I finally figured out how to get to San Jose, Costa Rica that is. A couple of years ago I made plans to fly there for a 10 day holiday. I made all the arrangements by internet; airline reservation, hotel everything. My flight took me through Dallas to San Jose, or so I thought. When I arrived in Dallas to change planes I started to sense something was amiss. I had not yet been asked to present my passport. So I went up to the nearest departure desk and inquired about the final leg of my flight and pulled out my passport. The agent looked at it and at my ticket and said, “Sir, you don’t need a passport to go to Puerto Rico, it is a territory of the United States.” I explained that I ... read more

Adios Carlos Romero Infinity is nearing the cruise ship terminal in Puerto Vallarta. Unlike Cabo, Puerto Vallarta is lush and green, but like Cabo San Lucas, clouds and rain again threaten. It will be an umbrella day, but with a little luck we will get a sun break or two. As I sit here at the computer I am thinking of a time in January 1997 when I was lucky and found a sort of “sun break” here in Puerto Vallarta. My partner, Mark, had just passed away on December 27 at Swedish Hospital at the age of 38. I was exhausted, sad and lonely but also a bit relieved. I made a hotel reservation in PV and landed here hoping to relax and put some perspective on my loss. The first afternoon I met Carlos ... read more

Random thoughts off the west coast of Mexico: Walla Walla and the Perfect Foot Among the more memorable fellow passengers I have met are two elderly ladies from Walla Walla, Washington. You know, the town so fine it was named twice. I met them the other evening when we were waiting for the evening’s entertainment to begin in the ship’s theater. I told them I probably wouldn’t remember their first names and asked them if they minded if I just called them Walla and Walla. I discovered quite soon that they have a fine appreciation of the arts and are long time patrons of the venerable Walla Walla symphony. They were interested in my connection to the Seattle Symphony. They have a cantankerous maestro who has outlived his usefulness and we in Seattle have just got ... read more

Infinity entered San Francisco Bay around 1pm, September 23. The Golden Gate Bridge was obscured by heavy fog, not an unusual event in these parts. The fog cleared by the time we tied up at Pier 35, right next to Fisherman’s Warf. San Francisco is a beautiful city, especially seen from the bay. Coit Tower, the Trans America building, Treasure Island and the Oakland Bay Bridge are very recognizable even though it has been more than 15 years since I was last here. Besides its beauty the city somehow oozes sensuality. Bill and I went for a short walk along the waterfront and then took a cab to Jerry Rosenstein’s home in Presidio Heights. Jerry is a fascinating 85 year old concentration camp survivor who is a friend of Steve Rovig. I have dined with him ... read more

September 22, 2012 Infinity is now some west of Eugene, Oregon. After dark last night we passed into the Pacific Ocean from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which our captain pronounced as the Strait of Juan de “Fook”. He is Italian and rumor has it once worked for Costa Cruise Lines; that is the cruise line of the infamous Costa Concordia which lies on its side off the coast of Italy many months after hitting a rock. So as Nancy’s sister said, “I guess we’re fooked”. Time will tell. The Pacific is remarkably “pacific”. There was only a slight breeze during the night and the water very calm. I took my usual walk at dawn on the walking/running track on deck 11. The track was being used by only a few early risers so that ... read more

Celebrity Infinity is scheduled to depart Seattle on Friday, September 21 at 4pm. I'll be aboard, but first I have to put in a few hours at my job as a check in agent for the ship. I have worked with the Infinity for 5 seasons but have never been on her, so this will be a new experience. I know some of the ship's staff so I should be treated well. Now all I have to do is finish packing and get ready to begin another grand adventure.... read more

May 10, 2012 Haifa/Jerusalem Haifa is a beautiful little city built on a small peninsula in northern Israel. It has a busy port and is known for the large number of high tech/computer companies doing business here. One of the first things I noticed was a small passenger ship tied up next to the military side of the port. I recognized it as a Turkish vessel that was in the news recently when it was attacked by the Israeli navy when it attempted to break the blockade of Gaza to the south though no one has pointed this out. I was soon to find out that there are many things in Israel that are not talked or scrupulously ignored even when in plain sight. Today we took a long bus ride to visit Jerusalem. We stopped ... read more

May 9, 2012 Nautica entered the Suez Canal very early this morning. It took approximately 10 hours for the journey to Port Said and the Mediterranean Sea. There is a constant stream of ships transiting the canal. Some have to anchor in the Great Bitter Lake near the middle, until their turn to continue. Most segments of the canal are too narrow for two way traffic. We were lucky and sailed right through. The east bank of the canal is the Sinai desert. For the most part it is bleak and sand covered. By contrast the west bank is lush and green due to an extensive irrigation system with water diverted from the Nile delta north of Cairo. The “sweet water” canal system was originally designed in the mid 19th century to provide drinking water for ... read more

May 8, 2012 Luxor, Egypt Nautica arrived in the Egyptian port of Safaga early May 7. Safaga is an ancient port city on the Red Sea. It is not much to look at but it is the closest port to Luxor and the Nile valley. I boarded one of 15 buses that left in a convoy across the desert. The journey took more than 3 hours. There was a military vehicle at the front and rear of the convoy. The Egyptians are extra cautious ever since a deadly attack on a bus load of Germans about 20 years ago. There were police checkpoints every 20 kilometers, but the officers on duty seemed totally uninterested in our purpose. Most of them were sitting in the shade smoking and hardly even looked up as we slowly lurched over ... read more