Live from Millennium: Mom's 70th Cruise

[HouseRulz]

Well I’m behind again – three days behind in fact. Thank goodness for these sea days to get caught up on all the fun things we have been doing. I have three posts coming today but I’m going to begin with a recap of our second sea day, Wednesday, December 9th.

 

We began our 2nd consecutive sea day the same way as the first – with a visit to Luminae for breakfast. As has become the pattern we both had fruit, and Mom had oatmeal. I also had strawberry waffles which were excellent.

 

 

After breakfast we went to the theatre to catch the enrichment presentation. Today’s presentation was on Buddhisim. We both found the presentation today to be less an enrichment talk and more like a college lecture; I kept drifting off into thought. Others we spoke to felt the same way.

 

After the lecture I went to the gym. On Tuesday I had put off going to the gym until the late afternoon, which turned out to be a bad idea. It really is best to work out before one starts drinking daiquiris. What’s more, the whether was rainy until about 3:00PM, so it was a great time to get the “work” out of the way.

 

After the gym it was time for lunch. We again took our lunch in the Oceanview Cafe, and I had my usual salad. Luminae is open for lunch on sea days, but I find it difficult to eat a heavy lunch when I ate a full breakfast only a few hours before. Still, lunch was very good. With our unlimited drinks package I not only enjoy all the booze; I also enjoy sampling all of the specialty soft drinks that are offered. I am especially enjoying the mint lemonade, which also includes some soda water to give it a little pep. Sweet, but yummy none the less.

 

 

After lunch we got changed into our bathing suits and found some chairs by the main pool. It was mostly cloudy for the first hour or so, during which time we both read. I also managed to suck down a couple of those mango daiquiris. Once the sun came out we switched to the other side of the pool to take advantage. I also took a nice dip in the pool; the water was very refreshing.

 

 

In total we were out at the pool for about two-and-a-half hours, and then we went back to our cabin to get ready for the evening. It was not a formal night, but still, the salt water takes a toll, so a full hair wash is necessary. By about 7:30 we were both spiffed up and ready to head down to Luminae.

 

For dinner in Luminae I had beef short rib for an entree, and started with mushroom consommé. Both courses were fantastic, as has been the case with all our Luminae meals. I have also tried to be a bit adventurous and try some different things (like venison the night before). Luminae’s menu does prove challenging for those like Mom, who prefer to stick to a more basic diet. Mom continued to order just a simple salad to begin and then something from the main dining room’s menu (pork loin in this case). For dessert I had a very rich and decadent cheesecake, while mom had a selection of ice creams. Both the food and service continued to be excellent.

 

After dinner we headed to the theatre for the show. We spent the next hour being entertained by Kym Purling. Purling is a pianist with a long and successful career working with some very acclaimed singers and musicians. His performance was excellent, as his talent is complimented by a great sense of humor and a wonderful life story. Mr. Purling was actually a Vietnam War orphan who was adopted by an Australian couple. Quite the humble roots!

 

After the show we were walking around the ship and stopped off at the martini bar where we met up with a couple from Orlando whom we have spoken to quite a bit in Luminae. Together we enjoyed a few drinks, perhaps a few too many drinks in fact, as I was feeling a little rough by nights end. Still, the martini bar is highly recommended as the drinks and the performances (the bartenders do tricks when making the drinks) are excellent.

 

After this we went back to the cabin. Mom hit the sack, while I caught up on some emails and things before also going to bed. We really had plenty to keep us busy on our back-to-back sea days, but by Wednesday night we were ready to be back on land. In my next post I’ll tell you all about that land – Thailand!

[jimbri]

Enjoying your review and photos. Looking forward to the rest!

[HouseRulz]

Day 7 – 13° 44′ 53” N 100° 29′ 24” E – Bangkok

 

As I continue to catch up on our trip, I’d like to tell you about our day in Bangkok. We had hoped to spend two full days in Bangkok, but, as I will explain in tomorrow’s post, the King had other plans. Still, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we really saw some amazing things.

 

Back in October we joined a group tour to Bangkok organized by another passenger. All total there were ten of us on the tour. As we had an early meeting time we did not have breakfast. Instead I went down to Cafe al Bacio, another favorite spot on the ship, and got us some coffee and pastries. We met the rest of our group at 7:15AM and went down to the terminal where we changed some money (with a horrible exchange rate – avoid the pier at all costs) and found our tour guide, Jean.

 

Next we boarded our van for the trip to Bangkok. The van was made for 11, but we had 12 (our group of ten, the driver and our guide) so it was a tight squeeze. We left the port, which is in a very industrial and unattractive area, and began the nearly two hour drive to Bangkok. Along the way, Jean gave us some background on the areas we passed, and included some detail about the places we would visit. We also stopped at the rest area which was a most eclectic mix of Thai and Western roadside options.

 

It was a national holiday in Thailand on the 10th (Constitution Day) so traffic was light until we reached the city (when it got very heavy). Eventually we made it to the Grand Palace, our first stop. We spent about an hour walking through the palace grounds, which are difficult to describe. There are so many things to look at, from pagodas to ornaments to other structures, that it would be impossible to remember them all. Everywhere we looked there was something else amazing to see. I really do not know how I will pick which photos to include – yikes!!

 

 

 

While at the palace we also had the opportunity to see the Emerald Buddha. This small statue is set on a giant alter; which is quite the impressive site. I do not have very good photos, as you cannot take pictures inside the temple. You also cannot wear shoes inside the temple, which makes for a most unpleasing smell on a day with 95 degree heat.

 

From the palace we went to the nearby Wat Pho which houses the famous reclining Buddha statue. This statue is gigantic, plated in gold, and, well, reclining. As you can see from the photos, Buddha is in a state of golden relaxation. This was definitely one of those “see it to believe it” kind of sites. We also walked around the temple grounds which included lots of interesting structures; although we both remarked that the grounds were not as well kept as one might expect.

 

 

After Wat Pho we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was situated on the bank of the Chao Phraya River. After obtaining a ticket to visit the restroom (I found the bathroom ticket concept quite funny) we sat down and Jean ordered us lunch. We had Chang’s Thai beer, some excellent spring rolls, some shrimp broth, a selection of Pad Thais, and some steamed vegetables in a light sauce. The dishes were meant to be served family style but one side of the table seemed to not get that message so those of us at the other side of the table initially got shortchanged. Eventually Jean got us all the food we needed and we felt the lunch was decent, but certainly not indicative of Thai food’s worldly reputation.

 

After lunch we boarded a long boat for a ride along the river. We had quite the problem getting on the boat, and we had to really work together to get everyone on board. The ride was nice but the water was very choppy, with the boat dipping to and fro, and the water spraying about. We rode a couple of miles down the river and got off the boat (which was another challenge) at Wat Arun – known as the Temple of Dawn.

 

 

We had an abbreviated tour of the temple, which is being restored and therefore heavily veiled in scaffolding. Still we snapped some pictures in front of the impressive structure and enjoyed hearing about the Cambodian style architecture – perhaps a bit of a preview of our upcoming trip to Angkor Wat.

 

 

After spending about half an hour at Wat Arun we boarded another long boat for the trip back to the docks where we had left the van, and one of our fellow tour member who had severely limited mobility. Whether the tour organizer, the tour company, the guest or his traveling companion, someone should have figured out that this tour was not really appropriate for a guest with such limitations. As much as I hate to say it, his limitations really did have an impact on our tour. I’m all for being inclusive and making sure everyone can have fun, but when I get to spend one day of my life in a place I want the full day.

 

Still, as we began the two hour trip back to the boat, we scanned through the photos I had taken and kept remarking how amazing some of the things were that we had seen. We also felt that our guide Jean was excellent. After the drive back we said our thank yous to Jean and our driver, as well as to the other folks on our group. Then it was back to the cabin for a much, much needed shower.

 

We managed to get ourselves together and headed down to Luminae for dinner. First, I will say that I had a really nice appetizer of gnocchi with beef short rib, and a decadent entree of Veal cannelloni. Otherwise however, this trip to Luminae was a miss. The kitchen was exceptionally slow and it felt like forever in-between courses. Also, Mom had ordered BBQ Chicken from the main dining room menu, and was told she was not permitted to order anything from the other dining room except from the “Classics Menu.” Obviously there was a mix-up because Mom had ordered from the nightly menu several times, and I have read countless reviews of Luminae stating that the other menu could be used for an order. Also the dessert was a miss – an exceptionally dry slice of hazelnut cake; although the mint ice cream was very good.

 

After dinner we headed straight up to the room and I was asleep in about ten minutes. It really was a long day, but also a wonderful day, full of sights I never knew I’d get to see. For our second day in Thailand we went to Pattaya. I’ll tell you all about it in my next post.

[HouseRulz]

Day 8 – 12° 58′ 9” N 100° 53′ 25” E – Pattaya Beach (Thailand)

 

As I finish getting caught up, let me tell you all about our second day in Thailand. Today we took a trip to Pattaya, a beach resort town on the Gulf of Thailand. We had some hits and some misses on this tour, but all in all it was a great time.

 

As I mentioned previously, we had hoped to spend two days visiting Bangkok, but on Friday the 11th, there was a special event for the King’s birthday. The “Bike for Dad” event is put on by the Crown Prince, and creates major traffic problems. Not wanting to miss the ship we elected to instead visit Pattaya on a ship-run tour.

 

We began our day with breakfast in Luminae. I wasn’t feeling the greatest in the morning, so I stuck to fruit and oatmeal, the same thing Mom has each morning. After eating and having some coffee we headed down to the theatre to meet our tour. As is typical for a ship tour there were about 40 people on a large motor coach.

 

We left the pier promptly at 8:15AM and began the 40 minute drive to Pattaya. The drive was similar to the drive to Bangkok in that the view was mostly of drab and dirty towns and villages. As we got closer to Pattaya there were more signs of tourism, but the town was, on the whole, very dirty. Then, all of the sudden, there were brand new condominium buildings, clean-looking restaurants, and views of the sea.

 

Just as we got to the sea we entered a gated area and wound down a dirt road. Then, after a few curves we caught our first glimpse of the Sanctuary of Truth. Talk about a “WOW moment!” As you can see from the picture of Mom and I in front of the sanctuary, it is a magnificent structure. It has the feeling of something ancient and full of history, even though it is only about a quarter of a century old.

 

After getting off our coach we began a guided tour of the sanctuary. We learned about some of the different carvings and how they related to both Buddhism and Hinduism. We also learned how, because of termites, the sanctuary is constantly in a state of restoration.

 

 

Eventually, we donned our hard hats (for construction we think – although the guide said it was for pigeons) and entered the sanctuary. Everywhere you look there were amazing and intricate carvings. Looking upward it was hard to grasp the full scope of the woodwork; this truly was an amazing place. Above all though, I enjoyed the views of the sea through the openings in the sanctuary. This was not just a beautiful temple, but also a beautiful piece of land.

 

 

We spent about an hour at the Sanctuary of Truth before boarding the coach for the trip to Pattaya Floating Market. The guide said our voyage would last about 40 minutes, but it was nearly an hour before we arrived. We didn’t mind though because we took an interesting drive through Pattaya, down to the shoreline. Pattaya is a popular beach town and there were Europeans everywhere. While we found the whole city to be a bit dirty looking, I can see the appeal given the wide array of hotels, restaurants and shops, combined with the lower prices from a place like Singapore, or even Miami. I wouldn’t want to stay in Pattaya but it was neat to visit.

 

 

The floating market was a disappointment. We expected to see merchants in boats, and to be in boats ourselves. Instead it was just a bunch of shops with junky souvenirs, all on stilts. We spent the hour walking around looking at the various offerings, but all we ended up with were some M&Ms and a can of Pringles!! Oh well, still an interesting experience; every place can’t look like the Sanctuary of Truth.

 

Before long we were back on the coach headed to the port. Upon arrival we got back on the ship and headed to the Oceanview Cafe for Lunch. Then we went back to the terminal to look for souvenirs; again we struck out. We got back to our cabin about 4:00PM and laid down for a nap. By the time I got up, it was dark and we were getting ready to sail away . I snapped a few pictures and then woke Mom.

 

 

As we were both feeling a little groggy, and my stomach wasn’t feeling too great, we opted to just eat in the Oceanview Cafe. I had a salad and Mom had some pizza. After our dinner we took in the show which was a vocal performer from Australia named Dan Hamill. Dan had been a finalist on the Aussie version of X-factor and he had an excellent voice. The energy from the crowd wasn’t the best, and we probably didn’t help. I was asleep about two minutes after we got back to our cabin, and Mom wasn’t far behind.

 

We had an interesting day in Pattaya, and a fun two days in Thailand. By the end, we were feeling pretty tired. Fortunately, we had a sea day next, and I’ll tell you all about it in my next post. I hope that post will come soon, but as we are beginning the overland portion of our trip tomorrow, who knows when I’ll post next. You can bet I’ll have a lot to share.

[HouseRulz]

Day 9 – 8° 27′ 2” N 105° 24′ 10” E – South China Sea

 

Well I’m back on the ship after an amazing overland voyage to Cambodia and Vietnam. I’m also well behind on sharing about my journey. So let’s go back a few days. In this post I’ll tell you all about our last sea day, which was this past Saturday. As you might expect, we were quite tired from our two days in Thailand, so we slept in a bit before having our usual breakfast at Luminae. As has been the case throughout, breakfast was yummy.

 

After breakfast I spent another marathon session in the iLounge working on my blog posts from Thailand. I am bummed I have been behind the whole trip but it really is time consuming to upload pictures with the speed of the internet on board. The picture for this post, as well as the next three posts, I uploaded from the hotel in Siem Reap. That should make it much easier for me to get those posts done.

 

Till I was finished with blog text and so forth it was almost two so I went up to visit Mom who had been hanging out by the pool. We stopped in the Oceanview cafe for lunch; just a salad and some snacks like always. Then we went back to the cabin where I switched into my bathing suit.

 

Before long we were back out by the pool. The weather was really nice and we enjoyed the pool; reading our books and sipping on daiquiris. Actually I tried something new this time – a Kahlua Colada. It was fantastic. We were out at the pool until about 4:30, then we went back to the cabin to pack for our overland trip. After managing to get everything into our two small suitcases (what an accomplishment!), we got ready for dinner.

 

We really had high hopes for Luminae this evening, as they had Chateaubriand on the menu – a favorite of mine, as well as lobster – a favorite of Mom’s. Dinner began with a duck liver mousse, which would be great for anyone who likes fois gras. We had salad and soup for our appetizers, and then our main courses, which were a colossal disappointment. My chateaubriand was, literally, the worst thing I have ever eaten on a cruise ship. Mom also picked at her lobster. We did share an ice cream sundae for dessert which was wonderful, but still, Luminae has gone down hill at dinner for us.

 

 

After dinner we went to the show, which was called Boogie Wonderland. We continue to be really impressed with all of the singers and dancers on the ship, and we enjoyed the show. After, we headed back up to the cabin. Before long it was off to sleep with eager anticipation of our journey the next day. I’ll tell you all about it in my next post!

[HouseRulz]

Day 10 – 10° 48′ 4” N, 106° 41′ 48” E – Ho Chi Minh City

 

While I really didn’t want to get so far behind on my blog, I have to say, it’s fun to look back on our amazing overland journey, even though it’s only been a few days. Just to remind readers, we left the boat on Sunday, went to Saigon, flew to Siem Reap, spent two days there, then flew to Hanoi, spending the night before touring and heading back to the ship in Halong Bay. For this post I’ll tell you about our first day off the ship, which was Sunday the 13th.

 

We woke up at 6:00 AM and got ready, making last minute preparations, and ensuring that we had all of our things ready for the four days we would spend away from the Millennium. At 7:00 we met the other five people in our traveling party. We traveled with a couple from San Diego, as well as couple from Toronto and their friend. After meeting up we headed down to the gangway. We got checked out by Vietnamese immigration and then found our guide, Lee, who was holding up a big sign which read, “Mr. Jason Jude Smith Group.” I found that quite cool, and I would see the sign four times over the next several days.

 

 

We boarded a 11 passenger van (all of our vans were 11 or 12 passenger Ford or Mercedes vans) for the 90 minute trip from Phu My Port to Ho Chi Minh City (which the locals still call Saigon). During our trip we saw lots of farmers working in the fields, mostly growing rice. We also saw trucks packed with goods such as live roosters and eggs. I have never had any luck taking pictures from moving vehicles, so on this trip I didn’t even try.

 

The contrast of the country to Saigon was interesting, as eventually we would see these rural shacks mixed in with modern town homes. Before long it was all town homes and apartment buildings, on streets lined with dozens of scooters. Saigon, well all of Vietnam but especially Saigon, has lots and lots and lots of scooters. Eventually we made it to our first stop, the old South Vietnamese Presidential Palace – now called the reunification palace. This was an interesting place, as it had been preserved to how it looked the day it was captured by Ho Chi Minh’s forces in 1975.

 

 

After touring the old palace we headed to the old post office, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel. We also checked out Notre Dame Cathedral, both examples of the French colonial influence on Vietnam. These structures are adjacent to the same square, which was filled with newly weds taking photos. There were also lots of students, and we posed with a group for some photos.

 

Our next few stops were to be some additional historical sites, but as a group we had asked to see more local flare and less history. Lee was happy to comply so we headed down the super-busy streets (and it was a Sunday no less) to some local shopping areas. I really cannot describe what I saw, and even pictures cannot do it justice. Perhaps the video will show more, but even then, the smell really is part of the experience. There is every manner of food you could think of, most of which was not very appetizing – at least for an American who doesn’t care for seafood! We walked around while Lee explained to us what various foods, herbs and spices were for.

 

 

After the market we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. We were served a prix fixe meal which began with some fried goodies and then included soup, main dishes, rice, and fruit for dessert. I found enough to fill my tummy, but it began nearly four days of scant eating for Mom and I, with our limited palates.

 

After lunch we headed to another part of town where we got out of our van and walked around some local streets. We also stopped at a local temple. The Vietnamese are apparently known for being very spiritual, but not necessarily religious. As such, it’s not uncommon to see them worshiping in places which seem very strange to those of us familiar with Western religions. There are lots of food offerings, and even examples of people burning money as a way to provide their dead ancestors wealth in the afterlife.

 

 

After driving around the city a bit more we headed to the airport. We got to the airport three hours before our flight to Siem Reap, so we killed the time having Burger King (I know, I know) and looking at the duty free stores. Then we boarded a Vietnam Airline A321 for the short flight (45 minutes in the air) to Siem Reap. Once we arrived we paid for our visas ($30, what a rip!), got our bags and met up with our guide Cheu (I’m probably spelling that wrong – it’s pronounced Chew), who was absolutely fantastic.

 

After a short drive we were at our hotel, the Angkor Palace Resort and Spa. The hotel was like a high end beach resort, and the room was gigantic. Alas, by the time we arrived we were only interested in sleeping. After quick showers we were off to bed.

 

 

In one day we had gone from a ship at Phu My to Saigon to Siem Reap – what a whirlwind. While it was awesome to visit Saigon, it was very dirty, and I wouldn’t really care to go back. By the time I laid my head on the pillow I was filled with anticipation for our two days in Siem Reap. And, as you will find out in my next post, we were not disappointed.

[woodley]

Loving your report, Pictures are great.

How did you arrange this side trip and if you don't mind what was the cost?

We are on this cruise next Feb and I would like to add this side trip too.

Did you arrange the Visa for Cambodia in advance or just pick it up when you arrived?

[maggie.1008]

I take my 84 yr. young dad on a cruise once a year. So enjoying your review. You and mom are so cute having your cocktails. My dad still enjoys a drink and the Casino. Good fun. Enjoy, Heather

[HouseRulz]

Loving your report, Pictures are great.

How did you arrange this side trip and if you don't mind what was the cost?

We are on this cruise next Feb and I would like to add this side trip too.

Did you arrange the Visa for Cambodia in advance or just pick it up when you arrived?

 

I arranged the tours through a private company. I selected a quote from 5 different bids. The cost was ~ 1000USD per person with a group of 7, inclusive of airfare, 3 nights hotel, and 6 meals. I'll post the name of the company on my blog a bit later today, or you can PM me. To say they were fantastic would be an understatement.

 

We prearranged visas, as did our three co-travelers from Canada. The other couple did their visas on the ship, so it is possible. You do need multi-entry visas which run about $150 for Vietnam. The Cambodia Visa is currently $30.

 

I take my 84 yr. young dad on a cruise once a year. So enjoying your review. You and mom are so cute having your cocktails. My dad still enjoys a drink and the Casino. Good fun. Enjoy, Heather

 

We make a good team, cocktails and all!!

[c-legs]

HouseRulz,

Thank you for allowing us along your trip. Fabulous ''live from'' work.

 

Minor questions: Is Captain Georges (Iatrou) still the Master on board ?

Who is your Cruise director and what are your opinions of him/her ?

 

Cheers

[HouseRulz]

Day 11 – 13° 24′ 34” N, 103° 51′ 45” E – Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

Wow, how do I keep this post in the acceptable range? Thank goodness a picture is worth a 1000 words, right? Our first day in SIem Reap was Monday, the 14th. We got up early and headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. Our breakfast at the Angkor Palace was a very large and expansive buffet. While we found some food to eat, the taste was not really to our liking. I would eventually come to realize that trying to do western food in SE Asia is really a wasted effort, it just doesn’t taste very good. Sadly, it took me a while to learn this lesson, as you will find out.

 

After breakfast Cheu picked us up for our touring. Our schedule was to go to Angkor Thom in the morning, return to the hotel for lunch, and then hit Angkor Wat in the late afternoon. Angkor is actually a huge site comprising dozens of temples in a number of temple complexes. Angkor Wat, the most famous, is just one of those. Angkor Thom, another of the complexes, includes several temples, including our first stop, Bayon Temple. Before we got to Bayon we stopped to get our official tourist passes, complete with our picture – pretty cool, huh?

 

image

 

After we had our passes, we headed to the main entrance to the Angkor Thom complex. Once there, four of us walked from our van through the gate, before riding the rest of the way to Bayon. The other three in our group rode by elephant to the temple. Bayon was under construction, but was still an amazing sight. Bayon is famous for its intricate bas-reliefs. Our guide seemed to know the meaning of each little carving, and he described these to us in fascinating detail. We made our way through the temple and I snapped lots of photos as we crept through archways and looked at carvings.

 

After exiting Bayon we continued to another of Angkor Thom’s more famous temples, Ta Phrom. While Ta Phrom was not as impressive as Bayon, it was older (actually older than Angkor Wat), and featured some very high stairs which I enjoyed climbing – what a view!!!

 

 

After leaving Ta Prohm we walked around the rest of the Angkor Thom complex, and Cheu pointed out all kinds of historical and natural landmarks. We also found all kinds of cool spots to take photos in, including a few from up in the gigantic trees which dot the complex.

 

 

After we returned to the van, some in our group bought some souvenirs before we began the fifteen minute drive back into town. While we were only at the temples for about two hours, with the 95 degree heat and humidity, we really needed a break. We got back to the hotel and tried lunch in the cafe. Mom and I both ordered burgers which we didn’t eat (at this point I still hadn’t given up on Western food in Siem Reap). Then we went up to our room and put our feet up for an hour before Cheu returned for our trip to Angkor Wat.

 

We got to Angkor Wat around 2:30 and began with a walk across the causeway to the main entrance to the temple complex, which is an outer wall. In the photo below, you can see the causeway, and notice the main temple is not even visible from this point. Once we crossed through the outer wall the temple, in all its glory, was visible; what an amazing, amazing sight.

 

 

I had expected to walk across another long, raised stone walkway, but our guide led us to the side of the temple and we walked through a wooded area, past the still-active Buddhist monk settlements and then to the front corner of the main temple. In the photo below you can see the view we had as we entered the temple up the stairs in the photo’s bottom left.

 

 

Once inside the temple we spent nearly forty minutes traveling along the outer wall looking at the carvings. Again, Cheu had all the details and we were captivated by the stories the carvings told. After we made our way to the back of the temple, we crossed into a courtyard and I was stoked to discover that we could ascend the temple stairs and get into the temple’s large, raised courtyard. The climb was steep but we found ourselves even closer to those famous spires (is that what you would call them?). We walked in and out of small chambers and admired the view from the temple’s windows.

 

After taking lots of photos we went back down the steps and then walked around the outer courtyard before exiting the temple proper. After exiting the temple we walked down a large raised path. From this perspective the famous views we had all seen in pictures began to take shape. This first photo is snapped from the walkway, closer to the temple entrance. As Mom snapped this photo, there was a monkey not 3 feet from where she stood – crazy stuff!

 

 

We continued to walk further and further from Angkor Wat, making repeated stops to take photographs. About 300 yards from the temple we left the path and made our way around the moat to a position with one of the most spectacular views I have had in my life. The picture below is not a post card I bought. It’s an actual picture that I took. I will never, ever, ever forget these moments; a real once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 

 

After taking dozens of photos, getting some video, and just admiring the view, we finally made our way to the outer walls. Once we did that, Angkor Wat disappeared from view, memorizes etched into our minds forever. After walking back to the van we took a ride back into town, where we stopped at a local Buddhist temple. Inside the monk invited us to sit and participate in a ceremony where we received a blessing. This was a really cool experience and I was full of emotion after such an amazing few hours.

 

After our blessing we were taken by Tuk Tuk (a small cab pulled by a man on a scooter) through town and then back to our hotel. We showered and changed clothes before venturing into town on another Tuk Tuk. We went to a place which supposedly had the best burgers in Siem Reap. After another failure, I finally vowed not to eat any more western food . We then went back to the hotel and went for a swim in the gigantic pool. The water felt great, although the bats buzzing overhead were a bit too exotic for our tastes.

 

Soon it was back to the room and into bed; we were beat. This day is one I will always remember; as magical an experience as one could have. After such a day it would have seemed impossible for any encore to compare, but as we would soon find out, day two in Siem Reap proved to be almost equally memorable. I’ll tell you about it in my next post.

[HouseRulz]

Day 12 – 13° 26′ 3” N, 103° 53′ 19” E – Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

It was another hot day in Siem Reap on Tuesday the 15, our second day of touring in Cambodia. After seeing Angkor Wat on Monday, I really had lower expectations for day 2. Not because I didn’t think we would see cool things, but because the bar had been set so very high. That being said, the sights we saw on Tuesday were nearly as amazing as those we had seen the day before. So, let me tell you all about it.

 

After a nice night’s sleep in our posh hotel room, we woke up and got ready for the day. Although we learned that knee-length shorts were acceptable, in deference to the sites we were visiting, we again opted to wear longer pants (hot and modest, what a look!). We then headed downstairs for the breakfast buffet. This time I just had some pastries and a few pancakes – keeping it simple.

 

After breakfast we took some pictures of the hotel grounds. In the shot below you can see the landscaped area which separates the hotel proper from the pool area. The Angkor Palace Resort and Spa was such a beautiful spot to spend our down time. Soon, however, down time was over and Cheu was ready to take us on the next part of our journey.

 

Our touring plan for Day 2 included visits of three temple complexes: Banteai Srei, Mebon and, our first stop of the day, Ta Prohm. After about a 20 minute drive out of the city we arrived at a rather non-descript looking area with just a stone archway visible from where the van parked. After a walk through the woods of about a quarter of a mile we arrived at the temple site.

 

Ta Prohm was totally different than the other temples we saw, in that the temple is mostly ruins. What makes Ta Prohm famous, apart from being featured in Tomb Raider, are the trees which are growing around and through the temple complex. Before we saw the more famous examples of these trees, we walked around the outside of the temple. The walk was fascinating, with a mix of toppled structures and large tree roots, all on a wide and shady path.

 

 

As we walked, Cheu explained the temple restoration process, and also shared some of his personal story. Growing up at the end of the Vietnam War, and living through the Khmer Rouge regime, Cheu did not even attend school until he was 13. Despite this he has built a very comfortable life for his family. Cheu’s intellect and work ethic were quite evident throughout our two days in Cambodia. He is not only an excellent guide; he is also a remarkable man.

 

After walking for a bit we arrived at the first of the two most famous examples of trees growing through Ta Prohm Temple. As you can see in the photos below, the ways in which the jungle has tried to reclaim the land, mixed with the amazing temple design, combine for a spectacular site. There were countless other examples of roots growing through the stone. Walking through the complex was, in its on unique way, every bit as awe inspiring as the spectacle that is Angkor Wat.

 

 

 

After spending an hour or so at Ta Prohm we got back in the van for the hour drive to Banteay Srei. During the drive we drove through several rural villages. It was amazing to see people living in such primitive conditions, with no running water or electricity available. Still, we saw kids going to and from school, little ones playing in the mud, and adults working in the fields and selling goods on the roadside.

 

Once we arrived at Banteay Srei we walked through the enterance which includes lots of shops and some historical information on the temples. Then we walked to the temple site. Banteay Srei is the oldest of the temples we saw, and is much smaller than the other sights we visited. In fact, the main temple looks kind of like Angkor Wat, after it had been hit with a shrink ray.

 

As with the other temples there was an outer wall which we first passed through. Then we could get up close and personal with the temple. It was not possible to enter the inner-complex, although I’m not sure we would have fit anyway – this place was tiny. Still, it was another amazing sight to behold; so quaint, and so different than the other places we had seen.

 

We walked out the back side of the temple walls and then walked around the complex. I caught a cool shot of the temple from the side (below) as we enjoyed the walk in the shade. I also stopped to buy some pineapple. For one Dollar I was able to have a pineapple (they are smaller than the ones we have in the US, but exceptionally juicy), as well as one to share with the group. I sat and had my pineapple and drank a local beer while several in the group did some shopping for local souvenirs.

 

 

After shopping and snacking we boarded the bus for the drive back to Siem Reap. Along the way we stopped at a local village where several in the group browsed for local goods made from the indigenous palms. There were large containers of palm sugar, and one of our traveling partners bought a mortar and pestle made from the wood. After a few minutes we were back on the road. As we made our way closer to Siem Reap we stopped once more; this time at East Mebon Temple.

 

Mebon was a cool spot with a vary high set of stairs. We were able to climb up and look out across the surrounding forest. It was one final cool stop on our temple tour of the Siem Reap area. After snapping some photos, like the one below, we headed back to our hotel. We used the two hours we had there to eat some lunch, shower, and put on some clean clothing. Aside: I had a traditional Khmer lunch and it was really good (lesson finally learned).

 

 

At 4:00PM, Cheu arrived to take us to the airport. We arrived about 100 minutes before our flight, so the wait wasn’t near as bad as it had been in Saigon. The Siem Reap airport, as you can see below, was like something you would expect to see on a tropical island – small but pretty. Inside the customs people were as unfriendly as always, and the food offerings were basically nil. We didn’t mind though, and before long we were aboard another Vietnam Airlines A321 for the trip to Hanoi.

 

 

We had another smooth flight to Hanoi, and I even got a decent piece of beef as part of the meal. I also had salad, potatoes, veggies, and a mango-flavored dessert that was quite good. Before long we were on the ground and back in Vietnam. We were really surprised with how nice the international terminal was at the airport in Hanoi; very modern. Immigration was a snap, and after picking up our bags we met up with our guide for Hanoi, Nang.

 

It was 8:30 PM when we left the airport for the 30 minute drive to our hotel in the central district. We were quite tired by the time we got to the Church Botique Hotel. The room was very small but worked for a one night stay. Within minutes Mom was asleep, and I spent a bit of time going through pictures, before turning in after another amazing day. Our two days in Siem Reap were nothing short of spectacular. I only hope my little journal has conveyed the amazing time we had visiting the temples in Cambodia.

[HouseRulz]

Day 13 – 21° 2′ 22” N, 105° 50′ 0” E – Hanoi

 

After arriving in Hanoi we had an overnight and then a day tour of the city planned. This would be followed by a ride from Hanoi to Halong to return to the ship. It was an interesting, but very long day. Let me tell you about the interesting and the harrowing (well a little harrowing) day we had.

 

After a reasonable night’s sleep (the mattress was like a brick), we awoke in Hanoi. We got ready and headed downstairs for the breakfast buffet. Again I kept it simple, pancakes and pastries. Sadly, the pancakes were disgusting and the pastry wasn’t much better. I ended up eating a couple pieces of watermelon. On the whole, the Church Boutique Hotel was the low point of our overland journey, but hey, it was one night so no matter.

 

 

At 8:30AM Nang picked us up to begin our touring. We started by visiting Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. The entire experience screamed Communism, from the silent march past army guards, to the boot-stepping soldiers leading us into the mausoleum, to the plexi-glass case in which Ho Chi Minh’s body is in full view, to the flags and banners everywhere. I didn’t care much for looking at a preserved corpse, but the experience itself was fascinating.

 

After leaving the mausoleum Nang took us around the rest of the complex. We visited the central square, the presidential palace, Ho Chi Minh’s original house, his house on stilts, and the adjacent bomb shelter. Then we visited some of the other interesting structures on the property, including the one pillar pagoda, and the adjacent temple. We also had time to visit the souvenir shops. One popular shopping item amongst our group was pashmina scarves, as it was only about 55 degrees, and quite breezy in Hanoi on Wednesday the 16th.

 

 

After leaving the complex we took a drive around the city before stopping at the Temple of Literature. This temple had a very Chinese feel to it, and was in fact built to honor Confucius. The temple grounds were beautiful and there were some interesting pieces in the complex, including a golden turtle and some ancient drums.

 

 

After visiting the Temple of Literature, Nang took us back to the central district to walk the local streets. We saw all sorts of local shops, selling food, wares, and even Christmas decorations. The local streets were cramped and dirty, though not as bad as Saigon. After walking for about an hour, we got back on the van. Then we stopped off at Hoàn Kiếm Lake, considered the central part of Hanoi.

 

 

After snapping a few photos of the lake, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. Like in Saigon we were served a Prix Fixe lunch. This time we found the food much better, especially the banana flower salad, which tasted like a mix of cole slaw and peanuts – I could have eaten two pounds of the stuff. Lunch lasted about 90 minutes and by the time we had our fill it was 2:00PM – time to begin our voyage back to the ship.

 

 

The trip from Hanoi to Halong is about 100 miles. Sadly, the roads are awful, and the trip took over four hours. We drove most of the way on a two lane road which was loaded with trucks, buses, cars, scooters and bicycles. The way the Vietnamese drive is exceptionally chaotic. As such, looking out the front window can lead to some very, very anxious moments. Still, the Vietnamese seem to make the chaos work, and we got to Halong cramped (the legroom in this van was not the greatest), but without a scratch.

 

Upon arrival we said our goodbyes to Nang. We had heard that the people in the north are much more serious than the people in the south. Where Lee had called us “my family,” Nang was far more direct and official sounding. Still, he was an excellent, knowledgable guide. He answered every question, and also helped some members of our group get food to accommodate their Kosher diets. We felt all of our guides in Vietnam and Cambodia were superior.

 

After unloading our bags from the van, we boarded the ship’s tender for the 10 minute ride back to the Millennium. We climbed aboard at around 6:45PM, some 84 hours after we had disembarked in Phu My. After a brief stop at our cabin to drop off our clothes and such, we headed up to the main dining room (time to try something different) for dinner. Mom had chicken and I had pasta, both of which were acceptable but not great.

 

After dinner we went back to the room and did a bit of unpacking before turing in for an early evening. We were exhausted after a day of sightseeing and travel, and after 4 days of whirlwind touring. We had both thoroughly enjoyed the overland portion of our trip, but we both were very happy to be back on the ship.

 

Hanoi was, like Saigon, a place I am happy to have seen, but not a place I would go out of my way to visit again. Still, we were able to experience two unique cities in the process of going to and coming from Siem Reap, the real focus of our overland trip. As part of our tours, we also included a cruise of Halong Bay. I’ll tell you all about that amazing trip in my next post.

[Azulann]

Your side trip is amazing. The pictures of the temples in Cambodia are breathtaking.

I love having a good knowledgeable guides.

Also like talking to them about their lives and learing about the current events in the country.

[HouseRulz]

Day 14 – 20° 57′ 4” N 107° 3′ 42” E – Halong Bay, Vietnam

 

After spending four days off the ship, it was good to be back on the water. Fortunately, our final day of touring in Vietnam was spent on the water, as we took a six hour cruise of Halong Bay. This trip really exceeded our expectations. We also had a special dinner on Thursday (the 17th), so let me catch you up on all the details.

 

We woke up early after a decent night’s sleep. I had a bit of tummy trouble so I kept it simple at breakfast – fruit and some waffles (ok, kind of simple). After our morning visit to Luminae (I missed that breakfast!) we headed down to Cafe al Bacio to meet up with our group. The seven of us were together again, and we were soon on board the ship’s tender for the short trip to the dock. At the dock we quickly found our guide Jackie.

 

After a 15 minute drive we arrived at another harbor where we boarded our boat for the Halong Bay cruise. Our boat could seat 46 for a lunch cruise, but it was just the seven of us, so we had an almost embarrassing amount of space. Before long we were under away, sailing at a slow pace out of the harbor. For the next hour we cruised amongst the rock formations, snapping countless pictures and admiring the amazing beauty of Halong Bay. This is another place that is quite indescribable – I only hope the pictures help a bit.

 

 

After cruising for an hour we stopped at a small dock and began a steep climb of about 200 steps. We then entered the first of three chambers in this amazing – I mean amazing – cave complex. It felt like we were on the set of a sci fi film, only everything was real. We spent about 30 minutes walking through the cave, enjoying the spectacular sites and snapping photos. Once outside we took some cool shots from up above the bay, before descending the stairs to get back on our ship.

 

 

 

After departing the cave, we were originally scheduled to go to a beach. But, because it was only about 60 degrees, we instead opted to take a ride in a row boat to a small cove. After sailing for about 30 minutes we transferred to a rickety rowboat, as a single rower took us from the bay into the cove. In the cove we were surrounded on all sides by the rock formations. We rowed around the cove, spending most of our time in a small area populated by dozens of monkeys. We enjoyed watching them play around in the trees and on the rocks, as we waved and snapped pictures.

 

After about 20 minutes we returned to our vessel, and found the wooden tables draped in cloth – a sign that lunch was on the way. Our lunch included all manner of local seafood, as well as tofu, veggies, rice, and even some french fries. The selections weren’t items I was big on, but I got my fill on rice and veggies, while others in our group enjoyed the seafood. One couple even dined on squid they had purchased – alive – from a vendor near the cave. Talk about fresh!

 

 

As we dined the boat began its slow journey back to the harbor. It took us about two hours to get back to shore, and we marveled at the views, which were made even more spectacular by the emergence of sun and blue skies from the quickly dissipating clouds. As a group, we took our last few hours together to enjoy the sites and also talk about our old and new cruising experiences. We were so fortunate to have such fun, friendly people on our excursions. We all got along great.

 

 

At around 2:30PM we returned to the shore, and after some quick shopping we got on a van for the short trip back to the pier. At the pier we said our goodbyes to our tour mates, and then boarded the tender back to Millennium. Once on board we went back up to the room and did some stateroom arranging (the place was a mess!).

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around. We had a snack by the pool, and mom read, while I got caught up on some blogging and checking out photos. Then it was time to get ready for dinner, which was in The Olympic.

 

The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and Celebrity actually bought all the decor from the ship’s dining room. The room we sat in was done in wood paneling, giving the room a very formal, but cozy feel. The menu at The Olympic is classic French cuisine. We ate dinner with a couple who had been on our overland journey; and I was fortunate to get to share in their bottle of champagne.

 

Our dinner took about three hours, and the service and company were both excellent. The food was good, but not great. Mom and I both had salads, very unique and tasty. Mom had lobster, which she liked but didn’t love, and I had chateaubriand, which, while much better than the disaster I had had in Luminae earlier in the cruise, was overcooked. We both liked our desserts, and I also enjoyed a coffee with Bailey’s.

 

After dinner we headed up to the theatre to take in a show. The night’s entertainment was “The Elton John Experience starring Greg Andrew.” We both found the show very good, and Mr. Andrew to be a solid cover artist. By show’s end it was nearly midnight; plus our cruise director had informed us that we would be losing an hour overnight – bummer!

 

As such we headed back towards the room ,stopping along the way for a tea for Mom and another Bailey’s for me. Then it was up to our cabin for some late night reading, all before heading off to sleep. Our final day in Vietnam was very enjoyable, with the cruise of Halong Bay being perhaps the biggest surprise of our trip – so wonderful.

 

While we would lose an hour of sleep Thursday night, we had a sea day to look forward to. I’ll tell you all about that in my next post. I’ll also talk a bit more about our ship and my impressions when you next hear from me. Ta-ta for now!

[HouseRulz]

Day 15 – 20° 8′ 18” N, 110° 25′ 24” E – South China Sea

After spending five days touring Vietnam and Cambodia, it was nice to sleep in a bit and enjoy a relaxing day at sea. While the temperature and choppy water prevented us from enjoying our favorite sea day past times (the sun and the pool), we still managed to enjoy some much needed R&R. Let me tell you what we did, and also share some of my thoughts about our ship.

 

We woke up as late as we have all cruise, and just made it to Luminae in time for breakfast. I finally broke down and had the corned beef hash this morning, a favorite breakfast item of mine. It was clearly pre-packaged, but good none the less. I do appreciate the perfectly cooked scrambled eggs I had, nice and soft without being runny; just as eggs should be. Of course we also had our fruit, which featured some of the best honeydew I have had in a while.

 

After breakfast we headed back to the cabin. I was soon off to the iLounge for blog catch-up, while Mom read a bit before taking a nice snooze. I returned to the cabin in the early afternoon, and then went up to the Oceanview for a salad and a hot dog – yummy!! After downing lunch and a Kahlua Colada, I headed back to the cabin for a nap. By the time we were both finished with naps and laying around it was late afternoon. We went up to the thalassotherapy pool, where I took a swim- relaxing despite the choppy water.

 

 

After my swim we went back to the room to get dressed for the evening. We elected to see the early show tonight as neither of us were very hungry. The show, called iBroadway, was really well done. We have found the singers and dancers on board to be excellent. I was so impressed with the performance – perfectly executed, despite some rather rough seas.

 

 

Apparently, rough seas don't impact the white chocolate waterfall

After the show we went up to Blu to try dinner there. We both had a nice light salad, and I had a nice filet mignon while mom had more dry chicken. Our desserts were so-so, but in sum the dinner was alright – a trend for the cruise.

 

After dinner we went back to our cabin and got some packing done, all in an effort to make sure we don’t have much to do tomorrow, during our one and only day in Hong Kong. After packing Mom began to read and I went to work on my blog. That’s actually where I am now, actually writing about today, today, for the first time all cruise.

 

Since I am caught up, let me give you some of my impressions about the Celebrity Millennium. As a reminder this is our first cruise on Celebrity, although we both have half a dozen cruises under our belts. I had read some rather negative reviews of the ship, so I was somewhat apprehensive prior to beginning the cruise. I must say, having almost completed the cruise, I have no problems with the ship.

 

Yes it’s a bit older, and yes there is a bit of rust and chipped paint, but never once have I found myself saying “ew” or “eek.” The public areas have been redone and are in good shape, our cabin is in good repair and everything works. There have been no plumbing problems, no smells, nothing falling apart, and nothing to worry about. We are, on balance, happy with the ship.

 

To recap, we are in cabin 6132, an S1 Sky suite on the Penthouse Deck. Our cabin has been very cozy, with the right amount of space, comfy beds and linens, a decently sized bathroom (for a cruise ship), ample storage, and very comfortable furniture. Our two cabin stewards have kept everything clean and tidy and our butler, Richard, has been superb.

 

 

In addition to the nice cabin we have a gigantic balcony with great forward-facing views. I’m not crazy about the views of all the safety equipment below, but heck, they have to put the life boats somewhere! As for the cabin itself, I have only two qualms. The first is with the weird window in the bathroom. Why anyone in the shower would want to look out into the sleeping area (or vice versa) is beyond me. No matter, we just closed the blinds on the window and went about our business. The other is that there is no clock anywhere in the cabin, save the phone display, which is not backlit. As there are no outlets by the bed it’s also not possible to just leave my phone by the bed all night. It’s quite annoying to not know what time it is – this has driven us nuts. We will have to buy a travel clock next time, but we shouldn’t’ have to do this.

 

 

As suite guests, the extra perks have been nice. Richard, as mentioned, has taken great care of us, and we have had cookies and snacks daily, as well as coffee or tea in the afternoons when we were around to enjoy it. Richard has been especially helpful with passports and other embarkation issues, especially for our overland journey which was quite complex. I’m sure some would want to know about room service, but we didn’t use it. We also did not use any laundry service, nor did we use the mini bar.

 

 

We have tried to visit various places on the ship but we have spent most of our sea days in the cabin or near the pool. While some do not care for the buffet, we have done just fine with the Oceanview for lunches, snacks and afternoon drinks. The bar staff around deck 10 have also been fine. We have also made frequent use of Cafe al Bacio, which is close to our cabin and has a nice array of teas for Mom. I also enjoy having the high-end coffee, often with a shot of Bailey’s included!

 

With the touring we have done, we really haven’t explored many entertainment options, beyond the regular shows. We found the production shows to be excellent, and we both think the singers and dancers are top notch. The other shows we have seen have all been enjoyable. We have enjoyed the house band when we have herd them, although their sets seem to be short and infrequent. Other music selections seem good, save one singer who I sometimes here in passing; he makes me run to the next room!! We have found the enrichment speaker to be so-so, but we got some decent information prior to visiting Thailand and Vietnam, so that was good. On balance I would give the entertainment a solid B, with the production shows the obvious highlight.

 

Well that’s all for now. Tomorrow it’s off to hong Kong for a walking tour. If I have time I’ll provide more detail about the ship. If not I’ll wait until I’m on the way home Sunday. I have lots to say about the service (which has been excellent) and the dining (which hasn’t been excellent), but now it’s time to rest up for one last big day in Asia.

[HouseRulz]

Day 16 – 22° 17′ 36″ N, 114° 10′ 12″ E – Hong Kong

 

As I type this I am flying across the Pacific in a 747, sipping on a Bailey’s and coffee, on the way to San Francisco. I’ll tell you more about our travels home in my next post. For this post I’d like to tell you about our wonderful last day in Asia, which we spent in Hong Kong.

 

After having spent a day at sea, we woke up Saturday (the 19th of December) to a beautiful view of Hong Kong Harbor. Okay I’m lying, we actually were looking at the cruise terminal. But, we soon fixed that problem. First, however, we enjoyed one last breakfast in Luminae. I had the corned beef hash with eggs and potatoes. Mom had eggs as well, and we both had fruit. After breakfast we went down to Cafe al Bacio to meet our touring group.

 

For our only day in Hong Kong, I had reserved a “bespoke” walking tour of the city. Mom and I were joined by five other cruisers from our Cruise Critic roll call, including a couple from Marco Island we had toured with in Bangkok, a couple from the Bay area, and a single traveler from Tennessee. The walk from the ship through the cruise terminal, to the shuttle (which went to a local mall), to the metro station, past eight or so stops, through a station, to another metro train, past a few more stops, through a huge station, to the surface, to the clock tower, was quite complex and took a long time. As such, we were a bit late arriving for our tour. Still, our guides Jess and Jason were waiting for us.

 

We began our tour at Kowloon, which offers spectacular views of the skyline. As you can see from the photo below, the view is amazing, and all of us enjoyed the view as our guide talked about the city and the skyline.

 

 

After admiring the view we walked a bit and visited the famous Peninsula Hotel, which was gorgeous inside. Of course, for $600+ per night, one expects a little luxury. I have a picture of the hotel at night later in this post, but the place is almost as lovely during the day. We continued to walk around the Kowloon district, also visiting Heritage 1881, the site of the former marine police station. Before long we found ourselves on the famous Star Ferry, crossing the harbor to Central Hong Kong.

 

Once we were in the central district, we had fun walking around the downtown area, mixed with shopping malls, high rises, and some street vendors. Our guide did a fantastic job of pointing out sights, explaining Hong Kong’s history and culture, and, in general keeping us thoroughly engaged. While this was a walking tour, we did get a slight reprise when we experienced a segment of the world’s longest escalator. While we didn’t make use of all half mile of the track, we went far enough to get close to our lunch spot.

 

 

We popped into Mr. Mak’s for some noodles and broth. I must say, the broth was really good, light and tasty – perfect for a cool and overcast early afternoon. After our lunch, we continued to walk around the Central District, visiting a local marketplace, and also checking out a little urban park for children living in the highrises. We also tried to visit the oldest Buddhist temple in Hong Kong, but, alas, there was a service going on and we weren’t permitted in.

 

Five hours and 8.4 miles later our tour had ended. The tour was a fantastic introduction to Hong Kong and made me want to stay in the the city for another week. Having walked quite a bit, Mom and I decided to head back to the ship for a bit of R&R. We split a cab with a couple from our tour and we were back to the ship before 4:00PM. This despite the fact that the local cabbies seemed to not want to pick us up.

 

After resting for a few hours, we got ready for dinner. We took our last full meal on the ship in Lumanie. We were able to give our thanks to staff there for the excellent service we recieved. For my final dinner on the ship I had a veal meatball appetizer, which was excellent, and I had pasta with an oxtail ragu for an entree – which was just as good. Mom wasn’t hungry and just had a salad. We both had light desserts, which we liked.

 

After dinner we changed back into our touring clothes for an evening in Hong Kong. We had planned to take a cab back to Kowloon in time to catch the nightly light show on the harbor. Unfortunatly, the money changing station was closed (really??) and the local cabs don’t take credit cards, so we were forced to take the mall shuttle again. There I was able to change some money and then we took the metro to Kowloon. The metro at night was packed, but they sure do keep it clean!

 

 

 

We got off the metro and took some photos of the Peninsula Hotel, before heading to the warf. There we found one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. Wow! Hong Kong in the evening is simply amazing. We marveled at the lights of the skyline across the harbor. Like everyone else, we pushed our way to the seawall to snap some spectacular photos.

 

 

After we soaked in the view for a bit, we walked back to a spot we had visited earlier. At the old marine police building there is now a hotel, the Hallett House. There we enjoyed a couple of killer cocktails at the Mariner’s Rest, a bar built where the prison once was. In fact, you can have your drink in a cell if you are so inclined. We opted for a table and chairs, and a nice toast to out last evening in the East.

 

 

After our cocktail we took a Space Mountain-esque taxi ride back to the ship. Normally I wouldn’t accept an off-meter ride, but we were again having trouble getting a cab to stop so we took what we could get. Once back on the ship (after the mile long trek from the cab stand to the gangway – seriously) we stopped in the Martini Bar for another “last drink.” We toasted to a great time before heading back to our cabin for one final snooze.

 

We had a great last day in Hong Kong and we both wished we had a few more days to spend in such a great city. But hey, now I have a reason to return. Well, that about does it for the trip. In my next post I’ll talk about how we got home – what will literally end up as the longest day of my life. Then I plan to have a couple of postscript posts to review the cruise. But for now, I think it’s time for a nap!!

[HouseRulz]

Day 17 – 37° 36′ 59” N 122° 23′ 0” W – HKG>ICN>SFO>MCO

 

Well, the trip is over. While I was sad for our journey to come to an end, I was ecstatic when I finally got home at 3:30AM on Sunday night (or Monday morning, or whatever). The final day of our journey was, literally, the longest day of our lives. In this long post (hey it takes a lot of words for a 36 hour day) post I’ll tell you how we managed to get from Hong Kong to Tampa – spoiler – it wasn’t easy.

 

Hour 1 (6:00AM UTC+8) – We woke up at 6:00AM sharp to get dressed and ready to leave the ship. We had done our packing the night before, but unfortunately, because of our early departure, we were responsible for our own luggage. It was not easy to wheel everything off the ship, especially considering the walk was LONG. We had two full-size suitcases, three carry-on size cases, my backpack, Mom’s ful-size purse, and two pillows (which, while helpful for sleep on a long trip, are a pain to travel with). Still, after meeting the couple we shared a ride with at 6:55AM, we were downstairs waiting for our ride by 7:10AM.

 

Hour 2 (7:00AM UTC+8) – Our driver showed up promptly at 7:20 and we were off for a 35 minute drive to the airport. I probably cut the trip a little close, but with it being a Sunday morning, I wasn’t worried. The drive was nice and easy, and it was interesting to check out the city as we headed to the airport.

 

Hour 3 (8:00AM UTC+8) – We arrived at the airport just before 8:00AM. After saying our goodbye’s to the couple from Florida with whom we shared the cab (we met them on our Bangkok excursion), we proceeded to the check-in counter. It took us a full 30 minutes to check in, as the agent needed a long time to interline our four checked bags. Interlining is the process of moving bags from one carrier to another. In this case, our first flight to Seoul was on Cathay Pacific, while the rest of our flights were on United (ICN to SFO to IAH [Houston] to TPA). Still, we managed to get everything sorted and security was rather straight forward. We made it to our gate about 10 minutes before boarding began.

 

Hour 4 (9:00 AM UTC+8) – Our flight to Seoul was on a Cathay Pacific A330-300. This plane had Cathay’s “short haul” business class product which was nicer than domestic U.S. first class, but not as nice as typical international first. Still, for a three-and-a-half hour flight we were comfy. Much of the time was spent eating as we got a three course breakfast including fruit, bread/cereal/yougart, and a main course. I had the Korean braised beef with rice and veggies, which while not at all a breakfast in my mind, was really very good. After eating I looked at pictures and listened to music, and we were on the ground a few minutes early.

 

Hour 8 (2:00 PM UTC+9) – The process of transferring at ICN was super easy. The only trouble we had was figuring out which transfer station to visit as our next flight wasn’t yet on the board. Fortunately I used the free WiFi to find out. Then we went through what amounts to typical U.S. pre-flight security and were cleared. We never had to get our luggage, which we hoped was being properly transferred. After completing the transfer process we took a quick trip around the terminal to find our departing gate, and the Asiana Lounge, which is where United passengers can go in Seoul.

 

Hour 9 (3:00 PM UTC+9) – We had a layover totaling about four hours at ICN. After checking in at the lounge we had a drink. The lounge was comfortable and spacious, but we missed having windows. I really love to look at all the planes coming and going, especially at an airport like ICN, with all the wide-body traffic and different airlines. After our drink we went back into the terminal and had lunch. First, Mom had Taco Bell, which she didn’t care for. Then I went to a little Italian place and had some bolognese. It not only looked good (see below), but tasted good as well. After eating we returned to the lounge and relaxed until closer to flight time.

 

 

Hour 12 (6:00 PM UTC+9) – Our flight was running a little bit late, so it was about 6PM before we headed over to the gate. There we checked in and also made sure our luggage tags were registered with United. We began boarding soon after, and we were in our seats by 6:30. Even though they have been around since the sixties, it’s always cool to fly with a 747, the “Queen of the Skies.” In this case we were seated in the upper-deck, very close to the cockpit. Seating up here was in a 2-2 configuration, and United has seats facing both forward and backward; a quirk unique to them and British Airways. We sat forward and found the seats to be very comfortable. After a glass of champagne I settled back and before long we were on our way back to the U.S.A.

 

 

Hour 13 (7:00 PM UTC+9) – After we got into the air we were served a full dinner. Mom and I both had the beef tenderloin. We were first served a nice salad, which we both liked, and smoked salmon, which we didn’t touch. Mom did not like her beef. I, on the other hand, thought it was the best piece of meat I have ever been served on an airplane; tender and perfectly cooked. As you can see, even the presentation was decent. The veggies were not bad, but the potato thingies were dry and not tasty. We also has ice cream sundaes for dessert – always a good choice.

 

 

Hour 14 (8:00 PM UTC+9) – After dinner Mom read and I passed the time working on my Blog (hooray for WiFi on an international flight) and watching Assassin, a Korean movie (it was pretty good – very action packed). Before long I tried out the lie-flat bed, which was pretty comfortable. I then got some decent sleep, such a rare thing on a flight.

 

Hour 21 (10:00 AM UTC-8) – When I finally woke up we were within an hour of landing in San Francisco. I had a nice light breakfast with coffee, yougurt, cereal, bread, and fruit. After eating I tried to get my seating area organized and get everything ready for landing. I also tried to make myself somewhat presentable, although by this point my hair was a lost cause.

 

Hour 22 (11:00 AM UTC-8) – We landed in time for an early arrival, thanks to a very strong tail wind. This was good because we had a rather tight connection for an international to domestic segment. Alas, this is when our traveling luck changed. We were parked on a taxiway for a good 40 minutes, as the aircraft at our gate was being held by air traffic control. Finally we switched gates and when we finally deplaned, we had only about an hour to make our connection.

 

Hour 23 (Noon UTC-8) – I’m going to complain a lot, but this was mostly my fault. Even though I haven’t done many of them, I should know that international connections in the U.S. take a long time. We were originally supposed to have a ~2:45 layover in SFO before going to MCO. After schedule changes that layover had grown to ~4:30 so I switched to a different set of flights. We were supposed to go SFO-IAH-MCO, making an extra stop but getting in to Orlando about two hours earlier. Alas, the travel gods had other plans. The line to get through U.S. customs was slow, but not awful. What was awful was the time needed to get our bags. All four bags made it to SFO, but I think they were the last four bags off the plane. By the time we got them, we had only 15 minutes before our flight. We dropped our bags off at the recheck station (the concept of claiming your bags and then rechecking them is so stupid. Nobody ever looked at our bags, and no other country does this – but I digress) and then went to clear domestic U.S. security. This line was a train-wreck. Mom didn’t have precheck for this flight, and they were not enforcing the premium line, so it took a solid 15 minutes to get through. We finally got to the gate five minutes after departure time. The aircraft (a Dreamliner I was really keen to fly with) was there, but the boarding door was closed and we were out of luck.

 

Hour 24 (1:00 PM UTC-8) – I generally love to fly, and I always lament how stressed people get about flying. Really, we do it to ourselves. In this case, we should have just kept the original flights and the four hour connection. It would have been stress-free. We were very fortunate to end up on that same flight I had originally booked, and to get two seats up front (although not together). We then hung out in the United Club for a few minutes (it was super-dirty), before walking to the terminal where our new flight would leave from. I had lunch at a little gastro-pub (very tasty, if non-authentic, gumbo). Mom grabbed some Burger King. Then we tried out the brand new United Club right next to our departure gate. This one was cleaner, although very busy. We killed the next two hours having drinks and chatting.

 

Hour 27 (4:00 PM UTC-8) – Our flight to Orlando was scheduled to leave a little after four, but was delayed a bit (the weather in San Francisco was kinda yucky so everything – save our original flight to Houston – was running late). Eventually we boarded and I had a nice stiff drink. The good thing about a five hour flight is that you can have drinks when you get on and still be able to drive when you land.

 

 

Hour 28 (5:00 PM UTC-8) – We had yet another good meal in-flight, spareribs (excellent) with rice (not excellent) and veggies. The entree was preceded by a very large portion of kale and soba noodle salad which was fantastic. Dessert was ice cream (woo hoo), and cookies were served later on. The flight was otherwise uneventful and I slept a good chunk of the time.

 

Hour 33 (1:00 AM UTC-5) – We landed in Orlando right around 1:00AM local time. Before long we were down at baggage and I was shocked to spot several of our bags right away on the carousel – how did they arrive so quickly. Unfortunately, one of the bags never showed up. Turns out that Mom, me and three of our bags missed the connection to Houston and were rerouted. The fourth bag actually made the connection to Houston but missed the connection to Orlando. It was necessary to fill out a report so the bag could be delivered the following day. After that was done, I called the hotel for the shuttle so we could get back to our car.

 

Hour 34 (2:00 AM UTC-5) – We waited 29 minutes for the shuttle (maximum posted wait of 30 minutes) and then had to pick up some flight attendants at the other terminal. As such it was after 2:00 when we finally got on the road. At least there was no traffic!! We made a stop at McDonalds for a little snack and some caffeine, but they were out of Coke (yup, out of Coke), so I had a Sprite instead. Then we finished our trip down an empty I-4.

 

Hour 35 (3:00 AM UTC-5) – It was about 3:30 when we finally got to my apartment. We unloaded the luggage in short order and then took out just what we would need for the morning. After a shower, I was in bed, nearly 36 hours after beginning what truly was: the longest day of my life. Still, at least we made it home in one piece, and with much less discomfort than many international travelers experience.

 

Postscript – I got up at 10AM for work the next morning, groggy but coherent. Mom’s bag finally made it to my apartment at 11PM Monday night. That poor bag had a 44 hour journey including a trip to Orlando (after we were in Tampa), a flight to Charlotte, a flight to Tampa, and a van trip to my apartment. Its arrival closed the final chapter in our amazing Asian journey. I have a few closing posts planned, which I’ll finish over the holidays. Until then, here’s wishing a Merry Christmas to all my readers!!

[Boscodog]

Excellent trip report. Thank you for sharing. Happy Holidays!!!

[Azulann]

Weclome home.

What a great trip report!

I loved the detail, pictures, and your ability to handle change when things are out of your control. All your preplanning did pay off.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

[chemmo]

Sincere thanks for your post, we have followed closely as we will be doing the same itinerary in 2017. It will not be our first Asian adventure but we are still very excited.

 

Can you tell us a little more about your dining experiences in Luminae and the specialities...obviously dining was not a totally satisfying experience for you.

[HouseRulz]

Weclome home.

What a great trip report!

I loved the detail, pictures, and your ability to handle change when things are out of your control. All your preplanning did pay off.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

 

Thanks. Hard to be anything but thankful when I am so lucky to be able to take these kinds of trips.

 

Sincere thanks for your post, we have followed closely as we will be doing the same itinerary in 2017. It will not be our first Asian adventure but we are still very excited.

 

Can you tell us a little more about your dining experiences in Luminae and the specialities...obviously dining was not a totally satisfying experience for you.

 

I think the larger issue we had in Luminae was communication. We went from "order anything you like from MDR" to "cannot order from MDR (except the three 'classics'," to "you can only order 'classics," but the chef will make anything you want." Although I'm not sure, I get the sense that the chef in Luminae was new to that post, or else was under pressure based on reviews/feedback. The reason for not allowing ordered from MDR was that if the dish was poor then it would reflect on the Luminae chef even though he didn't prepare the dish. This is not the kind of reason that passes muster with me.

 

As for the food in Luminae, we had one really, really bad dinner. Otherwise the food was good to excellent. The service was excellent to excellent plus! To me Luminae is worth it for the breakfast pastries alone!!

[HouseRulz]

It should come as no surprise that my CC review is long. I hope there is no cap!

 

Cruise Review

 

This was my 6th cruise and first on Celebrity. This was also my first trip to Asia. On this cruise I traveled with my Mother who has cruised 8 times. She is 70 and I am 38. Overall I was very pleased with the cruise, and with the ship. I was somewhat apprehensive given some of the negative reviews of the Millennium. Yes the ship is older (by the high standards we have today), and yes there are some exterior areas which are showing some age; but never once was I put off by imperfections/rust/chipped paint (and I have low tolerance for those kinds of things). Perhaps the area most in need of updating was our balcony, which was being sanded and repainted the last day of our cruise. I found the ship easy to navigate, spacious for the number of passengers, and in overall good repair.

 

Cabin

 

We ended up booking a suite guarantee (after going from balcony to concierge to Aqua) and were assigned 6132, an S1 SkySuite. We found the cabin to have plenty of room, even for a mother and son (we require a bit more breathing space than a couple would). The bathroom was smallish, but functional, with ample storage for toiletries and beauty supplies. Our cabin featured a slightly larger that standard closet and we had plenty of room for all of our things. The desk/vanity had a nice mirror, and four sets of outlets (two US/two European). The chair was wobbly when we arrived but this was quickly replaced. The sofa and chair were very comfortable and looked to perhaps be new. The beds were also comfortable. The TV worked, but we didn't watch anything. We found the moving map station to be lacking compared to other cruises. The mini bar was well stocked but we wished it was at refrigeration temp (34-40F) as opposed to just cool temp. We liked the mirrored wall, which really made the cabin feel more spacious.

 

Our cabin also featured a gigantic balcony with forward facing views. It was appointed with a full size table, two chairs, and two lounge chairs. The only drawback is that the portion of the balcony which juts out is uncovered, and is visible from the balconies of about 20 other cabins. This cabin would be ideal for those who like in-cabin al fresco dining, but not for those who enjoy private sunbathing.

 

Dining

 

As suite guests, we were entitled to dine in Luminae. Luminae was added to the Millennium in April, and is a beautiful space on deck 4. Luminae is open daily for breakfast and dinner; and also for lunch on sea days. We dined in Luminae eight times for breakfast and six times for dinner. We did not have any lunches. Breakfast was excellent, especially the pastries. We had fruit daily which was always fresh. Egg/griddle dishes were well prepared and tasty, save the chicken sausage. Dinners were a bit more of a mixed bag. The dinners always started with an amuse bouche, most of which added nothing to the meal. Appetizers were usually tasty, as were soups. I would have liked to have seen a greens-based salad on the menu each day, but off menu salads were available. Of the six entrees I had, two were excellent, three were good, and one was awful. Side dishes were generally good, and all food was very nicely presented. I found the desserts to be good, but not spectacular; although a "candy trolley" was rolled through several times - a nice treat.

 

While I did fairly well in Luminae, my Mother did not. She does not tolerate dairy, and prefers more comfort food. Several times none of the 5 entrees appealed to her. Early in the cruise she ordered dishes from MDR (which is adjacent to Luminae). Then, on day 5 of the cruise, we were told this was no longer possible. On day 11 we checked the menu and, finding nothing for Mom, we elected to dine in MDR. The Luminae maitre d found us in the dining room and told us the chef would be happy to prepare a special meal for Mom on subsequent days. It would have been nice to know this from the beginning. The maitre d mentioned that this was because the chef did not want to be held accountable for meals prepared by the MRD chefs. I was unhappy with this rationale and I'll say more about why later.

 

We took all of our on-board lunches at the Oceanview Cafe. We found there to be plenty of good dishes to choose from. I almost always had salad, and Mom enjoyed the pizza. The desserts were hit or miss, but we don't do much for dessert during lunch anyway. We ordered several times from the grille outside, and the hot dogs were excellent. I found the buffet area to be very clean, although it is nearly impossible to reach items in the back row of the salad bar (watching people struggle with this is kind of funny).

As mentioned we ate dinner in MDR once. I did not enjoy the food, but one meal is not enough to really help others who will dine in MDR for the duration of their cruise. We ate in Blu, the Aqua Class restaurant once. I had a nice steak. I did not care for the service from our waiter in Blu, but it was a sea day and very crowded.

 

We ate in each of the two specialty dinner restaurants once. I found Qsine to have very good food, and the presentation is so creative. It's a fun experience. I would not go again however, with only a party of two. The portions are quite large so it's hard to take advantage of the many offerings. This is a place you go to with a large group, and then order one of everything.

 

The service in Olympic was exquisite, and we enjoyed a three hour dinner with friends from one of our shore excursions (especially since they brought champagne). Sadly, my chateaubriand was woefully overcooked. Had it been just the two of us, or had I been paying the $45 cover, I would have sent it back. The appetizers were so/so as well.

 

I also enjoyed the coffees and teas in Cafe al Bacio, which we had on early mornings. As we had the premium beverage package we ordered a lot of things we would not typically order on a cruise. We didn't necessarily drink more alcohol, but we had bottled waters, specialty coffees, fresh juice with breakfast, and premium wines. The package is an excellent perk, although I would not have paid $910/pp for it. On the whole, dining had its highs and lows, but we certainly did not want for food.

Embarkation

 

We were on the ship about 15 minutes after the taxi dropped us off. It was very easy, keeping in mind that we had a special line for suite guests and had checked in in advance.

 

Note: Disembarkation was also fine (we had an overnight at the end so we cleared immigration the day before disembarkation), but we had an early flight and had to drag all our luggage a huge distance (it had to be 1/2 a mile from our cabin door to the taxi stand) with no carts available.

 

Enrichment Activities

 

I found the enrichment speaker to be so-so. The first lecture was good, but subsequent lectures (we went to two more) felt more like a 7:30am college course you don't want to take. Beyond that, there wasn't much in the way of enrichment. There was entertainment and there was selling things. We avoid the latter.

 

Entertainment

 

As for the entertainment, I was very impressed. We saw all three production shows and I found the singers and show band to be excellent. The dancers were even better, especially as the seas were a bit rough on two of the show nights. We saw four other main shows on the ship, all of which were good to excellent. I found the house band to also be very good, although their sets were a bit short. There was a singing duo who were very good, a pianist and a guitarist who both sounded pretty good, and a dj who played music that I liked; although I would suspect the crowd on board might not agree. There was one group who played most nights in the lounge that we avoided. The musicians were good but the vocalist was awful. On the whole we found the shows great and the mix of entertainment around the ship to be really good. Absolutely no complaints.

 

Fitness and Recreation

 

I used the gym on several occasions (ok it was only three, but that's better than past cruises) and found all the equipment I needed. The equipment was clean and in good repair. Do be careful when using a treadmill during rough weather - yikes!! We used the main pool during the first three sea days, and I found the pool deck to be nicely appointed with frequent drink service. The only complaint I have is that the chairs were literally about 2 inches apart; a tad awkward when the Speedo-clad man next to you wants to get up. I really liked the thalassotherapy pool which was very soothing to spend a few minutes in. I do wish the chairs in the Solarium would have been a bit more comfy. I had an internet package and used the internet frequently when I was on board. The speed is painfully slow, especially in cabin. Fortunately we were close to the iLounge which always had open terminals, a slightly faster connection, and frequently someone there to help. I would never pay $300 for internet that slow, but as it was included in our package I was happy to have it.

 

Public Rooms

 

I found the interior spaces on Millennium to be excellent. There were lots of lounges, large and small, bars tucked everywhere, and the ship never felt crowded. With such a port intensive itinerary, we did not spend near as much time about the ship as we would have on a Caribbean cruise, but when we were out and about, we always found a nice place to relax. The martini bar is a favorite of many, and the bartenders put on quite a show as they make drinks. We did not use the casino, and it seemed we weren't the only ones - it was almost always empty. Shopping options were what you would expect - overpriced things nobody really wants. I'd love to meet someone who actually bought a Tag Heuer watch on a cruise ship!!

 

Service

 

We found the service to be excellent. As suite guests, we had a butler. In fact, we had the head butler. We did not want for anything, ever. As we left the ship for several days on a private excursion we had to manage some immigration-related things. This was all handled smoothly by our butler. We were offered tea/coffee/snacks each afternoon, and we liked the cookies. Soon, cookies began appearing in our cabin each afternoon, even when we were away. We probably could have used our butler for many more things, but what we did need, we got. He was excellent!

 

Our two cabin stewards also did a great job, especially with all of the junk we always had hanging around. The cabin was cleaned twice daily, always tidy, and we never wanted for linens. I especially liked that we could leave for breakfast, return in 45 minutes, and always count on the cabin being cleaned when we returned.

 

In Luminae I found the service to be top notch. Our hostess was super-friendly. The sommelier quickly learned our preferences and I was able to begin subsequent dinners with a killer Manhattan. Our wine glasses were always full. Our wait staff was equally good. They were both friendly and efficient, and provided some very good recommendations. I really felt well taken care of in Luminae.

 

Elsewhere on the ship we had no issues with service. Crew were friendly, and even passing crew members always had a smile and a hello. We didn't really have any problems, so service interactions were routine, but everyone was great. We felt very welcomed.

 

Shore Excursions

 

We booked mostly private tours but the two ship tours we took were fine. Our excursion in Singapore featured a great guide and we had a lot of fun. Our excursion in Pattaya had a great stop (Sanctuary of Truth) and then a long trip to a crappy floating market. The issue with ship excursions is that they are overpriced and too large (40 people on a bus). It's kind of ridiculous. We only take them when getting back to the ship on time is an important factor. Celebrity is no better or no worse than any other line in this.

 

Note: The ship missed a port, Hue/DaNang, and people were quite upset about that. As we were off the boat it did not effect us.

 

Value for Money

 

We got a great deal and we were very happy with what we got for what we paid. Being a suite guest certainly had its perks. I would definitely pay a premium again for the larger cabin and perks, but I would not pay double, as is often the case. We paid only about 15% more than a balcony stateroom, a real value.

 

Summary

 

We really took this cruise for the itinerary. I love that Celebrity packs this itinerary with overnights. One on each end (what value you get out of staying/eating on board in Singapore and Hong Kong), and two in the middle. We also were off the ship for 4 days and three nights going to Angkor Wat. As such, I was less concerned with the sea day cruising than I would be typically. That being said, I would take a ship-intensive cruise on Millennium without reservation. Finally, while Celebrity did not earn my undying loyalty (I'm always looking for brands to stick to), I would happily sail again with Celebrity, if I could get good value. Given where we got to go, we would have had a great time no matter what. In that sense, the Millennium just needed to be our transportation and lodging. In that role, she performed beautifully, and I would consider all of my expectations met or exceeded.

[HouseRulz]

We would appreciate it if you could post pics of the daily planners.

 

I finally made it to a highspeed scanner. Please find them all, in order, at this link:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-4KFCWpitMkNHhfNnlyVGZuT0E/view?usp=sharing

[illiniwahoo]

Thanks for this great travelogue!

 

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