We’ve travelled the Panama canal and the Suez canal, we’ve walked the Great Wall, touched the giant heads on Easter island, felt the ground shake by an active volcano, climbed the pyramids, swam in the Dead Sea, passed through the Gateway to India, walked the corridors of Angkor Wat, stood at Ground Zero of the first atomic bomb, had a face to face meeting with the great Gold Bhudda and prayed in the Great Blue Mosque. We’ve sailed the river Nile and the canals of Venice, the Great Barrier reef, the Red Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Black Sea and the White Sea, it’s hard to believe thinking back on it and those are only a few of the amazing things we’ve been lucky enough to experience……………
I have no tips for future world cruisers other than, If you can afford it ………. do it …………….. I loved every minute, I could happily have stayed on for another 3 months (if it was free) though maybe not, as I‘d miss my kids and animals. Next time I would arrange more independent tours, the Princess tours were greatly overpriced and not half as enjoyable as those we arranged ourselves.
Most memorable places would be China, Cambodia and India.
Most memorable things about the ship would be the staff almost without exception they were the best of any ship we’ve been on and the cleanliness and upkeep of the ship was without equal. The passengers went from the nicest people you could hope to meet to a few who were total pita’s, the world cruisers were 90 percent 60’s and older but there were quite a few 50’s and even a two younger couples with small kids.
I’d be happy to answer any questions via the comments capability, I get an email notification whenever anyone posts a comment.
Thanks to all who followed the blog, hope to see you all again, next world cruise :).
Thursday May 7 2009 - And now, the end is near, day 107, we had planned to take a tour of Cinque Terre, but cancelled last minute as we decided we would need the time for packing. We did manage to get off for a couple of hours and much as I love Italy, we were not surprised that we were ripped-off in Livorno much as we were in the other Italian ports, it’s a shame because otherwise Italy is a beautiful place. This time the port wouldn’t allow anyone to walk out and you were required to take a taxi or pay $10 each for a shuttle out of the dock area, it’s not that big a deal, just one more added to the 3 euro charge for a 2 euro map, the 80 euro snack, both in Venice and the short timed taxi in Messina. I can’t think of any other ports where we felt cheated, some ports also had shuttles which you paid for, but none were anything like as expensive as Livorno and all left you the option to walk instead. Anyway, enough complaints, I still love Italy and will undoubtedly come back. Not much to see in Livorno, we had a walk around the market and then a walk around the historical area, it’s not really a tourist town, guess that’s why everyone goes to Florence or Pisa or Lucca or other places. The other memorable thing was that the shuttle said it operated every half hour, we waited 20 minutes to return to the ship and when he arrived he wouldn’t let anyone on as he was going for his lunch, we were supposed to wait for the next one. It took some arguing from some passengers before he eventually agreed to take us back to the port before he went for lunch.
A beautiful big yacht in the harbour, they were loading a little colour matched smart car in the back when we passed - unfortunately I forgot the name of it.
Wednesday May 6 2009 - I looked out my cabin window this morning and, in my best William Shatner voice, shouted ‘Cannes‘, well some people may get the connection. Here we are on the French Riviera, home to movie stars, motor yachts, paparazzi and ‘2 euro‘ stores, yes we found Europe’s answer to the dollar store, strange in this city known for its’ opulence. Pedestrian shopping street
The ship was anchored in the bay and around 10.00am we took the tender ashore, only the third time we were tendered in to the dock in the entire world cruise. After walking through the main pedestrian shopping thoroughfare, we sat down for an espresso and a cappuccino then doubled back and walked along the sea front, a pleasant walk, but we were ready to return to the ship. A beach at Cannes
Boulevard de Croisante, along the ocean front
After lunch on board, we spent some time packing our suitcases with the junk, I mean souvenirs, accumulated over the last 3½ months, then sat for a while in the afternoon sun before getting ready for dinner.
Tuesday May 5 2009 - I love Barcelona, it‘s such a civilised cosmopolitan city, we were here for almost a week about a year ago so I hadn‘t planned anything other than a walk about the Gothic Quarter and a few hours people watching. Sitting at the South end of Las Ramblas
We took the port shuttle (3 euros return) to the bottom of La Rambla, the main shopping pedestrian street, since the ship was docked about 3 or 4 miles from town (same place as we were docked last time). Plaza Real viewed from the restaurant
Just couldn't drag myself away:)
A large beer on La Rambla could cost you 12 euros, so we sat in Plaza Real just off the main strip, I think the place was called ‘Canarias’, we had 2 cappuccinos, 2 large beers, ½ a bottle of wine and 2 plates of fried potatoes for 23.50 euros, quite reasonable.
Jim and Sue
We were due back on the ship by 03.30pm so around 02.00pm we headed back, it was a beautiful day, warm but not hot and clear blue sunny skies and once on board we watched the sail away then made our way to the casino. The casino staff and their best customer:)
We received an invite along with about 20 other losers, I mean regular patrons, from the casino manager to come for an informal photograph with the casino staff whom we’ve gotten to know quite well over our 3½ months together. It was a fun filled event where in addition to a group picture, we got to sit behind the tables in the dealer position with lots of chips and surrounded by our favourite dealers. After dinner I watched the evening show starring Karen Grainger, Canada’s foremost female impersonator and vocalist, she was very good.
Monday May 4 2009 - It‘s 18 degC, sunny (again) and there‘s a strong Northerly wind as we sail West in the Mediterranean just South of Sardinia. We surprised Harry, at trivia, this morning with a birthday party to celebrate his upcoming 60th on Saturday, we won’t be here on Saturday, so we had it today. He was embarrassed as expected, by the cake and accompanying birthday song but I think he liked his card and genuine ‘Rollex’ watch. Tonight was the final Captains cocktail party, but I didn’t feel like rushing to get ready early, Izzy went for the free drink(s), I took my time.
Glad to hear you‘re following the blog, hope to get over and see you guys sometime soon, remember us to Adrian, has he still got all his blond curls?:)
Do you plan to continue "blogging" when you get home?
I’ll probably keep blogging, when we travel, I think I might be an addict. I‘ve had a website on ‘Angelfire’ (careful with the spelling) for a long time, but blogging requires less input.
Sunday May 3 2009 - it’s a beautiful day in Northern Sicily, sunny and about 20 degC (68 degF). We arranged to meet Shell & Bill, Dale & Stan dockside, planning to negotiate a tour with a local taxi, so we were happy to find they’d already arranged something when we went ashore around 09.00am. 25 euros each for 4 hours, 6 of us in a Mercedes eight seater, so it was a fair deal for us and 37.5 euros per hour for the taxi.
The road up to Taormina
We sped up the highway toward our first destination, Taormina, 150 kph all the way, nice modern roads which wound up the side of the mountain as we got close to Taormina. We’d been there before, but didn’t mind a second visit as it’s a very picturesque village sitting on the side of the mountain, it also has a superb 3rd century Greco-roman outdoor amphitheatre. Dale and Izzy, Bill and Shell in Taormina
09.40am saw us standing at the entrance to the lower end of the old section of town ’be back here at 11.30am, I pick you up’ our driver told us, that would allow for the 40 minute drive back to town and time for a short tour of Messina and sights. We headed up Corso Umberto, the main shopping street, stopping to view the gothic cathedral with its’ pretty baroque fountain in front and spending some time in the large public square perched on the cliffside overlooking the Ionian Sea. Me and Izzy above the Ionian Sea
Biker kid in Taormina
Since our time was limited we made our way to the amphitheatre which had been recommended as worthy of a visit and from memory provided spectacular views of Mount Etna and the sea far below. The entry fee was 6 euros, which somehow we managed to avoid paying (the guard was temporarily indisposed) so we made our visit and then headed back down hill, stopping for a gelato (E2) and then a glass of wine (E3.50) while we waited for the return of our taxi. Me and Izzy and a glass of wine
The amphitheatre in Taormina
Terra Cotta pots in Taormina
The trip back was a hair raising affair as we sped downhill most of the way trying to make Messina before noon when the cathedral bell tower clock ran through its’ entire routine of animated figures, incidentally it’s the worlds largest astronomical clock, whatever that means. Anyway we didn’t get there ‘til 12.10pm so we missed most of the performance, but it is a spectacular tower and we did see the last few movements. The clock tower in Messina
Suddenly we had to return to our taxi as the driver wanted to dump us there, he was still expecting 50 euros per couple, so we exchanged some heated words on how he hadn’t provided the promised 4 hours and we would only pay 40 euros per couple, this culminated in a few hand signals on both sides, 45 euros per couple being thrust into his grasping paw and a fast departure being made by all. Fortunately the cathedral was only about 10 minutes walk from the ship and we knew where we were. I’d never climbed the tower before so I took this opportunity, Izzy stayed at the bottom and I paid my E3.50 and set off up the stairs. Money well spent, it was one of the more interesting towers I’ve ever climbed and I’ve climbed a lot of towers, the complete workings of the clock and figures are easily viewed from the inside of the tower and the open parapet on top allowed great views of the city, add to that, there were fewer than 20 other people in the tower making the visit all the easier. Inside the clock tower in Messina
After I came back down, we sat for a while almost having a glass of wine in the sun watching the world go by, then walked back to the ship for a late lunch around 02.00pm. In the evening, after dinner, we went to a show by the world renowned singer, Bobby Arvon, who I’m sure everyone will remember sang the theme song to the TV show, Happy Days. Anyway, after Googling him, he’s 68 years old and still has a terrific clear steady voice, he did some excellent impersonations and played a mean piano, I really enjoyed his act.
To those who’ve left comments, glad you’re enjoying the blog, thanks for your kind thoughts. To answer a couple of questions:
from Kathy: So, I've never seen all this hazmatting before. Are they concerned about outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) on board the ship? Or do they feel fairly certain it's just other things?
Talking to the nurse onboard, they’re not any more concerned about Swine Flu than any other infectious disease, though she laughed when she told us she’d already had passengers in telling her they were sure they had Swine Flu. There has been a respiratory infection going round the ship but I’m told it’s just the everyday cold virus. The hazmat team has been in place for a while and is the standard response for any reported intestinal bug, I guess since Norwalk Virus became such a big issue on all the cruise ships
from Marilyn: hi Ian- not sure if you remember me, I sent you the contact for the tour company in HCMC. What happened to Vietnam..it looks as though you cut short your trip there?
Vietnam is a long story, we had originally planned to spend a day or two there and our docking area was in the South of HCMC in VungTau. I did use one of your recommendations for transfer from port to airport but for various reasons our schedule worked out that we couldn’t easily accommodate time in Vietnam and we decided to just have a quick city tour and fly out to Cambodia, the same day we arrived, by then docking area had changed to HCMC itself. I’m saving Vietnam for a longer visit as there’s many places, North and South I’d like to visit that’ll require longer than a day or two.
The group picture - click on the picture for a larger version
Saturday May 2 2009 - Quiet day, after breakfast we packed most of 2 suitcases, a sure sign that our trip is coming to an end. Quite a few people down with the intestinal bug that laid us low for a day or two, there’s also a respiratory infection/cough etc going around, hopefully they will have run their course by the end of the cruise. This morning at 10.30 there was a group picture of all the passengers who have been on board for the full world cruise, apparently there are over 400, though I wasn’t in it as I was taking pictures of the group with Alice’s camera, Jim’s camera and my own camera. The photographer did his best to control the crowd including the captain and officers, but as one passenger said ‘it was like herding butterflies’. We got baggage labels tonight so one more step closer to the end
Friday May 1 2009 - Once in every persons lifetime, they should be so lucky as to sail out of the beautiful city of Venice on a modern cruise ship, its massive bulk slipping effortlessly between the ancient buildings. To the music of Andrea Bocelli we sailed down the Grand Canal, in slow motion, seemingly within arms length of one magnificent building after another. The sun was perfectly positioned behind us on a beautiful clear warm evening and the throngs of people on shore waved a sad goodbye as we passed, It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day on this island city. . Izzy on the vaporetto, Shelley behind
Our day began at 06.00am when we went up on top deck for an early breakfast as we sailed into Marittima pier, located about 3 or 4 miles from centre of the city. We had arranged to meet Bill & Shell on the dockside to walk to the nearest vaporetto station and use the vaporetto (water bus) system to travel around. We were joined by Dale & Stan from Vancouver and the six of us set off on the twenty minute walk to Le Roma station where we bought the twelve hour tourist pass for 16 Euros, allowing us unlimited travel on land and water. After validating our tickets, we found the dock servicing line number 42 and headed for our first destination, the island of Murano, renowned for its’ glassmaking factories. Me and Izzy on Murano Island
It was about a half hour trip out to the island and we decided to get off at the far side of the island at Museo station and walk back to the Colonna station. We wandered the back alleys and canals checking out the shops and glass factories and came close to actually sitting and watching a glass blowing demonstration ‘til they said it was 2 Euros entry fee. Around 11.30am we found a nice canal side café and had a litre of wine, 2 beers, 2 paninis, a pizza and some pasta with sauce, total cost 47 Euros (about US$60), an welcome break from the joy of trudging from shop to shop. We grabbed the first boat that stopped at the Colonna station, the guy on board said it was going to Piazza San Marco and that was good enough for us. The Bridge of Sighs, the actual bridge is the small grey square shape in the middle, the rest is temporary cover during reovations
Bill, Shell, Dale and Izzy close to Piazza San Marco Gondolas at Piazza San Marco
San Marco was wall to wall people, we shuffled by the Bridge of Sighs, which was almost completely sacrilegiously covered in blue advertising plastic, then made our way into San Marco square, it was as imposing as I’d remembered from our previous visit, but this time with about 100 times more people. We quickly moved on for a short visit to Harry’s Bar, a one time hangout of Ernest Hemingway (he really got around) then we continued winding through the narrow streets moving generall back toward the ship. Piazza San Marco with the Doges Palace at the far end
The Grand Canal
By 02.00pm, we were ready for another break and had the misfortune to happen upon the picturesque little eatery of “Ristorante Alvagon’, we were welcomed by the most accommodating host and made the cardinal sin of all tourists by not asking for a menu with prices. Initially we ordered a half litre of wine, a beer and a coffee, then asked for some bread with olive oil. Our friendly waiter appeared with the bread and oil plus some olives, sauce, some salami slices and some pieces of cheese, all complimentary he said. We enjoyed the ‘free’ extras until the bill arrived 80 Euros, the complimentary extras amounted to 60 Euros, lesson learned, we paid and left no tip. If you want to sample some overpriced salami, Ristorante Alvagon can be found at Cannaregio 5597, Venice. Since we were beginning to feel the effects of the days efforts, Izzy and I decided to head back to the ship and after finding a vaporetto station we were soon back at Le Roma for the long walk back to the ship. After a short rest I went up on deck to watch the sail away and that’s where I began.
There was a spectacular lightning storm about half a mile off the port side of the ship about 08.00pm tonight. I think it was about half a mile off, from memory you divide the number of seconds, between lightning and thunder, by seven.
