Tuesday 3 February 2015  
Singapore

Good morning from Singapore, where I arrived yesterday morning.  No early fire alarms, but a light breakfast in the Lido and then a short wait until my 8am call to disembark.  Why is it that people who won't give you the time of day while on the cruise are suddenly your best friends and all chatty on the day of disembarkation?  Someone should certainly do a study of this phenomenenon; I have noticed it many times.  The ensuing conclusion being that folks on this cruise were not particularly friendly and, indeed, this was the case.  I'm not sure why, but it may be because the Europeans and Australians, a large part of the ship's passsenger list, did a lot of drinking.  I met one gay couple on a shore excursion, but did not see any others on board the ship. I enjoyed the cruise immensely, but there was litle interaction between myself and others--probably my own fault, but I've usually found other people amenable to my company on most cruises. Weird.

Sunday 31 January 2015
Sailing to Singapore
Day at Sea

Today is both the final day at sea and the final day of the cruise for me.  About one third of the passengers (340 out of 1250) are staying on for the next leg of the Volendam's journey up the coast of Indonesia to Burma and then return to Singapore, for another 14 days.

It's good to have a day to relax and pack and take care of all the little things that need to be done:  filling out forms, getting Singapore money, giving cash tips to my two dining room stewards and wine steward.  Although $12 is added to each passenger's daily bill, tht money is distributed among all the people who work on the ship (excluding the crew and hotel administration staff).  But I usually give extra in the dining room, especially on cruises longer than a week, with a short note about the quality of service.  My three servers (sounds like a sitcom) certainly deserve more than I was able to give them.

I make it to another afternoon tea, this time "The Royal Dutch Tea," much like the British, but with more chocolate.  And dinner is an international menu (actually the same one Will and I had on the Maasdam on the Canadian cruise in 2013) with choices from various cuisines around the world.  Since I didn't really like the NZ Saugvinon Blanc I chose last night, I decide not to finish it tonight and end the trip with a cold Heiniken instead.  The waiters, kitchen staff, chefs, and room stewards do their final-night parade through the dining room to the applause and napkin-waving of the crowd (they do it at both dinner seatings).  Although there have been late-night snack dinners available in the Lido every night, HAL no longer gives them much emphasis.  And the chocolate dessert night has been taken off the repetoire since many attended but very few ate anything, and it was a real money-loser for the line.  There are certainly enough desserts on offer throughout the cruise that you hardly notice it is gone.

Then it's time to finish packing and put my bags outside my stateroom door, before midnight, as I head off to sleep, lulled by the softly swaying waves.