Mayan Ruins

Yesterday we stopped in Mexico and had a chance to go to the Mayan Ruins at Tulum. It was a full day of travel. We left the ship before 8 in the morning and did not get back until just before 5. Another long and tiring day in the heat. We needed the ferry ride to the main land and then then the 1 hour bus ride to the ruins. Of course we had the needed pit stop at the shop selling the expensive "hand made" items we all have come to know. Rugs in Morocco and Turkey, items in Russia, etc. all these tours stop at the preferred location.
The ruins were interesting and we are glad that we went but there really is not much there other than the main sacrifice altar which we could only see from a distance for obvious reasons. We would go back to many places with ruins that we have been lucky enough top visit but this would not be one of them. we did stop for some local beer (DOS XX) and a snack with was tasty after the hours in the sun. By the time we got back to Cozumel all the shops were closing, not that we would be buying anything.
Last night we enjoyed a drink in the bar at the top. I won a free drink in this bar and so we decided to make it the place for our cocktail. A bit more expensive but the olives they serve are a very nice touch. Today it is a day at sea and then the Princess Cay beach tomorrow!

Ashore in Roatan and Tulum

We had a bit of trouble getting some good computer time but things are better today. For the past 2 days we have been in ports. 2 days ago we stopped on the the Island of Routan. Carnival has developed a brand new facility which will be the key site for them. We were the first ship of the corporation to actually dock there. It has all the shops - some still being finished as well as a well developed beach with all the things you would expect. They even have a ski lift to take you the short distance if you choose not to walk.
We selected a "mountain" hike and it actually turned out to be a good climb through the forest. Our group had 4 people in it so there was plenty of time to see the variety of plants. The guide was very good and explained the many different types of plants and trees and what they can be used for. It was a good but very tiring hike. Part of the way had a rope to hang onto as the slopes were quite steep.
The rest of the place was pretty depressed and I can see why they built a new dock outside the main area. There were at least 2 other ships in that port that day. We were pretty exhausted when we returned to the ship. That night we went to the wine and cheese are party and we were the first name pulled for a free piece of are. we picked something that will eventually hang in the Florida condo.

This is day 3 of our current Caribbean Cruise. The drive down from Palm Harbor went well and we found a good parking spot right across from the ship at the Lauderdale dock. Check in was a bit slow as there were many people there at the same time. We did meet up with someone that we know from the China trip but so far we seem to have recognized only 1 couple from any other trip. We are still looking among the 3400 people on board.
Yesterday was a sea day and we just sat around most of the day. I think that after the month of November we just needed a rest. Certainly the Black Friday shopping last week and the packing for both the trip and the the ride home also took some energy out of us. However we did manage to drag ourselves to the meals at the regular times.
Today we are at anchor in George Town, Grand Caymans. This is just another shopping stop for the cruise lines. Currently there is a Royal Carib ship in as well. We did go ashore and walked around but other than shops, there is very little of interest with a nice walk of the tender port. We will be taking tours the next 2 days so that will keep us a little busier. Actually we went ashore at around 9 and were back here by noon. Seen it all, did it all! It was still too early for a beer or a drink although it was humid enough. We headed back to the ship.
Actually they have a very nice little "cafe" station in the lobby. We sat and had some fresh shrimp and a prosciutto sandwich. Tiera Masu for dessert. That should keep us going until afternoon tea! Judy is at the pool (where else) and I am going there soon!

Vancouver Landing - Another Adventure!

This will be the last post for this trip, We have been home for a few weeks but I could not leave the last day without a comment. For those that receive an email with this post, if you check the blog site (Google "del col travels" ) you will see some of the photos that were taken along the way.
      Needless to say, the disembarkation in Vancouver was an adventure. Without all the details, the ship saw 2 Canadians travelling to the U.S. and figured that we should be put in the last group to leave the ship. I checked on this 2 days prior to arrival and was told everything was fine. Well after some stressful "conversations" with various staff; we finally left the ship at 9:45. Our flight left at 12:20. The lineup at Canadian customs was long (3 officers for 2200 people). More stress and panic begging someone to get us out of there. Finally a very young Princess "helper" a "Miss Huung" realized that we would not make it. After checking with her supervisor, she took us to the front of immigration (300 people looking on). The officer was a bit reluctant to let us jump the cue but I think when he saw we were Canadian, we passed quickly. Miss Huung grabbed our bags and led us to the taxi line (we had a bus transfer). weaving in and out of about 50 people in line, she took us to the taxi dispatcher for Princess.         She grabbed the next cab, gave us a chit and off to the airport. We managed to get our boarding passes, clear security and get through U.S. customs with about 40 minutes to spare. If it had not been for that one young lady, we could still be in line!
Home safe and sound now and ready for our road trip to Calgary to see the grand kids!
Cheers

Last Day at Sea

Today is our last full day on the Diamond Princess. We are currently sailing down the B.C. coast. We have to do the awful task of trying to pack all the clothes that we have. As usual we brought too much although we managed to wear just about everything. It is a full day of activities but as expected most are a repeat of the things that we did on the Pacific crossing. We have just finished a good line dancing session where there was less talk and more movement. We intend to meet with our China tour group this afternoon but we only need to go for half the time since we missed half the tour. I will upload photos once we are back in Windsor and have one final post at that time.
It has been fun but after 28 days away, it is time to go home.

Last Stop Before Vancouver

With Table Mates

Our last stop today before sailing for Vancouver was Ketchikan. Another interesting town filled with tourist shops. There were only 3 other ships here when we arrived mid morning. They have 2 wonderful walking tours well planned and described. We wanted to see the local sites and this was certainly a way of doing that. It included the downtown area with stops at a number of totem poles that are around the city. It also passed a marina where we were fortunate enough to see a Bald Eagle land on the mast of a small boat. We have

been wanting to see eagles for a few days and this one seemed to appear right on cue. A visit to the former red light district (now they fleece you for the souvenirs) and a few minutes spent viewing a seal in the local stream completed the morning.
We continued to wander down to the fish packing plant where "You can see 20-30 eagles all the time. Sure; we walked almost clear out of town and never found the birds although we passed the plant twice. By that time it was afternoon so we signed ourselves in to the Moose Lodge (we are now members I think) so we could have a beer where the locals drink. We had the best fish lunch and fries ever. The beer was very reasonable as well. Now we are back and preparing for our last day at sea tomorrow before arriving in Vancouver.

Roaming Jumeau - Capital of Alaska

Relaxing At Sea

We spent the day in Juneau Alaska, exploring the town. Being the state capital it had plenty to see. We had decided before we left that it would be a day of getting to know the town. Our first stop was the state museum which featured a look at the various cultural groups that were native to Alaska. We happened upon a guided tour of the exhibits which make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. The exhibit also included the Russian and finally the American ownership of the area. We spent a bit of time there.
We wanted to find Governor Pallin's house and by asking a local person we found that we could take an elevator up 8 stories to get to the higher level of town. We did that by taking the elevator in the state building. It saved plenty of steps in a city that has plenty of up slope. We did find the mansion (complete with children's toys in the back yard) and took the required photos. Then we wandered further up the hill so we could tour the old Russian Orthodox church which was at the far end of town. By then it was local beer time. The bartender, an ex-marine answered some of the things we wanted to know while we tried the local beer . Then it was wander back time, mixing with the passengers of the other ships. In all there were 5 ships were in. The Golden Princess was alongside when we arrived in the morning and by afternoon the Carnival ship had sailed and the Star Princess took its place. Obviously the town was packed with people wanting to buy the "Made in China" or "Real Alaska" things.
We are really enjoying the Alaska portion of the trip. The stops are much like the Caribbean with the push on shopping with the key difference being that the mountains and scenery substitute for the warmth. Here you have a greater variety of things to see or do.

A Day in Skagway

We had a very nice tour of the Skagway area. It was the gateway to the Yukon gold fields and we opted to do a whole day tour. We were gone from the ship at just after 8 in the morning, returning around 5 in the afternoon.
 

The first part of the day was spend on a bus travelling the highway over the pass. It was a

The Train!

wonderful trip. The bus driver guide was a non stop source of information. The weather was again clear blue skies and the remarks about the weather being so nice were heard again. We made numerous stops along the way, including the one at the Canadian customs as we entered first B.C. but eventually ended in the Yukon. The lakes were just melting and the mountains being reflected in the clear calm waters were picture perfect. We carried on to Caribou Crossing for a lunch and museum stop, then made our way back to Carcross. It is famous in Yukon history as the starting point for the gold rushers. After carrying the 2000 pounds of supplies required by the Mounted Police, they built rafts for the 600 mile journey to the gold fields. Looking and learning at what they endured can only make one wonder.
   We then took the bus back to the train ride down the mountain and again the sense of what they endured was overwhelming. The advice that people gave us about taking the train was great. In town we visited the Red Dog Saloon for a beer. A walk around town ended the day.
I should add a word about the Captain of the Diamond Princess. His name is Captain Dino Sagani and he is probably the most personable of all the Captains we have seen. He gives full reports and has a great sense of humour.

A Day in Glacier Bay

We are just heading out of Glacier Bay after spending the whole day
here. The weather was absolutely perfect with not a cloud in the sky. We had plenty of time at the head of the bay and did manage to see some calving but most were small. Nothing big and beautiful. However since we were there for an extended period of time, I did manage to try a number of different settings on my camera. Now I need to compare the results.
On the way in this morning we did encounter more otters. Sea lions were basking in the sunlight and as we enjoyed of waffle the whales were active. We saw a number of them and hope to see more in the next few hours. Princess did not arrange any to be up close and personal for the passengers. We are on a full day tour tomorrow in Skagway. Time for another meal!

Whittier and College Fiord

We ended our stay in Whittier and are just leaving the College Fiord area. Whittier proved to be as small as promised. It took about 3 hours to see everything and that included the walk to the train/car tunnel that connects it with Anchorage. A sign in the town says" Last stop for the Unemployable". That is probably true. There is very little in the town but it is the start point for a number of boat tours. Cruise buses in town yesterday included Holland America. Royal Caribbean as well as Princess. We did visit the old army barracks that are now it total disrepair. The only real pub in town was closed. However, it was a beautiful sunny day and a great chance to walk after the extended sea time.
      This morning we entered College fiord at 6 am. The weather was bright and sunny. The pilot remarked that he had never seen it so clear. They probably say that all the time. In any case we have lots of pictures and many memories of the otters that frequent the area. We have not encountered anything bigger yet but they keep saying whales are in the area.
We picked up about 1200 people yesterday and had around 600 leave. The ship is now at 2200 with almost 300 children aboard. On the crossing we had 11!

7 Days - 7 Time Changes

We are on our last sea day of the trip and we think that the 7 time changes that we have had in the last 7 days is finally getting to us. We managed to get up earlier today but it is hard to keep any routines with the "hour forward tonight" notice on the bed every evening. we are about 5000 miles from the port in China and have covered about 3000 since leaving Japan. The number of activities seems to have slowed as we approach Alaska. Tomorrow we are along side at 5 am. About 1100 people are staying on with only 700 or so leaving the ship. Another 1000 or so are boarding. We probably will see every street and house in Whittier since everybody lives in one condo building. All 200 of them. We hope that the snow is gone at least in the streets. We will be into the fiord the next day and the captain reported that there is a pod of whales in the area. Still having trouble eating the 15 meals a day.

Sailing In the North Pacific

These time changes are a killer. An hour every night means that we are going to sleep later and sleeping in more and more. Today we almost missed the dance class at 10:30! Needless to say we are missing a meal (breakfast) and going straight to lunch. That of course means more eating to catch up on the missed opportunities. We are filling our days with talks and shows. The captain gave a very nice interview the other day on life at sea and how at 38 he is the CO of this ship. It was very interesting and he is probably the most personable of all the captains that we have heard. We are getting better at dancing and the lessons are a big help. They have an hour every day where one can practice the various dances. Waltzes are good, cha cha is doable but the tango is still a bit confusing. We figure that by Vancouver we will be able to hold our own.
Our table of 10 is getting along quite well. We have 6 Californians, 2 Aussies (from New Zealand) and one good looking Canadian couple (us). We have been having special orders almost every night. Onion rings, chicken wings, chocolate pie, banana cream pie and coconut cream pie for the table have all been delivered as a special request. Never a shortage of food, just a need to loosen our belts every day.
We are in Alaska in 2 more days . Some people are reporting whales and dolphins but so far we have not seen any. Perhaps tomorrow.

2 Mondays at Sea

We have been sailing for a few days now and the Internet connections seems to be much faster that a few days ago. The Japanese do not allow ships to use the Internet in their waters so the system was down for a few days. The weather is getting cooler - now around 40F as a high - as we are heading north east towards Alaska. They have plenty to do on the ship but it seems that just relaxing is the best thing. We have been changing time zones every day so the body clock is a bit out in the mornings. However we don't need to get up. Most days we have gone to the dance and line dancing sessions as well as eat and watch the shows. Today we did the Tango but are still not ready for dancing with the stars! Hardly enough time to eat! Food is great and plentiful.
Today is Monday as it is the second one this week. We are approaching the International Date Line where we get back the day we "lost" when we flew to China. One woman told us that since we are on the second Monday. she was concerned that tomorrow will be Wednesday! Where is Tuesday was her question. Our mini-suite TV problems seem to have been corrected. Other than being too cold to sit on the balcony, everything else is fine.

Volcanoes in Muroran

The Japanese were at it again. after promising that the procedures for going ashore would be short, we again were hours getting clearance. The entire ship needed passport control; no problem there as we did that the day before. The medical screening was the same stuff. Everyone from the Captain on down needed screening. We were scheduled to go ashore at 8 am; but ended up leaving around 10am. What that means is that with a 4 hour excursion, we got back late and it is hard to go wandering as the ship leaves early.
We were off to Mount Uso which was active in the mid 1940's. The steam was still rising from parts of the area as it is an active volcanic zone. We took the gondola ride to the top of a nearby mountain for views of the entire area. A side walk up to the rim of the crater was billed as 139 extra steps. However you could go down into the pit which was still steaming. The entire distance down was about 710 steps. My legs were a bit tired after that!
The next stop was at a massive crater lake. The highlight was a foot bath in the natural hot spring water. Then the return to ship features a stop at some buildings that were covered by a recent lava flow and a stop to take a picture of a cherry tree in bloom. Hokkaido is the northern most of the main Japanese islands and has a climate much like Southern Ontario. Many vegetable and dairy farms dot the area. They also claim the best beer in the world. It was good but I am not sure of the "best" claim.
After a quick stop at the ship, we took the free shuttle downtown. The city is not that big and the shops were very expensive. we managed to find a "7-11" type shop that sold wine so we spent our last yen on wine and chips. We found a California "bottom of the barrel tasting" wine as well a locally produced wine which we have not tried yet. A quick shuttle back and as we were leaving a Japanese dance troupe entertained us until we were far off the dock. If only Japanese officials would be a little easier to deal with.

Ashore in Vladivostok

Vladivostok Russia marks the end of the line for the Trans-Siberian Railroad. That was our venture ashore yesterday. The ship was docked right in the middle of the city so it was an easy walk to all the sites. The city only gets 2 cruise ships a year - this repositioning and then the return next winter. The city generally has not learned to take advantage of the tourist who want to spend their money buying local items.
Our first stop was at the train station which finally came out of the fog. Ornate outside plain inside. Around the street corner was the large square dedicated to the protectors of the East. May 9Th is May day with a large parade to commemorate V Day of World War 2. The Admiral of the Pacific Fleet is the inspecting officer and they were doing a practice. There were many units on parade as well as the missiles on trucks (I suspected they were the tactical nuclear weapons); as well as the short range missiles as well as the armoured personal carriers and hospital trucks and various other trucks. We shot video of the parade and will see what we have when we get back.

Russians on Parade

We also toured the WW2 submarine with "10" sinking during the war as well as the wall of remembrance (Vietnam like memorial) for those who died in the war. After that we walked a long way up the main street looking for the local market. The markets are usually places of interest. We did come across a restored(?) Russian Orthodox church and a chapel in a nice mid city urban park. We wandered some more and finally found the market which was nothing but a meat and vegetable place. Not much of interest. We wandered back looking for a local pub but never recognized one. That ended our 5 hours ashore. As we prepared to get moving as the fog rolled in an American Cruiser (a cruise missile ship) came into port for the celebrations.
They did have a Russian group on the ship for a performance. It was very poorly done. They insisted that they use their our microphones which did not work. They walked off stage. The ship fitted them with head mikes which they did not like; then stand up ones which they did not like. Off stage again. Finally they sang without them. You can imaging a 1000 seat hall without amplification. They did not bring any Russian dancers with them. All in all it was poorly done from their point of view.
Today we are again at sea. We finished Japanese immigration and they have promised that the "thermal screening" will only take 2 and a half hours tomorrow instead of the 5 that it did the last time in Japan. The bands will be playing, free hop on and off, drum ceremony at the end of the visit. They know what a good reception will mean if dollars today and in the future. Seafood buffet for lunch today. Cheers.
P.S. For those that need glasses, get them! For our good friend, happy birthday to you. Mike please print this out.

A Stop In Pusan Korea

We had another interesting stop in Busan or Pusan as we call it in English. The customs and Immigration health screening consisted of a thermal check as we all went ashore. The port itself is the 5Th busiest in the world and after seeing it we can appreciate that fact. One thing that they do there is to build ships and there were some very large ones under construction.
   Our tour consisted of a 4 hours trip to as Buddhist Temple quite far out of the city. There are so many bays and hills around that the trip takes a long time. The temple itself was very interesting as we learned about the 4 levels required to reach Nirvana. It was Children's day in Korea (another country another holiday) and the place was decorated with lanterns of many bright colours. The guide was very knowledgeable and did an excellent job explaining the various buildings and symbols of the place. After that we headed back to the city and made a stop at The United Nations Cemetery which has the sites for the fallen of the 16 nations that fought in the Korean War. Canada had a large plot with many from the Princess Pat and Canadian Regiments interned there. It was a very interesting place. After that it was back to the city and the ship. We wanted to take the shuttle downtown but the amount of time was limited. The day ended with a traditional Korean Drum Ceremony. It was a much smaller scale than the one in Japan. Speaking of Japan they have started immigration procedures for our visit although it is days away.
    Today is a sea day - finally a sleep in. We enjoyed the line dancing this morning. Veronica did an excellent job teaching 3 new dances. We were happy not to spend the whole time doing the electric slide. The ballroom Swing class was very difficult. I can't move my feet that fast. Now it is just relax waiting to eat again, which we just finished. Vladivostok Russia tomorrow. I am looking forward to see the train station of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. It is at the end of the line. Cheers

Going Ashore in Japan

Drum Ceremony

After a restful day at sea, we arrived in Kagoshima Japan which is in the southern most part of Japan. This experience almost qualifies as the stop from hell. The day before landing were needed to be checked out by Japanese immigration. That was fair enough. We reported at the appropriate time for finger printing (thankfully they did it electronically) and picture taking. That was to get out departing form signed. It was a bit slow but we did that on our sea day. However the next day we had to go through 'medical screening". That involved another form and thermal scanning. I guess with the flu scare it was somewhat understandable. We even received a medical mask. Every person including the crew needed to do that before they would release the ship and let the passengers go ashore. This screening started at 6 am. That was the time we came alongside. It was also the time of fireworks and the 30 minutes of marching songs by the local band! Who gets up at 6 am! In any case it was nearly 11 am before they released the ship and we were suppose to be on a tour and the ship was leaving early. The captain was on the blower apologizing; the tour office offered to refund any money so people could cancel, etc. When was the last time you heard of that!
We headed ashore, took the very fast 15 minute ferry ride and were off to visit the volcano. The guide we had was very good and explained all the details about the last eruption and the ash that occasionally comes down on the city. Walking around the volcanic area was interesting as the ground was still "warm" although the last eruption was many years ago. After that it was back to the town and a tour of on of the feudal lords original estates. It was not that big but the gardens and the view were very nice. She did point out the bullet holes in some of the walls from a past revolution. Then it was back to the ship.
It the officials were slow to accept the ship, the people were not. There was a traditional Japanese drum performance and many people were out to see the ship depart. After the 5 hour custom wait it was a good way to end the day. Cheers!

Back to China

    Our first stop on the cross Pacific trip was Dalian China. It was only an overnight sail so after running around for a few days, we had to get up and go almost immediately the next morning. We should comment that the Chinese custom and immigration people were well prepared and we had no delay at getting ashore.
   The Princess line does not go into Dalian very ofter so they were bending over backwards to make our stay as good as possible. The only problem was that it was still the may 1st holiday break and that people were everywhere. The bus tour that we took started with a trip down the

Russian street. This is a left over from the Russian occupation of the area in the pat. Then we stopped at a small plaza where a "folk show" was being put on for the local celebrations. It was probably the best part of the day. The drummers and dancers were very good even though some were a bit long in the tooth! We stayed for about 30 minutes and we were slow to leave.
The next stop was at the polar aquarium for a look at polar animals and to see the dolphin and whale show. We were suppose to have reserved seats but there were so many people that when we got in there were 5000 people seated; another 1000 or so (give or take a few) crowded 10-15 deep standing in the upper aisle. The decision was made to go to an earlier show so we were given some time to view the exhibits. That is what we did, then we wee sitting on the patio overlooking the parking lot when the buses started to pull out. We did need to have an ice cream! In any case we hustled down to the bus and the tour guide was frantic because we were 1. late and 2 lost. Apparently she changed the instructions after we left. The whole bus clapped.
The next portion was a drive down a scenic coastal highway but since we were late, we could not stop for photos. we were the last group to arrive at a very nice coastal hotel for a great Chinese (what else) style lunch. The head of the tour company (or tourist bureau) was very distraught and keep calling us "distinguished guests" and say let us make this up to you! All I could think of he needed Princess to come back! In any case he gave us a choice of either going back to the show or shopping. By then most people on the 8 buses wanted to go shopping (which turned out to be very disappointing). We chose the show - we paid for that and we wanted to see it. When we arrived there were 4,950 people jammed into their seats and about 50 empty front row seats for us! VIP all the way. The show was very well done and we figured that we got the best of the people on that tour. Cheers!
P.S. Loved the the posts from Dave; Remo and Leo! Will try to upload some photos if they will allow it.

Summer Palace and the Great Wall

The next morning we finally joined the 28 others from our group and headed to the Summer Palace. May 1 weekend is a big holiday in China and Beijing was jammed with people. If was wall to wall as we tried to navigate the Summer Palace grounds. we did have a short boat ride across the lake and picked the bus up for the trip to the Wall. We stopped for a Chinese lunch (provided) at a Friendship shore. They are stores where the prices are sky high but the quality is backed by the government. Finally the Wall. It is all you think it will be. We picked the "hard" climb - what else is new. One advantages was that although it was very steep, there were very few people on it and we could enjoy the beauty of the achievement of building the Wall. I should mention that there were vendors up on the wall as well as all over the entrance area. I did find something of interest that I bought. After it was back to the hotel and a meal with Chinese dancers and entertainment.
 

Friday saw us at Tienanmen Square except this time it was wall to wall people. The photos will bear proof of that. Then over to the Forbidden city. Now that was crowded beyond belief. It was more than we imagined with the size of the ground and the number of buildings. Then it was time for lunch - what else Chinese food Chinese style and the trip to the ship. We finally boarded the Diamond at about 5 in the afternoon.
With the 13 hour time change we are still a bit off; awake at odd hours. Our table has 8 people at it and they all know Bob and Marilyn who got us together for the trip and then had to cancel for medical reasons. We only knew Nanette and Jerry from a previous cruise. However because of the pre-tour we have plenty of familiar faces. The ship currently has about 1900 people on it. We are headed to Japan on a sea day. I will give you an update of Dalian later. Cheers

China on our Own

On Monday we finally got on the United flight. Because we were a rebook, we ended up at the back of the plane in the middle seats. For 13 hours we were not able to see anything! 2 meals and a snack later, after 3 movies we arrived at the very impressive Beijing airport. Of course we had already missed the flight to the Terra Cotta warriors.
We were met at the airport by Bessy from the tour company and taken to the Beijing hotel. When asked what do we do now she answered "Free Time for 2 days". after checking in we wandered to Tiemanen Square and the Forbidden city. After all the time changes we were pretty tired.
The next day during "Free Time" we went to the silk market. 5 floors of vendors all selling the same stuff. The aisles were very narrow and the stalls about 10 feet wide. Every vendor began yelling for attention and offering a special price. They also would grab you as you went by. Funny that the Chinese people were not bothered. I looked at a belt that started at 375 local currency and ended up paying 40 for it. Judy bought a few small items. After that it was over to the Temple of the Sun for a look, following down embassy row and finally a stop for a Yanglin beer. The restaurant (off the tourist trap) did not understand the order for beer and a tea. We did manage. Back to the hotel and finally our for Chinese food at a courtyard restaurant. It was excellent. That was about it for our first full day in China

Travelling To Chicago

We left Windsor on Saturday night with our driver and assistant picking us up at the appointed time. After a nice dinner in Detroit, we were dropped off at the Weston Hotel on the airport grounds. We wanted to be close to the airport to avoid delays.
The next morning we sailed through customs without a problem although Orange level was in effect. Boarded the plane on time. After about 30 minutes in the air (for a trip that takes about an hour) the pilot announces that we are circling over Grand Rapids and will not have enough fuel to stay in the air. We were 19th in the priority list to land. Seems that thunderstorms over Chicago held up traffic. We landed in Fort Wayne refuelled and waited 45 minutes. we finally arrived in Chicago 4 hours after taking off from Detroit and about 90 minutes after our flight to China left. There is only 1 flight a day.
Needless to say we needed to rebook and were going to miss part of the China tour. We ended up staying the night in a Chicago hotel with only our backpacks. We did manage to get on the flight the next morning.....

Time To Go!!

It seems like we have been packing for days and for some reason we have more room (less weight) this time than in others! We did receive some good news from Penny our travel agent at CAA. Princess cruise lines contacted her to inform us that we were upgraded to a mini-suite on Dolphin deck right in the mid part of the ship. This means that either Princess likes our business or more likely that the ship will be half full? and they are filling in the mini-suites. That of course means that I will have a better chance to win at trivia if nobody else is on the cruise, Think of the service.
Be sure to complete the survey at the bottom of the blog. United Airlines here we come!

Ready To Travel Again

As the spring rains come and gone in Windsor, it must be time to travel again. We are just about to leave on a trip that has been in the planning stages for about 15 months. Usually we pick a cruise and go but friends in California suggested that we book the cruise and see them again. Now that we are ready to go, they had to cancel due to medical reasons. In any case we are 6 days from leaving for China and then the 23 days with the Diamond Princess sailing to Alaska and then on to Vancouver. Watch this space for our travel plans.