Sojourn to Southeast Asia

Have you ever experienced something really amazing and said "check that off the bucket list" even though it was never on your bucket list to begin with? Just me?

I've had some really memorable experiences where it never occurred to me it was something I wanted to try or was even a possibility to do in the first place. Examples include jet skiing in St. Maarten, renting a Hourstan Glascraft (a 16 foot, 50 horse power boat) to drive around the waters of Vancouver, and attending a lecture from the strength and conditioning coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

I caught myself saying "check that off the bucket list" again after getting up close and personal to an elephant in Pattaya, Thailand but I'll explain that in more detail later.

At the Elephant Village in Pattaya

My family and I booked two cabins on the Celebrity Century for a Southeast Asia trip about a year in advance. After several months of planning for this trip it was finally time for us to fly out of Vancouver to begin our cruise adventure. We embarked the ship in Singapore on February 22, 2015. Two weeks later we disembarked in Singapore and left with hundreds of video clips, thousands of pictures, and more than enough memories to last a lifetime.

Since there is so much to write about I will be splitting my experience in Southeast Asia into three parts:
Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam
Part 2: Singapore
And saving my best memories for last,
Part 3: Thailand

Easter in the Eastern Caribbean

It's been just over a week since my return from working on the Regal Princess during the busy Easter/Spring Break season. The Regal was doing an Eastern Caribbean itinerary which I have done previously as a passenger and then as a crew member a few years later. The ports may have been familiar but the sun and warm waters of the Caribbean will always be novel to me.

Clear waters in the Caribbean

I was excited to join the newest ship on the Princess fleet because I knew the production shows and entertainment would be top-notch! I was lucky enough to catch two shows in the lovely Princess Theatre. The first was The Unexpected Boys which is a tribute act to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I love songs from the musical Jersey Boys so it goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The second show, Fiera!, was a production show featuring the singers and dancers. By seamlessly incorporating the use of props, pyrotechnics and HD screens on stage the production value of Fiera! was unlike any show I have ever seen. I was blown away by how good the show was. I could ramble on and on about how nice the ship is but I'll move on to the good stuff: the ports!

Princess Cays: This is the private island owned by Princess Cruises in Eleuthera, Bahamas. There is an enclosed play area called Pelican Perch where youth staff like me supervise children while the ship is anchored at sea. On days when I didn't start work until 12 noon at Pelican Perch I happily ate the BBQ lunch on the island before my shift. After my shift was over I usually had an hour or two to enjoy the island before having to take the tender back to the ship. The water by the tender docks is so clear that no snorkel gear is necessary to see the fishes in it. I cherished the opportunity to watch a variety of colourful fishes swimming in the ocean while standing on the docks above.

St. Thomas: The highlight of my time in St. Thomas was when I went on an excursion called The Legendary Kon Tiki Harbor and Beach Cruise. It was a nice way to experience a morning in St. Thomas. As passengers and I boarded the Kon Tiki boat we were greeted with calypso music from the steel drum band playing aboard the boat. The boat had glass-bottom viewers that offered snorkeling-like views so passengers could see coral and fish in the harbours of Charlotte Amalie. The boat then anchored at the small but lovely Honeymoon Bay for 1 hour. This beach had the most crystal clear waters I have ever set foot in and the sand beneath my feet were soft and free of any debris.

View of Honeymoon Bay from the Kon Tiki

St. Maarten: The thing I love most about the port of St. Maarten is that it takes only 20 minutes to walk to the beach/shopping/town area. There is no need for a taxi to get to this beach although a water taxi is available if you don't feel like walking. I spent most of my time in St. Maarten at the beach relaxing on the sand or going for a dip in the ocean when it got too hot. The great thing about this beach for me was it's proximity to McDonald's meant I could buy an Oreo McFlurry to take to the beach to enjoy. Things as simple as enjoying a yummy treat on the beach during my morning off on a port day makes me appreciate how lucky I am to work on cruise ships.
P.S. If you love the taste of coconuts then you need to try the coconut smoothie from the Coco Express smoothie stand near the pier. They hand out samples but it's so delicious that I couldn't help but buy a full-sized smoothie. Their coconut smoothie comes in two sizes: medium ($4 USD) or large ($5 USD).

Fort Lauderdale: There are two things most crew members love: WiFi and shopping at Ross. Both of these things are not hard to find in and around the Port Everglades cruise terminal. I definitely had a crew member moment when I realized I spent my whole morning in Fort Lauderdale shopping at Ross, buying a 1 gallon carton of water at Publix supermarket and then using WiFi. On another morning out and about in Fort Lauderdale I walked to Turtle Nesting Beach which is about 45 minutes away from the cruise terminal. Along the way I stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to make myself an iced coffee for the walk to the beach. Turtle Nesting Beach is massive! The beach appears to go on for miles with lots of sand so it never feels crowded. The abundance of picnic tables and benches at this beach makes it a great place for any type of group gathering involving food.

This was not my first time in the Eastern Caribbean and I'm fairly certain it won't be my last either. I'm perfectly content with that fact!