Finally, a day at sea, and time to decompress and catch up on info from days gone by. When we went to the dining room for breakfast, we were surprised to see the waiters dressed in their evening black slacks and vests. And the chair covers were on like they are on gala dinners. Then we remembered there was the continuing Mariner Appreciation Days with a special lunch today. The invitation to this affair was only extended to those guests with the minimum of 500 to 899 pure sea days. This group would occupy the lower dining room at both 11am and 1pm. Those passengers with 900 and more sea days, were invited to deck five. However, those who were under the 500 day level, had no invitation today. And for the first time, there were two different menus for the lower and the upper dining rooms. Greg and Heo attended the lower dining room venue, and reported that the fish entrée was about the best they have ever eaten on an HAL ship. Checking out the menu on deck four, we probably would have preferred the short rib beef entrée. Since Barb and the two of us had our special dinner last night, we were not invited today. Although, Josephine, the dining room greeter, did say we were most welcomed to attend this affair if we wished. We chose our usual Lido lunch, mostly because having lunch at 11am or even 1pm is too early for us most days.
The weather was mostly cold, windy, and rainy today. Last night, Captain Mercer mentioned that he intended to outrun a storm, which he did, but could not guarantee we would not get rain today. He was right on both counts. If it was rough last night, we never knew it, since we slept like logs.
At least once a month, maritime law demands that a drill has to be held for crew training purposes only. Most times, these drills occur at 9:30am, and are always written in the daily newsletter. Nobody likes to hear the loud whistle go off several times, especially in the passenger rooms. But it is necessary to make sure everything is working. They don’t last long, and we have become used to hearing them. This subject would come up later today.
Ian gave his talk on Cherbourg, Zeebrugges, and Amsterdam this morning. Three ports will arrive in a row, so it is best to take notes now. Something that can be done in advance of the cruise, is downloading port info to bring with you. It would be more up-to-date and a good source of correct info. The port guide maps are about the worst we have ever seen…better than nothing, but not always correct or current.
Since many folks will be headed home in Amsterdam, the Grand Activity Voucher Redemption took place for those guests to get Amazon gift cards. Barb mentioned that these 10 cent vouchers will not be any good after this cruise is done. She said she will be lucky to have enough saved for a $5 Amazon gift card.
The biggest event of the day had to be the special presentation and questions and answers with Orlando A, Gerald B, and Beth B, the revenue management and global deployment VP from Seattle. Captain Mercer and Henk M will join that group for the questions. For at least an hour, the presentation included latest news from the ships and the company. Part of Orlando’s speech was all about the recent christening of the new ship, the New Statendam. He announced that another sister ship in the Pinnacle class will be built called the Ryndam. Then the highlight of the speech was the announcement of the 2021 Grand World Voyage. The exact itinerary has not been cemented but the general direction will include Ft Lauderdale, the Amazon River to Manaus, back to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal, north up the Central American coast to Mexico. From there, the ship (Amsterdam) will head towards Hawaii, Japan, China, and Hong Kong to Singapore. He mentioned Dubai and we think Abu Dabi. There will be no Africa, but another trip through the Suez Canal with stops in Israel, Turkey, and Greece. The map of the proposed trip went off the screens, so we missed the rest. The total days will be 128 and the Captain will not be Jonathon Mercer. After being at sea over 50 years, the 2020 world voyage will be his final sailing. That was met with sad faces in the crowd, but he is ready to enjoy retirement. During dinner last night, Captain Jonathon said it is possible that another British captain will take his place in 2021.
The questions were varied afterwards, but there was one about the internet problems. The pat answer to most everything asked was, “We’re working on it.” This is a statement we have heard quite often, and it can mean anything. Then the question regarding the emergency crew drills came up from a disgruntled passenger who did not like the disturbance in his room. Captain Mercer said it was not a choice to make, it was mandatory, and for everyone’s safety onboard. When asked if another larger ship would ever do the world cruise, he said no, mostly due to the fact a larger ship could not get into all of the ports we like to do. The guest’s questions went on for over an hour, until Orlando called meeting adjourned…it was time for dinner. And he added that the printed version of the complete itinerary would be sent to us when they have decided on all of the proposed ports.
Dinnertime came swiftly, and we found all five of us were back. It was the theme of Moulin Rouge Dinner, and although not gala, the dining room was decked out with those annoying strips of red lights. The waiters were dressed nicely with red vests and matching red or black top hats. Each one of us also got a bowler hat to wear or take home. Gosh….that makes about 6 hats already.
Tomorrow, we will be in France, and at a new spot for us – Cherbourg.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS We did make a mistake with the square kilometer conversion on Gibraltar. The size of Gibraltar is equal to 3 square miles, not acres. Makes a big difference.
