Our second day in Da Nang started at 7:30 with Breakfast in the Hotel’s common breakfast room. Typical western breakfast foods were set up in a buffet line on one table, while a cook prepared eggs to order alongside a big pot of Pho soup. Their version of breakfast...
At 8 am we should have been alongside the Da Nang pier but due to heavy fog we were still about ¼ mile short, proceeding ahead dead slow, and sounding the ship’s whistle periodically. I went to the observation deck on Deck 6 and could scarcely see the bow of the ship,...
With the departure of 200 guests in Hong Kong and about 80 checking in, there are some new faces around the ship and the absence of some of the old. We have heard that when more people leave the ship in Dubai we may finish the final segment of the cruise with around...
Around 11 am we left the ship with our tablemates, Rick and Margaret, to head out to Stanley Market for some sightseeing and shopping. Stanley market is on Hong Kong island, across Victoria Harbor and then about 12 miles down a winding road past Repulse Bay. We...
Today was a rest day for us after a long day yesterday. We slept in and spent the morning in our cabin catching up with laundry, reading, organizing our cabin and backing up all of our pictures on our external hard drives. Around 3pm we were ready to leave the...
Around 7:15 this morning the Hong Kong Harbor Pilot boat maneuvered alongside the Amsterdam’s port side and paused for a few seconds, not very long, but long enough for the Pilot to grab a hanging rope ladder and climb aboard. Now that the pilot was onboard, the ship...
Thirteen foot swells continued to pound the Amsterdam as we continue north thru the South China Sea towards Hong Kong. Opening the exterior doors on the promenade decks starboard was almost impossible due to the high winds. Waves and sea would occasionally break...
“Oscar Night” came to the Amsterdam at 9:30 AM Monday Morning. The Queens Lounge was decorated with a movie theme, special drinks were offered and light pastries with coffee and OJ were provided on tables set up on deck 4 right inside the Queens Lounge door. The...
Heavier seas continue to rock the ship as we continue north toward Hong Kong. They are not as bad as we experienced in the Tasman Sea, but while there is much more motion than normal, the stabilizers are keeping the roll in check and we are only experiencing the...
The sea day was a welcome chance to relax after 2 consecutive port days with busy schedules. Today we would be crossing the equator and conduct an appropriate ceremony as we entered King Neptune’s domain. We had previously crossed the equator on our initial transit...