After nearly 7 days at-sea, we arrived in Kodiak, Alaska during lunch.  Never snowed, but I don't think the temperature once hit the 40's during that period on the ocean.  Kodiak?  45F high.  Some thoughts about cruising on the Oceania Riviera. The problem I had on our previous trip going east, last year for that 39-day Norwegian Encore from Seattle to Southampton, then two weeks on the Viking Tir for a Christmas cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, that of not being able to sleep, has largely disappeared.  My body remembered that trauma, and kept me sleepy thoughout this current journey. The Oceania Riviera. Entered service in 2012. Capacity of 1250 passengers in 625 staterooms.  800 crew members.  Quite adequate. 15 levels.  We are in 8000, right up front on the eighth deck.   If we had any chance to get a similar cabin on a future cruise, this would be ideal.  This way we can see both port and starboard, with the same view as the c...

Those TV shows like America's Got Talent and American Idol keep deprecating a mediocre contestant as only good enough for karaoke.  If you want to watch an embarrassingly bad singer, attend any karaoke session.  As terrible as you might be, there almost surely will be someone worse.  But that's okay, for in most cases, these are the ones who get the most applause. What is karaoke? First of all, it is not something like  Sing Along with Mitch  ( Miller ) and his band from 1961-66.  Sure, the lyrics played across the bottom of the TV screen, but there is no personal pressure, for everyone in the room is singing. Most authorities cite Kobe, Japan musician Daisuke Inoue, in 1971, for inventing the karaoke machine.  Thus, the Japanese name, Kara ( meaning empty ) oke ( for okesutora, the phonetic Japanese word for orchestra ).  Japan enhanced the experience by creating karaoke booths, smaller boxes or rooms, where you could sing with your friends or fa...

We spent 36 days on the Norwegian Encore: Launched in November of 2019, but suspended less than a year later because of the pandemic. Cost:  $1 billion. Maximum speed of 25 knots. 4000 passengers and 2100 crew. Godmother:  Kelly Clarkson. First stop, San Francisco: Next stops were Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.  Very hot outside.  View from our veranda docked in Puerto Vallarta.  Remember the TV series  Love Boat ?  Came here now and then. The movie,  10 , was partly filmed in Manzanillo.  Next, Acapulco.  View from our lanai.  Kind of looks like Waikiki from a distance. From Mexico to Guatemala.  On the Encore is The Cavern Club, a smaller entertainment room which looks like where The Beatles began in Liverpool.  We saw them in the main theater and here a few times. This room is also where karaoke sessions were nightly held. The Social Club served as our disco room. Guatemala to Costa Rica.  Didn't g...