bettty45

10 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@Kathybv Have you read the posts from the World Cruise by the @The-Inside-Cabin The Inside Cabin.  They went on a safari that concluded in Cape Town. (Posts 56-59).  Very informative and an interesting read.

You can also read my blog if interested.  I did the whole Africa trip.  Email me for the link

bettty45@gmail.com

Beth

I met a lady on the GA maybe at crafts and she was getting a Persian or Himalayan. Kitten when she got home.  I thought she was coming to get it in Arizona where I live.  She was to send me photos and let me know how it all went.  If s

you are the person and still following this will you contact me with photos etc??  Thank you

Beth David 

On 1/24/2023 at 5:23 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Try looking here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/316-gulf-coast-departures/

Thank you!

Thank you!!

What hotels do you recommend near the cruise port in New Orleans? Do any supply shuttles?  
thank you

Beth 

Had my operation on Monday. PT is coming to my house tomorrow for two weeks. Already have two days of DYI PT.

 

 

 

Trick for me will be how hard to push myself. Don't want to tear anything or make myself so sore that the next session will be ineffectual.

 

 

 

Gotta do better with getting quality sleep. Tried my doctor-recommended method of sleeping on on my back with no pillow under the knee -- not so good. Tonight, will try a pillow under lower leg.

 

 

 

Some PT say that sleeping on the non-operated side with the operated knee over a pillow over non-operated knee is OK too.

 

 

 

Also, still waiting for MiraLAX & Metamucil to move me along. ;-)

Try warm prune juice and Senokot. Those pain pills make it so much more difficult.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had the Mako robotic surgery in April for a partial knee. I have had both knees done a year apart. I am pain free. I can climb stairs ride a bike and have done up to 7 miles this summer. Good luck and be sure to do everything they tell you to do in therapy. I also had the ice machine wrap with the pump. It sure helped a lot!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're heading out next week. Doing a "live from" on the Caribbean Princess Aug 18-Sept 8. Best way to celebrate not having to go back to school anymore!

 

When's your next one?

Our next is the Panama Canal after thanksgiving on Norwegian going east to west !!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're big Princess fans. We just did our 14th and 15th trip to Alaska with them.

 

 

 

On my blog I did a "live from" on the northbound sailing of the Island Princess and the southbound sailing of the Golden Princess in May and June of this year. You might take a look there (here are May's postings) as in addition to the daily wrap-up I also have links to the Patters, the daily paper that details what is happening around the ship each day. They might give you an idea of what kinds of activities they have and whether Princess would be a good fit for you and your dad.

I see you are from Boise and a “ reformed educator” :). I’m from north Idaho and a retired educator. I’m wondering where your next cruise will be? My email is bettty45 at gmail.com.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Has anyone done a high school reunion cruise? If so, what cruise line, did they help with planning events our are you on your own? We have 3 years to get this thing going and are t trying to decide on a cruise or a destination. I want a cruise! HELP [emoji3]

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Forums mobile app

I would like to follow this. I have heard of folks planning this and most did a Caribbean cruise. I think you could get a very good group price depending on how many actually go. We did a group cruise once with Norwegian and had over 80 people go. We had a blast and Norwegian put on a special private three hour open bar reception for us. I think talking to a good TA or even Costco. They are wonderful to work with.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We did Princess to the Baltic and really liked them. We have also done Royal Caribbean, Holland and Norwegian along with Carnival. We have enjoyed things on all of them. I would look at where you want to go and also the reviews of the ship. Itinerary is big on our list.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We were on the Navigator two years ago. We had previously done a transatlantic on her and had such s great time. But our last cruise with her was very disappointing. Our floor had a terrible sewer smell. Everyone noticed it. Our steward said they had cut back on everything in RCI including staff and supplies. The lido often was dirty. Windows were dirty. Carpet was dirty. Seemed no one was able to get to everything. We were just so disappointed. We are Diamond members so RCI used to be our favorite but we have since gone to HAL or Princess. So agree with you on not having to deal with issues like this while on vacation. I hope RCI begins right away to improve these issues.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We met Kate on 2016 World Cruise. We are looking forward to seeing her again.

Please give her a hug for me :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day 53 – 26 Feb Benoa, Indonesia

 

Benoa, Bali

 

 

 

We slid into Benoa Harbor before 7 AM, gliding past fisherman in motorized outriggers and buoys marking the channel. Nice and cool at the moment, but you could feel the humidity and once the sun rose in the sky the temperatures would turn this pleasant morning into a sauna.

 

 

 

Our plan for today is for seven of us to take a private van we chartered thru Bali Safest Driver (More HERE) and go to Tegallalang Rice Terrace, the Monkey Forest Preserve in Ubud and spend a few hours exploring UBUD with a stop for lunch along the way. The price for a 13 passenger Toyata Hiace was about $70 for the day including a driver and an English-speaking guide. This is an incredible value and you should always consider this option for your day in Bali.

 

 

 

Our planned stops for today[/caption][caption id=attachment_8498" align="alignnone" width="750]close up[/caption]

 

Welcome to Bali

 

 

 

The ship was cleared quickly, and our group was off the ship a little before 9 AM to meet our driver. A small group of costumed dancers with a Balinese band greeted us on the wharf and happily posed for pictures.

 

 

 

Once inside the terminal we had to have our bags/purses X-Rayed, apparently looking for contraband of some sort. We didn’t receive the warnings about bio security or removing food from the ship, so I assume that it is OK, but I didn’t ask.

 

Bali Safest Driver

 

 

 

A relatively small parking lot outside the cruise terminal is fenced off from a small tourist market and a larger parking lot with access to the city. In this first parking lot you will find all the HAL tour buses and a handful of people selling taxi rides and tours. If you arranged a private tour in advance, as we did, your van will be in the larger parking lot, maybe 50 yards away, outside the immediate cruise ship area. As you enter this larger area, you will be solicited by a small crowd of drivers trying to sell tours, but you will spot a dozen or so people holding up signs with passenger’s names. Asking anyone to help locate your driver is futile as they don’t know, and they will only try to sell you their tour once they have your attention. Keep moving and you will eventually find your name on a sign.

 

stopped to chat with this Bali Policemen on the way to our van[/caption]

 

 

 

We quickly located our guide, Sri, who was holding a sign with my name, and she led us to a Toyota Hiace with our driver Bali. They drive on the left side of the road here, but after being in New Zeland and Australia for the past month, it no longer seems unusual.

 

 

 

More about Sri HERE

 

Batik Factory

 

 

 

While only 25 miles away, north of the harbor, it takes about 90 minutes to get to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces. On the way to Tegallalang our guide asked if we wanted to stop at a local Batik factory – AKA shopping stop – and we said OK, knowing full well that we would find a small demonstration area adjacent to a large gift shop. We didn’t mind since we agreed to the stop and were interested in perusing the various souvenir offerings and getting a feel for the pricing in a location where the prices were more fixed than you would find elsewhere. We arrived here about 10:15 and left at 11:00 AM.

 

 

 

Tegallalang Rice Terrace

 

 

 

The Tegallalang Rice Terrace is one of many similar rice terraces you will find throughout Bali. We arrived here about noon. There isn’t any place for our driver to park so he dropped us off near the entrance and would come back later when we were ready to leave. The terraces were created as a result of an irrigation technique called ‘subak’ which creates a stepped landscape. Each of the small terraced plots is privately owned and no single person owns the entire terrace.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Bali is organized into hundreds of small villages, with about 500 to 1000 people in each village. The villages aren’t political bodies but more akin to a HOA in the USA. The villages establish local cultural norms and can collectively organizes certain activities and manage certain activities – like these rice terraces. Everyone is born into a particular village and while you may move to a different village and live there, you will always be a member and maintain some allegiance to your home village. This information was provided to me by our guide and I may have missed some of the details of nuance of this organization.

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t see a formal ticket booth for the terraces, but our guide directed me to a man wearing a yellow vest who collected our 10,000 IDR per person admission. We didn’t ask if they accepted US Dollars, but I would have local money available for this and other small purchases.

 

 

 

NOTE: We changed about $100 into IDR and used local money for all our cash purchases. Most establishments you will visit in the tourist areas will accept credit cards and would probably accept USD or Australian Dollars as well. We did stop in one fabric shop that did not cater to tourists and they would not accept USD or credit cards. They were willing to see a $50 USD purchase walk out the door rather than accept anything other than IDR. If you are going to visit any area not on the normal tourist path, be prepared with IDR for any purchases.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the activities here include walking around the terraces, posing for pictures holding traditional rice baskets or riding on a giant swing. There was a nice café at the top of the terrace with an amazing view and we spent some time here rather than more time walking down the terraces and then back up. You can see everything most people will want to see without going more than 100 feet from the entrance to the rice terrace.

 

 

 

We left after 30 minutes which was plenty of time unless you wanted to spend more time hiking around, in which case you could easily stay here an hour or longer.

 

Balinese Lunch

 

 

 

Our original plan was to go the Monkey Forest first and then get dropped off in the center of Ubud for lunch. Sri suggested we go to lunch first, then shop in Ubud and visit the Monkey Forest on the way back to Benoa. Even though the Monkey Forest is only about 1 mile south (toward Benoa) of Ubud it still takes about 20 minutes to drive there and since it was open until 6 PM we would avoid backtracking.

 

 

 

We asked Sri to select a lunch spot with authentic Balinese food and she selected a place called Warung Makan “Bu Rus” which was within easy walking distance of central Ubud. The driver had to stay with the van and would eat on his own, but we insisted that Sri join us for lunch. After staring at the menu for a bit, we asked Sri to order everything for the group and we would all share. Local beer and Coca Cola were available in addition to some fruit juices.

 

 

 

h Stop - Warung Makan “Bu Rus”[/caption]

 

 

 

There were 8 of us and Sri ordered 8 different dishes which arrived promptly. Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed:

 

• 
   
  
• Nasi Campur (Fried Rice)
   
  
• Mie Goreng (Fried Noodles)
   
  
• Bihun Goreng (Fried Corn Noodles)
   
  
• Chicken Satay (Chicken Stick BBQ)
   
  
• Pork Satay (Pork Stick BBQ)
   
  
• Babi Kecap (Sweet Pork Chop)
   
  

Throughout lunch, Sri discussed more about life in Bali and answered our numerous questions. The total for our entire meal, including beverages, was 475,000 IDR or about $35 USD or $5 per person.

 

Ubud Walkabout

 

 

 

We finished lunch around 2:15 PM and walked a couple of short blocks to the center of Ubud where we split up and agreed to meet at a nearby café named Kopi Bali Express at 4 PM. Ubud is located in the uplands of Bali and is known as its cultural capital where you will find art galleries, museums, and temples. You could easily spend several days here exploring. It pays to research your options in advance. Judy and I walked down one street and back up the other and enjoyed seeing all the different items available for sale.

 

 

 

Monkey Forest

 

 

 

Our group assembled at 4 PM and headed off to the Monkey Forest where the admission was 100,000 IDR (About $7.50) per person. Once inside, you will find that the Macaque monkeys are everywhere and despite the signs warning you that they may steal anything not tied down, they will leave you alone unless you have a banana or a visible water bottle. Bunches of bananas were available for sale for 50,000 IDR (About $3.75) per bunch which had about 7-8 bananas.

 

 

 

Once you had your banana, you would stand still and hold the banana up over your head and wait until a Monkey scampered up your side and sat on your shoulder or head and munched on your banana. We had a great time with our bananas and we got some great pictures and the monkeys didn’t take anything except the bananas. Even if you are not interested in having a monkey climb on you, its fun to watch the monkeys scamper around and jump on the other tourists. We spent about 30 minutes here which was plenty of time before heading back toward Benoa around 5 PM.

 

for the Monkey Forest[/caption]

 

Luwak Coffee

 

 

 

We stopped at a tourist coffee place called Teba Sari which sells the very expensive Luwak Coffee (about $90 a pound for beans). This is a very popular stop and most tours will end up stopping here at one point or another. If you are interested in tasting the Luwak Coffee you can try a cup for about $4 USD. Judy enjoys their Lemon Grass tea and bought 2 kilos to take back home. She hasn’t been able to find it anywhere else.

 

 

 

Cantika Busana

 

After 15 minutes we headed off to a local fabric shop called Cantika Busana which sold beautiful lace fabric for the traditional woman’s lace tops. Judy bought some gold lace to make a Kebaya when she gets home. This is the shop that I mentioned earlier that didn’t take USD or credit cards – local currency only.

 

 

 

After a long day we returned to Benoa Harbor about 7 PM and said our goodbyes to our excellent guide and driver, Sri and Bali.

 

Back on the ship

 

 

 

Dinner tonight continued with an Indonesian theme and I chose the Beef and Chicken Satay and Indonesian Style Laksa Soup for starters followed by the Beef Sumatra for the main.

 

Balinese Dance Show

 

 

 

There was only one show this evening at 9:30 PM. Barbara was standing in for Hamish and she introduced a local Balinese Dance Group which featured several traditional dances: the welcome dance, the warrior dance, the Balinese Oleg Tamulilingan and the bird dance of Cendrawasih. The costumes were gorgeous and the dancing superb. A perfect way to end the perfect day in Bali.

 

My good friend and lecturer Kate Ross will soon be joining you. Please enjoy her lectures and give her a hug for me, Beth Davis. We so enjoyed her on the Grand Asia. Also if you see Alice in the Lido Deck she was such a jewel. Also say hello to her for us Beth and Dan Davis. Love your stories and photos.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for taking the time to post here and the blog. I know how much work it is.

 

 

 

If we need to print something, is there a HAL printer on board we can use? Haven't needed to yet, but there might be in 4 months on the ship.

There are printers onboard but I found out you can only print from their computers so you have to get on and log in online to be able to print. It won’t print from an iPhone or your own computer. That was my experience on the Amsterdam this fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes

Do they play it in the basketball court?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Does the Royal Princess have pickleball??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m very interested in following your trip. This is on my bucket list. Is there a way we could keep in touch? My email is bettty @ Gmail.com. I live in AZ. We have looked at this on Holland America too but seems more expensive.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s what I have found works best!

I had it done robotically a year ago for bone on bone in my left knee. It was amazing. I am pain free. I would highly recommend it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Betty45, I have a nephew in San Diego and my brother will be visiting next weekend; otherwise I would likely have joined you (I'm in the Hilton Marina),

 

 

A dreary Monday morning in Seattle. I've been blessed with 2 nice days.

 

Roy

How fun for you Roy!! See you on board!! Beth

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I may still be home but my big bag is on the move, picked up this afternoon. It’s n it’s way to San Diego and the Amsterdam via Luggage Forward. I’ll start chasing it in the morning.

 

 

 

I’ve been doing crazy combinations of cruises (sometimes with trains and planes thrown in) since at least 2010 but up to now they’ve always included a mix of cruise lines. This time the ocean portions are all HAL.

 

 

 

The seed of this odyssey is a bit strange. At various times I have just about circled the world on various ships and cruise lines with just one gap, from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and I’ve been looking to fill in that gap. The Grand Asia fits that bill precisely with a segment from San Diego to Shanghai to Hong Kong. From there I‘ve sailed Zaandam between Hong Kong and Singapore, Crystal Serenity Singapore to Cape Town, and Amsterdam Cape Town to Ft. Lauderdale. I put in a “future cruise request” on the Prinsendam in 2015 and booked the cruise as soon as it was announced.

 

 

 

I’ve heard bad things about boarding in San Diego and wanted to avoid that, booking the coastal cruise starting in Vancouver September 26 so I would be a through passenger in San Diego. The Amsterdam was diverted to a wet dock and I was diverted to the Oosterdam with an overnight in San Diego.

 

 

 

I had been very enthusiastically looking forward to a fall transatlantic on the Crystal Serenity but the ship was redeployed to Alaska for the summer. It turned out that my favorite Non-Crystal ship had a transatlantic so I had a great fall back option.

 

 

 

Here’s my final very compact itinerary:

 

 

 

September 20 leave home

 

September 25 board Oosterdam

 

October 1 board Amsterdam

 

November 1 disembark Amsterdam and fly to Rome, arriving 11PM

 

November 2 board Prinsendam

 

November 18 arrive Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

 

https://solocabinchallenge.wordpress.com/itinerary/

 

 

 

My bag on the way out:

 

 

 

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/bag_away.jpg

 

 

 

Today the Oosterdam is in Juneau, the Amsterdam in Homer, and the Prinsendam in Hamburg.

 

 

 

Roy

Roy don’t know where you are staying the night before the cruise but some folks are meeting for dinner that have come in too the night before. If you are interested in joining us please email ASAP for details.

bettty45 @ Gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh my, just look at the itineraries our lucky CC members are going on for this Bon Voyage. They are in for a great adventure and cruise no matter where they are headed - Grand Asia or Hawaii. Whichever cruise they are on, we wish them all very safe travels, fair winds and smooth seas.

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage to Amsterdam - 30 day Grand Asia & Pacific Voyage:

 

rafinmd - B2B2B following Amsterdam Sept. 25th and with Prinsendam Nov. 2nd

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage to Amsterdam - 80 day Grand Asia & Pacific Voyage:

 

TourGypsy

 

slotl

 

betty45

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage to Eurodam - 16 day Circle Hawaii:

 

49erteacher - B2B2B following Sept. 30th & with Oct. 17th

 

Av8rix - B2B following Sept. 30th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage everyone!!!!

 

Have a great cruise and/or voyage and a WONDERFUL time!!!!!

Thank you so much!!! Can’t believe we are really doing this amazing trip. Looking forward to meeting many new friends. [emoji568]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Splendor on Sept 3rd and my upgrade cost was $125 total to move from interior to balcony.

 

Again, so happy I read what everyone said!! I'm sold on the aft now!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sounds like a great deal!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow so many good points about aft! I have always been midship. I ended up not calling to try to cancel or anything bc I was too busy at work. Now I'm glad I didn't!!! Thanks everyone!! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

How much more for the upgrade can we ask and what ship and cruise???

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've learned how to make towel animals on the web and plan on making one for my cabin steward every day next cruise in September! [emoji41][emoji568]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Cute idea!!! Leave some cash in it :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk