Sunrise

Sunrise
Watching the sunrise on my balcony

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Cruising from Vancouver to Japan

Diamond Princess
Cruising is an amazing way to travel, especially if you want to go a far distance. I would gladly trade a 12 hour flight for a 22 day cruise any day! Well, that was what my sister, mom and nephew thought too! They are on their way now, and will be in Okinawa in 1 week. They departed Vancouver on the Diamond Princess (picture above) bound for the far east! Their cruise set sail, on September 17th 2011 and the crew will arrive at their final destination, Beijing China, on October 10th 2011


Port
Arrival
Departure
Vancouver, British Columbia

4:30 PM
At Sea


Ketchikan, Alaska
6:30 AM
2:00 PM
Juneau, Alaska
8:00 AM
9:00 PM
Skagway, Alaska
7:00 AM
8:30 PM
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising)
6:00 AM
3:00 PM
College Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising)
5:30 PM
8:30 PM
Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska
12:30 AM
5:00 PM
At Sea


At Sea


Cross International Dateline
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
At Sea


At Sea


At Sea


Sapporo (Muroran/Hokkaido), Japan
8:00 AM
6:00 PM
At Sea


Vladivostok, Russia
4:30 AM
7:00 PM
At Sea


At Sea


Shanghai, China
7:00 AM
6:00 PM
At Sea


Dalian, China
7:00 AM
2:00 PM
Beijing (Tianjin), China
4:00 AM

After staying 3 nights in Beijing, visiting the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, they will fly to Okinawa for a 5 night stay. While they are here we will go and see many sites around the island. I am most excited about our trip to Tokashiki Island, where we will swim with the sea turtles right from the beach. To get to Tokashiki we will take a ferry from Naha city which takes around 70 mins. I can take my car on the ferry which will make the trip much easier with baby Eithan. I am looking forward to hearing all about their adventures at the many ports they have visited on their way to Okinawa. It is an amazing feeling to board a ship in North America and get off in Asia! Definitely the most comfortable way to travel from continent to continent. 


I can confess, that I am an avid cruiser. Although this is a new form of travel for me, I have definitely had my fair share of cruises this year.  
In February 2011, I visited the Bahamas onboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas. This was short 4 day cruise but a good way to spend the weekend before starting my teaching practicum a week later!
In April I boarded the Ocean Princess with my best friend Jodie, and we ventured on a 28 day cruise that took us from Singapore to Rome. On the way, we were lucky enough to visit Malaysia, India, Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Egypt, Greece and Italy! It really was, a cruise of a lifetime. 
Top deck of the Ocean Princess leaving Singapore on her 28 day voyage to Rome




















After that amazing month onboard the Ocean Princess we disembarked in May 2011. Jodie and I then flew to Nice, France where we set sail on a large Sailboat type cruise ship called "Windstar." On this cruise we travelled around the South of France and Corsica for 5 days. 
Tamara and Jodie cruising the South of France
Jodie flew back to Australia (so sad to see her go!).  In June 2011 I boarded the Star Princess and enjoyed an amazing 12 night cruise visiting the Greek Islands, Turkey, Croatia and Italy.
Now when people here about all this travel they think it must be so expensive, but in reality, cruising is the most economical way to travel these days. You pay one price and it includes everything with no hassle. You unpack once, get to see many destinations and no airport line ups or security checks! What more could you want?


If you are interested in cruising please contact me. I am a cruise specialist with Expedia CruiseShipCenters. You can also take a look at my website www.cruiseshipcenters.ca/tamararytter and sign yourself up for my 7Seas Club where you can enter to win a free cruise! To Sign up for this free service, click on the "log-in" tab at the top right hand side on the website and then you will see a link to join my 7Seas Club. Once signed up, you are automatically entered to win a free cruise for two. 
Please email me at trytter@cruiseshipcenters.com with any questions you may have about planning your dream holiday. I have travelled extensively to over 50 countries so when I say I am a vacation expert, I am not kidding!


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