entry was posted in 2016 Grand World Voyage, Sea Day