another try from the pacific Ocean.

If this works please, please let me know via e-mail at my regular aol address. thanks. Since this is the first time we have been able to get on line (we hope it works) there is plenty for you to read. If you don't want to read it all just let me say everything is wonderful, the staff are great, our fellow passengers interesting and fun and we're having a wonderful time. Tomorrow, out second south pacific island --Tahiti!

Friday, January 4, 2007


It’s day two of our journey, or day one if you don’t count traveling to Florida yesterday.

Yesterday was twelve hours, door to door. Our friend and neighbor Pat Dunne, picked us up at 7:15, we loaded her car with four suitcases, two more than planned, the lap top and a soft over-the-shoulder carry-on.

In single digit temperatures, we traveled to Logan by bus, waited for our plane, traveled to Baltimore, waited for our next plane, traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, waited for the hotel shuttle van, checked in, walked to a TGIF (we were a day early Lochstead folks and didn’t see any of you there), walked back to the hotel, (La Quinta, very nice, we recommend it), caught the Iowa caucus results and went to bed.

And thus ended day one. Today,after a continual breakfast and a quick trip to Barnes and Noble for Alan to pick up a couple of books on bridge, we’re waiting for the shuttle to the cruise terminal and the true beginning of our adventure.

And the adventure begins!

Check in at Holland America was fairly quick and simple and we were allowed to go directly to our cabins….a departure from our cruises when have taken when we had to hang around the ship eating and drinking and pulling our carry-on luggage behind us.
This cruise I decided to play it smart and not have any carry-on ---much to our regret as we could have gotten a tiny bit of the unpacking done.

Fortunately most of our luggage arrived before dinner and we tucked most of it out of sight before the mandatory lifeboat drill and then dinner.

Tomorrow’s guest entertainer if Regis Philbin. Wonder what he does?

Saturday, Jan.5. After breakfast we’re off to a busy start ---The cruise critic meet and greet when we get to put faces to all the folks we‘ve been in contact with on-line, the first trivia game with the team for Sandra, a bridge (cards, not navigation) get-to-gether for Alan, an introduction the ship’s internet service, more bridge for Alan, a visit to the laundry room for Sandra to try and get a few wrinkles out of some of the clothes and now the painful process of writing on the laptop. Unless I master this a great deal quicker than I’ve done so far, this will be a very short journal/blog.

After dinner we went to a standing room only show in the Queen’s Lounge, aka as the theatre. Regis Philbin and his wife, Joy, put on an entertain show. We had no idea he sang but he did, solo and with Joy. He also told a few stories of his experiences (including his triple bypass).

Sunday, January 6,

We awoke to the sound of the anchor chain and looked out the window to see the Chrystal Serenity anchored nearby in the harbor at Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
After breakfast we got a fairly early tender into Grand Cayman with Alan hoping to go to
The local museum and Sandra to pick up shampoo and a couple of plastic bins for the bottoms of the closets. Unfortunately, it is a Sunday and very few shops are open, mainly the expensive jewelry store. The museum is closed for renovation so we wandered around looking for a drug or convenience store. One hole in the wall store had shampoo at which point we headed back to the tender and the Amsterdam.

A little reorganizing of closets and drawers (there is quite a bit of storage space but it would be nice to have more drawers than the three the cabin holds. Actually, there are five but 2 are about 15 or 16 inches wide and full of misc odd stuff like scotch tape, extra pens, manuals for the computer.

Monday, Jan 7.
A sea day with more things to do than there is time for. I had to leave the talk on Costa Rica and Panama to get to the trivia team play. We didn’t do as well as the first day but it was still fun and I’m in a great group.

Alan played bridge, I messed with the computer, went to the art auction talk (champagne), and checked out a couple more books.

Each sea day there is an informal gathering of passengers with special interests. Today was “yachting people”. Most of the 20 or so who attended had sailed around the world or had at least done “the circle” which they described as up the East Coast, across eastern Canada, into the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi. One couple there from the Chicago area own a Whitby so we had plenty to talk about.

Tonight is the Captain’s reception and our first formal night. The line to meet the Captain was very, very long and we didn’t think he would remember us anyway or invite us to the bridge so we entered the Queen’s Lounge by the side door, had a couple of drinks and hors dvrs, meet a fun couple of Canada and then it was in to dinner. If I can every figure out what I am doing I’ll post a picture of Alan in all his splendour

After dinner we attended the first Showtime show. Great talent, high energy and
incredible costumes.

Tuesday, Jan. 8

Awoke to find we are docked in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, After a leisurely breakfast we walked along the dock and ran the gauntlet of tour operators and cab drivers, each one promising the lowest price (most $20 PP) and the best tour. We spent a couple of very hot, very steamy hours looking for storage units and finally bought a five drawer thing. Each drawer is a primary color and lots like it belongs in a 4 year old’s play room but it will hold the T-shirts, some underwear and things like that. We drew a few comments and strange looks as we walked back to the ship with our purchase in two large trash bags.

A bit about our cabin. It is on the lowest passenger deck which doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. We have a large picture window with a deep window sill for all the odds and ends like books, pens, etc. Under the window are two small chests with a twin bed on each side, Moving inward toward the hall way is a sofa on one side and our new colorful chest on the other. Opposite the sofa (which has a small oval table in front of it) is a desk/counter with three drawers below. A very large mirror is over the desk/counter. Next come 4 or 6 closets (depending on how you count them --single or doubles) with adjustable shelves which allow for hanging different length clothes. Coming back from the corridor door is the bathroom with a counter with a shelf underneath, toilet and tub with shower. There’s plenty of room in the bathroom for one but it’s a bit tight for two to brush teeth at the same time. There is also a decent size medicine cabinet and wall mounted hair dryer. Outboard of the head is a two drawer chest with a table lamp on top and you’re back to the sofa.

The town of Puerto Limon is very poor and the streets in very bad condition. Vendors in bicycle propelled push carts were on every corner selling fresh cocoanuts with a straw stuck in them.

As I write this Alan is up playing bridge. Now let’s see if I can get on line and post this.

Another unsuccessful try at posting this on line.

The entertainment tonight is a ventriloquist and his duck. We shall see.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Ken and Kelsey, the ventriloquest and his duck/dummy were wonderful! We could watch them again but they are only doing the one show.

We was up long before 5 this morning (with a time change to make it even earlier) to begin our transit of the Panama Canal. Before dawn we were on the observation deck. Thankfully the ship provided coffee, and panama rolls along with a commentary all day on what was happening as went through the three sets of locks, and Lake Gatum. Along side of us in the corresponding lock was the Seven Seas Mariner so we waved back and forth of course. The transit took all day and we dropped anchor off Fuerte Armador (Panama City) just before dusk.

Many of the usual activities went on all day…trivia as usual (our team, the green frogs after one player’s t-shirt) seems to be doing worse each day.

Ken and Kelsey (ventriloquist and duck)were interviewed in one of the lounger to a fairly good sized crowd. The duck is truly amazing, he was freaking out the girl interviewing him and we could all understand why. It’s hard to explain how an inanimate object can outstare a human but he did.

Alan has picked up a cold and spent portions of the day in bed alternating with picture taking and the hot tub.

A BBQ at the pool was offered as a substitute to the dining room. Alan choose the BBQ and I ate in the dining room. We meet in the theatre for a folkloric show. The Panamanian costumes were handmade and their head dresses beads and jewels. The music was quite loud and consisted mostly of an accordion and drums. After the show the performers danced their way around the atrium for picture taking.


Thursday, Jan. 10

We overslept! Our little electric alarm clock was blinking when we finally woke up but we didn’t find out the reason until 10:10 we stumbled into the Lido dining area to find it shut down except for pastries, cold cereal and coffee.

Sometime around 4 am the power had gone off (according to passengers who woke up during the next half hour and couldn’t turn on a light to go to the bathroom).

We caught a tender (about a 10 minute ride into the port area----a few souvenir shops and a duty free liquor store. It was very hot and everyone coming back from the town said it was even hotter, very poor and not worth the trip. We bought a few bottles of wine and some tonic water for consumption in the cabin. Lochstead folks --I found four buck chuck with a Chilean label! That beats the cheapest wine in the dining room --$32. As we went through the security detector the wine bottles could have been forbidden scotch, rum or whatever. The ship’s policy is that you can bring aboard wine and champagne for cabin only consumption but I am sure many people were bringing liquor on board.

Here goes another try at posting.

It didn’t work!!!!

Tonight’s entertainment is a singer from Australia, Janine Reed. A powerful voice and quite entertaining.

Friday, Jan. 11

Team Trivia was brutal! Cruise Director, Bruce Scudder hosted it and the passengers were challenged by his cruise staff. In keeping with the 50th anniversary theme of this cruise all questions had to do with the year 1958. Only one of the staff had been born before 58 so they did not do very well. Nor did many others.

Our next port of call --in several days --is Nuku Hiva, a small island that is part of the Marquesas Islands. It seems there are no taxis, no shops except for a few native stalls, no restaurants, just beautiful scenery. More on Nuku Hiva latter when Barbara, the port speaker loans me her notes.

Alan attended the piano presentation by Natalya Lavrova and I went to the movies. Big mistake but I was to tired to walk out on Even Almightly, a truly stupid movie.

For the English majors reading this, or those who just like correct grammar, this blog/log is going to change tense, etc. as it is written at various times and days. Sorry but this teeny keyboard is just too frustrating and we won’t even talk about the mouse things!



Saturday, Jan. 12

Cloudy but warm. In fact warmer than last night when apparently we sailed closer to the currents coming up from Antarctica.

This morning we passed 200 miles from of the Galapagos. Small birds continue to follow the ship dropping low I assume to look for fish but I haven’t seen any dive yet.
They are a long way from land although we still have 3000 plus miles to go.

Trivia question we missed: In what novel did Ian Fleming introduce James Bond?

Tonight is the Black and White Ball and of course a formal night. Alan still isn’t feeling on top of the world so we are skipping the fancy dress and eating in the Lido.

Sunday, Jan. 13,

Eating in the Lido last night was excellent. We each choose New England clam chowder, crab cake and Alan had surf and turf (filet minion and a lobster tail) , and I had two lobster tails. Not bad for a buffet.

For those unfamiliar with the ship there are several dining choices--- The Fontaine Dining Room, encompassing a large area at the stern and taking up two decks there. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the Fontaine with breakfast and lunch being open seating and dinner assigned tables and two seatings, 5:45 (too early) and 8:15 (too late). The Lido is open for many hours of the day, breakfast and lunch are buffet/cafeteria style with waiters to carry your trays if you wish and to bring you refills of drinks or coffee or whatever else you desire. Dinner in the Lido is served from 5:45 to 8 with open seating and a more relaxed dress code than the dining room. The hours give a greater flexibility to dining than rushing for the 4:45 seating. There is also 24 hour room service with breakfast foods, sandwiches and whatever is on the dining room menu should you order during the hours the dining room is open. For over-the-top dining there is the Pinnacle Grill, (a “nominal” cover charge applies, I think it is $20 or $30). There is also a salad, deli, taco and pizza “bar” in the pool area open from 11:30 until 5.

For cocktails we have a choice of the crow’s nest, explorations café, explorer’s lounge, lido bar, ocean bar, Rembrandt lounge, sports bar and the wine cellar. Plenty of choices for a ship of 780 feet and carrying less than 1300 passengers on this voyage. The ship’s capacity if 1380 and is sold out. There are many singles which accounts for the lower number of passengers.

In fact, Holland America overbooked as all cruise ships do and had to scramble to find 30 additional cabins. They were offering folks great savings (we heard 50% off) on next year’s cruise if they would give up their cabins. Supposedly no one was willing to wait a year so many of the senior officers had to double up and their cabins assigned to passengers.

Last night’s entertainment was a comedian. The satellite was lost so no one was able to enjoy the Patriot’s game. Everyone is hoping that things will work out for the playoffs when we will be in New Zealand.

Many evenings we have found gifts in our cabin. So far we’ve received slippers, a very nice leather journal with a pen, a leather case for credit cards and our cabin door card. Last night was a battery operated (yes, battery included) dual-time travel alarm clock.


We expect to cross the equator around 3 pm tomorrow afternoon. I understand big ceremonies are planed.

With time changes so many nights we are constantly changing clocks and watches.

We’re meeting more and more people each day. So many are on their 2nd, 3 rd, 5th, 12th world cruise we feel like a minority. Everyone is very helpful with port hints and e-mail advice (which we all need). E-mail and the computers are the most annoying thing about the cruise. No one is happy as it takes a minimum of 5 minutes to bring up aol or whatever server they are using….eating up those precious minutes. The people without a prepaid plan are paying 75 cents a minutes!

The entertainer tonight is Renato, a tenor from Italy. His CD is title a tribute to Pavarotti and has Renato and Pavarotti picture on it --standing together.

. After the evening show, a comedian, Dick Hardwich and singer, Janine Reed, we meet tablemates Jack, John and Joan in the Crow’s next for a drink and to have John try to get our blog on line----without success.



Monday, Jan. 14

Today we crossed the equator! It went unnoticed by everyone except a few passengers who have brought along a GPS. The only change we noticed was that the temperature at night was a bit cooler at the equator than a bit north of it. Something to do with currents coming up from Antarctica. After lunch there was a ceremony at the aft pool to initiate several crew members into Poseidon’s society and insure our safe passage and smooth waters. Poseiden aka King Neptune, his queen, a merman and several ship’s officers presided over the ceremony which consisted of leading the crew members down the deck roped together and then forced to hear their crimes. They then had to “kiss the fish”, a very large, very cold, very dead fish, be covered in colored glop, and then jump into the pool. After the ceremony we all had a chance to kiss the fish for a photo op.
Upon returning to our cabin we found certificates that we had been found worthy, and were proclaimed Shellbacks able to forevermore cross the equator and roam the Oceans and Seas.

Dinner again in the Lido and then I turned in as Alan’s cold is finding a new home. Another night of clock changing so I was probably in bed before the street lights went on……or out here, before the stars came out.


Wed., Jan. 16

The Amsterdam is averaging 20 knots with the South Equatorial Current in our favor as we sail toward Nuku Hiva. The ship has a port lecturer who gives a presentation on the ports we will visit. Apparently Nuku Hiva is a small island, still somewhat unspoiled with no taxis, restaurants, bit hotels, internet, etc. Barbara’s talks are well researched and much of her information based on personal experience so they are well worth attending.

The ship’s florists gave a floral arranging talk. All the flowers are flown in from Holland every couple of weeks. Most of the arrangements around the ship are very unusual, incorporating twigs, feathers, and very different containers. One large display in the library is made of what looks like twisted vines with roses in what looks like test tubes hanging from the vines. Unusual and a conversation piece. There are arrangements in all the public spaces, on each table in the dining room, orchids on each table in the Lido and a single blossom in our cabin.

Lunch in the Fontaine Dining room with some of the cruise critic people and another one scheduled for Friday. We ‘re still putting faces to those we corresponded on line with for so many months.

Dinner tonight is formal and much to our delight Barbara, the port lecturer joined us at our table. On formal nights different ships officers sit with various tables (and supply wine) ---a nice touch.

After dinner, all dressed in our formal wear we went to the Wajang Theatre to see the movie Mr. Brooks with Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt. Most people did not like the film but at least it wasn’t a typical Hollywood film made for 14 year olds.
Since we went to the 8 o’clock movie we still had time to pop into the queen’s lounge to hear Renato’s second performance of the cruise.

Thursday, Jan. 17

I keep looking out the windows ---guess it’s just habit since there is nothing out there but water. 69.4 million square miles of water, one third of the earth’s surface, with an average depth of 14,000 feet.

There have been several talks by Gary Pudney, a “television industry legend” who has won over 50 Emmys and among other achievements discovered Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis. Pudneys talks have covered his friendships with Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Di, Princess Grace, Lucille Ball, Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett.

Another Explorations Series speaker is astronomer Eric Dunn, who gives interesting and informative lectures on the Solar System, Ancient Map Making, the Cosmos, etc.