After coffee we went to our dermatology appointment. The doctor wants me to do a blue light procedure to remove my pre-cancer spots. She says I have a lot of them. iPhoto shows me exactly how many I have and it is not a pretty picture! lol!
Neither Vicki nor I have had any energy today, so we went ahead and had some sugar thinking we could not feel any worse..I think they call this stinking thinking!
In the morning we are going to Starbucks and then to Curves....we just could not do it today. After the doctor's, we went to Costco, Walmart, QT, to lunch at Taco Bell, to see Rosine and then home. I did not feel like sewing so I sat in my chair and started a shawl. At least I was being creative!
We really wish that we felt as perky as these pictures make us look!
Welcome to the 2014 World Cruise on the Holland America, msAmsterdam! This 115 day cruise is my virtual cruise and I hope you will join me! We will be traveling to wonderful places and learning about different cultures
Photos from Jeff Farschman's blog,,,, http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com
Narrative by …”.Treasures of the World”, by Bill and Mary Ann
“ John and Diane are at it Again”Day 16 At Sea
Just a perfect day! It was glorious poolside…. I sat with Carole & Ian and enjoyed the day. A highlight was seeing a flower arrangement Carole made in flower arranging class, beautiful job!!!! Later in the afternoon, I went in and watched the Denver Broncos beat to New England Patriots in football. Great game! This evening, Ian & Carole along with guest chef George Geary joined us for dinner. It was another fabulous dinner filled with a lot of laughter…. Wonderful day! Satellite disruptions are making blog posting difficult, this could go on for a couple of days.
Report # 19 Callao (Lima), Peru Day Three January 16, 2014 Thursday Partly cloudy, 79 degrees
We have never stayed two nights in Callao before this trip. The reason for the extended stay is mainly for the guests who went on overland tours. Most of them arrived on time at about 10:30am, looking a bit worn around the edges. They had been up since 4am to get to the airport in Cuzco for the flight to Lima. Looking forward to their stories.
There was not much to do off the ship this morning, because the all aboard time was 11:30am. Our shuttle bus was gone, and only being used for the Prinsendam folks. We decided to take a walk to the reduced-size Peruvian Market set up on the pier. The few vendors that are left were selling the same items we saw in the Indian Market in town two days ago. There weren't as many shoppers as there were people trying to access the free wifi here. Crew members and passengers alike were crowded side by side trying to get online. At this point, we did not know that the ship's new service had been shut down. So many problems with the internet have popped up, that an IT tech had to be flown here to join us enroute to Easter Island to fix the bugs. We cannot figure out why this switch of services has been implemented on a Grand Voyage? We turn into the worst complainers when they mess with our internet....some more than others. One of the major problems is the internet shutting down while you are in the middle of something online. Many times, we have had trouble logging off, while the clock ticks away minutes. So if you do not see the blog being posted daily, it means we have lost the ability to log on, and the entire system may be shut down.
All we did was window shop at the market, comparing prices with those of the big Indian Market, then walk back onboard. We did have a brief meeting with former hosts, Wendy and Steve, before they had to board a bus for a tour. After today, our paths will not cross again on this trip.
The sailaway was delayed due to the fact that a new group of entertainers for French Polynesia were joining a half hour later than expected. A new concept was used at the sailaway party today. The Cruise Director had a drawing for some local beer and some Peruvian souvenier items. The chance of winning something sure brought the folks outside. Also, the new band that joined us, Serendipity, were performing for an hour at the aft pool. Now their music was our type of music, and obviously everyone else's. People were clapping and dancing to the tunes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and the Beach Boys, etc. We appreciate the change of music, since we have been asking for this for many years now. Someone has listened.... finally.
The further away we got from Callao and Lima, the cooler it got. In a short time, the back deck had cleared, and it was quiet once again. In fact, we left the shroud of haze and light fog that hovers over the city most of the time, but picked up the wind. As we sailed out of the harbor, Captain Jonathon went into some details regarding the less than efficient internet system. He promised that the technician from the new provider company will resolve the problem, but it may take a few days. We feel bad for the library team, that has had to take on the extra task of the internet, since those experts have been dismissed. Their jobs...eliminated.
We had company for dinner this evening......the guest chef, George Geary, a most popular repeat demonstrator. He will be onboard until Tahiti, and will conduct several cooking classes while here. Being that we are 5 star Mariners, we are eligible for one complimentary cooking class. It would be nice to do one with George, because despite being a professional, he is a lot of fun. An extra bonus with the class is receiving a free culinary arts apron.
By 3pm, we were getting hungry. So we decided to check out the new menu at the Terrace Grill. Now you can get seasoned fries, with or without sauce. Sorry, no more sweet potato fries. There are three types of hamburgers, one portobello mushroom or veggie burger, and a chicken sandwich. The dogs are Nathans and are served three different ways. What is nice is that the sandwiches are wrapped in a foil wrapper, and the fries are served in a disposable cup. All the food is placed on a metal tray, instead of plates. And so far, we liked what we ate, and will go back again.
Did we mention that the special coffees at dinnertime in the dining room have a charge attached now? In the past, they were free. Now the espresso costs $1.25 and the cappuccino will cost $1.75. Never thought we would see these changes on any grand voyage. Guess we are not as special as we are led to believe.
The entertainment was Groove Tonight, the first performance of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Will report about the show tomorrow. By the way, the rehearsal at 11:30am was open to the public. Sometimes that works better for us.
We have several days at sea now until we reach Easter Island. Hope the weather holds up and stays nice.
Bill & Mary Ann
We have never stayed two nights in Callao before this trip. The reason for the extended stay is mainly for the guests who went on overland tours. Most of them arrived on time at about 10:30am, looking a bit worn around the edges. They had been up since 4am to get to the airport in Cuzco for the flight to Lima. Looking forward to their stories.
There was not much to do off the ship this morning, because the all aboard time was 11:30am. Our shuttle bus was gone, and only being used for the Prinsendam folks. We decided to take a walk to the reduced-size Peruvian Market set up on the pier. The few vendors that are left were selling the same items we saw in the Indian Market in town two days ago. There weren't as many shoppers as there were people trying to access the free wifi here. Crew members and passengers alike were crowded side by side trying to get online. At this point, we did not know that the ship's new service had been shut down. So many problems with the internet have popped up, that an IT tech had to be flown here to join us enroute to Easter Island to fix the bugs. We cannot figure out why this switch of services has been implemented on a Grand Voyage? We turn into the worst complainers when they mess with our internet....some more than others. One of the major problems is the internet shutting down while you are in the middle of something online. Many times, we have had trouble logging off, while the clock ticks away minutes. So if you do not see the blog being posted daily, it means we have lost the ability to log on, and the entire system may be shut down.
All we did was window shop at the market, comparing prices with those of the big Indian Market, then walk back onboard. We did have a brief meeting with former hosts, Wendy and Steve, before they had to board a bus for a tour. After today, our paths will not cross again on this trip.
The sailaway was delayed due to the fact that a new group of entertainers for French Polynesia were joining a half hour later than expected. A new concept was used at the sailaway party today. The Cruise Director had a drawing for some local beer and some Peruvian souvenier items. The chance of winning something sure brought the folks outside. Also, the new band that joined us, Serendipity, were performing for an hour at the aft pool. Now their music was our type of music, and obviously everyone else's. People were clapping and dancing to the tunes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and the Beach Boys, etc. We appreciate the change of music, since we have been asking for this for many years now. Someone has listened.... finally.
The further away we got from Callao and Lima, the cooler it got. In a short time, the back deck had cleared, and it was quiet once again. In fact, we left the shroud of haze and light fog that hovers over the city most of the time, but picked up the wind. As we sailed out of the harbor, Captain Jonathon went into some details regarding the less than efficient internet system. He promised that the technician from the new provider company will resolve the problem, but it may take a few days. We feel bad for the library team, that has had to take on the extra task of the internet, since those experts have been dismissed. Their jobs...eliminated.
We had company for dinner this evening......the guest chef, George Geary, a most popular repeat demonstrator. He will be onboard until Tahiti, and will conduct several cooking classes while here. Being that we are 5 star Mariners, we are eligible for one complimentary cooking class. It would be nice to do one with George, because despite being a professional, he is a lot of fun. An extra bonus with the class is receiving a free culinary arts apron.
By 3pm, we were getting hungry. So we decided to check out the new menu at the Terrace Grill. Now you can get seasoned fries, with or without sauce. Sorry, no more sweet potato fries. There are three types of hamburgers, one portobello mushroom or veggie burger, and a chicken sandwich. The dogs are Nathans and are served three different ways. What is nice is that the sandwiches are wrapped in a foil wrapper, and the fries are served in a disposable cup. All the food is placed on a metal tray, instead of plates. And so far, we liked what we ate, and will go back again.
Did we mention that the special coffees at dinnertime in the dining room have a charge attached now? In the past, they were free. Now the espresso costs $1.25 and the cappuccino will cost $1.75. Never thought we would see these changes on any grand voyage. Guess we are not as special as we are led to believe.
The entertainment was Groove Tonight, the first performance of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Will report about the show tomorrow. By the way, the rehearsal at 11:30am was open to the public. Sometimes that works better for us.
We have several days at sea now until we reach Easter Island. Hope the weather holds up and stays nice.
Bill & Mary Ann
Report # 19 Callao (Lima), Peru Day Three January 16, 2014 Thursday Partly cloudy, 79 degrees
We have never stayed two nights in Callao before this trip. The reason for the extended stay is mainly for the guests who went on overland tours. Most of them arrived on time at about 10:30am, looking a bit worn around the edges. They had been up since 4am to get to the airport in Cuzco for the flight to Lima. Looking forward to their stories.
There was not much to do off the ship this morning, because the all aboard time was 11:30am. Our shuttle bus was gone, and only being used for the Prinsendam folks. We decided to take a walk to the reduced-size Peruvian Market set up on the pier. The few vendors that are left were selling the same items we saw in the Indian Market in town two days ago. There weren't as many shoppers as there were people trying to access the free wifi here. Crew members and passengers alike were crowded side by side trying to get online. At this point, we did not know that the ship's new service had been shut down. So many problems with the internet have popped up, that an IT tech had to be flown here to join us enroute to Easter Island to fix the bugs. We cannot figure out why this switch of services has been implemented on a Grand Voyage? We turn into the worst complainers when they mess with our internet....some more than others. One of the major problems is the internet shutting down while you are in the middle of something online. Many times, we have had trouble logging off, while the clock ticks away minutes. So if you do not see the blog being posted daily, it means we have lost the ability to log on, and the entire system may be shut down.
All we did was window shop at the market, comparing prices with those of the big Indian Market, then walk back onboard. We did have a brief meeting with former hosts, Wendy and Steve, before they had to board a bus for a tour. After today, our paths will not cross again on this trip.
The sailaway was delayed due to the fact that a new group of entertainers for French Polynesia were joining a half hour later than expected. A new concept was used at the sailaway party today. The Cruise Director had a drawing for some local beer and some Peruvian souvenier items. The chance of winning something sure brought the folks outside. Also, the new band that joined us, Serendipity, were performing for an hour at the aft pool. Now their music was our type of music, and obviously everyone else's. People were clapping and dancing to the tunes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and the Beach Boys, etc. We appreciate the change of music, since we have been asking for this for many years now. Someone has listened.... finally.
The further away we got from Callao and Lima, the cooler it got. In a short time, the back deck had cleared, and it was quiet once again. In fact, we left the shroud of haze and light fog that hovers over the city most of the time, but picked up the wind. As we sailed out of the harbor, Captain Jonathon went into some details regarding the less than efficient internet system. He promised that the technician from the new provider company will resolve the problem, but it may take a few days. We feel bad for the library team, that has had to take on the extra task of the internet, since those experts have been dismissed. Their jobs...eliminated.
We had company for dinner this evening......the guest chef, George Geary, a most popular repeat demonstrator. He will be onboard until Tahiti, and will conduct several cooking classes while here. Being that we are 5 star Mariners, we are eligible for one complimentary cooking class. It would be nice to do one with George, because despite being a professional, he is a lot of fun. An extra bonus with the class is receiving a free culinary arts apron.
By 3pm, we were getting hungry. So we decided to check out the new menu at the Terrace Grill. Now you can get seasoned fries, with or without sauce. Sorry, no more sweet potato fries. There are three types of hamburgers, one portobello mushroom or veggie burger, and a chicken sandwich. The dogs are Nathans and are served three different ways. What is nice is that the sandwiches are wrapped in a foil wrapper, and the fries are served in a disposable cup. All the food is placed on a metal tray, instead of plates. And so far, we liked what we ate, and will go back again.
Did we mention that the special coffees at dinnertime in the dining room have a charge attached now? In the past, they were free. Now the espresso costs $1.25 and the cappuccino will cost $1.75. Never thought we would see these changes on any grand voyage. Guess we are not as special as we are led to believe.
The entertainment was Groove Tonight, the first performance of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Will report about the show tomorrow. By the way, the rehearsal at 11:30am was open to the public. Sometimes that works better for us.
We have several days at sea now until we reach Easter Island. Hope the weather holds up and stays nice.
Bill & Mary Ann
We have never stayed two nights in Callao before this trip. The reason for the extended stay is mainly for the guests who went on overland tours. Most of them arrived on time at about 10:30am, looking a bit worn around the edges. They had been up since 4am to get to the airport in Cuzco for the flight to Lima. Looking forward to their stories.
There was not much to do off the ship this morning, because the all aboard time was 11:30am. Our shuttle bus was gone, and only being used for the Prinsendam folks. We decided to take a walk to the reduced-size Peruvian Market set up on the pier. The few vendors that are left were selling the same items we saw in the Indian Market in town two days ago. There weren't as many shoppers as there were people trying to access the free wifi here. Crew members and passengers alike were crowded side by side trying to get online. At this point, we did not know that the ship's new service had been shut down. So many problems with the internet have popped up, that an IT tech had to be flown here to join us enroute to Easter Island to fix the bugs. We cannot figure out why this switch of services has been implemented on a Grand Voyage? We turn into the worst complainers when they mess with our internet....some more than others. One of the major problems is the internet shutting down while you are in the middle of something online. Many times, we have had trouble logging off, while the clock ticks away minutes. So if you do not see the blog being posted daily, it means we have lost the ability to log on, and the entire system may be shut down.
All we did was window shop at the market, comparing prices with those of the big Indian Market, then walk back onboard. We did have a brief meeting with former hosts, Wendy and Steve, before they had to board a bus for a tour. After today, our paths will not cross again on this trip.
The sailaway was delayed due to the fact that a new group of entertainers for French Polynesia were joining a half hour later than expected. A new concept was used at the sailaway party today. The Cruise Director had a drawing for some local beer and some Peruvian souvenier items. The chance of winning something sure brought the folks outside. Also, the new band that joined us, Serendipity, were performing for an hour at the aft pool. Now their music was our type of music, and obviously everyone else's. People were clapping and dancing to the tunes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and the Beach Boys, etc. We appreciate the change of music, since we have been asking for this for many years now. Someone has listened.... finally.
The further away we got from Callao and Lima, the cooler it got. In a short time, the back deck had cleared, and it was quiet once again. In fact, we left the shroud of haze and light fog that hovers over the city most of the time, but picked up the wind. As we sailed out of the harbor, Captain Jonathon went into some details regarding the less than efficient internet system. He promised that the technician from the new provider company will resolve the problem, but it may take a few days. We feel bad for the library team, that has had to take on the extra task of the internet, since those experts have been dismissed. Their jobs...eliminated.
We had company for dinner this evening......the guest chef, George Geary, a most popular repeat demonstrator. He will be onboard until Tahiti, and will conduct several cooking classes while here. Being that we are 5 star Mariners, we are eligible for one complimentary cooking class. It would be nice to do one with George, because despite being a professional, he is a lot of fun. An extra bonus with the class is receiving a free culinary arts apron.
By 3pm, we were getting hungry. So we decided to check out the new menu at the Terrace Grill. Now you can get seasoned fries, with or without sauce. Sorry, no more sweet potato fries. There are three types of hamburgers, one portobello mushroom or veggie burger, and a chicken sandwich. The dogs are Nathans and are served three different ways. What is nice is that the sandwiches are wrapped in a foil wrapper, and the fries are served in a disposable cup. All the food is placed on a metal tray, instead of plates. And so far, we liked what we ate, and will go back again.
Did we mention that the special coffees at dinnertime in the dining room have a charge attached now? In the past, they were free. Now the espresso costs $1.25 and the cappuccino will cost $1.75. Never thought we would see these changes on any grand voyage. Guess we are not as special as we are led to believe.
The entertainment was Groove Tonight, the first performance of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Will report about the show tomorrow. By the way, the rehearsal at 11:30am was open to the public. Sometimes that works better for us.
We have several days at sea now until we reach Easter Island. Hope the weather holds up and stays nice.
Bill & Mary Ann
turday, January 18 - Day 15
At Sea en route to Easter Island I’m sure that you realize that we are unreservedly spoiled on a world cruise. A passenger doesn’t have a lift a finger if s/he doesn’t wish to, and all necessities are attended to. However, all of this doesn’t happen without the service of the 600 or so crew on this wonderful ship. If they weren’t here, we’d be up a creek . . . (pun intended). There are so many people who make our lives easier on this ship. Our room stewards, Dan and BangBang make our beds, clean our bathroom, and tidy our room every morning, and then they return after we leave for dinner to close the curtains, bring in the lounge pads, turn down the beds, change towels, and leave chocolates on our beds. They work 10 or 11 hours a day, seven days a week and are uniformly cheerful and helpful. If there’s anything else we need, they can’t wait to get it for us. There is a whole raft of people working in the Lido, where we eat breakfast and lunch. Some of them cook, some of them serve, some clean up, but each and every one has a smile and a friendly greeting for each passenger. One of the things that amuses me is that when you ask them, “How are you?” the answer is invariably “Excellent!” I think that must be part of their training. There are a couple of Lido stewards we are particularly friendly with, including Matteo, who chats with us over breakfast and Hendrick, who told us that he likes to speak with us as often as possible to improve his English. I don’t think there’s a crew member who isn’t trying, in some way, to improve him/herself. Most sea days find one or both of us at the coffee bar in the Exploration Lounge, having either Mary or Vilma make us cappuccinos (mine with a pump of chocolate since I’m a coffee sissy). They are officially categorized as “bar staff,” and I think we know every one in that category. Our all-time favorites are Nestor, the head wine steward, and Manny, who serves drinks in the Crow’s Nest in the evening. The wine steward at our table, Louie, was a little quiet for the first week, but he is chatty and extremely helpful now. Since we get free laundry service as four-star mariners, we know there are a lot of people working in the laundry, but we never see them. However, we do know that they do a wonderful job, and when we put out a bag of laundry on a morning, we know it will be returned to us the next afternoon, clean and beautifully pressed. The service is incredible. There are lots of other crew members we don’t know by name, but they can be seen polishing brass or cleaning floors or any of the thousand and one other jobs that keep this beautiful ship looking that way. Then there is the crew, from Captain Jonathan and Hotel Manager Henk, down to the “kids” interning from nautical schools in England and Holland. It’s scary to think of all the horrible things that could happen if they weren’t absolutely wonderful at what they do, but they are, so we wander about the ship, content to let them find the next port, even though at the moment we are smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with the nearest land more than two days away. On a world cruise, there are so many repeat passengers who consider the crew to be “family.” We call each other by first names (even though they often call John “Sir John,” confused by the fact that his last name is St. John), and we’ve remained Facebook friends with several of our former dining room stewards and wine stewards. The greatest “sin” to many of the long-time passengers is being rude to crew members. When John was waiting for his cheeseburger at the newly re-named “Dive-In” (formerly the Terrace Cafe) on the Lido, he listened as one incredibly rude woman repeatedly told the cook, in a loud and derogatory tone, “I can’t understand you!” I think she is the type of person who speaks English in a foreign country, and when she’s not understood, just speaks louder. John just gave her dirty looks, but all around her people raised their eyebrows and put her in a specific category: someone who doesn’t deserve to be on this wonderful cruise because she doesn’t appreciate all that people do for her. We are so lucky to be so well taken care of, and we know it. We certainly don’t live this way at home, so we try to show our appreciation as much as possible, both with friendly words and smiles as well as cash from time to time. These hard workers certainly deserve it.   
John and Diane!
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