Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2015 7:37:01 PM
Subject: Report # 1 The Preparation Begins.........December 26, 2015 Saturday Cold.......very cold
Ready and set to go
Subject: Report # 1 The Preparation Begins.........December 26, 2015 Saturday Cold.......very cold
Report # 1 The Preparations Begins………………….December 26, 2015 Saturday Cold……..very cold
Hard to believe that we are here, in the coldest part of December, getting ready to wrap up the holiday festivities, and prepare for another long journey. Time has a way of disappearing way too fast these days.
We always think we have tons of time to begin packing the things we will need for four and a half months, but that luxury came to a halt when December 16th arrived, and the four duffels had to be stuffed and picked up by Fed Ex. They happened to go out about the same time as our final documents arrived. HAL really kept us waiting a long time this year, as we usually receive all that vital information before Thanksgiving. There must have been some last minute changes, such as the dining options (fixed and open seating), that delayed the docs. Just when we thought we had everything down pat, HAL decided to switch things up. This upcoming grand cruise will have only 14 "gala" evenings. Not designated formal, we noticed most folks still dressed to the nines on these nights on the Tales of the South Pacific this fall. As for us, we plan to keep up with the traditional "formal" dress. Remember the days when we had formal and semi-formal? Out of a 100 day cruise, 50 of those days were dressy and more dressy. Got to admit, it was easier to pack with only 14 dress-up nights.
Our documents arrived on December 21st for our Sri Lanka adventure……….leopard (and other animal and bird) sightings on a safari out of Hambantota in Yala National Park. We'll have a four day stay in luxury tents, with a day and evening tour in historic Galle, and another night and day in Colombo, before flying to Dubai, UAE. If it is anything like our trips to Kruger in South Africa, and Bandhavgarh in India, we will be quite happy.
Christmas with the family was fun, as always. The best part was watching the little ones, who waited patiently (?), to open their gifts. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we ourselves, could hardly live with the anticipation of what Santa would bring to us. The best was seeing how much little Kenny (2) liked ripping the paper……almost as much as getting his presents. And Melanie (5), who helped picking up after her little brother. Julie (12), on the other hand, is turning into quite the young lady…..hardly waiting to be a teenager. We see the makings of responsible future adults with these young ones, taking after their mom and dad, Ken and Monica. They're doing a good job raising them, not always easy these days.
As much as we hated to put the Christmas tree and decorations away until next year, we took advantage of a free afternoon today to do the job. With the help of son Bill and daughter-in-law Lynne last night, we all finished cleaning up the family room, locating missing puzzle pieces the kids were playing with, and even finding some stray drink coasters Kenny decided to stash under the coffee table. What fun……….
As the weather gets colder, in the 30's, we certainly look forward to warmer days in Florida, where we fly to next Saturday. In the meantime, we'll keep the fires burning, and do the last of the packing for the plane and our three day stay in Ft. Lauderdale. The entire trip will be south of the equator, more or less, so we do expect warm to hot weather in the weeks and months to come.
Speaking of upcoming ports, here is the list of countries we will be visiting: Costa Rica, Panama, French Polynesia (Nuku Hiva, Rangiroa, Tahiti, Moorea, and Rarotonga). New Zealand, Australia (Gold Coast and Great Barrier Reef area), Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan, Suez Canal, Israel, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Spain, and Portugal.
When most all the world cruisers leave the ship in Florida, we will continue on to Half Moon Cay , Bahamas, Colombia, Costa RICA (again), Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and finally San Diego, USA. We will be back on May 16th.
We leave January 2nd from San Francisco and arrive in time for dinner in Ft. Lauderdale. Look for ongoing emails from our hotel at the Renaissance Plantation.
Have a safe and Happy New Year!
Bill & Mary Ann
Ready and set to go