We had planned to
circumnavigate in our sailboat CanKata. However, when we arrived in Thailand in
2009 to prepare for our journey up the Red Sea, piracy was creating havoc for
sailors, so we decided to wait it out in Thailand. As it happens, we fell in
love with Thailand and decided to stay … maybe forever.
As a result, we
decided to go through the Red Sea on a big, fast ship – the NCL Jade, with a
few thousand others (safety in size, numbers, and speed). The area is much safer
these days, but there were still parts of the Red Sea that were considered “high risk”. The
Captain constantly assured us that we were fine, so we never had any moments of
anxiety. We did have many moments that were awesome. Following are the
highlights of our adventure.
(Note: There seems to
be a fair bit of drinking and eating in the highlights. Please remember we were
on vacation.)
Thursday, November 7 –
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Friday, November 8 –
At Sea
Saturday, November 9 –
Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Sunday, November 10 –
Kusadasi, Turkey
Monday, November 11 –
Rhodes, Greece
Tuesday, November 12 –
Limassol, Cyprus
Wednesday, November 13
– Haifa, Israel
Thursday, November 14
– Haifa, Israel
Friday, November 15 –
Haifa, Israel and Port Said, Egypt
Saturday, November 16
– Suez Canal, Egypt
Sunday, November 17 –
Suez Canal and Safaga, Egypt
Monday, November 18 –
Safaga, Egypt
Tuesday, November 19 –
Aqaba, Jordan
Wednesday, November 20
– At Sea
Thursday, November 21
– At Sea
Friday, November 22 –
At Sea
Saturday, November 23
– At Sea
Sunday, November 24 –
Salalah, Oman
Monday, November 25 –
At Sea
Tuesday, November 26 –
Fujairah, UAE
Wednesday, November 27
– Abu Dhabi, UAE
Thursday, November 28
– Dubai, UAE (departure)
Thursday Night: Home
to Nai Yang, Phuket, Thailand
Would we
recommend this cruise?
While we thoroughly
enjoyed this cruise, we wouldn’t recommend it for most travellers. There are
six full days at sea, which is probably a little much for most of the people we
know. We love being at sea on a boat, so it suited us just fine. Plus, we were keen
on going through the Suez Canal and Red Sea since we were not able to do that
on CanKata when we were hoping to circumnavigate (damn pirates).
Many of the excursions
on this cruise were grueling. We had long drives and while the vehicles were
comfortable and air-conditioned and the roads were usually in good condition,
we found that we were completely worn out by the time we got back to the ship.
And, truthfully, some of the ports weren’t that exciting. Our recommendation
would be to pick the spots that excite you the most and fly there. For
instance, we chose to not do an excursion to Cairo (it was an option), and we
will fly there instead.
Darrel’s
Details:
Nov. 6
 |
From out hotel window in Civitavecchia. |
Comparing this trip to
our two last trips, i.e., South America and China/Canada, it is a lot shorter for
flight(s). We left our condo at 0700 and caught our first flight from Phuket to
Dubai at 0930. This first flight was 6 h 45 m with
a 1 h 50 m layover. The layover was actually closer to 1 h 30 m due to a 15 m
delay out of Phuket. Dubai airport is huge and, without fail, every time we
have flown through there we have had to walk a very long way from our arrival
gate to the connecting departure gate. We do not mind this walk to help us get
the blood circulating in our lower extremities again.
Our
next flight from Dubai to Rome was to be 6 h 40 m but we had a late departure
and a long wait on the tarmac due to the large number of planes waiting taking
off. This caused us a bit of concern because we had already booked our train tickets
from Rome (FCO airport) to Civitavecchia which is where the NCL Jade cruise
ship departs from. We were originally scheduled to arrive in Rome at 1845 so I
booked the 1942 train. Our previous experience at FCO demonstrated how fast and
efficient the arrival process can be so we thought that 57 minutes would give
us enough time to: disembark the 380 (which carries close to 500 passengers
(because we were near the back on the lower level we were easily within the
last 50 to disembark)); pick up our checked luggage (which was a 15 minute walk
from our arrival gate); clear through immigration (which is all electronic and
self-serve); clear customs (a breeze if you don't have anything to declare);
and lastly a long and brisk walk with luggage in tow up elevators and down long
corridors to the train station. We made it with 4 minutes to spare.
Our
first train was a 36 minute ride to the Roma Trastevere Station where we
transferred to our last train for a 58 minute ride to Civitavecchia.
Our
hotel, Hotel San Giorgio, was a short walk, especially as
compared to our two airport walks. It was dark, cool (18 C) and seriously
considering starting to rain so we did not dawdle. The entry to the hotel had a
rotating door but was quite small. I pushed my suitcase in and tucked in
immediately after it but forgot I was wearing a backpack. As the next door
swung in behind me it forced the backpack outside with me and my suitcase
inside. I was too tired to really appreciate this predicament but imagined an
Italian newsline which read "Foreigner eaten by revolving door". The
door came to a halt and I was able to force it in reverse to save my backpack
and hear the laughter coming from Loretta who was waiting for her turn to get
accosted by this same door. A hotel staff came running to our aid but by this
time all was well and the door was spinning and waiting for its next snack. We
arrived in our hotel room at 0940 Italy time (0339 Phuket time) and were both
asleep within 20 minutes.
Nov. 7
I woke up at 0200 Italian time (0800 Phuket time) so I read in bed and
tried not to disturb Loretta. She woke up at 0400 so we both got up to
start our day. After showering and eating breakfast we went for a walk to enjoy
the Civitavecchia area near our hotel. Around 1100 we walked to the cruise ship
shuttle stop to catch a bus to take us to our ship.
It was a perfect morning for this 15 minute walk; the temperature was
about 20 C and the sky was a deep blue. Shortly after beginning our walk we met
an Asian couple with suitcases in tow. They asked us if we knew where the
shuttle stop was and once we affirmed they asked if we minded if they followed
us. Loretta warned them that we had already decided to stop for a gelato if we
saw a place enroute. We asked where they were from and they replied Vancouver.
So much for being able to ask them for a cold beer in Mandarin.
 |
Darrel and Google Maps -
heading in the right direction. |
Our timing to
arrive at the shuttle stop was perfect; we were directed onto a waiting bus
which almost immediately closed the doors and left for the ride into the
Civitavecchia Port where our ship, amongst many others, was waiting. We were
then directed into the NFL terminal where there were a lot of people seated
waiting for the arrival counters to open. Loretta and I noticed two empty
chairs close to the entrance that we had to step over a small table to get to.
We sat down and started yapping about how well the trip has gone so far
(forgetting about almost being consumed by a set of revolving doors). About 20
minutes later a staff member came over to us and asked us for our boarding card
number. We replied by giving her a puzzled look so she showed us what the card
looked like. We told her we just came in and sat down on the two empty chairs.
That was when she began to accuse us of having jumped the queue and we would
never be called to check in without getting into line and getting a boarding
card.
Now that we understood the process, we went and stood in a line which
undoubtedly had grown considerably since we arrived some time ago. But we were
not in a hurry to board so we just did what we had to.
Once on board we went into one of the numerous restaurants and sat down
to a quiet, leisurely lunch. We opted for this over the buffet since we knew
that was where most people went and it would be a bit chaotic.
After lunch we went to our state room to drop our backpacks and clean
our teeth. Our luggage had not yet arrived so we decided to go exploring to
acquaint ourselves with the Jade. Having been on two other NCL ships, we had
some idea of the layout but each ship is slightly different. To our dismay one
of the features that this ship does not have is an ice cream bar. WTF! As we continued our exploration of the ship and took in some of the
onboard entertainment, the ship left the dock.
We went back to our room and had a nap and then unpacked when our
luggage arrived. We headed up to the buffet and had a small dinner and then
attended the early stage show. As with other NCL stage productions, we both
enjoyed it a lot. From there we went back to our stateroom and crashed for the
night.
 |
One of the main dining rooms. |
 |
Our comfy bed. |
 |
Room for a wee desk
with a hair dryer. |
 |
One of many beautiful sunsets on the NCL Jade. |
 |
The Jade was in tip-top shape. |
Nov. 8
Sea day cruising from Civitavecchia, Italy to Piraeus (Athens), Greece.
Another early morning but managed to stay in bed until 0600. We went up
to the buffet restaurant around 0700 for a yummy breakfast. We ended up talking
to two Americans and sat there until 0930. Today was a "sea day" so
we could relax, or so I thought.
At 1000 we attended a talk on the various ports we would be stopping at.
It was a very informative talk but had to leave before it was over to attend a
Cruise Critic meeting which started at 1100. I mentioned this organization
during our last cruising blog and since that time we have participated in it by
joining and organizing most of our shore excursions through them. Because this
is our 4th Cruise with NCL we were invited to a "meet the
captain and his officers" party at 1200. That concluded our first busy
morning.
When we
explored the ship yesterday we came across a new restaurant called O'Sheehans
which offered an interesting menu which appealed to us. So today we decided to
give it a go. I had Sheppard's pie and Loretta had nachos and Caesar's salad.
We then shared a big piece of warm apple pie with a big blob of ice
cream.
Our
afternoon was mostly relaxing, playing games and wandering around the ship. We
had our dinner at the buffet and then took in the evening stage show called
"The Palace of Lights". The setting was the golden age of Cuba with
music of love, dance of desire and the fever of passion all in one. An
excellent show.
 |
The Spinnaker Lounge at the front of the ship. |
 |
The Stardust Theater just one floor below us. |
 |
Waiting for lunch at O'Sheehans. |
Nov. 9
Athens (Piraeus), Greece 09:00 AM to 07:00 PM
 |
Our magnet. |
Today is our first port stop at Piraeus which is the sea port for
Athens, Greece. Athens is named after
Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world
-- built around its namesake deity's temple, the Parthenon, which still stands
today. We visited Athens two years ago and hit most of the highlights,
e.g., the Parthenon and restored neighborhoods like Plaka and
Thissio. So this visit we decided to take the metro on our own to Filopappou Hill
at the base of the Acropolis and spend the day wandering around the park.
Immediately after exiting the metro at the Monastriaki Station we walked
30 meters to a gelato shop. After a scrumptious ice cream cone we walked to
Filopappou Hill and walked around looking at the sites such as The Prison of
Socrates and the Monument of Philopappos. But to me the real highlight was to
view the Acropolis and especially the Parthenon from the park. Even though we
had a close up view of it during our last visit to Athens, it is still
breathtakingly beautiful to see from a distance.
By this time we were getting a bit peckish and thirsty so we headed to
the Athens Market which is full of interesting shops and bustling with people.
We found a quaint outdoor restaurant where we had a local beer, and ouzo, and a
snack to hold us over until we returned to the ship.
 |
I just can't seem to appreciate graffiti even if it photographs well. |
 |
What a view! |
Back aboard the Jade we dropped off our backpacks and then went to
O'Sheehans for Caesar Salad (how appropriate is that), chicken wings and
dessert.
With full tummies we waddled back to our room to relax and to
re-energize for the evening activities.
The main stage performance was Shane Hampster, a swing singer who likes
to imitate Michael
Bublé and
who added humour throughout his act.
From there we rushed to Magnum (it's the name of a bar that you sit in,
not eat) where D'Soul Duo were performing a Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson
tribute. Excellent! For a night cap we went up to the Garden Cafe for a slice of pizza,
fries, cookies and tea. Then off to bed for a continuous six and a half hour
snooze.
Nov. 10
Kusadasi, Turkey 08:00
AM to 06:00 PM
Kusadasi, once an
ancient Greek city, is known for the famed Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World.
Here we booked a tour
along with 8 other cruise critters. The tour took us to the House of the Virgin Mary, located atop
Nightingale Mountain (Bulbul). It's supposed to be the place where she spent
her last years. The house has been visited by countless folks on pilgrimages,
including two popes.
Nov 11
Rhodes, Greece 08:00
AM to 05:00 PM
 |
Our magnet. |
Rhodes, with an average of 300 sunny days per year and mild temperatures in the winter, has been a popular tourist attraction for centuries. Located 12 miles off the coast of Turkey, it's the largest of Greece's 12 Dodecanese islands. Rhodes sits in the Aegean Sea, and its beautiful blue green waters reflect a tropical paradise. The island features 35 beaches and many cultural and historical attractions
Today was mostly a day of leisure for us. The last time we were in Rhodes (2018) we took the HoHo bus and toured the surrounding countryside and the "new" city of Rhodes. We did not have a lot of time to explore the old town itself. So this trip was spent mostly inside the walls of the old town which is full of interesting shops, restaurants, boutiques and places to eat ice cream and have a local beer.
Photos from our trip is 2018:
 |
We couldn't find this place again. |
The ship docked
directly across from the gate leading into the old town. We spent the day
walking along the maze of cobblestone streets, flanked by
historic buildings dating from the 14th century. The old town also
includes magnificent palaces, fascinating museums and ornate mosques
lining the narrow passageways and carefully planned squares.
The main attraction is the Palace of the Grand
Masters, built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John. The structure
survived an earthquake but was destroyed by an explosion in 1856; it was later
restored by the Italians in the 1930's. Now a museum, the palace contains
priceless mosaics, sculptures and exhibitions of medieval and ancient Rhodes
civilizations.
 |
Darrel and Google maps -
we always know where we are. |
 |
The ATM came in handy. |
 |
Shopping was good. Very good. |
 |
The incline would have been easier
without all the shopping in my backpack. |
 |
I can't help but wonder
what's behind closed gates. |
 |
Checking the map. |
 |
We think this is where a lovely restaurant once was.
(See earlier photo from 2018). |
Once we saw and ate and drank everything we wanted to we went back to the ship.
Today we have Israeli Immigration officials onboard to give us clearance prior
to our arrival in Israel two days from now so we spent some time accomplishing
that.
After dinner we
attended the main theater production which was a Circus Variety with Yury and
Nato. We followed that with watching some local entertainment and having a
chocolate martini and a chocolate chip cookie.
Nov. 12
Limassol, Cyprus
09:00 AM to 07:00 PM
 |
The port office. |
We booked an excursion through the Cruise Critic network which would take us on
an 8-hour tour of Limassol and area.
Limassol, the largest coastal town in Cyprus,
sprawls around Akrotiri Bay, midway between Larnaca and Paphos and close to the
southern foothills of the Troodos Mountains. It only rains an average of 30
days a year so water is precious here.
Cyprus is the kind of destination where you have
to venture off the beaten track to uncover the true nature of the place. Immediately
outside of Limassol, we saw rolling hills, olive and citrus groves and tiny
villages, where locals still use donkeys for transport. Limassol is at the
heart of the island's wine-growing region.
Our tour took us to the important archaeological
sites of Kourion, Kolossi Castle and Limassol Castle and Paphos, an attractive
UNESCO World Heritage site.
We were invited to
join a group of fellow Canadians for dinner so we broke routine and ate dinner
in one of the sit-down restaurants.
After a long and late dinner we went to listen to
the main stage performer, a Dutch vocalist named Isabel Commandeur.
Unfortunately we both started falling asleep so we left early after her third
song.
Nov. 13
Haifa
(Tel Aviv), Israel - Arrive at 06:00 AM
 |
Our magnet. |
This is
the first port where our ship is staying docked overnight (two nights
actually). We have two one-day tours booked here so we have two full days
ahead.
The first
day was an 11-hour tour which took us to Jerusalem with most of our time being
spent visiting the Holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. We both found the
sites very interesting even though ours was a non-religious perspective. We
could see that people who were religious enjoyed the sites even more so due to
the spiritual aspect. We visited the room where the last dinner was held, the
location where Jesus Christ was hung on the cross, and the cave where he was
resurrected. Plus many other sites.
After
lunch, our tour took us to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the world's
lowest point of land. It is 1,388 feet (423 meters) below sea level. The Dead
Sea is incredibly saline (33.7%) and mostly devoid of life - other than those
souls who wanted to see what it was like to float in it. We have already
experienced Lake Manitou at Watrous, Saskatchewan (about half as dense as the
Dead Sea) so we opted to have a local beer instead of swimming.
 |
Things we didn't buy. |
 |
Nobody we know. |
 |
There was a sandy-coloured haze over the Dead Sea. |
 |
The landscape was often pretty desolate. |
 |
And of course,
food and drink (and Wifi!). |
 |
Night lights as seen from the jade. |
Our
driver took us home through the West Bank and dropped us back at the ship at
1930. We ate, showered and hit the sack.
Nov. 14
Today we
were with the same tour operator and guide but with a new Mercedes van. We were
not only more comfortable but also had Wifi all day.
The
morning was spent in Nazareth, the original home of the Holy Family, visiting
the many Holy sites. The most important church,
the Basilica of the Annunciation, marks the spot where the Angel Gabriel
visited the Virgin Mary. It's the largest church in the Middle East.
We then
went to the Sea of Galilee, home to many
Biblical landmarks -- from the Yardenit baptismal site, where Jesus was reputed
to have been baptized, to the coastal area of this now-inland lake, where he is
said to have preached his sermons to the Mount of Beatitudes (setting of the
Sermon on the Mount).
When we
got back to Haifa it was still light so our guide and driver took us to the top
of the valley to a great lookout spot.
 |
Things we didn't buy. |
 |
At the Sea of Galilee. |
 |
Some of our tour group. |
 |
Time for a falafel wrap. |
 |
Baptisms in the Jordan River. |
 |
A beautiful view. |
After a
9-hour tour we were dropped off at the ship.
Our
evening was spent socializing with friends, eating, watching the main show
production (Izabella Zebrowska) and then hopping into bed at 2300.
Nov. 15
Our ship
left the dock at noon on its way to the Suez Canal. It was nice to have a
"sea day" to relax after having a few long and hectic days. Besides
eating, we had time to attend a presentation on Egyptian archeological sites,
play games, and book our next cruise. Our next cruise is a 15-day cruise
through the Baltics with an overnight stop in St. Petersburg, Russia.
We had
an early night so Loretta could get a lot of rest to fight a cold she picked up
along the way.
 |
This is the route from Haifa to Port Said if you drive. We went via ship through the sea instead. |
Nov. 16
We entered the Suez Canal around 0330 and will be transiting it for
about 12 hours.
Although the Suez Canal is not nearly as impressive as the Panama Canal,
it is still pretty amazing to transit. The canal, which was constructed from
1859 to 1869, is about 72 km long and reduces the journey of a ship
approximately 6000 km to go from the South Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Unlike
the Panama Canal there are no locks so it was not as much of an engineering challenge.
It was
interesting sitting on the upper deck (15) and seeing the geographical
differences from one side of the Canal to the other - the East side being green
and the West being desert. Much of this is likely due to the East side having
been inhabited and irrigated.
 |
No one we know. |
 |
A bridge that no one is using yet. |
 |
Going under the bridge. |
 |
A selfie under a bridge in the Suez Canal. |
 |
We got distracted by ship stuff. |
 |
We found other distractions too. |
 |
In O'Sheehans. |
Besides
observing the transit we followed our usual "at sea" routine, i.e.,
eating, playing games, swimming, socializing and taking in the entertainment. The
main stage production was Blazing Boots filled with energetic dancing and
singing by the Jade's production cast. Excellent show.
We were
in bed by 2100 in preparation for a 0400 wake up alarm tomorrow morning.
Nov. 17
Safaga,
Egypt. Arrives at 06:00 AM
 |
Our magnet. |
Today
was a very full and absolutely amazing day. Loretta and I woke up at 0400 to
provide us with sufficient time to shower, eat and pick up our backpacks in our
stateroom, and then meet 9 other passengers in the Bliss Lounge at 0640.
Loretta arranged a private one-day tour for the eleven of us through the Cruise Critics website to take
us from Safaga to Luxor. Before we left the port we were stopped at a number of
check points. At one of the check points our driver and guide got into a
serious conversation with a number of official looking men. Following their
discussion a "man in black", i.e., wearing a black suit, white shirt,
black tie, dark sunglasses, and oh yes a very mean looking automatic gun tucked
under his jacket at the back of his waist, climbed into our tour vehicle and
sat in the front passenger seat.
Luxor
was a 3-hour drive from the port. We stopped for a quick pit stop about
half way. Our guide gave us information about Egypt and the sites we would be
stopping at today. He did not mention why our man in black joined us. We passed
through another 5 check points along the way.
Our
guide told us that without the Nile River running through the land, Egypt would
probably never had existed.
Our
first stop was the Karnak Temple. Construction started in 1850 BC and took 2000
years. Wow, wow, Wow! What a spectacular site. We think it was the most
impressive archeological site we have ever seen. The Parthenon may have been
more emotional to visit because of us knowing about it beforehand.
After strolling
around Karnak and viewing the awesome sites, we were taken to a restaurant
which served an Egyptian buffet where we enjoyed a local beer. The food and the
brew were delicious.
We were
then escorted directly from the restaurant onto a boat to take us to the East
side of the Nile where we were picked up by our bus.
We
noticed the "man in black" was always lurking nearby.
As a matter of fact, somewhere along the way Loretta was being accosted by two
very aggressive shop venders. As I stood by to make sure she could hold her
own, I noticed the "man in black" was also keeping a close eye
on Loretta from not too far away.
Our next
stop was the Valley of the Kings where we entered 3 tombs. The details and the
original coloring on the walls and ceilings were incredible.
During
our tour of the tombs I had a chance to quietly ask our guide if the "man in black" was here for our
benefit, or to protect Egypt, i.e., to stop any Indiana Jones wannabes from
trying to smuggle some artifacts out of the country. Our guide told me that the security guard was for our
protection. Now we know how Whitney Houston felt with Kevin Costner watching
over her.
Then we
went to the Hatshepsut Temple at El Deir El Bahary. Oh my god, another
overwhelmingly beautiful site.
We
arrived back to the port at 2130, after a 14-hour tour. Yes we were
bushed. We ate a quick dinner and then showered and went to bed.
We found
out the next day the Melania Trump and Egypt's First Lady were in the area
which may explain why the high level of security.
Nov. 18
Safaga, Egypt. Departs at 08:00 PM
One of
the activities that Loretta and I missed by not completing our circumnavigation
was to snorkel in the Red Sea. Well, today we got our chance.
We
booked a private snorkeling/diving tour with Safaga Diving Ducks. We were picked
up at 0800 by a very not-new minivan and taken down some small roads and lanes
to a dock with a large boat that was rocking madly. Once we were geared up we
walked to the end of the dock where the waves were crashing over the dock and
the ramp onto the boat was rising and falling between waves. Some of our group
questioned whether we should give the snorkeling tour a miss. I told them that
once we got away from the dock it would be much better. All of our group made
it across the narrow, bouncing gangway with staff helping from the dock side
and boat side.
We travelled
about 40 minutes to a shoal out in the Red Sea and were soon all in the water,
diving or snorkelling. The water temperature was only 26 C so Loretta and
I found it quite cool. Actually I found it cold. Unfortunately the rough seas
had caused the water visibility to be quite reduced so it was not one of our
best snorkels to put it mildly.
Once
back on the boat we were fed a delicious local lunch. Loretta had decided to
pass on the next snorkeling site due to the water clarity and because she could
not seem to warm up. One of the other ladies in our group said she was not
doing the second snorkel and asked Loretta if she wanted to try using her full
face snorkelling mask. This offering plus being able to bask in the sun for
almost two hours convinced Loretta to reconsider her decision to not snorkel
again today.
We were
dropped off at the dock and ushered into another very used van for our trip
back to the ship.
We
showered, ate dinner and then met up with some friends for drinks on the aft
deck as the ship left the dock.
We
lounged and listened to one of our favourite musical groups before retiring to
our stateroom and bed.
Nov. 19
Aqaba,
Jordan 06:30 AM 08:00 PM
Today we
were booked on a private one-day tour to Petra. Petra is an ancient city carved
out of stone, and one of the World's Seven New Wonders.
 |
Our magnet. |
Actually,
Petra was the impetus for Loretta and me, as well as many other fellow
cruisers, to choosing this cruise. Loretta had learned about Petra a number of
years ago and placed it on her bucket list.
The two
hour drive from the port to Petra took us through some amazing parts of Jordan.
Our guide passed on information about Jordan along the way. He told us that
because they are surrounded by Egypt, Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia,
they have to be very diplomatic.
Our visit
to Petra was amazing. Before we even arrived to the ancient (2000 years ago)
city we had to walk for approximately 40 minutes (1.2 km) through the Siq,
which is not a canyon (a gorge carved out by water), but a single block that
has been ripped apart by tectonic forces. The
Siq is some 270 feet in height and 10 feet at the narrowest point. The man-made
and natural rock formation along the Siq was breathtaking to say the least. But
even having seen photos and read a book about Petra, we were still not prepared
for the reaction we got when seeing the Treasury as we exited The Siq and
entered the ancient city. It was spectacular. The facade of The Treasury
contains intricately detailed Corinthian columns, friezes and figures, and it
was hard to look away.
After
taking numerous photos and sitting to drink a Jordanian coffee while taking in
the beauty of the 40-meter high Treasury, we walked through as much of the
ancient city as time allowed. We saw The Theater, The Royal Tombs, Ad Deir and
the Colonnaded Street. We then made our way back through the stunningly scenic
Siq and met up with other members of our group before heading to a prearranged
restaurant - My Mom's Recipe - for a scrumptious Jordanian local lunch.
 |
Our tour guide. |
 |
We drove through some desolate countryside. |
 |
We made a pit-stop here but it was crowded and expensive.
And cold outside!! About 7 degrees Celsius. |
 |
Yup, an entry fee. |
 |
Things we didn't buy. |
 |
The entry-way to the Siq. |
 |
There were alternate forms of transportation. |
 |
Our guide provided lots of good information. |
 |
Look at that sky! |
 |
From times long gone. |
 |
The walk was magical. |
 |
We had to squeeze against the
walls when someone
yelled "HORSE!" |
 |
Our first peak of the Treasury. |
 |
Wow wow wow. |
 |
A little further along. |
 |
The theatre. |
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We had read this interesting book. |
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A stranger took our photo. |
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Newly-weds were having their photo shoot up there. |
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We stopped for strong strong coffee.
Cats - alive and otherwise - kept us company. |
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A policeman asked if
he could sit with us. |
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The Treasury from a different angle. |
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Heading back. |
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I'm not sure who photo-bombed whom. |
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A look-out point on the way back to the ship. |
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A cat enjoying the view. |
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Petra from on high. |
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Our tired guide. |
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The sun setting over Aqaba. |
We were
dropped off at the ship around 1700 after a wonderful tour.
Even
though we had a full day, we had sufficient energy to take in a number of the
evening entertainment activities after showering and eating dinner. D'Soul
Dual, one of our favourite bands sung the song Shallow from the movie “A Star
is Born” and nailed it. The stage main production was a juggler who was quite
good. We hit the sack shortly after 2300.
Nov. 20
Today
is the first of four "at sea" days. It seems most of the passengers
are quite happy to have these four sea days to recuperate and relax after the
past fairly grueling days.
We
slept in until 0700 and after a long leisurely breakfast we got right into the
onboard activities such as: trivia, listing to various bands around the ship,
chatting with friends, watching a karaoke contest, playing games, and attending
the main stage production.
The
main production tonight was an Italian Illusionist, Lord Nil. A very good and
mysterious performance.
Following
the illusionist we went to the Bliss Lounge to watch some Karaoke singers. I
hope they don't quit their day job. Some were so not good that I was hoping the
Illusionist would make them disappear. He didn't, so we did instead.
Nov. 21
Today was our second "at sea" day. Our activities were similar to
yesterdays. The weather was a bit warmer (we must be getting closer to home)
and the seas even flatter. So far, this has been the most comfortable
cruise we have ever been on. I think the biggest seas were 8-feet waves.
Today
while we were eating lunch, the Captain announced that we would soon be
entering piracy country. As we get closer to Somalia we are reminded why we
were not able to complete our circumnavigation on CanKata. There was a stretch
of about 600 nautical miles where the piracy was at its peak. Captain Philips
can attest to that as well as hundreds of other victims from smaller boats and
yachts. As far as I know, the area has been incident free for a couple of years
now, so we really do not expect any problems. The Captain did advise that they
would be very vigilant while transiting this area. If they announce Orange
three times over the speakers everyone outside, or in a stateroom with a
balcony are to head inside the ship where staff will direct them to a safe
spot. Loretta and I are in an inside stateroom so we are okay to stay put.
After playing games and listening to the various entertainers, including Loretta
and her choir at rehearsal, we caught some rays and had a swim.
At 1700
we went to the Spinnaker Lounge which is located on deck 13 at the bow (pointed
end) of the ship. We had intended on playing trivia but just before the game
was to start I noticed that we were heading directly towards a large boat/small
ship which was sitting stationary in front of us. We could feel our ship
slowing down so Loretta and I decided to give the game a miss and instead go up
to deck 14 and see what was going on. We could see that there was another
Cruise Ship about 5 miles behind us which was also heading towards this
stationary boat. I postulated that perhaps we were responding to a distress
call which was why both cruise ships were heading towards the boat. But as we
got closer and almost stopped about half a mile from this boat we could see a
large dinghy leaving the other boat at a fast pace and heading towards us. By
this time the entertainment by the pool had stopped and a number of passengers
were watching what was happening. There was much speculation going on
about piracy but I pulled up Google Maps to show them we were still about 500
miles away from the problem area. When the dinghy arrived at our ship no one
got on or off the dinghy but a large box was hoisted up onto our ship. Then the
dinghy returned to its ship and we started moving again. Before we were too far
away, we could see the Cruise Ship behind us slow down close to the stationary
boat and again the dinghy headed off to the cruise ship for a short while and
then again return to its ship.
The Captain came over the announcement system to advise all us curious passengers that they picked up some “merchandise” and that all was well.
We ate dinner at the buffet but are getting a bit of pressure from friends to join them at the sit down restaurants. As we were eating dinner Loretta noticed a table of four very buff men sitting there and we could see that some of them were carrying two-way radios. They were not in uniform so we knew they were not cruise ship staff. We could only assume that they were mercenaries and that the crate we just picked up contained their tools of the trade. Nice to know we are in safe hands and also travelling with another cruise ship nearby.
The main stage entertainment was Elaine Gray, a Scottish Songbird who featured music from Outlander and popular artists including Abba. Can that lady sing!
We then listened to a couple of other entertainers before heading to bed.
Nov. 22
Today
is our third consecutive sea day. At 0600 we were about 100 miles from the
bottom of the Red Sea.
We had
no special plans today so again we repeated the two previous sea day routines.
We did swim again today but it was quite windy and cloudy so we did not catch
too many rays.
One
change we did make was that we met up with Karen and Kent and ate dinner in the
Grand Pacific sit-down restaurant. The dinner went into overtime due to all the
chatting, and eating of appetizers, entrees and desserts, so we missed the 1930
stage performance. We did not want to attend the 2130 performance so we gave
the show a pass.
The
main stage performance was a Hypnotist: Grant Saunders. The write-up describing him stated that he is an
award-winning hypnotist who was recently awarded the North of England
Entertainer of the Year award. Whoa!!! I am not sure how much prestige that
award would carry, especially for the hypnotism category. Are there many
hypnotists north of England?
Nov. 23
This is
the last sea day before we reach Oman. Last night and today were when we were
in the piracy zone so any passenger who was not breathing can now relax.
Once
again we repeated the same sea day activities as the previous three days.
However,
another alteration to our regular routine took us again to the Grand Pacific
for dinner. This time we joined up with Brenda and Mike.
The main
performance tonight was Gloria and Romain, an acrobatic couple from Argentina
and France.
Nov. 24
Salalah,
Oman 07:00 AM to 04:00 PM
 |
Our magnet. |
Although our ship was not to arrive until 0700, we actually arrived
earlier (around 0300) due to a medical emergency. We had a Code Alpha
call yesterday but we can only guess that it meant someone had a medical
emergency. Besides that emergency, we do know that a group of 30 passengers
from California have had some really bad luck on this trip. Of the 30, three
have spent time in the ship's hospital, some in the ICU overnight.
Today, instead of doing a group tour, we opted to do our own tour of
Salalah (Arabia's Perfume Capital). There was not a lot to see here so we decided
to catch the local bus #20 and went to the Sultan Qaboos Grand
Mosque, Al Husin Sultan's Palace
and the Al-Husn Souk.
We met
a couple (Amy and Lowell) at breakfast who wanted to follow us since they did
not have Google Maps downloaded for this area nor did they know about the
bus.
We
tried to find a place to sit and do WiFi but no luck. I knew it would be
impossible to find a cold local beer, but we were surprised to find it also impossible
to get WiFi. The local bus had WiFi but you needed a local phone number.
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Looks like this will eventually be an impressive port. |
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Decent roads. |
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The main mosque. |
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Beautiful colours. |
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Near the palace. |
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Near the beach. |
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Checking the map. |
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The "souk" (market) where we found affordable souvenirs. |
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This area reminded us of Thailand. Just flatter. |
 |
Things we didn't buy. |
Back on
the ship, we are a late lunch, cleaned up and then did ship activities until
dinner time.
We
joined Bruce, Ruth, Dave and Brenda for dinner at the Grand Pacific sit down
restaurant for the third consecutive day. I believe this is the last group who
we committed to join for dinner.
Dave
and Brenda gave us a bottle of Champagne since they have a drink package and
were planning on having wine for dinner. After we all finished our dinner and
dessert, the waitress came over to top up Loretta and my glass with our
remaining champagne. As she filled my glass she quietly asked me if it was our
anniversary. I told her no but she asked again with a smile on her face.
I smiled back and thinking she was hoping it was our anniversary I said
"Well it could be." The waitress started to leave and I told her,
"No it is not our anniversary." Luckily everyone at our table
heard me say this. A few minutes later a group of staff came with a large cake
and sang us a song. After they left our waitress took the cake and cut it into
6 large pieces, one for each of us. Yes we were all very full after dinner.
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The waiter insisted on an anniversary photo. |
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We shared the cake. |
The
main stage performance was “4 Stations” which is a group of four vocalists.
This was the second time they performed and the second time we had to give them
a miss due to going to the sit down restaurant and having an extended dinner.
Nov. 25
Today
is our last sea day on this cruise which takes us from the Gulf of Aden up into
the Gulf of Oman. We knew our cruise was soon to come to an end so we started
to prepare by taking photos of our favourite cruise staff, friends and places.
We also wanted to complete complement cards for NCL of the staff who we thought
deserved it.
We
participated in the ship activities which included; trivia games, Q&A with
the Captain and his senior officers, the Jade's ad-hoc choir's dress rehearsal,
listening to entertainment at the various venues, and attending the main stage
performance.
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The Senior Officers in the Spinnaker Lounge. |
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Darrel getting participation points for Trivia. |
Tonight's
theater production was Elaine Gray back again but this time she sang songs from
movies such as The Greatest Showman, Guys and Dolls and The Bodyguard.
Unfortunately, when she sang Brian Adams and Whitney Houston's songs she sang
an Italian version and it did not do them justice (at least in my mind).
Nov. 26
Fujairah,
UAE 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Fujairah
is the only emirate with frontage on the Gulf of Oman, rather than the Persian
Gulf.
Today
we were on a privately booked tour of Fujairah and area. We did not have
high expectations for this tour and we were glad we didn't. There were supposed
to have been 4 separate tour busses with 10 in each minibus, but the tour
operator decided on their own to squish the 40 passengers into 2 mini-busses.
The tour took us to: Fujairah museum, Zayed Mosque (photo
op), through the Hagar mountain range, Khor Fakkan beach, Fujairah Fort,
Bidya Mosque and Friday market souk.
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A Google image. NOT the food mall we went to. |
The
rest of our day and evening was as usual - except for the Jade Choir
performance which was held in the Atrium area and was filled with spectators.
Loretta made me proud.
The main
stage performance was the Norwegian Cruise Line signature production called
Elements. It included mesmerizing magic and aerial acrobatics along with
exciting music and dance.
Nov. 27
Abu Dhabi, UAE 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM
 |
Our magnet. |
We have reached the end of this cruise. Today is our last full day aboard the NCL Jade and all its wonderful staff.
We are in Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the wealthiest city in the world. To give you an example of their extreme wealth you can buy an ice cream cone with 24K gold sprinkles as a topping. No, we did not buy one. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the nation's seven emirates, covering 80 percent of the land mass of the UAE.
Abu Dhabi's extreme wealth stems from oil, discovered in 1958. The UAE was formed in 1971 when the head of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, persuaded his fellow emirs to form the union and became its first president. Abu Dhabi's transformation into a modern, Westernized civilization from a society of fishing villages and Bedouins living a nomadic life evolved very quickly.
We did a private one day tour with the same company that we used yesterday in Fujairah and had the same bus and guide.
Our tour took us to all the main sites; Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi, Heritage Village, Emirates Palace hotel, Yas Island, Ferrari Abu Dhabi, and the Dates Market.
The highlight of the tour was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: One of the most recognizable landmarks in the entire city is the snowy-white mass of domes and minarets that make up the breathtakingly beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The mosque, which was built in 2007, features 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knotted carpets. Loretta and I think this mosque is right up there with the Taj Mahal.
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Sunrise over Abu Dhabi. |
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A welcoming team. |
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The sun shining on the skyline. |
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Pulling up to the Grand Mosque. |
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Women had to be well-covered. |
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Sites around the town. |
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We stopped at a mall. We didn't shop for a Ferrari. |
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This mall had food and drink. |
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Things we did buy. |
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Driving back to the ship. |
Once
back to the ship, we cleaned up and then met up with Toni and Becky (and two of
their friends, Joanne and Wayne) for dinner in the Grand Pacific sit down
restaurant. They served prime rib, yum. We met Toni and Becky during one of our
first tours. They are younger than us but have already done 47 NCL
cruises, plus others on other cruise lines. We do not plan to match them.
After
dinner we went to the main stage production which was the Juggler. He kept the
audience well entertained with his humour and juggling. In the Atrium, we listened to Azalea for a short while but packed it in around 2130 due to tomorrow morning being a 0500 wake up.
Memories of the Stardust Theater Entertainment:
Dubai, UAE Arrives at 07:00 AM
 |
Pulling into the port at Dubai. |
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A welcoming committee. |
Dubai is
a fascinating city, one which we plan to revisit even though we were only there
a couple of years ago.
But for
this trip we disembarked at 0730 and headed directly to the airport for our
1130 flight home.
We
arrived safe and sound, but a little heavier, around 2130. The end to another
wonderful trip.
Summary
This 15-day
cruise was excellent in all aspects. We enjoyed all of our stops (with the
exception of Fujairah which was only “okay”), but we expect that "believers"
would have enjoyed the two tours of Israel more than we did. We were absolutely
amazed and thrilled by the archaeological sites we saw at Ephesus, Luxor and
Petra. We would recommend those sites to everyone. We were also very pleased
with the NCL Jade and the wonderful staff throughout the ship. The on-board
entertainment was good but we missed a few shows due to fatigue and fighting a
cold. We were happy with all of our private tours that we booked through the
Cruise Critics network and would recommend anyone who is going on a cruise to
join. The tours go on the same itinerary as the ship's excursions but at a
fraction of the price.
Other Stuff
If you are interested in reading about our other adventures, you can click on the links in this blog. Also, we have a few e-books published with Amazon (no hard copies available). You can find them by going into your Amazon account and by searching for "cankata".
Also, we have a number of YouTubes and these can be found by searching for "cankata thaismiths".
Bye for now, Loretta and Darrel.
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