Nautica Impressions HKG to ATH

[Aussie Gal]

Jack,

 

Have just been viewing your wonderful photos. They are terrific and now we can put names to all the faces. Your Mum and Dad look terrific and you are just as I imagined thanks to your excellent description of yourself.

 

So glad that you arrived home safely. You are very efficient to have managed to organize the photos so quickly.

 

We will have our fingers crossed for you and Ty next week.

 

Jennie

[meow!]

Thank you so much for the very nice slide show. Your camera looks like a (presumably digital) SLR to me (in one of your pictures). I have a 2004 model, 5 megapixal small digital, and these days, with 2 Gb memory chips, I can put more than 1,000 pictures on one chip. Its main drawback is the "recycle time" between pictures, sometimes more than 10 seconds, and by the time it is ready to fire again, often the scene I want is gone! Do you have a similar problem?

[lagunaman]

I really appreciate your very kind words, I am sending your thread to LA for them to add to their already extensive collection of "Jack's" compositions.

 

I will reiterate what many others have already expressed, THANK YOU. it has been such a treat to read your extremely entertaining and very talented storytelling, such an amazing giving of your time and effort during your vacation.

 

Nice to know that your return to reality has been such a pleasant one and

should you both ever consider visiting Phuket again (AGAIN for you) or Marbella, please contact me ..

 

I shall be really delighted to offer you a VERY nice break on accommodation /subject to your providing daily travel updates!!!/

 

Marbella is actually a good base for seeing Andalucia ,inc places such as Granada/ Sevilla, also Gibraltar is only a 40 mins car ride away and from there you have a speedy hydrofoil to Tangier, the gateway to Morocco.

 

You can see more on Marbella rentals link on http://www.phuketmarbella.com & if you do decide (HOPEFULLY) to take me up on this, contact me through info@phuketmarbella.com

 

Finally, trust that Ty will receive a very positive medical report and that you will enjoy a great future together

 

John

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Is the greeting from the Wagging Tail brigade and defenders of the castle.

 

Welcome Home Jack and thank you for the Bon Voyage. We head up to Vancouver on HAL and a visit to dear friends on Camano Island next week. Then we head out on Nautica.

 

I will try to post some here from onboard - but I promise that it will be nowhere as entertaining as this thread has been. We will all be waiting for a report about Ty.

[lahore]

Hi Jack (whoops, that's not a very politcally correct greeting is it....urghh sorry, bet you've had it a thousand times).

This little Aussie is more than impressed, as if your writing wasn't cool enough, now you're an ace photographer as well! I am so excited by your photos, it's such a vicarious thrill because we will be there soon and it's excellent to see all the things you described. I can't tell you how much more excited I am about our upcoming trip having lived through it with you. Also, now I can see what Salalah port looks like so I know how much I need to make sure my taxi driver turns up! I will keep an open mind about Luxor - do you recall what the cost of the one

day trip was? And I can see that I was worried about camel riding with

good reason (I am scared of heights) - but fair dinkum, I cracked up at that photo of you on the camel, what a hoot . And 'moonrise at Wadi rum' should go into a photo competition...gorgeous.

[esther e]

Jack, thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and finally getting to meet you and Mom and Dad. This is definitely the best I've ever read or seen on CC. Thanks again.:)

 

Esther

[mk0520]

I am another fan of yours athough I haven't posted before now. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information and photos of your trip. The photos really made your journal complete. We are leaving on May 22nd on Insignia-Rome to Athens. This is our first Oceania Cruise and one of our stops will be Cairo where we will be spending 2 days. We will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. It has always been my DH dream to visit the Pyramids. Our prayers are with you and Ty. Please keep us posted as to Tys health.

[scdreamer]

Lovely photographs, Jack! Thank you for sharing your trip ... seeing the photos after having read the journal was just perfect. Great to put faces to all the traveling companions we felt we had come to know, and seeing the sites you visited was wonderful.

 

Sending along our best to you and the ones you love.

 

Leslie & Wayne

[PennyAgain]

but to the details. Now I understand what a cabana actually is.

 

waiting to read future work.

[Rob & Beckys mom]

For all the great photos. Wish I could give you & your parents a big hug in thanks for sharing your trip with me. God bless you and Ty in your future, & please write on your future cruises:D . Prayers are coming in for Ty all over the world, isn't that a plus!!

 

Jan

[Decebal]

Excellent photos Jack. Loved the Christmas card one in Egypt. Your parents are adorable. :D

I am showing the pics to my mom, as I've been telling her about the trip, and it's something that we talk about, er, rather dream about, doing ourselves.

Jack, when you have settled and have some time, could you also post some photos of the ship and the cabin, if you have any? Thanks.

[seasoned]

I had the extraordinary pleasure of being on the ship with Jack, so I got to experience the cruise with him in person and then again as I read his posts here. We met on cruisecritic and bonded by email even before we left home. It was a treat to meet Jack and his lovely parents once we boarded the Nautica in Hong Kong. I second every positive thing he said about the ship and our time together on it. This was my third Oceania cruise. I don't think I'll ever try another line, as all the rest have disappointed me.

 

Jack and I did different excursions and thus had different experiences in the ports. Salalah, in particular, varied from his day. Friends and I hired a taxi and visited the picturesque towns of Toqah and Mirbat, occasionally stopping on the highway to wait for camels to cross; we also had a wonderful lunch of local food.

 

By anyone’s account, the journey from Hong Kong to Athens was an incredible adventure, both on the ship and off. Since my gentleman friend wasn’t able to join me on the 35-day trip this year, he has booked us for the 35-day itinerary for 2008! I’ll have no problem repeating the experience, and it will be my pleasure to meet some of you then.

 

It’s a special treat to know Jack, as all of you have realized on these boards. Thank you all for encouraging him in his writing. Indeed, he has The Gift.

 

-Sukey-

[shedevil]

One complaint Jack. Where is the photo of the family reunion when you got home to the furry children and Ty? ;) Thank you for taking the time to share your trip, your insights, and those great photos which made the trip really come to life.

 

I have logged in every day of your cruise hoping for a new installment of Jack. We have cruised on Oceania and have traveled all over the globe but it always seems like I don't have time to keep a journal, make a photo album, take the time to jot a few notes about my impression of new places and people. Confession - the digital photos from our June 2006 Insiginia trip to the Baltic and the March 2007 TransAltantic to Marseille are all still on the memory chip....nary a photo printed.

 

Thank you also for helping me realize that part of the joy of traveling is the tale, the journey and by keeping a journal - electronic or paper - I can relive the memories and share with my loved ones.

 

You have inspired me to drag out the leather journals given to me by by father - which have sat empty in a closet - and make a commitment to journaling my journeys, short and long. My first task will be to get some of those travel photos printed.

 

Thank you again for sharing and inspiring.

 

Sharon

[wildduck]

Thankyou Jack for sharing your wonderful photos and your amazing journey. I was especially interested in the photos of the pyramids at Giza, as my dad fought in Eygpt in 1939-45 war. I look forward to to seeing them on our trip next year.

I wish all the best to you, Ty and your mum and dad.

[mvmag]

Having read through your cruise experiences, I'm a wee bit jealous. I was on the Silver Cloud, the Silversea ship you kept running into. My husband and I had an excellent cruise. But now that I've read your experiences, I'm chagrined to know that the extremely expensive Silversea cruise had a lesser itinerary than what seems to be a much better value Oceania cruise. It looks like we had the same experiences in Luxor/Valley of the Kings. But in Jordan, you were able to do Petra plus Wadi Rum; our choice was one or the other and the only couple I know who hired a private company to allow them to do both almost missed our departure from Aqaba. Even worse, we went from Petra to Sharm al Sheik, basically a waste of a day while you were cruising on up to Cairo/Alexandria. We didn't get a chance to get to the Pyramids; you did. Finally, when we all got off our cruises about the same time in Greece, I saw all you people in your tee-shirts and I thought: Well, either they ran out of clean clothes (which, given the laundry facilities, could have been the case--and trust me, the Silversea laundry facilities were only marginally better) OR they really, really loved Oceania and want everyone to know. Now that I've read your blog, I'm thinking it's the latter. Long story shorter: I'm looking at Oceania for our next cruise and it's all due to this blog.

[meow!]

Mvmag: Oceania is usually port intensive, for folks who like to tour and see as much as they can. Silversea is usually for busy people who want a short break or retirees who want leisurely fun. Of course, there is overlap, but this is generally true. If you want a Silversea sized cabin, go for the PH minisuite on Oceania.

[JackfromWA]

Hi everyone. Life is slowly returning to the patterns I am accustomed to. As I type this Rusty is sleeping on the living room floor, Stewart is laying on Ty and annoyingly flicking his tail, and Ty is on the couch watching last Sunday's '60 Minutes.' I answered most of my e-mails, paid the few bills I didn't properly anticipate, finished opening all the mail, experienced shock at the gas pump (Bellingham has the most expensive gas in Washington State and there are three gas refineries within twenty miles... go figure) and Monday night I pick up my mom and dad at the airport. After all the time together it is ironic I can't wish my mom a Happy Mother's day tomorrow!

 

I was prompted to write tonight after reading mvmag's post. Mvmag was on the Silver Cloud which was often in close proximity to Nautica. She mentioned that inexplicably the Silverseas itinerary wasn't as good as Oceania's. Since she didn't get to the Pyramids, and went to Sharm al Sheik instead I am inclined to agree. Rather than bash Silverseas though, I wanted to reiterate a theme from my posts. To me, more important than the itinerary is the people you travel with. I would much rather have skipped the Pyramids and spent the time with my mother and father, then seen the Pyramids and traveled without them. So, I am delighted that mvmag assured us she and her husband had an excellent cruise. I think that is the most important thing—when you take a cruise, you have a good time. For me, having a good time is a combination of the people I travel with and the ship I sail on. Having been on both Oceania and Silversea I would almost always choose Oceania—I prefer to save some money and the better cabins on Silversea don't justify the extra expense for me. I am glad that my reports have a Silverseas customer considering cruising on Oceania. I don't want Silverseas to lose customers, but after my 35-day experience I am an unapologetic fan of Oceania, and I certainly believe they are worthy of a trial cruise from passengers usually loyal to Regent, Crystal, Silverseas, etc. Mvmag, you hit the nail on the head. The reason I wore an Oceania shirt is I was proud of it and wanted everyone to know that Nautica was my tribe. It is the same reason that I bought and once wore a Silver Wind shirt.

 

To all of you I miss our travel dialogue, but I still have one more surprise up my sleeve (thanks to Seasons or Sukey), so you aren't quite done with me yet.

 

Glad so many of you enjoyed the pictures.

 

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. See you again soon.

[TenerifeSharon]

May I please add my humble thanks? This is one of the most beautiful postings I have ever read.

 

Amazingly enough, I discovered your "Journal" about four hours ago and, once started, have read it from beginning to end. Absolutely beautiful

 

Thank you again. Wishing you and Ty a wonderful lifetime together and am keeping my fingers crossed that the results of Ty's biopsy is negative and that you have many more years of wonderful experiences with your parents that you can all treasure.

[Jancruz]

Hi Jack,

After one week at home and looking back..I believe our cruise was the best we have ever taken out of 55 (we started when I was 10) lol..my children told me "you walked in the footsteps of history" and it is true!!!!

Thanks for the wonderful pictures..(ours are still in the camera..) it was so much fun reliving the cruise..your haircutting picture reminded me of the courage I had to have a wash, cut and blow dry in the hotel in Luxor for $15

It was great meeting you and your folks..and we look forward to traveling with you again one day...

Fair seas and calm waters to you and your family (of course Ty included) in the future..a big Hello to your parents...

Regards,

Jan

*****

[dancingpaula]

Jack,

 

Thank you so much for your wonderful reports and your precious time...you have had me in fits of laughter and an occaisonal tear in the eye...I could even imagine the smells and colours in the cities as you described them.

 

Wishing you every happiness for the future.

 

Paula xx

[mvmag]

Jack:

 

I absolutely agree with you and with other posters. Each of us chooses a cruise for many different reasons and my husband and I will always cherish the fabulous trip and wonderful friends we made on the Silversea cruise we took. I would never bash Silversea...nor Crystal...nor Celebrity..all of which we have cruised and enjoyed for different reasons. I'm just saying that based on your blog and what I have read since and people to whom I have spoken, I look forward greatly to an Oceania cruise.

 

As to the other reply re. the cabin size--just not a problem for us--I'd rather have the destinations!

[Twiga]

Thanks for sharing your photos, Jack! The moonrise over Wadi Rum is a masterpiece. The sunset with your footprints is also fantastic. The photos of you and Frank are hilarious! Best of all is seeing you and your parents at the pyramids. I've come to know you and like you through your journal and I must say that I love your parents! I think they are wonderful people. I am so happy that you got the chance to take this cruise with them. It was a very special opportunity for you all.

 

I was happy to read that FDR paid for your internet charges and beyond. That is good business! You have convinced a lot of people to sail with Oceania. You definitely convinced me that I made the perfect choice in choosing to sail on the Nautica. Now if September 14th will just get here quickly!

 

I wish you well and hope to read more from you in the future.

 

Nancy

[TenerifeSharon]

Thanks again for sharing! The pictures are all wonderful, but the moonrise over Wadi Rum is absolutely breathtaking (cover photo for the book maybe??).

[CruisingSerenity]

Heehee! I love TenerifeSharon's hinting suggestion....I second it.

 

And I'm also yelling, "Hurray!!!" in my mind with your statement about something special "up your sleeve".

 

I don't have a printer at home.....I wonder if I can sneakily print your posts at work so I can read them again and again.

 

Welcome home, Jack.

[aneka]

Thanks so much for posting the great pictures. They complement your excellent travel journal perfectly. I think the sun setting picture is wonderful. It was great to finally "meet" you, your parents, and even the famous "Lumpy." Thanks for recording this fabulous trip for all of us to read and dream about. I know we will all be looking forward to your surprise!

Thanks for your time and talents,

Annette