May 21 - 25 Plantation, Florida

Yesterday we had thunder storms. It rained about 9”. We spent our first day back unpacking and doing laundry with a trip to the grocery store in the pouring rain.

Today, we woke to rain, but it stopped by the afternoon. One of today’s tasks was to get our change of address done on our driver’s licenses. We both had renewed ours since the new rules went into effect for providing 3 forms of ID. (passport, social security card and some document sent to you at your current address.) So, when we went in today we just needed something to prove our address.

We found a Driver’s License place that we could get appointments for the next day so we drove to the middle of nowhere to do that. Greg had no problem, but my old license didn’t have a star on it, despite the fact that I had provided all the needed information last time I renewed, so I need to get my SS card out of the safe deposit box and bring in my passport. So, I have an appointment in 2 days to do that.

The second task was to get my fingerprints redone for my FBI background check since the last 2 sets were rejected. I have low ridge quality on my finger tips and it looks like the tech just didn’t do a good job. So, today we went to 3 different sheriff’s departments and 2 of them added a form saying these are the best prints we can get due to my low ridge quality. We got those mailed off today and hopefully the FBI will accept them. We can’t start the process for our Pensionado Visas until we get that completed.

The other thing we needed to do was to get our Place of Domicile letters notarized and mailed back. We use a mail forwarding service that the State of Florida recognizes as a place of domicile for people that don’t live in a conventional house, like people that live on boats or in motor homes or people like us that lived on a cruise ship for almost 4 months and have been living in hotels since we sold our house before and after the cruise and soon will be residing in Panama.

The mailing service works pretty well. They scan all the mail and then based on the envelope we can choose to have them open it and email us the content or have them shred it. They will also forward any mail that we physically need. They automatically destroy all the junk mail. It worked like a charm while we were on the cruise and should work well in Panama as well.

So, that pretty much killed the day. We switch hotels tomorrow as this one was just for 3 nights and hopefully the next Residence Inn will be nicer. This one in West Palm isn’t one of the better ones we have stayed in. So, we spent the rest of the day packing up.

Tomorrow we will go to the safe deposit box and storage to drop off a bunch of cruise stuff we won’t need for a while and pick up some other things we do need.

I have started looking for rental places in 3 different areas in Panama. (Coronado, Altos del Maria, El Valle) Tomorrow I will contact a few to see if we can set something up for our arrival.

It’s now May 26 and we both got our drivers licenses done. We took the documents that need an apostle done before we travel to Panama. We drove to Miami for the Panamanian Consulate. They were able to apostle our Pension Award letter proving we have the minimum amount required to apply for the Pensionado Visas and Greg’s FBI background check. They couldn’t do our marriage license since it is from Las Vegas and they can only apostle Florida documents. We have to send that to Washington and have it done there. Still waiting on my FBI background check as well.

We contacted an international moving company called PTY Packers and we are awaiting an estimate. They said they could probably pick up our boxes from storage at the end of next week or early the week after. Once that is done we will be ready to travel to Panama.

 

May 15, 2013 Cruise Summary Dubai to Venice

May 15, 2013 Cruise Summary Dubai to Venice

Captain Andrea Poggi

Dubai to Doha (Qatar)                                    199 nautical miles

Doha to Mina Qaboos (Oman)                       492 nautical miles

Oman to Safaga (Egypt)                              2,339 nautical miles

Safaga to Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt)                211 nautical miles

Sharm El Sheikh to Aqaba (Jordan)                 80 nautical miles

Aqaba to Suez Canal                                      299 nautical miles

Suez Canal to Port Said (Egypt)                       88 nautical miles

Port Said to Ashdod (Israel)                           133 nautical miles

Ashdod to Limassol (Cyprus)                        186 nautical miles

Limassol to Istanbul (Turkey)                        731 nautical miles

Istanbul to Piraeus (Greece)                            359 nautical miles

Piraeus to Kotor (Montenegro)                       579 nautical miles

Kotor to Venice (Italy)                                   367 nautical miles 

Total distance traveled Dubai to Venice 6,063 nautical miles

We departed out of the Mina Rashid harbor and proceeded on a North-Easterly course towards Doha. The next day we set a North-Westerly course with many oil rigs on our port side. In the early morning we once abeam of the Jazril Halu Island we altered to a South-Westerly heading into Doha.

Departing Doha we entered a traffic separation scheme on our way to Oman along the South Coast of Iran on our port side (about 20 nautical miles away). In the afternoon we approached the Strait of Hormuz entering the traffic separation scheme where we altered to a Soth-Easterly course passing at about 10 nautical miles from the coast of Oman on our starboard side. Once out of the TSS we maintained a South-Easterly direction to Oman.

Departing Oman we set a South-Westerly course across the Arabian Sea towards Safaga, Egypt. Then we set a South-Easterly course following the Oman coast. During the night we altered to a South-Westerly course across the Arabian Sea and in the morning we passed Masirah Island on our starboard side at a distance of about 15 nautical miles. (an island off the East coast of Oman.)Through the afternoon we maintained our South-Westerly course and in the evening we passed Khurlya Murla islands.

Throughout the next day we steamed on a Westerly course following the Yemen coast and approaching the Gulf of Aden, which is a gulf located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait which is about 20 miles wide.

In the afternoon of the next day we passed by Mayyun Island at a distance of 2 nautical miles. Throughout the afternoon we kept our course navigating across the Red Sea between Yemen and Eritrea. In the Evening we passed the Anish Islands.

During the next day we navigated on a North-Westerly direction towards Safaga. In the early hours of the morning we passed Jebel Zubair Island on our starboard side, which is the largest of the group of 10 islands and submerged shoals that rise from a shallow platform in the Red Sea Rift.

In the morning  we passed between the Parasan Bank on our portside and the Dahiak Bank on our starboard side. Throughout the day we maintained our heading navigating between Saudi Arabia on the starboard side and Eritrea on the portside.

During the night we maintained a North-Westerly course across the Red Sea. Then in the early afternoon we followed the Egyptian coast on our port side passing the Foul Bay, which is an inlet of water on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea and is located slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer.

The  Captain maintained a North-Westerly course to Safaga. Departing Safaga towards Sharm El Sheikh we maintained a North-Easterly course following the Egyptian coast and then a North-Westerly course to Sharm El Sheikh.

After departure from Sharm El Sheikh we set a Northerly course towards Aqaba. We navigated through the Strait of Tiran, a narrow sea passage about 7 nautical miles wide between the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas which separate the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea.

Departing Aqaba we set a Southerly direction ready for our passage through the Suez Canal. During the night we passed the Strait of Tiran in a Southerly direction. In the morning we altered to a Westerly course approaching the Strait of Gubal and the Gulf of Suez where we steamed on a North-Westerly direction between the Sinai Peninsula on our starboard side and the Egyptian coast on our port side navigating throughout the day across the traffic separation scheme towards the Suez Canal.

In the early hours the Pacific Princess dropped anchor in the Bay of Suez. With the pilot on board we weighed our port anchor and took our place within the northbound convoy to enter the Suez Channel. We passed El Gineifa Signal Tower on the port side which marked our entry into Little Bitter Lake. We then altered course to a North-Westerly heading and entered the eastern branch of traffic lane leading into Great Bitter Lake. Soon after we set a North-North-Westerly direction maintaining this course through the eastern branch towards Deversoir by Pass East Branch which led to Lake Timsah. With about 77km to go, we passed a War Memorial in the shape of a large bayonet off our starboard side, proceeding on our Northerly course through the canal as the ship steamed towards Al Ballah by Pass East Branch . Once clear we set a Northerly course towards the Port Said by Pass. Then a Port Said Pilot boarded the Pacific Princess to maneuver us to Port Said.

After departure from Port Said, we set a Northerly course and in the night we altered to a North-Westerly direction as we entered the Traffic Separation Scheme. Once out of that we set a Westerly heading towards Ashdod.

Departing Ashdod we set a North-Westerly course across the Mediterranean Sea towards Limassol, Cyprus. The local Pilot boarded at Akrotiri Bay in a Westerly course passing the breakwater.

Departing Limassol once we cleared the breakwater we set a Westerly course towards the Dardanelles Strait and Istanbul, Turkey. During the morning Pacific Princess steamed on a North-Westerly direction across the Mediterranean Sea, crossing the Karpathos Strait, passing at a distance of about 7 nautical miles from Rodos Island on our starboard side and the Saria Island on our port side. Until early afternoon we maintained our heading across the Karpathio Sea passing numerous islands on both sides of the ship and then we entered the Ikario Sea passing at a distance of abou 2 nautical miles from Ikaria Island. In the evening we altered to a Northerly course passing the Psara Strait and between Chios Island on our starboard side and Psara Island on our port side at about 5 nautical miles away from both.

During the night we maintained an Easterly direction towards the Strait of Canakkale Bogazi. (also known as Dardanelles Strait) In the early morning we entered the Sea of Marmara passing Marmara Island on our starboard side and then in the morning we set Northerly courses towards the Strait of Istanbul where we board the Bosporus pilot who takes us to Istanbul.

Departing Istanbul we set various South-Westerly courses as we left the Dardanelles Strait and maintained our course across the Aegean Sea towards Athens, Greece. In the evening we passed the Kafireas Strait, the passage between the Southern tip of the island Euboea and the nearby island of Andros.

In the early hours we altered to a North-Westerly direction towards Athens. We entered the Gulf of Aegina which forms the part of the Aegean Sea and the Isthmus of Corinth and we proceeded through the Traffic Separation Scheme to Athens.

Departing Athens we set a North-Westerly course towards Kotor, Montenegro. During the night we passed the Elafonisos Strait on a Westerly course across the Lakonisos Gulf. In the early morning we passed by Cape Tainaro and Messiniakos Gulf. In the morning we altered to a North-Westerly course following the Peloponnesus’s coast for the rest of the day across the Ionian Sea towards Kotor.

Throughout the night we steamed on a Northerly course entering the Strait of Otranto which connects the Ionian Sea with the Adriatic Sea. As we approached the Kotor Bay we boarded the Kotor Pilot we made our way through the harbor.

Departing Kotor we set a North-Westerly course towards Venice, Italy across the Adriatic Sea. In the evening we entered the Traffic Separation Scheme which led us to our destination following the Croatian coast. We entered Lido Harbor in Venice and navigated through the San Nicolo Channel first and then into San Marco Channel and passed by San Marco Square on our starboard side before joining the Giudecca Channel and berthed into our assigned dock.

Our cruise ended in Venice, Italy after a total of 30,903 nautical miles from January 31 to May 15, 2013.

May 19, 2013 Venice to Miami

It’s hard to believe our journey started back on January 27^th! But, at 5:30 this morning the beginning of the end started. It was starting to rain as we walked down the alley to breakfast. (we were in an annex of the hotel) After breakfast our water taxi showed up and he put all of our luggage in the boat. We each had 2 checked and 2 carry-ons, plus the 1 extra duffel. It was now pouring out.

As we were just getting started we noticed a ton of people in uniforms in various types of boats. The driver said we were lucky we left when we did as they close the Grand Canal for this race that happens every year. It’s the Vogalonga Regatta  boat race and is one of Venice’s biggest events. Over 1,000 boats make the 30km journey across St Mark’s Basin to the island of Burano and back. Originally a protest against the rise of motorboat traffic in the city, the race has become a carnival procession as well as a sporting event. With some taking the race seriously and completing the course in two hours, and others who are simply there for the atmosphere and camaraderie taking much longer.

It was about a half an hour to the airport and porters were there to tote our luggage. Despite being told to arrive 3 hours prior to our flight, they ticket counter didn’t open until 2 hours prior to the flight. So, we had some time to kill. Finally we get in line and got our bags checked. KLM is quite picky about the size of carryon bags. They made me check my carryon despite it always fitting and is the right size, but it didn’t fit into the little box they had…… On the upside, we had a ton of luggage and were prepared for luggage charges up the wazoo, but we didn’t seem to be charged for them. The luggage fairy blessed us today!

 pictures taken through the window in the pouring rain....

 not sure why there was a bunny on board....



We find our gate and settle in. We flew from Venice to Amsterdam where we had a 3 hour layover where we got some lunch. Then, the next flight was our long one. KLM really has great service on their planes. We had a welcome aboard drink and snack. Then, we were given hot moist towels before they served our lunch which was quite good. Indian Chicken dish or cheese pasta dish. There was a nice fruit salad, a roll, crackers and cheese and a dessert of profiteroles. They brought around more drinks. They announced that anytime you wanted a drink you could go back and ask for one. (alcohol or soft drinks) Then, about halfway through they brought around ice cream. About an hour and a half before landing in Atlanta they brought around more hot towels and a pizza snack that came with a nice pasta salad and dessert.  They were all pleasant and were bringing around water, coffee or cognac or other drinks often. Made the long flight go faster and was quite pleasant. Plus, the first flight was to be 2 hours and we made it in 1.5 and the second flight also was early.

Then, we hit Atlanta where we switch to Delta. First we had to go through customs, where they greet you like being out of the country is the worst thing is the word and aren’t you glad to be back? Immigration guy was at first confused and then amused by all the countries we listed. Plus, no country in the EU stamped our passports so that had him asking questions. We explained the world cruise and having been gone for almost 4 months. He said, now you’re just trying to make me jealous. (or something close to that---it was late and I was tired.)

Then, we go through customs and we had the same conversation with the customs woman.

We find our gate and there is no place left to sit. Delta has scheduled at least 2 planes to leave from the same gate at almost the same time. Hmmmmm. The gate person is not happy and apparently it is the passengers fault. (yep, we are glad to be back home) Finally they announce a flight number to Miami and a gate change. Only it isn’t our flight number. No one leaves. Later she announces the gate change again, this time using the correct flight umber. Luckily, it’s only 2 gates away. However, by the time we got to board the flight was at least 2 hours late. It’s almost midnight and we have not slept in almost 24 hours. Finally, we get on board…after them announcing at least a dozen times, there is no food on the plane, if you want any you are welcome to bring it with you.

We get into Miami at around 2 in the morning and we gather all of our luggage and make our way to Avis car rental where they have canceled our reservation since we did not arrive before midnight. They knew our flight was late, but the computer does it automatically. So, the guy redoes our car rental agreement and tells us where to find our car. Of course the car isn’t in that spot. It was several rows away on the other side. So, we get in and try to leave with their new “paperless” system and the woman at the gate says “where is your contract?” Explain all over again. Finally, we are on our way. We now need to find our hotel in West Palm Beach. We get there and check in at around 3:30. We are asleep by 4:00 this morning after being up for around 27 hours. Phew!

After the dust settles I will start working on photos since I have not added any since Guam! Also, I will reflect back on the world cruise experience and maybe offer some tips that may help someone else. Of course all of this is at the same time as trying to get everything ready to move to Panama!

May 18, 2013 Venice, Italy

Today, we slept in a bit and went down to the breakfast room. We talked to the desk clerk about getting a water taxi to the airport. They said it was no problem they would call for one in the morning.

Our plan for the day was to just wander. It really is one of the best things you can do in Venice. Just wander the narrow walkways that meander and occasionally lead you to dead ends or nowhere near where you may want to go. Of course you have to see all the “tourist stuff” too, but always build in some time to just wander.

We started with the slow vaporetto going the long way to St. Marks Square. We saw there were 4 ships in port today! No wonder it was so crowded today. Unlike the last 2 days it was a glorious and sunny day! Whoo Hoo it was warm and toasty too!. We headed for St. Marks Square to get some photos and then wandered around until lunch. We had a mid morning gelato.We stopped at a trattoria on the far end of the canal and had lunch. Both of our selections were lackluster. I had quattro formaggi and it was bland. Greg had pizza that was OK. I had a bellini and Greg had some wine.





After a leisurely lunch we set out to find a gondola ride. We had done one on our last visit, but it was quite disappointing. (and the gondolier took our photo and it was blurry.) He also talked non stop and it kind of ruined it. Today we got a great gondolier with a pretty gondola and we winded through all kinds of side canals and he whistled or sang along to the recorded music that another gondola was playing. He occasionally would point out a doges residence or a palace, but otherwise he just let us enjoy our ride. We were both glad we repeated the experience.

 off we go!

 that's our gondola at an angle with the traffic



We wandered some more of the city and stopped for cold sodas and some pastries that we ate sitting on the base of a statue. Some pigeons decided we looked easy and came begging for crumbs.



We walked for a few more hours stopping into churches and a musical instrument museum or whatever looked interesting. We stopped at the Rialto Bridge Hotel for a cold drink and a coffee before exploring the bridge area. I picked up a couple of trinkets and we decided it was too early for dinner and walked back to the hotel. We found the fruit and vegetable markets (and fish too even though there were no fish this late in the day…you could still smell them) Back at the hotel we tried to organize our packing better. Our weight was OK in total, but we needed to even out the suitcases. In the end we decided to pack an extra bag and check it. With everything packed except what we needed the next morning, we walked back to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) to eat at our favorite restaurant again. This time it wasn’t as good. My pizza was a tad undercooked, but the bellini was very good! Greg had a nice lasagna Bolognese and some wine.





Then, we walked back to the hotel stopping one last time at St Marks where we noticed there was some flooding. Actually, it seemed to be seeping up from the man hole covers. Time to call it a night since we have a 5:30 in the morning wakeup call. UGH! It was a wonderful end to our fantastic journey!