Ms Volendam Asian Cruise - Christmas 2015
Monday 21 December 2015
I was up early unpacking, unpacking and repacking again to
get the weight correct for the main suitcase. After Brekkie I had to clean out
the fridge to get rid of food that would go off over the next month.
My friend Graham called around to take me to the airport
about 9.45. The check-in process went very smoothly and in no time I was up in
the departure lounge. As this was the first time I was flying with SilkAir I
had no access to the Qantas Club. OMG I had to pay $12 for a Vodka and Coke.
The flight was delayed by 45 minutes because of the late
arrival of the aircraft.
I was taken out of the line and given priority boarding
which was very nice. The service on this aircraft was excellent efficient and
very friendly. The aircraft an older Boeing 737-800 was a bit tired and lacked
modern entertainment equipment.
The meal was very good and enjoyable and
overall it was a good 6 hour flight and certainly much better than having to go
down to Brisbane to get a connecting flight so Singapore.
We only arrived in
Singapore 30 minutes behind schedule.
This is where the fun begun, I got down to the Immigration
area and noticed everyone has a pink form with their passports; I did wonder
why I hadn’t been given one. I must have been asleep when they handed them out
on the flight. Anyway in this huge line I finally got up to the check-in
officer and he sent me back to get a form and fill it out. By now the lines
were much bigger and I had to join one that I thought would be the quickest.
Yep, like the supermarket I ended up in the slowest line.
When I finally got to the baggage collection area I could
not find the carrousel for my flight which had been and gone and I was directed
to an area to claim my luggage.
After that it was plain sailing to catch the shuttle bus to
the hotel. I was very impressed with the check in service and the standard of
the Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore Hotel. After a quick shower and freshen up I
went down to the bistro to get a snack and a drink.
I ordered Buffalo Chicken
Wings which I thought would be a nice light snack. Well they were yummy but
huge OMG I thing they must have been giant turkey wings. I ate the six of them
and felt very full afterwards.
I called it a night at 10pm local time which was midnight
back in Cairns.
Tuesday 22 December 2015
I awoke feeling very refreshed and was surprised to discover
the sun did not rise until 6.50 am. I met up with Denis and Colleen about 8 am
to go for a walk around the surrounding area before we came back to the hotel
to have brekkie.
Late morning we took a cab to the cruise terminal to board
the ship. The 5 Star check in service must have been the most efficient I have
ever experienced and in no time we were on the ship. There were a few hello Papaku greetings on the way.
At 1pm we attended the Mariners welcome on board drinks in
the Crows Nest well this is where the fun begun and not knowing any of the bar
staff from previous cruises didn’t help. The 2 bartenders were the most
unfriendly and grumpiest I have ever experienced.
Denis wanted a beer and
anyone would have thought he had asked for a top shelf spirit. The guy was
arguing that he had to drink only wine, bubbly, white or red. He begrudging
gave Denis a beer. I knew by this time Papaku was not going to get any privileges
so I had a red wine.
Then at 1.30pm he tosses everyone out of the Crows Nest as
he had to get ready for a 2 pm function.
These guys are an exception to the rule however they need some training
in public relations and friendliness as we felt most unwelcome.
I’m pleased to say we then went down to the Ocean Bar and it
was exactly the opposite where we were greeted and made most welcome. I add I
had never met either of these guys before. So we are now making the Ocean Bar
our watering hole.
We had a beaut meal at the Canaletto for dinner where the
service was excellent and the whole experience was most enjoyable.
We didn’t even have a nightcap after dinner as we were tired and I was in bed before 10 pm.
Wednesday 23 December 2015
Today is a see day as we sail towards Phuket Thailand.
I went up to brekkie at 8 am in Dining room and was a bit
surprised to see a fairly long line waiting to get in. On most see days folk
tend to sleep in and go later to brekkie. Well to cut a long story short I
think about 95% of the passengers decided to go to the Dining room and not the
Lido for their breakfast. The poor guys could not have expected this unusual
large crowd.
The officers and the crew worked as a great team and even
bought in extra waiters from the Lido to help out.
When I caught up with Denis and Colleen they told me they
had the Lido just about to themselves as they were surprised how quiet it was.
After an easy morning we went to the Dining room for lunch
and I had the yummiest slice of carrot cake I have ever tasted although it was
very rich.
I decided to have a nanna nap before going up to the Happy
Hour at the OB. This was a beaut session with heaps of laughs with the friendly
staff.
We caught up with Marvin in the mix bar on the way through
to dinner. We knew Marvin from previous cruises.
We sat at the Papaku table for the first time in the dining
room which is beside the window. It is a perfect position and our waiters were
excellent.
After dinner Denis and I decided we would go up to the Crows
Nest to give them a second chance, well I’m sad to say we didn’t even stay for
a drink because of the sour attitude of the barman.
So down to our friends at the OB who made us feel most
welcome for our night cap before retiring for the night about 10.30 pm
Thursday 24 December 2015
I met up with Colleen and Denis for a relaxed brekkie in the
dining room before getting the tender over to Patong Bay Phuket. It was a very
warm sunny day so we decided we would get aa air-conditioned van with an
English speaking driver to have a bit of
a tour around this tropical paradise.
We went south along the coastline of the west coast and took
advantage of some of the hill lookouts to take some photos of the beautiful
beaches. We ended up at a fantastic mountainside restaurant offering great
views and we were just below the large marble Buddha on the hill top.
After our lunch we continued the drive up the east coast and
after an hour we headed in land to cut across to Patong Bay on the West coast.
We stopped at a large shopping complex to do some shopping for toiletries. Of
course we had to
Do the mandatory stop at a high class jewellery store so the
driver could get his fuel stamps so we had to look around for about 10 long
minutes as we had no intention of buying the expensive goods.
We were back on the ship by 3.15 pm so heaps of time to have
a shower and get ready for Happy hour.
The Christmas Eve dinner was excellent and our friendly
waiters looked after us very well.
After the big day I adjourned early to bed and I guess I was
asleep by 9.45pm.
Friday 25 December 2015
Christmas Day
I met up with Denis and Colleen for brekkie and we tried the
Lido this morning. We sat in the Canaletto area and I was amazed at how quiet
it was as it seemed everyone had gone down to the dining room again. Anyway it was beaut to have a relaxed light
brekkie on this Christmas morning and as it was a sea day we were in no hurry.
Later I set up my office at a table on the Lido deck to get
the blog up to date and post photos on Facebook. We spent much of the morning
‘people watching’ and the families enjoying their Christmas morning around the
pool. I also caught up with Colin and Wendy from Adelaide who I know from
cruises on the Ms Amsterdam.
I had a light lunch from the Dive in on the Lido with
Colleen and Denis. I finally met Twinkle the Beverage Manager who is a very
pleasant Filipino lady. I took this opportunity to mention the Crows Nest saga
to her and she thanked me for bringing it to her attention.
After a 2 hour nanna nap it was up to the OB for the Happy
Hour.
It was a formal night again and they turned on a great
Christmas dinner menu. I guess most folk had the roast turkey however I had the
steak which was done to perfection.
For our night cap I introduced Denis to a Spanish coffee
which we enjoyed.
At 11 pm I retired for the evening.
Saturday 26 December 2015
I had a very restful day as after brekkie we took the
shuttle out of the port limits just for a drive and to stretch our legs. Of
course there was nothing here as the Port of Thilawa as we are about 90 minutes
away from the city of Rangoon.
We went out to the Sea View pool area on the aft Lido deck
to have a Guinness where we met Jervy a barman I haven’t seen since the World
Cruise 2011. It was beaut to catch up with him again.
We adjourned to the mid Lido deck to think about having
lunch. Twinkle the Beverage Manager came along and we had a good chat. She was
surprised I knew many of her colleagues on other ships. Actually I know her
husband who is a member of the Station Band the very talented and popular
Filipino band.
Twinkle even bought us a pre-lunch drink so I had a Bloody Mary.
After a light lunch I had a long nanna nap before happy hour.
As Denis and Colleen were doing a night tour I had dinner by
myself and was amazed by the number of crew that came up to me as they had
recognised me from previous cruises. So I was never alone for long.
I went up to the Seaview lido deck as they were having a
function under the stars in the warm conditions. There I was nearly knocked
over by being greeted by Gerry (with a G) who was one of the popular barmen on
the Amsterdam’s Grand Asian cruise last year. After a night cap and a beaut
catch up chat with Gerry I call it a night just after midnight.
Sunday 27 December 2015
We had an early brekkie in the Canaletto part of the Lido as
we were going into Rangoon on tour for the day.
The drive into Ragon on the very bumpy roads took a shorter time
than the average 90 minutes but we think this is because it is a Sunday.
We arrived at the park opposite the town hall which was the
drop off point and pick up place for our transfer coach. We set off on a
walking tour to the Scott Markets. Well it was very warm and when we asked
directions after we thought we should have arrived at the markets we were told
we had been heading off in the wrong direction.
We got a cab to take us there and the 20 minute drive only
cost $2.50, we decided from then on we would save our legs and take cabs.
The Markets were crowded with Tourists but we had a good look
around but didn’t buy anything. From the markets we went to the Shangri- La
hotel to have lunch at this 5 star property.
The service was excellent and the prices were unbelievably
cheap and a club sandwich with chips and salad with a large bottle of local
beer only cost $17.
After a relaxing lunch the hotel got us a cab and we went
for a drive out to the Shwedagon Pagoda to take some photos. There was not the
time to go in so the driver took us to the four entrances for photo stops.
Then the fun begun as we got caught in a traffic jam for 15
minutes and we were starting to get concerned we wouldn’t be back at the pickup
point for the coach back to the port.
OMG we just made it with 1 minute to spare and we were not booed as we
were not the last to get on.
The trip back to the ship only took just on an hour so there
was time to get changed and make it to happy hour on time.
We had dinner in the dining room and after a big day and no
nanna nap I called it an early night and was in bed before 9.30pm.
Monday 28 December 2015
We had brekkie in the dining room and had a enjoyable time
with the crew who are well and truly getting to know us by now.
I did some catching up on the blog and photos after brekkie
and went up to the Lido to get ready for sail away at midday. We had a chat
with Twinkle for a while and then had a Guinness before lunch. The DJ played
some music so it was hard to hear each other talk until he turned it down. It
was very tropical on the deck on this cloudless day. The temp reached 34C.
I had a chicken burger for lunch which was delicious and not
too heavy. I then went down for a nanna nap before going up to Happy hour.
Happy Hour was the usual fun time with the staff and the
regulars. It was beaut watching the land go by as we sailed out to the calm
sea.
Dinner was great as veal schnitzel was on the menu and was
made to perfection.
So after a most enjoyable meal Denis and I adjourned to the
OB for a night cap.
I must be getting old as I was in bed early again just after
10 pm. But I think I have mentioned before I sleep like a baby while I’m on
ships.
Tuesday 29 December 2015
OMG I slept in and forgot to put my clock forward by 30
minutes because we have left the Burma time zone. Today is the first of 2 sea
days as we cruise towards Porto Malai
I got up to the Lido to meet Denis and Colleen 20 minutes
late for brekkie. I only had a light brekkie as we had the Mariners lunch today
and I had the reception beforehand at 11.30pm.
Guess what I stuffed up and missed the reception which was actually at
11 am and went straight to the Brunch and was able to sit with Denis &
Colleen. It was an excellent lunch.
I then went up to the Seaview bar to catch up with Jurvey
and Gerry for a pre nanna nap drink. All the deck chairs were taken and most
folks were trying to improve their tans in the perfect sunny weather
conditions.
After the nanna nap it was up to the OB Happy hour that was
packed with laughter and fun as the regulars are now unwinding and relaxing.
I briefly ran into Colin and Wendy but Wendy was not her usual self as she has a head cold.
I briefly ran into Colin and Wendy but Wendy was not her usual self as she has a head cold.
Another beaut dinner with excellent service however I only
had a main course as I was still a bit full from the Brunch
Denis and I had only one night cap and then it was off to
bed before 10 pm.
Wednesday 30 December 2015
Today is our 2nd sea day as we cruise to Porto
Malai, so another recharge the batteries day. I started off by joining Colleen
and Denis for a leisurely hot brekkie in the dining room.
After catching up with emails and Facebook I made my way up
to the Seaview bar to enjoy the perfect weather in the sunshine. Today seemed
to be a little cooler with a slight breeze and all the beautiful and not so
beautiful were taking advantage of the sun lounges to darken their tans.
I caught up with Gerry and Jervy at the bar for a while
before going to the Lido to meet up with Denis for a Guinness before lunch.
There was entertainment and most folk were enjoying the sun, the pool and a
drink.
I only had a light lunch of sweet potato chips before going
down for my well earnt nanna nap.
We had the usual fun time at happy hour with the regulars
and the friendly bar staff.
Dinner was excellent and I enjoyed crumbed sweet and sour
prawns.
I only had the one nightcap with Denis before calling it an
early night just after 10.30 pm.
Thursday 31 December 2015
We had a leisurely brekkie before getting the tender to
visit Langkawi for the day. We just got the shuttle bus into the first town
where I purchased a Malaysian sim card for my old phone.
We went exploring and found
the seafront where there were heaps of beach cafes but unfortunately they
didn’t open until mid-afternoon so we
headed off to find a place to have lunch.
The Red SKY won us over as it was air conditioned, had cold
Tiger beer and the meals looked great. The service was excellent and friendly.
As most of you know Kurt and I spent a week in Malaysia 18 months ago for my
birthday and I love coming here as I have a soft spot for this country with its
excellent meals and friendly service.
Anyway after a few hours of having many courses and drinks
we were very surprised to find our bill only came to just under $30 Aus for the
3 of us.
After another walk around it was back to the ship. I had a
shower and then it was time to go up to happy hour
We had dinner in the Canaletto for NYE and we had heaps of
fun with the staff and of course we were one of the last tables to leave.
Actually I allowed PB to come with us for the celebrations.
The Lido pool area had been all decorated for the NYE party
but as we had an hour to spare we went down to the OB to see the guys. Colleen
and Denis only lasted about 30 minutes before going off to bed. Just before
midnight everyone left the OB to go up to the Lido for the countdown. I stayed
with Andy the barman and a couple from Austria so we had our own celebrations
which were fun.
About 12.30 am I went up to the Lido to say G’Day to a few
crew and guests and then went out to the Seaview bar to wish Gerry and the guys
Happy New Year.
So to cut a long story short I got down to bed just after 2am. Happy New Year.
So to cut a long story short I got down to bed just after 2am. Happy New Year.
Friday 1 January 2016
I think you will understand if I said I slept in this
morning and went up to the dining room for a late brekkie at 8.45 am.
It is another warm sunny day here in Penang so as I plan to
go out later I went down to the cabin to sort out photos and update the travel
blog. Denis and Colleen were doing a tour to see the Orangutans, so I was a
free agent.
Gerry had arranged to meet me at 12.20 pm and we went out to
explore Penang so I acted as the guide because it is his first visit and he was
my bodyguard. We got a taxi from the pier to the large shopping mall where we
had lunch and did some shopping. The lunch was fantastic and for the price a
great bargain.
We came back to the ship in a peddle power tri-Shaw which
was heaps of fun and it seemed to be faster than the taxi ride.
By the time I got back and sorted out my laundry it was time
to go up to happy hour.
Dinner was a great meal and as usual we had heaps of fun
with the waiters and the dining room supervisors.
About 9.45pm I headed down to the cabin to have an early night.
Well that’s what I thought as I was hanging up my clothes in the wardrobe I
felt drips of water falling on my head. OMG the air conditioner vent was
leaking condensation water at a fairly fast rate and as I didn’t want to drown
in my sleep I rang the front office.
The temporary solution was to put a towel on the floor to
absorb the drips as I would have to wait until the morning for the correct guy
to fix it up. It was like getting water torture so I played music to drown out
the drip drip noise.
Other than that I got to sleep by 11 pm and had a good
night’s sleep.
Saturday 2 January 2016
I survived the night and didn’t need snorkel and flippers to
get to the bathroom in the morning however the floor and towel under the drip
were very soggy.
When I got back from brekkie the room had been made up and a
new towel placed under the drip. When I went down to the office to get some
local money I mentioned it to the guy and next thing the young fellow that put
the towel under the leak came out to advise me he was supervising the repairs
personally and the repair man would be there soon.
Today we are in Port Klang and we planned just to go into
the mall at Klang and not make the couple of hour’s trip into KL.
Boy oh boy it was hot and humid when we got off the ship and
we were lined up for a cab. The cab was not in the best shape and was making
all sorts of sick noises as we bounced into the town 25 minutes away. Mr HAL
must be getting stingy these days as the last few times I have been here there
was a free shuttle bus.
The shopping at this mall is excellent and I got some new
earphones for my phones and Tab at a fraction of the price I would pay at home.
Then this contraption caught my eye for holding your mobile phone and it clamps
on to other objects like a table. Well I just had to have one and at great
expense of about $5 Aus it was now mine.
NO No it was not another kind of selfie stick.
Colleen and Denis went off to do some clothes shopping so I
stayed in a coffee shop and caught up on the Wi-Fi.
Our little taxi guy was waiting for us when we came out of
the Mall to take us back to the ship. I went to the cabin to put my new
purchases away and I was met with my new best friend Carlos from the office who
was just checking the repairs to my water torture problem. He was pleased to
report everything was fixed and even the carpet had been dried. So I thanked
him for his good follow work.
I had my Papaku
masarap Chicken burger when we got back to the ship. After the late lunch it
was time to go to the happy Hour in the OB.
My Malaysian sim card was working with good reception so I
had a viber video phone with folk back in Australia. They enjoyed seeing the
bar and the folk we have happy hour with.
We had dinner in the dining room and then Denis and I had a
Wang Wang for our night cap and after a very interesting day I made it to bed
by 11pm.
Sunday 3 January 2016
After a leisurely Brekkie in the Lido we met up to go ashore
in Malacca by a yellow crash boat used as a tender by the local authorities.
It was beaut to revisit this beautiful city so we hired a
cab for an hour to tour the attractions such as Santiago Fort, the Dutch
Square, the Sultans Palace, various temples and then concluded at the
observation tower.
The tower allowed us to experience commanding views of the
city and the surrounds and we could even see the Volendam at anchor in the
Straits of Malacca.
It was very hot and humid as we then set of by foot to
explore and experience life in this historic city. The brightly decorated
rickshaws with their loud blasting music are a big attraction. After a few
hours and as we were soaking wet with perspiration we decided to make our way
back to the wharf to catch the big yellow tender back to the ship.
Even back on the decks of the ship it was very hot so after
lunch I adjourned to the OB where I rigged up the phone in the window and was
able to use wifi to viber friends back home. Well I still had heaps of data
left on my Malaysian sim card.
I didn’t get a chance to have a nanna nap before Happy Hour.
We had a great dinner and the usual laughs with the waiters.
We have arranged to go upstairs in the dining room for the next segment of the
cruise as most of our waiters will be working up there for the next segment
also.
I only had a quick night cap at the OB before calling it a
night just before 11.00 pm.
Monday 4 January 2015
I was up early to get the travel news email out with the
photos before going to the dining room for brekkie.
By mid-morning we were off the ship and going through the
immigration procedures for Singapore.
We then took a cab up to Faber Peak to catch the cable car to Sentosa Island to see the attractions. What a fantastic way of taking in the city and harbour views and we went right over the Ms Volendam as we passed over the harbour.
We then took a cab up to Faber Peak to catch the cable car to Sentosa Island to see the attractions. What a fantastic way of taking in the city and harbour views and we went right over the Ms Volendam as we passed over the harbour.
When we arrived over on the island we took another cable car
from one end of the island to the other. The little beach café looked great
from the air so we went walked down to Siloso beach and had a Tiger beer.
OMG Singapore is so expensive compared with Malaysia as we
had to pay $30 Singapore dollars for 2 beers. The Singapore dollar and the
Aussie dollar are about the same value. In Malaysia we were only paying about
the equivalent to $5 Aussie for the same beer.
When we came back we got off at the Harbour Station and then
walked back to the Cruise Terminal.
I had a late lunch and at that time the heavens opened up
and produced a tropical downpour which cooled things down. We were so lucky to
get back to the ship just before the rain.
Happy hour was the usual fun time and the ship is running
out of Coke Zero, some beers and Bundy Rum so the boys a hoping the new
supplies will be loaded tomorrow. There is still heaps of Vegemite so that is
one issue I don’t have to worry about.
Dinner was excellent and I really enjoyed the cream of
mushroom soup.
Denis and went down to the OB for a night cap and we had to
say goodbye to friends we had made who will be leaving tomorrow.
I called it an early night at 10.30 pm.
Tuesday 5 January 2016
We awoke to a fine and sunny Singapore morning and it was a
little cooler than Monday before the rain. We did brekkie in the Lido and lots
of the folk that were departing were all saying their goodbyes.
At 11am we met up to go out to the nearby shopping malls
mainly to have some lunch. We went to the Crystal Jade Dining In situated on
the Harbour front for Dim Sum. What a great meal and a perfect location to
watch the passing crowds and water front activities.
When we got back to the ship we were invited up to the Crows
Nest for the welcome aboard for the new passengers. You may remember we were
not very happy by the unfriendly service we received when we joined the ship 2
weeks ago. Well the welcome was a 100% improvement and we were met by Twinkle
the Beverage Manager taken the back way and given prime positions at the bar.
Since our last visit there had been some staff changes and
our friend Jervy has been moved up to the Crows Nest as the head barman. I am
pleased to say it was like going home to my Crows Nest and sitting in my Papaku
chair. It was a very enjoyable experience and many thanks to the Beverage
management team for fixing the situation so diplomatically.
Because today is the start of another segment and the ship
has another 800 new folk on board we had to have the mandatory life boat drill
before we could leave Singapore.
There is no Happy Hour today however we had a
drink in the OB.
Tonight we went to the Pinnacle Grill for an excellent meal
and extremely good service.
After dinner I retired to my cabin about 10.30pm.
Wednesday 6 January 2015
Today is a sea day as we sail towards Indonesia. The seas
are very calm and we are rewarded with clear blue skies and mild temp of 28C.
The dining room was very busy for brekkie, however we had a
beaut window table aft looking out over the blue ocean.
I got all the laundry ready to send in and then went up to
the Lido aft to catch a little sun and fresh air. With the perfect weather all
the Dutch Germans and Poms were getting their winter tans. One thing about the
Europeans is they are not body conscious and there were all shapes and sizes.
I met up with Denis and Colleen for lunch on the Lido and
Denis suggested Guinness pie and I enjoyed his suggestion. I washed it down
with a Bloody Mary with the complements of Niek the Corporate beverage Manager.
I think it was from all the sunshine combined with the beaut
meal I was really ready for the nanna nap and ended up sleeping for over 2
hours.
The phone woke me and it was Denis letting me know I was
late for Happy Hour. So a very quick freshen up I arrived at the OB 15 minutes
late.
All the new folk crowded into the bar and lounge and the
boys were busy and happy as there were no ice water brigade and the till was
working overtime. We learnt the sad news that our friend Gerry’s father had
passed away and he would be flying home tomorrow and would be on leave for 2
weeks.
We have now graduated to fixed seating on level 5 of the
dining room so we have to break in new waiters. The meal was excellent and I
enjoyed the new surroundings.
Denis and I went up to the Crows Nest for our night cap. It
was great to be back in the Crows Nest.
I called it a night at 10.30 pm but as we had to turn the
clock back an hour it was like going to bed at 9.30 pm.
Thursday 7 January 1016
The ship arrived early at Tanjung Proik the Port of Jakarta
at 7 am. The weather was fine, sunny and warm and not too smoggy.
We had brekkie up at the Lido and planned our day. The plan
was to go to the Artha Gading Mall in Jakarta on the free shuttle. We met at 8.30
am and were through security checks as well as having a dog sniff us out for
drugs in no time and were on the shuttle.
The trip into the Mall only took about 20 minutes as the
traffic was not too bad. On a bad traffic day the trip can take over an hour.
As we arrived at 9am we had to sit around until 9.45 to 10 am for most of the
shops to open.
I went to a phone shop to buy a Indonesian sim card which
should have been a simple task. OMG in this non air conditioned small store
with a guy that could speak less English than I can speak Indonesian and after
he ruined 2 sim cards trying to install them I knew this was not doing to work.
By now there were another 5 folk from the ship watching what was going on and
trying to translate. After about 30 minutes the little shop was getting very
hot and everyone was getting impatient I realised he was never going to get the
sim card to work so I told him to forget it and I took sim card out and packed
up the phone and to his surprise left the shop. I think he was yelling at me to
pay for the sim cards he had mucked up. When I got outside I noted all the
other folk were also leaving the shop without wasting any more time there.
I now couldn’t find Denis or Colleen in the large Mall so I
waited at the entrance for a while and then decided to get the shuttle back to
the ship.
I was just having a cooling off drink at the Seaview Bar
when Rovil one of the bar staff asked me how I went with getting the sim card.
After I told him my sad story he told me he was leaving now and would get one
for me while he was out as he was getting a few for the crew and knew the best
place to go.
I caught up with Denis and Colleen and had lunch with then
as they got the next shuttle to mine back. I had a well earnt nanna nap before
going up to Happy Hour.
During Happy Hour Rovil installed my new sim card for me and
all I have to do is top it up tomorrow at a 7 Eleven store when we go into
town.
Dinner was a bit of a mess up as they were short of waiters
and we were in the dining room for just on 2 hours. I even suggested to Johnathan
one of the Dutch European supervisors to help the overworked boys instead of
walking around like lord muck.
He told me that would not be appropriate for an
officer like him. OMG, Presty and Mr K why is this clown not like you guys and
most of the other supervisors I have met over the years that think nothing of
helping out when required.
It was just after
10pm by the time we got away and Denis and Colleen went to the show so I called
in to the OB for a night cap and was in bed by 11pm.
Friday 8 January 2016
We arrived at Semarang at 9 am and it was great to watch the
docking procedures as we were having our brekkie in the dining room. The ship
had to do a heap of reversing to get us to the dock.
We met up at 10am to catch the shuttle bus into Simpang Lima
Square near the Robinson Mall. I went to the phone card office to get a top up
of data for my sim card. I had to take a ticket and I was in the shop for the
total of an hour while Denis and Coleen went shopping. They decided to go back
to the ship before I was called to the counter
When I came out I heard my Papaku name being called out and
was pleased to find Robil and Mike from the bar team so I took them to lunch at
a Chinese place in the food court. Edsel came along while we were eating and
also wanted to top up his sim card so we took him down to the phone shop and
they were served within 10 minutes.
When we got back to the meeting place for the shuttle we
found out we had just missed it and would have to wait for 40 minutes on the
hot humid footpath with no shade. Edsel was a bit worried about getting back to
get ready for his shift so I got a cab for 15 Yankee bucks back to the ship. We
arrived the same time as the bus we had just missed.
The new sim card worked very well even from my cabin so I
was able to tether the phone to my laptop and have my own Wi-Fi and even use
Viber to talk to my brother to check on things back home.
Happy hour was the usual fun time and the new folk have
settled in well and seem to like the happy hours much more than the previous
segment.
I got the breakdown of the mariners which are:- 5
Star..20, 4 Star..102, 3Star…280
and the rest are one or two star.
The Guests are from 49 nationalities and the breakdowns of
the main nations are:-
Yanks 390, Dutch 206, Canada 161, Poms 147, Aussies 98, and
the other nations with smaller numbers help make up the total of 1292 guests on
board.
Well dinner tonight was a complete change from last night
and with an additional friendly waiter assigned to our area the service was
excellent and the meal most enjoyable. Even Johnathan tried to be pleasant and
smile. Many thanks to the Culinary Management team that fixed the slow service
problem we had last night.
After dinner Colleen Denis and I went up to the Crows Nest
for a night cap and had a fun time up there with Jervy the barman. Even Twinkle
called in to have a chat with us for a while.
It was about 11.30 by the time I made it to bed and as
tomorrow is a sea day I will be able to sleep in.
Saturday 9 January 2016
What a beautiful calm sunny day at sea we woke to as we
cruise towards Probolinggo. We went up to the Lido for a light brekkie as we
were invited to the special Rijsttafel (Indonesian lunch) to be held at 11.30
am.
After brekkie I filled in time by sending emails,
downloading and sorting photos. I had a meeting with Twinkle in her office as
she wanted to see photos of some of the BBQs I have held at my home for crew of
the Volendam and Amsterdam in previous years.
I put on one of my batik shirts for the lunch and was
surprised how many complementary comments I received from ladies and Indonesian
crew. As many of you have seen photos of
this shirt on me in photos of past cruises as I have had it for 4 years and
take it on most cruises. The folk were surprised to hear I bought it on the
wharf in Bali for only $5 and it has lasted the test over all this time and
survived the Holland America laundries on the ships and still looks a good as
the day I purchased it.
Well what a treat we were given with the lunch as the upper
dining room was decorated for the occasion and the background music was
Balinese. I have attached a photo of the menu. We congratulated the officers
and crew for the great job they had done with the excellent service and
culinary delights they produced. All the crew and Indonesian officers were all
wearing Batik shirts to add to the ambiance.
Yes you guessed correctly after this beaut feed and a few
reds Papaku was off to have a nana nap in order to be ready for Happy Hour.
Happy Hour was a very busy time and folk were taking
advantage of the sea day to call in to enjoy a drink.
Dinner was a formal night and the menu provided the usual
favourites and I enjoyed the rack of lamb. After dinner we went to the OB for a
night cap before calling it a night about 11pm.
Sunday 10 January 2016
We had a leisurely brekkie up in the Lido as today was a
tender transfer to the port of Probolinggo so we agreed to do the transfer at
10 am.
The 20 minute tender ride was very smooth and the gentle
breeze kept the temperature comfortable on what turned out to be a very hot and
humid day. The shuttle bus took us from the port to the very basic shopping
centre. Boy oh boy it was hot and the shops were not air conditioned so after
buying some polo shirts (yes I know!) we had a walk around and decided to go
back to the shuttle and escape the heat.
We were soaking wet with perspiration when we got back to
the ship so had to change before going up to the Lido for a pizza lunch and 3
large glasses of lemonade to restore the fluid balance to the system
I had a most welcome nanna nap before going up to the OB for
happy hour. After happy hour I took advantage of still being in phone range to
do banking and other work on the computer before going up to dinner.
The lamb chops were to die for, a most enjoyable meal.
We went up to see Jervy in the Crows Nest for our night cap.
I called into the OB on the way down to the cabin and had a few while I chatted
with Edsel the barman. A very nice older Yankee lady came in and we had a great
chat about Turkey and Greece.
I didn’t get to bed until just before midnight.
Monday 11 January 2016
Our late brekkie in the dining room was very entertaining as
many of the Balinese waiters were going home for a visit to their families
while we were in port. There was so much excitement as some would be meeting
their babies that were born while they were away.
Our arrival was delayed until 1 pm as we had to wait for the
tide in order to dock. As Colleen was not feeling well only Denis and I went
ashore where we met Komang our driver while were in Bali.
Komang drove us to Jimbaran Bay where we had lunch at the
Aroma Seafood Restaurant which was right on the beachfront. The location of
this popular establishment is fantastic offering million dollar views of the
beach and the bay.
Boy oh boy it was so still not a breeze at all so we felt
the very hot and humid conditions as we were on a covered deck outside the
building. The meal was excellent, I had the deep fried squid while Denis and
Komang had Balinese barbecued whole fish.
After lunch we went for a tour of Kuta and went past the
Memorial. The streets were so crowded with motor bikes cars and pedestrians
that it took us 20 minutes to drive 2 blocks.
We got back to the ship just in time for happy hour and to
share our stories with the other regulars and the boys at the bar.
After dinner we went to the OB for a night cap and I called
it an early night just on 10.30pm.
Tuesday 12 January 2016
I had to fill in the morning doing emails and Facebook as I
was taking some of the bar staff out to lunch and as there were drills on we
could not leave until 11.30 am.
Komang was waiting to take me and 5 of the boys to a Chinese
restaurant about 20 minutes’ drive from the ship. What a popular place it was
with the locals and the food was excellent. It is always a pleasure to see the
boys enjoying a meal away from the ship.
As the boys had to be back on the ship by 2pm we only had
time for a very quick drive around the local beach and it was back to the port.
Today did not seem to be as hot as there was a slight breeze.
I had a short nanna nap before going up to the OB for Happy
hour. It was a quiet time at the bar as most of the guests were still ashore so
we had to provide our own entertainment.
Larry started playing his and singing after happy hour so we
stayed and he sang a few Aussie songs as well as the old favourites so we
stayed on. It was a rush to make it to dinner.
I had a night cap in the OB after dinner and was in bed by
11.30pm
Wednesday 13 January 2016
We had a nice hot brekkie in the dining room and enjoyed the
views of Lombok as we arrived.
Today is a tender transfer so we decided to wait for the
rush to die down before going ashore. Boy oh boy it was another hot and humid
day. The 15 minute ride over was very calm on glassy smooth waters but with no
breeze it was very hot in the tender.
When we got off the sun was just zapping the energy out of us and the perspiration was just pouring out of every pore of the body. Wed decided to just have a look around the small market stalls by the jetty. I came over without sunglasses so first purchase was a $5 pair of cheap sunglasses. A few stalls later I found a beaut Batik shirt and I got a bargain and only paid $5 for it.( Don’t worry folks so far on this cruise I have only bought 1 shirt and 2 polo shirts.)
After 30 minutes we were sopping wet, exhausted and struggled back to the tender to go back to the ship. Thank goodness there were not many on board and we sat near the door so we got a nice cool breeze that cooled down our very wet clothes.
Back on the ship a change of clothes was required and then up to the Lido for many huge glasses of water to replenish the fluid loss.
I had a nice white wine with pizza for lunch before going to
have a well earnt nanna nap.
Happy hour was very busy and noisy. The LGBT guys decide to
sit behind us at the bar and they were having a great time recovering from the
heat with their high pitched voices and giggles.
Dinner was Gala which is a stupid word for Formal (I guess
some idiot in Seattle dreamed it up.) Anyway I decided to wear my new Batik
shirt (National Costume) as I had no intention of wearing a jacket.
The roast duck was to die for and a most enjoyable meal.
We called into the OB for only one night cap as I wanted an
early night. I was in bed by 10.30pm.
Thursday 14 January 2016
We had brekkie in the Lido and the views across to Komodo
Island were postcard perfect. What a great place to park the ship.
As I have been to see the dragons before I decided to have a
rest day on board. I thought I would start on the packing but decided it was
too hard, stressful and certainly not relaxing.
I went up to the Seaview bar late morning and enjoyed the
warm weather before going in to lunch. The news broke about the Jakarta
bombings which put shockwaves through the Indonesian crew and especially the
guys from Jakarta.
I had the Guinness pie for lunch before going down to have a
nanna nap.
Happy hour was another lively session with many tales being
told about the dragons. Most of the folk that went over to the island seemed to
enjoy the experience.
Dinner was a fun meal and I enjoyed the chilled strawberry
soup and the roast chicken.
We went to the OB for a night cap and our peace was
disturbed by the noisy mob on the pub crawl. They were having a great time and
like grasshoppers they hopped off to the next bar on their list after they had
some blue drink.
After a very restful day I called it a night about 11 pm.
Friday 15 January 2016
A beautiful calm sea day as we head towards Surabaya. Well
that’s what we thought until during brekkie the Captain came on the PA and announced
Seattle had decided it was too great a risk to take the ship there because of
Surabaya’s close proximity to Jakarta after yesterday’s terrorist attack.
It looks like at this stage we will be having an extra in
Singapore before the end of the cruise. As you know I always the Captains and
the Company’s decision to skip ports for safety reasons.
Brekkie was a long drawn out chatty meal and I felt sorry
for the crew who would now be searing their families in Surabaya.
When I got down to the cabin I started the packing.
Mid-morning we had the Mariner’s reception and then Brunch.
I got hauled up to have a photo with the Captain and the Hotel Manager. This is
the first time in the nearly 4 weeks on board I have met these unsociable
officers. At least these tall guys squatted down for the photo as I only came
up to their chests.
I then was escorted down to the dining room to be seated at
the Captains table for the lunch. Big deal we were the last table to be served
because we were waiting for him to arrive. Guess what he didn’t show and to
think I could have sat with Colleen and Denis and had more fun. The folk at the
table were very much up themselves about their cruises.
Only the nice old lady
beside me spoke to me.
Then it was down to bed for a nanna nap before going to
Happy Hour.
Dinner was excellent with cold mango soup, Asian spare ribs
and finished up with sticky date pudding .. yummy.
Twinkle joined me for a chat while I was having my night
cap.
I called in to the show room to see a little of Annie Frances
singing. I have seen her before on other ships.
It was about 11.30 pm by the time I got to bed.
Saturday 16 January 2016
Another calm very hot and humid sea day greeted us as we
went up to the Lido for brekkie.
Today for brekkie I decided to make an egg toasted sandwich
using a hardboiled egg. After adding the tomato sauce and salt it was perfect.
After the usual nanna nap it was up to the Happy hour. Well
great excitement as the women’s quilters group had got in early and taken over
the area normally used by the LGBT so the LGBT had to find an area down the
back of the lounge. OMG these girls after one or two wines were louder and
gigglier than the gay guys.
We went up to the Crows Nest after dinner but as karaoke was
on we took our drinks to the OB to enjoy some peace and quiet as we had our
night cap.
I was in bed by 11 pm.
Sunday 17 January 2016
Today was another very calm and hot sea day however I never
went outside all day so I didn’t experience the heat. After brekkie I got the
final washing off to the laundry in order to have it back in time to pack
tomorrow.
Mid-morning I went to the 5 Star cooking class which was
heaps of fun. Our menu was Rice paper Prawn rolls, Wasabi and soy crusted beef
tenderloin. Chef Michael had to rescue
my rice paper roll as it had a big air bubble in it. After the class we then
went over to the Pinnacle Grill to sample the meal but cooked by Chef Michael.
I had a short nanna nap before Happy hour in the OB. It is
so strange that on cruises folk seem to find the bars with happy hours on the
last days of the cruise. Boy oh boy the place was crowded and noisy.
I then called in to the Mix bar to listen to Larry the
guitar player and singer for a few songs before going to get ready for dinner.
Tonight was another ‘Gala’ dress night but as we were going
to the Canaletto Denis and I wore jackets but no ties. As usual the Canaletto
meal was excellent and we had a fun time there with the staff.
We had a lively time with our night caps as we were joined by our Pommie friends Paul and Rose.
I think it was midnight by the time I got
to bed.
Monday 18 January 2016
When I awoke we were already at the Marina Bay Cruise ship
terminal in Singapore. I met up with Denis and Colleen for a late brekkie.
There was no rush to get off the ship as there were not
enough Immigration officers scheduled on so there were long delays in getting
off the ship. We decided to leave it until about 11.30 to disembark which
worked out perfect as the Immigration process was now working very efficiently.
In no time at all after leaving the ship we were on the
shuttle bus into the nearby shopping mall to find somewhere nice to eat lunch.
Would you believe we found a Down under Steak and Grill so
we went in to try it out. I had the fried Kookaburra wings thank God they were
Chicken wings as I would have been shot at dawn if I had eaten a protected
native bird like the Kookaburra.
After a bit of a walk around the Mall we caught the shuttle
back to the ship.
As my packing was well under control I had a short nanna nap
and then up for our last happy hour.
Because we were in Port it was a bit quiet for Happy hour and just before 5pm the LGBT
mob arrived and that really livened things up for a while.
We did our last dinner in the dining room and it was sad to
say goodbye to our waiters for their excellent service.
Would you believe Johnathan the arrogant officer called by
to wish us well and apologise for the misunderstanding earlier in the cruise. I
reminded him there was no misunderstanding as he could have like other officers
got in and helped clear the backlog. This was the first time he came near our
table since the incident as I guess he just wanted to be friendly so we would
give him a good comment in the survey. From my survey even the bean counters in
Seattle will get the message from me he is a wasted space and adds no value to
the team.
We called into the OB for our final night cap and all those
sad good byes. What a great team of guys were working in the OB
I was in bed by 11 pm and my luggage out in the hallway.
Tuesday 19 January 2015
I awoke early and was up in the Lido to join Colleen and
Denis for brekkie at 7am, then it was just a matter of cleaning teeth etc. and leaving
the ship.
The customs and Immigration process went very well and in no
time I was with the group doing the tour on the way to the airport.
Boy oh boy it was a very hot and humid day and as I had done
this tour 2 years ago when we got to the orchid gardens I decided I would just
wait at the entrance and sit in the shade. Gordon and Dan from the ship joined
me as they are from Alaska and the heat was killing them.
After that stop we stayed in the air conditioned coach at all
the stops on the rest of the tour.
We arrived at the airport at 2 pm and I was lucky to get an
early check in for Qantas. My flight did not board until 8.50 pm so I had heaps
of time to kill.
By the time I got through security and Immigration it was
2.30pm so I was able to go direct to the Qantas Club as it opens at 2.30pm.
I have mentioned many times that the Qantas Club Singapore
is the best run and managed Qantas Club I have ever visited.
Just as I was about to sit down at a table I heard someone
calling in an excited voice ‘Papako Papako’, so I looked around to find my
friend Ali the Maître de coming over to great me. That’s when the VIP service
began.
Ali prepared me a very nice lunch and some G&T’s to wash
it down. With all this attention it was not hard to fill in the time.
I was given priority boarding for the flight. I had now
noticed I had gained an annoying dry cough so I drugged myself up for the
flight.
Mr Qantas you served me dry chicken with pasta for the
evening meal which was not eatable so I tried the bread roll. Well it was
frozen with a large dob of garlic butter inside which was also uneatable. No
wonder Emirates is getting more of your former passengers.
I got in a bit of sleep before they served a dry old pastry
for brekkie. Thank God I was able to get brekkie in the Qantas Club between
flights.
Wednesday 20 January 2016
After freshening up at the Qantas Club it was time to board
my flight to Cairns. I was given priority boarding and was very pleased with the
friendly and helpful attitude of the crew. This crew was brilliant and were
great ambassadors for the airline. Pity they were not on the International
flight last night.
I arrived in Cairns just on midday and was net by my good friend
Graham who drove me home via the shopping centre. We called into the food court
and enjoyed some Spanish Mackerel for lunch.
