Discover 7 Continents with Bill & Mary Ann as we sail on the 2012 World Cruise

[johnlcruise]

This is Great. Now my winter is set to follow your Most Excellent Adventure. I really enjoy your posts. Have fun.

[kimgeo]

My DH and I loved coming on your trip last year (virtually-that is). We are newly retired and hopefully in a few years we can make a similar trip (the real deal-not virtually!).

Thanks so much for all the work and resources you use on your trip to include all of us!

[airlink diva]

It's that time again for Bill and Mary Ann's world cruise adventure!

I look forward each year to your travels,esp on the world cruise!

Your travels is one of the most popular on the Holland America board each year!

I doubt if I will ever be able to afford even one world cruise,but yet I get to go each year with you.

Thank you again for taking the time out of your vacation to allow us to share!!

[TENNCruisers]

Looking forward to following your blog. You do a great job.

Hope that you will be on the 2013 WC. We are going to be on that one and will be looking forward to seeing you again.

Orlin and Barbara

[WCB]

Thank you all for your encouraging comments on our upcoming saga. It makes it even more fun for us when we know it is truly read.

 

Barbara and Orlin............we look forward to seeing you in 2013. We enjoyed your blog on the Asia/Pacific cruise in the fall.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[NMLady]

Thank you all for your encouraging comments on our upcoming saga. It makes it even more fun for us when we know it is truly read.

 

Barbara and Orlin............we look forward to seeing you in 2013. We enjoyed your blog on the Asia/Pacific cruise in the fall.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Your saga is definitely read. I am one of the many who enjoys the details of your Grand Voyages, hoping to one day be able to afford one myself.

 

May you have smooth seas and delightful adventures.

[windsor26]

Oh yes Mary and Bill your live froms are definitely read - and drooled over - my DH hates it when you start a new voyage as this makes me 'mention' I would love to do a world cruise:D:D

Have you ever done one with another cruise line or do you always use HA?

[Carolin]

YAY!! I have been scouring the boards for you since your last cruise ended. Thank you so much for posting again this trip.

 

Bon Voyage and have a wonderful world cruise.

[WCB]

Hi Windsor26,

 

The other cruise lines we have used for world cruises are Regent and Seabourn. They were wonderful experiences, but pricey. We prefer HAL for several reasons, some of which are value for the dollar, the excellent crew and staff, and the number of repeat world cruiser friends we have come to know and love.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[I&J Cruisers]

Wow! You're doing it yet again. I just checked the HAL boards because I realized it was that time of the year. I'll be following along and enjoying with everyone else. Bon Voyage.

Irene

[WCB]

Report # 2 December 27, 2011 Tuesday Still getting ready

 

Christmas seems to get better every year, as we found out yesterday. The family arrived in time to help load the duffels in the garage, ready to be picked up tomorrow afternoon. Each bag is solidly packed, labeled with at least 4 ID's, and are as good as they will get. If we forgot something, we can add it along the way. Keeping a detailed list from year to year has helped. It's like following a recipe, deleting or adding when necessary. Eventually, we will get it perfect!

 

There are some important factors to be done prior to the trip, so we figured this might be a good time to list them. First and foremost are the dreaded taxes........income and property. It has worked quite well to pay ahead on both counts. We always catch up with the difference once we get home in the spring, as long as we have filed the extensions and sent the required amounts for the state and federal bills.

 

Acquiring a 4 1/2 month supply of prescriptions can be challenging. Perhaps because this is a very busy time of year for the pharmacies due to winter maladies, having enough stock on hand to fill these quantities is not always readily available. And since the holiday schedules disrupted their open days, everything got delayed. Wish we could have started earlier, but the insurance companies operate on their monthly schedule, so we had to have lots of patience. It did get done, only it took over two weeks. Most of these prescriptions can be purchased in other countries without a doctor's slip. We have been lucky to have found meds we needed in Dubai, and at a much lower cost, we might add. Many of our cruise buddies purchase a year's worth of their meds while in Mumbai, through a reputable pharmacist. However,we find it can take a lot of your time, and prefer to do other fun things while in that port. Also, we are not as confident that we are buying the REAL thing compared to what we get at home.

 

Since we house a large number of birds ( chickens, peacocks, pigeons, waterfowl, parakeets, and pheasants) as a hobby, it is necessary to fill the feed bins with a couple of tons of pellet. That requires two trips to a feed mill about 60 miles from our house. The timing has to be right, since this time of year can be complicated with dense fog and rain. Rain is something we have had little of, but the fog was really bad earlier in the month. Mid December turned out to be the perfect time to go. Now we have the job of thorough cleaning and spreading out the pine shavings. That should suffice until we get back. And thanks to the dependable help from our boys, the place should run smoothly in our absence. Thanks, guys!

 

Pruning trees and roses has kept us busy for several weeks. It is always a relief to have that job done, since it also produces a lot of future firewood and kindling. Cutting and splitting the wood has kept one of us quite warm in the unusually cold weather we have been experiencing.

 

And because of the dipping temps ( 22 degrees F. a few days ago ), the outside plumbing has had to be doubly insulated. In the past, we have had pipes break and flood for days before it was discovered. Not a good thing. So the older fittings have been replaced with new, and we keep our fingers crossed for the rest.

 

We did the final cleaning of the swimming pool filter for this year, and hope the majority of the dry autumn leaves have fallen by now. It seems like a pool is a magnet for the entire neighborhood's leaf drop! Cleaning out the mess reminds us that soon, we will be swimming in the Amsterdam's pool..................can't wait!

 

Oh yeah.....last minute sewing. We were lucky to have purchased several pieces of fabrics on our last world cruise. The plan was to create a garment once a month, through the summer and fall months. Did I keep that vow? Not exactly. This hobby usually falls in the last of the priorities, until the last minute. So the midnight lights have been going for the last couple of weeks, as I whip up the final seams and hems. In the past, much of the hand-sewing was saved for the trip. Ha, it gave me something to do on sea days. That will also be the plan for this upcoming trip.

 

And with that, we wait tomorrow for the Fed Ex folks to arrive and haul our duffels into their truck. That is when the realization that the trip is coming rapidly sinks in. Time to get excited!

 

Guess you're wondering where we are headed? Well, stay tuned, and we'll let you know soon.

 

To be continued...............

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Hurray! Fed Ex just arrived about 2:30pm, and the duffels are on their way!

[Johnny B]

Our Fed Ex truck just left the drive way (2:50)!

[superoma]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann

 

Thanks, again, for taking us along. We will be in John U Lloyd State park across from Port Everglades and the Amsterdam to wave you off on Jan 6. We are sailing her in August to Alaska and want to see her up close. Knowing you are on board starting your world cruise makes it doubly pleasurable. YOur blog will be my winter reading in Pompano Beach!!

[LadyFurn]

We will also be in Ft Lauderdale on Jan 6, waving to you from the Zuiderdam! We will have to catch up on your postings when we get back. Maybe we will see you wandering around, are you signing autographs? :cool:

[DeepWaterMariner]

Another one of your wonderful cruises to keep me entertained while I'm on dry land. This will the 4th of your trips I've enjoyed. Even the pre-cruise information is fascinating to us dreamers who may never make a world cruise. Thanks for taking us along.

[bet410]

Report # 2 December 27, 2011 Tuesday Still getting ready

 

Acquiring a 4 1/2 month supply of prescriptions can be challenging. Perhaps because this is a very busy time of year for the pharmacies due to winter maladies, having enough stock on hand to fill these quantities is not always readily available. And since the holiday schedules disrupted their open days, everything got delayed. Wish we could have started earlier, but the insurance companies operate on their monthly schedule, so we had to have lots of patience. It did get done, only it took over two weeks. Most of these prescriptions can be purchased in other countries without a doctor's slip. We have been lucky to have found meds we needed in Dubai, and at a much lower cost, we might add. Many of our cruise buddies purchase a year's worth of their meds while in Mumbai, through a reputable pharmacist. However,we find it can take a lot of your time, and prefer to do other fun things while in that port. Also, we are not as confident that we are buying the REAL thing compared to what we get at home.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Hurray! Fed Ex just arrived about 2:30pm, and the duffels are on their way!

 

I'm very interested in your comment about getting meds overseas. I've been having major problems with getting some of my prescriptions filled (mostly because of vacation overrides). I'm still short of what I need for two of my prescriptions. :eek:

 

You mentioned Mumbai. Is there a reputable pharmacy that's relatively easy to get to - just in case I do need more of an Rx? Do people just go in and buy, or is it necessary to bring a prescription bottle?

 

Any information would be very greatly appreciated as I'm becoming very concerned about getting these last two prescriptions filled before I leave for Florida on Sunday!

 

TYVM!!!

[Blue Eyes]

So excited to see your post. I always enjoy traveling along with you. Can't wait to see what travel jewels you will share with us this trip....

 

Are Grumpy and Slinky traveling along this time, too??

[King Neptune]

I'm looking forward to vicariously sailing with you again this year. Bon Voyage!

[rallydave]

Can't wait to read your daily blog's starting in little more than a week. After my DW and I booked the HAL World Cruise for 2013, read your entire 2011 Blog and learned quite a bit. Hope to learn more on your 2012 blog and looing forward to meeting both of you in 2013 to learn even more.

 

Have a safe trip to Ft Lauderdale and pease regale us with your wonderful posts about 2012.

 

See you on the Amsterdam in 2013.

 

 

 

Dave and Paige

[Gail and Ken]

Hi..I picked you up on the "Amsterdam World Cruise 2012" so I could meet all your travel mates this year..Nice to see you are going to blog again this year. We thoroughly enjoyed you 2011 Cruise and have been waiting for you to start this one. Wishing you a wonderful voyage and looking forward to your new adventures. We leave from Ft Lauderdale 3 days before you on Allure for the 2nd time. (cruise #28). One day we hope to sail on a world cruise but meanwhile just enjoy our mini cruises and your world cruises..

[ger_77]

How wonderful to be able to follow your adventures once more - thank you for bringing all of us along with you. A question about your fabrics; what type of garments did you make with your purchases?

 

Looking forward to your next world cruise with great anticipation!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[WCB]

bet410

We bet many of us are running into problems getting meds for 5 months. For some reason, this time it has been a bear getting approval.

Most people we know go to a pharmacy near the Oberi Hotel in Mumbai. Just ask at the front desk, and they can direct you there (short taxi ride). It would be a good idea to bring your prescription form or bottle with you to get the correct dosage. Don't believe you need a doctor's prescription form for most meds.

 

Blue Eyes

We have not seen Grumpy or Slinky on a world cruise since 2005, but sure would be nice if they were on this next one.

 

ger77

Most of the fabrics we purchased were sari lengths (6plus yards) and suitable for formals. The silky pieces were used for blouses. The last project is sewing an existing bejeweled sari so it fits like a skirt with a zipper, with the seven pleats sewn in place in the front. Much better than just wrapping it around you and hoping you don't unravel by the end of the evening!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[ger_77]

bet410

Most of the fabrics we purchased were sari lengths (6plus yards) and suitable for formals. The silky pieces were used for blouses. The last project is sewing an existing bejeweled sari so it fits like a skirt with a zipper, with the seven pleats sewn in place in the front. Much better than just wrapping it around you and hoping you don't unravel by the end of the evening!l

 

What a great idea, sewing a sari that doesn't come apart; I'd love to see a photo of it when it is finished! I love shopping for fabrics on cruises, no matter where we go - it's always interesting to see what I can purchase and create later.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[hpf]

Bill & Mary Ann, thank you for taking us on your wonderful adventure's once again. I read every one last year and I am so looking forward to following along again this year.

Have a wonderful trip and a very happy and exciting New Year.

Helen

[bet410]

bet410

We bet many of us are running into problems getting meds for 5 months. For some reason, this time it has been a bear getting approval.

Most people we know go to a pharmacy near the Oberi Hotel in Mumbai. Just ask at the front desk, and they can direct you there (short taxi ride). It would be a good idea to bring your prescription form or bottle with you to get the correct dosage. Don't believe you need a doctor's prescription form for most meds.

Mary Ann & Bill

 

Thanks so much for that information. One of the prescriptions came through today. The other one (mail order) is a totally different story! I called again today - not shipped yet! So I will have to call my doctor to request another prescription, get a 60-day supply from a local pharmacy, and hold out till Mumbai. The mail order company reminded me that I wouldn't get a 90-day supply. I reminded them that a 60-day supply gotten before I leave beats a 90-day supply that would have sat and waited till I got home!

 

I really appreciate knowing that I can most likely get something that will work while on the trip. I'll take the Rx bottle with me when I go.

 

Look forward to meeting you soon! :)

 

Barb