PART 7: Cruises I Missed

I yesterday thought I ended my cruise series.  However, Part 6 mentioned the December 2023 to May 2024 274-night Ultimate Global Cruise, with four segments, and one of them interested me, so to quote:

• May 9 to July 4:  Dubai to Barcelona, middle east treasures and marvels of the Med.
• Hmmmm.... I wonder if space is still available.  We fly on November 11 to Dubai for a Regent Seven Seas cruise to Singapore.
• Why not a summer of 2024 cruise from Dubai to Barcelona, as they pay for the business class fare from Honolulu to Dubai, then Barcelona to Honolulu.

I thus inquired.  

• Cabins still available at $352/night with free drinks, wi-fi and tips, but the business class fare is only for those who take the full world option.  
• If they covered first class from Honolulu to Dubai, then from Barcelona to Honolulu, we'd be inclined to go.  Maybe we can yet work out a deal.  Nah, they won't, so this is one cruise I will miss.  
• Anyway, the ship Royal Caribbean uses for this ultimate sailing is the Serenade of the Seas, which was launched in 2002.  Holds 2490 passengers with 891 crew members.
• 
  If this cruise featured Wonder of the Seas, then for sure we'd want to be on board for the above segment.
• The largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage.
• Accommodates up to 6,988 passengers, plus 2,300 crew.
• 16 decks with 20 restaurants, 4 pools, 2,867 cabins.
• 10,000 plants.

A few months ago I checked various global cruises that left Miami in January of 2023.  They were all sold out.  Then something must have happened, for I looked at those links again, and there is now a lot of availability.  

• 
  That fully paid Island Princess around the world cruise  that should have left port in January of 2021 was cancelled.  They gave us the money back, but the best they could do was suggest we consider their 2023 global cruise.  Turns out that with the drinks/wi-fi/tips package paid, a balcony cabin is still available for around $300/night.  
• Holland America charges about the same.  
• The Seabourn Sojourn departs Miami on 6January2023 and returns on 26May2023 for around $500/night.  But we already have a Seabourn Sydney to Honolulu cruise booked in the spring of 2023, so no around the world next year.  
• You can check them all.  Here are the early (meaning mostly all depart in January) 2023 global adventures:

• Costa Deliziosa 127 nights
• Queen Mary 2 117 nights
• Queen Victoria 105 nights
• Borealis 79 nights
• Zuiderdam 128 nights
• MSC Poesia 118 nights
• Insignia 180 nights
• Arcadia 99 nights
• Island Princess 111 nights
• Coral Princess 107 nights
• Seven Seas Mariner 143 nights
• Seabourn Sojourn 140 nights
• Silver Shadow 140 nights
• Viking Neptune 138 nights

Rather than the complete itinerary, another option is to take a segment of a world cruise.  Not all offer them, but this site lists what is available.

• Island Princess and Silver Shadow have a lot of opportunities.  One is a lot more expensive than the other.
• The Seabourn Sojourn charges $24,500 for the 51-night segment from Sydney to Cape Town and $21,000 for 30-nights from Cape Town to Barcelona.
• Cunard, 30 nights for $5000 from New York to Dubai.  Sounds awfully cheap.

Well, what about 2024?  The Seabourn Sojourn departs Los Angeles on a 145-day journey, but only goes from Miami to Athens.  The Regent Seven Seas Mariner has a 132-day global cruise:

• Departs Miami 6January2024, and returns on May 17.
• 31 countries, 61 UNESCO sites, and free everything.
• The lowest price cabin is a veranda suite at $91,799, and comes with free first class to and from flights.  But the cost is a high $700/night.

Finally, here is an article I just saw today from Sharon Waugh, who worked on cruise ships for six years.  She provides 10 big mistakes guests make:

• Pace your alcohol consumption on the first day.
• Inform your bank (or credit card company) that you're leaving the country prior to departure.
• Dress appropriately.
• Return from your excursion in time to board the ship.
• There are six more.

To close, let me remind you that the National Basketball Season begins tomorrow.  

• First TV tipoff is a TNT doubleheader with the Sixers at Celtics at 7:30PM ET, then the Lakers at Warriors at 10PM.
• Long season, for the final game will be on April 9, almost six months.  
• If the championship finals go seven games, the season comes to a close on June 18, or exactly eight months after the first game.  
• Here are the five biggest takeaways from preseason play.

• 
  It's not too late to get a fantasy team, or three, as I did.  CLICK ON THIS to get started.  Again:
• Click on Beginner, Roto and Snake draft.  
• Then click on Draft Now.
• Next, Join a League.
• Good luck.  If you screw up, you can abandon the team and select another team.
• If you want some variety, the next time try H2H Points and Salary Cap draft.
• 
  Everything is FREE.
• Why do you want a team or two?  You have a personal stake at every NBA game you watch on TV or in person.
• Will this take time?  Enormously if you want to win, for you might want to tweak your lineup every day.
• What do you win?  Pride and bragging rights.

One final sports event at 1PM on TBS.  The Guardians (they were once the Cleveland Indians) and Yankees are the only teams playing today.  The winner heads on to the American League Championship game.  My fantasy team has climbed from #25 into the top ten, and can go even lower after today, for I have the Cleveland pitching staff and three of their hitters, plus Aaron Judge of the Yankees.  Let's see now, if my team pitches a no hitter, I can reach #1.  This is why it is called fantasy baseball, and this specific competition is for money.

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