DAY 3 ON THE RITZ-CARLTON LUMINARA: JANUARY 1

We spent Day 3, 1January2026, of this Ritz-Carlton Luminara cruise moored off Koh Samui, Thailand.

• 
  Never been there, and have no particular wish to see a fisherman's village, Wat Khunarum, Secret Buddha Garden (right) and Chawan Noi Beach (below).

• 
  Also too because we would need to catch a boat to the pier.  And Koh Samui would still be 19 miles away.
• Oh yes, and the cost is $339/person.
• According to the write-up:  Koh Samui's charm extends beyond its sun-drenched beaches, etc.  They believe in siestas.  Temperature is supposed by be 82F, but it feels like 90F on our veranda.

• 
  Wikipedia spells the city as Ko Samui, but locals just call it Samui.
• Off the east coast of Thailand, and is the country's second largest island after Phuket,
• Is beginning to approach 3 million tourists annually.
• Was not troubled by the great tsunami of 2004, and actually had a boom, for visitors avoided Phuket, located on the west side.

The top global events in 2026:

• 
  January 11:  Golden Globes.
• February 1:  Grammy Awards.
• February 6 - February 22:  Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.

• 
  February 8:  Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, with Bad Bunny.
• March 15:  Oscars.
• May 22:  Star Wars:  The Mandalorian and Grogu.
• June 11 - July 19:  FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.  48 teams this year. Final game will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
• July 4:  250th birthday for the USA.
• November 3:  miderm elections, hopefully.

• 
  December 18:  Dune:  Part 3 and Avengers:  Doomsday, although Dune 3 might shoot for an October opening.

So what did we do on New Year's Day 2026?  First, the ship keeps leaving gifts.  That is a loaf of bread.  Why?  Those are full bottles of Moet Chandon Champagne, Glenfiddich scotch and Haku gin.

Woke up late and went to lunch at the Beach House.

Made up a drink combining a Kir Royale with orange juice.

Wine was a Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Simple lamb chops with sourdough bread.

A video of the ship aft after lunch

Walking back to our stateroom, thought we'd get another drink, and stayed for ten.

Served by Fabiano of Jakarta, Indonesia.  Started with these.

Went on to....I forgot, but up to nine.

Ended with a cognac.

I'll be coming back to have other adventures, like all the Japanese whiskies, vodkas and gins.  Then a chocolate ice cream cone.

Took a nap.  Then on to dinner at The Grill, but decided on Mistral instead.  We ordered Sea Bream and Ribeye, with sides, plus Duckhorn Zinfandel.  Best steak I've had in a very long time.

Went to the Art Bar to listen to Tom Smith and Ashleigh September.

The duo was followed by Tom Smith and others.

Closed the night in The Living Room for the High Notes and Highballs.  Sat only a few feet from where I had those 10 samplers after lunch. 

 Walked 1948 steps today,

At least we had a full New Year's Day.  From The Sun of London, here is a video showing some of the best New Year 2026 celebrations.  From the BBC and CNN, a few photos.  First, Sydney Harbor and Opera House.

Seoul, Bosingak pavilion.

Dubai, Burj Khalifa.

Barcelona.

Singapore, Marina Bay Sands.

-