Webcams along the way!...

For some people who have time and interest, here is a link to webcams that are in various ports along the way. It's usually fun to see us going through the Panama Canal (January 9)...the Miraflores lock (last one we go through) offers the best view of the ships...usually we are going through that lock late afternoon, but it's dependent on traffic through the locks.

http://www.cruisin.me/cruise-port-webcams/

Clothes packed! And...Gone!

Love "cubes" to pack in. 5 medium, 3 small, 1 large holds everything but a long gown. (I have mostly EBags cubes.) Shoes and loads of miscellaneous will be packed in and around all our cubes. This is looking doable!  Small cubes hold 2 bathing suits and coverup, socks, and underwear. Medium cubes hold 9 tops, 8 dressy outfits, 3 long sleeve tops with long skirt and dressy jacket and lightweight scarves, 3 long pants and 4 capris. Large cubes holds Safari jacket, travel vest, 3 tops, 1 sweater, 3 Safari/travel pants.

This is what it all looked like as Fedex picked up our 4 bags this morning...hopefully we'll see them next in our cabin!

What's Wrong with Picture? And...I didn't need this!

The guest bed is getting loaded with "stuff" to make sure to pack...but no clothes in sight! All this is just for our "comfort" and "in case we need it" on board. Keeping in mind that our current flu shots aren't very effective, I've added our "preferred" cold/flu remedies since ship supplies are very limited. I think I can open a shop to sell mosquito repellent and sun screen too! Real books are just being taken because we have them here to read and will leave them on board to trade if we want. Wire hangers are needed to allow more room in the closets from the wooden ones that are provided...they'll be left also. Of course my yarn goes to take advantage of some knitting classes on board and some projects to work on...and finish?  Many "consumables" will be added from the Walgreen's in Ft. Lauderdale across from our overnight hotel...convenient.

However, a tooth that became a problem this week has caused me to have a crown replaced, so a few trips to the dentist that weren't on the schedule...but at least I was able to have my own dentist deal with the problem and not have to find something mid-cruise!

Merry Christmas!

To those who are just receiving the link to this blog, Welcome!
If you'd like to receive email that indicates a new post (so you can follow us on our adventure!), just scroll to the bottom of the main page and you will see a place to insert your email. That's all you need to do! Then, whenever I update this (hopefully with photos, too!) you'll get it in your email!

Also, please know that we look forward to reading comments you may have, or questions you may want us to answer. If some of you have visited ports we will be visiting and have ideas of places we need to see, etc. PLEASE let us know ahead of time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were able to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving with our "Mountain McNeills" in CO and continue our Gingerbread House tradition with them as a start to the Christmas Season.

I'm still experimenting with how I'll work this blog with limited internet ability so this is being done on my IPhone that has Tmobile so I will usually be able to use it in the ports. I'm hoping some photos will upload ok from my iPhone.

We've already been notified of one port change: no Mozambique due to the plague there. They'll substitute Reunion Island, a small island east of it which also looks quite interesting.

Now that we are back from CO, the planning/packing begins in earnest. 39 Days!

Upsell!

We are very happy cruisers now after accepting a very nice "upsell" to a verandah cabin identical to the cabin we were very pleased with on our recent AK cruise. Much more room than our ocean-view and a verandah that will be useful sometimes on this warm-weather world cruise. (An upsell is when the cruise company juggles rooms around and finds that they can offer higher category cabins to those already booked on the cruise for a reasonable additional payment...that's all relative to each person. We decided to go for it.). Chris loves having a full size couch and I love the larger desk with 9 drawers! (The cabin we were booked in had only 3.). Perfect...except that in rough weather, I'll probably have to take my Meclizine...more movement up on the higher decks and I can get seasick sometimes.

Otherwise, we continue to prepare...had our Yellow Fever vaccinations (both of us did have more reaction to it than any other vaccination, but we are now done!) Luggage delivery has been arranged for mid-December by Fedex (they'll ship 4 bags free...next time we see them will be in our cabin!...we hope!). Two large plastic bins are accumulating "stuff" that I know I want to pack...desk items, books, hangers,  Command Strip hangers, binoculars, flashlights, batteries, etc.

(If you go back to the photo of the ship, our "new" cabin is located above the middle of the 4th lifeboat that you see.)

Sent from my iPad

Getting Ready!

We've been spending a lot of time researching the ports we'll visit, as well as setting up excursions in these ports.  Our Roll Call (a group of fellow cruisers on this cruise) offers opportunities to share information, join private tours, and receive valuable hints from previous world cruisers about how to live on a cruise ship for 4 months!

We have our appointment for the Travel Medicine Clinic to update our shots if needed and get our malaria drugs and Yellow Fever vaccination.

Our doctor and dentist appointments are set for our "final checkups," replacement eye glasses have been purchased, lists are made of "drug store" purchases that will be taken with us "just in case."  Our travel agency is allowing us to ship 2 suitcases apiece via FedEx at no charge, so much of our clothing will be able to be shipped ahead, along with "drug store" items we might need.  Fortunately, our trip will be mostly in hot/humid weather or at the worst, mid-60's for a few ports, so our wardrobe doesn't need to be extensive. (Our RVing days have given us plenty of experience with limited wardrobes!)

The biggest extra expense has been for Chris to get his own laptop so that he can work on his videos and photos while we are at sea.

With all those sea days will we be bored? No!!! In addition to our own projects (usually working on photos, reading, knitting, and exercise) there are  lectures on ports (an outstanding port lecturer is on board who we have heard before), cooking classes, computer classes (only PC), all kinds of get-togethers, games (bridge, mahjong, scrabble, etc.) plus having fun with new friends! An expert knitter is on board who is going to give classes/seminars that I'll be taking. Lots of crafts, projects like knitting for charity...you get the idea.

Previewed the Amsterdam and Loved It!

In August, we took a 14-day cruise on board Holland America's Amsterdam to make sure we would be happy with a 4-month cruise on her, and found we loved it! It's our favorite ship, even though it's smaller than many in the already small-ship Holland America fleet. There is room for 1300 passengers, although we have heard fewer than that will usually be on the World Cruise.  While on board, we had dinner with another couple who did it in 2015 and will be returning for the 2018 cruise, so we will have friends on board!  The first thing we did was run down to the lowest deck to photo the cabin we will be in for the World Cruise. The steward was happy to let me quickly take a few photos so I could remember the size/layout of things. It'll be tight, but everyone does it...we will manage to stow our stuff.
I'll post photos of the ship here, so I don't need to upload them later when I'll have more limited wifi.  Some of the venues on the ship are getting makeovers before we embark, but they are limited to new carpets, etc.

Holland America's Amsterdam

Our Oceanview Cabin (bottom  row of cabins "in the blue area" in the ship photo)

Showing Part of the Main Theater (Queen's Lounge)

Explorations Cafe, another favorite place to get good coffee, teas

The Library, one of our favorite places, but most of the books are behind and to the right of this photo.

The Main Dining Room

The Lido Pool (which has a sliding dome cover, here retracted)

Spa, heated loungers which I doubt we'll use since we're mostly in the Tropics

Aft Pool

Another view of the Lido Pool from the walkway on the upper deck

The Atrium's Centerpiece, an Astrolabe, an early astronomical clock and calendar (no longer functions)

Piano Bar

!

The Vision:

An African Safari or World Cruise? The dilemma was solved when the 2018 itinerary for Holland America's World Cruise on the Amsterdam was revealed...it would visit Africa! And...allow for some overland tours that included safaris!  We hadn't really considered a World Cruise, but we do love long cruises. The costs seemed (and are!) out of reach...but a safari with the long plane rides and costs isn't inexpensive either.  So, with the knowledge that our travel window is shrinking all the time, we bit the bullet and actually were booked into one of the very last cabins! The cruise had sold out very quickly because of the excellent itinerary. About half the ports will be repeats for us, but the other half, primarily in Asia where we've never been, will be all new.  So, a year from now, on January 4, 2018, we will board Holland America's Amsterdam for a 4-month cruise around the world!

World Cruise By the Numbers:

113 Cruise Days
62 Sea Days
40 Ports
24 Countries (Actually, we'll add Cambodia to that to make 25 for us.)
14 Islands
8 Seas (Andaman, Caribbean, Celebes, Java, South China, Sula, Tasman, Laccadive)
7 Bays
6 Straits
4 Continents
4 Equator Crossings
3 Oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian)
2 Gulfs
(Stats by Jane McDonald, fellow cruiser)