Rare WCB Posted December 30, 2016 #1 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Report # 1 The “Trek” begins soon……………December 27, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy and too cold It seems to always be the weather in northern California this time of year, that gets us thinking of warmer places in the world. That is probably what drew us to cruising the seven seas during the winter months of the year. The world cruise fit the bill, so here we are, once again, wrapping up the holidays and preparing to hit the road on New Year’s Day. The 2017 HAL’s Grand Voyage will be on the Amsterdam for 111 days, followed by a Panama re-positioning cruise for 15 more days. The nice thing is that our trip will end in San Francisco, a rarity. The best aspect is that we have no flight after the cruise…..just a short drive home. So here is the itinerary, which has been amended more than once due to unrest in some of the areas we will visit. Jan 4 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Jan 7 Santa Marta, Colombia Jan 9 Cruising the Panama Canal Jan 11 Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Jan 12 Corinto, Nicaragua Jan 13 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala Jan 16 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Jan 19 San Diego, California Jan 25 Hilo, Hawaii Jan 26 – 27 Honolulu, Hawaii Jan 31 Cross the International Dateline Feb 2 Majuro, Marshall Islands Feb 7 Guam, US Territory Feb 8 Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands Feb 12 – 13 Osaka, Japan Feb 15 Kagoshima, Japan Feb 16 Nagasaki, Japan Feb 18 Incheon (Seoul), Korea Feb 20 Jeju, South Korea Feb 22 – 23 Beijing, China Feb 26 – 27 Shanghai, China Mar 2 – 3 Hong Kong, China Mar 6 Nha Trang, Vietnam Mar 7 Phu My, Vietnam Mar 9 – 10 Singapore Mar 11 Port Kelang, Malaysia Mar 15 Colombo, Sri Lanka Mar 18 – 19 Mumbai, India Mar 22 Muscat, Oman Mar 28 – 29 Aqaba, Jordan Mar 31 Transit the Suez Canal Apr 2 Rhodes, Greece Apr 3 – 4 Piraeus (Athens), Greece Apr 5 Nauplion, Greece Apr 6 Iraklion, Crete Apr 7 Mykonos, Greece Apr 9 Valletta, Malta Apr 11 Palma de Mallorca, Spain Apr 12 -13 Barcelona, Spain Apr 15 Cadiz, Spain Apr 16 Casablanca, Morocco Apr 18 Funchal, Madeira Apr 26 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida End of the world cruise - the Panama Canal cruise continues……. Apr 29 Cartagena, Colombia Apr 30 Transit the Panama Canal May 2 Puntarenas, Costa Rica May 3 Corinto, Nicaragua May 4 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala May 5 Huatulco, Mexico May 8 Cabo San Lucas May 11 San Francisco, California Of course, this is subject to change. We were supposed to have a two day stop in Istanbul, but that was changed about a month or more ago. Personally, we are happy for the deletion, since we will be stopping in some new ports instead. Two other uncertain stops in our opinion, are in Jordan and Morocco. Recent warnings have been announced for the areas in and around Petra, the major highlight in Jordan. And finally Casablanca, a place we were scheduled to see on two different cruises, but were turned away at the last minute. One thing for sure……..the company (HAL) will not put their crew, passengers, and ships in harm’s way. We thank them for that, no matter what the inconvenience. Hopefully, we will be spending some warm days, emphasis on “warm” in Florida before the cruise begins. Our travel agency gives us one night in a hotel, along with a cocktail reception and dinner on January 3rd. Our four duffels were picked up on December 15th, so all we will take are two suitcases and hand carrys. If all goes well, the bags will be delivered to our stateroom….the same one we always get. Seems like we just left there. Actually, we did just six weeks ago, when we finished the Tales of the South Pacific last fall. On that cruise, the weather was unusually hot and humid. This upcoming world cruise will be different. The ship will not cross the Equator this time, as we will be heading north to chilly Japan, Korea, and northern China during their winter time. Packing had to include some serious warm clothing and down jackets….the ones we used in Antarctica. And while we are in the area, we plan to leave the ship in Beijing for an eight day land tour. We shall be flying to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, the giant pandas in Chengdu, and Guilin and the Li River, coming back to Hong Kong. Should be an interesting side trip…….quite different from the big animal safaris we have come to love doing. A nice reminder of the fact we are HAL’s President’s Club members arrived today on our doorstep. We were gifted two sets of Waterford crystal votive candle holders…….a welcomed addition to our growing collection of special presents. We shall be “Trekking the Globe with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2017 World Cruise”. So, stay tuned, and the adventure will begin in a few days! Bill & Mary Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvtwotrvl Posted December 30, 2016 #2 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Excellent! I am looking forward to experience the thrill of a Grand World Voyage by reading your post about your experiences. Thank you for taking the time to post on your busy itinerary! I truly do appreciate it tremendously! This will be the only way for me to have the pleasure of enjoying a Grand World Voyage until at least I retire, which will not be any time soon. Again, thank you. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJSULIBRARIAN Posted December 30, 2016 #3 Share Posted December 30, 2016 So glad to be enjoying your experiences again this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmayor Posted December 30, 2016 #4 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Always a pleasure to read about your travels...thank you for taking us all along! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeniEncinitas Posted December 30, 2016 #5 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Here we go again!!!!!! Love your adventures with past WC's. Anxious to reading your adventures!!!!!! Pre Happy New Year 🎈. Denise :) Sunny San Diego Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllinoisGirl1978 Posted December 30, 2016 #6 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare erewhon Posted December 30, 2016 #7 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Always enjoy reading your reports, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Scrapnana Posted December 30, 2016 #8 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Always enjoy reading about your travels. Thanks for including us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonSC2 Posted December 30, 2016 #9 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Following! Can't wait to hear about your cruise adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcd2010 Posted December 30, 2016 #10 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Will you have a blog with pictures for this cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepWaterMariner Posted December 30, 2016 #11 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I normally follow along each year with your posts. This year it will have to be the last month in a half since I'll be doing the Grand South America and my Internet access will be limited. Within a few days a host of Grand cruisers will be filling the skies heading to Fort Lauderdale. Have a great trip. I'll catch up on your posts when I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLady Posted December 30, 2016 #12 Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) I'm looking forward to once again reading about your travels. Thank you for taking time to share them. Edited December 30, 2016 by NMLady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchip Posted December 30, 2016 #13 Share Posted December 30, 2016 We will also be following along! :D Thanks so much for taking the time to share your adventures with all of us. See you in Ft lauderdale for your return trip home. Happy New Year, Denise and Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
az4ship Posted December 30, 2016 #14 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thanks again for doing this. I love reading your posts Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted December 30, 2016 #15 Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) Nothing beats seeing the world first hand ... and with your long globe-trotting history, observing the changes with each visit. We were amazed at the major changes (for the better) just in Cabo San Lucas within a few years. Love to hear about what changes you find in the world cruise ports you have visited in the past. Bon voyage. Safe travels. (We shared one of your Tales of the South Pacific and a very brief hello.) Edited December 30, 2016 by OlsSalt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbhcw Posted December 30, 2016 #16 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Following along....Bon Voyage:):):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbri Posted December 30, 2016 #17 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Love reading your report and blog. Have a wonderful trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momatibm Posted December 30, 2016 #18 Share Posted December 30, 2016 So glad to see you back, have been watching faithfully since Christmas, to be sure not to miss the first installment.:) Elaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kooolmomma Posted December 30, 2016 #19 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thanks for taking us along. It will be so nice to meet you on our 2018 World Cruise. Mary Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Tom Posted December 30, 2016 #20 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. I'm anxiously awaiting your China experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sppunk Posted December 30, 2016 #21 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Yay! Have a safe trip to Florida. Than's as always for taking us along! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymo Posted December 30, 2016 #22 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Following your awesome global adventures [emoji4] Happy New Year Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogstar Posted December 30, 2016 #23 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Wow, have an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing the adventure with us. Safe travels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare StartrainDD Posted December 30, 2016 #24 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I enjoy sailing along virtually through your posts. Hope to be able to do this ourselves once retired! ENJOY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted December 30, 2016 #25 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Look forward to seeing you on board! We are doing a six day China overland, are you disembarking in Beijing and embarking in Hong Kong? We are off in Bejing and back on the second day in Shanghai. We might cross paths in X'ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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