Today is the day! Our journey of a lifetime begins now! We are actually on the shuttle to the Port of Galveston, where we will begin embarkation on The Mariner of the Seas! Everyone is so excited! Why? Because this cruise will take us from Galveston to Singapore by way of Nassau, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Jordan, Dubai, India, Malaysia — Incredible! Bon Voyage to us!
This is the tune I’ve been busily humming to myself the past few days!
The excitement level around here is sky-high and climbing. It will culminate on Sunday, when we are actually on the shuttle bus that will drop us at the Port of Galveston, where we will board The Mariner of the Seas!
Kudos to Kingwood Travel for arranging transportation to Galveston for approximately 30 travelers from my area that are embarking on this 41-day cruise to Singapore. Parking our car near the port for six weeks would not be an acceptable option
Not only is Kingwood Travel arranging our shuttle, they have also planned a Bon Voyage cocktail party for our group on board The Mariner of the Seas at 4:30 Sunday evening. Then we will truly know that this unbelievable journey of a lifetime is actually happening!
Royal Caribbean International Cruise Lines allows us to bring two bottles of wine per stateroom, per each leg of the cruise – or six bottles for the bon voyage celebrations! We’ve chosen a couple of bottles of celebratory wine — bringing just a little bit of southern comfort from Texas with us.
A favorite Texas wine!
Every day this week was spent either sorting and packing or shopping for the last minute have-to-haves. I’m certain we don’t need half of what we’re taking.
Another chunk of time was spent with AT&T customer service sorting out what we need for calls and texting on the other side of the world! Jodi did a good job helping us out. Let’s just hope we made the right choices!
Did I mention that we are excited? Our son and his family live nearby and will drive us to our shuttle bus. They will have fun using the pool and looking after our place while we’re gone. They have promised not to throw too many parties!
We’re looking forward to chatting with our family members via Skype from exotic ports of call such as Medeira, Portugal, Barcelona, Alexandria, Egypt, Dubai and Singapore to name a few.
I’m also excited that my newspaper publisher has linked my blog to http://www.ourtribune.com!
Just two nights and one day left!
Exactly one week from today, The Mariner of the Seas will embark on a 41-day repositioning journey from Galveston to Singapore. That leaves only six more days to finish packing and set our sights on the horizon.
As luck would have it, the Lyrid meteor showers will peak during the first and second nights on the ocean, and I’m really looking forward to that experience – far away from the lights of the coast. The Lyrid meteor showers come along this time every year, and it just so happens to coincide with the kickoff of this cruise. We lucked out!
With the countdown to the voyage speeding by, it seemed like a really good time to soak up as much Texas as possible today, while on a day trip to visit with family.
The first thing we did was chose a place to enjoy some real Texas BBQ. We chose the Chappell Hill Bakery and Cafe, where it doesn’t get any better. This eatery was recently mentioned in Southern Living magazine. We sampled all the BBQ meats on the menu, including brisket, ribs, sausage and chicken, which were all very delicioso. The sides were very yummy, also! Then, of course, we had to sample a piece of pie and take home some Kolaches! They are famous for pies and fruit and sausage Kolaches.
http://www.chappellhillbakeryanddeli.com/ordereze/default.aspx
Another “pure Texas” experience presented itself as we made our way back home. Just east of Chappell Hill, hundreds of Bluebonnet lovers had pulled over to take advantage of this perfect Sunday afternoon to snap their yearly “Bluebonnet Pics.” Non-Texans may not know about this very traditional spring activity in Texas. The larger Bluebonnet fields were so crowded that we decided to make do with a small patch beside the road…it was better than nothing!
Now back to my packing list…and dreaming about a Royal Caribbean cruise that will take me and my fellow travelers on this exciting adventure, thanks to our friends at http://www.kingwoodtravel.com. Next Sunday we leave the Port of Galveston and will dock in Nassau a few days later. After that, we sail across the Atlantic and on to the Mediterranean, finally ending up in Singapore after a total of 41 days. Pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming!
http://www.ourtribune.com/section.php?c=3&sc=117
This 41-day, trans-Atlantic cruise has been booked for months and I can’t believe it’s now only 1 1/2 weeks away!
In just 11 days a group of 30 random people from my hometown in Texas will board The Mariner of the Seas in Galveston to begin an exciting voyage half way around the world — from Galveston to Singapore! Of course, thousands of other travelers will also board.
At first the mere thought of packing for such an ambitious undertaking seemed insurmountable. After brainstorming with a few friends and doing some online research, the lightbulb finally came on.
It suddenly occurred to me that packing for 41 days with the idea of flying back was truly impossible. However, my eyes suddenly opened with the realization that this voyage is literally three, two-week cruises combined to make one voyage.
So, all I need to do is pack for one, two-week cruise, then recycle everything for the next leg and, finally, the last leg of the cruise. Ta-Da! Now I’m ready to put this packing dilemma down.
Now, to take this idea of “packing light” one step further. One of my friends suggested that I consult an online list for packing light on http://www.rIcksteves.com, so I did. This list is not specifically for cruises, so I’ve had to modify somewhat, but it’s very helpful. Rick Steves suggests that you pack for 4-5 days no matter how long your trip. It’s a little different when you’re on a cruise because of the variety of activities calling for both casual and dressy attire.
A big sigh of relief! Packing for two weeks is the plan — including medications and toiletries for six weeks is manageable. And, we’ll be packing a hand-held scale to weigh the packed luggage before heading to the airport in Singapore.
Can’t wait!
Trilla's Travels 