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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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

TS Chris Forms in Atlantic

Tropical Storm Chris

3rd Named Storm for Atlantic 2012 Season

1100 AM AST FRI JUN 22 2012
 
...CHRIS BECOMES POST-TROPICAL...THIS IS THE LAST ADVISORY...

 
The National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL has begun tracking a new tropical storm Southeast of the Canadian Maritimes.  It doesn't pose a threat to land and may only last a few days before heading out further to sea.  Nonetheless, we will monitor this storm in case it changes directions or becomes a threat to cruise ships.

Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST...1500 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...44.6N 46.9W
ABOUT 335 MI...535 KM ESE OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...45 MPH...75 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WSW OR 255 DEGREES AT 16 MPH...26 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...990 MB...29.23 INCHES
 

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
THERE ARE NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT. 

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 45 MPH...75 KM/H...
WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST...AND CHRIS
SHOULD MERGE WITH ANOTHER EXTRATROPICAL LOW ON SATURDAY.

Historical Data:   Graphics  Storm Archive  

500 PM EDT TUE JUN 19 2012

...ANOTHER HIGH-LATITUDE TROPICAL STORM FORMS...NO THREAT TO LAND...

500 AM AST WED JUN 20 2012

...CHRIS MOVING OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN
STRENGTH...

Strong 6.5M Quake Hits Mexico

Map of Mexico  Courtesy: USGS

Magnitude 6.5 - VERACRUZ, MEXICO

2011 April 07 13:11:24 UTC 

Mexico City and nearby towns were shaken today by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake. The epicenter was located near Las Choapas, a town of about 83,000 residents about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City. 

According to initial reports, buildings swayed and people ran from their homes, schools, and businesses, but there were no immediate reports of serious injury or major damage.   Since this story is just developing, we expect to have more details later today.

Magnitude	6.5
Date-Time	Thursday, April 07, 2011 at 13:11:24 UTC Thursday, April 07, 2011 at 08:11:24 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	17.431°N, 93.978°W
Depth	167.4 km (104.0 miles)
Region	VERACRUZ, MEXICO
Distances	91 km (56 miles) SSE of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico 118 km (73 miles) NW of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico 127 km (78 miles) WSW of Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico 590 km (366 miles) ESE of MEXICO CITY, D.F., Mexico

Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)   Event ID usc0002kru

Click the event id for additional details.