My sister, Leslie, sent me a text in May of last year (2018), enticing me with a Cruise that goes to 17 countries. Little did she know that I would take her up on that offer, and pay the deposit! I don't think she really thought that I would consider it. Anyway, I figured we had until January of 2019 to cancel and only lose $50. Well worth just dreaming about the trip.
In September 2018, I found a great flight option for $545 plus taxes and fees. Now, we had to book. What a great fare - flying into Singapore and home from London. Once booked, we knew we couldn't cancel and this trip was really going to happen.
Preparing for this cruise was no small feat. $800 worth of shots and pills, An Indian and Sri Lanka visa (the ship provides the other 3 visas needed), and the packing!!! The last one has been the toughest. Imagine trying to pack for a 45 day cruise, where you need outfits for excursions, outfits for dinner, 5 formal nights, bathing suits, cover ups, shoes for all occasions, and workout outfits (we plan on working out on all our days 'At Sea').
I'll post a few of my pics here, along with out itinerary. Only 4 repeat sites for me (Thailand, Egypt, Rome and Barcelona). We'll have 24 days on land, and 21 days at sea. I can't wait for this to begin - only 5 more days!!!
Cruise Itinerary - Vasco de Gama (Cruise & Maritime Voyages)
Date Port Name
04/24/2019 Singapore
04/25/2019 Cruising Malacca Straits
04/26/2019 Penang, Malaysia
04/27/2019 Phuket, Thailand
04/28/2019 At Sea
04/29/2019 At Sea 04/30/2019 At Sea 05/01/2019 Colombo, Sri Lanka
05/02/2019 At Sea 05/03/2019 Cochin, India (we're taking the optional tour to the Taj Mahal)
05/04/2019 Delhi, India (Taj Mahal) 05/05/2019 Goa, India (we get back on the boat)
05/06/2019 Mumbai, India
05/07/2019 At Sea 05/08/2019 At Sea 05/09/2019 At Sea 05/10/2019 Salalah, Oman
05/11/2019 At Sea 05/12/2019 At Sea 05/13/2019 At Sea 05/14/2019 At Sea 05/15/2019 Safaga, Egypt (Luxor and Valley of the Kings)
05/16/2019 Aqaba, Jordan (Petra)
05/17/2019 At Sea 05/18/2019 Transit the Suez Canal
05/19/2019 Ashdod, Israel (Jerusalem and the Dead Sea)
05/20/2019 At Sea 05/21/2019 Santorini, Greece
05/21/2019 Mykonos, Greece
05/22/2019 Athens, Greece
05/23/2019 At Sea 05/24/2019 Valletta, Malta
05/25/2019 Sicily, Italy
05/26/2019 Cruising Strait of Messina
05/27/2019 Naples, Italy (Amalfi Coast)
05/28/2019 Rome, Italy
05/29/2019 At Sea
05/30/2019 Barcelona, Spain
05/31/2019 At Sea
06/01/2019 Gibraltar
06/02/2019 Casablanca, Morocco (Marrakech)
06/03/2019 At Sea
06/04/2019 Lisbon, Portugal
06/05/2019 At Sea
06/06/2019 London Tilbury, UK
Packing
I had to take a picture of all my excursion outfits and know that I could wear them twice. This helped me reduce the amount of clothes I was bringing and made me feel good that I had enough outfits to cover my knees and shoulders in places that required it. The pic of my shoes was my first attempt. I had to take some of the wedges out - not enough room!
Bon Voyage Party at the Big - Sunday, April 14th
That's all for now.
Have a great trip