We have two cruises (actually 3) that are back to back in Asia. The maps are shown below. It has been a process to get everything done in regard to Visas and Entry cards. We think we are done and hopefully, everything is correct!
Cruise 1
Good-bye to our nice neighborhood! Up and out with our Uber to take us to the airport. We had uneventful flights to Denver together and then on to our perspective homes. It was a great trip. My desires to see Greenland have been met!
Today we have our "North End Politically Incorrect Food Tour." We got an Uber to take us from South Boston to North Boston. The tour started at the library. There was an interesting mosaic in front of the library, reminded us of Muro a bit. Our guide did not arrive. Several of us were waiting. I finally texted the guide and he said the tour would start at 12, not 11 as previously stated. Stuart and I decided we would walk to a nearby coffee shop to wait. I did not have time for coffee earlier. After coffee and further waiting, the guide Anthony (Flash) showed up. What a surly guy! There was a bit of concern on my part about the tour but it ended up actually being very good. The different foods we had were amazing. Anthony did tell us a lot of old stories about the mob, FBI, different families, and much more. We were stuffed by the end of the tour and headed back to our Airbnb to pack for our departure tomorrow. We saved a half sandwich to eat later in the evening. We played games and went to bed.
We were up
and out of our cabin by 7:45a. We went to the Windjammer where they were
serving breakfast until 8:30a. I had a few bites to take pills with. Stuart had
most of an omelet that looked pretty good. They did have an omelet station.
Disembarking went very smooth and fairly fast. At last something was well organized! We were off and awaiting our Uber
even before our allotted time. It was a quick drive to the Airbnb. However, we
cannot check in until 1p. The hosts gave us information about the area. We decided
to walk to Deja Brew for coffee and waiting. At least it is not raining! The
sandwiches look good so we split one. I ate mine but Stuart wasn’t very hungry
after the omelet. We got on our laptops to kill the time and catch up on
things.
After Deja Brew we walked back to the Airbnb and entered. We had self-check in. It is small but nice. The bed is comfortable and we have everything we need. We did have a brief rest after unpacking just a few things. We got ready and called an Uber to take us to the Union Oyster House for dinner. We were very excited to eat at this iconic restaurant. John F. Kennedy ate here, it was one of this favorite places to eat. We were sadly disappointed. Service was slow and confusing since they brought appetizers along with the dinner. We did have a cup of clam chowder first, but it was barely warm. The Boston Baked Beans were actually room temperature at best. None of the food was hot. At least Stuart's oysters were cold like they were supposed to be. Overall, it was very disappointing. After dinner we walked around a little bit but it was cold and not much going on around us that we were interested in. Besides it has been a long day and we are tired. Uber back to the Airbnb. We hope our tour tomorrow is more successful!
Our last day is here. We packed, had special coffee, went to the casino, dinner in Tides, drinks, and then off to bed. We need to be up at 7a and out of our cabin by 8a. Pretty challenging because we have been staying up late and sleeping in every day!
Post Script: I found so many things on this ship to be unorganized. Our cabin was fine, now one has cabin service only once a day on Royal Caribbean, which is fine. I will say, our bathroom towels are so thin and frayed, one needs both your small bath towel and hand towel to dry if you wash your hair! There are some stains on our cabin carpeting, but nothing too bad. Some areas seem quite clean, others are not. The Lido deck is downright dirty at times. Our shoes were sticking to the floor where a drink had been spilled… we thought to check back to see if it was mopped up? Three days later, still counting (never mopped up). Some of the public area bathrooms have overflowing trash. Even if the ship is older and a bit worn, they could keep it clean. The lines to get on and off the ship are ridiculous, even in docked ports. Very poor organization and they don’t seem to change it. Finally in the last port, St. John, they figured out one line getting on, one line getting off. Food has been mediocre for the most part. I have had a few tasty dishes; Tikka Marsala has been a hit both with chicken and fish. Some of the sauces are flavorful but with so many things there is no depth of flavor, just bland.
In the Windjammer buffet, 90% of the staff looks miserable. No smiles, though they occasionally stop to wait on you for a drink or something. Most times we went to get our drinks from the bar for ourselves.
Diamond
status doesn’t mean much anymore. I do get the 4 free drinks a day, plus a
specialty coffee but one gets that anyway with the deluxe drink package. Diamond
is no longer included in the special room from 5-8p for drinks.
Highlight of the day was dinner at Giovanni’s. It was delicious. The photos explain more than I can say. Stuart and I agree that the filet here was better than Chops Steakhouse. We indulged in another bottle of Belle Glos with our meal. Games and some chatting with some cruise friends Miles and Alex was part of our day. We went to the casino for some play time.
St.
John, Newfoundland, Canada. It is a very rainy day but we ventured out to Quidi
Vidi Brewery. This was a fun place and the food was pretty good. Stuart scoffed
at the idea my beer was actually brewed with 20,000 glacier water. I want to
believe it really was! In addition, we had a beer flight that was pretty tasty.
Uber back to the ship to dry out. We played games until dinner. We were
supposed to go to Giovanni’s but neither of us are very hungry so we postponed
that until tomorrow. We opted for appetizers in the dining room. Tonight she
show is Alley Cats. An acapella group that was really very good at the singing,
not so much at the humor they tried to interject into the show. Looking forward
to a sea day tomorrow!
What a drippy, cold day we woke up to! It is raining with a bitter wind. I think this will follow us tomorrow to St. John, Newfoundland. It is in the mid 70’s by afternoon here today but will drop to the mid 50’s tomorrow. I guess we will need to go home to get warm! Today I have a manicure. Stuart spent the morning outlining some talks for futures speaking engagements. The manicure was very nice and after that Stuart and I went to Izumi for an ala carte lunch. It was delicious. The food is served hot and the flavors are tantalizing. After lunch we went to the crew talent show. It is good that someone wants to get up and sing and do other things because there were at least, some entertaining moments. After that it was Phase 10 until we took a break from that, had a cafĂ© latte with Kahlua and spent time on the computers until dinner. Stuart enjoyed the Hot and Sour soup and I liked the sweet and sour pork the most. There were some entertaining moments in the Centrum, then off to bed.
We are sleeping in everyday because we subject ourselves to cold late nights stay up so late to see Northern Lights. We had lunch and then back to the cabin to update things on our computers and Stuart did a little laundry. He took care of the new forms we need for our stop in Canada. He does so much of the paperwork, I am really getting spoiled and grateful for his assistance.
For
dinner we went to the dining room. We mostly try to look at the menu ahead of
time so we can decide where we might want to eat. Tonight, we both had the
lasagna. While loaded with meat, barely warm, and it had very little flavor. The
arancini was barely warm and lacked flavor as well. The best thing about the
meal was the minestrone soup and of course, the Belle Glos wine. I did get a
decent discount with 20% off having the Deluxe Beverage Package and another 20%
off at Diamond level on RCCL. We went to the Schooner Bar but again that loud,
obnoxious guy was there so we didn’t stay. They were having 70’s music in the
Centrum on deck 4. Since the atrium is open on several decks, we went up to
Vintages on deck 6 and played Rummikub and enjoyed the music from there. After
finishing the Belle Glos we had an espresso martini. The music stopped and we
decided to skip the try at Northern Lights and it was off to bed for us.
We were excited about this port stop in Nuuk because we will not be tendered but docked. The lines getting on and off the ship when tendered are grueling. We got all dressed and ready making our way to Windjammer for a bite to eat. We were not sure what we would find in the town. It was time now to inquire about the shuttle into town. I chose not to walk because it is a 30 minute (probably 45 for me), uphill walk into the town. The ship does not have a complementary shuttle, they charge $19.99 for the shuttle. Have I said I am not impressed with RCCL so far this trip? Ok, so let’s get a shuttle ticket, because one must have it before getting off the ship. While in process for this we noticed the extremely long line getting back on the ship. We watched that for a while and it barely moved. Maybe it was a fluke, we will observe for a while and decide what to do. Needless to say, it was not a fluke. Seems they would let about 20 people get on then stop the line and wait a while for the next batch. We collectively decided we enjoyed Qaqortoq enough yesterday and we are not getting off. I am glad we decided that. I asked fellow passengers what was in town and they said, “not much but a couple of souvenir shops” so I think we made a wise decision.
We enjoyed playing Rummikub until dinner time. There was a beautiful sunset at dinner. After dinner it was Schooner bar and Emma singing. When the obnoxious man came in about 10:45p we left for Vortex and the Northern Lights party. Not sure what that was supposed to be but it was just the DJ and dancing, which was fine. When we left there, we were going to take a quick look for the Northern Lights. As we did, someone said hurry to the aft as they are out. We rushed there, but to no avail. We missed them. We found a somewhat sheltered place to stand and waited 20-30 minutes. Since we weren’t dressed for this, we couldn’t last any longer. Off to bed. Not sure I will ever get to see this phenomenon!
Today we are at sea for a much-needed rest! We slept in and then did various things to catch up on our computers, house work, games, etc. There were many nice views of icebergs. We really looked forward to dinner with BBQ pork ribs… BUT when we went to dinner, we were told they did not have them. I was a lot more disappointed than Stuart. All I ate today was a piece of cold pizza for breakfast, ugh. I had eggplant parmesan and a side of spaghetti marinara. Stuart had just the spaghetti. It was disappointing. Oh well, we certainly won’t go hungry! After dinner we went to the show which was Kuba. He played 2 rare instruments, but honestly the one we heard was like a xylophone. We didn’t stay for the second one. Instead, we went to the casino. Despite the fact that they allow smoking in there, it wasn’t too bad. We played for quite a while. I lost my allotted funds but Stuart broke even. We were doing pretty well until that last dealer came and he broke the bank. However, it was fun! Off to hopefully see the Northern Lights. Maybe a tiny glimpse but I can’t be certain until I can magnify the photos.
Today we have a tour called Town Walk with a local Chef. The line for the tender was huge once again. Finally, they called everyone with an excursion to come to the head of the line. If not for that, it would have taken over an hour in line just to get to the tender. Anyway, we made it. While our guide was a very nice young man, he was not a local chef as indicated on the tour discreption.
He did give us a lot of information about living
here in Greenland and the use of various plants to eat, not just as greens, but
to make jam and even pesto! Angelica is a weed looking plant brought here by
the Vikings to make these delights. We had the opportunity to taste both the
jam and pesto at the small meal that followed the walk, and both were impressively tasty! The lunch was
pretty small but it was a lovely presentation. Stuart’s favorite was the Caribou
(reindeer). It had a good flavor and looked a bit like steak medallions, just a
tiny bit chewy. The greens were my favorite, we both liked the beer. I skipped
eating the whale blubber (salsa?) and the melted blubber like oil was not to my
liking. I guess one has to grow up with these flavors to appreciate them! It
was a walk on our own and a short wait in line for the tender back to port. They
truly need better organization on their tender stops. I am glad we will be
docked in Nuuk!
Angelica: Angelica is an ancient cultivated plant in Greenland. After the ice age it spread in Europe, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. The Norsemen and Vikings knew and used the plant and they brought it with them when they went to Greenland, where it became a vital source of vitamin C which prevents scurvy and other ailments in people as well as animals. According to tradition angelica was given to man by an angel – the archangel Gabriel himself, who reputedly planted it with his own hands and used it as a weapon against plague. This is why the plant’s Latin name is angelica archangelica.
About
the greens: They have an experimental trial location by the sheep farming area
because it is warmer there. They grew all the greens we ate today; lettuce,
cabbage, arugula, and another green I did not recognize, along with red onion,
cucumber, and tomatoes. In Nuuk, where we will be tomorrow, they have experimental
trials going on there is shipping containers which they fill with soil,
sprinkling systems, and the hydropower to operate them. Our guide was unsure of
the results. I plan to look into that and read about it later. Here is the website:
https://www.norden.org/en/nominee/greenlandic-greenhouse-greenland
Once back to the ship we peeled off our extra layers and went to the Vintage Bar to play Phase 10 and have a drink. We are very tired this evening. There is a show that sounds good but honestly, we are just too tired. Stuart took 2 drinks back to the cabin for us and I went up to Windjammer café and got us a tiny cheese plate. They do have a few different and tasty cheeses on this cruise most days. We decided an early bedtime was in order. Stuart was not hungry but I decided I needed just a bit more and ordered a room service pizza, he did have on piece of that. Then off to bed, the cold weather and my aching legs put me to sleep quite quickly.
Since there isn’t much to see or do in port, we decided to take the tender later after the tender tickets stopped. Like so many things on this ship, there seems to be such poor planning. Yes, they stopped issuing tickets but the lines were huge. We waited over 30 minutes for the 6-minute tender ride into town. Such poor organization! Anyway, we finally got there and enjoyed a walk around the area. Even WhatsInPort had it wrong – there was no tourist office set up at the pier and no maps of the small area. That would have been nice since the ship didn’t have any maps either. We had a brisk walk around with a constant, light sprinkle of rain. It really wasn’t bad and we were comfortably warm as we are dressed in 32˚ Heat clothing. The one cafĂ© I read about was closed. I did manage to find a postcard at a souvenir shop, and a stamp at the little grocery store, so a postcard is on its way to Sierra! After walking all around we headed back to the tender spot, only to wait in line once again. But we got back safe and sound without waiting too long. We freshened up and went for a bite of lunch at the Windjammer Buffet, the played cards and games. After that it was back to the cabin to catch up on some computer photos and blog.
There
are certainly some beautiful icebergs here! The fog goes in and out rapidly so
getting photos can be a bit of a challenge. Dinner was ok in the Tides Dining
room. I couldn’t even eat one third of my prime rib, my baked potato was barely
warm. Stuart’s Osso Buco was okay, he wasn’t very hungry and it was dry. The food is not
a special perk on this ship. I will say the wait staff is warm, friendly, and
for the most part pretty fast. There was a beautiful sunset but the windows are
so clouded and spotty (understandably so) that the photo is not great. We
dropped into the Safari Lounge and listened to the Wave Benders for a while,
they were good. Then up to the Vortex to see what is going on up there. Stuart
had this Rusty Nail drink with Johnnie Walker Black, which smells and tastes a
bit smokey. On to bed since we have a port stop tomorrow and a tour! Looking
forward to that.
We
had a nice day at sea playing games and enjoying different views from the
decks. For dinner we decided to go back to Izumi for an ala carte dinner. It
ended up costing less than one regular priced menu! I wasn’t very hungry today
since I overate yesterday. I had a delicious soup with shrimp/pork wantons in
it. Stuart had the Izumi Ryu Futomaki Roll. After dinner we went to listen to
Emma sing. However, some guy has become her groupie and talks and talks between
songs. It gets old fast. We saw that Vortex Bar was playing Abba Music so we
left Schooner’s and went up there. It is a DJ but loved the music and they have
a very entertaining bar tender named Feri (he says call him Freddie). We left
just before closing to get some sleep for Nanortalik tomorrow! Excited to
finally set foot on Greenland!
We played games most of the day. There was a memorial for 9-11. Stuart was contacted by a friend from high school, tell him that another friend was on this cruise. Stuart talked with the woman Robin and husband Paul and we met them for dinner at Chops Grille. It was an enjoyable evening. We didn't get together with them again but we did see them around the ship.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada today. Sadly, we did not get off. I awoke with my back hurting. I have been to Halifax before, but Stuart hasn't. He didn't care to get off either. We finally left the cabin for lunch and then played Phase 10 until almost 4p. It is raining outside, they said there would be thunder storms but we don't hear that happening. Now it is back to the cabin to each do a few things on the computer and we will head out for dinner about 7:30 or 8p in hopes of avoiding the chaos. First we stopped for a drink before dinner and then on to Tides Restaurant. Our timing more or less worked because the lines were much shorter at 8p. It was Mexican night and pretty tasty. After that we went to Schooner’s Bar and listened to Emma again, then off to bed.
Our first full day, it is a sea day. Certainly, time to relax, sleep in, and get our bearings. Stuart got up before me and ate a small breakfast. The seas were a bit rough, rolling mostly. I was not feeling great at first but I took some Dramamine and got better pretty quickly. By the time I was ready it was time for lunch. We had a couple small pieces of pizza from the Solarium Cafe. It is a tiny cafe with just a few things besides pizza. They have the makings for a roast beef sandwich today, a small salad bar, some fresh fruit, and a dessert display. We found a place to sit and eat that, then we went on to walk around the ship a little bit and see the shops and a few other things. After that we found a table and we played Phase 10 until dinner time.
Sadly, there was a medical emergency and we headed to Halifax for the acute passenger to be taken to a hospital. WE didn't dock but they sent out a boat to remove the ill person. It does not change our times at all. I guess the captain can adjust a little bit.
We just ate in the Windjammer Buffet for dinner. It depends on what you choose if you enjoy dinner or not. Some of the food is not hot enough in my opinion. It was French Bistro night, but there weren't too many French selections. Anyway, we had plenty to eat. After that we headed to the show, which was a Beatles tribute band of sorts. It was pretty good and we enjoyed that. We went to the early show, so now we were in search of a venue to listen to some easy listening music. We wandered to the Schooner Bar and we did have a surprise! There we found Emma and Zack (now called Rose) at the piano. It was great to see them and they played Africa for us. They were playing 2 pianos at the Billboard Onboard when we were in the Zuiderdam. It wasn't quite the same as Emma is playing and Rose just sits there. I'm not sure what that's about. Off to bed. We want to get up at a decent time to enjoy Sydney tomorrow.
Before leaving for the ship we walked across to the bowling alley again for DW Brewpub. We
had wings that weren’t very good. On our way to the port, we saw a lot of
people enjoying the beach and many sail boats. It was a pretty quick ride to
the cruise port but oh brother, what a LONG line! The ship had their annual
Coast Guard inspection and therefore, things got going late. It took 1 hour and
15 minutes to check in and get to our cabin! No welcome champagne, and I will
say the dock workers were not very friendly. They kept screaming “keep moving”
which of course we were doing. I suppose they were frustrated about the delays
as well.
Once we dropped things at our cabin, we walked around the ship to see where things were located. They had a lively Sail Away party, which a few people participated in, we watched and had a beverage, and received our free beverage package cup. We were surprised to see the Holland America Zuiderdam in port. That was the ship we spent 73 days on circumnavigating Africa last year, we watched her sail away. After that it was back to the cabin to unpack and get ready for our specialty dinner at Izumi.
This Izumi Restaurant did not disappoint. It is nice to be able to avoid the main dinning room on the first day or two, until things settle in and crowds dwindle.
We arrived in Boston with no delays. It took some time to get to the hotel because it was a bit after 4p and it was rush hour traffic. After settling in we walked across the parking lot where there was a bowling alley. There was a restaurant in the bowling alley called DW Brewpub where we split a tasty burger and a huge number of fries we could not finish. Back to bed. Stuart paid for a late departure so we don’t have to get up too early.
Ready to cruise again! Stuart and I will depart our perspective homes, and
meet in Denver Airport and continue on to Boston the day before we board. I
have wanted to go to Greenland as long as I can remember! I know I did a
project or report on Greenland in grade school. It has always seemed a bit
mysterious to explore, maybe that's why I have wanted to go for so long!
A windy day here in Istanbul. We are overnight on the ship here. Our last day. Lunch by the pool and games. We saw hundreds of small ships or boats crossing beside us all day. Some were tours and some were ferries I think. We planned to organize the packing but instead we napped! I am still under the weather and some days even seem like a set back. Stuart is not well now either.
We had our last dinner at Tastes and then headed to the room to pack. Bags had to be out by 11p and we made it by 10p. While it has been a lovely and very luxurious cruise, I feel I have not been able to appreciated it due to my feeling sick.
Tomorrow we fly to Bordeaux, France via Amsterdam, Netherlands. We arrive late so we have a hotel at the airport and we will check into our Airbnb the next day. Here is a link to the Bordeaux Blog if you are interested: Bordeaux Blog
What a gorgeous day! We went into town and found a restaurant for a nice cold drink and late morning snack. This was such a delicious plate of appetizers. We weren't sure what everything was but all wonderfully tasteful. We have both been to Ephesus before. I was here just last year with June for a full day tour. I'm glad we did that then. I could not do it today!
It was a lovely afternoon by the pool playing games, until the heat just became too oppressive. Another lovely evening onboard, Dinner and show. Drinks before dinner at Palm Court. The "Geezers" were there, I think one was asleep! We call them Geezers but they are really Ambassador Hosts who are on board to dance with the women. They are pretty good as well!
We had a busy day onboard. We lounged around the pool and talked about his other visits here. The inviting beaches with colorful umbrellas are very inviting. Stuart walked to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus on his last visit. I am not up to doing much as I am still under the weather.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in Halicarnassus for Mausolus, an Anatolian from Caria and a satrap in the Achaemenid Empire, and his sister-wife Artemisia II of Caria. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythius of Priene." This is where we get the word mausoleum!
In the afternoon Stuart spoke on Ephesus at 4:15p in the Hollywood Theater. Of course he had to get there early so they could hook him up to everything. It was well attended, everyone seemed to enjoy it, and he got many complements. After that we went to the lounge and ended up chatting for some time with one of Stuart's fellow speakers, Michael.
Dinner was in the Waterside Restaurant (main restaurant) and very nice. We started off with Turkish Tomato Salad, Split Pea Soup, and Australian Wagyu flank steak. All were very tasty!
Then it was a beautiful Sunset! We also went to the show at 9:45p and to the Jade night club for a little while.
It was a short walk into town, the Medieval Town of Rhodes, and it was good to get out though I am still very fatigued. It is a beautiful port and very crowded today. We walked along the shore into the walled city. After checking a few shops and making a few selections, we stopped in a small cafe called Mare d'Estate for a cool drink. Since I had no breakfast, dolmas were my choice for a snack! It was nice sitting under big umbrellas, fan blowing pleasant air, enjoying cool beverages, being serenaded by accordion, and tambourine in Rhodes, Greece.
This is a tendered port for us. In addition, the way to make it from the caldera, where we are anchored, to the city above is a time consuming process. One first takes the tender, then the tramway up, then a walk into town. To return you have the choice of the tramway or donkeys to ride down the hill to be able to tender back.
I think Santorini is one of the most beautiful places I have been. Stuart has been here before as well. We opted to stay onboard, enjoy games in the pool area, and got some sun. It was very pleasant most of the day. Mid afternoon became pretty warm and we came back in to get ready for our Speciality Italian dinner at Osterio d'Ovidio. Prior to dinner we went to the Crystal Cove Lounge and after dinner we went to Starlight Club.
Our dinner was fantastic, very filling even though we asked for smaller portions. We had a lovely seat by the window to futher enjoy the various boats coming and going, along with a beautiful sunset!
