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**Solo to Singapore! Live From the Diamond- January 17, 2017**

TracieABD

By TracieABD,
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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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January 25, 2017

Phuket, Thailand

 

Hi friends-

 

As some of you are aware- Phuket is a tender port-- and on the last few cruises there has been a little back and forth with the local businesses on who should have the esteemed privilege of ferrying the cruisers from ship to shore. As Carol (Pushka) intimated in a previous thread- the Thai have large ferries- but it in the end it is probably cheaper for Princess to drop their tenders to move the crowds. On this voyage, the Thai won- and we were tendered by the large ferries. Actually, this works better for the passengers- as the ferries are large and can hold about 3 or 4 times the passengers as the tenders can. Also, loading and unloading seem to be a bit easier.

 

I hopped on DDiamond's (Donna, Brenda, and their mom's) private tour to canoe in the caves. Charles joined us, as well, making us a group of 5. Early that morning- there was an announcement that the similar/ comparable Princess shore-ex to James Bond island was canceled for undetermined reasons. This was one of the popular and expensive tours- leaving a crowd of angry passengers- including Jay and Pat (our travel mates in Kuala Lumpur).

 

Because, Brenda took one for the team and got in the tender line very early, we drew group 2- which was fabulous- because we were on shore by 8:30 am. We did not know what our vehicle looked like, so we could not invite Pat and Jay to join us- and once our driver joined us with his 9 passenger van- we had no way to contact them. The day was tinged with a bit of guilt- as I really, really like Pat and Jay- and they would have had a great time.

 

It was a two hour drive to the area where we would catch the low, flat, wooden boats that would carry us out to the caves. The ride was about 20 minutes to "James Bond Island", which was so crowded and touristy- we only stayed for about 15 minutes- before we headed out to the area with the canoes.

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Once we reached the huge pontoon platforms- we were directed to our "canoes". The canoes are actually small, inflatable sit-aboard kayaks- that can hold no more than 3 people- and one of those is the "paddler".

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So, bear with me as I digress a bit... It seems to me that in this part of Thailand- this is a bit of graft which you find at every turn. So the deal with the kayaks is 1) No. You cannot paddle your own. 2) There seems to be a hierarchy among the paddlers. 3) I don't think you can refuse to tip. I guess, fortunately for us, we had the consigliere of paddlers- permitting us to go to caves where no others were allowed to go. He really seemed to have an undue amount of influence on the other paddlers for sure. The caves were amazing- but there was a lot of boat traffic- so there was no wildlife spotted. Just rocks that jutted out of the water and mangroves. It was a nice paddle- save for the 8 dozen reminders that we needed to tip. Poor Charles- as the only male with a group of 4 women- there was additional pressure for him to tip for the entire group.

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After the kayaks- we headed to a floating village for lunch. This is a Muslim village- so I assume the food was halal.

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Upon sitting, we were served rice, a whole fish, chicken and cashews, chicken drumsticks, an egg frittata of sorts, a shrimp dish, and lemongrass soup. Everything was served family style- and was very good. Lunch was included in the price of our tour. The it was back on the wooden boat to shore- to board the van- back to Phuket.

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On the ride back, we saw Phuket in full swing-- restaurants, massage parlors, Internet cafes, bars, and travel agencies. In the Patong beach area- it was just wall to wall- and so many people. A lot of Europeans and Aussies. Without being too insulting, it was a bit like a Thai version of Daytona Beach during American college Spring Break. I may have loved it 30 years ago- but now??? Not so much. I was really grateful Donna helped us to get out of town.

 

I returned to the ship in time for trivia- which to be perfectly honest, I cannot remember if we won or lost- it is sort of a big trivia-blur. At this point if we win, we don't accept the prizes. Just how many Princess caribeaners can one person use...

 

I ran up to shower for dinner. While the menu was slightly less appealing than on previous nights- I decided to try the griddled lentil cakes with egg. While it was not what I was expecting, it was surprisingly good. Dense. But good. Dessert, however, not so much. I had the warm fudge cookie with ice cream- which had the consistence of particle board. Seeing as I am in no danger of starving- I ate one bite and left it.

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I decided to attend the Stevie B. production show- which was a study in narcissism to say the least. It was billed as a one-man show- even though he was backed by an orchestra. He sang. He danced. He showed us a PowerPoint show of his family. But what finished me was the original composition that he played for us. The song was a tribute to his parents relationship- and was called --- wait for it--- "The Lonely Juggler". Nope. Not kidding. The song was meant to be very serious, but I got a terrible case of the giggles and had to leave. Thankfully, when selecting a seat, I planned for a quick exit. Thank goodness. Later that evening- I walked past a lovely couple who were laughing hysterically- the only words I could make out were "lonely juggler". So glad I was not the only one.

 

I also attended the Marriage Match game. Normally, this is great- but this time? Not so much. The "newlyweds" we're married for 16 years- and they won. Honestly, I think the contestants were fine- the cruse staff were lacking in this one.

 

Knowing that tomorrow is my last day- I decided to call it night and headed of to bed.

 

Thanks for muddling through.

 

Anyone want to join me in a chorus of "The Lonely Juggler"? If you don't know the words, you can just hum along!

 

Tracie-Lynn

 

 

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donswife Great Review Rare

donswife

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January 25, 2017

Phuket, Thailand

 

"The Lonely Juggler". Nope. Not kidding. The song was meant to be very serious, but I got a terrible case of the giggles and had to leave. Thankfully, when selecting a seat, I planned for a quick exit. Thank goodness. Later that evening- I walked past a lovely couple who were laughing hysterically- the only words I could make out were "lonely juggler". So glad I was not the only one.

 

 

Thanks for muddling through.

 

Anyone want to join me in a chorus of "The Lonely Juggler"? If you don't know the words, you can just hum along!

 

Tracie-Lynn

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Not sure if I can hum along, but will definitely slip out with you while stifling peals of laughter. I have had to exit rooms on more than one occasion due to an inappropriate funny bone being tickled :D

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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**** Apologies****

 

 

 

I have to share with you one of my greatest pet peeves- when people don't finish what they start! And I am guilty, as charged!

 

 

 

I will do my my best to pick up from here:

 

 

 

January 26th, 2017

 

Sea Day and Last Day-

 

 

 

Which is normally my least favorite day of any cruise... Especially this one.

 

 

 

I woke in the morning and went down to the MDR for my last breakfast. I settled for fruit and a bowl of cereal- and the knowledge that I would have to pack, on and off, for the rest of the day. Boo.

 

 

 

I am also a gigantic nerd- I am the only person I know who can take a vacation and turn it into an academic study- re: The Book Club. So I spent the morning reading a section and packing a drawer. Reading a section and packing the shoes. Reading a section and taking pants off of hangers. Eventually, I finished reading the book long before a finished packing. In truth, I loved the book. But is was not a light vacation read. And truth be told, I wished that I had a bit more time to mull it over.

 

 

 

At 9:30, we played trivia and lost. Just to preface- we did a lot of losing on that last day. I am not sure if our hearts were just not in it. But it was nice to sit in the company of new friends- and I am pretty sure that some of these friendships will carry on for a bit. Just in case you are curious, this is what fondly like to refer to the "Band of Hooligans" otherwise known as the funnest trivia team EVER!

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At 11:00, I attended The Book Club. There were two others and Olivia, the 23 year old on the CD staff. I might have been the only one to have really read the book. The others thought it was "great" and "interesting", but would offer no specific commentary to the characters or the method in which the plot unfolded. Hmmm... I teach. I can read between the lines.

 

 

 

I skipped lunch, but went to Afternoon Tea in the International Dining Room. I want to say it was the best. tea. ever! But in truth, it was just a little sad. I had one sammich and one scone.

 

 

 

I also opted to skip dinner (but not for the obvious reason), but because the menu held no appeal. On any other day, I would have made a reservation for the Sterling Steakhouse- but I could not stomach the thought of a huge meal. So I tried the pizza- no bueno- and ended up with a hamburger with no bun.

 

 

 

Interspersed all of this was another 3 games of trivia and the cheesiest production show. Something about a pink Cadillac. I don't know, I have spent a week trying to un-remember that hot mess.

 

 

 

And then it was time to settle in for my last night on the Diamond. I crawled into bed and decided to watch "Home". I thought I might draw a little inspiration...

 

 

 

And so ends the cruise portion of the one of the best vacations ever!

 

 

 

I will post about my bonus day in Singapore, flight home, and final thoughts soon!

 

 

 

Thank you for your patience!

 

Tracie-Lynn

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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**** Ok, so while I am on a roll- I will go ahead and do January 27th, too***

 

 

 

Friday, January 27, 2017

 

Singapore

 

 

 

Hi Friends-

 

 

 

So I need to tell you something about Princess Cruise Lines. They are evil. Just plain evil. They kicked me off the ship. Nope, they would not just let me stay on. Heck, I was even willing to work. I think my optimal cruise job would be the person who puts the little dots and smears of chocolate and sauces on the dessert plates... What do you think?

 

 

 

Back to our regularly scheduled "live from"...

 

 

 

I woke early. Pouted. Showered. Pouted. Dressed. Pouted. Checked the drawers, closets, safe. Pouted. Made my way to the Wheelhouse. Pouted. As you can see, there was a real trend happening. Lots and lots of pouting.

 

 

 

In the middle of all of this- one of the friends from trivia offered me the gift of luggage storage in Singapore. My flight was not to leave until almost midnight- leaving me with 16 hours in an airport. Ugh. Even Changi- the highest rated airport in the world- still 16 hours... Ugh. I thought I would rent a day room just to get through the day and night- but alas, I did not have to.

 

 

 

After the easiest disembarkation ever, we dropped the luggage at the Sheraton Four Points in Clark Quay. I did not sleep there, but it seemed like a nice hotel- however, I would not select it as it is a 20 minute walk to the MRT. Just want to warn those of you who are public transportation junkies.

 

 

 

I ended up back at the Gardens by the Bay. I really loved that place- as evidenced by my three visits. This time I was able to see the Flower Dome

9363f84c96b3b61a7ce0a9bc3901e182.jpgand the do the Skywalk. So here is my thought, if you only have time to do one thing there- Do the Cloud Forest. Stunning. The Flower Dome was great, but not stunning. It was also heavily overrun- as it was the advent of the Chinese New Year and they had specific displays to commemorate this.

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I also got to eat lunch at Komala Vilas. I had masala dosai (a gigantic thin crepe, rolled and filled with potatoes and onions) and watermelon juice. It was really crowded as most everyone had at least a half day off due to the New Year. The food was great- but we were really packed in. Table sharing was required- even in the upstairs where you get to eat on a banana leaf. I love this place...

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I also headed back to the crazy Mustafa Center. Still crowded. Still crazy. Lots and lots of durian products. BTW- it is a fine-worthy offense to carry durian on the MRT.

 

 

 

That evening, we headed back to the Marina Bay Sands to go up to the "surf board". This is where the pool and bar and observation deck are. You can only go to the pool if you stay in the hotel- so I did not even get to see it. I watched the sun set over Singapore- kind of symbolic for the end of a charmed vacation. It left me a bit wistful, but as always- very grateful for such an amazing 2 + weeks.

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We grabbed a cab back to my friends hotel- I gathered my luggage and headed to the airport. I need to offer you a pointer here: if you "call for a cab", you will be assessed an additional S$9 fee. If you get a cab on the street, no fee.

 

 

 

The airport was as great as everyone says. Lots of different foods. Lots of activities- like movie theaters, butterfly gardens, lounges, free leg massage machines- but honestly, I was just not feeling it. I was ready to go. Another interesting ditty- You do not go through TSA until you are right at your gate. This leave all terminals open to everybody. I thought that was a nice touch.

 

 

 

The flight home was fine. We did have a woman who was having trouble settling. She must have changed seats 5 or 6 times. Finally, she landed next to me- complaining of a headache. I think she had a fever. I grabbed her a Motrin, and she was finally able to settle. We chatted a bit later, and she was really a lovely person. Just proving that sometimes people just need a little "assist".

 

 

 

For most of the flight, I watched movies and dozed. I saw some very memorable films on this flight. Oh! and the flight attendant "rewarded" me with all of the fixing for an iced latte- including a real shot of espresso (for First Class only). I think that was because I was nice to the wiggly woman.

 

 

 

Exciting news! I found my headphones in Frankfurt! And I bought real German candy!

 

 

 

When I reached JFK- we landed over an hour early, around 10:30 am. I have Global Entry, so I cleared super fast. My flight to Charlotte was not until 7:00pm, so I went to the Delta desk to see if there was an earlier flight. Nope. Not at JFK. But she did find a flight at LaGuardia that would get me home before my other flight was set to depart. AND (probably because I looked like death warmed over), she did not charge me a change ticket fee.

 

 

 

So for the cost of a cab ride- I made it home by 6 pm. BTW- LGA is getting really ragged around the edges...

 

 

 

And that is the end of my super amazing solo trip to Singapore and beyond.

 

 

 

I will come back a little later and add my final thoughts.

 

 

 

Thank you for allowing me to pack you in my suitcase!

 

 

 

Tracie-Lynn

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Cairn Mom

Cairn Mom

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Glad you're home safely[emoji4]. I guess January is a big month to visit the Far East. I have six friend who also traveled there. I bring this up because they are all complaining that the jet lag is brutal. Drink a lot of water,and take melatonin. Stay well. Looking forward to your next adventure.[emoji927][emoji925]⚓️ Nancy

 

 

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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February 5, 2017

The Final Wrap-Up

 

Hi friends-

 

So this is it- I always hate writing the wrap-up as it officially signifies the end of the vacation- but here it is.

 

About the trip:

- It was one of the best vacations I have ever had- from start to finish.

- I never realized how much freedom I would have in traveling alone.

- Yes, it is more expensive, but so worth it!

- I actually used the balcony. It was nice to sit outside and read.

- I lost a couple pounds on this cruise. I will attribute this to "Princess Dining Savvy"- I have had lots of the dishes and now just eat only what I really, really love.

- I loved Malaysia, both stops. Bali was ok- and Phuket was just too crowded for my taste.

- I really booked this trip for Singapore. I was not disappointed. I had a magical time in the city.

- The biggest surprise is how social I was... I am such an introvert, and downloaded 4GB of podcasts- think I would spend a lot of time alone. Never listened to one. I was out and about constantly. I made some friends that I will probably keep in touch with for quite a while. It was amazing!

 

About the Diamond:

- I really missed the International Cafe. The little coffee bar on Deck 5 was just not the same.

- I shall ever refer to the Diamond as the "Velveteen Rabbit" of cruise ships. She is very well-loved. She is also in need of some patching up. However, this had no bearing on my cruise enjoyment. It is just an observation.

- While they are fixing her up, they could stand to update her decor. She looks a bit dated- long in the tooth, as it were. Once again, this had no bearing on my vacation enjoyment.

- The four small and one large dining rooms was an interesting concept. It took me a day or two to get the MDR breakfast, lunch, tea in the aft dining room, but it really worked. People ate in the MDR a lot.

- The showers in the cabins were the kind that are on a hose and could detach.

- In some places on the ship, they had the really fancy Japanese style toilets. Even though they had directions in English- there was no figuring it out.

- Overall, the food was great. Really great. I had a couple of misses with desserts, but that only saved me the calories.

- Trivia was a hoot!

-With the exception of one show, the entertainment was not... But that is a matter of taste.

- I loved the Izumi Onsen. It was very relaxing- and I thought reasonably priced.

- The Thermal Spa was in need of a major overhaul... 2 of 3 steam rooms were out of commission. I was told this would be for the duration of the cruise. Yet, there was no reduction in the rate. I did not partake.

- The Sanctuary was lovely. I only used it 2 days- as it rained two days and I did not use it on the final day. Too busy pouting.

- The staff were great. The real standouts was Virgil in the Sante Fe dining room.

- For the first time ever, I used the buffet- for very early breakfast. They had a yogurt bar and waffles with yummy bananas.

- Skywalkers is alive and well. It was busy most times. I never did make it up for the PES lounge.

 

 

So the bottom line- I loved this cruise! I loved this vacation! It was an amazing gift to myself- and I was able to get some stuff straightened out in my head- which was very, very good- (though in the long run, therapy would have been cheaper- but not nearly as fun). I came back very happy, albeit very jet lagged.

 

I am happy to answer questions!

Thank you following along-

Tracie-Lynn:):)

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Bill B

Bill B

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Hi Tracie,

 

It was great to meet and cruise with you. I'm glad you're home safe & sound... I was getting a little worried when you 'disappeared' (here) for a week or so after the cruise. I'll send you some pictures I took from the 'Flyer' after I get back home to China on Feb. 17th.

 

I'm currently at my resort in Kep on the Cambodian Riviera; it's beautiful and the weather is absolutely perfect (currently 32 C). This is a seafood lover's paradise!

 

Hooligans forever.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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treesah

treesah

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Great summary, Tracie. A quick question: what were the demographics on your cruise, i.e. Americans, Australians, Europeans, SE Asians, South Americans? How about age groups, i.e. seniors, middle agers, young ones?

 

Did you have a chance to visit the Botanical Gardens in Singapore?

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