Day 54 Feb 28 - At Sea

Emily dressed for formal night

We woke up to Bruce's announcements at 9:20. It was 84 degrees with 61 percent humidity under clear skies and 21 knot winds. While having coffee on the verandah, we saw many more flying fish. We went to the continental breakfast at 10:30 having missed the buffet. Glenda sat in the sun on the aft deck while I did the crossword at a shaded table. Tanja came by the table and sat with us for about an hour. I returned to the cabin to update the blog and check email at 12:30 and then to the front desk to buy some Indonesian Rupiah (9000 to $1), then to the aft deck and read. Tanja came back and sat with us until I returned to the cabin at 2:20 while she and Glenda stayed a while longer. It was 93 degrees and quite still. Glenda came back and changed clothes and we went to bingo where she won the third came for $29. Tonight was the Mariner's Appreciation Cocktail Party at 6:45 and it was a formal night. Stein introduced the employees of the month and several long time employees with up to 44 years with the company. Among them was Peter, Joost, as well as several others. After dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and talked with Tanja, Anne Marie, Joost, Peter, Barbie, Corine, Ileana, Chris, Vicki and Don until 12:30. The Captain and his wife Karen came up for a while and Gerald from the Holland America Mariner's Club office in Seattle. Our formal night gifts were two Tiffany crystal bowls.

Day 53 Feb 27 - At Sea

We woke up to Bruce's announcements at 9:25 from a very sound sleep. It was 77 degrees with 80 percent humidity under clear skies and 24 knot winds. We had coffee on the verandah and saw a few flying fish for the first time in a good while. I went to breakfast at 10:20 while Glenda dressed to set out in the sun on the aft deck. Later, I went to the front desk to change some large bills to smaller ones for giving to our Indonesian servers and attendants before we reach Bali, when many will see family and friends. I updated the blog and Glenda tanned. Don came by the table for a bit. I read and we talked with Tanja after noon for a while, and then continued our activities until 3:20 when we went back to the cabin so Glenda could get dressed for bingo. Before bingo, we bought 2013 World Cruise caps and Glenda bought a new eco-drive watch that was on sale. At bingo, I got close, but Glenda split the prize for game 3 and won $28 as well as a casino Club 21 cap. After bingo, we picked up our picture from Freemantle at the photo shop and got 2 decks of cards for playing bingo. After dinner, we went back to the Crow's Nest and talked with Tanja, Stein Kruse and his wife Linda, Don, Peter, Ron & Dave, Signa, Barbie, Jeff & Corrine (Jeff was inducted into the president's club for more that 1250 days with Holland America), Aart & Ellen (Ellen's grandson was born today) and Anne Marie until 11:45.

Day 52 Feb 26 - Freemantle, Australia Day 2

Maritime Museum

Government House

Church from the back door of the pub

Sheep Ship

Trucks transferring sheep to the ship

We woke up at 8:30 and it was 75 degrees with 58 percent humidity under clear skies and 15 knot winds. We had coffee on the verandah, but they they were using a cherry-picker to do some painting on the side of the ship so we went back into the cabin. We went to breakfast at 10:15 and left the ship at 10:45. We walked down to the E Shed Market (about 4 or 5 blocks) which turned out to be closed. We then went over to the Maritime Museum and caught the free bus downtown where we shopped and bought T-shirts, postcards for Peter, and an apron set. After walked through the shopping area some more, we went toward the ship to a pub that Peter had told us about last night and had drinks on the front porch before crossing the pedestrian bridge and re-boarding at 1. It was already 90 degrees and climbing and we were a bit sweaty. I updated the blog while Glenda delivered a 4 pack of ginger beer to Manny, one of the bar staff and we met at the aft deck at 2:45. We stayed for the sail away happy hour until 5 talking to Bernice, Jan, Ron & Dave. During the sail away, we saw the trucks loaded with sheep transferring tem to the sheep transport ship which holds 6000 sheep. After dinner, we went back to the Crow's Nest and talked with Jeff & Corrine, Don, Tanja, Anne Marie, Peter and Barbie until 11:10 when we went to the casino and made a 35 minute contribution on the penny slots.

Day 51 Feb 25 - Freemantle, Australia Day 1

Maritime Museum

War Memorial

We woke up just prior to Bruce's 9:25 announcement. It was 66 degrees with 79 percent humidity under clear skies and 26 knot winds. We had coffee on the verandah and I went to breakfast at 10:15 while Glenda got ready to take in the sun. Today's forecast high was 93. After my breakfast, we went out on the aft deck where all the deck lounges were occupied. Glenda had de-magnetized her ship's ID card, so she went to the front desk to get it fixed. I updated the blog entry but couldn't get a good connection so I read and Glenda finally got a lounge and read in the sun. We watched the sail in until 3 when we returned to the cabin. The ship was docked and cleared at 4 so we went out at 4:15 and went to the Cole's grocery store for more McVities chocolate covered biscuits and some more ginger beer. We had to climb a double slanted pedestrian ramp and across the rail tracks and down again to get to the street and then it was about 3 blocks to the store. My knees did not like the ramp up or down and hurt all the way there and back. We re-boarded the ship at 5:15 and dressed for dinner. Don had dinner with us as Ron & Dave went to Perth to attend a play. After dinner, we went back to the Crow's Nest and Rhonda, who we met in 2011 and lives in Eastern Australia, came on board for the evening. We talked with Don, Peter, Anne Marie, Tanja and Corine, who is on board as a companion to one of the officers. She boarded in Sydney and worked the 2009 and 2011 World Cruise in the SPA and we ran into at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai both years with Chris from the shops. We stayed until 11:15.

Day 50 Feb 24 - Albany, Australia

Rose answering the phone

Tanja and Ron

Ron and David

Don, Lucia, and Henk

Me and Anne Marie

Sandra and Allen

We woke up to Bruce's announcements of arrival at 8. It was 61 degrees with 74 percent humidity under partly sunny skies and 10 knot winds. We had coffee on the verandah and went to breakfast at 9:10 and went out to the shuttle bus at 10. We got to downtown where there was a little market with a trio playing music in the park. It started to mist a bit while we were looking through the tents and I had told Glenda, "No, it's not going to rain today, so we don't need an umbrella." Soon it was raining pretty hard, but we stayed under the store fronts as we made our way along then street. Glenda found the make-up that she bought in New Zealand that she really liked and she had been looking for it in all of the other Australian stops without success, even though it was made inn Australia. She bought all that they had in the display. Later, we stopped at the IGA and bought some more Ginger Beer and some chocolate covered McVitie's biscuits. We caught the shuttle back and re-boarded the ship at 1. We went to the aft deck and visited with Alan & Sandra, Aart & Ellen, Anne Marie, Tanja, and Don until 3:45 when we returned to the cabin. Before dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and talked with Ron & Dave, Rose, and Don. Dinner lasted 3 hours with 15 of us and was great food with great company. After dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and talked with Don, Ron & Dave, Tanja, Anne Marie, Hans, the chief engineer, and Lucia & Henk from dinner until 12:15.

Day 49 Feb 23 - At Sea

We woke up at 9 and it was 66 degrees with 68 percent humidity under mostly sunny skies and 23 knot winds. We had coffee on the verandah but didn't stay out long as the wind was very chilling. I went to breakfast at 10 while Glenda got ready for her "Ladies Luncheon". After breakfast, I returned to the cabin with more coffee for Glenda and I went up to the aft deck and downloaded pictures and updated the blog entry for yesterday. I returned to the cabin at 12:20 to print the staff pictures. I went down and delivered photos to Emily in the library and to the people in the casino and then hung around the Sports Bar until Glenda joined me at 2:10. She said that the luncheon was very nice and she met some of the ladies that she didn't know. We entered the slot tournament qualifying round but we didn't make the finals. A friend, Betty, won the finals and got the $250. We went up to the cabin and Glenda dressed for bingo. The ship was really rolling this afternoon and walking was a challenge. At bingo, we didn't win yet again. We stopped by the photo shop and bought a picture they had made of us last night. After dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and visited with Peter, Don, Tanja, Annemarie, and Ron & Dave until 11:15 when we went to the casino to make a 30 minute contribution. Annemarie and Tanja invited us to a private dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tomorrow night.

Day 48 Feb - At Sea Medieval Dinner

Dealer at the blackjack table

A puny sunset

Earl, casino

Dave with Earl and another casino worker

Emily in the library

Dining room supervisors

Tirta in costume

Glenda (Chloe) and Toni

Glenda (Chloe) and Rod, wine steward

Romeo, wine steward

Victor, dining room candy man

Annemarie, Tanja, and Glenda

We woke up at 7:50 and it was 66 degrees with 85 percent humidity under partly cloudy skies and 9 knot winds. Apparently I skipped Day 44 on my numbering, so I am correcting it starting today. After coffee on the verandah, we went to breakfast at 9 and then to the aft deck until Glenda's SPA nail appointment at 10. I stayed and finished the book Ron had loaned me and returned it to him when he stopped by and we talked for a bit. Glenda came back at 11:45 and I went to the cabin to update the blog and answer emails. I went back up and read while Glenda sunned. We returned to the cabin at 2:45 to get ready for bingo where we had another futile day. The theme for tonight's formal dinner was Medieval Times. At dinner, all of the waiters and wine stewards were in costume as well as the dining supervisors and Emily in the Library and the casino staff. After dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and talked with Joosst, Don, Ron & Dave. Glenda sat and talked with Annemarie and Tanja for about 30 minutes and we left at midnight. We got to set the clocks back another hour. We got no formal night gifts tonight.