Time to get the next party started. We're in Melbourne preparing for the short flight to Sydney today. Off with the Aussies, on with Part Deux.

Weather here has been spectacular - mid 70s and light breezes. We gorged on two straight days of Australian Open tennis, including witnessing Serena Williams go down on the strength of Sloan Stephen's game. That match was about 2 hours 20 minutes. Andy Murray dispatched Chardy in about 1 hour 35 minutes. Heat is expected to return today & tomorrow in this area - brush fires continue to be a big concern (sound familiar, for those of you in the Western US?)

We'll board today and set sail around 8pm per the pre printed schedule. But first .. must drop off luggage then find a friendly sports bar so we can watch the women's semi-final matches. I understand from June access to anything but news reports has been nonexistent on the Aussie segment.

Cheers, Anne

Anne,
So looking forward to your inimitable seamail!

On the last day on board we had the pleasure Ash and Keith for lunch and also Linda came on board later that afternoon. Then that evening Ken and Sheilas daughter and son in law came on the ship for dinner. We had such a great evening it is so nice to meet some of their family. .

Finally the next morning we HAD to leave the Voyager and make our goodbyes for for most of the group it wont be long until we sail together again. We boarded a flight with Sheila and Ken to Noosa. Ken has been telling me about how good his scones are so finally he is going to actually MAKE me scones. So we planned to spend a few nights at their home and taste some home made scones and the wonderful Queensland fruits and fresh fish.

On arrival it was raining quite hard after a week of perfect weather we heard. Ken heated up some pre made scones as prelude the "real fresh cooked scones" planned for the next day. They were delicious not sure how the next days could be better. Then we took a drive around Noosa and looked at the sights. There were great places to walk but not possible with the rain.

We ended up at a great restauant RIGHT on the beach. White sand, rolling surf and people swimming in the rain. A wonderful place to enjoy a meal and WHAT a meal this was. Ken and I split fish and chips and a seafood pasta. Best fish and chips ever with light breading on a beautiful fish and great fries. However, the hit was the seafood pasta. Teeming with all kinds of fresh seafood, tomatoes and spinach this is the dish to beat all other pasta dishes I have ever eaten. Served right in the pan it was cooked it and placed on a wooden block as it was so hot it stayed warm until the very last morsel was consumed. Finished off with a lovely Peter Lehman Australian Shiraz.

David and Claudia who joined us in Africa last year came to dinner as well and we had SUCH a good time.

Instead of ordering dessert and coffee at the restaurant we went across the street to Ken and Sheilas favorite coffee shop/bakery. The boys bought two big desserts (one looked like solid chocolate) and somehow managed to eat all of that. The girls looked on in amazement and one more ounce of food could actually be consumed. We were sitting outside, it was raining but we had cover and it was a perfect temperature. It was fun sitting and talking and people watching at the same tiime. Ken noticed a new ice cream shop had just opened up with really unique flavors and the entire thing was "smoking" obviously with dry ice. Really an incredible sight for an ice cream shop. We "waddled" back to the car and headed home and all instantly hit the sack.

Ken and Sheilas house is wonderful. A sub tropical climate allows the most stunning house with a uniquely shaped pool as a focal point. The main part of the downstairs floor is travertine and this continues outside to the pool area it feels like the pool is part of the house. The house is situated on a nice sized canal so the water feature is everywhere. We sat with most of the house opened up to the outside but the overhanging roof protected the house from the rain. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Could never have a house like this in Dallas.

This morning the rain became even harder and Nikkon Ken (my Ken is Cannon Ken) came down with the news that the weather was going to get worse and we were afraid we may not get out tomorrow. So to make a LONG story short after a ton of phone calls (while consuming some wonderful Queensland fruit, manadrin oranges, grapes and fantastic mangos)with American and Qantas and about $600 we are now leaving this afternoon. Much better than losing all our FF business class flights home. Last minute hotel reservations and printing out all the new documentation.

So once all that was settled Ken cooked me his scones and I watched the entire process. He is a MASTER at the art of scone cooking down to the right temperature for all the ingredients. One thing for sure is that is as the commercials say "dont try this at home" there is no danger of me taking this much care and attention to cook scones no matter how much I like them. All I can say was FABULOUS BEST I EVER HAD and I have eaten a ton of scones in my life.

So we have time for LUNCH and we are having Queensland giant prawns, with a salad with pumpkin and mango by CHEF NIKKON KEN. As my tee shirt says LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

Only worry now is how this bad weather will affect everyone on the Voyager who are heading towards Brisbane now and they will hit this front. Anxious to know that the seas dont get too rough it appears now to be mostly rain not heavy wind so hopefully all will be well.

Chris we loved the SCONE picture you sent us gave us all a good laugh and definitely a prelude to the scones we had today at exactly 10.30 am and of course in honor of your email they came out of the oven at 10.15 am.

I loved reading this, Ngaire. Thinking about the six of you having dinner together just makes me smile.....and can't say I'm one bit surprised that Ken's scones were perfect!

Can't wait for your seamail, Anne!

What a fun ending to a great trip, in spite of the weather causing you to come home early......sounds like it was really special spending time at Ken and Sheila's.

I forgot I was Ralph's official champagne quaffer on ARCTIC, since he's not a fan of the sparkly and I am. How wonderful to find a bottle in our suite from none other than Ralph (he'd had this suite on the prior cruise). Ralph, we need to keep up this tradition: you sail, then I sail in your suite next, you leave a bottle of champers and I leisurely consume it on the next leg. Do we have a deal?

New stuff - for us, anyway - on this trip (note: haven't been on one of the Regent ships in a few years or so I think): Qantas runs the 767 between Melbourne and Sydney. Very comfortable service. Entertainment is via wireless Ipad. Great in theory, but the devil is in execution. We were 1 for 2 on Ipads in the seat pockets; of the 1 Ipad supplied, it would not load access to the entertainment. A quick visual suggested about 30% of those in front of us had working connections. How DO you get through the day without your Big Bang Theory fix?

Arrived at Sydney airport and learned of new train service to central Sydney. Off to find out how that hooked up with Wharf 5, the international cruise terminal. The information desk for the train service strongly recommended the shuttle vans, as they stop directly at the international cruise terminal. Good idea - $18 Aussie one way, $30 for a round trip. Forgot to ask, though, what's the protocol for getting the vans rolling. Driver wasn't leaving without a full load of 13 passengers, so we had about 20 minutes to kill for the 30 minute trip to the ship. We were to meet local friends for lunch at the terminal. Well ... there's American English and then there's Australian English. Turns out a Gate 5 and a Wharf 5 and a Pier 5 all mean different things. Our first clue was when they said they couldn't see the ship, but were staring at the Harbour Bridge. It was about a 1/4 mile walk to where they were waiting; lovely little area of restaurants and shops. Good to know!

We joined Chris, Linda, Mary Elaine, David, Ron and Linda in Observation Lounge to toast our departure. Lots of tennis talk and a late dinner at Sette Mari. The pasta tastes homemade. One of our favorite waiters, Abraham, has been promoted up the ranks. So nice to see a great crew member doing well!

Sea day yesterday. My vow to exercise was getting foiled by winds and intermittent rain, along with a packed gym. Not to worry .. slid into a long walk and cardio on the bike throughout the day. Cupcake tea was on offer. Looked gorgeous; texture and taste could use a boost. Trivia was a second place finish.

As many of you know, packing light is one of life's pleasures for us when we travel. This cruise is long enough for 2 formal optional nights. Hmmm ... what to do? I spied a sari in my closet (packs flat!) and decided surely there'd be someone aboard who could help me work out the logistics to keep it from falling off. The room stewardess assured me there were Indian ladies in housekeeping, and to ask at reception. turns out there are Indian gents on the butler staff - and one was 'volunteered' for the job of getting the folds and swirls straight on the sari. Gary's inner engineer wanted to know all the details of getting in and out of sari. The gent arrived with a video of his mother donning a sari. Hilarity ensued as all three of us tried to work out exactly which end was up, what side was outward facing, and when to switch from the ends to the middle and back again. By the end of the exercise, it was a passably functional sari. At that point, the gent smiled broadly and said "That's a first for each of us!!"

Headed down for the end of the officer introductions and then swiftly headed to Compass Rose to beat the crush. One of the Indian gentlemen saw me and broke into the widest smile. One for the home team! Enjoyed the caviar and foie gras, then dover sole and a salad.

Two nice changes on Compass Rose menu: they offer 'taste of signatures and Prime 7" as an entree. That's where I scored the dover sole and gary scored the herb crusted rack of lamb. The other is the balanced Canyon Ranch selections so if you want to keep up the healthy food index whilst onboard, it's readily available.

We hustled up to our suite to fire up the computer and track the Murray-Federer match. Fell asleep mid-way through the 2nd set.

Marc, we needed you onboard to properly celebrate Burns' night at the Voyager Lounge. No mention of haggis .. but really, how can you celebrate without marching that into the room accompanied by bagpipes?

This is a celebration-rich cruise. Today is Australia Day and the 10th of February is Chinese New Year. Surely we can find a few more holidays to keep the festive atmosphere alive and well.

It looks like we will be weather challenged for the next few days. Ship started to rock side to side around 4 am; the officer of the bridge came on at 6 am to advise us sharp turns are necessary, causing the ship to list to one side. It's 7:45 am, drizzly and we're a bit late on our arrival into Brisbane. Plans are for the bus tour of Brisbane highlights then off to Lone Pine sanctuary for quality koala time. After that, it's Hamilton Island then an overnight in Cairns. Monsoons still look active around the Cairns area.

Now they are broadcasting into all suites - we're delayed until 10 am. Time for rebookings if necessary for tours. Sounds like time to see if I can get a bike in the gym

Cheers, Anne

Loving the seamail so far...

As no one has yet to post a photo, let me be the first. Here is a pre-pre-cruise pic of Anne and Gary during our version of "Layover" in San Francisco. Nothing like a few oysters to make one amorous!!

The weather will slowly improve as you cruise north! The ex Cyclone depression is moving south. By the time you get here to Cairns it will be clearer but also hotter with very high humidity!
Hope your visit to Brisbane is not too washed out. We look forward to welcoming you to Cairns.

I have never had the nerve to try wearing a sari as it looks like the who,e thing might fall off at any minute. Good for you!

Love it, Anne!, especially the sari scenario. Can we look forward to pix?
Continue to enjoy, as I know you will!

Anne,
Yes, we have a champagne deal but with some modifications. One we need to be on the same cruise and you must agree to share with that certain someone we both know. As if you did not know she is a big tennis fan.

Hopefully the rest of the cabin was cleaned up from the mess I left it in. Was great fun to see you the day before. Looking forward to the next time.

So happy to see your post. Always love your adventures. Hoping for many more as you travel north. And I agree. Photos of the sari is a must.

Here's another request for a sari picture. Looking forward to reading more of your seamail, Anne!!

Ralph - sounds like we'll be adding Indian Wells to our tennis fan annual tour. More than happy to quaff with friends.

Frank - how right you are. The ex-depression weather is on its way. We have been informed:

(a) departure has been pushed back from 7 pm tonight to 6 am tomorrow;
(b) Hamilton island visit pushed back to Tuesday

I'll keep you posted, but sounds like we'll be a one-day stop on the 30th in Cairns.

Sari picture - Gary just volunteered to wrap that sari one more time for pix purposes. Wish us luck!

Cheers, Anne

Anne, only you would attempt the sari without trying it out 14 times prior to leaving! We were so sorry to have missed saying hello. we both were hoping to be back even if for a quick toast......
hope to see you soon!

Ngaire, am loving the tales of the scone ceremony at Ken and Sheilas! I will be in that kitchen working on those, although the healthy diet has started! super long day, got back at 1:00 this afternoon, after 4 hours from Hong Kong on Cathay. Trying my best to make it to 9:30, sure miss everyone on the Voyager as well as those iike us that headed back to reality......

Had a wonderful outing in Brisbane. Lone Pine is an Aussie animal sanctuary. Marcie, the pet lover in you would have LOVED this stop.

Strudel (6 yr old male koala who also weighs 6 kilos) was my cuddle buddy. He was not as thrilled with the idea as I was. Nonetheless .. we got the picture. The other audience participation event was wild lorikeet feeding frenzy. Got to hang onto a feeding platform for about 5 of the beautiful multicolor lorikeets. There were a few other takers in our group. Those birds ate in a hurry then flew up and away in the overhead branches.

There were .. dingos to watch; red tailed cockatoos to admire. Paul Mocko - saw a nesting pair of gang gang cockatoos!! they are smaller than I thought .. and the male was most entertaining. The female simply camped on the food dish. He was out of luck. Golden shouldered parakeet; varied lorikeet; Major Mitchell's pair of cockatoos; Baretta birds; Rose breasted cockatoos blue winged kookabura; little corella pair of cockatoos; princess parrot pair - awesome!! - three varieties of wombats (well fed .. if not portly) .. lots of kangaroos ... emu .. a fantastic cassuwary .. a sheep shearing event and

ta daa ... a platypus. They are smaller than one would think.

We did a foggy city drive by tour on the way back to the mother ship.

current schedule is for us to arrive 30 Jan in Cairns 12 noon and depart 9 pm. After that, we should be on the original itinerary scheduling.

The scuttlebutt is we leave Brisbane at 6 am - find a place to go slow until about 2 pm then brave what is left of the weather front.

Ricky the F&B manager was belting out a scareoke number in Voyager Lounge as we were among the few who lasted to close out Compass Rose.

We'll see what the morrow shall bring

I have to put that animals sanctuary on my bucket list.... we need pictures Anne!

I love it so much when Anne travels!
Another request for pix.

An on the ground up date...........It's 7:30 am here on the Sunshine Coast and we are being battered with cyclonic conditions..... huge winds and driving rain. The news is full of flood and gale warnings. We are only 150km north of Brisbane. Hope the Voyager is sheltered somewhere safe. The weather system which started up north with Cyclone Oswald is very very slowly moving south towards New South Wales.

Sorry to all our friends on the Voyager that we couldn't live up to our name as the Sunshine State.

Thanks for sending the rotten weather our way Shiela!!

Sorry too that the weather isn't up to it's usual standard for all those on Voyager.

Anne - Love your reports. If you're not too busy, what tennis did you get to see? We had a ground pass for the Monday and watched the two day quarter finals in Rod Laver Arena. I think next time I'll have to go the first week if I want to see any Aussies in action, although we did get to watch the two girls who played extremely well for their first time together.

The weather has cleared up here. Glorious day, bit humid but that's Cairns at this time of year. Sorry you "southerners" have to cop the leftovers!
Hope the cruise north from Brisbane is not too rough. You should have better weather in the Whitsunday Islands.

anchored just off Mud Island outside Brisbane Harbor. Harbor is now closed - waves of 6 meters (about 19 feet) and gale forces around 65 knots. We're here until the captain says otherwise. I guess the pilot had a pretty rough transfer onto Voyager when we pulled into Brisbane yesterday.

I'll try a few photo links from the animal sanctuary.

Lorikeet tea time - always better with friends


Australia Day



One very handsome koala



The link to Strudel looking for the fastest way out of my arms and into the eucalyptus leaves is here:

http://i.koala.net/2601617623.htm

Off to hear about the Great Barrier Reef from our pilot-turned-guest-lecturer.

Cheers, Anne

Love all the photos Anne but particularly the 'official' koala one. Sorry about the weather - can't even begin to imagine Brisbane Harbour being closed - it is usually like a pond!! Just as well Frank and Wendy have something better for you.

Voyager Bobbing in Brisbane harbor!
been an eventful few hours of torrential rain, 8 meter waves out of the harbor, and winds out of the harbor at 69 Knots....will stay here we hope until
Cyclone Oscar passes! Great trip[. Sandra Bowen was awesome with her ANZAC talk! Travel is everchanging and exciting! Love it!

thanks lee. we were at the quarterfinals on tues & wed in Melbourne during the day sessions. great tennis!

Will try tracking tonight's match on the website. Djokovic v. Murray - have to think Djokovic has the edge, but Murray played exceptionally well in the semi final match.

Were you also in Melbourne?

Cheers, Anne

how exciting in a way.......easy for me to say since I am comfortably home, but also, we don't get seasick! I can only imagine how our wonderful room at the back of the ship would be rocking. Tether yourselves down and enjoy the company of your wonderful group!

Fingers crossed for smooth sailing from here!

xoxo

Anne: We were at the tennis on the same days and saw the same as you. I did carry my Regent bag in case we should see each other - stranger things have happened!

We had a ground pass on the Monday and managed to see some great tennis on Margaret Court Arena.

Sloane Stephens has a great future in front of her hasn't she? Pity about Serena's 'dummy spit'.

You were right in your choice for last night's winner. Poor Andy Murray's feet - no wonder he lost!

Hope the weather is improving up there - one of my sisters lives in Brisbane and they lost power for hours yesterday.

Frank and Wendy: Didn't mean to make light of the weather - had no idea things were so bad. Is everyone south of the border a southerner? Just wondering.

Hi Lee - I am so sorry we missed seeing you in Melbourne. They were very good matches. Saw updates on the men's match last night on the sports station.

Groundhog Day

Woke up early and immediately thought of Bill Murray in the movie "Groundhog Day". Same weather, same location, rinse and repeat. Enjoyed the breakfast club gathering in the coffee connection as we awaited word on the weather.

Reef Grief

Our pilot gave a second lecture at 10 am on "Captain Bligh: Hero or Goat" and another passenger agreed to offer a digital photography lecture at 11 am. We got word we would be leaving around 1 pm from the shelter of the island outside the harbor. Brisbane harbor was still closed but we were given permission to depart.

But wait ... there is more

Along with the second lecture, we were advised there was an emergency medical evacuation required. Passengers were asked to stay off the outside deck space as the helicopter (Queensland Emergency Management, sponsored by Rio Tinto) hovered overhead and the ill passenger was airlifted to Brisbane for necessary medical treatment.

Headed up to the elevator lobby on 11 to observe the proceedings from inside the ship. Goodness .. the helicopter was very low, just above the port side of deck 12. Flight nurse already on the ground and arrangements were underway to load patient, nurse and be on their way

Once the helicopter departed for Brisbane, we got the sad news our next stop will be Cookstown sometime on the 30th of January. It's a real blow since many of the ship's company were along specifically to experience the Great Barrier Reef.

It's a Swell Time

Providentially, the mid-cruise comment cards were delivered this morning. Disappointment is running as high as the seas alongside the ship about now.

Heard from Ken and Sheila there's significant damage in their area of the Sunshine Coast. We are so sorry to learn of the damage and devastation. Weather should be improving as we head north - but we got the full "E" ticket Disney ride right in Compass Rose for Lunch. There were a couple of waves that completely washed over the deck 4 windows. Oh yea .. and a few trays of glassware hitting the floor.

rolling side to side right now. Art auction postponed until 2:30 pm. Can't imagine how that is going to go without at least a few paintings knocked off their easels.

Cheers, Anne

Just got our phone and Internet back on up here in Cairns. Been off since yesterday. So sorry the Voyager will not be calling in here.
We did get a decent belting from the system but all is back to normal now, just a few heavy showers. We feel really sorry for everyone south of here who has to go through floods yet again.
Lee, just a joke up here that anyone living south of Townsville is a southerner!
Hope you don't get too much rain and wind down there.
We hope the seas smooth out for all on board the ship and that you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Frank and Wendy: I guessed that but wondered where the border was for you. Are Tasmanians from the 'deep south'?

Quite a large portion of Brisbane was out of power for 48 hours but those on Voyager wouldn't have been affected by that.

Anne: We had a medical emergency on our Norway cruise - very dramatic for the passengers, not to mention the poor patient!! So sorry you had to miss the Great Barrier Reef, though what an excuse to come back!

On Monday our local paper had a picture of Voyager and an article welcoming the luxury liner to a planned visit to Cairns on Tuesday.
Today the local news was very sad that she was not able to visit, due to the weather, and was passing us on her way to Cooktown!

Revision from what was sketchy information at time of my last report: we'll be in cooktown on the 31st. Don Cant joined the ship for entertainment - he'd been Phantom of the Opera for several years. Lovely show last night. Seas were still really high through most of the evening.

Awoke this morning early to pretty calm seas. Time to meet up with the breakfast club. Afterwards, time for the walk about on the jogging track. Hot, hot and steamy aboard for most of the day today. Sandra did another lecture on the aboriginals. Very interesting ... artwork (if it's the real deal) tells you something about the specific tribe's ancestry. Cooking demonstration afterwards in Horizon Lounge. Executive chef has a good sense of humor. At noon, we were at 22 degrees south and 151 latitude east. Have seen small outcroppings of land this afternoon. Lots of the algae in the water on our travel north.

Mongolian barbeque for lunch on the pool deck. I don't know how the crew could stand it - it was a strong blast of steam room quality heat when we arrived at deck 11. We grabbed some pizza from La Verandah and headed to Compass Rose with our appetizer course in hand.

Watched 'Muriel's Wedding' this afternoon. Next up has to be Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and a marathon for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Gary scored on a Bingo win this afternoon; our trivia team was at least in the hunt for prizes today. Yesterday .. it was a bad trivia day.

Signatures for dinner tonight. Sea day again for tomorrow. We've decided 5 straight sea days means we can check off the box on our bucket list that reads "take an ocean crossing voyage".

Missed out on booking an excursion in Cooktown. We'll just kiss Mother Earth when we debark, take the shuttle to town and then try to hold space in the pub for those taking the black granite hill climb excursion.

We are pulling for the Aussies who have been affected by the damaging force of this storm. It's so close on the heels of the big one from a few years ago and takes so much energy to get the repairs made and get on with one's life.

Cheers, Anne

As always an interesting read Anne. I hope the seas stay calm for you!
Thanks for taking us along with you. Congratulations on Gary's bingo win too.

Saw a beautiful deep pink sunset last night from Signatures. It was a wonderful dinner.

Slept through breakfast club this morning. Decided to go for the 60 minute walk starting at 7 am. about 1/2 an hour too late - really sweating by the time 8 am rolled around. Sandra Bowern had another great lecture on Captain Cook this morning, then it was cocktail preparation in Horizon Lounge @ 11:15 am. We opted for tomato juice time in the Observation Lounge. A group came in just before 12 and ordered the perfect Bellini. So glad they profited from the demonstration - they surely enjoyed trying a different drink.

Noon report was 18 degrees 50 minutes south latitude; 174 east longitude (which doesn't sound right given what I heard yesterday but whatever).

Tex Mex barbeque today - very tasty. Off to the art auction then Sandra filled us in on all the scuttlebutt for 2 of Australia's soprano divas, Nellie Melba and Joan Southerland. I skipped the second half to get a half hour in on the stationary bikes.

Off to trivia. Had to switch up our usual seating. It was strudel tea so the demand for tea seating was unusually high. We managed to bring home the triva win today. Four of us went on for snowball bingo - didn't win the grand prize but won 2 of the 4 games.

Going sunset hunting tonight, then lamb curry in compass rose.

Worked out how to get the urn of safari coffee for the morning coffee breaks. Order coffee from room service & top off with Bailey's.

We are supposed to anchor in Cooktown around 7:45 am and take tenders to the shore. There will be no shortage of passengers seeking the shore tomorrow.

Cheers, Anne

Enjoying your reports Anne, as usual. Congrats on the trivia win! Keep having fun and please keep telling us about it!!!

Thanks Anne so great to read your posts. Sorry you hit such terrible luck with that storm I guess Aussie Part One used up all the good weather karma. Of course we were messed up to with our post cruise plans but not to the extend all you had to deal with.

Still lovely to read your positive take on the situation at least you are "in this" with some nice people.

Yeah on a trivia win - one for the LCT team is always great! PLUS a bingo for Gary way to go!

Missed this whole thread.
What an adventure

Three Hour, Three Shower Tour

True to my intention, I was up at 5:30 am for breakfast club. Two of the three of us showed up. Hit the machine - one blast of regular coffee followed by a decaf espresso in the same cup. As soon as I saw sun peeking through the horizon, I was soon on deck 12 for the morning walk.

frank and wendy graciously briefed us it was 105 and humid in Cairns; likely to be the same in Cooktown. In fact, a sea day might be in order. That was welcome advice, .. except we've had 5 sea days already and if we skip land, it's two more days to Darwin (Ricky's home and so we're hoping to have a big turnout for his aunt & uncle ... but I digress). They were absolutely correct - 90 minutes in to the morning walk and I was seriously dripping wet. shower #1 for the day was in order before breakfast. Huevos Rancheros special item up at La Verandah.

What to do? Only answer is the three hour self directed tour. We missed out on scheduled excursions, so boarded the tender at 9 am for shore. 20 minutes later, we were on Mother Earth. Thank goodness! The shuttle bus could carry about 15 people, and dropped us at the Cook Museum. We had picked up maps and the general route of the shuttle bus when we stepped off the tender. It was really hot by 10 am. I worked out a quick stop at the Museum to be followed by a walk through their heritage site botanical garden. There's a foot path that takes you from Finch Bay along the Coral Sea up towards the lighthouse where Capt Cook surveyed the harbor, then across to the tender launch site. All the while, I heard a sustained and frequent exchange by the wild birds. Clearly, the rest of Cooktown had the common sense to stay out of the heat. We were wildly out of order.

We stepped off for our loop tour of Cooktown, only to be advised by our Canadian compatriots that where there are birds .. there are insects. It was bug infestation on the walkway this time of year to the sea. Not up for massive bug bites as a remembrance of our visit to Cooktown. We doubled back to the main street in town. along the way, we learned a lot about Cooktown in WWII (forced evacuation of everyone; much harder on the aboriginal people than the settlers); the convent established schools in the area; the rise of the gold rush in this area; and a near crash of everything in the area by the 1990s. I don't know the population, but I did take note of GPS coordinates around noontime: 15 degrees 28 minutes south latitude; 145 degrees 50 minutes east longitude. In any event, there were locals with cars parked eating picnics near the tender dock, enjoying the opportunity to watch the passengers debark, start to sweat, and then look for extra chairs the merchants helpfully placed along the shaded sections of sidewalk.

We are in a pretty remote area of Australia. Common haircut is a la Bob Marley. found a picture we liked of a cassawary done by an aboriginal contemporary artist. She wanted a picture of where her painting was going to live; we wanted a picture of the artist with the painting. everyone was happy.

On the tender back, a compatriot of the Nikon tribe decided to shoot the ship as we approached for debarkation. Only problem was large spray of water coming in open window @ front. Switching between Iphone and Nikon, I wondered if she could manage to get them both seriously wet with sea water. Hope she was able to save them .. but it was a rhythmic belching of water into the tender from that window.

Back on board we enjoyed a leisurely lunch. It is stinking hot today. For the second time in my RSSC sailing career, I jumped into the pool (the first being the memorable synchronized swimming performance by Michele, Susan, Pam and myself on Explorer 2 in the Antarctic). Bath warm ocean water pumped in from the great barrier reef shipping channel. .. decided this was going to count for our return trip to the barrier reef.

I am wondering how the afternoon hill climb will work out for our fellow passengers. I'm off to another shower to get the salt out of my swimsuit and body; there's no doubt I'll need another shower before dinner.

Laundry capacity is likely to be taxed to the max today. Captain just announced we've taken up the anchor and are headed over to Darwin. Torres Straight is expected around 5 tomorrow (did not catch whether it is AM or PM). As I look out the window .. thunder portends another shower for our sail away.

Cheers, Anne

We were cooked in Cooktown! Even the devil would be too hot here! Heard lots of croc lore and visited both pubs (down from 64 during the gold rush). The town 230 years later has one hot Main Street! And 2000 residents! If the winds are calm we learned that the whole town closes down and everyone goes fishing on the reef for coral trout! Blown away in Cooktown is a local expression about the frequent high winds! Very humid and then rain storms! Small atolls abound in the water with a magnificent sunset! Lightening outside now! Wonderful! ! 2 sea days ahead! Really hot! Cannot imagine what hotter will feel like! Life is an adventure!

Anne,

Wishing I was there for swim 2. Probably not as many cameras flashing as there was on the Explorer2.

Have a great trip and thanks for the posts.

Uploading pix has been difficult but I managed to get a few more done.
Sunset enroute to Cooktown - think this was somewhere near Cairns



Unusual flowering plant near Cook Museum


Getting ready for Chinese New Year


Colorful 4x drive


Modern conveniences


Gold rush dentistry


Water spray makes for tough photo conditions


Waitng out the heat on the pier

Love pixs Anne but first and last my favorites - heaven vs hell????

Anne, I love it when you cruise, or frankly do anything that you document. David and I are reading it over a glass of wine (we've been pretty lean on the wine since our return...go figure). I am so sorry that the weather has not been friendly to such a great group on the voyager . It does sound like you are making the best of it. Sandra must be a savior for sure. She is wonderful. Keep us posted, On to Darwin!

Mary Elaine - I love your attitude -"Cannot imagine what hotter will feel like! Life is an adventure!"

Anne love your descriptive write ups and the pictures were great. Nothing tells a story like pictures.

I also understand the heat and the bugs. Been in Northern Queensland at this time of the year with a heat wave. A town inland is Towoomba - the flies there were so thick that you did not want to talk for fear of them flying into your mouth. I remember it well and I was only about 16 at the time.

You all seem to making the best of it and hopefully that nasty weather will be behind you for the rest of the trip.

Keep posting love to read your reports.

the dentist chair looked pretty hellish too......yikes

Unfortunately, it is the wet season - I wish they'd bring you out here in September/October but I do realise it doesn't suit the cruising companies.

Ngaire: I went one better and swallowed one while playing tennis!! Yikes!

Anne: Did you visit Sydney in February a few years back? I went into the city to see the ship. I seem to remember someone talking about the humidity on a very hot day - was it you?

Went to the future cruise presentation. High points were: onboard booking is still on offer; they've added an option of an open deposit $1Kpp to be able to apply an onboard booking to a cruise booked within the next 2 years. I have to find out about the full details on that option.

Talked about new ship possibilities; said past 3 years have been best for Regent; has been sailing at near 100% capacity for that time frame. There's a deadline for ordering the new ship (whether Regent or Oceania) or penalties are due to the ship yard. Apollo Management still owns Prestige Cruise Lines, and Regent rolls up under that corporate entity within the Apollo portfolio of companies. Will there be an IPO of Prestige? Who knows but why rule out the possibility until you need to rule it out? At present RSSC is sticking to pretty much the same general areas for their 2013 and 2014 schedule (rest of it expected around Mid-March). There's discussion of whether to create reciprocity of nights on Oceania and nights on RSSC for their loyalty program but no decision as of now. Editorial and self-serving comment: I hope they don't. We have 600 repeat Regent passengers on this segment and it will serve to dilute the value if you are loyal to one or the other of the cruise lines.
Did not win the drawing for the $250 ship credit.

I have always wanted to visit Cape York peninsula, and I am scratching that itch. it's remote, wild and the water is oh so beautiful today. Lots of amazing flora and fauna you don't find elsewhere.

Lee, I was in Sydney in 2009 just long enough to go to airport & then enjoy tennis in Melbourne. My recollection is the weather was near perfect on that trip. Melbourne and Sydney were both very civilised weather-wise on this trip. The rest of the trip so far has been challenging, either from the storm or simply the normal weather pattern. Funny .. one of the cruise passengers asked a shop keeper if it was their high season for tourism. She just looked at hiim and said "it's July and August, sir, which is our winter time" You do get the sense the locals are also putting their heads down and toughing it out during this part of the season.

Country fair starting in 5 minutes this afternoon before trivia and bingo rematch. Another busy day at sea.

Cheers, Anne

Anne, always enjoy your seamail, and so sorry the weather has been "unpleasant;" so hope things improve and you're able to see some of what you went for!

Looking forward to more pix and don't forget the sari!

The new FCC certificates are the way to go. TOTALLY refundable and good for two years. Plus on cruises less than 26 days that $2000 is used for your deposit even if the regular deposit is more.
So much better than making FAKE bookings, $200 cancel fees, keeping track of the date to be sure it is transferred etc.

Problem with the time of year is that going from one end of the world to the other it is difficult to hit everything at the right time.
This time of the year is PERFECT for New Zealand. The July /August time frame that is good for Northern Australia is TERRIBLE for New Zealand.

People always want to combine the Great Barrier Reef areas of Australia with a trip to New Zealand. Sounds like they are close but the seasons are really reversed. What is best for one area is the worst for the other area.

I have done Northern Australia on a ship before at this same time and while it was hot it was bearable and we had no bad seas or missed ports. IT is just the way it goes sometimes no way to control Mother Nature.

I will be VERY surprised if they do a tier match situation. There has been mumblings about this for a long time but when I ask the brass at Regent I always get a not happening. That said one thing is for sure NOTHING is 100% certain things constantly change.

I have also heard rumblings that the new ship is just tiny details away from going forward. Hopefully that required time frame will the ship yards will push the new build into reality.

Hey - it actually IS Groundhog Day over here. Yep - another sea day to roll through. I'm doubtful we will see a flotilla of the fuzzy creatures alongside or anywhere aboard. Must be a shorter winter fur us! Surely someone will play "I got you babe" in honor of the movie today.

Racked up another trivia win yesterday - including my least favorite type of questions (if Sarah wears a pink dress and lives on Sycamore, and Debbie lives in the white house, what was Elaine wearing when she visited the yellow house on Cherry?). fortunately, our logician oriented brains (3 of em!) got it right. Bravo for them.

Gary scored again on the bingo win. It was really funny - the beautiful Greta came over and said "I should know your suite number by now, sir" ah .. when you've got it, you've got it.

I splurged with his winnings on a nice bottle of Italian red for dinner with Sandra Bowdern and two of the fellow trivia winners.

Don Cant was lovely last night. Added "Halleluiah (? sp)" to his repetoire - such a haunting, lovely song.

the country fair was a ton of fun. Will try to upload pictures but please understand the satellite is iffy. I'm shooting for sari part deux tonight - wish us luck, and will get a photo if we are successful for you all to enjoy.

Cheers, Anne

good to catch up with things in your part of the world Anne. We had fun dinner with Ralph last night and it sounds like Aussie and your Aussie Part Deux are both winners. Congratulations again to Gary, that's terrific and keep your good work up at trivia.

We've been on several cruises with Don Cant performing, he really has a terrific voice. I bet he does Halleluiah superb.

If you tell Donald and Robin (his manager) and have the opportunity tell him I was hoping he would be on our segment. I do not go to the shows much at all but I always go to his shows. He knows me by sight and I "think" he will remember my name. They see so many people you never know, but we have had some adventures together. One with Fred and Pat in the train in Flam that was fun and we squeezed him into a transfer to the airport once when he was stuck.

Ngaire - he's leaving today. Will try to find him before we dock in Darwin

Marcie - thanks for the update. Give Ralph our best.

Liar's club was great last night. Verne Lundquist got a huge laugh when he talked about us being on the SS Detour.

Can't get a working line out of cabin for satellite phone today. Superbowl updates are going to be few and far between - enough of us are pretty unhappy about it, and head office is standing firm there's nothing they can do. Have to chalk it up to experience and factor it into future cruising decisions.

Note the US Navy has figured out how to use drone signals to get the game to the troops

http://sundodgers.com/2013/02/01/u-s-submarines-and-remote-troops-will-get-to-watch-the-super-bowl/

another trivia win yesterday (tie but we still got the reward poiints so good enough for us).

Today is jumping crocs excursion. Chris, Linda, Gary and I voted 4-2 to save the front seat on the boat for Linda & Ron .

Cheers, Anne
.

have a wonderful time crock jumping!

Anne, I was hoping with all those missed ports, maybe the line did not have to pay those huge docking fees for those you missed, and perhaps that money could have been diverted to delivering you the Super Bowl.

Too bad

Of course, I am from Maryland (GO RAVENS!), and for a long time I wasn't interested, not being a sports fan. And what do I know about docking fees and whether you get charged when the ship can't show up. I dunno, I just think it would have been nice to get this as a bonus for all the mess you and the rest of the passengers have been through.

BTW, I have so enjoyed your continued commentary along the way, as I always do, wherever you are in the world, land or sea!

Shocker at Sea

we heard a 'code mike' called in the crew quarters this morning. It is with regret I inform you that means a crew member was pronounced dead at 10:45 am local time.

We arrived at Darwin at approximately 1:40 pm, when we first learned of the situation. Coroner and police arrived to conduct their investigations. The ship was released for entry at approximately 4:30 pm. A few people are debarking as previously planned; one shore excursion is being offered for part of the tour. The rest of the passengers are offered either a shuttle bus to town or a two hour panoramic tour with a stop at the botanical gardens.

It's been quite a sober atmosphere aboard the ship. The worst news is crew leave has been cancelled in this port.

a fellow travel has calculated we will spend approximately 13 hours on land in australia. The crew has not had but a fraction of that time, as the port stops have been short.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the crew member and to the crew, who are working on our behalf despite this unexpected event.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/02/03/317251_ntnews.html covers what is officially known at this point. No point speculating beyond what's in this article

Sad, sad afternoon.

Tragic. Just tragic.

Ship Happens

We had a local aboriginal family come onboard for a music and cultural experience. The previously scheduled performance by the dancers was cancelled due to the crew member death.

At dinner, the captain announced the authorities have not yet completed their investigation and we will be detained in Darwin until at least 12:45 pm tomorrow (about 16 hours behind schedule). On a brighter note, it was great to see the F&B manager's family come aboard and enjoy some time with him.

What's the outcome? The first 225 passengers who want to trade in their shore excursion tickets for a trip to the sky casino to watch the super bowl should proceed to the tour desk. Gary jumped up, braved the stampede and scored casino tickets. We may only catch the first 3 quarters, but that's better than nothing. The grand debate aboard: super bowl or jumping crocodiles. I'm coming down firmly on the side of the super bowl. That said - I'd give anything for the crew member to be around to listen to us growl about the lack of superbowl coverage.

Oh yea .. and the crew still cannot leave the ship. have to find out if we can bring them back anything from shoreside. No point guessing where we will make up the 16 hours until we know for sure when we are cleared to depart.

Life is full of irony.

Anne reported "a fellow travel has calculated we will spend approximately 13 hours on land in australia. The crew has not had but a fraction of that time, as the port stops have been short."
We had the same situations at many ports on our 72 night cruise on the Mariner from Venice to Miami (via South America.) The short stays really mess up opportunities to see local attractions and try local food. A 6 or 7 hour port stop means barely enough time for an excursion when docking, clearing and getting off the ship at the start and reboarding 30 minutes before departure. We usually like to go around on our own after an excursion, but missed the opportunity all too often. This seems to be the new Regent style compared to the past.
Jim

What an unusual series of events have taken place since I left. I do not remember anything quite like this ever. This cruise will be talked about for years. I am sure John McNeil is glad he left the ship in Sydney the stress on the senior staff must be huge.

It is so sad to hear about the death of a crew member and I cannot imagine the impact that has had on the whole ship.

I am glad 225 people got to see the super bowl! I hope things start to look up soon.

OMG Anne. I'm so sad about the crew member death. Your journey has been such a mixed bag, that's for sure. You just need to roll with the moment to moment "ship happens" philosophy. No way to control such things.

I'm happy to hear about the super bowl at the casino, although I loved the jumping crocodiles too. We were able to watch the super bowl on board on our longer January cruises...go figure. I like Olivia's idea (except for the Go Ravens part.. haha), seems like there is a port savings that could have provided the cost of showing the game via satellite. Glad Gary got the tickets though.

Thanks for all your updates. Go 49'ers !

What a cruise you have had Anne! The good news...I can't imagine anything else going wrong!

Jim, I agree. I think this has to do with Regent trying to have fewer sea days. The Captain on Kangaroo told us that the company was trying to respond to requests for fewer sea days on longer cruises. Obviously, to do this, they need to sail longer on port days. I think Regent is tryig to do too much responding to what they perceive as the more prevalent request.

So sad to hear about the death. Such a young age too. Very sobering.

I would take the crocs over Super Bowl any day, and one of my best friends is married to a former 49's player. (Boy, are they excited.)

Anne,
We are following with interest! Amazing and very sad.
Hope the remainder of the cruise goes smoothly for you.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick

Today's required a whole lot of dexterity. We learned at 8 am this morning the super bowl in fact WOULD be a live feed to constellation theater. The staff put together a great buffet and themed balloons. A few folks went to the casino anyway. Gary managed to get on the jumping crocs excursion at the last minute; I went into town to walk around a little while and was asked by Australian Broadcast corp. for a comment when I got off the shuttle. Here's the link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-04/woman-found-dead-on-cruise-ship-in-darwin/4498712?section=nt

Back by 9:30 am, I caught the end of the first quarter. I took Baltimore so was pleased to see the 7-3 score. Didn't San Francisco give Baltimore a real run for the money following the black out of the Superdome stadium? congrats to the ravens fans on the very close win.

Captain interrupted around the 2 minute warning mark. Evidently this whole incident has made the news around Australia. Here's our status:

(a) we are cleared to leave, and let me tell you we left immediately. The pilot boat picked up the pilot about 5 minutes ago.
(b) the crew member was found to have died of natural causes so authorities closed their investigation
(c) here's another unwelcome news flash: one of four engines is not operating
(d) Kunal Kamlani, president of Regent Cruises, has acknowledged the latest challenge with the engine is disappointing. A further update will be forthcoming.
(e) Memorial service will be on Wednesday for crew and guests who wish to attend.
(f) We are scheduled for a 3 hour stop at Komodo Island on Feb 6 (10 AM to 1 PM)
(g) Bali stop has been shortened to 8 am to 8 pm on Feb 7
(h) Unnamed senior management members are expected to board the ship in Bali to address concerns and answer questions;
(I) We will have just enough time to make the world heritage temple tour in Semarang on Feb 9 (7 am to 4 pm)

Arlene - from your lips to God's ears.

We've had quite enough challenges and changes in this situation for one cruise. We do not want to veer any further into the Chinese version of living in interesting times.

Anne,
You've all had enough challenges, etc. for multiple cruises!

Here's hoping for no more!

Amen, Anne, well said! The folks on board who came specifically to dive the Great Barrier Reef and had a last opportunity to dive in Bali have now lost all three snorkeling and diving opportunities. Regent management coming to quell the muitenous masses! Going with the flow and enjoying new friends and places! Life is complex with moments of sadness and heights of elation mixed in with hours of ordinary! We are fortunate to experience every iota of life! Still finding joy and fun! The crew is working so hard to care for us...bless them!

Have you heard of the RSS Detour or Ship,of Crisis! Poor Paul! I call it the three C's.....capprichino (sp) , cavier and champagne cruise!
The loss of our singer has been very hard on everyone. Glad ship is doing a service for her! A true adventure! The jumping crocs were amazing! 20 feet long and stealthy!

Wow - quite the eventful cruise! And now an engine problem...

You are going to boil on Komodo Island mid-day, but those dragons will be sleeping so hopefully nobody will have too close of an encounter.

Anne, you are an absolute ace in the art of "understatement" if I've ever seen one. I've had my share of glitches of one kind or another over the years, but my gosh, even a cancelled cruise after boarding does not parallel this one. The new President of Regent sure came through the door to a mess. I hope it goes better for everyone from here on. Those engine problems always scare me that more is in the offing.

Engine problems now????? (Guess I was wrong)

Good thoughts coming to you all, it really just HAS to improve! anne, thanks for the wonderful and informative commentary. I just cannot believe the events, and how horribly sad for that young lady, her family and all the crew. Truly a tragedy, you are all such troopers.
cindy and David

Far more informative article about the deceased crew member

http://tools.ntnews.com.au/stories/54079732.php

Internet is iffy but will try to upload and post a few photos. Wish me luck!

One engine down shouldn't be too much of a problem. All 4 engines run generators that connect to the ship's electrical bus just like generators at a municipal power station, and the azipod propellers run off that bus as does the lighting, AC etc.. It's like an airplane, there is more engine power available than needed, so you should be able to plug along as normal.
Even if you had made it to Cairns, with rough weather the reef would have been hard to see with all the sand and muck being stirred up. A day trip from Cairns goes to Green Island which doesn't have a lot of coral and fish. The really good part of the reef is quite a ways away and you should really spend a couple of days at one of the good diving & snorkeling locations.

Darwin marina at sunset



Cockatoos having an earsplitting 'domestic' over perching territory



Aussie Rules football encounter opposite the Darwin botanical gardens

croc jumping - getting ready



croc jumping - set



croc jumping - GO!!!



Is this the entrance to the croc hall of fame?

love it!!!!

Nice pics. So sorry for the negative events on your cruise, but you have a positive attitude. And if I were going to see the Komodo dragons, I would want it to be when they were at the most lethargic.

We are hale and hearty here! Still amazed as each day folds and unfolds. Our 10 am arrival into Komoda has just been changed to 12:30 pm and our 2 hour tour is now one! What next...the best meal of our 34 day trip in Signatures tonight...duck and scallops the size of Manhatten! Yummy! Glad I am not top management in Bali on Wed!, life is interesting to say the least! Grateful for scrapes!,,

Anne thanks for those shots - excellent. Those handsome Australian Rugby players now if you could have found out if any of them were firemen (for a certain someone - not me I have my fireman) that certain someone could focus on the important player.

This is the one port shorter is better. Nothing there but the dragons and it will be hot. One hour with the dragons will work! I loved seeing them though they are really really nasty! Hope someone gets some good pictures.

I cannot imagine who that person is that likes firemen. hmmmm. I have heard the dragons are pretty creepy, but would sure love to see some pictures. What a great group of people on that ship. Nothing but positive thinking (im sure you've had your moments).

I am envious of those scallops Mary Elaine! I told David, laundry is done, dry cleaning back, bills paid, caught up on work (sort of), I'm ready to go again!

I'm with Rachel - lethargic is good! Ash led her team to the trivia win yesterday.

2:30 memorial service today for Jackie in constellation theater. What a perfect venue for someone whose life calling was the stage.

Took galley tour (thank you American Express) yesterday. Our #2 chef is from Vancouver and is delightful. For some reason, Ngaire, they didn't let us near the lamb chop section of the freezer. Something about a carnivore without limits on the prior cruise ... but I hope you are channeling Gary at meal times. He's giving you a run for your money when it comes to lamb chops this trip.

Gained another hour last night for sleeping - especially welcome for the crew, I'm sure. Fortunately for me, I can get my longer walk in before the sun is too high in the sky. Coffee machine is back in action, so double espresso is going to make that walk a whole lot faster.

I just heard about the earthquake and possible tsunami near the Solomon Islands. I hope it does not impact any LCTers. You've had an overly eventful trip as it is.

I just checked the location of Komodo Island and New Guinea I think they will be okay in their location. My goodness when it rains it pours.

They'll never forget this cruise!

I thought I would post this so you know what Regent did on this voyage. I received a copy that would go personally to all guests.

Dear

Let me thank you again for your understanding during these last few days and your patience concerning the various issues you have experienced during your cruise with us. I've been in constant communication with the management team onboard and I am acutely aware of how disappointing your vacation has been.

While the events (cyclone Oswald, a crew member's death and scheduled engine maintenance that could not occur because of the weather) themselves were not in anyone's control, we fully recognize the extent to which they have impacted your cruise vacation. To a certain extent, it doesn't matter what was in our control or not and we certainly recognize that.

When a sequence of events such as these occur, and let me say they rarely do to this extreme, I first put myself in your shoes. In this case, given the totality of what transpired, I can imagine how frustrated you must feel.

As such, I have instructed our guest relations department to post a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to your Regent Seven Seas Cruises society account equal to 50 percent of the cruise fare paid for your Sydney to Singapore voyage.

on behalf of the thousands of regent employees, please accept our sincerest thanks for your patronage. I know many of you are past guests and that this cruise onboard the Seven Seas voyager has not lived up to the experience that you have come to expect from us.

We hope that this gesture of goodwill will be taken in the spirit in which it was intended and will allow us the opportunity to welcome you onboard a future cruise to deliver the extraordinary vacation that is the hallmark of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

If you have any questions related to your FCC or any other matters please do no hesitate to contact Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Guest Relations at 954-776-6123 or guestrelations@rssc.com .


Sincerely, Kunal S. Kamlani
President, Regent Seven Seas Cruies

Very nice of Regent!

Yes Regent always does a nice job.

I'm curious to hear what the passengers on board think of this. The compensation is a FCC. There is no refunding of any money. Tom.

No sea mail since management arrived onboard; did they institute a "news embargo?" :)

We were notified of the future cruise credit prior to the planned management visit in Bali. The cruise consultant on board has never been busier. Management did not join the ship in Bali.

Happy Chinese New Year to our friends who observe the holiday

Seas have been calm and we are proceeding on time towards Singapore.

Ray Solara (? sp) is joining as Cruise Director; Franck will be joining as General Manager.

BOO!
I realize that I have been uncharacteristically quiet during this journey, but we have just been having the time of our lives in spite of the continuing series of unfortunate events. (Must admit... am waiting for the volcanic erruption since that seems to be the only misfortune we have yet to relate)

As I told Michael when we booked the lovely $2000 cruise deposit certificate which entitles us to onboard booking credit once we select a cruise (GREAT idea, Regent, to accommodate those of us who have to scrimp -sp?- and save for this opportunity!) "even an off-kilter voyage with Regent is phenomenal because of the wonderful people we sail with who make up the difference for lost ports!" Our time has been too short, as always, but with the FCC - Keith's 50th birthday cruise has just gotten longer and in a higher category ;)

One thing I must share tonight.... we arrived back in our suite after a fantastic Signatures meal to find unexpected orchids in a heart on the floor, towel swans and orchids on the bed, a banner on the wall, and a bottle of our favourite wine in celebration of our anniversary. Brilliant presentation, thoroughly documented with the camera. Hopefully, with Karen's help, I can share the beauty if you're interested :)

Have learned to play craps with the help of a new lifelong friend ... so it's off to the tables! Already packed today (unfortunately) so tomorrow's sea day will be blissfully relaxed. Hope to post when we return home Tuesday! Until then.... cheers to all and happy days!

Cheers!
Ash

Ash, you have the best reason for being AWOL l and I loved reading your post!

Wonderful post Ash! Good luck on selecting a wonderful cruise for Keith's 50th celebration!

How fun Ash....so happy you're having such a great anniversary cruise and exciting FCC for Keith's upcoming 50th birthday. Keep up the fun times.

We had a wonderful post cruise in Angkor Wat with Regents! Our guide will forever be the face of Cambodis "to us! The temples, Sofitel Hotel in Siam Reap, Angkor Wat and night entertainment were wonderful! Our new favorite country...will be back! Such gentle and kind people! Tks Regents....after Aussir Part Deux it was especially lovely!

I agree. One of those places that exceeded my expectations. Glad you loved it.

Totally agree as well. The people were so lovely, and the hotel the best. Glad you enjoyed it and are back safe and sound! We are making DVD's for you of our shot over river ride!