Day 8…An amazing presentation aboard the ship!…How easily we’re entertained!

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This cantaloupe face was astounding!

“Sightings on the Ship in Australia”

A bottle of Pepsi constitutes an artsy display.

We saw long-term cruises often known as “Grand Voyages” or “World Cruises” and wondered if we would ever want to embark on such a long sail.

After all the cruises we have experienced in four years, this one in #15, the second stage from back to back will be #16. Averaging at about four cruises per year, one every three months, neither of us have a burning desire to cruise any longer than these 33-nights.

The head fruit carver, Manuelo, was in charge of the preparation of his famous fruit sculptures.

Oh, we love every moment, but we both feel that something longer, like everything else in life, can become mundane if over-done. A 90- or 120-night cruise could be too long.

During these four years we’ve encountered only a few passengers who’ve embarked on longer than 30-night cruises. While they explained that they greatly enjoyed the experience, none mentioned the desire to repeat the experience.

With the crowd at the table, it was hard to get a good position to take pictures.

For us, the novelty could be obliterated if we cruised over a month on a regular basis. In addition, the cost may be prohibitive if more than one or twice in three or four years. 

Although cruising makes lots of sense economically when it includes transportation, housing, food and entertainment, there are additional expenses that can make the cost per day way over the top.

While the cruise makes great economic sense when it includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment, there are additional expenses that can make the cost per day much higher.

Guided tours, stores, spa services, cocktails and other extras can take a final bill well in the thousands for some. With our cabin credits of US $350, AU 456 for each of the two legs of this 33 night cruise, hopefully, we won’t go over this sum and be able to end the cruises without any balances owing.

A huge cost factor as mentioned a few days ago, is the savings for our new Diamond Club membership in the Crown & the Anchor loyalty program for cocktails available to us for over four hours each evening, beginning at 4:30 pm and ending at 8:00 pm. 

A bird made from a pineapple.

At the end of each evening, Tom may order one additional cocktail after the 8:00 pm window as above. With the remaining cabin credit, most likely the additional cocktails averaging at US $9.50, AU 12.37 (with tip) will hardly use the first of the two balances ending on November 16th when we arrive in Perth and the second leg begins. 

At that point the new US $350, AU 456 cabin credit begins all over again. Any remaining amounts from the first leg are obliterated if unused. No doubt, we’ll make certain we use every last penny.

The carving chef shocked all of us with this exquisite watermelon carving of a donkey head.

Yesterday, for the first time on a cruise, I purchased an item of clothing, a cute pullover hoodie sweater. I wore it last night and for the first time since this cruise began I was comfortable and not freezing.  I’m one of those seniors who is cold all the time in air conditioning, especially in the movie theatre.

As soon as we wrap up here, we’re heading off to another movie.  Yesterday’s “Bad Moms” was cute as we both chucked through it all, along with the many Aussies, Brits and Kiwis who were in the theatre along with us, easily laughing through scene after scene. 

A honeydew melon rabbit.  Too cute!

We love these people with their easy senses of humor. Sorry for the stereotyping, but overall these are one friendly and cheerful group of people. They, along with many wonderful Americans, we’ve met (there are 140 of us on board this ship) have made this another memorable cruise, just the right length of time.

The display of Manuelo’s works. Amazing skill!

May all of YOU have a beautiful day! 

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2015:

A rusty sailboat remained on the shore in Savusavu, Fiji, where we lived one year ago. For more photos, please click here.

Day 7…Circumnavigating the Australian continent aboard RC Radiance of the Seas…Is boredom an issue?

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Yorkeys Knob under cloudy conditions at Cairns.  Since we’d spent three months at Trinity Beach (to the right in this photo) from June 11 to September 7, 2015 and had seen so much when there, we decided to stay on the ship.

“Sighting on the Ship in Australia”

I’m not sure what it is.

With 26 nights left on this long cruise, we are as happy as clams, loving every minute. Of course, some passengers complain about the food, their cabins, the ship’s facilities, the activities and that this ship is not as classy as other ships.

Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas is a mid-range ship, not high-end, but in no way inferior. The decor is nice having been recently renovated; each area is impeccably clean and well kept; the service is excellent and friendly. We don’t have a complaint in the world.

The gym on the ship.

Our toilet ran into the bathroom floor. We reported it and was repaired promptly. The bathroom sink stopped running. We pointed it out and it was corrected quickly. Not one of these scenarios bothered us. They were repaired while we were outside the cabin, back to find the finished work.

Our expectations, which we have learned to restrain in our journeys, can be very different from the average passenger. Perhaps that is their only vacation. In addition, many passengers do not stay on the ship for the complete 33 nights. Only 600 were mentioned to be on the back-to-back as we are, circumventing the continent.

Another comment we’ve heard from some passengers is they become bored on sea days with nothing to do. There are dozens of activities on board the vessel available at any time of day and night.

The fitness center has everything I prefer to use.

Each day is filled and fulfilling. Over these past days, we’ve evolved into an entirely pleasurable routine, leaving us with little time to spare. Our mornings begin in the dining room for breakfast followed by finding two chairs at Café Latte tudes on the 5th floor overlooking the Centrum.

As we prepare the day’s post, we can hear and see the classes and activities taking place below in the Centrum. During this time, I can go to the fitness center to work out while Tom saves my chair. Once we have finished and uploaded the post of the day, it is usually around midday.

By 12:15 we find our favorite seats in the theatre to watch the movie of the day beginning at 1:00 pm. It’s necessary to get a seat early. We bring our phones and play games while we wait for the movie to begin. 

Tender boat used to transport passenger from the ship to Yorkey’s Knob Marina which we’d visited over a year ago. Many were off to Cairns from there which we’d also thoroughly scoured when living at Trinity Beach.

Surprisingly, we hadn’t seen any of the movies being shown and although some are goofy, we’re still entertained. Tom’s only lost interest in one movie so far, Ghost Busters as mentioned in another post. Yesterday’s movie was Money Monster well worth watching.

After the movie, we head back to our cabin. By then, it’s already 3:00 pm. We lounge, sitting on the bed checking our email, downloading photos, saying hello to family and friends. A few days ago, during this period, we booked the flight to Tasmania for December 3rd and a rental car for the three months we’ll spend on the island.

By 4 pm, we dress for the evening. With my limited wardrobe its always challenging deciding what to wear. Invariably, I’ll pull something together and we’ll leave the cabin feeling we’re as ready as we can be for a fun evening aboard ship.

The ship’s library is often filled with passengers searching for reading material.

Usually before 5 pm we’re situated in the Diamond Club lounge on the 13th deck for free cocktails, appetizers and fabulous chatter with other members.  Before we know it, it’s 7:00 pm and time to wander into the Cascades dining room to get a spot at a “sharing” table for eight or ten. 

The next few hours fly by with the lively and animated table conversation. At times, we may sit next to less lively types, but overall, we find our table mates entertaining and interesting. Many are interested in our lives of world travel often asking us question after question while we pump them for their stories as well. 

By 9:00 pm or so, we head to the Schooner Bar for the piano bar entertainment beginning at 9:30. Within an hour or so, we head to the Centrum where there’s a live band and dancing. We dance, we laugh, we chatter! 

Most likely, we won’t be booking any cruises on this ship since those we may be interested in booking aren’t posted yet. When we book aboard a ship extra perks are provided and our cruise rep at Vacations to Go, Brooklyn, will still get credit for the booking.

Between 11:00 pm and midnight we usually head up to our cabin, hoping for a good night’s sleep. Neither of us has slept more than six hours since boarding the ship almost a week ago.

This is surely due to the fact that we can’t wait to get up to begin yet another pleasurable day.

Thus, we have no time or inclination for boredom. Cruising is especially appealing when we don’t focus on the small annoyances or inconveniences. We couldn’t be more thrilled with our cruise.

Be well.


Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2015:

One year ago today Tom was standing outside Kumar’s Hair Salon which generally attracts more men than women. We awaited Tom’s turn while sitting on the bench to the right. For more details, please click here.

A playful “night on the town” aboard the ship…Cumberland Islands…

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This is one of the most important reasons why we prefer a balcony cabin. View of one of the 70 islands in the Cumberland group.

“Sightings on the Ship in Australia”

Interesting sculpture on display on the stairs.

As a couple its easy to slip into a life of routine and predictability.  We laugh at our humorous quips and jokes. We tolerate the whining/whinging and negative chatter. We empathize when things aren’t quite right. We celebrate  our efforts, successes and accomplishments.

Stepping out of this routine isn’t always easy. The true essence of feeling “in love” has the potential to envelope us in an entirely unique sense of joy as opposed to the solid sense of simply loving one another. 

Many times, this requires a change of scenery or circumstances, such as a holiday or vacation, dining at a romantic restaurant, walking along a beach or  picnicking in the park.

It wasn’t easy taking photos on the misty, cloudy morning, especially when the camera fogged up going from the air conditioned cabin to the humidity outdoors.

This is not to say that the consistent feelings of loving our partners are less important. Over the long haul, it holds more weight, purpose and value in ensuring a meaningful and lasting relationship.

This magical feeling of being “in love” while immensely attracted to one another is often lost in the stresses of everyday life. While on this year’s long journey to see the world, we can easily become immersed in that “I love you” state of familiarity and comfort, one that without a doubt, we’re blessed to possess.

More Cumberland islands.

Then, when that wave of feeling “in love” washes over us it can be euphoric, putting a smile on our faces and a twinkle in our eyes that is hard to erase. It’s an impossible feeling to constantly maintain, although many new or young lovers somehow believe it can be carried well into the future. More often we hear that those types of relationships ultimately fail in a plethora of unfulfilled expectations.

Last night, we both experienced an “in love” evening, certainly nothing new for us but memorable nonetheless. In part, in may have been us finally loosening up a little with a few cocktails, the “oldies” piano music played by a talented performer in the Schooner Bar and our close proximity to each other as we blissfully swayed to the music. 

Need I say, we had an extraordinary evening, never returning to our cabin until almost midnight, not falling asleep until 1:00 am and awakening way too early this morning at 5:00 am, anxious to get up and begin another glorious day at sea 

The captain explained that some of the islands are inhabited, while a few have resorts and facilities for tourists.

Tom says my eyes look sleepy today and I agree. Maybe a 15 minute nap should be on the agenda this afternoon after we watched the movie, “Ghostbusters” in the tiny theatre.  (Our taste in movies has changed for this cruise when yesterday we watched the silly movie, “Boss.”  Tom dozed while I chuckled my way through it).

This morning at 6:25 am, the captain announced we were entering the Cumberland Islands. Having showered and dressed for the day, we took a few photos we’ve posted today. 

Photos of islands taken from a ship at sea aren’t usually within my skill range, so I apologize if they aren’t very clear and defined. I do better on land.  Here’s some information about the Cumberland Islands:

From this website:
“There are about 70 islands in the Cumberland group, sometimes referred to as the southern Whitsundays. Almost all the islands are designated national parks. Apart from Keswick Island – home to the sophisticated and secluded Keswick Island Guest House – there’s no formal accommodation in the Cumberlands.
Brampton Island is well-known for its nature walks, and was until recently the home of a posh resort. Carlisle Island is connected to Brampton by a narrow sandbar, and during low tide, it may be possible to walk between the two. Scawfell Island is the largest in the group; on its northern side, Refuge Bay has a safe anchorage and a camping ground.
Campsite availability, bookings and permits for the Cumberland Islands and the nearby Sir James Smith Island group can be found online at www.nprsr.qld.gov.au or at the Mackay visitor center.
Facilities on all islands are limited and access can be difficult unless you have your own boat or can afford to charter one (or a seaplane); ask for more info at the Mackay visitor center.”
A few tour companies provide partial day tours to the islands.
Last night, at dinner, at a shared table, I had the opportunity to engage in conversation with a most delightful 86 year old man also named Tom. His wife had recently passed away and he is now cruising with his new “girlfriend,” as he described the kindly woman sitting at his other side. 
He and I chatted through dinner and it couldn’t have been more enjoyable. My Tom was thoroughly entertained chatting with the couple to his right.
Again, one more memorable evening spent in the dining room and, as explained above, the evening thereafter.  Is it evident why we love cruising?
Tonight, we’re playing it by ear. At this point, all we know for sure is we’ll be in the dining room sharing another large table for 8 to 10 passengers for more wonderful conversation and reasonably good food. 
No whinging here!
Photo from one year ago today, November 4, 2015:
One year ago today, we posted photos of the gorgeous upcoming vacation home rental in Costa Rica beginning in nine months on August 1, 2017. For more photos, please click here.

Finding joy in small things…Life doesn’t have to be “big” to be rewarding…More exquisite seashell photos…

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At times, over these past 46 months we’ve posted photos of “small things” we’ve spotted along the way, mostly tiny creatures and plants. Not every environment is the ideal in finding such miniature items of interest inspiring us to take photos to post here under a “small things” category.

Please click here to see one of our “small things” posts.

We haven’t been out enough here in Phuket to search for “small things” nor have they been readily available in the tiny gated yard of this property.

Small things are most prevalent in wildlife rich areas which of late hasn’t been the basis of our travels. Of course, as all of our regular readers are aware, I have a one track mind about wildlife rich areas, looking forward to the upcoming countries we’ll be visiting in the next few years which undoubtedly will provide such opportunities.

For now and over the next few months, the only “wild” life we’ll see are barnyard animals, which we do enjoy, including chickens, cows, goats and of course, buffaloes. 

These are also determined to be 400 million year old fossils.
These are 400 million year old fossils.

In three and a half months we’ll arrive in Tasmania where we’ll spend three months living in two distinct areas; in the town of Penguin, across the street from the ocean not too far from Hobart and the other, in the Huon Valley directly on the river.

Certainly these two locations will once again provide us with plenty of scenery, wildlife and vegetation photo ops we anticipate with enthusiasm. Hopefully, by that time, I’ll be feeling like my “old self” once again and we’ll easily be able to get out and explore. 

We’ll be renting a car as soon as we arrive in Tasmania (after a flight from Sydney) to begin the drive from the airport to the first of our two properties where we’ll spend six weeks at each location, each diverse and interesting in its own way.

For now, we focus on the small things that don’t include nature-like curiosities, those small things that make life special each day, regardless of where we may be living at any given time; communication with family and friends; the laughter and playfulness we experience together; and a good meal we’ve prepared and appreciated as we dine each evening. and a good movie or series.

Its the small things that bring us joy during these somewhat restricted circumstances we find ourselves at the moment including a hesitancy to venture out to popular tourist areas with the recent bombings. Even the upcoming grocery shopping trip in the next few days gives us pause. 

We read in the local news that many tourists decided to cut their trips short and head back to their home base rather than finish their remaining booked vacations/holidays they’d planned in Thailand, uncomfortable with the prospect of more attacks. 

For us, without a home base, we stay put feeling fortunate to be staying in a private home as opposed to a resort or hotel where it seems the risks are greater.

Shall we go out on a weekday or a weekend day, we ask ourselves? Is there a specific day of the week that would be considered safer? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to such horrific events other than the fact that they generally occur where many tourists gather.

Today, as everyday, we focus on the “small things” that matter in our daily lives, while looking forward to some of the “big things” that await us on the horizon.

Have a day filled with “small things” that bring you joy.

Photo from one year ago today, August 17, 2015:

We’ve never used the hot tub in Trinity Beach, Australia for a few reasons; one neither of us cares to use hot tubs especially in a hot climate and secondly, the cost to heat the hot tub and to keep it heated would be outrageous for the owner who pays all the utilities. For more details, please click here.

Creating our own good news…Planning for the future…

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A fishing boat tied to tree at the beach.

In yesterday’s post our heads read, “Bad news keeps coming and coming… How do we handle the risks?”

After rethinking this negative heading and after watching more bad news on TV, we turned off the news and started thinking positive thoughts as to how we can reframe our thinking during this difficult period in our country, in our world’s history?

It’s easy to get caught up in all the negative press much of which is often over reported, over dramatized and over exaggerated to enhance viewership. How easily we can become entrapped into this cycle!

The way out? Don’t let it get inside our heads! This is not easy, but it’s doable, just like everything else we choose in our lives. We can find joy within the framework of our lives or we can allow ourselves to let outside influences have a profound effect on our daily lives.

The ocean is extremely shallow in this area.

I suppose in part, I’ve become engrossed in the negative news since our arrival in Phuket two weeks ago when we discovered we had English speaking news the TV which we’ve had on all day while we’ve stayed indoors as I continue to recover. That’s easy to do when one is housebound after an illness, injury or surgery.

Although I remain somewhat housebound, in an attempt to avoid the outrageously bumpy roads we must travel to get to the highway, yesterday we had no choice but to get out when our food supply had dwindled down to a completely empty refrigerator.

Tom could probably grocery shop without me, but it’s important for me to get out and besides getting out is uplifting. I’d brought along the camera hoping to take a few photos, but again it was cloudy and rainy. I never took a single shot.

A fisherman looking for a possible catch.

Once inside the huge market, Tom pushes the trolley as we both become engrossed in the shopping mode ending up having a good time selecting from the array of fresh, organic, non GMO foods, free range eggs, grass fed meats and wild caught fish.

During this outing, I started thinking of the last place we lived where we grocery shopped on a regular basis which was the three months we spent in New Zealand living on the alpaca farm from January 19 to April 15, 2016.

We arrived in Bali on April 30th after a cruise.  One month later I was injured, somewhere around June 1st.  Here we are over two months later, while I’m still focusing on recovering. 

How we ever managed all the tours on the Mekong River cruise baffles me when now I gingerly maneuver through each day desperately avoiding bending, twisting and sitting too long. I continue to feel confident that my limited level of activity is contributing toward my attaining a full recovery in months to come.

Close to the shore, this fisherman may be looking for squid.  Fried calamari is a popular dish in Thailand, especially for tourists. These circles are fishing pools.

In time, light exercise and more walking will be appropriate but for now, easy movement combined with rest seems to be most effective. I suppose all the activity on the river cruise may have been detrimental to my condition when there were days that my Fitbit showed over 10,000 steps. 

For now, I stay under 3000 steps a day frequently getting up and down engaging in light household activities that don’t include any bending or lifting. It would be great to get outside to walk the neighborhood, but the ruts in the road are so many and so deep, even the most surefooted of walkers is taking a risk.  Falling would not be good.

Back to yesterday, when we returned from shopping Tom put all the refrigerator items away while I sat at the dining table cutting veggies for our salad and side dishes. 

Island across the bay where numerous boats stop to enjoy the sandy beach.

We purchased two roasted chickens, deliciously seasoned with cinnamon and lemon grass (a Thai thing), one for each of two nights. Adding a huge salad and two side vegetables, fresh green beans and asparagus, rounds out the meal. 

As I chopped, I was thinking about getting my thoughts outside of this news related state of mind.It was time to turn off the TV and start planning again.  Tom loaded his favorite radio podcast on his computer, Garage Logic (from KSTP 1500, Minneapolis, Minnesota), that often has us howling with laughter.

We were able to tune out the limited discussions of negative news to make a point of listening to the endless chatter that easily elicits rounds of hearty laughter from both of us. 

A short time later, sitting at my computer, (the day’s post was uploaded hours earlier) the research began and the first thing I tackled was booking tickets for the Sydney Opera House for March 19, 2017. It’s a good thing we’d booked tickets now. Based on leftover available dates there wouldn’t have been tickets remaining if we waited any longer.

The water is barely ankle deep at low tide.

The tickets and great seats we chose are for a Sunday at 5:00 pm. The day of the week was irrelevant to us. Us retirees find days of the week for activities less significant as when we were working when Fridays or Saturday nights were preferred for most social events. It doesn’t matter now.

Let’s face it, opera is not Tom’s first choice of entertainment although I’ve always been a  huge fan. However, the idea of spending a few hours at the famous opera house is an experience neither of us wanted to miss during the 40 days we’ll spend in Sydney from March 13 to April 22, 2017, while awaiting the 24-night cruise from Sydney to Seattle.

Its this very cruise on April 22, 2017, in exactly 8 months 17 days, that will take us back toward the US. After an Alaskan cruise ending on May 26, 2017 we” fly to Minnesota where we’ll stay seeing family and friends for six weeks. Later we’ll be heading to Nevada to see more family for another three weeks. Then, we’ll be off “for the world” once again!

Phuket consists of hundreds of smaller islands.  For more information, please click here.

The simple process of booking the tickets for the Sydney Opera House reminded me of how much the future holds, especially seeing family and friends for a total of nine weeks and then, the journey continues on.

We can choose to create positive news in our lives, news that can take us away if only for awhile to live life to the fullest in the best way we can.  

Now, we’re back to researching for the future! May you find ways to incorporate good news into your daily lives!

Photo from one year ago today, August 5, 2015:

Boats docked at the marina in Port Douglas, Australia. For more photos, please click here.

A bit of a worrisome situation we had to figure out…It all “goes with the territory!”

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We’re thrilled to be able to see sunsets from the veranda. The long stick to the right is actually the vine of a plant.

“Bali Sightings on the Beach”

With few tourists on the beaches here many interesting shells and mollusks remain on the beach which is nice to see.

We can only control so much in our lives. We try hard not to make errors when the consequences in planning our lives could result in added costs, time and undesired stress and frustration.

When we get into a “pickle” we reflect on what we could have, should have, done to prevent it. The lame excuse, “Well, I didn’t know,” doesn’t serve us well. We should have known every step of the way, especially as we become more experienced in traveling the world.

As we review the circumstances of our most current dilemma, in a quandary as to how to get a visa to Vietnam for the July 8th Viking Mekong River cruise, we can’t seem to embrace what we could have done differently.

The facts to accomplish this remain a hard reality: In order to apply for a visa for Vietnam with multiple entries in a 30-day period, one must send their actual passport to a visa service in the US or their home country or directly to the Vietnam Embassy.

As the sunset progresses, we’re in awe of its beauty.

How in the world would we allow ourselves to be in Indonesia without our passports in our possession, especially when in two weeks we have to drive two hours to another village to the Immigration office to extend the 30 day visas we have now, repeating this same action when we return in over three months?

Also, if we didn’t need to extend our Indonesian visas, we’d never allow ourselves to be without a passport in our possession while in a foreign country. What if one of us became ill and had to be airlifted out of the country or any of dozens of other possibilities? We’re never going to allow ourselves to be in such a position.

For citizens living in their home country, they can easily prepare the necessary documents, including their passports, mail them to a visa service and wait for the return of the packet with the new visa and their passport. 

Not us. Not only will we never leave ourselves in a foreign country without a passport in our possession but, we’re in a remote area of Bali. Receiving the return packet would take weeks to arrive, most likely never in time for our departure. 

Almost gone.

Nor would we have been willing to be without a passport while in New Zealand had we started this process earlier. Thus, we don’t blame ourselves for not starting this process sooner, two months generally is plenty of time to get a visa. In most situations, we’re easily able to acquire “visas on arrival” (VOA) at any given airport or cruise terminal.

Over the past several days we’ve made many phone calls on Skype: to Viking Cruise Line; to the river cruise representative at Vacations to Go; to the Vietnam Embassy in Vietnam; to the online visa company we’ve been using of late, CIBT. 

There is a such a thing as a “visa on arrival” at the airport in Vietnam through any of the dozens of unknown vendors online that provide a visa letter but the problem with this is twofold:
1.  Do we want to give such personal information online to what may be an unscrupulous company of which there are many? Of course not.
2.  “Visa on arrival” only applies to single entry visas for arrival exclusively by air travel at the airport. Our second entry will occur while we’re on the ship and the first visa would be useless.

The US State Department has considerable warnings and information about the difficulty of getting a Vietnam visa. Click here for details.

Me in the pool waving at Tom when he insisted on a photo. We spend lots of time in the pool, especially on days like today, hot, humid and many flies after last night’s heavy rain.

After hours of research, we came to only two possibilities:
1.  Take the risk on the “visa on arrival” single entry airport only arrival using what may prove to be an unscrupulous company and figure it out once we’re in Vietnam. Not an option.
2.  Wait until we get to Singapore on June 28th (late in the day arrival) and head to the Vietnam Embassy (a 40 minute drive from our hotel) the following morning, documents in hand and apply in person. A rush order takes three business days. Luckily, we’ll be within this window. 

The Singapore option provides us with peace of mind. No doubt it will have a bearing on our one week stay when we’ll certainly have a degree of concern over getting this accomplished. But, yesterday we called the Vietnam Embassy in Singapore and its sounds doable. They’re only open for visa applications from 9:00 am to noon weekdays.

We’re well aware of the fact that should we run into any unforeseen obstacles along the way, we could lose the IDR 92,989,424 (wow), US $6598, (plus the airfare we’ve already purchased) we prepaid at time of booking the cruise to take advantage of the “two for one/paid in full” promo at the time.

Yesterday afternoon, after we finally reached the Vietnam Embassy in Singapore, we sighed in relief knowing we had a plan in place. Once we arrive in Singapore we’ll stop at an ATM to get the appropriate amount of cash US $369, SGD 540 for both visas. 

Tom at the edge of the infinity pool while I took the photo.

Adding the cost of two round trip taxi rides to complete the transactions (returning in three business days to pick up the visas) which we hope to double duty to visit a few sites of interest along the return, its a much more expensive and time consuming proposition than we’d expected. 

As it turns out, Vietnam is one of few countries that makes it difficult for US citizens (and others) to obtain a visa which includes such countries as China, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and others. Click this link for more detailed information if you’re planning to travel or simply curious. It’s rather interesting.

The difficulty of acquiring certain country’s visa is totally predicated by reciprocal agreements between the two countries.  As a result, Vietnam is on that “difficulty” list.

In the past few days, we also applied and received the renewal of our one year visas for Australia where we’ll be in and out of over the next year on many occasions (only can stay 90 days per visit). 

The back of Tom while in the infinity pool at high tide.

Today, we’ll apply for yet another required visa for Cambodia (easy online application) again for the Mekong River Cruise  and then we can put this out of our minds until we arrive in Singapore in 48 days, except of course, for the upcoming trip to the immigration office here in Bali within a few weeks.

Gede, our houseman and driver is out of town for a religious holiday returning late Friday. We’re scheduled to go sightseeing with him on Saturday morning at 10:00 am. We’ll prepare and upload the post before we depart and look forward to sharing new photos the following day.

We hope you aren’t faced with dilemmas today. But, if so, we hope you find solutions that put your mind at ease as well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 11, 2015:

Could this Yellow Candle flower we spotted in Kauai be more exquisite with its white blooms? For more photos, please click here.

We’ve arrived in Darwin…Soon, we’ll get off the ship to see this popular city…Photos!…Year ago photo…All here today!

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Last night’s sunset from the ship.

We’re thrilled to be in Darwin today. We plan to get off the ship to tour the town after  having purchased round trip shuttle tickets at US $10, AU $13, per person.

This morning’s sunrise over Darwin, Australia.

Now, our big decision for the day is; do we go to town early and return to do the balance of today’s post, or do we head out early after the crowds getting off the ship thin out and to avoid the worst of the heat of the day? 

The interior of the casino where many passengers hand over large sums of cash to the ship.

Today’s high temp is expected to be 99F, 37C, with relatively high humidity. Apparently, it’s always hot in Darwin, a tropical climate. Both dressed in cool, casual clothing, we’re as prepared as we can be with plenty of Australian cash, insect repellent, sunglasses, and the camera on hand (including an extra battery).

There’s no doubt we’ll be back tomorrow with photos of the city, beloved by Aussies and tourists alike. A tender boat is not required here with a convenient pier to accommodate massive ships such as ours.

On several occasions, we attended movies and shows in La Scala Theatre.

We continue to have a great experience, dining, and chatting. It’s surprising how many passengers aboard this ship have had extensive travel experiences, many with much more than us over a period of many years.

For us, having traveled very little in our old lives due to my prior poor health, we have a lot of catching up to do. Even after 42 months we still have so much of this world left to see.

Cruise ships tend to have somewhat of an overly done, gaudy, often 1980’s theme, even when the ships are new or newly remodeled.

At this juncture, we continue to discuss where we’d like to visit in years to come. We’ll never run out of options.  It remains a matter of planning both financially and geographically what ultimately will work for us.

It’s funny how when we’re cruising, after hearing of countries and venues others have visited and loved, we open up our minds to a wider range of options for the future.

View of the Promenade Deck from a distant railing.

By the time we’ve completed the upcoming cruise to Antarctica on January 23, 2018 (21 months from now) we’ll have been to every continent on the Earth. This fact is mind-boggling. Who’d ever thought this was possible for us?

However many continents, countries, and cities we’ll have visited we’ll still have so much more to visit.  One could spend an entire lifetime and still have more awaiting their curiosity. 

Each sea day, Tom attends the Shed meeting in this bar, the Pig & Whistle located on the Promenade Deck, a street down the center of the ship.

It’s not as if we have a goal of any particular number of countries to visit or sites to see. We didn’t want to place that kind of pressure on our travels. For us, it is not about quantity and more about quality for those experiences in which we learn, thrive, and grow. One is never too old to acquire new knowledge, health providing.

As I began writing today, the answer became clear…finish today’s post and then take off for Darwin. The lines for disembarking the ship and boarding the shuttle will eventually thin out and soon we’ll be on our way.  There’s no point in standing in line for an hour.

With land at a distance, we captured this sunset shot.

Thanks to all of our readers for their patience over these past several days. Most likely, it will be equally difficult to post in the upcoming week with more sea days on the horizon until the cruise ends in Singapore and we fly to Bali. 

Once we’re settled in Bali in eight days we’ll be back to our routine of posting daily with new photos and of course, the photo from “one year ago.”

Have a beautiful day!  We plan to do the same!

Photo from one year ago today, April 23, 2015:

Driving down a road we hadn’t traveled, we followed the shore of the Hanalei River in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Internet issues…Sorry for the delay in posting…Continuing on the cruise, out to sea…

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We’ve had issues with the ship’s wifi that has prevented us from posting photos let alone being able to get online to write about our cruise experiences to date aboard Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. 

Although we haven’t actually missed an entire day, we’ve only been able to post one photo in the past 24 hours. It’s unlikely we’ll be able to post even one photo today. The signal remains sporadic at best.

We’ve been having another memorable time on this ship as we have on numerous others. This morning we found out there are only 17 Americans aboard this ship. Thus far, we haven’t encountered one of them. 

Instead, we’ve met dozens of Australians who are some of the most friendly people in the world and friendships develop will ease and vast amounts of humor and lively conversation.

Aussies don’t hold back in conversation, are less inclined to monitor what they say is an attempt to always be “politically correct” although they are respectful of all people, if such a combination can possibly exist. 

Although we prefer not to generalize about a nation of people, we find this commonality in Aussies and Kiwis we find to be enchanting and enticing. Sure, they may be exceptions to any such similarity, but we seldom encounter it to be the case after spending the past 10 months in and around the South Pacific.

In a way, it’s hard to believe this much time has passed that we’ve lived in this part of the world and without a doubt, it’s added to our perspective of the world in a positive way.

As for the cruise, besides the pleasurable time we’re having meeting other passengers, we’re loving every moment. Our cabin is comfortable and roomy enough for us, the views from the veranda are excellent, the food is good and working well for my needs, and the endless array of activities and venues in which to be entertain keeps us on the move from one hour to another.

We’re unable to post the year-ago photos or links. Once we’re able to receive a better signal, we’ll catch up on those we’ve missed as well as posting many photos we’ve been unable to post.

Today, we’d intended to write about the ship “freebies” and inclusions. However, with this sporadic WiFi connection, I’m finding it difficult to stay focused on a specific topic.

We’ll continue to attempt to post until we’re near land for a better connection. Please stop back to see our new posts. We so appreciate all of our readers sticking with us through these less than ideal WiF conditions.

Be well. Be happy,

More indulgences aboard ship…Out of pocket expenses beyond the cruise fare…

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A wall hanging in the casino.

Based on our positioning out at sea, we’re unable to post any additional photos today as we discovered after trying for the past several hours.  Rather than spending the entire day trying to load photos, we’ve decided to complete our story about extras and indulgences available on most cruise ships.  We’ll add photos to future posts once were within range of a better signal.

Another out-of-pocket expense passengers may incur aboard the ship is the cost of excursions sponsored by the cruise line. With their intent to make substantial profits from these excursions we’ve noticed that prices include a considerable markup, often as much as 50% for the convenience.

What are the conveniences? They arrange every detail, from payment for the event on the passenger’s Sea Pass card, to transportation, entry fees to venues, tour guides and an assurance of a prompt return in time for the ship to set sail. 

If for some reason the bus or van doesn’t return in time for sailing, the ship will wait for passengers on a cruise line sponsored tour.  This can be a big deal in some countries where vehicle breakdowns and delays can be the norm. It’s under these circumstances, where we’re maybe inclined to partake in a ship sponsored tour.

For those passengers, often like us, who prefer to go off the ship on their own, arranging their own transportation one can only imagine the horror and frustration of missing the ship’s departure.

The options are to give up on the remainder of the cruise, losing the balance of the fare and leaving all of their belongings behind in their cabin, arranging to collect them at a future date by expensive transfer. 

Most often, from what we’ve heard, passengers usually choose to fly to the next port of call to get back on board. This can be quite an ordeal, especially if that port of call is located in another country requiring a visa.  Add the cost of airfare, interim hotels, transportation and meals, missing a ship’s departure time is not something a passenger wants to experience.

More than once on our 13 cruises in the past 42 months, we’ve heard nightmarish stories of such incidences occurring. No thank you. Instead, we proceed with caution in planning how we’ll spend time off of the ship on our own, leaving early in the day and returning several hours before sail time.

Another big expense for many passengers is spa services. These may cost hundreds of dollars each and may appeal to many passengers, both women and men, including facials, Botox injections, massages, acupuncture and a wide variety of face, hair and body treatments. It’s not uncommon to rack up a $1000 or more in spa services on a cruise bill. 

For avid diners and “foodies” it’s easy to find the appeal of the specialty restaurants, most of which incur additional charges.  In many cases, the set prices (some do not include beverages, wine, or cocktails) are under US $40, AU $51 per person for a multi-course meal. 

On several occasions, we’ve opted to indulge in a few specialty restaurants during promotions with discounted prices, at times as low as US $15, AU $19 per person. However, on this and our past Aussie cruise, we’ve had such fun during dinner in the main dining room, dining at another venue holds little appeal.

Laundry services including ironing, wash, and dry and dry cleaning are available on most cruises usually completed within 24 hours or sooner for pressing.  With many cruise passengers bringing formal wear for dress-up nights, this service is particularly useful for those occasions. 

On most cruises, we usually incur about US $50, AU $64 in “wash and dry” services when we receive small discounts as members (in this case) of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society. After this cruise, we’ll be considered “Emerald” members, still a long way from the highest category. Every cruise line’s rewards programs are different. More on this later. 

Often, there are a few activities aboard a ship that may require payment for supplies (for arts and crafts), tickets, raffles, bingo, on-demand movies on the TV or other such activities. The daily program guide will list the activities and the costs or they may be listed on the interactive TVs.

Another of the two final areas where passengers may choose to spend outside the scope of the cruise fare itself is for tips for favorite service providers. This particular cruise fare included US $12.95 AU $17 per person per day tips that are distributed to all service staff. We paid these fees at the time we paid the final payment for the cruise, usually 75 days before sailing date.

Once onboard the ship, the passenger has the option to have these tips reversed from their bill and pay tips out of pocket or…not at all. We’d never do this. The staff works hard for little pay and have left their homes for extended periods of time. We feel they are entitled to the tips.  

On most cruises, we pay additional tips for special assistance from our cabin steward and head waiter in the dining room who oversees my special diet. We’ve yet to experience less than exemplary service in these two areas.

Finally, a big expense for us is the use of the ship’s WiFi service. For this cruise, it’s US $255, AU $328 for unlimited data for two devices which includes both of our laptops. The service is slow and unreliable as mentioned above but we do what we can to upload our daily posts.

We received a US $300, AU $386 cabin credit from Vacations to Go and the cruise line.  o far, our bill is US $168, AU $216 after having used the credits. I must admit I purchased US $78, AU $100 in Lancôme mascaras in the duty free shop, enough to last me for a year which was 1/2 the cost I’d paid last year. A girl’s got to have some of her favorite products from time to time!

Our other expenses thus far are the wifi, a few glasses of wine and cocktails and a few toiletry items in the store all at below chemist store prices in NZ. Most likely by the end of the cruise, our final bill will be around US $800, AU $1029, a typical amount for us on most two week cruise for which we’ve budgeted slightly more. 

Of course, at the end of the cruise we’ll post our final bill, cruise fare, hotel and airfare for this leg of our journey. Tomorrow, we’ll share cruise “freebies” that are included in the fare and how to get the “most bang for the buck.”  Stay tuned for more!

Photo from one year ago today, April 19, 2015:
We are unable to post a photo from one year ago today due to poor connectivity aboard the ship.  We’ll catch up as we go along.

Part 1…Over indulgence on a cruise ship…Daylight Sydney photos!…

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Luna Park during the daylight.

Sydney Harbour is unlike any other harbor, we’ve seen anywhere in the world. Its unique design and ambiance coupled with its functionality make seeing this special place quite an adventure in itself.

For the short period we spent in Sydney during this particular stop, we spent every moment enjoying the scenery. Last time we were in Sydney, only three months ago in January, we had little time to enjoy the views and take many photos.

As the cruise continues on, now on day three, we find ourselves totally at ease and settled in, happy as we could be. We like our cabin, the food is good and each meal they improve on my special orders. Last night, the chef came to our table to see if I had any special requests beyond which I’d ordered to date.

Walkway dining along the way to the Sydney Opera House, the East Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House promenade Opera Bar.

As each meal passes, the meals improve exponentially as they learn the nuances of my peculiar and restrictive list of foods. This morning I had a fabulous breakfast including; Eggs Benedict made with smoked salmon without the English muffin with a side of sautéed mushrooms and thick sliced ham.  It was the best meal I’d had since we boarded a few days ago.

Tom’s “pigging out” eating bread with dinner, potatoes and desserts. For breakfasts he’s been ordering Sugar Frosted Flakes with a banana, along with eggs, bacon and toast. No pancakes yet, but surely they’ll be on the horizon.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t partake in many of the complimentary baked goods, cookies and bars offered throughout the ship at several venues. If I could eat those sweets, I’d have a hard time resisting.

This small vessel is being prepared  and tested for use in the event of an emergency.

But, when I think back to my old life, long before my restrictive way of eating, I rarely had sweets when dining out and would only partake in my home baked treats in moderation. 

I was always trying to avoid gaining weight when I’d seen how obesity and diabetes plague family members on my mother’s side, many who passed away from complications, including my mother’s brother, a physician, whose unhealthy diet led to his death after amputations from complications of the dreadful disease. 

A cruise ship is truly an opportunity for a feeding frenzy for those with a propensity to overeat. The endless offerings are nearly impossible to resist for the average passenger, even those who generally maintain a degree of control over that which they consume.

Daylight view of the Harbour Bridge.

I suppose it’s not unlike the casino aboard ship. If one likes to gamble, it would be tough to stay away from the casino. How easily we could fall prey to the addictive nature of gambling on a cruise ship where in most cases it’s easier to lose money than at other land based casinos in many parts of the world.

Also, for some, the shopping, aboard ship may be as intoxicating as the alcohol one might imbibe in purchasing a “drink package” at exorbitant prices as high as US $67, AU 87 per day.

The myriad shops along the duty free rows of stores may inspire the shopping enthusiast to go “overboard” (no pun intended) in the shops filled with pricey merchandise including clothing, cosmetics, handbags and jewelry. 

Tour boat under the Harbour Bridge.

The shops are closed on port days, but open over 12 hours a day on “sea” days of which this cruise has many as we soon make our way to Darwin over a five day period with no stops along the way.
 
In addition, many passengers thrive on the trinkets they may purchase at various ports of call, often to the point of bringing extra empty luggage along to hold their “stuff.”

Each day, there’s some sort of sale on the Promenade deck. Yesterday it was handbags, soon it will be jewelry and watches, cameras and electronics and later, accessories and clothing. 

Luna Park, located in the harbor.

Even we ended up purchasing a camera aboard ship when we desperately needed to do so. Luckily, with our internet package, we were able to price the camera online before we completed the purchase and in this case, we were provided with a discount.

Another area where passengers indulge is in purchasing “art” at the endless array of art auctions, sales and special offerings. One has no idea as to the authenticity or the quality of their purchases and yet these auctions are packed with excited passengers willing to partake.  
 
With a few free glasses of champagne, inhibitions fly out the window along with often thousands of dollars from their wallets along with additional fees airlines may charge for checking such odd shaped weighty items.

Numerous ferry boats were located in the harbor.

Add the cost of purchasing photos the professional photographers often take when passengers are boarding the ship or when one is not looking may be impossible to resist when they’re beautifully displayed in the photo area. 

As it turns out, we rarely partake in many of these indulgences; no gambling in the casino; few purchases in the shops; no attendance at art auctions (as Tom says, “We don’t have any walls!”), no drink packages purchased unless included in the fare as a perk (Tom did this once and never getting his “money’s worth”); no shopping for trinkets while aboard ship or in port.

A park located in the harbor.

Tom’s occasional food indulgences are to be expected subsequently later resolved with strict adherence to healthy dining when we’re settled. How do we have fun without partaking in all of these passenger concentric offerings? People, plain and simple, the people we meet and of course, each other’s easy companionship.

Tomorrow,  we’ll be back with more indulgences and more photos as we continue on this delightful cruise…

Photo from one year ago today, April 18, 2016:

A year ago, we re-posted photos of wildlife in Africa, including this giraffe we’d seen in our yard in South Africa as we zoomed in from the upper level verandah. Their cheeks are often puffed up due to the manner in which they eat, storing the greenery in their cheeks. For more of these photos, please click here.