A nice, relaxing day at sea today which is welcome after our two busy port days in Oslo and Copenhagen. I enjoyed a lovely massage and wrap at the spa followed by some pool and Jacuzzi time. We attended a fun and informative wine tasting seminar conducted by the sommelier on the Jewel of the Seas. It was in the sunlit dining room, which made a nice place to while away a couple of hours. After resting all day, we headed up to the Vortex to dance and party the night away. Our head waitress from the dining room, Susanna of [View Full Entry]

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We woke up to a cool, clear morning and enjoyed the view from our balcony as we cruised past a windmill farm at the entrance to Copenhagen harbor. We docked at Langelinie Pier, which is located a 20 minute walk from the city center. We gathered up as a group and were some of the first passengers to disembark, so we could meet our walking tour guide, Brett, from Copenhagen Walking Tours. We found him waiting for us at the gangway exit. He thanked us for bringing the beautiful weather. He said the past few weeks had been very cool [View Full Entry]

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We began the day with a sunrise arrival in Oslo. We enjoyed room service breakfast on our balcony, and set off for a hike up the trail to Aker Fortress Gardens, for a terrific view of the harbour. The ship docked a short walk from the fortress, making this a great place to start. From here, we went in search of a 7-11 store to purchase a Dagskort Tourist Card for 60 kr for the public transport system (good for 24 hrs). The people of Oslo were very helpful in directing us in how to find one. While at 7-11, we [View Full Entry]

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A wonderful, relaxing day at sea was welcomed by all the passengers today. It gave us some time to re-charge our batteries after the long travel day yesterday. It was a bit bumpy at times, as the North Sea winds kicked up 12 foot ocean swells. Chatty Captain Thor Thorvoldsen did a wonderful job of keeping us updated on sea and weather conditions throughout the trip. We met with a group of about 75 members from Cruise-Critics at the Hollywood Odyssey Lounge in the Royal Viking Crown. During previous cruise critic postings, it was decided that all members should wear crowns [View Full Entry]

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Our replacement plane finally took off at 1:15 AM, and we watched the clock closely, hoping the pilot would be able to make up some time in the air, being we had a 2 ½ hour drive from London to get to the cruise terminal. We landed at London Heathrow around 1:15 PM, and luckily, the stars were in alignment that we were able to clear immigration, collect all of our baggage, clear customs and enter the arrivals hall at 2:00 PM. That left us 3 hours to get to our ship before her sailing time from Harwich at 5:00 PM. [View Full Entry]

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There is a touch of excitement in the air today, as we prepare for our journey on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. It is like we are going to visit family, since we spent two weeks on this ship last year and formed bonds with a number of crew members we keep in touch with regularly. The adventure began with an eventful trip from New York JFK to London Heathrow. We were supposed to depart at 8:20 PM. Our series of mechanical delays began at the gate at 8:00 PM. American Airlines staff advised us that a part needed [View Full Entry]

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It was another foggy, drizzly day in Singapore. We took one last look at the skyline and harbor from our bird’s eye view balcony, and then headed down to the lobby for check-out. The check-out process was a breeze, our luggage was waiting for us dutifully at the curbside and our pre-arranged taxi van was right on time. It was a quick 20 minute traffic free trip to Changi International Airport with plenty of free luggage carts available in the Cathay Pacific drop off area at Terminal 2. We proceeded inside and followed the well marked signage, advising check-in counter numbers [View Full Entry]

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Hallelujah !! The sun is trying to break through the clouds on this warm and humid day. But at least it’s not raining. We walked over to Suntec City and enjoyed a traditional Singapore breakfast of Roti Prahda with cheese and curry soup. It came complete with entertainment as I watched the chef methodically hand stretch the dough on a stone slab, before frying it on the grill. It was delicious and was a bargain at $2.00 USD. We boarded the HIPPO bus and were happy we could sit on the outside upper level today. We enjoyed our view of the [View Full Entry]

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Woke up to a foggy day with heavy rain that never let up for the entire day. This is monsoon season for Singapore due to the north winds blowing down from China. We walked over to Suntec City (5 minutes) and had a quick breakfast at Starbuck’s. Prices were about the same as they are in Manhattan. We boarded the first double-decker HIPPO sightseeing loop bus doing the Heritage Tour, but had to sit inside on the lower level. Visibility is very limited from these seats and the tour guide commentary was minimal. Luckily, the ticket is good for 2 days, [View Full Entry]

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We woke up to another beautiful, sunny day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. I met with Bonseuth to thank him for all of his help and hospitality and to discuss future business together. We got a kick out of the Christmas carols playing over the loudspeakers in the lobby and dining room - especially “White Christmas” with a sunny 75 degrees F outside. Our tuk-tuk driver, Mr. Samut, was waiting outside for us to say goodbye, as our driver whisked us off to the airport. Check-in was smooth and the terminal very modern. I was even able to get USD out [View Full Entry]

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