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.

DAY 22 transiting the Suez Canal

At around 2.00am we began our transit of the Suez Canal south from Port Said. We were second in our convoy.  All the other ships were cargo ships; we didn’t see any other passenger ships today. As always we didn’t get to bed until around 12.30am.  Then couldn’t get to sleep so I kept getting out of bed and going out onto the balcony to see where we were.  At 1.15am I could see 6 other ships waiting off Port Said. Dawn broke around 5.00am and we were well on our way.  I was not disappointed at all at missing the very beginning as I thought I would be because as it turned out we didn’t miss anything.  Our view from the cabin is perfect we can see everywhere. J Breakfast arrived at 6.30 and by then we were beginning to see little towns and the first of dozens of Army Posts with personnel on guard.  It is compulsory in Egypt to join the Army for 3 years and in that time there is no pay for personnel.  Families are expected to pay for their needs.

One side of the canal is quite different from the other one is green and inhabited the other just desert. On the ‘green’ side we passed many villages, farms, little settlements and even the odd large ‘Mansion’ which was quite opulent compared to the other properties. As usual there were dozens of unfinished homes because the families build extensions as and when their children marry so in the years prior to the marriages the home consists of unfinished many unfinished levels. That’s what was explained to us by our guide in Alexandria. As I have already mentioned on the East bank it is mainly desert with the exception of one inhabited area other than that it is purely Army Barracks/Posts. 

I cannot remember the name of the bridge we sailed under but it really is a master piece of design.  I researched a little about it before we came away but just cannot remember the name of it. It is huge and very long.  We later passed a swing bridge with half one side and half the other.  For a swing bridge a very large structure indeed.  Many ‘Bailey bridges’ are positioned all the way along the canal and are ready to be swung into position if ever needed by the Armed Forces. Many runways and aircraft hangers also are dotted along the West Bank together with a couple of big airbases.

Mosques are everywhere, seem to be the only buildings we’ve seen in Egypt that appear to be completely finished and in immaculate condition. Some are rather ornate and there are various styles and colours.  At midday we could hear the chanting from the loud speakers in the tower calling the locals to prayer.

I love the way this ship has the bow open for all passengers to visit.  We went for a walk up there mid-morning as we were sailing into Great Bitter Lake. The view was vast; we counted at least 18 ships either at anchor or coming in the other direction or waiting ready to merge in behind us.  Four ships did just that and joined our convoy. Many local fishermen were out in their little colourful row boats throwing huge nets over the side.  We presumed them to be commercial fishermen as there were dozens of them throughout the length of the canal which is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) in length.

Ismailia a large city about half way along the canal looked to be quite attractive.  Many parks and many quite expensive looking mansions dotted along the canal. Many date palms are to be seen as well as orchards of very dense and tall trees. We saw many wheat crops which were tendered to by the woman of the house, they appeared to be harvesting today. There appeared to be many boxed water areas which appeared to be for salt extraction. In other words salt filtration ponds?

As we sailed along the last section of the canal to the city of Suez we reflected on the history of the Suez Canal. To think it was in 1859 or thereabouts decided  that a water way was needed to link the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.  A French man by the name of Ferdinand de Lesseps supervised his dream to build a modern canal to link these two great waters. As we know after that there have been many troubled times over the Suez Canal. It has been closed, ships sunk, mines laid and all sorts of the years. Finally when everyone was happily getting along again  the Canal was re-opened once and for all but no-one could use it because the fees were too high so ships continued to go the ‘long’ way round until the charges were reviewed.  In 1997 it was dredged to accommodate the larger ships and the officials reduced the fees. Since then it has been a busy canal carrying passengers and cargo from the Mediterranean to the East and beyond.

Our second Formal tonight and an early night for us as we’ve all been up all night… well worth it though, and an extremely interesting day.  J

Sorry I haven’t been putting up photos, sometimes the internet on the ship is so slow it just doesn’t accept the photos but I’ll keep trying because every now and then it speeds up making it easier to upload.

Tomorrow in Aqaba, Jordon.

Photos of our cabin, Alexandria, Cairo and the Pyramids, and Put Put on Voyage of the Seas:

DAY 21 in ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

We were up early to watch as we sailed into the port.  There were dozens of cargo ships and fishing boats anchored in the harbour. Alexandria is a large cargo port as well as passenger ship terminal.  We were off the ship as soon as it had been cleared by the authorities and we were ready to board our bus to Cairo.  Our group was only 35 and travelling on a 45 seater coach that gave us all room to move which was perfect for the 3 hour drive. As we left the port we had two armed police motorcycle escorts and another vehicle.  What struck us as soon as we left the confines of the port was all the rubbish scattered everywhere.  A lovely city boasting such an interesting history including Cleopatra’s life, and we’re looking out the window of our coach seeing mounds of rubbish everywhere. As we continued to drive out of the city of Alexandria and take the highway to Cairo we saw some sights none of us on the bus had ever seen before.  I’ll put up some photos for you. J Our guide ‘Mimmo’ and our driver ‘Achmed’ were both lovely guys full of enthusiasm and excitement ready to show us their Egypt. 

The drive from Alexandria to Cairo is one long straight highway, very flat land surrounds this area of Egypt.  We passed many oil refineries along the way, and I must tell you petrol is only US$1.00 for 4 litres. J

I mentioned in my previous post that Royal Caribbean had cancelled all tours to the Museum in central Cairo due to the unrest there with the political demonstrations being held as they are voting for a new President at the end of this month. However, Mimmo (our guide) was calling the Tourism people, the Museum and whoever else and a decision was made that it was OK for our group to proceed to the Museum.  When he announced this is what we would be doing I was beside myself, not being a risk taker that was a bit uneasy for me.  Anyway, all authorities confirmed it would be OK, so we trusted their judgement.  As we approached the city of Cairo there were vehicles filled with people on their way to the protest.  Somehow they can easily fit 4 on a motorbike, no helmets, 15 in a VW combi van, and 8 in a saloon car, sometimes there were also a couple of people in the boot and we even saw a guy on top of the boot.  Anyway we continued passing all these vehicles and finally arrived right next to the main square where there were already thousands of people gathered.  The coach dropped us at the gates of the Museum, where there were Police guarding the gate. When we arrived in this famous Museum, we were the only ones there apart from a group of 10 Asians with a tour guide,  a couple of locals and our group. As we set off with Mimmo around the Museum we could hear the chanting and yelling of the throngs in the square. For security reasons cameras are not permited inside the Museum. We felt quite safe once inside the Museum and had an amazing and interesting tour.  Mimmo was very informative and explained so much about Egypt in 3620BC, Farrohs, Mummies etc. All along the way the chanting continued outside. As the tour was coming to an end we walked up to the top level of the Museum and there was gold mask of Tutumcachmen and all that was with him in his tomb, jewellery, gold, bracelets, anklets. His burial mask alone includes 11kgs of gold.  Absolutely amazing and anyone reading this who has seen this will understand what I am saying. We were in the Museum for at least a couple of hours.  Finally as it was time to leave Mimmo assured us that once we were all back on the coach we would be driving in the other direction toward the Pyramids and that as the crowds were dispersing from the protest everything would be fine and we would be quite safe, which we were. We were taking photos outside the Museum and noticed that the building next to the Museum was burned and there also was no Souvenir shop in the Museum.  We were told at the last ‘Revolution’ as he called it, which was in November, they burned the building next door and jumped the high fences into the Museum and stole everything from the Souvenir shop. Anyway all was well and we were on our way to see the Pyramids. Cairo is full of unfinished buildings everywhere, still can’t quite understand why it is like this.  Everywhere looks like it’s been hit by something. The dust from the sand storms thickens everything.  There are some lovely green trees here and there but they look grey with the sand. The rubbish in the streets was worse in Cairo.  It’s mainly plastic bags, paper and the odd dead dog or goat here and there.  I must say it’s not smelly as they are not permitted to dump perishable waste. We drove along the edge the Nile River for a short distance, it is very wide and the water is a dirty brown, don’t know how they can wash clothes in it.  We noticed a lot of floating restaurants along the banks of the river.

Before arriving at the Pyramids we stopped at a cafe and our guide Mimmo picked up his order for our lunch which was freshly made Falafel and Hummos hot Pita bread sandwiches with Guava and Plum juice to quench our thirst.

Shortly after we turned a corner in the middle of these unfinished apartment blocks with dozens and dozens of clothes hanging out to dry in the dusty sand breeze when suddenly in the background we saw the Pyramids…… unbelievable to see them so close to the city. Cairo has a population of 21 million and once upon a time hundreds of years ago the Pyramids were in the desert, now the city has met the desert. As we drove up the hill, there they were.  We stopped at the largest first.  I had no idea that the blocks that make the construction are nearly as tall as me 5ft 6 inches, and they’re almost square. No wonder it took 100,000 men 20 to 40 years to build each of the three Pyramids. The vendors are extremely pushy and desperate to sell their wares and souvenirs around the Pyramids.  Roy said hello to one vendor and next thing he had on the Arab head gear and was standing next to a camel about to be hoisted up onto it. He didn’t want any of this and was only being polite by saying hello.  Then, of course, they wanted him to pay them, and if you don’t they’ll want your glasses, shirt, watch or anything else you have on you as payment. Roy paid for the head gear, only a few dollars and he was then left alone. After that we all learned it better to ignore them unless you do actually want to buy something from them. It wasn’t that funny at the time but afterward we all had a good laugh.  Some of our group did take a Camel ride.  As we drove down we stopped to view the Sphinx, which is huge.  I had no idea it was that large. Some of the group also walked down inside one of the Pyramids to the burial chamber. Not for me I wouldn’t be any good inside anything like that.

Our next stop was at a Perfumery which was most interesting as they explained how they make the essence of the perfume before it becomes, Christian Dior, Chanel etc.  Needless to say we all came out of there smelling devine. J

Our last stop before our 3 hour drive back to the ship at Alexandria was to a Papyrus paper making company.  Quite interesting to see how it’s done, and I’ve now got the recipe so if we run out of trees for making paper I’ll sell you the recipe to make paper out of Papyrus which grows readily in Australia and New Zealand already. J

By the time we got ‘home’ it was after 9.30pm, our 13 hour day was a busy but most fulfulling and informative one.  For us all it was a dream come true to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the world.

After an exciting day full of new experiences we needed a shower to get rid of the sandy dust and a quick bite to eat up in the Windjammer Café on Deck 11 and then it was off to bed. 

DAY 21 ALEXANDRIA

A bit of a leisurely start to the day as we were still quite exhausted after yesterday’s tour.  After breakfast, which I must say has been cut down to cereal and toast these past few days.  Roy’s gone from have bacon, eggs, sausages, hashbrowns, tomatoes, mushrooms. I bet him he couldn’t keep up eating all that every morning, now he’s only having smoked salmon and a piece of toast.

We decided not to go into Alexandria city centre today.  We had a bit of a tour yesterday morning on the coach before we left for Cairo. Instead we did some shopping at the market stalls at the port.  You have to bargain hard with them and in the end the final price is about half of what it started out at.

The weather has been a very nice 32C these past two days in Alexandria which didn’t feel too hot for us, but others from colder climates were struggling with the heat.

Tomorrow we will be transiting the Suez Canal.  We’ve ordered breakfast to be brought to our cabin and we’ll eat out on the balcony so we don’t miss anything. The transit will take 12 hours altogether. The Captain made an announcement this evening that our convoy will be beginning our transit at 2.00am which is a bit disappointing as we won’t be able to see anything until about 5.30am when the sun rises.

More tomorrow. J