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Navigator's 2018 World Cruise "Read all about it!"


cwn
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There was a thread about the1st segment of the world cruise. Gill posted the link to her blog for the current segment (3rd) but there isn't a thread for the whole World Cruise adventures.

 

As most of you already know. I am doing my daily blog at www.2018worldcruise.blogspot.com

for those interested and I am posting some pictures and tour details since I had questions about the tours last summer.

 

But things happen on ships that are worth headlines...like being dead in the water in the middle of the Pacific; stuck in the mud in the harbor in Bali and today...#3, having a good number of passengers and some crew stranded on the pier in steaming hot Langkawi Malaysia due to two of the three tenders breaking down during the afternoon and the third one with only one working engine (rumor). It was taking one hour to make a round trip ship to shore at a snails pace.

 

We sailed late due to it taking a while to get everyone back to the ship, many in local 18 passenger tourist boats hired by the ship. Then having to get the two tenders up and running again. Wouldn't want to have a problem with a third of our life boats out of order!

 

I just put up the post for today's adventure! All is well now...but one wonders what might be next!

 

This is just a heads up for anyone interested and not reading the blog.

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Love the subject of your thread:D. I will probably read the blog once we are onboard the Voyager but time is limited right now as we prepare to leave so having you post on CC is wonderful - thank you.

 

Well, it is said that things happen in three's. So this is the third and hopefully last incident!

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Hi Carolyn

 

Following your postings eagerly and enjoying your pictures and reviews....we just put big deposit for 2010 WC which looks similar to one you are on...so really appreciate your posts

 

Would you comment on your accommodation,including positive or negatives ,if you did before and I missed it ,I apologize

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Carolyn I follow your blog and enjoy your interesting posts and photographs. Yes you have definitely had some issues so far for sure, but it’s great to read your honesty and informative accounts in each post.

Thanks for taking the time to take us along with you. Jean.

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Holy Smokes Carolyn!! What is up with this cruise?? It's just one thing after another. I look forward to your blog everyday. It's very enjoyable and your photos are great! I'm almost glad we only did the first leg. That was enough excitement. The rest will be smooth sailing...

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Thanks everyone. We are almost at Phuket and have an all day tour. It must be 90% humidity out there. Tried to get a sun rise picture, but it took 20 minutes for the camera to defog and I missed the sunrise!

 

For those of you who don't go to an outside site here is our excitement from yesterday:

 

So 75% of the ship is ashore on tours and everybody arrives back at the dock around 5pm only to find everybody else standing in line for a tender to the ship.

 

Seems they really only have three lifeboats fitted out as tenders and two of them have died during the afternoon! The one left is running on one engine (I can only assume since surely it can go faster normally!) and it is taking 50 minutes to do a round trip from the dock and back for another load!

 

Stood in line for over an hour and a half in the sun before they organized some local tourist boats with 250hp motors to take loads of 20 back to the ship.

 

Cruising is such fun!

 

Captain came on the PA about 7:30pm and said all were now back on board. The problem had been debris (rope and other stuff) wrapped about the propellers of the two tenders that went down completely and around one of the props on the tender that was running so slow.

 

Further, we would not sail until all three were in good order and until the other lifeboats had been lowered into the water and tested.

 

It appears that "s..t" happens and other than a few sunburns the situation was handled well by the ship's staff. My only question is why they did not lower some of the other boats instead of hiring locals. On other ships they appear to use all the lifeboats as tenders; not just three!

 

Phuket, Thailand today and the three sea days. We need a few days of no tours!

 

From the way the Captain sounds, he needs a few days with out issues!

 

But I will say the race back to the ship between the three local boats was thrilling!! I am sure it had the Captain rolling his eyes and wondering why he agreed to paying $75 a load to the boatmen for every load of passengers they brought out, as they made a race out of it! The fee amount is the rumor. But I did over hear Bishop talking to the hotel staff about hiring the boats and wanting to contact the boat owner(s).

Edited by cwn
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Seconding everything Carolyn says about the fun yesterday afternooon - what an adventure, eh? We were enjoying a pre-dinner G&T when we noticed them working on the boat deck outside, using an electric saw to cut what looked like almost a whole rubber tyre out of the cage which protects the propeller of the tender/lifeboat. No wonder the engine wasn't functioning quite right! We'd commented about the quantity of "stuff" in the water as we sailed over to the jetty yesterday morning, never thinking that we were collecting some of it as we went... The bonus? An exhilarating four minute speed over the waves back to the ship rather than a hot and sticky half hour tender ride. Actually, rather fun (for those of us with no physical limitations, at least)

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How is the entertainment on board?

 

Since we eat early we have a hard time staying up for the 9:30 shows, but friends that do enjoy most evenings.

 

They seem to be having more pre dinner shows the last two segments which we have really enjoyed. Last night Terry Bishop did a St Patrick's Day sing along at 5:30 to a packed theater. It was great! Then there was a different St Patrick's show at 9:30

 

Normally if there is a 5:30 show, there is a different show at 9:30. Some of the late shows have been redone at 5:30 on a different night.

 

 

We had our pirate drill this morning...we will be in the danger zone from Mar 22 to 26 according to a letter to our suite.

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I try to read your blog every day. I love it. I learn a lot and am considering doing a longish cruise. Two things deter me...the heat in some of the locations you describe and the steep Single Supplements to sail alone.

 

 

 

Loved that last year! Do you have dummies on the deck?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Holy Smokes Carolyn!! What is up with this cruise?? It's just one thing after another. I look forward to your blog everyday. It's very enjoyable and your photos are great! I'm almost glad we only did the first leg. That was enough excitement. The rest will be smooth sailing...

 

We are on the same world cruise and I definitely would not say it's "one thing after the other". Things happen on long cruises like this one. The cruise is great and one just goes with the flow when a few things go awry.

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We had blow up dummies with fake guns on the deck.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

In 2009 on Seabourn pride we had store mannequins dressed as ships crew with fake Browning M2 .50 Cal. machineguns and a crew member standing watch, with the lowest open deck wrapped in razor wire. But that was just a year after Nautica was shot at and four years after one of the Seabourn ships was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Things have calmed down a little since then.

 

We will see if the Navigator does anything special tomorrow while we are in Maldives. Or if there is any evidence of other ships providing protection as we sail through the trouble waters for the next few days. In 2009 we were in a multi ship convoy with US navy ships guarding the convoy going from Oman to the Red Sea.

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I try to read your blog every day. I love it. I learn a lot and am considering doing a longish cruise. Two things deter me...the heat in some of the locations you describe and the steep Single Supplements to sail alone.

 

Thank you, I am glad you are enjoying it.

 

I can't help with the single supplements...I agree they are rather steep!

 

But as far as the tours and the heat are concerned, we are learning some tricks that seem to help. This wasn't a problem a few years ago, but has become one for us.

 

We are finding the A/C on the Asian buses is very good. The problem comes with the buildings, most don't have A/C or it is very poor making the inside really humid and hot. We are doing more bus only tours, and staying on the bus for the photo stops. Most all my pictures taken in the cities and countryside are through the windows. Avoid the museums, they seem to be the worst for warm and steamy! Take a book and stay on the bus and read.

 

We have also found that the boat tours are Ok too as it is a little cooler on the water and in the shade of the covered boat. It is still hot of course but with the breeze it is manageable.

 

We are using the cooling towels also....they really work to cool you off.

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Thanks, but it's definitely not my first post. Cruise Critic has messed up my account several times and I have had to re-sign up at least three different times. Just now, it didn't remember me and I had to, once again, reset my password.

 

Regarding the dummies in the pirate areas, I saw at least one "dummy" being wheeled through Stars Lounge a couple of days ago, presumably for deployment for pirate lookout duty. The water cannons are also in place on both sides of deck 6. I am not certain if the "sonic cannon" has been deployed, as it was on the Voyager in 2015 during our Grand Voyage.

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Yesterday coming back on the tender we saw four dummies on the back. They are being held up by poles that you can see from a good distance. Not too sure they are really a determent. The ones Seabourn set up look liked real people.

 

We are speeding along at 19.2 knots today.

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