Cruising the WorldDay 17

Crete, Greece

October 26, 2022

We pulled into the Port of Souda earlier than the published 11 am time. It was 7 am and I was already getting cellular service from Greece. The captain said that he was going to try to get us to port early and had a good chance of doing so because of calm seas and good weather. I did notice that the ship appeared to be moving faster than normal at dinner last night. 25 mph on a ship this size can seem fast.

We had no tours planned today. The HAL tours focused mainly on visiting the Roman and or Greek ruins. We have seen a lot more than the average person and realize now how large the Roman Empire was. I think people from the ”New World” find this so fascinating because nothing like this exists there. Most of Europe and Northern Africa contains remnants of past civilizations that used stone to construct things and that has lasted for centuries. We decided that we have seen enough ruins and we were going to wing it today.

The Port town is Souda. A shuttle bus took us into neighboring Chania.

The city was very modern and had many of the stores we had back home. It was vibrant and full of working people and tourists. We decided to head to the older section of the city. The Venetian lighthouse, originally constructed in 1570 and the latest version in 1830, looked like a nice place to walk to. We walked along the wall of the harbor and looked back at the older section of the city and snapped some photos. It was getting very hot and we back tracked and went to get lost in some of the narrow streets in this section.

We decided to eat lunch at a place that was recommend in an article we had read about the city. Tajam was the restaurant. We sat outside in the narrowest of streets in this area.

Delicious lunch while ship passengers from a HAL tour walked by. We can usually spot ship people quite easily. The hats they choose to wear is a giveaway. No one in the country has a mask on but ship people. They also have little stickers on their shirts that identify which bus they are on. Some stopped by to say hi. Some joined us at another table. Lunch was followed by complimentary dessert. Halva, made from walnuts and something sweet. The shots. Ouzo? Not Ouzo but something similar made only on Crete. Ouzo has the definite anise taste. This tasted more like rubbing alcohol. Johnson and Johnson I think.

We wondered through the streets after lunch and browsed the many shops. Nothing we needed. We made it back to the bus pickup point and took the 20 minute ride back.

Dinner in the dining room as we watched the sunset. We finished the evening on our balcony. Nice view of Souda and nice breeze. We watched as busses dropped weary tour folks off all evening. The last few passengers came up the ramp with 8 mins to spare. By 9:30 the crew was wrapping things up and we were off. A tug was on hand in the harbor as it was crowded. 2 large car ferries were in port as well as cargo ships.

1 more sea day in the Mediterranean and then down the Suez canal on our way to Egypt.…

At Sea

October 25, 2022

Today we enjoyed the relative calm seas of the Mediterranean. Usual day at sea with breakfast and then gym. Terri did her watercolor class and I hit the treadmill.

We sat with Jose, Richard and Clare for team trivia. Three single men and I believe all three are divorced. Terri asked them if there are a lot of singles aboard and the answer was yes. They do have single meetups on board. We did pretty well but the winners of this event is always the same group. Of course cheating must be the reason. Jose is going to say something to the host about this. I think it is hilarious. Some of the questions are strange. When did trivia begin? Not enough information given for me. We did have a great answer for what a group of Cheetahs is called. Cheetos!

We had another invitation to a wine tasting at 2 pm but we missed it. I guess we had too much on our minds. I have a good laugh at these and I’m sorry we were so busy.

At dinner we sat next to a couple that did the world cruise in 2020, a year after us. This cruise ended in Australia because of the pandemic. After Sydney, the ship couldn’t find a port that would accept them. They finally ended up in Perth and were flown home. They commended HAL for taking care of them during this difficult time. They missed at least one half of the planned cruise.

The evening entertainment was a new show by the duo called Ole. Each did some outstanding solo work. The humor could be from the days of vaudeville. One of the guitarists mounted a harmonica on his guitar and was able to accompany himself while he played it. He could also juggle and did so while his partner played. This show didn’t match their first one. A solid 8.

We finished with cards out near the Sea View bar. Terri is tired of letting me win. I think we are 4 and 4 now.

Tomorrow we are in Crete, Greece.…

La Goulette, Tunisia

October 24, 2022

We arrived in the port city of La Goulette at 8 am and boarded busses for our tour at 815 am. Tunisia was occupied by the French until 1957 and has 2 languages it uses. Arabic and French although English is now taught in school

This was a HAL tour and we chose it because we were unable to find any others tours by other tour companies that could work within the time frame we had.

Our first stop was the capital city of Tunis. Here we planned to visit some government buildings and then the Medina or ”old city”. Our guide, Hada, was very proud of Tunisia and its treatment of women. This must be a comparison to other Arabic Countries and their treatment of women. More women then men in Tunisia. More women in power than men in Tunisia.

Most of the photos above are from Kasbah Square. City Hall and other government buildings. We walked from the Kasbah to the Medina. This are has structures that were built using the remains of the Roman ruins located near Carthage.

A bit further and we arrived at the bazaar. A labyrinth of shopping stalls selling everything you can imagine. There were sections that just sold jewelry, others that sold spices or oils. It reminded us of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. This was much more confusing and Hada was insistent that we stay together at it is easy to get lost. The bazaar appears to weave around for miles.

We would have enjoyed strolling through here on our own and haggling with merchants for junk. It was time to head Carthage for lunch. About a 30 minute drive put us into a restaurant that felt more like a bingo hall with 5 bus loads of passengers. We sat at long tables and conversed with other folks as we enjoyed the food. We decided to enjoy the local beer and wine. Not bad.

Lots of French influence still remains here. After lunch we went to see the ruins of a roman bath. There is a lot yet to be uncovered. Many of the ruins were pilfered to use in the construction projects in Tunis. This are was first constructed in 100 BC. It was destroyed by the Romans and then rebuilt over the existing ruins in 200 AD.

You have to imagine the pools of water across the large open area. There were chambers that have different temperatures of water. The bath was an important architectural and social site. I imagine this aqueduct fed the area with water.

We finished the tour with a visit to Sidi Boussaid. White houses with blue doorways. Reminded us of an island in Greece.

We did walk through the market in this town and looked through the stuff we really didn’t need. Vendors were out in the street hawking their merchandise. Belts, watches, necklaces. One shop owner yelled to me ”I sell drugs here”. Clearly I’m not, nor ever have been a drug user but I had to check this out. He laughed and said I was the first customer to come into his shop all day. He obviously now has a line to use to attract customers. We gave him the full nelson on some argan oil that was right from Morocco.

We finished the day watching a movie. Too tired to see the evening entertainment.…

At Sea

October 23, 2022

Another day of recovery was welcomed as we prepared for the next port of Tunisia. We need passports, Covid documents, and a special port pass when we leave the ship. We have a HAL excursion that takes almost the entire time we will be there.

I hit the gym and Terri did her power walking around the lower promenade. She has built quite a reputation amongst the folks who walk around the deck as she passes them numerous times.

We teamed up with a single passenger in group trivia. Jose was actually a professor at MSU back in the early 80s when I was a student there. He taught Spanish and Portuguese. He said he lived with members of the MC5 (Motor City 5). I told him that I used to teach with Russ Gibb who was a big promoter of the band but that didn’t seem to mean much to him.

He said band members helped ”turn him on”. A common reference to drug use at the time. Particularly LSD. I’m not sure why he shared this. He did say he was able to see Rick’s back in Casablanca and sent me a photo. I did learn from our tour guide that most American and Canadian tourists come to Casablanca because of the movie starring Humphrey Bogart.

We did fair pretty well in the trivia with just the three of us. We remembered what a baby puff was called and guessed which part of the body is full grown at birth. We missed which continent is in all 4 hemispheres.

We did over hear another complainer at dinner. She was so surprised that the HAL excursions do fill up and they do not take additional people. We have spent a year planning everything we do on this trip and have had at least one excursion booked since November of last year. Planning is everything. Planning is hard. Complaining is easy.

We finished the evening on the back of the Lido playing cards. I am up 4 games to two. I think Terri is letting me win as she is really the better player.…

At Sea

October 22, 2022

We slept in today. We did breakfast and then the gym. Still some calf soreness from hiking down the mountain the other day.

Later in the morning we cruised through the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco was on our right and the Gibraltar on the left. As we entered the Alboran Sea the temperature was much cooler. Mid 60s. I suspect it will be this way through much of the Mediterranean until we turn into the Suez canal.

The entertainment for this evening was a musical duo called Ole. El Gypsy and El Grotesco boldly go no where guitar show has gone before.

Great guitarists. They mixed comedy into their musical performance. Very well done. Lots of flamenco style. Great music and comedy. I give it a 10.

We spent some time at the Ocean Bar after the performance. The quartet there played danced music and was led by a guitarist. He was very good and the drummer was good also. The bassist looked as if he couldn’t be bothered with having to play this style of music and the pianist was adequate. The guitarist took all of the solos. Probably a group not of his making. He really appeared to enjoy playing and would be a great asset to any band. Maybe he is free on Tuesday nights!

Another day at sea and then we reach Tunisia. We do have a HAL tour that takes the entire day.…

Marrakech, Morocco

October 21, 2022

Breakfast at 8:30 am gave us a chance to get some sleep. The food was fantastic and we enjoyed the great variety.

9 am was out meeting time in the front lobby. We chatted with some other folks we have met on the ship and compared experiences. This morning we boarded horse drawn carriages to take a tour of the center of Marrakech. More than one person commented that they felt sorry for the horses. I didn’t really understand. The horses are obviously well taken care of and in very good shape. The only negative with horses are the flies they bring. As long as the carriage was moving they were fine.

Driving in Marrakech is an experience. Motorcycles and scooters are everywhere and they weave in and out of regular traffic.

We sat in the carriage with another couple. She grew up in Jackson and went to Albion College and they lived most of their lives near Cleveland. He commented on recognizing my Michigan accent. We shared stories about running, marathons, swimming, and skiing. Most folks on the ship are on the downward side of athletics and are just happy to be able to participate on tours such as this. One woman in this groups gets around on a segway. She brought it on the ship with her and takes it on these excursions to get around. Something happened to her legs and she can barely walk. This really beats a wheelchair.

After the carriage ride we went to a garden that was owned by Yves Saint Lauren.

After the visit to the garden it was time to make our way to a palace to admire the interior design. This place was used during the French occupation of of Morocco in the early 20th century as the addition of the fireplace proves.

Lunch was at a hotel nearby. Similar food and hospitality. Lunch was served in the courtyard.

We spent about 90 minutes enjoying lunch and the surroundings here and then headed to the bus for our trip to Casablanca. There clearly would not be time to visit Casablanca as all aboard is 8:30 pm and we would arrive about 8 pm. No Rick’s visit on this trip. I did hear that other folks, not on this tour, did get to visit and take some photos.

We arrived about 8 and we were the first off the bus and into customs. It was a one night trip and many folks took very large bags with them. We traveled very lightly. Shoulder bags only.

The ship was off on time and we experienced the biggest swells of the trip caused by the shallow water near Casablanca.

Casablanca is a very different city than Marrakech. Mainly working businessmen and families. Streets are vacant early in the evening. Not the party atmosphere like Marrakech.

We ended the evening up in the Lido where the restaurant remained open until 9. We chatted with some other folks that were on the tour with us. We all agreed that we enjoyed the experience.

I did some reading about another tour that left Casablanca this morning and ran into all kinds of trouble. This was a 3rd party tour, not back by HAL, and you have to expect for the fewer amount of dollars you spend, you have a higher risk factor. About half of our tours are not HAL tours. We chose these either because the price was right or the experience couldn’t be found on the HAL excursions. We have accepted the risk. What could happen?

…

Agadir, Morocco

October 20, 2022

We were ready for breakfast at 6:15 am so we went up to the Lido early. Muffins was no where to be found. We finished breakfast and headed back to the room. We had paperwork that Morocco required and we needed passports for a face to face presentation with a Moroccan official. Meeting time 7 am in the Wajang Theater on Deck 4.

 We sat with the other 70 or so going on this tour. A HAL official said that Morocco has changed their minds. No security officials would be boarding and that HAL would be collecting passports and taking them over to immigration to get stamped and then returned to us. I guess that makes sense?

The HAL employees collected our passports and we sat, some patiently, for further instructions. The Captain announced over the PA that Moroccan authorities are now requiring the entire ship to perform another antigen test. Room stewards would distribute the tests. The head Nurse did explain to us that as of three days ago, Moroccan officials were satisfied with our current protocols and we were good to go on arrival. At 1:15 am this morning, an email was received describing new requirements. Who decides these things at this time? We waited in the theater for our tests. Once in our hands we went to our rooms and performed our test. It was 8:30 am. We did the test, waited the required 10 minutes, took a photo and waited until 9:30 am to meet back in the theater with our negative test in hand. The test has a Control Stripe and a Test Stripe. The Control Strip appears red in about 1 minute meaning the test is valid. The test stripe appears if it is positive only after the 10 minutes have expired. Otherwise it remains blank. We noticed that ours and many others began to show a faint blue test stripe after an hour of waiting. The Ships doctor came in the theater to check the tests. Retake…Retake…Retake he said to many as he went around the room. The test is only valid for a short period of time. We had to re do. Now it was time to wise up. Get passport, take test, wait one minute and the head to bus. Give test to lazy official to throw away and we are on our way. Now it is 11:30. Bus leaves at noon. 4 hours late. 

Our bus drive to Marrakech long and uneventful. Sand, rolling hills, sand, argan trees, more sand. Past the rolling hills was more sand. This area was in the midst of a 3 year drought. Our tour guide, Youssef, said that when it rains, the entire area becomes very green. The ground is very fertile and needs only water. The argan trees produce a seed that is valued for the oil that be pressed from it. Healthy to eat healthy for skin.

Upon arrival to Marrrakech, the area started to green up. We were running so late that we immediately went to lunch.

Lunch was typical Moroccan fare. Meat, potatoes, veggies, all very good. Musicians and dancers entertained us.

These photos are of the former Marrakech governors house, now at museum. The arabesque style is evident. Simple on the outside and very ornamental on the inside. This coincides with the belief that a person’s real beauty is found on the inside.

Afterward we walked around the area with the Marrakech souks or shopping areas.

Following the walk we took the bus to our hotel to check in.

We quickly checked in and got ready for dinner. Yes, its time to eat again. We went down to the lobby for a quick drink.

Dinner was a restaurant near the souk’s and the open air market area. Just a mile or so from the hotel. Dinner was just like lunch. Same style of restaurant and similar food.

This open air market area really comes alive at night. Lots of things to buy, lots of entertainers. Fun place. Jammed with people.

We walked into our room back at the hotel close to midnight. Long day.

[travelers-map]…

October 19, 2022

We were entertained by the muffin lady at breakfast again today. She travels by herself. All over the world. Great Wall of China, Pyramids. You name it. She has done it. At least that what she is telling the waitress at breakfast. ”Today the muffins were much better. Thank you. ” She told the young girl. I’m sure the bakers’ reformulated their entire muffin procedure. Probably sought advice from the muffin lady and were up all night testing and tweaking. The muffin lady seems to have a travel companion with her. She isn’t allowed to have her own opinions or to speak for that matter. Sometimes you find entertainment without even looking.

We pulled into port at 10 am and were cleared by customs to leave at 11 am.

Since we were only here until 530 pm we decided to just see the local sights and come back to the ship. Photos from our room before we left.

We took the ship shuttle bus to the port entrance. Just a few minutes ride.

This reminded me of southern California. The weather is warm all year. 80s on our trek out. The city reminded me of countless European cities that we have visited. Not much unique in the city. We did visit a a small museum in an old fort along the shore. 3 euro each to get in but the machine to process was broken so today was free. Probably a good thing. All descriptions of items in the museum were in Spanish. The museum presented a little glimpse of the history of the island, volcanic activity, and interesting enough the development of cobalt blue dye. We may have spent 45 minutes inside.

I did see a musical instrument store online and found it on my maps program. I thought it might be fun to check it out but when we arrived at the address there was no such store to be found. Another victim of Covid 19 is my guess.

We spent some time walking around the city. The people out with us were probably all from the ship. It is really easy to pick them out as they never seem to fit into the surroundings. Of course we were perfect and blend into every city we visit.

Believe it or not, we saw the muffin lady and companion in the city. She asked us where the shopping district was. Quite authoritative. Probably the same tone she used with the baker. We did point her in the correct direction. Later I thought I could have used a different finger.

We decided on some refreshments in front of this area. A marina without docks? Abandoned boats? They were all tied off to shore or anchored in their spot.

We were still reeling from the walk down the mountain yesterday. We sat and had a few drinks and returned to the ship. It was still a few hours from our all aboard time so we sat on our balcony and enjoyed the scenery.

The ’cellist (it’s the musician who plays a violoncello for your next trivia match) was on again for a second performance. We decided to stay in our cabin and pack for our overland excursion tomorrow in Morocco. We leave from the Agadir port and travel to Marrakech. We spend the night in a hotel there and then travel to Casablanca and meet back up with the ship. I was hoping to stop at Rick’s American Cafe but that may not happen…… As Time Goes By

We watched the first Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise. When we finished, I could hear the ’cellist on stage because our room is right above the stage. The tune? Theme from Mission Impossible.…

October 18, 2022

We arrived at the Port of Funchal at 8 am. We have a HAL tour booked today. The tour group left at 9 am by bus. The weather was cloudy with a chance of rain. Out bus was to take us up one of the mountains and then allow us to get a great view of the city of Funchal below. This is what we saw…..

We were overwhelmed also. This part of the tour was very short and we went on to our next stop. Camara fishing village. The waters are very deep around Madeira and fishing is really not an important industry here.

Bananas are grown everywhere below 300m where the weather is appropriate. Madeira is temperate all year long and homes are built without central heating or cooling systems.

Everything outside of the downtown area is built in terraces because of the steep volcanic ridges.

Next stop was Reid’s Hotel for an afternoon tea. We made it in well before noon but we did sit down for some nice food and tea.

We enjoyed the great surroundings and the delicious food. Our ship can be seen in the port from the Hotel. This tour was essentially over but we didn’t want to return to the ship yet. All aboard was 4 pm and we had plenty of time to check out the cable car ride and the toboggan ride.

The cable car takes one up to the town of Monte. It is about a 15 minute ride up to the top. We planned to ride the wicker toboggan back down. This used to be an important means of transportation. Wicker toboggan’s with wooden tracks are steered down the mountain by two men.

The ride up to the top was less than spectacular because of the weather. Not much to see. When we arrived at the top, the toboggan ride was closed for the day. Weather. Here is a photo of what we hoped we would do.

We decided to walk down the 2.5 miles to town. Big mistake as it was very steep. One hour to do 2.5 miles. Some nice views of Funchal on the way.

We make it down very carefully. On the way back we saw what looked like a middle school being dismissed for the day. Up or down on the city streets was a way of life. For us it was a bit of a struggle.

We made it back to the downtown area and decided to try the local beer and wine. The Madeira wine is more of a Sherry in my opinion. Fortified with other ingredients to make it taste the way it does. The local Bock beer was excellent.

We enjoyed our drink and then walked a few blocks to our shuttle back to the ship. The ship was docked in a working port and it was nicer to take the shuttle.

Seeing this after a long day is very nice. We made it back before 4 pm.

Terri took a few photos at dinner as we left the island.

We did finish the evening with some cards out on the rear Lido deck but bedtime came early.…

October 17, 2022

We are near the end of our Atlantic crossing and getting ready for our first port in Madeira. 8 am is our scheduled arrival time. Tuesday we are in Madeira, Wednesday we are in Arrecife which is one of the Canary Islands and then Wednesday and Thursday we are overnight in Morocco.

The Captain took to the PA at noon and started with the Covid 19 mask requirement. He said the he did know it was the 7th day of the trip and he would have an answer later in the day on wether to relax the requirement. It was later in the day and we were at team trivia when he made the announcement. No more masks for the time being. The ship erupted in cheers and applause. For the first time, I was able to see what the wait staff actually looked like.

Terri is doing lots of watercolor painting and I finished the Big Fraud Book. I highly recommend it.

We skipped the evening entertainment and played some cards. Early to bed as we lose another hour tonight.

[travelers-map]…

October 16, 2022

It’s Sunday and there is a brunch at 11 am in the main dining room. It didn’t fit into our busy schedule. Maybe next week.

I decided to include some photos of areas of the ship where we spend most of our time.

The balcony off of our room. We are on the starboard side of the ship and most of the journey across the Atlantic meant that we looked south.

The lower promenade deck or deck 3. This is the deck where lifeboats would be launched in the event of an iceberg. It is the only deck below deck 9 where passengers can walk outside. Many use this deck to walk or power walk. Some more serious than others. 3.5 laps is a mile.

This is the view of the bridge from our balcony. There is a tv screen up there where I can see the speed of the ship. There is a number on either side of the speed indicator. It changes with the swells and pitch of the ship.

This is the Lido deck or deck 9 midship. There is swimming pool here and the ceiling can be opened and closed. Many will sun bathe here or have lunch. The breeze is nice and not over powering. Travel on this deck to the front of the ship and you arrive at the gym. One flight up to the Crow’s Nest Bar. Best views are from there. Travel towards the rear of the ship and you reach the Lido Restaurant. Self serve style eating here.

The rear of the ship on the Lido Deck. Another pool. Great for evening card games under the stars.

The dining room is at the rear of the ship on decks 4 and 5. There are many more places for pictures but these are the areas we spend the most time in.

We have been noticing more and more people that like to complain. At breakfast there was a woman complaining to the waitstaff about how her muffin wasn’t a muffin. A muffin is supposed to be light and fluffy on the inside. This is not a muffin. The patient waitstaff employee offered many things to the angry complainer. ”Can I get you this? Can I get you that?” Complaining to a 20 yr old whose only job is to make you happy is a waste of precious life. Why someone would elect to take a 71 day cruise and then ruin it by being miserable? I’m not beyond complaining but let’s make sure it is a valid complaint to the correct person. Spread some happiness not misery.

Tomorrow is our last day at sea and then we begin our tour of Africa with our first stop Tuesday morning.…

October 15, 2022

We are a little more than halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. We have been getting a little bit of rain. Since there is nothing but ocean all around it is easy to see storms in different areas of the sea. Some produce lightning but we haven’t been through anything severe.

As we travel east, our balcony is in the sun most of the day. Temps in the 80s. It is much cooler and shady on the other side of the ship. We will experience this from Cape town until Florida.

The Captain came on the PA system at noon for his usual announcements about the position of the ship and the current and future weather. He did mention the results of the Covid tests. Good news he says, the majority of passengers are Covid Free but there were a few cases. This is very common he said. We will continue the mask mandate for the first seven days and I will let you know if we will be able to relax this rule in the next few days. Nothing about tomorrow being day seven.

Most folks ignore the masks or only put them on in the hallways. Team trivia – no masks, dinner – no masks, wine tasting-no masks, evening theater performance-no mask.

Our cruise director, Jeremy, is giving presentations each day about the first few ports of call. Our first stop is Funchal which is on an island and is part of Portugal. We do have a HAL tour at that port which takes up about half of the day. The next two ports are in Morocco. We have an overnight tour here. It’s important to get information about passports and visas needed at these presentations. We will need our passport since we are leaving the ship and staying overnight. Visa will be given upon arrival.

Team trivia teams are just about set. We do not have a regular team and we did the 1 o’clock session on our own and faired pretty well. I’m good at the science and math questions. Hydrogen is atomic number one. I did miss the only letter not to appear on the periodic table. I did consider J but changed it to Q. Answer. J. Terri takes all of the art questions. Musical lyrics are usually a tossup. I don’t listen to lyrics. I did take a stab at the first line of Bohemian Rhapsody. It was a line, just not the first.

Tonights entertainment was the BBC Earth presents. Photos with recorded music backed up by live musicians. We aren’t fans of this and didn’t attend. It always reminds me of the scene in Soylent Green where the character played by Edward G. Robinson has had enough and decides to ”go home”. He goes to a place where he is given a glass of poison to drink and he watches pictures with music of the past. He soon dies while watching. If you are sci fi fan you will know what Soylent Green, a mass produced food, is made of.

We played cards on the Lido deck at the rear of the ship. We had the place almost entirely to ourselves. It is a great place to watch the sunset and have a drink.

Some folks from back home have been asking how it is that we can be on a ship this long. Let’s see, 5 star accommodations, outstanding food, live entertainment, activities all day, laundry shows up folded or on a hangar, room cleaned twice per day, exercise equipment, swimming pools. Staff that is trained to be customer focused. Staff thanks us for attending every single meal. It doesn’t matter if it is the waitstaff, the engine room staff, the ship administration. All will not let you pass without say hi. The room stewards know us by name. Did I miss something? I guess on the other side is the poor internet and Covid protocols. Both are really not a function of the cruise industry. By cruise ship standards, this ship is quite small. This allows us in more ports than most. There is not anytime that I feel I need to get off the ship. Want to take in a movie? There is a theater aboard. …

October 14, 2022

We got up on another 23 hour day. Breakfast and then back to the room for the mandatory Covid 19 antigen self test. Our room steward was right on time delivering the test to our room at 9:30. Easy enough to follow the instructions provided by the ship’s doc. 10 minute wait for results. Red = good, Blue = bad. Of course ours were fine. We took a photo, showed them to room steward and off to the gym.

The ship was rolling quite a bit and it really influences the workout. I was doing a plank and rode up the crest of a wave. Wow. Major pressure. I almost lost form. It does make for some exciting elliptical or treadmill workouts.

The captain announced at lunch that all of the antigen test results were not yet in. My guess is that he will not say anything until the 15 days to slow……….I mean the 7 day mask mandate is over. He will then announce that everyone has tested negatively but out of an abundance of caution, the mask mandate will stay in place for another week.

Team trivia has become the most popular game on the ship. The 1 pm general knowledge trivia in the Crow’s Nest is perfect. Not too crowded and there is always people looking for others to join them. The 4:30 pm team trivia is packed. It takes up a good portion of mid ship deck 5. The game hosts vary between a woman from Colombia and a woman from Argentina. Deciphering the pronunciation of words is the real challenge. The actual trivia is secondary. Accenting the wrong syllable is usually the case. Is it IN-sur-ance or in-SUR-ance? In this case it was the citizens of Tibet. ti-BET-ans. TI-bi-tans just doesn’t sound the same. Why do Tibetan women grow long fingernails on their little fingers? Struggle for a minute and then tell your partner that is must be for ??????? Did you guess picking their noses? One of the questions was about Freddie Mercury’s birthplace. I’m not a fan at all but the answer is Zanzibar. We will be visiting there on this trip.

Another outstanding dinner in the dining room. I prefer the dining room to the Lido because the chef has already decided what side items go with each dish. The same food is available in the Lido but you decide on sides and quantities. Too much work.

The evening entertainment was Polish cellist Mariusz. He played an electronic cello shaped like a thick broomstick. No acoustical qualities. Just electronic pickups. He was obviously a very accomplished musician. He open with the Sabre Dance and had a very mixed repertoire. Meditation was performed beautifully. I could do without the Queen tune. He said he used to travel with both his acoustic and electric but the electric is just so much easier to travel with. I would have preferred the acoustic. Much sweeter sound. I give the performance a 9.

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October 13, 2022

We awoke to another time change. We are now 3 hours ahead of home. 25 hour days are much easier on the body than the current 23 hour days. The internet is becoming a big headache. The ship is small by cruise ship standards but 1400 people trying to get online through satellite internet is a problem. You pay HAL for the number of devices you want to connect to the internet. Each device adds hundreds to the bill. I brought along a travel router that solves this problem. As long as I have it and we are together, we can both use the internet with the one device package we purchased. In our room we can both use iphones, MacBooks, and ipads. It doesn’t make the connection faster but it does allow multiple devices to be used. Once set it works great but like any piece of technology it fails for no apparent reason. Often.

We slept in some and had lunch. I caught up on some reading and Terri power walked. After lunch we did team trivia. I’ve learned that some trivia questions are used over and over and most of the teams know the answer. Largest mammal. Largest Bird. The only mammal that can fly. We met some folks from Salt Lake City and from Brisbane. Hard to hide the accent. We also met a couple from Manhattan. Hard to hide the accent.

When in Kindergarten you talk about what you hope to be. In your 20s you talk about who you are. In your 50s you talk about what you did. 60s you talk about what you are going to do. On this kind of cruise where everyone is post-career, there is very little of this kind of talk. Everyone is the same. I ask the gentlemen next to me if he was sure about where those bones were located in the human body. He said ”yes, I’m a doctor”. No one seated was impressed or unimpressed. It was just ”what it is”. We had a question about what the term ”piano” meant. Every musician knows the answer. ”I’m a musician and it means soft”. It had the same effect as ”I’m a doctor”.

Wine tasting was at 2pm in the dining room. This is one of the perks we earned for being 4 star mariners. We tried 2 white and two red from the Northeaster United States. I’m not big on wine. I think I gave each a 2. All of the swirling, smelling and staring at the wine didn’t change the taste. I’d rather have grapes. Terri was with me on the scoring except the last one. She gave it an 8. I was impressed with the cheese, grapes, and crackers. Yummy. Would go great with a bottle of Red Stripe. Mon.

The evening entertainment was the corporate sponsored group. Usually referred to as the Holland American Singers and Dancers. This group was referred to as the Zaandam singers and dancers in reference to the name of our ship. On past cruises they have been outstanding. Very polished and fun to watch and listen to. This group, not so much. Our cruise director, Jeremy, did say it was their first of 10 shows. It did look like a first performance. Harmony was off in spots as was timing in dancing. The show was call Swing Time and had nothing but great classics that they sang and danced to. The singers did not know how to swing. The vocalists were satisfactory singers but were not singing the correct style. They are young and have a way to go. 6 is all I could give.

The water ocean is producing huge swells. If you aren’t sea worthy, this is where it will show up.

Tomorrow is a mandatory covid 19 antigen self test. The entire ship will do this and the results go to the captain. If no one had Covid when they boarded Monday, and they don’t have it now, will the Captain release the feed bag or mask requirement? We are waiting.…

October 12, 2022

Breakfast and then gym for me. Terri took a water color class and then did some power walking on the promenade. I met her down there and took my book The Big Fraud. You can guess what it is about.

We did team trivia after lunch. I think we have found our team as we tied for first place with 15 out of 18 correct. We were stumped when asked for the name of the things at the end of a shoe lace and the year Google was created but did get the largest bird and the age of Jimi Hendrix when he died. The team next to us were sure to tell us that they were from Flint, Michigan. I have a feeling they have been insulted by people in the past. “Yes, there are people from Flint that can afford a cruise. No, we don’t have lead in our water or our blood, there is a large factory that produces (a large number) of cars and produces millions of dollars per day.” What a nice introduction. We hope to learn more about our team tomorrow.

The wind was picking up today and the ship was rocking more than usual. This makes for great sleeping but difficulty walking down the hallway.

Formal Gala night in the dining room. 

We finished the evening on the Lido deck near the back of the ship. Difficult blog day. Internet crawling.…

October 11, 2022

Today was our first full day on the ship and as we travel east we will be losing an hour each day for the next few days. 

Breakfast showed us that the ship is back to normal as far as food service goes. There are many self serve stations. Last year in Greece, we couldn’t touch anything in the food service area. There was even an attendant in front of the self serve drink station to get the drink for you. The food selection was outstanding and the service the same. Every employee says “hi” and also “have a nice day”.

There appear to be many new employees in food service. These employees all come from Indonesia where thee is a large HAL training center. I’m not sure why so many are new but my guess is the pandemic had something to do with it. Many are not as comfortable with English as past employees and guests have to resort to pointing at what they want.

I did lunch at the Dive In near the pool. I ordered a Cannonball Burger and naked fries and was given a pager to let me know when it would be ready. Terri decided to try something new for lunch. A salad.

We tried the general knowledge Trivia after lunch. It really turned into group trivia. We decided to try just the two of us on our team. I scored on the name for a group of lions and the substance that fingernails are made of. Terri scored on the Spanish artist who invented Cubism and the one who invented Surrealism. Not my cup of tea. We scored about 8 out of 18. We missed what period of time an Eon represents and the first woman Nobel prize winner. You’re right. I should have called you.

Just prior to this cruise we were notified that all passenger had to wear a mask for the first 7 days in all public areas. Not sure how logical this is but the staff has not said anything to those without. Everyone on the ship has been triple vaccinated and had a Covid test done within 3 days of debarkation. This private group of people need a mask until their first stop when they get off the ship and mingle with other people. Then they don’t need to wear masks anymore. Huh? Virtue signaling at its finest.

Late afternoon was a ship sponsored “block party”. Each floor mingled in the hallway and met others. Staff brought around appetizers and champagne. No masks for anyone. We did meet a few more folks that were on the world cruise with us. This was a fun event. When the party was over, everyone submitted back into the mask policy. Anyone thinking ridiculous?

The evening entertainment was comedian George Casey. George is from Ireland but now lives in Florida. He made fun of the Irish and spoke of a Gent who had a wee bit too much of the “Holy Water” and asked George if he was reading the newspaper that he was sitting on at the bar. Instead of answering him, George got off the stool, turned the page and sat back down. Lots laughs and good clean humor. I give him an 8.…

October 10, 2022

Courtney picked us up to take us to the airport at 3:15 am. The airport was a bit more crowded than I expected at 4 am but I guess many had early flights. Check in was a breeze We just two small bags that we checked because they contained items that would not make it through security. We did send 4 bags ahead using Luggage Direct the Holland America Line (HAL) has partnered with.

We met up with the HAL representative when we landed in Miami. We recognized him from the last cruise we took. It was 9:30 am and the shuttle would arrive at 11 am and take us to Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. The Port Terminal was crowded. We were probably the first group to board. Experience has taught us that the more you do at home, the faster check in will be. HAL makes it pretty easy but many still do not either read or understand the emails that are sent to them. Bag tags are a good example. HAL used to send send them out just before the cruise but now they must be printed after online check in. The tags are printed on a standard letter size piece of paper that has directions on how to fold the tag and then has a “staple here” mark. Really? You are going to trust a gorilla to handle your bag and your tag will remain on? Best go to Amazon and order some bag tag holders for HAL tags. Many show up with no bag tags but expect that their luggage will actually show up to their room. Luggage is placed on the bus and then delivered to your stateroom.

Items needed for check in:

Boarding pass – available on the HAL Navigator App. Many did not register the app and instead tried to print a paper copy. It ain’t happening. Move to the long line please.

Yellow Fever certificate, Covid 19 vaccine record, Covid 19 negative test (within 3 days of cruise) HAL has decided to use the VeriflyApp. This app stores testing information that the user uploads. Who has access to this? I’m guessing our government does. We chose not to do this and had to move to the line on the left for folks with paper documents. This line was a fraction as long as the “good citizens” line. Win number 1 for our side.

Photocopy of passport, yellow fever certificate, and Covid 19 vaccine record. Did you make a photo copy? If yes move to the short line (the other line was jammed). Win number 2!

Last stop was a photo for ship the check in with a photo of passport for verification.

Have your stuff together and you will move through quickly. It is nothing like the old days of checking in for a cruise. Most of the information is uploaded on the HAL website.

We are on the Verandah deck and are close to the bridge. Two floors up to the Lido for food and the gym. Perfect location.

This is probably the largest room we have ever had on a cruise ship. Bathroom with jetted tub, queen sized bed and then a nice sofa, coffee table and desk. Balcony has 2 recliners and a table.

We went up to the Lido for some refreshments. One couple recognized us from the World Cruise we did in 2019. I remember that the first day on that cruise was like a high school class reunion. People that do the long cruises tend to do them over and over. I didn’t see much of that yet. Probably lots of Covid 19 fear in cruising still.

We headed back to the room as luggage was on our mind. One bag had arrived already. The next 5 bags trickled in over the next 5 or so hours. Organizing the room is essential when living in such a small place. We both agreed that we probably over packed. We shall see how it goes. Valuable closet space is filled with useless items like life jackets and wooden hangars. Every rod has enough hangars to fill the entire rod from end to end.

In the past, the first day on a cruise would be a mandatory drill at the muster station. This is the areas where lifeboats would be boarded. People would show up with a drink in their hand and pretend to listen. Most discussed the quality of the Gin in their drink or the dessert bar in the Lido. Today, cruise lines now just require a passenger to check in with key card at the muster station and then watch the drill on the tv back in their room. I’m sure this greatly enhances the safety on the ship. There is really nothing one can do to calm passengers. If the life boats are being launched, panic will ensue.

The ship was supposed to leave at 4 pm. The Captain delayed push off twice because of items on the dock that still hadn’t been loaded. at 7 pm we finally felt the engine start and the ship begin to rock. We were off to Portugal, our first stop.

We finished unpacking and decided to watch a movie and then bedtime. Bedtime arrived during the movie for both of us. I heard the Captain come on the loud speaker at about 10 pm. The ship was turning around. A medical emergency. I did feel the ship come to a stop when we got back to the port. I also felt us moving again about 3 am. Only 11 hours behind schedule. I think we will be traveling quite quickly across the Atlantic.

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We are glad you are joining along with us on our trip around the African continent. Did you get your yellow fever shot? , hepatitis? covid-19? Thankfully you will need none of that as you cruise along with us. We do the blog for ourselves but do welcome others that want to follow us.

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Since the World Cruise in 2019, we have blogged each major trip They are all located on this site.

Some of you that are following are considering a trip like this and want to ask a private question. Use the About menu to find an address to send an email.

Satellite internet can get slow and this may curtail the number of pictures included on each post. Days at Sea provide lots of blog time. Ports of call limit this.

Posts on Days at Sea will be about ship life. This may interest you if you are considering a long trip like this. If you are just interested in the ports of call they may not interest you. Reading our old blogs will bring back great memories. This is why we do this.

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These went out on September 26 and will be delivered to our room. Clothes for all of our activities off of the ship and formal and after 5 for Gala night dinners. There is a lot to consider and we needed to have all of the excursions done before we packed. We have our dive masks, fins, and snorkels for Jordan. Golf attire for Jordan. We have insecticide and clothing for the safari. Overnight bags for the flights to Victoria Falls and then to Cape Town. Laptops, ipads, cellphone, airpods, GoPro, Bose Headphones, 10 weeks of supplements, back packs, water containers, hiking gear, mace, trekking poles, hats……

Hopefully these bags will survive the abuse they get by the port loading dock crew. These are not Holland America people. Once they are in the hands of the ship people they are treated with more respect.…

We begin October 10, 2022

Stops will be made in the following 18 countries:

Portugal

Spain

Morocco

Tunisia

Greece

Egypt

Jordan

Tanzania

Madagascar

Mozambique

South Africa

Namibia

Angola

Ghana

Ivory Coast

Gambia

Cape Verde

Puerto Rico…