Dubai

May 29-31 We awoke Friday am in Dubai. It is extremely hot. 90 F as we departed the boat at 9 am. Reminds me of Vegas. John and Sandra joined me in a cab ride to the hotel which is in the Marina District. It takes about 30 min at express way speeds. This place in much larger than I imagined..After dropping my bags, we picked up a Metro pass and rode to the Mall of the Emirates. Amazing place, they have every US brand and then some. Even have an enclosed Ski Slope with SNOW. After a couple hours there we went to the Madinat Jumeirah, a beautiful high end mall with waterways and had some beers and eventually dinner. I returned to my hotel and the Lopez's went back to the ship as they are continuing the cruise for the next month eventually ending in Shanghai The following morning prior to John and Sandra sailing, we walked the old city. The Gold Market or Souk is the largest market of gold in the world. I was tempted to pick up some 1 oz bars as there is very little mark up on the price. This town is very much like Las Vegas without the gaming. It really developed in the 60's when the exploration for oil began in the Emirates. The city is built out of the desert and everything is very modern and well designed. The population is over 2 Million so that is twice as large as Vegas. It was so hot that afternoon that I couldn't get across the sand at my beach and settled on the swimming pool. The final morning I took the Metro to the Burg Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. To ride up the Burg to the 124 floor cost about $30 but the tickets must be purchased for a time and they were sold out till tomorrow. I could buy a $150 ticket to the 148 level, but decided money could be better spent. Well after a afternoon nap in the health club, I headed to the airport for my 24 hour journey home via Doha, Qatar.

PHOTOS HERE

Cruising the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden

May 23 The Red Sea is not Red. Its very blue and clean. Its called the red sea because there is some plankton that under certain circumstances gives off a red hue. It didn't the week i was on it. We sailed for 7 full days and nights to get from Aqaba Jordan to Dubai UAE. Essentially around the Arabian Peninsula. Now we had some hot spots around us. Yemen, Somalia, Gulf of Aden(home of the infamous somali pirate attacks) and finally the Strait of Hormuz. This is some of the busiest commercial shipping lanes on the world. The cruise company looked out for our safety. They had a plan. In Aqaba we loaded a private security force known as VPI. These guys are ex-British SAS and essentially mercenaries. From sundown to sunrise they maned the outside decks. We also ran dark. No running lights, all curtains closed on the ship and we were not allowed outside. We even had an emergency plan and a drill. Nothing happened. I had breakfast one morning with a couple of the security team as  they were on their way to bed. Once you saw these guys, you knew there was nothing to worry about.

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Jordan

May 22
 Aqaba is a small port town at the top of the a 112 nm inlet to the Red Sea. It is positioned just next to the Israeli border town of Eilat, Israel. In fact there is a very active pedestrian border. This is Jordan's only sea access and it was evident in the port. We arrived early in the morning to find about 50 tour buses lined up in orderly fashion to take our ships passengers on the daily excursions There were two, a 10 hour excursion to the ancient ruins of the historic city of Petra(Raiders of the Lost Ark) fame and the much shorter 5 hour trip to the Wadi Rum(Lawrence of Arabia fame), a mountainous valley in the Jordanian desert full of Bedouins, camels and beautiful scenery. John and I choose the shorter trip. We were at the Wadi Rum tourist center in just under an hour where I purchased my head gear for the 2 1/2 hr ride through the desert. We had tea and dates with the native bedouins and rode their camels. It really wasn't as hot as i thought it might be and it was definitely a new experience. We pulled away at sunset and began our week long sail through the troubled waters of the Africa and the Middle East.

PHOTOS HERE

Suez Canal

May 21 We arrived at Port Said around 8 PM sunset on the 19th. Apparently we could not enter until the next morning, so we turn N, into the wind and stopped. John and I found one of the officers and were told that the pilot was coming abound at 5:30, so I ordered coffee and rolls for the room at 6 and we were up on my balcony for the transit. Now the Suez canal is a series of natural lakes connected at both ends by a man made canal. There are no locks as there are in the Panama. .Opened in 1869, it is just wide enough for one way traffic which is the reason we had to wait till the next morning. Southbound traffic in the am, Northbound later in the day. When we entered we fell in line, single file spaced about a mile behind the tanker in front. A tug is interspersed between each ship. I am on the Starboard side of the ship and we were close enough to the fertile side of the canal that I could see the faces of the people lined up to watch us. As excited as our crew and passengers were, apparently this is the largest passenger ship to traverse the canal and the excitement was evident on shore. It took 6 1/2 hrs @ 9 Kts to reach the first lake and then after an hour or two we entered the southernmost canal for the remainder of journey to reach the Red Sea. There were military installations along the western(fertile) side with lots of soldiers and activity. The Eastern side was nothing but sand dunes and dredging.

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Athens

May 18 I've learned the first thing to do in a new city is to engage the services of the Red Hop On buses. One was waiting when we arrived at the Port of Piraeus which is about 20 km south of the town center of Athens. I was in Athens 30 years ago and I didn't remember any thing notable except the Acropolis. My memory was correct. John and Sandra hiked up,the hill to the Parthenon, not able to enter due to the crowds and returned to pick me up in a hotel lobby drinking coffee and checking my email. After a nice stroll down a pedestrian shoping area, we had a greek lunch, hoped back on the red bus and returned to the ship.

PHOTOS HERE

At Sea

Let me tell you a. Little about this beautiful ship. It is the newest in the Royal Caribbean Fleet. Having made its maiden voyage in the summer of 2014. It spent the first 6 months out of Newark, now permanently repositioned to Shanghai. Its the longest passenger ship in the ocean at over a 1000 ft. Holds 4070 passengers when full which it is not on this repositioning . 1700 crew they are some of the best I've encountered in my 15 cruises. Very high tech. Several very large public rooms are great to deposit yourself. The front of the ship is a large solarium with multi layer pools.and a fantastic view of whats ahead. The rear contains a large 2 story room that doubles as a lounge in the day and a special theatre at night. The rear room called 270 reportedly cost 33 million and was my favorite place. We had daily lectures there from a history professor, the ex-DA of LA county, and the ex-president of Paramount Pictures. At night there was a spectacular Circ d'Sole type show or they lowered the blinds and had show which were projected on them. Instead of the usual massive dinning room with assigned seating, there are 4 large theme restaurants which are complimentary. There is a steak hose with a charge. We did it one night when John worked a deal but its really not necessary as the Beef Tenderloin in the "American Icon" is as good as Marie's in Houston. The buffet called the Windjammer was spectacular and very well designed. Plenty of seating. Oh did I mention there was a bakery with right out of the oven cookies and scones. I made regular trips to this. There was a gondola ride on the top called the Northstar with magnificent views over the ship. The only time I felt crowded on the ship was at the main pool but a found other pools to cool off. Sea days were very relaxing!

PHOTOS HERE

Naples

May 16 Naples is one pf the busiest ports in Italy. Home of the one of the richest man on Italy, the owner of MSC shipping. Made fortunes in commercial shipping, started a very popular criuse line. I joined an organized tour from a brochure someone handed me on the boat. 34 of us met off the ship, boarded a bus with an english speaking guide and drove an hour south to the Amalfi Coast. After stop in Sorrento with time for lunch, an 45 min drive south along the coast taking in the sites of the Amalfi Coastline and then an amazing U turn on the narrow cliff highway and a return to Pompeii. Now Pompeii needs no introduction. What you probably don't know is that its origins date back to 700 BC and it was covered by the ashes of the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. We spent 2 hrs with Lour guide Malo who,grew up in the area. The city had streets, shops, fountains, bathhouses. Preserved by the burial under the ash. Back to boat for dinner at one of the fine restaurants on board.

PHOTOS HERE

Rome

May 15 Civitavecchia is a small port town 70 kilometer NW of Rome which is actually the Mediterranean access to rome. We took a bus from the port to the train station and then a commuter train to Rome. John got us off at Pl. St. Pete. A 15 min walk through twisted streets, around a corner and Voila. The Vatican! The surrounding columns are really impressive. We got there about 9:30 as the crowds and lines were just forming We have all been there before so we skipped the entry and proceeded to the bus stop for the HopOn HopOff bus tour; my favorite way of exploring a new town. Now i don't get on and off. I just sit up top listening to the narration and see the major sites of the city. We did get off and walk around the park and ruins of the "Circus Maximus" before riding the bus back to the Vatican to catch the train back to the coast.

PHOTOS HERE

Sea Day

May 14 Sea Day. Got a guided tour of the ship from John and Sandra who had already been on board crossing the Atlantic. Now this is my 15th cruise in 7 years. This is the newest ship in the ocean and these things keep getting bigger and more elegant. They have gotten away from the Nautical theme and now its like being at a modern resort hotel with beautiful and elegant sitting areas and restaurants. Multiple showrooms and venues. Of course one cam still get comfortable on the side decls and upper decks. This ship has done away with the massive dining room and instead has 6 or 7 specialty dining rooms each like a new restaurant at home.

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Barcelona

May 13 In the morning a fantastic breakfast in the lobby of the hotel, i checked out and stored my bag and then it was off to Pre-arraigned meeting place with my travel companions, Sandra and John Lopez. When I turned the corner to the hotel, I saw them having coffee at an outside table. Right behind me, another couple they had arraigned to meet walked up. We were off @ 10 am to find the train to Montserrat. This is an ancient monastery which was built during the dark ages of Europe. It is high in the mountains N of Barcelona and requires an hour train ride and a funicular up the mountain. I left them after a couple hors and returned solo to town to recover my bag and check in the ship so I could leave for dinner. I had bought a ticket for a piano concert that evening at the historic Palou de Musica and i wanted plenty of time to explore La Rambla. The main pedestrian walkway for dinner prior to the show. Everything went off without a problem until I got to the pier. The check in was a Chinese fire drill. Literally. Anyway. I gave my bag to a porter to send onboard and left for the city. I returned to the ship @ 10:30 that evening, after the concert. Walked on , checked in and was in my cabin in 15 minutes. Just in time to watch us back out of the harbor past the Celebrity Reflection which I cruised on January.

PHOTOS HERE

Sailing on Quantum of the Seas

Hoping to change my ticket to day earlier, I was packed and ready to go a full day early. What a boring day Sunday May 10. So on Monday, the 11th I was up early(getting on timezones 6 hr ahead). The Shuttle was late but got me to IAH Terminal D with time to spare. A little wine and cheese in the 1st Class Lounge and we boarded. The cabin stewards were very efficient and showed me to my seat 3K which actually was a private cubicle. Instructed me on the controls, and took my first drink order, a scotch of course, Johnnie Walker Blue. Dinner was promptly served. Another scotch and I was ready for turn down. I put on the British Air complimentary pajamas and my "bed" was made complete with a duvet! Upon arrival at Heathrow the next morning, we taxied quickly to the gate, and through the terminal, down to the ramp, on to the bus to transfer to Terminal , up the stairs, through security and finally to the BA lounge for another coffee and WiFi. I had about 1 1/2 hour and then boarded the flight to Barcelona. A beautiful flight over the Pyrenees with snow covering and into BCN with a train transfer into town. The Hotel Villa Emila was waiting with a bottle of Spanish wine in my room. I Had already decided to take the "Hop on Hop off" tour bus the first afternoon and it was a great choice. I saw enormous amount of city and info. I walked around Pl Espanya after dinner and then a 10 min. walk to my hotel for bed.

PHOTOS HERE