Monday this week seemed like just the ideal opportunity to take a vacation day off work! Little did I know that instead of just attending a tour of a cruise ship followed up with a wonderful lunch, I would actually be getting teased so much with pure luxury and the atmosphere of a tropical holiday, that I was seriously contemplating how I might be able to deceive security and customs and stow-away for the real voyage... *still singing Agadoo in my head (push pineapples, shake the tree) to relive the atmoshpere*Royal Caribbean 'Legend Of The Seas' - that's the name of the cruise ship... but included among the invited guests were the 'Who's Who' of the Singapore Blogosphere... Real legends in their own right! (or at least in our own minds) :)
The tour organized by OMY, has spurred mine (and my wife's) interest and yearning - you see, neither of us have been on a real cruise (for vacation) in our lives. Over recent months, Sammi has been hassling me to organize our next holiday - amazingly enough, I found each one of her preferred destinations included in one single package advertised in the brochures handed out - Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Given that we travel back home to the in-laws in Shanghai often, a cruise that starts out there, stops at Okinawa, Taipei and then Hong Kong would earn me huge brownie points!
The great thing about this 5-night cruise package, is firstly the price. The cost for the two of us in one of the luxurious suites is actually significantly cheaper than flying to each of the destinations and paying for hotels. But wait, there's more! - our first discussion on the idea of a cruise vacation, was around what to do with the kids. Problem solved - not only would we be checking into the family suite, which is absolutely huge with separate rooms and balcony (it's like an apartment on the ocean), Royal Caribbean have the award-winning 'Adventure Ocean Youth Program'. "Led by qualified staff and designed for children from six months to 17 years old, the kids will find themselves having fun and making new friends"... Don't get me wrong, we would want to spend most of the time experiencing the awesome holiday with both of the boys - but at least we have the comfort of knowing that we would still have ample opportunity to sneak off to the casino on our own sometimes, or maybe even bask in the sunshine for some romantic kanoodling by the pool. :)
For my friends and regular readers, you will know that Casey's way too young when we're in Shanghai for CNY, 2011 - he'll be just 4-months old, but that's ok because when the weather will be quite cold then - I'm guessing the perfect time would be the 8th October, 2011 cruise... *mind starts wandering again in anticipation*
Anyway, I digress. The cruise ship tour has completely caused the travel bug to bite. The only real issue, is that once we get into the family suite, it's going to be difficult to leave the room. With all of the activities available, we could be risking not making the most of the cruise - perhaps we might have to take two trips back-to-back. Whether it's playing mahjong, relaxing in the library, eating (and eating), gambling, rock-climbing, golfing, swimming, or partying until the wee hours - I'm not sure how to fit it all into 5-nights. It's certainly going to require some serious scheduling on our part.
Don't take my word for it - check it out for yourself:
A huge thank you to OMY and Royal Caribbean for the opportunity on Monday. You have successfully gained a true fan and future customer (and online influencer) - James, our tour guide did a wonderful job, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to break the diet at the 'Romeo and Juliet' dining room for the mouth-watering lamb shank and 'chef's surprise' dessert.
Aside: there's one major thing that I didn't tell my wife for fear of a credit card blow-out... the onboard shopping is akin to an upmarket department store - with a price guarantee!! (that is, if something is cheaper at any of the stopover locations, they will match the price on-board - what the?? - that's almost like a guranteed perpetual sale). :)
Do yourself a favour - join Royal Caribbean and sail the high seas in luxury on board 'Legend of the Seas '- we, without doubt, certainly will be!!
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