- Praia da Vitória, Azores (5 May 2023)
- Bergen, Norway: Snow, Rain and Sun (26 April 2023)
- Holland America Line 150th Anniversary Party in Amsterdam
- A Coruna Spain (Post #80) 12 April 2023
- Lisbon, Portugal (Post #79) – 10 April 2023
- Malaga, Spain (Post #77) 8 April 2023
- Tangier, Morocco (Post #76) 7 April 2023
- Casablanca to Marrakech, Morocco (Post #75)
- Riding a Camel in Agadir, Morocco (Post #74)
- Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canarias (Post #73)
- Santa Cruz, Tenerife (Post #72)
- Aprils Fools’ Day at Sea (Post #71)
- SNOW DAY IN DAKAR, SENEGAL (Post #70)
- Banjul, The Gambia (Post #69)
- Abidjan, Ivory Coast – Côte d’Ivoire, (Post #68)
- Takoradi, Ghana (Post #67)
- Crossing the Equator at the Prime Meridian (Post #66)
- Luanda, Angola (Post #65)
- At Sea – Enroute to Angola (Post #64)
- Walvis Bay, Namibia (Post #63)
- Lüderitz, Namibia (Post #62)
- Cooking in Cape Town (Post #61)
- Cape Town – Table Mountain (Post #60)
- Safari Day #4, Thanda Safari Lodge – Cape Town (Post #59)
- Safari Day #3, Thanda Safari Lodge (Post #58)
- Safari Day #2, Thanda Safari Lodge (Post #57)
- Safari Day #1 – Durban, South Africa (Post #56)
- Our Overland Safari Begins!
- Maputo – Hump Port – (Post #55)
- Formal Night Surprise (Post #54)
- La Possession, Reunion (Post #53)
- Port Louis, Mauritius (Post #52)
- Song Writing at Sea with Trevor Knight (Post #51)
- Indian Ocean Highlights (Post #50)
- A valid claim of Bingo (Post #49)
- Slot Pull at Sea (Post #48)
- 2020 Grand World Cruise Reflection and Reunion Party (Post #47)
- Perth – Swan Valley Wine Tour (Post #46)
- Fremantle Fat Tuesday and Yarn (Post #45)
- Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island (Post #44)
- Adelaide – Kangaroos and Germany in South Australia (Post #43)
- Adelaide, Fringe Festival (Post #42)
- Valentine’s Day at Sea (Post #41)
- Hobart, Tasmania (Post #40)
- Port Arthur, Tasmania (Post #39)
- Two Days in Sydney (Post #38)
- Sailing the Tasman Sea (Post #37)
- Let them eat cake on the Tasman Sea (Post #36)
- Windy Wellington (Post #35)
- Gisborne Wine Tour (Post #34)
- Tauranga and a Visit to Hobbiton (Post #33)
- Auckland Yarn Crawl (Post #32)
- At Sea – Dr. Karen Woodman, Linguist, Guest Lecturer (Post #31)
- When is a world cruise a world cruise? (Post #30)
- Blow Holes on Tonga (Post #29)
- 2025 Grand World Voyage – Sneak Peak (Post #28)
- Fashion Show on the High Seas (Post #27)
- Horse Racing on the High Seas – Derby Night (Post #26)
- Sea Day Brunch and Coloring for Adults (Post #25)
- Late Sleepers in Uturoa, Raiatea (Post #24)
- Snorkeling in the Rain in Raiatea (Post #23)
- Moorea Photo Safari (Post #22)
- Flowers, Pearls and Roulottes in Papeete (Post #21, 21 Jan 2023)
- Island Joy presents Ukuleles in Concert (Post #20)
- Sailing the South Pacific (Post #19)
- GLAMPING IN NUKU HIVA (Post # 18)
- The Final Day of our 8th Consecutive Sea Days (Post #17)
- Taming the Towel Animals – At Sea (Post #16)
- Sunday Brunch – At Sea (Post #15)
- Mike West “The Ship Guy”- At Sea (Post #14)
- The Captain’s Dinner and Zuiderdam Ball (Post #13)
- Something Old and Something New (Post #12)
- The Graveyard of Good Intentions (Post #11)
- Library Grand Opening – At Sea (Post #10)
- Two Faces of Panama (Post #9)
- Zuiderdam and Volendam – side by side – Panama Canal Transit (Post #8)
- Puerto Limón (Post#7)
- The Tuxedo Junction at Sea (Post #6)
- Falmouth, Jamaica (Post #5)
- At Sea – en route to Falmouth, Jamaica (Post #4)
- The Adventure Begins! – Fort Lauderdale (Post #3)
- 2023 World Cruise – The Adventure Begins (Post #1)

We learn the inside secrets of how to tame the towel animals!
Towel Animals have been a part of cruising for years. They used to appear in our cabins daily after dinner and disappear once again the next day. Now they only make an appearance on Gala nights or other special occasions. If you are traveling with children, then you may see them more often, particularly if you make your desires known to your cabin steward.
Did you ever wonder about how they put them together? How long do they take to assemble? Edy and Han from Housekeeping answered these questions at 2 pm in the Rolling Stone Lounge for about twenty guests.
Han (on the right in the above photo) showed how many of the Animals assembled from basic shapes can be combined to form different animals. One common element is the “roasted chicken,” used in several different animals.

Han demonstrated the Roasted Chicken which is a common element in many towel animals
They created about a dozen towel animals, and then a few guests took their turn with pretty decent results under the expert guidance of Edy and Han.

A guest tried his hand at creating a towel animal under Hans’ expert guidance
Our Cabin Steward, Arsana, told us that there are 21 towel animals in the official rotation for this cruise, and he has memorized about 35 different animals. He told us that the Iguana is the most difficult to create, but with experience and practice, he can create any of them quickly.
We will be on the lookout for an “Invasion of the Towel Animals,” where you may discover every lounger in the Lido pool covered by towel animals early in the morning. See this post from last summer.
A movie was shown on the Mainstage for the evening’s entertainment. The Zuiderdam doesn’t have a dedicated movie screening room which makes it difficult to show movies during the day. While there is a nice collection of movies on demand in our cabins, seeing a movie on a big screen is special, and some people enjoy “going to the movies” on cruises. Tonight’s feature was “The Woman King.”
Tomorrow is our final sea day before Nuku Hiva
Thanks for taking the time to do this. I love the fact that you present informative (educational) material instead of just “what I did today”.
Thanks – glad you are finding them interesting
It’s a fact: I’m a child. I still get so excited to see the towel animals, and I take so many pictures the morning that the towel animals take over the pool deck! Thank you again