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DISEMBARKING IN SINGAPORE

Well here we are already at the end of this wonderful experience.  Can't believe it's time to disembark.

The new Cruise Terminal in Singapore is absolutely HUGE and quite something to look at.  It's more like an airport in fact. There were dozens watching in the dark as we sailed in at 5.00am docking at about 5.45am. As we disembarked there we staff everywhere offering us help and welcoming us to Singapore.  We were all given a little momento pack as we were the first to ever use the terminal.
As it is closer to the airport it is only a short 15 minute drive which makes it all so easy.

The ship is now on a 3 day sampler cruise with all the 'big shabangs' of RCCL, Singapore and other Asian country representatives on board.  I'm sure Voyager of the Seas will be a great success in Asia, and we look forward to it visiting our shores in October.

I do hope you enjoyed me prattling on over these past few weeks. I loved sending my little reports to you all and hope you feel like you've been on this wonderful cruise with us both.  I'll be putting up some photos shortly.  First I have to unpack, wash and iron......oh well back to reality.

Thanks for all your comments, apologies for not being able to reply to you all but I did read every one of them. :)

See you on our next cruise...................

DAY 40 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The ship docked early at 7.00am.  We ordered Room Service as we had to be up and about early and ready to go by 8.15am. Our ships transfer to take us to the Midway Megamall which is about a one hour drive from the port had to leave promptly due to the horrendous traffic here. What a huge mall it is.  I would recommend this transfer to anyone visiting Port Kelang because there is absolutely nothing at the port itself, and I mean nothing at all. 

The traffic wasn’t too bad according to the guide and driver of our coach; it looked pretty busy to us….lol. Once we arrived at the mall everyone was off like ants everywhere.  There are shops from all over the world, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Harvey Norman, Pumpkin Patch, just to name a few. Then there were the dozens of restaurants and fast food restaurants, all very cheap.

Everything is extremely clean and the choices in the stores were excellent.  It felt and looked like one of the big mall in the USA.

We had to be back at the ship by 4.30pm ready for our sail away at 5.00pm, but we actually left at 6.00pm.

The final dinner in the dining room was finished off with a song sung by all the Waiters, Assistant waiters, Head Waiters and the various ranks of Chefs.

One final drink up in the Diamond lounge then it was time to pack…..what a marathon that was after such a long time on the ship.  I had forgotten just how much we had purchased along the way.  Just as well we had an extra empty bag with us as we filled that up easily. Finally by 11.00pm we had squeezed and sat on our suitcases enough to finally close them up and put them outside the door ready to be picked up.

By the time we had said goodbye to everyone we have met it was nearly midnight. We can honestly say these past 42 nights have flown by, yet our time in New Orleans seems like years ago.

The ship was in full swing preparing for tomorrows arrival into Singapore.  We will be the first ship to dock at the new Cruise Terminal which has just been completed at a cost of $500 million. There will be TV, Media and Dignitaries to welcome us in at 6.00am. Voyager will be based in Singapore until October doing short cruises around the Asian waters before leaving for the Australia and New Zealand Summer season.

Tomorrow, time to disembark after a wonderful 42 nights leaving us with some most memorable moments from the wonderful places we feel we have been so privileged to have visited. 

PS. Just noticed  I missed a couple of days along the way as I’m only on Day 40, so you’ll have to just imagine those two missing days….lol. J 

DAY 39 in Penang, Malaysia

It was a short day here today.  We arrived at the port which is right in town at midday.  The weather was perfect again and very hot.  Only a short stroll from the port is a large shopping centre.  Everyone from the ship seemed to have the same idea and went to the mall.  Must say it was nice to be in the air-conditioning. As it was our first visit to Malaysia I must say we were surprised just how cheap things are here and therefore had to add a few more kilos to the baggage weight. J

Penang, not being a big place was easy to walk around, even in the heat. Some of the buildings are rather lovely with a touch of Asia, a touch of Portugal and a touch of Dutch and English, as they have all been a part of Penang’s history over the years.

At sail away we ventured down to the aft of the ship to check out the new area behind Johnny Rockets.  It’s a lovely place enjoy the view at sail away.

We decided to have a quiet night and we did, which surprised us, a first for us on this trip.

Tomorrow Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia

DAY 38 at sea

Today is our final sea day of the voyage.  Tomorrow Penang, then it’s on to Port Kelang and then our destination, Singapore.

Its official, our Voyager of the Seas Chef makes the best Bread and Butter pudding ever. J Every now and then it’s there up in the Windjammer with lunch. It’s a favourite of everyone. Some Mums and Grandmothers won’t want to hear this….lol.

We had a very relaxing day; this is becoming a habit on our sea days.  Getting up late, enjoying ‘brunch’, maybe having a game of golf or table tennis then suddenly the day has gone.

Yesterday we had the final of our Progressive Trivia.  We didn’t win but came in 4^th, we were happy with that as there were 16 teams playing.

The first full DreamWorks parade was excellent with all the characters of Madagascar. The lightening, music and characters really looked good. The kids are going to love this, we only have a few kids on board, maybe less than 20 and they all looked so excited as the characters came by and always stopped by them so they could see them close up and touch them.

We decided not to eat in the dining room and just have an early casual meal at the Windjammer after our drinks in the Diamond Lounge. Go chatting to people in the lounge and before we knew it we had just enough time to go down from Deck 14 to Deck 11 to the Windjammer and grab a bite to eat before it closed.  It’s so easy to lose track of time. The only time we watch the clock is when we are ashore as we know we have to be back by a certain time.

Our early night turned into a late night again because having eaten so late we didn’t want to go straight to bed on a full stomach so went off walking around the ship and by the time you stop and chat here and there it’s midnight again.

Shopping in Penang tomorrow J J

DAY 37 at sea

We continue to enjoy smooth seas and sunshine with the odd cloud here and there and temperatures in the low 30’s. Our wonderful poolside band ‘Riddim Wave’ play all types of music to entertain us around the pool. Gordon, our Cruise Director, said he’d walk around with a fork and prick everyone to see if they’re done so they can turn over and do the other side. J The entertainment on board is excellent with several bands as well as the Voyager of the Seas Orchestra, a pianist and violinist, Robbie in the Pig and Whistle who used play guitar with Jerry and the Pacemakers, if you remember the songs ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ and ‘You’ll never walk alone’, you’ll know who I mean. Every bar has some music going on as well as ‘The Vault’ which is the nightclub and last to close every night. Since we boarded this ship in New Orleans the earliest we’ve been to bed is midnight and that’s something for us! Must say we’ve been getting up a lot later than we do at home, like this morning 11.00am …..that is what is good about being on a ship breakfast doesn’t finish until 11.30 and lunch begins at 12.00 so we have ‘brunch’. J

A very lucky couple from Russia won US$20,000 in the Royal Casino yesterday afternoon playing video poker and got a Royal Flush. It’s a wonder you didn’t hear their screams of excitement. J Guess what we won?………….a tee-shirt and key ring…. True. We did win US$30.00 on the Roulette the other night……last of the big gamblers here...lol.

We’ve finally completed putting the clocks forward one hour each day and I think we’re on Singapore time now.  Since we left New Orleans we have had at least 10 time changes putting our watches one hour forward. They only do it on a sea day and at midday but when we have been going ashore we’ve been asked to keep our watches on ‘ship time’ so as everyone gets back to the ship on time. I must say no-one has delayed the departure of the ship in any ports on this leg of the voyage possibly because the last place anyone would want to be left behind would be Egypt or India…. ;).

Karaoke has been huge they’ve had to hold it in Cleopatra’s which is a big lounge. There are some great singers.  Barbara from the UK who is also on our Trivia Team sings beautifully.  I was asking her about her singing and she was saying she used to be a resident singer on the QEll.

Last day for progressive Trivia tomorrow, did you notice I haven’t mentioned it recently?  I would have if we were winning…….. J

Tomorrow, our last sea for the voyage and the day before we reach Penang.

DAY 36 at sea 

The ship is still buzzing in conversation about Cochin. So many really enjoyed the city and its people.

The outside temperature is still very hot and humid and the seas continue to be smooth apart from the odd bump now and then as if we have just run over something on the road. We are current cruising around the bottom of Sri Lanka.

Everyone is enjoying the days at sea, especially after being ashore in such heat which is quite exhausting and we’ve had extreme heat since we began sailing through the Suez canal which seems like ages ago.

The ship is still undergoing refurbishment here and there. They are re-carpeting the cabins at 20 per day. The RCL brand shop has been closed for refurbishment since Barcelona which I think is pretty poor. Many like to purchase the Logo merchandise and not all the merchandise has  been on offer as it was on our first leg of the cruise from New Orleans to Barcelona when the shop was open. Many are not happy about this considering they managed to refurbish the Casino including adding new tables and slot machines in 7 days, yet it has taken 3 weeks so far to refurbish the shop and it’s still not finished.  Everyone understands maintenance has to occur during cruises but you would think the Management on board would ensure that the work is done in a timely and efficient manner so as not to affect the guests for too long. The word is the left hand doesn’t always know what the right hand is doing on here, and I must say those words are mild compared to what some are saying. The only thing that matters seems to be the Asia market.  We just hope the Asian market respect this wonderful refurbishment and trust it still looks as good as new when the ship arrives in Australia for its season. They have taken on many Asian crew  which is  good for the Asian market but sometimes proving very difficult for a ship with the majority being English speaking especially when Trivia is conducted in English by an Asian speaker who can’t be understood as their pronunciation is not good so it ends up with everyone asking for the words to be spelled out, and even that makes a bad situation worse.  I must point out our Progressive Trivia is taken by the Activities Manager who is English speaking and he is excellent and a lot of fun. 

The most laughable everyone will have seen on here is beautiful photographs taken by the ships photographers whilst we were at the Pyramids.  Printed at the bottom of each person’s photo, which is available for purchase is “The Pyramids of the DESSERT” not ’DESERT’ J. I hope they offered to reprint them for those who wanted to purchase them.

The introduction of the DreamWorks characters has been successful.  We are the first ship to have these characters, and I must say they’re very big but quite cute.  In the future for those travelling with families Royal Caribbean have introduced for the children and their parents breakfast with Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots and others in the main dining room a couple of times each cruise. The menu is specific to the characters and they are all there to entertain and be photographed during breakfast.

Gordon Whatman our Cruise Director has worked for 22 years for Royal Caribbean.  He has such charisma and a wonderful sense of humour, has everyone in fits of laughter everywhere he goes and he’s an ‘out there’ Cruise Director and can been seen all around the ship. He even has a ‘chat with the Cruise Director’ at 10.00am every morning in the Pig and Whistle which is very popular.

Early afternoon yesterday we had an airline get together.  A guy by the name of Blair put a little notice up on the board asking if there were any others who had worked or currently work for an airline and from that about 12 of us turned up for a chat. We had a couple of Qantas ex airport Managers, a retired American Airline Pilot, Ansett/TAA staff, Delta staff all retired and ourselves Air New Zealand. Tomorrow we are meeting for lunch in the dining room.

A tip for those booking on Deck 6, we are able to get an internet connection from our Cabin…yay. The Guest Relations staff who are all an excellent bunch  are very helpful with any internet problems or any other problems you may encounter on the ship. We’ve had no problems at all except for some internet issues which they have rectified for us promptly.

Tomorrow is at sea cruising toward Penang Malaysia.

DAY 35 in Cochin, India

We docked early at 7.00am at the cargo port. There is not a Passenger Terminal here.   Before disembarking we were all required to do a face to face with the Indian Immigration Officers who had boarded the ship. A Visa is required for everyone visiting India.  Once the formalities were completed we were able to disembark the ship.  We weren’t in a hurry so took our time and finally went ashore around 9.45am. Two of our barmen we’ve got to know well were with us and they spoke Hindi to a couple of people who advised us to get our TukTuk from outside the gates of the port as they’re much cheaper. He was right, it was heaps cheaper and we ended up with a wonderful 5 hour tour of Kochi (Cochin in English) for US$20.00 for the two of us. Our driver, Sanjesh was in his 40’s married with three children.  Were learnt that within the first 5 minutes. He had an arranged marriage and was introduced to his bride at the age of 19. We left it in his hands to show us around and I must say he showed us everything there is to see in Cochin. Being a Sunday it was very busy everywhere and the traffic was horrific with absolutely no road rules whatsoever.  I have never seen so many buses, cars, the odd truck and other TukTuks head on before!  Somehow at the last minute all turns out well and everyone squeezes into the narrow road.

We saw some homes of the very rich and some existences of the very poor, and there’s quite a few of the latter. Even visited a laundry operated by very poor people, it looked more like a cowshed with many stalls where men and women were hand washing, sheets, towels, clothes and tablecloths from hotels.  They get paid a pittance, something like 20c for one sheet. Then they also have to iron them as well with antique irons that weigh 7kgs but they iron perfectly. The clothesline where everything is hung out to dry would be an area as big as football field. They looked so hot standing there washing and ironing in the humid conditions with the temperature today reaching 39C. We continued our TukTuk tour visiting the Army and Navy Barracks, churches, museums, the famous traditional fishing nets, and stopping at various shops along the way. Our purchases were very cheap and there’s a huge choice of everything.

We were TukTuking along another narrow street when our driver suddenly turned down this little driveway only just the width of his TukTuk with the side mirrors turned in.  We began to wonder where he was taking us when suddenly here we are outside his house and there’s his wife, three children, 86 year old Father and his sister all there to greet us. Next thing they’re offering us Indian Coffee, Jack Fruit and a pastry thing, no idea what it was. Roy the brave, ate and drank what was on offer, I’m a bit dubious about eating in India so managed to gracefully decline. Their daughter aged 12 appeared with Indian make up for my eyes and before I knew it I looked like someone out of a Bollywood Movie. J They were very welcoming and interested to hear about our life compared to theirs. They didn’t have a computer; you have to be quite wealthy to be able to afford the internet in India. Made me remember or should I say cringe at all the calls I’ve answered at home from India talking to me about my computer!!! 

We took photos of this happy family as they proudly showed us their little home. Then it was time to go, so off we went in our little TukTuk once again.  This time to a little area called Jew town, an old town full of tiny little shops where Tailors are making their clothes to sell.  I bought a pair of white pants for only US$2.00 and Roy two shirts for US$18.00, shirts are more expensive because they have button holes we were told.

Our driver was prepared to stop wherever we wanted him too, and that included the times when I’d say “that shop looks interesting” and suddenly we would come to a screeching halt holding up all the other traffic so we could get out and look in that shop. J

Before arriving in Cochin we were pre-warned that it wasn’t a nice place by some who had visited before but I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s full of character and history and the people waved and said hello everywhere we went.  Even the people on the zillions of motor scooters managed a wave and a hello whilst they dodged in and out of the traffic.  Somehow they can fit 4 to one scooter….easily!! No Helmets required here. In comparison it was so much cleaner than both Alexandria and Cairo.

As we re-boarded the ship at the end of our tour we felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to visit this most Southern city in India. 

As I sit out on the balcony typing this we are just about ready to sail and I can hear the chanting from the Mosques calling the Muslims to prayer at 6.00pm. In all the countries of the East we’ve visited on this voyage we’ve heard the chanting from the Mosques booming out at goodness knows what decibels. You could never ever say you didn’t go to prayer because you didn’t hear the call….lol

The predominant religion in Cochin is Catholic and the balance Muslim. Same goes for Goa as well. Whereas Egypt, Jordon and the United Arab Emirates are predominately Muslim.

What a great day exploring Kochi (Cochin) and well worth it too.

Tomorrow we are at sea en-route to Penang.

DAY 34 at sea

Must say after our day in Goa yesterday in the extreme heat it is nice to be back on our air-conditioned and extremely comfortable ‘home’.  We have a saying when we reboard the ship and ‘ding’ and Seapass cards through the machine….. ‘hello we’re home’ and the crew say ‘welcome home….the dinner is underway’…..lol.

We intend to have an easy day today.  I woke up this morning and didn’t have a voice…. You should see the smile of Roys face…..lol.  I’ve not got a sore throat or cold, just no voice.  We have our sports challenge happening later this morning, then this afternoon we have the ice show with some new acts, and, of course Trivia which is now at 4.30pm a perfect time of day to have a drink whilst at Trivia…..our team thinks it’s helping us with our answers. J

The 3D movies are now being held in La Scala theatre and apparently are a great success. We’ve not had a chance to go yet….not enough hours in our day.

Anyone who is booked, or thinking of booking will enjoy this ship for the huge variety of activities they offer.  I think that is the bonus of cruising on a ship and ‘huge’ as this ship is.

For those who may have booked a balcony on deck 6, which is where our cabin is on this leg, I will point out that the balcony has a solid steel facing with approximately a 300mm open space to the hand rail.  On our previous decks 8 and 9 they had a glass facing. However, we can still see the ocean when we are sitting up in bed and from the deck chairs on the balcony itself.

The show tonight was a Mentalist, something we’ve never seen before. He was bending spoons, reading volunteers minds, and other quite unusual stuff.  It was a first to have something like that on the ship apparently. Must say he was very good, clever, or quick, whichever way you want to look at it. Everyone enjoyed his show, and he received a standing ovation.

Tomorrow, Cochin, India and it’s still steamy hot.

DAY 33 in Goa, India

We docked in Goa just before 10.00am and it was lovely to look down at the wharf from our balcony to see the families of crew members who come from Goa excitedly waiting to see them. Goa and the families of the crew had never seen a ship as large as this arrive into their port.  It is the first time Voyager has visited this part of the world as well.

Having disembarked the ship it was time to try and find our driver for the day that had been arranged by Datta our table Waiter. Datta comes from Goa. We were in for such a surprise because as we walked around the corner of the buildings there was the guy holding a sign with our name on it and standing with him was the family of our Waiter; his parents, his wife, his sister and brother-in-law and their two gorgeous little girls.  It was so touching to see how excited they were not only to meet us but also to see Datta later in the day when he had some time off.  We have a lot of fun at the table with Datta and he had been telling them about us in his emails. They hadn’t seen him for 6 months.

Sunje was our driver for the day and in no time we were on our way to visit the area of Goa.  In India everyone speaks English well and it was nice to have Sunje give us a running commentary along the way.  The driving here is horrendous; we were all on the edge of our seats at the beginning as we weaved in and out of the traffic.  There doesn’t seem to be any road rules, or if there are no-one takes any notice of them.  We would be driving down a road with a single lane going one way and another single lane coming the other but there would be three lanes suddenly as there were cars dodging the cars but driving along the centre line of the road tooting their horns to let everyone know they’re coming through. Throughout the day we only had two misses, we nearly collected two people on a scooter who ended up having to swerve and almost ending up in a pile of watermelons that were for sale on the side of the road.  Oh and no-one wears helmets on their scooters and there’s thousands of scooters here. The second near miss was with a scooter going around a roundabout which was a single roundabout with about 5 ‘created’ lanes and everyone pushing others and tooting frantically to try and get off their exit.  The scooter and rider nearly ended up on the bonnet of the car.  In the end I decided it best just to look at the window on the side and not worry about what was happening out the front of the car.

Our first stop was to visit a lovely Hindu Temple which was quite ornate and decorated with fresh flowers.  It was prayer time when we arrived, the elderly locals wanted their photo taken with me and kept touching my hair…..probably because mine is so grey and they looked about 100 years old and they still had natural black hair with just a dusting of grey….lol.

Then it was off to a Spice Farm. By this time the temperature had hit 38C and the air-conditioning in the car couldn’t cope so our ‘air’ was all the windows down. We were welcomed to the Farm by having a red ‘dot’ placed in the middle of our forehead and a garland of flowers draped around our necks. A glass of hot Lemongrass tea was handed to everyone then our guide lead us off along the red dirt trail.  It was an interesting tour looking at Cardemon, vanilla, cashew nuts, beetle nuts and the spices that make up Garam Masala. Then it was time to enjoy lunch….for some… I wasn’t game to try it, but I’m pleased to say that the other five who did are all still alive and well tonight….. J

Next stop was the Basilica of Saint Francis Xaviar who’s body still lies there in an sealed glass coffin and amazingly he is preserved and more or less intact, not a skeleton after hundreds of years. A huge church with such a lot of history of Goa inside. Goa was in possession of the Portuguese for 450 years so the main religion here is Catholic, then Hindi, then Muslim. Goa’s main export is Iron Ore, and tourism is its second income as many from Europe, UK and Russia enjoy Goa as their holiday destination.

Our last stop for the day was in the town of Panaji for a little retail therapy. Everything is very cheap here, they do take US dollars in some places but we found we got the better prices because we had Indian Rupee.

As we arrived back at the port the family were all there, this time with Datta as he was saying goodbye to them. As were many of the other crew with their families….quite sad to see them say goodbye to their wifes and children, some born whilst they’re have been away.  However we could easily see that the income they earn working on a ship is far greater than what they would be earning working and living in India. The families stayed on the wharf to the very end, waving as we sailed away with the hot setting behind us.

Tomorrow is a resting day at Sea.

DAY 32 at sea

After such a full on day in lovely Dubai we had a late start to the day.  Fortunately breakfast is on until around 11.00am so having had a late breakfast we skipped lunch….which is probably a good thing as we’ve been eating so much.  As there are many new guests who boarded in Dubai we seem to have spent the rest of the day chatting here and there. As always there’s always time for a drink and a chat at the Pig and Whistle.  There are people from many different countries on board, more than 700 from the UK; just over 600 from the USA and 580 from Australia and the balance of the 2800 guests are from many other countries. You would never know there were even that many on board as people seem to disappear to the various places on the ship, and you wonder where they all are as you walk about.

We have a new team for our Trivia, not that it means we’re going to win, we’re there to have fun, and Chris the Activities Manager who takes it is a great guy and likes to throw in some odd ball questions just to make it harder for everyone.

Last night was our first Formal night and once again everyone looked very stylish and dressed well.  After dinner it was off to watch the Karaoke in Cleopatra’s Theatre. Roy and I don’t sing, except in the shower….lol. Must say there are a lot of excellent singers on this leg of the cruise, some I would say may have been professional singers, and they were very entertaining. Then, as always, there are the ones that sing because their wife or husband tells them they’re the best singer in the world…… they should be like us and only sing in the shower. J

We are still in the Arabian Sea, there was a little bit of movement but it was gone in an hour.

There are smiles all round from the crew who come from Goa as they have been given time off to visit their families whilst we are in port.  We’ve given our Waiter a Kangaroo and Koala to give to his children who are 7 and 4. He will also bring them to the ship to say goodbye and for them to see the ship, they’ve never seen where he works. Unfortunately they’re not allowed to bring them on board for a look.  It makes you realise how hard it must be for them to be away from their families for 7 to 8 months at a time, so our visit to Goa is a bonus for them. They tell us that working in this job gives their wife and children a good life and that’s very important to them as many don’t have that in India. I must say they all do a great job on here and are always so happy and friendly to all the guests and that must be hard sometimes with some of the guests they must encounter. It reminds me of my years with the airline and dealing with the public…… must start writing that book. ;)

Chilling out…. at sea tomorrow. 

DAY 32 at sea

After such a full on day in lovely Dubai we had a late start to the day.  Fortunately breakfast is on until around 11.00am so having had a late breakfast we skipped lunch….which is probably a good thing as we’ve been eating so much.  As there are many new guests who boarded in Dubai we seem to have spent the rest of the day chatting here and there. As always there’s always time for a drink and a chat at the Pig and Whistle.  There are people from many different countries on board, more than 700 from the UK; just over 600 from the USA and 580 from Australia and the balance of the 2800 guests are from many other countries. You would never know there were even that many on board as people seem to disappear to the various places on the ship, and you wonder where they all are as you walk about.

We have a new team for our Trivia, not that it means we’re going to win, we’re there to have fun, and Chris the Activities Manager who takes it is a great guy and likes to throw in some odd ball questions just to make it harder for everyone.

Last night was our first Formal night and once again everyone looked very stylish and dressed well.  After dinner it was off to watch the Karaoke in Cleopatra’s Theatre. Roy and I don’t sing, except in the shower….lol. Must say there are a lot of excellent singers on this leg of the cruise, some I would say may have been professional singers, and they were very entertaining. Then, as always, there are the ones that sing because their wife or husband tells them they’re the best singer in the world…… they should be like us and only sing in the shower. J

We are still in the Arabian Sea, there was a little bit of movement but it was gone in an hour.

There are smiles all round from the crew who come from Goa as they have been given time off to visit their families whilst we are in port.  We’ve given our Waiter a Kangaroo and Koala to give to his children who are 7 and 4. He will also bring them to the ship to say goodbye and for them to see the ship, they’ve never seen where he works. Unfortunately they’re not allowed to bring them on board for a look.  It makes you realise how hard it must be for them to be away from their families for 7 to 8 months at a time, so our visit to Goa is a bonus for them. They tell us that working in this job gives their wife and children a good life and that’s very important to them as many don’t have that in India. I must say they all do a great job on here and are always so happy and friendly to all the guests and that must be hard sometimes with some of the guests they must encounter. It reminds me of my years with the airline and dealing with the public…… must start writing that book. ;)

Chilling out…. at sea tomorrow. Temperature for tomorrow, 38C.

DAY 31 in Dubai

We docked in Dubai at 6.00am where the temperature was already around 30C By the time we got off the ship at 9.00am it was 45C, it’s quite a dry heat and just feels like you’re standing with the oven door open.  The cab driver was saying in June and July it frequently hits 55C….  October to January are the coolest months of the year here. Cabs are very cheap and plentiful. Our first stop was the Gold Souks as we were told they open from 10.00am to 1.00pm then close for the afternoon and open again from 4.00pm to 11.00pm. The souks are only a short distance from the cruise terminal so we were there just before they opened.  I can now understand what everyone raves about when talking about the gold in Dubai.  I have never seen so many elaborate pieces of 22ct gold in my life. Also stunning diamonds set beautifully in rings, bracelets and necklaces. I love jewellery and was disappointed not to be able to stay longer as there was so much more to see.  However, we had to move along so we jumped in a cab and went to the Khalifa tower. OMG what a fabulous looking building that is, quite unbelievable. I left the others and went to the Dubai Mall which is right next to Khalifa whilst they took the pressurized elevator to the 124^th floor.  You’d never catch me doing that. ;) Anyway they returned not long after as it was fully booked.  Apparently the best way is to book your elevator trip to the 124^th floor online before your arrival in Dubai.  It’s also cheaper that way, only UAE100.00 whereas if you buy it in Dubai you pay UAE300.00, UAE100.00 equals approximately US$30.00.

The shops in the Malls are amazing; they certainly have a lot of style here. The Dubai Mall has a full size skating rink as well as every shop you can imagine.  I was surprised to see a Waitrose Supermarket there also. Waitrose is from the UK for those who may not know.

From the Dubai Mall we caught another taxi who offered to take us on a two and half hour tour for US$110.00 which was excellent between the six of us. So off we went out to the Burj, Atlantis, and other stunning Arabian hotels.  Then it was off to the famous island called ‘The Palms’. It even has its own Monorail. Each road is called Frond A, Frond B etc. The Sheik of Dubai gifted a huge mansion on The Palms to Michael Schumacher the Formula One driver. We wonder what he had done to deserve that, but it was a monster of a house and looked very opulent. The Sheik has three sisters and he built them enormous houses looking over the ocean on the road out toward The Palms. Oh to have him for a brother. J Glenn, wouldn’t you like to be a Sheik of somewhere?  If you were, just remember who’s your sister….lol.

Then it was time to visit the Mall of the Emirates and the famous Ski slope.  Unbelievable to think we walked in from 45C heat into snow, chairlifts and toboggans.  Another amazing Mall, they certainly know how to do things right in Dubai.

We all loved the city and would return in heartbeat, next time for a longer stay. It’s easy to understand why so many move to Dubai to work for a year but stay for decades. Although it appears from what we hear that it’s not as lucrative to work here as it has been previously. However it’s clean, no graffiti anywhere, has style, amazing restaurants and is friendly. The high rise buildings compliment every Architect.  It’s hard to imagine that 14 years ago Dubai was just a little city of the Middle East with nothing but oil.  Now it’s a tourist destination of the world and I’m sure it will continue to be even when they run out of oil, which they say isl in the not too distant future?  Also petrol is only 50c a litre and there’s no tax on the purchase of cars so there are ‘designer’ cars everywhere.

Captain Charles has taken over the helm. He also has a good sense of humour.  He’s announced this evening that when he finds the keys he’ll get the ship started and we’ll be on our way to India.

Gordon, our new Cruise Director, has been with Royal Caribbean for 22 years and sounds very professional and speaks well and has a good sense of humour which goes down well with everyone.

Tomorrow day 1 of 2 days at Sea en-route to Goa, India.

DAY 30 day 6 of 6

Our last day at sea before our arrival in Dubai.  Security measures are still being carried out on-board. We stopped off shore near Muscat Oman while we waited for a change of Security people to come along side and board the ship as we travel the Homoz (spelling) straits. We were stationary for nearly 2 hours waiting be proceeding finally passing through the straits at 11.30pm. There were several of little dinghy’s with outboards buzzing around us.  We presumed they were fishermen but didn’t see any rods or nets.  I awoke during the night to go and have a look out on the balcony; all I could see were oil rigs. At one stage I counted 9.

A pathetic finish to the progressive Trivia, all we could have won was a wooden spoon if they had one…. J

We’re moving cabins again which doesn’t worry us as that’s what you get when you book a ship’s guarantee and we still think it’s the best way to book, especially on a long voyage like this.  We will move to Deck 6 with balcony.

Apologies for the lack of photos, the internet has been quite intermittent. I will try in Dubai.

Dubai tomorrow. J

DAY 29 day 5 of 6 days at sea

Been busy so I am three days behind so I will now post all three days one after the other..... happy reading. :)

Another perfect day at sea, and the perfect place to celebrate my Birthday.  We started with breakfast in the Diamond breakfast room. Then it was off to Trivia, back up to 15 out of 20 today, we all wish we could just be a little bit better but we’re having fun and that’s all that counts.

Clocks advanced an hour at midday so before we new it the afternoon was gone. The Sportsbar has US$3.00 beers from midday until 4.00pm so we met there for the cocktail of the day at US$3.00 and a few beers before the Paradise Parade began along the Royal Promenade. The Parade was good and costumes were great but it could have lasted a bit longer with a little more dancing.

Our time schedule seems to always be busy and we had about 45 minutes to get showered and ready for the show at 7.00pm.  Tonight it was a Hypnotist, we’ve not seen one ‘live’ before. He had several ‘willing volunteers’ up on the stage….which didn’t include us. ;) The guy had these people believing they were Elvis Presley, Lap dancers, riding horses, seeing the audience as if they we were all in the nude, all of which was hilarious…..glad we didn’t volunteer. J

Portofino specialty restaurant was the choice tonight for my Birthday.  It’s the most amazing restaurant and the food is divine. The Captain was also dining there and he was happy to sign my Birthday card and have a chat and a joke with us.  He’s such a personable guy, hope the new Captain from Dubai has the same sense of humour?

We didn’t have time for any sports activities together today but Roy and Wayne had a game of Putt Putt where Roy wants to announce he had a hole in one… J Then they shot a few hoops on the basketball court…. Or should I say tried to shoot hoops and between the two of them they didn’t score even one hoop!!  We girls wish we had been there, we would have given them heaps about that.  If it’s not too hot tomorrow we’ll all have a go, and we’re sure the girls will be the boys easily.

Voyager of the Seas employs magic Elves….. we went to dinner and when we came home we had new carpet in our cabin…..just like that…. And everything that must have had to be moved was all back exactly as we had left it.

Tomorrow is our last day at sea before arriving in a very hot Dubai. They’re now predicting 45C….!!!

SUNDAY 13 MAY..... HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MUM  <3
Thinking of you today,
Lots of love, Jill and Roy xxx

Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me..... another year younger. :)

DAY 28 day 4 of 6 days at sea

We decided to have a relaxing morning with a leisurely breakfast after Trivia. We’re still not able to get a score of better than 16, so don’t think we’ll be winning the gold watch and the world cruise…..lol.

Lunch was at Johnny Rockets, what a great place that it.  It’s the first time we’ve eaten there.  We danced our way through lunch eating delicious hamburgers and huge milkshakes and Sundaes.  We all felt like we were back in Happy Days with the Fonz.  The crew had us up dancing from the minute we arrived in the door. J  I’d recommend this to everyone for something different and a lot of fun for lunch or dinner.

As our lunch didn’t finish until around 3.00pm we walked off the lunch out up to the bow of the ship.  The sea is still calm and the air hot and up the front it was roasting.

After drinks early evening we decided not to go to the Dining room but to have casual dinner up in the Windjammer.  As we are still under security everywhere that doesn’t have curtains is dark, so we ate in the dark, quite a romantic dinner. J

For the first time since we have been on board we had an early night, in bed by 10.00pm. I think we needed it. J

At sea tomorrow.

DAY 27 day 3 of 6 days at Sea

Another beautiful and warm morning again. Progressive Trivia no:3 wasn’t so good for us today, we got a miserable 11 out of 20. So often we debate between two answers, one of which ends up being correct but we end up putting down the wrong one…..darn.

The Captain has quite a sense of humour.  In his report this morning he was apologizing for all the security on board but also explaining that of course safety is paramount on the ship.  Then he finishes by saying with all these dark and romantic settings around the ship after dusk…… he’ll be interested to see the results in 9 months time…… J Unfortunately he also disembarks in Dubai so we were told.  He’s been very informative and thorough with his reports from the Bridge.

It’s so hot outside this afternoon our Olympic challenge has been relocated to an indoor sport…..cards. We think we’ll have to have the outdoor pursuits in the morning before it gets too hot.  Apparently the temperature expected when we reach Dubai will be in the mid 40’s…….eeek.  I think I can handle that if Roy keeps me inside the Gold Souqs where it’s cool and he has his credit card in his hot little hand……lol. 

As always we have heard from the ‘moaners’ on board, and there’s always plenty, don’t know why they bother going on holiday in the first place because nothing seems to please them. 

If I worked on a cruise ship I’d write a book, I’m sure it would be a best seller. Jimmy the Cruise Director has ‘the’ list of stupid questions the guests ask.  One I remember was “I’ve had my photo taken at dinner on the Formal nights but now the photos have been removed from the display and are in piles.  How I will know which one is mine now that I want to buy one?”

We finished our Formal night off tonight with a couple of after dinner drinks at the Pig and Whistle which is always packed. If we don’t get a seat inside there’s always plenty outside on the ‘street’, the Royal Promenade.  Robbie McNay the resident entertainer is excellent.  He’s on the ship until November for those who may be on this ship between now and then.  He’s fun and plays great music.

At sea tomorrow.

DAY 26 2 of 6 days at sea

As I opened the door out on to our balcony at 7.00am it felt like I was opening the oven door! The sea is glassy and sapphire blue in colour. Captain Martinsen reported that the temperature today would be around 33C however the humidity is making it feel a lot hotter than that.  Our clocks went forward an hour today at midday…. I think that will happen for the next few days.

Very proud of ourselves again this morning, breakfast consisted of cereal and toast only…..no trimmings today J now I’m not saying this will be a daily occurrence…. J

Progressive Trivia No:2 this morning.  Yesterday we came in at 5^th.  Today our score was 16 out of 20 so it’ll be interesting to see where we come tomorrow. Nowhere near as many playing on this leg of the cruise.

The Royal Navy came alongside this morning to provide more security as we sail the waters between Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Straits of Hommos. The ship is in total blackout after dusk.  All curtains are drawn and glassed areas covered.  Outer decks are closed until dawn because there is no lighting.  The Marines carried out some practice shots aft, it wasn’t noisy as they have silencers on their weapons. We are travelling in a convoy with 5 other ships and also have helicopters monitoring from above.  This security will continue for the next few of days until we’re clear of the area.

We’ve spent some of today chatting and people watching at the Promenade Café. It’s a popular spot on the ship as is the Pig and Whistle. The best internet connection is at the Café here on deck 5. I think it would be a huge ‘plus’ if wireless internet was available throughout the ship. I would assume Suites would have wireless but the rest of the ship need to connect in the designated areas. PC’s are available at the library on deck 7 and 8. Here’s a tip for those who would like to use the Library on this ship.  You need to get in quick to get your books as they vanish in a flash and the Library is not that extensive.

On our leg from Dubai to Singapore they are introducing 3D movies, a first for this ship. We also have the DreamWorks characters wandering around, Penguins, Shrek, Puss in Boots etc. This is also something new for the ship.

The 70’s night was a great hit once again.  On the last leg it was held in the Royal Promenade.  This time they held it in Studio B which is the ice skating venue on deck 3. This was a much better venue as there was more room to dance and everyone was up dancing. There must have been at least 1000 there but the venue has ample room for everyone to either be on the dance area or seated. The crew throw glow in the dark flashing rings and lots of tee shirts as giveaways during their stage performance.  It’s a lot of fun as everyone loves 70’s music as it is interactive.

Jimmy Rhodes, our Cruise Director has been excellent.  He finishes in Dubai and the new Cruise Director whom we met yesterday will take over. I can’t remember his name. He is from Canterbury in the UK. Jimmy was from Alabama in the USA. The crew do work hard on here but must say they always do it with a smile and always make time to stop and chat with the guests.

Tomorrow is at Sea.

DAY 25 1 of 6 days at Sea

We awoke to another beautiful day. We had a bit of a late night last night as we popped into the Pig and Whistle after dinner.  Robbie is the resident musician, he both sings and plays the guitar.  He has a huge repotoir of songs.  We couldn’t catch him out at all, every song we asked him to sing he did. Roy and he hit it instantly as they both originate from Liverpool UK. Of course we had to sing ‘You’ll never walk alone’…… in Scouse. J

Later in the evening was party time with a pool party up on deck in the warm Arabian night air.  Everyone was in full swing with glow in the dark drinking glasses and flashing glow in the dark rings.  The crew had everyone up dancing. The bands around the ship are all excellent and have the knack of playing just the right music to make you want to do nothing but dance.  All is well until we go to get out of bed the next morning, it’s then we realise how much we must have danced the night before. J

Speaking to various people today it sounds as if Luxor and the Valley of the Kings was a great success.  It was a long day for everyone but well worth it.  Now that we have 6 days at sea there’s time enough to chill out and enjoy the sea days until we arrive in Dubai. 

This morning was day one of our progressive Trivia. Chris, the Activities Manager who takes the Trivia is excellent, and well spoken. Our team,  ‘The 42 Dayers’ achieved 15 out of 20……good start but can we keep it up? I know it’s only going to get harder….but it’s fun and it keeps the brain sharp……or should I say sharpish. J

The ship had a ‘drill’ this morning as we will be sailing through the Gulf of Aden and it is mandatory certain procedures are carried out.

Those who have booked an aft corner or even just an aft cabin on this ship are in for a treat.  We think it’s the best spot on the ship.

Reburshiment continues on the ship.  They have been replacing carpet in various different venues around the ship. I believe the hallway carpet is being replaced deck by deck also. None of the work taking place has interfered with anyone’s enjoyment on the ship. It’s not until you walk past somewhere and notice it’s changed that you learn of the changes going on.

Don’t know if I have mentioned it before….. you’ll have to forgive me if I have…. My brain is well into ‘cruise mode’ now. The shop sales on board are excellent the usual watches and other Bijeux Terner items, pashminas, hats, evening bags etc are all US$10.00 each.  One of the shops even sells sports shoes by La Coste and Puma all for good prices. I could have bought all the Guess Handbags, they have a great selection on board.

I had a go at Bingo again this afternoon but didn’t win a thing.  There were not many there as most are enjoying the hot weather and are up sunning themselves around the pool, especially those who come from cooler climates.  They’re talking about having the Bingo around the pool which would be a good idea as more would play and the Jackpot would be worth winning. 

Roy won our Olympic Shuffleboard challenge yesterday afternoon…. He can’t fit his head through a double open door today….. just watch that change after we play our Golf round this afternoon…hahaha. J

Two hours later………Just got back from our golf challenge which was won by Brian, we had a late scratching from Margaret who has a cold and cough.  Roy and I had the same thing between New Orleans and Barcelona. Naturally after our challenge we enjoy a debriefing drink at one of the bars, we try to use a different  bar everyday…..there’s plenty to choose from on this ship. J Tomorrows challenge will be Table Tennis.

On the way to drinks we passed by Johnny Rockets, it’s located aft on deck 12.  The staff got us all dancing as they do there.  It’s a fun place and we’re going for lunch there tomorrow.  It’s just like the Diner from ‘Happy Days’ and a lot of fun. There is a cover charge of US$4.95 per person for all you can eat, well worth the money.

Tonight’s 50’s and 60’s Rock and Roll night was excellent.  I’m sure we’ll have a few sore muscles tomorrow from doing the Twist. J

We’re loving the US$3.00 cocktail of the day, they have all been delicious and a couple of variations we hadn’t tried before. Perfect on these very hot and humid days.

Another late night but who cares we never know what the time let alone the day. The best I could do is tell you what month and year it is…..lol.  J

At sea again tomorrow are now leaving Saudi Arabia and sailing toward Yemen This distance we need to travel between Safaga and Dubai is over 4000 nautical miles.

Correction…… we were advised today there will be two Formal nights from Dubai to Singapore. 

DAY 24 Safaga, Egypt

The show last night was excellent, he was an English Comedian who also juggled things like knives, axes etc.  He really was hilarious and had the whole theatre in fits of laughter.  Must say the shows on here have been excellent ever since we left New Orleans….which feels like years ago J

We docked at 6.00am so as to get the people for their visit to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.  It’s a good 3 hour drive from Safaga.  We are sharing the port today with Oceana Cruises, Nautica plus two Saudi Arabian Ferries. They both arrived carrying heaps of people. When they disembarked the containers in them was baggage and bundles wrapped in cloth.  Roy spoke to someone who in broken English said they are arriving from Saudi Arabia to live in Egypt.  The port was a flurry with people everywhere, we happened to be walking through when all these people in the droves disembarked the two ferries. So we assume they are refugees. Arabs sound as if they’re yelling all the time, but they’re not, it’s just the language and to us it’s seems everyone is talking but no-one is listening. It was quite an experience to say the least walking amongst all the chaos of their arrival.

We wandered back to the ship in time for lunch as there isn’t really much in and around the port of Safaga, only one Duty Free Shop which we had a look at, and all bought something we really didn’t need J.

This afternoon we are continuing with our Olympic sports challenge between Roy and I, Wayne and Linda and Brian and Margaret.  This afternoon’s challenge is Shuffleboard. We are adding the individual scores from each challenge.  Wayne is in the lead from the last Golf challenge and I’m only one point behind him so this afternoon I’m out to try and take the lead.  J

We don’t sail until 11.00pm tonight and now we will have six days at sea before our arrival in Dubai. It’ll be nice to have a few rest days on the ship as it has been quite busy this past week with all the busy ports of call.

Apologies for not being able to reply to the many questions I've been asked.  Sometimes it's too difficult to respond due to the slow speed of the internet at times.

I an answer one question for those joining us in Dubai.  There will be three Formal nights between Dubai and Singapore. 

DAY 23 in Aqaba, Jordan

As we cruised toward the port of Aqaba this morning the surrounding hills reflected the early morning sun.  They are rugged and baron, not a tree or blade of grass to be seen but just as I imagined in this part of the world. Jordan is landlocked between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Aqaba being the only city in Jordan situated by the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and Israel are both less than 2 kilometres from Aqaba itself. We took the shuttle from the port into the town centre which only took 10 minutes. This is a clean town with lots of cafes, shops and bazaars. Like all the countries of the East we have visited everyone smokes everywhere, however it’s interesting to see the locals smoking their pipes while they drink their mint tea (Shay) and coffee (qahwa) that is so strong it looks like black syrup.

Bartering is normal here but thankfully they’re not as aggressive as they were in Alexandria and Cairo.  Here they are happy for you to ‘browse’ and don’t push to sell. Prices are very reasonable, having bartered the price down we were very happy with our purchases.  Shoes were excellent quality and as some of you know I love shoes so we came back with four pair…..that includes a pair for you Donna and a pair for you Chris.  J The jewellery is beautiful, very elegant and feminine.  Silver and gold is very reasonable and you only pay for the weight of the silver/gold in the piece based on the price of gold/silver price of the day. I bought a beautiful silver bracelet which I am absolutely thrilled with.

The Jordanians are delightful people; the locals said ‘welcome to Aqaba’ as we passed them in the street and greeted us with welcoming smiles. They speak Arabic but most speak English very well and love to chat. They love to explain their style and dress when talking in their shops. The temperature today was around 33C which is Spring weather here and many were still wearing their Winter clothes.  During their summer the temperatures can reach up to 50C so we were told.

The spices they sell smell lovely.  They use spices to make their home smell nice…. None of that Ambi Pure stuff for them, theirs is much nicer.  I would have loved to of purchased some but I know I wouldn’t be able to take it home. I was given a handful which I carried around with me in my hand for a while. The aroma is unusual but absolutely gorgeous. Roy was given some Sesame seeds which were not like ours at home as these had a more pungent smell but nice. We both had the nicest smelling hands this afternoon. J

Alcohol can be purchased freely; we saw many liquor stores around the city. Arak is the most popular drink; it is an Anise flavoured liquor served with water and ice and accompanies traditional Arabic dishes. They also have a local beer, unfortunately we ran out of time to stop and try one.  Roy has been trying local’s beers in every port and has liked them all so far….. J  To be honest I’ve yet to ever hear him say he doesn’t like a beer…..except if it’s not chilled.

We didn’t take the tour to Petra today.  Many have and we look forward to hearing all about it on their return in an hour or so.  The walk down into Petra is quite long and consists of rough terrain and as Roy has a problem with his knees it was not recommended for him. When he has new knees, we’ll be very happy visit Aqaba and Jordan again…. A lovely spot in the world and it’s easy to understand why the locals are so proud of Aqaba and proud to be Jordanian.

Safaga, Egypt tomorrow.

PS. The other four who sit out our dining table, Wayne and Linda, Margaret an Brian returned  from their Petra tour just before dinner absolutely exhausted but really excited about the experiences of the day.  It is apparently a most amazing place to visit and well worth the 1 ½ hour walk each way through the rocks, stones and sand to get there. They showed us some amazing photos. They were telling us along the way one person fell and cracked their head and needed stitches, another tripped and broke their leg, and another suffered a heart attack. Some people ignored the warnings that you needed to be fit and not have any physical difficulties before undertaking the tour.  Sadly some ignored the warnings and went anyway. On Brian and Margaret’s coach they had 46 people and only 10 of them including Brian and Margaret managed to do the whole walk to the Treasury and the other sites to be viewed. The others had to turn back because it was too much for them.  It was also a very hot day there, around 34C.