Live from Millennium: Mom's 70th Cruise

[woldridge]

Your trip sounds AMAZING! Thanks for taking us along.

Barb

[cruiseerf]

I have been informed by friends that on December 11th, Millenniums second day in Bangkok there is a citywide bike ride closing many of the roads. Traffic is going to be horrendous. The bike ride appears to begin around 2PM.....I would plan on being OUT of Bangkok by then.

 

The ride is called "Bike for Dad",,The king is Dad. Over 100,000 people have signed up already.

 

Plan Accordingly.

 

Cheers!

[HouseRulz]

T-2 Packing

 

Here it is my last night to pack, and I still have lots of work to do. There are several things that make packing such a pain:

 

1. It's hard to predict what will be necessary for 14 days.
   
2. I like clothes too much.
   
3. It's so easy to forget things.
   
4. I like shoes too much.
   

 

Put it all together and I have piles of things stacked up to go in suitcases. I'm planning on taking two suitcases. A full size, hardside piece, and a hardside roll-aboard. I'll try to get as much as possible in the large piece and then put just basics in the smaller suitcase. I'll carry the small one on board and that way I have clothes and toiletries in the event that our checked luggage is lost. I'm cautiously optimistic that I will be able to keep it to two bags; let's hope for the best.

 

 

Another thing that makes packing difficult is all of the other stuff that one must bring these days. I have passports, my video camera, my tablet, noise-canceling headphones, extra batteries, cables, medication, and more. Then there are passports, visas, money, travel documents, and all that stuff. I suppose as long as I have the passports and a credit card, the rest can always be bought later.

 

 

The final thing I worry about are the things that need to be done before leaving. I keep a whiteboard on my fridge, and use it to list all my upcoming travels and events. In September the board was full of dates; from football games to Disney, to a trip to Morgantown, I had lots planned. Now all that is left is "Orlando" and "Asia" with a little airplane drawing. I took advantage of the empty space to list the things I need to do. From taking out the trash and turning off the a/c, to unplugging the computer and leaving a check for the housekeeper. Hopefully I don't forget anything.

 

Well I guess I should quit loafing and finish packing. I look forward to sending an update from Orlando tomorrow, and then it will be time to fly away!!!

[need2bespoiled]

Take a picture of your passport with your phone.

 

Bon Voyage!!

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[HouseRulz]

Take a picture of your passport with your phone.

 

Bon Voyage!!

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

I have a printout, a copy on my phone, and a copy on my tablet. Suppose I should bring the real thing too!!!!

 

Just checked in for our flights tomorrow...so therapeutic doing that.

[HouseRulz]

T-1: Ready to Go

 

I am coming to you from the Double Tree by Hilton at Orlando International Airport. In 9 short hours we will be boarding a plane to Atlanta and our journey will be beginning. It felt so good to finish up at work today. By the time 4:00 rolled around I was ready to be #ShuttingDown!

 

 

After work I stopped off at the bank and then it was home to close the suitcases and load up the car. Well I managed to keep it at two suitcases, while Mom could only manage in three. I must admit that about half the stuff in suitcase number three is actually mine, so I guess we can call it a tie.

 

A light rain started to fall as I loaded up the car. After that we made a Wal-Mart run for some last minute things and then it was off to Orlando. We had originally planned to get to the hotel, check in and then have dinner; but we were both hungry so we instead stopped off at a Cracker Barrel closer to Tampa. It drizzled the whole drive over and we finally got here around 9:00. After checking in, we lugged in all the suitcases; the person at check-in must have thought we were crazy with all these bags. Once we got to the room we made sure to have everything organized for in the morning, as neither of us is a morning person.

 

 

After everything was, squared away, we went to the bar and had a few celebratory cocktails. Now Mom is loading up her Nook with enough reading material for 24 hours of flying, while I update everyone on our preparations. Well, we have a 5:00 am wake up call, so I guess I better sign off. When you hear from me next we will be in Atlanta, and we’ll on our way to our big adventure. So long for now!!

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[Tommy3putts]

Safe travels. Hoping you have good internet so we can follow along.

[HouseRulz]

Day 1 – 33° 38′ 25″ N,85° 34′ 31″ W – Orlando to Atlanta to*Seoul

 

Posted on*December 4, 2015*by*jasonjudesmith

 

The day has*finally arrived.**We are currently in Atlanta awaiting our flight to Seoul. I had hoped to get a full nights sleep last night but the excitement proved to be too much. I was already awake at 5:00 am when the alarm went off. After putting on the coffee and waking up Mom we got ourselves ready to go. We boarded the shuttle to the airport at 5:45 and were checked in by 6:00. We had TSA pre-check, but did not really need it as, shockingly, there were no lines at security. After the tram ride to our terminal we stopped at the Sky Club and grabbed some more coffee, as well as some pastries. Before long it was time to board our flight to Atlanta.

 

For the first leg we were on on a Delta 757-200. This plane had just finished completing the inaugural Delta flight from Brasilia to Orlando. I enjoy using tools like flig*******er or flightradar to see where planes have been and are going. This plane, being configured for international travel, featured Delta 1 (Delta’s business class product) seats which were very comfortable, especially for an 80 minute flight.

 

 

 

We left the gate a few minutes early but after being held for traffic in Atlanta we took off a bit late. The flight was smooth and I caught up on some reading while sipping on coffee and munching on Biscoff cookies. Mom took a little snooze and before we knew it we were on the ground in Atlanta.

 

 

After transferring terminals we checked into the Terminal E Sky Club for our layover. I had hoped that we would depart from the new F Terminal, which I wanted to check out, but the Sky Club here is barely one-third full; so nice and quiet. More importantly we have a fantastic view of our plane. As you can see from the picture below, the Korean Air A380 is one big bird. This particular plane is about 7 years old. In addition to admiring the plane we have been having a few more snacks and taking care of last minute calls and emails.

 

 

Soon we will be boarding, and then it’s 15 hours in the sky. I’m going to take lots of pictures during the flight, and work on a review of the A380 and Korean Air’s Prestige Class. I’ll post in Seoul if I can. In the meantime we have lots of the planet to cover!!

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[Wj420]

Safe travels! Thanks for taking us along in spirit by sharing so much! Enjoy this special time with your mom!

[DKNYC]

Following along, have a great flight and trip. I agree A380 is a big bird. Went from LAX to SYD on one a few years ago on Qantas. Managed to get upgraded to Business (no idea how). Didn't take advantage of the amenities much but slept a lot in the nice pajamas .

Denise

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Azulann]

Your vacation has begun. I can feel your excitement!

I want to know if the flight attendants on Korean Air look like the commercials?

[swigso]

I am also a travel junkie and am loving this Blog.

Can't wait to see the pics of the 380.

Remember to advise the ship of your travel plans as they

may start searching for you and delay departure.

Have a great trip

[Lauren and John]

Hi,

We are really looking forward to your review, as we will join the ship December 20 in Hong Kong. We are not smokers, but we are curious to know where the smoking areas are, as our cabin may be near one of those areas :( Have a wonderful, wonderful vacation!!!!

Thanks,

Lauren and John

[HouseRulz]

Day 2 – 37°28’8″ N, 126°27’39.” E – Atlanta to Seoul to Singapore

 

 

I’m in Seoul… Well that was going to be the first line of the post, but I’m actually already in Singapore. We had a short layover in Seoul; not near enough time for me to compose a post. As such, I’m backtracking a bit; but I hope to catch up soon. What follows are the details of our journey from Atlanta to Singapore. Soon I’ll follow up with a post about our first day in Singapore (which is going great).

 

I have to say, the Korean Air A380 Prestige Class experience is top notch. I also have to say that after about the 10th hour, top notch becomes irrelevant. So here’s the scoop on our experience with the A380. We were seated in seats 9A and 9B. The entire upper deck of the plane is devoted to Prestige Class, Korean Air’s business class product. There are three cabins on the upper deck and we were in the forward most cabin.

 

 

 

The seats are side-by-side and feature ample leg room, wide-screen monitors, a large tray-table, and controls for the seat. The seat itself was not as nice as I had hoped, especially because it included a built in head cushion that was not made for a person of my height. I also could not stretch out to my full length (6’4″) when the seat was reclined. That being said, it sure as heck beats being in coach for 15 hours!!

We left Atlanta right on time at 12:20PM on Friday. As soon as the seatbelt sign was off, the cabin service began. Service on board was efficient, although the flight attendants were much more matter-of-fact than would be typical of quality American service.All-in-all the service was very good throughout the flight; even at times when all the lights were off and everyone (well most everyone) was asleep.

 

 

We were brought menus and then invited to order lunch and dinner. I opted for the two Korean meals: bibimbap for lunch and bulgogi for dinner. After ordering we were offered an amuse-bouche of scallop, then a drink service (champagne number 1 for the trip), a crab salad appetizer, and then the entree. I don’t eat much seafood so I didn’t have much prior to my entree, but the bibimbap was very good. Mom had the filet, which she said was quite tough. Dessert was Haggen Dazs chocolate ice cream – can’t go wrong there. We also had wine which was refilled several times. All-in-all the lunch was pretty tasty.

 

 

After lunch the cabin was dimmed and all the shades were shut. I was trying to work a plan to transition to the new time zone (13 hours ahead in Singapore), so I stayed awake. I watched a couple moves (4/5 for Southpaw and 3/5 for Slow West), read a little bit, and made a few trips back to the Cosmos Lounge. This is a really cool feature; especially after I polished off several cocktails made with pear-infused vodka!

 

 

Dinner service began about 8 hours into the flight and the lights were brought back to full strength. We were served a salad which was tasty and the entree of Bulgogi was excellent. Mom had chicken thigh (she ordered bulgogi but was told they only had one left – shame on me for taking it!) which she didn’t care for. Dessert was a simple and refreshing fruit plate. I found the whole meal really good.

 

After dinner was over we had about 6.5 hours to go on the flight and I really, really, really wanted to sleep. Alas, I was very uncomfortable (the cabin was quite warm and the seat just didn’t work for me, even when fully-flat) and only slept about 90 minutes. I did a lot of walking around the cabin and some tossing and turning.

 

Finally, we got to Seoul on time at 5:20PM local time (3:20AM EST). The transfer process at the airport was super-easy (the TSA could stand to learn a few things about efficiency and politeness) and we were at our next gate by 5:45. We began boarding at six for the 6:30 departure to Singapore. For this flight we were on a brand new (first flight on July 27, 2015) 777-300ER featuring Korean Air’s newest Prestige Suites. Man were they nice.

image

 

 

The seats feature direct aisle access for all passengers, plenty of storage and a seat which was as comfortable as a bed as it was as a seat. We were also in a mini-cabin featuring just one row of six seats. We felt like celebrities on this flight. Speaking of celebrities, apparently we were seated right near some K-pop stars, as there were hundreds of teenagers waiting outside of baggage claim at the airport in Singapore.

 

 

As spectacular as the seat was on this flight, the service was just as good. Our flight attendants kept checking on us and kept bowing – I was actually a little embarrassed. We had champagne before departure and I again ordered bulgogi for dinner. It tasted quite different this time, with far more of an asian flavor; but it was still very good. We also had an eggplant and chicken appetizer which was really good. The salad was nice, although I eschewed the scallop this time. Dessert was more Haggen Dazs chocolate, scrumptious; and there was plenty of wine to go around. In sum, another good meal.

 

 

After dinner I put my seat into bed mode and drifted off for about three hours; without a doubt the best snooze I have ever had on an airplane. The cabin lights came on about 50 minutes before landing and we were served a snack. It was a shrimp and onion sandwich that I had one small bite of -no thanks!

 

 

Before long we were on the ground in Singapore, just a bit after Midnight local time, and about 28 hours after leaving Orlando. Immigration was very simple and our bags were among the first 20 or so to show up on the carousel. We got to the shuttle stop about 12:50 and the hotel shuttle showed up about 20 minutes later. After another 20 minutes we were at our hotel, the Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy. After a quick check-in we were up to the 8th floor and into a cool, clean room.

 

We each took a quick shower and then it was lights out after a long, long day (or days – whichever it was). While we were both super-tired, we really were happy things went so smoothly. People can say what they want, but for the two of us it was an EXCELLENT use of 140,000 SkyMiles. Traveling that far in coach must be so draining and I’m glad we didn’t have to experience it. We were also fortunate that we had no turbulence and everything was on time.

 

Well that’s more than enough for now. For my next post I’ll detail our first day in Singapore, including initial impressions of the ship. Should be coming up soon, as I continue to try and catch up!!

[HouseRulz]

Day 3 – N 1° 18′ 12” E 103° 54′ 16.” – Singapore

 

Well I am still behind, so I am writing this post in the iLounge (just cannot escape the Apple products) on-board; and we are finally at sea. But, I’m catching up so let me tell you all about our first day in Singapore (Sunday the 6th).

 

After a nice, long snooze, we woke up around 10:00AM on Sunday morning. We were very happy to wake up at a fairly reasonable hour, and to be well rested. After grabbing some coffee downstairs, we got ourselves together, dressed, did some last minute re-organizing, and changed some money. Then we got a cab and arrived at the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal at ten minutes after Noon (shame on us for losing that 10 minutes of ship time!).

 

The process of getting our luggage checked, clearing security, and checking in for the cruise took only about 20 minutes and we were on board by 12:30PM. As our cabin wasn’t ready we went up to the Ocean View cafe and had a nice full lunch – we were both starving. We were just finishing up our meal when the word came that cabins were ready.

 

After lunch we headed down to our cabin, 6132, a SkySuite. I’ll give a full (perhaps too full – haha) review of the cabin later, but our initial impressions were that we had plenty of room, the balcony was great, and we found the window between the shower and the main part of the cabin to be odd (I’ll share more later).

 

After poking around, we took a walk around the ship. We also picked out an excursion for Day 2 in Singapore (I didn’t want to pre-book anything in Singapore without knowing if we would have jet lag). We also had to pick an excursion for day two of Thailand. I had expected to visit Bangkok on our own but the 11th is the King’s birthday and because of special events we were strongly urged to avoid the city. I also had some things to take care of at guest relations (we had the wrong beverage package on our account) and we had our first mango daiquiri; something we tend to enjoy when on cruise ships.

 

After returning to the cabin we unpacked (always nice when the luggage is delivered early). Then we decided to head to the thalassotherapy pool. This is a salt water pool kept at about 100 degrees with lots of jets – kind of like a big hot tub. We spent about 20 wonderful minutes in the pool before heading back. On our return we got ready for dinner and met our butler, Richard, who it seems will prove full of good information.

 

We had dinner in Lumanie, the restaurant on board designated for suite guests. Mom had a salad and sausage bucatini which she enjoyed, and I had a wonderful filet mignon which followed a tasty bowl of smoked tomato soup. We each also had a cocktail and I had some wine. Dessert was a chocolate ganache tart for Mom and brown butter pear with ice cream for me. No review necessary on the desserts as you can guess for yourselves on whether they tasted good. We found the service in Luminae to be excellent, and the food was very good as well. We will look forward to dining in Luminae as the restaurant looks very modern, yet welcoming, and has nice windows and comfy chairs.

 

 

After dinner we got off the ship and caught a cab to the Marina Bay Sands – a hotel which has become one of the most prominent landmarks of Singapore. We first walked around the lobby, through the mall (think an indoors Rodeo Drive), and then took a spin around the cavernous casino. No photos were allowed but what a cool, modern look for a casino.

 

 

After we finished our stroll we took an elevator up to the top floor (57 I think) and had a drink at the CÉ LA VI bar. The bar is outside and to say the views are spectacular is kind of like saying the Grand Caynon is deep; total understatement. Even the pictures I’ve posted cannot do the bar or the view justice. Two drinks with gratuity cost over 40 USD, but it was oh, so, worth it to experience the view. We were both so impressed with Singapore; what a cool place.

 

 

After snapping a bunch of pictures and sipping on our drinks we returned to ground level. After a long wait we caught a cab back to the ship and it was nearly Midnight when we finally turned in. We were excited to get to bed and get ready for our day tour of Singapore. I’ll tell you all about it in my next post!

 

[HouseRulz]

Day 4 – N 1° 27′ 08” E 103° 86′ 22.” – Singapore

 

Well let me get a bit closer to catching-up, and let me tell you about our second day in Singapore.The highlights of day two were a great tour through the city and, of course, sailing away! Here’s the rundown.

 

We woke up a little before 7, very early for us. This suggests that our bodies were still acclimating to the time change. We went down to Luminae and had breakfast, which was superb. I had an amazing caramel croissant, eggs and sausage, hash bowns, juice and coffee. Mom had eggs and toast with an apple pastry that was fantastic. Service was once again excellent.

 

After breakfast we went back to the cabin and got everything ready for the tour. I brought ponchos expecting rain, although we scarcely got a sprinkle. After everything was squared away we headed to the ship’s theatre to meet our group. We were then escorted off the ship and to the waiting motor coach. We departed promptly at 10:15AM.

 

Our tour was a ship excursion, so we expected a large group. Fortunately our coach was only about 2/3 full so it was fairly easy for us to hear our wonderful guide (I forgot to write down her name – shame on me). Our tour began with a short drive to Marina Bay Sands. We got off the coach and walked around the convention area and another part of the mall (with different expensive stores from the ones we saw the night before). We then went out to the docks and waited for our bumboat.

 

 

After a longish wait (the boat had to negotiate a regatta that was going on), we began our cruise from the Marina Bay reservoir down the Singapore River. We listened to the narration as we took in the sites of the amazing skyline. After a 20-or-so minute ride we disembarked for a walking tour into the government area of the city.

 

 

We had the opportunity to see several government buildings and get a real sense of the mix between the old city and the new, more modern Singapore. We walked several blocks as our guide pointed out some of the many historical sites. Then we got back on our coach and drove further into the city.

 

After a few minutes we stopped in a park and were all invited to board a “trishaw” – a three wheeled cycle with a cab attached – an interesting take on a rickshaw. As we cruised through the city our driver pointed out a few different spots and when we got off we were in an urban shopping district.

 

We walked past several shops and our guide showed us the different fruits and vegetables popular in Singapore. Then we got back on our coach and took a quick drive to the Raffles Hotel. The hotel is names for Stamford Raffles, the Brit who first modernized the city and turned it into a key trading location for the British East India Company.

 

After looking around this beautiful hotel we stopped off at its Long Bar for a drink. What drink? Well a Singapore Sling of course! As it turns out the gin-based drink got its start at the hotel as a way for women to drink booze while appearing to drink fruit juice – smart move, the drink was yummy!

 

After our drink we went back down to the coach and then we drove over to little India for a 20 minutes tour of the local market. Up until this point we wondered if every part of the city was sleek and modern, but this stop dispelled those rumors as there was lots of evidence of the slums typical of all big cities.

 

 

After Little India we headed back to the ship, and we saw a lot of different types of architecture during the 25 minute drive. We got back to the ship a little after the 2:30PM time designated for being on board (one advantage of a ship-organized tour is not worrying about being a little late).

 

We went back to our cabin and changed clothes (I was wearing long pants as required for entrance for Raffles Hotel – not my first choice for a day that was 95F) and headed up to the Ocean View cafe for lunch. Choices were limited as everything was shutting down for the muster drill.

 

After lunch we went to our cabin and waited for the drill to begin. On a tip from Richard, we got to our muster station early and actually were able to sit in comfy lounge chairs during the drill. The ships are getting away from having guests wear their vests for the drills – something that makes the drill much more comfortable. Sadly, these drills always take much longer than is necessary because people are late showing up. Those folks ought to have to walk the plank!!

 

After the drill we returned to our cabin and before long we were under way!! We enjoyed sitting out on our huge balcony with some champagne (glass number ~ 10 for me!) as the ship left Singapore harbor bound for Laem Chabang, Thailand, some 850nm away.

 

 

After sail-away we got ready for dinner, which we had a Q-sine; one of the specialty restaurants onboard the Millennium. Q-sine is interesting in that there are 25 items to choose from, but no traditional courses. You pick as many items as you want and then the waiter organizes them into courses for you. All items are shared at the table. We opted for volcano crab, filet mignon, a meatball dish, a medley of potato dishes, and a spring roll dish.

 

We started with the crab, which was made of Alaskan King Crab, one of my Mom’s favorites. We also got two spring rolls – the veggie which was good, and the baby back rib which was off the charts!! Next we had the filet mignon which was very tender and was served with five shot glasses full of sides – whipped potato, creamed spinach, mushrooms, mac & cheese, and a demi-glace. With this course we also got our potato item which included potato balls, steak fries, sweet potato fries, and two types of french fries. The potatoes were hit or miss, but there was plenty to keep us busy.

 

After the “entree” I was totally stuffed by then but we still had a dish to come. This was a trip of meatballs – one traditional, one veal marsala, and one turkey with sage. The meatballs were good but we couldn’t finish them all. Still, we had to have dessert and we enjoyed three types of gelato presented inside a silver bullet-shaped cup, and a GIANT chocolate/Nutella/rice krispie dessert bar. The desserts were excellent but wayyyy too much food. We also had an amazing Q-jito which was a lemon/pineapple riff on the traditional; soooooooooooo yummy! As with all the other meals we had on board, the service at Q-sine was excellent and we were glad we went. The unique presentations and decor were really fun and playful. We get two free speciality restaurant meals with our package so perhaps we will return.

 

After dinner we took in the show, which was a Beatles cover band. The group dressed like the real thing (although they didn’t look like the real Beatles) and they sounded very good. Mom is, unsurprisingly, a huge Beatles fan, and she really loved the show. I enjoyed the show as well, but I was so tired after that huge dinner I could hardly keep my eyes open. Thank goodness we were invited to stand and sing along!

 

After the show we went back to the cabin and were both asleep in about ten minutes. We had a great couple of days in Singapore, and really liked the city. I sure do hope I get to return again in the future. We also are enjoying the ship thus far, so the two days at sea should fly by. Well, as I catch up, I have now been working on blog posts for three hours so I’m going to get some food and catch some rays. I’ll be back tomorrow for a recap of day 1 at sea. Ta ta for now….

[Azulann]

Loving your blog. 28 hours from leaving home to your port of departure makes my legs and back hurt. Gald you figured out whow to do this with the least amount of stress.

 

I like the picture of your balcony and your details of your eveing meals.

Look forward ot thenext installment.

[debbie248]

Loving your blog. 28 hours from leaving home to your port of departure makes my legs and back hurt. Gald you figured out whow to do this with the least amount of stress.

 

I like the picture of your balcony and your details of your eveing meals.

Look forward ot thenext installment.

what a fantastic review we will be getting on when you get off and really looking forward to the rest of the review and hoping you are having a great time.

Edited December 9, 2015 by wobm

[HouseRulz]

Your vacation has begun. I can feel your excitement!

I want to know if the flight attendants on Korean Air look like the commercials?

They all look like the commercials. My Mother swears at least one or two of the buns must be an extension. On our ATL-ICN flight the service was solid, on the ICN-SIN leg it was superior!

 

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[HouseRulz]

Hi,

We are really looking forward to your review, as we will join the ship December 20 in Hong Kong. We are not smokers, but we are curious to know where the smoking areas are, as our cabin may be near one of those areas :( Have a wonderful, wonderful vacation!!!!

Thanks,

Lauren and John

The only place I have even seen smoking is on deck 10 on the port side. We just sit starboard side and have no issues. We'll try to make sure there are some food and drinks left for you!

 

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[Jeaannie55]

Thank you so much for your wonderful blog, we are the doing the reverse cruise Hong Kong to Singapore in February and enjoying your stories very much, particularly the excursions, as we haven't fully booked tours yet.

Looking forward to hearing some more! Enjoy your cruise!

[Maverick911]

Hi thanks for such a great review, we sail out of Singapore on Milli in January 2016. If you get chance can you post some photo's of the public areas on board. Have a great time.

[Boscodog]

This is a fantastic bog. Thank you for "taking" us along on your trip. Looking forward to more and most importantly enjoy your Mom's birthday celebration trip.

[HouseRulz]

Day 5 – 5° 2′ 49” N 104° 36′ 42” E- South China Sea

 

I'm back in the iLounge after a few hours sitting by the pool. I'll share more about today's goings on in my next post, but in this post I'm going to tell you about our first of two sea days after embarkation. I'll also share a few more pictures from Singapore that Mom and I felt were worthy of inclusion.

 

Yesterday (Tuesday the 7th) was a full sea day and also our first "Celebrity Chic" night. We continue to get up early (for us anyway) and were awake, dressed and at Luminae for breakfast by 8:15. I had the huevos rancheros, which was excellent, and a chocolate croissant, which I liked almost as much as the caramel croissant from Monday. We both had fruit and Mom had oatmeal. We continue to be impressed by the food and the service in Lumanie; really an excellent experience thus far.

 

After breakfast we headed up to the Cruise Critic gathering, which was held at Q-sine. It was really nice to put names with faces from months of posting and reading the roll call. It was also really nice to meet the folks who will be on tours with us. There is always that little worry that you will end up spending a lot of time with some crazy people, but everyone we met was very friendly. Perhaps the people we met have identified us as the crazy people!!!

 

After the mingle we returned to our cabin and I began all my blog work. It took me a good three hours of time to prepare the text for the three previous posts; but I had to catch up. I met back up with Mom a little after one and we caught the enrichment lecture. Our enrichment person on board is Dr. Jim Rowe and we really enjoyed his discussion of Thai culture. We were provided with some really helpful information; lest we stick out like a sore thumb in Thailand - well any more than a 6'4" white guy already will!

 

After the lecture we headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for a late lunch. We arrived right about 3:00 and boy, they really shut everything down. I was fortunate to get a salad and a little bit of pasta. I understand the need to clean and for crew to have breaks, but I find the Royal Caribbean brands to be chinchier with meal availability than are the Carnival lines. None the less, lunch was tasty and Mom was still able to get ice cream - the critical part of any good "Lido Deck" buffet lunch.

 

After lunch we headed out to the pool. It was quite warm and while the sun was shining, we experienced a noticeable roll throughout the afternoon and evening. We spent a few minutes in the thalassotherapy pool, but the water was sloshing around a bit too much, so we retreated to our chairs where Mom read and I worked on uploading pictures for my Blog posts.

 

Before long we headed back to the cabin where Mom continued to do her reading. I went off to the gym, determined to get the first of my three weekly workouts in. While I was successful, the roll really made the treadmill a challenge. I was able to keep my normal pace, but I had to be careful, and I bumped into the rails a bunch of times; klutz!!

 

After my workout I returned and got ready for dinner. Mom and I have a pretty good routine worked out where we alternate bathroom and cabin space so we can both get ready as efficiently as possible. A huge goal for me as I began dieting during the summer was to be able to wear the slimline suit I had purchased a few years previous. I'm happy to report that my goal was met and everything fit as I had hoped. We will see if that's still the case come cruise end.

 

 

Speaking of dress, we are on the first cruise on this ship to have the new Celebrity Chic dress code in lieu of formal nights. Despite the hubbub, everyone was well dressed (absent the few misfits that exist on every cruise). We saw a good mix of sports coats, suits and "chic" in Luminae, as well as throughout the ship. I like getting dressed up but quite frankly, I have to laugh at the men who thumb their noses at sports coats or even suits, all while wearing a tuxedo that looks like it was made for the ringmaster at a Ringling Brothers show.

 

 

Dinner at Luminae was excellent, again.I had beef tartar which was rich and decadent - actually the portion was a bit large for me. Next, I had pappardelle pasta with venison ragu. I had never had venison before, but I really enjoyed the dish; the pasta was cooked perfectly. Mom went off menu with shrimp cocktail which she liked, and chicken which was just so-so. We were running late for the show so we skipped dessert (such willpower!!).

 

The show was a tribute to ballroom dancing; something neither of us are interested in. That being said, the show was terrific. We felt the quality of the singing and dancing was very good; especially considering the roll of the ship - which was quite noticeable. Here I could barely manage a run on the treadmill and these men and women were executing classic dances with precision; time to work on my balance!

 

After the show we went to the lounge for James Bond trivia. Mom enjoyed playing and it was fun, but I felt like the host drug the game out wayyyy too long. The house band went on next (about 15 minutes late) and they were quite good. They did Skyfall, and while the vocalist may not be Adele, she certainly holds her own. After a few songs it was time for bed (I had quite a few drinks for the day).

 

Well that's all for now. I'll be back tomorrow with information on the second day at sea. Before I go, however, here are some more photos of Singapore. Mom and I picked these out after going through the full role. Hope you enjoy.

 

 

 

[livingasia]

Thank you for providing this trip report. As someone heading onto the Millennium in January I am finding it especially interesting. I hope you continue to have a great holiday and keep all of us abreast with your trip.