SailorJack

It was a big long...but I am glad you worked your way through it.😀 Jack

Glad you enjoyed it. Jack

Glad you enjoyed it - it was a fun write. Jack

Sorry to hear about the delays. We got off in San Pedro and (absent the Noro Virus) had a great cruise. As a previous poster mentioned, our Captain on that cruise was very good about communicating problems.Hope things get better. Jack

You are right. I tried one and that was it. I think I gained weight just looking at it!😀 Jack

That is a long haul. And I thought 32 days was tough! At least you have time to prepare for it.😀. Jack

We currently reside in Arizona, and as you probably know, Arizona is in the middle of the Sonoran desert, which has an annual rainfall about equal to that of a wet sponge. That is why SailorJill has signed us up for a 32 day cruise on the Princess Sapphire through the South Pacific - 11 million square miles of nothing but water. OK, it also has a few islands! We had hoped our two daughters - Alexis ( we named her that because if we hadn’t had her we could be driving one) and Mercedes (don’t ask) could join us but neither could get the time off. So it will just be Jill and me enjoying being on the water again. It has been a few years since we sailed on Princess and there have apparently been some changes. Our travel agent had suggested we book something called “Princess Plus,” which is more expensive than “Princess Basic.” However, despite the added cost, when she mentioned that it included two free “special” desserts a day I was hooked - who could turn down 64 special desserts! Day 1 - San Pedro We have arrived at the port, and as luck would have it, it was raining. As we were heading to the warm and balmy South Pacific, I had told Jill that we would not need rain gear as the chances of rain were small and we had to conserve space as we were packing for a 32 day trip. So we are standing in line to check in and I am trying to avoid a somewhat icy, wet stare from Jill while offering up a silent prayer that it not get cold anywhere as I had made a similar argument about packing coats! After making it through the check-in process we were sitting in the waiting area when another passenger entered carrying (and I swear I am not making this up) a 10 pack of toilet paper. Now I know Princess has made some changes since we last sailed, but I was somewhat concerned as we had only packed one roll. Just kidding - we didn’t bring any! I’m thinking - maybe I should have booked Princess Premium! Then as I looked around, I noticed that several other passengers had brought ukuleles. Did that mean we were going to have to entertain ourselves as well? This was shaping up to be a very interesting cruise. Anyway, after a couple of hours waiting in the reception area (and scoping out what other interesting things people were bringing) we were finally allowed to board. It was here that I hoped to earn redemption. I had booked a mini-suite as a surprise for Jill! The process itself was not without its some level of confusion. A momentary bit of confusion occurred when, in early October, I checked the price of a balcony cabin and was astounded to see that it had dropped by $3,500 each from what I had paid! Obviously quite concerned that our travel agent had neglected to notify us of this development, I immediately emailed her. SailorJack: “ I just noticed that the cost of our Princess Plus guaranteed balcony cabin is down by $7,000 from what I paid! Can we cancel and rebook? Please let me know.” Travel Agent: “ You didn’t book a balcony you booked a mini- suite.” SailorJack: “Oh. Never mind.” She was right. In an effort to save my marriage and preserve my ability to sail on a future fantasy voyage, I had booked, for the first time ever, a mini -suite. Our last cruise had been on the Azamara cruise line - which apparently uses refurbished Liberty ships from the late 1940s. Now don’t get me wrong, the furnishings were nice, the crew was outstanding, and the other passengers were marvelous, but the rooms were slightly smaller than those at a Supermax. But after 23 days of having to go down the hall to use the facilities, Jill informed me that if I ever booked a room that small again I could look for a solo rate. Hence - the mini suite! In the course of unpacking my suitcase, Jill held up a couple of boxes of cookies I had packed and, with a complete sense of bewilderment, inquired as to why I had brought food onboard an “all you can eat” cruise ship! SailorJack (somewhat defensively): “You told me to!” SailorJill: “I what?” SailorJack: “I distinctly remember you telling me to bring Samoas on the cruise!” SailorJill: “ I did not - wait a minute Jack. I did not tell you to bring Samoas on the cruise, I said that we would be going to Samoa on the cruise!” SailorJack: “Oh.” Well, to paraphrase Strother Martin - “What we had here was a failure to communicate. Attempting to redeem myself, I cast myself as a person who looks ahead - “well, where else would we get something to eat when the restaurants were closed.” Jill’s response was “Two words, Jack - Room Service.” DAY 2 - At Sea Upon inspecting our mini suite yesterday I was delighted to see that it had a bathtub. So after a hard day of laying around the pool, watching entertainment, and snacking at the International Cafe I figured I had earned a hot, relaxing soak in our bathtub. While the relaxing started off great - and I mean it was really nice - it ended up much like a skit on Saturday Night Live. First of all, the tub was a LOT smaller than the one at home. Secondly, it got narrower at the bottom than it was at the top - sort of like the letter V. Thirdly, (and I think science will back me up on this) the hot water must have caused my body to swell, as I could could not get up! I was sort of wedged in. In the end, I swallowed my pride and called Jill for help. It was a mistake: Jill: “Maybe if we soaped the sides of the tub, Jack.” Jill: “Maybe if we add more water you could float up a bit.: Jill: “Maybe I should go get your mask and snorkel.” Apparently running out of bon mots, Jill gave a a hand up out of the tub but spent the rest of cruise referring to the tub as our Jack Cuzzi. As the mini-suite has an oversized deck we spent a great amount of time relaxing in our stateroom - enjoying the deck and the Coronas that Jill had thoughtfully loaded into our mini-fridge. It was a nice start to our vacation and boded well for the upcoming 30 days. Note: Getting into the spirit of our cruise to Hawaii, we have decided to refer to our deck as our “lanai” - which caused some confusion when we told people where we spent the afternoon. Dinner tonight, however, was a little confusing. When we went down to the Vivaldi Dining Room we found that there were two lines. One Line said “Reservations” and the other line was labeled “No Reservations.” As it turns out this was another change that occurred since our last cruise. One now apparently needed reservations for dinner. Not quite sure at this point what to do we got in the “Reservations” line and asked if we could make a reservation. We were told (very politely) that basically that there was “no soup for you” and directed to the “No Reservations” line. However, the “No Reservations” line was exceedingly long and was populated with desperate, emaciated looking people with pallid skin and whose eyes seemed bereft of hope. One could almost sense that they were thinking: “Please, sir, could I have some more?” So we debated as to whether we should go over to the International Cafe to see if they required reservations or try the Horizon Cafe. Note: The International Cafe does not require reservations - as readers of this report undoubtedly already knew! To make a long story short, we dined at the Horizon and then made reservations for the rest of the cruise. DAY 3 - At Sea and Steaming Towards Oahu. I found out today that Jill had signed us up for something called a “cabin crawl.” It was, explained Jill, not a seagoing version of a Saturday night in a fraternity house, but an opportunity to visit other cabin categories. Now to participate in a cabin crawl you have to act as a host for your cabin. This entails locking up all your valuables, hiding your prescription drugs, and stocking up on wine and snacks for your guests. You then wait for a hoard of strangers to descend upon your cabin, drink all your wine, drop crumbs on your bed, and rifle through your closet to see we if we had anything in their size. On the upside, I received several compliments on the Samoas! Then, after hosting your own cabin, you can join the crowd and start to visit other staterooms. However, this is where the wheels fell off the cart: we visited a full sized suite. It was so luxurious and spacious that I thought that there might be a string quartet out on the balcony - but it was just the stereo. As I glanced at Jill the gleam in her eye said millions - which is about what this was going to cost me on future cruises! As we toured the suite I did see a very colorful Hawaiian shirt, but It wasn’t my size Day 5 - At Sea The Princess Patter today listed an hour long Complimentary Massage Taster. A Massage Taster? Free? SailorJill suggested we go up to the Lotus Spa to see what it was, but I resisted - I was having to much fun fantasizing what it might entail! Today Princess hosted a veterans get together in the Wheelhouse. It was well attended and included veterans and military personnel from other counties, including Canada, the UK, and Australia. We each took a turn standing up and giving a brief description of our service experience and my heart went out to those who suffered injuries as a result of their time in the military. One gentleman stated that in addition to PTSD he also suffered from CHS. That was a new one to all of us so he explained that it stood for “Can’t Hear *****!” Day 7 - Honolulu Oahu,Hawaii We have arrived in Honolulu, Oahu . While we have been here many times before, we have never attended a Luau - which is on our agenda for tonight. Upon arriving at the Luau we were gifted with a beautiful flower lei and escorted to a seat from which we could see the preparation of the banquet table. The highlight of the presentation was the arrival of the barbecued pig. While I enjoyed the procession I felt sorry for the porker as he was apparently in the process of having his own dinner when he was cooked -as there was still an apple in his mouth. Or maybe it was just for show - I hope so! Central to the dinner was the dish unique to Hawaii - Poi; which apparently is short for Poitang - a derivative of the Canadian dish, Poutine. Both dishes are derived from a root vegetable, are eaten with your fingers, and are as equally unappetizing. But when in Rome. And, according to custom, one only eats poi with the fingers of the right hand. Woe befall the person who uses the left hand! Now the question arises as to how many fingers to use. For obvious cultural reasons sticking out one finger is out of the question, and four fingers looks to much like a scoop. So we we are down to two or three fingers. According to the Hawaiian Culinary Guide, one uses two fingers if your BMI is below 130 and three fingers if not. A highlight of the luau was the Fire Dance performed by a Hawaiian dance team. In the middle of the dance Jill leaned over and told me that while she enjoyed the performance, she still liked my fire dance better. Before you take that as a complement, you have to understand that this is what is known as sarcasm. We live in the afore mentioned Sonoran desert - so our backyard is enclosed with a six foot high adobe wall to keep out the desert fauna - mountain lions, havalinas, coyotes, bobcats, neighbors, etc. On July 4th last, one of our fireworks landed outside the wall and set a small fire amongst the dry flora. As our hose (naturally) did not reach that far, I was forced to leap over the wall and try to extinguish it before it spread down the arroyo and up the hill to our neighbors. I tried to accomplish this by stomping on the bushes and swatting them with a beach towel - that soon caught fire itself! So there I was, stomping up and down on the bushes and swinging a burning towel - all of which was dutifully filmed by Jill for her future amusement. While I was able to extinguish the fire, I had to agree a little with Jill - while the Hawaiian fire dance team certainly had better choreography, I think they lacked the motivation of my own fire dance. Day 8 - Kahului, Maui Hawaii This port was a substitute for Lahaina - which had suffered a disastrous fire and was still in the process of recovering. Not only was in raining, but the port itself was disappointing, and, like many others aboard, we stayed on the ship and enjoyed the onboard activities - which included the ever popular ring toss challenge! It was also here that we suspect that the Noro virus sneaked aboard. To be completely correct, it was labeled “gastrointestinal illness.” We even eventually made the news as the USA Today newspaper reported that we had 97 reported cases among the passengers and 20 cases among the crew. The key word here is “reported.” We later became aware that at least some people did not report it in order to avoid the three day quarantine that would ensue from reporting it. The number of reported cases would continue to grow and it was only on the last day of the cruise that there were no reported new cases. Day 13 - At Sea Today we crossed the equator. This is a momentous event in sailing lore and in the days of sail, crew members that experienced their first crossing were tossed overboard into the open sea as a test of their courage. That tradition continues to this day. However, and unfortunately, the process of throwing passengers overboard has been discontinued due to insurance issues. The ceremony now involves humiliating several passengers ( who represent all the pollywogs) in a ceremony overseen by King Neptune and his Queen. While the ship’s crew gave the captain a list of passengers whom they would like to see be involved, the victims were actually volunteers. Upon completion of the ceremony we were all promoted to Shellbacks and the appropriate documentation soon arrived in our stateroom. DAY 15 Pago Pago, American Samoa We have arrived at the iconic port of Pago Pago - a location so nice that it had to be named twice - joining other such memorable double-named places as New York, New York, Walla Walla, and Sing Sing. (We will leave the discussion regarding Puka Puka for another time!) The first thing that one must learn upon arriving at this Samoan port is how to pronounce it. Although it is spelt “Pago Pago,” it cannot actually be pronounced that way because apparently one cannot pronounce the diphthong “ag” in the Samoan language - you must have a noun between the two letters. After much debate among the literati on the island, the letter “n” was selected - in honor of the sea goddess Nanaimo, who, according to legend, created the island by raising the seabed. So, with the letter “n” properly inserted, the correct pronunciation is Pango Pango - with a soft “a”. I know this is confusing, but not as much as the story behind PeePee Falls, Hawaii - but space prohibits that discussion at this time! In Pago Pago we are really looking forward to snorkeling with stingrays. We signed up for a half day excursion that included lunch and we enjoyed a picturesque ride out to the snorkeling site. After the safety lecture I put on my fins and mask and was about to jump in when I saw not only stingrays, but sharks! I turned to the tour guide and said no way was I going to swim with sharks! His reply, which I am sure was his version of humor, was “But sharks have to eat too.” I noticed, however, that nobody else was volunteering to be the first in the water! As I bent down to take off my fins, I found myself in the water surrounded by stingrays. The sharks were circling about 10 feet away. Tour guide: “Bravo, it was brave of you to be the first to jump into the water!” Sailorjack: “I was pushed!” SailorJill: (trying to hide a huge smile) “Sorry, Jack. It was an accident.” It was about that time that I felt something slide up my backside. It wasn’t Jill - I was looking at her up on the boat. That left two alternatives; it was either a shark looking for the tenderest place to bite (in which case it will soon swim around to my stomach) or it was a stingray easing itself up to the top of my head for some reason that was probably not in my best interest. As it turned out it was a stingray and he was just letting me know he was there in case I happened to have a spare fish or two. Seeing that I was still alive, Jill jumped in followed by the rest of the people on the boat. We actually had a great time petting the stingrays and enjoying the warm Pacific waters. I should note that the sharks, while continuing to swim in circles around the boat, kept their distance and made no attempt to emulate the stingrays! The fact that I am writing this review is evidence that I survived the encounter DAY 16 - Apia, Samoa We enjoyed a full day tour of Apia - which is on a very beautiful island. Apia is notable as it was the last home of Robert Louis Stevenson. His home, Villa Valima, is now a very well restored museum that is on the tour. He is buried close by on Mount Vaea. The path up to his grave site is called Ala o le Alofa or the “Road of Loving Hearts.” The grave site is often referred to as the least visited memorial of renowned western authors. Our desire to visit his memorial was quickly assuaged when our guide informed us it involved a hike of over a quarter mile up Mt Vaea. As you can well understand, I was somewhat reluctant to risk a heart attack on the Loving Heart road and opted, instead, to watch the kava ceremony. One can now understand why it might be the least visited memorial of a noted author! Day 17 - At Sea Years ago on another cruise I had signed up for a land excursion to the Wadi Rum Factory in Jordan. Well, not only was there no rum, there was no factory. Apparently Wadi Rum is Arabic for “middle of nowhere.” While I have to admit that the the scenery was breathtaking stunning, there was a certain sense of the alien to it. This is probably why any movie with the name “Mars” in it was filmed here. Movies such as “The Last Days of Mars”, “The Martian”, “Mission to Mars”, and “The Eyes of Laura Mars” were all shot in total or in part at Wadi Rum” OK, maybe not the last one. I mention this because as after sailing for seventeen days into the Pacific out of Los Angeles we have apparently reached the maritime version of Wadi Rum. We really are in the middle of nowhere. There are no birds, no flying fish - which have been following us for the past day or so - and no cell phone connection! Millennials, whose first words were probably not “Mommy” or “Daddy”, but “OMG” and “Can you hear me now” are pacing the deck holding their phones up to the sun and praying to Ra for a signal. But while there may be a dozen bars on the Sapphire there are no bars on the phones! Personally, I don’t understand how this can be! According to the Union of Concerned Scientist’s Satellite Database there are 7,500 satellites circling the earth. If the average satellite circles the earth 16 times an hour there is approximately 150,000 opportunities an hour-to make a connection! And that number does not include the International Space Station. And (I swear I am not making this up) the Station has an Espresso Machine! That’s right - science has progressed to the point that people can live in space, work out in a on-board gym and enjoy an afternoon espresso, but cannot figure out how to get a phone signal back to earth and to a hundred and fifteen thousand ton cruise ship in the middle of the ocean back on earth! Thankfully, however, connections were eventually restored and life returned to normal. We also received a letter today signed by “Ships Management” acknowledging what we already knew - there were cases of gastrointestinal illnesses on the ship and that enhanced disinfection protocols were being enacted. Day 18 - Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands We have arrived in Suva, the capital of Fiji, which is located on the largest island - Viti Levu. For our visit today we have signed up for a private half day tour of some of the sights around Suva. Our first stop is to be a remote Fijian village located in a valley high in the mountains overlooking Suva. It is a rather long drive to get there, but we are really looking forward to getting away from the big city and visiting a traditional and unspoiled village. As we made the turn off the main road and onto the well-worn gravel path our first sighting was that of 15 to 20 buses, vans, cars, and taxis filling up the parking spaces. OK, maybe not so unspoiled! Walking past the kiosks selling t-shirts, crafts, and, believe it or not, bottle openers (we bought one!) and purses, we came to a large stage where villagers were assembled. We were welcomed with a kava ceremony and then entertained by a very talented troupe of singers and dancers. This was followed by a very agile villager performing a traditional fire dance - although I did detect the very untraditional odor of lighter fluid! He then invited us off the stage to join him in a Fijian traditional snake dance - which, on our part, sort of resembled a mix of a conga line and the bunny hop. After a lunch which consisted of locally grown food, we boarded our van and left for our next stop. I should mention that this was an outstanding stop and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Our next stop was at the Colo-I-Suva Forest National Park. The setting was a rain forest and, naturally, it was raining! But the setting was stunning! We visited the Rainforest Eco-lodge and took shelter from the rain and enjoyed a bottle of Fiji Gold - the local brew. It was great! The lodge itself, located in the rainforest and overlooking a small lake is a destination in itself. If we ever return we will stay here. After the beer, we boarded the van and plunged deeper into the fain forest in search of the hidden waterfall. The path leading down to the waterfall was wet from the rain and quite slippery - we witnessed several dramatic sitzplatzes on the way, but managed to stay upright ourselves. At the bottom of the path I could hear the waterfall but could not see it until Jill pointed it out. This was a waterfall? Granted, it was water and it was falling - for all of six feet! The water feature in my back yard is almost bigger than this. According to the Waterfall Evaluation Tribunal (WET), to be classified as a waterfall “The horizontal distance between the positions of the lip and the plunge pool should be no more tan 25% of the waterfall height.” And, clearly that was not the case here. At best, this should be categorized as merely a Cascade, and in fact, the Polynesian word for this waterfall is toparaa pape which roughly translates as “big drip.“ Anyway, the plunge pool did look inviting and we both took off our shoes and socks and joined others in bathing in the cool water. Left unanswered was the question as to whether this was the source of the “natural artesinial water” found in the relatively expensive bottles of Fiji water. DAY 19 - Davuni Island, Fiji If you have ever pictured a south pacific island with crystal clear water washing up on clean white sandy beaches shaded with palm trees you have pictured Davuni Island. The island is surrounded by the Great Astrolabe Reef and is a divers paradise. The island has only one village and our tenders dropped us off right at the center of the village. The information sheet that we were given about the village stressed that if we were invited into a bure (hut) we were to take off our shoes and sit cross-legged. Once ashore it became obvious that being invited into a bure probably would not occur as it appeared the entire village was on the beach selling souvenirs, boat rides, beer, and crafts. Those not selling items were offering 15 minute massages for $10. That said, the islanders were a delight. Eager to help and talk about their island, they were quick with a smile and a bula (boola)- a Fijian greeting and welcome rolled into one word. Walking along the sandy beach I passed two Fijian trades people and offered up a Boola Boola. What! Could it really be? Yes! It suddenly dawned on me that I had just discovered the origin of the Yale University fight song! Obviously a student from Fiji had come to Yale and endowed it with a touch of Fijian culture. It is probably no coincidence that Boola Boola rhymes with Moola Moola - a lot of which is required to go to Yale. This is an prime example how travel brings knowledge and insight to those who explore other cultures. Later, taking advantage of the warm waters off the island, we put on our snorkels and started to wade out. The problem here was that the sandy bottom was so soft that your feet sank into it and you lose your balance, This happened to me and I called out to Jill to warn her. To no avail. A couple of steps into the water she toppled over and landed flat on her back in the sand.: SailorJill (After struggling to get back up): “Jack, come over here and help me up.” SailorJack: “Just flip over and push yourself up.” SailorJill: “ I’m not a damn turtle Jack, come help me!” Wading over to her I, of course, fell over again - which brought a smile to her lips -- and which seemed to mollify the situation. Yes. I pulled her up! Day 20 - At Sea We were awakened this morning by an announcement over the loud speaker that there was smoke on Deck 11 and that staterooms were being evacuated on that deck. The evacuation did not go completely smoothly. In one instance a woman in her shower was yelling that she could not evacuate as she was in the shower, coloring her hair and had no clothes on. SailorJill gave me a stern look and said “No!” In any event, we now had homeless people on the ship. A follow up announcement told us that the source of the smoke could not be found on Deck 11 and that action teams were now being sent to Decks 10 and 12. Having experienced a fire on a previous cruise on NCL’s Dream, the second announcement led me to turn to SailorJill. “No, Jack, we are not going to our muster station.” Sometime later a third announcement gave an all clear and informed us that the source of the smoke had been located and that it was from a AC unit and was being repaired. Also, today is Wednesday and we crossed the International Date Line again. Tomorrow will be Wednesday again! Frankly, this criss- crossing of the international dateline on this cruise has become extremely confusing and making it hard to track our voyage. Our daughter Alexis emailed us and asked us to send her a travel update tomorrow. I responded that I think we already had! Day 24 - Moorea, French Polynesia We have arrived in Moorea, a sister island to Tahiti - and the anchorage is shrouded in fog and rain. But shortly after breakfast the trade winds arrived and cleared the skies - leaving us with a breathtaking view of craggy mountains surrounding the bay. It is absolutely stunning. The Trade Winds not only cleared the skies, but the breeze helps offset the tropical heat of the day - and one can certainly understand what inspired Alan Lerner to pen the beautiful ballad “They Call the Wind Moorea.” Today we have signed up or a snorkeling excursion. Snorkeling in Moorea is one of the few places where snorkelers can swim with humpback whales and we are looking forward to the possibility - even though it was not the season for them. After a short boat ride to a private island we spent the day swimming with black tip sharks, rays, and and an outstanding collection of tropical fish. No whales, but It was a fun day and a fitting end to our visit to the South Pacific before our 8 sea days back to San Pedro. Day 32 - San Pedro, California Is thirty two days to long to be on a ship? Ordinarily I would say yes, but Jill has signed us up for another 32 trip on Oceania. In any event, we are looking forward to getting home and replacing our bottles of Fiji water.

Kiss the Fish! Jack and Jill

Thanks for the tip, we will be in Dravuni next April. Jack and Jill

Just came across your post. Glad you enjoyed the Dream review. My latest one is still on page one on the Azamara board. Hope you enjoy it. Jack

Glad you enjoyed it. I also agree that Muscat is a fun port, but I also think there is a lot more to do in Dubai. In any event, both places are great to visit. Jack

Thanks for the heads up on the hotel, but a little late for this trip. Our traveling companions, however, are staying in a hotel in Deira and I'll ask them about the area. Jack

If you have not been to Dubai, I really recommend that you put it on your bucket list. To us, it is sort of like Hong Kong - the city never sleeps! From a cultural perspective it really is where east meets west - where Arabic culture blends with Western culture without a Hick-up. .And it is constantly changing and growing. You know those huge cranes that are used to build skyscrapers? Twenty-five percent of the world's supply are in Dubai! . And there is so much to do there. Time and space does not permit a full list - but some of our favorites: Visiting Dubai Mall - the largest in the world with 1,200 retail stores. After shopping we go snow skiing inside the mall. (Younger enthusiasts go snowboarding. Even younger ones go tubing.). Also ice skating - $40 our last time there. While at the mall you can also visit the aquarium and underwater zoo. We usually have lunch there as well as there some great eateries at the mall. High tea at Burj Al Arab Hotel. A bit pricey at nearly $200 each (with champagne, of course.) It is an experience that cannot be matched (google it:) Visiting the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world at 163 floors - slightly over a half mile high. From the observation deck on the 124th floor you can Iran 95 miles away. (Also a very nice place to stay!) Dinner cruise on a Dhow on Dubai creek. With all of the Dhows outlined in a kaleidoscope of colors it is more about the entertainment than the food -which is always good. Souks - soak up the culture of Arabia by visiting the many souks. You can take a HOHO bus that drops you off at each souk so you can shop and marvel and then catch the next HOHO to the next souk (or to the Burj Al Arab for high tea.😀) Did I mention how rich the country is? The police in Dubai drive Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Bugattis. In fact the Bugatti police cars are rated at over 200mph. The joke is that people beg to be arrested so they can ride in one. As I mentioned, there is so much do there and each visit we find other things to experience. Which is why we are looking forward to being there in a couple of months. Jack

Just got back from a long absence and just saw your post. Glad you enjoyed the review. Thanks for posting. Upcoming cruises: Barcelona to Dubai on the Oceana Riviera and a 31 day roundtrip from LA to the South Pacific on The Sapphire Princess. Our first time on Oceana and looking forward to visiting Dubai again. Probably won't review the Oceania trip but should review the Princess one. So my next review should be on the Princess board. Again, thanks for your comments.

I don't know how much I can help with this as we didn't travel with kids on this trip. However, unless you plan on leaving the port towns I don't think you need private guides. We toured on the cheap. In one town we googled free walking tours. Our guide was a delightful lady who had lived in town her entire life and led our group of 8 on a three hour tour of the spots most tourists will miss - while also pointing out the best bakeries and gift shops where the locals shopped. The only cost of the tour was the tip we gave the guide. In another port we took a HOHO bus and enjoyed the sights of the town. The bus left from a stop next to a three story mall and we spent time in there while waiting for the bus. The mall and the bus stop were about a 10 minute walk from the ship. You can also look at the ship tours and see if anything is of interest to your teenagers. No matter what you do I think you will enjoy the islands. Jack

Thanks for your comments.😀 As I mentioned in the review, the west Africa ports are new to tourism and have not yet developed the infrastructure. Capetown, however, was a great port as were all the ones in the Canary Islands.

Glad you enjoyed it! Jack

Thanks all, any thoughts on Nice?

OMG... I had not thought of that! Then could Senor Frogs, Columbia Emeralds, and Carlos n Charlie be far behind!😄

How close is the cruise ship dock from town? Can you walk from the cruise port into town? Same question for Nice. Thanks Jack

Thank you. Jack

What are the current gratuities for Oceana -including for penthouse cabins. Thank you Jack

We didn't incur some of the problems that confronted you, but in our discussions aboard the ship we concluded that the major problem of that particular itinerary was that West Africa was just not tourist oriented. Now that could be a good thing or a bad on. On the positive side, we did not see a single t-shirt shop in any of the ports! Compare that to the Caribbean. Also prices were extremely low. In one port we rented a taxi for $20 an hour. On the other hand there was very little infrastructure to support tourism. In one port we could not find any taxis or tour groups. We finally went to a hotel and had the concierge call someone to drive us around. The resultant response was a 25 year old car with a driver who spoke very little English. But we had a good time with him! It will be interesting to see what happens in these ports in a few years.

LOL😄 Sorry about that! However, I think that the Journey song was one of the best to come out of the 80's. If you have to have an ear worm you do worse.😀 Jack

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you like the one on Azamara - it was our first time for that cruise line and the itinerary was unique for us. AND... Lgdesign - thanks for your comment. I had a lot of fun with the Dream review.