'06 Radisson World Cruise-Segment 5

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One of the best things about cruising, other than the exotic places we visit, is the people we meet. Unlike other forms of travel, you become a small community onboard and often make friendships that survive and flourish in the real world. Many of the World Cruisers are retired like us because of the time commitment and some of the segment people still have jobs or businesses and it’s interesting to learn everyone’s story. The entertainers, lecturers, staff, and crew all mingle with the passengers and that brings a different element into the mix. We can’t possibly tell you all the stories we’ve heard, but we will mention several individuals-the oldest and the youngest. One elegant well dressed lady who will be 96 this year has been cruising since 1919 and has clocked 7000 days (more then twenty years) on ships. We love to hear her talk about her experiences and she even throws in a couple of colorful jokes along the way. Another man who is already 96 years young still goes on tour with us. The other day in Dubai, we saw him shopping and buying another hat for his collection of hats and costumes from around the world. Considered a ladies man, he performed in the passenger talent show as a wealthy sheik surrounded by his harem, joking and playing the piano. Both are an inspiration to us. This year there are several small children on board including two 7½ year olds we’ve gotten to know. Chuck plays games with them and high 5’s them around the ship and on tours. They go to school in the morning and early afternoon and squeeze in some fun activities the rest of the day. Chuck identifies with them because in 1955 at the tender age of 8 he and his parents took a cruise from New York to Rio de Janeiro on the Moore McCormick line where Chuck had the run of the ship. He has never forgotten the experience and the kindness of the adults towards him and wants to pass that along to his two young friends.

Our first port of call this fifth segment was Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. The UAE was established in 1971 when seven sheiks got together to sign a treaty to retain control over their emirates or kingdoms. You are not prepared for the miles and miles of building going on in Dubai. They claim it is the largest construction site in the world and if the number of cranes is any indication, we would have to agree. Fabulous high rises, new island developments like the three Palm Islands and the World Islands, an indoor ski slope, and much, much more. They think their traffic is horrendous now, wait till the advent of the growth due to all this expansion. We had two of the best events there; the first was a dinner in the dunes. Twenty-seven Yukon’s with six passengers each took us on the most exciting and yes hair raising excursion through the vast sand dunes, visiting a camel ranch and enjoying a desert sunset. We then arrived at a Bedu (Nomad) encampment where we took our first camel ride ever and feasted on an Arabic barbeque on pillows and carpets. Traditional entertainment by an exotic belly dancer and an area to smoke apple flavored tobacco out of Hookah water pipes was provided. The next night the World Cruisers were whisked away to the famous 7 star Burj Al Arab Hotel, “The Arabian Tower” for a reception. The futuristic Burj was built on a man made island 900 feet from the shore. It costs $150 just to cross the bridge; a lunch we heard was in the $800 range and a standard suite at this time of year was $2500 a night and the place is sold out! It’s not only the tallest hotel in the world at 1053 feet, but its atrium lobby is also the tallest at 590 feet. Walking by a line of Rolls Royce Phantoms and entering the lobby you didn’t know what to take a picture of first, the gold, the fountains, the chandeliers, or the twin aquariums on either side of the escalators. They even have an undersea restaurant, good luck getting reservations for that. We boarded a glass elevator with a view of the Persian Gulf and at 20 feet a second we were lifted to the top where our reception was to be. It was an incredible view from this two story ballroom with twin circular staircases leading down to the main floor with two big screens showing different looks of the property at varying times of day. A fun evening was had by all. Our last day in Dubai, we went shopping at Sharjah, a neighboring emirate hoping to beat the Dubai prices. We went to a souk or bazaar type mall loaded with handicrafts, carpets, and a lot of gold jewelry. The entire first floor was totally jewelry stores.

Fujairah, another one of the UAE, was our next stop. The transformation in just 20 years from a small fishing village to a fair sized town can be attributed to its importance to the rest of the UAE. It is the only emirate on the Arabian Sea, and its desalination plants are playing an ever increasing role in providing water to the other emirates. It was an interesting port with a museum, a Friday market, a drive through the mountains, an oasis, and the oldest mosque in the UAE.

Muscat, Oman was the biggest surprise of this segment. Second only to Singapore in cleanliness, the majority of its all white buildings were ultra modern and the residential homes were palatial. Considering we knew little to nothing about this place, it really had a lot to offer. We visited the medieval Nakhl Fort, one of 500 forts in Oman, which was perched high on a hilltop with a commanding view, and the Nakhl Springs below, which was surrounded by palm trees. We lunched at the exclusive beachside Grand Hyatt. Then we saw the Zawawi Mosque, a museum, and a Sultan’s Palace behind the gates of the old city. Our second stop in Oman was Salalah, a desolate area best known for its frankincense trade. After seeing a 500 year old frankincense tree, our bus broke down across the street form a gorgeous beach. A cell phone call later and we had a new bus and continued on. It was a good thing, because the ride up to Job’s Tomb was steep with lots of hairpin turns. Job is important in all three religions- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He lived more than 3000 years ago.

Anticipation mounted as we cruised up the Red Sea to Safaga, gateway to Egypt. The convoy buses flanked by armed tourist police crossed the desolate mountains arriving in the fertile Nile Valley three hours later. Our first impression of the north flowing Nile River was that there were many, many river boats making the four day trip upriver. Luxor, located right on the Nile was packed with tourists. We spent the afternoon visiting the two most famous temples, Karnak and Luxor. Both were impressive because of their massive dimensions and their colorful hieroglyphs. There were obelisks, sphinxes, and rows of gigantic columns all from 3000+ years ago. Our 6th floor hotel balcony was perfect for seeing both the sunset over the Nile and all the activity of Luxor. Nothing could have prepared us for the World Cruise event that evening at the Habu Temple. Our guide said this was only the second time the temple had been opened for an evening private function with dramatic lighting. We walked along a red carpeted passageway with Egyptian boys in costume holding torches and opera music filling the night air. Upon arriving at the site of our dinner, everyone was totally impressed at how cozy they had made this intimate setting for fewer than 200 people. Ancient columns glowed red and orange, hieroglyphs were everywhere, the room was open to the moonlit night sky, the floor was covered by Arabic carpets, the tables were beautifully decorated with flowers and candles, and a string quartet played wonderful dinner music. The dinner was over way too soon and another spectacular evening was had by all! The next morning we went back and saw the Habu Temple in the daylight and although stunning, it did not have the magic of the night before. We also visited the famous Valley of the Kings, site of King Tut’s tomb as well as others. To see these tombs, you entered a corridor in the mountain sloping downward and leading to the burial chamber, with all the walls covered in hieroglyphs. After 2 jam-packed days we arrived back at the ship knowing we had seen some of the most historical places in the world.

As if Egypt wasn’t amazing enough, the next day we cruised into the Bay of Aqaba in Jordon and went on an 18 person tour called the Jewel of the Desert. First stop Petra, where we were met by Joseph, a wild and crazy horse and cart driver. We passed four previous carts that left before we did in the mile and a half long Siq, the official entrance to Petra, which in some places was no more than 16 feet wide with walls that towered 650 feet high. You might remember Harrison Ford riding through this area in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. When we finally arrived at the Treasury, we were awestruck at the red rose colors of this magnificent structure carved into the wall of the canyon. The second stop of the day was a luncheon at a nomad Bedouin encampment hidden at the base of a rugged mountain. We sat on fuzzy pillows in a tent and watched a traditional Jordanian show and had an authentic meal. Very special!

Then it was transiting the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. For 200K our ship, the only cruise ship, joined a convoy of 28 ships. We were #8 with 7 US Navy ships in front of us and 20 cargo ships following. We started the 106 mile journey at 6:30AM and arrived in Port Said in the Med at 4:30PM. There were lots of interesting sights along the way, including four different lakes, a couple of villages and towns and a myriad of guard towers with an encampment of tanks at one. Cool, spring like weather welcomed us at the last four ports of this fifth segment. Libya was cancelled because the government wouldn’t grant a blanket visa for our ship. It was replaced by Kusadasi, Turkey an undiscovered resort town built on a hillside over looking the Aegean Sea (a much better choice). Within a 20 mile drive was the archaeological site of Ephesus, a city from over 2000 years ago. About 40% of the excavation is complete with the library as the best preserved example of this ancient time. The wildflowers were in full bloom which added to the beauty of the area. The next day Captain Dag made an impromptu stop at Katakolon, Greece. As he said “I thought it would be sad to sail through the Greek Archipelagos without being able to taste tzatiki, octopus, and Greek salad.” So we did, at a special event at one of the seaside tavernas and because it was early in the season, we had this small picturesque village all to ourselves.

Sicily was our next destination and we got a flavor of Sicilian life as we visited Catania, a city in the shadow of Mt. Aetna. Sitting at a sidewalk café at the Piazza del Duoma, we savored a ciapalini (a hot pastry filled with cheese, ham, onion, and tomato), a cappuccino, and a gelato ice cream cone. YUM! That night en route to Naples, Italy Captain Dag briefly anchored the ship off the active volcanic island of Stomboli where we had our own spectacular fireworks show.

Upon arrival in Naples, the next morning we boarded a jetfoil boat for a ride to Capri, “the Island of Love”. We took a chair lift to the highest point, Mt. Solaro at 1884 feet for a wonderful 360° panoramic view, took a walking tour of the town before our Italian lunch and finished the day with a ride on the famous funicular from the main square to the port.

Looking back on this fifth segment of our journey, we visited a record 12 ports in 19 days. We barely had time for any ship activities although we did have an ice bar party in the frozen fish locker (minus the fish) and we celebrated our friends, the Holland’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. Now, the two week inevitable countdown to the end of this “Around the World Adventure” is starting…
PS- Update: Chuck’s token count to date is 346.

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