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RTW Redux ... 2023
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun

RTW Redux ... 2023

Second around the world voyage on Oceania's Insignia. This time, we're taking a little more time to circumnavigate the world by choosing the 198-day itinerary over the 180-day itinerary. And we are adding an 11-day Caribbean cruise as a precursor. Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 12, 2022
    RTW Redux ... 2023

    Q&A … A Quick Reference

    January 4, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    While FindPenguins is quite easy to use, I do sometimes get questions. So, here’s a quick "Q&A footprint" for those who might need it. (FindPenguins does have a good support page, which you can reach at https://support.findpenguins.com/hc/en-us.)

    The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store.

    If you prefer to use the website: https://findpenguins.com/

    DO I HAVE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT TO READ FOOTPRINTS?
    You can read footprints and view photos by simply opening the link I provided for my feed/trip. You do not need an account. However, without an account, you need to manually open the link each time to check if there is a new post. There are no automatic notifications.

    HOW DO I GET NOTIFIED THAT THERE IS A NEW TRIP OR FOOTPRINT?
    Only followers receive notifications. Confirmed followers are notified about new posts and comments. You can also see trips that are visible to “Followers Only.”

    HOW DO I FOLLOW TWO TO TRAVEL?
    To become a follower, a FindPenguins account needs to be created. You then have to go to my profile using the feed/trip link I provided and click on the “Follow” button on my profile. Once I accept the request, you will start receiving notifications.

    **** Important Note: If you create an account, FindPenguins will automatically give you a premium account. This is a TRIAL for the paid version. Not to worry. YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED. After three months, unless you have specifically taken action to activate the premium account, you will be converted to the free version.

    HOW DO NOTIFICATIONS WORK?
    Once you become a follower, you will immediately receive push notifications about new footprints and comments on the app or the website. This only works if you have enabled push notifications.

    Email notifications: If you confirmed your email address when you set up your account, you will receive emails about new footprints. These emails are sent within 24 hours of a posting, but to keep the mailboxes clean, no more than one email every 3 days.

    By the way … Email notifications are not sent if you have already seen the footprint.

    HOW TO RE-ORDER FOOTPRINTS?
    On the home page (aka the feed), the order is newest to oldest (or “newest first” if you are using the app). The feed is for all of my trips, so posts from different trips could pop up, though this seldom happens when I am actively traveling.

    You can reverse the order if you wish. This is handy if you want to catch up on a trip by reading the existing footprints first.

    To change the order of footprints for a specific trip on the website, click the blue “trip name” link at the top of the footprint. Then click the blue link on the right top above the footprint to reverse the order.

    If you are using the app, click the blue “trip name” link at the top of the footprint, then look for the “…” in the top right corner of the screen to reverse the order.

    LEAVING COMMENTS
    Every author enjoys receiving comments, so do take a moment to leave one instead of just clicking the “heart” at the bottom of the footprint. If you don’t have an account, please add your name at the end of your comment.

    I do answer questions and reply to comments when warranted. Unless you have an account, you will have to manually return to the footprint to see the reply.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    The cover that kept the RTW2023 itinerary hidden until we opened the brochure.

    3rd Try the Charm?

    January 6, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    RTW = Round the World. Or, to use the Oceania nomenclature … ATW … which stands for Around the World. I like my acronym better. Hence, that is the abbreviation I will be using.

    After our RTW2017 voyage, we knew we would be doing another one of these long adventures. There was a caveat, however. The itinerary had to be substantially different from the voyage we did in 2017.

    First try for RTW #2 ...

    We booked RTW2020 when the itinerary came out in February 2018. Then, we decided to settle in Colorado and bought a house in July 2018. We figured that it was more prudent to save our $s for the home purchase. Thus, we canceled the booking. In hindsight, it was a good thing that we did so. RTW2020 was severely disrupted mid-stream due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Second try for RTW #2 ...

    In January 2020, another Oceania world cruise itinerary caught our eye. This time for 2022. It was different not only from the 2017 itinerary but also from our now canceled 2020 plans.

    Within weeks of RTW2022 being announced, we had a deposit down for a cabin. Two months later, the coronavirus pandemic began burning across the world. Sigh! But we persevered. Surely this "bug" was a flash in the pan and would be gone by the time January 2022 came around.

    2020 passed in a flash of masking and social distancing. The pandemic grew. The numbers around the US and the world kept moving in the wrong direction ... up instead of down. Sometimes in huge surges. Sometimes slowly. Even with a vaccination program starting up towards the end of 2020, relief — partial or otherwise — seemed far, far away. We kept our fingers crossed for RTW2022 and persevered.

    Third try for RTW #2 ...

    2021 began with continued cruise cancelations. RTW2022 was still a go, however. Discussions of wearing masks and social distancing on ships took on a life of their own. Add to this the possibility of being required to take ship-sponsored excursions to get off and explore ports. Hmmm ... it was perhaps time to consider a postponement or cancelation of our 2022 plans.

    Today, Oceania’s RTW2023 itinerary was published. A cursory look at the map proved that it was worth considering. In some ways, it was similar to RTW2020. Definitely different from RTW2017.

    So, we've decided to jump ship if we can get a cabin. The potential glitch? Passengers on the disrupted 2020 voyage and the canceled 2021 voyage will be given incremental priority for making their reservations. Bookings for the rest of us will not open until 27 January.

    Nothing to do but patiently wait until then ...🤞🏻.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    The Genesis of the Travel Itch

    January 10, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °F

    While we wait to find out if we’ll be doing the 2023 world cruise on Oceania, I thought I’d share the genesis of the travel itch that keeps us wandering around the world … often for extended periods of time.

    Instead of repeating myself in this trip journal, I’m going to link to the post I wrote while we were waiting for the booking window to open for our first world cruise (RTW2017). After all, nothing has changed since I wrote this bit in 2015 … except that we’ve added a whole bunch of places to our “visited list” since then.

    http://2totravelrtw180.blogspot.com/2016/05/fir….

    Enjoy!    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Optioned RTW2023

    January 27, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °F

    Just 34 minutes after bookings opened this morning, I had an “option invoice” in my email inbox for Oceania’s RTW2023.

    We were hoping to get one of the two aft-facing veranda cabins on deck 6. But the chances of landing one of them were nil ... especially since passengers displaced from RTW2020 and RTW2021 due to the pandemic were given an early booking window. No matter, we managed to land a B2 veranda cabin, which was our second choice.

    The Oceania website already shows RTW2023 sold out. That’s a bit misleading, I think. I’m sure some cabins were held back for “segment” bookings when they become available in about a month or so. And of course, there will be some people who cancel between now and the final payment next year.

    We now have until 3 February to make the deposit.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    198-day sailing around the world!

    It’s Official! Jumped from 2022 to 2023

    February 3, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    It’s a done deal! We have officially jumped ship. Or perhaps more accurately, since the ship remains the same, we have jumped years. From RTW2022 to RTW2023.

    I paid the deposit this morning. Between the $s transferred from other cruise bookings that we have canceled (including RTW2022) and future cruise credits from O-canceled 2020 cruises, there was no “new” hit to the wallet!

    Details coming soon!    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Map showing the versions of RTW2023 available for booking. We'll be doing the 198-day version.

    Continental Connoisseur

    February 4, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F

    “Perhaps more than ever before, so many of us are realizing how valuable our travel experiences have become. Our travels connect us through a shared passion, create bonds that last a lifetime and often enrich our lives in ways we’d never imagined.” ~~ Bob Binder ... President & CEO ... Oceania Cruises

    Oceania gave us several itinerary versions of RTW2023 from which to pick and choose. The usual 180-days — this year from San Francisco to San Francisco — is one of them. Plus a few other options that include starting in Miami and ending in New York.

    After a careful study of the itineraries, we have opted to embark Insignia in Miami on 28 December 2022. Why? Because we saw a number of new-to-us ports on the 18-day segment from Miami to San Francisco. Besides, it's always fun to transit the Panama Canal.

    When RTW2017 concluded in Miami, we regretted not having more days on the ship. This time we will have those extra days🤞🏻.

    Our second world cruise will be 198 days instead of 180 days. And it will be known as the "Continental Connoisseur."

    Though it is fairly impossible to depict a "Round the World" itinerary on a flat map, attached is a snipped version from the Oceania brochure.

    We'll be going east to west, north to south, south to north, west to east. In other words, we'll be traveling in every possible combination of directions as we circumnavigate the globe.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Insignia deck plan showing our cabin location on deck 6.
    Sample photo showing the new color scheme post-refurbishment.

    B2 6084

    February 5, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °F

    Our ideal cruise ship cabin is one that overlooks the stern of the ship. There are several of these cabins on Insignia, but only two of them fit our budget.

    Considering the incremental booking windows for RTW2023, it came as no surprise that we were unable to book one of those aft cabins. Instead, we managed to snag a B2 category cabin on deck 6 ... portside ... in the aft third of the ship.

    The cabin is the same size as the aft cabin we'd hoped for. The veranda, however, is not as spacious. No matter, we're satisfied with what we've got booked.

    Insignia went through a refurbishment in late 2018. All new colors and decor. We're looking forward to enjoying the more modern look and feel of the ship as we cruise around the world.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Why Blog with FindPenguins?

    February 6, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    When we decided to book RTW2017, I struggled with the decision to blog or not.

    It wasn’t that I didn’t want to write about our adventure. I did. I love writing about our travels as an insurance against those days that will eventually come when “armchair traveling” will be our only option. And I enjoy sharing our trips with others. Thus, a blog is the perfect means for both.

    The struggle was because I know myself. I start out OK. But the further we get into the trip, the more difficult it gets to stay on top of the blog ... the farther I fall behind. This has happened with every blog I’ve written ... including the one I eventually decided to write for RTW2017.

    The problem, you see, is that I would rather be out and about enjoying the moment. And then there is also the availability — or lack thereof — of a wifi or data signal to post to the blog.

    So, for RTW2017, I came up with the idea of doing a private journal with all the nitty gritty of each day. The plan was to then post a snippet to the blog each day and include a couple of photos. Well, that didn’t work so great ... for a variety of reasons. Eventually — well after we were back home — I got the blog all caught up and the story of RTW2017 was completed ... thanks to staying on top of my private journal during the voyage so I could pull out details after the fact.

    So, for RTW2023, I am going to use FindPenguins instead of Blogger to recount our travel stories. Admittedly, I much prefer the story-telling format of Blogger. Photos interspersed amongst words work so much better. But I’ve tried it unsuccessfully. No sense in banging my head up against the same wall ... over and over again.

    The FindPenguins format is a lot simpler. That should keep me on the straight and narrow🤞🏻. As well, I can use my phone or iPad to post footprints anywhere ... anytime. After all, that is the purpose of this app. I won’t have to rely on the often-iffy wi-fi signal on the ship. I can draft up the footprints, and if the ship’s wi-fi doesn’t work, I can start posting as soon as I get within a data signal with my T-Mobile plan.

    Thus, once again, I will attempt to tell the story of a RTW voyage. Hopefully doing better with live or near-live footprints. I will maintain my journal as well ... in case I have to rely on it for missed details … again!

    All I can do is try!    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Masthead for the blog in which I recounted our RTW2017 voyage.

    RTW2017 ... for Armchair Travelers

    February 7, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F

    For those who are interested, here’s the link to the blog for our RTW2017 voyage. If you are not a “reader,” you might enjoy the images.

    http://2totravelrtw180.blogspot.com/2017/01/wer…

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Collage of colorful ports of call on RTW2023 ... snipped from the brochure.
    The published itinerary for RTW2023.

    Where Will RTW2023 Take Us?

    February 13, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 12 °F

    A cold, cold day. Though it’s a bit warmer elsewhere in Colorado Springs, here at home we have reached the forecasted high for today — 0F. It's all downhill from here into negative territory.

    Nothing special going on. So, I decided to delve into the details of the itinerary for RTW2023.

    No worries! I'll post a screenshot of the itinerary as published in the brochure, but I’m not going to bore anyone by naming them all. I’ll just do that with some stats instead 😜

    To begin, only 71 of our 198 days will be at sea. And of those days, 7 will include sightseeing — such as when we transit the Panama Canal. That leaves 127 days for us to spend in ports. Looking at these numbers another way, only 36% of our voyage will be at sea.

    We’ll be stopping in 43 countries and/or islands on 4 continents. Of these countries, 19 will be new additions to previously visited countries. We've explored all 7 continents already, so it doesn't bother us that this itinerary will be missing some of them.

    All in all, there will be 102 ports of call … including our embarkation and disembarkation ports. Of this number, 20 will be overnight visits … we get a second night in 2 of the ports.

    Breaking down the 102 ports another way, 67 will be new-to-us ... 35 of them we have visited previously. Percentage-wise, 65% new and 35% been-to. That's darn good. We don't mind that there are some repeats. The vast majority of the ports in that category still have so much more for us to see and do.

    We do expect that there will be changes to the itinerary.

    Weather and/or sea conditions are the usual culprits for itinerary changes. Sometimes political or safety reasons come into play. And then there is the pandemic to consider. While I expect — hope is a better word perhaps — the pandemic to be in our rearview mirror by the time we sail, there’s still the possibility that some ports will not reopen to cruise ships.

    No matter. We’ll make the most of any itinerary changes. With one caveat. If the itinerary starts to resemble RTW2017 too much, then all bets will be off.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Itinerary Change #1

    Itinerary Change #1

    September 21, 2021 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We’re currently in Güvercinlik, a village between Milas and Bodrum … in the Turkish province of Muğla. More specifically, we’re at the beach house Mui’s sister has in a subdivision overlooking the village. This little getaway is part of this year’s 4-month long trip to Türkiye to spend time with family. We’re making up for last year’s hurried departure within a week of arriving in İzmir … due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    I had an email from Oceania this morning … advising us of an itinerary change. Nothing major. And since the changes pertain to ports we will be visiting in July 2023, we are being given plenty of notice.

    Basically, Juneau, Alaska has been eliminated due to a berthing conflict. Sitka, Alaska has been moved up by a day to replace Juneau on 5 July. Ketchikan, Alaska has been inserted where Sitka was on 6 July. Since we’ll be closer to Prince Rupert, Canada, the arrival time there has been adjusted to 8:00a … giving us three additional hours in this new-to-us port.

    No quibbles about the new plans.    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

  • 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

    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

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    PreCruise Miami

    March 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    When we had to make last minute changes to our pre-cruise plans for the European Crossing on Insignia, which we will embark tomorrow, it cost us a bundle. Both in cash and in miles. The culprit was the weather … snow in the forecast for the days leading up to our departure from Denver to Miami.

    I realize that December tends to be more stable in Colorado in terms of snowstorms. But we've decided not to chance it for our pre-RTW plans.

    As things stand now, we will fly to Miami on 13 December. That will give us a buffer of four days to get to Miami prior to our Festive Caribbean precursor cruise should the weather decide not to cooperate.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    Airfare to MIA Booked

    April 5, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Welcome to Cagliari, Sardinia.

    But no ... I am not going to write about our day here since the story belongs to the European Crossing and Türkiye trip.

    What I am going to write about, however, is yesterday's airfare purchase for our RTW2023 precursor cruise in December. I didn't write about this yesterday because we were still at sea and the internet on Insignia was acting up (to put it politely).

    Anyway ...

    I wasn’t looking to book airfare to get us from Colorado Springs to Miami just yet, but non-stop award tickets on United Airlines for 12,500 miles per person were just too good to pass up. We have since upgraded those economy cabin tickets to Economy+ … poor man’s business class, if you will.

    25,000 miles to fly in economy might not seem like such a deal. But ever since the airlines moved to dynamic pricing of award tickets, the required miles have gone sky-high. In fact, earlier this year, these same tickets were twice as expensive. I'll keep monitoring flights, of course, and should the fare go down, I will cancel and rebook.

    Our United Airlines branded credit card gives us two checked bags each ... free. I’m actually hoping we won’t need to use our full allotment, but it’s good to know we won’t have to pay extra if we do.

    The flight from DEN to MIA will be a duplicate of the one we did in March this year to get ourselves to Miami for the European Crossing. Same time … same place. Different seats, however.

    Airfare to return us home from San Francisco at the end of RTW2023 is pending. Those flights won't be available for booking until August.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    No Russia for us on RTW2023.

    Itinerary Change #2

    April 12, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We are currently in Haifa, Israel, which is a port of call on Insignia's eastbound TransAtlantic.

    Got an email from Oceania today advising us of our second itinerary change to RTW2023. The call on Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia is no more.

    Frankly, we were expecting this from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine. The question was whether we'd get just another day at sea or another port of call. We got our answer today.

    Oceania has jiggled the itinerary to add Kushiro, Japan before we begin the run of sea days that will take us to the Aleutian Islands. So, while P-K has technically been replaced with a day at sea, we did get a new-to-us port before we leave Japanese waters. We're good with the change.

    I'm sure there will be more changes. We just hope they aren't as drastic as the ones RTW2022 saw this year.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Surprising my family when Insignia called on İzmir, Türkiye was a memorable moment from our cruise.

    Back from Our EuroCrossing

    May 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We traveled for some 50+ days without getting bit by the COVID-19 virus, masking up in crowds and in places where we could not social distance ... only to get caught in its trap after we got home earlier this month.

    No worries, though. We both have a very mild case of this pandemic-inducing bug ... thanks mostly to being vaccinated and boosted. The funny thing is that we are just days away from our next booster. I guess we'll postpone the shots for now since being sick gives us natural immunity for a period of time.

    We are following the CDC quarantine recommendations, which means that I've had time on my hands to edit the FindPenguins footprints for the EuroCrossing segment of Oceania's RTW2022 voyage. Yeah ... that's the world cruise we canceled when we jumped ship to RTW2023.

    I thought I'd share a link here for those interested in reading about our experience.

    https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/620…

    P.S. For those concerned about being a segmenter on a world cruise, I can tell you that the vast majority of the RTW passengers were very welcoming and friendly. As for those few who seemed to think we were beneath their notice ... well, the way we see it, it wasn't our loss ;-)    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Looking forward to enjoying this Brickell Icon residence in December.

    Residence in Brickell ... ✔︎

    May 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Since neither the YVE Miami nor the Brickell Arch residence at the AKA Hotel turned out to be an option for December’s pre-cruise stay, today we sat down to figure out where we would be staying before we embark Insignia for the Festive Caribbean precursor cruise.

    [The backstory of our YVE Miami and Brickell Arch woes is in the European Crossing & Türkiye trip.]

    Regardless of our issues with the Brickell Arch residence in March, we still wanted to be in that neighborhood as it’s away from all the construction work in the Bayfront area. After perusing offerings on both AirBNB and VRBO, we booked a condo at the Brickell Icon W Residences.

    The place looks really nice … bright and airy … with views of the river, the bay, and the city. It’s an exterior residence … no “noise funnel” atrium like the one at the Brickell Arch to be worried about. Reviews are very complimentary. The only downside is that parking is not in the building. But the host offers discounted parking in the open lot adjacent to the property, so we've reserved a spot.

    The cancelation deadline for the property is 29 November to get a full refund. If something better pops up before then, we can reconsider. But we're happy with what we booked, so I doubt we'll be looking for an alternative.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Repricing our cabin under the Memorial Day Sale is a good thing!

    Festive Carib ... $s Saved

    May 26, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Oceania began a Memorial Day Sale yesterday. Reviewing the list of cruises to which the sale applies, I noted that our RTW2023 precursor cruise to the Caribbean was included.

    The sale is for a 4-category upgrade ... for new bookings. Darn! Not that we wanted to upgrade our cabin, really. That would mean moving cabins on turnaround day in Miami when the 198-day version of RTW2023 begins. I just wanted to take advantage of the lower pricing for our current cabin category.

    Hmmm! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? So, I sent off an email to see if we could reprice the cruise under the sale fare and keep the same cabin. Turns out that we could.

    The revised invoice was in my inbox this morning. We've repriced cruises before, but this time the new fare is saving us a really nice chunk of change.

    Any savings is a good savings I say.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    The 180-day voyage will have eight segments.

    RTW2023 Segments

    June 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    Oceania bundled RTW2023 with a couple of segments this year ... prior to or after the San Francisco to San Francisco voyage. Those longer versions of the itinerary went on sale at the same time the 180-day voyage did.

    I've been expecting that the 180-day voyage for 2023 would have segments. Just like all the previous world cruises Oceania has done since the first one in 2015.

    I've no idea when the segments came out for next year's 180-day itinerary. But someone on the roll call who had originally booked the full voyage mentioned recently that they had canceled and then rebooked two of the segments.

    So I went looking today. Looks like there will be eight segments ... just like the 2017 voyage.

    Pacific Panorama … San Francisco, California to Santiago, Chile
    Antarctica Explorer ... Santiago, Chile to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Atlantic Expedition ... Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa
    Safaris & Global Gems ... Cape Town, South Africa to Dubai, UAE
    Far East Legends ... Dubai, UAE to Singapore
    Southeast Asia Array ... Singapore to Hong Kong, China
    Spiritual Shrines ... Hong Kong, China to Tokyo, Japan
    Aleutian Bridgeway ... Tokyo, Japan to San Francisco, California

    I don't think the last three segments will remain as is. But time will tell.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Final Payment ... 1st Installment.

    Cha-Ching! ... Installment #1

    June 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    The final payment for RTW2023 — the 198-day version — is at hand.

    This voyage must be paid off by the end of June. My Chase credit card gives two points per dollar spent on travel. So, I'm using it to make the final payment ... in increments. I've got a carefully calculated schedule to ensure I don't miss the deadline.

    The first installment of the payment was today. Cha-Ching!    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Not just a flight switcheroo, but an airline switcheroo as well.

    UA Out ... SW In

    June 18, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    The short story ...

    United changed our December flight to Miami to an earlier departure ... 8:29a. It would have been OK if the flight was originating from COS ... which is a short drive away. It’s not OK for a flight originating from DEN ... which is 1.5 hours away ... if the traffic cooperates.

    Back to the drawing board.

    There were no other nonstop United flights that worked for us. So, I canceled the booking. The miles for the award tickets are already back in Mui's account ... the taxes & fees and the Economy+ upgrade fees are being refunded to the credit card. Easy peasy.

    After checking multiple airlines, we ended up booking a nonstop Southwest flight to get us to Miami. We'll be arriving a bit later than we wanted, but it beats getting up at the crack of dawn to make an early morning flight out of DEN.    Read more

  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Paid In Full!

    Cha-Ching! ... Paid in Full

    June 27, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Done!!!

    I paid the third and last installment of the final payment for RTW2023 today. The proof that I owe nothing further came in the form of an updated Oceania invoice.

    Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we're now fully committed to our 198-day adventure.Read more

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