for 'trip count' (lifetime) tally.... scroll to very end

11 Day Nov 2017 Norwegian Star cruise out of Miami 

    

Route                                                        submarine in Aruba                         Selfie (in Cap Cana)

​                                                           Rafting, Ocho Rios
​
​Norwegian Star photos link

Executive summary:

Norwegian is almost as good as Oceania (premium end) and less than half the price /day.  The experience was good enough for me to buy two prepaid deposits for future trips, (half price if bought while aboard).  11 days was about the right duration, to places I'd never been to, reasonable cost (~$2500C  all-in), nice weather, ....what's not to like. The local day excursions were 'just OK' really, ... Curaçao was my favourite

 

Fri Dec 1  Air Canada MIA (via YUL) to YOW

A $16 shuttle (by Norwegian) was available to the airport, ... nice, versus a $40 taxi. MIA airport was near empty, quiet, almost serene. Air Canada required checking the hand luggage, no charge, because of bin overcrowding.  Ordered the Piri-piri chicken from the business class menu, $13,... quite good. The in flight wifi seemed to work, no $charge (maybe an error). The 90 minute wait in YUL went fast, for the 19! minute flight to Ottawa, on Bombardier CRJ 100 regional jet. Travel is usually a pain, but today was a breeze.  Funny (in that it's equally): I'm about equally excited by 3 things: a $16 shuttle (good thing), $159 overcharge in Punta Cana(piss-off), my portfolio appreciating $**K over 11 days, .... hardly equal.

 

Nov 30, 2nd day at sea, to Miami

The last day at sea, noticed weather cooling around 4PM, as we approach Miami, disembark at 8:00AM Friday. Spent the morning on the Deck 12 full sun, ... all I could take.  Read several chapters of Obama's 'Audacity of Hope'...enjoyed it. Went to the 1PM talk about ship's operation with Captain and Chief Engineer, and Q&A session about operation details, eg 40% of crew is from Philippines, 500 pounds of bacon consumed per day!, photos of the laundry, etc. All the diesel fuel is used in the 3 engines to create electricity in turn to drive the propellers, (except for directly to the shaft of the small bow thrust engines, used only in port).  I decided to go for their "buy one - get one free"  (they don't call it that) deposit promotion. I bought two future trip $250 deposits, good 4 years,  and the second one's value was deducted from my current bill.  Norwegian seems like a good deal, relative to Oceania (owned by Norwegian), and roughly at half the cost. Evening show was the first repeat, a group pretty much like the Supremes,... good, with an even better 6 piece house-band. 

Wed, Nov 29, initial day at sea, towards Miami

Again, nice weather, not too hot 28C, sunny. The usual routine, spent time on Deck 7, open side decks, but quiet compared to the circus and crowds on deck 12. Checked but the a-la-carte specialty restaurants are fully booked, but I'm not that sorry, ...  the buffet suits me just fine.  I read more chapters of Obama's 'Audacity of Hope', ... enjoying it, and the contrast to that Trump con-man couldn't be more extreme. I am considering the NCL promotion, give them $500 now, for $1000 (in form of 4 future trip $250 deposits). If you really like Norwegian, and it does seem pretty good. Final sea day tomorrow, Thurs.  Debark: Fri at 8 AM, AC flight at 12 noon, through YUL. 

Over the 11 days, of the 4 or 5 passengers I've talked to about Trump seem to match my thoughts, (one mild exception, who was more against Democrats). Evening show was a big!  production 'song and dance',...  kind of the finale.

Tuesday, Nov 28, Punta Cana

Nice weather, sunny, 28C. Punta Cana, or precisely Cap Cana specifically was not! at all as I expected Punta Cana to be, ... Cap Cana is a newly designed resort area, (kind of new swanky resorts area, is an exclusive real estate and hotel tourist destination) shallow waters so we had to tender (first time/only time this cruise). So at $159 an hour cruise and two hours on the beach was vastly overpriced, and I've sent a written complaint, whereas the other four earlier excursions ($78-99) were far more reasonable. Listened to (/overheard) other cruisers talk about how "Vacations To Go" website was the best site to research cruise offers and then actually booking with NCL.com etc directly, .... a good way to go. My $772US base rate for 11 days, plus winning! auction bid for OceanView suite. Norwegian, unusual, often doesn't charge for solo.  There are "deals" that seem to include drink, specialty restaurant, Internet and excursions packages, (... gets a bit complicated). Tonight's evening show was about hypnosis.  Got the impression the clients were sort of 'hams' and really wanted! to be hypnotized (acted so, but I doubt they really were).  The toilets were not working (ship wide) from early morning, .... sounds bad, but rectified by 9:00PM.

 anchored at swanky resort area, in poor country
​

Monday Nov 27, at sea

At sea, nice weather, spent 2.5 hours in deck chair, deck 13, for all the sun I could stand. Read a bit (Kindle on iPad) in PM. Signed up for horseback riding in Punta Cana, but was phoned by Excursions desk to say it was “sold out”, so changed to a catamaran tour, $159. In the back of my mind I wondered if they saw my age, 74, and thought it was ill advised to go horseback riding at 74.  I admit, I was a bit concerned myself. Was phoned in my stateroom, to say that whale had died in our intended snorkelling location and had attracted sharks, so the snorkelling component had been cancelled, but the overall catamaran cruise would continue. 

Sunday Nov 26 Bonaire

Went on another kayak and snorkelling trip, a so called glass bottom kayak, glass bottomed is pretty much pointless. Once again pretty routine stuff (not impressive underwater sights).  Got paired with Stephanie (mid 30s) who's husband was so heavy they were well over the 340 pound limit, so were we, but not by as much (180+176 pounds) The evening show was “Las Vegas of Old”,... not bad

Saturday Nov 25 Curaco

Curaçao looked the most interesting of the ABCs. (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao).  Went on a kayak and snorkelling trip with local operator, a 30 minute bus ride to get there. Underwater was not nearly a colourful as they suggested it would be, but what else are they going to say, that's about all they've got. The guy I got paired with was a > 250 pound super lazy guy, who barely paddled, and laid back flat.  At least he complimented me (sort of) on arrival by saying very publicly that "Canadians had Kayaking in their DNA". There was a large sunken skiff, many years ago, made it a bit interesting, because the coral and fish were limited (in my rather spoiled experience)  .  Had a nice chat with an Egyptian Coptic (Christian), now in California, about Mid East politics, … We agreed people forget that George W spent 4 $trillion on an avoidable war and largely caused the creation of the ISIS crisis, over 4,424 US troops died and many thousands of troops affected, all to avenge (or out-do) his father’s war,.... a view many Americans avoid. The evening show was 3 black singers, sort of a “Supremes” thing, …  was good.

Friday Nov 24 Aruba

This am did the 4 hour ‘Sea and See” tour. Sandy, I notice your recent Princess Coral is in port too (+ 2 other cruise ships). Aruba seems clean and organized compared to Jamaica, and the weather is perfect, sunny, 28C with sea breezes.  There's not a whole lot to see but the 4th stop was a semi submarine, ~30 passengers, submerged unpressurized, down about 5’ where the top porthole has open air access. We inspected, 15 minutes, a sunken (deliberate, 50’depth) German cargo ship, at about 50’ down from 1940. The German captain scuttled the ship because the war was on and he wanted no part of it. Was imprisoned for the rest of the war on Curaçao (also Dutch).

Thurs Nov 23 (at sea)

On route to Aruba. Went to French Cooking lesson in Spinnaker lounge at 10:15a. Brown sauce (the magic for the dish) for a fillet mignon, and a chocolate Napolean, both looked very do-able. I'm not going to reveal the secrets here, will try it myself.   Signed up for two kayak trips in Curacao and Bonaire, since my ‘sea and see’ venture in Aruba is sold out, …. But, I was on the waiting list, …and in the end it came through too, thankfully.

The evening show ‘Band on the Run’, a pretty slick production (almost on a par with Los Vegas, I’d say), … the kind of music I like (60s, 70s, 80s).

Wednesday Nov 22 (Ocho Rios)

Went on the 5 hour rafting tour, about 75 min bus ride to Martha Brae river, and 90 min on the raft. I got paired with a woman from Fargo, Minnesota (said she thought the movie was stupid, and made the people sound stupid, … True). She was dismayed when I said movie was in my ‘Top 10’.  

Funny, I notice a high proportion, say 30-40%, of the passengers are obese, and 10% of them are morbidly so, in terms of a BMI over 30 (mine is 26). Actually, in a round about way seeing all the obesity serves a motivation for me to be more modest in my eating,... and I am.  I found the fine dining room routine too long, so eat in 20 minutes at the buffet. There's probably about 10% of guests who have some level of obvious physical limitation (using canes, wheel chairs etc).

The evening show was ‘White Magic’ a magician, illusionist, contortionist (a British guy and his Mongolian fiance). I'm not a big fan of magic generally, …. but that was an excellent show.

Tuesday Nov 21 (at sea)

Today is a day at sea, on way to Ocho Rios for Wednesday. Will sign up for ‘Rafting on the Martha Brae’, 5 hours, but  the actual rafting itself being 90 minutes. Today was mostly mostly cloudy to start, but weather seems to be improving slightly as the hours go by.

10a, Went to hour theatre talk about upcoming excursions this cruise

12noon, went to hour talk about the 14 Norwegian ships, and various cruises

Signed up for Martha Rae rafting on  Wed 22nd

7p, Went to “solo” traveller cocktail, a bit awkward, but you've got to “put yourself out there”, … worked out OK in the end

Formed group of 10 for Versailles DR, sort of “fancy dress”, service was painfully slow ( 2+ hours), buffet is better.

Sort of a scruffy crowd, so thought I would be the only one wearing dinner jacket (blazer), but there were others, say 30-40%

Detail: noted 2 GM (30+ year service) Michigan retirees had nothing! good to say about GM, …  ended up deliberately buying Ford cars in retirement.

9:30p Went to Burt Bacharach themed show in Stardust theatre, … Major production, if you like that kind of thing, but I was not that impressed.

Monday Nov 20

6:00 AM AC flight to Toronto, 8:20 flight to Miami, arrived on time.

All went smoothly really, but I find I tend to fret about minor annoyances (de-icing YOW, take-off delayed 20 minutes)

I have a ⅔ size carry on, whereas many passengers have near double-size carry-ons (relative to the regular sizing frame), and yet the overhead compartments seem to hold them.With the Sunday Ottawa snow fall, say 5mm, I honestly! felt there was only a 50/50 chance of it all working out (ie catching the connection in Toronto), but in the event, I did. All the other Miami passengers needed delayed alternates, ...I had no checked luggage, so I made the connection (only one)

The Norwegian Star is big, 2400 passengers, vs 700 on Oceania Regatta or Nautilus,  but other than being bigger, Star is pretty much the same. The Star buffet is maybe not quite as nice. I guess it's a different crowd that can afford a <$2K trip vs >$5K on Regatta. Some children on Star,  whereas none on Regatta, and average age on Regatta was mid 70s, whereas Star is more of a mix of  “working class” passengers (....uppity for me to say so). Lots (50%) who don't speak English among themselves.

The 9:00p 45 min evening show was pretty good (very professional, flashy), a collection of segments of acts for the upcoming 10 days

Cruise Oceania Nautica Feb 4-2017
Singapore to Hong Kong details  

 Marina Sands Singapore (click) by Moshe Safdie of McGill U

Feb 7 home security camera, "bait" looks intact

Ko Samui Thailand

my mug, ... just to prove I was here

kayaking Ream Sihanoukville Cambodia

Russian audience bothers me (deep green)

Bangkok Photos ... link  (in Google Drive)

Saigon on Pedicab Photos ... link

Mekong Delta Photos Feb 13 ... link

HaLong Bay Brunch ... link

Feb 20 2017 Monday (summary)
3 best things:

• political discussion on beach with VN who told me "You know nothing"
• I was impressed with Singapore generally/ the food on Nautica was superb
• I learned I could tell (5 times) a 10min story (silk route) that held 6+ stranger's attention

3 worst things:

• overpriced generally $11.7K CAD, (I know, I know: why do I fuss?)
• 32 hour westbound travel time was awful 
• Nautica evening shows ('song and dance' shows are not for me)

Incidentals:2 Flights home,15+4=19 hours travel time, at home by dinnertime (local time). Bad, but not nearly as bad as 32 hours travelling westbound. Blog 381 views of blog in Feb2017  Investments To be crass: in the 16 days the my portfolio went up 2.1 times the cruise cost (....and I'm 70% in cash). Tip: A pair of good noise reducing headphones "works wonders" in cutting aircraft noise, by say 50% or more.

Feb 19 Sunday
Last full day, arr. 8AM Hong Kong. Mostly cloudy, cool: 17C Took the subway to the Star Ferry, did the red and green lines of Hop-on-Hop-off and the sampan harbour tour... too bad weather wasn't better.

Feb 18 
Last night was the wrap up entertainment show, again "song and dance" thing,... good I suppose,...  but not my cup-of-tea. In my survey: I rated everything 'very good', except the entertainment (poor), and excursions (overpriced). I spent $397 of my $400 onboard credit.

Re those huge number of Russian views of my blog.(none since Feb20)

It must be awful to live in Russia, where you're always exposed to devious malevolent schemes, obnoxious behaviour, all the time (not that we don't have some, but just 'some'). I remember Putin (himself so corrupt) saying that corruption was so deep in Russia, it would take generations to reduce.  Ive heard it said (just once on CBS) that in a way they (senior Russian admin) admire/envy our relatively free open system.  DW: I live next door (back to back) to the Ethiopian Embassy and there's a reg patrol through my back yard by private "commissionaires" 24/7, maybe that helps deter Russian contacts, ...... maybe Im getting paranoid.

I keep thinking of the VN guy on the beach (2 days ago) who was so upset with the way his one-party country is run (yet it seemed good to me especially Saigon, not Hanoi so much).   I said VN "seemed nice", he said "you don't know anything" ... is so true. My/our life in NA is so blessed (although I never think of it that way) whereas for him its a struggle (works so hard)  just for food to eat. The world has a big "distribution" province.

Depressing,..... and then I start thinking of Trump, ...  how can that have happened?.... what are we in for.

Feb 16 17  ... sunny 23C but due to geographic position internet satellite reception is typically problematic for these 2 days . 

• I thought this was powerful, last paragraph (from NYTimes, Feb 14/17):  link. Trump and his senior aides have spent their first weeks in power doing nothing more than telling us how afraid we should be of Muslim immigrants who have not been properly vetted by our intelligence and immigration authorities. Well, Putin was vetted by the F.B.I., C.I.A. and N.S.A., and they concluded that he attacked our country’s most important institution — and Trump has acted as if he could not care less.If the rest of us do the same, we’ll get the country we deserve, and it will not be great.
• Took the tender ashore 16+17th, then shuttle to what? I wasnt sure (was Vincom plaza) ... kind of surprised: link  ... not at all like last visit to Ha Long Bay, plaza was more like fancier Yorkdale (or whatever)
• Ive been watching my blog viewer sources. No Russian views till today, (then all of a sudden today dark green on map,... strange), so I'll just make it private to my contacts I notified earlier. This happened at the end of the November cruise too, but then I just made it private to myself only.

Feb 15
Cooler 24C, and rainy. Just shuttled to the resort town. On the beach near Danang two young Vietnamese guys**, ~25, knew about Trudeau in Washington had seen the same video, summarizing Trump's peculiar "dominance" handshake, I was amazed locals were so in-the-know. They were probably more struck by the rude handshake with the senior Japanese PM Abe reaction (like he'd been doused with a bucket of water). So much of the Trump admin seem more like rehearsals for SNL.

** spoke fairly good English, but in their sharp choppy way, ... but you can make it out. Most of all I suspect they wanted to practice their English. In retrospect, I now wished Id stayed and talked longer (taken next shuttle to pier) they had a "story to tell" (just gushing), they seemed so upset with their VN corrupt government, and the China dominating the China Seas islands. I said you have a nice country, ... they said "you don't know anything" ...(...very true).

I tried "high tea" first time, 4-5 pm, nice I suppose, but don't need that.

Feb 14
Day-at-sea on way to Danang. Blustery, 12' seas ... porthole is clamped-covered, elevators sometimes suspended. Temperatures falling, eg Danang forecast 23C high, after mid 30s  so far.


Feb 13
Did the Mekong delta tour, generally pretty good (7hours: bus, boat, then sampan, 7 hours, weather perfect). Had onshore lunch (very! Vietnamese... probably just for tourists).   

• Trudeau meets Trump today I think.  In my mind Trudeau is still more like a college kid, but hasn't done too badly so far, and Americans know about him vs Harper.  Trump (he's so shallow) kind of likes "pretty people", so that may favour a good relationship, but Trudeau doesn't have much leverage. 
• Al, 84, from Victoria, doesn't like Trudeau (spends too much), but points out that Trump has 300,000 shares of Transcanada Pipeline, so is real reason Trump approved Keystone.....makes me ill.
• I've got my ears perked, but NEVER (not once) have heard (75% are American) Trump brought up in ship conservation. One lady I kayaked with (taught at Harvard) said Republicans are too embarrassed to even bring it up, as well as it being just too divisive (could cause nasty arguments).

Feb 12
No tours that I like till tomorrow (7:15AM 13th Mekong delta), and I know Saigon a bit (and like it) so toured on my own. Took shuttle to Union Square, and then was besieged by scooter drivers (pedicab) ... so went on back of scooter for 2:15 hours, wearing a helmet, and careful not to burn my inner calves (something's hot down there). Driver (no English) was pretty good @$10/hr and wanted me to buy him a lotto ticket, ... I guess that's better (a bit) than crass asking for a tip.  Hot 30C, sunny clear and clearly more pleasant than congested oppressive Bangkok. Had reservation at Polo (specialty restaurant, had+lobster veal thingy, ... a bit "over the top").

Feb 11
a day at sea,... on to Saigon, arr: Sunday 10am.  A cocktail party for repeat guests ( 50% of all aboard I'd imagine). No room at the Grand Dining, but the Indian theme at the cafe was excellent (to my surprise). 

• day at sea, China sea was rough (15-20' waves) windy, ship bounced around a lot, must use hand rail
• at dinner I find my stories from the Silk Route (the black guy, James Earl Jones look-alike, who fought another guest ...got expelled) are appreciated.
• I find unlimited internet access makes daily routine much like home, ... I refer to it often to read G&M, NYTimes, Economist.    For example: if you don't know much about Cambodia, .... google it. 
• Several guests said have said variations on "Canada is one of the best places in the world to live",.... I guess (when you think of Brexit and Trump, let alone really bad places) it is.  The proportion of Canadians aboard is say 5 percent or less.
• Seems most US guests avoid bringing up Trump. I suspect feelings are too intense want to avoid controversy, ( a SC lady w PhD: "Trump voters are embarrassed to admit it") so they avoid the subject. The hints I've had suggest most think as I do. They all do say: "its divisive, we're in for difficult times"

Feb 10
Signed up to go kayaking, 4 hours in the Ream Mangrove River, Sihanoukville Cambodia (3rd world, very primitive, no electricity), which only gets about 22 cruise ships a year. Kayak group was ~20, and rather basic molded plastic resort kayaks in a primitive unpopulated area, ... was OK. Im m not sure why all the paddlers kind of treated it like a race, ... should have been more an 'appreciation of surroundings'. Dinner (lamb rack,+ choc lasagna for dessert) was in 'The Toscanna', speciality restaurant, was good with a German Swiss couple (winter in Phuket) speak English.  I find stories from Silk Route seem to be appreciated.

Feb 9
Because Feb 8 was so hot (today too), decided to stay aboard and went to the gym which has the best air conditioning. Also it's a short day in port, got to leave by 2:00 PM because of (sea)tied change (we're forced fairly far up the river)... another similar size cruise ship had broken down and hadn't vacated our berth.


Feb 8

Arrived in Bangkok this am, 94F ... that's hot, Tour starts 11:30, mostly by bus (I hope). When you're in Ottawa 94C might sound appealing, ... it's not. So a 6.5 hour excursion of Bangkok, .... but in air conditioned bus wasn't so bad. 15 million people makes for a lot of traffic congestion, ... a normal 10 minute distance can take an hour. Had a Thai lunch buffet in a huge River hotel ballroom, with maybe 200+ tourists, ... sounds bad but was in fact pretty good, well organized. Then on to see two temples, there are 400 temples, but 2 is enough,  … “seen one you’ve seen them all”. One of the buddhas (temple of Wat Traimit,  about 3X human size, 5.5 tons) apparently pure gold, all others are just gold gilded. At $1200/oz (or whatever) the total value is unbelievable. More importantly (to me) saw an emaciated black cat meowing pathetically in one of the temples, thought of it so many times since, … still bothers me now. 
Dinner in the Grand Dining Room (last cruise: no dress shoes, no entry) was long 2+hr and tedious, ... would have preferred (in-and-out in 20 min) of the open deck Terrace cafe buffet. Sometimes would prefer to dine alone than listen to others drone on (... guess what?... I'm a recluse). 
Many cruisers (vs cyclists) seem a rather indolent self-indulgent lot.... eg make a big fuss about small things (eg a lip step-up on the bathroom entrance) ... I have to bite my lip.

Feb 7

Checked home security camera (above) first time Feb 7 1:27 AM Ottawa. "Bait" looks intact 11C temp inside. Still sort of amazes/impresses me I can do these "live" checks. The shipboard internet is pretty much home-like. 

Went ashore in a tender (a bit of rigamarole: 648 people into 3 50-person tenders), in Ko Samui  30+C= bloody hot. Is a bit like 'Phuket' I guess. 

This blog seems to be getting about 17 (... now 30) views/day

Feb 6 ... I had to tell a "story"

A day at sea.  We each had to tell a story at the "solo traveller" lunch, as to why we started travelling, to a table of dozen people, mostly women. So I told this story (true): 

When I graduated from high school, at age 16 (typical in Quebec), I was given a Rolex watch (by my aunt), and Mother said "that's just ridiculous!- Ednah will take it back". Being a gutless wonder, I agreed, but instead the next summer, still 17, I was given a 6 week tour of Europe, with 30 or so of Canadian students. In retrospect, the the travel gift was far superior (in so many ways) than a watch, in that it probably gave me a taste for travel. I then cap it with (essentially a boast) about my 79 count of international cycling trips.


Played Trivia first time this cruise. Compared to last time, today's game: I feel I can help the team's score significantly, eg  which 2 countries share Victoria Falls, .... Zambia and Zimbabwe 

Feb 5 reflections

Hop-on Hop off, 7 lines (I just did 2 lines) versus the ships $129 affair... but I had to learn the subway system (very extensive). We (in NA) think were hot stuff, but we're more like country bumpkins with failing infrastructure.  Everything about Singapore is impressive, 5.5 million people 3rd highest std of living/world, but poor $distribution. The only printed language (signage) is English, and they may speak Chinese?(74%) amongst themselves, but 100% can speak a sort of English. The Queen is on the coinage.  But it's 31C and very muggy (... pretty oppressive), ... think I prefer a clear sunny cold day in Canada.  Some (not me) are getting ready to watch Superbowl at 7:30 Monday AM. Monday is a day at sea, to Thailand.

Feb 5 2017

My little (very little) observations, reflections:

• (7am Sun) will open up my blog later today (now there's something to say)

• Air Canada not having a meal on a 5.5 hour flight was surprising. Looked like mostly a serious business crowd, few bought on board sandwiches, mostly just small snacks (eg Pringles). I appreciated my homemade smoked salmon/bagel.

• Cathy Pacific (YVR-HK) was a Boeing 777(huge), 100%full ... lots of Chinese families with kids (originating NY), 13 hours is a killer

• the mature  landscaping (24Km Airport to Harbour)in Singapore is truly impressive, and skyline see Marina Sands 3 football fields on top of 3 towers. Done by  Moshe Safdie of McGill U (same era as me), Habitat 67

• the 7 others on the van transfer vehicle were all from FL (independently)

• Montreal Toronto Ottawa infrastructure seems mixed (bad roads), Singapore seems perfection (huge 10 lane underwater tunnels)

• Im super tired, ... from 32 hours of (never really sleeping) flying,

• time back home is easy to calculate 13 hours ahead of EST (= half day) so 2pm means 1am back home

• Nautica is exact twin of Regatta in November

• I'd like to bring up Trump in conversation (snide), but don't because you don't know who you're talking to (cruise ship = likely tea party Republicans zealots)

• think Ill try "hop-on hop-off", $28/all day, versus ships overpriced ship's $129 4 hours (We leave port 5PM Sunday)

Feb 4/2017 

Arrived on time after (5.5+13+ 4)26 hours of fly time and 6.5 hours of layover. That Vcr-HK segment,13 hours is a killer. The drive through of Singapore was as impressive as the reputation. The Nautica is an exact twin of the Regatta. Singapore is hot (30C) and and muggy, ...its always hot hot and muggy.

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Cruise  2016 Regatta Nov 17 

My small observations:
 I don't do many photos since the public ones are abundant and better

 

  

Anita from Chicago and AZ

get it? Fort 'George'

StingRay photo is not mine, but gives idea

As of Nov 30/16,  there's been 422 pageviews of this Cruise post, ... must be earlier cyclist readers

Itinerary / Maps (click)
Nov 29 Tues return to Ottawa

• Although I braced for travel trouble, return unfolded as expected (arduous, tedious)
• I learned (tip): if you have a basic stateroom, Oceania will offer +$4000 unsold suites/upperdecks for $250 eventually!, but what use is a veranda, anyway? 

Nov 28 (Mon) 'at sea'

• a pleasant day at sea (Cuba in sight), sunny 27F, heading for Miami. AC Flight 12:30 Tues
• This AM, I signed up to the Oceania  Singapore Hong Kong 16d Feb4 trip, mainly because it's only a 25% solo premium, not 100%.  Availability and $450 discount if I signup onboard.   In a funny way, the current discussion re paying $5-6K/mo to a retirement residence (hypothetical), or 6999U (base) for a 16d cruise trip, makes the cruise choice a "no brainer". That,  and "at some point you're dead". 
• Summary: Hurricane Otto disrupted our route to Panama, but in general it was a good trip

Nov 27 (Sun) Grand Cayman

• Sunday (sunny, 28C) Nov 27 in Grand Cayman went on bus/boat tour to the  StingRay City reef, 85F degree water, + snorkeling,.. was really nice after  two days in rather dumpy Montego Bay (unplanned because hurricane Otto disrupted our route to Panama canal).  Got a 'back massage' from stingray (like underside of mushroom). They've been feeding the stingrays there for 60 years, ....that's why they come. 
• I didn't use the ship tour to Stingray $169, .... did it privately on shore $40. Only difference was I with a group (about 30) of unilingual Italians (who seemed to know each other), from another cruise ship, who never stopped talking very loudly. The Captain became very! irritated because every item of instruction was met with a howl of loud chatter,... he became incensed.... said to me: "thank God you speak English".
• Stopped at Royal Palm Hotel for lunch, walked 1/2 way back with couple from Vcr. Many quiet people turn out to be Canadians.  Anita from Scottsdale Az says there's mostly Republicans aboard the ship, but they're embarrassed so one never hears conversations about Trump. 

Nov 26 Sat Montego Bay  'forced to spend $400'

• I dont drink, and I've only bought a aerosol spray of 'Off' (bug spray),  so $387 of my shipboard credit was about to evaporate. I wanted to get the job done, so bought Citizen Nighthawk watch, ...There's a couple Youtube videos (not easily playable with onboard bandwidth), but the text suggests it's a 'best watch under $500'. Even the $120 off 'Black Friday' pricing is really not much of a deal, but it's over with, and no tax, and I didn't want to fuss buying knicknacks (best alternative otherwise was a few Ralph Lauren Golf Shirts at $85 ea).

• I'll wear it to all the fancy dress balls I go to...haha
• My current Timex Titanium, maybe 10 years old, suits me just fine (good looks, very robust, battery lasts years), probably about $150 then (Costco).
• My wrist is fairly slender and the Nighthawk is appropriately slim, whereas most watches are ridiculous big clunky things ( more like my dive computer)
• Why pricing is such that you the cruise has shipboard credit in the first place, ... is beyond me, effectively a piss-off.
• I remember:..... When I was 18 (birthday), Ednah bought me a Rolex, but Mother made me take it back (too ostentatious) (boy, ... I was a gutless wonder)

Nov 25,26  Montego Bay (for 2 nights, 24Thurs and  25Fri)

• blog has 369 pageviews since cruise started, near 50/day. Who? ...it's not that interesting.
• signed up for "Rafting on the Martha Brae", ... last of my 4 "included" tours, since I suspect Grand Cayman, which is small and might have local tour offerings (as did Key West). Included tours are wildly overpriced, about double their real worth...... was pretty good, but ended after 4.5 hours
• was confused about the 4 included excursions (now used up) and the $400 credit, was maybe the same thing. Turns out I have $387 credit (had bought $13 bug spray) to use in shop, or $disappears. 
• looked up the rare 125% solo offerings:  Feb4 Singapore to HK $9K,  or Jan5 Capetown to Singapore $14K,..... you never know
• after 4 evenings in the grand dining room,  they've decided they don't like my Asics running shoes (only shoes Ive got) but let me in anyway.  If I cant go, it's no great loss. It's kind of tedious listening to Mr&Mrs Jones from Kansas talk about their wonderful grandchildren for two hours. Whereas, bringing up "blue states versus red states" is a non-starter for conversation, I find (maybe too delicate).

Nov24 (US Thanksgiving) "bobbing around at sea" (rather windy)

• Captain announced 11AM that Falmouth is now closed so we're trying to get into MontegoBay.
• when the cruise director said on the PA system that we were "bobbing around at sea" there was a quiet chuckle all around. He probably got reprimanded by the rather serious (as he should be) captain.
• Today is the first day that is totally cloudy, though about 28C. The last two days have been blustery, heavy 2+m seas, but fairly sunny.
• We are in Montego Bay Port, as of 2PM (unexpectedly) and Oceania offered a free shuttle to town (only 3 km), so I went, ... why not. The tourist street is pretty tacky/mist rain (after the pristine bubble that is the Regatta),  blatantly  propositioned by pimps,... so I didn't stay long. Im told the ship staff is working on some hopefully proper excursions for tomorrow (...could be slim pickings).
• Tried the ships gym couple times (not busy), ... not big, but deluxe high-end equipment

Nov 23 Wed at sea diverted to Jamaica due to Hurricane Otto (buffeting winds, but weather not so bad)

• Capitan announced 10AM: Instead of Colon Panama for tomorrow night (600 miles away), and because hurricane Otto/Thanksgiving is stalled, we are diverting to Falmouth , then Montego Bay Jamaica, resuming course in Grand Cayman. I was in Panama, in 2012.
• news  link
• Hurricanes are rare this late in year. None in Costa Rica (the brunt) since 1851

Nov 22 Tuesday Roatan

• Tropical Storm Otto (now called "Thanksgiving Hurricane"link). The Captain confirmed at 4PM a change, where we be spending two days at sea (not just the intended one on Wed). Update: will spend two days at sea apparently sweeping far to the east getting to Colon, Panama, to miss the trouble area and therefore miss the subsequent stop in Limon (Costa Rica), which apparently is closed anyway. (Ive been to Limon, Costa Rica, cycling, ... not that I remember anything).
• Today was a good (at least better) excursion to  Gumbalimba Preservation Park.  I've been to Roatan twice before for scuba diving . Roatan is where most people speak English, though it is now part of Honduras. I have a picture of a small monkey sitting on my shoulder (photo coming in email,  now above).
• You don't hear much talk about Trump. Occasionally in quiet tones you hear non-supporters expressing chagrin. Anita from Chicago explained that because most of the guests are well-to-do, they likely are longtime Republicans and not too thrilled with Trump either. More importantly all want to avoid confrontation, so just keep quiet.
• The weather today was nice, mostly sunny (whereas it didn't look too promising at 8:00 am).
• Im told there's over 100 Canadians on board, and near 300 Americans.  I suspect it's not 100% full.

Nov 21 Monday Santos Thomas (a working port) Guatemala

• Went on a 5hour bus excursion to Quirigua this AM,  kind of a long trip for the result. Mayan stuff is significant, admittedly, and if that's what they've got to see, go see it. There are 4 included excursions on the cruise, and Ive got to use them up.  Here it's "rainy season" (@ bus driver) till mid January, ... don't know if I realized that. Till today has been sunny though, and even today is a bit of sun.

Nov 20 Sunday Costa Maya

• a place built to attract cruises..... so sounds dubious as in  "If you build it, they will come"  as of  9:00 AM... looks much better, sunny
• I eat meals mostly on my own (open outdoor deck, no doddling), breakfast and lunch are fine (pretty much like it that way), but at dinner I do feel awkward. Anita (on tour) said if you go to main DR you can ask to sit with others who have asked for "joiners"... maybe Ill try that. Ive met a few through Trivial Pursuit, but overall Im not very "social" (... as though you didn't know that)
• The two Ive brought up the Trump issue with (a little cautiously), are horrified/worried by Trump. They say as a Canadian they wouldn't assume Id be as informed.
• There are quite a few (~25%) in their 80s, some with walkers etc, and rarely anybody under 50. On the tour you see them struggling down a rough pathway with wheeled devices, .... "there, but for the grace of God.....etc."
• Bought some bamboo based things link, ...strange as that sounds (Tshirts socks UW),  similar priced to things at The Bay. The store opened today (US based), ... I was their second customer (I believed them, they had trouble finding inventory,"L" is not an unusual request).
• The Destinations Desk, where I complained about yesterday's tour, said "I understand" ... seemed to agree with my point.
• 10:00PM tried the joining others tables of 8 in the grand dining room, ... was OK, you have to put yourself "out there"... I can chit-chat if I have to.  They all talk about their cruise history, they seem to "get hooked" and a sort of an accumulating "notches on the bed post" theme prevails, .... some interesting people.
• Funny: An added brochure on my bed tonight, promoting the Oceania sheets (which are nice, but) delivered for $1,490.00 US, .... really? 

Nov 19, Sat Cozumel Mexico (my 5th, maybe 6th visit)

• 6AM: Ship doesn't dock till 1PM. I suspect we're waiting for dock availability (ship engines off),... revised  4PM: turns out: in reality the engines are near silent, but we were in fact racing maximum speed to Cozumel,.... so what do I know? We were 2 hours late, mostly because waiting for a part delivery in Key West, and also buffeting strong headwinds
• Nice day weather wise, but the tour didn't start till 3:15  2 hours late.
• the $149 Folklore tour was a bust, ....  the Mayan ball game was OK I suppose, but the tequila and chocolate factory museums/factory were just blatant crass sales efforts. And because of lateness, the last half of tour was in darkness. I'm going to write a constructive complaint to Oceania. Oceania do themselves a big dis-service, ... I feel duped and cheated.
• Also did the Mayan lecture, and trivial pursuit game again,... a daily routine, I guess.
• Turns out my minimalist packing (size of ~2 loaves of bread) seems complete... nothing missing, but my smallish roller carry-on would be better than my new fancy backpack (unpleasantly heavy). BTW: Microfibre underwear shorts, C Kline reg $36, when hand washed 100% dry overnight. I use a bar laundry soap (hard to find, from earlier Mexico trip). I noticed first day some passengers had hockey bag sized (oversize huge) luggage,... why?

Nov  18, Fri KeyWest Florida

• slept 9 hours, whereas average for last months in Ottawa: more like 2-3hours, rarely 5... was getting worrisome.
• an older crowd: "cruise critic" said average was 73, (....a great review site for Regatta)
• crew is pretty mixed, even a few caucasians, officers seem European
• internet seems roughly comparable to Teksavvy at home,.... am surprised
• I wanted to see Key West, but the "included" ones were $89 (I have 4 free included, so saving use for pricey ones later ) therefore took a local golf cart type tour at $27, ... was pretty good, colourful guide with a flood of stories/anecdotes. Turns out Oceania uses the same local operator (presumably with some add-ons).
• thought cruises in general would be crowded cattle herd type things, queues etc, ... not so, every time Ive gone for something (eg exit gangway), I'm the only one there.  As time goes on, I overhear more and more Canadians (...surprised), could be 10%
• listened to the first of Myan History lecture series, daily, 40min. Actually I know quite a bit about  Myans,... since was the theme of the San Miguel (learning Spanish 2004 and 2006) afternoon lectures, daily every afternoon for month.
• played 'Trivial Pursuit' teams of 8, we came 3rd (tied) amongst 10 teams, I hope my team doesn't kick me out, which they can do.  Sample question: which south American country produces the most oil.   Its not Venezuela.
• Signed up for folklore excursion/show in Cozumel tomorrow (been there 4+ times)

Nov17, Thurs

• 2 WestJet flights through (YYZ) were fine, Q400 Bombardier, a turbo out of OTW was fine (full, about 80 passengers)
• the US Customs is now basically passport scan and usual questions all onscreen at unmanned kiosk, picture taken gives a paper receipt(with photo), which on exit of customs room an actual person collects, .... seemed confusing at the time, but pretty efficient, through in 10 minutes or less
• no taxis at stand : cab driver from airport was just a guy (Haitian) who offered for $35,... in retrospect was a risky choice, but worked out OK
• no lunch on flight (as expected), but $7.50 turkey/Brie sandwich was pretty good
• 5:30 "muster drill" was mandatory. ... (lifeboats are huge, 150 people ea)
• Regatta was updated in 2014, so is pretty nice, oldish crowd (my age) as predicted
• dinner: quality of food (just dinner, so far),... impressive ... but I try not to each too much

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