28 January, 2018 Sunday...

Yesterday was the transit of the Panama Canal. Although this was our sixth time through the canal, there is always something different to see. I'm always impressed that the gates or doors of the locks are the original locks used when the Canal opened in 1914. Three years before my mother was born, and the gates are still functioning perfectly. They have had new hardware, and certainly maintenance, but they are essentially the same. Once real mules were tethered to ships to assure they kept a straight path and did not hit the sides of the Canal. Now little train engines, still called mules, do the same job. Unchanged is the rowboat with two men who row out to the ships and tie on the lines. Scars line the sides of the Canal, with different colored paint streaks and splintered wood left by ships that veered a little too close to the sides. We bumped a few times, unsurprising, because there was barely 12 inches on either side of the Queen Elizabeth.

Perhaps even more interesting is the story of the struggle to build the canal. Initially, it was begun by the French in 1880, but diseases and financial difficulties put France out of the running to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Panama gained its independence in 1903 and negotiated an agreement with the US to build the canal and manage it until 1999. At noon on December 31, 1999, Panama took over full operation, administration and maintenance of the Canal. It is easy to imagine the difficulties faced by the men who cut through the jungle to prepare the land for the Canal. The dense jungle is still evident on the islands in the lakes that the ships pass through on their way to the locks.

Surprisingly, there seem to be less ships lined up for passage that I recall from other visits. We did see the new post Pana-Max Canal as it ran along side the existing Canal. It is placed up a high slope with walls around it. Gates will now roll to the sides, rather than pivoting like the existing Canal gates, and no mules are used. Instead, the ships will be guided by tugboats. The huge cruise ships that are now in operation will be able to pass through the expansion canal.

We also learned that Nicaragua is also considering building a canal. If they succeed and if Northwest Passage shipping becomes routine, traffic will significantly reduce.

Captain Hashmi reminded us that our passage through the Panama Canal would be $500,000. Can you imagine him handing his credit card to the toll booth before we pass through the first lock?

We have gotten into a pattern now that we have been on board for a week. We usually are ready for breakfast in time to go to the Britannia Dining Room, if not, we head up to the Lido. There is a definite British influence to the offerings at breakfast, with baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and grilled tomatoes always available. The offerings from the waiters are first “Tea?” and then “Coffee?” After breakfast, it's lectures and a game of Hand and Foot, a chance to read a book (Luxury! I've read two in a week!) and then lunch with new friends. After lunch, we try to increase our laps on deck from the previous day. The Queen Elizabeth has a continuous circle of the deck available on Deck 3. The only activity that we have consistently participated in this segment is Trivia. I am proud to announce that our team, “A Wing and a Prayer,” came in first yesterday out of over 40 teams! Next segment, I will get more involved and hope to join the World Cruise Choir (I have just learned from my new friend, Andy, that they do not audition you. Phew!) and also do the art classes.

We have had three cocktail party invitations this week, and one already for next week. If we don't have a party, we go to a lounge for a drink before dinner. Our favorite venue is the Commodore Club, forward on Deck 10. It is an extremely comfortable room that runs across the entire bow of the Deck 10. The lighting is warm, the tables far apart and the chairs comfortable, and it offers a panoramic view forward. I will try and take a photo of the drinks menu, because they do have some unusual ones. Both hot and cold nibbles arrive unbidden, and small bowls of chips and nuts appear. If the seas are rough, I am not inclined to enjoy the motion that far forward and high up.

Our table mates are great fun, and we are usually one of the last to leave the dining room. There are two other Americans, Peggy and Pam, mother and daughter who have sailed Cunard over 2400 days. There are two other British gentlemen, one of whom has done over 10 World Cruises on Cunard and is creeping up on the same number of days as Peggy and Pam. We have become friendly with Bryan and Lynn, from the north of England. They and another man make up our Trivia team. It turns out that we have friends in common through mutual friends. It truly is a small world!

One of the interesting sights on the ship is the dancing in the Queen's Room. Sequential Dancing is a popular dance style in the UK, with all the dancers doing the same, complicated dance steps. We love watching them to the Mayfair Quick Step and others, but are observers for this type of dancing only.

Although dinner is late seating, at 8:30, we are hard-pressed to make it out of the dining room in time for the 10:30 show, because we are laughing and talking. Those of you who sail Crystal will recognize the name Tom Courtenay, who performed one evening.

A coveted invitation to an officer's table has been received, and we are to dine at the Chief Engineer's table on 30 January. We had a chance to speak to Captain Hashmi last evening at the cocktail party, and I find him charming and warm. He mentioned a future invitation to dine with him.

Tomorrow we arrive in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We haven't planned any shore excursions, but will pop off to walk around.

More tomorrow...

Just a note: Panama hats are not made in Panama!

Wednesday, 24 January—Aruba!

Bonbini to Aruba!

This post is dedicated to my most devoted blog reader and Aruba lover—Randy!

The island of Aruba is part of the islands known as the ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. It is situated off the coast of South America. It was formerly one of the six islands belonging to the Netherlands Antilles, and in 1986, it broke its connection with the other Antilles to become a separate entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch influence is very strong here, from the architecture to the food in the shops. Aruba is only 19 ½ miles long and 6 miles wide at its widest point. It is only 70 square miles. The landscape is flat and desert-like, with only 20 inches of rainfall a year. There are many cacti, and the land looks like Arizona. The most most notable vegetation is the Watapana trees, whose branches are bent at right angles to the trunk as the result of the ever present trade winds.

Oranjestad is the capital—and its main attractions are shopping and eating! Chocolate, cheese, china, cameras, and watches are the prime purchases.

Many of the larger hotel chains are prominent here, and we enjoy our day at the Hyatt. Day passes are available.

It was a beautiful day, and we were back in time for afternoon tea in the Queen's Room. It was our first tea of the trip, and the room is just beautiful with crystal chandeliers and a harpist playing for your enjoyment. We've become friendly with one of the Head Waiters, Sashi, from Mumbai, who took very good care of us.

I can't say enough about the service on board. From our cabin steward to our waitstaff, everyone is smiling and helpful. The crew on the ship is primarily from the Philippines, India and Europe. Evidently over 50 countries are represented among the crew and staff. Cunard must be doing something right, many of the employees are long term Cunard crew and staff—10, 20 and 30 years.

I promised to tell you about the sea days—and they are grand! They are as full of options as my favorite sea days on Crystal. They go by so quickly and there is no time to do everything. I have photographed the schedule from yesterday. As you can see, it is possible to be busy every moment. In between activities, I have been able to finish my first book: “Into Oblivion,” by Arnaldur Indridason, one of my favorite Icelandic authors.

Bon dia everyone! Next on the agenda—the Panama Canal. Despite 5 transits, it never fails to enthrall.

Greetings from Jamaica, Mon!

We are docked in Ocho Rios, about 100 kilometers from Montego Bay where there is a warning about police and army action against drug dealers. Glad to see our first sunshine on our journey. We took a taxi in Ocho Rios and the cab driver wanted to know if we wanted to buy some “weed.” We declined...

We are rapidly getting acquainted with our ship, and there are photos below to show you how beautiful she is. Last evening was the Captain's Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party for the 350 guests who embarked in Ft Lauderdale. According to our most cordial and genial captain, Captain Aseem Hashmi, there are 1900 guests on board. 1300 are from the UK, 300 from the US, 49 from Germany, 39 from France, and the rest in smaller amounts.

Captain Hashmi, has a very interesting background. He was born in the UK, and became a commercial airline pilot, but when the air carriers hit a slump, he redirected his career and began as a deck officer with Cunard. He rose up rapidly to the rank of Captain, and appears to be only about 50 years old. He has received accolades for utilizing the same type of checklist that pilots use on airplanes, but applied to ships.

A little about our table of 8. We are really very happy with its location and our table mates. We are on the first level of the Britannia dining room and right next to the Captain's table. It's a great spot for people watching! I was thrilled to see several men in kilts last night on formal night. The ladies looked quite lovely. We have late seating at 8:30. It makes the day so much longer.

Life is beginning to set into a pattern on board. We had breakfast in the Britannia Dining Room this morning, Then up to the Garden Lounge for a coffee. This is a beautiful room, see the photo below of the one that looks like a solarium. It is divided in thirds. The center part is largest and for all guests. One one side is a special area for solo travelers, and on the opposite side is an area just for full world cruisers, with a permanent World Cruise Hostess/Concierge. There is coffee, juice, fruit and nibbles available for the world cruisers.

Internet is fairly good. The library is very extensive! The staff are all very pleasant. Our steward has been with Cunard for 30 years!

As I keep saying, the ship is just beautiful. The public corridors are wide and light and everything seems very well maintained. Our balcony, which showed some rust is getting scraped and repainted today.

The cabin is light and has a really large balcony, but poor storage!! There are three drawers in the nightstand next to each side of the bed. There is half a drawer (shared with the permanently attached hair dryer) over the fridge. There are three closets, one double, two single and 4 small shelves. Those of you who know I don't pack lightly are correct if they guess that my closet is like a game of Sardines! David's closet has two rods, which gives him a bit more space. I will never find everything I brought, because some tops are double and triple hung! I don't know who designed the bathroom,.There are tiered glass shelves on each side of the counter and one ¾ length shelf under the sink, but the shower is crazy. It is very tiny, with no room to “Save water-Shower with a friend!” It is teensy and there is not even a shelf or soap dish. We were fortunate that we knew about this before we left and have a basket and soap holder with suction cups.

We are part of a trivia team at 4:15 every day, even on port days. There are five of us: Lynn and Bryon from our table, a young man named Mike (who is great on pop culture!) and us. The top score was 19 yesterday, and we came in second at 16. We could have had 19, but we changed our answers. Don't you just hate that??

I will have to report back on entertainment. We have been too pooped to stay up after dinner. It was hectic getting ready to go, but I think we are caught up on our sleep and will stay up with the grown-ups from now on. There is music all over the ship, a string quartet plays at the entrance to the dining room, a harpist is in one of the lounges, a piano in another, a dance combo in another, etc.

We are getting our steps in, because this ship is larger than most others we have sailed on. We are between midship and forward. The corridors jig a bit, because they have to go around the funnels, whereas the Queen Mary 2 has a straight shot of a corridor all the way to the Britannia Dining Room.

Tomorrow is a sea day, filled with activities, and I will post a list in my next installment. It's very much like being on Crystal's sea days!

To quote Bob Marley: “Love the life you live, live the life you love.”

Finally—another post!

Thank you to those who signed up for our blog, and who have been patiently waiting for another installment.

Here we are in the Marriott Pompano Beach Resort sond Spa. We spent last night here as it was included with our balcony cabin. At noon we will be transferred to the ship by motor coach—in other words, a bus!

The hotel is quite nice and has recently been redone. It is right on the beach, which would be lovely if the weather was more like Florida!

For those of you who have seen my Facebook page, you’ve seen a photo of the luggage we are taking. (I will post a photo as soon as I can figure that out!) as you can see, we travel lightly! Although most of the space is mine (I mean, how many pairs of shoes does a guy need?) despite rumors to the contrary, David does have some suitcases of his very own!


..

Actually, we do need a lot of clothes. There are 3 or 4 formal nights per week, plus special themed balls like: Robbie Burns Night, a Hawaii theme, an Aussie night, an Asian night, an East Indian theme, etc, plus the Black and White Ball, an Ascot Ball, a Masquerade Ball, a Roaring 20’s, etc.

So there are evening gowns and fancy dress. David has it easy—a tuxedo, and a white dinner jacket for below the equator.  Additionally, we go through several climates: Warm and hot in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and like islands and Africa, but cool to cold in San Francisco, China, Japan and South Korea.

People have asked how we store the luggage onboard. There is some room under the bed, and some of our cases nest. If we have some that don’t fit, the steward will take them away for storage.

We are excited to see the Queen Elizabeth! It will be our first time onboard her. We have loved our crossings on the Queen Mary 2, so we are hopeful the experience is similar.

We have requested a table for 8 late seating, in Britannia, the restaurant for our category, as well as most of the ship. Hopefully, we will have good tablemates. We have generally had good luck with congenial, fun people, so here's hoping that is true this time. Just a note, if you are on a ship with fixed dining, and you are unhappy with your table mates, see the Maitre d' as quickly as possible after dinner to request a new table.  Don’t suffer!

We enjoy the sea days as much as the ports, and I’m looking forward to the art classes offered every sea day.  There are always two to three lectures a day, and many of the speakers have been on Crystal, our most favorite line.  I am way behind in reading, and the Queen Elizabeth has a huge two story library, so I won’t be without options. Lus, I have my Kindle and a few books from home.

In our category, we get 20 free pieces of laundry a week, which is thrilling to me! I will still have to use the laundry room, but not as often.  There is always wonderful drama in the laundry room, and those two stories were going around on the Crystal World Cruise we did in 2016.

A attractive woman, who had a wardrobe failure at the gala ( both fell out!), went into the laundry room occupied by two men and my friend who witnessed it. She exclaimed "Look! An empty machine!" And proceeded to take off her dress and toss it in the machine.  She left in her underwear and over her shoulder she tossed "You don’t mind, do you?"

The other story involved a man waiting for his laundry to dry, and another friend. A woman came in with a basket of damp clothes, went to a dryer occupied with the man's clothing. She removed his still damp clothing and put in hers. He waited until she left, dumbfounded by her inconsiderate behavior. And then stopped the dryer and distributed all of her clothes, a few pieces at a time, into all other 7 dryers!

On that note, I will stop for the now, but hopefully will have time to add photos and more later!

Here we go again!  These World Cruises are addictive.  We chose Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, because it returns to Japan which we loved.  Many of the ports are new to us:  New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, all the ports in Japan this year, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Namibia, Tenerife, and a few others in countries we've visited, but cities we have not. The cruise is 109 nights, counting the pre-cruise hotel, and then we add another 7 by doing a westbound crossing on the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York.

We are traveling with our good friends, Randell and Bobby.  We met when we were both volunteers registering domestic partners, before same sex marriage became legal in Florida.  When they found out that I was working in travel, they assured me that I needed to switch to Avoya Travel, the agency they work through.  I took their advice and never looked back.  Randell and Bobby have traveled just about everywhere, and we are fortunate to have their great wisdom and experience.

We love the camaraderie that develops on a World Cruise, and fast friendships form.  It's almost like living in a dorm, and your routines cause you to see many of the same people everyday.  In 2016, we sailed on Crystal Serenity for the full World Cruise.  At any one time, there were no more than 750 guests on board. The Queen Elizabeth is a much larger ship,  holding 2000-2500 guests, dependent upon how many are traveling solo.  

We love the sense of tradition on the Cunard Queens.  The main dining room, The Britannia, has two seatings, and we have selected late dining at 8:30.  This seems to work well with our schedule and makes the day seem longer, and is closer to our normal dining time at home.  We've requested a large table of 8.  

Unless you are willing to eat in the buffet and avoid all the evening activities, everyone dresses for dinner.  Jackets are required for men on all informal nights (any night not designated Formal.)  Long gowns are common on the women on formal nights and tuxedos or white dinner jackets (below the Equator) are  worn by men.  It's not unusual to see kilts on formal night, and I tried to talk David into wearing one, but no success.  I think he thought it would be too drafty. We have about 25 formal nights, and themed balls, so over 25% of the evenings are formal.  It's fun to play dress-up!  The only problem is that my gowns are taking up an entire suitcase.

Speaking of luggage, in 2016 we began with 9 suitcases, and ended up with 10!  This year, we are determined to do better.  Although Japan and South Korea may be cool, we won't require the winter attire needed for the Russian Far East and the Aleutians. Nothing has entered a suitcase, yet.  I am still at the "Put everything you think you want to take out---then put half back." stage.

Preparation is a big part of the World Cruise:

We had replaced our passports for the World Cruise in 2016, so they were current, and we had only the Australian visa to obtain.  All others were obtained by Cunard or were those we had already, such as our China visa.

Our first step was to visit the Travel Health Clinic to assure we were up to date on all our immunizations and to confirm where we needed additional protection.  Fortunately, all of the immunizations were still current from our previous World Cruise, as well as the medication we took to avoid Typhoid Fever.  We always take an annual flu jab.  We do have to take malaria prophylaxis for some of the countries.  Those prescriptions were filled, and we asked our doctor to write our prescriptions with a vacation override, assuring that we would have enough or our regular scripts.  We carry a mini pharmacy with us, even though there is very good medical service on board. I believe the QE has two physicians, plus nurses.  Antibiotics, anti-nausea for seasickness, anti-inflammatories, cold remedies, bandages, vitamins, etc.  go into a special box that is carried in our roll-ons. 

We are fortunate to have a Concierge who looks after our unit and brings up all the mail.  He checks for leaks, wind damage, etc. and waters our plants.  Our bills are paid electronically, or we overpay in anticipation of charges.  We are able to see a scan of our mail everyday thanks to a service from the US Post Office.  We put a hold on Netflix, AcornTV and Britbox, and stop our newspapers.

Taking a break, now, to apply for my Australian visa!  More later!