Blogs from 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

After the hectic day in Mumbai yesterday, it was nice to get a lay in today. We had a lazy morning in the sun and catching up with some new friends. It is always nice to see what they did on shore visits and to hear what they are planning on the next shore days. Some people seem to set themselves up to be ripped off as they either have not planned or are not prepared to do anything for themselves. This is all part of the general experience as far as we are concerned. A holiday is what you make it and need not be expensive. The chefs had made some lovely cakes that were on offer in the Windjammer tonight. We would have loved to try them all, but not sure our waistline would ... read more

Today is our first full day at sea. Everyone has been asked to attend a face to face meeting with the Indian Immigration so that we can get our Indian Visas stamped. They started about 8.00am and we were there about 8.30am. With about 5000 people to see the queues could get a bit long as everyone has to do this today. After breakfast, we decided a morning of sunbathing was required. It is about 30c / 85f outside today. Not too hot, but it is very very humid. A couple of hours in this and we were happy to move on. Luckily, most of the passengers look to be not interested in sun bathing, so there were plenty of empty sun beds. Whilst out, we also booked tickets for a trip on the North Star ... read more

This morning we arrived in Cochin (Ko-chin) or Kochi, India. I could tell Craig wasn’t really thrilled to be here. We left the ship and went through a very bureaucratic procedure of Indian customs. They love paperwork and rubber stamping – thanks to the teachings of the Dutch and English centuries ago. It was hot but thankfully a dry heat. We waded through the offers of Tuk Tuks to get outside the pier gates. We had no plan and were going to start walking the 7 kms into town. Upon leaving the pier gates we were faced with a swarm of taxi and Tuk Tuk drivers. We hadn’t got very far and we were approached by a driver who offered 3 hours for $5, so we got in his Tuk Tuk. The driver’s name was Anas. ... read more