Whew......after a looong 16 hour flight we are in Hong Kong. We arrived last night and the view from our room is Victoria Harbour all a glow with even more neon than we remembered. This morning we are heading out to Victoria Peak while the sun is shining so we can take in the view which we missed last year as it rained every day. A walk around the harbour, shopping, the temple of the baby buddha, and a great cantonese meal are on todays list.

Doris

Lucky you!!!! I have great memories of HK segments of 2005 WC - enjoy!!!!

Doris, so nice to hear that you have arrived safely! You seem to still have so much energy after all that travel! Enjoy your cruise! I am dying to get to this segment one day.

Hello, Doris! So good to hear that you've arrived safely in HK! Have a great time! I hope you will post frequently so we can enjoy your trip through your experiences!

Hi Doris, thanks for checking in. Enjoy your time in Hong Kong. Nancy

Doris, I am glad you arrived safe and sound! I really appreciate you checking in. Now that Donna is no longer on board, we are going into blog withdrawal!

Just returned to the room after a day of shopping and seeing Hong Kong in the sunshine. This city is just fabulous! The people are so friendly and kind. We went to Victoria Peak, and to Wong Tai Sin, a Tao Temple which was just facinating. Time for a little nap and then off for a great cantonese dinner at Cuisine-Cuisine. Our friends arrive tomorrow, and we board the Voyager on Friday. :app:

Doris, So good to hear that you made it to HK safe and sound! Can't wait to read your seamail after you board. Have a great time in HK, it's such a great city!!

Doris - What a fun day! Glad you had good weather so you could enjoy lots of things. Have a great time with your friends. Do you have your transport worked out to the port? It's a little tricky to find the way there. Cheers, Anne

Looking forward to your posts from the ship. Have a fabulous time.

Anne, Yes we have a car picking us up on Friday even though the Ocean Terminal is around the corner from the Peninsula Hotel where we are staying. Thanks for your concern

Doris...what a great start to your cruise. Hong Kong is so amazing in the sunshine - or any time I suppose, but a sunny trip to the peak is a bonus. Thanks so much for sharing the fun, just wish I could join you at the Ocean Terminal!!!

Doris, I will be getting off as you get on...you are the lucky one! I hope you have a fantastic time. If you like to exercise (or need to because of all the wonderful food), be sure to attend Jackie's aerobics class at 9am on sea days. Tell her that Donna sent you! And, if you like a drink before dinner, be sure to go up to the Observation Lounge. Frankie will be there playing guitar and will greet you with a, "Hello Daaahling." Our spot is towards the windows on the right hand side. If you like champagne, tell Millie, Alan or one of the others that you are the new "nightly" champange drinkers. They will laugh.

Have a fabulous time!

So Doris, are you ready to take on "positive and fun" reporting now that Donna has to leave? We have SO enjoyed her sea-mails, and hope we will hear from you along the way as well!

Have a marvelous time, it would be hard not too......enjoy, enjoy

Donna, thanks for the tip. I'm sure we will be in the observation lounge for a drink or two as its one of our favorite spots.
Hong Kong is such a faboulous city with a skyline that keeps on changing with all the building that is taking place. Today started out cloudy and cool, but now the sun is shining and it must be about 80*, just beautiful. We started the day in Aberdeen to see the boat people that live in the sampans. There must be hundreds of them, it is really quite a sight. Then we were off to a fruit and veggie market that also sold live chickens, ducks, fish of all kinds and shellfish. The women here shop twice a day to feed their families as they have very little refrigerators and no freezers. This afternoon was a long walk and some shopping, and tonight we are having dinner at Yu restuarant with our friends that have just arrived. All in all a pretty terrific day!!!!

Doris - thanks for the seamail!

Masaki

Have a great cruise, Doris. Thanks for the fun HK updates. Enjoy your cruise..... <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Hi, I am sending the link for my travel journal below, hope you all enjoy

Doris, I'm just loving your journey and look forward to all of your future posts.

Karen, maybe you could put this in the seamail section.

Nancy

Sounds like your trip is all ready off to a wonderful start, Doris. Your pics are fantastic!

Marcie, we were in the harbour center and saw Marc and Harry as they were walking off the ship. We spent some time with them walking around and they both look and feel great. That was a wonderful suprise as I didn't think we would see them until we board tomorrow. Keep enjoying your cruise......

Doris,

I just looked at your journal. Good job....your photos are beautiful.

Enjoy your wonderful cruise and please keep reporting. Thanks!!!!!

Betty

Doris, I am going to add a link to your blog in the seamail forum. I totally missed the first 5 entries of your journal!

And thank you very much for letting us read along with you!!

Doris,
I can tell you this because I know Marc and Harry don't read LCT. Anyway, we've had a fantastic magician onboard here who will be joining the WC when he leaves here (not sure of the date). I want to show him photos of Marc and Harry that I have on our laptop from WC so he'll recognize them and play some type of joke when he knows soooo much about them.

Have a great time!!! One of these days I sure hope we can cruise together!

Marcie, Great idea!!!!!!, sorry we won't be there to partake in the fun. Just keep taking the wc every year and we will be sure to meet. Our goal is to take the entire wc but we have parents in their middle and late nineties so we don't want to stay away for more than 3 weeks at a time, hence the 2 or 3 trips a year on the Voyager. You just keep enjoying your cruise as we board ours today

It sounds like you are having so much fun, Doris!
I'm so jealous!
And you went shopping in Hong Kong? Are you going to be able to pack your suitcases back up at the end of your trip?

Trish

Trish, After this mornings adventures out on the streets, packing is a little cramped, these bags are really stuffed and we haven't even started. Hanoi and Saigon are shopping till you drop!!It's a good thing we packed an empty extra large duffle bag for the trip home. We learned that on last years wc.

We're on the Voyager!!!! We boarded at noon, Capt. Dag was on the gangway, and after many hugs and kisses from familiar faces from the crew we smuggled ourselves into our cabin which was made up and ready for us even though we were directed not to leave the public areas until 3:00. Boarding early was wonderful, our bags were delivered in 10 minutes and we unpacked and settled in before most of the 225 other segment #3 passangers arrived. Today is our stewardess first day with Radisson and she was sweet and efficent filling all our needs such as the egg crate for the bed, and down pillows. We went out for dinner in the IFC mall to Lei Gardens with our friends and then back to the ship for drinks in the Voyager lounge which was not too busy, but the music was great. We really feel as if we are home again. FLASH Lattidudes is now TGIFridays, but only for this segment. I'll have a report tomorrow as Marc and Harry who are full wc cruisers have included us at their table this evening. Its raining right now so we will tour the Ocean Terminal and Harbour Mall which is enormous, have our last cantonese meal which will thrill Alfred. Life does not get any better than being on the Voyager.

Doris, sure sounds like you and Alfred are off to a wonderful start of your cruise. I really appreciate all of your great posts.

Nancy

Doris, I am glad you are on the ship, safe and sound! I am sure you will have all kinds of fun info for us after dining with Harry and Marc!

Tell them hello from Tom and me please! Continue having a great time Doris!!

Doris,
Super pictures! Hong Kong at night...Wow! I'm enjoying your travelogue. You and Donna have set a new standard in cruise reviews.

I love these Travelogues. What a wonderful idea these are to communciate with others at home. A LOT of work each day for those who do them though and the pictures are what makes these really special. Thank you for sharing that with us and I look forward to reading each installment.

Since more people are starting to do this it might be a good idea Miss Super Star Karen to have a permanent new thread titled - Travelogues for those us more challenged at keeping all the links handy. We could just have a thread that has all the peoples names and the links to their travelogues below.

Thanks Doris for bringing back great memories of Hong Kong. I am emjoying your posts and pictures. Joanna

Doris,

I am so enjoying your travelogue and photos!

Have a fantastic time aboard Voyager! And, please keep up the wonderful reporting!

Hong Kong at night is spectacular but Shanghai at night makes Hong Kong look dull. Maybe someday we can get a picture of Shanghai?

Thought I would give you our review of Lattitudes TGIFRIDAYS... It looks real cute all done up like a TGIFRIDAYS. Small limited menu, great drinkis with a bartender flown in from a fridays. It was opening night and the room was not filled, the chicken was good and everyone raved about the cheesecake. Patrick was real busy trying to make it all work and I think he was very sucessful. It will only be a FRIDAYS for this segment.we are sailing in 30 minutes so we are going to go to the pool deck for the sailaway....... more from Hanoi in a day or two

Doris, how interesting, I thought Lattitudes was to remain a Fridays. What will they do with it after this segment?

Karen, no word on what they are planning to do next.I though it looked really cute, they even put a big screen in and they were showing sports clips. :ch: :ch: :ch: :ch: