April 13, 2026
We’d already visited a couple of islands in Indonesia, but none as famous as Bali – a name that had first entered my consciousness through my musical theater education via South Pacific. Althoug I knew Indonesia was a diverse country, the sail in still surprised me. We’d been promised a water salute! I wasn’t entirely sure what that was but I was excited to find out.
I know that when a place is really touristy, the artificial comforts can detract from an authentic experience. I was drawn to it anyway.
After so many days at sea, the stress of the job provided the perfect contrast, making me savor the peace and excitement of this sail-in even more.
Kathie, our resident line-dancing instructor had once again reached out to the locals to arrange a line dancing rendezvous (she’d arranged something in Cairns, Australia last fall). When I heard that she was having trouble finding a venue ashore, we arranged for the group to come on board so everyone could dance together.
It was hot in the Indonesian heat, but everyone had a great time.
Anthony, the Destination Expert, had an old friend in Bali who helped him arrange transportation for the residents – private cars with drivers for a great price. Anthony had been my regular going-ashore buddy during this contract, and Bali was the port he knew best. His friend recommended Bar 69.
Bands and DJs alternated sets throughout the eveing. They were great – they engaged the audience and played popular songs. It reminded me of being on a traditional cruise ship!
I ordered a local Indonesian dish, and Anthony had an awesome steak. Later, our buddies – the Captain and Chief Engineer – joined us. It was so nice to see them enjoying themselves off the ship.
The next day, we had research to do. We’d be returning to Bali for four days in a couple of weeks, and Anthony wanted to find an excursion option for the crew. A beach with a mall nearby would be perfect.
We met with some representatives from a beach hotel, who showed us some of the benefits of choosing their property for our crew excursion.
After our very successful meeting, Anthony’s friend Mahendra drove us to a local spa so that we could get pedicures.
After our pedicures, we explored the massage rooms.
We concluded that we could absolutely spend an entire day here, but today we were hoping to catch the sunset.
Unfortunately, the sun set too quickly. Mahendra and his son joined us for dinner at another hotel.
Now this was a completely different experience.
There was live music here too, but this group’s sound was much mellower.
Anthony and I talked about how this was one of the reasons we did the job. We’d pour everything we had into the ship and then find ourselves somewhere like this.
When we returned to Bali a couple of weeks later, I had decided to finish my time at Villa Vie as Entertainment Manager rather than moving back to Destinations as planned. Anthony had arranged for a local Balinese dance group to come onboard and perform for the residents. He had also organized a beach hang out near a mall for the crew, while the residents continued to use Mahendra’s connections to arrange private cars and drivers.
My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.