Around the World in 128 Days
This blog or journal documents my trip around the world in 128 days. I'll be boarding the Holland America Line (HAL) on 3 Jan 23 and disembarking on 12 May 23. Such fun. I hope you enjoy this attempt to document the cruise. -- Vic
30 November 2022
Finally getting started on the trip blog/journal. A picture of the Zuiderdam is below along with a picture of the view from my room and the room's floor plan.
The View From Across My Room
The Floor Plan of My Room
I started the gathering and sorting some time ago and should have my two 50 pound bags ready for FEDEX pickup on 14 Dec. The next time I see them will be in my stateroom on 3 Jan. Pretty slick offering that is included in the price of the cruise.
I get on the plane in Denver for Fort Lauderdale, FL on 2 Jan, spend the night in the hotel and board the ship on the 3rd. Then it starts. I hope to add to this blog at least once a week with text and pictures. We'll see how I do.
18-19 Apr (Tue-Wed) Day 105-106
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Just as cold as yesterday with a chilling wind. Went on tour anyway wearing two shirts may my heaviest jacket. Still got cold bur survived. Glad I did it. Stopped an outdoor museum with old homes and windmills. Lots of photos and a couple of souvenirs. Then the bus took us to the town of Edam where they make -- guess what – Edam cheese. Enjoyed the freebee tastes and brought back a hunk of Edam cheese. Will have to eat it before the cruise is over since I can’t take it home. Don’t think that is going to be a hardship. Got back to the ship about 1300, got warm, and relaxed the rest of the day. Doesn’t seem the cold got any worse, thank goodness. Going to stay on board the second day here and nurse myself. I did what I wanted, so all is good.
17 Apr (Mon) Day 104
Zeebrugge (Brussels), Belgium. I originally hjad a tour today, but I was fighting a cold again and one of our small congregations had developed pneumonia. Seeing tht the high was going to 52 and being extra careful, I cancelled my tour and stayed in. Besides, I really want to go out tomorrow at Amsterdam.
16 Apr (Sun) Day 103
Dover, England. The last time Susan and I were in Dover was in the Fall of 1968. We were visiting her folks while they were still stationed at Mildenhall AFB. Figured it was an opportunity to take advantage of seeing a bit of Europe on the cheap. Once we were there, the four of us took off in their little (stress little) Hillman. We took the ferry from Dover to France. Don’t really remember where in France. Sure brought about a lot of happy memories. Today, I took the shuttle bus to downtown, walked around and did a little shopping. Being Sunday, most of the stores were closed, but was nice to get3 off the ship and walk around some.
15 Apr (Sat) Day 102
Portland (Weymouth), England. Looking forward to Dover tomorrow, I didn’t get off the ship here. Just sat around all day doing nothing. Was great. Afraid I’m getting into some real lazy habits. Getting a wake-up call when I get home just might be a bit uncomfortable (ha).
14 Apr (Fri) Day 101
Another day at sea because of not stopping at Brest. Also heard about a nation-wide strike in France that impacted our stop at La Havre on 16 Apr, so we won’t be stopping at France at all. Doesn’t bother me. We’ve ad a couple of bad experiences in France in the past, so nothing lost for med. Other folk were disappointed though. But, no choice. I have to give HAL credit. They invented a new stop at Dover, England on the 16th. Very fast action. Looking forward to Dover. We were there briefly in the Fall of 1968.
13 Apr (Thu) Day 100
Day at sea and got caught in couple of weather lows that were fighting for position. As a result, HAL cancelled our stop at Brest, France tomorrow. Better safe than sorry.
12 Apr (Wed) Day 99
A Coruna, Spain. Since I was off the ship in Cadiz, I stayed on board here. Was a nice day. Pretty much sat on the balcony and read and watched the seagulls play. Was a nice and relaxing day. Weather getting colder, though and will get colder as we move north.
11 Apr (Tue) Day 98
A day at sea.
10 Apr (Mon) Day 97
Lisbon, Portugal. Another highlights tour with a stop at a museum about Lisbon’s history. A nice tour. We were here many years ago and I saw some things that brought back good memories. Wish I had brought our old cruise photos to review and compare some of the ports like Lisbon. Oh, well.
09 Apr (Sun) Day 96 (Easter Sunday)
Cadiz (Seville) Spain. We started the day with a wonderful sunrise Easter service. The sun came up behind us about half way through. Was beautiful. After the service I went on a tour of the highlights of Cadiz with a stop at a place that makes sherry. We got a tour through the place and tasted three kinds of sherry: very dry, medium, and sweet. Didn’t like the very dry, but I have a couple of new favorites in the others. (yum). Couldn’t bring them on board without paying a corkage fee, so didn’t’ buy them. Have a picture of the labels though and will look for them when I get home.
08 Apr (Sat) Day 95
Malaga, Spain. Didn’t get off the ship here with Cadiz tomorrow. I have a tour there. Just lazed around the ship.
07 Apr (Fri) Day 94 (Good Friday)
Tangier, Morocco. Another tour. This is a beautiful city: clean, picturesque, and friendly. The bigf spot on the tour was the Kasbah. Exactly how I pictured it. Just like the movies. Hundreds of shops in narrow walkways. Lots of plants sitting around and people willing to chat and bargain over their merchandise. Really special. Also went to the Tangier light house. Was a nice stop and photo friendly and a pretty spot, but I didn’t see the attraction for the thousand people and buses trying to get in and out. What a mess of traffic.
06 Apr (Thu) Day 93
Casablanca, Morocco. Wouldn’t miss this for anything. Had a wonderful tour. Saw Rick’s Café. Of course, that wasn’t where Bogart and Bergman made the movie since I believe it was filmed in Hollywood but was still Rick’s Café. (ha) Saw the second largest mosque in Africa and a beautiful Catholic church with fantastic stained-glass windows. Stopped by a fountain that had more pigeons than Trafalgar Square in London. Felt like I should have had a umbrella with me. Got lucky. No messes on me. Others weren’t as fortunate. (yuck)
05 Apr (Wed) Day 92
Day at sea. (Yawn)
04 Apr (Tue) Day 91
Agadir, Morocco. No tour here. Just resting, reading, and watching movies. Very restful and totally uneventful.
03 Apr (Mon) Day 90
Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands.
No tour her. Stayed on board ship and did nothing to write about.
02 Apr (Sun) Day 89 (Palm Sunday)
Santa Cruz (Tenerife) Canary Islands. I went on a tour of botanical gardens and similar places. Fascinating variety of plants, shrubs, and trees. Also went to Palm Sunday services on ship. Was very good.
01 Apr (Sat) Day 88
Day at sea. April Fools Day. Plenty of fools aboard ship. All the elevators have rugs that have the day written on them. Otherwise, many of us wouldn’t know what day it was. Today they were all mixed up. Part of the daily schedule was printed upside down and there was a party tonight that was filled with costumes. Even a vote on whose was best. I went as myself and didn’t win any prize. 😊
31 Mar (Fri) Day 87 (Happy Anniversary to us)
Day at sea. Time for another massage.
30 Mar (Thu) Day 86
Dakar, Senegal. An interesting day. Was at the assembly point for my excursion today when the captain came on the PA system to cancel all excursions and also said that none of the crew or guests would be allowed off the ship at Dakar. The notice sent around later told us the reason. “We have been advised by local authorities that there have been recent political developments in Dakar, Senegal which have prompted a degree of unrest in the city. These protests will likely impact areas near the port and could include our shored excursions. As the safety and security of our guests and team members are our top priorities, we have made the necessary decision to adjust our call to Dakar today … to a service call only.”
So, no one gets off the ship today. At least we will be reimbursed the cost of our excursions. We are often told that everything is subject to change and this is just one of those times. (TIA) We have two sea days coming up before we get to our next port at Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Canary Islands.
29 Mar (Wed) Day 85
Banjul, Gambia. We keep getting told that whenever things go awry in Africa that the excuse the Africans use is TIA. That stands for “This is Africa”. I had no tour in Gambia because we were told that if you went ashore you had to pay a visa charge of $155 US. I would rather spend that money on other things, so I intended to stay on board. When we docked, it appeared that the rules changed and we had to pay the visa charge even though we weren’t getting off the ship. (TIA). Fortunately, there was a market set up on the pier. So, since I had to pay the $155 US anyway, I went and checked it out. Was disappointed. Normally I would have bought something just to help the locals out some. However, most of them were selling the same things that appeared to be just touristy stuff. Not what I’m looking for. So, it cost me $155 to not visit the city or buy anything. (TIA) 😊
28 Mar (Tue) Day 84
Day at sea. Celebrated Susan’s birthday by singing Happy Birthday and having a piece of cake at lunch. She really would have enjoyed this cruise. It’s easy for me to see her sitting on the balcony with her book. She loved sitting there watching the ocean and reading.
27 Mar (Mon) Day 83
Day at sea. Nothing exciting today. Walked my mile. Ate three meals. Read my Kindle. Nice, Quiet and restful.
26 Mar (Sun) Day 82
Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Don’t think it’s called the Ivory Coast anymore but can’t remember the new name of the country. Another hot and muggy day. Didn’t get off the ship. Got caught up on the journal, went to Sunday worship service and stayed in the air conditioning. Nice quiet day.
25 Mar (Sat) Day 81
Takoradi, Ghana. The market came to us this time. It was set up on the dock 50 feet from where we got off the ship. I was able to pick up a few items for me and others. Really hot. Thought it would be a bit cooler north of the equator … NOT. 88 degrees and at least 150% humidity. AT least that what it felt like. (ugh!)
24 MR (Fri) Day 80
‘Day at sea. Crossing the Equator and prime meridian. A special day. King Neptune came aboard with his judges and the Polliwogs. The polliwogs bowed to the fish, were3 “cleansed”, jumped in the pool and magically became Emerald Shellbacks. Was lots of fun. In the afternoon, we crossed the 0N,0E point, He jockeyed the ship just over the point so that as you walked around the ship on the promenade You walked from the Northern Hemisphere through the Western Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere, and the Eastern Hemisphere. So, by walking the deck I was in all 4 Hemisphere in about 8 minutes. No marker but felt like I really did something amazing. (ha)
23 Mar (Thu) Day 79
Day at sea. Did my 18-minute mile again today. My muscles were saying they could go one more lap. It takes 3 laps to get a mile. But my joints were screaming no. I listened to my joints on this one. Got to see the doctor when I get back about that right hip. I’m really not in the corner of “no pain, no gain”. I’m more of a “no discomfort, no gain” person.
Normal sea day routine for me today. I wake at 0600, walk, shower, get dressed, do my devotions, and go to breakfast. The goal is to leave for breakfast by 0730. Was 2 minutes late today. Oh, well. Then take my coffee to the Crow’s Nest and read until 0900. Then go to morning devotions with Pastor Dale and/or Pastor Reid. Back to the Crow’s Nest for a while. Then did a review on Corinne’s writing and emailed her my thoughts. Then lunch: bowl of soup and no-sugar-added strawberry ice cream. Computer games and movie until dinner. Read until bedtime. If not exciting, it is a very restful day. I love it.
Tomorrow, we cross the equator at the prime meridian. This point is known as “Null Island” even though there is no island. (Don’t ask.) It is located at 0`N 0`E. Thus, the “Null”. King Neptune will be conducting a ceremony for the crew members in which this is their first crossing of the equator. I’ve seen this before and should be quite the show. They go from polliwogs to Emerald Shellbacks during the ceremony.
22 Mar (Wed) Day 78
Day at sea. Did an 18-minute mile this morning. Trying to listen to my body as I sped up to beat the 21-minutes last sea day. My body now hates me. However, it will just have to deal with it and now my goal is tostay at the 18-minute mark. That will teach it. (ha)
Today there was a silent auction of 20 knitted/crocheted baby blankets. Very fancy. They also showed roughly 400 standard baby blankets that guests and crew had knitted/crocheted over the last 77 days. These blankets will be donated to babies throughout the world by 3rd party charities. This is an on-going effort by Holland America Lines (HAL). The money collected by the silent auction and donations (of which I gave) will go towards buying yarn for those who make the blankets. A neat project.
21 Mar (Tue) Day 77
Luanda, Angola. A wonderful day.in Angola. We were told it was just getting started in having cruise ships coming in. We were treated royally. I was on a tour called “Luanda at a Glance”. Was only 2.5 hours long, but very interesting. There were only 3 tours here, so this one was pretty crowded. They had 5 buses and it was nice that they only filled each bus 2/3 full. Plenty of room. Traveling alone, I generally have a 2-seat row to myself. The 5 buses drove in a line with blinkers on and a motorcycle police escort. Really something. We rode around town and along a beach that seemed like about 5 miles long. We had 2 stops: Fortress San Miguel and the first president’s memorial. They were interesting photo stops, but the driving around held my attention.
Unemployment must be very high here. Every place we drove had men and women sitting on the sidewalk … just sitting there. The beach was beautiful and well used, but had a few tents and small areas that looked like had squatters. Didn’t look like long term homeless people sites, but still not good. Lots of police and people dressed in army gear just about everywhere you looked on the beach as well as through town. We were told by the cruise director to only go out in groups, not to wear expensive jewelry, and use only small bills. They do take dollars, though, which was good.
They had shuttles that ran guests to a market set up just for the ship. We saw the market while on tour but didn’t stop. It looked mostly clothes and fabrics. When I got back from the tour, I went up for lunch trying to decide if I wanted to take the shuttle to the market. Sat at the same table as Ruby. (It’s amazing I’m still meeting new people on board.) She had been to the market and said that I was right in there was mostly clothes and fabrics. A little jewelry and a few trinkets, but that was it. Decided I didn’t need any of that, so stayed on board.
On the downside, one of the guests had medical problems and was taken to the local hospital for help. Have no idea of the problem, just what said over the PA system. The captain explained that this was our reason for a delayed departure. This is the 3rd time of which I’m aware that people had to leave the ship for medical problems. I thought that being 80 would place me at the upper level of the age of the guests, but it seems I’m more in the middle of the age bracket. There are a lot of people here that are older than me. Nice to be considered “young”. 😊
20 Mar (Mon) Day 76)
Day at sea. Now they are saying that what I had thought was food poisoning is actually Norovirus. This is the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness in the world and causes widespread outbreaks ashore. In the last few days the ship has seen a number of cases of this Norovirus on board. I can believe it. At devotions this morning, we were missing several people who were struggling with it. Nice to know that it wasn’t food poisoning, but sure had that feel. (Ugh!) Sorry to write about this discussing thing, but it is a part of the cruise.
Walked my mile this morning. When I was at the 10 week Officer Training School (OTS) in 1966-67, we had to run a mile each day. My goal was to be able to run a 6-minute mile. I was able to do this the last day we ran. Goal reached, listed in the journal and an item crossed off my bucket list. Never did it again. (ha) Today I walked my mile in 21 minutes. My how times have changed.
19 Mar (Sun) Dy 75
Day at sea. Went to Sunday worship service. Was communion day. Always worth it. Feeling like normal today but will taking it easy of the food. Cereal, soup, and salad for the 3 meals. Not exciting, but sufficient. I started a new regime today that walking a mile is fitted in my morning regimen. Actually, felt good to get some exercise in. Hope to do this each day at sea.
18 Mar (Sat) Day 74
Walvis Bay, Namibia. Had tour today in a 4-wheeler seeing the desert and the desert animals. The only “safari” I had set up. I didn’t go, though. My stomach was still not right and I didn’t think the driver would appreciate me upchucking in his jeep. I really wanted this one, but good sense took the lead. (sigh) Just stayed down with Kindle and movies
17 Mar (Fri) Day 73
Luderitz, Namibia. No tour today since I have one tomorrow in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It was a good thing I had no tour. Still not feeling well, but started feeling better by the afternoon. Had a small bowl of Cheerios for breakfast and kept it down. Did wear the St. Patrick’s Day shirt Kristin gave me. Just wasn’t out of the room much. Did get comments about the shirt. 😊
16 Mar (Thu) Day 74
Day at sea. Felt really rotten all day. Started feeling a little better by evening and ordered dry toast from room service. Was able to eat and keep down about half a slice. Restless night, but no more throwing up.
14-15 Mar (Tue-Wed) Day 70-71
Cape Town, South Africa. Had tours on both days. Really a lot of fun. Sadly, I must have had some rotten food the evening of the second day. I woke up about 0200 and started throwing up. Felt like food poisoning. I’ve had that before and it sure felt the same. The following 12 hours were the pits. Stuff still happens when on a vacation cruise around the world. (ugh!)
13 Mar (Mon) Day 69
Day at sea.
12 Mar (Sun) Day 68
Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Had a great tour here. It was one of those take-a-bus-and-drive-around-for-3-hours-to-get-a-feel-of-the-place type tours. My kind of tour.
11 Jan (Wed) Day 009: A day at sea. Did not do very much today. Attended the morning devotions after breakfast. Was nice. I imagine I’ll make it a morning habit. The rest of the day was reading and movie watching. We turn back the clock again tomorrow morning. This is the third time we’ve don it. Wonder when we have to pay back the time. 😊
10 Jan (Tue) Day 008: A day at sea. As I said before, we have eight days at sea before getting to the Polynesia Islands. Lots of time for relaxing and enjoying things going on around the ship. Doing laundry today. As a four-star Mariner, I get complementary laundry service which is a nice benefit. I just put it in the provided bag and they pick it up and return it tomorrow morning all fresh and folded for me. Nice. They opened the ships library today after a renovation. I went down after the opening and took a book. It willt stretch the books I brought with me on my Kindle. The evening entertainment on the Mainstage was a pianist. Really very good.
AFTER READING THE FOLLOWING, I STARTED PUTTING THE LATEST UPDATE AT THE TOP. SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSION. JUST THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE BETTER.
31 Dec 22 (Sat): Getting close. My two bags were picked up on 15 Dec and should be in my room on the ship when I arrive. Going to be rather annoyed if they aren’t there. I have everything else gathered and will complete packing tomorrow my one checked bag and my carry-on. The carry-on has nothing in it but my medications and CPAP. Go figure. Had a COVID test today at Walgreens and it was negative. (whew!) Will have to do another one Monday night at the hotel. Has to be less than 48 hours before boarding. Of course, nothing is open on New Year’s day to get one before I fly. Oh well, it is what it is. Corinne will pick me up 0400 Monday to take me to the Denver Airport to fly to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Will spend the night in a hotel and board the Zuiderdam Tuesday about noon. Very excited.
04 Jan, Wed (Day 002) Sea Day: Monday (Day 001) flew into Fort Lauderdale and was bussed to the Elements Hotel. Spent the night there and was bussed to the Zuiderdam early afternoon (Day 002) with about 40 other people. Boarding was as easy as I’ve ever experienced. Of course, I had done my homework and had filled out EverFlt that had all my medical and COVID information as well as boarding pass and all other documentation. A quick review and I was on board. Big relief. Got to my stateroom to find a that no luggage had arrived. Not unexpected as they disembarked leaving guests in the morning and then started loading the embarking guests about noon. However, it was about 1800 before all my bags made it to the room. Spent a couple hours unpacking, watched a movie.
05 Jan, Thu (Day 003) Falmouth, Jamaica: Slipped into port abut 1000 and were free to go ashore about 1100. I had no excursion here, but went ashore to the docs where there were many stores, kiosks, and some entertainment. Bought a Jamaican lapel pin and Jamaican thimble. I will try to get a pin and/or thimble at each port as remembrances. We’ve done this for years. Inexpensive, light, and easy to pack to bring back. Also bought a wide brim straw hat to keep my face and ears from the sun when I go ashore. Steven Scott was the entertainment this evening. A good comedian with a very strange way of making many, many sounds with his voice. Was a riot.
06 Jan, Fri (Day 004) Sea Day: Set alarm for 0600. Woke up at 0800/. (why not) Entire crew and guests took a COVID test in the morning. Taking a COVID test is the only time I look forward to being negative. Was not disappointed. We’ve been wearing masks since boarding in Fort Lauderdale. If all goes well, we won’t have to wear masks after today. The Zuiderdam Singers and dancers were on tonight. Most HAL ships have the two singers (man and women) and four dancers ( two men and 2 women. They were pretty good considering they are on a moving stage that sways back and forth even as little as it was this night. Spent an hour in the casino and then fill in this journal and bedtime. It’s amazing how tired you can get by doing virtually nothing.
07 Jan (Sat) Day 005: Woke up this morning as we were sliding into berth at Port Limon in Costa Rica. Today was an 80/80 day. That’s 80 degrees and 80% humidity. Doesn’t sound too bad, but a lot different than Colorado Springs. Especially this time of year. No excursion here either. Just went through the park, tourist area, and a small bit of town. Did see a baby sloth in a tree in the park but was high in a tree. Obscured, so couldn’t really get a photo of it. Oh, something went wrong and we’re still wearing masks on board. The Captain didn’t provide any details but said they will check again in another three days or so. Sure getting tired of the mask.
08 Jan (Sun) Day 006: Going through the Panama Canal. For people who want to do some local type cruising, I have two recommendations. The first is the inside passage to Alaska and back. You go up, have a several stops in Alaska towns, and go through the glaciers. You are always in sight of land and occasional wildlife. Susan and I saw a grizzly bear on the shore during our trip. There is also a good chance of seeing whales at certain times of the year. It’s normally a seven-day trip and very much worth it. The second cruise I recommend is the sixteen-day trip through the Panama Canal. You can leave from Fort Lauderdale and debark at San Diego or do the reverse. Going through the canal in either direction is a fabulous trip.
09 Jan (Mon) Day 007: We are at Fuerte Amador, Panama just south of the west entrance to the Panama Canal. Spent last night here and will leave at 1630 this afternoon. It is a Panama holiday and everything is closed except the shops downtown. You must take a shuttle to get there and back. Not interested. Am staying on the ship today and waiting for Monday Night Football. Yes, we get live TV at certain times. Things have sure gotten better since my last cruise. Starting tomorrow, we will have eight straight sea days until we get to French Polynesia. We have three stops there on three different islands. We’ve already been warned that Internet connectivity could be sketchy during these eight days. So, you may not get much of an update during this time. Besides, sea days are great for relaxation, but not very exciting to talk about. We’ll see.
