What inquiring minds want to know-
about going on a World Cruise adventure
· Deciding to travel for 6 months with a price tag of 6 figures is probably the biggest hurdle to cross. Having turned 70 years old and dealing with osteoarthritis and other age related annoyances makes one realize that if we are going to do it, the time is now. It was a paradigm shift to allow ourselves to spend that kind of money on intangible experiences rather than a million other things more practical. The deciding factor was when we both realized that our travels in the past are what we talk about and fondly remember. Our possessions that we left behind when moving to Hawaii are forgotten. We decided to invest in memories.
· We decided to take a cruise because that eliminates long airplane rides, changing hotel rooms, repacking and packing, avoiding lost luggage, flight delays, taxis, and getting lost. However when the first 70 days of the cruise were cancelled, we had the opportunity to travel to Africa and India in depth. We had long plane rides, taxis, packing and repacking. But Overseas Adventure Travel took the other hassles out of the picture arranging everything so that the planes and trains and busses were not the problems we anticipated. However we were glad to reach the ship and unpack once. Now we feel that a combination of cruise and land tour is a good way to travel. We can tour in depth, and then cruise as a tasting menu, deciding later if some destinations are worth a return trip.
· We found that the 109 days we spent on the ship was getting old after 3 months. People complained about so many sea days. We had plenty to do and didn’t mind. Blogging, trivia, and bridge kept us busy, but we were glad we had the trips to Africa and India as balance.
· Oceania R class ships have 680 passengers maximum. This is just right to meet people and have fun at bridge and trivia, dancing and other activities. At the beginning of the cruise there were only 350 passengers and they didn’t even have enough people for Bingo! It felt lonely until the ship filled up more.
Cruise Life: Our room. Oceania Cruises, R class (the 680 passenger vs. the 1,300 passenger), ship is ideal for longer cruising for us. Our ship was small enough to go to unusual ports and dock closer to the main city. We were most of the time the only ship in port, garnering their full attention. Oceania Insignia, Regatta, Nautica and Sirena are the 4 R class ships. Marina and Riviera, with double the occupancy, are newer, and tend to be more expensive per day and shorter cruises. The ships have undergone a renovation in the last year but the regular rooms are relatively unchanged except for the decor bedding. Our Concierge level room on the 7th floor was small, especially the bathroom. The closet was larger than I thought but there is not clever storage space as you would hope in a small room on a ship. Just a little bedside thing with one small drawer. We brought a hanging shelf which was very handy, skinny hangars, and interlocking slacks hangars to conserve space. The hangars are the big wooden ones, so we took them out first as well as other things like ship guides and such. They did have skinny hangars if you asked. You can store things under the bed. They stored our luggage below. We brought magnets to use on the metal walls to hold up the daily programs, excursion tickets, dining reservations and invitations, etc. Most cruise ships have metal walls. There were European electric outlets and US. We brought an outlet strip. The desk was very short in depth. A table could be brought from behind the sofa for room service but then the room got crowded. We didn’t do that very often, mostly breakfast. If you are going to spend a lot of time in your room, get a bigger room with a bathtub.
· We opted for a balcony room because we thought we might need fresh air and envisioned the photos you see of sitting out watching the sunset from the lanai. I would still get the balcony, but the deck was often wet. I enjoyed watching as we came into the port in the morning, sometimes traveling an hour or so under bridges and loading areas and warehouses seeing cargo and other ships. Coming into Shanghai took a really long time, but it was very interesting the whole way. Watching sunrises, port life, the greetings we got from various ports, the landscapes, and the way the ship itself was restocked were things I remember seeing from our lanai.
· Oceania was a good fit for us socially. The average age is 65 to 70. At 71 we were at the higher end, and believe it or not, I do not remember anyone who was super old, using walkers, or super stuck up. Teachers, businessmen, pilots, and professionals. I first heard the term skiing here. It means people who are “spending the kids’ inheritance”. Travel adventures was a common topic. It was nice to meet so many others who have chosen to travel often and regularly in their retirement. Just about everyone was retired. The ship was not all American. We had many Aussie’s and took on more as well as Kiwi’s from Sydney as well as Europeans. They really livened up the ship! We had one teenager who had his own tutor and it seemed that they lived on cruise ships. A couple other young adults were traveling with their parents or grandparents. We had a baby once but she was onboard with an officer who are allowed to have family with them for a week or two, depending on their rank. This cruise would not be a good choice for children.
· Oceania allows smoking one spot on the pool deck and an enclosed area in the upstairs lounge. I never noticed any smoke from the enclosed area, but the one by the pool was right outside the door to the gym and smoke came in that way when the doors were opened. The crew had an open deck below where they could smoke, but officers could come to our areas.
· We gained several pounds on our trip and haven’t been able to get it off yet. The food was superb. Only until the last week or so did I notice there were repeated items on the menu. The breakfast buffet had fresh blueberries and strawberries and raspberries every morning. They would not give me the secret to how they stayed fresh over such a long time. We enjoyed eating in the main dining room. You can sit alone or ask to share a table and meet new friends. We also liked it because I tend to eat too much at a buffet. The dining staff were outstanding.
· There are two specialty dining rooms on the Insignia. You get a set number of reservations for each per segment. The Polo grill serves steaks and like fare. The Italian restaurant was our favorite. When you are seated you are presented with a menu of olive oils and balsamic vinegars to choose from. The fresh bread here have the most choices. The bread and breadsticks was excellent. We tried to refuse it, thinking that then it wouldn’t go to waste since if it just got on the table, even though we ignored it, it would be thrown out. However we were told that all the bread has to be thrown out after 4 hours no matter what.
· Seafood was plentiful – shrimp, scallops, lobster, salmon (farmed, but from Chile), tuna, sea bass, and often fresh fish from our latest port. The steaks were fantastic. We could have a wagu beef and lobster sandwich cooked to order at the Waves Grill by the pool for lunch.
· The Executive Chef Farid Oudir, was wonderfully entertaining, available, and hard working. The cruise line chef is Jacques Pepin, whose reruns of his TV show have their own in room channel. Farid would preside over specialty buffets featuring local fare doing the showy wok presentations, and came through the dining hall each evening to say hello to several tables. His motto: “never trust a skinny chef”. The menu consisted of several specials for the evening, a featured tasting menu, a Canyon Ranch Spa menu, and a section of standard fare available every day.
· Each segment a celebrity chef would join the ship and give presentations with our executive chef using cameras projected on a screen so you could see the preparation. Audience participation and tasting was also part of it. The Chefs would have special items on the menus while they were on board.
· We had an artist’s loft area in the lounge where visiting artists held classes sometimes twice a day in various medium. One of the passengers taught origami. During this time we also had needlepoint in the lounge on sea days. The social hostess passed out prepared kits for us and we could be seen all over the ship sewing away during lectures or shows. These kits online are about $30 each!
· Bingo was a failure. At first there were not enough participants to even play. Then we had enough players, but not enough to hold the snowball bingo. There were a few regulars who did the shuffleboard, the 9 hole putting green, pingpong and the like.
· The most intense and loyal activity was team trivia. It is said that Trivia can make or break a Cruise Director. David and I were on two teams of 8 players. These people became the ones we spent the most time with socially. The prizes for these activities are plastic laminated numbers which translate into points that you turn in at the end of a segment for Oceania logo T-shirts or hats or even lap blankets. One particularly competitive shipmate amassed 700 pts per segment. He bragged that this was how he shopped for Christmas. He was too competitive for us and we left his trivia team after a week or two, although he is an actual nuclear physicist and often won.
TRAVEL insights:
· We brought $3,000 in crisp new bills of low denomination. Most everywhere took US dollars. We brought several hundred $1’s. We still have a lot, however. The ship let us know what countries did not take dollars, but they did not offer an exchange on board. There would be a Change near the port usually. We used the ship safe religiously for our valuables. You didn’t need anything onshore but your ship key card, credit card and some cash. We got all our credit cards with the chip and used a cash machine card that had no fees. If you use a cash machine, you get the local currency.
· Tips. Our cruise included tips for the ship staff like the wait staff and room stewards. Bar tabs included a tip. Tips were expected in the spa. On excursions, we tipped the guide $1 per hour per person. We didn’t quite know what to do about the driver. Sometimes we tipped separately, sometimes not. At first I was outraged at the high prices for the excursions and balked at adding a tip as well, but I got over it. One couple never tipped. I tipped for them once when it was just the three of us in a boat.
· With Oceania, the longer the cruise, the more amenities you were offered. Therefore we had free shipping of two @ 50 lb bags to the ship from home, (by Luggage Free. You can do this through them even if it isn’t included. They pick up right at your door and deliver to your door.) pre cruise hotel, transfers, free business class air, free medical, free internet, free laundry, tips, specialty coffees in the restaurant or at the new coffee lounge, and non alcoholic beverages. They had laundry packages that were reasonable, wine and beverage packages. Medical costs were not high to see the doctor if you did have to pay. We bought a minimum number of excursions to get a 25% discount.
Other than gaining weight, we stayed relatively healthy. It was hard to get much exercise for me. The gym facility was very nice. The machines were all new with TV monitors and the latest gadgets. There were classes each day for stretching and such, mostly free. David bought all the gadgets and had personal training regularly. He seemed to get a lot out of it and the foot massager things really work well. It is all a Canyon Ranch spa concession. My knee started to bother me which forced me to take the elevator, but it is better now. I even climbed Diamond Head when in Honolulu.
The Spa onboard was nice. We got to use the thallasotherapy pool anytime. However, it was too sloshy a lot, or something was wrong with it. Also, for some reason, the showers in the woman’s side never got hot. I had hoped that I would come up there to the spa and have a luxurious soak, then shower in a large shower in the evening before dressing for dinner. But it never happened. The spa services were pricey. We got two free ones. Every once in awhile they would have specials, and we also got coupon books. I liked the regular Canyon Ranch massage, but there were many choices. They also gave little seminars on eyebrows, for example. The people actually worked for Canyon Ranch, not the ship. The shops were also a separate concession. They had very nice clothes and jewelry and special events. One was on how to take care of diamonds. The casino was also separate. They did not have but one or two people that I ever saw there until the very last segment when they had a poker tournament that was popular. The casino bar was very popular, however.
· Shore excursions. We chose to not worry about them by purchasing the ones from the ship. It was hard enough to sort through the 265 page list of all of them for the original 180 voyage. We tried to pick active ones, not ones just on a bus. We noticed that there were not many that were offered for people “with mobility concerns”. Therefore, these people still came on some of the trips and sometimes held us up. Generally it was a pretty healthy group. Some of the excursions were cancelled and we had to or wanted to switch. No problems even at the last minute. Maybe if you cancelled entirely you would be charged, but they seemed to do what they could to accommodate everyone. We even requested a newly offered overnight to Beijing the morning it was leaving and they found room for us.
· Cruise Critic usually has a message board, Roll Call, for your particular cruise. The 180 day Around the World was the most active one ever. People posted all the time. One person kept a list of fellow passengers. We met in the Horizons lounge the first sea day morning at 10:00am each segment. This group arranged private tours and then you joined in the ones you wanted. We chose to go on the private cruise to the Great Barrier Reef with a cruise critic group. It turned out to be the best way to see the beautiful coral and fish. Otherwise, we chose the cruise excursions. Once we did get back just as the ship was supposed to be leaving, but they waited because it was one of their excursions. One or two others were left behind for various reasons and had to fly to catch up.
· On this extended voyage, there were opportunities to have overnight trips, sometimes getting off in one port and returning to another. We did the trips to Angkor Wat, a junk cruise in Ha Long Bay, a trip to the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian, China, and the overnight in Beijing. Some people got off in French Polynesia to stay in one of the bungalows on the water in Bora Bora or other locations. However you were not allowed to leave the ship overnight while in the USA.
· We ran into this concept of the Hop on Hop Off bus in Australia. It was a really great way to take an overview of the port. We got off at a museum in Darwin dealing with their tsunamis. We even took one in Miami. They stored our luggage for the day! The cruise ship also had a bus service to town which was free, but not at every port, and it was usually only every hour. There was no schedule to refer to or description, you just had to wait until that day to find out. The Cruise Critic group was able to get the Destination Services to give us a printed list for each segment of ship offered shuttles which we got a copy.
· On any world cruise or extended cruise, you will have to cross an ocean or two. What is fun is that there is a ceremony when you cross the equator, and an extra day when you cross the International Dateline going West to East. One woman had two birthday celebrations for May 28th. We had 5 days at sea from Tahiti to Hawaii and from Hawaii to LA. The cruise director organized a ship building contest, a country fair, an officer and passenger challenge, talent shows, liars club, extra lecturers and classes. We did bridge, so there were excellent lessons on sea days and fully sanctioned games. The library was excellent. You could check out movies and there were three channels continuously running movies, many times relating to our destinations. The lectures were rebroadcast all day as well.
· We had two times where the seas were very rough. We brought Scopolamine patches and had no problems. The crew put out seasick bags strategically by the elevators and common areas, locked cabinets with bungee cords or saran wrap and some events were cancelled. We missed a port in New Zealand because of the wind in the port and Key West when we had to go around a storm and lost time. The Captain would always let us know just what was happening. Many times the decks were closed off due to rain or wind.
· The Captain of the ship gave a short talk every day at noon. A TV station had our course and a map on at all times.
· Internet. Oh how we have allowed ourselves to be tied to this! The ship had service, even on the open ocean. It was not very fast or reliable, however. Some had to stand in the hall or go to a lounge. Sometimes you had to wait until the middle of the night or early morning. It was difficult for me to upload my photos to the blog. We were told we had one free account per room. But only for one device at a time, so you had to remember to log out so the other person could log back in. David got so frustrated he decided to just go ahead and pay for an extra account. But they just gave him his own account for free. This is another example of how the cruise line broke the rules to accommodate us.
Oceania Special Events
· An even better example of how this cruise line excels is the World Cruise special events. In Bangkok they threw a spectacular party for us in a luxurious hotel on the river. First we had a cocktail party on the lawn as the sun went down. Then we had a delicious Thai sit down banquet while entertained by a group playing traditional instruments. After dinner there was a traditional puppet show. Then we all went outside again to see fireworks over the river!
· On a beautiful spring day complete with pink cherry blossoms, the World Cruisers had a white table cloth luncheon by the Great Wall of China. Afterwards we drove to the Badaling section of the wall for an afternoon on the wall before driving back to the ship.
· In Honolulu, our World Cruise group was treated to heavy gourmet appetizers and cocktails on the Missouri which we had all to ourselves. Then a complete band and singers entertained us with songs from the war era as well as popular tunes. The wait staff were all dressed in 40’s costumes. These events were much nicer than anticipated. They really know how to host an event for 200 people!
· Souvenirs. I never liked “things” on shelves, nor did I think I would want anything of note for souvenirs. We chose not to collect anything like flags or magnets or cups or shop for gifts for everyone. I sort of looked for fabrics, scarves, and small jewelry. We decided to buy coffee anywhere coffee was produced in order to compare to Kona coffee, as well as Chinese and Japanese tea. We bought an expensive globe and globe charm necklace and designer purse with a map of the world on the leather design onboard the ship. Since I’ve been home, I realize that when I wear the red bead earrings, I think of the bargain I got at the Korean museum for them, remembering the museum itself. Thus I realized that my souvenir brought back memories. And so now I wish I had bought more souvenirs, even cheap ones, so that I will unexpectedly have a smile on my face when I see one. A couple times, after I made my selection, I took a photo of the person who sold it.
Special moments:
This goes under the advice to not follow the crowd. At the Great Wall before the luncheon, everyone sat around talking until all the busses arrived. I took off alone and found the path to climb the small section of the wall behind the venue. It may not have been the most spectacular or popular part of the wall, but it was mine alone and I stood at the top looking down on the small luncheon tables and out past the hills over the valley beyond.
Our tour guide told us to go down this street in Manila and find ourselves some lunch or shop, and be back in an hour. Everyone stayed around her and didn’t venture very far, but David and I walked quickly down the street looking for food. I spotted a small kitchen with a long line of customers and we got in line. The woman was serving a soup with noodles and some fried strips on top. You pointed to each item you wanted in the bowl so we got what they got. It was delicious! We felt like Anthony Bordain.
In Rangirora, French Polynesia, we went for a walk along the only dirt road from the ship. We took a path like a driveway towards the ocean. We came to a small deserted beach where I found some beautiful purple shells and quietly watched the waves before heading back to the ship. The shells are now encased in glass with sand by a woman from Hilo who makes these containers.
In Angkor Wat, we wanted to see the beautiful carved friezes spanning long walls in the main temple. Everyone went up to the top area and stayed a long time. We asked which way to the wall carvings and spent the next half hour or so walking along these amazing carvings depicting battles and religious ceremonies in exquisite detail admiring them all by ourselves.
In Papeete we followed men carrying paddles to their launch area near our pier and talked to real Tahitian paddlers before their midday practice.
After a nice ship excursion on Nuku Hiva showing the typical sights of the valley where Herman Melville stayed with cannibals and the sight of one of the Survivor episodes, our guide suggested we could see another beautiful bay not seen by many tourists. We negotiated a price with another couple and turned around for this beautiful sandy bay with authentic ruins of former tribal peoples including the pit where the heads fell after being chopped off. We had a delicious lunch of local fare including curried goat and lobster before making it back to the ship. Our guide was also a chef who was competing in an international barbecue cookoff in two weeks!
In Napier, New Zealand, David and I went for a walk alone in the town. We came by a bed and breakfast with a tiny restaurant with green lipped mussels and the famous merengue dessert called Pavlova on the menu. The mussels were so sweet and fresh you did not need any sauce or seasonings. They sell them here in Kona I discovered.
One day in French Polynesia after our snorkel we got to spend time on a beautiful beach as they made us lunch. I found a lounge chair by myself overlooking the water. Soon a beautiful woman came and started giving me a massage! Several people saw this but no one else sat there to get the same treatment.
Our last night in Agra we heard noise from the window from the street like fireworks and a parade. We looked and saw a traditional Indian groom on a white horse preceded by this clatter of dancers and a generator with lights and decorations in the parade going down the center of the street. We dressed again and went outside and followed the procession to where the groom met his bride in a hotel down the street and saw the fireworks. On Amazing Race the contestants had to start up a portable moving generator and carry the heavy lighted decorations – just exactly like we saw that night.
Our fellow travelers have lots of tales to tell like these that become the highlights of a trip. Taking a chance, exploring on your own, looking around the corner - you can discover amazing things. Our Indian tour guide, Dev, has this phrase as part of his email signature: Traveling leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.
On the other hand, one man went for a hike where you are supposed to sign in and didn’t, he got lost and spent the night in the park and missed the ship. His wife was frantic. He had to meet it two days later where a plane could land. Another couple missed the ship after taking an excursion on their own. A friend had a serious heart attack, luckily in Honolulu, the best medical place to be so far. A cook had a heart attack and was rescued at night by the Coast Guard helicopter in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. We watched the transfer from our balcony.
Final comments.
I am so glad I persisted with my blogging. Many nights I would be tired or I wanted to see the lecture or do something else, but I knew I had to do it then or I would forget those fresh recollections. Without referring to notes, I can’t really remember when we rode an elephant, but I just looked it up and it was on the second day of the cruise!
We talk about completing the cruise by doing the first half of it to Singapore another time. Some of our fellow travelers have done this or are doing it now. But we decided not to cruise again so soon. I realized there was still so much to digest, revise the blogs, and not just head off again just yet. We want to be home and remember that we live in paradise.
But one thing about a big trip like this is that we have really been having this experience from the day we booked the trip, July, 2013, to now and beyond by planning, dreaming, and talking about going, corresponding on Cruise critic with fellow cruisers before the trip, and talking to friends and family now after the trip. So it is a multi year experience.
People ask us what was our favorite place and I say, ask me about a specific place, everywhere was so different. Instead, I answer that I would go back to Africa any time, even if I only got to watch elephants in the wild. I would also return to French Polynesia. It really is as beautiful and friendly as the travel brochures. We are taking a Paul Gauguin cruise Jan 23rd for one week with friends. I can't wait to swim with sting rays and enjoy the white sand beaches and beautiful water.
Our next long trip is in September, a Circle of S. America on Oceania Insignia again, with an OAT trip to Cuba before. We are now on the cruise by anticipating the trip, excursion choosing, learning Spanish, watching relevant TV shows like Anthony Bordain or the Travel Channel!
