- How Much Does it Cost to Go on a World Cruise? Part 3 – Onboard Spending and Calculator
- Holland America SELLS OUT 2017 World Cruise Inside Cabins – Segments still avail for less the $5,000 per cabin!
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 2 – Pre and Post Cruise Expenses
- Amazing end of cruise video!
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 1
- PACKING FOR A WORLD CRUISE
- That’s Entertainment!
- Opening the Package! What is inside?
- Day 132, San Diego, California
- Day 131, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 130, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 129, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 128, Sailing toward Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 127, Huatulco, Mexico
- Subscribe to this blog! – Check box at bottom of this page
- Day 126, Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
- Day 125, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
- Day 124, Corinto, Nicaragua
- Day 123, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 122, Sailing toward Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 121, Transiting the Panama Canal
- Day 120, Cartagena, Colombia
- Day 119, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 118, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 117, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
- Day 116, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Day 115, April 29, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 114, April 28, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 113, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 112, April 26, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 111, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 110, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 109, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 108, Funchal, Portugal
- Day 107, Sailing toward Funchal, Portugal
- Day 106, Cadiz, Spain
- Day 105, Sailing toward Cadiz
- Day 104, Barcelona, Spain
- Day 103, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Day 102, Livorno, Italy
- Menus and On Locations updated…more posts coming soon
- Day 101, Civitavecchia, Italy
- Day 100, Sailing toward Civitavecchia, Italy
- Day 99, Katakolon, Greece
- Day 98, Piraeus (Athens,) Greece
- Day 97, Sailing toward Piraeus, Greece
- Day 96, Ashdod, Israel
- Day 95, Haifa, Israel
- Day 94, Transiting the Suez Canal
- Day 93, Sailing toward the Suez Canal
- Day 92, Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 91, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 90, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 89, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 88, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 87, Salalah, Oman
- Day 86, Sailing toward Salalah, Oman
- Day 85, Muscat, Oman
- Day 84, Sailing toward Muscat
- Day 83, Dubai, UAE
- Day 82, Dubai, UAE
- Day 81, New Delhi to Dubai
- Day 80, New Delhi, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 79, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 78, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 77, Colombo, Sri Lanka to New Delhi, India
- Day 76, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Day 75, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 74, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 73, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 72, Phuket, Thailand
- Day 71, Sailing toward Phuket, Thailand
- Day 70, Singapore
- Day 69, Singapore
- Day 68, Singapore
- Day 67, Sailing toward Singapore
- Day 66; Siem Reap to Sihanoukville – while Amsterdam is moored at Sihanoukville
- Day 65, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Ms Amsterdam sailing toward Sihanoukville
- Day 64. Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 63, Sailing toward Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 62, Da Nang, Viet Nam
- Day 61, Da Nang, Vietnam
- Day 60, Sailing toward Da Nang
- Day 59, Hong Kong
- Day 58, Hong Kong
- Day 57, Hong Kong
- Day 56, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 55, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 54, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 53, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 52, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Day 51, Semarang, Java, Indonesia
- Day 50, Sailing towards Semarang, Indonesia
- Day 49, Benoa, Bali, Indonesia
- Day 48, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 47, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 46, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Day 45, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 44, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 43, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 42, Cairns, Australia
- Day 41, Townsville, Australia
- Day 40, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 39, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 38, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 37, Sydney, Australia
- Day 36, Sydney, Australia
- Day 35, Sailing toward Sydney Australia
- Day 34, Melbourne, Australia
- Day 33, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 32, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 31, Sailing toward Melbourne, Australia
- Day 30, Picton New Zealand
- Day 29, Sailing toward Picton, New Zealand
- Day 28, Auckland, New Zealand
- Day 27, Waitangi (Bay of Islands) New Zealand
- Day 26, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 25, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 24, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 23, Sailing toward Waitangi, New Zealand
- Day 22, Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 21, Sailing toward Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 20, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Day 19, Papeete, Tahiti and taking the ferry to Mo’orea
- Day 18 – Avatoru, Rangiroa
- Day 17, Sailing toward Avatoru
- Day 16, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
- Day 15, Sailing toward Nuku Hiva
- Day 14, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 13, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 12 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 11 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 10, At Sea – Enroute Nuku Hiva
- Day 9 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 8 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 7 – Fuerte Amador, Panama
- Day 6- Cruising the Panama Canal
- Day 5 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
- Day 4 – At Sea Enroute to Costa Rica
- Day 3 – Cruising the Carribean
- Day 2 – At Sea – Enroute Costa Rica
- Day 1- The Grand Voyage Begins! 115 Days
- Day D-1 Arriving in Fort Lauderdale
- Day D-2 Leaving Imperial Beach, California
The days where we have experienced any deck motion are long gone as we continue west across the Indian Ocean through smooth seas. We continue to take it easy in the comfort of our air-conditioned cabin getting rested before our overland trip to India.
I always make it to the live presentation of Good Morning Amsterdam. Even though the show is taped, Gene usually offers some additional insight to the goings on around the ship before the show starts. This is also a good place to meet guest entertainers if you are interested in inviting them to dinner. They are usually lingering outside the door before show time and are generally very friendly and open to invitations.
This morning the guests were Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, aka The Wine Guys. They are here as Guest Sommeliers and have written several books on wine and food in addition to being writers for Wine Enthusiast Magazine. I’m not a wine enthusiast and don’t plan to attend any of their events. Zaid, the Guest Jeweler, was also on this show. He will be holding several presentations, discussing jewelry buying opportunities in upcoming ports, until he gets off in Dubai.
Today was another stir fry on the Lido deck. We enjoy these very much and always look forward to them. As I was getting my meal stir fried, Presty, one of the Assistant Dining Room Managers, who is in charge of our area on deck 5, stopped by to prepare his own lunch. He was his usual smiling self as he prepared a very good looking lunch.
Stir Fry by the Lido Pool is always wonderful
Presty always has a big smile
Judy attended crafts and made an Easter themed wreath with strips of fabric tied around the wreath.
Judy with her latest craft project
I went to the Texas Hold’em game where they held two consecutive tournaments again due to high demand. I was able to finish in the money on the first tournament doing a little better than breaking even for the day.
We met our tablemates in the Crow’s Nest at 7pm to celebrate Linda’s birthday with pre-dinner drinks. Margaret gave Linda the wreath she made in crafts today. It looked great as a crown and was perfect to help set a festive mood. The Oasis Band sang Happy Birthday and we all had a great time.
Birthday party in the Crows Nest
The Birthday Girl!
Dinner was wonderful as the menu had all of our favorites making it very difficult to choose. I had the Gourmet Burger which stacked up pretty high with onion rings, BBQ Pork and a fried egg on top of the normal beef patty. A popular choice was the simple Spaghetti and Meatballs which a few people ordered as a side in addition to something else. I resisted the temptation to order one of everything, but I am sure they would have brought them all on request and made a little Lido Buffet right on our table. The complete menu, as always, is posted on the blog at www.theinsidecabin.com
Waiters sing the familiar Indonesian Birthday Song
What a BIG burger!
Earlier today we received a survey in our mail slots requesting our input for the 2018 World Cruise Itinerary. Many people are hoping that we will go around Africa rather than thru the Suez and the Mediterranean Sea. I think Africa will be too risky as all it takes is another Ebola incident or terrorist attack and Africa could be instantly very unpopular. While similar incidents can happen anywhere, most other ports, if cancelled have other options nearby that can be added on the fly. However if you are committed to Africa and something happens during prime booking season or enroute, trying to adjust back to the Med could be very hard. We will find out soon enough about the 2018 WC schedule.
A copy of the survey is HERE
Michel Bell and pianist Catherine Matejka were on the main stage tonight and put on a masterful performance. He has performed on Broadway as well as in the Fifth Dimension and we greatly enjoyed his incredible range and musical ability. One of the many highlights of the show was a medley of songs by the Fifth Dimension, including the monster hit “Up Up and Away”. He closed with his moving rendition of “Old Man River” which showcased his wonderful baritone voice. His show was terrific from start to finish and he will be putting on a new show tomorrow night along with Joe West.
Michel Bell and pianist Catherine Matejka
Michel wowed the crow with his terrific baritone voice
Michel singing Up, Up and Away!
HAL lead guitar – Zeb T
I’m a little behind on the blog, but I really enjoyed this entry, especially the photo of Presty and getting to see the world cruise 2018 survey. We’ve sailed with Presty twice now and never cease to be amazed by his professionalism, great personality, and rapport with the passengers – he’s a true gem and HAL is lucky to have him, especially on the Grand Voyages. The WC 2018 survey is of special interest to us, as we’re planning to go on the 2018 voyage and have our fingers crossed it will be around Africa as opposed to through the Med. While it would be nice to transit the Suez Canal, my reasoning is that we’ve been to the Med many times (and it’s a place we can go whenever we’d like), but circumnavigations of Africa are more rare and it would be great to see cities like Cape Town. I definitely do see your points that Africa is a little more volatile, however, but if things truly went sour there, I’m sure HAL could adjust and switch to a Med route instead.
As always, thank you for sharing your trip with us!