After our whirlwind week in the Hawaiian Islands, it was now time to slow down as the ship navigated us to Vancouver. The voyage took 5 days so we planned to relax and enjoy the activities on the ship. We were actually quite surprised with the weather on our return. Starting with the first day, it was quite overcast, making it cooler almost right away. By the second day at sea, the air was also colder and by the third day we had to wear long pants and sweaters. This was a big surprise as we had left perfect blue skies and 30-degree celsius weather in Maui. Turns out the middle of the Pacific ocean is a very cold place. It was amazing at some points that the sea depth was more than 5000 metres deep! The seas were also rough in some parts. Laura had a difficult time during this part of the sailing as she is the most sensitive to the movement of the ship. One day we had large waves that even made walking tricky. We toughed it out the best we could and on some days took sea sickness medication. For the most part, our days involved reading, playing cards and catching up on homework with Laura. Each day we did fun things such as: trivia sessions, jewelry making workshops & charades. There were many contests and competitions including a belly flop competition, egg dropping contest, celebrity look alike contest and sing that lyric games. We also attended different events including a behind the scenes tour at the theatre, a crew talent show, Love & Marriage Game Show, a Hollywood movie in the theatre, listening to live music and going to the evening shows. Royal Caribbean does a very good job of providing numerous activities to choose from each day. The activity staff is always busy – especially on 5 long sea days. One headliner Rick Novell was an incredible action comedian who rode a unicycle on the stage – which we couldn’t believe considering the waves that evening. He did tricks and stunts that take immense strength and we were thoroughly impressed with his talent. The last Headliner on the ship was a comedian called Etta May. This was an 18+ show that was absolutely hysterical. The performer is dressed as an old, frumpy, southern woman and she talks about her family, kids, marriage and so many other topics that were all relatable. Her jokes were so funny and the delivery deadpan with a southern drawl that just makes you giggle each time she talks. We couldn’t stop laughing. One of the main focuses on a ship is of course the food. The food on the Radiance of the Seas was very good. We most often ate breakfast in the Windjammer but also tried out the dining room one morning. Lunches were typically casual – sometimes at the Windjammer, other times at the Solarium Café where they had yummy roast beef sandwiches. Our dinners continued to be terrific. We ate like kings each night and of course the lobster dinner evening was a highlight. Surprisingly they limited the number of lobsters to one per person but allowed any other menu item to be ordered in conjunction with the lobster. Our server told us that some voyages they have had people order 10 lobsters so now they have to put limits in place to avoid these situations. We couldn’t believe when he told us people were eating that many. Our server duo continued to be an endless source of entertainment during our dinner time. Our head waiter was a wiry, little guy with lots of stories of his life back in India - sharing pictures of his lovely wife and new baby. He was knowledgeable and did a tremendous job with our service. On the last evening of the cruise we booked dinner at a Specialty restaurant called Giovannis. This is an Italian restaurant and the food was excellent. Appetizers and antipasto are served family style so everyone can try it followed by a main course. We ordered beef carpaccio, focaccia, risotto, papparadelle and grilled beef tenderloin. Everything was fantastic! It was a slower pace and lovely atmosphere in the smaller, peaceful setting. Highly recommended. One of the last afternoons onboard Ian participated in the guest talent show. He did a great job. This is probably the largest audience he had every performed for and he didn’t hesitate – just gave it his all. There were several good singers and it was a great event. Overall the cruise was really great. We loved the Hawaiian Islands and would certainly visit them again. The extended time onboard was nice – just wish the weather had been better. Unfortunately, you can’t determine what Mother Nature may provide. We took advantage of the booking onboard bonus and created a booking for the British Isles for 2018. It always makes sense to put down a reduced deposit to hold a cabin on a future cruise since Royal Caribbean will give you free onboard credit. Deposits are fully refundable or can be moved to another sailing so there is no risk by taking advantage of this opportunity. Our disembarkation in Vancouver was the smoothest we have ever had. There was one queue that wound around the terminal to collect luggage, however it was consistently moving and once through that, we walked right out of the building to the taxi. We don’t know if it was because we were Canadian and our names were pre-cleared on a manifest but we didn’t even go through customs upon our arrival. It certainly made for the easiest and quickest disembarkation ever. Always welcome when you are planning to make a flight the same day. Our flight home on WestJet was an uneventful and easy direct flight to Pearson where we headed home to start thinking about our next holiday. Click here for a review of the Radiance of the Seas Ship
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This would be our final port day and we wanted to make the most of our last day in Maui. We made plans to meet the kids in Lahaina around 10:00am and we took some time to stroll through the downtown, do a little souvenir shopping and check emails at a coffee shop with internet access. While we were wandering around we came across a surf shop – Outrageous Surf. Laura had expressed interest in Kona about surfing so after talking with the owner, we booked the kids for a 2-hour surf lesson. Once they arrived and found out the news they were surprised we weren’t also participating. One thing led to another and the next thing we knew we were all suiting up for some time in the water. We had a quick lesson on land before hitting the waves. The instructor was patient (thank goodness) as it took Denis and I many tries before we were able to get up on the waves and then actually stay up on the board. The kids got it quite quickly and before long we were all riding the waves on the coast of Maui! I was surprised at just how difficult it is to stand up on the board and then stay balanced while maneuvering the roll of the water. The surfers you see on the big waves make it look so easy. But it most certainly is not! After the 2 hours, we were sore and thoroughly exhausted (well the adults were...) so we packed up the boards, got changed and headed up to Napili beach on recommendation of our instructor. It was a long, sandy beach with beautiful, blue water. Perfect for our last day in Hawaii. We first had lunch at the Sea House restaurant overlooking the beach and then spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging on the beach and playing in the waves. There were big, wonderful waves that we let drag us back and forth across the shore. What a fun time! We waited until the last possible minute before dragging ourselves out of the water and heading back to the airport to return the rental car. We were quiet as we took the tender back to the ship and waved goodbye to Lahaina – the last land we would see now for 5 more days. Our evening dinner in the dining room was chicken cordon bleu and shell pasta with tomato sauce. Afterwards we first enjoyed karaoke followed by the Headliner show – ventriloquist Kevin Johnson. He was very talented and also quite funny. The act included various puppets and they sang and interacted with the audience quite a bit. During part of the show we were wondering how he was actually doing some of the bits. It was one of the best shows that we saw on the ship. We headed off to bed knowing that tomorrow would be a day to sleep in and all we had planned was a lazy day at sea. Continue to Day 8 - click here
Our next port was Lahaina in Maui. This was another port with an overnight stay and we planned to make the most of our time while there. Since we had the evening in Maui, we planned our drive to Hana for the first day in case we ran late. The port of Lahaina requires a tender so again we rose early to have breakfast and then board one of the first boats to the main land. The boats did not start as early as we had hoped but the ride was quick and we were in Lahaina by 8:00am. The rental car situation in Lahaina is not very organized. We found the pick-up area and saw there was a bus loading for Budget but it was close to full and the driver said another would be by very shortly. Well the wait was over 45 minutes before the next shuttle bus came by and the driver told us at that time they would only pick up the driver. This meant that the kids and I would have to wait while Denis was taken to the airport, did the paperwork and then circled back around to get us at the port. By the time he arrived back it was close to 10:00am. This was not an ideal situation but we decided to head off to Hana anyway. The first part of the drive to the start of the Road to Hana is quite easy. We navigated using a map since the power outlet in the car wasn’t working rendering our GPS unusable. Our first stop was in the town of Paia at the Hana Picnic Lunch Company. Here we picked up boxed lunches with huge sandwiches, chips and a cookie, as well as some drinks for the road. The next part of the drive is only 72 kms but it becomes trickier as you get further along. Before leaving home, I had purchased the Gypsy Guide app that provides a colourful commentary while driving to Hana. This app is designed to give you tips about interesting places to visit along the route and provide background facts about what we were seeing. The app also advised you whether to make a stop based on the time of the day and how much time you had for the journey. It was a great little purchase. Our first location was Twin Falls. This was a lovely area where we walked down to see some waterfalls. It was peaceful and the falls were easily accessible from the road. Some people were even swimming in the lower pools – enjoying the gorgeous surroundings. Along the route were many spots to pull over and take in the views. Sometimes it was a valley or a waterfall or even just fascinating trees. There was so much to look at we stopped frequently. The drive became slower the further we went due to the hundreds of hairpin turns and one lane bridges (59 in total). There was also a large construction project that held us up for over an hour while the crews were blasting the overhanging rock. One of the main highlights was Wai’anapanapa State Park. This area was stunningly beautiful with black beaches, a massive blow hole, caves and an incredible sea arch. We spent a considerable amount of time here exploring the beauty. Just as we arrived it started to rain so we took cover in one of the caves and waited it out until the shower passed. But once the rain had moved through it seemed even more vibrant and fresh. I think we all agreed that this was the favourite place for the day. Another beautiful waterfall was Wailua Falls. The falls are over 80 feet high and spill down into a gorgeous pond of crystal blue-green water. We couldn’t believe there were so many lovely places within such a short distance of each other. We eventually came to the actual town of Hana but decided to bypass it in hopes of reaching the Ohe’o Gulch also known as the Seven Sacred Pools. This section of the road is particularly winding and by this time it had started to rain. When we reached the park entrance we were disappointed to find that the pools were not open for swimming. This had been one of the main reasons for making our way to this area so we could swim and cool off before starting the drive back to the ship. At this point it was getting later in the afternoon so we turned back to start the long drive in the opposite direction. By the time we found parking in Lahaina, walked back to tender and made it onto the ship it was close to 8:00pm. We went to the dining room to see if we could find a table for the late seating and were sat with two nice couples. It was a great evening of relaxed dining and easy conversation. Our dinner included scampi and lasagna. This evening we enjoyed watching the Friendly Feud game show in the Colony Club. Continue to Day 7 - click here
We wanted to take full advantage of being in port early from our overnight stay so Denis and I rose early in order to take him to Puakea Golf Course for his 7:30am tee time. We walked to the shopping mall to pick up the car and navigated our way to the golf course. It was only about 15 minutes from the pier and an easy drive through the downtown of Lihue. Once I dropped him off I headed back to the ship to get Ian and Laura going. After reading some blogs about swimming in waterfalls, we decided we were going to visit Wailua Falls (otherwise known as the Fantasy Island falls from the popular TV show) and see if we could find a way down to swim in the pool at the bottom. We arrived at the falls and had a great view from the top (over 100 feet down) but could not see an easy way to navigate to the pool. Ian spoke to a local lady and while she wouldn’t tell him exactly where there was a path, she did point him in the general direction. We eventually came across a portion of the fence that had been cut and could see somewhat of a path leading down the cliff into the forested area. We met up with a woman and her two daughters who were contemplating the trek so we watched them begin their descent at which point Ian had decided he was also going to go. The girls then informed us there were ropes along the path that you could use to keep yourself from sliding down the side of the cliff so I decided I would also go. Laura opted to stay at the top rather than plummet to her death (her words). The downward climb was tricky and required carefully picking your way through the trees, brush, rocks and mud. However, after about 20 minutes of walking/sliding, we made it to the bottom. The pool was cool and refreshing and swimming so close to the waterfall was truly fantastic. It was another wonderful experience and I was glad we had chosen to attempt the walk. Climbing up was a little harder only because more people were starting to come down and the path was becoming more slippery. But we made it back up – sweaty and full of mud. At this point it was approaching lunch time so we stopped at McDonald’s and picked up some lunch and then went to the golf course to pick up Denis. He had a terrific round playing with a man who lived in Kauai but was originally from California. The golf course was very different from the ocean coarse he played in Kona. The Puakea Golf Course consists of pristine fairways, groomed sand bunkers and rolling hills surrounded by vistas of the surrounding mountains. The mountain views change as you make your way around the course and add to the challenge and experience of playing this course. We had decided that we would spend the afternoon at the beach and drove to the southern part of the island to Poipu beach. The first section we set up at was a very sandy beach but when you went in the water it was quite shallow and not really great for swimming. The area underwater on this part of the beach was made up of black lava rock making it quite tricky to walk. We spent some time lying on the beach and then I walked around to the other end of the point only to find a second beach with huge crashing waves. We moved our things to this side and spent the next hour and a half playing in the cresting waves. It was so much fun and when we finally dragged ourselves out of the water, we were sufficiently exhausted. On our way back to the car we stopped to get some Hawaiian shaved ice. This is a specialty of the Hawaiian islands and is a cool treat. You receive a cup filled with ice and then you choose the specific flavour of concentrated syrup you would like – there are many tropical options including coconut, pineapple, strawberry, passionfruit, etc. You can also choose more than one flavour and have a multilayered ice. It was a good treat after our extended swimming session. At this point it was getting later in the day and we decided to start heading back to Lihue. We had heard about the gardens that were located at the Kauai Marriott back in town so we decided to visit and see what the property was like. In the centre courtyard is a huge open-air garden with water features, bridges and tropical plants. It was a beautiful spot to walk around and essentially no one was there. We walked through the hotel to the onsite beach and saw a really beautiful spot that we would love to come back and stay at one time. Always good to be planning ahead for a future vacation. Denis and I dropped the kids at the cruise terminal and headed back to the airport to return the car. We caught a shuttle back to the ship and came onboard just as they were beginning to close down the security lines. We had loved every moment spent in Kauai and vowed we would be back again. Our dinner this evening was a tasty calamari salad, tenderloin and a tomato pasta dish. This evening we watched the Headliner Show – Piano Man in the Aurora Theatre. The show included a choreographed show with music and dancers highlighting music from Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow. It was entertaining. Continue to Day 6 - click here
After a few busy days, the kids opted to stay on the ship for the morning when we had arrived at the port of Nawiliwili in Kauai. Denis and I had breakfast and then Ian came down with us to the terminal so we could determine a location for meeting later. We were looking forward to this overnight stop so we could enjoy the island of Kauai during the evening. The line up for the shuttle buses was very long and it seemed that the buses weren’t picking up very often so we went over to where the taxi line up was located. It was very frustrating since many of the taxis were only willing to pick up people wanting a tour, not for a single destination ride. They also wanted a minimum number of people so it made getting a driver difficult. After talking to some people in the line up we found 2 people who were also going to the Lihue airport to get a car rental and 2 others that were going to a golf course that was in the same general direction. We decided to take the taxi together so we could get going. After a quick 10 minute ride, we arrived at the airport rental depot. The wait at (Dollar Rental Car) was pretty long but eventually we were on our way. Our destination was the Waimea Canyon State Park. The ride took us about 1 hour. We knew that Kauai was the rainforest island but we weren’t really prepared for exactly how mountainous and green it would be. There was intermittent rain but for the most part the dark clouds seemed to stay ahead of us. We drove along the main road that took us through small towns spread out along the way but more of the drive was through green, lush hills. Once we started up towards the Canyon, the views were spectacular. The scenery started to look similar to the Grand Canyon but was far more colourful. We stopped a few times to take photos but the road became more twisty and there weren’t many pull offs as we ascended higher. When we entered the park, there was a large parking area where you could leave the car and walk out to the edge of the look out. Immediately after exiting the car we were greeted by many roosters. We had seen them all along the road but here they were very interested in the loads of tourists coming to see the canyon. The rooster is a signature of the island of Kauai as we would come to learn – they are absolutely everywhere. The views of the Canyon were incredible. Shades of green, orange and red were breathtaking even with clouds looming over the peaks. We walked around taking both photos and video to try to capture the beauty around us. Back in the parking lot was a booth where a local man was selling Hawaiian treats. We purchased some fresh pineapple and fried banana fritters that his mother had made that morning. He told us about even more views of the Napali Cliffs if we continued driving up the road about 30 minutes. We decided to drive the extra distance as this would be the only way for us to see Napali since the only other option is by boat. It was a windy road and was slow going. And as we went higher in altitude, it became even more cloudy and rainy. Unfortunately by the time we got to the viewing area it was a blanket of fog. You couldn’t see anything! This was of course disappointing but you never know what the weather will do when in the rainforest. It was getting quite late for us so we started to head back down to the ship to get the kids. They met us in the terminal and we were off to explore the eastern side of the Island. Our first stop was Opaekaa waterfall – the name means rolling shrimp. This is a very tall waterfall (150 feet) located back from the road in a forested area. The falls cascade into a pool that you cannot see due to the numerous trees. Again, the views were gorgeous with most including a look at the Wailua river. We had a reservation for 3:30pm to go take a river cruise on the Wailua river to see the Fern Grotto. The company we chose is the Smith Family who have been offering tours for many years. It was a delightful ride down the river where they described the area, vegetation and animals. They also played Hawaiian music and attempted to teach us how to do the hula. We were pretty uncoordinated but it was fun to try. The professional dancer on the ship was graceful and made it look so simple! Upon our arrival at the Fern Grotto it started raining but we proceeded with the walk on a path bordered by plants and flowers and were kept relatively dry under a canopy of trees. The base is a lava cave and covered in ferns that grow upside down from the roof. The grotto was formed millions of years ago and was so pretty. Once we got to the Grotto, the family played music that sounded fantastic due to the incredible acoustics of the area. In the past many people have chosen this spot for their wedding ceremonies. After our tour, we boarded the river boat once again and were serenaded by the band with beautiful Hawaiian music all the way back to the pier. Thankfully by the time we arrived back it had stopped raining. Our last activity for the day was a planned Luau at the Smith’s Tropical Paradise. We were there right when the doors opened at 5:00pm so we had plenty of time to wander the spectacular grounds. The 30-acre botanical garden with bamboo forests, tropical birds, bridges and statuary made for a stunning place to experience this Hawaiian tradition. After receiving our shell lei, we started with a ride on the tram where the driver pointed out the plants that were from all over the world. Following the ride, we walked around on our own looking at all the lovely flowers and taking photos of the surrounding beauty. The Luau dinner is set up under a covered area with long family style tables. We chose our seats and then went to the imu ceremony. This is a special Hawaiian underground cooking process where the pig is roasted in an earthen imu oven for the entire day. There is quite a lengthy process involving chants and singing as the pig is raised from the ground. We were excited to try it for our dinner. The Luau included all the drinks as well as the meals and entertainment so we leisurely made our way back to the table with mai tai drinks to start. We met a very nice couple from California who was just finishing up a 2-week vacation on the Island. They were fun and interesting to talk with during the evening. The buffet dinner was expansive with traditional Hawaiian dishes such as kalua pork, beef teriyaki, chicken adobo, sweet & sour mahi mahi, lomi salmon, fresh poi, namasu salad and tropical desserts including fruit, rice pudding and pastries. There was so much food, it was incredible. Everything was very tasty and it was great to try some local dishes from the region. The highlight of the evening was of course the Rhythm of Aloha Show. Everyone moved to find seats in the wonderful open-air lagoon amphitheatre that was lit by torches. The show highlighted the numerous dances within the region since Hawaii has so many different nationalities that have influenced the culture over the years. We watched traditional dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Philippines, New Zealand, China and Japan. All were unique in their own way. The costumes, music and stage production was top notch. They even had lasers and an erupting volcano – it kept us entertained the entire time. After an exhilarating evening, we drive back down to the pier and found a local shopping plaza (Anchor Cove Mall) that offered overnight parking for $20.00. From there it was about a 10-minute walk back to the ship. It had been a fantastic day & evening and we were all ready for bed! Continue to Day 5 - click here
This morning we had an early start. Unfortunately the weather was quite overcast and a little drizzly. After a quick breakfast, we left the ship and once through the terminal found the line for the car rental shuttle bus. We only had maybe a 10 minute wait before the shuttle came to take us to the car depot at the Hilo airport. Once we received the car (actually a van), we were off to see Rainbow Falls in the town of Hilo. The GPS took us through many back streets where we observed, this side of the Big Island was not as lush as the area around Kona and certainly far more populated. Rainbow Falls are very easy to access from the road. There is a good sized parking lot alongside the road and an easy walk to the lookout where you have a terrific view of the falls. There is also a set of stairs that lead up to an area located above the waterfall so you can have a wonderful view of the falls from the top. Unfortunately, the rain became heavier while we were on the top so it was a quick visit. From here we were going to make the drive to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The drive is quite a distance inland and took us approximately 45 minutes to reach the Visitors Centre. Along the way, the road was narrow and windy with occasional (but magnificent) vistas of the ocean at some of the hairpin turns. Fortunately for us it was not raining in this area. The entrance to the Park is well marked and we easily found the Visitor’s Centre. The park ranger provided us with a detailed map and suggested that we could listen to a series of audio recordings by calling a dedicated phone number provided by the State. We first drove to the area where the steam vents are located. You park in a lot and then walk towards a flattened area down below what is a portion of land leading to the crater. You can see a lot of steam vents with the smoke billowing from cracks in the earth. It is hard to imagine that we were actually walking on top of where an active volcano resides and amazing how much heat is captured underneath the ground. It was very interesting to see. We then drove to the observation area of the Halema’uma’u crater. We could see the steam rising from within but unfortunately from this vantage point, the lava level was too low for us to see. Apparently, the levels change regularly but we didn’t catch it on a day where it was visible. Also within the Park is the Nahuku Thurston Lava Tube where we were able to walk through an incredible rainforest with lush vegetation. The steps up into the forest were numerous but it was a great walk where we saw flowers, trees, vines and so many types of different vegetation, it was hard to take it all in. Eventually we came to the enormous lava tube (600 foot cave) that has a path cut right through it. The walls drip with condensation and vines and moss hang down from the top. It is lit from within with electric lights and in some areas the ceiling is more than 20 feet high. It was an amazing sight – especially when you think that this was originally created by coursing lava dating back 500 years. After our trek through the forest, we were starting to get hungry. We stopped at a small café in Kurtistown and ordered hamburgers to go. After a short stop we were on our way again to find the Ahalanui County Beach Park to swim in a thermal hot pond. We started off in what seemed like the right direction only to realize after our GPS delivered us to a small village on the coast, that we weren’t in the right spot. A lovely lady at one of the local food stands told us to continue along the coast for another 25 minutes until we came to a stop sign and then proceed another 10 minutes until we saw a park with beaches on our right. We kept going in that direction but seemed like we were driving for a very long time. Along the way we came across a stretch of the road that has trees growing overtop making a canopy that was gorgeous. We got out of the car to take a picture and noticed the sweeping coastline with crashing waves and craggy, black rocks framed by incredible greenery. The sea was so loud we couldn’t even hear each other talking. It was a stunning area that we were so glad we stumbled upon. Just as we were beginning to give up on finding the hot pond, we finally came to the clearing where the parking lot was located. We went directly into the water and found that it was mostly locals swimming and playing in the huge natural pool. The water was so warm – almost like a bath. We found out the water is fed by an underground thermal spring that keeps the water super warm year round. At the edge of the pond was a natural breakwater of boulders where waves regularly crashed over from the sea. For just a moment you would have the cooler water of the open ocean flood into the pond in a refreshing stream. The local children were having an amazing time sitting up on the breakwater and having the waves push them down into the pond. It was a magical place and we were so glad we didn’t miss it. After a wonderful swim, we started on our way towards the Hilo airport to drop off the car. Along the way we stopped at several state park beaches in search of sea turtles since someone had told us they were plentiful in these areas. We only saw a couple of turtles that were in the water – unfortunately not up on the sand like we were expecting. We were now very tight for time but just made it to the car rental depot to catch the last shuttle to the port. Upon our arrival to the ship, we got ready for dinner (our first formal night) and met our fellow dinner companions to compare notes from the day. The food was terrific while we enjoyed prime rib and stuffed ravioli. This evening we first took part in the Captain’s reception, followed by trivia and then one of the Headliner’s Craig Dahn, who was a terrific pianist. A very full day but all in all, our adventures in Hilo had made for a really great day. Continue to Day 4 - click here
Our second morning we woke up to find the bright blue skies of the Big Island. We had arrived in Kona. Denis got up early and went to secure us tender tickets so we would be one of the first groups off the ship. After breakfast in the Solarium, we proceeded to the tender deck, boarded the boat and took the quick trip into Kailua Village. Immediately at the end of the pier was the King Kamehameha Hotel where we had pre-arranged a car rental from Thrifty Car Rental. We were glad that we had pre-booked since they had no available cars aside from the reservations made in advance. We were ready to go earlier than expected and decided to head to the snorkel gear shop first. We found Snorkel Bob’s right off the main road on Kahakai Street. It was very close to the pier. There was a wonderful woman who rented us the necessary gear and gave great advice about where to find good snorkeling and a spot to purchase authentic Kona coffee. We immediately headed up the road to Green Flash Coffee where Denis ordered Kona coffee and we had super flavourful smoothies. Great start to the day. From there we drove down the coast to the Kona Country Club where Denis had booked a tee time. It wasn’t busy and he was playing by himself so he took his time and thoroughly enjoyed the surroundings. The grounds had lush greens, gorgeous flowers and views of the sea that were all spectacular. He had a terrific day playing golf and enjoying a lunchtime meal at the club house. After dropping off Denis, the kids and I headed off to a recommended spot further down the coast to snorkel at a place the locals call Two Step. The coast line along this area is made up of large black volcanic rock. While this makes for wonderful snorkeling – it can prove challenging to enter the water. You don’t walk in like you would on a beach but instead, you pick your way along the rocks, look for an area that has shelf like steps where you can sit and then jump from them to get into the water. Once in the water, it was an incredible sight. The water was so clear you could see all the sea life underneath as if you were looking in an aquarium. Tropical fish, colourful coral and so much plant life it was stunning. We circled around for 1 ½ hours enjoying the warm water and pointing out all the incredible fish to each other. This was a fantastic experience. While heading back to our towels and bags, we noticed up on the rocks were crevices where water collects and in one of them there was a sea turtle swimming. He was drawing quite a crowd so we sat and watched him for some time. Afterwards I rested on the rocks and watched the numerous butterflies flying all over the area. Laura spent more time with the turtle and Ian recorded a little tune on the uke. See his performance by clicking here. Eventually we decided to start the trek back. Along the way we stopped to take pictures of the lush surroundings including gorgeous road side fruit stands and properties that were abundant with flowers. We also went to a few other beaches to see if we could find more turtles but unfortunately didn’t have any success. We came back into the charming little town of Kona that looks like a California hippie town from the 1960s. The shops and restaurants that line the main street are really cute and we loved the laid back feeling of each person we met. We stopped at the restaurant Lava Java and enjoyed a meal where we had a wonderful view of the sea. Everything was simple and fresh – Ian and I had avocado and chicken sandwiches and Laura had a hamburger. It filled us after a busy morning at the beach. We continued our drive along the coast and realized we were back at the hotel. I decided to leave the kids here so they could enjoy the air conditioning and wi-fi in the hotel lobby. I then made my way back down the coast to go and pick up Denis. After exchanging stories of our great experiences, we made a stop at a local market to purchase Kona coffee beans to take home. With our shopping complete, it was time to head back to the ship. We picked up the kids at the hotel, dropped off the car and made our way back down the pier to the tender. We boarded at 4:00pm on one of the last scheduled boats for the day and by this time there was a light drizzle starting. This we would find is the norm is Hawaii. Upon our arrival at the ship, we showered, had some wine and then headed off to dinner. Again we loved our meal of lamb, stuffed pasta and a white fish. We didn’t go to see the show this evening but instead opted for the Karaoke night at the Quill & Compass Pub. Always fun to watch amateur singers and of course we enjoyed Ian when he was at the mike. We also went to the evening Abba Tribute in an effort to stay up until 11:30pm. That was when the captain navigated the ship around the southern part of the Big Island for us to see the molten lava spewing into the sea. The captain brought the ship quite close and since it was so dark, we could see the steady stream coming from a break in the side of the volcano. This was quite a treat to see from the water and definitely made the late night worth it. Continue to Day 3 - click here
We flew WestJet through Vancouver departing at 1:55pm from Toronto for the standard 5-hour flight. We arrived in Vancouver with enough time to have a quick bite to eat and then proceed on our next 6-hour flight to arrive in Honolulu on time at 9:30pm. Stepping off the airplane and walking through the open-air terminal was a wonderful welcome to the warm, tropical breezes of Hawaii. Denis left myself and the children to watch for the luggage while he went to secure the rental car from Dollar Car Rental. It is an offsite lot so once we collected the luggage we took the shuttle over to meet him, where he was waiting and ready to go. The ride from the airport to our hotel in downtown Waikiki took approximately 25 minutes. We had pre-booked a night at Coconut Waikiki Hotel on Lewers Street. Parking is quite difficult in Waikiki and after circling around trying to find a spot on the street, we opted for the valet parking offered by the hotel. We had an easy check in, brought our bags up to the room and after a quick clean up, fell into bed. We were all pretty exhausted after a long day of travel and a time change of 6 hours. The next morning Denis and I were up early at 6:00am to have a quick breakfast at the hotel and then we were off to visit Pearl Harbour. Ian and Laura chose to stay at the hotel to sleep and eat leisurely. Afterwards Ian took a long walk around the area to check it out and take some photos. Our drive from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor was uneventful. There was some traffic as people made their way to work but we arrived around 7:15am and joined the line of people wanting to see the Arizona Memorial. The first 1300 people are issued free tickets and we needed to be on one of the first tours in order to see everything and make it back to Waikiki. We received our tour ticket for the 8:00am tour so we walked around the grounds and read the signs and viewed some of the monuments placed around the Harbor edge. The tour of the Arizona Memorial begins with a 20-minute movie narrated by Sigourney Weaver and it was a very well-produced piece detailing the history, the failed U.S military strategies and the ultimate devastation of the Harbor and nearby Airfield. The movie included real life footage and was very forthcoming about the horrible tragedies that took place, taking the lives of so many. It was quite emotional and also gave us insight that we didn’t have prior to our visit. After the film, we boarded a boat that took us to the actual memorial. We were incredibly impressed by the structure. It was very tastefully created with a platform and partially covered structure that is secured overtop of the sunken U.S.S Arizona. There are many plaques detailing the different parts of the ship, describing how it was hit and caught fire, eventually leading to the ship sinking in the Harbor. At one end of the memorial, there is a large white wall that holds the names of all of the men that went down with the ship and still remain inside. It was a sobering display and we found it to be an emotional experience that was also affecting all of the people around as they whispered to each other and showed a tremendous amount of respect for this amazing piece of history. Incredibly you can still smell the fuel that continues to rise from the ship in the water. There were military personnel who explained that of the survivors have passed away, many have had their ashes brought down into the ship to be laid to rest with their colleagues. Pretty incredible. Once we were taken back to the land, we reflected on what a well run attraction the memorial had been. Very minimal wait time, an easy boarding process and a well thought out display of something that is a very disturbing wreckage. We were definitely impressed. Our next stop was on a bus where we visited the U.S.S Missouri. This ship was the same class as the Arizona however it was only commissioned in 1944. The ship was active in World War II fighting battles in Japan. And then was the actual site where the Japanese surrendered and the war came to an end. The Missouri was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war but in 1984 was modernized and provided support during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Since that time the ship has been decommissioned again and now resides as a museum ship. We started with a fascinating tour of the upper decks of the ship hearing about the history including the battle stories and intriguing people who had attacked the ship. As well as the immense cannons, anti-aircraft guns and missile launchers. They even have a whole area dedicated to where the signing happened with the Japanese. After our tour, we started downward to see the underbelly of the ship. It was amazing to see the barracks, the kitchens and all the offices and utility areas that are required to run this small city at sea of 2700 men. The ship is an engineering marvel. Once we were finished discovering the ship, we took the shuttle bus back to the main entrance after we passed by the U.S.S Bowfin – a U.S Navy submarine that is also on display as a museum. Will have to see this one next time. Back at the hotel, we packed up our luggage and left it down at the front desk. The hotel provided us with towels and beach chairs and we headed towards the beach area for lunch. Under recommendation from the hotel we ate at Duke’s. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch right beside the ocean that included nachos, shrimp tacos and the fish special of the day. Everything was tasty and you couldn’t beat the view. Our afternoon was spent lounging on Waikiki beach enjoying the sun and surf. The water there is so clear and blue and we had a great time riding the waves. We were looking forward to many more beaches in the coming days. Alas, we eventually had to make our way back to the resort to pick up the car and make our way to the ship. The car rental location had a shuttle bus that took us directly to the ship terminal. Upon our arrival (close to 4:30pm) we found the counters and security to have absolutely no one around and our embarkation was a breeze. We later found out that just two hours prior the terminal had been jammed with people as the ship was delayed due to multiple inspections upon its return to the U.S. We had timed it perfectly! Of course, we were right on time for our emergency drill and then went for dinner. The first night of the cruise is very casual since not everyone has their luggage so we joined the guests at our table wearing our shorts and suits directly from the beach. Our servers were both from India and provided a wonderful meal – fettucine, seafood pasta and prime rib. All perfectly prepared and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Afterwards we listened to some music in the piano bar and then went off to an early bedtime. We were looking forward to our first port of Kona on the Big Island. Continue to Day 2 - click here
At 6:00 am on the morning of our last day in South East Asia, we arrived at our final port of call, Singapore. The Singapore Cruise Centre is located in the downtown area at Maritime Square and right next to Harbourfront Centre. Our disembarkation process was very smooth and quick. We walked off the ship and crossed over into Harbourfront Centre where we found lockers to store our luggage. Since our flight home was scheduled for 11:00pm, we had the whole day to explore this wonderful city. Kim had arranged a private walking tour with a local guide and we were to meet her at a subway stop in downtown Singapore. After leaving our luggage in the storage area, we took an escalator down to the Harbourfront MRT (subway) Station, and after a quick 10 minute ride on the quietest, cleanest subway I have ever seen, we emerged into a small square just off a busy street where we met our guide. Our walking tour was going to take us through the heart of Singapore with an opportunity to experience the diversity of this multi-racial, multi-cultural city. To give us a bit of perspective on where we would be going, our guide took us into the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Singapore City Gallery which is home to 3 very detailed scale-models of the city-state of Singapore. These massive models show virtually every building, park, roadway and waterway of the entire area along with the projected developments that will continue to expand the city’s modern and environmental footprint. It was a great visual that you don’t normally get when you arrive at a new place and just start walking around. Today’s tour would take us through Little India, Chinatown and the Arab Quarter, all reachable on foot and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). What is different about Singapore from other cosmopolitan cities is that although there are identifiable ethnic districts, they are primarily set up for business. Residents of the city are integrated based on the relative population of the country. The demographics of Singapore’s nearly 6 million people comprise of approximately 75% Chinese, 15% Malays, 7% Indian and 3% other. The residential communities consist of the same proportion of ethnic groups as part of Singapore’s integration policy. This has led to a high degree of ethnic and religious tolerance throughout the country. We began our walk through the district of Little India, with our first stop at a Hindu Temple. For most of our trip in South East Asia we had visited countless Buddhist temples that were adorned in deep red fabrics laced with heavy gold trimmings and gold script. This Hindu temple, equally ornate and elaborate as its Buddhist cousins, presented a lighter and cheerier atmosphere filled with pastel blues, pinks and yellows. After passing through the temple, we continued to the Indian market filled with bright, multi-coloured fabrics of ruby red, emerald green, and sky blue. Poignant spices and burning incense permeated the air as we made our way through the various stalls. The next stop on our tour was a visit to Chinatown. While this area was very reminiscent of the markets that we had visited in Hong Kong with many Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shops, dried vegetable and fresh fish markets, there were a few peculiarities that we had not come across before. One of the TCM’s that we visited specialized in Chinese Bird’s Nest soup. This is a concoction made from the nest of swiftlets, a small South East Asian bird that lives in caves near the sea. The extraction of the nests is quite a process and very labour intensive. The nest itself is made from the bird’s saliva that has become dry and hard. The nests (bird saliva!) are boiled and dissolved into a broth. It is used primarily to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system and to increase libido, all for a mere $5,000 USD per pound of nest! As we continued our journey through Chinatown, our guide pointed out the street sign at one of the intersections. It read “Street of the Dead”. She explained that in earlier times, Singapore’s poor Chinese immigrants lived in very tight quarters. When they became severely ill, they were moved to “death houses” that were attached to funeral homes because it was considered unlucky to die at home. These death houses lined both sides of Sage Lane, referred to as Street of the Dead, in Chinatown. The practice of sending the ill to death houses was banned in 1961. One of the markets that we visited was the Chinese Wet Market. This is a very large, fish and food market situated under the ground floor of a shopping mall. The market has rows and rows of raw fish of every description along with fresh vegetables. One of the markets that we visited was the Chinese Wet Market. This is a very large, fish and food market situated under the ground floor of a shopping mall. The market has rows and rows of raw fish of every description. Around the perimeter of the market are hawker’s stalls selling every kind of Chinese food dish. One particular hawker stall was much busier than all of the others with a queue that extended several hundred feet through the market. This is a daily occurrence at this particular stall with patrons often waiting in line for their specialty of chicken & rice for more than an hour. In 2016 this food vendor was awarded a Michelin Star, the only such designation ever to be given to a hawker stall. Our last stop in Chinatown was at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. This is a multi-story complex that was built to house a tooth relic of Buddha that was found in a collapsed Buddhist shrine in Myanmar. The tooth relic is enclosed in a glass case which sits on a pedestal that is roped off from all sides. After finishing our trek through Chinatown, we descended into the subway and a few minutes later emerged onto a busy street just outside the downtown core. This area was quite different from the downtown district with its modern architecture and high rises. The Arab Quarter features 2-story 19th century houses that have been converted into shops with streets that are filled with Arabian textiles, colourful rugs and fragrant tea and coffee houses. Restaurants lined each side of a pedestrian street, many featuring blue and white mosaic tiled walls and tables that were reminiscent of our trip to Morocco a few years ago. The central feature of the Arab Quarter is the Masjid Sultan Mosque which stands guard over the area and is considered the national mosque of Singapore. The large white building is capped by a golden orb that is visible from nearly everywhere in the district. The next stop on our tour took us back to the downtown area where we exited the subway near the massive and impressive 2500 room Marina Bay Sands Hotel Resort. This is a signature structure at Singapore’s city centre. It consists of three 55 storey towers that are topped by a Skypark that spans all three towers and resembles a large ship that has set on top of the hotel. The Skypark actually houses an infinity pool that is the world’s longest elevated swimming pool which seems to spill out over the city’s skyline. We walked around the Marina Bay Sands to the Waterfront Promenade where our tour guide purchased tickets for us to tour Marina Bay by boat. We boarded the tour boat and as we left the dock, we began to glide gently and noiselessly around the bay. Singapore is the embodiment of modern city eco-culture. The bay that we were boating on is a reclaimed marsh which serves, not only as a water-taxi route around the downtown area, but is also the main fresh water reservoir for the city. The tour boats that whisk around the marina are all battery operated creating a transportation method through the downtown that is virtually pollution free. After our 45 minute ride around the bay and the surrounding canals, we disembarked and proceeded through the Marina Bay Sands to the adjacent Gardens by the Bay. Gardens by the Bay is an ecological marvel that features 3 major attractions - the Flower Dome (the largest glass greenhouse in the world), the Cloud Forest Dome (a mountain rainforest), and the Supertree Grove (giant tree-like structures that mimic the function of trees and sustain the park). We spent quite a bit of time admiring the myriad gardens from around the world in the Flower Dome and we walked inside and through Cloud Mountain in the Cloud Forest Dome. Gardens by the Bay is by far the most impressive technological wonder that I have experienced in any urban area I have visited. After leaving the Gardens, we decided to get a birds-eye view of the city by taking a ride on the famous Singapore Flyer. The Flyer is situated just off Marina Bay and while it was once the world’s tallest ferris wheel, it was surpassed in 2014 by the High Roller in Las Vegas. We purchased our tickets and made our way up several ramps where we were escorted to one of the 28 air-conditioned capsules that rim the giant wheel. Each capsule has a capacity for 28 passengers, but because it wasn’t busy, we were allocated a capsule to ourselves. The ride takes just over half an hour to make a full revolution, and that gave us plenty of time to take in the surrounding area. We were able to make out many of the places that we had visited throughout the day - along with a few we hadn’t, including a great view of the Formula One racetrack that sits just next to the Flyer. The view from the highest point of the ride was spectacular and enhanced my appreciation for this beautiful and eco-friendly city. We left the ride and took the MRT to Clarke Quay on the opposite side of Marina Bay. We had passed this area by boat earlier in the day and had been told that it was a great spot to eat. There were dozens of waterfront restaurants that surrounded the canals and we chose one that had a patio near an MRT stop so that we could eat and get back to the Harbourfront Centre to pick up our luggage and head to the airport. We had been in Singapore for just over 15 hours by the time we grabbed our luggage and hailed a cab to the airport. The day had gone by far too quickly and I have added Singapore to my list of all time favourite cities, one I definitely want to revisit.
Our final day onboard the Azamara Journey was a sea day. The day was pretty quiet, spent relaxing by the pool, a jewelry making session, packing and then a lovely dinner in the dining room followed by an interesting North Pole Christmas presentation lead by the cruise director, Eric.
Since our last day was uneventful, I thought I would share images of the Azamara Journey so you could see in detail where we spent our last 13 days floating on the China Sea. Azamara Club Cruises has only two ships in it's fleet. For this trip we sailed on the Azamara Journey. Both this ship and her sister ship the Azamara Quest, underwent an extensive dry dock in 2016. We were impressed with the entire ship. The cabins, the public spaces, the dining rooms were all tastefully decorated and each area was clean, spacious and the furniture was very comfortable. One of our favourite touches were the cushions on the lounges chairs. They were thick and plush and very cosy! And since we were sailing just prior to the Christmas season we were thrilled to see many Christmas decoration and touches all around the ship. It made our holidays very festive. We can't say enough about this ship and it's finishings, decor and overall appearance. Top notch! Following 3 very active port days in Bangkok (including a 20-hour land excursion to Cambodia) we were excited about spending a relaxing day on one of the beautiful beaches of Ko Samui, an island just off the coast of Thailand. Prior to our trip we had gawked at countless Ko Samui photos of pristine white sandy beaches separating the turquoise sea from the velvety green palm trees on the shore. All of these photos featured bright sunny days against a canvas of blue sky. Alas, as I opened the blackout curtain on the morning of our 12thth day expecting sunlight to flood into our stateroom, I was instead met with a wall of stone-grey mist and rain that filled my entire field of vision. What a disappointment! We turned on the room’s television and flipped to the daily weather report. The forecast was for heavy rains for the entire day. We contemplated going ashore anyway and browsing through the village shops that were within easy walking distance of the pier. However, we were moored offshore which would have meant tendering in and the thought of trudging through puddles in sopping wet clothes quickly changed our minds. Instead we decided to stay on board and stay dry. Quite a few people who had pre-purchased excursions had left the ship so it was a fairly quiet day compared to sea days when everyone is aboard. We took advantage of the quietude and spent most of the day reading and putting together the notes from our last few days. From time to time I walked around the covered area of the pool deck to try and get glimpses of Ko Samui’s Big Buddha, who stands atop the dragon steps of the Way Phra Yai temple. This golden statue measures 40 feet tall and is usually visible from several miles away. Unfortunately, the thick pea-soup skies blurred out much of the island from the ship’s vantage point. We were able to see a navy frigate which had recently arrived and moored just a few hundred yards away between our ship and the shore. There were several onboard activities that we could have participated in, but laziness got in the way. Today’s activities included a Destination Lecture titled “The Battle of Singapore - February 1942: An Impregnable Fortress that Crumbled”, afternoon trivia - “Visual Trivia - Car Manufacturers”. We did participate in the past guest reception that was hosted by the Onboard booking representative since we have status from our Royal Caribbean affiliation. It was a very nice event with fancy drinks and speeches by the Captain and other senior staff. They also honoured a couple who had sailed with Azamara some 30+ times. This evening the crew offered a Moroccan Buffet Dinner in Windows Cafe. However we opted to have dinner in the dining room and enjoyed scallops, shrimp and prime rib. All which were a perfect end to the day. The evening entertainment was a multi-media piano show with Max Di Fax followed by a “Tribute to Abba”. Since Abba is one of our favourites, we quite enjoyed the short but sweet tribute. As much as we were disappointed by the weather and the impact it had on our initial plans for the day, we both felt we had needed a day to just unwind and do nothing. While we were approaching the end of our cruise we still had a busy day in Singapore to look forward to.
This morning was a late arrival into the port of Bangkok so we spent some leisure time at the pool while the captain navigated us through the channel into the city. We passed many types of water craft while on the river – everything from larger ships to small junks. One of the nice things about being on a relatively small ship (600 passengers) is that our ship could dock close to the city in the port of Klong Toey. Larger ships are required to dock in Laem Chabang requiring a 2+ hour drive into the city. After a very nice brunch in Discoveries that included fresh pasta and shrimp, we were ready to meet our guide for our private tour. Our disembarkation was quick and after a short walk through a small terminal building, our guide was ready and waiting for us. Ms Lek quickly loaded us into our mini bus and we were off towards the city centre. Along the way she purchased fried bananas from a street vendor for us that were super tasty! On the way, she explained that the King of Thailand had passed away in October 2016 and the country was still in a state of mourning. This meant that some areas of the Grand Palace would not be available for visitation. She went on to tell us that of the entire country – some 80 million people – they expected approximately 75% of the population would make the trip to Bangkok over the next year to pay their respects to the King. The people of Thailand loved their King who was the longest reigning monarch and had been in power for 70 years. He was described as a King of the People who visited much of the country and put programs in place to help and support the Thai people. We were unprepared for the sheer number of mourners lined up in the streets to wait for their few precious moments to say prayers in the Palace where the King was laid out. In some cases, people were standing for 8-10 hours in line. The city has a network of volunteers who provide water and food to the people in queue, along with medical and emergency services provided to anyone requiring it. It was a truly amazing experience to see the dedication of these people to their ruler. Very inspiring. Our first stop was the Grand Palace and Royal Temple. To gain access you require verification of your passport and women must have their knees and shoulders covered since it is a religious venue. Once we entered the gates, it took a little bit to decide exactly where we should look. The complex is just incredible. Never have we seen such ornate buildings with stunning detail and sparkly gold adornments. Originally built in 1782, over the years, each of the Kings has created an area that is specifically theirs within the complex. They each had pieces commissioned that meant something to them at the time of their reign. Some were created with territorial thoughts in mind and others just to be impressive. We wandered around taking in the fancy facades, the never-ending number of gold Buddha statues and jutting roofs, each of which had multiple regal looking peaks pointing to the sky. Inside the complex is Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This is considered to be the most important Buddhist Temple in Thailand as it houses the Emerald Buddha. This Buddha is carved from a single piece of Jade and shows Buddha in a meditating position. It dates to the 15th century. You are not able to enter the Temple to get close to the Buddha however we could observe it from outside. Each season (summer, winter and rainy) the King changes a cloak that is draped on the Buddha to bring good fortune to the country. The Temple is very ornate and beautifully decorated. After wandering the grounds of the Royal Palace and taking in all the sights, we were picked up by our driver and taken to a boat dock where we boarded a Longtail boat for a canal tour. The Chao Praya river is heavily congested with tour boats, ferries and private watercraft. Our Longtail boat was a narrow wooden craft with festive ribbon decorations, but the real marvel is the motor – basically it is a car engine with a propeller attached to it by a long pole. It is noisy and spews all kinds of smoke but this seems to be the norm. The ride through the canals was fantastic. We saw houses of all kinds lining the water’s edge – fancy homes through to dilapidated platforms perched on stilts. There were temples, shrines, schools and people swimming in the water. This was real life on the water and we were so amazed to see each part, while we snacked on yummy banana pancakes and fruit. Our tour concluded with a choppy ride out back across the main river where our driver dropped us at the dock beside Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). This temple has a different type of architecture however we were unable to see it well as it is currently covered in scaffold while it undergoes a full renovation. We weren’t able to enter the temple either since the entire building was closed. This is one of Bangkok’s most known temples and is often one of the landmark buildings shown as a symbol for the city. It is quite impressive in size with the spires reaching 70 metres. The grounds and gardens surrounding it are also very pretty and we enjoyed a walk through the area before heading on a ferry across the river to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). Wat Pho is a massive complex that houses the Reclining Buddha. What a sight! This huge Buddha measures 46 metres long, 15 metres tall and is completely covered in gold leaf. Even his feet are gigantic - measuring 5 metres long and they are covered with mother of pearl illustrations. After walking the length of the Buddha, we explored the rest of the Temple and enjoyed seeing beautiful golden Buddhas, intricate murals and lovely foliage within colourful ceramics. This location was the first public university in Thailand that specialized in religion, science and literature so the walls are full of prescriptions and teachings of scholars from long ago. One of the most intriguing things we saw inside were monks chanting in the Ordination Temple. This was a wonderful experience to hear their melodic sounds amongst the perfect acoustics of the Temple. Our afternoon tour was complete and our tour guide dropped us back to the ship. We had a quick bite to eat at the buffet and then boarded a coach bus for the planned Azamara Evening. On each Azamara voyage, there is a special night where the cruise line provides an extraordinary experience for all those guests wanting to participate. This voyage, the ship transported most our 600 passengers to the Ancient City that was open only to the guests of the ship. This incredible open air museum houses many of the famous buildings of Thailand in a scaled down format. Special buildings such as the Grand Palace in Bangkok and Sanphet Prasat Palace are re-created amongst beautiful grounds decorated with flowers, shrubbery, fountains, ponds, temples, shrines and statues. When we arrived, we boarded little trains that took us on a tour through the grounds to a beautiful open area with seating and a large stage. We were greeted by stunning Thai women who gave us tropical drinks and led us to the area where food and more drinks were available. The weather was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment of Aspara dancers and Thai martial artists. Before our departure each person was given a basket full of lotus flowers with a burning candle in the centre that we set into the river to float. This is a traditional ceremony called Krathong that is celebrated earlier in the year in Thailand however they recreated the festival concept for us to participate. The idea is to set forth the basket with the light of the Buddha and at the same time release any negativity you may be holding onto. It was very pretty to see hundreds of baskets floating in the water. Such a lovely tradition. With our evening ending, we boarded the trains once again and then the coaches to make our way back to the ship. We were delighted to received champagne and a welcome back band playing for us as we boarded the Azamara Journey. It was as they say – An Azamazing Evening! We went directly to our cabin as tonight was going to be a shortened sleep as we anticipated our departure for Cambodia at 2:30am!
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 6 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 7 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 8 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 10 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 11 - click here We were nearing the three quarter point of our South East Asian cruise as we awoke on the eight day of our adventure. The Azamara Journey was chugging its way around the southernmost tip of Vietnam before beginning the steady journey northwest along the coast of Cambodia to our next port - Bangkok. It would take another 30 hours of steady sailing before we reached the capital of Thailand, so today was another sea day. Fortunately for us, we had left behind the unsettled weather of the past few days and, while there was still considerable cloud filling the blue skies, the rain had stopped. This was the 3rd of 4 scheduled sea days on our 13 night South Asian cruise. One of the concerns that Kim and I had shared before booking this trip was whether there would be enough onboard activities that would interest us on the days that we were not in port. All of our previous cruises had been on much larger ships, including the mega ship Oasis of the Seas, where there are countless venues and activities to keep you occupied while you are sailing to your next port. With a passenger capacity of just over 600, the Azamara cruise ships are 1/4 the size of most standard cruising vessels and only 1/10 the size of the mega ships. What could there possibly be that would keep us occupied while we spent several days at sea? Well, first of all, the whole Azamara experience is quite different than what the more traditional cruise lines offer. Azamara ships tend to spend more time in port than other cruise lines and have more overnight stays in port as well. Azamara also markets their ships as “Boutique hotels at sea” with a more intimate, cozy atmosphere than the larger cruisers combined with personalized and friendly service. More than halfway through our South East Asian itinerary we were enjoying the intimacy and quietude of our floating home. If you have been following this blog series on our trip to South East Asia, you will have noted that our port days were chockablock with activities and sightseeing. We wanted to take advantage of the time we had in each port to absorb as much as we could about the culture, geography and people in each region that we visited. The sea days, by contrast, gave us an opportunity to relax and rejuvenate. There were just enough activities on the ship each day so that we didn’t get bored, but not so many that we felt exhausted or that we had missed something. There were a variety of craft workshops that were scheduled in the morning or afternoon throughout the trip. On this particular sea day, Kim elected to go to an Origami workshop in the morning and then a Ladies Pamper Party at the spa in the afternoon. As on previous sea days, I attended the guest lecture. (Today’s topic was “Piracy in the South China Sea” which I found fascinating given that we had been sailing through it for the better part of a week. It was a bit disturbing to learn that nearly 30% of piracy worldwide occurs in this area). Every afternoon at 4:00 pm, the Living Room features daily music trivia followed by a tantalizing tapas tasting which we attended on the days we weren’t in port. While there were many other events including art auctions, on-board shopping sprees, fitness and yoga classes which could keep one busy for the entire day, we chose to intersperse on-board activities with a measure of relaxing by the pool. This allowed us to recuperate from the hectic pace of the port excursions which we really enjoyed and looked forward to. We also scheduled our specialty dining nights to coincide with sea days. This was done for two reasons: 1) specialty dining required prior reservations and we did not want to worry about having to return from an excursion early in order to make our reservation, and, 2) the dining experience in the specialty restaurants usually takes longer as each course is prepared individually. As we have discussed in previous posts, the overall dining experience on the Azamara Journey was as good or better than we have had on other cruise lines. We actually debated whether or not to pay the additional charge for the specialty restaurants but eventually decided to give it a try. Azamara Journey has two specialty restaurants, Prime C, a traditional steakhouse, and Aqualina which features Italian and Mediterranean cuisine (read our previous posts for menus and reviews). Individually the surcharge per specialty restaurant is $30 US. There are also 5 Specialty Dining packages which are available that allow you try the restaurants at reduced prices. The dining packages are as follows: 1) The 3 Table Tour is $70 US per person and includes 1 night at Aqualina, 1 night at Prime C and 1 night at either Aqualina or Prime C. 2) The 4 Table Tour is $95 US per person and included 2 nights at Aqualina and 2 nights at Prime C. 3) Chef’s Table Plus 2 is $135 US per person and includes 1 night at Aqualina, 1 night a Prime C and 1 night at the Chef’s Table. 4) Chef’s Table Plus 4 is $180 US per person and included 2 nights at Aqualina, 2 nights at Prime C and 1 night at the Chef’s Table. 5) Chef’s Table Tour which includes 3 nights at the Chef’s Table. We had opted for the dining package that included 1 night at each of the 2 specialty restaurants (which we had done on previous sea days) plus the Chef’s Table where we would be dining tonight. The Chef’s Table is a unique dining experience served at a special table within the Prime C restaurant that boasts a 5-course menu paired with selected wines and hosted by a senior officer or guest speaker. Each Chef’s Table consists of one of three regional themed menus - California, France and Italy. On this particular night, the featured region was California which meant that the chef and sommelier combined their talents to find the perfect pairing between the region's cuisine and its wines to please our palates. Our menu included a first course of Lobster and Avocado Salad paired with a Napa Valley Honig Sauvignon Blanc followed by a Smoked Tomato Veloute paired with a Conundrum White Blend and a Surf and Turf appetizer paired with a Schug Pinot Noir. The choices for the main course were either New Potato Crusted California Sea Bass paired with Lincourt Courtney’s Chardonnay or Herb Roasted Prime Angus Centre Cut Strip Loin paired with a Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. The main course was followed by an International Selection of Cheese paired with a Simi Merlot from Sonoma County and then a dessert of Macadamia Nut Chocolate Mud Pie with White Chocolate Mousse paired with an Orange Muscat from Essensia Quady Winery in the San Joaquin Valley. This dinner was a wonderfully prepared feast and easily the best dining experience I have had on a cruise ship. There was ample variety in the menu and the food/wine pairings enhanced the delicate flavours in each delicious bite. The chef and sommelier described each food and wine pairing as they were presented as well as the rational for the choices. The portion sizes were just right so that by the end of dessert we were feeling satiated but not stuffed. The Chef’s Table is limited to 12 people and, while intimate, allows for conversation among those sitting next to one another but not necessarily to everyone at the table. The total time from sitting down to wrapping up after dinner was just under 2 1/2 hours. Following our lavish dinner we just managed to make it to the Cabaret Lounge in time for evening performance of Voices by the Azamara Singers and Dancers. This was an interesting performance that included back up singers that were projected on screens behind the live singers on stage. The concept was fresh, current and quite entertaining. Below is a quick clip of one of their songs. Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 6 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 7 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 9 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 10 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 11 - click here The next day we woke up to find we were making our way along the river into Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon). While the ride seemed long to us, we had only actually seen part of it when were informed by the Captain that the ship had been navigating for 5 hours through the winding channel from the point of leaving the South China Sea to the point where we docked. Today would be the first excursion offered by Azamara in which we would participate – a trip to the Mekong Delta. We wanted to see something outside of the massive city and chose this trip as we thought it would give us a look at the traditional way of life by the river. Our preference is to have private tours however we were unable to source a tour company that would guarantee a trip to the Mekong Delta area and return in time for the ship’s departure. So, we boarded the coach at 8:30am with numerous other people and headed through the very busy city of Ho Chi Minh. This is the largest city in Vietnam with more than 10 million people that continues to be on an aggressive growth trend. The trip took more than 2 hours due to the heavily congested roads. There was a lot of vehicle traffic that was exacerbated by the thousands of motorbikes zooming along during the morning rush. Once we were outside the city limits, we travelled along the expressway, first through many industrial areas and then passing field after field of rice patties. Upon our arrival in the Mekong Delta, we boarded a boat to the biggest island in the area called Unicorn Island. The region is 39,000 square kilometres of rivers, swamps and islands and is the largest agricultural area in all of Vietnam. However, with our limited time, we knew we would only see a small area. Our local guide took us on a walk to see a bee farmer. Honey is a major export from the area and they were eager to share with us their royal honey. We were brought to a covered shelter and served tea with honey, kumquat and natural pollen. It was sweet with a slightly zesty taste. Along with the drink we shared dried banana, peanut brittle and dried ginger. Very nice treats of that were typical of the region. We walked through a large bamboo forest with coconut and jack trees on our way to another covered area where we sampled many local fruits including: mango, dragon fruit, grapefruit, jack fruit, pineapple and eyeball fruit. All were quite different in texture, taste and sweetness. While having our snack, we enjoyed musical performances that included traditional singers and instrumentalists. We were then led down a path to the canal area. It was hot and there were many mosquitoes and unfortunately we had to wait for some time as boats were loaded with people for their sampan ride. The stairs down to the canal didn’t look overly safe however we held on and made our way down to boats with the help of the local guides. Once on the sampan boat, we were paddled by two Vietnamese women who gracefully maneuvered our boat through the canal. We passed homes along the water’s edge and admired the canopy of trees growing above us. While we had thought we would see more of how people live and survive along the water, it wasn’t quite that kind of tour – however it was quite a peaceful ride that we enjoyed. After our departure from the boats, we received a demonstration of how the local people process coconut and enjoyed some sweet coconut candy. From this location, our coach picked us up to transport us to lunch. On the bus ride back, we could see the clouds starting to collect in the sky and knew we were in for some more rain. Thankfully it held off during our morning tour and lunch. The coach brought us to the Mekong Rest Stop. This was a huge pavilion where many buses make a stop to feed large numbers of people. While the food was traditional, it felt somewhat like an assembly line and the staff were run off their feet with so many people to handle. The food was tasty and unusual – fried fish called elephant ear was served at the table in its full form. It wasn’t the prettiest fish and we didn’t quite know how to serve it at our end of the table. Our waitress used gloved hands to rip off pieces of flesh without the bones and served them onto our plates. This was an interesting sort of service! We also dined on rice rolls, shrimp, beef & vegetables, squid soup, sticky rice, fried rice, spare ribs, lotus seeds for dessert and tea. It all made for a memorable meal. After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we loaded back onto the bus just as the skies opened and it poured. Our ride back to the ship was uneventful and we arrived around 4:00pm. This gave us time to relax, shower and meet for dinner in the dining room. This evening we enjoyed melt in your mouth scallops followed by buttered chicken and steak cooked to perfection. The show for the evening was a combination variety show featuring the comedian Mel Mellers who I just didn’t think was very funny and the talented Beverley Davison who was fantastic on her fiddle.
After a long day in the Mekong Delta, we retired after the show. Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 6 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 8 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 9 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 10 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 11 - click here When we awoke the day after our wet but wonderful trek around Da Nang and Hoi An, we were hopeful that the seas had calmed and we would be greeted by bright morning sunshine. I pulled open the black-out curtains to reveal a gloomy grey canvas that stretched endlessly in every direction. While the seas weren’t quite as rough as the previous evening, there was still a very perceptible rhythmic roll from bow to stern. We would later learn that the weather system we had been passing through was the result of a typhoon that had blasted parts of Vietnam. This was the first time since we had arrived in South East Asia (a week ago) that we had actually been able to sleep in. It was 8:30 by the time I left the stateroom to fetch our morning coffee and water. Kim was still feeling quite groggy from the sea sickness tablets she managed to get from Customer Relations the night before so she was still in bed when I got back. We decided to skip going for breakfast at Windows Cafe in favour of the featured Jazz Brunch that was being served later in the morning at the Discoveries dining lounge. The Jazz Brunch is just one of several featured meals that is served on the Azamara Journey during a cruise. It comprises a full hot and cold gourmet style buffet with individual stations for omelettes, waffles, carved meats, peel and eat shrimp, sushi, grilled fish and specialty desserts. A full Jazz Band is stationed near the middle of the room and provides a melodic acoustic background to further enhance the already sensuous dining experience. This was by far my favourite daytime dining event on the cruise. Most of the rest of the day was spent by the pool recuperating from our last few days of hectic activity in Vietnam. We met up with Karen and Geoff for dinner at the Aqualina specialty restaurant which features Mediterranean style cuisine. It is beside the Prime C Steakhouse on Deck 10, and is distinguished by a much lighter and more elegant decor than the dark wood-panelled mahogany exhibited in the Prime C. Aqualina offers a traditional Italian dinner served in 4 courses: antipasti, zuppa & insalata, secondi and dolci. I had a hard time choosing between the carpaccio of beef and the tuna tartar for my antipasti. I decided on the carpaccio and it was melt in your mouth delicious. For my second course I opted for the rich and meaty lobster bisque. My entrée was the lobster tail with pasta and I finished with the dessert sampler platter. Needless to say, I enjoyed every morsel. While on the topic of dining, in our research prior to the cruise, we had read quite a few reviews that raved about the food, both quality and variety, on the Azamara ships. We were not disappointed. I have already described a few of the dining venues on the Journey in previous blogs for this cruise including Windows Cafe, Discoveries Dining Lounge and Prime C Steakhouse. As well as these restaurants, Journey also features Aquafina Restaurant and the Patio (the poolside grill) not to mention the Mosaic Cafe and Tapas in the Living Room. Regardless of which venue you choose there is a consistent level of service, quality and variety at each one. At the served venues we rarely had to wait for our drink orders once we were seated. There was always a basket of fresh, warm bread that was brought to the table after the drinks were ordered. Each menu had meat, fish, pasta and vegetarian options. Other than the Captain’s Table (featured in another blog), each of the sit down dinner venues (Discoveries, Prime C and Aqualina) offer a full four course meal with several options for each course. While Prime C specializes in steaks and chops, and Aqualina offers a distinctly Mediterranean fare, Discoveries typically has a different regionally themed menu every night. While we didn't have a chance to try it, there was also a newly added Caviar and Champagne Bar available each evening located in the Living Room. For the self service and take-away venues there is always a standard food offering with some different (usually regionally themed) options which change every day. The buffet at Windows Cafe features lots of choices for salad, a variety of meats, chicken and fish, pastas and a variety of rice dishes, along with a full selection of treats on their dessert table. The poolside Patio offers grill style snacks and lunch during the day including hamburgers, hot dogs, brochettes, chicken wings, french fries and onion rings. I tried the burgers a couple of times and they were deliciously thick and juicy. The Patio is also where the frozen yogourt bar, Swirl and Top, is located. The Tapas in the Livingroom was a daily stop for us after the 4:00pm daily trivia. There were always 4 new hot and 4 new cold tapas dishes offered every day. And prior to the tapas being set out in the later afternoon, there were always sandwiches and pastries available if you became hungry after lunch. The Mosaic Cafe was my daily morning trek for specialty coffee and pastries, but it is open throughout the day with changing tapas style finger foods available on the trolley beside the bar. Liqueur based coffee drinks are offered at a price later in the day. Finally, throughout the day, poolside wait staff come by offering long and colourful kabobs full of fresh, ripe, juicy and cool tropical fruit. Enough about food. After our wonderful meal in the Aqualina, we headed to the Cabaret Lounge for the nightly show, tonight featured a musical love story called Cafe del Amor performed by the Azamara singers and dancers.
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 7 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 8 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 9 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 10 - click here Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 11 - click here |
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