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Ahmet Erkun
Ahmet Erkun

Ahmet Erkun

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    View across the atrium from our balcony — Miami, FL.

    “Unhappily” Settled in Miami!

    March 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    It’s 10:00p and I am dead tired. But even if I turned in now, there is no way I would get any sleep.

    You see, the noise filtering up from the restaurant/bar on the 25th floor is making an unholy din … even with the balcony door closed, the shade pulled down, and the drapes drawn. The problem is that the residence — fancy word for an apartment — overlooks the atrium, which acts like an echo chamber. Sure, there is a nice view across the atrium to the Port of Miami, but the echo-factor takes away any pleasure we might otherwise have from such a view. What makes our situation especially bad is that it’s not just the living area that overlooks the atrium, but the bedroom does as well.

    The property we rented through AirBNB sits atop the Hotel AKA Brickell … in what’s called the Brickel Arch. We have all the amenities we could ask for … a bedroom separate from the living/dining area, which pleases Mui who is usually early-to-bed; a good sized kitchen where we can self-cater some of our meals; a washer and dryer so that we can board Insignia with a suitcase full of clean clothes after three days of exploration in and around Miami; parking space … which is a boon in downtown Miami, where parking is at a premium. Even with a few “cleaning issues” we noticed, this place would have worked out nicely. IF NOT FOR THE NOISE!

    It’s a shame really, as we were hoping that we’d found a place that we could use for a longer stay when we return to Miami in December for another cruise. For that trip, I will have to go back to the drawing board … sigh!

    Sorry … I’m so frustrated that I skipped right over getting us from MIA to the Brickel Arch. So, back to earlier this evening … the walk from baggage claim to the MIA Mover was longer than I remember. But we made it without huffing and puffing too much. A short ride … and we were at the Rental Car Center.

    When we arrived at Thrifty, a sign directed us to Dollar Rental. Funny, because we had the option of booking a mid-size car from Dollar for the same price, but had opted for Thrifty! No matter, it was just across the hall and a few minutes later, we were heading down to the car park. Surprise! No mid-size cars were available. How about a free upgrade to a full-size car? Sure.

    Traffic into Miami was heavy, but we managed to find the Brickel Arch easily enough. Got our stuff up to the residence, and went right back out to the nearby Publix to shop for groceries. By the time we returned to our place, it was already 8:00p, so in lieu of the pasta bolognese Mui had planned, grilled cheese sandwiches made it onto our plates for dinner.

    And that’s a wrap!

    Now to go find my earplugs!    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Welcome to Miami, Florida ... Cruise Capital of the World!

    Hello Miami!

    March 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Welcome to Miami, Florida!

    Except for a couple of patches of turbulence en route, a smooth flight brought us to Miami on time at 4:26p … to blue skies, sunshine, warm and humid temperatures, and palm trees swaying in the breeze. If there was a storm earlier, there is no sign of it now.

    As soon as we collect our bags — the carousel has yet to start running — we’ll take the MIA Mover to the Car Rental Center to pick up the car we reserved from Thrifty.

    More later …    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Our chariot awaits boarding @ DEN — Denver, CO.

    Winging it to MIA on UA1418

    March 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    I’ve switched my watch to reflect the time in Miami, which is two hours ahead of Colorado. So, while it might seem like five hours have passed between footprints, it’s more like three hours.

    After the glitch in getting away from home, things went smoothly … thank goodness. This being a Saturday, there was no rush hour traffic to contend with. When we pulled up to DEN at 9:02a, Michelle dropped us off at a curbside UA counter where we checked our bags within minutes. The line at TSA PreCheck was short and the agent directed us to a distant security checkpoint that had no one queued up, so we breezed through that hurdle. The train connecting the different concourses arrived just as we got to the station.

    Thus we got to our gate with 30 minutes to spare before boarding was called at 10:00a MDT.

    UA1418 is the same flight we would have been on had we not changed our departure from 22 March to today. The only difference is our seats … instead of being in the exit row, we’re in bulkhead seats in Row 7. Both of these rows are Economy+, so we have good leg room.

    Though the aircraft pushed back from gate B20 at 10:33a MDT— 2 minutes ahead of schedule — the pilot warned us that our take-off slot had been changed to 11:05a MDT. Nonetheless, he said, that our 3-hour and 24-minute flight would get us to MIA on time Assuming, that is, we don’t run into delays due to weather in Miami … the reason why we had a later departure from DEN. Nothing we can do about the weather. At least we’re in the air now.

    Our flight has been uneventful so far … the way all flights should be.

    I’ll add more once we get to our home away from home in Miami …    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    COS to DEN Starts with a Glitch

    March 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    So much for planning a 7:00a departure! The delay wasn’t our fault, though. We were up and at ‘em way early … dressed and ready by 6:30a … waiting for a driver to be assigned for our pre-scheduled Uber ride. Hah!

    Turns out that there were no Uber drivers available … even though we’d already received confirmation of our request. We figured this was due to one of two reasons — or both … not enough drivers due to the increase in fuel prices … and tied into that, drivers not wanting to accept rides up to Denver. Yeah, I know, Uber has added a surcharge to help with the fuel prices. But let’s get real. A 55-cent surcharge per ride isn’t going to help much when you have to fill up a couple times a day if you’re accepting long ride requests. This was all later confirmed by our driver, Michelle.

    So, yes, we did eventually get an Uber. But not before trying to call a cab … none of the three numbers Google gave us worked. And not before we tried Lyft … which seems to always have trouble finding us … and which, this time, wanted to take us to an airport in Anchorage, Alaska!! Luckily, a third try with the Uber app had a driver accepting our request. Forty-minutes after our planned departure of 7:00a, Michelle pulled up to our driveway. By 7:45a we were on our way … without having to resort to driving ourselves and leaving the car in the long term lot at DEN for two months!

    We’re now pulling up to DEN. More later … probably after we’re in the air.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Not a huge amount, but today's wet snow — with more expected — leads to changes.

    Ch-Ch-Changes

    March 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F

    First, we booked a hotel at DEN for the 21st for an overnight stay before our flight on the 22nd.

    After listening to this morning's forecast for another snowstorm due to hit Sunday into Monday, we decided to just get ourselves to Miami early. Less stress all around.

    Leaving several days early means I have little time to spare to write much more than this now. The details will unfold in future footprints.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    We've got a room at the Staybridge @ DEN if we need it for the 21st.

    Starting on the 21st?

    March 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Maybe.

    Not only are we going to get snow tonight into tomorrow, but there is also a forecast for rain/snow Monday night into Tuesday. Yes … that’s Tuesday, the 22nd. The day we are scheduled to fly to Miami bright and early in the morning.

    Our first instinct was to fly to Miami over the weekend and enjoy a few extra days in the warm sunshine. Then, I looked at the United flights! Nope, not going to happen. Changing our tickets would mean re-ticketing at the current prices … ~ $650pp or using awards of 63K+ miles for each of us. That’s in comparison to the award tickets we purchased for 23,600 miles per person in January. Methinks these ridiculous fares are due to two factors … Spring Break and the continued increase in fuel prices.

    What to do? After discussing options, we decided to just head up to the Denver Airport the day before and stay at a hotel nearby. At $400 + taxes, I felt that the Westin at the airport was "conveniently" overpriced. Just ±5 miles from DEN, however, I found a multitude of other properties to choose from.

    In the end, I settled on the Staybridge Suites. The room rate includes breakfast and the hotel has an airport shuttle … all good things to have.

    We are still in the dark as to the forecast details for Monday, but knowing that we have a place to stay near the airport has eliminated the stress. If the storm fizzles out, we can cancel up to 48 hours ahead. Otherwise, we’ll plan the trip north based on the timing of the storm.

    In the meantime, plenty to do here at home before we get going … be it on the 21st or the 22nd.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    COVID-19 Entry Requirements Change Again

    March 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    The best way to describe the COVID-19 pandemic is "ever-changing." So is it any surprise that the entry requirements for the different countries on our itinerary keep changing? IMHO ... no.

    Got an email from O today outlining the latest entry requirements for our EuroCrossing. This is the third such message in as many weeks. And each has had different requirements.

    I'm not going to go through all the changes, but I will mention two.

    Morrocco is now listed as being closed to cruise ships. Will that change by the time we are scheduled to arrive on 3 April? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    The other potentially concerning change? Israel. The requirements are now listed as pending. That could be good ... meaning less cumbersome requirements. Or it could be bad ... meaning more cumbersome requirements. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    In any event, there’s not much we can do at present other than making sure we meet the Bermuda and O embarkation requirements for Miami next week and go with the flow for everything else.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Collage of Memories from Jerusalem, Bethlehem & Acre. Israel ... 2017.

    Reminiscing: Haifa, Israel

    March 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    The title of this footprint is actually not quite accurate as this reminiscence has nothing to do with that Israeli city.

    True, we docked in Haifa for an overnight stay on RTW2017, but we spent no time in the city ... except when we were on the ship. We'll remedy that his year by exploring the city a bit during our overnight call.

    Haifa is billed as one of the gateways to Jerusalem. When our original sightseeing plans unexpectedly fell through in 2017, we quickly arranged another tour, and joined by fellow-cruisers Bill & Star, off we went to visit not only Jerusalem, but Bethlehem as well ... the latter in Palestine, and requiring a change in vehicles and guides per the rules of visitation.

    Our time in Jerusalem took us to all four quarters ... Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian. We started out at Mount of Olives for expansive views of the area; visited the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is said to have been arrested; entered the city through the surrounding fortified walls built by Süleyman the Magnificent, one of the Ottoman sultans; wandered the narrow, cobblestone streets; followed the Via Doloroso with its stations of the cross; stopped for a moment of meditation at the Wailing Wall; joined the queue to enter Haram el-Sharif ... the site of the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque; visited churches built on sites of Biblical interest; had a typical Israeli lunch that included falafel at a café on a backstreet that I'd never be able to find again.

    In Bethlehem, our Palestinian guide took us first to the Church of the Nativity, where we had a chance to see the manger where Jesus is said to have been born ... and then to the mandatory shopping stop — required by the Palestinian Authority for all visitors to Bethlehem.

    Our second day in Haifa found us on our own ... taking a train from the station near the port to Acre on the coast. After the crowds in Jerusalem, we enjoyed the solitude of this old town and delighted in a wonderful meal overlooking the sea at Doniana ... recommended by our friends' daughter. As interesting as our time in Jerusalem and Bethlehem was, we felt that our day in Acre was the highlight of our stop in Haifa.

    It's funny how some countries make it onto our must-visit list, while others don't. Israel is one of those countries. That's not to say we didn't enjoy our time there. We did and we're glad we went ... and will do so again this year. But it's not one of those places we would make specific plans to visit on a land journey. The occasional cruise stop in Israel is quite satisfactory for us.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    View of the Miami skyline with the Intercontinental front and center — RTW2017 sailaway from Miami.

    IC Instead of YVE

    March 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ❄️ 23 °F

    One simple answer to one simple question. That's all it would have taken for us to keep the reservation we made at YVE Miami for our overnight stay prior to embarking Insignia later this month.

    Unfortunately, despite multiple calls, I wasn’t able to get the question answered. Nor did Mui have any luck reaching someone at the hotel.

    What was the question you ask? I simply wanted to know why our credit card was charged 18 days prior to our arrival. After all, the confirmation clearly stated that the credit card I gave the hotel at the time of booking was “only” to guarantee the room. Nowhere in that confirmation was there anything about being charged so early for a room that I had booked with a 24-hour cancelation.

    So, this afternoon, I canceled the YVE and went in search of another hotel. After checking Booking.com, I logged in to a couple of travel agent portals to compare rates. Surprisingly, the Intercontinental [IC] Miami had one of the more reasonable travel agent rates for the area. So, that’s the hotel I booked.

    Prior to RTW2017, the IC Miami was where we stayed — one night at our own expense … one night compliments of Oceania. So, we’re familiar with how the hotel operates. We’ll be in a city view room … unless they upgrade us again as they did in 2017.

    I’m sorry the YVE Miami did not work out. I was, in fact, hoping to book the same hotel for another stay in December. Won’t be doing that now.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Bermuda Loosens Entry Requirements

    March 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °F

    I've been expecting the COVID-19 entry requirements for Bermuda to loosen. One, because so many other countries around the world are doing so. Two, because I had seen on the Bermuda Travel Authorization site that new rules would be going into effect today.

    Sure enough ... I had an updated email from Oceania in my inbox this morning.

    Essentially, Bermuda has changed the "must-have" PCR test within 96 hours of embarkation to a "recommendation." We still have to test, but a 48-hour prior to embarkation Antigen test is now sufficient. That test used to be only accepted if taken within 2 days of arrival in Bermuda.

    As well, the fee for the travel authorization we are required to apply for within 1-3 days of embarkation has been reduced to $40pp ... much more palatable.

    Since we've already researched the original requirements and have a PCR test order from our primary care physician, we'll likely still do the PCR test. But the stress over the Bermuda entry is now greatly reduced.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    All checked in for our EuroCrossing on Insignia.

    Insignia Check-In ✔️✔️

    March 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    This title gets two check marks. One for me … one for Mui!

    The email from Oceania advising me that our EuroCrossing cruise was open for online check-in was in my inbox this morning. 21-days prior to embarkation. Just as promised.

    Armed with everything listed in the email to streamline the check-in process, I sat down to take care of the formalities. The entire process, including uploading photos of ourselves and watching the “muster” video, took maybe five minutes in all … OK, maybe six or seven minutes.

    Within seconds, I received a second email with our boarding passes. Easy peasy.

    Now to pack our bags; jump through the COVID-19 embarkation hoops; and fly to Miami. All things that will be done over the next three weeks.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Collage of Memories from Valletta, Malta ... 2015 & 2018.

    Reminiscing: Valletta, Malta

    February 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    We've been to Malta twice now on our sea voyages. Both cruises included a stop in Valletta on the Island of Malta ... one of them also included a stop in Mgarr/Victoria on the Island of Gozo.

    Our first visit to Malta was on Insignia's sister ship, Nautica ... on what was our "testing Oceania" cruise in advance of our RTW2017 voyage. We explored the city on foot ... no specific destination or sights in mind. Just a meandering stroll that took us to places near and far ... up and down. Our aching feet at the end of the day was proof that we'd pretty much left no stone unturned.

    Our second visit to Valletta was in 2018. On that occasion, we joined a private tour organized by a fellow passenger ... thus, our feet fared better because a van was part of the experience.

    One of the highlights of this tour was Caravaggio's "Beheading of St John the Baptist," which hangs in the oratory at the Co-Cathedral ... the church of the Order of the Knights of St John.

    Our explorations took us then to Vittorioso for a meandering stroll through ancient streets where unique door knockers grabbed my attention ... to the Neolithic subterranean structure of Hypogeum in Paola, which dates back to 3300 – 3000 BC ... to Mdina, the original capital of Malta, where we enjoyed lunch-with-a-view @ the Palazzo Piro.

    An overnight stay in Valletta in 2018 allowed the cruise line to bring aboard a folklore troupe to entertain us, and it also gave us a chance to enjoy the city walls all lit up after night fell. A colorful ending to a day exploring fascinating sights.

    What will we do this time? You'll have to wait and see 😉    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    O advises us of the entry requirements as of 22 February.

    COVID-19 Entry Requirements

    February 27, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    No one said it was going to be easy to cruise these days ... even if the world seems to be moving from a pandemic to an endemic stage for COVID-19.

    I received an email from O a few days ago outlining the COVID-19 entry requirements for the various ports of call on our cruise. Missing were Turkey and Greece. But I found those on the O website, so all’s good. I’ve already developed a checklist to deal with each requirement as they come due throughout our cruise.

    Bermuda, the first port of call after we sail from Miami, seems to have the most onerous requirements … mostly because we will have to deal with them prior to embarkation. They include a PCR test 96 hours ahead of our arrival at the port of embarkation; an online form that we need to complete 72 hours ahead of embarkation … and for which we need to cough up $75pp; a PCR test on arrival. All doable.

    There is one requirement mentioned by O for Bermuda that is confusing, however … mandatory pier-side testing at the Miami terminal on embarkation day. Is this in lieu of the recent 48-hour testing O is requiring of us? Or is this in addition to that test? That is the question. I’ve sent my O contact an email asking for clarification.

    The remaining ports are requiring either PCR or antigen testing ... or the completion of a passenger locator form [PLF] ... or both. All but one test will be handled by O at no cost to us. Israel is requiring a PCR test on arrival at our expense … which O may or may not cover.

    When all is said and done, between home and our arrival in Piraeus, we will undergo 9 tests and complete 6 online forms. On the latter front, I’ve already completed the forms for Morocco and Malta. The PLF for Italy is pending until after 1 March because the requirement for no-testing is changing then and the form will be updated accordingly. The remaining forms have to be done 24-72 hours in advance of the port arrival … fingers crossed the internet signal on the ship cooperates or that O has an alternative option for paper forms.

    As well, we have to complete an online entry form for Turkey … within 72 hours of our flight from Athens. I can deal with that when we are in İstanbul or on arrival in Piraeus, where we have quite a bit of time prior to our flight.

    Of course, all this could change between now and when we embark the ship or before we arrive at those ports of call. We’ll be checking the requirements again about five days prior to leaving home. Fingers crossed that any changes are for the better and not the reverse.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Port Planning Commences

    February 26, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °F

    With planning for 2022 trips well in hand, today I began researching the ports of call for RTW2023.

    I'm skipping the Festive Caribbean precursor cruise as we'll be "beaching it" on that cruise ... less research is required to do so.

    Funny thing, though ... our first port of call on RTW2023 is Grand Cayman, so I did start my research with a "beaching it" type of day anyway 🏖

    Two ports down ... another 100 or so to go!    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Collage of Memories from Trapani, Sicily ... 2015 Med Cruise from Italy to Turkey.

    Reminiscing: Trapani, Sicily

    February 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 45 °F

    In 2015, when we deposited our 2017 world cruise on Insignia, we had yet to do a cruise on Oceania. We figured it would be a smart thing to "test the waters," so to speak, before we were committed irrevocably. So, later that year, we sailed on a Mediterranean cruise on sister-ship Nautica ... in the twin of the aft-facing cabin we'd booked as our home away from home for 180 days on Insignia.

    One of the ports of call on that cruise was Trapani ... in western Sicily. This call was our first taste of Sicily ... one that we would satiate on later cruises. But we never made it back to Trapani. COVID-willing we'll be revisiting it this year.

    The most popular tour from Trapani is to the mountaintop town of Erice. Alas, clouds were wreathing most of the mountain when we pulled into the cruise terminal that morning. So we decided it wasn't going to be a smart move to go up there. The clouds cleared later in the day. Brilliant sunshine and blue skies graced us. But, by then, it was too late to visit Erice.

    No problem. One of our favorite ways to explore a new-to-us place is on foot ... a meandering walk that takes us here and there and wherever. We strolled along the waterfront, noting the fortifications that still stood strong; found cobblestoned side streets lined with buildings painted a brilliant yellow; checked out the fresh fish market where the bounty of the sea was still wriggling on the display platforms; craned our necks to view the beautiful murals in the cathedral; taste-tested (not once but twice) delicious gelato and cannoli in out-of-the-way cafés where the locals were more than happy to let Mui practice his rusty-Italian on them.

    We made great memories in Trapani in 2015. We hope to add more memories this year.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Our third immersive exhibit will feature the works of Monet.

    Beyond Monet in Miami

    February 18, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F

    Yesterday afternoon, we booked tickets for an interactive art exhibit featuring Monet’s work … in Miami! I had no idea this exhibit was running during the very limited time we will have in the city prior to our EuroCrossing on Insignia.

    This only came about because I was doing research for our pre-expedition days in Toronto this summer. I noticed on Google Maps that there was a Beyond Monet exhibit running there. Alas … only through 13 March … we don't arrive in the city until the end of July.

    We enjoy these immersive exhibits, so I checked online to see if it might be coming to Denver. No, but it was running in Miami ... through 27 March. Works for us. So, we purchased tickets for 23 March. Yes, that is embarkation day, but we have plenty of time to do something fun before we head over to the port.

    We're very excited about this. Beyond Monet will be our third immersive exhibit … after Klimt in Malaga, Spain, and Van Gogh in Denver, Colorado.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    The "X" no longer marks our spot ... it's been replaced by a checkmark!

    Itinerary Change

    February 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °F

    We received an email from Oceania today. The purpose was to advise us of a change in our itinerary.

    Looks like we'll be docking in Valletta on the Island of Malta instead of anchoring offshore from Mġarr on the Island of Gozo. Both islands are part of the Maltese Archipelago, so no change to the country ... just to the port.

    We've been to both islands before. We've enjoyed both. As the largest of the three islands in the archipelago, Malta has more to offer, so we're good with the change. I just need to do a little research to see what we want to do this time. Good thing our plans for Gozo were fluid 😉.

    I wonder how many other changes there will be to our itinerary when all is said and done! Flexibility is definitely the key to travel during COVID-19 times.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Collage of Memories from São Miguel, Azores ... 2019 Westbound TransAtlantic Cruise.

    Reminiscing: Azores

    February 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 41 °F

    “I don't know what it is about distant lands that make me want to visit them. Forget Paris or London. Give me the polar regions, or islands in the middle of nowhere ... like the Azores.”

    Those are the opening sentences for the footprint I posted when we stopped @ São Miguel, the largest and most populous of the islands in the Archipelago of the Azores. Accompanied by mom and Aylin, my sister, this 2019 stop aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam was our one and only visit to the Azores, so I didn’t have to pick and choose memories as I did with Bermuda.

    Even as our ship was departing Ponta Delgada at the end of the day, Mui and I had already added the Azores to our must-return to places. Lush green scenery … deep blue of bodies of water big and small … smoking fumaroles and bubbling mud pots … beautiful azulejo tile details on white-washed buildings trimmed with black lava stone … tasty lunch of cozido das Furnas (the local stew cooked underground using geothermal heat) … and even tastier quijadas (Portuguese milk tarts). All excellent reasons to return.

    Little did we know then that we would actually be stopping in the Azores on another cruise ship before we had a chance to do a land-based trip.

    (For a bit more detail on what we actually did — and larger images from our day — you can check out the original post @ https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/footprin….)    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Collage of memories from Hamilton ... 2001 Bermuda Cruise.

    Reminiscing: Bermuda

    February 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Now that my excursion planning for our European Crossing on Insignia is complete, I thought I would reminisce a bit about some of the familiar ports on our itinerary. As I find time, that is, since my “travel platter” still has other trips for which plans need to be made.

    We’ve been on several cruises that have called on Bermuda … most recently during our 2017 world cruise on Oceania’s Insignia.

    The visit that is the most memorable, however, was our first cruise to Bermuda … in October 2001 … a 7-day cruise with a Bermuda-specific itinerary … meaning that it was the only country that we called on.

    After 9/11, President Bush encouraged us all to get on with our lives … to not let fear of the attacks on the US stop us from living our lives … doing the things we love. He said to go out and travel. So, we listened to him.

    In the aftermath of 9/11, Celebrity Cruises had changed the home port for one of its ships, Zenith, from New York City to Baltimore … only an hour’s drive from where we lived on the outskirts of Washington, DC. Too good an opportunity to not take advantage of. So, we booked a last minute cruise when the ship recommenced sailing.

    Two days at sea to get out to Bermuda; two days at sea to return to the US; three days exploring Bermuda in between.

    Zenith was small enough to dock in the heart of Hamilton, making it a simple matter of stepping off the gangway to wander around the city. And wander we did. For two days we walked our feet off visiting the attractions in the city … taking the local ‘pink buses’ when our explorations took us further afield. Fort Hamilton … Happy Valley Road with its colorful houses, white-washed terraced roofs, and mystical moongates … the pink-sand beaches of Horseshoe Bay and Warwick Long Bay … Gibbs Hill Lighthouse … Royal Naval Dockyards … and more.

    Zenith had been scheduled to sail through The Cut on our last day in Bermuda to overnight in St George’s. But it didn’t happen … a storm brewing in the Atlantic made the passage through The Cut too dangerous to attempt. So, we remained in Hamilton … moving to a nearby dock to make room for the original Love Boat, which had the right of way since we weren’t supposed to be in Hamilton.

    No matter. We still got to explore St George’s … we just had to take public transportation to get there. We left no stone unturned in our exploration of Bermuda’s first capital … the Town Square with its ducking stool … Somers Park where an admiral by the same name literally left his heart … the Unfinished Church … Tobacco Bay … Fort Saint Catherine … and more. It was a very full day.

    (By the way, we watched as Insignia threaded its way through The Cut in 2017. So, now we know that the captain of Zenith was right in not making the attempt in 2001.)

    Remember the storm that was brewing in the Atlantic? That was Subtropical Storm Karen, which hit Bermuda on 11 October, with damaging winds as high as 100 mph. By then, we were back at sea, heading to Baltimore. We didn’t quite escape unscathed, however, as waves exceeding 15 feet welcomed us with open arms as soon as we rounded Fort Saint Catherine as we left Bermuda behind. We rock and rolled our way back to Baltimore … our first real encounter with stormy seas in our then-limited cruising experience.

    What a wonderful cruise it was. And what sweet memories by which to remember our time in Bermuda — the dark days of 9/11 and the storm notwithstanding.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    O Changes the Rules

    February 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    I got an email from Oceania (O) on 8 February announcing rule changes for COVID-19 precautions. It’s not just O, of course. Every cruise line is changing its requirements … and sooner rather than later. At least O’s changes don’t go into effect until 1 March, so they can monitor to see if they want to back down.

    I’ll be frank. I’m not sure I like the new rules. But hey … short of canceling the cruise, we’ll have to go along with them … with our own added precautions as necessary. And who knows? Things might change again. After all, hasn’t that been the word of the day with COVID-19? Change … again and again.

    So, the mask mandate for passengers will be no more come March. O still strongly encourages people to continue to wear masks when they cannot social distance. We’ll definitely do that, but you know most people are not going to follow those rules. A poster on CruiseCritic mentioned that the crew will continue to be masked, but I have no official confirmation of that.

    As for the pre-embarkation testing. The responsibility now lies totally with us. We were going to do the pre-departure test 72-hours in advance since the small print called for us to do that in order to get financial protection should we test positive when we submit to the O-testing just prior to embarkation. Now, the testing is to be done by the passenger 48-hours prior to embarkation day with no pier-side testing at O’s expense.

    My big concern with all this … how many passengers will test positive after we set sail. It’s happened on practically every cruise … on every line since cruising recommenced in 2021. Worse yet, how many will attempt to hide their symptoms so as not to test positive and be forced to quarantine?

    But as I said before, nothing to do but cancel at this point. And we won’t be doing that. So, we’ll continue to keep ourselves safe and stay away from crowds as much as possible. And hopefully, the continued requirement for passengers to be fully-vaccinated will alleviate the ramifications of these new rules for cruising.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Excursion Plans ✔️

    February 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    Those who know me well, know that I enjoy planning our trips. I really do. But COVID-19 sure takes some of the joy out of the process. It wouldn’t be so bad if we were arriving at all of the ports we will be calling on by air. That information is readily available. If you’re arriving by sea, however, it’s a whole different story. Frustrating!

    So, here’s the plan I came up with to keep myself stress-free. Oceania is supposed to give us COVID-19 entry requirements for each port approximately 30 days before we sail from Miami. I’m going to wait to see that information before I attempt any further research on my own.

    In the meantime, I’ve been doing my port research … following my usual modus operandi to figure out what is of interest to us. Armed with that info, we’ll be able to decide later what we want to do … hopefully without having to book bubble tours.

    With a few exceptions, I’m planning for us to explore most of the ports on foot. This is our favorite means of visiting the places we call upon. Maybe have lunch ashore as well. I've got tours planned in three ports — one of them will be semi-private … six fellow passengers will join us; the other two will be for just Mui and me. We have one port where we will be mixing our modes of exploration by renting a car one day and walking around the next day.

    The tour and car rental arrangements all have 24-hour cancelation requirements … and will be paid for on the day-of. So, should bubble-tours be required by any of the ports … well, no harm, no foul. But keeping 🤞🏻 that will not be the case.

    By the way … we did a zoom meeting with the family yesterday and broke the news of our April arrival to them. As expected they were surprised … in a good way.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    YVE Hotel Miami ... Watercolor Pencil rendition of photos from hotel website.

    Logistics ✔️

    February 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F

    With the cruise booked, it was time to turn my attention to the logistics.

    But wait. There was one more piece of information I needed.

    Honestly. How could we think about going all the way to Athens on our cruise and not spend time in Turkey visiting family? We couldn’t. So, we hemmed and hawed, scribbled some calculations to work around existing plans. And came up with a block of time that worked.

    Our visit won’t be a long one this time. Not like the four months we spent in Turkey last year. Perhaps because of that lengthy stay, however, we’re OK with just three weeks or so this year.

    With the dates set, it was now time to work on the logistics.

    I’ve got our airfare booked to get us from Colorado Springs to Miami … going in a day early as we usually do. Our United Airlines [UA] award tickets are out of DEN [Denver International Airport] … non-stop beats connecting flights from our smaller airport even if we do have to start our day with a 1-hour+ drive to get to DEN.

    We also have a place to stay the night before we embark Insignia. Since we don’t plan to rent a car, we wanted a hotel that was centrally located near the port … convenient to restaurants. After researching options, we settled on the YVE Miami. It’s located across from Bayfront Park and will serve us well I believe.

    We were hoping to disembark Insignia in İstanbul when the ship overnights there before continuing on to Athens. Turns out that’s a no-go during COVID-19 times. So, we have booked our airfare to get us from Athens to İzmir. Alas, the schedule for the only airline that flies nonstop to İzmir did not work for us. So, we’ll be flying THY through İstanbul instead.

    The flights that will return us to the US following our add-on family visit are booked as well … UA award tickets that will fly us to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport [IAH] and home from there. We’ll need to stay overnight in Houston as we did last year … we don’t have enough time after the long haul flight lands to make the connection to COS [Colorado Springs Airport]. We’re used to that. I’ve already booked a room at the Houston Marriott at IAH … convenient.

    Now to begin planning shore excursions.    Read more

  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Insignia's planned itinerary from Miami to Athens.

    O Loyalty Cruise … ✔️

    February 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    At the time we canceled our fall Bazaars to Beaches cruise on Oceania's [O] Sirena, we transferred the deposit to a cruise this spring on O’s Insignia … a cruise made possible only because Oceania has had to shift the itinerary for this year’s Round the World voyage. You know … COVID-19 complications.

    Final payment was due for this cruise, which sails from Miami on 23 March, the same day we booked it. But because we wanted to claim this cruise as our free loyalty cruise for being platinum cruisers, the company gave us a payment extension until 4 February.

    Well, we didn’t have to wait that long. I got my revised invoice today ... for the 12 extra days that we’ll be cruising beyond the 14 free days. Final payment's now been made!

    We’ve been trying to claim our free cruise since we reached platinum in the Oceania Club in 2019. Our previous claims all fell victim to COVID-19. Keeping 🤞🏻 that we’ll actually get to board the ship this time and complete the sailing, which will disembark us in Athens in mid-April.

    Of course, being that close to Turkey when we leave the ship, you know that we will squeeze in a couple of weeks of family time.

    More on all this later.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Our addition to RTW2023 ... Festive Caribbean aboard Oceania's Insignia.

    RTW Precursor: Festive Caribbean

    January 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    “Sunny Holidays.” That was the fancy name of the Caribbean cruise Insignia sailed prior to embarking us RTW2017 passengers in Miami on 6 January. In my journal for that RTW voyage, I wrote the following words on 17 December 2016 …

     *** … It occurred to me today that we could have booked this sailing as a precursor to our RTW voyage ... get the same cabin as we have for our grand adventure, work with O to have our LF [Luggage Free] shipment delivered to the ship early … and get settled in the cabin in a leisurely fashion. The bonus — the itinerary is actually quite nice and we would have had a relaxing 12-day cruise before the hubbub of the RTW. ***

    This thought, unfortunately, came to me too late in the game then. “Sunny Holidays” was just 8 days from sailing and all of our logistics arrangements for the RTW were already in the can, so to speak. I wrapped up that journal entry with the following words …

     *** … Darn! Had this idea occurred to me when we were discussing plans for a pre-RTW stay in Miami, you can be sure I would have acted on it immediately. Maybe for the next RTW ... if we ever do another one 😎. ***

    So, here we are. Booked on RTW2023. And this time I remembered to act on the thought of doing a precursor cruise around the Caribbean. Who says I don’t learn from my mistakes?

    In fact, I’ve had the “Festive Caribbean” cruise on my radar for a while now. I just didn’t think we’d be able to squeeze it in, however. After all, our original plans for 2022 had us in Türkiye in September-October and returning to the US on Oceania's Sirena in November. The month and a half until embarking on RTW2023 in late December would be needed to work on visas and prep for the voyage.

    Well, all that changed when we canceled Bazaars to Beaches on Sirena and replaced it with Insignia’s European Crossing in March. Suddenly we had plenty of time on our hands.

    Mui and I talked briefly and now we are booked on the Festive Caribbean … sailing roundtrip out of Miami … in the same cabin that we’ll be in for RTW2023. I’ve not had any interest in the Caribbean for a while now. I am looking forward to this cruise, however. Four of the seven ports will be brand new to us. And since we have not been to the other ports in quite sometime, they’ll be almost new-to-us as well.

    For all intents and purposes, we’ve added an additional 11 days to our time on Insignia … for a total of 209 days. The disembarkation day for this cruise is the same as the embarkation day for RTW2023. Which is why I’ve decided to include the precursor cruise as part of this trip journal on FindPenguins.

    Fingers crossed and COVID-willing, we’ll begin our longest sea voyage ever on 17 December 2022 … with a few days in Miami prior to embarkation.

    I guess, for the second year in a row, we won’t be putting up any Christmas decorations at home!    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    The old and the new itineraries (sorry for the low rez photo).
    We'll be on the bracketed segment.

    RTW2022 Disrupted!

    January 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    No, RTW2022 has not been canceled. In fact, it is underway even as I write this footprint.

    By disrupted, I mean that the voyage has undergone a serious revision due to so many countries on the itinerary remaining closed to cruise ships.

    Having already left Los Angeles, Insignia will visit French Polynesia as originally planned. Then, it will flip a U-ey and head east via the Panama Canal to explore the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Europe.

    I guess we did a good thing by jumping to RTW 2023.

    But wait … we’re going to join RTW2022 anyway … for a segment.

    When reservations open on 24 January, we’ll be booking the “European Crossing” … essentially an eastbound TransAtlantic from Miami to Athens. As a bonus, we will designate the cruise as our O Club platinum perk “free cruise.” As a double bonus, we will get to spend time with family and friends again this year ... not just when Insignia calls on several ports in Türkiye, but also after we disembark in Athens.

    Joining RTW2022 will essentially jiggle our existing fall travel plans. But that’s not a bad thing. We can actually use the freed-up time to work on visas and such for RTW2023.

    I am really sorry that the RTW2022 passengers are experiencing such a disruption to their special voyage. The new itinerary is definitely not the one for which they signed up. I can’t help but be happy, however, that the change of itinerary will see us on Insignia this March.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2021
    Welcome to DEN — Denver, CO.
    Big flat flakes are a-flying @ DEN — Denver, CO.Looks like this snow is already starting to stick — @ DEN ... Denver, CO.

    Home Sweet Home

    December 31, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    Well, we didn’t beat the snow home!

    We were on the ground shortly before 3:00p MST … to big, white flakes blowing about in the wind and sticking on surfaces., That said, the runways were clear, and we would later find I-25S to be clear as well.

    Once on the ground, we made our way to baggage claim. While Mui waited at the carousel, I went in search of some “abandoned” luggage carts and lucked out with two. Yay! It took a while for the bags to show up, but definitely not as long a wait as we had @ IAH.

    Next up … we went out to the area set aside for ride apps like Uber and put in a request for a comfort class vehicle. What a scam! When weather moves in, the fate goes up.

    In any event, we were home shortly before 5:00p. No white stuff visible anywhere … though that has since changed. Mui rushed off to pick up the mail and some groceries. We have enough food stuff now to tide us over for a 5-day quarantine … as suggested by the CDC.

    I was hoping to stay up later but it is now 8:30p and I can barely keep my eyes open. There’s not the slightest chance that we’ll be awake to ring in 2022. No matter.

    Time to bring this adventure to a close. As well as 2021 … another year of living with a pandemic. May the new year see us finally getting back to a new normal … with continued precautions as appropriate to keep everyone safe.    Read more

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