Report #67 Sunday March 9, 2025 Sea Day In The Laccadive Sea Enroute To Male, Maldives Cloudy With Some Overcast And A Little Sun 10mph Wind 3' Swell 88 Degrees------Casual Dress

Today was Sunday with another brunch in the dining room.   With the wonderful waiters in the Pinnacle Grill, we would never attend a brunch.  Our usual suspects were there waiting at the door for 7:30am to arrive, when we are invited to come in and take our favorite seats.  At breakfast this morning we heard a harrowing  story from a reliable source regarding the tuk-tuk drivers of Colombo.   Actually it was just one driver who followed this attractive single lady until she finally said OK to the ride.  Settling on a price for a short trip,  she climbed into the back seat and shut her door.  She heard a "click" and discovered that the doors were locked.  Frightened now, she demanded  the driver stop to let her out.  She feared he was taking her somewhere she did not want to be.   Pretending not to understand her, she threatened to scream.  Then he unlocked the door and she got out in a hurry.  Lesson learned…..never again.  Even in Mumbai, India, we never had an experience like we had yesterday with the throngs of tuk-tuk drivers. 

 

The weather remained hot with temperatures in the high 80's and lots of humidity.  The skies were most cloudy with an overcast that never revealed the sun clearly.   The noon whistle sounded followed by Captain Frank's talk.  He said we are currently sailing in the Laccadive Sea, and area where pearl farming is still done, but with more affordable pearls.  It us also an area that is full of many types of sharks.   Creepy….  He is keeping a steady pace of 11.5 knots in 2600 meter- deep waters.  He is using the stabilizers to reduce the rolling of the vessel.  The noon temps were 88 degrees with a moderate breeze and three foot swells.   He predicted about the same conditions in Male tomorrow.  Hot and sticky. 

 

He added that our arrival to the Maldives tomorrow may be delayed by ½ hour or more, due to the fact that the local authorities have different rules for ships arriving from foreign countries (more or less).   He predicted the tendering service may be delayed, but all of the tours should be fine with their timing.  The last tender will  be at 3:30pm, then we will head to the Seychelles at a speed of 19 knots. 

 

We took time out from working online to take a walk on the promenade deck.  Except for a few guests relaxing on the teak lounges, there were few of us walking.  It was too hot and humid.  Then we heard an announcement we could not understand well from the bridge.   They had spotted a pod of porpoise, but by the time people came out to look, they were well behind the ship.  One of us was taking a break on the railing to watch for any sea life, and the other did see about 10 of the porpoises.  No camera, of course.    Hoping there would be more proved useless.  And it was time for lunch anyway.

 

Our Lido buddies know exactly what we like from the custom- made salads to the sandwiches.  The cute ice cream server always comes up with our favorite sugar cones and dips into the vanilla first, then asks what flavor appeals to me.  It is different every day.   Today it was a small serving of the chocolate softy. 

 

Kimberly gave her talk on Mauritius and we do hope to watch it tonight.  We did finally get the Seychelles port talk to work, so we hope it continues.   Other lectures continued with talks on coral reefs and the amazing Maldives.  A movie, Moana 2, was shown in the World Stage, a place where many people can find a cool spot for a while.   

 

Tonight's dinner had some new items not repeated often on the menu.    We had mini wedge salads, two types of shrimp appetizers, and mains of chicken piccata and one of shredded lamb with fettuccine.  The Lamb dish needed some extra zing, so some marinara sauce was added making it perfect.   Dessert was one slice of carrot cake, and one coffee/chocolate pie something or other.  Both good of course.

 

Timeless was in the World Stage this evening performed by the Repertory Group of singers and dancers. 

 

One good thing about tomorrow's port of Male, it will be the last time on this cruise that we are required to use tenders ashore.   Fine with us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

 

No Pictures

Report #66 Saturday March 8, 2025 Colombo, Sri Lanka 8am-5:30pm Docked Port Side To Pier Heavy Overcast Skies With Some Sun.... 85 Degrees---Casual Dress

Sometime last night around 12:30am, one of us was awakened by the sounding the ship's horn 4 times or more.  Going outside on the veranda, he could see lots of small fishing boats with our ship's spotlights shining on the surrounding waters.  Assuming a boat was in our path, it must have escaped a collision.  We never heard anything about the incident, so all must have ended well.  We do recall the Captain mentioning this fishing boat congestion in his talk, so they were on a special lookout last night.

 

Sri Lanka is our country of the day.   A small island formerly known as Ceylon, it has a population of 22.2 million people that speak Sinhala, Tamil, and some English.  The capital is Colombo and our port of call today.    What best describes the country of Sari Lanka?  Tea and cinnamon plantations, friendly but sometimes persistent locals, ancient ruins, beaches, trains, cheap prices, and most of all….. oodles of elephants come to mind.   And a once-time safari we took in Yala National Park produced oodles of leopards.  Fantastic.

 

Considered the teardrop of India, this country has had its share of civil war and tsunamis, not to mention frequent train accidents.  However, tourism has made a comeback, and it is flourishing, especially with the visitors from Europe we understand.

 

Yala National Park, as we just mentioned, is a good place for leopard safaris.  We did that independently several years ago out of Hambantota and found the experience to be like no other.  Our "hotel" was a tent, spacious enough to have a large bedroom and a separate bathroom.   And we happened to be there when the entire country was enduring a long heatwave.  Long and hot enough to shut down businesses and schools for a few weeks.   Even power and water was limited to certain times of the day.  Lucky we were in a camp that was self-sufficient with generators and a water supply.  Besides leopard sightings, we spotted buffalo, sambar deer, crocodiles, elephants, and birds in Bundala National Park. 

 

On our way back to Colombo by road, we spent a night in Galle Fort, enjoying the colonial town as well as the cafes and shops.   It was while we were at the safari camp that we were introduced to some of the local cuisine.  We tasted sambal with hoppers, a type of rice flour pancake.  Rice and curry came with every evening meal served with either meat or fish and plenty of fresh vegetables.  Tea was abundant, and if we drank it like the locals, it would be served with several spoonsful of sugar and milk.  Pani pol was another type of pancake with a sweet topping of cinnamon and cardamom.    Add cinnamon to any dessert, and we are in heaven.

 

Here's a rundown of our day in Colombo.   The ship arrived early and was docked portside by 7am.  The dock area was full of the most buses we have seen yet for tours and shuttles to the gate.  We watched from our veranda while 2 vans arrived with the local Sinhalese dancers and band .  There were six lovely ladies and several Singhalese young men in costumes dancing their hearts out for well over an hour.  You would be able to hear the four drummers for miles around the port.  They seemed to get the best workout of the group.   We continued watching the gangways set up and officers coming out to greet the tour groups.   Many savvy guests were filtering through the souvenir tents, knowing that that bargaining would be better later in the day.   There did not seem to be many folks buying things, saving that experience when they returned from their tours.   We did see a drug sniffing police dog with his handler  passing through each and every tented stall, leaving us to think more than souvenirs might be sold here.

 

There were some overland excursions leaving from here today.  Three of them took folks to the Maldives, our next port, for two nights and three days starting from $2600 to $4100 per person.   They flew from Colombo to the Maldives, then onto different island resorts.  Then there was a longer overland that took folks to New Delhi by airplane from here for a tour of the Taj Mahal and other sights nearby.  Then they would fly to Dubai for a few days to explore that vibrant city.  The final flight will take them to the Seychelles we think.   Depending on the type of hotels used, the prices ranged from $5600 to $7200 per person. 

 

Tours in town today including panoramic Colombo, a beach day north of the city, or tea time and golf.   These ranged from $60 to $250 from 2 to 6.5 hours.  Going out of town was a fun tour to Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage which was 9 hours and $160.  We have been there at least three times and loved it, except for the wild ride in awful traffic all of the way back to the pier.   One of the ship's tours not listed in their booklet, was a city tour with a snack at the Galle Face Hotel.  Actually, it was on one of these tours that we discovered this lovely colonial spot and made it a point to come back on our own.

 

 

We left the ship in the middle of another crew drill about 10am.   By then, only a few of the free shuttles were left to take the guests to Gate No. 1A.  It was a long ride through a mostly dug-up dock area.  It seems that work has been ongoing for a long time, and not much has been accomplished.   The first thing we noticed was that the buses were made for small people with short legs.  It was a tight squeeze for most for the 20 minute ride to the gate.   We did hear that we could walk out of this terminal, but no one in  their right mind would do that. 

 

There was a nightmarish scene at the gate drop-off point.  It was like heading into a war zone with taxi and tuk-tuk drivers all fighting for your business.  There were a hundred of them we guessed.  When our driver opened the doors to let us out, more than half of the passengers stayed on the bus, and never got off.  Yes, it was that intimidating and scared the older folks enough to go back to the ship.   Can't say that we blame them.  However, we have been here so many times, we knew how to handle these guys. 

 

Now for sure, there were some of the guests that were looking for cheap rides, but for those of us that were not, we had to make the great escape.  To be perfectly truthful, these guys lie.  For instance, they will offer you a tour for one hour for $1.  Yeah sure.  Then another fellow says $2, and the next one says $5 for all day.  Don't believe it.  Once you climb into that tuk-tuk or taxi, the prices change , and so does your destination.  Here's another example.  Well-dressed businessmen will approach you and say there is a special event happening in a park a mile away with elephants,  and he can get you there quick with one of his taxi guys.  When you arrive to this so-called event, it is not happening, and they say you just missed it.  No…..it never happened.  We got "whiplash" saying no to the dozens of tuk-tuk drivers that stopped and offered cheap tours.  Once we reached the Galle Face Greens, the road expanded, and the drivers were far from the walkway.  Thank goodness, we escaped the melee once again.   But don't worry, we would encounter it again on the way back, but not as bad.

 

From here, we had a pleasant walk along the length of the Galle Face Green, stretching from the Kingsbury Hotel to the Galle Face Hotel with the Indian Ocean on our side all of the way.   At least we had a nice breeze here, because it was a very warm day like it always is.  When we left the ship, it was already in the 80's.  It climbed to about 85 degrees and remained that hot until we sailed later this evening.   During the day, this area is popular for the locals who bring their kids to fly kites, blow bubbles, or play ball on the grass.  Snack shacks were hidden from sight behind the seawall.  They sold packaged chips, sodas, drinks, and other snacks made with corn among other treats.   There were numerous signs along the walkway not to bath in this part of the Indian Ocean.  No further explanation was given, so we can assume there is an undertow, unfriendly sea creatures, or polluted water.   We will have to research this because inquiring minds have to know.  There were some families walking in the surf, but no one was swimming.  We read at night time, this place fills with people who  come to enjoy the breeze and relax after enduring the heat of the day. 

 

We have to add that we had another warning about personal safety while in the city.  Besides taking extra care with your possessions like watches and jewelry, they advised about flashing money in high traffic areas.  Never once while taking this walk, did we feel unsafe.  And we know better than to wear expensive flashy jewelry or carry logo handbags.  There were several benches along the way, where we did take advantage of them to sit and watch the locals wading in the waves of the ocean.  

 

After a couple of more brief bench stops, we arrived around 11:45am to the Galle Face Hotel, where we were invited inside by a properly-dressed door man.  First we had to put our things and ourselves through an xray check.  Making our way to the garden area, we noticed that the tables and chairs were set up for a large snack or group lunch.  There were no more tables on this side patio for us to have a lunch under the Casablanca fans.   So the next best option was going to the hotel's pool area, where we had a better table with a great menu.  First thing we saw was pizza.  We were a little early for lunch, but they were quite happy to bring us two large Lion draft beers.  Seated at a table under a canopy, we sipped beer until our order of Margherita pizza and two more beers arrived. 

 

One important thing was the fact one of us remembered to bring the Kindle along to try an update.   All but three games were blocked, and it needed updating.  Our waiter kindly connected us to the hotel wifi, and it was successful.  Wonderful.

 

There happened to be one other table under this canopy, and a nice couple sat there.  Normally, we do not initiate a conversation, respecting other people's privacy, but today was an exception.  The lady asked where we were from, then added they were vacationing here from London.  Obviously, they had a decided English accent, but were of Indian descent. It's funny how many things we all had in common talking about work careers, grown kids and grandkids, and retirement.  They were enjoying every minute of the freedom to escape the cold weather in Northern Europe and spend some time here in steamy Sri Lanka.  And they were most interested learning about being on a world cruise and visiting numerous countries.  All-in-all, we had the best pizza, several beers, and great company while watching the waves of the Indian Ocean. 

 

We did begin seeing some of the HAL "sticky people" and also the group from our previous travel group.  By the time we left the pool area, the HAL had finished their snack and drinks and had left the restaurant.  The tables and chairs had been disassembled and back to normal.  However, we were most happy to have discovered a better place for lunch with nice people and a killer view with a breeze. 

 

All good things come to an end, and we had to move on.  Walking back along the Galle Face Green was made more comfortable with a stronger breeze.  By now there were more kite-flyers, and people with kids walking in the surf.  Eventually we reached the government building at the roundabout, and the harassing tuk-tuk drivers went to work to get us to take a tour.  They were still $1 to $5 for an hour.  Yeah, right.  We were not done yet, and we stopped at the elegant Kingsbury Hotel for a dessert and another Lion beer.  It was still hot out, and we did need the extra liquids.  Seated at a table poolside, we spent another hour relaxing in the shade.  The waiter had suggested we try the apple donuts, but he returned to tell us they were not available.   So we settled for what they called eclairs.  They were very small chocolate-filled eclairs, and only cost the equivalent of $2 USD.  We shared one plate which was just fine.  Once again, the pricing in Sri Lanka was very good for us in both hotels.

 

Of course, we encountered more tuk-tuk guys still offering tours.   Then one fellow tried to tell us that HAL had moved the shuttle bus to another gate, and we should follow him to the new spot.  Lie - lie -lie, and we told him so.   We could see the shuttle bus waiting for guests on the other side of the terminal gate.  So what was he planning once he got us in an isolated area with no shuttle?  We will never know, and hope no one else fell for it.

 

We were back to the ship by 4pm, strolling past the many souvenir tents before boarding.  Truthfully, there was nothing that caught our eye, and we made it back treasure-less.

 

The rest of the day, we worked online and relaxed on the veranda watching the traffic down below.   All aboard was 5:30pm, but we did not leave until closer to 6:30pm, because the pilot was late in boarding.  The sun had disappeared into the gray abyss once again, but the lights of the city made up for it.  We had a silent sailing out of the harbor in the dark.  It was still 84 degrees at the time, proving it had been a very hot and humid day. 

 

Dinner was good with a chicken appetizer, a lamb kebab, and salads.  Mains were one chicken parmigiana, and one Salisbury steak, the comfort meal.  Both were good served nice and hot.  Dessert for one of us was a scoop of mint chip ice cream.

 

The clocks went back ½ hour to put us on the correct time for the Maldives, our next port in two days.  Looking forward to a lazy day at sea.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

348 Pictures

Report #65 Friday March 7, 2025 Sea Day #3 Of 3 In The Bay Of Bengal Enroute To Colombo, Sri Lanka Mostly Cloudy And Overcast 84 Degrees 5' Swell, Sea Temperature 90 Degrees-----Casual Dress

Day three at sea turned out to be another one of smooth sailing, low sea swells, and a pleasant breeze.   Partly cloudy and partly sunny covered it all with temperatures in the low 80's and humidity rather moderate.  According to Captain Frank, he is keeping a steady speed of 13.5 knots for the 245 nautical miles we have to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka.  He also mentioned that the sea depth is 30,000 feet deep.  He was asked the question if the sea depth is measured in fathoms anymore.  He did go into a complicated explanation of the fathom measure, but the final answer was no, it is not used in modern day sailing terms.   

 

And finally, we are beginning to see some flying fish, although they are on the small side, they sure can skitter over the surface of the water.   The best way to see these fish is by stopping and watching from the promenade deck in the bow area.  If you blink, you will miss them.   It does take some patience, but they are fun to watch.  And these were lucky fish today since there were no birds hunting them. 

 

Speaking of fish, we spotted some fishing boats not too far from the ship.  One appeared to be dragging a net with a white buoy attached to the far end.  It's just a guess, but these may be gill nets, and it is possible they are catching these flying fish along with anything else that is under the surface.   A few commercial vessels passed by as well as larger ships on the far horizon.    The closer we get to Sri Lanka, the Captain expects to see a lot more ship traffic. 

 

There was a mandatory safety drill for everyone, with the exception of those folks who boarded in Singapore.  We seem to get muster drills every month by maritime law.  It is really easy and only takes a few minutes.   Normally we have to run the video on our room TV, but since we got the new flatscreen, it has not come up to do it.  We have it memorized anyway after all these years of sailing.  And just in case we had forgotten, a letter arrived later in the day with all of the details in case of a real emergency.

 

The Project Linus Showcase took place at the Lido Poolside today.  It is incredible how many talented people there are onboard to create some of the neatest blankets.   Special blankets were being sold to raise money for more yarn.  We think we heard it was a bidding affair.  Kudos to Gail and Marty and their helpers who lead this group and put so much of their time into its success.

 

The other event was the return of the Block Party.  Now this surprised us since we were under the impression it was going to be delayed due to spreading illnesses.  What do we know?  It began at 4pm while Captain Frank and his wife Alexandra went deck to deck greeting those who participated.  It was titled Zlings?, wine and nuts party. 

 

It was pretty quiet in the Lido for our lunch at 2:30pm.  We have noticed that there are some card groups forming playing poker and other card games.  A long time ago, some of our friends that loved gambling, also had a sea day card clutch.  Being that they were actually gambling with money, they were shut down.    So far, no one has said this is not allowed. 

 

Among the World Stage lectures was one by Kimberly about the Seychelles.   We like her talks as they give us all sorts of info.  Trying to get it to work on our TV has been hit and miss.  We finally got Colombo and the Maldives to work, but only after trying it several times during the day.  This has got to be a problem on the tech end, and not just our TV.   Hope they get this fixed, because we have a lot more ports to go.

 

The sunset was around 6:30pm, and looked like it was going to be good.  However, the full sun was dropping towards the horizon, then it hit that grey bank of haze or smog, and simply disappeared.  It was disappointing, but fairly common in this part of the world.

 

Dinner time found some goodies on the menu.  We both had the smoked chicken appetizer (so good), and mains of teriyaki glazed short ribs.  We have tried this meal when they served it a month or more ago, and decided it was even better this time.  Dessert was one strawberry sundae and a scoop of pecan ice cream.   There was one of the pop-up specialty dinners in the Pinnacle Grill tonight with Guest Chef Deming along with the Wine Guys Mike and Jeff.   That took away some of the guests from the dining room, so service was quick, which we appreciate.

 

Entertainment was a show performed by Annie Gong, an instrumentalist with beautiful music from the 50's, 60's, and more.  Hmmm, right up our alley for sure.

 

Tomorrow we will be in another country, Sri Lanka, one we know very well.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

16 Pictures

Report #64 Thursday March 6, 2025 Sea Day #2 Of 3 In The Bay Of Bengal Enroute To Colombo, Sri Lanka Mostly Cloudy And Overcast 85 Degrees 6' Swell, Sea Temperature 90 Degrees-----Casual Dress

A funny thing happened after we got back to our room after dinner last

night.  Well, not really funny because it involved the hot water in the

bathroom which was running the color of cappuccino coffee.   No kidding, not

only was it an ugly color but it wasn't hot.  Perhaps lukewarm at best.

The cold water was clear.  Even running the sinks and the tub did not help

clear water to return.    It got a bit better in color, but it remained

cool.  So it was a cool and quick shower tonight.  We found it odd that we

had not gotten a notice or a phone call warning us of the water problem.

Usually an entire section of the ship is affected, but we did not know.

Maybe it was just our room.   So this morning, there still was no hot water,

but the rusty color was about gone.   We did phone the front desk and were

advised to let the water run for 15 minutes or more.  They said the hot

water would be returning by 11am.  And it did.  We asked everyone we knew

that have rooms around us, and none of them had any problems like we did.  

We noticed at breakfast time, that some of the regulars have been missing

the last couple of days.  Then doing some research on Cruise Critic, we

learned that norovirus has hit the Zuiderdam.    Exactly what we feared, now

we know the reason for the frequent warnings about hand washing and

sanitizing.  When will the powers to be announce this event to the

passengers?  Probably not until we reach a specific percentage of reported

cases.   Those who do report symptoms will be quarantined, so many folks

never admit they are ill.  

 

Also news-worthy was a note we all got concerning the internet service

onboard.   We can expect a reduction in bandwidth due to governmental

restrictions between March 8th to March 20th.  There may be a partial loss

of signal and temporary outages.  We have been asked to reduce our use of

bandwidth-intensive services such as streaming or large downloads as much as

possible during this time frame.   Last year we happened to be taking this

same route towards Africa, but we do not recall problems with the internet.

Our day was mostly spent working on the last few days of ports.  It does

keep us busy.  We took the time for a few walks today and found the weather

to be almost pleasant.  Gone was the worst of the humidity and the

temperature was around 84 degrees or less.    During his daily talk, Captain

Frank mentioned that the sea water was warmer than the air temps.  With the

sea water around 89 degrees, it made for very hot conditions in the engine

room area of the ship.  We have been down in this part of the ship while on

a tour on the Amsterdam years ago.  The heat and noise gave us an

appreciation of the fellows that work down there.  One of the guests, who

was dealing with the onset of diabetes, passed out from that heat and had to

be hauled back to the medical center.  Ever since that happened, the tours

were shut down.

 

Now that we are sailing in the Bay of Bengal, the seas have remained calm

with a 5 foot swell and partly cloudy skies.  The Captain expected no

significant changes in the next few days as we sail towards Sri Lanka.  We

still have 587 nautical miles to get there.  

Lunch was in the Lido, but our salad girl, Eve, has not been there for two

days.  It appears that they have been re-assigning the wait staff to

different areas.  At least our sandwich-maker is still at his post, and the

cute ice cream server is also in her area.  She still seems to find some of

the good sugar cones for us every time we go there.  

Wondering why we get some of the port talks on our TV and sometimes not, we

reported it to the front desk today.  They said they would inform the IT

department.  We heard nothing all day regarding this, but after dinner, we

tried it again, and guess what?  It worked.   We should have asked

sooner......

 

Dinner was good with some different items such as calamari fritti for an

appetizer.  Mains were spaghetti Bolognese and a brisket meal, pretty much

both comfort food.  Very good and just right portions.  Desserts were one

panna cotta in a jar, and one scoop orange sorbet.   While we were in

between courses, Captain Frank made a surprise visit, where we welcomed him

onboard for a change.  He and his wife, Alexandra, were dining with guests

near the back windows.  Nice of him to stop and greet us as well as our

buddy Don, another long time HAL customer like us.    

The theme of the evening was Country with a Barn Dance Party held in both

the Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard Onboard.  Good places to practice the

boot scootin' boogeying and line dancing, which has been taught since the

beginning of the cruise.  The parties began at 8:15pm, and there was other

entertainment tonight  in the Ocean Bar and Explorer's Lounge.   A movie was

shown in the World Stage which was Life of Pi (2012).    We could smell the

popcorn when we finished our second walk at 7:30pm.  

And finally we had one hour back on the clocks tonight.  Great idea.

Bill & Mary Ann

 

No Pictures

Report #63 Wednesday March 5, 2025 Sea Day #1 Of 3 In The Andaman Sea Enroute To Colombo, Sri Lanka Mostly Cloudy And Overcast 85 Degrees-----Casual Dress

We just realized that we are near the halfway mark for this world cruise.   We sure don't know where the time has gone, but we still have half to go, and will enjoy every minute of it.  We had a very relaxing day catching up with photos from yesterday .  The skies remained mostly cloudy all day with a chance of rain that never materialized.   The Captain sounded the ship's whistle at exactly noontime, a maritime tradition.  Not all of the captains will do this, so we appreciate keeping up the tradition. 

 

We are now heading due west towards Sri Lanka in the Andaman Sea.  We have traveled 257 nautical miles and have even more than that to go.  The ocean conditions are in our favor with low swells up to four feet, a light breeze, and temperatures in the mid 80's.  As he always does, the Captain delivers an anomaly regarding the seas and oceans of the world.  Today he described waves that develop in patterns that can be seen from far away.  It has to do with the winds, currents, and the depth of the water, and right now we are in an area that is famous for it.  For some reason, Captain Frank's talks are not coming into the rooms, so if we are close enough to open our door, we can hear what he is saying. 

 

Have you ever had an experience that you felt it was once in a lifetime happening?  Well that occurred with us the first time we began crossing this very same sea about 20 or more years ago.  Out of the blue, a large pod of spinner dolphins began jumping and splashing as we passed them while on the aft pool deck.  At the time, we were sailing on the Seabourn Sun, and did not have a camera with us, of course.  It was a special moment never to be forgotten.  And never to be repeated.  As  many times that we have traversed this very same spot, we now realize  that this display was truly a once in a lifetime happening.  With high hopes, we kept watch all day, but saw nothing but water.  Darn….

 

Another thing we had hoped for was getting the port talk on Colombo on our TV.  It still is not working, although a few times last week, we were able to watch a couple of the talks.  Tomorrow we will try to see if this can be fixed.  At the times the talks are done, we are busy with other things and do not wish to attend a crowded main stage.

 

A light lunch was in the Lido as always on sea days.  For the first time this cruise, we tried the pizza but were disappointed with the lack of sauce and the rather tasteless crust.  We will stick to custom-made sandwiches that we know are always good.

 

Taking a late walk outside, we had hoped for a nice sunset.  Once again, it fizzled with the sun dipping into the hazy skyline.  It must be the area we are sailing that retains that veil of smog or fog.  A good strong wind would help clear it away.   But we have to be careful what we wish for, since this is cyclone territory.

 

Dinnertime had some good appetizers with Thai beef salad and udon noodle soup (excellent).  We ordered one shrimp taco, then our entrees were one halibut dish and a chicken scallopini plate.  Both were served piping hot and very tasty.  We always make our waiters happy when they see our plates so clean.  Once again, dessert was one scoop of vanilla ice cream and one scoop of mango sorbet.  Vocalist Georgia Fordyce was the entertainer of the evening with a tribute to Ireland. 

 

We have not addressed the "pillow chocolates" that we receive every evening.   Back in December, we received the quarterly newsletter designed for the President's Club members, compliments of  Gus Antorcha, the president of HAL. This issue  described a new joint venture with HAL and Lindt or Lindor Chocolatiers.  New items appeared on the menus on the Legendary Tales of the South Pacific Cruise last fall.  Also, we got the round chocolate balls made by Lindt.   Now here we are on the Grand World Cruise, and it seems that most of these specialties on the menu have been forgotten.  We get a square chocolate candy from Astor in various flavors as well as the older square light and dark chocolate squares we have always received.  Once in a blue moon, we get the "formal" chocolates that are from Lindt.  So where is the big promise of the higher quality of chocolate?  It sure isn't here on the Zuiderdam.

 

Finally, the clocks went back that ½ hour we see in a few places in the world.  There is probably another hour back coming before we reach Sri Lanka.    

 

Two more sea days to come.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

No Pictures

Report # 62 Fat Tuesday March 4, 2025 Phuket, Thailand Anchored 7am-5pm Using Shore And Ship Tenders Sunny And Hot With A Heavy Haze 90 Degrees---Casual Dress

So here we are in another country – Thailand this time.  The population is 68.2 million people that speak mainly Thai with some English.  The capital is Bangkok and a wonderful huge city to explore.  However, we have not been there for many years now and stop more often in Phuket instead.   Words to describe Thailand can be friendly, fun-loving, tropical with lots of ancient history and culture.  There are more temples than you can count as well as trips to Phi Phi Island for snorkeling and swimming.  Been there, done that just once, and that was enough for us.   We had been expecting white sandy beaches where you can snorkel with tropical fish in clear waters.  Well, the ride there in local longboats was torture for the fact the seating is far below any windows.  Then for the whole hour ride, we sucked gasoline fumes from the outboard motors.   Then these boats are pulled up onto the beach, side-by-side, and took up all of the beachfront.    If you could make it into the water, a film of oil and gas covered the surface.  Lunch was just OK.  No, this was not the type of experience we expected….not by a long shot.  The movie, "The Beach" was filmed here, but we bet it was on a deserted island with no tourists laying side-by-side on the sandy beach.   A better tour was to Phang Nga Bay, but it was pulled from the list this time.  While we are on the subject, the Phi Phi Island tours were 8 hours and $240.  The best of Phuket  was 7 hours for $120.  They all included lunch.

 

Food is an adventure here.  Fresh ingredients are the key to flavors of spicey, sweet, salty and sour.  In both Bangkok and Phuket there are noodle shacks and seafood pavilions.  The Thai names for these dishes are complicated, but simple descriptions speak better.   Lemon grass soup with limes and chilis carries a legendary "sting".   It doesn't happen instantly, but give it a few seconds, and your mouth might be on fire.  All it takes is one drop of hot oil in the soup and wow.  Muslim curry with coconut milk is flavored with many spices.   An appetizer made with mandarin and pineapple chunks top pork or chicken with peanuts, sugar, and peppercorns.  Fruit juices have sugar and salt in them and are served over ice.    Dried fish and shallots are deep-fried and served on watermelon slices.   Finally, shredded fried catfish is served with chili sauce, peanuts, and a sweet mango dressing.   

 

Today we should have docked in Phuket, however, at the last minute, we learned from the Captain that a naval ship was docked in our spot and it was not moving.  Period.    So the Zuiderdam was forced to drop anchor offshore and use tenderboats.  Local tenders assisted us to the Co Co Pier landing, and were a big help as they held more people. 

 

We left the ship at 11am and boarded one of those nice tenders.  Although it was hot sitting in the sun, we were on the outside deck with a good breeze.   A gangway to the tender pier made connecting to shore very easy, especially for the folks with walkers and scooters.    It was a melee at the road outside the pier where too many folks were waiting for the next shuttle bus to Jungceylon Patang Mall.  Rude people pushed and shoved their way to board first.  The local directors could not control the crowd.  There was another shuttle bus coming within seconds, but too many people boarded this bus, then had to get off.   The bus was comfortable for the hour-long ride to this fairly new mall across the peninsula.  A bad thing was that a number of people were sneezing and coughing all around us.  Some were wearing masks and in our humble opinion, some should have stayed on the ship.  

 

Our scenic journey took us past a slew of stores, shops, cafes and bars.  This area was full of tropical trees and palms in this older part of town.  Traffic was moving slowly with timed stop lights…some as long as 180 seconds.  They count backwards, then when it turns green, you have 60 seconds to clear the intersection.   As well as big box furniture stores and Home Depot-style warehouses, we saw many tattoo studios and cannabis shops scattered between outdoor restaurants.  We guess that marijuana is legal here.

 

In the far distance, we could see a very white Buddhist statue on top of a hilltop.  Good thing we got some pictures of it from the ship, because later in the day it was shrouded in a heavy mist of humidity.  We were reminded of the many tours we took to see numerous temples in the city

 

The inner island had many reservoirs, golf courses, and schools from elementary to university level.  Going through a very wooded mountain pass, we wondered if our bus was going to make it over the top since it was such a steep grade.  Once over the summit, we spotted the Wyndham Sea Pearl Resort perched on the top of the mountain.  Far from a beach, it would have commanding views.  Passing many small and huge temple complexes, we found that this area was a densely populated area chock-full of touristy bars and cafes.  Resorts and hotels were everywhere we looked. 

 

We arrived at the Jungceylon Patong Mall around noon time, where our driver said we could pick up the ride back in the same area every half hour.  Sounded good to us.  Many years ago we kind of recall being in this area, but it took some time to get our bearings.  We sure do not remember this huge three- story mall.  We entered one of four openings and found the mall to be very modern and well-laid out in a circular pattern.  All of the high-end stores were here as well as dozens of eateries like Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and of course McDonald's and Starbucks.  Every Asian type of cuisine could be found here.   With a population of 430,000 locals, and an influx of 16 million annual visitors, this place would handle many diners and shoppers.   A fact we learned later while doing some research on Phuket, the number one country of foreign visitors come from….Russia.  Who knew???  India takes second place.   On a side note, one of the favorite foods here is called Moo hung, which is pork belly with palm sugar, garlic, coriander, pepper, anise seed, and oyster/soy sauce.    If we had taken time to do more homework, we would have found a Hard Rock Café just two blocks from Patong Beach.   Oh well, maybe next time…..

 

After circling the ground floor of the mall, we decided to go find Patang Beach, one of the most favorite spots on this island.  Asking a security gal, we found the street that went to the beach.  We located Bangia Road, which is the way to the Patong Beach entrance.  This street reminded us of the Night Market in Hong Kong, only a smaller version.  It is obviously the place for nightlife loaded with bars and cafes mixed with souvenir shops and night time entertainment venues.  One of the biggest draws here is a boxing stadium, which was being advertised by one of those annoying trucks with loud speakers driving up and the down the streets.    Beers were inexpensive….like $3 US dollars, but we were not sure they would accept US dollars.  There were money changers and ATMs on every corner, but we chose not to use them. 

 

Finally at the end of this crowded street, we found the entrance to the beach.  It was over-loaded with beach-goers enjoying baking in the sun and lingering in the shallow water.  Once again, the heat was oppressive with no shade to be found.  We did take enough photos before heading back down the busy souvenir road and finally back to the mall.  Since we did not find any suitable restaurant here for lunch, we rushed to the bus stop and made it there by 1pm.  Most all of the passengers coming back like us, were soaked from the heat and happy to be back on the air-conditioned shuttle.  Unfortunately, the coughing resumed once again reminding of the reason we hate buses and don't do tours anymore.  Just in case, we used plenty of hand sanitizer all day.

 

The ride took exactly an hour giving us views on the opposite side all the way back.  Going over the mountain pass was dicey once again.  You know there was one time we were in Mexico, and all of us had to get off a rickety bus so it could go over a hill.  Lucky for us, it did not happen again today.  The shuttle arrived back to the pier by 2pm, where we took some time to check out the tented souvenir tables.  There were treasures to be found here like the usual silk purses, cotton "elephant" pants and blouses, t-shirts galore and some magnets and keyrings.   One of us quickly located two silky tops that were quite appropriate for casual and even dressy evenings on the ship.   They never wrinkle and weigh next to nothing when it comes to packing.  The prices were so good, we did not have to bargain.  

 

We took one of our tenders back to the ship, although we liked the local tenders much better.  The first order of business was lunch, which turned out to be a Dive-In hot dog and one cannonball burger with fries.  Their fries still tend to stick together because they are double-coated.  Not our favorite, it would do just fine as we dined on our veranda. 

 

The last tender was supposed to be 4:30pm, but a tour must have been late, and we saw the last of the guests off-loading the local tender closer to 5:30pm or later.   Captain Frank came on with his daily talk and mentioned that we had a beautiful day.  Hmmm, where have we heard that expression before?  He said we will have three nice sea days now as we head for Colombo, Sri Lanka.  He predicted favorable sea days with temps in the 80's and  smooth seas and a 2 foot swell.  Kimberly followed with another hand-washing and sanitizing reminder with no hand-shaking.  After our bus rides today, we are certain there is a bad virus spreading around the ship and is not going away anytime too soon.

 

At sail away, we remembered we had a bottle of sparkling wine chilled and ready to drink, so we sipped away as the ship's mates hoisted the anchor, and we sailing out and around  many of the  islands surrounding Phuket.   We passed many old-style fishing boats and commercial ships as we left the area.  There was such a heaviness in the air like a veil of fog, we could not see a complete sunset.  It has not been the same as the dark clouds we normally see blocking the sun, but more like a pollution-related haze.  

 

We kept busy with photos and reports until dinnertime.  Both of us had the shrimp cocktail and salads, then added one catfish dish and one rigatoni plate.  Desserts were ice cream – one scoop for each of us.  Today happened to be Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.  It was celebrated with drinking and dancing in the Ocean Bar from 3:30pm to 7:30pm.  From what we saw on the way to the dining room,  most of the party-goers were done and on their way to listen to Annie Gong, the instrumentalist that seems to join us every world cruise.  She played pops to rock tonight.  It was pops and rock to bed for us as it had been a very busy and hot day.

 

Looking forward to the upcoming sea days.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

386 Pictures

Report # 61 Monday March 3, 2025 Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia 9am-6pm Docked Port Side To Pier Mostly Sunny With Hazy Overcast 90 Degrees -----Casual Dress

Last night after dinner, we looked out our window and saw fishing boats with green lights.  We thought that was unusual, but the mystery was solved when Captain Frank said these fishermen use the green lights to attract squid, which they catch at nighttime.   You learn something new every day.

 

We watched as the Zuiderdam sailed into the dock at Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia while eating our breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.   Docking portside, we had the best seats in the house this morning.  We noticed that the tour groups were leaving the ship well before it was announced that we had been cleared by the local authorities at 9am.  This is their new trick to keep other folks out of their way, and reducing the confusion onshore.  It doesn't always work.

 

Langkawi is a different type of Malaysia with white sandy beaches, isolated resorts with diving and snorkeling opportunities.   It is also "duty-free" with cheap booze and decent restaurants and bars.  During the day, this area is family-friendly, but in the evening, it turns into party-hardy we have read. 

 

Tours today included a cave and fish farm adventure, or a craft market and aquarium visit.  Langkawi highlites gave you an overview of the resort town.  They ranged from $60 to $80 for 4 to 5 hours.   We left the ship around 11am  and walked the long stretch of pier, which was covered for shade.  There were several mini vans that would take guests with walking problems to the parking lot past the Resort World complex. 

 

This resort was spread out along the seaside and little marina, and was supposedly off limits to the cruise ship passengers.  That turned out not to be 100% true as we would find out later.   Passing many tour vendors offering excursions, we ended up in the parking lot where one shuttle was waiting to go to town.  It was less than a 20 minute ride over the hill to the aquarium.  The town was loaded with old-style resorts, restaurants, bars, and some shops.  New high rise hotels were under construction, so the town will be changing.  Most all of the eateries were not opened until the 3pm happy hour.  That confirms what we read about this being a party-hardy town at night.  

 

The shuttle dropped us off by the ZON Mall and the aquarium called Underwater World.  Going to a side street, we found the stairway down to Chenang Beach.  It was a long beachfront with soft white sand, water sports, and beach bars and cafes that were not opened yet.  Many locals, resort people, and guests from the ship were spending the day here in the sun.  And it was hot sun.  We would think twice about going into the water since we saw signs warning about the stinging jellyfish.   There was even a medical room just for treating the attacks.  The water wasn't perfectly clear either, another good reason to stay out of it.

 

There were a few very nice restaurants situated above the beach, but they were not opened until later.  So we walked back to the mini- mall, and checked out the stores.  One thing for sure, the locals sure like their sweets.  One of the biggest shops had every type of fancy chocolate you can buy.  We saw boxes of durian candies, an acquired taste we think.  And the prices were reasonable.  Snack foods are a big seller also.  These stores took every credit card but the one we had….American Express.  Just as well, we did not need any more extra food in our room. 

 

The rest of this mall had housewares, cosmetics, clothing and accessories.  It sort of reminded us of a Ross that is so popular with the crew members.  We saw that two shuttle buses were in the parking lot, so we decided to go back to the pier.  It was already 1:30pm and hot as ever, and we hoped to find a place for lunch.  And beer.  We did find a great spot at a restaurant at Resort World, the complex at the pier.    It was an open-air place with many tables under the roof.  The ocean was on one side and the resort swimming pool on the backside.  A wonderful breeze blew through the eating area, so this would work.  The waiter was slow in coming, but soon brought us two Tiger draft pint beers.  Ice cold and quite good….so good one of us had a second one.  We ordered a Hawaiian pizza, however there was no ham on it.   It was still good with a nice crispy crust and tasty sauce.  Plenty of pineapple chunks and mozzarella cheese made it even  better.    We added a dessert of a chocolate/walnut brownie with a side of vanilla ice cream.  It was all covered with whipped cream.  We had inquired before we ordered anything if they accepted American Express.  The answer was yes.  They also took cash from everywhere but Indonesia and Thailand.  Why, we don't know.  So when they ran our card, it did not work.  This has happened before, so it was no surprise.   He had no problem taking US dollars.   This was the most reasonable lunch we have had so far.  It was under $35. 

 

We took our time walking back on the long pier, keeping an eye out on the hillsides for the white-bellied sea eagles.   We had seen some early in the morning, along with several small blue or gray herons.  They were not flying now since it was so hot.  We were back on the ship by 3pm, and relaxed in our room for the rest of the afternoon.

 

Captain Frank came on with his talk after the all aboard time of 5:30pm.   Watching from our veranda, we spotted one young lady we know running to board with 2 minutes to spare. The Captain said we would be sailing 12 miles off of the coast on our way to Phuket, Thailand, our port for tomorrow.   He expects the weather to be hot and humid with a strong chance of rain showers.  The temperature will exceed 90 degrees and gave us the warning to be careful of becoming dehydrated. 

 

Then he delivered some unexpected news with our docking tomorrow.  There is a naval ship in that spot, so we have been moved to a tender landing instead at CoCo Pier.  Local tenders that are able to transport more people will be used along with two of our tenders.  All of that will take more time, but we will be arriving by 7am, which is good.  We have been advised there are restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shopping at this pier, there will also be a shuttle taking folks to Jungceylon Patong, which we looked up on Google.  It appears to be a large and rather nice mall, so we will probably be going there. 

 

Then he added another request to please wash our hands frequently and use the hand sanitizer. This speaks volumes to us that there is a virus spreading again.  The sanitizer is still being squirted in our hands before entering the dining room.   If no one is there to do it, we help ourselves.

 

There was a promising sunset tonight, but the sky took on a veiled fog-like haze, and the sun was literally gobbled up before it went down.  It was time for dinner where we had a nice talk with Presty. He told us about many problems they had with our stop in Bali.  Getting clearance for the guests that were visiting family onboard was a mess, and he spent much of his time ironing it out.  They had such a short time for the visit, made even sorter with the red tape.  Interesting what goes on behind the scenes.

 

For dinner we had Caesar salads, a Thai chicken appetizer and the tomato/ cheese salad.  Mains were one grilled pork chop and one KFC chicken dinner.  Not really KFC, but we love to call it that.  The waiters get it.  Dessert was a scoop each of vanilla and strawberry sorbet.   Sueli Tang entertained the folks with her piano renditions of Disney Songs.  Now that's a different approach for a change. 

 

Oh yeah, the clocks went back one hour tonight.  You bet we like that. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

336 Pictures

Report # 60 Sunday March 2, 2025 Port Klang, Malaysia 8am-6pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Mostly Cloudy With Overcast 85 Degrees-----Casual Dress

We are in a new country today….Malaysia.  The capital is Kuala Lumpur, and the population is 30.950 million people that speak Bahasa Malaysia.   And some English too.   It is a country of steamy jungles with wildlife, beaches, small islands, sensational food, and many diverse ethnic cultures.  You can find colonial cities as well as tea plantations, and exotic Borneo with world famous orangutans. 

 

Their number one industry is the production of palm oil along with tin mining and rubber products.    Seven million people live in the capital and surrounding regions of Kuala Lumpur alone.   The food unites many of the cultures with vendors, mobile carts, street stalls and cafes.   Hawker stalls are abundant, and favorite dishes are asam or Sarawak laksa, which is thick or thin rice noodles in a fish or curry broth.   You add shrimp, chicken, and a shredded omelet, and you have a meal.   Hinava is raw fish marinated in lime juice and herbs.   Maggi goreng is an instant fried noodle dish and a late- night snack for many.

 

Kuala Lumpur is a city of temples and mosques of the Hindus, Chinese Buddhists, and Muslims.   Tours today included two 8 -hour excursions to Kuala Lumpur ranging from $120 to $140 per person.  Shorter tours were 5 hours for $55 to $65 each.  The longer tours would include seeing the KL Tower, the 4th tallest communications tower in the world.   A visit to the twin 88 story Petronas Towers was also included. 

 

So we arrived to the container port called West Ports in the dark well before sunrise.  Port Klang is situated up a river that looked just like Phu My in Vietnam.  The temperature was already 78 degrees at 7am.    Delays were announced that local officials were coming onboard for a health check.  We are just guessing, but we think they were checking the health of the crew and passengers to see if we had large numbers of illness-related problems onboard.  Apparently, we passed and the ship was cleared by well after 8am, when some of the tours were supposed to go off.    Because of the delays, our all -aboard time was changed from 4:30pm to 5pm.   

 

Kimberly came on the speakers to ask people not to congregate near the gangway.  We suspect that no one listened because she had to repeat the request.  It poses a safety problem with congested hallways.  There was disorderly confusion ashore as well.  A line of dozens of folks had begun for the free shuttle to the Cruise Ship Terminal where we usually are docked.   The excursion  groups were mixed in that line as well.  Now to complicate the situation, at 9am, a crew safety drill commenced.  Then out of the blue, we heard a terrible noise while working in our room.  It was life boat # 8, that had dropped on one side and was swinging sideways,  causing a lot of noise.  Some of the noise came from the crew under that boat.   There were crew guys, then eventually some officers and finally the Captain all trying to figure out what happened and how to fix it.   Hope nothing was broken because that's our lifeboat.  Eventually it was pulled up, but it took over two hours to do it.   

 

We left the ship after the mad exodus was done.  There were plenty of shuttles to take us to the West Ports.  The last few times we were here, we were docked at the cruise terminal and had complimentary shuttles to the Aeon Mall in Port Klang.  It was about a 20 minute ride from the ship.  It was fine for the folks that did not want to take the 90 minute one way drive to and from Kuala Lumpur.    Been there, done that.  It was a longer bus ride than we expected to reach the Cruise Terminal.   We discovered that the Tui Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship was docked there.  We wonder if they got the free bus to the mall?  The guide on our shuttle mentioned that between the two ships, 80 buses were used to go to Kuala Lumpur.    Our main reason for going to the cruise terminal was to get access to the wifi there.  The Kindle needed updating, but connecting to Amazon games was not too successful.   We did not stay very long, and re-boarded the shuttle back to the ship.  It was so darned hot outside, no one wanted to linger far from air-conditioning.  Once back at the commercial pier, we did get some good photos of hundreds of cattle egret in the mangrove trees across from the ship.   We were back to our cool room by 1pm. 

 

We had our usual lunch in the Lido, finding that many new waiters were working here.  Perhaps they have switched jobs and are not new crew.  There was supposed to be Block Party # 3, but it did not happen.  Actually Block Party # 2 never happened after the Sydney folks boarded.  There was no explanation as to why this was skipped again.  Once again, we think it is health-related.

 

We had two jobs to do today.  First was turning in copies of our Sri Lankan visas that we had obtained before the cruise in December.  Another form arrived asking about independent over lands in India and Africa, urging us to supply the details to the front desk people.  We have already filled out the forms and supplied the deviation letter back in January.  So we doubled-checked on that one as well.  Yes, they had all of the info.   Then at 5pm, we had to return our passports to the desk at the elevator lobby, getting the receipts once again.   Jobs done.

 

All aboard was 5pm, and the Captain came on with his talk shortly after that time.   He predicted warm days ahead (an understatement if we ever heard one) and smooth seas, little winds, and low sea swells.  Once we leave here, he had 18 or 19 miles to go to leave the river and head back into the Malacca Straits.   He expected a lot of commercial ship traffic on the way out.  We did pass the Cruise Ship Terminal and noticed that the Mein Schiff 6 was still docked there.   We have a short distance to reach Langkawi tomorrow at a speed of 17 knots. 

 

Captain Frank gave his Captain's Welcome toast at 7pm in the World Stage.  Short and sweet, it lasted all of 15 minutes.  That happens to be in the middle of most everyone's dining time.

 

There was a nice gentle sunset this evening, which ended with us going to dinner by 7:45pm.  We had different appetizers of arancini, tasty smoked chicken, soup and salad.  Mains were meatballs and spaghetti and pork belly with assorted veggies.  Our meals were served hot tonight.  A rice pudding with raisins and one scoop of chocolate coffee ice cream finished our meal nicely.

 

A vocalist named Tiffany Dissette was the entertainer tonight.  She sang songs from theater to rock to opera.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

171 Pictures

Report # 59 Saturday March 1, 2025 Singapore, Singapore 7am-5pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Mostly Cloudy With Rain Showers 85 Degrees-----Casual Dress

Singapore is our port of call today, and if we have not said this before, we will say it now…..it is one of our most favorite cities in the world.  It is a mix of the old and the ultra-new, as well as people-friendly , clean, and most of all, safe.  We find it easy to navigate the entire area using their excellent mass rapid transit or MRT, their underground maze of high-speed trains that take you everywhere.  Our only disappointment is that we only have one day to explore the many sights we like to see.  Usually, we always have two full days here, but not this time.   Too bad.

 

Anyway, here are some quick facts about the city and country of Singapore.  It has a population of 5.8 million people that speak Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English.   The size of Singapore is only 697 square kilometers, so to say the city is concentrated with lots of people is a given.   It has come a long way since Sir Stamford Raffles arrived and established a trading port here.   There are many places to see such as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the Singapore flyer that has a thrilling site-seeing 30 minute ride, or Raffle's Hotel, where you can buy a Singapore Sling for S$41.00.    The Fullerton Bay Hotel, the National Museum, Little India and Chinatown are not to be missed.   Then there is Clarke Quay on the river, Orchard Road and high-end shopping,  The Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park are a few more to add to the list.  For us, we love strolling the 200- acre Botanic Gardens, or spending time on Sentosa Island.  If you like shopping in gigantic malls, then a visit to Vivo and Suntec City Mall is in order.  Shop until you drop.  Today we did our best to cover as many of these stops that we could and still be back to the ship before the all aboard time of 5pm.  Such a short time.

 

Some of the special foods in Singapore include carrot cake, but not like the one we know.  It is made with radish flour with bean sprouts, chili sauce, and salted radishes.   Char kway teow is a flat rice noodle wok-fried with bean sprouts, cockles, prawns and sausage with dark soy and more chili sauce.   Hainanese chicken rice is poached chicken on a bed of fragrant rice with chili sauce.   Murtabek is a pancake with spiced mincemeat, garlic, egg and onion.  Nasi padang is white rice with meat, veggies, and curry.  Roti prata is fried flatbread served with curry.  And all of it tastes better with Tiger beer, a local brew. 

 

Our day began at 5am, when we woke up to watch the Zuiderdam arrive to the port of Singapore.  We were able to take pictures of the city lit up like it is at nighttime.    The ship was docked starboard side at the Cruise Ship Terminal at Marina  South Pier by 7am.  That happened to be when the Pinnacle Grill as well as the dining room restaurant opened for breakfast today due to the fact it was the end of another segment, and many folks were going home today.   Another thing was that we were bunkering fuel today and taking on provisions.

 

The ship was cleared by 8am, but we stayed onboard working in our room until closer to 9:45am.  We believe that this was another one of those zero clearance days, and everyone had to be off of the ship before 10am.   We took our passports, room keys, and the papers that Michelle had printed for us to the immigration checkpoint.  It turned out that we did not need those papers since it was done electronically, but just in case, we had them.  Our passports were scanned and our photos taken.  Then we went on to the xray check where we both passed.  We went outside and followed the covered pathway to the MRT station.   This process was repeated in reverse when we returned to the ship as well.

 

We had saved last year's MRT EZ card with S$2.00 on them, so we could up the fare and use them to get to a station where the one day EZ link cards were sold.  For some reason not all of the stations sell them.  Marina South Pier does not.  We have never done the up fare, so the agent came out to the kiosk and showed us how it worked.  Piece of cake once you know which buttons to push.   The people in Singapore are most friendly and willing to help.  This occurred several times today either in an MRT station or even outside.  It's nice too.

 

The closest station to sell the one day cards was Raffles Place.  Luckily we had saved the MRT map and easily found our way with all of the trains going here, there and everywhere.   The prices of the EZ cards had changed.  Instead of paying S$22, we paid only S$17.  They have eliminated the S$10 refundable fee.  They were still S$5 ahead, but it was well worth it to us not to have to take the time to return the tickets at the end of our stay.    And just for future information, the two day tickets were S$24 and the three day cards were S$29.   The one day cards we bought allowed us to ride the MRT and other buses all day until 11:30pm.   We made good use of it as we rode to several places and back on those cards. 

 

We went back down to the train, and we took the red line to Dhoby Ghat, where we transferred to the purple line to Chinatown.  This is a place for photos of large eateries, fun shopping and food stands.  We kept on the move, spending just enough time to get some pictures.  Then it was time to go back to the purple line to Little India.  Once again, this is a most colorful area chock-full of Indian treasures and saris for sale.  We have bought more than one sari here over the years.  It sure felt like rain was on the way as the skies were getting darker by the minute.  So we decided to move on after we strolled through their meat and fish market.  The aroma wasn't the best, but we made it through the throngs of shoppers and found the veggie and fruit section….much better.   

 

At Little India, we switched to the blue line all the way to the Botanic Gardens.  Walking out of the station, we had rain, which came down heavy for a few minutes, then let up.  Usually we spend a couple of hours here with a visit to the Orchid Garden.  Unfortunately, there was not enough time for that today, but we did take a hike around a lake where we saw a 4 to 5 foot monitor lizard moving along the banks.  Getting close, the lizard did not like it, and eased into the water swimming away.   Then we eased our way back to the MRT and continued onward.

 

Lunch was in order…. or should we say beers were in order.   From the Gardens, we took the blue line to the brown line at Stevens stop.   Then we got off at Orchard, the highend shopping and hotel area where the Hard Rock Cafe is located.   By asking one of the security guards at the MRT station, we found a short cut to the Wheelock Place without going through the entire mall.  It is another one where you could get lost for days.  

 

Lunch at the HRC was wonderful.  The best beer there was draft – Sapporo 500ml.   We added an order of grilled chicken cheese nachos, plenty to share.   Relaxing for over an hour was so nice in the air-conditioned restaurant.   Checking the dessert menu, we had a nice surprise.  They now serve mud pie.  Wow….that made our day, and we shared one generous slice.  Before we left, we made a visit to the Rock Shop and found two new HRC t-shirts to purchase. 

 

We would liked to have made a stop at Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and the fabulous mall there, but it was already after 3pm, we were not willing to chance running into a problem getting back to the ship.  Being that today was a Saturday, the trains were fuller and fuller everywhere we went.  Back at Wheelock Place, we went through part of the nice mall to the red line that took us all the way back to Marina South Pier and the Cruise Terminal.    Then we still had the long walk under the covered walkway to the terminal.  And as we described in the beginning, we did the reverse check-in with immigrations and xray check on the way back.  We made it back on the ship by 4pm.  A marathon day, we did most everything we had planned and survived it.

 

There was a muster drill for the newly embarked guests only.  That was fine because we were not moving out of our room for anything if we did not have to.   Captain Frank van der Hoeven, our new Captain now, came on after 5pm to say "welcome" to all of us.   He continued to tell us about our travel to the next port in Malaysia, Port Klang for Kuala Lumpur.   He predicted partly cloudy skies, slight seas and slight breezes with a high of 95 degrees.  Along with a high humidity reading, he warned about the dangerous combination of the two that can lead to problems.  He added that thunderstorms were a 60% possibility with lots of rain.  Pack the umbrellas.  Glad we did that today too.  We will have to travel  200 nautical miles to reach Port Klang going up a river to dock at a container port.

 

Sailing out of the port was delayed by an hour or so.  We had to navigate around numerous commercial ships to get out of the area.  Sitting on our veranda, we spotted a white-bellied sea eagle quite by accident as it swooped from high above and caught something in its talons in the water.  It was a very large and impressive bird that continued on its way and never returned.  For the most part, we saw very few birds today.  We were lucky to get a few good photos of this eagle, which was quite impressive.

 

Dinnertime found we had a new assistant waiter, Yasin, who seems to be quite nice.  They all are.  We ordered the everyday shrimp cocktail with the red sauce and Caesar salads.  The entrees were one sirloin strip steak and French fry plate and one pot roast with their veggies of the day (green beans, carrots and broccoli).  All good, but could have been hotter.  Our new guy has not gotten the message yet.  Dessert was one scoop of vanilla ice cream and one scoop of orange sorbet.

 

Annie Gong, who is always on the world cruise as well as some legendary cruises, was our entertainer this evening.   She is an instrumentalist with classical music tonight.

 

Tomorrow we will be in another country – Malaysia.   It may be a day on the ship for us…who knows?  It has been brought to our attention that the beginning of Ramadan began February 28^th and will end March 29^th.   This might affect the attractions and services in the upcoming ports. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

496 Pictures

Report #58 Friday February 28, 2025 Sea Day #2 Of 2 Enroute To Singapore, Singapore Mostly Cloudy With Some Sun Slight Seas 82 Degrees----Casual Dress

Day two at sea found it to be a very pleasant one with smooth seas, slightly windy, some sun, mostly cloudy and no rain.  The temperature was 84 degrees and humid, but not too bad.   Even the Captain agreed that it was a great day, but he has said that almost everyday since we left Ft. Lauderdale.    Besides the good weather, he said he was sad to leave in Singapore tomorrow , but on the other hand, he looks forward to going home and seeing family.   He expects an early arrival at 6am to Singapore tomorrow….it will still be dark.   No matter what time we arrive, the area will have a lot of ship activity as it is one of the busiest ports in the world.  As of noontime, we still had 360 nautical miles to go to Singapore and we were 1 degree below the Equator.    About 210 guests would be packing today to go home or wherever, and about that same amount will be joining. 

 

We used much of the day catching up with reports like we usually do.  While other folks are doing the activities, we always hope that it gives us a faster internet connection.  We still have to open our door to send the larger files, but it is not a big problem.  There is that curtain we can pull that blocks the view of the room, but we seldom do that.  

 

There was a port talk on Phuket, Thailand in the World Stage, which should be televised and shown later today on our TV.    We missed the talks on the Malaysian ports, so we tried to get it on our TV, and eventually, it worked.  Since Kimberly's voice was still giving her problems, Merge, the guest speaker, took her place and did a fine job.   We were disappointed to find that the ship is docking in a commercial port with a shuttle to the regular cruise terminal.  There will be no shuttle to the closet town of Klang like there used to be.  We recall the free shuttle went to the Aeon Mall.  

 

Other lectures by Merge dealt with street food in Singapore and Malaysia, which we would never do.   No way Jose.  War battles in Singapore was the subject of Mr. Quintrell, and Dr. Douglas spoke all about the ring of fire.    The movie Crazy Rich Asians was repeated in the World Stage at 3pm. 

 

There was a fresh fruit buffet in the Lido poolside ending at 2pm, but we missed it because 2:30pm is our lunchtime.   We did have an invitation for a group dinner in the Pinnacle Grill that was the alternate Canaletto Restaurant this evening.  It was hosted by our travel agent's hosts, but it began at 5pm…..way too early for us.  So we passed on it. 

 

We watched the sunset, which was not the best one tonight.  You just never know what to expect.  Dinnertime arrived quickly and we ordered one seafood spring roll, a bowl of tomato soup, and two different salads.   Mains were a lamb shank meal and one small serving of lasagna without the cheese sauce.   Desserts were a caramel peanut sundae and one small version of Baked Alaska.   We said our goodbyes to our assistant waiter, Komang, who will be going home tomorrow.    Who will replace him?  No one seems to know until tomorrow.  

 

There was a Chocolate Surprise in the World Stage at 7 to 8:30pm, but that is our exact dining time, so we missed that too.  Probably did us a favor as we do not need the extra calories.

 

Looking forward to our Singapore visit.  Hope we will be able to cover a lot of the city we always do.  A good night's sleep is in order…….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

37 Pictures