Missed Port and Keeling, Taiwan (Taipei)

02-23 Kaohsiung, Taiwan at Sea Sunday: Poor weather today and we need to out run a storm on the way with 70-80 mph winds. We were supposed to undergo immigration in this port but we will need to see what will happen now. We played Train but the ship was really pitching about. We will just divert and go on to the next port of Keeling, Taipei. This evening, we had dinner in Pinnacle Grill with Paul and Maureen. It was another great evening, great wine, great food, and great company! We didn’t do immigration today even though we arrived at 5p. We will see how that goes tomorrow. For today they do revise the activities and promotions with an updated information sheet.

02-24 Keelung (Taipei), Taiwan Monday: Our excursion is On Our Own in Taipei. First it was the immigration process. For us this started at 8:15a and we did end up leaving on the tour approximately 9:15a, close to the original time. This was a bus ride into town for 1 hour. We had 6 hours on our own to explore. It might have been a great day but we didn’t check things our well enough. We started walking and went into the first welcoming entrance we came too. That was a mistake! It was a maternity and baby exposition. We had a laugh with that one! Neither of us are feeling 100%, just feeling woozy and not quite right. We decided we would get a bite to eat then take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus to check things out. The only thing we could find was a spot for coffee in a mall. We were then on our search for the HO-HO stop. We walked back to Taipei 101 and found information. We gathered the information but decided we better eat something before heading out. There was a lovely food court, very crowded, but we found a spot and had a quick sandwich that we bought at 7/11, potato salad, and bottled water. Now we headed out to find the HO-HO station. After about an hour of searching we finally got the information that the bus doesn’t run on Monday. I might mention it was a bit cold and a bit rainy. I was beat by this time and we headed back to the food court. Stuart wasn’t hungry. Sharon got a chicken and Udon noodle bowl, and we shared. It was interesting trying to eat slippery noodles with a spoon or chop sticks! We met at 4:20p for our 1-hour bus ride back to the ship. Internet has been very poor in waters near China. Things should improve when we get into Japan.

Manila, Philipines and At Sea

02-21 Manila, Philippines Friday: We did plan to get off today, but we are just tired. We had a pool day instead and also played Rummikub up at Sea View. When we got too warm, we went back to the cabin to rest and play Phase 10. Soon enough it was time to prep for dinner. After the dinner we went to the show, Violinist Jocelyn Ng. It was quite different from what one might expect. Off to the casino after that. I left early but Stuart played on and did very well again!

02-22 At Sea Saturday: We awoke to rough seas on our way to Taiwan. We planned to have breakfast on the balcony with our last bottle of bubbly, but it was too windy. We will save the bottle until later! We had a lovely dinner at Canaletto. We really like the Born of Fire Cabernet Sauvignon.

Puerto Princesa, Philippines and Missed Port

02-19 Puerto Princesa, Philippines Wednesday: We planned to get off and walk around like we did on the first visit here. However, we awoke to rain and fog so think at times you could not see the water! We decided to skip the port today. We had breakfast in our cabin and ventured out to Sea View to play Rummikub. The rain cleared up but it was very humid and warm. Back to the cabin in a couple hours. The rest of the day was uneventful other than receiving chocolate covered strawberries from the casino!

02-20 Boracay, Philippines Thursday. But we didn’t make it to the port after all. The water was too rough and the tenders could not safely operate, so no port for us today. We didn’t plan to get off anyway, we were going to have a pool day. However, it was very disappointing for those expecting to visit family there. Maran, our wine person, was to see her parents. We did play Train with the group, which is always fun. This evening, we ate at Pinnacle Grill with Paul, Maureen, Don, and Lisa. It was another 4-hour dinner and very enjoyable.

Two Days At Sea

02-17 At Sea: Rough seas with some rain and wind. We slept in and went to Dive In for lunch, then quickly on to Mexican Train. As the day went on, we did see sun!  We had an early dinner in Pinnacle with Paul and Maureen tonight. It was a 4+ hour dinner, we do have fun chatting!

We secured our QR code entry card required for the Philippines on the 19^th. Stuart also spoke with Shore Excursions today about our tour yesterday. We don’t expect anything for ourselves but hopefully others in the future will avoid the somewhat disappointing day.

02-18 At Sea Monday: We slept in after another late night. There was an announcement that everyone immediately needed to get to the thermal scan required by the Philippines. I hopped out of bed and made it before they started to call names of those who didn’t show up yet! We had a French Dip sandwich in the dining room for lunch and then on to play Mexican Train. We have 3 port days ahead of us so we won’t be doing that again soon. It was fun. We came back to the cabin and decided to play Rummikub on the balcony. Oh my, the weather has changed! Time to pull out the summer clothing again! Another nice dinner and visit to the casino.

At Sea and Hong Kong, China

02-15 At Sea, Saturday: We are sailing in Chinese waters today. We have no internet and we are told NOT to take photos in this area or we might be prosecuted. The fog horn blew all through the night and we see very little out there. There are a few scattered boats and yesterday one of our friends saw a drone. Speedy boats seem to go around us from time to time. We slept in due to turning the clock ahead last night and lack of sleep from the ship’s fog horn blowing all night. We made it to Lido for lunch and then to Mexican Train. The afternoon we played cards and prepped for dinner this evening. Sharon had a lamb shank that was delicious. The appetizers were spectacular tonight and Stuart had 3 of those.

02-16 Hong Kong, China, Sunday: We booked a HAL shore excursion today. Hong Kong is a new stop for Sharon, Stuart has been here, and Mainland China, several times. The excursion didn’t do exactly what was described below: Approximately 5¼ Hours Adult $99.95. Depart the pier for Hong Kong Island and cross under Victoria Harbour by tunnel. At Aberdeen, learn how fishermen and their families live aboard the thousands of junks and sampans crammed into the harbor. Enjoy a short sampan ride here. (We did not see a fisherman’s village at all or learn about it. We did have a short sampan ride).

Continue to the small village of Stanley and the legendary Stanley Market, famous for its clothes, furniture, souvenirs and great, inexpensive knock-offs of pricey designer goods. (Close to half the shops were closed due to our early arrival time.) I did find a postcard but they were out of stamps.

You'll drive past Repulse Bay to the southern side of the island, with panoramic views of one of Hong Kong's most popular and beautiful beaches. The beautiful hotel you'll see has long been a landmark here. Head up to Victoria Peak by funicular tram for a breathtaking view of the harbor and Kowloon. (Instead, we drove up to Victoria Peak and took the funicular tram down, which was fine) Here we had 30 minutes to find something quick to eat and get back to the meeting place. There was supposed to be a Burger King on one level, but we got there and there were no restaurants to be found. We went back up a floor and got some dumplings and spring rolls. It held us over until dinner.  

Pause briefly at one of the city's jewelry showrooms to see the wonderful craftsmanship on display. (We were told we would be going to an outlet that had many things for sale. It was all pearl jewelry, nothing else)

Overall, it was okay. The island is very smoggy. At first, we thought it was clouds or fog but our eyes started burning so we surmised it was smog.

 

At Sea and Halong Bay, Vietnam - Valentine's Day

02-13 At Sea, Thursday: Today we had a plan to have a bubbly breakfast on the balcony. We did do that but the bottle of bubbly was not good. It had the aroma of rotting grape waste at a winery… not good. It barely popped when we opened it. Bernardo said he would replace it, but we said no. We still have wine in our package and that will do. It was Legrand Courtȃge from France. Tonight was Gala Night so also dressy night. Steak and pasta for us. No one really dresses up that much anymore. At least we did see them turn someone away in shorts and flip flops! It was a brief stop in the casino.

02-14 Halong Bay, Friday, Valentine’s Day: We did have a cruise of Halong Bay and the Caves planned, but we canceled it. We decided to try for a massage and lunch in town again. It was a poor day for this lovely port. You could barely see all the rock formations in the bay due to the fog. There is a nice port building but very little around the port itself. We hired a multi-seat golf cart- type of vehicle. It was approx. US$20 and worked out well. There was a route to follow but thankfully he took us just where we wanted to go. First stop was the massage. It was different than other massages we had, but still nice. From there we went to a local market. It was in a building and very interesting. We walked down a ramp to the lower level which was all food; fruit, baked good, spices, and much more. Going up the next ramp we found a lot of clothing, kitchen supplies, and almost anything else you might want. We did not find a Bitak shirt for Stuart, which is what we were looking for. We used Google Translate to clearly tell the driver what we wanted. He did not know where to go for the shirt but took us to a souvenir shop, he thought might have one. Wow, it was an upscale souvenir shop for sure. Most of the things there were made of 100% silk and lovely. We did find Stuart a really nice shirt for approx. US$40. I tried a couple of tops but the sizes are just too tiny for my full figure! There were some amazing sheets but I don’t want to haul something like that home in my suitcase. After that he took us along the shore. There is a lovely, long, but deserted beach. It is off season. You can certainly see what it must be like when the weather is warm and everyone is here to have fun. I didn’t mention when we first got into the town area, there was a lot of damage from a typhoon that came through 3 months ago. Like a hurricane, it just cut a path through snapping off trees, ripping off roofs, and doing a lot of other damage. There were a lot of places closed and some being refurbished. The whole street was one vacant hotel after another. Now it was back to the ship. As I said the terminal is big and quite nice. We looked around there a little bit. I did find a postcard but no stamp. I decided to get it anyway. I have 3 postcards to mail from home now! 

It was Pinnacle Grill tonight for the Valentine Dinner. It was wonderful. Appetizers, palate cleanser, main, and dessert – 6 courses! We also had one of the best tables in the place. We have become friends with Rebecca the hostess there. I have tried to put the menu and photos on FB but so far no success! It was a fantastic evening. 

Over night in Da Nang, Vietnam

02-11 Overnight in Da Nang (Hue), Tuesday: It was stormy this morning. Rain and chilly. Amazing what a change in weather crossing the equator. Our tour for today is tonight to Hoi An Ancient town. The town is only 22 miles away but takes 1 hour to drive it. This was a shore excursion via HAL. Several busses went and it was a mass crowd. I am sure it is crowded anyway but this was bad. Our guide was sweet and all, her name was Dong. She walked so fast only a few could keep up through the crowds. She did slow down after Helen (Distinctive Voyages) asked her to in a loud voice. Others echoed her request. We had about an hour to shop there. We did not shop but sat for a cold drink. The tour included dinner, which was very good, at a restaurant called Morning Glory. It was at least 3 stories and very busy. We had a brief time to walk around again and then we headed to the bus. It was nice to see such a night market. It rather reminded me of Disneyland, sans the rides, with the crowds and little toys shooting up in the air. There was also a great change in the weather. It was actually quite warm there. We dressed for the weather in the port so we peeled off our outer layer pretty quickly. We are overnight here so arriving back after 10p was not an issue.

02-12 Da Nang, Wednesday: Today we are here until 6p so we have all day. We started with a late and small breakfast. Our plan is to take the HAL shuttle into town and find a massage and a lunch. The drop off point at APEC park. It was a nice location and we could see the Dragon Bridge from there as we were leaving. We walked around the town and stopped at 3-4 massage places. No one had a massage for 2 available. We walked on back toward the shuttle point sort of giving up on the idea. Sharon was tired of walking so we stopped at a little café. It is so eye opening to stop in these cities. We sat at the little wood and metal table on plastic stools. We intended on having just a beer but then decided to try “something.” The menu was on a device that looks like what they use for payment with a credit card. We opted for “Chicken Noodle Soup” – It was really tasty. It also included an average salad plate size of mixed greens, which was have herbs and so delicious. No dressing on the salad, which was good because you could indeed taste the various items on it. I know there was some lettuce, thinly sliced cabbage, cilantro, radish micro herbs, maybe basil, some fennel, and daikon radish. The soup was very flavorful as well. Not a lot of chicken – I might add, almost everything we have chicken in seems to under go a hatchet job. It is all randomly hacked up with a lot of bone and little pieces of bone. One must be careful when eating. The bowl also had a delicious broth, noodles, peanuts, and some herbs. The total for our lunch with 3 beers, big bowl of soup and the salad (which we shared) was approximately US$3. Hard to believe how they live here. You certainly don’t see any overweight people! After that we walked on to get back to the shuttle point. We came across one more massage place called Nhō and asked if the massage for 2 was possible. The surprising reply was YES! What a great massage we had and this one worked out to be US$8 each. We left a very nice tip and we’re happy to do so. Now walking to the shuttle once more. We didn’t have to wait long and off we went back to the ship. We got that nice view of the Dragon Bridge when leaving the area. A quote about the bridge said, “the Dragon Bridge has breathed new life into finances in Da Nang” – interesting that tourist come to just see that I guess. Dutch dinner onboard and the food was served hot and tasty. We missed the show but had a short stop at the casino.

At Sea and Superbowl

02-09 At Sea, Sunday: We have rough seas today. We are managing well, but hanging on too! We had Sunday Brunch in the dining room. It was an Asian brunch, different. Few recognizable dishes when we think of brunch, but it was fine. At 4p we met Paul and Maureen in Ocean Bar. We are going on a tour with them when we arrive in Osaka. It will be 4 couples. The others are Rob and Joan from Canada and Ralph and Laurie from Los Angeles. Eating a few peanuts there ruined our appetite. We skipped dinner and went to the show, it was great. Sonz of Soul. It was a Motown group and they were really good. Stuart had seen them before when speaking on Celebrity. After that, we met our “group” for Craps. It didn’t go as well tonight, either did Black Jack. We had fun and came back to the cabin to play Phase 10 and off to bed.

02-10 At Sea, Monday. Today was the Super Bowl game. It showed at the World Stage, in Billboard, and on your cabin TV. At the world stage they had all sorts of snacks and things. We did not get up early to watch it. We did catch the end of it. Eagles won. I managed a call to the kids and spoke with Julie and Deb, it was good to hear their voices. Tonight, we had dinner at Morimoto in Pinnacle Grill. Where we weren’t terribly impressed the last time, this time was wonderful. It helped that we ate with our friends Paul and Maureen. Because there were 4 of us, we ordered almost every dish! Maureen didn’t hesitate – I might have. It was really fun to try everything. We had the best waiter “Acho” as well.

At Sea and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

02-07 Friday: At sea, South China Sea. Finally starting to feel rested. Distinct Voyages host, Helen, asked Stuart to make a brief presentation today. Not many showed up, but it was a nice time for everyone. After that we had a very nice wine tasting with Cellar Master, and friend, Bernardo. We found 2 wines we really liked. We included that in our next package selection. Helen is hosting a dinner in the dining room tonight. Helen hosted one table, and Stuart the other. It was nice to meet some new people as well. We spent some time in the casino and did very well at the Craps table.

02-08 Saturday: Private Ho Chi Minh City Shore Excursion from Phu My Port with Viator. It was a convenient pickup from Phu My Port, even though we had to wait for the shuttle to take us to the gate. Our Guide Mr. Castle patiently waited for us. Our transportation was a private air-conditioned minivan. The trip into Ho Chi Minh city too about 2 hours. We skipped the War Remnants Museum. We heard it is pretty gruesome and very communistic. Our first stop was the French colonial Notre Dame Cathedral and General Post Office. There is scaffolding all over the front of the cathedral but one could understand what it looks like. At the post office we exchanged money, I was able to secure a postcard and stamp so that got sent off to Sierra. There are all sorts of shops inside the post office as well. Now it is time for a coffee break where we enjoyed a cafe sua da (coffee with condensed-milk) and lunch at a local restaurant included. It was a cute place, very retro. The coffee was delicious. Now on to Independence Palace. We got on a little tram that drove us around the grounds. Our first stop was the Exhibition House, nest to the Independence Palace. Mina and Raine went inside the Palace but I opted to sit outside and Stuart did too. He has been there before.  

Our lunch stop was at Pho 24. What a delicious stop for Pho. The lunch was included in the cost of the tour, as was the coffee and entrance fees to the palace. It was nice to be able to customize our excursion to suit our interests and itinerary. We did decide we wanted to go to the Ho Chi Minh Museum and see the water puppet show. Mr. Castle was great about arranging that for us. It was fun and the museum itself had some interesting exhibits. We were back to the ship in plenty of time. One other interesting thing we saw today was some of the road sides cafes. There were of course, tables and chairs. However, the cute thing was hammocks hanging for patrons to take a rest! The lights were loving leaving port.

Dinner was disappointment at best. We thought the food was much improved after this cruise. We heard Willem was on now and it was a treat. The food seems more like the Zuiderdam was, delicious. Tonight was the exception to this. The food was barely warm when it got to us. Room temperature pork ribs and baked potato is not exciting.

Day 2 Bangkok, Thailand and Sihanoukville, Cambodia

02-05 Wednesday: We are up early because we are a little concerned about the traffic getting back to port. It took us 3 hours to drive in yesterday. We had a fabulous (included) breakfast at the hotel. I managed a call to Miranda, today is her birthday in California, of course it is a day ahead here. Like yesterday, we stopped at a Starbucks for a coffee break and restroom stop. It took less than 2 hours to get back to the ship. I suppose we would have had time for a boat ride, but we are back early. That’s a good thing. Stuart met us outside the terminal. I was happy to find a postcard and stamp in the shops heading back onboard. We spent the afternoon playing Rummikub all day at Sea View. It was restful and my back needed that rest since we walked 14K steps yesterday. 

02-06 Thursday, Sihanoukville, Cambodia: My back is still hurting but we are getting off since this is a new country for both of us. There is a free shuttle into town furnished by HAL. It was round trip Independence Park. What we saw was just as bad as a few ports we visited in Africa. Poverty must be the cause? There was trash and garbage everywhere. We planned to get a pedicure and massage – but no! We didn’t even see anyplace to even walk around and see shops. We stayed on the shuttle and went back to the ship. About 1/3 of the people on the shuttle stayed on like we did.  

Nathon, Koh Samui, and Bangkok, Thailand

This is a late posting because we have been so busy and I am just now trying to catch up on this blog.

02-03: Nathon, Koh Samui, Thailand. We had breakfast delivered so we were ready to go. Our plan was to try to find a Thai massage and a nice lunch, we did both. What a great day! Tourism is popular here. I can see why when prices are so low! Each of us had a 1-hour massage for only US$13 each! First, they wash your feet, then you are escorted to the massage table room where you are given very stretchy panties to wear. Their massage tables are wider than any I’ve seen for a good reason – they climb up on the table to massage your back! It was amazing and so relaxing. We were even served a cup of the most delicious ginger tea afterwards. From there we walked a very short distance to a restaurant called Mum Thong, we had two plates of food with chicken and shrimp and a total of 4 beers. We did barely taste the hot sauce offered and believe me it was hot and a little lasted a long time! That was approximately US15! Incredible prices so this puts Thailand near the top of the list for a travel destination. There are cooking classes all over town as well. One could spend a month here relaxing and learning to cook Thai food! Today was a mild weather day. There was a slight breeze and the humidity was low compared to the other places we have visited. (FB photos posted). Back onboard we spent a bit of time preparing for our overnight in Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow! Of course, dinner and games and to bed early.

02-04 Bangkok, Thailand. We have a Viator tour booked with a van and driver, Mr. Tu, to take us into Bangkok. Mina and Raine are joining us. We will have our overnight stay in Lebua State Tower hotel and the driver the next day as well. Stuart has planned out our sightseeing since he has been to Bangkok several times. Well, the best made plans didn’t quite work out. At the last minute Stuart had gastric upset and stayed behind. This was disappointing for everyone but we soldiered on. The drive into Bangkok took 3+ hours instead of the 2 that we were prepared for. We did have a brief coffee break of 20 minutes along the way. The van we are in is luxurious with such comfortable seats. The adjust any way imaginable even like a recliner! Thankfully it had a very powerful AC that kept us nice and cool.  

Our first stop was Grand Palace. We found our way to “Gate 4” which was not easy. We did need Stuart! We managed to find the ticket booth and were stunned by some of the amazing sites we saw. We found our way to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Shoes removed, up a couple sets of steep steps and there was the tiny Buddha! We were surprised how small it was! It is extremely hot today as well. We walked around for a while. When things all started to look alike, we decided to leave. We had a bit of a trek back to the pickup point. Mr. Tu was a good driver. He dropped up off and picked us up as close to the various areas as possible. The routine was to call him when we were ready to move on. It all worked quite well. After the Grand Palace we wanted our lunch break. He took us to a “local” place. We had a delicious l lunch and iced tea as well. It was sometimes hard to understand Mr. Tu but we finally figured out we were headed to Wat Pho, to see the reclining Buddha. That was a stunning site! Now it is on to the Jim Thompson House. The traffic is horrible but we did manage to get there before it closed. We had one of the last tours of the day. You cannot visit this site unless you are on one of their tours. It was very interesting to hear about this man who promoted the silk industry and made a fortune. You can find his brief history on the internet.

On to the hotel. On Maps it said it was 14 minutes away; it took us 1 hour to get there. Oh my, the service! It is a 5* hotel and believe me, we were treated well. The bellman and doorman whisked our small bags away quickly. We were escorted to a sofa and a welcome drink of rose water and hot towel suddenly appeared. We signed all necessary papers and the lovely young woman escorted us to the elevator and then our rooms. The bags were waiting for us! I had a 1 bedroom booked but I was upgraded to a 2-bedroom suite! Why? Same price, which was very reasonable! I had the 2 bedrooms, each ensuite, a kitchen, dining area, large living room, 2 balconies, and free beers. Raine and Mina had a twin room. They also got the 2 beers but received a fruit place and macarons also! (rooms respectively $206, and $177). We were going to dinner but could not get a reservation. We aren’t that hungry anyway. We went to the Sky Bar with amazing views from the rooftop on the 64^th floor. Parts of the movie The Hangover Part II were shot at the rooftop location. As reasonable as the rooms are, the drinks and food are the opposite. I guess that is where they make their money! We were exhausted and went to bed before 9a. We have also decided we would not attempt to do any boat activity because we are tired, and we are concerned about the time getting back.

Beginning our 2nd cruise! Singapore and At Sea

02-01 Singapore: We awoke in Singapore this morning. Gray skies, which is mostly what we see each day. We decided to stay onboard and not have the time dedicated to the immigration process. We slept very late, got up in time for lunch in Lido. People have been getting onboard since 11a. Elevators are very busy today! Our onboard statements are messed up. We have not received the shore excursion credit yet. We will wait to see if it appears for us. 

We had a welcome reception at 6p for 3,4,5, star Mariners. We met Paul and Maureen there along with some other friends of theirs Don and Lisa. We chatted for quite some time. We skipped dinner, which was a good thing since the Lido completely shuts down at 9p, the dining room closes then too. The only food available in room service and we weren’t hungry enough to bother. We closed out the night with a brief stop at the casino and enjoyed Billboard Onboard until closing.

02-02 At Sea. Our credit has not appeared and several of our dinner reservations are missing. Stuart talked to the front desk and they are checking on it. After a huge lunch in the dining room, we stopped and talked to Rebecca in Pinnacle Grill. She corrected our various dinner reservations. We skipped the meet and greet hosted by Karen. It would have been nice to meet her but we do need to prep some for our overnight in Bangkok on Feb 04-05, so we worked on that this afternoon and played games after that. We want to get up a bit earlier tomorrow to get off so we went to bed early, and happily it was time to turn the clock back an hour also!