March 27-28 $1 US = 7.7HKD Hong Kong continues its transition from a British protectorate to part of China. The handover started in 1997 and will go for 50 years. As such, the people consider themselves from Hong Kong. They are very welcoming – and all of the ship’s passengers …
March 23-24, 2024 $1 = 55 Pesos This was my first time in the Philippines. It will not be my last. I’ve known many people from here: nurses, medical technicians, doctors and others the US tempted away for good paying professional jobs. The number one export from the Philippines is …
$1 US = 15,300 rupiah March 18-20 100 Days! Royal made us a cake to celebrate. I spent day 100 doing most of the same things as always – trivia, playing guitar, blogging, visiting, etc. A great day overall. Lombok – we visited Lombok in 2020 on the abbreviated CMV …
March 10-14, 2024 $1 US = $1.52 Australian We had a wine steward onboard named Jay (unfortunately his contract ended in Brisbane), who indulged our bunch of wine lovers after we attended the official “Women in Wine” presentation about a month into the cruise. Royal Caribbean intended the official tasting …
March 8-9, 2024 The sail into Sydney Harbor “is not to be missed”. You sail along cliffs, turn the corner and see the Opera House and the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge in all their glory. We spent the morning at anchor in the harbor, tendering in to the steps of …
March 4-5, 2024 1.64 NZ$ = 1 US$ (it’s easiest to think 2 US$= 3 NZ $) Two days is not nearly enough time to spend in one of my favorite countries in the world. I realize this was my fourth visit, but Auckland does not get “old”, and I’m …
February 25-26, 2024 Several days at sea lets me get caught up – which does not mean I actually did catch up on things. (I still have cold weather socks in the drawer and sweaters in the closet). I continue to play guitar with whoever shows up at the pub …
February 19-20, 2024 John and I visited Hawaii for our honeymoon in 1998. We did the luau, the beaches, but not The Arizona – that felt too “deep” for a honeymoon. So this time, we visited the National Monument. We didn’t go online at the right time – the Arizona …
February 17-18, 2024 Getting on the scale in Los Angeles, I was concerned – I was up 1 ½ pounds. Luckily, when we docked again in Hilo, my weight was back to my baseline – I guess I had a “bad bloat” day. After a few lovely days at sea …
Approx. 17 pesos/ US dollar Feb. 6-11, 2024 I found a wall on the 12th floor displaying plaques from each new port the Serenade visits. Feb. 6th was an enjoyable day at sea as we celebrated Liam’s Birthday at the Chef’s Table – the “ultimate” of the specialty restaurants on board, …