Our voyage towards this beautiful city paralleled the South African coast and as we made our way south-west we passed some of the ports I used to call at during the days of my early career. I used to visit South Africa regularly, when I was a junior officer with the Union-Castle line and grew… read more of “Captain’s…”
Here are some belated pictures of our Oriental dinner aboard Amsterdam.
Richard’s Bay, South Africa When I left you, we were heading south towards this port on the Natal coast of South Africa. I had last been here on a bulk-carrier, loading 100,000 tonnes of coal for Europe, now I was appearing on a luxury cruise liner, how times change. The good news is that we… read more of “Captain’s…”
Maputo, Mozambique Maputo lies on the East African coast and I last visited there during my ‘general cargo ship’ days of the 1970’s; then it was called Lourenco Marques and was under Portuguese administration. As a cadet, one could use bars of soap as currency, this came in handy because I only earned $15 or… read more of “Captain’s…”
Look at this great photo of some families sailing on board the Amsterdam. What makes it so unique? Well, three officers had their families sailing with them for a few weeks: Provision Master Antonio “Bong” Cruz, Jr., Controller Jusuf Nouvy and Night Audit Officer Didiet Ardananto. Each one of these officers has a set of… read more of “Double Trouble…”
In celebration of our 140th Anniversary this month, we’re dedicating a post a day to the wonderful destinations and attributes that make a Holland America Line cruise so special. Today’s post is about: Auckland, New Zealand There is a point on the North Island of New Zealand where the land narrows to a thin strip… read more of “Celebrating 140…”
Here are some pictures of our Easter dinner aboard Amsterdam.
30th March, Madagascar Landfall, after leaving the Seychelles and crossing 10⁰South latitude, the demarcation line for ‘pirate’ country we sight the northern tip of Madagascar in the early morning light. Our destination, Adoanay, formerly known by its French name Hell Ville, lies on the island of Nosy Be, on the north-west coast of Madagascar. It’s… read more of “Captain’s…”
