Discover Alaska

               Explore the Unspoiled Nature of the Last Frontier

From action-packed wilderness adventures to extraordinary

sightseeing, a journey to Alaska is an unforgettable experience.

There are three vacation options for experiencing the natural splendor of Alaska: Inside Passage, Northbound or Southbound cruise, and Guided Tours which
can be added to a cruise or completed on their own.

With the completion of our Inside Passage cruise from Seattle on Discovery Princess (May 8-15, 2022) we have now experienced all three options. We'd love to share our experiences with you.

We will start our exploration with our most recent voyage.

Disembarkation Day Sydney Australia

 No cruise to New Zealand is complete without spending time before and after the cruise in Sydney Australia.  In past posts, we looked at our pre-cruise stay.  Our post-cruise adventure begins here.

click images to enlarge

The sun was rising as Majestic Princess began the long process of disembarkation and turning around the ship with a new set of passengers.  These images from our balcony give you a glimpse of what we saw as this 13 day voyage to New Zealand drew to a close.

Since we were staying in Sydney for two more days, we were in no hurry to disembark the ship.  As elite members of  Princess Cruises, we had a lounge set aside for us to wait for our group to be called.

Post Cruise Hotel Stay

We couldn't fly all this way and only spend one day in Sydney, so we booked two more nights at the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay.  

Once outside the terminal we hailed a taxi, since despite the short distance to our hotel, we weren't about to walk there with all our luggage.  Unfortunately, the taxi driver wasn't happy to be getting such a small fare, but we made it worth his while with an extra tip.

Stay tuned for details on our post-cruise activities.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Sydney Marriott




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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National Anthem Day

click to enlarge images

O say can you see, by the dawns early light, a large red, white and blue banner? 

Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

We had the opportunity to visit Fort McHenry during our post cruise stay in Baltimore, MD after one of our conferences.

view our Fort McHenry photo album for more pictures

The flag pictured above was flown over the fort.   We were fortunate to be there for the lowering of the flag and raising of a much smaller flag that would fly through the evening hours.

Click here for the story behind the Star-Spangled Banner origin. The original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song that would become our national anthem, is among the most treasured artifacts in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Why not take your family on a cruise out of Baltimore, extend your stay, and visit Fort McHenry and the National Museum of American History to bring history to life.  You can read about the flag and the Star-Spangled Banner in text books or the internet, but seeing the actual flag and the fort where the national anthem was created will be an experience to treasure for a life time.

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Paihia Haere Mai

Click the image to read the inscription (prayer) 
that accompanies this statue in the heart of Paihia.  

Haere Mai to Paihia

This carved wood statue greeted us as we returned to the small town of Piahia, Bay of Islands, New Zealand after exploring the islands and caves by boat.

Haere Mai (click for pronunciation) is a Māori greeting: come here!  welcome!

Dolphins

The dolphin has special meaning to the Māori people, who often described dolphins as taniwha, or water spirits, and told stories about certain taniwha that had intervened in human life.

According to Ngāti Wai people, who inhabited islands off Auckland’s eastern coast, dolphins acted as messengers in times of need, carrying news from the islands to the mainland.

Bay of Islands On Your Own

Paihia photo album

For those that don't want to book a ship's excursion, you can visit the iSite (information site) once you arrive in Paihia by ship tender.  You will find these visitor information centers throughout your stay in New Zealand. 

Tour like a local with the information provided by workers at these centers.  They can provide you with ideas about things to do, how to get around, and even book your tours.

When we first arrived at the ship, we had been talking with our cabin steward about our cabin bar setup, and the topic of Orange Fanta® soda came up.  We found out he liked it as well.  In one of the shops, we asked where we might get some snacks and soda, and they directed us to the local grocery store, just down the block.  We found the orange soda on sale there, so we bought a few bottles, including one for our cabin steward.  He was quite surprised when we gave it to him.

We had a very enjoyable time exploring this little town following our shore excursion.

Explore more in our photo album:
Paihia photo album



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Diary of Southeast Asia Voyage

Looking to Escape Winter Blues?

If you've sailed to the Caribbean several times, you are probably looking for a new destination for your winter escape.  Have you ever considered Southeast Asia?

Journey to Southeast Asia (R/T Singapore)

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.

Escape from Winter

As we update this article with our pre-booked shore excursions, it is-3^°F here and 80^°F in Singapore. January is prime time for snowbirds in the states to escape to warmer climates. For most people, the first choices for winter getaways are Florida and the Caribbean. We suggest broadening your horizon and exploring more of the world. It's quite warm in Southeast Asia and you'll be immersed in sights, sounds, food, and culture of this Asian destination. If you are intrigued, follow us on our journey.

Click Image for Southeast Asia Shutterfly Photo Album Page

Come along with us as we provide a day by day diary of our voyage to Southeast Asia.

15 Day Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
Mon Jan 8	Travel Pre-Cruise - Singapore	Journey to Southeast Asia Singapore Pre Cruise	Chicago & LA Flights Hong Kong Airport HGK to SIN Flight Changi Airport Singapore Crowne Plaza
Tue Jan 9	Singapore  View general port information  Check In 12:00pm-3:00pm	Singapore Embarkation Welcome Dinner	Cabin B227 Welcome Dinner
Wed Jan 10	At Sea	Books at Sea Chocolate Journeys on Princess Cruises	Chocolate Journeys
Thu Jan 11	Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia  12:00pm – 8:00pm City Drive & Sabah Museum	Kota Kinabalu Elevate Your Cruise Dining Experience	Kota Kinabalu Sabah Museum Sterling Steakhouse
Fri Jan 12	At Sea Kota Kinabalu (Revised)	Don't Come Knockin' If Ship a Rockin'	KK Sailaway Nha Trang
Sat Jan 13	Nha Trang, Vietnam  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery At Sea (Revised)	Fall in Love With Nha Trang	Nha Trang
Sun Jan 14	Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam  7:00am – 6:00pm Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside	Gateway to Ho Chi Minh Taste of Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh Cu Chi Tunnels Saigon Lunch
Mon Jan 15	At Sea
Tue Jan 16	Sihanoukville, Cambodia  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Wat Krom, Villages & Market	Sihanoukville a Secret Gem	Khmer Village Cambodia School Psar Lu Market Cambodia War Memorial Wat Krom Sihanoukville Beach
Wed Jan 17	Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand  7:00am – 7:00pm Nong Nooch Gardens & Cultural Performance	Welcome to Laem Chabang Thailand Thailand Beauty and Culture	Nong Nooch Pottery Nong Nooch Theatre Thailand Culture Elephant Show Nong Nooch Gardens
Thu Jan 18	Ko Samui, Thailand  Tender Required 8:00am – 5:00pm Temple of the Big Buddha & Monkey Demonstration	Big Buddha and Monkeys	Wat Phrayai  Wat Plai Laem Monkey University
Fri Jan 19	At Sea	Book Your Next Cruise Onboard
Sat Jan 20	Singapore  7:00am – 4:00pm Battlefields of Singapore	Port Call to Singapore Battlefields of Singapore	Kranji War Memorial Former Ford Factory Changi Museum Singapore Bay
Sun Jan 21	Penang, Malaysia  Tender Required 3:00pm – 11:59pm Taste of Penang	Best Pizza at Sea Discover Food of Malaysia	Chocolate Boutique Coffee Tree Penang Hawkers Plaza Gurney
Mon Jan 22	Langkawi, Malaysia  8:00am – 5:00pm Rice Museum, Cable Car, Craft & Cultural Complex	Soaring Over Malaysia	Langkawi Skycab Craft Complex Laman Padi Scenic Langkawi
Tue Jan 23	Kuala Lumpur (port Kelang), Malaysia  8:00am – 6:00pm Kuala Lumpur Highlights	Highlights of KL Malaysia Farewell Evening Sapphire Princess	National Museum National Monument Old Railway Station National Mosque Merdeka Square Petronas Twin Towers
Wed Jan 24	Singapore  7:00am	Disembarkation Day Singapore Relaxing in Singapore Heading to the Gardens Under the Flower Dome Journey to the Lost World Supertrees Come to Life	Gardens By The Bay Flower Dome Sculpture Trail Cloud Forest Supertrees Light Show
Thu Jan 25	Singapore  5:00am Travel to Chicago	Back to the Future Japan Airlines Singapore to Tokyo Dreamliner to Chicago	Changi Airport Singapore Tokyo to Chicago

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