Day at sea #5 was much the same as the previous days, with the exception that it was warmer, more humid, with less wind, and far less "motion of the ocean". Thank goodness for that. And there was a nice sunrise as seen from our veranda. Skipping ahead a bit, the temps were reported at 77 degrees F, the winds were 12 knots, and there was a 6-foot swell, according to the Captain's noon report. The water temperature was 79 degrees F and the Zaandam was maintaining a speed of 14 knots. We have traveled 1623 nautical miles from San Diego and have another 631 nautical miles to go to reach Kona. As far as wildlife sightings, the Captain suggested that the guests go outside and see the flying fish. Don't have to tell us twice, as we are always on the lookout for them. Concerning the unconfirmed sighting of the owl a few days ago, Captain Smit admitted he was still looking for it. It is possible that an owl hitched a ride from San Diego. It would not be the first time that happened.
This morning, we lingered at breakfast, mainly to give our room stewards time to clean it up. Knowing them, they watch and listen for the door to open and close and are in our room right away. So many people put the "do not disturb sign" in the key slots, so we suspect they are the night-owls and prefer to sleep later. It works for everyone in the long run. We happened to run into Kumar, our personal concierge and he was able to research some of our questions we had yesterday. The main question was who are the captains on next year's grand voyage? He still was not certain, but later in the morning, we got a call from Rose at the front desk, who had put a call into the President of HAL, Beth B. The Volendam's captains will be Captain Frank Van Der Hoeven, and Captain Renz. The 2026 GWV brochures have the incorrect information regarding the two captains, but the Hotel managers will be Glenn Cowley and Florin Dragomir as listed in the booklet. Still unknown is the cruise director since that job has been re-defined recently according to Kumar. The responsibilities of the cruise director have been divided among two or more people. So we will have to wait on that one to be announced.
Taking our morning hike on the promenade deck , we noticed the sunny side had filled up with the teak lounge folks where it was balmy and humid, while the starboard side was at least 10 degrees cooler and shady. Fewer people on that side, but room for many. This ship does not have the Lanai rooms with the private lounges outside their door. And as far as we know, there is no charge to use the teak lounges like we have seen on some other ships. That would be terrible, we think.
We finally have a use for the white and blue striped beach towels we all get in our rooms. We can put the blankets away, and use the towels on our chairs. These are to be used for going to the beach onshore or use on our verandas. There was a note attached to the towel stating don't forget to return me to your stateroom or you will be charged for it. The price is $27.50 and you can also buy them to take home. However, what was not written was if you lose it, you bought it. If you happen to "accidently" pack it in your luggage, you bought it. They are nice and thick towels and worth the price.
Lunch was a room service salad, one shared club sandwich, and a bowl of the best chicken soup ever. The soup chefs have got it right on this ship. There was a shawarma buffet in the Lido for lunch, and we are sure that was well received and enjoyed. That was followed by an ice cream social in the Lido poolside for an hour.
We always take the time to watch the sunset from deck six forward. With the clock changes, the exact time for sunrises and sets can be different. What made it better tonight was the presence of one lone booby who was on the hunt for the elusive flying fish. With the speed of the bird, the movement of the ship, and the position of the setting sun, it is a miracle to get that perfect shot. At closer inspection, we think we may be seeing a blue-footed booby with the coloration of the body and the beak and mostly-hidden feet. Looking up the family of boobies online, this one matched that strain of bird.
The big event this evening was the Zaandam Ball with tonight's attire as dressy, not gala or formal like we know it on the grands. The dinner menu matched the gala starters and entrees with shrimp cocktails, escargots, two salads, and soups. Mains for us were one tenderloin steak with a crab cake, and one pasta with shredded oxtail meat. Dessert was one small warm chocolate lava cake with orange sauce, similar to the souffles they used to serve and very small in size. One of us had the watermelon again. The dining room was full of mostly nicely dressed guests this evening. Nice to see.
The "ball" was set up differently than we recall with five entertainers doing 30-minute performances, while the guests danced with officers or crew. It began at 8pm and ended well after 10:45pm. There is such a small dance floor on deck four near the stage, that real dancing was not really happening. Watching from deck five, we had to laugh at how much the ball reminded us of the Lawrence Welk Show. Perhaps different clothes and different hair styles, but the same dancing. What we did notice was that the high-top stools and counters were gone from the back end of the seating on deck five. We always liked stopping there for easy in and out access without disturbing the guests that were seated. Obviously, that was part of the work done while the ship was in dry dock.
The clocks were set back one hour so we are on Hawaii time now.
One more day at sea, and we will be saying…..aloha.
Bill & Mary Ann
