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LIVE from SE Asia with Sungirl - 29 Nov16 Diamond Princess

KCSungirl

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Sea Day 02 December16

 

Raindrops are Falling on my Head and it's cramping my style. Today is definitely a wash out which makes public indoor spaces more crowded.

 

Wake Up Call 9:30am $15 Sale in the dining room! OMG a reason to live. Lots of purses, watches, sunglasses, beach totes and crap nobody needs. Didn't stop me from buying a small blue cross body purse.

 

Lots of typical sea day activities and movies indoor and outdoor. Bingo, Trivia, dance lessons and more Glockenspiel. That must be popular.

 

I am already over the Buffet. Thank goodness. The peanut butter cookies were out today. Soft and warm, just as I remembered them

 

Afternoon bingo or spa treatment? Which do you prefer? SPA! I booked a 3pm top to toe massage/mini facial with Jessie for $149. It was great. The spa, however, was tiny , busy, and needs a facelift. The treatment rooms are the size of a small closet. The heated beds are on top of each other. I had one woman on my right snoring and gurgling, while the man on my left couldn't keep his fruit in his basket. No spa or thermal pool. I do want to check out the Izumi Bath. It is $15 for two hours. It has different times for nude bathing(segregated) and co-ed with bathing suits.

 

The Crab Shack was offered tonight for $29/pp. A seafood extravaganza. In the Horizon Court.

 

The theme party tonight is 50's/60's and the headliner is Canadian comedian Simon Cotter. I mentioned previously that I would refrain from reviewing Simon based on his welcome show act and wait for his full show. Well, Simon didn't get any better and he was just gross. Not appealing and not funny. The first time I have ever left a show early. Except maybe a hypnotist show. Moving on......

 

The piano entertainer - Tony Cruz. Not sure if he is latino or Spanish. Very thick accent. I normally like to get into a relationship with piano men. Tony doesn't start until 9 or 10pm. I am in bed. We stopped to listen to a few songs and it was very funny. Tony has everything programmed including band, orchestra, back up, and piano! He stepped away from the keys and the piano continued. When it is electronic, it loses the piano bar personality.

 

Karaoke has been featured several times. We really like the pop/party band - The Sound. How do these people party late into the night? I obviously have lost that mojo.

 

Lazy day at sea........Goodnight. See you in Vietnam tomorrow.

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Good Morning Vietnam

 

It's steamy and sunny in Nha Trang. Perfect. It's the first visit this season for the Diamond Princess. It's a tender port and everything ran smoothly. We have priority tender privileges being elite which is a nice perk. We proceeded to the dining room when we wanted to go ashore. I had not pre-arranged any tours. I had two ideas - 1. Go hang out at a luxury hotel and spa on a day pass or 2. Take the free shuttle to the city center and see what happens. We opted for the adventure of #2.

 

The tender ride is short. Coach buses are waiting to shuttle you 15 minutes into town. They drop off at the TCC hotel. Immediately as I got off the bus, an English (barely) speaking tour operator asked me if I wanted to tour. He basically was offering me a driver for the day (5 hours) for $100. I didn't want to waste time negotiating with every driver, so off we went with Driver Dan who spoke zero English. Driver Dan was nice, but he started skimming off us at every turn. Every time we had to purchase an entry ticket he would double the price, take our US dollars and use his dong currency. It was only a few dollars, but he was ripping us off. We stopped at every tourist attraction in town- Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang Cathedral, Cai River, Ponagar Cham Towers, and the Central Market. It doesn't take very long. We were supposed to take a river cruise, but supposedly they were canceled due to all the rain the day before. The highlight of the day was our lunch stop. I look at Trip Advisor to find the mostly popular restaurants. I made a great choice - Lanterns. It's on the food tours and full of tourists. We had an incredible Vietnamese feast with wine for $20. At the end of the tour, I paid Driver Dan the $100. He was trying to extort a tip from me. He called the **** and the **** asked me to give him $10. I said no. I had a suspicion that at $100, I grossly overpaid. I was right, I met others who paid $15 for the same service. I was fine with the $100, but that was all-inclusive, especially since the **** was supposed to pay for the river cruise we didn't take. Very few people speak English in Nha Trang. The beach/water was dirty and the surf was dangerous. I wouldn't want to go back, but our lunch was worth the stop. I did buy a couple of things in the market - Louis Vuitton pashminas for $5 and a silk top for $7. You have to drive a hard bargain. The restaurant gave us a poor exchange rate also. Wish I had ordered my $50 in Vietnamese currency. I used $US in the markets no problem.

 

The lines were long to get on the tenders back to the ship. It was a shorter day leaving at 4pm. We made our way back to the cabin and up to the pool for sail away. The party band was playing. We rested in the cabin a bit before dinner (French night) and our show - I Got the Music. I have seen it many times. It was country western night.

 

We are tired! Night. See you in Saigon tomorrow. It's a 5:30am wake up call. Yikes.

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Pushka

Pushka

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Her last Dry Dock was in 2014.... Does anyone know if she is scheduled soon for a Dry Dock?

 

 

To have deteriorated that much in 2 years isn't really great. I think there is one scheduled soon.

 

I disliked NhaTrang immensely. We were tailed by a group of men in the market there. We decided to exit quickly and walked to a taxi. We opened the doors and the driver said to get in shut the doors quickly. Sure enough the group of men were advancing towards the taxi and banged on the doors and made threatening suggestions. The whole place felt a bit threatening.

 

Most people in Australia love Vietnam but after this and then a cyclo-theft of my bag in HCM, I will never go back.

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Its funny that we all have different experiences when we travel. We love Vietnam. Have been twice on cruises and we have done a land tour on our own and we have never had a bad day whilst there. Just the luck of the draw I suppose!

 

We were on the Diamond two years ago just after her major refit for the Japanese market. We couldn't fault the ship and we did have quite a few days on her going nowhere in the Yellow Sea as there was a huge typhoon bearing down on Japan. We thought she was a great ship and I cannot believe that in 2 years she has gone downhill. We were hoping to cruise on her in 2018 in Japan again as we do have unfinished business in that country! We may be looking at another cruise line such as Celebrity instead though Princess has been doing wonderful cruises out of Yokohama for the past couple of years.

 

Jennie

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Good Morning Saigon 04 December16

 

Lucky Princess! Thank God it is Sunday. Only half of the 12 million people on the roads. It is crazy! The ship docks 1.5 hours from the city center. There is a free shuttle service to a market 30 minutes away. Otherwise, you need to take a tour or taxi service to the city. I booked a shared tour in advance through Smile Tours. $85/pp. They are a very reputable tour operator. They contract with guides. Anh was our guide and he was fantastic. As well as our driver Phoung. Very nice mini-coach bus with seating for twenty. We had 12 on our tour. We were picked up at the ship at 7:30am. We moved a lot faster than normal due to the lighter Sunday traffic.

 

Itinerary:

Jade Emperor Pagoda - Over a 100 years old, features turtles and a Jade Emperor. Spooky.

 

Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office - The cathedral is a neo-Romanesque constructed between 1877 and 1883. The Post Office is a grand French Colonial building designed by Gustav Eiffel. Sent myself a postcard.

 

War Remnants Museum - very upsetting for me. I didn't realize I would be so emotional. Kind of like going to a holocaust museum or the Anne Frank house. A comprehensive collection of photos, weapons, machinery, and documentation of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective. The Vietnam War was very ugly, complicated, dirty, messy, confusing.

 

Cyclo trickshaw ride through district 5 to Chinatown. Super fun hour long ride. The twelve drivers were waiting to take our group after the visit to the museum. Yu grabbed my hand. He was going to have to work extra hard to peddle my ass around, but he got a good view of my cleavage.

 

Thien Hau Temple - Chinatown Sea Goddess temple. I don't quite understand this mythical stuff. Goddesses of fertility and prosperity. Voodoo!

 

Lunch stop at Pho 2000. The restaurant that Bill Clinton made famous when he ate there. I loved the chicken and noodles with spring rolls.

 

Ben Thanh Market - famous, huge market. Vendors are aggressive. It's exhausting to bargain, so I don't shop much.

 

Rex Hotel, City Hall, Opera House, Riverfront

 

A fantastic day in a city with a sad history after losing their freedom to Communism.

 

Back to the ship! We enjoyed sail away along the river. Lovely evening.

 

I had delicious Prime Rib in the buffet. I am never really wowed by cruise ship food, but this was seriously some of the best Prime Rib ever. Way to go Princess chefs.

 

Showtime - Paul Cincotta. Aussie Piano/electric piano player. We stayed for one song. Not our thing.

 

Trivia Time! Real name vs. Stage name. It was hard. We only got 7 of 20.

 

Zoolander 2 on the TV in the cabin. So stupid! I have seen most of the movies on the menu. They add movies everyday to the menu as they are shown in the theaters.

 

I hope some of you are enjoying my photos/videos.

 

Goodnight. A lazy day at sea tomorrow.

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Sea Day 05 December16

 

Lovely sunny, warm day. Still haven't seen breakfast yet, but I love my coffee deliveries from PC each morning. He goes to the lobby bar deck 5. Next to the library and computer lab.

 

We get a note from the Chief Plumber - "We are experiencing a number of plumbing blockages in your area, blah,blah blah". GUILTY. Mr Germophobe also uses a roll of toilet paper in every flush. I played a joke on him and told him they isolated the problem to our cabin and he needed to throttle back on the TP. He probably is now using the public toilets.

 

Mr Germophobe went for a little walk around the ship while I was getting ready. His report:

 

PC: I need a Xanax

Me: Why?

PC: there is a mass of humanity on the lido deck. People who should be wearing clothes, are not wearing clothes. Body odors every where.

Me: get out the Lysol for a protective layer

 

Lucky Princess to the rescue. Two sun beds left in the Sanctuary. We don't have to look at the mass of humanity. We appreciate the quiet peace of the ocean breeze and waves. The bump and grind music, movies, and people elbow to elbow is not our scene. Not that there is anything wrong with it. $20/pp for afternoon.

 

I enjoyed my first hot dog from the grill. The grill was not keeping up with demand. Not sure why. French fries were hot and tasty. They offered a Mexican buffet poolside which looked nice, but it would have required us getting involved with the mass of humanity and sweaty people. PC would have to take another shower if he looked at a sweaty person.

 

The Sanctuary is great. Nice beds, adults only. Still hoping to check out the Japanese baths.

 

Regarding sea day activities, I do notice that Princess doesn't offer as much as HAL or Celebrity. Especially the guest lectures and more educational/cultural things. Maybe things that appeal more to men. A lot of game show/trivia/dance lessons/bingo/ movies/spa

 

Afternoon tea is offered 3:30pm to 4:30pm daily.

 

Formal night was busy in the atrium. Several entertainment/showtime choices.

Paul Cincotta was back with 2 shows, plus Do You Wanna Dance production show. You must go early to get seats. We didn't get a seat. We instead sat in the piano bar and laughed hysterically at Tony, the piano player with his computer/electronic music abilities. Not sure about his voice or piano skills, but his recorded backup singers are ridiculous. What happened to the traditional piano bar experience? I need to speak to Lee, the cruise director.

 

I lost $20 in the slot machine at the casino on the first night and haven't been back since. It doesn't look very busy. The balloon drop was at 10:30pm. Can't make it.

 

Goodnight. 5:30am wake up call.

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Paige,

Loved your latest instalment. Your humour is still wonderful. I can't wait to see where you are off to in the morning. Great that there were still some beds left in the Sanctuary. It is such a relaxing area of the ship.

 

Jennie

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Good Morning Bangkok. 06 December16

 

It's a shame the ship has to dock in Laem Chabang, 2.5 hours from Bangkok. It obviously cuts into the amount of time one can tour in a day. I have been to Bangkok previously, but If I had not, I would have looked for an itinerary that overnighted in port. The river longboat cruises are fun.

 

I rarely book a ship sponsored shore excursion, but I highly recommend booking thru the cruise at this port of call. The coach buses are extremely nice, clean and comfortable. Traffic is heavy, especially getting into the port area. You don't want to risk missing the ship by getting into traffic. It wasn't worth the anxiety to me. However, if you can spend the night in Bangkok, you can build in more travel time and do it independently.

 

There are a few alternate options also if you are not up to riding in a coach bus for three hours. Pattaya is a coastal city less than an hour away. The ship was offering a shuttle service every hour for $16/pp RT. Beaches, markets, etc. Another option is to stay in Laem Chabang and taxi around. There is a big mall with Starbucks and markets. There are also markets scattered up and down the main road close to the port.

 

For those of you who like to live dangerously and chose to book an independent tour, leave yourself at least 3.5 hours on the return.

 

I traveled Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong three years ago. It was another one of my lifestyles of the rich and famous fantasies. I even took the Rolls Royce airport transfers to the Peninsula in Hong Kong. It was all a dream. I have to share one of my Thai stories - We were staying at the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. At breakfast one morning PC notices Pierce Brosnan and his wife sitting a table away. I immediately want to jump out of my chair and run over to their table to start a relationship. PC reigns me in, and tells me not to invade their space. Missed opportunity. Maybe I will see them later and we can chat. No such luck. The next morning we were flying on to Khao Lak/Phukett. Guess who was sitting next to me on the plane? Guess who put my bags in the overhead compartment? Yep, Pierce Brosnan. I will never part with my favorite Lipault luggage. It has Pierce Brosnan's DNA. Thanks for letting me share.

 

One of the tours on my list on my previous visit was to visit Ayutthaya. I ran out of time and didn't go. I get another chance today. Happy Day! Ayutthaya is a Unesco World Heritage site and the former capital of Siam from 1351-1767. The city includes the summer palace, temples and ruins. It is fantastic. I highly recommend. The Burmese looted everything, but the ruins are in good shape. It's not as awesome as Angkor Wat, but still great. We stopped at a hotel for a buffet lunch. Nice and clean. It's always great to had civilized toilets to use also. We stopped at an interstate rest stop for a toilette break and the squat toilets are problematic when gravity is working against you. GRAB BARS please! Our guide was professional and had good English skills. It takes patience to travel with a group, but we fared ok. It was funny because these two Russian women were sitting in the front seats of the bus and they would tell off anyone getting back to the bus late. Better them than me. PC didn't have to hide.

 

We got back to ship with a few minutes to spare before final call. There were vendors inside the cruise terminal. Bought an embellished halter top with elephants for my 9 yr old niece. $7.

 

Very long day, but it's not over yet. Only because I suffer from FOMO, a psychiatric condition - Fear of Missing Out. It exhausts PC and he begs for mercy. He is such a good sport, however.

 

We ate in the horizon court. We are definitely getting a little bored with the same choices, but we never go hungry. I had the short ribs, love those. PC ate tandoori chicken, curry chicken, butter chicken, Indian chicken, and anything else that said chicken. I am hearing good reviews about the dining room. Service and food has been good. We met a couple who said they were disappointed the service was so fast. 😜

 

Showtime - Symphony of the Shadow. These two Italian boys were phenomenal. One of the best and most unique shows ever. Shadow hand puppetry. Genius. I expected to be leaving the show after 5 minutes, but it was brilliant. Don't miss it.

 

It Takes Two - vocalists Sara Honey and Andrew de Long from the production cast. They put together a great lounge act featuring duets. They are a couple in real life. They are getting ready to leave sea life in May after several years. They are super talented and could probably find work on the West End or Broadway.

 

It's 10pm. I got up at 5am, toured all day, rode in a bus for 6 hours, and I looked like a mess. We go to the cabin to ready for bed. Clothes off. WAIT! There is one more activity on the schedule. FOMO! Get dressed PC, we aren't done. He has already fallen asleep with his eyes open.

 

THE LOVE BOAT DISCO DECK PARTY - the greatest deck party EVER. How long has Princess been doing this? This was so fun. DO NOT MISS THIS PARTY. I want the T-shirt if they sell them. They show clips of kissing scenes on the Love Boat series on the screen. There is a Love Boat dance with instructions from the original cast of the Love Boat. Great disco music - Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Earth Wind Fire, Tina Turner, etc. The Princess dancers are in costume with all the DISCO moves. We have never had so much fun watching people have fun. The cruise director, Lee, sang lead with the band also. I am so glad I have FOMO!

 

Ok PC, it's 11pm. You are off the clock. Goodnight.

 

 

I hope you are not getting bored with me! I think I am getting bored with me! Thank you Aussie Girl and Sunset Beach Gal for being supportive fans!

.

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CarlaBlit

CarlaBlit

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Good Morning Bangkok. 06 December16

 

 

 

It's a shame the ship has to dock in Laem Chabang, 2.5 hours from Bangkok. It obviously cuts into the amount of time one can tour in a day. I have been to Bangkok previously, but If I had not, I would have looked for an itinerary that overnighted in port. The river longboat cruises are fun.

 

 

 

I rarely book a ship sponsored shore excursion, but I highly recommend booking thru the cruise at this port of call. The coach buses are extremely nice, clean and comfortable. Traffic is heavy, especially getting into the port area. You don't want to risk missing the ship by getting into traffic. It wasn't worth the anxiety to me. However, if you can spend the night in Bangkok, you can build in more travel time and do it independently.

 

 

 

There are a few alternate options also if you are not up to riding in a coach bus for three hours. Pattaya is a coastal city less than an hour away. The ship was offering a shuttle service every hour for $16/pp RT. Beaches, markets, etc. Another option is to stay in Laem Chabang and taxi around. There is a big mall with Starbucks and markets. There are also markets scattered up and down the main road close to the port.

 

 

 

For those of you who like to live dangerously and chose to book an independent tour, leave yourself at least 3.5 hours on the return.

 

 

 

I traveled Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong three years ago. It was another one of my lifestyles of the rich and famous fantasies. I even took the Rolls Royce airport transfers to the Peninsula in Hong Kong. It was all a dream. I have to share one of my Thai stories - We were staying at the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. At breakfast one morning PC notices Pierce Brosnan and his wife sitting a table away. I immediately want to jump out of my chair and run over to their table to start a relationship. PC reigns me in, and tells me not to invade their space. Missed opportunity. Maybe I will see them later and we can chat. No such luck. The next morning we were flying on to Khao Lak/Phukett. Guess who was sitting next to me on the plane? Guess who put my bags in the overhead compartment? Yep, Pierce Brosnan. I will never part with my favorite Lipault luggage. It has Pierce Brosnan's DNA. Thanks for letting me share.

 

 

 

One of the tours on my list on my previous visit was to visit Ayutthaya. I ran out of time and didn't go. I get another chance today. Happy Day! Ayutthaya is a Unesco World Heritage site and the former capital of Siam from 1351-1767. The city includes the summer palace, temples and ruins. It is fantastic. I highly recommend. The Burmese looted everything, but the ruins are in good shape. It's not as awesome as Angkor Wat, but still great. We stopped at a hotel for a buffet lunch. Nice and clean. It's always great to had civilized toilets to use also. We stopped at an interstate rest stop for a toilette break and the squat toilets are problematic when gravity is working against you. GRAB BARS please! Our guide was professional and had good English skills. It takes patience to travel with a group, but we fared ok. It was funny because these two Russian women were sitting in the front seats of the bus and they would tell off anyone getting back to the bus late. Better them than me. PC didn't have to hide.

 

 

 

We got back to ship with a few minutes to spare before final call. There were vendors inside the cruise terminal. Bought an embellished halter top with elephants for my 9 yr old niece. $7.

 

 

 

Very long day, but it's not over yet. Only because I suffer from FOMO, a psychiatric condition - Fear of Missing Out. It exhausts PC and he begs for mercy. He is such a good sport, however.

 

 

 

We ate in the horizon court. We are definitely getting a little bored with the same choices, but we never go hungry. I had the short ribs, love those. PC ate tandoori chicken, curry chicken, butter chicken, Indian chicken, and anything else that said chicken. I am hearing good reviews about the dining room. Service and food has been good. We met a couple who said they were disappointed the service was so fast. [emoji12]

 

 

 

Showtime - Symphony of the Shadow. These two Italian boys were phenomenal. One of the best and most unique shows ever. Shadow hand puppetry. Genius. I expected to be leaving the show after 5 minutes, but it was brilliant. Don't miss it.

 

 

 

It Takes Two - vocalists Sara Honey and Andrew de Long from the production cast. They put together a great lounge act featuring duets. They are a couple in real life. They are getting ready to leave sea life in May after several years. They are super talented and could probably find work on the West End or Broadway.

 

 

 

It's 10pm. I got up at 5am, toured all day, rode in a bus for 6 hours, and I looked like a mess. We go to the cabin to ready for bed. Clothes off. WAIT! There is one more activity on the schedule. FOMO! Get dressed PC, we aren't done. He has already fallen asleep with his eyes open.

 

 

 

THE LOVE BOAT DISCO DECK PARTY - the greatest deck party EVER. How long has Princess been doing this? This was so fun. DO NOT MISS THIS PARTY. I want the T-shirt if they sell them. They show clips of kissing scenes on the Love Boat series on the screen. There is a Love Boat dance with instructions from the original cast of the Love Boat. Great disco music - Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Earth Wind Fire, Tina Turner, etc. The Princess dancers are in costume with all the DISCO moves. We have never had so much fun watching people have fun. The cruise director, Lee, sang lead with the band also. I am so glad I have FOMO!

 

 

 

Ok PC, it's 11pm. You are off the clock. Goodnight.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you are not getting bored with me! I think I am getting bored with me! Thank you Aussie Girl and Sunset Beach Gal for being supportive fans!

 

.

 

 

Loving your thread!

Did you not have a stop in Cambodia?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Paige,

 

I would truly love to travel with you just once. It would be such a hoot! Your zest for travel and to have fun is so infectious. I would have loved the Disco party as I love all that wonderful music though my PC, would have found it "too loud". Oh the joys of getting older! I can remember when my father said that the music was too loud at our daughter's wedding way back 27 years ago! We thought to ourselves at the time, what an old spoil sport and now it is repeating itself with my PC. Why is it that men seem to age so much quicker than women?

 

Jennie

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Darspurs

Darspurs

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Thoroughly enjoying reading about your adventure, we are sailing on the Diamond on 28th February and although we have seen quite a lot of the USA and Europe we have never been to the Far East so a new adventure for us.

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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I am still here and reading with great interest! I will be very happy to read your review of the Japanese Baths.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do this. I have done a live from or two in my day, and I know they are a tremendous amount of work! I really appreciate your daily updates!

 

In the words of KC and the Sunshine Band- in honour of Disco Night- Keep it coming, Love...

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Koh Samui - 07 December16

 

7:49am - Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking. I regret to inform you that it is not safe to go ashore due to flooding and tendering conditions. We will be cancelling our call to Koh Samui today. BUMMER. This did not come as a surprise to me. I had made plans, when I phoned to confirm from Bangkok they told me the beach was closed due to monsoons and flooding. I didn't have a good feeling about it when I looked at the forecast. Always a disappointment, but we can't control Mother Nature. It's interesting because the west side of Thailand has great weather this time of year, but the east side can be rainy. I always wonder why the Captain makes the decision to cancel so early and doesn't wait out the rain till at least noon. It will stop eventually. I have $28 US equivalent in Thai Baht burning a hole in my pocket. What's my best option - exchanging for Singapore Dollars, US Dollars, or Malaysian Ringits? Pesos? Can someone advise me where I will lose the least on the exchange?

 

I will tell you what we would have been doing in Koh Samui. I booked lunch and a day pass at the Four Seasons Hotel. It was so close, yet so far. I will probably never get back to Thailand. Makes me sad, but just too many other places to see in this short life. 🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷

 

The cruise director sent out a new sea day activity schedule within an hour. Excellent organization. I am sure they look at weather conditions the night before and have Plan B ready. The activities are getting redundant, but there were a few new things offered:

 

Bible Study ( I recommend they start praying for better weather)

Feather Head Piece making

Wrinkle remedy (too late for a sun goddess like me)

Glockenspiel AGAIN

GoPro Seminar

Bean Bag Toss (a little lame)

Quilling

Carpet Bowling

Bon Odori Dance Part Deux (funny to watch)

How to get a smooth shave (I just don't know what to think on this one)

 

I realized that there is also a daily afternoon happy hour at 3pm along with the 9pm evening happy hour. Buy One, Get One for $1. Wheelhouse only.

 

You know how PC feels about sea days. The Mass of Humanity is out to spread germs and body odor. Get out the Lysol. I think everyone is tired from the long day in Bangkok yesterday and they are sleeping. It's a bit subdued. I am tired from that really really really late 10pm DISCO party.

 

I get to hang out with the Ockers today! The new word I learned. I love Aussie slang! Ockers are the loud, obnoxious types. I also have met many of Muriel Hesslop's family and Barry Fife is everywhere. We met a lovely couple on tour yesterday from the Gold Coast and joined them for lunch today. After chatting we realized we had been on the same cruise with them last year in South America. Small world. WOW. After a long lunch/chat, we needed a long nap.

 

FOMO! Need to check out the Izumi Japanese bath. Went to Deck 15 Aft for a tour. This is NOT a mineral hydropool. The ladies area has four jacuzzis, 2 indoor, 2 outdoor. I am thinking the men's side would be the same. The large coed outdoor pool/spa is only lukewarm - 85 degrees F. The Ladies area was busy and crowded. 2 hours for $15. It looked relaxing on a rainy day, but a little too busy for me.

 

The Alternate Restaurants - Sabatini's, Sterling Steak House, and Crab Shack(select evenings) are all $29/pp. Kai Sushi is a la carte pricing. It never looks busy.

 

4pm - The sun is out! If the weather doesn't cooperate tomorrow, I am going to have a big case of Buyer's Remorse. I am going to wish I had traveled by land and not by sea. I am too frantic to get around the world to waste a lot of time at Sea. I book the cruises with the least amount of Sea days as possible. I could never see myself on any trans-Atlantic cruise. Maybe when it's time for the nursing home.

 

Laundry Time. I get free laundry with my elite status, but I am too fussy about my laundry to let anyone else touch it. I need to ensure nothing shrinks. I should ask for a laundry credit. I am up to $30 in laundry expense. Plus detergent.

 

Fantastic sunset in the Gulf of Thailand this evening. Nice and warm outside. Hoping for sun tomorrow. I did reserve the beds in the Sanctuary aka "Escape From the Mass of Humanity"

 

Another dinner buffet and we are off to the show. Showtime tonight - Bravo. I don't remember seeing this show previously, but it was the BEST. The singers are really strong and professional. Half opera, half pop concert. If I had any more energy I would have gone back to the second show. We popped into different lounges to listen to music. The Sound was missing their lead singer. Don't know if she is sick. She performed in 10 inch heels last night at the Disco party. I hope she didn't break her ankle.

 

Sorry to miss our port today. These sea days are not near as exciting. Goodnight......

 

 

Thank you TracieABD😀 Thank you to those of you that take time to post. I know it's easier to read than post. ❤️

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