Viewing Chinese Port of Dalian from Cruise Deck with Injured Toe

Day 67, 2024 Grand World Voyage

Sunday, March 10, 2024; Dalian, China.

Trivia can be a dangerous sport.

I seldom play on board, but yesterday I joined a team that was short one person. We won, and they wanted a photo. As we gathered, one member adjusted his chair, and the leg came down on my toes. The pain was immediate. By this morning my fourth toe was dark and swollen, so I limped to medical. The x-ray showed a possible fracture. Treatment? Tape it to its buddy toe, ice it occasionally and take it easy.

I had already missed this morning’s walking and tram tour of Dalian, China, but the bigger issue was my plan to leave the ship tomorrow for six days of overland travel in China. I knew it would be miles of walking to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Terra Cotta Warriors. So, I sadly decided to cancel the tour.

Those who followed my world cruise blog last year will remember that I had worse luck when I fell and fractured my kneecap. This year’s injury isn’t nearly as serious or consequential. I had the good fortune in 2017 to visit all the cities and sights planned for this China tour. I will miss seeing them again with my sisters, who I’m sure will have a great time. I’m expecting that my trip insurance will reimburse me the cost of the tours.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy ship days – today in Dalian, the next two days in Tianjin (port for Beijing) and then three sea days before we get to Hong Kong. I expect my toe will be practically healed by then.

Dalian is a new port for me, and remarkably the Zuiderdam is the first cruise ship to visit in four years – since before the pandemic. Local newspaper reporters interviewed some of our passengers while they were ashore. Before we left, dozens of local officials marched up and down the pier in formation to pose for photos in front of the ship.

The city’s history includes periods of Russian, Japanese and Chinese rule, reflected in the architecture, the signage and even the souvenirs, such as the Matryoshka dolls.

My sister Elaine provided photos from their tour, including lots of interactive scuptures.

Most passengers either took ship excursions or jumped on the free shuttle to a multi-story shopping center, with everything from clothing, furniture, electronics and food. Many of the area buildings, built by the Russians, featured French Renaissance and even art deco architecture. We passed by them as we cruised into port.

As we have come to expect, our departure was delayed by the intensive processes and paperwork required by the Chinese. We gathered on the Promenade deck in the 40-degree weather for our sail-away, but we actually left well into the evening. We could see the bright lights from our dining room table.

Lest a sea day pass without a special Grand World Voyage activity, yesterday featured a mid-afternoon ice cream social in the main dining room. Servers dished out your choice of flavors, and you added from a smorgasbord of toppings. Special drinks and an ice cream float filled out the options.

It looked fun and festive, but I didn’t see as many people indulging as a few weeks ago, when we were getting bored from so many tropical sea days.