2019 Ms Maasdam Spice Islands Cruise (March)

2019 Ms Maasdam Spice Islands Cruise March

Wednesday 6 March 2019

I had a leisurely afternoon by having lunch with Ken and Steve before going home to do the final packing before Steve drove me to the airport at 3.30 pm.

The check in at the International Terminal was a breeze and I was up in the departure area having a coffee by 3.55 pm. The efficiency and friendliness of the officials is to be complemented.

The flight was excellent, and I had an empty seat beside me. The service on Silk Air was fantastic and I even got in a few hours sleep.

The arrival at Changi Airport went very smoothly and from the plane to the Hotel by taxi only took 55 minutes.

Thursday 7 March 2019

I was in bed by 1.15 am and had a good sleep until 6 am. Sunrise in Singapore was 7.14 am not that it made much difference as it was a very cloudy day. After checking emails and FB I did some banking on line and then got ready for brekky by the poolside garden.

Brekky was great and a good variety of Western and Asian food.

I had a leisurely morning before getting a taxi to the cruise terminal. The check in went very efficiently and within an hour of departing the Hilton I was in my cabin on the ship.

I went up to the Lido for a snack and some water to fill in time before the welcome back on-board drinks up in the Crows Nest. OMG I estimate half the ship was there and it seemed half of them were rowdy Aussies trying to get in as many of the free drinks as possible.

  It was good to meet up with some of the bar staff I had met on previous cruises. They were so busy even the lady Bar Manager (I haven’t met yet) was busy serving drinks.

After the mandatory boat drill, I made my way up to the Lido Bar and caught up with Justin, Warren, Mark and Paul who were working the Lido. We had an enjoyable time talking about past cruises and then some of the boys started telling the guests at the bar about my dress up as the Pope and that seemed to put me into Legend Status.

Back to my suite for a shower and get ready for dinner. I had about 30 minutes after getting ready to kill before my dinner time. I sat on the sofa to do some reading and the next thing I knew it was 10.30 pm and I had missed dinner. So off to bed I went.

Friday 8 March 2019

Today is a sea day.

I woke feeling very refreshed at 5.45 am so got ready to go up to the Lido for brekkie. It was still very quiet up there and my new Indonesian friends gave me VIP service and waited on me hand and foot.

Yes, I did have Vegemite on my croissants.

At 10 am I went to the talk on the ports we are to visit over the next few days as I have never been to Borneo before. This was a hard sell by the ships shore excursions people.

For lunch today I had a Papaku Masarap Chicken Burger while I held court at the Lido Bar. Here I met Lisa the Beverage Manager who seems to be a very nice lady. I have previously met Bong her assistant manager and Ivica the Cellar Master.

The Port Talk for the 2 Malaysian ports was presented for the independent traveller by Matt. He gave an excellent presentation and I found most informative for planning the Borneo visits to Bintulu and Koto Kinabalu.

Then it was time for the Wine tasting of samples of the various packages. Ivica gave brilliant and fun filled summery of the various wines. I was seated with a couple from Brisbane and a Pommie lady. We had great conversations at our table and were the last to leave the session.

 The afternoon had quickly moved on and it was time to go to the Ocean Bar for Happy Hour. What a bonus they have bought back Guinness in the can with the widget after 4 or 5 years of absence as some stupid bean counter in Seattle decided it would be cheaper to sell Guinness in the bottle that could have been brewed anywhere in the world under licence. The good thing about the widget can Guinness is that it is brewed in Dublin using water from the river Liffey.

I met a very nice couple from Perth that had already been on the ship for the previous segment. We chatted until it was time to go and get ready for Dinner.

I have my own Papaku Table beside the rail over looking the lower dining room. (Sir John it is 2 around from your favourite table on the VEDM.)  The service was excellent and the staff soon all knew Papaku and the fun begun. 

It was a Gala (Galah) formal night and my jacket and trousers had not returned from the dry cleaning. I wore black trackie daks and an Indonesian shirt. Actually, the attendants complemented me on the shirt.

It was an enjoyable meal and the crew kept me well entertained.

After dinner I went down to the cabin and by 9.45 pm I was curled up in bed.

Saturday 9 March 2019

I awoke at 6 am and downloaded photos and bought this report up to date, before having a shower and going up for brekkie.

We arrived at the Industrial port of Bintulu that was 30 minutes from the town. The Pilot was 45 minutes late in boarding the ship for our entry to the port because another ship had lost power and had to be towed away from the dock allocated to the Maasdam.

From then on it was a pile of errors as there were only a few shuttle busses to take the folks into town and folk were lining up for up to an hour in the 36C heat waiting for a ride into town. I decided to wait until the ‘rush’ eased off. Well this did not happen and after I had lunch, I checked to see how long the line was. It hadn’t improved and they estimated there would be still half an hour wait so I went up to the cabin and had a nanna nap.

Many of the folk that did go into town were disappointed and of course there was another long wait to return to the ship. The old busses should have been in a museum.

I understand this is the first time a cruise ship has called in to this port and it was obvious the local mob were not prepared for the influx of visitors.

Here are some stats on the passengers on the ship:-

Nationality Breakdown

                   Aussies                264

                   Canadians           188

                   Yanks                   159

                   Poms                   52

          The other 27 nations were made up of smaller numbers.

Mariner Status

                   5 Star                            25

                   4 Star                            158

                   3 Star                            196

                   2 Star                            143

                   1 Star                            108

                   First timers                   314

Age Groups

                   0 – 35                            16

                   36 – 50                          31

                   51 – 65                          202

                   66 – 74                          383

                   72+                                265

                   Unknown                      52

I did the first part of Happy hour up in the Crows Nest and trivia was on and the place was busy with the ‘Iced water brigade’ all very serious. So, then I went to the Ocean Bar and caught up with some of the regulars there.

Dinner was excellent and I had a great time with the staff.

I called it a night at 10 pm and adjourned to my cabin.

Sunday 10 March 2019

As today we were not arriving into the port of Kota Kinabalu Borneo Malaysia until 11am I had a leisurely brekkie in the Lido. I even tried an omelette with ham, cheese and olives. Yummy.

As the sun was shining in on my verandah, I even got in 20 minutes of sunbaking as I watched our arrival into port. Even the views from the ship showed a very inviting and progressive Asian city. This time the port was within easy walking distance of the city and shuttle busses were also provided.

After lunch I went out on a 4 hour Kota Kinabalu highlights tour. Boy oh boy what a fantastic and informative tour. We visited a Heritage Village, a water village, the Museum, The Filipino Markets and the State and city Mosque. I will let the photos do the talking and illustrate the diversity.

Our local tour guide was excellent and spoke most highly of the ANZAC soldiers (Aussies and Kiwis) that drove out the Japanese forces in the second world war. She also showed us schools and other community projects provided by the Aussies. A funny story she told was that well before the 2^nd WW Head hunting practice had been banned but was still going on so the Aussie soldiers told the natives it was ok if they head hunted the Japanese army guys. The Japanese were very cruel and slaughtered the many of the locals.

So when the ANZACS arrived and treated the locals like friends the locals assisted the Aussies in any way they could to defeat the Japanese forces. Anzac Day is still celebrated here in Borneo each year even after all these years. It was good for me to here these stories as my father was one of the Aussie soldiers here in the 2^nd WW.

I was late back for Happy Hour however I had organised in advance a few drinks. I caught up with John and Sandy my Perth friends and had a few drinks with them.

After dinner I went down to the Piano Bar and the boys from The Emperors of Soul got up and sang a few songs. What a bonus, I will definitely go and see their show on the main stage tomorrow night.

It was 11 pm by the time I got to bed.

Monday 11 March 2019

Today is a sea day as we head towards the Philippines.

After my leisurely brekkie I came back to my cabin and took advantage of the sun on my verandah and got in a bit of sunbathing.

Then a fantastic announcement was made that the bars would be having happy hour all day, so I headed up to the Lido Bar and had a couple of Bloody Marys before lunch. Normally these days I don’t drink until the 4 pm happy hour.

After a nice long nanna nap I headed up to the Ocean Bar to catch up with the regular gang for a few drinks. It was a fun time with heaps of laughs.

Tonight, I went to dinner with John and Sandy in the downstairs dining room at 6.30pm which was a bit early for me but we planned to see the show at 8 pm. We had such a great time that it was 8.45 pm by the time we had finished the meal which resulted in us missing the show.

I went to the Piano Bar and Al filled in for the sick piano player and entertained us for an hour. Al was once a member of the BB King group. He put on an excellent impromptu show.

I headed up to bed just after 10 pm.

Tuesday 12 March 2019

During my shave this morning I cut myself on the chin and it wouldn’t stop bleeding, so I was later than usual getting up to brekkie.

As usual I was spoilt at brekkie and the kids waited on me hand and foot as my chin started bleeding again. I went through a few paper towels in dabbing the cut before one of the young ladies put a band aid on the wound and that stopped the bleeding.

By now we had docked in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. Wow this place had had a big face lift around the port area since I was here 6 years ago. 

A great improvement.

I took the shuttle bus into town to the Mall to have a walk around. I found a beaut coffee shop with free Wi-Fi that was a bit hard to get online at first but when connected it was a good service on the phone. 

When I tried the laptop, I could not get into Gmail or Facebook so that meant I couldn’t send the news update.

After a few hours of exploring I got the shuttle back to the ship for a late lunch before a short nanna nap.

Happy Hour was with the usual regulars and a great time was had.

For dinner I had the fresh fish that had been purchased locally today. It was delicious.

I called it an early night and was in bed before 10 pm.

Wednesday 13 March 2019

Today is a sea day so I had a leisurely brekkie and was joined by a couple from Bundy (Bundaberg) that I had met in the Ocean Bar at happy hour.

I sat out on the verandah in the sun and fell asleep for 30 minutes a most relaxing experience in the warm sunshine. The seas have been very calm so far on this cruise.

Then it was up to the Lido Bar to watch the battle of 5 barman showing their skills at making cocktails including their showman skills and flare for juggling bottles. This was a fun filled time with the audience having to put up numbers for each contestant. As Papaku I had to give each contestant a 10. I enjoyed a Guinness as I watched the show.

After a sandwich lunch I headed down to the cabin for a nanna nap.

Happy Hour with the usual regulars and the interaction with John and Steve our Barmen was heaps of fun as we tried to get sunset photos though the salt sprayed windows.

I had calf liver for dinner which was delicious. This is not a meal I have has for many years.

It was an early night as I was in bed before 10 pm.

Thursday 14 March 2019

Today is another sea day as we head towards Indonesia and just after 8 am the ship’s horn blasted as the ship crossed the Equator.

As usual I was very well looked after and waited on in the Lido for brekkie. As I seem to be a creature of habit, so they know what I want and get it for me. I don’t mind as I don’t have to go near the food displays and get tempted to eat more food than I really need.

Today I plan not to have a drink before Happy hour at 4 pm. So, I am keeping away from the bars.

I got in about 20 minutes sun on the verandah especially on my back. It is also good to get away from the air-conditioning for a while.

Before lunch I went up to the Lido and held court for a while then got some fish and a BLT sandwich which I took down to my cabin to have before my nana nap.

Happy hour was very quiet this afternoon as we only had 3 of the regulars there.

For dinner I had a perfect pork chop cooked to perfection.

After dinner I went to the Piano Bar to enjoy the singalong and while I was there the guys from the Emperors of Swing came a long and under pressure from the audience got up and sang a few songs, what a bonus.

I called it a night Just after 11pm.

Friday 15 March 2019

I went up to brekkie early and had a window seat at the Lido to enable me to watch our arrival at the Indonesian port of Makasar. It was raining lightly but still warm and many officials had gathered on the port to welcome the arrival of the Maasdam.

The locals put on a great show on the dock with a band and a group of 8 young boys dancing and doing acrobatics that stole the show. The local Mayor made a presentation to the Captain and the Hotel Director and then the Captain was even dancing with the young boys and like the Pied Piper led them and their mothers on to the ship to show them around. 







What an experience for the kids and to enjoy the ice-cream and food they were given. The looks on their faces was worth a million dollars.

When I got off the ship there was a great welcome in the terminal. I went outside and got a tri-shaw for a short tour and went to a coffee shop and used the Wi-Fi which was excellent as I was the only person using it. It was good to catch up with emails and Facebook. After an hour my driver returned and continued with a sightseeing tour on the way back to the ship.

I enjoyed lunch in the Lido as I made my self a steak sandwich and had some sushi. I went back to the terminal to enjoy the entertainment and use the slow Wi-Fi (as heaps of folk from the ship were there using the wi-fi.)

While there I learnt of the shocking news of the Christchurch Massacre. What a sick animal this evil bigot is, who murdered so many folk just going about their prayers.

This news put a damper on our Happy Hour and the rest of the evening. Although the lamb chops were cooked to perfection for dinner.

I called it an early night and went to bed about 10 pm but as we had to put the time forward by one hour tonight it suddenly became 11 am.

                                                                                                                                             

Saturday 16 March 2019  

Today is a sea day as we head towards East Timor.

Brekkie in the lido was very quiet as I guess many folk were taking advantage of having a sleep in on the sea day.

I had a restful morning which included an hour sleep before going up to the Lido to hold court at the Bar and have a snack lunch. Today all drinks after mid-day were at happy hour price. So naturally I had a few pre-lunch drinks and it was mid afternoon by the time I had my Nanna nap.

Tonight was a Gala (Galah) night and I had arranged to have dinner with Christine a lady I shared the cab with from the Hilton to the Ship in Singapore. It was a great night and excellent company.

After dinner I went to the Ocean Bar and was surprised to see so many there enjoying the band, dancing and having a drink. I stayed there until about midnight before going up to bed.

Sunday 17 March 2019

St Patrick’s Day

There wasn’t many wearing green up in the Lido at Brekkie. I was of course.

Today we arrived off Dili, Timor Leste and had to tender to the island. 

OMG the primitive landing pontoon on arrival was rocking and shaking and made the climb up the gangway very difficult even for the able bodied folk. This made loading and unloading ashore very time consuming.

I went over about 10 am and it was very hot and humid, it was obvious there had been a tropical downpour earlier as the muddy streets had running water and heaps of muddy slushy puddles to navigate around. 

I made it to the big Hotel Timor to escape the heat and see if they had Wi-Fi. Their wifi was not working so then I set off to visit the markets. 

On the way I realised I had left my wallet in the cabin safe, so here I was with no identification or money in a strange land. I had no choice but to head back to the ship. I also was wringing wet with perspiration.

The off sea breeze had now increased to 15 knots so the process of getting back on to the tender was even a greater challenge than earlier on my arrival. I sat up with the driver of the tender, so I had a fantastic view on the very choppy trip back to the ship.

Actually, not long after my return to the ship because the wind had increased the tender transfers for taking folk ashore were ceased for safety and were only used to bring folk ashore back to the ship.

Back on the ship I went up to the Lido and had many glasses of water to make up for all the perspiration I had lost earlier. I then had lunch before going to have my afternoon sleep.

The usual gang were at Happy Hour and we had heaps of fun.

Dinner had a St Patrick's Day theme and the meal was most enjoyable. 

Again not many folk were wearing green. I finished dinner just after 10 pm so I was not tempted to join the St Pats Party in the Ocean Bar and went up to the suite to have an early night and was in bed before 11 pm.

Monday 18 March 2019

Today is the first of 3 sea days as we head across the top of Australia towards Cairns our next port.

I love sea days as they are a great time to recharge the batteries and have a restful day.

After my pleasurable brekkie and restful morning, I held court in the Lido before lunch and had a sandwich lunch at the Lido Bar.

It was very hot and humid today, so it was great to escape to my cabin for a long nanna nap.

Happy Hour was the usual fun time before dinner. After dinner I joined friends in the Ocean Bar for a night cap.

I was in bed by 11 pm.

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Virgo the waiter in the mornings at the Lido gave me his usual excellent service and waited on me hand and foot. Brekkies are a very enjoyable experience for me on this ship in the Lido.

Today as we head across the top of the Gulf of Carpentaria, we are going through a monsoonal front so there were a few tropical storms with lighting and thunder and heavy tropical downpours of rain.

The battered fish from the Lido was my choice for lunch which I ate at the Lido Bar.

After my nanna nap, well I guess you know the drill by now and was off to Happy Hour in the Ocean Bar with the usual gang. Before dinner I went to a Aussie Kiwi function in the Crows Nest.

Dinner was as usual a great time as I held court with the nearby tables. The service and the meal were excellent.

I decided to have an early night and was in bed by 10 pm. Tonight we had to put the clocks forward by 1 hour so now I am back on Queensland eastern standard time.

Wednesday 20 March 2019

The 3^rd consecutive sea day with heavy rain and mild seas as we head down the coast line of Cape York on our way to Cairns.

After brekkie I had to see the office as I want to take off some excess luggage tomorrow in Cairns. I thought this would be a simple request but as the ship will be cleared for customs and immigration in Cairns, I must present myself to the authorities for inspection before the ship will be cleared. OMG so much paperwork anyway it has been approved so I hope it will be clear sailing with the officials tomorrow morning.

I had a restful day and held court at lunch time at the Lido Bar where I had a delicious roast pork sandwich for lunch. After my nanna nap I only had time for one drink at Happy Hour as I was going to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner at 5.30 am.

The meal at the PG was great and the very high standard of service made it a most enjoyable evening. I was joined by Carolyn a lovely lady I have met on board.

I finished the evening with a few night caps in the Ocean Bar before calling it a night and in bed by 10.30 pm.

Thursday 21 March 2019

The arrival in the port of Cairns was overcast but not raining. We were alongside the dock shortly after 7 am and the ship was cleared by 8 pm.

As this was the first Australian port everyone had to present themselves with Passports for a face to face inspection by the Australian Officials.

As I was taking off excess luggage and my duty free spirits, I had to go through the 3^rd degree by an officious Nazi type female Customs Officer. There we no way she was letting me take the 2 bottles home and they had to be returned to the ship and I was to take them off in Brisbane in a weeks’ time.

This woman was not the type to be argued with, so I started to go back to the ship lugging my trolley bag when I ran into Lisa The Bar Manager and she after asking me what was going on, took the alcohol from me to save me having to go back to the ship. 

Madam Nazi Customs Officer seemed happy as she now crossed out the 2 bottles from the paperwork.

Outside I was met by my friend Ken who drove me home with my bag and check on my house. 

We then went to his place to pick up Jan (Ken’s wife) and we returned to the ship. I had invited Ken and Jan to be my guests for the day to tour the ship and have lunch. 

We had a great time on the Papaku tour.

After they left, I used my phone as a hotspot to access the internet to catch up with banking and pay some bills.

Happy Hour with the usual gang was most enjoyable as everyone was sharing their stories of Cairns and district on a very wet day.

Tonight was the night for the Indonesian Crew show so I had to keep awake for that as it was at 11 pm. This amateur performance was fantastic and full of national pride. Well worth staying up for.

I made it to bed just after midnight.

Friday 22 March 2019

Today is a sea day as we make our way outside the Great Barrier Reef up towards Papua New Guinea, would you believe it is a sunny clear day although a bit windy.

I had a light brekkie as today was the Mariners function and lunch later this morning. On the entry to the Show Room for the function I met Carolyn who was going to receive her Silver medal. I sat with her for the presentation. Steve the Barman made sure my glass of red didn’t go dry.

The dinner was a hoot as Carolyn, and I sat with 2 Aussie couples and we had a fun filled meal with more red. Yes, you guessed it I had a 3 hour nanna nap before Happy Hour.

Happy Hour was the usual fun time with our regular team and the interaction with our barman (Steve & John).

I invited Carolyn to join me for dinner and she is always great company.

After dinner I went to look in on the show as it was an Aussie C&W singer named Patrick McMahon. I had never heard of him before. He had a good voice however his comedy was a bit slack.

I made it to bed by 11 pm.

Saturday 23 March 2019

I was up at brekkie when we docked at Alotau, Papua New Guinea. We were welcomed by native dancers preforming on the dock to welcome us. They were dressed in very colourful traditional tribal clothing and head gear.

 After brekkie I waited until the initial rush of folks wanting to get off before I left the ship to go out and explore. Wow what a lush and green place with light drizzle of rain but it was so hot and humid it would have been mad to put on a raincoat as it would been like walking around in a portable sauna.

I walked along the foreshore being greeted by the friendly locals and the kids loved to talk about Rugby league with me. They are rugby mad up here and follow the Aussie comp. They support Queensland in the State of Origin games against New South Wales.

After about 2 hours and being soaking wet from perspiration I came back to the ship to have a shower change clothes and enjoyed a Papaku Masarap Chicken Burger for lunch while holding court.

My well deserved  nanna nap lasted for nearly 3 hours before I made it down to the Happy hour.

Happy Hour was fun with everyone sharing their experiences of their various adventures on shore.

After dinner I decided to have an early night and was in bed by 10 pm.

Sunday 24 March 2019

I was at Brekkie in the Lido when we anchored off Kitava, PNG as today was a tender transfer island.

Virgo my waiter had the table set up and ready for me, so I didn’t have to go looking for a table. 

OMG, he is a treasure as he waits on me and saves me from having to go over to the self service with all the pushy shovie folk getting food for their brekkie.

After I cleaned my teeth and packed for the day, I was ready for the very wet tender transfer. Although it was raining it was very humid in the closed tender for the short ride.

When we arrived, the rain had eased off to a light drizzle and so not too hot to walk around. The natives from the 5 villages were set up on the beach and welcomed us with song and dance. Many had set up make shift counters to sell their handicrafts.

 They were offering rides in their dugout canoes and outrigger sail boats to another nearby island.

It was a slight shame it was raining but still it was well worth the visit.

On returning to the ship I made myself steak sandwich before going down for a 3 hour nanna nap.

Happy hour was the usual fun filled time with the regulars. 

I then got ready for dinner and held court with some of the guests and the waiters. I had the pork belly which was great but a little too fatty for me.

I called it another early night and was in bed by 10 pm.

Monday 25 March 2019

Again, Virgo had my table set up when I arrived up at the Lido for brekkie and the Aussie paper waiting for me. I only had a light brekkie and chatted with a few folks before returning to the cabin and got a bit of sun on the verandah.

Today we were moored off the Conflict Islands rarely visited by western tourists. The Islands are coral atolls with pure white sand and clear blue waters a popular snorkelling and coral viewing venue.

I decided not to go ashore on the tender as it reminded me of the Coral Atolls on the Great Barrier Reef. I had a rest day on board.

Happy hour was a bit quiet tonight as many were tiered, and sunburned after the day at the beach so didn’t make it to the bar.

I had an enjoyable dinner with Sarah who is always great company and then had an early night and was in bed by 10 pm.

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Today is a sea day as we cruise down from PNG to Brisbane outside the Great Barrier Reef. It was a perfect sunny day with calm seas and a fantastic sunrise.

After brekkie I got a little sun out on my verandah before going up to the Lido Bar (my Lido Office) to hold court and have some lunch.

Of course, in the afternoon I had a nice 3 hour nanna nap before Happy Hour.

Today as well as the usual crowd I was joined by Rolf a recently retired Police Superintendent who was a colleague of mine on the District Disaster Management Group when I was working. It was great to catch up with Rolf as 7 years had gone since we last met.

Dinner was the usual high standard with excellent service and heaps of fun with the staff and the nearby tables.

After dinner I went up to the Crows Nest to catch up with Wally and was surprised to see so many couples up doing Salsa dancing. It was great to see so many folk up dancing and enjoying themselves.

After a few night caps I called it a night and was in bed by 11.45 pm.

Wednesday 27 March 2019

Brekkie was served with the excellent royal treatment I receive from Virgo my Lido waiter. For the past 3 weeks it has always been a pleasure to go and have brekkie served by Virgo.

As yesterday, I took advantage of the sun on my verandah for about 30 minutes.

I finished packing before going up to my Lido Office to hold court before lunch.

The nanna nap followed for a couple of hours.

Happy Hour was a bit sad with everyone saying their Goodbyes.

Sarah joined me for my ‘last supper’ on the ship. She is always great company.

I had an early night and got my bag out into the hallway for collection.

Thursday 28 March 2019

After the last brekkie for the cruise and the sad goodbyes to the Lido staff I was down to grab my things and head off the ship.

I was met by my good friend Kev who took me to his home for coffee and a catch up. I had not seen Kev for about 17 years so there were lots of laughs and conversation. 

The time went far too quickly and then he drove me to the airport for my flight.

It was a good flight from Brisbane to Cairns with the Great Barrier Reef looking fantastic from the flight and the green hills and sugarcane farms providing postcard perfect views.

OMG the heat and humidify engulfed me as I stepped from the flight to walk to the terminal.

Steve a good mate of mine was there to pick me up and take me home via the supermarket to get some basic supplies.

As usual it is always great to be home again even though my gardening mob hadn’t done my lawn while I was away as had been arranged. This will give me a challenge over the weekend.

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