Bangkok-Beijing 2/29 Roll Call Notes

[Texas Jim]

Roll Call Notes

 

Well it is time (in the words of an East Texas redneck) to “fish or cut bait”. Only three weeks and a wakeup before getting on our “slow boat to China.” Too late for major changes at this time. Time to organize and pack, get some cash, find all of our documents and head down the trail. I am ready. :D

 

Normally at this time, I have had a chance to network with other travelers on the CC boards and have joined several private shore excursions. It didn’t work out that way this time for reasons that I am not quite sure why. :confused: Having traveled throughout most of Europe and spent a year in Vietnam, I am normally very comfortable doing something with small groups on our own. But in this case that was not to be. Therefore, I went ahead and committed to several Nautica shore excursions, left some port days open for now, and still plan on doing an individual tour with guide in Saigon (HCC).

 

Some of the Nautica excursions sound like fun: evening folk show at the Rex and touring Saigon by Pedi-Cab; cocktail harbor cruise and high tea in Hong Kong; and junk cruise in Ha Long Bay. I also signed up for a visit to Imperial Hue, full day in Hanoi and Leisurely Shanghai. The great thing about this itinerary is the heavy dose of wonderful ports and exciting shore excursion options. It will be fun for sure. :D

 

This week I received my cruise guide from Oceania and was very impressed about how personalized it was (something different from previous cruises with other lines). While I have been on ships of similar size and design, it is very clear that Oceania has gone out of the way to enhance our cruise experience (for which I am grateful). By the way—no long dissertations about the quality and taste of coffee? :rolleyes:

 

Looking forward to meeting my fellow cruisers.

 

Jim :)