Blogs from Andaman Sea, Indian, Oceans and Seas

We had hoped to do the Galley Brunch yesterday for George´s birthday, but it still felt like a bit of a celebration today. When we arrived in the main the dining room, we were really surprised at how many people were doing the brunch. We were thinking there would be a group of 10 or 20 and there were about 150. They split us into groups of about 15 to take us around a small area of the galley and explain how the different sections and areas worked. Seems like most cruise ships are the same. You can tell this is a new ship as everything is still looking pristine. After the tour, we were given bottomless sparkling wine, or in George´s case orange juice, and it was constantly replaced. It was a bit too early ... read more

Having a really relaxing time. All these sea days in a row with nothing to do. Perfect for us. We have looked through the RCCL Cruise Compass each day but have not yet found anything to interest us during the day. Another day of sun bathing it is then. Not really happy with Royal Caribbean - Our close circle of friends know exactly why. We are currently crossing the Andaman Sea which is prime Tsunami territory.... read more

CRUISING AT SEA EN ROUTE FROM PORT BLAIR TO KOCHI, INDIA. Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 March, 2012. This is our longest stretch of time at sea so only have information on ship activities. M went to the craft group on Tuesday morning and produced 6 paintings on silk and followed up with the art class after lunch where she painted a watercolour of an oasis in Egypt. Tuesday's show was a cabaret by Harry Smith (one of the ship's theatre company) where he performed songs from well known musicals. It was ok but we both thought that he should have sung songs that were as well known as the musicals from which they came. Most of them were very obscure. On Tuesday night we received a notification in our cabin about the ship's impending transit ... read more

Our first day in the beautiful Phi Phi Islands was spent scuba diving. Diving was the primary reason for our travel here, and we had planned to join in on some local dives around the islands. Upon our arrival we were informed that for the last nine days, divers had sighted both whale sharks and manta rays at a dive site far offshore. It was two hours out into the open ocean by speed boat, and therefore the trip had a significantly higher cost; and there was no guarentee of a sighting, but chances were good. What an exciting possibility! We decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and joined the trip. After arriving an hour early because we forgot to change our alarm clock to the correct time zone, seven o'clock ... read more