We are on the final week of our Grand World Voyage.   After our return, I will continue to update the blog with reports from many of our wonderful ports.

Here are some highlights from yesterday’s sea day.

BEN SACK’S WORLD CRUISE DRAWING

Artist in residence Ben Sack has been a regular on Holland America World Cruises since 2014. He teaches a very popular drawing class and a little art history at 1 p.m. in the Rolling Stone Lounge. HERE is a link to Ben’s website, where you can learn more about his art.

One of the highlights of the cruise is when Ben reveals his 6 x 7 foot (approx) drawing that depicts all the ports we visited on this World Cruise. In the past, Ben revealed the completed drawing in the Crow’s nest, but today at 11 am, he presented the completed drawing on the World Stage. This was a much better venue as there was more room for everyone to be seated.

Ben explained how he created the piece and then was able to explain each port’s drawing in detail since the entire piece was enlarged and displayed on a large screen at the back of the stage.

Ben worked on the drawing in his cabin, which was modified with one wall adapted to be a giant easel, every sea day.

The drawing will be displayed for a few hours each day in the Explorers Lounge, where guests can examine it up close.

Orders for High-Quality, signed, and numbered reproductions of the drawing are taken onboard and then shipped to your residence after the cruise.

DERBY DAY

While the 150th Anniversary of the Kentucky Debry was scheduled to run later this evening, we would have our own Derby Day from 1 to 3 pm this afternoon around the Lido Pool.

The Zuiderdam Derby was one race with five stick horses, with each horse assigned a member of the entertainment team as its jockey. Guests could “bet” on their favorite horse by visiting each horse’s “stall” which doubled as a bar for a specialty drink. Each Jockey was assigned a number, and guests received a numbered sticker after they visited the stall, signifying their support for that particular horse and jockey. After the race, guests who supported the winning horse/jockey would return to the “stall” and receive a free drink.

The horses lined up at the starting line around the pool and moved clockwise around the pool based on the throw of a large single die, moving from one to six spaces at a time. The winning horse had to hit the finish line with an exact roll, which tended to bunch everyone up before one horse hit the number and was declared the winner.

Kimberly rolled the die, and Bernie did a marvelous job calling the race. Everyone had a good time.

HAT CONTEST

After the horse race, about a dozen guests, including yours truly, paraded around the pool wearing their Derby Hats. Last year, my Horse Hat won the contest, but alas, I didn’t cut into the final three this year.

MARINER AWARD EVENTS

Due to the large number of guests achieving Mariner milestones, the recognition events were spread out over several days. Each event was held in the Crow’s Nest from 4 to 5 pm. The first day was for Presidents Club members and 5 stars who were not receiving a new medal. Over the next several days guests who would be receiving a medal would gather in the Crow’s Nest (about 100 guests each day). Each day was a mix of bronze, silver, gold and platinum medallions.

The Medallion program is separate from the Mariner Star program and based only on sea days. No special perks are associated with the medallion program. Here are the requirements for each level:

Bronze – 100 days
Silver – 300 days
Gold – 500 days
Platinum – 700 days
Presidents Club – 1400 days

Days accrued from sailing on heavily discounted cruises e.g. comped casino cruises, travel hosts, etc. don’t count.

Here are the President Club Benefits above the 5 Star level (per cruise) that I was able to piece together from various sources.

Extra OBC based on length of cruise
10 Specialty Dinners per cruise
VIP Check-in Status with Sparkling wine
Flowers, wine or beverage credit every 14 days
Captains Welcome gift (wine, flowers or equiv)
Discounted Internet Package
Free laundry and dry cleaning
Annual Holiday Gift
Special Phone number and email address to contact for help at Holland America in Seattle
Priority Tendering (similar to Suite guests)
Special Onboard events and parties
Quarterly Newsletter

WORLD STAGE

For the first time anyone can remember, we had guest entertainers repeat during the same cruise. The Fly Rights were here in January, and they are here again for two shows en route back to Fort Lauderdale.

MAY THE “FOURTH” BE WITH YOU