2015 Holiday Southeast Asia Cruise

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December 18, 2015



As expected, Todd is up before everyone else, however he slept in somewhat, 6:45 am. I guess I needed to catch up on my sleep from all the travel. Michael woke up briefly at 6:45 am, however he went back to bed, he got up again around 10:00 am. Cindy and Jenny were up at 8:00 am. This morning we had not major commitments other than being at the cruise ship this afternoon.



Jenny and I needed to run this week. With the travel over the last few days, it was not possible. We never left the flat until 9:00 am so it was already very warm this morning. Jenny and I only made it a few miles and then had to quit. Not only was it hard to run with all the construction and pedestrian traffic, the warm and humid conditions were worse than Houston in the summer. We ended up walking a few miles instead.

Jenny and I returned to the flat and then Todd ventured out to go to a local market that his friend had recommended. The market was Hawker Center. The photo here depicts what the market looked like. Since it was breakfast, it was recommended that I purchase Roti Prata with egg and cheese with a curry sauce. It is like a think pancake with the filling mixed in. I bought four of them and brought it back to the flat. The general consensus, everyone like like it, even with the curry sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am so glad we had the opportunity to try some local cuisine at a local market.



After the good breakfast, we made a huge effort to repack our clothes and put on our luggage tags so we are ready to take a taxi to the cruise ship. We left the flat around 12:45 pm. We will miss staying at the local flat. I am forever grateful for the option to stay at a local flat and enjoy a local experience versus staying at a hotel which is what we normally do when traveling abroad.



After leaving the flat, it was decided that we take two separate taxis due to the amount of luggage we each have. Prior to trying to hail a taxi, I had written the port address on a piece of paper so each group could hand the address to the taxi driver. It proved tricky hailing a taxi, however after about 15 minutes, each group of us (Cindy and Michael, Todd and Jenny) were able to secure taxis and off to the cruise ship we went.



Our taxi ride was about twenty minutes and the destination was very close to the Garden by the Bay were we were last evening. The total cost per taxi was 12 SIN, or about 9 US dollars. We ended up arriving at separate times, the strange part was Cindy and Michael were dropped off at the lower level, and Todd and Jenny were dropped off on the top level, the level where the luggage was being dropped off before boarding the ship. Erv, Tim and Gayle came from the hotel; they arrived shortly after Jenny and I. I became very very nervous because I did not see Cindy and Michael and thought that the taxi driver took them to the wrong place. Thank goodness after about 15 minutes Michael found me and said they had been dropped off below, the incorrect area. We were together at last.



At around 1:30 pm, we dropped off our luggage and started the check in process to board the cruise. This process was less than 30 minutes and very organized. Once on ship, we immediately went to our cabin (balcony view for this trip) to scope our home away from home for the next 11 nights. Around 2:30 pm we headed to deck 14, we are staying on deck 12, for lunch. We did not eat a heavy meal because our assigned dining room time is 5:45 pm.



After our short lunch in the Lido Café, we headed back to our cabin to unpack. Everyone’s luggage arrived in the cabin except for Erv’s. It arrived later in the evening. The luggage tag was torn off, so they had a hard time finding its owner.



As in every cruise, it is required that all passengers go through a Munster Station drill. This is to prep us for a possible emergency while at sea. This drill took place at 5:15 pm.



Following the drill, we headed to the dining room for our first dinner. Our dinner location was the International Dining Room. Our table assignment was 47 for our party of seven. One thing we did notice is that the menu items were much different than we are accustomed too. The selection was plentiful, however totally different favor than past cruises. This is why we dine here to taste the various dishes we would not normally eat back home.



Following dinner, everyone went their separate ways. The kids went back to the room, Cindy and I went to watch the Karaoke. It was a ton of fun. It was very international and several of the singers would sing a song in their native tongue. This is something we have never observed before.



We left just before the Karaoke finished and we returned to our cabin. We were exhausted.



Tomorrow will be our first full day on the cruise, it is a sea day. We always like our sea days. It is a way to relax and not such a rushed paced with the touring.





Stayed tuned to our first sea day blog.

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