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Trekking the Globe with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2017 World Cruise - 126 Days

WCB

By WCB,
in Holland America Line

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Rotterdam

Rotterdam

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Thanks again for your efforts...reading of your voyages is a wonderful experience - not only are they so well written - they are so well balanced, realistic & funny - really the best the on Cruise Critic!

 

About33 years ago I took a Land tour to China & Hong King for 30 days - mainly I wanted to see & walk on the Great Wall. One stop was the Terra Cotta Soldiers & it turned out to be just as spectacular & memorable as the Great Wall. I hope your trip will be as fulfilling & spectacular as mine was.

 

Bon Voyage!

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Greetings fellow readers!

 

Yes, we will be doing a blogsite with photos. Lots of photos, in fact. Here it is if you are interested:

 

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com

 

We're finally in the home run with preparations at home, wrapping up the final details.

 

Thank you all so much for the kind compliments.....hope we can live up to your expectations!

 

Happy New Year to everyone!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Yes, the trip is getting close now as we wrap up the last minute details at home. Glad we have kept detailed lists to follow so as not to forget anything.

 

Alan and Sandra: You are lucky to be onboard....we envy that you are already unpacked and settled! Looking forward to seeing the gang.

 

If all goes according to schedule, we will try to write when we get to Florida.

 

Thanks again for the great send-ff messages!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Storylady

Storylady

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Love your your blog. We have been following your adventures for years. Looking forward to meeting you, probably next year! Your walking adventures have encouraged us to do more of the same. Thanks for all the detailed information

 

Will also be interested in your overnight to Xian and Guilin. Would love to do the same some day. So we will be enjoying your comments when you return from your overland adventure and are able to post your journal and photos.

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 2 The Flight to Miami January 1, 2017 Sunday Chilly in SF, but warm in Miami

 

Happy New Year to all! What a way to begin the new year…….. wake up at 3am, and get ready for our ride at 4:45am to the San Francisco airport. The good news was that traffic was minimal, due to the holiday, and the fact that tons of people probably stayed out late last night celebrating the start of 2017. Lucky for us, the weather was chilly, but clear. Sometimes this time of year, we get low-laying tule fog, which can mess with the flights. Of course, there are other reasons for delays, as we would soon find out.

 

Our friendly, but chatty driver had us to the airport in record time, just a little over an hour. It was a treat for us to get to see the Christmas decorations and festive lights all the way. Even the airport was decked out for the occasion as their full-grown evergreen trees were lit up as we entered the arrival area. And not simply red and green lights, but all the colors of the rainbow. Very impressive.

 

Another nice surprise was getting the TSA-free symbol on our boarding passes. This last year, we have lucked out in getting this speedy process. So far, this airline had the most efficient scanning. Took about 10 minutes.

 

The non-stop flight was due to leave around 8:30am, allowing us plenty of time for a relaxing breakfast in the new American terminal. While we enjoyed the hot coffee, all of the restaurant’s festive decorations were being removed. Then the “fun” began. Shortly after arriving to gate 57, it was announced that something had gone wrong with the plane’s air-conditioning. That can be bad, because you can’t open a window. Ha-ha. Within minutes, we witnessed a crew bringing a huge exhaust hose to take the hot air out of the plane’s cavity. Maybe that was a good move, since it might help remove any lingering viruses as well. Always better to look at it in a positive way, except for those folks that had connecting flights to the Caribbean. All were reassured that no one would miss a connection, even though we would be running one hour late.

 

One other thing that worked out well was the fact that the flight was not completely full. At least we would be assured that the overhead bins would not be crammed full of over-sized bags. Boarding went quickly, and we were off and running after 9:30am. And the fun part was that we all had interactive TV’s in the back of the seat in front of us. One of us watched sitcoms and movies, while the other played games all the way to Florida. Think we landed in Miami about 5:45pm, just as darkness was beginning to creep in.

 

Miami’s airport is huge, or so it seemed so, because we walked a long way to the baggage area. Expecting to see our two pieces of luggage coming on the belt last (since we checked in very early), it ended up coming almost first. No complaints here. Even better, two HAL reps were waiting at the carousel to greet us. Looked like they both had had a very long day, and were ready to go home. Not the happiest of fellows, we suspect they get burned out. We were simply happy to find our full-size bus, which we shared with two other guests. They were dropped off at the Marriott near the beach, and we went on to the Renaissance Plantation.

 

Took less than an hour to get to Ft. Lauderdale. Again, we were greeted with warm and breezy weather. No rain. Check-in took all of five minutes, mostly due to the fact that we had thought to call ahead and make our room requests a few days ago. Our room is up high, with a view of the lake and surrounding grounds. Perfect. Hungry and tired, we stashed our important things in the room safe, and headed to a nearby sport’s restaurant, a short walk away from the hotel. We both ordered chicken Caesar salads, sodas, and shared a warm chocolate-chip cookie/vanilla gelato dessert. Well, at least half the meal was light. We have three days to walk off the calories while here, that is, if the reports of rain tomorrow turn out to be wrong. Umbrellas might be on our “to-buy” list, as ours on in our shipped luggage, waiting for us at the pier.

 

It’s almost midnight here, although, we are still feeling like we are on Pacific time (9pm). Will take a few days to adjust….that’s why we always leave early.

 

Again, happy and healthy New Year! We’re off to a good start………….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Traveling Dot

Traveling Dot

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Bon Voyage! :) and Happy New Year!!!

 

Almost missed your blog. I got spoiled the last couple of blogs came automatically to my email because you used the same blog name. Hope to be able to keep up with most of your cruise as I will be away for a month on my own cruise.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Traveling Dot :)

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