Category Archives: Family

Around The Ship

This one will be a bit long, but mostly all pictures and a few videos. Also, rather than post a bunch of blogs we saved everything until the end.

Thank you for joining us on this holiday journey. Mathieu – Congratulations on your upcoming graduation from UND. While we have begged you to join us on future trips we know you want us to spend less money on you. We will respect your wishes (he actually never said that but this is the cut the apron strings trip – Mathieu will always be our favorite Sherpa)!

Celebrity Solstice

Our Stateroom

Yes. Those are the flowers Jonathan bought in Thailand.

Decorated for Christmas

Glass Blowing

Around the Ship

Re-Decorated for New Years Eve

New Years Eve in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Park West Art

Helipad Send Off

Just Some of Us

Thank you for joining us!

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay’s breathtaking beauty lies in its enchanting blend of emerald waters, towering limestone karsts, and lush greenery. The ethereal landscape creates a mesmerizing harmony that captivates visitors, offering a unique and serene escape into nature’s grandeur.

The Arrival

Flight Sightseeing Tour

Our only excursion was a sightseeing plane trip around Ha Long Bay. From take off to landing we received a whole new perspective of this natural masterpiece. From the vantage point of the sky, we witnessed the majestic karst formations rising dramatically from the turquoise waters, painting a surreal panorama that words struggle to capture. Every turn revealed a new facet of Ha Long’s unparalleled beauty, leaving us with an indelible imprint of this UNESCO World Heritage site from above.

And yes, we took all of these pictures and videos.

Happy New Year

We are a bit ahead of everyone else this year.

From Jonathan, Mathieu & Scott

Central Vietnam

Da Nang

A quick pass through this historic city where a significant portion of the US military was based during the war.

Dragon Bridge

Hoi An

Statue Factory

Bike Tour – Hoi An

This was a lot of fun. We took about an hour long, 5 mile bike ride through the rice fields and back streets of this beautiful little village.

Hoi An – Lunch & Shopping

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Today was a quick day for us. No tours, just a hop off of the boat, via a tender, a little shopping and then back. It ended up being a good plan given this was really the only hot day of the trip.

Tender to port.

Waikiki of Vietnam

Nha Trang is mostly a vacation destination and is often referred to as the Honolulu of Vietnam. With massive hotels and beaches it is no surprise people flock here during the summer. For us, it was a quiet time to visit.

Local market.
Silks were the theme of the day.

Do you want to be a millionaire?

What you see below is approximately 5 millions Vietnamese Dong (the local currency).

In US dollars this is about $200.

Thailand

Merry Christmas from Thailand. However, given the International Date Line and so many timezone differences it felt like Christmas was almost 3 days long.

Our first port was outside of Bangkok, near Pattaya (which I am sure helps everyone know better where we landed).

Christmas morning

Yes, we brought a Christmas tree.

Nongnoch Tropical Garden

Google this place. It is amazing. Also, Mathieu got a lot of love from some elephants.

Awkward!
Mathieu needs a Thai massage.
VIDEO: Thai massage, may not be suitable for children! 😲😎

VIDEO – An amazing Thai culture show.

VIDEO: An amazing Thai cultural show.

And then for the strange part. During Covid the owner wanted to keep his employees employed. So he had a wild idea to add sculptured dinosaurs to the garden. Sort of his own Jurassic Park, just less bloodshed. I guess Covid lasted longer than planned as they went a bit overboard.

This is truly only a small percentage of the dinosaurs they made in 18 months.

Bangkok: Christmas Dinner Cruise

Our hotel (Hilton on the right)
Temple of the Dawn (at night).
Royal Palace

Flower Market

Jonathan in flower heaven

ICONSiam – Shopping

Thank you Mr. Chob’s Thai Tour Guide! And of course Joy, our friend and best helper ever in Thailand. We met Mr. Chob 20 years ago on our Orient Express Thailand tour, and he introduced us to Joy on our RTW trip 5+ years ago. It was so wonderful to have Joy be with us again.

This is Mr. Chob’s company. We highly recommend his help when you come to Bangkok. https://www.thaitourguide.com/

Merry Christmas everyone!

Next stop – Vietnam!

Singapore

A few days in Singapore, and then on to the ship.

Hotel: Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

Hawkers Market for Dinner

Mahjong Class

Hu means “I won!”
We passed! We can now play Mahjong

Sands Marina Bay

We know you all saw this in “Crazy Rich Asians.”

High Tea at the Ritz

I cannot even start to describe how much we ate!