Twitchly

I would jump overboard.

About that bucket list … Meteora, the family farm in northern Norway, more of Italy, more of Ireland. I didn’t get to see much of the latter when we were there on the BIE cruise due to a sprained knee.

I think it helps to be Clay. If he can get them to make pistachio buns, he can get them to do anything. 🥮

Yes, how does that work? I didn’t know this was possible.

I think I just gained 5 pounds looking at those photos.

I imagine traveling in China would be just fine … until it isn’t. Heidi13’s experience is what I would expect, given what China did to its own citizens during the pandemic. Travel always has risks, of course. These days I’m more cautious about traveling in countries that don’t have a good relationship with the US. If something goes wrong, things can get complicated in a hurry.

The cruise we wanted was all but sold out, even though it was about 10 months away. I think the website said there was one cabin left in the category we wanted when we booked. So we had to get a GTY cabin.

This. We found out about a month after booking, many months before sailing. I don’t recall getting an email, but we were using a travel agent and things tended to get lost. Checking My Viking Journey will tell you your room assignment.

Here’s the view through our window. Maybe looking at it will help you feel cooler.

So does the water in the drain go counter-clockwise now? 😄 I swear, I used to believe that one.

Maybe enough booze could make you forget the food. 🍷

OK, after watching this I will never complain about rough seas again. (Actually I may never get on a ship again.) I can’t imagine how they got some of this footage.

Sounds like an inauspicious start. Hopefully things will improve shortly. If not, maybe you could grab a ride to Clay’s ship instead. (Sounds like their food is better, at least.)

You’ll just have to make up the difference yourself, Jim. 🍷

I would think the chance to see ports around the coast of Africa would be some pretty fantastic lemonade out of lemons.

We took the British Isles cruise in September 2022 and missed a couple of ports due to rough seas (Ullapool and the Shetlands). Looking back through many reviews of this cruise, it’s not unusual to miss a port or two. Perhaps in part because tender ports are trickier and require calmer seas? That said, we didn’t have to hold onto rails while walking around the ship. Take a look at past reviews of cruises that interest you. It’s a great way to see patterns.

Wow!! Next time we run into the Tragedy of the Missing Pistachio Buns, we’ll just tell them we’re close personal friends of Clay Clayton.

The cardamom-infused waffles with brown cheese and fruit at Mamsen’s. Sigh.

Sooo … how did the subject come up? “Good morning! Lose anything lately?”

If you ever found out how they got there, please let us know!

Wow. Just checked the 2025 price for the British Isles cruise we took in 2022. It has doubled in three years. We wouldn’t be able to take it now.

You could also just approach someone to see if you could join them. This happened to me during afternoon tea one afternoon; my husband was getting a massage at the time, so I was sitting alone and a nice gentleman asked if he could join me. He was gracious, not pushy, and we had a good chat. His wife, who was supposed to accompany him on the trip, had passed away. So he decided to go by himself, which I thought showed real courage. While we were talking, a handful of other pax stopped by to talk with him; he had apparently managed to meet quite a few folks on the ship who seemed genuinely happy to include him at meals and other events. I was impressed.

Living the dream! (Vicariously for some of us.)

Yes! Envy is a terrible thing.

There’s that red suitcase. Dang, I love that thing.