"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 76 Sailing Towards Mumbai, India March 16, 2017 Thursday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees 11 Pictures

After last night's storm and sudden downpour, we heard there were many leaks inside the ship. Mainly the Lido, where one end had to be shut down, and the casino, where some slot machines had to be covered in plastic to avoid damage from the water pouring down on them. On the cruise we took last fall in the South Pacific, we also had a surprise leak that soaked our carpet on the floor near one wall. Confused as to where the water was coming from, we were informed that it was the overflow from a rain gutter that ran between the cabins. Who would have guessed that, especially when we were on deck one? We were relieved that it was not bathroom leaks or something worse. And it was fixed within a day, and our carpet dried with a dehumidifier. To top that off, Christel sent a large bouquet of flowers in apology.

At least, the storm that plagued us last night, was gone by the morning as the Amsterdam headed northwest towards Mumbai, India. It was obvious that we were sailing fairly close to land, since we were spotting a lot of ship traffic, as well as seeing small fishing boats going by. It remained partly cloudy all day, even though, at times, we thought it might start raining again. It never did.

We did notice that the temperature had dropped a bit, and also the humidity the further away we got from the Equator. Could have used more of a breeze, but it seemed to be just right with the folks on deck three all day. Unless you were power-walking, then you would not be sweating bullets.

We spent a pleasant afternoon at the back pool, finally chatting with a new couple that sits back there. Actually it was the gal we spoke to, who shared some thoughts they had on this cruise….their first world cruise on HAL. Maybe because they are younger by 10 years or more, they have not been overly impressed with their experience so far. Perhaps it is not what they expected. Heck, it is not the same product we have become to know over the years either. Dawn mentioned that they had recently done a 30 day or so cruise on the Volendam, and found the atmosphere and attitude of the staff and crew much merrier. They admitted that they are not getting the same vibes here, but then, they are normally Royal Caribbean guests, and like their product. Too bad, they probably will not come back again. We urged her to put their legitimate gripes on the cards, and turn it in at the front desk. By the way, it worked, because we were told by them the next day that they were surprised to get a reply back from guests relations, who said their comments were being sent to Seattle to be addressed. We believe most of their problems were tied to the shore excursion folks and the bus procedures involved before, during, and after the trips, for instance. We agreed that we have had problems there over the years, resulting in us taking no more tours.

The afternoon dissolved quickly, as we got ready to go to the Crow's Nest for cocktails. Today was our friend Woody's 80^th birthday and a group of seven of us joined them for drinks before dinner. This was only our third time to go here this cruise so far, and one of them was for a Cruise Critic meeting. Anyway, Manny brought Woody a small whipped cream covered chocolate brownie cake for his birthday. Barb signaled the band to play Happy Birthday, and everyone around us joined in with the song. With double drinks under our belts, we were very loud. Woody seemed quite pleased.

By 8pm, we all headed down to deck four, where there seemed to be a mix-up over which table we were to use. The plan was to go to 309, since most all of that group was on a long overland excursion. Problem was, three of the guests sitting there were not overland, and claimed the table was only for them. Yes, it was, so obviously it was a miscommunication with the staff. So we all were led to the largest table for 12, which would not work well, since not everyone at this party had good hearing. So the nine of us went to Susie and Woody's regular table instead. Worked out fine, even though the chairs were jammed tightly together.

Susie had pre-ordered Empire chicken (kosher), and it was so good. Not the normal what-is-this-cut of chicken??? But a half of a big chicken. You got the plump breast, thigh and leg heated to hot-hot-hot and with crispy skin. Since we had only ordered an appetizer, we had a long wait for the entrees to arrive. Asep, the headwaiter, came by and told Susie the chicken needed to cook longer, since it had been frozen. It is our understanding that anything kosher has to be cooked properly and thoroughly elsewhere, then frozen. As large as the halves were, every single bite was juicy and tender….not dry at all. Nothing was wasted, even with the thigh and leg one of us could not finish. Ellen was more than happy to add it to her piece of breast that got wrapped in a foil basket resembling a swan.

Another larger birthday cake arrived with at least a dozen waiters who sang the special Dutch/Indonesian happy birthday. Sure got a smile out of the Woodster, who thanked everyone for their outstanding service this evening. It was a fun evening for all of us that have been friends for well over 10 years. The evening ended after 10pm, where a few of us might have gone to the show. A world famous magician by the name of Peter Mehtab, performed his magic for the crowd. It was written that he has performed for Queen Elizabeth II and appeared in the James Bond movie, The World is Not Enough. Wish this movie would pop up on TV, just to see how many years ago he would have had a part in it. Bet it was a long time ago.

Bill & Mary Ann

By the way, we checked the label on the Tim Tams, and they seem to be legitimately from Australia, and not knock-offs. Never knew that could be done, but a good thing to remember for future purchases. We have limited ourselves to one cookie a day.

Another point of interest that we learned from Eddy the florist, is that while we were in China, absolutely no flowers were allowed to be delivered to the ship. We went without deliveries until we reached Hong Kong, where they got a huge delivery.

And we may have mentioned this already, but Eddy heard that no cruise ships are allowed in the Singapore Harbour Front pier anymore, but reserved only for ferries. That would be sad, because we all loved that convenient dockage. Maybe someone out there knows more than we do about Singapore?

Woody's 80^th birthday cocktail celebration