Thurs & Fri. Deember 7-8th – At Sea

These two days have been relatively uneventful. There were several storm fronts converging and so the captain took us more southernly adding 30 miles to voyage to ensure more comfortable seas.

On Thursday the winds were so high that the outdoor public decks were all closed for safety reasons. We were able to use our balcony and there are two spots where there is no wind to contend with.

Here is a picture of the sea

The ship has stabilizers which great reduce the movement. We have found the gentle rocking makes for amazing sleeping conditions.

We spent the two days reading/listening to books, attending lectures and relaxing. The entertainment has been great and Tyler Bruce returned Thursday night with a second performance. His impersonations are incredible.

Some things to share for those who haven’t cruised before. Holland has a buffet (Lido) but you can’t serve yourself as a crew will plate it for you. There are items on plates to grab but they are grab and go. This is to reduce the risk of Noro. There are even hand sinks at all entrances to the Lido so that you an wash your hands. (there is also hand sanitizer everywhere.)

Kevin also got to talk with a crew member who was on one of the ships with Covid broke out and every country refused to allow the ship to dock. For three weeks they floated around the Pacific with no place to go and no way to get more supplies. At the end all passengers were restricted to their cabins and all meals were delivered. Panama relaxed it rules and allowed the ship to traverse the canal and because 80% were US citizens the ship finally was allowed to dock in Ft. Lauderdale. 4 passengers and 1 crew had died at this point. (trivia – they only have room for 2 bodies in the morgue and then they have to use the flower cooler)

Friday night was the final dressy night and there was shrimp and beef tenderloin as an option Janice had shrimp and fish

On Dressy nights the cabin stewards leave towel animals and chocolates when they turn down the cabin and replenish the ice.

This was Janice’s favorite

December 6th, At Sea

The day began quietly and overcast. We had expected a storm front based on weather reports from the captain, though the seas seemed to calm some overnight.

The day began slowly which is part of the reason we enjoy these sea days. Janice walked and Kevin worked on things on the computer.

We headed to breakfast after 8. After breakfast Jance headed to an origami class and Kevin walked around the deck. Many more Christmas decorations and displays appeared overnight.

At 10 we converged on the main stage where the executive chef for our cruise and the executive chef for the cruise line provided a cooking demonstration. The wrap around screen and cameras create a stunning presentation.

After the demonstration Janice attended a lecture and we spent time between showers outside.

After lunch we spotted a sailboat outside. Seems awful small to be this far out in the Atlantic ocean.

At 6 we headed to dinner. Appetizers:

Entrees: Sea Bream the chef picked up in port and Jambalaya

We expected that we would be setting the clocks back an hour but it was not to be. The BB Kings were off and the main stage had a dance performance called humanity which is not our thing so we just relaxed.

December 5th, At Sea

We began the day watching the sunrise out on the back deck.

Here is our location:

We both spent time walking on the deck. I attended the coffee chat with the leadership of the Hotel department. (housekeeping, food and beverage and entertainment.) They have 900 crew in this department.

At noon we were invited to a mariners lunch for loyal HAL customers. HAL has stepped up it game for the lunch with a revamped menu. At each place when we arrived was sparkling wine as well as red wine.

The afternoon was spent reading and enjoying the sun. We headed to dinner and then retired to the cabin. The clocks again were set back another hour

December 4th, At Sea – Atlantic Ocean

The day began with extremely calm seas and beautiful weather. Here is some pictures of the growing Christmas decorations. On Tuesday there will be a tree lighting ceremony

Here are pictures of the sea mid-day

Kevin spent time walking outside on deck 11 and he got pictures of the new Starlink internet antennas.

Dinner was in Club Orange before heading the Rolling Stone Lounge

At 8:30 there was an orange party celebrating the Dutch heritage of the cruise line and the orange clothing and wigs were everywhere.

We headed to bed setting our clocks back another hour as we journey back to the East Coast.

December 3rd, Ponta Delgada

We pulled into port promptly at 7:30 in anticipation of all ashore at 8.

We both spent time walking around the promenade deck as we cruised into the port.

We each grabbed something quick for breakfast though neither turned out to be as quick as we wanted. Janice went to the NY Deli and gave up. I went to Club Orange wanting to make an breakfast sandwich. I made a sandwich but it took 35 minutes to get what I ordered and there was clearly a language gap. I ordered: 1 egg fried hard, 2 slices of bacon, 1 piece of sliced cheese, and one toasted bagel. I received 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of cheese, a toasted bagel, 3 slices of bacon, hashbrowns and a tomato. I only ate what I wanted and ordered.

After breakfast we got organized and checked in for our Taste of the Azores tour. I was again a tour through the ship which we tend to avoid. It was using credit we had for excursions and it was popular. There were 300 people filling 6 buses.

The tour took us out of the city and up to Sete Cidades. It is volcanic crater than now holds a huge lake and village. On the ride up we saw all of the small dairy farms that dot the landscape. Agriculture and heavily filled with dairy and beef make up 54% of the GDP.

One interesting note is that the cows are really spread out and the milking operation comes to them in the different fields rather than the cows coming to a milk house. As best we could tell, they have plenty to graze on so they don’t eat much hay or grains.

We stopped at the village at the bridge down below before heading back to Ponta Delgada. Within blocks of the ship we went to hotel where we experienced the taste with local cheese, bread and wines. All were quite good and of course our tour guide attributed it to the quality of the milk for the cheese and the volcanic soil for the grapes. After we walked around the local stores before returning to the ship. Wanting to balance the cheese and wine we each had a salad before relaxing the in the afternoon.

The sea view pool bar has perfected a margarita that isn’t too sweet and is delicious.

Dinner was at 6 in the Tammarind with a special menu. Rijsttafel. It was a traditional Indonesian meal of small portions so you could taste a lot. About half the crew are Indonesian and the staff wore traditional dress.

Appetizer – Urap – Indonesian mixed vegetables.

Soup: Soto Ayam Madura

Entrees
Nasi Goreng (fried rice)

Pork Sate

Sambal Gorend Udang (shrimp)

Ayam goren Derundeng Jawa (chicken)

Pepes Ikan (steamed fish)

Beef Sumatra

Sambal Goreng kentang (potato)

Sambal Goreng Buncis (green beans)

Dessert was Mango sorbet and honey tuile

After dinner we retired to watch some football and call it a day.

Saturday, December 2nd, at Sea en route to Ponta Delgada

We awoke in time to see the sunrise from our balcony which was quite spectacular and Janice sat with her coffee watching outside

We enjoyed another sea day with a slow start before heading to breakfast around 8:30. The main dining room was doing a Scandinavian Brunch from 9:30-12:30 but regular breakfast sounded better so we headed to Club Orange. All of the bread and pastries are made in a bakery on the ship. One of Kevin’s favorites are the raisin buns which are way better than any raisin bread bought in a store.

A custom omelet for one and oatmeal for the other

At 9:30 there was an origami class making penguins which Janice attended while Kevin attended a coffee chat with the executive chef and the corporate executive chef who happens to be on the ship. In Ponta Delgada they are planning to bring fresh sea bass and turbot on. After Sunday the menu will begin to transition from Mediterranean to Caribbean.

We both worked on things in the cabin until lunch time. Salad from the salad bar and more Chinese food.

Dinner was another dressy night with Escargot, Shrimp & Grits for one and lamb chops the other

Here is some more interesting art from around the ship

December 1st, At Sea in route to Ponta Delgada

Today is the first of two days crossing to the Azores. Last night the clocks went back for the first time this cruise. The clocks will go back another hour 5 more times. (Part of the appeal of this cruise.)

If you haven’t followed along on a cruise before, Holland has 12 elevators on the ship and in each one is a carpet that reminds you which day of the week it is. They are changed at midnight.

During the night the seas grew and we slept to gentle rocking in our bed. It did make walking to the bathroom interesting when one is not quite awake and the floor is moving. We will make due!

We awoke around 7 AM and watched the sun begin to rise outside and to the south. It was in the low 60’s outside. We got ready for the day before heading to breakfast. Janice ordered the buckwheat pancakes which come with fresh berries

Kevin had the fruit and then the Dungeness crab eggs benedict. After breakfast we both spent time walking around the deck.

At Noon we grabbed a light lunch in the lido (buffet). Janice had a bratwurst which in true German form had a short bun as a handle with the sausage sticking out both ends. Kevin had some Asian beef broccoli and Basil Chicken.

At 2:00 PM we were invited to a wine tasting that involved 4 tastes of wines on the ship. It was informative and fun. After we returned to the cabin to relax.

At 6:30 Janice decided that the menu in the dining room didn’t appeal and we a hand complimentary meal in the Tamarind, so we headed there for dinner.
Some food porn

Sorbet – Lycee, Lemon Basil, Yuzu

Shrimp

Red Curry Barramundi

One of the joys of the ships is the art on display in all stairways and public areas. Over the next few days I will try to get more pictures to share

The ship also has a flower arranger and there are fresh flowers in our cabin, on tables and in many public areas. This is at the entrance to the main dining room.

After dinner we headed back to the cabin. The main stage had the dancers which is less appealing and the joy of sea days is that you don’t have to do anything.

Thursday, November 30th, Cadiz, Spain

During the night we passed through the straits of Gibraltar and arrived in port around 7:30 AM. The port is a big commercial port primarily of containers and ferries. The port provided a shuttle between the ship and the entrance to the port for safety. Without any pre-planned activities we took our time, had breakfast and headed out of the port. There was a hop on hop off bus running that provided a tour of the city in a little more than an hour, with 14 stops. Included was admission to the cathedral. We began our journey on the top open deck of the bus until the rain began and we sought shelter in on the first level. We got off the bus and began a tour of the cathedral. The Cathedral of Santa Cruz sits on the Ocean and the wind, salt water and weather have resulted in perpetual repair to the building. Inside there is netting strung over the entire sanctuary to catch an falling debris to protect worshipers and tourists.

Most interesting, which we took no photos of was the basement crypt where there are many buried in the walls and under the floor.

After the tour we began our way through the old city and when it began to rain we ended up at a local restaurant that is famous for their tapas and in particular seafood. We shared a plate of local seafood and then tasted the paella with some local beer. While we sat at a table the locals came and had tapas and beer at the bar before returning to work.

Leaving the restaurant we ended up heading the wrong way. We had planned to walk back to the ship, but with Kevin’s phone battery dead and being on a peninsula we could see the ocean thinking it was our port and it was in fact the other direction. We chalked it up as great exercise, caught the hop on hop off bus and road back to the ship.

We had some down time in the afternoon and opted to skip a reception we had been invited to recognizing that when the group of mariners (repeat guests) were done the dining rooms would be slammed.

Salmon Chop chop Salad

Beef Carpaccio

French onion Soup

Beecher’s mac and cheese

Boneless leg of lamb with orange and cardamon.

Here is another picture of some of the decorations that keep appearing around the ship

After dinner we attended the perormance of Tyler Bryce who is a vocal impressionist with over 200 voices. He was amazing as he could both speak and sing in character. After we headed to bed setting our clocks back on hour, the first of 2 for Ponta Delgada.

Wednesday, November 29th, Malaga, Spain

We got up and grabbed breakfast here and there. Nothing fancy. Coffee, yogurt, bread.

We had a ship’s excursion to remote mountain for a 4 X 4 ride to the top,

The views were spectacular and while other participants didn’t enjoy the ride, we really did. We visited a town that had been abandoned during the Spanish Civil War that began to be rebuilt in 1998.

Four families now live in the village and all of the restored homes are rented for vacationers and hikers. At the top you could see all the way across the sea to the north coast of Africa.

On the way down we went to another local town for some local cheese, ham, wine and a local specialty – fried eggplant with syrup on it. It was really quite good. After our tour we made our way back to the port and the ship.

Interestingly as global warming has occurred they have begun to raise avocados and mangos and supply most of Europe with both.

We lounged from around 4-6 when it was time for dinner. We headed to Club Orange for a delightful first course of coconut crusted shrimp on a salad. Mains were roasted fennel halibut for Janice and prime rib for Kevin. After dinner we headed to the main show by a self proclaimed nerdist. His act centered around his ability to solve the rubic’s cube even solving one behind his back after looking at all the sides. The groups we wanted to hear weren’t playing until later so we called it a night.

During the night we will pass through the narrow straits of Gibraltar and arrive at Cadiz, Spain. We have no plans this time. Last time we did a bicycle tour of the port city.

Tuesday, November 28th, Alicante, Spain

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The ride into Alicante was gentle and we awoke at 6 about an hour before the pilot boarded the ship to guide us into port.

We had arranged a tour with Spain Day Tours that met at 8:15, 15 minutes after we were due to be cleared to go ashore and only an hour after the restaurants opened for breakfast. (Lido buffet was open earlier but we generally avoid that.) We ordered breakfast to be delivered to our cabin and enjoyed a great breakfast while getting ready for the day.

We met our guide at 8:15 and at 8:30 all participants arrived and we were off to begin with a walking tour of Alicante including downtown, the old cloister and the main church

After we made our way back to the van/bus for a 1.5 hour ride to Guadalest, a village of 200 with St. Jose’s castle. We walked through the village grabbed some local lunch before returning to Alicante.

Upon our return we visited the Castle of St. Barbara. For those who might have seen Janice’s Facebook post about pacemakers. The top of the castle has been used to mount a number of antennas that might cause disruptions to pacemakers.

Here is the stadium for bull fighting and our ship as seen from the top of the castle

We then return to the ship at 3:05, 25 minutes before the all aboard time. We spent some time out on the back deck before returning to change for dinner.

After dinner we went the to the main show with a comedian who was likely the best we have ever heard on a ship and then stopped to listen to a set in the Rolling stone Rock Room.

Alicante, Benidorm, and Guadalest