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Ahmet Erkun
Ahmet Erkun

Ahmet Erkun

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Dinner at the food trucks in Brickell Park — Miami, FL.
    Dinner @ the food trucks at Brickell Park — Miami, FL.A small section of the city skyline from Brickell Key Bridge — Miami, FL.If you are embarking RTW2023 on the 28th, you'll be staying at the Mandarin Oriental — Miami, FL.

    Shopping in Miami

    14 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Busy day in Miami … though it did start out slow. We took our time over breakfast … followed by R&R time on the balcony. Then, off we went to shop for this and that and everything else … mostly consumables for the next seven months. We left the kitchen sink for someone else to buy 🤣

    The plan was to return to the condo around mid-afternoon and spend time poolside. Well, that did not happen. We’ll try again tomorrow … if our shopping trip to the mall doesn’t delay our return to our home base.

    Somehow the lunch hour slipped by unnoticed today. So, we decided to have dinner out again. But neither one of us was in the mood to go to a restaurant. Instead, we walked over to Brickell Park, which is next door to the Icon Brickell. There, we dined on “food truck food.” Köfte, kibbeh, tabouleh, and hummus from Shukran … profiteroles from La Suiza BakeHouse. All very tasty. And eaten in a peaceful park setting. Perfect.

    After dinner, we walked for a bit along the Riverwalk Trail, heading partway across the Brickell Key Bridge, which connects Brickell Key (aka Claughton Island) to the mainland. Nice views to wrap up our day.

    Though we've been known to walk a heck of a lot more than the 12,500+ steps we clocked today, I am dead tired. Big cities like Miami drain me ... seriously drain me ... physically and mentally. Now to put our feet up and relax.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Getting de-iced as we wait our turn to take off from DEN — Denver, CO.
    Need wheels to get around Miami to do our errands — MIA Rental Car Center ... Miami, FL.Our home away from home for the next few days — Miami, FL.Views from our condo on the 32nd floor of the Icon Brickell — Miami, FL.Along the riverwalk, we stop for a selfie with our condo building as a backdrop — Miami, FL.Holiday cheer in downtown Miami, FL.2Out on the town in Miami, FL.

    Welcome to Miami

    13 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Yes, we did have a 40-minute delay taking off from DEN. But who’s complaining? Not us. It was for safety reasons … the aircraft had to be de-iced twice before it could wing its way to Miami with us onboard.

    Yes, the flight had some turbulent moments. But who’s complaining? Not us. We were in the air and not stuck on the ground at DEN due to weather considerations. Besides, for most of the flight, we glimpsed blue skies and sunshine through the porthole.

    At 2:47p, we landed at MIA … 81F and sunny … with a light breeze fanning the palm trees and keeping us comfortable. Our bags came onto the luggage carousel shortly after we arrived to collect them. And then, off to the MIA Mover to get ourselves over to the Intermodal Center where the rental car companies are located. A shiny red Kia Soul was the perfect fit for us — and our luggage. Soon, with the GPS giving us directions, we were on our way to the accommodations we had booked through VRBO … at the W Residences at Icon Brickell.

    A rep from the management company welcomed us in the lobby and escorted us to the condo on the 32nd floor. A quiet building — unlike our last experience with a residence in Miami. Clean; modern decor; a kitchen with all the amenities … including a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge; and a bedroom separate from the living room so Mui can go to bed early as he is wont to do while I stay up late to write my footprints 😉

    Once we were settled in, we set off to provision ourselves … the plan being to self-cater breakfast and dinner; dine out for lunch while we are running errands or sightseeing over the next couple of days. Our destination was the Whole Foods just across the Miami River from where we are located … walking distance.

    Somewhere along the way, however, we detoured to the Miami Riverwalk and found ourselves enjoying the holiday cheer evident around downtown. Soon, we were at the Bayside Marketplace. Might as well grab a bite to eat! And some dessert too … in the form of delicious gelato from Mammamia!

    Our only complaint? The deafening music blaring from all the different venues … clashing into a din that was unpleasant at best. Time to head back to the condo … making sure to stop off at Whole Foods first. Better late than never.

    Tomorrow has been set aside as a day for errands. What we get to do during our remaining days in Miami after that will depend entirely on how much we accomplish tomorrow.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    This B737-900 is our chariot to Miami — @ DEN ... Denver, CO.

    We’re On Track

    13 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ❄️ 21 °F

    The aircraft that will be taking us from snowy Colorado to sunny Florida has landed at DEN, been sanitized, and is waiting for us.

    Boarding is scheduled to commence in the next half hour or so 🤞🏻

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Snow at DEN — Denver, CO.
    Snow at DEN — Denver, CO.

    It Snowed

    13 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ❄️ 21 °F

    But it came late … at about 3:00a. The snowplows have already been through by the terminal. Doesn’t look like it is snowing at the moment, but the forecasters are saying the roads are sloppy and more snow is on the way. The brunt of it will still hit east of us … and in the mountains west of us.

    United Airlines is showing the incoming flight on track … and our outbound flight on time🤞🏻.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Following Mui back home after we pick up the rental from Avis — Colorado Springs, CO.
    Our overnight spot ... the Westin Hotel @ DEN — Denver, CO.Our room at the Westin @ DEN ... #1083 — Denver, CO.View of the terminal "peaks" from our room at the Westin @ DEN — Denver, CO.Holiday cheer on the plaza at the Westin @ DEN — Denver, CO.Holiday cheer on the plaza at the Westin @ DEN — Denver, CO.

    Colorado Springs to DEN

    12 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 28 °F

    We beat the snow to Denver. But then, we knew that would be the case today since the white stuff is not expected to fall until later tonight.

    The question that remains unanswered is “how much snow will we get at DEN by the time we wake up tomorrow?” The airport is east of Denver, which is not supposed to get too much snow, and west of the area where there are blizzard warnings posted by the weather service. I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out if we get dumped on here or if we get by unscathed.

    In the meantime, here’s the quick story of our day.

    We picked up the rental car around 11:00a … a one-way rental that was about half the cost of taking Uber … a very good deal. With the last minute chores completed, we got on the road at 1:30p. OK, OK … so it was actually 1:33p! We pulled up to the Westin @ DEN around 3:00p and were checked in within a few short minutes.

    Our room is just as we requested … on a high floor … quiet (meaning it’s away from elevators and vending machines) … and not-connected to another room. Perfect. Located in the East Tower, we have a view of the “peaks” of the terminal … designed to mimic the peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

    After settling in, we headed back out to return the rental car to Avis. That accomplished, we took the shuttle back to the airport and walked the short distance to the hotel, stopping to enjoy some of the holiday cheer on the plaza that connects the terminal to the Westin.

    I had mentioned in a previous footprint that the bonus for being at an airport hotel was that we were able to move our flight from tomorrow afternoon to tomorrow morning. Well, there was one other bonus. We got to have dinner with our friends Sonia & Boris. Since we are “sans-wheels,” they drove out to us and we enjoyed a very nice meal at Ted’s Montana Grill. Thanks for making the trek, Sonia & Boris … we’ll see you on Insignia on 15 January.

    And with that, it’s time to end today’s story and get ready for a good night’s sleep. Yes, it’s early … but we have an early wake up call awaiting us.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    The Westin @ DEN is said to be designed to be reminiscent of a bird in flight.

    Westin @ DEN

    11 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    Looks like crossing our fingers and toes did not help.

    The snowstorm that is coming in from the west is going to arrive in Colorado sometime tomorrow, with snow continuing into the morning of the 13th. That's our departure day.

    Admittedly, the weather forecasters are being a little wishy-washy about how much snow to expect ... and where. Well, the last time they had such an "uncertain" forecast, we were driving down from Denver. We ended up having to get off the highway to find ourselves a hotel for the night because conditions were just too treacherous to continue. At least, on that occasion, we had nowhere special to be. Not the case this time. We have a flight to catch.

    Thus, rather than stress over what might or might not happen, we're going to begin our adventure a day early. The plan is to drive up to Denver tomorrow and stay at the Westin Denver International Airport overnight.

    The bonus? Since we're going to be at the airport anyway, we switched our mid-day departure on the 13th to the morning flight. That means a mid-afternoon arrival in Miami ... better than arriving after nightfall. 🤞🏻🤞🏻     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Happy Holidays gift from Oceania.

    Happy Holidays from Oceania

    9 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    A thoughtful Happy Holidays gift ... one that might be referred to as functional art. That the resin trim on the board matches the colors of our great room is a bonus!

    We will make good use of this charcuterie board. After all, we'll need something on which to serve the recipes/suggestions that were included in the box ... Toscana's roasted garlic and Jacque Pépin's sweet cheese medley.

    Thank you, Oceania!     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Itinerary Change #5

    Itinerary Change #5

    9 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    Just got an email with another change to our itinerary. This one is for the "Golden Gala" segment that embarks in Miami on 28 December.

    With this change, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is out ... the stated reason being that the port is still closed to cruise vessels. While we've been to Nicaragua before, this would have been our first time in San Juan del Sur. We planned to explore the town on foot, so no tours to cancel.

    What will Insignia do instead of stopping in Nicaragua? The ship will continue north with a day at sea and arrive in Acajutla, El Salvador a bit early ... a three-hour gain. I already have add-on options from the tour operator to consider.

    Are more changes in our future? Most likely. We'll deal with each of them as they happen.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Tip: AutoSlash

    8 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌙 32 °F

    After pricing various transportation options to get us from our house to DEN for our flight to Miami, we decided to book a one-way rental car. Then, of course, we needed a rental car in Miami, too ... to get around to do some last-minute shopping and maybe even do some sightseeing.

    We booked both rental cars earlier this year ... and have re-priced and re-booked them a couple of times since. Each time, I submitted a request through the AutoSlash website. Each time, I saved money. When I submitted another request today, I got the best prices thus far ... about $150 in savings between the two rentals.

    I first learned about AutoSlash by reading an article on the "Points Guy." In the spirit of paying it forward, I thought I would mention the website in this footprint for anyone else looking to rent a car for their travels.

    By the way, I just learned that AutoSlash has a "price tracker." Have not used it yet, but you can bet I will try it the next time I need to book a rental.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Bags on track for delivery to Miami.

    LF: P/U +3-Day Status

    8 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    Although the Luggage Forward email we received after the bags were picked up has a link to track our shipment, I prefer to do my tracking directly with UPS ... you get a tiny bit more detail that way.

    As of this moment, our bags are en route to Miami with a targeted delivery date of 12 December ... by 9:00p.

    Even though Oceania contracted with a different company for RTW2017, our bags were in Miami about 4-5 days ahead of our embarkation date. So, a delivery on 12 December seems par for the course.

    I'll check the status again in a few days' time to make sure the delivery is still on track.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    RTW2023 Boarding Passes

    RTW2023: Checked In

    7 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌙 32 °F

    Technically, I did not have to do the check-in for the 198-day Continental Connoisseur today.

    After all, we will be embarking Insignia on 17 December. Thus, 28 December is going to be a "turnaround day" for us, not an embarkation day. Any formalities, such as receiving our new keycards, will be handled onboard.

    But, I got an email from Oceania this morning that check-in was open. Since I didn't have anything better to do while Mui was preparing breakfast, I went ahead and completed the online process. Easy peasy.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Nice to have everything packed and waiting for departure day — Colorado.

    Checked Bags ... ✔︎

    6 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌙 32 °F

    We've got our master bedroom back!

    Yup ... exactly one week before we leave home, our checked bags are packed and sitting in the garage. What remains to be zipped up are our Miami bag and the two carry-on bags ... for those day-of-departure items that we can't quite pack yet.

    No, don't ask how many bags we're taking. It really doesn't matter. This is one voyage for which I don't stress too much over what stays and what goes. I will say that having a mock-up of the category B2 cabin closet space helped a great deal in determining our clothing options … which in turn minimized what we would have otherwise taken. (In the photo, the combined hanging space between the two closets is everything to the left of the white line at the top of the bar.)

    Now we can sit back and relax ... and keep our fingers crossed that the snow forecasted for the Denver area on our departure day will fizzle out!     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Bye-Bye Bags ... Colorado Springs, CO.

    LF: Bye-Bye Bags

    5 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Despite the notice we received yesterday that our Luggage Forward pick-up window for today was noon to 5:00p, the UPS driver rang our doorbell at 10:44a. No worries ... we were ready for him.

    We opened the garage door and the driver came in with his cart. Five minutes later, not only were our bags no longer in the garage, but the UPS truck was already on its way to the next stop on its route.

    I have already received a notification from Luggage Forward that our bags have been picked up. The message includes a link that we can use to track the real-time progress of our shipment.

    Eight more sleeps and a wake-up left before we set off on our adventure.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    LF: Pickup Window Changes

    4 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    This close to departure, you don't want to receive an email from Luggage Forward with the subject line reading "Your pickup window has changed."

    The good news? The pickup date has not changed. We still say goodbye to our shipment on 5 December. Instead of being required to have our bags ready for the UPS driver by 1:00p, we have to make sure everything is ready to go by noon.

    No worries. Our shipment has been bagged and tagged since 22 November. We won't have any problems meeting the new deadline 😉     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Shots & Pills … ✔️

    1 grudnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We’ve been busy with all kinds of prep work for our upcoming adventure. Including consulting with a travel clinic and getting shots and such.

    Exotic travel destinations sometimes come with inherent health issues.  Thus, it is smart to determine in advance what precautions are advisable.

    For our first trip to Africa in 2009, we visited a county health clinic in Vienna (that's Virginia, not Austria). For RTW2017, we visited the clinic at Baylor University in Houston. This time, we decided to go online for our travel consult.

    I don’t recall who on the RTW2023 roll call posted their experience with the Costco online travel clinic. But thanks anyway. It worked like a charm once we determined that the service is available in Colorado and selected our Costco pharmacy of choice. Simple and efficient. And inexpensive at $39.99/person.

    True, inputting detailed information about all the stops we’ll be making over 200+ days was time-consuming, but at least the info could be copied over for the second passenger. Within 48 hours of providing our info, we had individual travel booklets ready to download … with beaucoup information. All of the precautions were recommended … nothing was required.

    Almost immediately, Mui had a call from Kyle, the pharmacist at the Costco location we had selected. We set up a phone consult for a few days hence to give all parties involved a chance to review the information we’d all received. Taking the time to do so made the consult go really fast. We knew which precautions we wanted to take … had questions about others. Within an hour, we had appointments set up for vaccinations and a list of meds for which we’d need to get a ℞ from our Primary Care Physician.

    Today, three weeks after our consult, we’re done with all the vaccinations. Well … the typhoid fever vax is in progress since we opted again for the oral version because it is good for five years versus two years.

    No adverse reactions from any of the vaccines … maybe a tiny bit of tenderness at the injection site. The COVID-19 booster shots we got this afternoon will more than likely knock Mui for a loop — as it usually does — but he should be back to his energetic self within 8-12 hours.

    As for meds. The ℞ have all been filled. The vials — in original packaging — are in the “med box” waiting to be packed in Mui’s carry-on.

    With just 11 days left before we leave for Miami for our pre-cruise stay — more like shopping trip — it feels good to have another ✔ on our RTW prep list.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    All checked in for our Caribbean cruise.

    FestiveCarib: Checked-In

    26 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Three weeks out from embarking Insignia for the Festive Caribbean cruise and we're checked-in.

    The email advising us that check-in was now open came early this morning. While Mui was preparing breakfast, I completed the formalities ... easy peasy.

    Boarding passes are printed! A Happy Anniversary gift to us ... 41 years and counting!     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    From this ... to this. Looks so much neater in the photo on the right — Colorado.

    LF: Bagged & Tagged

    22 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    That's right! 12 days before the bags are scheduled to be collected by UPS on behalf of Luggage Forward, all four duffels that we will be shipping to Insignia are packed and ready to go.

    Each bag — stuffed to the gills — is below the 50-pound weight limit ... several of them are closer to the 40-pound mark on the scale. All of the odds and ends. All of the hard-to-pack-in-a-suitcase items. They all made it into these bags. That was our goal. Clothing and items prohibited by Luggage Forward — medications, electronics, and valuables ... to name a few — will go with us on the flight to Miami.

    Just because we got the master bedroom cleared today doesn't mean we get to move back in there. No ... now the second phase of our prep work begins! Thank goodness for a spare bedroom … otherwise, we’d be sleeping on a mattress on the floor 😉

    🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳

    If you are interested in the process we followed to pack our to-be-shipped bags, I've included a summary below. Otherwise, you've got the gist of this footprint already and can skip the rest.

    🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳🧳

    (1) I created a checklist of the things we planned to ship as we placed them in numbered boxes on the bed. (Every little thing was noted on the checklist.) We’ve been pulling things out for shipment since early November, so the numbers on the boxes helped us to find things if we changed our minds or wanted to replace something.

    (2) We placed the duffels on the bed, numbered them to correspond with the LF tag numbers, and lined them with oversized trash bags to protect the contents from possible water (rain) damage. The dryer sheets we put in each bag should protect the contents from smelling musty.

    (3) I pulled up the inventory on my laptop, and as Mui placed an item in one of the four duffels, I marked the corresponding bag number on the checklist. BONUS: By the time we were done, I had a by-bag inventory to reference should a bag go astray on the way to Miami.

    (4) After the luggage tags were zip-tied to the bags, I took photos of each bag with the label legible ... a precaution against any mishap along the way.

    Our process may have been more organized — some might say anal — than strictly necessary. But the extra work was worth it to make the shipment-packing easy peasy. In fact, we'll follow a similar process with our checked bags as well.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    A fogbow on a cold morning after a bit of snow overnight — Colorado.

    Luggage Forward Tags Rec'd

    18 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 23 °F

    BRRRR! A cold, cold day that is perfect for staying indoors and doing some voyage prep work. We are sorting through what we want to ship … what we can’t ship due to Luggage Forward restrictions … what we need to buy and from where. My detailed checklist is ever-growing.

    We received the Luggage Forward tags today. Now we know which courier will be picking up our bags and safely delivering them to Miami ... UPS.

    P.S. I figured this photo I took from our deck this morning was more interesting than a photo of the luggage tags. It was 8°F at the time I captured the fogbow at 7:45a.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    RTW2023 official documents.
    Festive Caribbean official documents.

    Doing the Doc Dance

    16 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    “Once you have traveled, the VOYAGE never ends …
The mind can never break off from the JOURNEY.”
    ❇︎ ❇︎ Pat Conroy ❇︎ ❇︎

    Technically, there was no dancing involved. But we did receive our cruise documents in the mail today. The folder in which they were each packaged had a quote by Pat Conroy that I thought was apropos … hence its inclusion in this footprint.

    First came the RTW2023 package. A few hours later came the Festive Caribbean package. Both have a booklet and welcome letters. Both have luggage tags. Festive Carib has a shore excursion booklet. RTW2023 has a QR code to download the shore excursion booklet ... thus slimming down the packet that was mailed.

    Neither package is critical to our upcoming adventure. Nonetheless, they are a sign that our long-awaited adventure is not that far off now.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    The first itinerary change to our cruise.

    Itinerary Change #1

    10 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    Lost the Brisbane overnight.

    Instead, we will visit Mooloolaba on Christmas Eve.

    We don’t mind the change, actually, as we’ve been to Brisbane before … and we will more than likely go there during the overland part of our Australia trip anyway.

    Thus, the change gives us a "new-to-us port" to explore and we still get 13 hours in Brisbane. The best of both worlds IMHO.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Comparison of the original and the revised itineraries.
    A closer look at the segments impacted by the dropping of China from the itinerary.

    Itinerary Change #4

    8 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    First off, kudos to Oceania for announcing the itinerary change early … especially since this one is a biggie that impacts two segments of RTW2023 — Southeast Asia Array (Singapore to Hong Kong) and Spiritual Shrines (Hong Kong to Tokyo).

    Mui and I've been anticipating for a while now that China would be a no-go. The question was ... when would Oceania advise us of the changes the itinerary would have to undergo due to the removal of those ports. That question was answered today.

    Some of the changes are brand-new additions … others are a shuffling of the order of existing ports. The only ports removed are the ones in China. The debark/embark port for the segments mentioned above has changed due to the removal of Hong Kong. But that does not impact those of us booked on the world cruise.

    We are quite OK with the new itinerary. Luckily, except for an odd port here and there, I haven’t gotten much past Namibia in my excursion planning. In fact, the only port for which I need to make new arrangements is Bangkok ... just a date change that I am sure the operator will accommodate.

    Rather than write it all out in longhand, here are a couple of maps showing the changes. A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words. I'm giving you two 😉

    By the way. This change comes with a $300 shipboard credit. Not a big amount. I am sure there will be many who think it insufficient. I prefer to look at it as a massage or shore excursion that we do not have to pay for out-of-pocket.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Luggage Forward will ship our bags to and from Insignia.

    Luggage Forward Scheduled

    7 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    One of the really useful amenities included with an Oceania world cruise booking is luggage shipment ... from our house to the ship and back home again at the end of the cruise. Two bags each ... 50 pounds per bag. That's 200 pounds!

    I had already coordinated with Oceania to have our bags delivered to Insignia early since we are embarking on 17 December. Now it was time to coordinate the pick-up date with Luggage Forward, the company Oceania is using for RTW2023.

    We now have a deadline towards which we need to work to get our bags ready for shipment to Miami. That deadline is 1:00p on 5 December.

    Better get busy pulling out and organizing the stuff we plan to ship.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Visas ... ✔︎

    6 listopada 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    The main reason why our travels this year saw so much change was the visas for RTW2023. Primarily … the China visa. Possibly … the India visa. Both would require passports to be sent in. Both had time-consuming applications. Yes, Visa Central (a CIBT company) would handle getting the visas (a perk included in our booking), but we’d have to do the upfront work. And, of course, we would have to be at home and not abroad in order to part with our passports.

    We were just about to fly from Toronto to İstanbul on 29 September when a slew of visa-related emails from Oceania filled my inbox. After a quick review, I let out the breath I was holding and shelved taking action until our return home earlier this month.

    As suspected, no application was provided for China. This country, still closed to tourism, remains the big question mark in our itinerary.

    India changed its paper visa requirement to e-visas, thus eliminating the need for passports to be sent in. Even better, as luck would have it, India reinstated our 10-year paper visas earlier this year … after having canceled them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, no need to take action of any kind. We just have to take our old passports with us.

    All but three of the remaining visas — Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka — are “on arrival,” which means there is no action to be taken on our part.

    Cambodia and Myanmar require completed applications and passport photos that we need to turn into Oceania when we embark on the world cruise. Action on Sri Lanka has to wait until we are 90 days out from arrival. O’s instructions indicated that we will be given an opportunity to apply while on the ship.

    We’re now all set with visas … unless itinerary changes require otherwise. But that’s a wait-and-see game.     Czytaj więcej

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  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Itinerary Change #3

    17 września 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Received an email from O today advising us of changes to our itinerary for the segment from San Francisco California to Santiago, Chile.

    No big changes. By that I mean that we’re just losing an hour in four of the ports … Ensenada, Mexico; Acajutla, El Salvador; Pisco (Paracas), Peru; and Coquimbo, Chile. But the impact of the changes in two of the ports is serious enough to reconsider plans for pre-booked shore excursions.

    In one case — Acajutla — I’m pretty sure we can jiggle the plan and still do a decent tour.

    In the other case — Coquimbo — well, that excursion was going to be tight to begin with … now it is going to be uncomfortably tight. No worries, though. The cost of the tour is fully refundable and I’ll just make alternative plans.

    By the way, still no news on the ports of call for Japan or China. The former is loosening it’s COVID-19 related entry requirements, so there is hope there. In the case of China, however, I’ve given up on it … I’m just waiting to see when Oceania will do the same and announce changes.     Czytaj więcej

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