EL MORRO, a fortress which guards the entrance to the harbor is a great photo opportunity. In 1983 it was declared a world heritage site. To those who have sailed into San Juan, here are a few interesting facts about it that you probably didn’t know and I believe will find interesting…
 

• San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico is the oldest city on US territory (St. Augustine, Florida the oldest city in the continental).
• The history of San Juan begins a long time before its official foundation, on November 19th, 1493, during his second voyage, Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico. He named the island “San Juan Bautista,” in honor of John the Baptist.
• Fifteen years later, a member of Columbus’ original party, Ponce de Leon, returned with 50 soldiers and a small group of settlers. The Spanish government appointed him the first governor in 1508.
• He founded the original settlement in 1521 who named it City of Puerto Rico (meaning “Rich Port”). The city quickly became Spain’s most important and most heavily fortified military outpost in the Caribbean. 
• During the early 16th century, San Juan was the point of departure of Spanish expeditions to charter or settle unknown parts of the New World. It became known as the gateway to the Indies, and San Juan was its main port and first line of defense.
• Sometime during the 1520s, confusion over the names led to a switch, the island took the name of Puerto Rico and the town became San Juan. 
• Begun in 1539 and completed in 1589, San Felipe del Morro was named in honor of King Phillip II.
• Rising 140 feet above the sea, its 18-foot-thick wall proved a formidable defense. The fort is a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, outposts and ramps. El Morro is studded with small, circular sentry boxes called “garitas” that have become a national symbol.
• It has the distinction of being the largest fortification in the Caribbean. In 1992, the fortress was restored to its historical form in honor of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus.
• To the Spanish Crown it had become increasingly clear that San Juan was an important port city that needed to be defended from other countries’ navies, from pirates, and from the aboriginal people which included the Taino and Caribs.
• In 1595, the El Morro repelled an attack by the British buccaneer Sir Frances Drake. ·
• Three years later, in 1598, the Earl of Cumberland unsuccessfully besieged El Morro.
• Then again, in 1625, a Dutch force besieged the harbor.
• In the spring of 1797 a fleet of British ships led by under Sir Ralph Ambercrombie sailed into San Juan Bay, meaning to launch an assault on the city and take control of the colony.
• When the attack was foiled, they undertook a naval blockade of San Juan, hoping to starve the residents into submission. As the towns people began to despair of any help from soldiers garrisoned in the inland towns, the governor ordered a “Rogativa,” or divine entreaty, to ask the saints for assistance.
• The women of the town formed a procession through the streets, carrying torches and ringing bells. The British, hearing the commotion and seeing the moving lights, decided that reinforcements had arrived and quickly sailed off.
• An active smuggling trade grew up around the Caribbean, which brought a wide variety of people came to Puerto Rico.
• In 1898, elections were held, and Puerto Rico’s autonomous government took effect. Later that year, however, the Spanish-American War broke out.
• El Morro’s last active fight occurred during a naval bombardment by the United States Navy the Spanish- American War. The castle was attacked at least three times by American naval forces ending the age of naval warfare in the Caribbean, at least in the classical sense, the most major of which being the Bombardment of San Juan on May 12, 1898.
• In December of 1898, the Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War, with Spain ceding Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States.
• The United States’ first shots of World War I were fired from EL Morro on March 21, 1915 by the officer of the day. The Odenwald, built in 1903 (not to be confused with the German World War II war ship which carried the same name), was an armed German supply ship which tried to force its way out of the bay and deliver supplies to the German submarines waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. The order was given to open fire on the ship. The Odenwald was forced to return and its supplies were confiscated.
• In 1961, the United States Army officially retired from El Morro. The “fort” became a part of the National Park Service to be preserved as museums.

I love it when we sail past history!

Happy Sailing!   Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Quite honestly, the thought of so many hours of jazz being held in our Galileo’s Lounge (Recently rated as one of the 10 best lounges at sea – By Porthole Magazine’s reader survey) only moderately appealed to me. I thought it might be overkill. Years ago I had done a couple of these jazz theme cruises with a former employer and the programs always seemed to be “flat” – pun intended. But this time it was quite the contrary as it REALLY was fantastic!

In cooperation with our Vice President of Entertainment, the theme was organized by Peter and Alida Meijers (Jazzdagen) who arranged all the talent.

 Everynight there was a cocktail set from 6:00pm – 7:30pm and then after the show from 10:30pm – 11:30pm and onward… The lounge holds about 110 people and for most sets there were at about 100 guests in attendance.

The talent was superb, the music just right and there were 12 different musicians rotating the sets making each set unique. Mr. Meijers did most of the introductions and tied it all together beautifully and often humorously! There were also some great vocals. I loved it and our guests who took advantage of it loved it too!Regent’s Spotlight Cruises are value added programs. The programs do not replace one thing with another and can be found on Regent’s rssc.com website. The next Spotlight on Jazz is scheduled for January 27th, 2013, in and out of Florida on Seven Seas Navigator. It will be hosted by the same people with many different performers. If you enjoy hearing great music then book your room and come along! I promise you the jazz will be hot and I’m sure you can take the heat!

 http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV130127/Itinerary.aspx

 Happy Cruising!

 Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Most of those who come here have similar agendas – enjoy the beautiful water and beaches – shop t’ill they drop – or participate in the number one rated tour in the Caribbean, which is sailing on the 12 meter America’s Cup yachts.

But on this day I was invited to participate in a different activity – bringing a carload of goods to a local, privately funded school for the learning disabled named AHEAD Center of Excellence. One of our guests, John Wheeler from the Rotary Club of Dade City, Florida, whom I have sailed with before, had an idea which was to have his club assist with the needs of the struggling school.

The local Rotary Club of St. Maarten worked with the local Benjamin Moore paint representative who will paint the school and John and his club raised the funds for much needed supplies, with transportation help of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, who made the delivery possible.

John Wheeler in the back row and to the right is Henna. The other five are also the Regent Rotarians that chose to make the trip.

At our onboard service club meeting which was held two days prior, John informed the group, who were all Rotarians that day, of his plans and invited them to come along. Five of our guests took him up on the offer. We were met by a lovely dynamo of a lady named Henna who handles the Public Relations for the local club. Her family owns a successful Jewelry Store both there and in Ketchikan, Alaska. She was originally from Malaysia but came to the island through an arranged marriage about 15 years ago and married two weeks later. Transportation was also provided by the club President, Rebecca who years earlier, after going through her own major life change, decided to visit a friend of hers on the island. She stayed a week then returned to Canada where she packed up her house and moved to the island full time. She was also an impressive lady.

This is Rebecca the club's president who also gave us a ride.

The school, not much more than a two floor concrete slab, is located just a few miles outside from downtown Phillipsburgh.

We were met by a few other prominent people in the community and the children, who helped unload the car. Boxes were opened and a banner was manually hung to commemorate the event.

The school is run by Pastor Elmead and Aster Allen, who also runs a local parish and has travelled all over the world. He was quite interesting to speak with. The Principal, Mr. James, has worked as an educator in the community for 30 years.

From there we attended the weekly Rotary meeting which was held at a school that week, where the food was cooked and served by the students who participate in a food service training program. John was asked to say a few words and the they also awarded he and his club with a certificate of appreciation.

It was a different and delightful way to spend an afternoon and I felt fortunate to represent my company for the part that they played to make it all possible.

Happy Cruising! 

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

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Dana and I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and the happiest of Hanukkahs!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

It was great to get back to Manaus which is located just about 900 miles up the Amazon river. This city went through a boom era in the late19th and early 20th centuries, when it supplied 90% of the world’s rubber. Rubber barons who lived in the city owned vast plantations and recruited local tribesmen to tap the rubber. The rubber barons (which totaled about 100 families) became incredibly wealthy and maintained lavish lifestyles.

They hired European architects to build their homes as well as stunning municipal buildings, the most significant of which is the Opera House.

Those barons made a lot in a little time as Manaus’ rubber boom lasted only 25 years. Its decline was the result of a British businessman smuggling rubber tree seeds out of Brazil in1876 and subsequently transporting them to Malaysia, where they flourished.

This steep decline continued until the Brazilian government stepped in and created a free trade zone here and gave the city the right to produce light industry items. Which in turn gave rise to Manaus’ present-day light industry zone where most of Brazil’s motorcycles and TV sets are manufactured.

Though this freetrade status has been since revoked, the light industry zone still continues to flourish.

Dana and I had hoped for the chance to retrace our steps we took together here some 20+ years ago when she came with me for her first visit. We were able to get out and ventured a short ways on foot down the coast to hire a boat and guide to take us on our journey. We found a good boat with one who spoke decent English and at the right price. We quickly headed down the river to view the main attraction of the area – the meeting of the waters – where the Amazon and the Rio Negro rivers come together.

The Amazon is brown because of silt, whereas the Rio Negro is the color of Coca Cola due to its high acidity. There are more species of fish in the Amazon than the Atlantic Ocean, however, in the Rio Negro there are very few fish – though the Pirana grow much bigger there! The Amazon is cooler than the Rio Negro and travels just over two miles an hour faster!

If you took two glasses and filled them with water from each river in about two minutes the Amazon water will be clear except for about 20% silt which will have settled on the bottom, wheras the Rio Negro water will remain unchanged.

From there we thought we’d head back off the main river for a quick late lunch at a floating / souvenir market where we had eaten long ago and then continued some sightseeing by boat.

Our goal was to get back into the tributaries where it is very beautiful and the sounds of the jungle are amazing.

However, what I learned was that the region is entering the second year of a terrible drought and though this is the beginning of the new rainy season so far, the rains still haven’t come.

The dark / light line on the tree tells the story of the drought and how high the water should normally rise.

As a result we were unable to get back into the tributaries because the water of the river is so low. Instead, there was a place where we could leave the boat at a dock and walk back on a trail about 1/4 of a mile and observe a tributary by standing on an elevated pier which is normally not so evelvated under normal conditions.

Though it was not the experience we wanted it was very pretty back there and we saw lots of birds and there was even a large canaima (local species of an alligator) sunning himself right below us.

We returned to our boat and paused for a little pirania fishing. We each caught one but we forgot to take a photo of it. After a little more ride around we returned to the dock where I carried on to pay a visit to the Amazonas Opera House. I took the tour and admired its beauty, once again.

It’s just a spectacular building and really must have been something in its day! All in all it was great to get back there. The city was especially vibrant with it being Friday and a major Christmas shopping day for the locals.

It’s been too long a time since my previous post and my apologies for that. Dana and I left home right after Thanksgiving, which was very nice by the way, and boarded the SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR on November 28th. Since then it has been nothing less than a whirlwind as we have pushed hard to get our department set up as we like it. We have not worked here in ten years – which is hard to believe! Thus, we found that there was an awful lot to do…

The ship looks great and there are, of course, many crew on board whom we have sailed with before – in fact, they still keep turning up! That has made a nice welcome for us. We have a strong and talented team here with Daniel Green as Captain and Carlo Gunetti as General Manager. We have sailed with Captain Green on several occasions but never as Master and from our standpoint he is doing a remarkable job! Besides being extremely skilled at handling the SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR he seems to be everywhere all the time and our guests love that.

We sailed with Carlo a few years ago on a Grand Asia Pacific Cruise and he is a real gentleman and a terrific leader. He normally works with his lovely wife, Gabby but she is not here now. Carlo heads home at the end of this voyage and we’ll certainly miss him, though it was great to see him again.

This sailing we have also had guest speaker Terry Breen, whom many of you know, and everyday she amazes us with all her knowledge about the Amazon (or South America, The Panama Canal, Alaska) – without ever using a note! She will head over to the SEVEN SEAS MARINER after this journey for their Circle South America Cruise coming up shortly.

The Jean Ann Ryan Cast of performers are also so impressive! They too have had to put in lots of extra hours lately working on some special events for the cruise and for the holidays we created and have been nothing less that 100% supportive – so talented! I could go on and on about all who is here because it is such a great working environment for us and a wonderful cruising environment for our guests.

As for our journey, which is shown on the itinerary tab on my blog, shows we are currently on a 23 day Amazon Cruise. I happened to sail on the industry’s first Amazon cruise on board the T.S.S. STELLA SOLARIS way back in 1984 and a few other times since then, as well. But it has been a while now and it’s nice to be back. Going up river we stopped at Santarem, but there was no time to get out.

Next was a new port for me, Boca Da Valeria where I was able to hop off for about an hour. I must say that port was a big surprise for me as it has all the infrastructure of a big city right in the heart of the Amazon!

From the dock where we tendered our guests a shore it didn’t look like much…

You couldn’t really see the town too well from the water. But once you walked in a short distance you could see it had a Main Street.

A school.

A church.

A restaurant.

A bar.

A zoo.

A soccer stadium.

Waterfront property. 

Great views.

Fresh fish.

Mass transportation.

Sattelite communications.

Professional guides.

Trash collection.

Public restrooms.

A Welcoming Comittee.

Even a shopping Mall. |

In actuality, this port was on our itinerary to give us a glimpse at village life on the Amazon. I thought it was a delightful little stop and the entire community came out to provide us with an extra special warm welcome! I was so glad I took the time to step ashore and experience it.

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Santa even made a surprise appearance at Rico's to thank Rick & Lori.

Rick and Lori were the first to begin this in our area back in 2002 when our then President stressed to the American public that we should all give special thanks to our veterans on this day, which is what moved Rick into action. It would be great if more communities would extend this kind of compassion and gratitude to these people – and not just on this day.

The Veteran's cake which is offered yearly by a local bakery.

Reflecting on this day, and also considering the personal messages I received from my many of my V Cruisers regarding my latest post, reminded me of a very special day in 1988. I was fortunate to be Cruise Director when the Royal Viking Star did what I believe turned out to be their last Pacific Memories Cruise. With General Rockefeller and several other honorary speakers on board we called at several historic islands like Guadalcanal, Okinawa
and the much lesser known island Biak, Indonesia.

Several years ago, Regent Seven Seas Cruises President, Mark Conroy and others were on board planning a world cruise itinerary when he asked me, something to the effect of “Jamie, back in the days of Royal Viking Line what was the name of that little island in Indonesia that turned out to be such a memorable stop?” That was Biak. Mark looked into putting it into the itinerary but for several logistical reasons it didn’t fit. But, that day in Biak was definitely one I’ll never forget!

The Battle of Biak was part of McArthur’s New Guinea campaign. It was fought between the 162^nd Infantry Regiment of the 41^st Division of the United States Army and the Japanese Army from May 27 to June 22, 1944. It became famous for being the first major tactical use of the ambush that was repeated on several American landings during the war. The island was held by 11,000 Japanese troops under the command of Colonel Kuzume Naoyuki. Because of his personal disdain of the doctrine of destruction at the water’s edge, he decided instead to implement a new strategy, to allow the Americans to come ashore unopposed so that they would fall into the ambush he had prepared for them. The Americans lande 12,000 troops, with 12 Sherman Tanks, 29 field guns and 500 vehicles. There were strategic airfields on the island built by the interned local Indonesian population at Japanese gunpoint.

When the Americans finally broke through the Japanese defenses on June 22 and captured its air strips Colonel Kuzume burned his regimental colors and committed hara kiri. The capture and liberation of Biak Island cost the Americans 474 killed, and 2,428 wounded. The Japanese lost about 6,100 killed and 450 captured, thus over 4,000 were unaccounted for, that is, missing in action and presumed dead. Effectively, they had been annihilated.

Our ship was said to be the first vessel that carried a large group of tourists to Biak since the last Americans left after the end of the war – let alone a ship carrying many WWII veterans! When our ship approached the island it was something not to be believed! Lining the coastline, many rows deep, were an estimated 10,000 locals watching our ship sail-in. From a far I remember we could see something along the coast but had absolutely no idea what it was – this was beyond our imagination!

We learned later that many of these people traveled on foot, bike, horse, canoe and in the beds of trucks over the span of a couple days, from all parts of the island, to be there to catch a glimpse of the Americans who had liberated many of them and their relatives from their harsh occupiers.

We docked and before our guests were allowed ashore our captain, Jan Fjel Hansen, was asked to go down onto the pier for a welcome ceremony which also involved him doing a dance with the local chief as we all looked on in amazement form the ship’s Promenade Deck.

After the laughter and cheering subsided the port gates were swung open and our guests were invited ashore to board dilapidated school buses to tour the island. School on the island had been cancelled for the day to supply transportation and to honor its special guests. In order for anyone to make their way to the buses, or in my case to later walk out of the port area, we had to walk through a crowd of a several hundred people.

As our guests began to make their way out scores of people would step aside and make a pathway, but then as they passed by the locals would reach forward, even above the crowd to touch them! What a sight it was! It was so gentle and honoring! Later it was explained to us that ever since the last G.I.s left they considered it good luck to touch a Westerner. The port security people soon stepped in and widened the path. I imagine for some the narrow path may have seemed a bit threatening.

The path was wider when I went out, but just as affectionate!

All decked out and ready to ride!

I had stopped and greeted the local people many times on my bike journeys - but never was there anything even remotely close to my Biak experience.

One of the crew members who was ready to join in the fun!

Michelle Johnson, shown at the the bottom of the photo, taking the plunge.

So, I took off my shoes and helmet and together we jumped about 12 feet down into the water. As I bobbed back to the surface I could still hear the loud roar from the onlookers which evidently prompted another bunch of locals to join us…However, to my consternation I quickly realized they still all wanted to reach out and touch us! We became surrounded with swimmers who were approaching on all sides. For a moment I thought “I could drown here!” As the swimmers began to reach out to touch me I, naturally, went on the offensive and began to reach out to them with a “high five” which turned the tide and kept them at a safe distance. My initial tensions dissipated and I was able to focus in on the moment, with the big smiles and laughter as I took in these unforgettable few minutes!

Starting to feel surrounded...

Give them a "high five!"

In closing, there is one humorous anecdote to Biak’s liberation that I want to mention. After the Japanese surrendered the Americans they soon began rummaging through all of their remaining supplies.  In a bamboo shack which contained some recreational equipment, to their great surprise they found dozens of pairs of ice skates! This was the very last thing these soldiers expected to find on this “Godforsaken island on the equator!” As a result of the following interrogations of the prisoners, one thing they learned was that those Japanese soldiers were told they were actually on an island which was not too far off of America’s coast and the city of San Francisco! Where, soon, after their successful invasion of America, they would all have the opportunity to learn to ice skate!…You’d think they would have known better… In 1944 there were no rinks in San Francisco.

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Seven Seas Voyager in Madang, New Guinea across from Japanese wrecks.

As you know, two days from now on 11.11.11, especially, is the day which we honor and thank all military personnel who served the United States of America in all wars, particularly our living veterans. At 11:00am E.S.T. let us remember to also pause for two minutes of silence out of respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and for those still living whose lives were adversely changed forever due to their wounds and suffering.

American graves at Rabaul, New Guinea - Read "Ghost Mountain Boys" by James Cambell.

These freedoms have given Dana and I the opportunity to prosper, live freely and to travel the world with our careers of choice. We extend our personal heartfelt gratitude to those who have been asked to serve and have volunteered to serve as their career choice. We should remember, teach our youth and give thanks everyday but do not…

The Pacific War Monument on "The Rock" knows as Corregidor in the Philippines. The sacrifice of many that probably saved Australia.

Also, we need to thank and remember our allies from other peace loving countries and their men and woman who have stood beside our brave warriors and fought for the same cause of preserving freedom!

On Corregidor, across the strait from Batan - Read "Ghost Sodliers" by Hampton Sides.

Corregidor's Flag. An Island lost. An Island won!

In our travels we have been so fortunate to have been able to go to visit, pay our respects and better understand many of the great wars that were fought around the world where our brave soldiers were asked to fight and die.

American Memorial Park on Saipan in the Pacific's Marianas Islands. Here 5,000 American marines, soldiers, seamen, and airmen who died in Operation Forager (the battles for Saipan and Tinian) and in the Battle of the Philippine Sea are inscribed.

Many of these places were and still are remote and lonely places, even by today’s standards. These photos I attached from just a few of these sites, many of which have long since drifted from the American consciousness. Places that were important then and are important now because of the sacrifices that were made there, but few ever even think about them anymore. This is just our tiny tribute to recall a few of the remote and lonely places where our service men fought and died.

The remains of a pillbox on Truk in the Marshall Islands. 1 in 26 mariners serving aboard merchant ships in World WW II died in the line of duty, suffering a greater percentage of war-related deaths than all other U.S. services.

Though Americans did not die on Truk, it was a principal Japanese base, US planes struck the airfields and ships at Truk on February 17-18, 1944, sinking three light cruisers, six destroyers, over twenty-five merchantmen, and destroying 270 aircraft.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect. On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving.

Iwo Jima, Mt. Suribachi had to have been the lonliest place of all...

An Act was approved on May 13, 1938, which made November 11 in each year a legal holiday, known as Armistice Day. This day was originally intended to honor veterans of World War I.

The captain let me fly the flag on the foredeck where we lowered it, had a moment of silence, played taps and sang "America." A couple hours in my life that I will never forget!

A few years later, World War II required the largest mobilization of service men in the history of the United States and too soon after that our American forces fought in Korea. In 1954, the veteran’s service organizations urged Congress to change the word “Armistice” to “Veterans”. Congress approved this change and on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor all American veterans, where ever and whenever they had served.

Pearl Harbor's Arizon Memorial. No longer a lonley place. But on December 7th, 1941 is was.

On Veteran’s Day Dana and I will have the “honor” to go and help serve at one of our good Traverse City friend’s and neighbor’s restaurant called Rico’s Café (Actually located in Grawn, MI). For many years now Rick and Lori have humbly and honorably displayed their gratitude by offering free meals to anyone who has ever served in the armed forces. It’s all done on the honor system and it’s all they can eat and drink – whatever they want – and our veterans start early and end late…It will truly be a great day and we are looking forward to it!

The National War Memorial of the Pacific - One of the most visited special attraction in the State of Hawaii is the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It was constructed to honor the sacrifices and achievements of American Armed Forces in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean conflict plus those missing from the Vietnam Conflict.

Thank you Rick and Lori, our country needs more like you…But most of all THANK YOU VETS! Our nation and our world would be a different place without you!

After all the weather and such we experienced last voyage, we certainly all hoped that this voyage would be good. As you may have read in my last entry, Napflion, Greece was a delightful day!
Monemvasia, Greece followed and was splendid! Crete was pleasant enough when our guests ran off to visit the 6000 year old ruins of Knosses.
Santorini, Greece had a slow start but, in the end was devine! Rhodes also put on a great show for us!  Mykonos held its own. Kusadasi, Turkey was cool and comfortable for a hike through Ephesus. Finally, there was the Greek port of  Mytilini…Well, I’ll get to that shortly…

Seven Seas Voyager docked across from the Byzantium walls of Rhodes.

Rhodes central square on this day.

Santorini on this cruise. Seven Seas Voyager in the distance.

Just the two of us!

Oia, quiet on this day definitely has a more cozy feel that Fira.

The museum is just great and houses a few of the original Lions that lined the entrance to the city.

Seven Seas Voyager set behind the oldest church on Mykonos on this voyage.

The famous windmills of Mykonos on this day.

Nafplion is located inGreece’s Peloponnese region and is only a two hour drive from Athens. It is the gateway to ancient Corinth and the Corinth Canal.

As you will see by my photos it was a glorious day and our guests, about 600 of them, stepped out to tour our first port of call for this voyage. I have done the tours here in years prior and was looking forward to a late lunch followed by a friendly stroll.

Nafplion is ideally suited for this with walking streets in downtown area and pathways for walking on the outskirts.  

As well, there is a nice beach and with other places where you can enjoy a swim in the Aegean.

Then, high up on the hill overlooking the city there is the Palamidi Castle that our guests would normally visit by bus, or if they are not on tour they are welcome to climb the 1000 steps to the top. Unfortunately, this site and a few others were still closed as a result of the national strikes.

However, many guests reported that despite this the tour guides did a very good job of making the best out of the situation. Many guides also treated our guests to their own friendly stroll through town.

As for me, I was looking forward to an unannounced visit in town in town with an old friend. In 1983 – 86 Dimitris owned a jewelry store in Mykonos, then married and moved to Nafplion to raise his new family where I was able to track him down a several years later. After two years it was good to see him and his wife again. They are still doing well, despite Greece’s financial problems, but are very concerned for the future. The recent strikes have affected tourism in the area and the town was unusually quiet.

 After a short visit, Dimitris directed us to his favorite restaurant to enjoy some tzatziki – Dana’s and my personal favorite! They also had another specialty there – baked feta!  Umm! It was so good! Several other guests joined us – “If the cruise director’s eating there it MUST be good” several said. Well, it was good, but no thanks to my local culinary knowledge – that’s for sure.

After that Dana went back to the ship and I chose to stay and take a stroll. There’s a peninsula that I like to walk around it and I encouraged some other guests to do join me.

 
After that 15 minute sojourn I decided to climb up to the Palamidi Castle. The access to the very top was closed to day because of the strike, but I ventured up for the purpose of being able to get a view of our beautiful ship anchored off the peninsula.

Going up and down I met several of our guests who were also up for the challenge. Several times I stopped along to chat. Actually I think we were all happy to use chatting as an excuse to catch our breath.

 After finishing the climb it was time to get back on board and join our guests for teatime and lead the Fun and Friendly Trivia Quiz. Despite the setbacks from some of the closures of the sites, I believe our guests enjoyed a stellar day Nafplion – and why not! After all, it was a lovely day to take a friendly stroll!

Last voyage sure kept us all on our toes as we faced a lot of challenges. I have been sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean /Greek Islands for 25 years and NEVER had a cruise like this one… 

It started out in great fashion with an 11:00pm sail away from Monte Carlo, followed by a terrific day spent around Livorno where our guests toured Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre and more – it is such a great port. Next day was Civitavecchia where our guests traveled to see the amazing sites of Rome. Ah,Sorrento, the charming city set high on the cliffs. And these were beautiful days with the Isle of Capri behind us and Mt. Vesuvius and the city of Naples in front of us. We sailed after a repeat of last voyage’s Venetian Deck Barbeque, this time with dance music rather than opera and a jam-packed dance floor, which we rarely see. What a start! It had all the signs of another great voyage!

But the next morning I awoke and ventured out on deck as I normally do, to see our SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER poised off the tendering port of picturesque Amalfi, a mere 28 miles from Sorrento, basically on the other side of the Sorrentine Penninsula. The wind was blowing and the seas were stirring with some rolling swells. Immediately I knew what that meant – it was to be a day at sea. My phone rang and I was summonsed to the bridge where Captain McNeill made my hunch official. We made our announcements and I headed down to the office to meet my team and plan a new day.

The revised plan had us arriving at Messina, Sicily late afternoon to try and salvage the day a bit. But then when the next weather report came through the Captain could see that our next port of Naxos, Sicily, another tender port which is the gateway to Taormina, was also going to be affected by the low pressure system. In fact, we later learned that our sister ship, SEVEN SEAS MARINER needed to take our berth in Messina. That day she was in Naxos, just 45 minutes down the coast from Messina, and the weather deteriorated there so quickly a number of their guests became stranded and were unable to be tendered back to the ship! They had to sail to Messina to pick them up. As a result of that we did not make it into port until about 7:30pm.

Well, the next day we did have a bit of a break.  We thought from the weather reports that it could possibly rain all day in Taormina which would certainly impact the tours since Taormina is a walking town. Fortunately, they only experienced a couple showers. But, by the time they returned the Captain’s forecast for that night and the days ahead was dismal. He gave out the weather warning and the crew battened down their equipment and supplies and prepared for a rough night – and rough it was!

Only four people turned up for the show. They all sat in the back row in case they had to hurry out. I think they only came because the back of the theater is one of the calmest public areas in a storm. But the bands music stands and drums kept falling over with every jar felt from the waves and the band weren’t well either. On stage it can be very uncomfortable as it is further foreword. I postponed the show thinking I’d have another chance to present it under better conditions, which I did as a matinee the following day. I even took medication that night, just in case, which is something I haven’t done in several years.

Next on the itinerary was the Greek Island of  Zakinthos. I awoke at 7:00 and looked out my window and knew that again, there was no way we could get ashore. Captain searched for other possibilities. Alas, there was the Island of Katakolon. A charming place that is the gateway to ancient Olympia, plus the ships DOCK there – Great! 

Initial planning started quickly as optimism soared, only to learn shortly thereafter that the Island was already on strike – 3 days earlier than the planned strikes in Athens. So Olympia was out of the question. But, what about the line handlers and immigration? Well, our ships agent owns a big restaurant and shop along the water – he said he’d take care of all that! But in the end the Captain was forced to heed again to the weather. Predictions were that the winds would increase which might make it possible to arrive but to depart we’d most likely be pinned to the pier. Almost as quickly as our optimism rose it faded. 

We were all disappointed! Not because we knew we there was no calamari and tzatziki in our near future, but for our guests. Its all about the guests – that’s, of course, why we’re all here! We want the best for them! We want them to truly have the vacation of a lifetime! But this time the weather was beating us. So, I planned another day at sea. The winds actually got up to hurricane force and fortunately our Voyager rode more steady than then night before which we were all happy about. She’s sure is a good ship!

The following day was to be Santorini. This was the place EVERYBODY wanted to see most – and we know why! Weather forecasts were for 25-35 mph winds. The cable car up would not be working. Plus the striking Boatmen’s Union would have to pick us up in their tenders, which is mandatory there, and would also have to supply donkeys to go up the mountain in the wind and rain. Need I say more? The only decision left was to steam ahead to Kusadasi, Turkey, our last port before Athens. So, we arrived a day early and enjoyed two days there.

Then there was what was going on in Athens. There was talk for a couple weeks about a 24 hour strike. Just one day. However, as luck would have it, it just happened to be scheduled for the day this cruise ended and our next one was to begin!  Ok, most everybody could handle a one day strike, right?  Logistically it would be an inconvenience, but doable. But then the Greek unions announced it would be a 48 hour strike instead. But, hey, I understand, why take off just one day when you can take off two!  However, that extra day made it a much bigger problem. Our company announced we were going to stay on schedule. We had to, I believe. While everyone might have their own different opinion, when you consider at all the details, no other options really made sense.

The corporate office dispatched one of our executives out to Athens to work things out and work them out he did. But about 250 of our guests decided to end their cruise in Kusadasi rather than Athens and either continue their vacation from Istanbul, because their were direct flights from the neighboring city of Izmir, or head home. The entire hotel department pitched in along with our corporate offices to make this work and create a solution. It was an impressive display of teamwork. The company relocated guests scheduled to stay in Athens to hotels away from Constitution Square, which is the center of demonstrations, to wait out the strikes.

Despite all of our efforts we know there is still considerable frustration and disappointment by many of our guests. There always is when things like things like this happen. But the vast majority understood the situation and accepted it and many others rallied to our support. The weather, definitely did wreak some havoc on this voyage and then the 2nd day of strikes topped it off. Never, in my 25 years plus of cruising have I experienced any weather like this in this part of the world and for so many days. The weather was an anomaly and force majeure – well beyond our control. We might occasionally miss one port in this area due to the seasonal winds but that is it. In 1988 I was on a voyage from New Zealand to Sydney and for 11 days we did not get anywhere and remain in 30-40 foot seas due to tropical cyclones! I often thought over the years that those guests probably never cruised again.

We arrived in Piraeus on the 19th at 3:00am, three hours after the strike began and lo and behold there were some line workers waiting for us to help us dock. Immigration arrived at 6:30am and stamped passports on time. Our executive also arranged “private” transportation which whisked off our remaining guests to the hotels between 9:00 and 10:00am. Our newly arriving guests started arriving at 11:30am and were almost all onboard by 2:00pm. In the end we only had four guests who didn’t make it and we are hoping that they will still show up.

Under the circumstances this turned out far better than I had thought it would have. Though we are still hoping the strike ends on the 20th and that we get those who remained in Athens home on time. But this past cruise was one I’ll always remember. Guests were, I believe most disappointed they never made it to the two Greek Islands, but still they enjoyed some incredible sights in Livorno, Civitavecchia, Sorrento, Messina (Taormina), Kusadasi and some days at sea. We can only do what we can do to make lemonade out of lemons when weather strikes!

 Yesterday we made call on a gorgeous day at St. Tropez, on the French Riviera.

 Today over 600 of our guests are now out on tour from Livorno, the gateway to Pisa, Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano and Lucca– so many options in this great port!

Tomorrow, we’re in Civitavecchia, the gateway to Rome, then back to picturesque Sorrento, the gateway to Pompei and the Isle of Capri.

 Then amazing Amalfi and after that its on to Sicily and Taormina, high above the sea.

After that a relaxing day on the Greek Isle of Zakinthos followed by the amazing volcanic island of Santorini.

 Finishing up at the great ruins of Ephesus in Kusadasi and disembarking our guests in Piraeus.

You can’t go wrong with this itinerary – the best of the best in this part of the world where great memories are made everyday!

Happy Cruising!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

 This program has gone over extremely well!  We have four opera singers from Canada who have performed a pre-dinner show, a main show and on the last night of the voyage they will do one more pre-dinner performance. 

But the one performance that our guests and performers will remember most took place last Tuesday on our Pool Deck when we held the GRAND VENETIAN BARBECUE AND MASQUERADE! 

This was a great idea of our Vice President of Entertainment and it turned out to be a smashing hit.  The majority of the 600+ guests who attended the event wore Venetian masks.  Guests were informed by our corporate office well in advance that this event would take place and believe me our guests came prepared.  I regret I didn’t take more photos of those!

 We also had masks for all the crew who worked the event and there were masks for sale in our onboard boutique.

 What also greatly added to the event was the brand new sound and light system that was installed during our recent dry dock. Over a half million dollars was spent on this alone and the event would not have gone over nearly as well without the awesome surround sound and lights.

This event, as beautiful as it was, when we considered it, needed a focal point to help create the “Wow!” factor. We asked the carpenters team to recreate something… simple… a replica of the famous Rialto Bridge of Venice! Yeah, right! 

We wanted the bridge to cross the pool and then we wanted them to also create the façade of a Venetian gondola because we wanted it to look like the vocalists were standing in the boat in the Grand Canal in front of the bridge.  It became our signature piece and a couple hundred guests got their picture taken in front of it, even Dana and I.

The pictures look good, but check out the one with the sunset and the Isle of Capri in the background. That’s my favorite!

But truly it was an evening of great dining and great music! We set our terrific Ukrainian pianist, Constantine, on top of one of the Jacuzzis, which we covered.  He performed 90 minutes of classical, light classical and Italian favorites.

  Then we had one of our regular headliner acts, an operatic soprano, Fiona Jessica Wilson, from the UK, perform 3 numbers in 20 minute intervals which led up to a full 45 minute performance by our Canadian Opera performers.

Ships that pass in the night will soon be forgotten.  But great nights that pass on ships will never be forgotten!   It was a grand night to remember!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

The only place we managed to slip a shore for an hour or so was at marvelous Monemvasia. This was my first call ever to this Gibraltar–like rock island, situated on the Southern coast of Greece’s Peloponnese andI felt I had to see it and, of course, our guests always expect us to have seen it so that we can answer their questions.

Over 300 of our guests took the day trip to Sparta to visit the archeological site which is about 80 km drive away. While others, exhausted by wonderful days spent in Mykonos, Kusadasi and Santorini decided to stay home. But those exhausted travelers who found the energy to step ashore were delighted with what awaited them close by.

There is a, so called, “new” village of Monemvasia where we tender our guests to. However, this is not THE Monemvasia. The original, historical spot is very unassuming from where the ship anchors. There is a causeway that connects the mainland with the island and from the ship you can really only see a distant row of cars that are parked along the road because there are no roads inside the ancient walled town.

Monemvasia actually means “single entrance” and in this case entrance is only by foot as no cars can possibly enter the fortress. Visitors can either walk a 1 kilometer road which is uphill on the way over and downhill on the way back, combined with a beautiful panorama. Or, just across the causeway, on the new town side, there is a bus stop where you can ride it for 2 Euros. From 2-3pm the tourist bus turns into a school bus and is not available.

Once inside the fortress you follow the narrow stone cut streets where you will stroll past to a few quaint shops or the even more little restaurants, many of which have great views of the sea and the surrounding coast.

Then you can walk unmarked and often uneven side streets that lead you through a labyrinth stone houses, which conjure up a charming imagery and are available for rent and some are even fine hotels.

Now, if you read this and decide that you might like to visit here and maybe even purchase you own plot of land in the fortress there are still a few sites for sale. For about 500,000 thousand Euros you can buy one of the remaining small plots with all the ruins, rocks and rubble that come with it.

Then you have to hire the building specialists who will totally build your home from the ground up, stone by stone. The cost is a small home is a lavish amount of money, but the results are marvelous and with a view down to the sea and up to the mountain behind you it makes for a unique and spectacular setting!

The fortress of Monemvasia dates back to the 6th century. It was initially constructed by the Byzantines on a rock that had been separated from the mainland during an earthquake in year 375. From then on, Monemvasia changed hands several times and was ruled by the Franks, Catalans, Ottomans, Byzantines and Venetians in succession. Centuries later Monemvasia can now claim it was enriched by this crossing of civilizations and has emerged proud of its history and has revived peacefully and elegantly to its glorious past.

 This was a marvelous little stop that many of our guests stepped over to enjoy!

Happy Sailing!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Dana and I have returned to the Seven Seas Voyager and met her at the end of an extensive dry dock in Marseille, France and we certainly agree – This ship has never looked more beautiful or been better equipped!!!
 

                                                                  
 

Top to bottom and inside out she is a stunningly elegant and well-kept lady! Our company spent about a million dollars a day to refurbish and improve the Voyager.

Everything has been made new and many areas made much better. For instance, every one of the public lounges, restaurants and pool area now has brand new, top of the line stage lighting and sound systems. The quality of sound in the Constellation Theater is amazing – what a noticeable difference!

I’d hate to single out any area because each was so well done, I believe it shows a great commitment on management’s part to give our customers the best ambiance and entertainment possible. The set-up in the Constellation Theater will now compete with any major theater on land or sea.

When we have our next evening event on the Pool Deck we now have tools to make the night even better. On the sports deck we now have two permanent shuffleboard courts and the paddle tennis court and walking track have been completely refurbished. 

The Coffee Connection on deck (5) was never big enough after it was first created a few years ago now it has been doubled in size and is very nice. The list would go on and on of the improvements made that you can see but there was so much done that you can’t see.

Speaking with our Chef I know that he has lots of new tools that get him excited. The Bridge now has the latest new safety technology, as well.

We will only be here until October 30th and then we return home until November 28th and have now been reassigned to the Seven Seas Navigator for several months in the winter season, so will no longer be returning here in February.                                                                                                                      

My apologies to anyone who has booked the Voyager this winter and expected to see us here. We have not worked the Navigator in more than 8 years but are looking forward to that. We’ll be in the Caribbean and will also take a great trip to the Amazon River and go 1000 miles up river to Manaus and back. I was on the first cruise ship to do that in 1983 onboard the (now scrapped) Stella Solaris. It is quite an interesting voyage and we are already excited to get back!

Stay tuned! More to come in the days ahead.

Happy Sailing! Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Here is the final segment of this Jamie’s Journey to Mumbai. What an interesting couple days it was. The public laundry is an incredible place to see if you can make your way inside. I see all those people working in the chemicals for as much as 16 hours a day and think “What a life!”

Stay tuned for this surprise ending… It is amazing what can happen even in a city of 20 million people. The voice sync for some reason(?) appears to be slightly off…Sorry.

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Well, here we go with part 2 of these two adventurous days we spent in Bombay! In this segment you’ll meet Raj who will play an important role in our surprise ending in part 3. Then we head to Dhobi Gate, the largest public laundry in Asia, where you will meet Samil, a laundry stall owner who will give us a fascinating tour that the tourist do not get to see. This is an amazing travel adventure. Please enjoy.

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911. In 1948 the last troops to leave India passed through this gate.

V Cruisers,

As summer begins to wane many of you may be looking ahead to this winter and are considering your travel options. This winter when Regent Seven Seas Cruises Seven Seas Voyager travels down to New Zealand and back from the Mediterranean it will make two calls to Incredible India.

You can check out a couple itinerary options. http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111219B/Itinerary.aspx  http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120312/Itinerary.aspx

Cochin is my personal favorite and this year we filmed a nice video there that I will show at another time. But I also find Mumbai , still best known and referred to by older locals as Bombay, most fascinating. Though many would call the city dirty, hot, overcrowded with much poverty, from what I have seen since I first came here in 1985, the countries’ growing economy has improved the lives of millions. I think it is a great travel destination.

On this cruise blog you’ll see that this travel adventure video was filmed over two days and split into three parts. We started out a dawn and traveling to the bustling Crawford Market, then headed out to the popular gathering spot called the Queen’s Necklace which overlooks the cities best beach, eventually making it to Dhobi Gate – Asias’s largest public laundry which employs 10,000 people. We meet a couple interesting people along the way. I hope you enjoy this and especially the surprise ending you’ll see in the final segment.

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

So here we go, our final part.  This was shown in four parts because YouTube only let’s me show these in segments less that 15 minutes (if you don’t know).  I actually did another video going to different places in Bali, also very nice, but I’ll save that for another time because I’ve got somewhere else I want to take you!

But before I do that I hope you enjoy the rest of this travel adventure! We finish up our countryside trip at one of the best kept secrets in Bali… My apolgies but the audio and video are slightly off…

Here is a link to our fantastic itineraries with Bali included!

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/default.aspx?RegionId=&MonthId=&ShipId=&DurationId=&PortId=BAJ

Happy shopping and happy cruising!

Cruise Director,  Jamie Logan

Now you have seen a bit of the magnificent colors of Bali, Indonesia – from the people to the landscape. Please enjoy more of the the country’s beauty – from the people to the landscape. This is truly one great place to visit!

Enjoy part 3 of 4 of my Jamie’s Journey adventure to this exotic destination.

Happy cruising!

Jamie Logan, cruise director

Here is part 2 of 4 parts of Regent Seven Seas Cruises call to Bali – sailing on Seven Seas Voyager - enjoy!

Happy Cruising!

Thanks for checking into my cruise blog!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Bali, Indonesia. This is one of our  favorite places! You never know what you’ll see or what’s just around the corner. Every day spent there is exciting thanks to the incredible culture and the warm and wonderful people. When I hear the word “exotic” Bali is always the first place that comes to mind.

How long will Bali remain a paradise? There are some not so good influences creeping in from other parts of Indonesia and the locals are concerned about the future and maintaining there peace and their culture. This is on my “must see” list of world destinations.

I Hope you enjoy part 1 of 3 of “Jamie’s Journey to Bali, Indonesia”

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Borobudur is such an amazing sight!  I hope that you will enjoy part 2…

Next we are going to visit Bali, Indonesia. One of our absolute favorites! Here are a couple more itinerary options that stop a Semerang and Bali.

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111219B/Itinerary.aspx and http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120207C/Itinerary.aspx

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

I was looking at the Regent Seven Seas Cruises website, which you probably know you can access right through my site and I was thinking about our winter season and all that we are going to see and experience. Now, why I was doing this in July is something I can’t explain! Dana and I are scheduled to join the ship January 6th in the great city of Singapore and we’ll probably go a couple days early to enjoy that as it is normally a turn around day for us  which makes it about impossible to get out.  We’ll stay into May, basically sailing down to Auckland and back and finishing up in the Mediterranean.

Checkout part of this itinerary here: http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120106/Itinerary.aspx  and http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120222/Itinerary.aspx

As I perused the schedule, it reminded me of how great these itinerary are and that we’ll ge the chance to return to some of our favorite places and I thought I would take the next several posts and highlight a few of those.

Our first stop is going to be at the port of Semerang, Indonesia on the Island of Java where I was able to get out and shoot a Jamie’s Journey with Diana Tamas, who shot and edited the footage. In that video you’ll get a glimpse of the active volcano, Mount Merapi which erupted again in October of 2010 sometime after we shot the video.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Merapi

It takes a couple hours to get to Borobudur and it is, of course, hot but just take a look at its magnificence!

Stay tuned for part 2…

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Dear V Cruisers,

For those of you who are from the USA, I hope you all enjoyed a great Independence Day weekend. We were sure did  here in Michigan!

You know, for those that are interested in WWII history there are still some very interesting places to see in this great world like;  Honolulu, USA; Honfleur (Le Havre), France; Guam, USA; Port Moresby, New Guinea; Okinawa, Japan ; Manila (Corregidor), Philippines; Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; Singapore, Singapore; Honiara, Guadal Canal; Truk, Marshall Islands just to name a few.

A couple years ago Seven Seas Voyager made call at Saipan in the Mariana Islands (USA) and we also paused for about an hour just off Iwo Jima,  (Returned to Japan in 1968 and now considered a part of Tokyo). I had been to Saipan several times before and it is a powerful place to stop. The Island just south is Tinian where the Anola Gay flew from to deliver the atomic bombs.

The stop at Iwo Jima with Mt. Suribachi was also an amazing and emotional stop.

I hope you find the video interesting! Simply click on the link. Then click on the play button.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Abw34u76jTg?hl=en&fs=1

Like they say…Freedom (DEFINITELY) isn’t free! May we never forget!

Jamie

On Old Mission Penninsula, Traverse City's Wine Region.

We love our work and sure enjoy being on board our beautiful ships but it’s always so nice to be home for a while! Working for months at a time without a day off is, as you can imagine, no easy task. But we are the fortunate ones!  Those that cook and serve, clean and maintain the ship – These people are the ones that really show an extraordinary commitment to both our company and to their families and we admire all of them and the jobs they do!

It was a nice morning to fish on our lake.

So, yes, we are lucky! Now, we are especially so because we’re be back in Northwest Michigan in the summertime! People who live up here in Traverse City, “One of the great port cities and top cruise destinations of the world” (That’s how I sometimes describe it), all say the same thing – Most live up here for the summers – even though we are all still hoping that summer will finally kick in sometime soon!

Home doesn't look like this now, but this is how it looked in January before we left for the 2011 World Cruise.

When we are gone for so long it’s nice to reconnect with family and friends, neighbors and come back to another kind of community – far different from the one on the
ship. And then there are the pets! We really miss animals when we’re away and I know many of our guests do also. One of our world cruise guests this year brought 200 pounds of cat food with her.  Her mission was to go out in port to find and feed them!  She told me a story about one of her cats back home, who was once a stray she came across on a previous trip. When she found it, it had some serious medical issues so she took it to the local vet in the city she was visiting. Later, when the cat wasn’t claimed, she had it shipped back to her home in the states! Though they really do not fit in to our lifestyle, for some reason we have them. We now have somebody stay and care for them when we’re away, so basically the pets think the house is there’s and that every few months ”the feeders” change. Some of our guests ask if our animals remember us or forgive us when we return after being away. We love ‘em but think they could really care less! All that matters to them, we believe, is that their dishes are filled each day and they get to go outside. Anything beyond this and a couple pats and pets is extra.

Brown "Moose" and Black "Maggie" and Dana with "Chester" - Time for a feeder change!

Maggie enjoying the snow in January.

Chester is the King of the house and he knows it!

Now, getting back to balance, I believe that all of us need to find that in our lives – though not all of us are able to, and some don’t even try. But for us, having found that balance has enabled Dana and I to cruise as long as we have which is over 20 years now. Our guests often ask us if we are going to take a cruise during our vacation? Are you kidding? NO! But we’d someday like to! Others tell us that we must just want to get away from water for a while! What? Never!

A view of the East Bay of beautiful Lake Michigan. The water can look as appealing as the Caribbean - Just a little bit cooler!

We enjoyed dinner with some of our friends out at their home on Old Mission Penninsula just last night.

We are 5 miles from beautiful Lake Michigan and we are fortunate to live on one of the hundreds of lakes in the region. Just about every day we are out on the lake enjoying our private yacht named “Joy” (Actually it’s a pontoon boat).

Another question we often get is, “Are you happy to get away from your guests for a while?” Well, no, not really. Later this summer we have been informed of a few visits by our guests. Sometimes there is even little or no warning, which is usually fine. Quite a few have dropped by over the years and even stayed with us.  We always look forward to those visits but please don’t let my statement be misconstrued – That wasn’t an invitation! But, seriously, we’d love to see anybody whose up in our neck of the woods!  Later this summer, we know of one couple traveling cross country who will come up and stay. A couple others we are planning to see in Chicago – a six hour drive.  We are going further north next week to an other couple who have been so kind to us!  Also, one of the delightful couples we have known for quite some time will actually be “in port” off a small cruise ship that makes a few calls here each year. A couple small ships cruise down the St. Lawrence and then through the Erie Canal to cruise the great lakes. We get a kick out of seeing a bunch of Germans and Brits wandering around in our little town for a few hours. “What are they doing here?” we ask ourselves.  There is a nickname the locals have for tourists which includes all out-of-towners and that is “Fudgies.”  Apparently most of these people have never seen a fudge shop, which is why there are several in town. Then there are a group of people called “Youpers” who reside in Michigan’s Upper Penninsula and “Trolls” which includes all of us who live below the Makinac Bridge to the “U.P.”

World Cruisers Chuck and Linda dropped by during the Traverse City Film Festival which gets larger crowds than the Sundance and shows movies at our restored State Theater.

We also enjoyed some Moomers Ice Cream, winner of numerous national awards and the oldest surviving ice cream shop. There is a lot of other things happening here in the nation's National Cherry Capital!

In closing, we’re glad to be home and look foward to the rest of our vacation. In several weeks we’ll start thinking about being back at on board Seven Seas Voyager and will be looking forward to that and following our ships itineraries each day.  So, for us, I guess, that’s balance.

Just a few of the many great friends we are blessed to have!

Talk to you again soon with lots more to share! I plan to show some of my Jamie’s Journies videos and showcase some more of the world’s great destinations and its going to be fun! If there is anything you want me to talk about just drop me a note. I am also working to get my comments section working again. I’d love it if you left one. Plus, I’ll be sharing something we are excited about later this summer – spread the word and stay tuned!

Happy V Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Seven Seas Voyager anchored of Mount Otemanu on Bora Bora is always a spectacular sight!

The last two days of our Journey came and went in  a blink of an eye! The last day at sea, for many, was not to be relished but was met with final preparations for packing and marked the beginning of many tearful good-byes. After so many days together it does become like a family here.

A memory from our day in Lahaina, Maui. Our guests who went on the whalte watching excursion enjoyed an amazing day.

Many friendships will be revisited in the future whether at individual homes or back on our ships. A sad fact for many of the world cruisers is that right now there are no plans for Regent to do another around the world cruise so this may be the end of an era.

I love this shot of Dana and one of our great guests Lilly in their Indian attire!

Dana and I feel most fortunate to have been able to do each of the past eleven consecutive world cruises. A few of the couples did all of them and one of those was Barbara and a man I nicknamed “Uncle Bob.”  That is how he became know on the ship for all these years, whether he was on the Mariner of Voyager that’s what he was called. Well, Bob was real fragile for the entire world trip but passed away just a couple days after arriving home. Though we were saddened by th news we were all so happy he finished the cruise and made it home. He was a good and funny man.  Thinking back, we have lost quite a number of our world cruisers – many lives well lived!

Barbara and "Uncle Bob."

As for next year there is no “world cruise” but there are a few opportunities for long haul voyages. In fact, you can sail 128 days from Auckland to Reykjavik or stay on another 10 days after that to visit the Norwegian Fjords and finish in Copenhagen (great voyage!).  We have about 100 signed up to do at least 128 days.

Captain Scala even made it to shore and joined us in Petra.

The only places you’d really miss would be the Pacific crossing and French Polynesia.  But because of that it visits many more places on the way to Iceland.  Dana and I are expected to be on part of that, we’ll see.

One of my favorite shots from the voyage as the two Queens (Mary and the new Elizabeth) set sail from Sydney. Several thousand were on the quay to watch the sail-away.

At noon we held a farewell luncheon for the world cruisers who remained on board for the final two weeks.  The chef prepared a wonderful set menu and I believe everyone attended. It was a nice way to say good-bye as many didn’t want to miss the chance to get to Normandy, which happened to fall on the 67th anniversary of the D-Day landings, or  to Paris which was on the final day of our voyage.

I snapped this photo of Seven Seas Voyager at dock in Littleton, New Zealand. Just nine days later the port town and Christchurch, just over the mountains a short ways were seriously impacted by the earthquake.

We were to stop in the quaint port of Honfleur but instead we went to Le Havre. The reason for that was because of the anniversary the tour agents were concerned that the buses from Normandy might be delayed in returning to the ship. If they returned after 5:30pm, due to the tide restrictions we’d be forced to sail six hours late. So instead, we went up the coast to La Havre and operated a shuttle to Honfleur which all worked out well.

This was quite a sight as we cruised the White Island Volcano off the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. The only "privately owed" volcano!

Our day cruise Doutbful, Dusky and Milford Sounds in New Zealand. The day was piicture perfect!

The morning of disembarkation went very smoothly, despite all the extra luggage from the world cruisers. I believe a new record was set this year for suitcases which was 59! I can’t even imagine that!  Dionne Lochner, a South African replaced me and boarded the ship early to go over a few things. Else McLean, an Australian took over Dana’s position. Both are delightful and they’ll work with Chris Martin who will be the Assistant Cruise Director.

Seven Seas Voyager will return to Bali, Indonesia twice in 2012.

Bali is one of our favorite places to see in this great world!

Our guests began leaving as early as 6:30am and there were a lot of hugs exchanged at the gangway… and yes, some tears as well!  Dana and I flew back to Traverse City, MI at 1:00pm and had a delightful flight. By 7:00pm we were eating a brat and a beer with our next door neighbors. Its sure great to be home! But certainly, we’ll look back fondly at this incredible 145 night journey around the world. It was truly a great one and we feel so blessed to have been apart of it!

Our guests enjoyed several wonderful special events this world cruise. This shot was taken at the Iolani Palace, in Honolulu, Oahu Hawaii, the only royal palace in the United States. Constructed in 1882 by King David Kalakaua.

As for the next day we finally enjoyed a day off and there are a lot more to come. But please stay tuned as there is a lot more great things to share with you in the weeks ahead!

Dana escorted our guests on an overland into Luxor and Cairo. Seven Seas Voyager also heads back to Egypt a couple times in 2012. What you see there is absolutely amazing!

Carry on Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Vacationing Cruise Director

More great sunsets to come! This one was in crossing the Indian Ocean, always my two favorite days at sea!

It was sure great to get back here in the world’s wine capital – we just love this city!  This region has been producing wine since the 8^th century. It is about a 6 1/2 hour cruise up the Garonne River to get here. It is a lovely city that looked even more lovely than the last time we were visited.

We spent a Friday and a Saturday here and our guests were treated to spectacular weather and each day was picture perfect. As usual most of our guests went out on tour and there is a lot to see here for sure! Those who chose not to get on a bus today seemed to enjoy taking it slow while walking the city – which we dock right next to – and enjoy the abundance of outdoor cafes. The people of this city love to dine outdoors!

The18^th Century architecture is so pretty here and the old part of the city has been designated a UNESCO Heritage Site for that reason.

On Saturday Dana and I finally were able to step ashore around lunch time for a stroll along the riverfront followed by a typical French meal at a creperie. Lunch was delicious and it was served with a little jug of cider that added to the meal.

Last time we were here much of the waterfront was under construction.  They added a new and superb local rail system plus a huge splash park where kids and adults can run and jump in about ¼ inch or so of water. I wished I was wearing my swim trunks as I would have loved to join in.

This was one of our favorite stops of the entire journey which will soon be coming to an end…

Happy Cruising!   Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

In Lisbon, for the second day in a row we were in port with the latest addition to Prestige Cruise Holding’s, the Oceania Marina. Oceania and Regent merged more than two years ago. Dana and I walked over to pay a visit to her. Our dear friend Leslie Jon, who is the senior cruise director there was on vacation so we were able to meet the present cruise director, David. He has been with Oceania about 8 years and kindly set the time aside to walk Dana and I around the ship. He seemed like just a super guy and I am sure is very popular with the guests!

Wow! Was it beautiful!  Oceania is tops in the Premium Market whereas we are tops in the Luxury Market. Our company had really thought of everything, we believed, as it was so impressive and there were many new and creative ideas.

One of the many ideas we liked was this great cooking school with 24 separate cooking stations where guests can sign–up to participate. The chef responsible for the teaching was kind enough to pose for me.

There was also a special classroom for  arts & crafts and digital photography and any other kind of instruction.

There are 7 different restaurants that the guests can enjoy. That’s amazing! Only two of them require an extra supplement. For one of them it is $75, I believe, but I am assured the guests get a lot for their money. And the other is a private dining area for 8-10 and it costs a flat fee of $1000 a night. It was all done so well!

There is also a paddle tennis court and an 18 hole golf putting course along with a croquet and bocce court like we have here, but so much more.

We saw many old friends who were transferred over there like Ian who was asked to go over an head up their new butler program along with his wife Lynette who has now moved up to become the Assistant Maitre D’ in the main restaurant.

We can tell this new ship is going to be a huge success and there is one more yet to come. Then we think Regent will get her chance with one or two new ships, no doubt when they finally get built they will have been worth waiting for!

After that visit I promised Dana I’d take her out to lunch in the Alfama district which is the old city with narrow streets and some areas with some nice local restaurants.

We enjoyed a typical Portuguese meal and then headed back down the hill to the ship. We enjoyed a nice view of the Marina which was docked behind us.

We were scheduled to sail a 9:00pm and that night we had planned a Gold, Platinum and Titanium event.  Each segment Regent throws a special party for our guests in our three top tiers of days our guests have spent on ship. Over 200 guests were invited! We department heads always put our heads to gether and try to come up with something different we can do at this event. This time, our cruise consultant Gudrun Werner came up with the great idea to present a special “Fado” performance in our aft lounge at cocktail time and also feature some of the typical Portuguese  delicacies.

Luis, our Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, who recently went on vacation, was able to arrange the entertainment. He hired the owner of the city’s reknowned Fado Club and he and another gentleman performed on guitar and a terrific Fado singer performed a thirty minute show.

Fado can be compared to the blues, like we have here in the states but this is their own version.  The event was very well received by our guests and I believe it was a day of great fun for all!

Happy Cruising!   Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Marseille, France put on a great show for us on a wonderful sunny day. It had been quite a few years since we were there and the city was really pretty and the sail-away was especially nice too.

Dana and I got out to celebrate our 21st anniversary at a restaurant called “Le Cirque” and enjoyed a truly terrific meal in the old port across from the water. I thought we were going to pay a lot to get a little, especially with the Euro as it is, but we really got our money’s worth and the locals treated us especially nice.

The old harbor of the city is beautiful lined with restaurants, shops and stunning architecture. It is a great place to visit and our guests seemed to really enjoy the day as much as we did!

Happy Sailing,

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii, in the distance from Sorrento, Italy.

Looking down the Sorrentine Penninsula from Sorrento.

After a nice final day in Sorrento we finished the segment up in Civitavecchia, Italy – the gateway to Rome. Twenty-eight of our world cruisers finished their journey there. Two days before Sorrento I put together a World Cruise Farewell Show for all world cruisers.

Sorrento on the cliffs looking up from the sea.

Basically, I created five special Powerpoint Presentations of photos I collected from the journey and put it all to music. In between the slides I had our two lounge performers, who had been here from the start, perform a number each and then solicited four of our crew who each performed a solo number. Then there was another little fun bit I did with the captain. The show brought laughter and tears and was, fortunately, well received.

Porto Venere.

The first port of our final segment was Porto Venere, just around the corner from Spatzia, Italy. It is the gateway to Cinque Terre, five delightful villages you can walk to – though it takes about 5 hours. One of our tours went there and they visited two of the five and loved the trip.

I was able to get out for an hour and took a quick walk around town and it was delightful! I had never been there before. It is not far at all from Portofino which is, I believe a bit more quaint but much more touristy. But the two have a lot of similarities, especially the colorful facades along the waterfront.

Happy Sailing!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

We just spent three wonderful days Israel!  Two in Ashdod and one day in Haifa, just down the coast. Our guests have literally been on the go since we reached Petra nine days ago! But what they have seen and experienced in this time are some of the finest antiquities our great earth has to offer!

There is so much to see and do on this journey and doing it all in one go rather than moving from city to city and staying in hotels is such a great way to experience it. This voyage is really four different overseas vacations wrapped up into one and I cannot think of one single cruise segment that offers more!

Ashdod is the gateway to Jerusalem. You can also access it from Haifa but that port is where you travel to Masada, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, Nazareth and others.

Just to be in Jerusalem I always have to pinch myself because when I am there I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity and there is just so much to see within the country.

The second day in Ashdod Dana and I celebrated my birthday and she wanted to take me somewhere we have not been to before so we ventured to Jaffa or as the locals refer to it Yafo. It is about a 20 minute bus trip from Tel Aviv which is just under an hour from Ashdod.

 Jaffa had a nice charm to it, but was not really a great town to do on foot unless you really knew where you were going, which we didn’t. But we did find a lovely restaurant with a lot of character that offered us 12 mini-salad plates with each of our orders (yes, that’s 24 mini-salad plates!) and then we both ate Sharma, that we enjoy so much! Dana had chicken and I ate the lamb. This is middle-eastern food that consists of sliced spiced meats off the spit which you wrap in hot bread and put in some lettuce and onions and French fries with some Middle Eastern tahini sauce. It is so good and we were both so full! It was a nice relaxing afternoon celebration.

Just about all of our guests were out sightseeing over these days and I respect their stamina. But when there is so much to see you don’t want to miss anything and most will never pass this way again.

Dana and I go back on vacation at the end of October but check out this amazing itinerary!  This trip has it all and begins in my favorite city of all – Istanbul! Wish we could be there!

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111029/Itinerary.aspx

Happy Cruising!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

I’m back! Actually, I haven’t been away but the world cruise is winding down and there is a lot to do in order to make the voyage finish big – just like a symphony! But more on that later…

Luxor Temple from the street. Across the street is the bank of the Nile where countless numbers of the Nile River cruise boats were anchored because tourism dropped off.

We are now back in the “Med” but the last several days have been especially wonderful for our guests! In Safaga, Egypt I had to stay on board and “mind the store” but Dana was asked to escort a group of 80 guests on an overland to Luxor and then to Cairo.

The Magnificent entrance to the Luxor Temple.

A closer look at the entrance.

Many others did a one day trip into Luxor, but that’s a very long day and I don’t recommend that. Quite a few others and not nearly as many as I would have thought, did the overnight to Luxor and then returned to Seven Seas Voyager the following day which is definitely what I recommend as it’s a long way to travel and there is so much to see!

The desolate "moonscape" dessert on the way to Luxor.

There are several police checkpoints along the way and busses travel ina caravan. This is nothing new.

Even the children were hapy to see the return of some travelers.

Luxor is one of the most amazing places to visit in this great world! I simply love it and am always amazed by it!

The hand chiseled details are everywhere in these temples that were covered 3000-4000 years ago!

Two years ago I painted our porch and this summer it will have to be done again. these colors remain from maybe 3000 years ago!

All this is so much more incredible in real life. Its beyond accurate description.

Situated on the Nile, on the near side you have the Luxor Temple which was pretty much buried in silt from the centuries of flooding of the river, which was one of the reasons for the building of the Aswan Dam.

These Sphinx-like statues once lined the several kilometer path that once connected the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple. As a result of Nile flooding most of these have been covered in silt for who knows how many centuries. However, they are slowly being excavated and someday this path between the two will be repaired.

The entrance to Karnak Temple. Only one fourth of this temple, which has four quarter has been excavated!

Then, just a couple miles down the road from there is the far bigger, but equally amazing, Karnak Temple. Across the Nile is what is known as the Valley of the Kings where the Egyptian kings, including Tutankhamun, were buried below its stark rolling hills.

From the hotel across the Nile to the Valley of the Kings.

Dana wanted to do a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over valley of the Kings, but was not able to. I was fortunate and took advantage of that opportunity a few years ago.

The overland was put together after our itinerary was changed a while back due to the “revolution” (as they call it) in Cairo.

Many solid granite obelisks were cut far up the Nile and were then floated down the river to Luxor. Some of these never made it in one piece. How they cut them and floated them down river is one thing, how they set the perfectly upright and remained that way for thousands of years is another!

As for these pillars, one of the temples has 66 of them alone. How did they achieve this. They think they have a pretty good idea but the experts are not completely sure.

 Later Cairo and the Pyramids was reinstated but in the form of and overland trip where the guests would leave the second day of Safaga (Luxor) and rejoin the vessel in Port Said, located on the Mediterranean side of the Suez Canal.

What struck Dana and our guests most were two things. First, there is a very cautious optimism for the future amongst the locals. They really want government corruption gone freely talked about their “Revolution”. The majority of Egyptians are under the age of 20 and these people now have a legitimate chance for a better future, but only time will tell what their countrymen do with this opportunity.

The view from the Four Seasons Hotel on the Nile in downtown Cairo close to Tahrir Square.

Second, the tourist sites were empty! Hotels were empty! Airports were empty! Sites that would normally attract thousands of visitors a day has been reduced to a mere trickle. Tourists are still staying away, especially Americans, even though our State Department has removed the travel warning for Egypt.

Left, you see the big government building that was set ablaze and was seen on the news during the height of the demonstrations. The other building is the Cairo museum where the antiquities of the Pharos are kept. Fortunately nothing was damaged.

Obviously, not having tourists in town makes the struggle for economic survival very difficult for every business that is affected by the tourism industry. A television crew even came down to Port Said to film our ship, I guess because our being there, alone, was newsworthy. Our guests were so glad they went and felt so welcomed by the people!

They saw the most incredible sites with unparalleled history. Seven Seas Voyager returns here in the fall and I hope our ships are full and so do the Egyptians! This is, again, one of the world’s must see destinations and the fall itineraries could not be more exciting!

Unfortunately, our current work schedule does not call for us to be here then – we’d sure love to be!  Hope you enjoyed a few of Dana’s photos.

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111128/Itinerary.aspx

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120330/Itinerary.aspx

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Aqaba, Jordan (right) is connected to Eilat, Israel (left).

Petra is perfect! Regent Seven Seas Voyager called at Aqaba, Jordan on the 2011 World Cruise and I was fortunate to be able to escort a trip up to this great site which the locals were touting as one of the “New Seven Wonders” of the world in 2007. I agree.

However, having now gone online to view the complete list I can’t believe that Luxor, Egypt (our next stop) and the Pyramids of Giza did not make the cut! Incredible! Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer) statue and the Pyramids of Chichenitza did? These sites are nice to see but in no way compare, in my humble opinion. Therefore, I demand a recount! Reportedly many millions of people voted these in…Well, maybe I’ll share more thoughts on this at another time.

Back to Petra. The ride from Aqaba to Petra is just over two hours but an interesting ride. Now, granted you are pretty much viewing the dessert but the dessert is both desolate and beautiful.

 Along the way can also see Bedouins, these nomadic people who relocate their giant tent and family four times a year. People who are descendents of these people but are no longer living the lifestyle can send their kids to Bedouin camps in the summer to experience the life that their ancestors once lived.

Next along the way you climb a few thousand feet in elevation where you begin to see what is called Wadi Musa which is translated to the Canyon of Moses. It is believed that Moses and his people did pass through this vast area and that one of the sons of Moses, Aaron, has his tomb located on a mountain which can be seen in the distance.

Once at the site of Petra, below the Village of Wadi Musa, you have to decend about 2 kilometers down to the site. You can walk, take a horse drawn cart or go on horseback. We chose horseback. After one kilometer on hard packed sand you arrive at the siq, or the narrow gorge that you must then pass through.

The gorge is amazing with its natural rock structures rising as couple hundred meters straight out of the ground creating a path that is often only 15-20 feet wide. The path was paved by the Roman’s after they arrived in 106 AD during the reign of Emperor Trajan.

Most of that has been paved over but there are still places where the original road can be seen. Then, all of a sudden the real magic begins when you come to the end of the gorge where you are able to catch your first glimpse of al-Khazneh which is commonly referred to as “The Treasury.”

It got it’s name from raiders who passed through here in the early 1900’s when early raiders arrived and thought that maybe there may be a cashe of gems or gold possibly hidden in the urn that sits atop the structure. It is easy to see the bullet marks that remain from that. This structure was also featured in Indiana Jones “Last Crusade.”

The Nabataean people who were also nomadic and are the ones that get credited for establishing Petra around 300 BC. Evidently they found it and decided not to leave. It flourished for a few centuries as the camel trading caravans would pass nearby and they would conduct raids to. plunder them. Later, they changed their tactic and instituted a toll and in return would promise safe passage that made them prosper even more.

What they did was to carve out tombs, temples, funerary halls etc., out of the soft limestone that is made up of stunning red, orange, yellow and blue rock. Petra, by the way, is translated to “The Rock” which is the  Grecco Roman name. The fist inhabitants called it “Rekem” which has the same meaning.

When the Romans came they certainly added to the rock carving and even built a 3000 person amphitheater. Although Petra became the “lost city” after it disappeared from the historical records after 750 AD until 1812 AD when the first European made it to the site and returned alive (there is a great story about this: search “Account of Burkhart’s discovery of Petra”).

A couple of us rented donkeys for a 40 minute trip up a mountain to view another temple called “The Monastery” which is called this because during the Byzantium period this was used as a Christian Church.

The Christians came after 324 AD when the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the official religion of Rome. Though we had to hustle up and back it was well worth the trip and both the temple and views were stunning.

This was my third visit and should the opportunity arise I would make the trek again! Our guests expressed that they were thrilled and amazed as they dined at a delicious lunch served at the nearby Movenpick hotel at the end of their journey before heading back to the Seven Seas Voyager.

"The Monestary" located high atop Petra. There is even a nice cafe there.

There is a lot more in depth history about this site on the Internet. Our vessel returns here twice in the fall and the itinerary is absolutely amazing!  Petra is a must see destination and the way to see it is by ship.

Check out Regent’s fall itinerary here. Tell your travel agent…”Jamie sent me!”

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111029/Itinerary.aspx

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111112/Itinerary.aspx

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Busy, busy, busy! That’s how it’s been around here!

We are now in the Red Sea having passed uneventfully (as expected) between Somalia and Yemen in the Gulf of Yemen and having now “squeezed” through the entrance to the Red Sea – Bab el Mandeb, the strategically important, narrow strait which connects with the Gulf of Aden. In the north, the sea divides into two narrow arms that flank the Sinai Peninsula. They are the Gulf of Suez, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal, and the Gulf of Aqaba, which is our next destination.  Aqaba, Jordan is the gateway to fascinating Petra and the dessert area of Wadi Rum.

Unfortunately, our Seven Seas Voyager has developed a problem with one of our four generators which powers our propulsion system.  This is NOT a POD problem, which we have had before. That’s good. Our company is trying to arrange for the part to be delivered in Safaga, Egypt.  We are currently doing about 16 knots, so it’s not so bad but the schedule did requires us to sail at full speed four all four days to get to Aqaba on time so as a result we will arrive one day late. We were to spend two days there.

This segment of our journey is a Spotlight on Public Broadcasting and it has been very well received by our guests. This is the ninth PTV cruise, as its called, but this is the first one I have been involved with. The personalities who are on board listed below.

• Charlie Cook, one of Washington’s top political authorities, is the Publisher of The Cook Political Report and political analyst for the National Journal Group, where he writes weekly for National Journal. The New York Times has labeled him “one of the best political handicappers in the nation” while The Wall Street Journal called Cook “the Picasso of election analysis.”
• Michael York has enjoyed a 45-year acting career. Among his 60 film credits are Romeo and Juliet, Cabaret, The Three Musketeers, Murder on the Orient Express, Logan’s Run and Austin Powers. Grammy®–nominated, York has made over 75 audio recordings.
• Acclaimed photographer Michael Childers has photographed over 200 magazine covers including GQ, Esquire, Life, and both English and Italian Vogue. He remains the only American invited to photograph productions at the National Theater in London, UK and has worked as a special photographer on dozens of films including Grease, Marathon Man, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Terminator, and Oceans 12.
• Dr. Michael Ledeen is the Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Previously, he served as a consultant to the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Defense Department. He is the author of more than 20 books, has appeared on Fox News, PBS’ NewsHour and CNN’s Larry King Live, among others, and regularly contributes to the Wall Street Journal.
• Acclaimed journalist, author and radio host, Jacki Lyden can currently be heard on the weekend broadcasts of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. Formerly NPR’s London correspondent, Lyden has covered the Gulf War from Baghdad, Iraq and has reported from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, and other countries. Her book, Daughter of the Queen of Sheba is out in eleven foreign editions and considered a memoir classic by The New York Times.
• Ari Shapiro, NPR’s award-winning White House correspondent, reports for all of NPR’ s newsmagazines, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has also been a guest host for NPR’s news and talk programs. Based in Washington, D.C., Shapiro is the first NPR reporter to be made a correspondent before age 30. He has received the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize and a “laurel” for excellent reporting from the Columbia Journalism Review.

 Also arriving very soon will be Animal expert Jack Hanna who will do two talks and should be quite interesting.

Also, in two days I’ll be holding my “White Elephant Auction” to raise money for our Crew Welfare Fund which improves the lives on board for all crew.  This has been become a terrifically fun event of the past several years and I’m looking forward to this live auction event which will be held at 10:30 in the morning in our ship’s Atrium and our guests are buzzing about it, as well. I had contacted the leaders of the PTV program prior to their arrival and they came through and brought a lot of goods I will get to auction off in addition to what we came up with here.

I hope to be escorting the trip to Petra in a couple days and Dana will be escorting and overland from Safaga, Egypt in to Luxor and Valley of the Kings and then continuing on the Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

This next two weeks will be great!

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Hello and Good-bye Dubai!

 As we ended Segment 4 and began Segment 5 of our World Cruise, Dubai seemed to come and go in a flash and we were only able to enjoy it as a distant view from the harbor. The famed QE2 also sits here in port, looking very lonely, as it has been about three years now since it began waiting to see if there will be a next chapter of her life.

Locals say the QE2 is still destined to be relocated to the Palm Island’s hotel district and become another floating hotel and museum like her predecessor the Queen Mary. The Palm is the world’s largest artificial island known and also Dubai’s most exclusive residential area. Though, it is being reported that some of these spectacular homes are being flooded due some sinking sand. The QE2 project is on hold due to the terrible economy and there are those who are doubting it will ever become a floating hotel. 

I look out from deck 12 and compare Dubai to the last time we were here two years ago. Back then the skyline was filled with the world’s largest cranes as magnificent buildings were going up everywhere. Now many of these buildings are completed but are sitting empty. Today’s skyline still has cranes, but far, far fewer and those that still remain are idle. Maybe it was cheaper for the construction companies just to leave them there? What really does stick out is the Burj Khalifa, now completed.

 It was to be named Burj Dubai but after Sheik Khalifa bailed them out of their financial crisis they changed its name. Now it is named for the current President of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s neighboring state and is currently the tallest building in the world. Many of our guests paid the $30 USD to take an incredible one minute ride to the buildings viewing center near the top. Actually, there are quite a few more floors of living space even above the viewing center which must be an incredible place to live! The views were, of course sensational, even on a hazy day like it was this day. Lots of sand was in the air!

The Royal yacht of of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Several of our former crew members are working there.

 Now we have stopped at Muscat and Salalah, Oman and are ready for four days at sea as we get ready to sail through the pirated infested Gulf of Yemen, located between the Horn of Africa and pass through Devil’s Gate, the narrow entrance to the Red Sea.

Lots more fun to come!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

India and Sri Lanka, among others, are great places to visit but as I remind my guests these are not the “usual” destinations for tourists, they are the destinations for travelers. 

Dana and Lilly - one of our lovely guests - dressed in their Indian attire.

 Tourists visit places that get millions of visitors and everyday the same travel scenarios get repeated over and over again, normally, right down to the well rehearsed and delivered scripts of the guides. Now, don’t get me wrong there is certainly nothing wrong with being a tourist because there are times when I am one as well.

Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai's public laundry.

But when you travel to remote places like these that do not get an overabundance of western visitors and where the local people also don’t share in a western way of thinking, you need to be a “traveler.”  Over the years I have often witnessed people getting all upset with things “tourists” hang on to and travelers can just let go. 

India Gate in Mumbai. Built by the British where they came ashore.

 So, rather than let things upset me in these out of the ordinary places, I just go ashore with the mindset of a traveler and nothing usually bothers me…

There are so many things that can potentially upset us…

• The port is dirty and locals have never heard of wastepaper baskets. 
• The local food consumed in that country doesn’t taste as nearly good as it does in the same enthic restaurant located our home town.
• The air conditioning doesn’t work, but the locals say it does, except that its “natural air.” 
• The microphone on the tour bus sounds scratchy and the volume isn’t right, but it doesn’t matter because the guide’s accent is so thick you can’t understand them anyway.
• The guide insists that you meet his cousin who happens to own three shops in town.
• The taxi driver says he speaks English but really only knows the words “Twenty dollars” and he really has no idea where you want to go. 
• The Customs and Immigration Officers are obsessed with stamping forms you must fill out correctly and carry with you but they know you’ll never ever need once you step ashore….

The Chinese Fishing Nets of Cochin. Other than China, this is the only place you will see these. Brought in the 1400's.

Chennai (Madras) doesn’t get many cruise ships, so they say. Judging by their methods for clearing the ship for guests to go ashore I can see a good part of the reason. There methods would never work with a ship carrying more than a thousand passengers. We had to arrange two full face to face immigration inspections. One for arriving and one for departing. Then each guest had to carry their passport AND also a copy of it , plus each guest had to fill out an Indian arrival card and a departure card. If that weren’t enough each had to complete a customs form that that could only be stamped by the one guy at the gangway (Actually I stepped in and was helping him with the task because he was too slow). Guests had to carry this form and declare how many cameras, video cameras, jewelry, cell phones etc.  they were carrying. These authorities litterally drove our Pursers crazy!  But despite all this is, none of it got any of us mad, because this is all part of being a “traveler” rather than a “tourist” and appreciating this chaos for what it is – part of their culture. Everything they had our guests (or Pursers) do made absolutely no sense to us, but made perfect sense to them!  That, to me, is just one more reason why we all just don’t stay home. Were all the hassles worth it? Absolutely!

Sri Lanka was quite interesting for our guests. I went on a tour in the little town of  Trincomalee.  We were the first cruise ship to visit there since the civil war began (which is now over) 30 years ago!  It was a really simple tour but really great!  Just great!  These people were so happy to have us visit too. 

Dana did an all day tour and took the camera.  I only shot video of my excursion. She loved her trip but didn’t shoot much. She did, however,  take a couple nice shots of some very old Buddhas cut out of stone.

We were supposed to stop in a place called Galle, Sri Lanka.  This small city was almost wiped off the map with the 2004 tsunami – 4500 in town died. The weather was bad and we couldn’t tender in which was disappointing. We all would have liked to have shown them some support.  The locals say that since that tsunami the weather patterns have been completely off.  The monsoon rains we experienced, they said, came atleast one month early.

We spent an Easter Sunday in Columbo, Sri Lanka and the locals welcomed us warmly. Easter services were held in the evening due to an early day of touring.

Our final Indian stop was Cochin, a favorite place of mine. We were able to shoot a Jamie’s Journey in Chennai and also here. Thanks to our Broadcast Manager Matthew’s good shooting and editing the Chennai one came out very good and the Cochin video will take a bit more time.

We loved being back in Cochin!  The first day Dana and I hopped a tuk tuk (again) for two hours of sightseeing.  We saw some of our favorite spots and some new places as we staked out our plan for shooting for the next day.

The sign at the entrance to Synagogue Lane (in Jew Town) which has the only one in the city. At one time thousands of Jewish traders lived in Cochin, now only 20 remain and they live on the street. Look at the windows and what do you see? The Swastika is actually a Hindu symbol meaning "Good Luck." Hitler took that symbol and turned it into his symbol for evil.

Cochin is really a number of small villages that have been absorbed by the growth of the city over the years and that has enabled the city to retain its intimacy. The boat tours of the backwaters, which we did not get to this year, is a most wonderful and interesting trip that our guests truly enjoyed.

Now it’s on to Arabia!

This sign is in Cochin and is how the locals refer to their state of Kerala.

Goodbye India and Sri Lanka.  It was great fun!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

September 11th 2001 we were on Seven Seas Voyager Navigator in Casablanca, Morocco when the news of the attack came through. We had rust returned from the Arab market and the entire day was eerie for me from start to finish.

This time we are in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates when the news came through just before 7:00am. I had been awake since 6:00am and turned on the news and heard about a big announcement that would come shortly. We all had to wait an hour but was well worth the wait!

All is quiet here and most of our guests are out on tour.

Congratulations to all who made this day possible and to all of our brave men. Our prayer is that it the killing of one man can somehow lead to a more peaceful world… This world is certainly undergoing some kind of shift right now. Let’s all hope and pray it does so for the better!

A couple days ago we returned to Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace and Tower where it was on fire in late November 2008 and 195 people died throughout the citywide terror attack. We were served lunch by a man who had worked there 32 years and lost his best friend in the attack.

Notice the metal bars now located at the hotel's entrance.

This is a picture of our LRAD system which will be deployed on the aft of Deck 5 to help prevent an unlikely attack by pirates when we cross the gulf of Yemen (google LRAD to understand what it does).

Our Security Officer Krishna showing off our LRAD -1000.

Then just a couple days ago one of our guests got word that her brother died in the recent Cafe bombing  in Marrakech, Morroco.

Dana and I greatly welcome the removal of the “head of the snake”, but understand this our war again all this senseless terrorism has so much further to go and we must remian vigilant. But for now its a great day!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

It is hard to believe that it was 25 years ago since Dana and I last made call at Madras (now Chennai) on the Royal Viking Sky’s1985 World Cruise. Madras is a big city and not a clean city which has a few sites to see in within the metropolis but to really enjoy all it has to offer you have to get out and away from it.

One of the more popular sites is the Church of St. Thomas (a.k.a. “Doubting Thomas”) one of Jesus Christ’s chosen 12.

 He spent some 20 years in India from 52 AD to 72 AD before he was speared to death. The church claims his tomb and there is a hill further from the sea where it was said he preached daily. He was also in Cochin, on the west coast, where we will soon be.

 The first day of two, Dana and I stepped out late after noon for a little tuk tuk ride for a two hour trip down the beach (said to be the second longest in the world) and then around part of the city. The beach is so wide it must also be about the widest in the world. Many people come to bathe here.

 We came across a bizarre sign along the beach. In 2004 this east coast state of Tamil Nadu was impacted by the disastrous tsunami where a total of just under 8,000 people were washed away. The locals told me that about 700 early bathers were washed away on this beach alone.

 The second day I took Matthew, our Video Broadcast Manager, down the coast to do a Jamie’s Journey to the Hindu site of Mahabalipuram (Great Sacrifice Village). On the way we ran into a Bollywood filming in a back alley and we saw a dance number that was quite good.

As for Mahabalipuram, it was even better than I remember it and many of the guests who took the tour also believed that the day was fantastic! There are basically three sites to see there. First was the Shore Temple which was built around the 7th century. At one time it is believed that there were a total of seven of these but the other six have been claimed by the sea (Not from the 2004 tsunami). The last one built is the one that still remains and was just barely unaffected by the 2004 tsunami.

It was both interesting and beautiful with 162 carved bulls that surround the temple. The bulls are the transportation of Lord Shiva, the supreme Hindu god.

Next we visited the 5 Rathas which are the chariots of the 5 supreme gods. The god of creation, protection, destruction (of evil demons), goddess (wife) of energy (fire etc.) and god (the son) of luck.

These structures are all built on what remains of one solid, enormous piece of rock. It took 200+ chiselers working every day 26 years to complete. They are really fantastic to see. Hey started from the top and worked their way down.

 Next we stopped at the Penance of Arjuna which is an incredible carved relief out of a wall of stone (45 feet high and 100 feet long) that tells one of the two epic (and complicated) Hindu stories.  You will notice on the wall (below) that part of it was never completed. That is becasue the King at the time died and when he did the work on the wall ceased.

Along with it you can visit close-by Krishna’s Butter Ball, a huge spherical monolith (Lord Krishna evidently loved butter they say – My kind of guy!) which looks like it should have rolled down the hill centuries ago and almost appears to be defying gravity. How DID it get there?

 Just near to that we came across a giant bull picking through the trash. Knowing that all bulls are sacred I thought I’d get close and pose with him. Well, I knew that bulls don’t like the color red, which was fine. What I didn’t know is that they hate anything that is black even more so.

We had an awkward and funny moment when I had to jump behind a light post because he came after me. My camera is black. I thought he was just camera shy!

We made one more stop at the Tiger Cave. This was a place where the kings would come early morning and meditate as the sun came up and is facing the sea which is just a short ways beyond.

 There was another 1200 year old temple there that we also stopped at. There was also one bull there but this one had not moved in centuries.

Something else I wanted to see at this stop was a temple I read about in a newspaper story I found on the Internet when I was doing some research for the day. This was interesting to me because it had been buried for who knows how long, but when the 2004 tsunami hit it uncovered the rest of a giant boulder which was actually part of an ancient temple. It has now become an archeological dig.

 With the help of our Tiger Caves Guide, he took us through another gate and showed it to us. While he was telling us the story we learned something interesting from him. His name is “Coconut Raj” and for 20 years he worked the beach of the Tiger Caves selling coconuts to the locals on the beach and to the tourists at the cave. Every day it was his ritual to come to the park early and set up before people started to arrive.

 December 26th, 2004 began like any other day. He went down to the beach and set-up his coconut stand then went back to the parking lot to wait for the tourists to arrive. From the beach to the parking lot its maybe 300 yards and about half way there he heard a loud noise. He turned and looked behind him and saw a giant wave coming over the rise leading down to the beach. He ran for his life and climbed up a giant piece of rock which sits at a 60 degree angle which was used as an ancient lookout. He climbed to the top of it as two giant waves ran beneath him. Had he been on the beach, where he had been less than two minutes earlier he would have been swept away. In 20 years he had never set foot on the rock. That day he spent eight hours on top of it! Across the highway his home and neighborhood was destroyed but his family all survived. He is now a guide at the Tiger Caves and no longer sells coconuts but he is still called be his old name.

Greetings from the Indian Ocean!  We just enjoyed my two most anticipated sea days of the World Cruise. I have learned over the years that when we round the corner of the Strait of Malacca and enter the Indian Ocean the two days it takes to sail across to the next port are the best and this year it did not disappoint us!

The days were about as calm as our little Spider Lake back in Traverse City, Michigan. The flying fish were abundant; twice we saw dolphins and even a couple sea turtles. But what was most viewed in the water and provoked the most discussion around the ship was being dragged through our wake for most of day 2.

 What it was exactly I never went down to look but happed to look when our Bosun was dragging it up. There was some concern that it was something stuck in our pod, which we had two years ago when we were force to abandon our world cruise in Rome because Voyager has to go to drydock.

These were also busy days from an activity standpoint, since we only have seven out of a twenty-six day segment. I had a lot to fit in. The first day at sea we celebrated Palm Sunday and had about 50 guests turn-up for my service. We also introduced a terrific speaker, whom we had the pleasure to sail with before, Mark Elovitz who spoke on each day first about “What’s Behind the Obvious in the Arab Middle East?” and then “What’s Really Inside Incredible India” the following day.  As a cruise director, I say that the most important activity / event of each sea day are the morning lectures and the segment will be another great one for having stimulating speakers. We also have a resident lecturer named Sandra Bowern who produced fantastic multi-media, destination driven talks and a couple who share the stage with one another Dr. Norman and Dr. Ngaire Douglas who also speak about the destinations we are sailing to.

 Tomorrow Chennai, India!

Today there was a slight change in our itinerary. It seems that Phuket, Thailand’s local taxi union was tired of all the tour buses dipping their hand into their rice bowls so they formed a blockade the other day in the port which kept the passengers of another cruise ship (Silversea) from going out on their tours.

When our company got word of it we decided to sail instead to the west side of the peninsula, on the Strait of Malacca, rather than remain on the east and made call at Patong Bay. So, instead of a 15-20 minute drive into the heart of Phuket it was a 25-30 minute drive and we had to tender rather than dock.

While most guests went out on tour, as usual, many of our guests just remained in Patong Bay which has lovely beaches and plenty of shopping for genuine knock-offs of all sorts. But those who did the elephant tour were most delighted, as they always are, as it provides a great experience.

Dana and I jumped off at lunch time in an attempt to satiate our Thai food fix, which we did. Then we rented a couple beach chairs and listened to the Russian dialect being spoken up and down the beach. Before to long we found ourselves dreaming about the lovely air conditioning system we have on board and decided to get back to the ship to satiate our cool air fix, which we did.

 Now we off about to enter the Indian Ocean as we begin to anticipate all the exotic sights of India and Sri Lanka!

Happy Cruising! Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Segment four of the 2011 World Cruise came to an end and all in-transit guests were treated to one night in Bangkok at the Shangri-La Hotel.  This has been a traditional stop for the world cruisers over the years and something Dana and I have always looked forward to. Because this day was also a day of disembarkation for almost 400 of our guests we transferred our guests from the port to the city, about a two hour drive, just after lunch.

 The hotel is gorgeous and is located on the main waterway, the Chao Phraya River, which I consider the center of the city’s activity.

Once we got our guests settled in their rooms Dana and I stayed at the hotel and went to Shangri-La’s delightful spa called “Chi” for a two hour spa treatment. The spa is so classy and elegant it adds greatly to the experience. Now granted, they don’t give these treatments away. We probably could have received 24 hours of continuous massage just off of the hotel’s property but this was very special.

 We then got cleaned up and met a few of our guest for cocktails and then went to the Hotel’s delicious Thai restaurant, Salathip, located right on the river’s edge.

The food was delicious and Dana posed for a quick shot just at the moment she became reacquainted with Thai Pepper Sauce. Yes, it’s hot!

During the dinner Thai performers stroll and perform at your table which adds to the wonderful ambience.

 The following day we got up early to send our guests off to one of my most favorite tours – the floating market.

 Others went to visit the amazing Grand Palace, which is also a fascinating place to visit.

And the final tour option, also a great one, was to the Clongs (waterways) and the King’s Royal Barges. 

Others hopped on a tuk tuk or visited the nearby shopping street. We just had a couple hours and decided to spend it by the pool reading and relaxing.

 We had embarking guests also staying at the hotel and their transfer was at 1:30 back to the ship and our in-transit guests were to meet at two. So we made it to the lobby to help get our guests organized and to answer the many questions people had.

 It was a great little get-away and change of pace for both the guests and us which concluded with a little nap on our return to Seven Seas Voyager in Laem Chabang.

Thank you for reading!

That’s all for today.

The second day in Ho Chi Minh City we were able to get in for lunch and meet our very special friend, Jade.  When we saw her last year she was celebrating her first year of marriage.  This year she was celebrating her first real job – she is now 24 – and also the first year of being a mother!  That sure surprised us but I guess it surprised her too.  As it turned out last year when we saw her she was four months pregnant and didn’t know it.

Our first picture of Jade and Kun when they began dating several years ago.

She is now working at her first real job ever which is in a Japanese factory that makes fried chicken seasoning. She checks each box and stamps the manufacture date and expiration date on the box manually and checks for quality control.  She was most proud of this job and even showed me her government contract.  She is making $80s a month in US equivalents. Actually, $110 when you  include the other benefits.

We dined at Jade's favorite restaurant - Ciao Cafe.

 She works with only women and the men work with only men.  She is picked up by the company bus and travels one hour each way to work.  She works 8 hours a day, six days a week and gets 30 minutes for lunch. There is no vacation, per se, but she gets one personal day a month.  After work she comes home and cares for her baby.  He mother-in-law cares for the child during the day.  She is VERY proud of her job!  Her husband Kun speaks no English but understands some. He was extended three more years in his job and works in the city. He has a similar work schedule but their days off cannot be coordinated. They both took their personal day for the month to meet us.

They live 30 minutes outside of the city. After the war his parents were offered property from the government (Dad fought for the North). He had three choices of ownership. 1) lots of land to grow rice in the middle of nowhere. 2) Get an acre of land and live in the suburbs. 3) Get a small apartment in the city.  He chose what was behind door number two.  Years later the city is now approaching his neck of what once was the woods.

We first met Jade when she was 13 and selling books and postcards on the street. There was something special about her approach and tenacity to make a sale. She handed me a card then that we still have it read “jadeisyoungbusinesslady@yahoo.com” We have been fortunate to help her family a bit over the years.  Hue was and still is a street seller. He says he hasn’t been able to get work ever due to his disability but has always displayed a wonderful positive disposition.  He is an inspiration to us!

We also saw Hue on the second day and he told me that that morning he had paid money for more classes and that he was going back to school in 3 days. He is trying to earn a degree in Marketing he said.  Good for him and good luck too!

Knowing these kids over these years has been a blessing to our lives.  Despite the tragic past history between our two countries, Saigon has always been a special place for us.

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

We made our maiden call at Sihanoukville, Cambodia. It was Dana’s and my first visit ever to that country. This is NOT the gateway Angkor Wat but it is the number one beach destination in the country. That being said, I am not sure if there is a number two? I went ashore with low expectations and the mindset of a traveler rather than a tourist.

 I hired their version of Tuk Tuk, which are most well known in Thailand. Cambodia’s version, however, is a motorcycle with a cart hooked up to the back of it. Where the Thai versions whip around the city at pretty fair speed this one could barely make it up a hill yet it had seating for four.  

 During my little visit I toured a Buddhist temple that I found to be interesting and took a few shots. The one I liked best was with all the statues lined up to give offering to the Buddha.

There was also a reclining Buddha and the main temple housed some wonderful paintings on the walls and the ceilings with a shrine and a few of the monks who were just hanging out allowed me to take their photo.

 Then I asked to stop at a school we had passed but found out that it was really an orphanage. I was able to interact a little with the kids, especially two that were wearing a European soccer jersey and a New York Yankees tee shirt. I am sure he had no idea what the symbol on the shirt meant, let alone what baseball was.

 From there I went on to visit a very big local market where the shuttle bus stopped.

 Then I wanted to see what Trip Advisor said was the best beach which is Otres, located just three miles outside of town. This was a beautiful beach and had cute bungalows on the hill over looking the water which tourists can rent for $10-30 USD a night, depending on the size of room you wanted. It also had a nice restaurant right on the beach. I asked for a look inside and found it to be basic but very clean.

 After that I began to make my way back along a beautiful coastline that also has one or two pretty attractive resorts on it and then we came across the monkey forest. There I found kids feeding these wild animals by hand.  I did not.

 All in all it was a great little introduction to Cambodia. The locals more or less went about there business and did not fuss over the tourists, but I certainly felt welcome. It was a nice place to step ashore and be a traveler!

It was great to be back in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam again. We have always enjoyed our time there. We spent two days there, as we have done each year for the past nine.  I like shopping for $8. ties (with a matching hanky included!) and seeing some people that we have known now since 2002.

The first fella we saw is a young man named Hue. He is now 26 and has a great smile and gentleness to him. He contracted Polio when we he was two and so he has been on crutches since he first learned to walk. We have always admired Hue but have not spent as much time with him as a girl we have known.

Jade and Hue.

 The girl we wanted to see was unable to come on that day so we decided to hire Hue as our “guide.”  We enjoyed a quick lunch and then set out to hire a boat and take it up the Saigon River to try to visit an artist colony we were told about.

Well, we let Hue negotiate the deal at the pier. We wanted to take a speedboat but he said it wasn’t available, so we left to go to try another pier. However, just after we left I quizzed him over this and then he admitted that they wanted $70 for three hours but that the price first started at $50 then went to $60 and when they told him $70 he told us it was not available. He explained didn’t want them to take advantage of us. Besides he said he new where we could get a boat for $30. So, we thought, “Great!” We walked down to the other pier and he talked to another “operator” and sure enough we got the boat for $30. Good job Hue! Although when the boat was called up to the dock it didn’t turn out to be classified as a “speedboat” in fact it was barely even a boat. Dana and I had a good laugh and said “What the heck – let’s make it an adventure!”

On the way up the river we weren’t making bad time, even though we didn’t know where we were going and neither did the boat driver! It was an interesting trip though because I love to view life on the river. Families ply these waters every day and actually live on their boats as they carry cargo up and down river. Kids grow up on the river.

Also, the building that is going on in that city is amazing!  The locals say the goal is to make it another Singapore… Well, as they say if you never set a goal you’ll never reach it but to say that this goal is ambitious is a gross understatement!

It was clear that many Vietnamese are making good money as we saw many mansions – incredible homes! We also saw where many of the expatriates are living.

After cruising for about 75 minutes the driver pulled over to ask directions but like Shangri-La people had heard rumor of it but had now idea where it was.  As it turned out, however, we ended up in a compound that housed people from about 5 different countries working for international corporations and many who worked for the Embassy.  The neighborhood was so beautiful and peaceful.  There were eight people on one block sweeping the street and trimming the shrubs. I met a Vietnamese security guard (who didn’t want to be photographed) with an American flag on his arm and a state department patch on his chest who does the timed security rounds for all the Embassy personnel who live in the compound.  I must say we walked away extremely impressed with the quality of life they enjoyed there.

After a pleasant walk we decided to head back to our boat.  We reached it I noticed that the tide was coming up stream at about 2 knots and our boat only traveled at about 3 so it definitely was time to head back down stream. No wonder we were making good time!  The ride down stream was a bit longer but there were more sites to take in.

Once back in Ho Chi Minh City we took good care of our boat driver who was most grateful and also slipped something to Hue, said good-bye and hopped a cab back to the pier.

That night our guests were treated to another nice and colorful local show and the crew enjoyed a party on the pier.

Part 2 tomorrow – Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Our second overnight in Hong Kong featured another special World Cruise Event.  This one was called “The Rising Dragon” and it was delightful!  We gathered our world cruisers and took them by bus under the bay to the Four Seasons Hotel located on Hong Kong side.

Kevin and Susan.

Several guests looked especially great dressed in their Chinese attire as the event began with a private cocktail party.

Patrick and Laura.

 There was music, a fortune teller, a calligraphy artist creating personalized works on fans, a man cutting out Chinese characters and a man writing down information about the year your were born (i.e. Year of the Pig – That’s me – It figures!).

It was fun and our guests really got into it. They also got into the drinks as the Dom Perignon was flowing freely.

Then it was time to enter the ballroom which looked beautiful all in red with a big red banner on the stage to welcome us. The hotel did a very nice job with dinner and Dana and I enjoyed the company of six of our guests.

Dinners out are always a bit of a concern at these special events because the standards of the ship are so high it is often difficult to reproduce the same quality, even at the Four Seasons. But this dinner went over quite well.

During the dinner and especially at the end of it we were entertained by several acrobatic performers. They started off with some talented kids doing all sorts of stuff.

Then a lady performed some spinning and twirling maneuvers. There was a contortionist who was quite cute and clever.

My favorite was a man who, of all things, threw chopsticks like darts at a board. They landed so hard they stuck in the board. Then the last three he threw right through the same hole! That was amazing!

The final act performed something from a famous Chinese opera where he keeps changing masks with a wave of his cloak – Maybe 25 in all. I have seen a variation of this before but he was quite good.

All in all it was an excellent evening out planned by our company and our guests loved it!

Andy, George, Elda, Cinthya (Destination Svc. Mgr.), Fran (George's wife) and Dana.

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Hong Kong has Come and Gone!  But it was great to be back – It always is!  What an entrance we made though.  We were originally scheduled to arrive the following morning but there was a little bit of time padded into this the stretch from Xiamen, China and Hong Kong.  A berth at Ocean Terminal opened at 7:00pm and we arrived just after 8:00pm.  The Festival of Lights illuminates both the Hong Kong side and the Kowloon side of the city and runs for 15 minutes beginning at 8:00pm.  Captain Mario held us back and we watched the light show from the middle of the harbor and what a great sight it was!  As soon as we docked many of our guests rushed out to dinner, shop or take a walk.  I had scheduled a pre-dinner show so many even went to bed after dinner to get ready for the next day.  Dana and I went out after dinner, as well and stopped over at the Azamara Quest which was docked beside us.  The cruise director there had stopped by to meet us in Tianjin but it was during our lifeboat drill so I could only arrange to talk briefly by phone.

Carole and Russell with Dana and I.

He is an old friend of ours dating back to our Royal Viking days when he was a singer in our cast for the 85’ and 86’ world cruise. His name is Russ Grieve. We went over to see if he would join us for a drink at the best bar in the city – the Intercontinental Hotel.

 We were going there to meet another friend of ours who sometimes comes onboard to lecture on the shopping opportunities in Hong Kong, her name is Carole Klein. She has been working in her dream job as PR director for the hotel for about 15 years now. We brought Russ as a surprise.

We had some good laughs about old times and then fulfilled our tradition of going for a foot and body massage on Nanjing Road before saying “farewell” and heading home. 

I thought it was only men who like to play with the controls?

We knew we’d be too busy to gather again. It’s always great to see her and being with Russ again made it all that more special.

Regent does employ performers of this caliber from all different genres of entertainment.  I feel very fortunate to enjoy both the quality and variety of performers we get.

I invite you to visit Tian’s website http://Tianmusic.com– Music available at http://Amazon.com.

Shanghai is an amazing stop. I have been coming here since 1987 when there were really only bicycles on the streets and Mao suits worn by their people. The tallest building was just a bit taller than our ship but now has several of the tallest building in the world. Our guests have said to me many times over the course of the last couple days that they loved Hong Kong but loved Shanghai even more. I have to agree.

The Bund is a special pedestrian area along its historic waterfront with the old Customs House and trading houses from the U.K., France, U.S., Italy, Russia and others. As well, there is the old Shanghai Club and Masonic Club and was originally a British settlement. 

I got up at 6:00am on a brisk but beautiful morning to take a walk on the Bund. People are performing all sort of structured exercise, Thai Chi, ballroom dancing, kite flying and singing and playing instruments in the park.

It also offers the best view of Pudong which is across the Huangpu River where the city’s tallest buildings are. This area has only been developed within the last 15 years, before that is was only rice fields.

The old Peace Hotel is there which was closed for three years of renovation and is now a Fairmont Hotel and is absolutely georgeous inside.

Dana and I went out to the old Jazz Club there and enjoyed some music and a night cap. They have some special reliefs of old Shanghai in the lobby, which are very impressive.

Before we made it there, we were invited out to dine with by the sweetest couple in the world. John and Nancy raised 10 children and have sailed around the world with us a couple times.

 They invited several of the cast, shoppies, fitness director and Dana and I for a dinner out. This evening was magical and the dinner simply terrific!

We ate and ate and ate (I did the ordering – sorry to run up your bill John!) and ate it all! Only one dish was a “klunker” (I wish I knew how to say that in Chinese). Anna, our singer want a dish with Tofu. There was, of course, a picture of it and it looked good. But it was one of those dishes that was truly geared for the Chinese taste and a few of us sampled it but – there was NO WAY we were going to eat that!

Besides that each and every other dish was sooo delicious! What a delightful and memorable evening it was!

The next day we got out a bit, since the entire ship was ashore, and went to a couple of our favorite stops in the old town. One area we really like is the Yuyuan Garden. There is an old tea house there which makes for a great photograph and also a traditional example of a garden you can visit for a small fee.

It is all surrounded by beautiful old style Chinese buildings which are shops and even has a Starbucks we like to visit for a taste of home. Dana also has a place she shops for pearls and also found a beautiful parasol.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is not scheduled to come back to China in 2012 but hopefully will be back in 2013.

That's me with the red hair!

Loving the Locals!

 I love it when we have the opportunity to bring local culture on board so that our guests are able to see the costumes and colors, the music and dance of some of the countries we visit.

Our company provides cruise directors the opportunity to contract these acts at our discretion. Obviously, we can only do this only when we have late sailings and when the port of call has something to offer, which is not always the case. 

On our overnight in Manila last week I was able to hire the Philippines National Dance Company “Bayanihan” – Which translated to working together for the common good. This troupe has performed in 66 countries and over 700 cities around the world and has won numerous awards. 

This dance, done using coconut shells was a fascinating highlight.

They truly are the pride of the Filipino people and the group is referred to as “A national treasure.” It was several years ago since we last had an overnight there and this year the reason we had the overnight was due to the misfortune of missing Sandakan, Malaysia. In all my years of traveling this group was my favorite local show of all time.

The group even got some of our guests into the act.

A few nights later we were in Taiwan overnight and I had a group of performers with giant drums come on board to perform the “Lion Dance.”

My expectations for this show were a bit more tamed but I must say both the guests and myself thought that the performance was delightfully entertaining!

Two great shows with much more to come! I love the locals!

The tadpole shaped island was invaded by the Japanese from the tail.

My highlight of this third segment of the world cruise was to visit the rock island of Corregidor, Philippines.

The Navy dock at Corregidor where our highspeed ferry docked.

If you want to learn more about Corregidor there is, of course, a plethora of information available on the web about this amazing place and what took place there. I encourage all, especially with children (Lori!) to do so. Lest we not forget!

In short, the island was owned by the Spanish for about 400 years but after their forces were defeated Spain ceded Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the US under the Treaty of Paris in 1898. The Americans also paid the sum of $20,000,000. Almost immediately America turned it in to defense outpost and named it Fort Mills – chief of artillery of the U.S. Army in 1905 – and sunk over $120,000,000 into its fortification. That is a large amount of money today and was, of course, a much larger sum back then.

Located 28 miles from Manila, it and four other smaller islands sit at the mouth of the Bay of Manila it was seen as a very strategic location. The Bataan Penninsula (Bataan Death March) is located across the narrow passage to its back and then the vastly wider entrance of the bay to its front.

Bataan Penninsula in the distance. The guns of Corregidor took out almost 3000 Japanese soldiers before they were silenced. None of those who surrendered at Corregidor participated in the Bataan Death March. That concluded ten days prior to the surrender. About 18,000 died in that eight day 61 mile march.

During WW II the island became very important. When the Japanese were invading the Philippines in 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, General McArthur was ordered to leave his headquarters at the Manila Hotel and took up command on Corregidor along with the President of the Philippines, Manuel Quezon. Both of them, along with the national treasure of the Philippines (gold) later had a daring escape to Australia and it was there that the General made his famous statement “I shall return.” He was not on Corregidor when he said these famous words.

A statue of McArthur from the Army dock where he left the island from.

Why Corregidor became so important was because after Manila and the Bataan Peninsula fell “The Battling Bastards” of Corregidor held out 27 more days against the Japanese non-stop bombardment. The Japanese needed to secure the Philippines in order to be able to invade Australia. So, in turn, by delaying the Japanese one more month it helped keep them from taking the opportunity to invade Australia. The Japanese battle plan was take the Philippines in 50 days, but instead it took them over 5 months which turned out to be a major turning point early on in the Pacific War.

The Filipino and American soldiers on Corregidor took a pounding! The called themselves “Bastards” because they never received the back-up and support they were told they would get and felt abandoned. These soldiers were literally out there on their own because nobody was coming to help.

What remained of the American and Filipino Army barracks which were side by side.

There are 23 Batteries on the Island – where the big guns were emplaced – which were all built in the early 1900’s. So by the time the war started this equipment was almost 30 years old. These guns were amazing to see, to learn about and to hear the stories of how they fought to the end until there was no choice but to surrender.

There were plaques at each battery explaining what went on there during the siege and how many soldiers it took to operate those big canons. There were at one time more than 50 buildings on the Island and before the war started, if you were to be stationed overseas this was the place you wanted to be!

Battery Way. These poor "bastards" fought to the end before a direct hit took them out!

However, each and every building and barrack on the island was destroyed by the Japanese assault (except for the lighthouse built in 1928). Basically, it was left as it was when the war ended. To make things worse, after the Americans surrendered, about 4 years later, the Americans returned to bomb the island again and returned the favor.

This building housed the 59th Coastal Artillary (US Army). Part of the plaque, now painted to its original color, still remains.

Threehundred and twenty-nine of these men died.

The old flagpole remained throughout the war which was a mast from a Spanish sailing ship. It was their McArthur returned to raise the flag again.

When the Americans were forced to surrender they lowered the flag and cut it up in to small pieces and spread it around. The Japanese took pictures of their new American flag being lowered. McArthur returned to be there when the American flag was raised over the Island again.

The last remaining Americans surrendered from the Malinta Tunnel, dug out originally by Filipino criminals, which is an enormous structure with 24 legs coming off the main section, secured under the main mountain of the island where there was a lot of activity during the siege (I accidentally lost my good photo of this). Four years later when American forces overtook the island 2500 Japanese committed suicide in that tunnel by blowing themselves up…

Inside the Malinta Tunnel. Once the bombing started McArthur never went outside except to leave, so our guide said. These tunnels also served as the hospital once the seige began.

I could write so much more about this incredible day we spent there. The accounts of the men, whose fate was sealed and how bravely they fought on as long as they possibly could are truly amazing.

This Battery took a direct hit that blew up all the amunition in their tunnel too. Left as is remained after the explosion.

We finished up our trip at the Museum which was very interesting and very well done and then to the nearby memorial to honor the dead. It was a day I’ll never forget!

Total Humiliation!

The other day I thought I would add a twist to our golf putting tournament.  Why not give a personal challenge to our guests and I’ll give all comers three strokes?  If they tie or beat me they win.  But three strokes, sounds like a lot, but surely I was counting on beating most of them. Afterall, I play with my buddies all the time when I’m home.  Besides, we were going to play with my rules…

If your ball touches the fringe on a putt – add a stoke.  If you hit it off the putting surface and it stays on the fringe – add two stokes. It is where you place your ball that counts.

Well, what can I cay?  I had 16 golfers and 15 of them beat me!  “This can’t be!” I thougtht as I hit my ball onto the fringe for the second time – “Who made these stupid rules!”

So, I licked my wounds, sucked it up and declared to them all – “I want a rematch!” I scheduled it a few days later and even more turned up. “I’ll show them this time!” I thought. We played again…This time, same result!  They beat me, again! Humiliated! Totally Humiliated!

I realized I couldn’t be humiliated by nicer people!  They loved the challenge and it was a great couple hours on the top deck on our great little golf greens. But, I’m never doing that again!… Well, maybe.

As I have written before, Dana and I love, love, love Bali! We love the beauty, the people and the exotic nature. The day we were in Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia was a busy one for us. We were able to jump off in one of our very favorite places for just two hours since practically the entire ship was out on tour. What we chose to do was to visit a resort hotel other guests have been to and have recommended because of its beauty and because it is close by to the pier. We thought it would be in our best interest to see it.The Amankila is part of the Aman Resorts, a small luxury chain located in 15 countries of the world and there happens to be three different ones in Bali alone. We met the General Manager, Tracy who was a beautiful lady from England. Her husband is an accountant, Australian, and I believe she said they have spent seven years on Bali.

Ship’s Hostess Andreana came along and posed for a nice shot.

The staff were both friendly and attentive. Many had worked there for years and seemed to be very happy in their work.

What we saw there was breathtaking! The resort has just 34 suites and is situated on a steep hill overlooking Padang Bai. From the shimmering pools to the Balinese covered cabanas to the outdoor, but covered, dining room it was just splendid.Not being one for sitting still, I also took a walk down to the beach which was nice, but the pools I found to be so inviting! 

This beautiful pool was down by the beach.

It was quick but very nice escape. For guests who would want a quick little Bali experience from Pandang Bai, or to spend a few days chilling-out it would be an excellent choice!

 You can cruise with us to Bali next year… http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120106/Itinerary.aspx

Day 59 of 145

Well, my gosh the days are rolling by and it has sure been busy around here.

The recent events on TV have sure been distracting. It’s so terrible to see all the devastation from the Tsunami. Seven Seas Voyager had made call at what was the lovely island of Sendai, Japan just a couple years ago. It poured rain that day, but the town had a nice walking street with restaurants and shops. There was a Kamikaze Museum that was very interesting. We remember the farmland as well as the nuclear power stations along the coast. It doubt if the tourist area now remains. The video footage is beyond amazing!

As for Seven Seas Voyager, we were in Manila when the earthquake hit. A tsunami warning was posted for the eastern part of the country but we have heard of no damage. We were on the western side deep in Manila Bay. The water was supposed to raise only 30 centimeters and I don’t know if it did. The Captain did have his team stand by on the lines that tie us to the dock just in case.

We were to bunker fuel the following morning but the authorities has the fuel barges remain empty and tie up for safety sake just in case. Because of that the fuel was much delayed in getting to the ship and we were forced to sail several hours late for Taiwan. We were scheduled to be a day at sea and then arrive the following day early in the afternoon.  Now we will arrive at 6:00pm instead.

There are some concern on the news of another Tsunami possibly coming out of that area should they take another 9.0 jolt, however, we are safe and fine and do not believe we would be at all in its path, but the way our earth has been groaning lately you never know. The one thing that I take away from all of this is that when tragedy strikes it does so quickly and unexpectedly. Lots and lots more prayers are needed for the Japanese people…

Every morning God is given is precious
Every heartbeat, every breath I take
I’ll never have them back once they’ve left us
There will never be another right now,
So right now…
I’m living the next five minutes
Like these are my last five minutes
Cause I know the next five minutes
May be all I have
And after the next five minutes
Turn into the last five minutes
I’m taking the next five minutes
And start it all over again…

Taken from Stephen Curtis Chapman’s song “Next Five Minutes”

Day 56 of 145

Backstage with the Platters just before the show they invited me to pose for a picture with them.

 To my Vcruisers we have been pushing very hard the last several days. I have things I want to post but just haven’t had the time. Now that this day is done we should settle down for a while.

Today there was an awful lot taking place on board. But to make things even busier Captain had to let us know that we weren’t going to make our call at Sandakan, Borneo tomorrow so, we had to hustle and change all of our plans despite every thing else that was already planned to happen. Now I had been to Sandakan before and it is my kind of place, very hot, dusty, and primitive by our standards. Not a place for everyone, that’s for sure. It’s one of those ports I tell our guests they need to go ashore with a “travelers” mindset rather than a “tourists” because it isn’t exactly Las Vegas. Anyway we needed to be there at high tide in the middle of the night two days later so that we could sail over the “hump” (very shallow water) to enter the narrow channel. However, we didn’t make it there on time due to some late arriving guests in Bali and strong wind and currents against us the following day.

Last night was a celebrity show time and we had on our stage The World Famous Platters. Rita Moreno was supposed to be the entertainer but she cancelled due to a health issue. Instead of her our Vice President booked The Platters.

On last year’s world cruise we enjoyed them, as well. They drew the biggest audience of that voyage and rated the highest. They are great fun and the guests truly enjoy them. After the show they ended up in the Night Club, our Voyager Lounge, where they did more impromptu entertaining. Which reminds me, when I went out in the Terminal in Darwin, Australia to meet them and bring them aboard they were doing an impromptu performance for the local security guards and shoppies.

The entire show they kept the audience on the edge of their seats singing their many hits and popular songs from other groups of that era. They invited the audience to dance and a couple hundred people got up and were dancing on the dance floor in front of the stage, in the isles, or right by their seats. Then they led a conga line to Love Train around the room and I counted over 150 in the line.

After the standing ovation at the end of the show they all came out from backstage and met people, signed autographs. They are just the nicest people. Even though I had seen them before it was such a fun night and I believe all our guests loved it too!

Happy Cruising! Jamie Logan, Regent Seven Seas Cruises Senior Cruise Director

On February 25th we sailed from Brisbane with one extra guest, Captain Peter Martin has been our Reef Pilot for the last eight days and he will leave in Darwin tomorrow morning.  A Reef Pilot is asssigned to all ships, even military ships, that ply the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Pilot, Peter Martin on the left and Captain "Mario" who just returned from vacation in Sydney.

This gentleman also offered a lecture which he did this morning for about 200 of our guests. It was entitled “The Whisper of Trauma – Battle of the Coral Sea.”  This battle was very significant during World War II and was fought just a few hundred miles behind us. Sometimes when we have passed through that are we have laid a wreath and had a moment of silence in memory and respect for the fallen from that battle.

Captain Peter did such a great job I asked him if he would do another talk tomorrow morning before we arrive in Darwin. We are going to be a couple hours late due to a strong current and high winds, not so much waves. He is an impressive fellow below is his bio.

Captain Peter and Captain Mario discussing the finer details of our transit.

Captain Peter Martin -one of Australia’s few true ‘ Master and Commanders”
Captain Martin’s expertise is in two very distinct areas – he is a maritime expert with academic interest  in Foreign Affairs. His Masters degree in Defence Studies and PhD candidacy in Strategic Maritime Trade issues  enhances a 30 year maritime career which  includes over 20yrs as a navigation specialist Naval Officer, culminating in Command. He still  holds the rank of Commander in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. Peter holds qualifications as a  merchant Master Mariner and is currently practicing as a maritime pilot on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. He has sailed as navigator in the world famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Peter has traveled extensively throughout Australia and the world living in most capital cities of Australia and overseas, where he enjoyed a diplomatic posting to Malaysia.

A new friendship is born!

The Captain and his officers enjoyed him greatly! I will try to get him to be our lectuer next year when we pass this way again.

Happy Cruising! Cruise Director, Jamie Logan

 Twelve times a year we have a ceremony honouring crew members who went “Above and Beyond” the call of duty. We call it the Employee of the Month. Any crew member can nominate anybody and it gets passed on to the manager or supervisor.  The Senior Officers then get together and choose one person out of all the nominees. Some months we have more nominees than others and sometimes the reasons for them being nominated are better than others. For the month of January this was the case.

 But allow me to brag just a moment about our fantastic crew today, because it’s the CREW that make cruise ships special. The crew create the soul and character of the ship. It’s not the Captain, General Manager or Cruise Director, or any other one person – It is a team of individuals with a shared vision, consistently working towards a common goal. Around here that translates to taking advantage of opportunities to go “Above and Beyond.” To do it with class, honesty and integrity – three things which I believe is greatly lacking in most societies today… But it’s not lacking out here in our little society of 450 crew members from over 40 nations.

 Please read the about three of our nominees…

Ali has been with us for many years and always manages to shine with his consistency, respect for his guests and colleagues and displays a pleasant personality, which is always accompanied by a smile.  This month, he showed us also his remarkable integrity when one of his guests informed him that she was missing the diamond out of her wedding ring and had no idea where it had been lost.  He searched everywhere in the suite and could not find it.  He then took two full vacuum cleaner bags, which had been used in recent days to clean the room, and he cut them open and emptied out all of the contents and sifted through the dirt by hand where he eventually found the diamond and returned it to the happy guest.

Indah displays character and integrity every day she is on board.  However, one day this month with a great display of integrity, she delivered “The Regent Experience” to a guest who lost / left his wallet with $1,950 in cash in the Constellation Theater. It was stuck in the seat cushions and she noticed it, removed it and handed it over the Reception Desk where it was quickly returned to the guest who hadn’t even realized it was missing.

Raymond was working on Pool Deck while servicing our guests.  Due to sudden movements of the ship, following worsening of sea conditions, he noticed an eight year old child who looked scared and began to panic as the water in the pool started to create a large wave action from the pitching of the ship.  Without hesitation and in full uniform he jumped in the water to bring her to safety.

Bravo to all of our crew who are truly dedicated to the happiness and overall well being of our guests. The world has a lot they could learn from these people and how well everyone from different nationalities, cultures and religions work together.

Happy Cruising! Cruise Director, Jamie Logan

This third segment of the World Cruise started off with a bang, especially if you enjoy sports. Our first morning out from Sydney, at 11:00am I was proud to introduce to our stage a sports icon, Jim Nantz! I was able to interview him the night before which was an even bigger honor. If you don’t know who I am talking about, well…

• He is a two time Emmy Award winner for “Outstanding Sports Personality Play-by-Play”…
• He is a five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, who has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television Network since joining it in 1985, including…
• He is the host of The Masters and the PGA Championship He is the host of The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four…
•  He is the host of THE NFL ON CBS and has called the 2010 Super Bowl among others…
•  He has been the host of three Winter Olympic Games aired on CBS! And much more…

As a sports fan I have always admired his on camera demeanor. He seems to always instinctively know just what to say and when, to perfectly frame the moment for the world’s greatest sporting events. But now I believe he is so much more. I think he is the greatest ambassador for sport. Really. He is that good!

His first talk was stories about sport and people he had met and it was truly fascinating and impressive. He is a GREAT story teller!

Tonight he did a Q & A and handed out about a dozen CBS SPORTS hats for the people who asked the best questions. Again, he was brilliant. Totally unscripted, just off the cuff and many of the questions were well prepared by our guests in advance.

The audience left the theater, after getting autographs and photos, completely wowed by this man and his memory, his elegance and eloquence, his thoroughness and tenderness. He is an amazing man. He is two days younger than me – what a difference two days makes!

He was also kind and thoughtful enough to present me with an autographed Master’s Flagstick Flag which reads “To Jamie and Dana, Cruising with you is a tradition unlike any other! Jim Nantz CBS”

(The Masters is said to be by many the finest golf tournament in the world, of which he has been the host for years. That saying is the saying for the Masters , which he wrote years ago. For each golf hole there is a stick in it with a flag on it).

We’ll find a good place to display that!

Reent Seven Seas Cruise Director, Jamie Logan

Day 42 of 145 Around the World

Sydney, Australia is a great city and very high on my top ten places to sail in to, but not out of.  That’s because I always hate to leave it! Many, many fond memories from here! Unfortunately, we only had one day there this year and it was a disembarkation and embarkation day, which meant a lot of work and details to handle.

A view of Sydney through "The heads" before sailing in.

A great view down the coast at the entrance to this wonderful natural harbor. The cliffs are know as "The Heads."

Sailing in is always very special. The marine pilot was late to get us which gave us more light for photos. We cruised slowly from 6:00 – 7:00am just out side “The Heads” which you have to pass through to enter Sydney’s natural harbor and it is quite a site.

It so so nice the Captain Scala and GM Michael posed for s shot.

We then sailed past the two “Queens” that were both in. The Queen Mary 2 was in the Naval Yard and the new Queen Elizabeth was at Circular Quay. We were to dock in Darling Harbor.

I had to run a quick errand and was going to hop on the shuttle bus in to town when an Australian gentleman, whom I had sailed with before, saw me on the pier said “Hi” and asked me what I was doing and offered me a ride, which was going to be a lot quicker, so I took him up on it. On the way he informed me that the new B.S. Queen Elizabeth was going to be sailing shortly from Circular Quay. Really? Well, I just LOVE ships, as you may have gathered, and so I told him to step it and drop me off at the waterfront by the Sydney Harbor Bridge, so I could get a shot of her as she departed. Oh, by the way the B.S. stands for “Big Sucker!”

It was a kind gesture and good to chat with him and his wife, even if briefly. Because of Australia’s ties to the Queen of England, Several hundred people had lined to waterfront all the way across to the Opera House and I had a great vantage point. I watched her back away majestically from the docks and then hustled to the “Rocks” to run the errand and then quickly caught the shuttle back and that was Sydney. I wasn’t out there long but my timing was perfect!

That night, after dinner, we organized “Dancing and Desserts Under the Stars” from 9:00 -11:00pm on the Pool Deck as a sail-away party. A couple hundred joined us on deck to listen or dance to our “Spontaneous Duo” and at 11:00pm we set sail.

I had the stage team place our five speakers up above on deck 12, as I often do, and played “Waltzing Matilda” and “I Still Call Australia Home” as we departed. Then it was Josh Groban’s and Charlotte Church’s turn to sing “The Prayer” sung in Italian (one of my favorites) as we passed under the Sydney harbor Bridge and past the Sydney Opera House. It was one of those magical moments for those on the upper deck and at the waterfront, I believe.

For more background information visit my main blog http://sameshipdifferentday.com

Happy Sailings!

Sydney, Australia is a great city and very high on my top ten places to sail in to, but not out of.  That’s because I always hate to leave it! Many, many fond memories from here! Unfortunately, we only had one day there this year and it was a disembarkation and embarkation day, which meant a lot of work and details to handle.

A view of Sydney through "The heads" before sailing in.

A great view down the coast at the entrance to this wonderful natural harbor. The cliffs are know as "The Heads."

Sailing in is always very special. The marine pilot was late to get us which gave us more light for photos. We cruised slowly from 6:00 – 7:00am just out side “The Heads” which you have to pass through to enter Sydney’s natural harbor and it is quite a site.

It so so nice the Captain Scala and GM Michael posed for s shot.

We then sailed past the two “Queens” that were both in. The Queen Mary 2 was in the Naval Yard and the new Queen Elizabeth was at Circular Quay. We were to dock in Darling Harbor.

I had to run a quick errand and was going to hop on the shuttle bus in to town when an Australian gentleman, whom I had sailed with before, saw me on the pier said “Hi” and asked me what I was doing and offered me a ride, which was going to be a lot quicker, so I took him up on it. On the way he informed me that the new B.S. Queen Elizabeth was going to be sailing shortly from Circular Quay. Really? Well, I just LOVE ships, as you may have gathered, and so I told him to step it and drop me off at the waterfront by the Sydney Harbor Bridge, so I could get a shot of her as she departed. Oh, by the way the B.S. stands for “Big Sucker!”

It was a kind gesture and good to chat with him and his wife, even if briefly. Because of Australia’s ties to the Queen of England, Several hundred people had lined to waterfront all the way across to the Opera House and I had a great vantage point. I watched her back away majestically from the docks and then hustled to the “Rocks” to run the errand and then quickly caught the shuttle back and that was Sydney. I wasn’t out there long but my timing was perfect!

That night, after dinner, we organized “Dancing and Desserts Under the Stars” from 9:00 -11:00pm on the Pool Deck as a sail-away party. A couple hundred joined us on deck to listen or dance to our “Spontaneous Duo” and at 11:00pm we set sail.

I had the stage team place our five speakers up above on deck 12, as I often do, and played “Waltzing Matilda” and “I Still Call Australia Home” as we departed. Then it was Josh Groban’s and Charlotte Church’s turn to sing “The Prayer” sung in Italian (one of my favorites) as we passed under the Sydney harbor Bridge and past the Sydney Opera House. It was one of those magical moments for those on the upper deck and at the waterfront, I believe.

Day 41 of 145

What a shock it was to see Christchurch, New Zealand, this beautiful city with the beautiful name, to be in such devastation! It is hard to believe that we just spent a wonderful day there 9 days ago. This church I that I took a picture of has been on the news and is now in rubble. They were having a flower festival inside on the Sunday we were there.

This beautiful church is now in ruin.

Dana’s and my hearts and prayers go out to the city, its people, the nation… May we all take time to consider the fragility of life and pray for these the people.

Blog: SameShipDifferentDay.com

The Bass Strait did not let us down! As I had aforementioned, the Bass Strait, which we have had to transit in order to get to Melbourne, was also the site of the Seven Seas Voyager’s worst day of weather ever!  That was several years ago when we passed through what the locals called a “hundred year storm” when the waves were estimated to be 80 feet. That was quite a day!

This time when we passed through, fortunately, that day did  not compare, but we did pass through a strom that even had an eye, as we passed right through the centerof it!  Of course, quite a few of our guests suffered from “mal de mer” while many others congregated in the Atrium area and were either sitting or standing and reading as they waited out the storm.

As well, because of the high winds and waves signs were posted on the doors and an announcement made which kept everyone off the open decks, yet insome places the water was still seeping in.

The waves only got to about 15 feet but since the winds were circulating it caused the sea to be “confused” as the winds blew the seas from the east on one side of the storm and from the west on the other which makes it feel much more rough.

Captain Scala was able to move Seven Seas Voyager at a fast enough clip that we were able to get through the storm by 6:00pm and we arrived, again, a day early at 11:00pm. It was a great move because if he hadn’t done that we would have bounced around all night.

The timing of the seas calming down was perfect, as we had scheduled a special event, as we do every voyage, for our Titanium, PlatinumGold, cruisers, of which we currently have over 250. What we had planned was “Captain’s Bingo Bonanza!”  You may recall that the Captain called a bingo night for our crew several weeks ago.

Every guest who came was given a bingo card as they entered and cash was not required.  We played 5 games and gave away several fun prizes plus five more through a sort of raffle. Many of those who attended had never played bingo in their lives, so it was a lot of fun!Captain Scala, of course, did his part to make it so.

As we sailed in to Melbourne there were several hundred seagulls giving the port side of the ship a royal escort. On the starboard side we enjoyed a full moon with clear skies and the Southern Cross in full view.  Ahead of us we could all view the beautiful and growing skyline of Melbourne which was a lit up like a Christmas tree on a most beautiful evening.

It was a tale of two seas. Our first day on the Tasman Sea was as calm as I had ever seen it. There were some wide rolling swells, but they didn’t amount to much at all.  This allowed us to make much better time than the estimated speed we were scheduled to make in these two days we had to get to Tasmania. Therefore, the captain was able to make some good time. As it turned out, that was important as there was low pressure moving towards us from the south. That is never a good sign.

 This second day we had a following wind in the morning which later turned 180 degrees on us and was coming at us on the forward port quarter of the bow. By about 2:00pm the weather deteriorated. Fortunately, we had made so much speed we arrived in Hobart, Tasmania this evening at 7:30pm, just about 12 hours ahead of schedule.Our guests enjoyed their show before dinner, which featured our terrific cast in “Broadway Tonight!”  We had an excellent turnout. Upon arrival all guests had to pass through Australian Immigration… which was a fun party for everyone!  After that, a few ventured out for a meal ashore. It was another fine day.

All in all, it was a great pass across the Tasman Sea. May we remain as lucky when we sail across the Bass Straight, between Tasmania and the mainland of Australia.  The roughest seas this ship ever encountered was passing through there several years ago. We got caught in a 100 year storm and sailed through 80 foot waves. That was a night to remember.

Last night we enjoyed a performance from an Australian singer, Chloe Dallimore. She has had many roles on the Australian stage while performing in musical theater. She won awards for her role al the tall blond Ulla in the Australian production of Mel Brooke’s The Producers. This was her second time performing on Seven Seas Voyager and she did a great job delighting our audience.

Today turned out to be the day of all days, as we enjoyed a triple treat sailing the Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds! Fiordland National Park is a World Heritage Site. Ironically, Milford like Doubtful and Dusky, are all fiords (this is how the Kiwis spell it), but were incorrectly termed “sounds” by Captain Cook who charted the region in the 1770’s and is subsequently the term still appears on maps to this day.

Dusky Sound, is farthest south and was our first fiord to visit.

The clouds began to break up in Dusky Sound.

I awoke and looked out my window at about 7:00am and was not impressed with the weather outlook. Then, as we moved into the first fiord the skies began to break up, we got more clearing and shortly thereafter that it became absolutely spectacular!

By the time we were in Doubtful Sound there were only a few clouds left.

In between our visits to the three sounds the deck became packed with sun worshippers while guests with professional looking cameras set to “automatic” mode roamed the top deck waiting for the next great shot, as we sailed up the coast with a following wind to make our next entry.

Sailing along the coast with a few snowcapped mountains.

By 3:00pm we entered the grand daddy of the three, Milford sound, with its abruptly carved peaks rising majestically to heights of 5,500 feet above the fiord. We sailed as far as we could go then, being ahead of schedule the Captain Scala just let us sit for an hour or so to enjoy the scenic beauty.

Entering Milford Sound.

He then maneuvered our ship up alongside the most spectacular waterfall and allowed us to pause there to watch and enjoy the light mist and rainbows for about 15 minutes before heading back out of the fiord to begin our crossing of the Tasman Sea.

A tourist boat giving their passengers a shower.

Captain Scala manuevers Seven Seas Voyager alongside the waterfall.

At the request of the captain I made an announcement and most of our guests came out to look.

A nice double rainbow could be seen as we were leaving.

“There are just a few areas left in the world where no human has ever set foot. That one of them should be in a country so civilized and so advanced as New Zealand may seem incredible, unless one has visited the south-west corner of the South Island. Jagged razor backed mountains rear their heads into the sky. More than 200 days of rain a year ensure not a tree branch is left bare and brown, moss and epiphytes drape every nook. The forest is intensely green. This is big country… one day peaceful, a study in green and blue, the next melancholy and misty, with low cloud veiling the tops… an awesome place, with its granite precipices, its hanging valleys, its earthquake faults and its thundering cascades.”

Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, Governor-General of New Zealand                (1957-1962).

It's time to leave with Captain Scala at the controls.

So long Fiordland National Park, you gave our guests a day they will never forget.

Seven Seas Voyager Captain Pier Paulo Scala with New Zealand's only female marine pilot Joanne Liang

As we continue our journey circling New Zealand we called at Lyttelton, the gateway to Christchurch, which is just through the tunnel and a short distance over the mountain. Today Captain Scala had some visitors onboard. His special guests were all of the local marine pilots for the port.

The Captain had married a New Zealander and he took a pilot position here until he was “called” back to sea again as Master of a cruise ship. Just this morning he came across a New York Times article about the “only” female marine pilot in South Africa. When he read this he said that there was “only” one here in New Zealand, as well, who happened to be the one who trained him here and was also assigned to guide Seven Seas Voyager in this morning.

He hosted a little gathering for all them and their families on the aft deck area of Deck 5 and I asked him if he would interview the female pilot for our Voyager Today daily TV show, which he was ever so kind to do.

 In the afternoon Dana and I took a quick trip in to see Christchurch, which we love. We were really interested to see the city after it suffered one very big quake and one big aftershock this past year. The first quake, 7.0 on the Richter Scale, hit at 4:35am on September 4^th, 2010, which was followed by many severe aftershocks. Then the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, which is the biggest shopping day, a 4.9 aftershock hit at about 10:00am. Passengers from a cruise ship were in town for the second event. Fortunately, there was no loss of life on either day.  There was still quite a bit of scaffolding around the city and it was said that 30,000 chimneys fell from the quakes. Many buildings in town and up to 20 miles away had to be condemned. In talking to some of the residents, it sounds as though the people of the city are doing well, though the frightful memories remain.

On this Sunday that we were there the city was re-celebrating the Boxing Day they missed as it was cancelled due to the damage inflicted on the city.  This made the city extra vibrant as the city was out in force to celebrate.

Lovely Amanda, worked with us as Social Hostess on the 2009 World Cruise.  Just prior to the beginning of that, at the prompting of Assistant Cruise Director Elda and also Cruise Director Lorraine, she and the Human Resources Manager, Richard started to date casually. 

Elda with Amanda.

By the middle of the world cruise the romance had taken off and many remarked how well-suited the two seemed to be for one another. While others said “It’s just another shipboard romance!”  My guess is that only 0.03 percent of any onboard dating really amounts to anything here, but then, like Dana and I, there are exceptions.

F & B Manager Florian serving the cake to honor our special guests.

By Valentine’s Day the realtionship really picked up and by the end of the world cruise the two had made the decision to take their relationship to the next level and they resigned their respective positions and moved to Christchurch to begin a life on land. Richard’s parents had emigrated there 15 years ago from South Africa and Amanda is Canadian.

Richard and Amanda displaying their gift.

 This day, the two of them visited us on board. Elda had asked the F & B Manager, Florian if he would prepare a special cake and some champagne and blew up some balloons for decoration(That’s Elda for you – always taking the initiative and going that extra, extra mile!).  Several of their old friends were invited to celebrate with them as they had just gotten engaged! Amanda displayed her pretty diamond along with glowing smile and we toasted to their future. Elda also bought them a gift from all of us (That reminds me, I still owe her money) which was a replica of the ship! They will marry next year about this time… Maybe we’ll be back in time to attend the wedding!

GM Michael, Richard, Amanda, Dana, Elda and I.

Upon leaving there we stopped at a nearby mud pond where we watched mud boil up and even explode to the surface. I found that quite fascinating!

From there we took the Skyline gondola up to meet the rest of the group a top Mt. Ngongotaha where we all enjoyed extensive views of Rotorua city and Lake Rotorua, which is a crater lake. John met his wife, Janet and we ate and enjoyed a very nice Maori presentation. After lunch, I took a ride on Sky Swing and followed that up by a run down the Luge trail that I do not have a photos of, but filmed for the Jamie’s Journey we created. It was all great fun!John, who was also here on the last segment, said it was his best day yet! We made quick stops at the Rotorua Museum, which displays a fine short film on the history of the area, and at Kiwi 360, which provides a fine and very interesting explanation on the growth and cultivation of New Zealand’s national fruit.

Our goal was to stop at the Polynesian Spa, rated in the world’s top ten, for a quick little mud bath but time wasn’t on our side. All in all it was a fantastic experience and Rotorua left its impact on me. What a great place to visit! How fortunate I feel I am to have had the chance to see it. All the guests I have spoken with agreed! More great days to come as Seven Seas Voyager circumnavigates around New Zealand.

Her I am with John and Niki, who was just delightful and worked with the company that handles the tours for our ship, with Mt. Maunganui in the background.

We are now in the “City of Sails” – Auckland, New Zealand and it is great to be back!  Unfortunately, we have come to the end of our first segment and that means that it’s time to say “Farewell” to many great friends we have made along the way, like Cindy and Walt who were two of my late night gamers.  We play team games with 20 -30 people in the Coffee Connections like Taboo, Ship Feud, Win, Lose or Draw, Password etc., after the show on many nights. This couple own over 350 board games at home and are always looking for fun.  We had great turnouts every night we played and often our cast of performers join in. Great fun! They even taught me a few game tricks I didn’t know… Walt, are you wearing the yellow ones?

Also, what a great line up of lecturers we had! Terry Waite is just a big Teddy Bear of a man who let me involve him in everything. It was sure great to have him back and what a story he tells! We’ll miss them, but have more great ones coming.

Terry Waite with Assistant Cruise Director, Elda and my wife Dana.

 This voyage our guests were treated to several great performers. But one in particular, whom I had never sailed with,  I thought was especially fantastic! Vocalist, Dale Kristien’s claim to fame is that she was Broadway’s 2^nd “Christine” in The Phantom of the Opera. She worked with Michael Crawford in New York and then went to L.A. with him to open the show with him there. She had done over 1700 performances in that role. Wow! Was she ever good! Everything about her show was exceptional, from her costume to her stories and patter and, of course, her singing. What a treat! We have been blessed with some wonderful performers on this first segment of the world cruise, and looking at my list, we have many, many memorable evenings to come!  Best yet, it is all included and there is not a bad seat in the house, nor do you ever have to fight for one.  It’s just so…civilized here…I just love it! 

One of the many things I love about this city is one particular thing that I have never seen anywhere else in the world but here.  That is how the people cross the street at major intersections.  Most have been to places like New York where pedestrians are always crossing in front of you which causes you to wait and wait. By the time they all finally pass the light is ready to change red again. Here, pedestrians all cross together! That’s right, corner to corner and diagonally too!  It is just such a great system and makes so much sense.  I am really surprised other nations haven’t picked up on this.

 Finally, here are a few parting shots of an area we love to stroll which and is very close to where our ship docks. It was the former dockyard for the 2003 America’s Cup. It looks a lot different now, but there are some lovely restaurants along the wharf. Still, some memorabilia remains.

 It was a super, Super Bowl Monday here, as we are now a day ahead of the USA. Bay of Islands is a most beautiful spot. We anchored off the quaint little town of Russell and just down the coast from Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British Crown and 540 rangatira (chiefs) in 1840. It is now New Zealand’s National Day which is celebrated on February 6^th, one day before our arrival. We have attended special celebrations there in the past when the Maori people exhibit their haka dance. The war haka were originally performed by warriors before a battle and used to intimidate their opponent.  Today, haka is used as an integral part of and official welcome ceremony for important occasions and also by the All Blacks, national rugby team.

The haka is a dance for men and woman.

Since we anchored out in the middle of the bay I had to manage the tendering operations in the morning and then decorate our Constellation Theater for the big game, so there was quite a bit of busy work, including balloon blowing to get done…Fortunately, we have a machine that does most of the work. This is a well-loved invention by cruise directors because “Balloons R Us!”  Our Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, Luis also put up some Super Bowl banners and the Executive Chef prepared some very nice “Tailgate Food” for our guests to enjoy throughout the game.  I set up $20 and $10 football betting boards and the event was very well attended. Unfortunately, I believe there were more Steelers fans than Packers, but most importantly it was an exciting game to the finish. I meant to take a few photos, but we were also experiencing some satellite issues which also kept me hopping and I never got to it.

For golfers Bay of Islands is great because there are three courses nearby. By far the most renowned is Kauri Cliffs, ranked the 78^th best course in the world. The American owners also have the 36^th ranked course near Picton, New Zealand, Cape Kidnappers, but we will not call there this year. I have been able to put together some golf groups and escorted them a few times in the past. Unfortunately, today there was no way, even though a lovely couple named John and Nancy invited me to be their guest for a round. They were in my golf group on another occasion when we went there and it is a very special place!

One of the many picturesque holes at Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand

This hole is on the front nine.

Hitting down to this green on a par four on the back nine home stretch.

This is a great par three as you have to hit over the gully on the front nine.

This is a long par 5, dog leg left.

There's the green of the par 5. Don't leave it left!

The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago located directly south of Western Samoa. It is made up of 171 islands, 48 of them are inhabited. The largest island is Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nuku’alofa is located. Geologically, most of the islands have a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations; others consist of limestone overlaying a volcanic base. The nation has an astonishing literacy rate of over 99% and they are a people very strong in their Christian faith. In fact, every village on the island has a school and a church with its own Pastor.

 This was the fourth time I have been above to visit this remote island nation. Each time, I have left with a great feeling of admiration for the people I met. Faith, family, friends and the respectful treatment of others is the staple of this society. The standard of living is very modest but the children are well groomed and impressive looking in their school uniforms.

I was asked to host a a tour to Oholei Beach Resort and Hina Cave for about 160 of our guests and it turned out t be a terrific day. We went to a beautiful resort that had several miles of beachfront. The resorts’ buildings, however, were washed away with last year’s tropical cyclone that was a direct hit. It was the same one that hit Bora Bora, that we just missed by three days. The owner rebuilt a large dining facility – like a tiki hut – where our guests sat in the shade and listened to local rhythms being presented by the resorts owner and his band. A buffet lunch was truly a Tongan feast and was certainly nothing we’d eat at home, but was quite good and it was attractively presented in pieces of cut palm.

Many guests ventured into the ocean or strolled down the beach before lunch. After lunch the owner brought everyone into the circular cave next door, where he and his group put on a terrific thirty minute cultural show!

After that, we departed to tour the county side via its dirt roads and then mad a scenic stop on a volcanic coastline that was filled will blowholes. Although it was low tide the blowholes were still a great sight but are said to be spectacular when the tide is up.

We passed many of the villages cemetery’s along the way which are quite interesting. The tombs are decorated with embroidered cloth, flowers and something like posters which brings honor to their ancestors. When a family is in mourning for the death of a family member the houses of the relatives get draped in purple cloth. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a photo of this as guides were instructed not to stop.

We also dove past the Royal Tombs which even the locals are not allowed to enter and also passed the King’s Palace, which is no longer his residence but his place of work and entertaining.

The buses were cramped none of the speaker systems worked, or had worked in years, and the air conditioning was “natural.” It is a place to be visited by travelers and not tourists. Many of the guests from the various buses claimed that they had the best guide. None of these guides are full time employees. They are able to arrange their time off from their real jobs on the rare occasion that a cruise ship sails in.

I believe the majority of our guests greatly enjoyed this visit. Sometimes, we travelers must look for the simple delights, rather than the spectacular – the ones which we often don’t have to search for, as we are just led to them. Both can be equally as memorable as the other. But, if we don’t allow our minds to expect these simple delights, then we will never find the unexpected.

Last night we turned our clocks back one hour and set our calendar ahead one day, changing from the 1st to the 3rd of February. For a number of years now, as a way of commemorating this event, I have created a spoof video which involves those guests who “missed” birthdays of anniversaries as a result of crossing the line.

The two ladies on either end are Fran and Janie who "miss" their birthday on February 2nd. The couple in the middle, standing beside me are Libby and Harv who "were" to celebrate their 53rd Anniversary.

This year we had had two ladies who missed their birthday and one couple who missed their anniversary. The video featured our General Manager, Captain, Dining Room Manager and Food and Beverage Manager, Executive Concierge and starred these four guests and also celebrity speaker, Terry Waite. Because February 2nd did not exist, we were not allowed to give them celebration cakes… But the four solicited the skills of  Terry Waite who organized a “sit in” until we came up with the cakes…plus a surprise ending. The title of out short film was “Let Them All Eat Cake!” and finally they did.

Many enthusiastic comments have been passed on to me today by both our guests and crew and if I am able to upload it to You Tube while we are docked in Auckland I’ll post it for you to view. Speaking of that, I have about 40 videos ready to go on You Tube and I am just waiting for the opportunity to post them. I believe you Vcruisers would enjoy these “Jamie’s Journeys” when I finally get the chance to air them.

The first time you cross you do find it odd turning the calendar ahead two days, but what I always found even more odd, is when we are traveling the other direction we have two days with the same day and date. For those people with birthdays and anniversaries that fall on this date they really enjoy it!

The International Date Line was discovered when Magellan first traveled around the world from 1519–1522 and confusion arose when the ship’s crew (only 18 of 235) landed back in Spain convinced the day was different than that stated by those on land. It is situated in the Pacific Ocean 180°, or half way around the world from Greenwich, England (Greenwich Mean Time or GMT) which is located at 0° longitude. The International Date Line is not a straight line, either. Since its beginning, it has zigzagged to avoid spitting apart countries into two days. The line and time zones were first formally established in 1884.

Today, the entire crew made a special effort to create a most memorable afternoon at sea as I had planned “A Day a t the Country Fair!” Each department was represented and came up with the idea for a game, like a carnival booth, something cute, creative and fun that our guests could play.

The captain blew the ship’s horn for us to start and finish the event and the deck was packed! Our terrific Deck Stewards clear half of the deck at 1:00pm and each department is assigned a location to set up. While I know our guests absolutely love it, I truly believe that our crew enjoy this event even more. It is something I schedule for special occasions – like long voyages – when I have to shake up the routine a bit.

As always my hat’s off to our fantastic and dedicated crew who stepped out during their afternoon break to create some magic for our guests.

The morning view of Bora Bora from our suite.

 I awoke this morning at 6:30am and what did I see but Mt. Otemanu starring right at me through our window. The sail-in is stunning with the view the mountain, the passing of a couple small islands, the various shades of turquoise water and having cruise through the natural opening in the coral reef. You know well before you get there that this place is something special!

Matira Beach in Bora Bora!

These two girls are cousins and they were so cute playing in the water. All of us took photographs of them and they seemed to like the attention.

We found some of the resorts to be closed, especially the Bora Bora Resort, which was once the island favorite. We had been here a year ago and three days after we left the island it got hit hard by a tropical cyclone. Other resorts have closed due to the lack of tourism there. Other than being extremely pricey and well out of the way, I am surprised by the lack of tourists, since it is such a unique place on this great earth!

The Hilton Hotel is in a most beautiful setting.

Beautiful Bora Bora Lagoon.

In the afternoon we got to step out and took “Le Truck” for a $5 per person ride down the coast, past the famous Bloody Mary’s Restaurant to Matira Beach, which is right next to the Intercontinental Hotel. That lagoon is enormous and averages a depth of about three feet deep. I cannot image more beautiful water anywhere!

After a pleasant little stay at the beach we hired a boat for an hour cruise of the resorts and islands plus, to enjoy another amazing encounter with those affectionate stingrays. No sharks this time!

Our Cruise Consultant Gudrun pets the wild stingrays.

Many of us assembled again on the top deck as we waved good-bye to French Polynesia. It really is paradise and we always feel a bit sad when it is time to sail-away, especially this time as we know not when we will return again.

Yesterday we were in Tahiti and just about everyone of our guests got out on tour. It was planning day to get us to Auckland, so we were all in the office all day. We have several more sea days before then and there is a lot to prepare for our program. 

I brought on a local show that performed at 5:45pm and then we sailed at 7:00pm. The name of my local performers was “Toakura” who did a fabulous job. This was the first time I booked them as I have used another group for a long time who were off the island this time. I had many nice comments about the show which was classy and colorful.

Enjoy a couple photos I took of a group who performed on the pier and at our on board performance in our Constellation Theater.

Weolcome to French Polynesia!

I got up at six for the sail-in this morning and joined many up on deck 12, but the mountains were overcast and nature did not put on the most spectacular of shows.

Good morning Moorea!

Dana and I were able to host a snorkeling tour. We were to cruise by boat to a spot where we could pet wild stingrays, which I knew was on the agenda. We had done it before in Grand Cayman and Curacoa and absolutely loved it!  I did, however, somehow miss in the tour description that there were also going to be a couple wild sharks in the water! Is there such thing as a tame domesticated shark? Well, there were more than a couple and they were swimming right next to us and a few brave ones even ventured right through our little group! It was amazing to be under water within just about an arms reach of 30-40 swimming sharks! What fun? Yes!

What am I doing? I am kissing the stingray. Why? The guide told me to!

 The guides fed the stingrays a bit and also the sharks at the very end after everybody but me had left the water. Where did everybody go? Even some nice white birds flew in for a little nosh.

Hey, where did everybody go?

As all these sharks were swimming close by, at times within an arms reach I began to think... Am I chum of just dumb?

From there we had a wonderful cruise down the coast, sailing past a typical French Polynesian resort with the rooms over the water. Then pulled up at Coco Beach to go swimming and snorkeling at this beautiful motu (Small island). By then the winds had really picked up and snorkeling from the beach wasn’t so good – Though the setting of it all certainly was! There were many kite surfers who were making the most of it.

Dana with Coco Beach in the background.

Just look at that water!

The lagoon behind Coco beach was also most beautiful!

The mountainous landscape of Moorea is truly remarkable and the water is a stunning kaleidoscope of blues.  I met one woman who was so inspired by the beauty of the water she wanted to get a jar from the ship and return to collect some so that she could bring some teal colored water home to show her family…”Will customs let me bring this in to the country?” Hmm? “Probably, yes, but that’s not the issue.” I told her. Maybe you, my readers, need to think about it too…

Many of our Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers joined our guests on deck for the sail-away. Pictured are Matthew, Emily, Simone, Stephanie and Aaron.

We sailed at 6:00pm to go across the bay 8 miles to Papeete, Tahiti and this time nature really put on a great show! I had the full band on the Pool Deck playing dance music. Four dinner Dana and I joined four guests for dinner in La Veranda and enjoyed a sumptuous meal on the aft deck of 11 with Moorea as a back drop. The couples were well suited and were so much fun and so very interesting.

Our dinner guests were Terry and Bob and Cindy and Walt.

As we sailed into port we saw an old family member, the m/s Paul Gauguin, which was managed by our company for many years. Quite of a few of its crew members are still there and it created a nice reunion on the pier.

After dinner, our nine piece orchestra played more big band and jazz music on deck and about 60 guests found the energy to come out to enjoy the setting under a Polynesian star lit sky as another great day began to wind down. Many of the crew headed out to the clubs after work to burn off some steam and experience a social setting other than the Crew Bar. As for Dana and I we lathered ourselves in Aloe Vera in an attempt to soothe our sunburn enough. Wearing SPF 8 on a snorkeling tour in Morrea was not a good decision! By now, you’d think we’d know better.

We also held the time honored tradition of an Equator Crossing Ceremony. This is when “Pollywogs” – those who have never crossed the Equator by sea – get initiated into King Neptune’s secrets of the deep and become “Shellbacks” – those who have crossed the Equator by sea. I am always the Prosecutor, the one who has the distinction of being the accuser of all the various crimes of the Pollywogs. Our King Neptune who is essentially the judge, was Terry Waite (you may wish to Google him as he was held as a hostage in solitary confinement for almost five years and has led a most interesting life!). Terry is about six foot seven and a mountain of a man, but is a gentle giant. He will partake in anything I ask of him. He is super fun and great to have on board!

Each time I arrange to initiate three crew members who have never crossed and then the King pardons the rest. As for the guests, I get them to step forward and kiss the sacred fish… Which for some reason they are always willing to do? What’s that? Yes, a real, old, dead, stinky fish.

Enjoy a few short of the ceremony. Dana was taking the photos but had to leave before all the fish kissing… Maybe it’s just as well!

The view from the window of our suite. It doesn't look windy.

Vcruisers,

Well, with 5 straight seas days we have been doing “The Hustle” as we work to keep our guests entertained. The weather hasn’t really hurt us, but it hasn’t helped us either, as we have had some pretty strong winds that have limited the use of the pool and upper deck. That being said there is still an awful lot going on with many activities to choose from.  The lecturers have been terrific!

Captain Scala and Assistant Cruise Director Elda making pasta.

Executive Chef Fabian put in a lot of extra time, as well.

Now that'sa pasta!

Captain Scala added to the events as yesterday.  He and Assistant Cruise Director Elda, along with Chef Fabian, spent several hours preparing “Home Made Pasta” for the Captain’s Pasta buffet that took place today.  I want to clarify that they made it from scratch! Then he, Elda and the Safety Officer Serena (also Italian) cooked it on deck for our guests the following day. I have no idea how many plates they served but it was a lot and it was delicious! 

Now it's time to cook! Italian Safety Officer Serena stepped in to help Captain and Elda cook cook for the masses.

Long after the rush, our guests kept coming.

Another batch is al dente!

Captain Scala is a fun fellow who goes out of his way to please, naturally. Two nights ago he organized and called a special bingo session for the crew and to raise money for the Crew Welfare Fund. He personally went out and handpicked 6 Apple (Ipod Ipad, Macbook etc.) prizes to be given away at a raffle that took place during a bingo session in our main theater at 11:30pm.  Eighty percent of the crew attended and all the others were working. He called two games. The first game was worth $200 and the second was $2000!  The crew members who won the biggest prizes have worked on voyager from the start! It was a great night! I have never seen so many crew members at a function planned for them.  My hat goes off to the Captain! We are now planning that he call a special bingo session for our guests. I am sure he will make it fun!

Ah, Maui! So pretty, so nice and another day of sun and fun for our guests. Dana and I also treated ourselves to a quick trip to Kaanapali Beach, which was a former whaler’s village. Now the three mile stretch of sand is home to the island’s best resorts and overlooks the beautiful island of Lanai which is a romantic destination of untouched tranquility that also features more world-class resorts, but is not a port of call for cruise ships. 

Today was another super day for our guests. Dana took the opportunity to escort a tour of Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field as she had never been. She said the tour was very well executed, was extremely moving and that she felt very fortunate to have been able to go and see, learn and pay her respects. I have been previously and it is a place every American should get to when in Hawaii.

The Battelship Missouri known as "The Mighty MO" docked in Pearl Harbor. The Japanese formally surrendered on deck. It is a museum now and well worth seeing! I particularly enjoyed looking through the ship's log of where it was and what it was each and every day of its working life. A couple years ago on another Regent world cruise, we enjoyed a special event they called "Swing Dancing on the Mighty Mo" and what a night that was!

A look at the USS Missouri docked next to the USS Arizona Memorial.

A closer look at the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

The plane was a survivor of "The Day of Infamy."

Stopping to pay respect to the fallen at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Dana, my biker babe, checking out an Army motorbike from 1941.

This second night of Honolulu we planned our first deck party. As usual, the Food and Beverage team led by Florian our F& B Manager, Anatoli our Dining Room Manager, and our Executive Chef Fabian and also Assistant F & B Manager Luis get all the credit for a most memorable evening! So many of our guests commented to me about the team work on board and what a difference it makes in creating our product.  Certainly, I see it because I also work behind the scenes, but when so many guests make comments like that to me it always impresses me. It’s genuine and it shows!

I hired a very popular local band called “Maunalua.” There are about 20 videos of them on You Tube. They recently won a local award equivalent to a Hawaiian Grammy.  

I wanted to present the top children’s hula school on the island, Halau Hula Olani who have traveled all over the world performing. However, they will be featured in the in the NFL Pro Bowl half time show next week and because of that they had rehearsals each night this week and could not take the job. Maunaluna did do a great job filling in. Together they create a wonderful sound and added greatly to the event.  The group have worked together for fifteen years and each of their wives participated in the performance.

Ships that pass in the night are soon forgotten. But great nights that pass on ships are never forgotten!  This night will be a great memory for our guests.

Seven Seas Voyager sailing into Honolulu. Taken by John Douglas, who will sail with us from Bangkok.

Aloha! Which, of course, means “hello” or ‘good-bye” and sometimes even “I love you”.

We are docked next to the Aloha Tower. Once the tallest structure on the island!

Our first of two full days in Honolulu was spectacular! It was warm, sunny and Waikiki Beach was full of tourist from the northeast USA, or so it seemed, who were warming their chilled bones and reddening their skin. We were able to get out and enjoy a couple hours and recharge our batteries for the next stretch of 5 days at sea.

Waikiki Beach looking away from Diamond Head.

Waikiki, certainly one of the top beaches of the world is lovely, despite the crowds. But with Diamond Head as the backdrop it’s hard to beat. There are even better, more secluded beaches down the coast, but this is most convenient for us Voyagers and hotel goers.

Waikiki Beach looking towards Diamond Head.

The surf this day was minimal, but here in surfers paradise, there were many tourists out there giving it a try. You can rent a board and take a lesson, or go it alone – if you dare.

Previously, I, of course, tried it without a lesson. Afterall, I consider my self to be somewhat athletic so, how hard could it really be, I thought? Plus, I had seen it on TV. Well, that strategy didn’t work too well…Although I did stand up!

The beginner surfboards are actually pretty easy to get up on as they are about as long as a dock. I believe mine might have even had legs it was so stable? They probably could have even moored a boat to it.

Surfers who own them can store theirs right at the waters edge.

While standing up, I soon figured out, that was not the first step. In order to actually surf (which is why I rented that stupid thing) you have to first get on your stomach and then paddle your “dock” forward with enough speed that you get in sync with “your” oncoming wave, which is really the main key to having any success. Personally, I felt that a small outboard motor tied onto the back end might have been quite useful.

I found the paddling part of it to be somewhat like a relay race, because first you look back and pick “your” wave. Then you have to to start paddling like a boat onthe Mississippi in order to get your speed up. But I found that the “dock” and I were so slow in getting up to takeoff speed that I had to start choosing waves that were two back. Then three, then four… But then the problem was that by the time “my” wave finally got to me, eventhough I had enough speed, my arms were ready to fall off and became too weak to thrust me up into surfing form! 

After burnout all I could do was to just lay on the board like a seal as my arms and lungs recovered.  By that time the feeling came back the current had pushed me back towards the beach so I had to paddle way out again to catch my wave. At which time my arms were tired again so I had to rest again…Are you beginning to see a pattern here?…I should have taken that lesson!

Thinking back..Please, if you see Dana, don’t ever ask her about how I “learned” to windsurf and snowboard!

Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s legendary surfer greets you at Waikiki.

Late afternoon we hosted the first of three special events planned for our full world cruisers and it was a great success. We visited the only Iolani Palace which was built as a seat of government for Hawaii’s final king, David Kalakaua, who became known as the “Merry Monarch”. He was the world’s first monarch to travel around the globe visiting other sovereign states, taking advantage of Hawaii’s new prosperity. When he threw parties at the palace he was known for his dancing. He was said to have two big sessions of dancing, with dinner in between. He danced with every lady in attendance except his wife as she did’t dance. I wish he was here today, I’d hire him as a Gentlemen Host!

His residence was inspired by the grand palaces owned by other monarchs around the world. It was completed in 1882 at a cost of over $360,000 and is an architectural masterpiece! It even had electricity and telephones four years before the White House did! Unfortunately, pictures were not aloud inside.

How darling! Dana , receiving her lei from this lovely little girl.

We were met by 20 miniature hula kids who placed leis over each of our guests head and ours too. Other children did some dancing near the palace entrance.

After an interesting tour of the palace we went out to back lawn where we enjoyed cocktails. In the spirit of Duke Kahanamoku”, Hawaii’s legendary surfer, swimmer and greatest athlete, I enjoyed a Longboard Beer along with THE BEST appetizers I have EVER enjoyed… And for those who know – that says a lot! They were prepared by a very well know local chef out of his restaurant nearby. Gosh, they were good!

Longboard Beer and more importantly a look at the back of the palace.

Then we enjoyed a most unusual presentation of music and dance by a well known local tiki group. I believe everyone expected the usual Hawaiian brand of entertainment, but our company stepped out of the box and hired something different and I believe everyone enjoyed the novelty of it. Sorry no photos of it. But it was a great day all around.

Captain Scala also came and entertained our guests in his natural way. Here he is visiting with a beautiful world cruiser who is a whole lot of fun - "Hilley."

A parting shot of my world cruise team. Elda, me, Dana and Andreana.

Well, we are a day out of our first port of Hilo, Hawaii and I can finally catch my breath a bit today.  The beginning of the 2011 World Cruise was always a whirlwind as we worked to get all of our programs organized and implemented. Normally, Dana and I get on in Fort Lauderdale and sail those three weeks to the West Coast and by then we are organized and ready to go. But due to the length of this voyage we got on later and it made it much more challenging to get to this point.

Anyway, here I am and we are off to a great start!  There seems to be an extremely positive atmosphere on the ship and Dana and I have met some most interesting people already. Many of us just sense that this is really going to turn out to be a very special voyage!

We held a special world cruise event on January 13^th where celebrity comedian Norm Crosby performed thirty minutes to open the show and was followed by Academy, Tony and Golden Globe Award winner, Joel Grey who performed for 45 minutes. Mr. Grey really made his mark in the stage and screen performances of CABARET where he was the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Club. He did a fine show. From the moment the curtain opened we could hear the audience murmuring that they wanted to see him perform his Cabaret numbers which he did, of course, as his finale.

Joel Grey after his performance. He looked a lot different on stage.

All-around it was a super night and was so much fun for us to get reacquainted with many good friends from the previous world cruises. We have a total of 110 full world cruisers who will be here until June.

The following day the remainder of our guests joined the ship and at 4:30pm we were sailing out of “The City By the Bay.” Though it was a crisp day, it was sunny and many guests came up to the top deck to watch us sail out past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate.

Dana's and my spot! Right under the bridge. We were standing with others on this side and were almost right under the bridge. (These pixs are courtesy of one our World Cruise guests and fellow Vcruisers, Ken Lyon. Taken by his friend ashore, Alan Burns).

In 1999, as Dana and I sailed out on the Royal Viking  Sky where I proposed to her under the Bridge , so sailing out of San Francisco is always an extra special event for us. I played some popular San Francisco and California songs over the public address as we sailed away.

Seven Seas Voyager passing Angel Island on her way out of San Fransisco Bay.

Though the weather in the bay was clear, just beyond the bridge was a thick fog bank that had covered the bay the day prior and it was an awesome sight as we sailed beyond the bridge and into the fog with San Francisco disappearing behind us while the temperature dropped like a rock!

Talk to you again real soon and thanks for reading Same Ship Different Day.

Here she comes!

 Now, while we were there, apparently there were some not so nice things taking place in the city.  Nothing near the tourist areas, as it all took place about a mile back and away from the main strip. Three of my Vcruisers actually forwarded various news clippings about this to us, just to help us relax, I guess? But we never even heard a siren during our stay. Evidently, there is a big drug turf battle going on there (and other places in Mexico) and a number of young boys who were participating in this trade had their lives taken by their rivals. That is how it was explained to me by a local, anyway.

Though we do take notice of local events we try not to let the news deter us.  Cities like this have millions of people and news stories like this are just a blip in a vast city.  We have never felt threatened during our travels.  We all just have to travel smart wherever we go and take common sense precautions. I understand most, but not all Regent guests went ashore that day and enjoyed the many different sightseeing opportunities Acapulco had to offer.

Even before this recent news hit the streets Dana and I had long since decided that we were going to just park ourselves on property and enjoy the resort – but not because of fear of anything. That’s just what we wanted to do.  Our only planned excursion was to be to Walmart on the way to the ship.

A beautiful sight!

The Las Brisas Resort is very spread out up and down the hillside and as guests you have drivers at your beckon call to transport you to wherever in the resort you want to go and the staff were just great! So if you ever have the chance for a great romantic and relaxing get-away Las Brisas in Acapulco is old world charm and a most romantic place to stay for a couple nights.

That being said, if you are looking for more than just a weekend get-away I think you can guess what my choice would be… Yes, indeed right here on the most elegant floating hotel in the world. Where we have the best rooms.  The best dining. The best views. The best security. All combined with the very best staff in the world…Even though it’s time us to serve, rather than be served, it’s good to be back “home.”

Enjoy a few photos of Seven Seas Voyager sailing in to Acapulco just after dawn.

Same Ship Different Day!

Such beautiful water. From it comes the fruits of the sea.

Instead, this post is about the little farewell meal Dana and I enjoyed on the pier of Santorini during our last visit, shortly before we came home. We love ethnic food, EVERY kind you can think of!  And these foods ALWAYS taste much better when you eat it in the country of it’s origin… Ok, ok, maybe China is the exception to that rule! 

Syrtaki Restaurant, one of several choices on the pier.

But when we have a opportunity to get out and enjoy a little Greek Food (actually, it’s never a little) we say “Opa!” and jump at the chance to enjoy some Tzatziki, Melitzanosalata, Taramosalata, Greek Salad (why does this always taste better there – is it the tomatoes?). Then we complete the meal with our very favorite, CALAMARI! 

By the way, that was a double Tzatziki. Sorry the photo is a bit blurry. It is the out ouf focus. I have to blame it on the Calamari!

Now, I will gladly devour every bit of the squid, that is for sure – octopus too! But as for Dana, well as she puts it, “Jamie, you can have the arms!”  Yes, that’s right – the arms? Now believe me, I know that squid don’t really have arms, nor do they have legs, but tentacles, yes.  I am not sure why, and Dana won’t tell me, how she came up with “arms” – I believe that word makes her  less squeamish, or something? So for 20 years now – she doesn’t eat the arms!

Yes, the arms were all mine, again!

So, that was our lunch “A Farewell to Arms” for another season. We just love this part of the world so very much – can’t wait to get back there already! We’d love to see some of you there! Maybe we could share in a meal and I could have your arms?

So sad... Could I have a hanky?

Farewell (for now).

Seven Seas Mariner will be the last of our three ships to get the new shows from the Jean Anne Ryan Production Company (JAR). JAR has also been greatly respected in the industry for a long times dating back to what was, I believe, their original “Sea Legs Revue” on NCL’s SS Norway (the old SS France). This past summer I had blogged about my week spent on Seven Seas Navigator where I had a look at the new shows that are coming here very soon and I was very impressed! Actually, two of the shows will be the same on each ship and two will be specific to each. The two anchor shows, are based around the “Cirque” concept of entertainment where instead of a terrific ballroom dance couple, as we have performing with our cast now, we will have a terrific adagio couple who will “fly” and do all sorts of amazing feats and entertaining maneuvers while suspended from our ceilings. The couple I met on the Seven Seas Navigator had come directly from the “Moulin Rouge des Paris” and they definitely got the goods!  So, although I greatly look forward to working with the JAR production company I still will keep many wonderful entertainment memories from PGT.

This final cast who will finish here in about one month have just been so wonderfully good! Every voyage since Dana and I have been back, while even being late in what will be a year long contract, they have done a superb job. They have a genuine admiration for our guests and my sentiments have been consistently shaped and reinforced cruise in and cruise out by our guests’ comments and show ratings. To this final PGT cast, Dana and I salute you and wish you well – You have all seen the world and gave it your all while doing it!

PGT, thanks for the past years and we wish you much continued success. To JAR welcome aboard, the Mariner’s stage will soon be yours – We look forward to the many more great entertainment memories that will be made as we turn the page on this next chapter. Cast on…cast off!

A parting shot after our last "Beatles Tribute" - A great team!

While we do all have different situations, Dana and I are fortunate to have a home in Traverse City, Michigan – we even have a black dog and a sassy cat!  So, what does happen when we go on vacation? Well, though we’d probably all like to think the ship could barely survive without us, truth is, however, equally capable people arrive in our place and certainly nobody is indispensible – even though many guests may have their “favorites” in certain positions, everybody is the favorite of someone – our companies’ success depends on all of us doing a fine job – both on board and ashore.

The CD for these upcoming Discovery Collection sailing will be Paul Reynolds who is a delightful and well-liked fellow from the UK and the ever-bubbly Elsa will remain as Ship’s Hostess until Dubai. Making his debut as Assistant Cruise Director here is J.R. He boarded in Valetta, Malta (which, by the way, our guests just raved about!) and Dana is working with him as I write. He became a dear and respected friend when he sailed with us earlier this year on the 2010 World Cruise. He filled in greatly as an additional staff member which is needed for that voyage.

In all departments crew are always coming and always going, about 20 after each voyage, so that the turnover is never too many at one time.  When Dana and I depart we always watch for the smokestack to fade from view, that’s when we really know we are on vacation. When we return we always look for our first glimpse of the smokestack and our ship waiting for us in the harbor. That’s when we really know we are back to work.

This time, however, we plan to watch from the city as Seven Seas Mariner sails past the “Golden Horn” of the Bosporus, with the Topkapi Museum set on the hill and the city’s great mosques behind it as she begins her next adventure.

What happens to the ship? She sails gracefully away with happy guests on board, each with great expectations which are waiting to be fulfilled… As for us, it’s time once again to head home. Talk to you again soon from TC.

Enrico in a soulful moment.

This performer was the perfect act for us as we sailed along the Italian Riviera as he sings several songs in Italian – and I don’t necessarily mean the old “touristico” standards.  He chooses some more contemporary selections, as well, and mixes all that up with some fine selections of American pop songs and standards.

The lighting effects by our Stage Manager Michael do not shine through in my photo but, the stage also looked great.

Next season when our ships are back in this area I imagine he’ll be doing some of these sailings. Sometimes it takes four Italian tenors to put on a great show – This time it took just one!

Backstage after the show with Enrico Cifiello and the leader of our awesome nine piece orchestra Greg Rodman (Guitarist). Another great show guys!

This was the last stop of the season in Portofantasic (Portofino) and it turned out to be a glorious day for our guests – and a pretty perfect day for us as well. The seas were calm and the morning sun shown brightly down on the entrace to the port as we tendered off 600 hundred guests who were on tour. Most sailed away from the ship with great anticipation of the day to come!

Castel Brown on the left side of the entrance to Portofino.

I became extra certain it was going to be a special day when I happened to look out of my office window – it’s so nice to have an office window – when I saw a pod of Dolphins just below me. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been at sea but we always consider it a treat and a blessing when we do see sea life. Portofino, after all, does translate into “Port of the Dolphin” and the city of Portofino was first mentioned in the records way back to the early 900’s. One thousand plus years later and the Dolphins still make this gulf their home.

It was the perfect day for cruisers and even sailors!

We went back to work until about 1:00pm and then followed through on our plans to visit Dana’s and my favorite little restaurant for lunch out  in Portofino – Da ‘O’ Bati. Now there are MANY restuarants in town that are superior and some located right on the water.  This one is in a nondesript alley but it suits us very well.

Portofino has so many wonderful places to dine. This one is off the beaten path.

Usually there is laundry hanging out some of these windows.

For our tastebuds, they make THE BEST pesto that we have ever tasted!  The color of it is a bright green and has chunks of potato and green beans in it – it is sooooo delicious!

Before...

And after..."We can't believe we ate the whole thing!"

We wanted to say thanks to our Ship’s Hostess, Elsa for the great job she has done, as we will be going on vacation at the end of this voyage. She is just a first class gal and keeps things light in our office and is truly dedicated to our guests and their wellbeing. She is from Australia and her long-time boyfriend, Alex who works with destination services is from Ecuador. They are delightful together.

Alex and Elsa...Smiles as bright and genuine as they can get.

Because we like her so much, we even forgave her when she decided to go against public opinion and ordered the Pasta Vongole (clams) instead. Ok, so I must say, that was truly delicious also – but not as good as the pesto!

Traitor!

We also ran into a gentleman, who many of our readers may remember, Phillipe, who was with Regent for many years. He is working with Windstar Cruises as Hotel Director where he is at home with his fellow Frenchman. He and the Captain and Engineer, etc. were partaking in some crustations with their pasta. Maybe that’s a French thing?

Bonjour mon ami.

As it was so nice out, after lunch I took a little stroll and then climbed up to Castel Brown, which is the castle you see up on the left hand side as you tender in to town.  This once was the fort that protected the port and was once bombed by the British in the 1600′s during the rule of Napolean.

Another look at Castel Brown from the downtown.

Here are a few shorts from up on the hill.

The view from just before you enter the port with the most famous hotel of Portofino - Splendido - on the upper right.

A better look at Hotel Splendido. The best overall lunch is probably here.

The main facades of Portofino from just below Castel Brown.

And here  are a few parting shots of Portofantastic!

Seven Seas Mariner anchored out and seen in the lower right hand corner.

More of Portofino's charm.

Looking across to Portofino's little cove.

Our beautiful white ships sail here several times a year and, as you can see, it is a most charming destination to visit. Chao!

Seven Seas Mariner awaiting the return of its' guests from Portofantastic!

A pod is an extremely technical piece of hardware and replacement parts aren’t  just sitting on dusty shelves in shipyards. I am not sure how it was compromised but, that’s not really important. What is important to us is that it is real unfortunate for our guests who had just arrived after having set the time aside and having taken the journey to get there.  It is a sad thing and I am sure even a mad thing for some of our guests. Many a crews plans were also affected and we certainly care for them also.  But, of course, our guests always come first.

Most will know what a “pod” is but, for those who don’t, it is the propulsion system for Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager and just about every other cruise ship built in the last 12 years or so. There are definitely some maneuverability advantages as the pods can swivel 360 degrees and there are space saving advantages to having these since we do not require a drive shaft.  Those are a couple laymens reasons why pods are advantageous to the standard propusion where the propellers are fixed. Unfortunately, our ships over the years have experienced some issues with these and so has every line at one time or another – Some more than others. Though, I believe these pods have become increasingly reliable industry-wide in the last several years.  However, unfortunately, “ship” still does happen now and then and it happened to our Seven Seas Voyager to which all of us here on the Seven Seas Mariner feel bad about. 

Two world cruises ago, some of you (like our friends Tom and Marcie who I know were just now on the Voyager) may recall, we had a different type of pod issue that was due to a bad encounter with a fishing net around Penang, Malaysia. Our ship had to eventually go into dry dock and it also greatly affected our cruise. Having been through this sort of thing several times before in my career, I can very much relate to what’s going on there with our guests’ and their furstrations and disappointments and especially, behind the scenes with everyone who is working to try and somehow make lemonade out of lemons while they get everyone moved on to the next step of their ill-fated journey.  

To bring at least a little levity to this, I had written a little parody around my Voyager event for the end of cruise special show we put together each year. The refrain has been swirling around in my head the last couple days so, I thought I’d share it and let it swirl around yours, as well…That is, if you know the song and care to sing-a-long.

DAMN POD!
A real-life parody based on the song “Lucille” by Kenny Rodgers.

At a port down in Asia
A short ways from Malaysia,
By a barstool he ordered a drink.
A waitress came closer
And then she walked on over
As he sat down he started to think…
When his thoughts finally reached him,
With an accent began speaking
Said “I gotta bigga problem right’a now!”
I’m engineer on dat’ ship,
Here on a world trip,
But my ship can’na only do 13 knots now!

In the mirror I saw him
And I closely watched him
I thought how he looked out of place
The waitress went to him,
And gave him a tissue.
‘Cause he had lots of grease on his face.
His hands were a’ flappin’
Thought he must be Italian
For a moment couldn’t get what he said…
His big heart was breaking
With his boiler suit shaking
He turned away from that waitress and said…
“You picked a fine’a time to break’a down DAMN POD!
With five hundred sailing
And more comin’…Oh God!
We had some bad’a luck
And its’ lookin’ like’a dry dock
If so, dis engineer he might’a cry!
Our world cruise is gonna’ change in Dubai!” 

After he left us
I ordered a whiskey
Did a shot and felt I too may cry
From lights of that bar room
Back to the engine control room
I followed close without approaching that guy
As reality hit me
I declared “This won’t defeat me!
I still vow to have a great time!”
‘Cause I couldn’t change things
Just my flights need arranging
And knew my refund would be comin’ in time!

“You picked a fine time to break down DAMN POD!
Got more sea days comin’
But still I thank God!
On ships there are good times
And rarely a bad time
So this time I know I’ll be fine…
I still vow to have a great time!
YES! I still vow…to…have…a…great…time!

Hopefully, others made similar vows because when you are a traveler, away from home, and things go wrong – which they sometimes do – what else can you do to not make things worse for yourself but to go with the flow.  I know my company very well and I am sure everyone on board and on shore has given their all to rectify this unfortunate situation the best they can…Damn pod!

In Barcelona, we had a special visitor. The visitor was one of our Filipino sisters, named Mitzy who had worked with us for a couple years on Seven Seas Voyager.  We had become close through our little Christian band of brothers and sisters who meet each week at 11:30pm  for worship and fellowship.

 In 2007, when Seven Seas Voyager was calling at Manila on the world cruise she was leaving to go on vacation.  Dana and I paid a short visit to meet her mom and dad, extended family members and friends. We also met her fiancé, Jorlan. They were all so kind and we enjoyed a couple sweet hours that we’ll never forget!  We all took pictures and ate some special food that they brought in for the party. Not too many days get better than that.

 Tragically, just a short time later, Jorlan lost his life in a motorbike accident which, of course, devastated Mitzy and many others. She had resigned her job on board to marry and had aspirations of raising a family with him.  A year later Mitzy had gotten her life somewhat back together and accepted a position on the Sultan of Dubai’s yacht and we met her again when Voyager was on another world cruise.

Dana and Mitzy with Alena starting to grow and show.

 Shortly after that she met a Spanish gentleman and they have since married and are living in Barcelona. While in Spain she lost her mom and dad within just a few months, but is now four months pregnant and is carrying a baby girl – Alena. We met her and her charming husband, Eduardo, a Barcelona police officer, and walked her around to see a few other “family” members who are now working on board Seven Seas Mariner. It was great for all of us to be witness to her happy ending.

A few friends of Mitzy's with Headwaiter Abraham next to me and Head Butler Ian beside Eduardo with Dana and Mitzy seated.

One thing’s for sure “In this life there will be trouble…” Sooner or later we’ll all get rained on, won’t we. Some stories are more sad than others. But as for all of us, Mitzy is a great example of keeping the faith in the face of adversity. So, here’s to her and Eduardo – to all of us – for better days and happy endings!

I took an hour off to climb the hill of Monte Carlo.

Seven Seas Mariner at dock in Monte Carlo.

 Now, when I say the “hill” I do mean the hill and NOT the “mountain.”

Just a part of the mountain range that surrounds Monte Carlo.

Right next to our ship is a path and even an  elevator that will take you up to the Monte Carlo Aquarium – which I have seen before and is definitely worth seeing.

Beautiful building and great aquarium. Reminds me of the "Shedd" in Chicago.

But from there begins a delightful walk up the street past some charming seasonal villas and the church where Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly were married. 

Lovely seasonal villas. Just close the shutters and leave.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral.

Then if you turn to the left past the church you’ll pass the entrance to a great park on the left which is quite beautiful and peaceful. Should you continue to the right you walk along the cliffs which offers a overlook to the other side of the city which contains another yacht harbor, of course.

The cliff walk with the yacht harbor below and the village of Eze above.

I completed most of that walk and sat on a bench which looked up the mountain to the picturesque village of Eze when a lady who was also enjoying the overlook said to her spouse “Honey!  It’s time for a change! It’s time for a change! Let’s go!”

Left of the palace is another great lookout.

I watched them run off up a staircase and I thought about what they said.  I looked at my watch and I realized what she was speaking about. So, I quickly got up and followed them further up the hill.

It was time for a changing of the guard at the Palace of Monaco which was close by. The crowds had gathered for the 12 noon affair when I too took my place and immediately heard the palace band’s first notes as they began their march in and with the new guards to take their post outside the palace gates.

The guards are in place and it's time for a change.

I had seen this before and had completely forgotten about it. But felt lucky to be near the lady who did remember that it was time for a change!

With the change completed the band exists.

 Quickly the palace entrance cleared and it was time for me to leave too.

Where did everybody go?

 It was an hour well spent!

A scenic departure.

As this last voyage came to an end yesterday morning here in Monaco I feel compelled to tell you about a special presentation I made two nights ago after our “Krew Kapers Farewell Party” (crew show). Now, this wasn’t a big presentation by any means. In fact, it was a quiet, semi-public ceremony, but I felt it was something that just had to be done.

This voyage I met a lovely lady name “Jamie” who was sailing with her with her husband, Ed. Over the years I have met a lot of other Jamie’s, I even kinda-sorta “dated” one for a short period of time when I was a freshman in High School. OK, maybe “dated” is too strong of a word, anyway, I remember that was a bit odd – I think her parents thought so too.

What made this “Jamie” extra special is that she too is a “Jamie Logan.” Until this cruise I was convinced that I was the only one!  After all, my mother use to reinforce this when she’d say “Jamie, when God made you He throughout the mold! Now get upstairs and clean your room!” As I also recall, I also had an elementary teacher who once said “Jamie Logan, you are truly one of a kind! Yes, there can only be one and you sir, have just earned yourself another detention!”

So, for my namesake I thought it would be ceremoniously fitting to present her with a special keepsake from her cruise – my Cruise Director nametag.

Jamie Logan with Jamie Logan - An honorary Cruise Director.

My only stipulation for her keeping it was that she would have to do my early disembarkation gangway duty on that last morning. So, because of her I have slept in and I am writing this from my bed sipping coffee!  I kind of like having two Jamie Logans. Maybe it’s not too late to ask her to stay!

See, there's really nothing to it! Either that or she just makes it look easy.

(Photos used with permission)

The Roman city of Taormina is center with the village of Castelmola to the left of the picture.

Naxos is the gateway to majestic Taormina which is set on the mountain close-bye and also Mt. Etna in the near distance.

The volcano of Mt. Etna from Taormina was in the clouds.

Meetings like this do not, unfortunately, happen too often, but they are especially fun when they do. We arrived as scheduled at 8:00am and Seven Seas Voyager arrived at about 1:00pm.

Dana posing before lunch up in Castelmola, high above Taormina and higher above the Ionian Sea.

Seven Seas Voyager taking he place at anchor.

Dana and I had taken a group up into town and then ventured high above Taormina to the village of Castelmola where we all enjoyed lunch with a view and watched as the Voyager made her grand approach.

Sister Act - Two.

After the Voyager team got their guests out on tour they came ashore and we all met at a nearby restaurant. Dana and I were most happy to to visit with Elda Pauluzzi who has served faithfully as Assistant Cruise Director on 9 of the 10 world cruises we have done for Regent. She will join us again this January for another go round. She was sent on a mission to get some authentic Cannolis (with Ricotta) for Captain Sanguinetti and his team. That’s Elda for you!  It was probably really her idea.

Elda with Dana and I onthe porch of the bakery with our beautiful ship[s in the background.

Dee departing. This visit was short but worthwhile!

By the time we sailed at 6:00pm the weather had deteriorated a bit but I had invited our guests to join me as I played some of my special sail-away serenade songs from the covered deck 6 as we did a slow pass on the way out. Most of their guests were ashore, but they probably heard my music up in Taormina – maybe even Castlemola!

A closer look at Castelmola.

Seven Seas Voyager is one year younger than Mariner and she is of Italian design whereas Mariner was built in France. They looked great lined up side by side.

Voyager and Mariner side by side.

Nice to see you sister! Dana and I will see her again when we join the Seven Seas Voyager again in Acapulco on January 8^th, 2011.

Another look of our two sisters, this time at the bow.

A final shot from the beach of Naxos.

Five ships in view at the dock in Civitavecchia, Italy.

I get asked often “What do you think about all these big ships?” Personally, if they aren’t all in Santorini trying to get up or down the cable car with us I don’t mind them at all. Dana and I worked on several ships with 2000+ passengers and the largest one was 109,000 tons. As a cruise director this experience helped me greatly with my management skills as I had some 90 people reporting to me.  Here there are 34 who do. Now, on some of these ships the cruise director’s staff totals over 300! As well, on those ships we  would do every shipboard activity known to man and that experience still comes in handy on the world cruises when I have a lot of time to fill.

No, it's not "Brand X" it's the Celebrity Constellation. I always thought this had nice lines for a big ship.

But the main reason why I like these ships is that they are great feeders for our Regent ships. These companies do a fine job at filling their ships and down the road a percentage of those guests get led to us. Of the 9 ships in port today the average capacity of these vessels (always based on double occupancy – sometimes the big ones have 3 and 4 in a cabin) is about 2500. Seven Seas Mariner can carry 700. I am sure the other guests are having a great voyage because those ships do a very good job at moving so many people. But many will be looking for a different cruise experience next time around and I believe ours fits that bill. The friendliness of our ships is incomparable. Between the open seating, open bar and inclusive tours guests are always making new friends.

MSC caters to a more international crowd but mostly the Italian market and do they love to cruise!

One of our guests just this morning told me that #1 - She loved the “Block Party” (an invention of mine from a few years ago), something which those big ships can’t do. And #2 – She claims to have made over 40 friends that she knows by name. Dana and I used to meet some very nice people on those big ships and we’d tell them we’d get together during the cruise, but then we’d never see them again! The size of our ship not only makes it extra friendly it also provides an excellent ride when the seas don’t cooperate. Not too big and not too small. Plus there are just enough guests to create some energy when it’s needed to enhance the onboard experience. With 448 crew members we can take VERY good care of you! Yet, there is little to no waiting since we have the most square footage per person of any cruise ship today.

RCI's Navigator of the Seas at 142,000 tons is no longer their biggest! A big Princess ship is docked behind it.

Best thing of all, from a cruise director’s standpoint is that unlike those big ships, I don’t have to try to sell you anything here – Bingo cards, hard drinks, soft drinks, water, ice cream, tours, rock climbing… On those big ships they even have revenue managers that tell the cruise directors what to do! My company’s sales expectation for me is to simply do my very best to get our guests to want to come back! In fact, that’s what they expect out of all of us.

Two of the 25 ships Dana and I have served on ove the years. The furthest one in the Ocean Princess and the other is now the Thompson Destiny. Originally it sailed as the Song of America for Royal Caribbean. We had a lot of fun on that one. Just under 38,000 tons with 1600 passengers. Our Mariner is 50,000 tons with 700 guests.

I’m so glad we’re here!

A shot of "Bird Island" just off the ship - a 16th century fort built by the Ottaman's... Now it's a nightclub. Who would have thought?

Great sunset, cooling gentle breeze, full moon, a couple hundred dedicated staff and delightfully positive, fun-loving guests out to enjoy the evening.  Until you experience it, it’s hard to understand just how nice it is and this night really was, once again, special.

Here comes the fruit along with the desserts.

Our set-up team begins clearing portions of the deck at about 10:00am.  They remove the loungers and set-up the tables used for the buffet displays. Several hours go by without a peep. Positive, proactive and aiming to please – our crew is currently from 38 countries and they humble Dana and I each and every single day!

A deck nicely set and dressed.

Then the team of waiters took the field. Setting white linen tablecloths and napkins combined with a full dinner set-up. No plastic plates or cups here! Each staff member goes about their work, knowing what they have to do.

Our stage management team enjoying the Beatles Show.

The Stage Management Team led by Mike, with John and Eka sets up the sound system and lighting while the music selections bent towards the taste of the crew while they work out the details to the pulse of the beat.  These talented guys like to get into the mix and enjoy the party as well – we all do!

"What do we do with the ice carvings AFTER they have melted?"

The big hats arrive – our chefs – all 30 or so of them looking dashing in their galley attire. Each of them an artist in their own right. Taking pride as they piece together the food puzzle. The F & B Manager and his Assistant along with the Dining Room Manager and his Headwaiters are directing and supervising – hands on.  The Executive and his right hand man are there – all hands on deck and all giving a hand. Teamwork! Watching this poetry in motion you’d think this was something we do everyday. It comes down to experience, but it’s not at all routine.

Two of our great waiters enjoying their work.

GM Ralph who is relatively new to our company is totally switched on and sharp – a leader – a motivator – and always speaks of details – details -details.  

Food & Beverage Manager, Joe and General Manager, Ralph. Both very pleased with how the entire evening went - Way to go team!

We discussed the final plan for the evening and had made the decision to try something different tonight.  As it’s the third night of the cruise we need to do a “Welcome” event but we certainly coldn’t have done it the first night after our guests arrive. Nor could we do it the second night this voyage as we were in Mykonos until 11:00pm. Tours arrive back late that night and many guests will go back to town to dine. So, we made this night a “Captain’s Barbecue Under a Turkish Sky.”  All senior and junior officers were at the deck entrances to greet, then to mingle, all dressed in their whites.

A final chat with the GM before the event. Broadcast Manager Matthew waiting for me to tape the "Mariner Today."

Captain Patruno gave a welcome address after the deck filled up and officers introduced themselves.  Then, my favorite part of the day came – dinner!  At dinners end we brought out our team that made it all possible and our guests showed their appreciation while we did a procession and presentation. With that the deck was cleared to the band’s rendition of the Beatles tune “Help!” then it was show time. Outr terrific cast performed a Beatles Tribute and the dance floor filled.

The line-up for introductions with Captain Patruno out front.

By the time our last two songs came around we had to have had 100+ on our big dance floor.  When it was over all guests gave our team a big hand. For them especially, it was another great night spent on ship that will never be forgotten.

What a great cast we have! Here are our singers: Justin, Melanie, Cody and Ellery - We love you yeah, yeah , yeah!

here's our other fabulous four: Greg, David, Josh and Alan (L-R).

A shot from behind the singers.

Five of our six dancers. Everyone feeds off their energy!

One more song!

Here's Dana and I with some very special guests whom we have sailed with before. This time they brought their three adult daughters. Together, they are the most fun and most beautiful family you could meet! They are from Brazil! (Used with permission).

Seven Seas MarinerAnchored off Delos.

Looking up from the beach to the archeological site.

Neolithic dwellings have proven the existence of prehistoric settlers who dated back as far as 3000BC but the real story has its’ beginnings from around 1500BC. As recorded in the mythology of ancient Greece, Delos was believed to be the birthplace of Apollo, the son of Zeus. The Mycenaean’s of that time were first to recognize the island as a place of worship but it was the coming of the Ionians in 1100 BC where major development began and the island prospered.

Seven Seas Mariner was so beautiful at anchor she dominated my shots.

We tendered over 600 a shore beginning at about 8:00am and we sailed at noon. As a cruise director, tendering is normally nothing you want to be a part of when you are on those giant ships that are out there these days. When we worked for a previous line which held “only” 2400 passengers this was always a nightmare.  As CD, normally, that position holds the task of being the facilitator of getting everyone ashore. But here at Regent it is normally a piece of cake as it was on the morning we were in Delos.

The Delos Museum is definitely worth a visit.

After I did my part to get all our guests off the ship and on to tenders I stepped off for an hour to take some pictures of the island, which I didn’t have, and shoot some video too. Seven Seas Mariner looked so gorgeous anchored off in the distance.

A few of the famous Delos Lions.

I then paid a visit to the Delos Museum which had a most interesting display of many items but what I enjoyed most were a collection of statues which remained on the island though the best and most beautiful were poached during the 8^th century.

There were some fine statues in the collection.

Just another example.

 Though I had to hustle, I huffed and puffed all the way to the highest point on the island, to where Greek mythology believed was the home to Zeus. I must say Zeus had a pretty sweet view of his island as well as his back yard, which is Mykonos.

Up to the dwelling place of Zuess...He wasn't home.

His view out the front of his dwelling place.

Here, a look to the north.

Then, to his neighbors on Mykonos out the back.

We arrived in Mykonos at 1:30pm and the winds had kicked up to a gale which made the afternoon tendering much more challenging than the morning.  The winds limited the amount of guests I could put on the tender since I was unable to use the upper deck which normally holds about 20. As well, instead of anchoring just off the breakwater and disembarking our guests right downtown we were forced to seek shelter further down the coast and had to bus our guests into town.

A parting shot from Delos.

During World War II Mykonos experienced German occupation suffered greatly through starvation. In the mid 1950′s tourism began to rise again. Due to the islands unique architecture, relative seclusion and hospitality it soon became a haven for the rich and famous. 

Sending you all a postcard...The postage is cheap.

We have several tours available to view the island but for my taste I just love to walk the street and enjoy the views.  I just love those white washed buildings and the blue shutters and in Mykonos even the streets are painted.

There is lots of color all over town.

The ancient windmills are set beautifully on the hill facing the fall and winter winds from the north.

The windmills on the hill - shooting in to the sun.

A shot from the steps of the Sunset Bar.

The most beautiful shot on the island, I believe, is along the coast where the restaurants and bars snuggle right up to the water’s edge. It’s also the best vantage point to watch the sun go down.

My favorite view on the Island. With the windmills behind me.

Quite often you can see the locals preparing the squid or octopus on the rocks.

Octopus drying out in the sun.

Something that I find is fun to do is to head out in search for the islands celebrities – the pelicans.  There are several around and they don’t complain about posing for pictures, you can even gently pet them. They have free run of the town and if they visit your restaurant or shop you feel privileged.

"Hello, is your name Petros?"

"Thirsty?"

The island also has cats.

The main waterfront of Mykonos.

The fisherman's harbor where we normally tender our guests ahsore.

Dining out is the thing to do.

 My, my, my do I love Mykonos. Bye, bye.

 The first day of the voyage we were had to make lemonade out of a lemon. Mykonos was to be our first port, however, due to high winds out of the north (which is seldom, but never good when it does happen) we were unable to tender our guests ashore. 

Santorini, looking to the west. The color os the water here is amazing!

Later in the voyage we paid a visit to the Island of Cyprus. I have always wanted to get there but because of the political situation there it has not been possible until more recently.  I escorted a very good tour to the capitol city of Nicosia .  This is the last remaining divided capitol in the world – much like Berlin – and was set in place by British Major-General Peter Young who was the commander of the peace force after the Turkish forces invaded this shared Island in 1974.  

A plaque on the wall at the main Green Line crossing.

The sign on the wall and the Liberty monument at the Greek border. I could not go across into Turkey as I did not have my passport with me.

 The “green line” runs right across the center of the island and was established as a cease fire line when he took a green pen and made a mark on a map right across the island.  For 29 long years nobody could pass across the borderfrom either direction. A “no-man’s- land” swath of a couple hundred meters exists between the  two borders which is still in place.  These people could pass to either side. 

Nicosia is another great walled city... For all the times these cities were conquered it doesn't seem like the walls really did much good.

 This confrontation displaced a couple hundred thousand people. Christian Greeks from the north had to leave everything they couldn’t carry and move to the south while the Muslim Turks had to do the same. Residents became able to cross the border in 2004 but the border are still in place.

Nicosia was first established about 2200 hundred years ago and the island has been inhabited, they figure, for about 5000+. The history is absolutely amazing. It seems that every major ancient power had over run and occupied the island at least once.

Built in 1662 St' John's Church was magnificent inside. This was once a Benedictine monastery where it is claimed that the finger of John the Baptist was preserved until the Mamelukes stole it.

Many of the early influential  Christian figures spent time there – Apostle Paul, and his traveling companion Barnabas – who was a Cypriot. Apostles John and Thomas and also a follower named Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead by Jesus, and spent his last 30 years of his “second” life there. And there were others…To learn more about this fascinating place you might want Google its’ history.

A look inside St. John's Cathedral.

Magnificent!

Speaking of history… We then spent three days in Israel. One day in Haifa and two in Ashdod.  As just about the entire contingent of guests were out on tour Dana and I were able to escort a trip to Jerusalem.  These were just super days for our guests and they seemed to handle all the sightseeing so very well. I really admired their stamina this voyage as every single day was a great (long) adventure!

Holy Wow! The Holy City from the Mount of Olives.

 It was wonderful getting back to see the “old” sights and many new sights, as well. Our guide did such a fine job telling the story of this great city which has always been situated at the crossroads of civilizations.

Dana inside the Holy Sepulcher Church. The alleged crusifiction site. The faithful come to crawl under the altar to put their fingers into the rock that may have held up the cross.

Looking up from the road on the Kidron Valley up to the Garden of Gesthemane and the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdelane.

Jaffa Gate. The main entrance to the old city of Jerusalem.

Then there is Zion gate. Still potmarked by bullet holes from the 1948 War.

Dana’s and my highlights were getting into to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and learning about what was written in them,who wrote them and why. 

The roof of the building that houses the scrolls. Note the water and the color to hwelp keep the temerature cool. It is quite chilly in there. The design of the roof copies the design of the lids that covered the pots that the scrolls were in.

At the Israel Museum there is also a very large, scaled to perfection, model of the Old City as it was at the time of the building of the Second Temple. Centered is the original old city of Jerusalem. This was really neat and you carried a recording device that when you punched in the suggested number for each point of interest it gave you the history and was very well done. We also watched a movie about the people wro wrote the scrolls.

We also made it down to the Davidson Center – an archaeological site within the old city that brought the excavations down to the ancient city levels (30 feet below) where we could walk on the original street that was there at the time of Christ. 

Now at the Davidson Center. The original remaining distant western wall at it's original level. Here there was anarch with a stairway above that the people could walk up to the temple. See the toppled boulders still laying were they fell in 70 AD. This was a main throughfare.

We could also view a rock pile which was a result of the Romans destroying the walls of the first Jewish temple. What most don’t know is that the city was destroyed twice – one in 70 AD and again in 132.

The Western Wall (or "Wailing Wall") with the gold domed Muslim Temple Mount in the original spot of the Jewish temple. The Jewish people say it was here where Abraham was going sacrifice his "only son" at God's request and as a test of his faith... But was that son Issac (born to Sarah who was Abraham's wife) or was it to be Ishmael - born 12 years earlier (born to Hagar Abraham's maid servant). The implecations of the birth of these two sons, born several thousand years ago, still has great impact on our world today.

Each time a new Jerusalem was raised on top of the old one. The walls that surround the city today were built in the 1600’s by the Turkish conquerors. There is just so much history to learn about Jerusalem whether you are a person of faith or not! Again, I encourage you to Google the history of this city as it would teach you so much!  

You can still see where the arch and staircase led up to the first temple.

This city in many ways is similar to Nicosia (which in less than 200 miles away) where it too was conquered over and over again throughout history…

The only other people we saw touring the Davidson Center.

Another first time visit for us was to the Church of the Pater Noster located up on the Mt. of Olives where it is alleged that Jesus taught his apostles how to pray.

The Church contains 62 panels on which the Lord's Prayer written. I found it to be a most beautiful and stirring place. As I was about to leave a French group had just entered and the stood in the middle of the courtyard and recited the prayer.

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

I’ll talk to you again soon.

Dana and I with Igor and his family.

First we walked out of the port a short ways to a statue which commemorates the new birth of the city. This came after the Russians returned the Ukrainians their independence.

Rebirth of the city.

From there we walked up the grand staircase which leads up to the city or down to the wharf.  I have never seen a staircase like this anywhere in the world. The famous Spanish steps in Rome would be a very distant second place. They were setting up a concert stage to celebrate the city’s birthday and instead of a stadium as the venue everyone just sits on the stairs. It must hold thousands of people and is supposed to be a wonderful event.

These stairs are alot longer and wider than this picture shows.

At the top of the stairs begins the city and from there we walked along a tree covered promenade to another magnificent statute – there are statues everywhere!

Another statue of a Roman Emperor at the top of the stairs.

This one of Catherine the Great. We also just love the architecture.

This monument was a final stop, dedicated to the local soldiers who fought and died trying to prevent Odessa from Nazi occupation during the seige of the city in WW II. Such a beautiful setting and a simple but moving monument.

Igor took the opportunity to bring his kids to the steps and pay their respects. He said it was very important that they learn and respect the sacrifices that were made in the past and that all the monuments in the city help reinforce that. I believe that is a good reminder for us to always consider the sacrifices that others made on our behalf. As I travel around the world I am often amazed and humbled that Americans have given their lives all over the world for our freedom.

And then it was on to visit Odessa’s most amazing opera house. Igor had arranged through a friend a private tour of it with its’ caretaker serving as our guide. Translations were done by one of Igor’s friends who served as our guide for the afternoon stroll. We were the only ones allowed in there and my gosh – is – it – stunning!

A side view of the opera house and its' gardens.

The main stage has a very special curtain that is kept enclosed when not in use.

This photo was taken in low light and I would have loved to seen this lit up!

The detail on the stairs, walls, floors and ceilings was so impressive!

A view from the front of the house. I could have shown you so much more!

After that we went and visited a most impressive Greek Orthodox Church that included a walk in the park where we could look in on a group of chess players that meet everyday – to play and discuss local politics – there had to be more than 30 of them and we all thought that was pretty neat.

I was told the services each Sunday last for 2-3 hours and there are no seats and there are no intsruments used. There is only singing by the church members and no choir... It sure was pretty.

Chess anyone?

This was a lovely spot just outside the church.

Local painting works for sale near the fountain in the park.

We finished up at a tremendous restaurant in design and food quality, where we were treated royally by Igor, his wife and two boys.

I forget the name of the restaurant but it sure was good! Just up the hill from a local beach where many were spending the afternoon.

"Here's to Igor - Nastrovia!" He served a delicious black current juice that sure was tasty and refreshing!

 At the end of our adventure Igor gave beautiful long stem roses to the ladies and to the gentlemen we each took home a bottle of local cognac set in a bag that had a lovely picture of the city on it.

Jacqui, Elsa and Dana with their long stem roses.

All of us were so overwhelmed with what we saw and especially Igor and his family’s warmth, kindness, hospitality and generosity!  It was an afternoon none of us will ever forget! As we were about to re-board the Mariner we were all standing on the pier in a little group and the only thing we could say was “Ooooodessa!”

Igor's best friend - another engineer - and his fiance.

As for our guests, they absolutely loved the city too. This port will definitely rate very, very high.  The Black Sea voyage was a big success.  We didn’t see another cruiseliner the entire week we were in there. It is definitely off the beaten cruise path and I greatly recommend it!

Our beautiful Seven Seas Mariner anchored off Nessebar, Bulgaria.

 Today we ended our Black Sea voyage and I truly believe our guests had a great time. Our final port before our cruise end in Istanbul was Nessebar, Bulgaria and it was delightful.  This was my first time to call there and it’s one of those UNESCO Heritage sites.

The UNESCO sign at the entrance of the city.

Not much of the ruins is left today, though we thought this was impressive.

The real draw are these wonderful old wooden buildings.  If a fire ever starts it would all go very quickly.  But there are great little streets to walk with shops and cafes. And lace is one of the most popular things to buy and there were many old gals out working on their creations.   

Quite charming indeed.

And here's a closer look.

The handmade creations are absolutely phenomenal!

I took Dana out for a late lunch where we got pulled in to the restaurant owned by the chef “Uncle George”.  We had a typical Bulgarian dishes cooked and served in clay pots. We had to change some money into the local currency. But, I guess you have to be really careful.  One of our guests changed money onthe street and it was all counterfit – $100 worth.  He showed it to me and it looked very convincing. Couldn’t tell it was all fake.   

Dana with "Uncle George." He probably never cooked a day in his life - but he sure had persoanlity and the food was delicious!

Can you imagine a sign like this in the window of your bank?

After a little lunch and delightful stroll it's back to the ship.

To get into the Black Sea we, of course, we had to sail up the Strait of the Dardanelles which we did in the daylight. As you enter the strait, on the port side there is a monument to the Gallipoli Campaigned. This strategic body of water was the tragic site of a terrible battle of World War I where soldiers from Great Britain, British Indian, Ireland, Newfoundland, France, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Germany, Austria and Hungary forces fought from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the First World War. To the Turks, the battle is perceived as a defining moment in history as it was a final surge in the defense of the motherland as the centuries-old Ottoman Empire was crumbling. To the allies, the operation was mounted to capture Istanbul and to secure the sea route to Russia. There were nearly a half million casualties during this campaign.

Topkapi Palace in Istanbul - Taken from the Bridge while we were at dock.

In the late afternoon we sailed through the Bosporus and past the great city of Istanbul, where we we’ll shortly dock, then continued to sail down the channel and into the Black Sea. That stretch is a wonderful 90 minute sail and the deck was full of people on a what was a beautiful afternoon.

The famous Blue Mosque - such an amazing skyline!

One more shot from the navigational bridge. Istanbul is on my top ten places to sail into. So much history before your eyes - get here if you can!

With today being the day of disembarkation and embarkation I certainly won’t get ashore but we’ll soon be back with an overnight and I hope to get out.  Guests always ask me what my favorite port is. That’s always a tough question to answer because so many are my favorites for different reasons. I normally answer that by saying “My next one!”  I don’t mean that as a cop out, it’s how I really feel. That being said, I have always had a special feeling about Istanbul.  When I was sailing on my first ship, the Stella Solaris we used to come here 2 out of every three weeks from May through November and I have just always loved it! Amazing history, fabulous skyline, exotic culture, wonderful shopping and tasty food – Istanbul has it all!

The main walking street in Dubrovnik.

This limestone city is great to walk the shops and relax in the numerous cafes and restaurants.  As well, it’s well worth it to pay the extra fee and walk the upper walls of the city for the best photographs. 

The view gets even better when you climb the city walls.

Just smile and say..."Croatia!"

Regent (and our sister company Oceania) sails here several times during the season and is a great stop on one of our favorite itineraries.

We also make call at some other Croatian sites like Split. 

The view from Seven Seas Mariner as we were making our approach on Split.

Inside Split's wonderful walled city.

"Juliet, my Juliet..." - A lovely building and balcony.

A reinactment of how the Roman leader in Split uesed to come out and speak to the people in this enclosed square.

I love Split for the history and Dana for the shoes! So many shoes and so little time! I have never seen so many women's shoe stores in one city!

You can’t go wrong taking a voyage with Croatia in the itinerary. One of our most favorite countries to visit in Europe.

 This part of the world was a whole lot different back then as these stops were mostly considered Russia and everything else was part of the Eastern Communistic Block.  Back then everything was drab and rundown.  The people wouldn’t smile and life was very difficult.  But now the change I see is amazing!  The cities have been, spackled, painted and are vibrant with a whole new skyline.  Plus, the citizens actually own cars now – most are much more fancy than my own – darn it!  Come to think of it I guess I really do have to start thinking about ditching my old Suby – got to keep up with the Ukrainians, you know.  There certainly is a lot of physical beauty in these places, especially in the Balkan woman (Thank you Dana for your understanding! She let me off with only one night on the couch).    

 I remember way back when, that I brought my mother here and at the end of the tour she liked one of our guides so much my Mom gave her lipstick and the woman actually cried!  Often I think of how far these people (and especially the Chinese) have come in my lifetime.  The change in the standard of living has truly been remarkable. Good for them!  

Dana thought the men were handsome too!

First stop in the Black Sea was Constanta, Romania – Named after the Roman Emperor Constantine.  The Romans use to be all over these places. However, millenniums later, not only was Romania for a long time greatly “influenced”, let’s say, by the Russians, they suffered greatly at the hands of one of the least educated and worst or the worst dictators in Nicolae Ceausescu.  We learned a lot about him and his crazy policies on our tour which put this country 20-30 years behind all the others in this area.  Because he was uneducated he resented those who were, as they were considered a threat. This rings eerily familiar to Mao Tse-Tung’s Cultural Revolution.  

Roman Emperor Constantine in front of one of the museums we visited.

The downtown area is very run down but is certainly far better off than it was in the 80’s. Then it was scary – real scary.  Now there are many nice outdoor eating establishments, wineries and museums etc.  But here is a country that geographically was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but has now turned the corner and is moving on up.  Though it has a long way to go, Dana and I found it most interesting. We escorted a group on tour in the afternoon and visited some museums and a winery that included a performance of local folkloric dancing. We are so glad we got to go and our guide was great!  

 

One of our museum stops had a superb room willed with traditional dress.

  

Dancing at the winery which was energetic and well done.

This reminds me that just last voyage we made a half day call at Sarande, Albania. It was the same day after our morning call at Corfu as it is situated just across the Adriatic Sea, some 17 nautical miles away.  Why I mention it is because in many ways you can draw comparisons between there and Constanta.  Sarande’s buildings aren’t necessarily falling down, theirs were just never completed. Hundreds of them, homes and high rises are just shells of buildings as everyone lost their financing years ago.  The town is much smaller than Constanta and resembles it, minus the glitz and glitter! There was a time change between Greece and Albania. It was just one hour ahead on my Giorgio watch and another 20-30 years back on my Gregorian calendar. I remember very well in the late 1990’s when many of it’s citizens wanted to desperately to flee from the violence and would attempt to swim or float across the channel. In the less patrolled areas it was about 70 miles wide. Every day the Greek and Italian patrol boats would have to pick them up and force them to return.

   

Now, I don’t know if Albania will be on our future itineraries because we did take a lot of complaints about it. Yet, I have to say we also took many compliments, but not nearly as many of those. But by human nature negativity is normally more outspoken. My feeling is, however, how many westerners have ever had a convenient opportunity to visit Albania?  Google it and read some of its’ history. Nobody reading this blog will ever plan there next vacation there – maybe your great grand kids someday.  Although, certain peoples do vacation there and the beach was narrow but looked fine. But again, here is a country, like Romania, with a tragic history, who has suffered through loads of challenges over the last many decades. Yet we, the fortunate few, had the chance to lift the veil and peek in to see what life is like there and I am so glad we did!  Even though I just had time enough to step ashore to walk the waterfront and chat with a few locals it was well worth it!  

Albania has also turned the corner and is now moving in the right direction. Sure, it too has a long way to go, even further than Romania, I believe. But I just felt lucky to see it as it is…The real deal. No commercialism. No golden arches. Real people selling trinkets to their tourists – who are buying stuff that our tourists would never be interested in.    

After all, isn’t there is a lot more to cruising than just visiting all the big and pretty tourist sights.  Seeing how the people live and listening to what they have to say and then being able to ask questions about it…to me, that’s the best part of travelling!  Personally, I congratulate my company for stepping up and casting there support for Albania.  I’m sure some of those people who were sitting on the beach watching our tender boats shuttle our guests ashore off this magnificent white beauty must have felt some pride in that not only are they are no longer isolated from the world but that the world is starting to take notice and come to them.  

  

My hope is that someday I get another chance to visit there and see how they’re progressing!  After all, I remember what the Ukraine and China (and others) use to look like. I wish the Albanians good fortune!  

 

 

 

The dual purpose court is on the deck 12 starboard side aft here and the other court is on the port side. That is where you’ll now find a six hole, very large, golf putting green. Guests can now practice their short or long putts or even play a round. Both sides are located near a wall with lights which also allows for some play at night, which our guests figured out quickly. The company that created these courts for us, by chance, is located in our hometown of Traverse City, Michigan…Imagine that! Check out the photos of our ribbon cutting ceremony.

Ribbon cutting ceremony as we open the golf putting greens. Senior Director of Entertainment Michael Day in the yellow shirt.

On the starboard side, on the Croquet / Bocce Court with Dana and Ship's Hostess Else and a good shot of the two men who created it.

A parting shot...Dana, about to sink the course's first hole in one!

To those who have read along during the last few months of sailing, or even with my recent trip to Alaska, this may sound redundant but I have to tell  that there’s a simply great atmosphere on board Seven Seas Mariner and there are many, many crew whom we know from the Seven Seas Voyager. Captain Felice Patruno is here and we sailed on the Grand Asia Pacific with him last year at this time. He’s a gem of a man and is the only Captain to ever make me a cappuccino! Those Italians just have a knack for that sort of thing. A week or so ago I was up on the bridge early to do some commentary as we sailed into Venice and you can see the picture of him. It was a magnificent sail-in and you can see the sun rising in the window behind him. Also see a few of my shots from that below. I also played some Josh Groban, an American pop singer who sings in Italian, from the bridge as we sailed right through the middle of town. Venice is my #1 pick on my top ten places to sail into in the world. It is just amazing!

Captain "Cappuccino" - Felice Patruno

St. Mark's Square with the Doge's Palace (or Palzzo Ducale) on the right.

Another shot of the Grand Canal with the old customs house on the left with the gold dome.We spent three days docked in Venice but it was quite busy for us so we were only able to step ashore for a couple hours on the last day. But it was enough to get our “Venice Fix.” We walked from Piazza Roma, where the shuttle bus let us off and walked down to the picturesque Rialto Bridge then on to St. Mark’s Square where we crossed the Grand Canal at the Accademia Bridge and made our return from another direction. We just love walking there because around every corner is another photo opportunity and it’s easy…you just follow the signs.Dana on the back side of the Rialto Bridge.

I flew to Anchorage where I was to spend the night and then drive down to Seward the following morning. The company put me up at a cute little hotel just a snowballs throw from the airport and what made it great for me was that there was a lake dedicated to house float planes right behind the hotel. I find myself greatly attracted to them and in the past I have had many opportunities to fly in the when working Alaska. I spent a good part of my free time walking the lake on the evening I arrived and the morning of departure just checking out the planes and watching them fly in and fly out – it so entertaining!

My dream plane! Foundair Bush Hawk made in Canada.

The following morning, after my stroll of the lake, I did the 2 and a half hour drive down to Seward to meet the ship. The ride would have been one big photo opportunity, had I had kept my camera handy and the lady driving me was able to stop. But how delightful it was. We passed the train that many of our guests took to come to Anchorage after they departed the ship. And it’s the same train that would shuttle about 250 of our guest down to meet the ship later that day. I had been able to take the train once in the distant past and I remember enjoying it.

When I arrived at the ship it was raining cats and sled dogs and remained that way for the remainder of the day and the weather outlook was not at all good for the upcoming days. However, the following day when the highlight of the voyage arrives early in this itinerary, we were to visit spectacular Hubbard Glacier and spectacular it was! The rain clouds parted and and our visit was one of my best ever. There was some considerable fog which at times was dense and detracting from our view. But then, at other times the fog added to the visit. You can see below a photo of a “ghost ship” (Holland America’s Volendamn) which was sharing the bay with us for part of the visit.

Look carefully at the bottom of the photo to see the ghost ship!

The glacier really put on a show for us! I missed a truly awesome caving with my camera but our videographer was able to get the incredible shot! Although something wasn’t right in how he formatted the copy he gave me to post was unable to play. I have asked him to redo it and send it to me but that will take some time. It was one amazing shot and the glacier caved at other times as well.

Spectacular Hubbard Glacier. The fog lifted as we departed.

Some great caving but it wasn't the big one.

The next few days were rainy and the clouds were low which mostly affected our stop in Juneau because all but one of the plane and copter flights had to be canceled. I felt bad for our guests but in Alaska this, of course, does happen from time to time. We were able to get more flights out of Skagway so many of our guests were able to get re-booked to fly.

I hadn’t been on the Navigator in eight years and just last December it came out of a month long dry dock where our company put over 20 million dollars into its’ refurbishment. I have to say I was so very impressed as, like our other two ships they are all far better and more beautiful now than they ever were under our previous ownership. One of the special ship features I like is that since the Seven Seas Navigator will continue to sail Alaska into the future our company placed many outdoor heaters in the Pool Deck Dining area and also on the aft “cocktail” deck which is behind the Galileo Lounge which makes sitting and reading or sightseeing most comfortable.

Our final port was Ketchikan and we experienced a beautiful day with the return of the sun. Thanks to a last minute cancellation and the kindness of one of our guests, I was able to hop on an adventurous off-road tour with or guests. It was a gas and the scenery very nice. The mix of an adrenaline rush and the close sighting of a bear made it a memorable experience.

One aspect of the voyage that was extra special was that there were three large multi-generational families celebrating life and each of them were impressive. Most impressive was “Milton’s” family, which had about 20 in the group headed by Milton who was quite a character. He at 94 still goes to work each day, as a lawyer. The group had special T shirts and bags and were all so much fun and were having such a great time.

The final day was our sail down through the Inside Passage and the day was absolutely perfect! Our resident lecturer, Terry Breen spoke from the bridge and provided so much wonderful and meaningful information. In fact, she did a total of four superb lectures and provided daily commentary – all without a note. All of what she does adds so much to the overall Alaskan experience which, I believe, separates Regent from other cruise lines. Terry also sails on our South American cruises.

Terry Breen, author and speaker on board Seven Seas Navigator.

That last night I was invited by members of Milton’s group to join them on the aft deck behind the La Veranda for dinner. The food, the company, the scenery and the setting sun made it an unforgettable evening.

Inside Passage

The day of disembarkation included an early sail into Vancouver and Captain McNeil invited me up for coffee as we made our approach. It was sunny and clear. I had only met the Captain briefly once before and had heard a lot of great things about him. It was a pleasure meeting him and also seeing an old friend, the General Manager Frank.

I left the Navigator with the conviction that they have something special going on board with an overall great team and positive atmosphere. I don’t know when I’ll work there again, but it was sure a wonderful experience to get back there.

I’ll provide a full report when I return home. In the meantime, I have attached a video I had put together about the fabulous Hubbard Glacier in all her majesty. Please take a look.

Talk to you again in a week, at which time I’ll also update you on our summer/fall sailings on the Mariner which will begin on August 8th. That will be a great season and can hardly wait!

Happy Cruising!

Jamie

Cape Town, South Africa – Robben island

* If you would like to purchase this video to watch on your T.V. it is $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you.

The last segment we made call at places on west Africa that I had never been to and was it eye opening!  We filmed two “Jamie’s Journeys” there (Togo and Ghana) which my videographer is still working on. Once I receive them I’ll up load them and we’ll all take a look. In the meantime, enjoy this video from segment 5. Lots more great video to come……. Please invite your fellow cruise friends to come for a visit!

2010 World Cruise Video – Final Segment

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos.com and I’ll get back to you.

]]> http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/17/world-cruise-video-2010-segment-5-on-seven-seas-voyager/feed/ 0 http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/14/2010-world-cruise-video-from-regents-seven-seas-voyager-segment-4-from-hong-kong-to-cape-town/ http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/14/2010-world-cruise-video-from-regents-seven-seas-voyager-segment-4-from-hong-kong-to-cape-town/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:46:46 +0000 Jamie http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/?p=951 It’s time to post the video from segment 4 and what a segment it was… and it was a long one! We all made so many memories along the way. The Journey included two unplanned stops, due to the pirates off the coast of  Africa relocating 200 miles south. Reunion Island and Mauritius were great stops and our guests loved the little surprise, despite missing Tanzania and Kenya. So, just click on the red link and enjoy it in two parts.

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 4 – Part 1

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 4 – Part 2

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos.com and I’ll get back to you.

Also, thanks to all who have ordered the full length 2010 world cruise video that you can watch on you own TV. I was surprised as to how much interest there was in that. I hope you’ll truly enjoy it. Now, for everybody else enjoy this…. just click on the link and the video will play.

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 3

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

Dana and I are at home on Spider Lake, where our home is, and we are enjoying ourselves and relaxing at home after our wonderful journey.

I have been spending time learning (Or trying to!) how I can blog better to support this site and to work to get an accompanying site to this one up and running (Vicariously Cruising or Vcruising.com) though that will take a bit more time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to technical things I seem to have the learning curve of a rainbow, however, I am happy to report I finally got the video figured out (More or less) and I have corrected the last post which included video from Segment 1 and am ready to present to you the video from Segment 2 of the world cruise. So, please, have a look! I think you will enjoy…

2010 World Cruise – Segment 2

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

]]> http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/08/traverse-city-mi-060810-2010-world-cruise-video-segment-2/feed/ 2 http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/03/fort-lauderdale-051210-end-of-the-world-cruise/ http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/03/fort-lauderdale-051210-end-of-the-world-cruise/#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:53:15 +0000 Jamie http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/?p=839 Greetings Friends and Followers,

Well, the world cruise of 2010 ended in a flurry, as it always does, and our dear guests went away with with wonderful memories of a terrific journey around the world. From a cruise director’s standpoint, the last week of the voyage gets crazy as you work to make the cruise finish big and then handle all the paperwork (reports, evaluations, inventories, etc.) that have to be done in order to turn your department over to the next CD.  In the past, the final leg of this voyage was a Trans-Atlantic, with five days at sea and maybe a short stop in Bermuda which adds greatly to the pressure to get everything done. This time, however, we sailed up through the southern Caribbean and the several stops there made it it much easier.  That was nice!

That last morning, as our guests are anxious to get off, collect their many bags (Some with as many as 40 suitcases) and get on their way it tends to get a bit crazy. Along with that we have US Department of Homeland Security board the ship for customs and immigration clearance. We are always concerned as to how that will go and how well the longshoreman will perform in getting all the luggage ashore and into the terminal. This year, I must say, we had great cooperation from all sides and it turned out to be the most orderly final disembarkation  that I can remember. It also helped greatly that our company made sure all flights were after noon which really took the pressure off.

It is always bittersweet saying farewell to these special friends whom Dana and I have gotten to know very well over the years and those who we got to know this year. But it is good to know that they leave with fond memories and that we played a part in helping to create them.

Speaking of memories, very shortly, each of our world cruise guests will be receiving by mail a world cruise video that our Broadcast Manager and Videographer, Diana put together. I will post this in segments for all to see and enjoy. Then there is a lot more I want to share with you in the days ahead, so please, stay tuned!

Now watch a little summary of the first segment of the world cruise beginning with a most special evening of entertainment we enjoyed while our world cruisers were on board for a special overnight while we were docked in San Diego…. But be patient as the video will take a bit of time to load.

2010 World Cruise Segment 1

*If you would like a complete copy of this 2010 world cruise video you may purchase it for $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

]]> http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/06/03/fort-lauderdale-051210-end-of-the-world-cruise/feed/ 2 http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/05/10/road-harbor-tortola-50910/ http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/2010/05/10/road-harbor-tortola-50910/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 03:22:55 +0000 Jamie http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/?p=816 Well, we are winding down and sprinting to the finish!  The days have been just perfect and the atmosphere around the ship just super. We have truly had an incredible segment for entertainment with acts like Clint Holmes, who was THE TOP headliner in Las Vegas at Harrah’s for six years and is the finest performer I have ever worked with – I had worked with him before he went to Las Vegas. Also, Pearl Kaufman, who is a Hollywood Movie Music Legend!  She recorded the piano music for more that 250 Hollywood films. She recorded some of the most memorable music of all time like Laura’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago, Moon River and hundreds more. While she is no youngster she can still bring it and just tells these amazing stories. She is something else!  Also, we had a vocalist and trumpeter Greg Bonham who I knew when he was the top headliner on another cruise line Dana and I had previously worked – A performer of great talent, energy and natural charisma.  And there were others…

Many of us attended a special party for one of our groups. It was an international costume theme. Pictured is our Chief Purser Paul, Cruise Consultant Gudrun, Executive Concierge Manuela and yours truly... in case you didn't recognize me! It was a fun affair and I led the group in a karaoke session where many crew came out an sang after dinner alond with a few guests.

Here is Bob and Manuela sharing in a song. (Used with permission)

We held a special crew talent show a couple days ago on the crossing and there were eleven acts who signed up to perform. It is not a contest and whoever wants to be in it is most welcome and I was just a hoot. Our guests turned up at 3:15 for a matinee show time and the crew were also invited and we had a full house.

A picture of our crew show performers, immediately following the show.

The crew also ran a terrific Country Fair on the crossing. This was the second one we did on the world cruise. The first one was on the first segment during our first seven days at sea out of San Diego.  The various departments on board were challenged to put together some new ideas and they came through in a great way!  The winners of the Best Booth AWARD, as voted by our guests, was the Bar Department which can up with an idea called “Water Balloon Tennis” which was a riot.  Though the rules of the game were, well, let’s just say a bit loose… it was tremendous fun thanks to the wonderful energy and show put on by the entire bar team.

Waterballoon tennis by the Bar department!

I never quite figured out the rules of the game, though everybody who played seemed to win and most of all had fun doing it!

The entertainment department did a game called “Kiss the Cast” where the boys or girls blindfold you and then dance around you and clap and sing. Then you get a kiss on the cheek, you remove your blindfold and try and guess who gave you the kiss. Funny, very funny!

Kiss the Cast! Actually, it's get kissed by the cast, then guess who gave it to you.

All right. Which one of you kissed me?

Guests who bid on the special opportunities through the White Elephant Crew Welfare Auction have just been having a ball! One couple who purchased our ship’s jack flag came up to the bridge to get their photo taken with the Captain, GM and myself.

I have had two guest presenters for our daily TV shows and both did a terrific job! Two couples have attended the Boson’s Team Crew Karaoke which was “about the most fun” they ever had, and tonight I’ll host my second “Have a Smoke on the Stack” where guests get to enjoy a Cuban seed cigar and Cognac with a special view… and there were many more. For many these will go down as one of their most special memories of their voyage.

Tow of our great guests Bob (who was the winning bidder) and his guest Mike enjoying a stogie as the sun sets behind us. I got to be chaparon... (Used with permission)

Tonight is the Captain’s Farewell Party and tomorrow we have a Beatles sail-away celebration on deck as we depart our final port, Grand Turk. Then the following day, which is our last day, I have a special farewell show planned at 3:15pm which will be sweet! I’ll make one more entry before the end and then… keep blogging from home as I have a lot more to share with you about this amazing voyage and I’d like to post some video… But as for now, it’s back to work as there is an awful lot more to do…

This was day two of a three days at sea before we reach Banjul, The Gambia which I read is less better off that the other places we’ve visited… We’ll soon see

Today was the day that I chose to do a fundraiser for our Crew Welfare Fund which I believe most cruise lines have, at least of some sort. We have a Crew Welfare Committee which has a representative from each department and is administrated by our Human Resources Manager.  This fund helps us enhance the life on board for all crew which, of course is most important – Happy crew, happy ship, happy guests!

This is Debbie, the current HR Manager on board and one fine trainer!. (Used with permission)

Deborah, our HR Manager does a terrific job on board! Among the myriad of other tasks and issues she deals with daily, she spends a large amount of her time training our crew on various aspects of service, in particular, our program C.A.R.E..  I have seen a lot of trainers over the years, but I believe have found her training to be exceptional. One way I believe our company (Prestige Cruise Holdings) sets itself apart from others is that it has invested a lot of time, money and effort in our training programs and Debbie is one on board that has the task to bring all that information to life and makes it pertinent and applicable. I applaud her and others like her.

I started doing “White Elephant Sales” on the Seven Seas Voyager’s first world cruise in 2004 but this year I came up with a bit of a different twist.

We set up 90 chairs on deck 4 in our beautiful Atrium. Guests also stood at the railing from deck 5 and even on 6 and sat on the stairs. It was a great atmosphere! Above the stairs was the ship's flag that flew above our ship for the world cruise. The tattered jack flag sold for just under $700 and is going to be flown on the purchasers 60 foot yacht.

 First, we advertise and collect unwanted goods from our guests who donate stuff they’ve collected along the way that they no longer want…Wood carvings, native jewelry, fabrics, T shirts, you know, the usual tourist stuff.  But then we came up with an entire list of out of the ordinary things guests can do to add to their overall experience. A few examples of the list of 32…

Here a chefs jacket is being modeled by Pia, our chef d' cuisine (2nd in command) who has been with Regent a long time and is a GREAT and talented lady, and next to her is Fabian, our Excecutuve chef (#1) who, our guests would agree did and absolutely amazing job this world cruise! Behind me in Konchok, who is F & B Manager, a good friend who will move into the corporate office after the cruise and J.R., a terrific vocalist and team player in our department.

 “Flirty Dancing” – One 45 minute private ballroom dance lesson with our International Ballroom Champions Igor & Natalia followed by dinner.

“Bird’s Eye View” – Watch the Regent Singers & Dancers perform from the Stage Manager’s Booth.

 “Cast Aways” – Five cast members will join you for dinner.

 “An Interactive Debut” – Be the day’s host for Regent Interactive TV and interview who you want for the Voyager Today.

 “A Very Rare Opportunity” – Learn how to make Steak Tartar with personal instruction by our Executive Chef.

“One Cruised Over the Coo-Coos Nest” – The Galley Team will sign their version of a strait jacket.

“Quiet in the Storm” – Enjoy a special dinner for 2 in the Main Galley during full dinner operation, hosted by our Executive Chef.

“Raising the Bar” – Be guest bar tender in the Voyager Lounge and do the 10:30pm – Midnight shift.

“Quality Time” – Enjoy a private wine tasting for six, hosted by Head Sommelier Ricardo.

“Country Flair” – You and your friends will host your own game and booth at the Country Fair to be held on Tuesday, April 27^th.

 “Goodfellas Pasta Co.” – Two of you may join the Captain and his wife and General Manager and his wife for and Italian dinner served in the Captain’s suite.

“T Time 2010” – The entire Crew have signed a T shirt for you to have as a special souvenir.

 “Flown High and Proud” – Own the Regent flag which was flown high atop Seven Seas Voyager for the world cruise.

The event in the Atrium, the heart of our ship on deck 4/5 and played to a full house. It was fully supported by our General Manager and Captain which helped everybody get behind this. Thanks to the great generosity and kindness of our guests we were able to raise $32,000! The respect and admiration our guests have for our crew just blows me away!  Which brings me back to a recurring thought…“We are all together in a very special place!”

The fort was originally built by the Portuguese who were the first European’s to sail down the coast. They were interested in gold and ivory and later traded in palm oil, and pepper. The built the fort to protect their interests from other European nations who wanted to follow in their footsteps. But then another “commodity” developed that brought even more wealth than gold – slaves.

Our trip to the castle took about 90 minutes, which was about 30 minutes each way more than we were led to believe it would be. On the way there we it was interesting to see so many people walking beside the road carry things on their head – mostly woman, I might add. We must have passed hundreds of them walking to who knows where. The country is so poor and the homes all tiny and in shambles.

This plaque is just inside the entrance of the fort.

We also had to pass a couple security checkpoints. At the first one we came to officers walked up to our car and saw the video camera on the back seat and asked in an accusing voice “What were you shooting? – Get out of the car.”  I got out with our videographer, Diana and they called us over the office. “Show me what were you shooting…Why were you shooting? …Do you have papers for shooting?…What are you doing?… Where are your from?” After seeing the video and becoming satisfied, not happier, just satisfied, the intimidator lectured us on not shooting in security areas, which we didn’t do in the first place, and let us go. At the next check point and on the way back we kept all cameras away and out of sight, just in case.

At the security checkpoints and the one toll stop hawkers would swarm the cars, though this shot isn't the best representation. When they come up to your window and you raised a camera they we show you that they were not well pleased with that.

People in West Africa seem to have real hang-ups about getting there photos taken by tourists. This is especially true along the high traffic areas of cities. People who were off the beaten pass people were fine and fun, but there is definitely some resentment going on their. I can only forgive them. If I had been placed there (thank you Lord) I would most likely be that way too. When we returned to Takoradi we bought some local music for the video taping we did and decided to do our closing shot out on the corner, certainly away from any locals and an older man came up and started giving us a hard time about shooting. Why? I have no idea. What these people do not realize that they are doing themselves a disservice. If tourists are given a hard time about taking photos it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, to a certain extent. Then tourists go home and do not speak as well of their visit which drives potential tourists away.  There were SO MANY photo opportunities in the last two ports – SO, SO MANY – but I hardly took any because of the way people reacted when I asked politely for permission. Now, I did leave those places having wonderful experiences, but the shame is that it could have been so much better. I would have loved to have had an even better story to tell.

  The city of Elmina looked very interesting and there were a couple other places we wanted to visit but just didn’t have the time. They had a fisherman’s warf that from a far looked like it would have been a great place to visit. 

Just a very small view of what is a very big, bustling and jam-packed fishing harbor which is actually down the waterway to the left. This was taken from the fort.

Fort St. George was interesting painful to see when you consider what took place there. But it is hostory and we all know that history is often tragic, but we should still see it, learn about it and learn from it.

The inner courtyard of Fort St. George. The officers resided on the upper levels and the slaves on the lower. When the fort was originally built to protect the Portuguese traders and their goods that they were trading and had traded for from other European traders following in their footsteps. But then things changed...

I hired my own guide a young man named Francis. He was a delightful gentleman and very proud and good at what he was doing. He took us through where all the lady prisoners were held. Of course, it must have been deplorable.

Francis, our guide. Articulate, enthusiastic, well rehearsed... A fine young man. We are on the top level of the fort.

 Then there was a room where they would keep the people who rebelled. It was like a sweat box. Up to 30 went in at a time. Nobody ever came out alive. Once all had perished other slaves would drag you out. It was more than sad.

The symbol above the door said it all. No food, no water, no ventilation. Just a filthy room with a little ledge for a few at a time to lean against while you await your fate. The window on the right served the cell next door which punished their own, which was very well ventilated. The door to the cell was a series of crossed bars with just enough air flow not to suffocate them.

When it was time for the slaves to be loaded they passed through a small passageway, down a ladder and the into row boats that would take them out to the boats that would take them across the seas.

A view from the little passageway out of the fort where slaves would then proceed down a ladder and walk a short distance to awaiting row boats. The last time they would ever set for on their homeland.

Can’t even imagine how terrible that must have been. As many horrific historic places I have visited in the world I can never even begin to comprehend how terrible people can be to their fellow man…

From the fort to the bay where the slave ships anchored to await their cargo.

Two more African ports to go until we cross the pond… But first, three relaxing days at sea for our guests.

Local performers with some on stilts met our ship upon arrival and danced most of the day - I have to hand it to them, they worked hard for our enjoyment.

We got our guest off on tour and they were actually early to the Theater and ready to out and be “travelers”.  Later, I headed out with videographer Diana and ACD Elda to film one of my Jamie’s Journeys video segments. I have about 70 of these now from all over the world and play them for our guests on these long voyages. I am planning to put them up on a website in June.

Videographer Diana is the best we have and she is terrific! Everybody on board has great respect for her and even the kids love her. She has come out on her own time with me on many occasions to create "Jamie's Journeys." Dana and I always feel blessed when we get to wrok with her.

The day turned out fabulous! We took then bumpy shuttle ride in to Lome, then headed out towards the market and met a nice man named Pascal. He was a nicely dressed 37 years old who spoke pretty good English and I hired him for the afternoon as our guide. We started at the market and it seemed like the city was one big market. It was a Sunday, but each person was manning their own little street stall.

Our guide for the day - Pascal.

Lome is a low rise run down city of almost a million and is the capital. One thing the locals had in common was that they do not at all care for their president, “a crook” by all accounts of who we spoke to. It was a city of great visuals, were you could shoot pictures every 15 seconds, but we didn’t.  Gosh, there were some sights! However, if you raised your camera and pointed it at someone for some reason the people became aggressive. Adamantly, the vendors refused to allow it and we were the only tourist we saw on that street. It was something I have never experienced in all of my world travels before. Behavior like this cannot do good things for the future of tourism there. We still shot some but we had to be cool about it. A long range lens would have been better but I don’t have one.

A very nice display! But look at her face. She was just not happy that I had the nerve to take her photo. Unfortunately she and most others don't get it... Make the tourists happy and more will come and a rising tide will raise all boats - even hers.

After the market we hopped in a cab to head to the “Fetish” market. Here you find many different types of dead animals carcasses, skulls, horns, pelts, etc,.

Although it looks like a taxidermy it is far from it.

These are used as African medicines to improve your memory, virility and many, many more health issues (OK, I am embarrassed I could only remember virility).  All this related to the Voo Doo lifestyle that is the religion (way of life) for many. Talk about weird! 

This is the real deal. People believe in this stuff and stake their health on it.

We also had a consultation with a ah…? Voodoo guy(?) who wanted to (basically relieve us of any unwanted take cash) offer prayers for protection, good travels, health for about $80. Though I couldn’t take pictures of him, I did of his altar where he performed a little ceremony on our behalf. He arrived at that price by rolling 5 little shells in the sand three times. He said the Gods would tell him what I had to pay for his prayers.

This is the alter and the little Voodoo figures he wanted to sell me for $80...Oh, I'm sorry it was the figures he was selling it was the prayers that came along with them.

When he told me the price I told him my spirit just told me “You better roll those shells again!” In the end his Gods were tough negotiators. So, I gave him my blessing which was a “thank you” together with a slap on the back and a picture of Hamilton in his palm from all of us, sans blessings.

My main goaI that day was to get to a rural village to see what everyday life was like out of the city. I kept asking Pascal where we could go to see this.  He kept saying it was 2 hours out of town, which was way to far. Then all of a sudden he asked if we’d like to go to a place of sacrifice. The girls weren’t too thrilled but I said let’s go, so I cast the deciding vote.

We drove down a dead end dirt road in the middle of the city and he got out of the car and said “Wait here.” Meanwhile we got out of the car and had some fun with some cautious local kids.

The people were much more friendly though not everybody who passed by were so happy to see us. But we did make a bunch smile laugh and even dance with me. When Pascal returned he said he would take me into the village – a village with trees and grass huts and a chief – right smack dab in the middle of the city!  Like an Oasis without the water. He said we could all go in, but each had to remove their tops (everything) as you had to be bare-chested like all the rest and without shoes or socks and a sarong around your waist with your pants rolled up as high as they would go. The girls declined… I went and brought the video camera and shot a little video. I only took a couple pictures (dummy), of the chief’s wife. But I should have taken more but I was feeling the pressure of time and the appropriateness of it.  How interesting that was though. I could write pages about that encounter in of itself. The elders, men and woman, and I all sitting on mats under the shade of a big tree. The chief’s wife was under a tree reclining several huts over. Yes, I had to pay – but this was the real deal. I also gave money for a boy who had a terrible infection in his hand as it was big and swollen and turning green… They said they were using African medicine but it clearly wasn’t working. They said they had no money to see a western doctor. I hope they use the extra money for the intended purpose or he will lose his hand, or more.

Here is the Chief's wife fresh from a nap, with one of her grandaughters in her lap. Not shown is her assistant (?) who is ther to feed her, bath her and look after all her needs.

It was interesting because only Pascal could talk to me very quietly at the appropriate time. They wouldn’t pose with me, or shake my hand or even engage in anyway. I did hand out 2 postcards of the ship that they found a bit interesting. I told Pascal they were welcome to ask me any questions about my world – they were told I was from the USA – but never asked anything. The chief’s wife’s conversation centered around whether I paid enough to meet her. Finally, in an awkward moment I agreed to double the price from $5 to $10. Upon leaving gave $20 for the boy to get some proper medicine.

Well, I told the girls I be back in less than 30 minutes. Yeah, right. There was no way I could have done that under the circumstances. It would have been very rude. I had to sit and wait for them as it was their show. I ended up being in there presence almost an hour. I would have like to spend the afternoon there to try and break down some barriers but there certainly was no time for that. I told the girls I was sorry for taking so long but reminded them that they could have come along!

As it turned out the locals were very kind to them. They saw me disrobe and go in and that the girls were waiting. Some offered chairs under the shade of an umbrella, which was kind.I got dressed again and Pascal then asked if we’d like to visit his house! Yes. It was maybe 100 yards down the soon to be paved road, just a short ways past the newly renovated public toilets.

Looking down the street to Pascal's place. The community toilets on the right.

His house was tiny – I mean tiny – four cement walls and a tiny slot for a, ah, window? And it was in like a multi-family compound.  His parent are ling since deceased but the extended family greeted us warmly. He is not married and there is no girlfriend. Though, the family, were very surprised seeing us there. When they saw us I think they thought they were seeing ghosts! I’m sure he had a good story to tell at the end of the day, as well. 

The kids there were absolutely darling and it was just behind village oasis. Pascal connection to the village was his Uncle who lived their all his life and hadn’t stepped out of the walled village for years Pascal said.  Yes, I should have taken a photo!

Some of the kids that gathered were part of Pascal's extended family or kids from the compound.

Then an unusual thing happened while we were there. The kids were playing out back and came across a big snake in the trash area, located on the edge of the brush. There was a lot of trash.

The back lot behind the houses. Just as I took this picture the kids announced they found the snake.

But the snake was in peril. It had somehow become entwined in a fishing net and was stuck and must have had been stuck for some time. The half brother declared it wasn’t poisonous, though the kids were made to respect it and stay well back. He pulled out a knife and spent a good ten minutes cutting the snake free. Apparently its main diet is rodents so it is good to have around.  Once free, he took a cane flipped it on the end of it and hurled it back into the woods to resume its good work.

From the picture it is impossible to see to just how tangled up the snake was.

After that episode, thinking nothing could top that we headed back to where we started for one more walk through the market, then to catch the shuttle bus that 5 mile bumpy ride back to port where a late lunch, a cool drink and a private shower was sure to await us. Aren’t we all so fortunate…It was a great day to be a traveler!

This young girl had her table set up just outside of Pascal's compound.

We were at the sea buoy early, awaiting the arrival of the pilot to bring us in but the pilot was late.  Another ship was at our birth and it was late leaving. Fortunately we were told we’d only be, in the end, 15 minutes late to the dock… Well, 15 turned into another 15, then to another 15… As it turned out, the ship at our birth had a mechanical failure as it was departing. But it was going to get fixed, they said so. They just needed a spare part. Then they just had to install it… Welcome travelers to West Africa… We’re not in Kansas anymore!

At 9:20am it became clear to me that if we were along side by 11:00am that would be a good thing. Or at least, good enough. So I turned to my team and we looked for a good way to fill the time. We scheduled bingo (we don’t normally push the Bingo as it is not a source of revenue – imagine that – but we just had the biggest bingo crowd of the entire world cruise the day before) and also planned a tournament for popular recreational game named Baggo (I first introduced on Royal Caribbean in 1994). Then I asked our fellow staff member J.R. Lustig  if he would perform one of his shows. He is a great entertainer and very popular with the guests. He agreed to be on stage in…35 minutes! I called the Bandleader, Hamish and had him get the boys out of bed, shaved and on the band stand.  With J.R. in a tux and the band with eyes half way open, shortly after 10:00am the show was on.  The guests showed up in great numbers and for the first time nobody who attended the show was sleeping – not even in the front row! I left the theater after the show thinking “Maybe the shows should be at this time every day?”

After the activities I made an announcement (that day I made many announcements!) about the adjusted arrival, early lunch and tour times – now departing at about 12:00pm. But then a major squall crept up behind us and unleashed 45 mph winds and torrential rain. This sent the little fishing boats on the bay running for cover and bailing while doing it. The port had a law that ships could not enter or depart if the winds were over 20 mph. Though the winds dropped to 32 mph we were then informed that another storm was lining up behind this one. To make it worse then port entry was tight and the Captain would have to nose this baby in to the berth and awkwardly back out and since the ship that had broken down was still in the small port and blocking the small turn around basin. The unfortunate decision became easy to make and in the end we had lost Benin.

This had become the obvious reality though we had three guests waiting to join us at the dock and three others who had flights out.  A special appeal was made to immigration and fortunately they agreed to give us the necessary clearance to get guests off and on.

One of the guests was a man, Jim, who had sailed many times with Dana and I over the years. His wife, Yuki, had been here since Cape Town. They flew in to England from their home in the western states for and overnight to break up the trip. But when they went to check in again at Heathrow his passport was rejected by UK immigration for not having a blank corner in his passport for the stamp.  Yuki went a head and Jim had to stay being to pay a visit to the embassy.  Yuki made it to the hotel in Cape Town but then that the volcano blew… Jim, like many others joined the club of stranded travelers and had a real ordeal getting out. He ended up going to Paris by train, then Madrid by car and eventually onward. We certainly didn’t want to have him and the two other gentlemen who had Mexican visa problems in Namibia drive have to drive to Togo. Thank goodness we got them on board.

It is in places such as these that I will remind our guests, starting tonight on my daily TV show, in fact, that we need to be sure before we step ashore to take on the mindset of a “traveler” not a “tourist” or you will not enjoy it at all! 

Will it be hot? Yes. Dirty? Yes. Will they be poor? Yes. Aggressive to sell? Yes. Will the guides be hard to understand? Yes. Will the rest rooms be filthy? Yes. Will the air conditioning on the bus be affective? Definitely not!

After all, these are places tourists don’t venture to, only travelers. If you are not sure which mindset when it is time to step foot ashore you may be better off to find a good book and stay on our floating palace. You’ll be much happier.

I am looking forward to these. I love these kind of places.  For me and my taste, the funkier – the better!

That being said, as we sail up the coast I am reminded of a little stop we made on the first world cruise regent did some nine years ago now, on the Seven Seas Navigator. The port was in Namibia and its’ name is Luderitz. It is the only port my wife, Dana – normally not deterred by any port – walked out to the main street and refused to get in to a cab I wanted to hire.

Alright, so maybe the guy was just a little too mellow in his attitude. Dana said his eyes were glazed over but I still think that he was looking into the direction of the sun.  I will agree, however, there was literally no tread on the tires but, how fast did we plan to drive anyway? It wasn’t like we where going to hit the California interstate going 70+, we were just going to do a little sightseeing. Plus, we weren’t in any hurry and there was no chance for rain. The fact that the streets were completely deserted was calming for me but for reasons I couldn’t understand they were disconcerting for Dana. I thought it was great as there would be nobody who would be walking into my pictures but Dana didn’t hesitate to say there was nothing to take a photo of.

Nonetheless, I convinced her to get in to the cab (I told her she would have to walk back to the ship on her own). The ride was a bit bumpy though the road didn’t look bad, at least not through the floor boards in the back seat. I thought it looked cool seeing the pavement pass below us at 40 mph. Dana wasn’t as impressed. I suggested that if she was nervous she should put on her seat belt, through we could only locate half of one.  Instead she just held on to me which was nice, though I had to ask her not to hold on so tight.

It wasn’t so long before we had arrived at the main tourist destination which is called Kolmannskuppe.  It is not exactly a picturesque town, though maybe at one time it was.  Nobody lives there now. The streets are gone, actually covered by the sands that the desert reclaimed as its’ own. Though the facades of the buildings still remained it looked more like a movie set. I wanted to purchase a souvenir but there were none. So I just though of it as a few dollars saved. I took a couple shots, took a little stroll then Dana suggested we head home. What was the hurry? We hopped in our private car and returned to the port of Luderizt.

Upon returning to the ship we met other guests who had a similar experience and were as about excited as the stop as Dana was.  They had nicknamed the port “Ludicrous!” – asking “What were those itinerary makers thinking?”  So, what can I say?  I thought the town was maybe a bit too sandy but…unique. I don’t believe we’ll ever get there again.

This is thee most fun filled activity I have done (several times) in my cruising career.  Today was even better than the first time!

After Farnie taught us about the dessert beatles and amazing fruit the rest of the gang joined me up on the dune where we all ran down together and filmed it for my Jamie's Journey video we were creating for this day... Yes, we were just a bunch of big kids out there!

 I brought the cast of singers & dancers from the ship and rented these from a man I had rented them from before. His name is Fanie and his company’s name is Kuiseb Delta Adventures.

Farnie teaching us about desert fruit. This fruit was bored into by mice which is why he took it. Because of the mice we, of course, were not offered to taste it.

I chose him because safety is absolutely positively number one with him. In fact, when I called him he told me he no longer takes cruise ship crew out any longer because of how they acted. Fortunately I was able to convince him that he would be proud of my group (At the end he WAS so impressed!) He treats everyone like they have never done this before and most of my lot hadn’t.

This is just after Farnie dug 24" into the sand and and showed us that the dunes are basically an aquafur - that was amazing. Water started pooling up and he took a shell and gave me a drink. The water was sweet. Then he moved to the clay field above it and showed us all sorts of treaures it was...incredible!

Reason number two for renting from him is that out on the desert Fanie becomes a stimulating professor, sharing his love and enthusiasm for this magnificent treasure. He shows us through archeology what use to take place there before the region became a dessert and makes sure we definitely respect it.

The original people who lived in this area used to bury their family members under their homes. The winds constantly uncover and then cover some of their ancestors. We saw two skeltons in the clay. These people were also buried with food in clay pots and water in sealed ostrich eggs to support them in their afterlife. Sound familiar? There are also bones from many, many different scecies including fish.

One of many human footprints that are thousands of years old. The amount of animal prints we saw would make a long list.

With Fanie everyone MUST follow in his tracks because failure to do so could get you seriously injured – or worse. By following him and his rules the activity is one that most anybody could participate in safely. And if it is an adrenaline rush you want, believe me you still get it!  

Look at this 40 degree drop. Taking the quad over the edge was for some, aft first, unnerving.

The terrain was so interesting and so varied. Here is one of the more techincal areas.

I have tried a couple of these of other companies who are simply out to give you a thrill ride and hope you come back in one piece after you race around the desert like some yahoo for a couple hours. Fortunately these guys are located about 10 miles north of Fanie.

Our wonderful cast of singers and dancers have had some incredible experiences as they have traveled on this 2010 world cruise – life changing experiences – but at the end of the three and a half hours out on the dessert they all agreed it was “The best day ever!” 

Here are the young bucks and myself looking like dessert rats.

 These photos I posted aren’t bad but in no way can they do justice to what we saw, how thrilling it was and how much we all learned. Everyone carried something away from the desert yesterday, much more than just a fleeting rush of adrenaline. That’s why that activity is my favorite.

We went up, down and all around - 3 and half hours went very quickly.

Speaking of favorites, I have been so, so, so fortunate to have been able to attend some spectacular special events over the years and on our overnight in Walvis Bay was one of them – Dinner on the Dunes!  

Here are a couple of our lovely servers who did a great job taking care of our guests.

This was an evening out that all guests were invited to go to. Buses and vans took our guests out in to the magnificent desert for a truly spectacular dinner under the tents with camp fires, camels, a mens choir, musicians, female dancers and fire entertainers all in a magical setting.

These darling young ladies, along with about 20 others put on a great show singing and dancing for us.

It was an evening of beautiful smiles and memorable fun!

Oh, what a night it was!

Here is one of our fun and friendly guests, John, a former fireman who is sampling the local brew. I had one with him and it was pretty darn good. (used with permission)

After the event when guests returned to the ship from their 30 minute drive we had the nine piece orchestra set up and about 200 crew members to greet our returning guests. 

In between bus and van arrivals our crew displayed their genuine love for serving and pleasing our guests. They were out on the pier from 9:30pm - 11:00pm. We really have something special going on here!

The atmosphere was truly amazing and our ship’s crew truly inspiring!

Well, here is another shot taken today this time with the full table cloth crawling its way up and over the mountain.

Last night a bit after dinner I took a walk in along the waterfront. Bands were playing, people were partying, eating, conversing, even despite the fact that it was chilly and windy. Where we dock is just a great place. There are many shops and it is a safe place to stroll. We are at the very limit in size for ships that can dock here.

This morning I was awakened by the sun and a simply perfect day. I took advantage of this opportunity and hopped on a tour to Robben Island which is the location of the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 25 years – 18 of it in the same cell. 

A picture of a picture of Robben Island. The prison is located in the upper left hand corner.

All the guides in the prison are former political prisoners. This gentleman only served about eight months...even at eight months that must have been plenty.

The prison, unfortunately, was all fixed up and I would have rather seen it as it was for more impact of really what he and other prisoners had to endure.

Mr. Mandela's window for 18 years was the one on the right - window #4 in a long line of them.

The inside. Prisoners got to use a toilet once a day and slept on two thin mats on the floor. He wrote his book "A Long Walk to Freedom" from his cell and would hide the papers in his garden at the far end of a court yard.

The garden was located in the far corner. There were some wooden beanches on which to sit.

I learned a lot about the prison and the Isand’s history – too much to blog – but one fact I found interesting was that they had a minimum security block which held the armed robbers and rapist etc., and a maximum security block which held the most ruthless criminals including Mr. Mandela, who was non-violent.  Was the government scared of him? You betcha’. As well, they had kennels for the guard dogs. Their cells were  larger than Mr. Mandela’s…

A look at the prison from the front. Behind me is the road from the pier.

The gate leaving the pier heading toward the prison.

The best view from Robben Island. This is not any view the prisoners enjoyed.

This is the quarry. Mr. Mandela and others were to work hard labor for 6 months to cut stones to pave the prison roads. It turned out to be 13 years. The cave was the toilet and rest area but it also served as the university where they would draw in the sand and teach others to read and write. It was also the congress where they talked about the future. When Mandela returned for the first time there was a big crowd with him. Without saying a word he picked up a big stone and dropped it on the ground and all others followed. Today it is a shrine.

At 6:00pm we sailed away with Captain Gianmario Sanguinetti at the helm.  Captain Dag’s three months on rotation was complete and it was time for him to go on vacation. I believe he would have liked to stay as the west coast of Africa is not a place one sails to often but it was time.

Brothers? Captain Gianmario Sanguinetti... He say's "Just call me Mario." We have sailed with him for a couple years now.

Captain Mario, as he is called is also a lovely man and like me, all the guests feel a lot of attraction to his wife, Mariana, who will join him in Fort Lauderdale. We just finished dinner together and it was great getting reacquainted.

Notice the seal napping on our bulbus bow a short time before sailing.

Sailing in to Cape Town. The Regent flag flying proudly on the bow.

Table Mountain. Sometimes is has a table cloth.

What an approach it was. A few of the guests have been inviting me over and over to play paddle tennis on our top deck and I just haven’t had the time but on the day of arrival I did.  We played a set then enjoyed the view then played another.

Guests and Ol' friends Kevin and Susan. Alan took the photo. Thanks. (used with permission)

It was almost picture perfect from Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) up to the mountain range called the Twelve Apostles to Table Mountain with the city situated in front of it.

The Twelve Apostles mountain range.

Gosh, I LOVE sailing in here. Robbin Island, where Mr. Mandela was imprisoned several miles across the bay – too far for my camera to shoot. 

The table cloth trying to make its' way onto the table.

We dock in a wonderful harbor with restaurants, bars, shopping and the brand new soccer stadium just behind it, built for the upcoming World Cup.  Great place to just stroll.

A look at the new stadium. Each of the major cities in South Africa have them. this one definitely towers over the city. there used to be another stadium there, but you could hardly notice it.

On the second night we had a special world cruise event that took place at a winery up in the famous Stellenbash region. By all accounts it was a wonderful event. Unfortunately my work prohibited me from going to help host it. Guests went out by bus and returned by private vitage car of all kinds. I greeted them on their return. They all had a fantastic time!

One of the reasons I couldn’t attend was that I had to watch and assist a tv crew from South Afric who were filming on board for a very popular show called ”Top Billing” – dealing with glamourous lifestyles. I appeared in a couple segments - ”Ah, make-up PLEASE!”  There were two very attractive presenters. The young lady inthe photo below, Lorna, was the first black ballarina in South Africa several years ago. Hopefully we’ll get a copy. It will air next week.

The actual port of Richards Bay (where we dock) is on its’ best day not exactly Las Vegas, and today it was made much worse due to the storm we passed though. There were big puddles and shoe soles quickly became black from the coal that gets off loaded here. Thanks to some quick thinking by the GM, Michael we the Boson’s guys laid carpet and crates for those going ashore and then upon their return shoes were taken, cleaned and returned to the suite and slippers were placed on the feet which minimized what truly could have been a mess.

Today, many of our guests headed out on overland safaris. Some to our sponsored parks and others to ones they arranged. Doing this by ship, I believe is a great way to safari. Pack light and bring just what you need. No jet lag. Get out and see it for three-four days and return to your home away from home. It is really easy this way.

These Mangrove trees would normally be underwater as hippos frolic by the shore of the St. Lucia Wetlands.

I got out in the afternoon and escorted a ships’ tour to the St. Lucia Wetlands Park which in 1999 became a UNESCO heritage site.  It used to be an estuary until eight years ago when a drought began and the water levels dropped enough that the entrance became too shallow and it was cut off from the sea.  Currently it is a lake home to a variety of small sharks, 1000 crocodiles  and 2000 hippos – Africa’s most dangerous animal.  They kill you by chomping and stomping on you. They don’t eat you – thank goodness!

Those tusks are good for chomping! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

But if you cross one you may be in trouble because they can run about 30 mph in their bare feet.  And for the unfortunate who wander between a mother and a baby. There better be a tree to climb.  

Most often the hippos are just standing or laying on the bottom of the lake, but sometimes they just like to have fun. (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

About 35 of us toured in the safety of a big boat and really got a close look at about 30 of them. One the way back we saw a baby in the weeds and we couldn’t see the mother though we knew she was close. As we moved closer for a look, all of a sudden mom sprang out from under the water and lunged at our boat – fearless!  We weren’t, she was! Believe me, it made for a lot of excitement.

A one month old baby in the weeds just a moment before big mamma surprised us! Daddy's eat the boys so Mama is very protective and isolated.

Most of the the crocs were much further off. However, we did come across one that was lying in the mud on the shore. We got to get close and had notices it had an unusual look as it was missing its’ tail. Evidently, it was lost in a fight.  For us it was a great day. For that croc it wasn’t so. Though we never saw the one he fought!

Though this one looks ready to rumble he is actually cooling himself. (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

This one lived to fight another day. He better do better in his next match.

There are over 500 species of birds in this park. We were fortunate this eagle flew into a tree just in front of the boat. I guess he liked to get photographed!

Now smile and hold still...What a face! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

A group on young Zulu dancers performed on the pier when we returned to our great ship. That made for the perfect end to a great afternoon out.

I look at a world cruise much like I do a symphony. You begin with a grand start and end with a big finish – a crescendo, so to speak. The middle of the journey has many, different movements all playing on the same theme. After all, the finale is the last thing our guests will remember – so it better be good!

As well, this last segment is also a month long with about as many sea days are there are port days. That is a lot of sea time to fill.  The entire ship’s company will have their work cut out for them as together we, as a team, try to make this 2010 journey around the world the best one yet!

Our three day trek from Reunion Island to the African coast had a bit of everything; the good, the bad and the ugly. The first day at sea was fine, then the weather began to turn and then we hit the stormy weather. This was only the second time on the journey that we really hit any what you could truly call “rough” weather. Now, when we use that term, there is rough, then there is REALLY rough then there is… well, let’s not talk about that – it might keep you from cruising! Fortunately, we don’t experience “that” kind of weather hardly ever, but maybe just a handful of times in 20 years at sea.  Anyway, the sea was rough enough that I had to postpone the show until tomorrow night which was to be a movie.

Well, it’s late and time to get into my cradle and get rocked to sleep from deck 6 forward.

Tomorrow Africa!

One of the active volcanoes. Look at the size of this 9,000 footer! The circular spot is a new vent that recently opened up. How big is that vent? Check out the next photo! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

Can you see the tiny people down there? (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

Reunion has been formed by 2 huge volcanoes. The first, now dormant, has partially collapsed on itself leaving 3 cirques – vast natural amphitheatres – each over 9,000 feet that contain deep valleys with rock walls covered in lush vegetation.  This area is said to be a paradise for outdoor adventurers. Someday…I hope to get back there and do some exploring.

We got over 300 guests off the ship and onto buses starting at 7:30am so that they could get out and do some sightseeing. Having had quite a bit of work to get to, around lunchtime we were able to settle for a 30 minute shuttle bus trip down the coast to the town of St. Denis. The coastal road was in itself a spectacular ride with the road created by blasting away parts of several mountain sides which at one time rose practically right out of the sea. This created sheer cliffs several hundred feet high. Then what was odd was that the majority of these cliffs were covered in a metal mesh from top to bottom, placed there to keep falling rocks from coming down onto the highway. As we drove into the town it all of a sudden it had the look and feel of the Cote d’Azur (southern France). This truly is a French Island. After a short visit to the town we jumped back on the bus to go back to the ship and get some more work done.

The President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises is Mark Conroy, whom I have known since our days at Royal Viking Line in the mid-eighties. He and his wife, Marilyn, also had to make a big detour to get here. He will spend just about a week on board to meet our guests and get a good pulse on how things are going out here. He did a TV interview with me, hosted a special cocktail party and will hold a Town Hall Meeting in a couple days to answers questions, as he normally does when he comes. He always makes himself completely accessible.

The main city of Port Louis (pronounced like “Louie”) was established and given its’ name after the French King Louis XV.  However, the name of the island was given by the Dutch who arrived here before the French and later left. It was named after Prince Mauritius von Nassau whoever that was? I’m sure he never visited his island.

Taken from Fort Adelaide looking down to Seven Seas Voyager.

From where we docked it was a pretty view of the city with the mountains rising up behind it. About mid-afternoon our work was done so we negotiated a cab and headed up to visit the French Fort which sits high upon a hill. Though not so impressive in design, Fort Adelaide, built in 1824, gave us another perspective of the city.

As I have learned, this Island is also a melting pot of cultures – much like the Maldives and the Seychelles. The main ethnic background of the population is, again, of Indian decent. Once slavery on the Island was abolished by the British in the 1830’s there was a shortage of workers so, they went out and brought workers down from India. As I understand it, they became the indentured workers, a step up from slavery.

After taking a quick look at the city my goal was to head eastward all the way across the island (50 km) to visit a popular beach and to see some of the country side – but we were time pressed.  There are 90 miles of beaches on the island and the real tourist spots are in the North. We stopped for a few photos along the way…Basically, what we saw were it was Sugarcane fields for miles! Unfortunately we never got off the main road.

Sugarcane fields along the way.

When we arrived on the other side we had to hire a speed boat to get out to the island of Ilse Aux Cerf (Island of the Deer). We could have hopped a ferry but that would have taken 40-60 minutes to get to the beach – instead we were there in 10 minutes.

First look at Ilse Aux Cerf. The saltwater stream was running from here to there and just a couple feet deep.

Indeed, it was a lovely setting with the island basically divided in to two parts, with a saltwater stream running through it from the entrance into a giant lagoon which was only a few feet or so deep. Much further back in the lagoon the depth dropped off and you could sail or water ski in the backwaters.

Looking from downstream back to where the first photo was taken.

There were restaurants on the island and enough people to go with it. Unlike the beaches we visited in the Seychelles which had practically nobody on it, this area was busy with people from many different cultures and speaking many different dialects. I wanted to take a picture of a Muslim family all dressed ultra-modestly in their street clothes and frolicking in the water right next to two French ladies who were laying back on their elbows sunning themselves in the shallow waters as you might expect them to do, if you know what I mean… Unfortunately, I missed the shot.

We didn’t have much time there but it was worth the trip and I feel I saw something of the island. On the way back we had just entered the city and then found our selves in a major rush hour traffic jam. After going nowhere for about 20 minutes we decided to get out and walk. In about 5 minutes we were back in downtown Port Louis and I had remembered that there was a water taxi that worked between a beautiful waterfront area called the “Caudron” and the pier where the ship was docked. This area is a delightful pedestrian way with plenty of restaurants and bars located on the waterfront. It would have been a great place to enjoy a dinner out. A few minutes later we had found the water taxi pier and shortly thereafter we were cruising slowly back to the ship.

LA REUNION ISLAND – MASCARENE ISLANDS (4/7/10)

This predominantly French Island is just 120 miles away from Mauritius yet, very different in every way. Sailing into the island, from my forward window it looked exactly like sailing in to Papeete, Tahiti – with mountains gradually rising up from the sea with a lush green countryside. But this island, I believe is even far more dramatic than that! To really see the island one would have to get started early and spend a lot of time out which we just didn’t have.

Reunion has been formed by 2 huge volcanoes. The first, now dormant, has partially collapsed on itself leaving 3 cirques – vast natural amphitheatres – each over 9,000 feet that contain deep valleys with rock walls covered in lush vegetation.  This area is said to be a paradise for outdoor adventurers. Someday…I hope to get back there and do some exploring.

We got over 300 guests off the ship and onto buses starting at 7:30am so that they could get out and do some sightseeing. Having had quite a bit of work to get to, around lunchtime we were able to settle for a 30 minute shuttle bus trip down the coast to the town of St. Denis. The coastal road was in itself a spectacular ride with the road created by blasting away parts of several mountain sides which at one time rose practically right out of the sea. This created sheer cliffs several hundred feet high. Then what was odd was that the majority of these cliffs were covered in a metal mesh from top to bottom, placed there to keep falling rocks from coming down onto the highway. As we drove into the town it all of a sudden it had the look and feel of the Cote d’Azur (southern France). This truly is a French Island. After a short visit to the town we jumped back on the bus to go back to the ship and get some more work done.

The President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises is Mark Conroy, whom I have known since our days at Royal Viking Line in the mid-eighties. He and his wife, Marilyn, also had to make a big detour to get here. He will spend just about a week on board to meet our guests and get a good pulse on how things are going out here. He did a TV interview with me, hosted a special cocktail party and will hold a Town Hall Meeting in a couple days to answers questions, as he normally does when he comes. He always makes himself completely accessible.

I consider this the mainstay of my daily activity program, especially on voyages such as this. Each year we get the chance to hear some tremendously interesting speakers.

Some of these personalities also have celebrity status. This year our celebrities have been Wink Martindale, the celebrated game show host. I didn’t get a photo with him but he did appear in a special video skit I presented a while back. He was delightful. Then we had the Olympian gymnast and star of Peter Pan, Cathy Ribgy who was just about the sweetest gal you could ever meet.

Cathy Rigby - Pretty as ever, three children later.

Then we had an Emmy-Award Winning Journalist, Morton Dean, who spoke about his time in Vietnam during the war as we were sailing through that part of the world.

Morton Dean.

Right now we have several speakers on board but my favorite (though I don’t like to play favorites) is a man from South Africa named Daniel Silke. He is a former politician and speaks about his country past and present and he is one of the best I have ever heard! Sometimes our guests also volunteer to get in the act. This segment a celebrated Cartoonist, Larry Katzman presented two talks. Just go on line and search for “Kaz the Cartoonist” and a lot will come up. There is one guest ready to speak about engineering. Then just yesterday a gentleman named Barry Shulman (fellow blogger – jetset…) spoke.  He is the reigning European World Series of Poker Champion. In fact, I believe he has won this twice now. He says he’s doing pretty well with it as he has earned over 4 million in prize money this year! He also owns Card Player Magazine. Now, I am not a card player or “gambler” but both Dana and I found his talk fascinating – Though I don’t see any Texas Hold’em in my future. We also got a look a t his European Championship bracelet.

European World Series of Poker Champion - Barry Shulman.

 Then, we have a Pastor for the Protestant and other denominations, Ned Amstutz. This is his second world cruise. Actually, he and his wife, Gloria have become good friends of ours from back in Traverse City, Michigan. He is now retired and attends the same church as we do (Baypoint Community Church – one fantastic church!). Our pastor, Nick got us together and he has worked out very well. Anyway, it was a lovely Easter at sea with anticipation now building for our arrivals in Mauritius and Reunion Island.

Gloria, Ned, Jamie and Dana Easter Sunday after church.

The locals speak a type of Creole language and the island is pronounced “Prey-lyn”. All but about 100 went out on tour this morning and the feedback was great! With most out and about I was able to give my wife some “spouse” time and we went to the beach. The one we went to was Anse (Beach)  Lazio which took a bit more effort to get to but is said to be the second highest rated beach in the world!

We believe it! It was the most amazing spot! We, along with most people on the beach, remained in the shade where it was cooler but spent a lot of time in the water which was simply perfect! We joined some of our guests for lunch. There were two restaurants just behind the beach. Dana enjoyed a delicious ginger chicken and I a local white fish called Job. It was a superb meal, with great company and an amazing view.

This beach and a couple others down to road took a hit from the 2004 Tsunami. Nobody was killed, fortunately but the bay drained and all who were here headed for higher ground. It hit about 5 hours after some of the places that got hit so bad and they were somewhat ready for it.

Tonight, at the time of sailing Captain Dag made an all ships announcement to let us know that the itinerary for the next two ports had to change. For people back home, watching the news you may have seen that there has been a surge in pirate activity between the Seychelles and Kenya which would have been right in the direction we would be heading, from here it was due east. Now we do, in fact, have several special security people on board, however, I know for a fact we don’t want to increase our chances of having to use them. We want them to just enjoy their cruise! 

Returning to to the Seven Seas Voyager I saw that part of the this was in the shade and I thought that sight was a bit unusual.

While itinerary changes are always disappointing, Captain Dag had received quite a few letters of concern and even had a call from British Security in England. After discussing this at great length with our corporate security team the decision was made to change the itinerary.

A few minutes later the aft of the ship was now in the sun and the forward part of the vessel in the shade.

From my personal standpoint, guests aside for a moment, I had been to Mombasa, Kenya several times – and loved it!  Though I had never been to Zanzibar so, that one will have to wait. On the other hand, I have always wanted to get down to Mauritius and Reunion Island as they are out of the way places and I hear they are beautiful so, I guess I’ll get may chance. Mauritius is at the southern tip of Madagascar then west. On a globe just look for a little dot.

After lunch we went just over the hill to one of the closest beaches and it was quite nice. Beautiful, beautiful sand and water! Uncrowded and unspoiled. The sun remained mostly in an out of the clouds which was very much appreciated since it was very hot.  The water was like a warm bath.

With the cloud cover you can't see the color of the water but this beach on Mahe is very special by all standards.

That night we had another deck party which, of course, we always love. The guests love it too. But it seems that whenever we schedule one it rains as it did, again, on this day late in the afternoon while we were setting up. This shot I attached was taken from my suite. When got to my room to change for the evening I looked out the window and though the crew was washing the deck – wrong. It really came down for a brief period of time.

When I arrived up on the pool deck the rain had stopped but the deck was full of water. I called the captain and asked if he could ballast the ship by just two degrees to port in order to have the water drain off and he did and it worked to our advantage. Needless to say our great team got the buffet repositioned to a covered area, reset the tables, dried of the chairs and come 7:00pm, as scheduled, the buffet was on. The rest of the evening was a perfect night!

A shot of some of our longtime world cruisers at the deck party with Dana. (Used with permission)

Sailing in to Mahe, Seyshcelles Republic

We arrived in Mahe, which is just one of the Seychelles Republic, at 4:00pm and it was just so pretty sailing in. I took one shot that I will add. On April 3^rd at 4:00am we sail to another island in the chain, Praslin, 25 miles away – that for sure – will be a beach day!

Tonight we kicked off our first of four nights hosting “Jimbos Truck Stop Diner” – Yeah, I’m Jimbo – Dana is Bimbo (she just loves that name!).  This is a dinner theme we came up with on our first world cruise on the Seven Seas Navigator some 9 years ago and it still carries on!  We had 60 guests up in the La Verandah Restaurant. I mixed a couple hours of country and 50’s music – some for dinner and some for dancing after dinner. It was a huge hit, again. What an incredible atmosphere it was!

Jimbo's Truck Stop Diner - Don't we look....great?

Half our production cast of 10 will host there two nights each. These great young adults got right into it and were a gas!  They were so cool, so fun and so into it. The serving staff got right into the experience and dressed for the occasion and danced – with our guests and it was a sight to see. Many of our guests came dressed in costume and attitude.  Especially, Charlie and Joan, who are long time cruisers here. They were at one time both widowed and met on ship and now do the world cruise each year and then some. They are such a delight! Were they funny!  What a night it was!

Jimbo with Joan and Charlie.

Here we are up close. Unfortunately, the shot that had Bimbo in it was blurry. I loved her Sundae made of cleanex with a cherry on top. The tattoo is not real. Though I just saw here this morning, the next day and she was concerned she couldn't get it off...

Sailing into Male. A shot of the coast.

There a lots of little islands and the outer resort islands line up in a row.

The small, crowded circular island of Male is the gateway to some of the finest beach resorts in the world. Many of our guests took special resort boats – 26 foot twin 200 horse powered boats – out to spend the day. Many others took our tours out to the beaches. No matter what our guests did or which resort they went to the response was pretty much the same – that it was truly a fantastic day!

Just a city shot of Male.

Around lunchtime Dana and I were able to go a shore for a couple hours with a mission to retrace some of the places she visited often when she remained on the island for a week on 2007.

The city has very narrow streets with buildings built up side by side and almost on top of each other. Obviously space is at a real premium.

The Islands religions are mostly Islamic and Hindu. The outer resort islands ar governed differently. Here is a shot of a mosque and we liked the piles of shoes. One thing that Dana remembers vividly are the Muslim prayers broadcast around the island at night.

The reason Dana stayed on the island was to care for a guest from the ship, also a long time friend, who became critically ill and had to be disembarked. Under “normal” circumstances leaving staff members behind to care for the sick is not something we do. However, this time it was the case. Because of the way hospitals work here is that your family or friends are the people who care for you. Whether it’s hygiene, washing clothing, eating, purchasing and administrating many of the pharmaceuticals, Dana, was essentially the caregiver, until this woman’s closest family member (actually a friend) could arrive from the states to take over. Unfortunately, in the end a day after her friend arrived, she passed away. That week in Male impacted my wife in a great way and it was good to go back with her and see the hospital and areas she spent time at under difficult circumstances.

We came across an old muslim cemetary and the tomb stones, we think, are similar, yet unique to our modern day christian ones.

Once again, we were all truly blessed and treated to a magnificent day (Flat sea and clear skies!) as we continue to cross the Indian Ocean. Today, is even more special because we are crossing back into the Southern Hemisphere. This is the third crossing of this World Cruise with, of course. one more to go when we will be off the coast of Africa and close to the Greenich Meridian Line.

The Prosecutor and King neptune.

Kissing of the monster fish by the 30+ "Pollywogs". (used with permission)

To commemorate this we organized an Equator Crossing Ceremony at cocktail time and called it “Cocktails with the King”. Normally I perform a bigger and messier ceremony during the midday hours. This is the second time we have done this and I really like. I believe our guests really enjoyed it. As per usual, I take on the role of the “Prosecutor” and King Neptune was, again, Dieter Gerlach. He and his wife Ilse are our terrific dance instructors. The night was perfect and the smiles and laughter abundant! We are all so fortunate to be here.

We posed for pictures with the new "Shellbacks". (used with permission)

The day concluded meeting wonderful and interesting guests for a tremendous dinner in La Verandah – The meal was a special Indian cuisine… Gosh, it is soooooooo good! Lynette, the maitre d’ there (who is married to Ian, the head butler) was just so beautiful in her sari I had to photograph her with Dana and another beautiful lady who is one of our guests. (used with permission)

I got up at 5:30 to post yesterday’s events. I was met with another day of calm seas and the full moon in its’ glory just off our bow. I guess it’s going to be another fabulous day onboard our Seven Seas Voyager…

What a day it was today! The seas were flat with plenty of sunshine. Many of our guests stood at the railing and watched the flying fish fly further than many of us had ever seen!

In fact, today, on day #3 we carried out a Captain Dag tradition of doing a “Sundowner”. After we played volleyball in the pool with our guests (15 players today!) Captain and I went up on the top deck to decide whether to do it today or not do it. This is something that is not put in the guests daily program schedule though the bar department and my entertainment department are ready just in case. So we decided to go with it. After all the sea was like glass today, but there was some cloud cover. So captain makes an announcement and the location for this is Deck 6 all the way forward towards the bow. Actually, I put the band, a fantastic duo (the Fun and Joy Duo) right up to the bow and they play music and the bar serves drinks as the sun goes down right in front of the bow. I have to say the sun outdid himself (is it a he?) today! It was a perfect 10 of a night. The sun turned bright red just as it descended to the horizon. There were people in tears and it was just the perfect evening!

A couple hundred guests gathered near the bow to celebrate the sunset. Our terrific duo (Margaret and Jacob) played a special set of appropriate music and cocktails were served. Our guests smiles beamed while a few others were so touched by the moment tears streemed down there faces.

Dana and I dined with some wonderful guests tonight (ole’ friends) as it was a lovely Swiss lady named Gerda’s birthday. She bought little crystal presents for all and it was a delightful evening.

Our show just ended and it was a special show put on by our alto sax player, as he wrote the charts and the four cast singers sang with J.R. who helps us administratively singing and performing the duties of MC. It was a terrific performance and our guests were able to dance and /or just watch.

These three days just zoomed by! Tomorrow the Maldives…

As the sun descended it looked like we might lose it. But then a reappeared and the color had changed from an orange to a red. This was another special night spent on SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER!

We also stopped at a Buddhist temple of the Goddess of Mercy which is dedicated to the patron saint of seafarers – I thought that would be apropos. We also visited the Fort Cornwallis where the founder of Penang, Sir Francis Light, first came ashore and eventually set up the fort in an attempt to balance the French ambitions in the area. The four main streets are still named as they were originally and a good amount of the wonderful colonial architecture remains.

The last stop we made was at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel which at one time was the finest hotel in the British Empire. The “E & O” as it’s called is still a charming place to visit and the best spot to finish our little journey before returning to the ship.

This proud young mother posed for me in the temple.

However, I do know from experience that Port Kelang is the gateway to a couple great places to visit. First on the list is Kuala Lumpur, which is a city on the grow, clean and friendly with the Petronas Towers dominating the skyline of the city. Then there is Malacca which I believe is the most interesting and most historical in Malaysia. This city, like Penang is a UNESCO Heritage Sites because of their old Portuguese architecture. Malacca is located, of course, on the Strait of Malacca (some of the most pirated waters in the world which began being pirated in about the 17th century when trading boats of many nations would seek shelter in the strait during the monsoon season for protection. It is a further ride to get there, but there is more to see, I believe.

Many guests also visited another city named Putrajaya, a mere 20 miles from Kuala Lumpur, a planned city meant to be an example of the future ambitions of Malaysia. There is very little, if any history in this area, and, because everything is laid out according to a modern day master plan it might seem a bit sterile. But by many accounts our guests loved it and found it quite impressive! Next time – that’s where I will travel to, if I get the time…

The magnificent Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

A Malaysia War memorial in KL.

Like a lot of cities in Asia, the old is being replaced with the new.

All of our guests were offered a complimentary overnight into Bangkok and to stay at the beautiful Shangri’ La hotel. About 120 decided to remain on board (?) while the rest took advantage of the complimentary event.

The Chao Phrya River from the new wing of the Shangri' La Hotel.

For those who remained behind, we had a shuttle bus going into Pattaya which is a busy little city which has a bit of a “seedy” element to it. But visiting it during the day or dining out is just fine, but there the main strip gets crazy after dark.

Downtown Pattaya.

This is how you get around Bangkok the quickest and most inexpensive way. Just hop on!

Pattaya Beach, sans beach chairs...

The Shangri’ La is such a great place! Located on the Chao Praya River this is one of the great places to be when staying in Bangkok. Shopping abounds, but just sitting in a lounge chair watching the traffic on the river is in itself wonderful entertainment.  While many went just to relax and enjoy the change of pace many others were out on tour and there is a lot to see! SEA tours is the company we work with in Thailand and all trips beautifully run. There were some big anti-government demonstrations going on tin the city and although they marched peacefully near the hotel they never affected our tours or sightseeing. Those who saw it said they had never seen so many young people on motorbikes.

An example of the long boats your can rent by the hour to take your through the Clongs. Do it around sunrise, you won't be disappointed!

I took one of the tours with our guests which took for a boat ride on the river and then into what are called the Clongs which is a great place to hire a long boat at sunrise and ride through these canals with the homes up on sticks where you can see the locals bathing, washing clothes, brushing their teeth etc. Though the water looks a filthy brown it is more due to the silt in the water. Anyway, our tour was in the afternoon but it was still a great ride. We then stopped to feed some of the local giant catfish that live in these waters (there are also two other species of fish) then on to the Royal Barges which are paraded down the river with the king and queen once a year. There are 53 boats total and they all come down the river in procession and it is supposed to be a terrific sight. We saw the most special of these boat, about eight of them, the others are housed in other places. Each takes a minimum of 35 oarsmen. The hand-carved detail on them is so impressive.

The best of the 52 Royal Barges are kept here.

An example of the detail on the boats.

There is Buddist folklore on the bow of some of the barges.

Then we stopped at the Temple of the Dawn right across from the Grand Palace (Another great place to visit!) That structure was built in the 15^thcentury and what makes it special is that at the time it was constructed there was a lot of porcelain trading going on with China. However, not all of the porcelain made it in one piece, in fact, often it was in many pieces. They used the broken pieces to help decorate this temple which has four stupas which represent the 4 winds with the biggest stupa representing one on the 16 levels of heaven of the Buddist faith.

From the Temple of the Dawn and across the Chao Phrya River to the Grand Palace, where the King of Siam resided.

On the Temple of Dawm looking up to the heavens.

Diana, our camera person and video editor making her way down from the upper level. Look at the hands and faces of the people behind her...It was steep!

We made it back to the hotel just after 5:00pm which gave me just enough time to get ready for a special world cruise event which was another boat ride on the rover with cocktails and canapés on these beautiful boats supplied by the hotel. We had to split up the 200 world cruisers who came to make room for everyone. The event was a huge hit and we had a perfect night to be out. As the boats returned to the hotel we were treated to a special fireworks display right over head and done just for our world cruisers. I have seen a lot of fireworks but these we really great.

A perfect night for a cruise up the river in Bangkok.

 Many of our guests then headed off to a special buffet dinner and many went to bed. We went and spent more time with our guests before joining our two friends from  home (Kim and Meg) who had now left the Voyager and will return to the states two nights later. I booked them a reservation into the Salatip restaurant which is a beautiful Thai restaurant right on the waters edge of the hotel. During your meal Thai dancers come and perform at different times during the meal – I just love that place!The following day we were up early to go to the Damnern Saduak Floating Market.  Here there it a photo opportunity every ten seconds.  This is one of my favorite spots. If you want to see something exotic and colorful this is it. After a couple hours on another boat it was back to the hotel for a couple hours before having to return to the ship.So many pictures to take in the Floating Market.

It was a "Miss Saigon" sunrise for thsoe who were up on the starboard side to see it.

Sailing in to Saigon. The picture doesn't do it justice but the amount of traffic on the river always amazes me.

 The first day in Saigon (Though the name of the city was changed after the North Vietnamese took over the city in 1975, the locals still call it Saigon) We managed to get out for a couple hours in the afternoon to take our friends to see the general sites of the city, do some shopping and to meet our long time friend, Jade.

 We first met Jade ten years ago, when she was 13. She was selling postcards and books on the street. She was relentless and wouldn’t let us go. That being said, she just had a different approach. Finally, I gave in and asked her a question on where I could look at Chinese vases. Thirty seconds later we were in a car with her to go shopping… We hired her for the next day and we’ve maintained a friendship since then. We have done a bit to help her and her family which has been very rewarding. She is now a young lady at 23 and got married last April to a gentleman named Kun, whom we have also known for a few years.  They make a very nice couple. 

So, Jade met us at our usual spot – a square in front of the opera house – and then stayed with us helping the girls shop and tour a couple of the sites. Though our time with her was short it was great to see her again. 

It's hard for us to believe we have now know Jade for 10 years. She is now 23 and married.

Sometimes getting around Saigon is often quicker on the back of a motorbike.

 The second day we took the Mekong Delta tour and filmed it as a “Jamie’s Journey”.  I had been to the Delta a number of years ago but this trip was great. Many of our guests commented “This was the best tour yet!”  The travel company did a great job and gave a great look at life along the Mekong River.  

A little example of life on the delta.

There are several river trips that I have taken that were just terrific – The Suchow River in China, The Floating Market outside of Bangkok, the backwaters of Cochin, India, but this one was also superb. We toured the sites on the river for two hours, getting on and off our boat at several locations – it all went too quick! The memories of that great day will remain.   

The most popular river fish was served to our guests at a great luncheon. This fish is served standing upright. You are supposed to each it from side to side. It is then wrapped in rice paper and vegetables to each it.

 So now we say good-bye to Vietnam for another year. It is a most interesting place to visit with lots of opportunities for photos – even for amatures like myself.  

One of our stops was to visit the big Buddah on the hill...

Also, a giant reclining Buddah.

Once out of the city we took a little walk in the rice paddies. Each field has paths that the workers follow to the various parts of the fields. Sometimes I have been here when they are harvesting the rice and then it is especially fun to go out into the field and watch the people work – not today. However, the fields were a lush green.

We had other little highlights but the best was a stop in a village where four people were drying out the rice on what looked like a cement basketball court. They push the rice back and forth to prepare it.

Then we met a local college girl who lived next door. Her name is Hue. She is a delightful young lady who spoke very good English and was simply charming. We enjoyed nice conversation then she invited us into her home and met the whole family.

Grand ma, who I believe was 86 held my hand and had a face full of history. Mother was making rice noodles on the grill. She does this everyday… All day. She does it to make money to pay for her daughters college – by the way Hue plans to be an accountant.

We returned to the city to enjoy a late lunch at a restaurant on the water before ending the day with a cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) ride.

A view of Nha trang from the "Keep Walking" Restaurant.

In the afternoon I rented my own boat for about 10-15 dollars a person, brought Dana’s and my friends from home, a couple from the Canyon Ranch Spa and a few of our guests. I was a great time as we had “Madame Bing” taking care of us on the boat. I had bought some new cooking oil, dish detergent and Vietnamese noodles in a market. Then out at the islands we visited a floating fisherman’s village where we bought 4.5 pounds of shrimps and had Madame Bing cook it up in the wok in the back of the boat. I believe we even managed to find a can of local beer. It made for a great little celebration on the top deck. The beauty is such in Halong Bay I call it a “Yeah God!” day because it is just so magnificent – so unique.

About 150 of our guests took the eleven hour trip to Hanoi, the capital. I certainly enjoy the day on the bay as opposed to the long trek. That being said, the Hanoi trip does give you a good glimpse into everyday life and it is a nice place to visit (once) and say you’ve been there. The city is not one many would fly in to see. So the tour offers a good option for those most interested in the war. After you get to see Hanoi you will see a vast difference between the communist capitol and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where the free market society is chaotically thriving. We’ll be there in a couple days. Can’t wait!

The Red Sails of some of the boats in Halong Bay. Simply beautiful especially in the hazy fog - check out the color of the water.

At the floating fisherman's village you see people selling all kinds of fruit to the locals and the tourists.

Another boat decided to cross our path in Halong Bay just as I asked the girls to pose. Just then they saw the other boat cutting in front of us - another close call!

Kim, Dana and Meg after coming out of the caves. the blond in the last shot was one of our guests Tracy.

The first night it seems the whole ship went out, or went to bed as disembarkation began at 5:30am. We managed to get out after dinner and met some friends from home who will be sailing with us next cruise until Bangkok –Meg and Kim. Also met Carole Klein, a friend from our days at Royal Viking Line (best cruise staff & hostess ever!) who sailed with us just one and a half days to do for our guests a terrific shopping talk on Hong Kong. She really doesn’t get anything for this, but comes out to see a few of us who she knows real well and some of our long time guests who used to sail on RVL. She is such a gem! We had cocktails in the Intercontinental and went out to a favorite jazz spot called “Ned Kelly’s Last Stand”. I love Hong Kong at night as it is all lit up with neon signs and it is very safe and just great for walking.

The next day we were up early to say good-bye to our guests & friends who were leaving and remained on board to welcome the new guests and (future friends) and worked most of the day to make sure this next segment of the world cruise is organized and ready to go.

Our final day in Hong Kong did not have the beautiful blue skies we enjoyed the first two days. Though it was overcast it only sprinkled a bit in the late afternoon so all our guests were able to enjoy another great day here.

I was invited by a guest named Jack, from Key West who is on his second world cruise with us. He had invited me to join him for lunch at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. We met with two other couples there (Dana had other administrative things to tend to) and dined outdoors over looking the harbor. The history of the club is fabulous. I enjoyed the lunch and all the memorabilia that adorned its’ walls.

Some of the Yachts at the RHKYC.

Jack is just a great fellow. Last time he sailed he invited Dana and I out to dinner a top the famous Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. You probably know it, for it is the one shaped like a sail. These are good memories.

We sailed from Hong Kong at 5:00pm. Captain gave three long blasts on the ship’s horn which nearly took me out of my shoes as I was speaking with guests by the Pool Bar at our sail-away party. As I knew we were going to sail past the Intercontinental to give a wave I moved to get a view and noticed a Star Ferry boat which was well off our port (left) bow. Suddenly, it turned to starboard and began to proceed as if it was going cross our bow. It pulled right in front of us then seemed to “wobble” and almost stall a bit before turning back towards our port? Fortunately, Captain Dag was able to “put on the brakes” and just steer clear of it (we were traveling at just a couple knots, I believe) but some many of those who saw this where asking “What was that ferry guy thinking?” – Well, mistakes do happen and only he knows what he was or was not thinking, but it provided much more excitement than I’m sure the Captain (or anybody else) wanted. Fortunately, no damage was done.

Seven Seas Voyager Docked at Ocean Terminal on Kowloon in the City of Hong Kong.