Princess Announcement

This morning we got the email that Princess Cruises has selected the Cruise Director and Captain's Circle Host for the upcoming World Cruise. We were very happy to see that both Brett Sibone and Sandy Gunder will be back on board for another World Cruise. Looking forward to seeing them again. Here is the information that was released.

(Captain's Circle Host)

(Cruise Director)

Good Friends and Good Food

Things are always busy around the Cornell's home in Virginia during the Christmas holidays.  The annual tradition is to have all the family members from Virginia, Maryland, Florida, California, Nevada, and around the world assemble for a Christmas Dinner.  Curt Jr. and Maria host this dinner every other year at their home in South Riding, VA.  This year the preparations began well before Christmas.  Then on Christmas afternoon all the relatives began arriving for the good food and good times.  Later that evening we did the always popular Secret Santa Gift Exchange.  You never know what you might end up with and if you will be able to trade it for something special like a Chia Pet!!!

(Cindy Cornell, Marisa Cornell and Ameila Lancellotti preparing the Christmas Dinner)

(Cooking the chicken as more family arrives)

(Chris Bassler and Curt  Cornell, Jr. preparing the Tortellini and Prime Rib Beef)

On the day after Christmas, we went to Dale City, Virginia to visit our friends, Bob and Carol Tyson who we have known for 40 years.  We got to see their daughters Bobbie and Susan while we were there.  It was good to see them and get caught up on all that's been happening in the Tyson Family.

(Carol, Bob, Cindy, and Curt--friends for 40 years)

For the next few days we are "cooling our heals" after all the shopping and activities.

Arrival In Virginia

On December 18th we made the flight from Las Vegas to Chicago to Washington Reagan National Airport.  Curt Jr. and Marisa met us at Baggage Claim and then we made the drive across town to South Riding, Virginia.  It was good to be off of the plane and back in a warm home!

Over the past few days, Lance and Marisa have been completing their last few days of school for this year.  Maria and Curt Jr. have been working hard at their jobs and the grandparents have been spending time with the grand kids after school.  Yesterday we did a little final Christmas shopping for the upcoming Annual Christmas Dinner at The Cornell's scheduled for Christmas evening.  The weather here has been pretty good--little cold, but still good.  However, today (December 21st) there has been light rain all day with more expected for tomorrow.

Marisa invited us to join her for lunch at Little River Elementary School.  We got there at about 11:00am and her class made it down the main hallway heading for the cafeteria at 11:15am.  The cafeteria was full of school kids, all of which were very well mannered.  Here is a photo of all enjoying lunch.

(Curt, Marisa, Cindy)

The highlight of the day was Santa's arrival in the school cafeteria!  This jolly ole man greeted all the children and they gave his a very loud welcome.

27 Days And Counting

Time is really getting short now.  We are all packed and completed all the preparations for this grand trip around the world.  Later today, we will go over to our daughter and son-in-law's home (Stephanie and Andy) for the afternoon and evening.  And then in the morning we fly back to Virginia to spend the holidays with Curt Jr., Maria, Lance and Marisa.  Looking forward to Christmas and New Years back east.

We heard from other world cruisers that Brett Siborne will be our Cruise Director again this year.  He does a great job and we are looking forward to seeing him again.

After the New Year, we will be making our "Annual" week long stay in Pompano Beach, Florida with our good friends, Leslie and John.  They will be picking us up at the Miami Airport when we fly in from Virginia.  Thanks Leslie and John--we really appreciate you doing this for us!!!

I'm sure time will pass quickly and before we know it we will be sailing away from Fort Lauderdale.

Shore Excursions Booked

After researching and reviewing the tours and shore excursions offered during the world cruise, we have finally made up our minds and booked several.  Much of the cruise itinerary isn’t new, so we focused on finding tours to places or areas we had not previously visited.  Here is what we have reserved so far.

·         San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua---Granada, Masaya Market and Volcano, Lunch and Shopping

·         Cairns, Australia---The Great Barrier Reef for Marine World (Snorkeling, Semi-Submersible Boat Tours, Underwater Observatory, and Marine Touch Tank)

·         Tokyo, Japan---Imperial Palace Grounds, Meiji  Shrine and Temple

·         Hiroshima, Japan---Bullet Train, Kintai Bridge and A-Bomb Dome

·         Shanghai, China---Zhujiajiao:  Qing Dynasty Post Office,  Covered Bridges, and Shopping

·         Hong Kong, China---Hong Kong Vintage Tram By Night, Shopping At Temple Street Night Market and 8-course Beijing-Style Duck Dinner

·         Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam---The Mekong Delta,  Mekong River Cruise to My Tho Island in the Mekong Delta, Sanpan To Traditional Homes and visit Coconut Candy Factory and a Village.

·         Phuket, Thailand---Phuket Town On Your Own

·         Chennai, India---The Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Five Rathas Temple Models

·         Mumbai, India---Elephanta Island and Caves

·         Manama, Bahrain---Bahrain Fort, Jasra House, Bahrain World Train Center, Camel Farm, and  Handicraft Center

·         Dubai, United Arab Emirates---4WD Desert Safari, Arabian Campsite,  and Camel Ride

·         Aqaba, Jordan---Petra (The Lost City)

·         Safaga, Egypt---Grand Overland 4-days Off The Ship: Luxor, Karnak, Valley Of The Kings, Aswan Dam/Aswan, Abu Simbel and Cairo

·         Koper, Slovenia---Medieval Piran

We are looking forward to participating in these organized shore excursions and learning about many new places.

Princess Announcements

This morning Princess Cruises announced two senior positions on board the Pacific Princess for the upcoming World Cruise.  These positions are the Hotel General Manager and the Maitre'd Hotel.  We sailed on the last World Cruise with Michele Castiglioni, the Hotel General Manager.

Final Visa Arrived And More

This afternoon, FEDEX delivered our passports with the new 1-year, Multi-Entry Chinese Visas.  This was the last visa we needed for the upcoming world cruise with the exception of visas that the ship will obtain for everyone (Australia, Vietnam, Dubai, Jordan, Egypt).  There wasn't any requirement for us to obtain a visa from India, since ours is a 10-year and still in effect.

With the visa preparation out of the way, it's on to deciding what we really need and what can stay at home.  On the last world cruise we prepared a list near the end of the cruise of items that we really needed and the quantity for each.  This has come in handy for getting everything together in one room for sorting and packing.  When you are planning for a total of 119 days on board a ship at sea it is important to really do a little planning so something isn't left behind.  Of course if you aren't careful this can lead to taking too many items as well!!

We went online to the US Postal Service (USPS) yesterday and setup a Temporary Change Of Address to our Daughter's home.  All our mail will go to her during the time we are gone.  This is important since the USPS will only hold mail for 30 days.  One good thing about a temporary change of address is that the USPS won't forward "junk mail".

Several  administrative items were taken care of yesterday.  We made arrangements with our Cable TV and Internet Provider to put each of them on "Vacation Hold".  This allows us to keep these services in an inactive status and not have to pay the normal bill for services and not incur any reconnection fees.  In December we will do a similar thing with our automobiles and their insurance coverage.  Insurance companies allow a procedure called "Garaging".  In our state our insurance company allows you to remove most of the coverage with the exception of limited comprehensive coverage with substantial savings.

One administrative item that has not been accomplished is our Taxes.  The forms to file an extension of the filing date are already available from the Internal Revenue Service.  However, we won't have the exact figures to use for filing until sometime in January.

World Cruise Trivia

Here are some pieces of trivial information about the upcoming world cruise. 

How far will the Pacific Princess travel?

• 56,658.05 Kilometers
• 31,672.81 Nautical Miles
• 36,448.41 Statute Miles

How many ports will we visit?

• 39 Ports

To how many continents will the Pacific Princess travel?

• Six

Will the Pacific Princess cross the Equator?

•  Yes, twice.  Prior to arriving at American Samoa and after leaving Australia.

What affect will crossing the International Data Line have on the cruise?

• This will cause us to loose or not have February 12, 2012.

How many laps around the Pacific Princess Jogging Track equal a mile?

• 13 laps

What are the vital statistics for the Pacific Princess?

• Passenger Capacity 680
• Length 593 feet
• Gross Tonage 30,200

Stateroom Assignments

This morning we checked the Princess Personalizer and there it was.  Yes, we finally have a stateroom assignment.  Our original booking was for a Category BD Balcony Guarantee, basically anywhere on the ship in that particular category.  So, to our surprise, we received a Category BC on a higher deck and a good location.  We are now assigned to stateroom 7102 which is on the port side just 6 staterooms from the aft of the ship, our favorite location.  Well, as we continued looking at the Princess Personalizer this morning we got our second surprise.  On our extension of the World Cruise to the Holy Land we originally had a Category BF Balcony Guarantee.  But, Princess surprised us again and assigned us to 7102 for this cruise.  So, now we won't have to move between these two cruises.  This will really make things much more enjoyable and we will be able to enjoy "turn-around day" in Venice instead of packing up to move to a new stateroom.

 Thanks to Princess Cruises for giving us an excellent stateroom and understanding that moving between cruises isn't fun.  We really appreciate this nice gesture!!!

Yesterday we received an email from China Visa Service saying that they had received our visa paperwork on Monday and had begun the processing.  Hopefully our applications will get processed quickly and our passports will be back to us soon.

This morning we are down to 58 days until embarkation at Port Everglades and Sail-Away.

62 Days And Counting

(PACIFIC PRINCESS CREST)

We are counting the days down until embarkation.  Just 62 days remaining.  Sent off our request for a 1 year, multiple-entry VISA to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco through a visa service yesterday.  It's our plan to use this visa for both the World Cruise and a return visit to China later next year when we will spend 3 weeks on a land excursion.

Princess has not yet assigned us a stateroom number for the cruise.  We are still in a Guarantee Balcony status.  But we will be happy with any stateroom in any location, since the price for a guarantee was outstanding.  Probably won't know anything more until we get to Fort Lauderdale and embark the ship.

Our friends Leslie and John have graciouly volunteered to pick us up at the airport when we fly down to Florida.  Also, we will be shipping a box to them loaded with all the heavy items for the cruise.  This will really help with the airline luggage weight restrictions!  Thanks Leslie and John!!!!  They will be joining us for a week in Fort Lauderdale just prior to the cruise. 

Princess finally added several overland excursions for the world cruise.  We selected a 4-day through Egypt that visits Safaga, Temple of Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Sound & Light Show at the Karnak Temple, Colossi of Memnon, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple, Aswan High Dam, Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk, Felucca Ride on the Nile, Abu Simbel, Cairo, Dinner Cruise on the Nile River,  Egyptian Museum Of Antiquities, The Great Pyramids, and The Sphinx.  This trip will mean that we will travel the full length of Egypt, traveling by motorcoach, airplane, and river boat and will rejoin the Pacific Princess at Port Said.

Captain Announced

Captain John Foster was born in the maritime city of Liverpool, on the banks of the river Mersey, North West coast of England.

He started his seagoing career as an Officer Cadet with Esso Tankers at the age of 16. After completing his cadetship, he joined his first Princess ship - the Royal Princess. He was also assigned to the new build projects of the Dawn Princess, Grand Princess and Island Princess. He gained is Master Mariners certificate in 1996 and has most recently served onboard Sea Princess and Grand Princess.

He still lives in Liverpool and when not at sea, his hobbies include golf and fishing.

Email from Captain Foster:

Holy Land Extension

We have decided to add a Holy Land cruise on the end of the world cruise.  Since we will already be in the area and to keep from having to fly back to Europe, this addition to our itinerary made sense.  Have added tabs at the top of the page that show the itinerary and map.  The cruise is April 30 to May 12, 2011.

Our Cartouches

Been working on our cartouches so we will have some reference/guide when we arrive in Egypt.  We would both like to get one made during our visit.

Cindy's Cartouche

Curt's Cartouche

Final Payment

We just got off the telephone with our travel agent.  Final Payment has been made, so it's now official--we are going on the 2012 World Cruise.  So, we really have to get serious about preparation for this upcoming global adventure.

Previously mentioned getting our visa for China.  We held off on doing this but will submit for the visa after we return from our cruise on the Sapphire Princess in late October.   Should only take about 10 days for the visa to be processed.

Itinerary Change

Princess announced a change to our departure from Fort Lauderdale.  Here is the change.

Please be advised that due to operational considerations, your ship will now
now depart Ft. Lauderdale at 4:00 pm and not 5:00 pm as originally scheduled.
As a result of this change, our flight guidelines have been amended. Passengers
with Princess eZAir will be rescheduled on earlier flights as needed and a new
confirmation will be sent. Passengers with independent air arrangements will
need to reschedule their flights to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at or prior to
2:30 pm (domestic) and 1:45 pm (international). If you are flying into Miami,
you will need to reschedule your flights to arrive at or prior to 1:30 pm
(domestic) and 12:30 pm (international). Please contact Customer Relations at
1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) if you have any questions regarding air change
fees. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notification
.

Chinese VISA

We will be sending off for our Chinese Visa next week.  Looks like Princess Cruises will be handling all the other visa requirements; however we did get a 10-year visa for India last world cruise.  With just 139 days left prior to boarding the Pacific Princess in Fort Lauderdale, it's time to begin getting serious about pulling everything together for this grand adventure.  From all that we have seen on the Cruise Critic Roll Call thread and the Princess Facebook thread http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222439144461608 , many friends from last year's world cruise will be returning for another voyage.  Can't say anything yet, but several members of the previous crew are also joining us for the 2012 World Cruise.  So, now it's time to figure out how to keep from over packing!

Special Speakers To Appear During World Cruise

Princess Cruises issued this press release yesterday.

Princess Cruises Announces Special Speakers to Appear During World Cruise 

Screen Idol Tab Hunter, a Space Shuttle Astronaut and "Leave it to Beaver" Star Among Those Joining Pacific Princess 2012 Global Voyage 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (July 25, 2011) -- Globetrotting Princess Cruises passengers will be joined by a variety of intriguing special guests aboard Pacific Princess during its 107-day World Cruisedeparting January 13, 2012. Whether they want to hear about the golden age of Hollywood, get the scoop on modern-day filmmaking, or find out what it's really like in outer space, world cruise travelers can get first-hand stories throughout the sailing.

Among the celebrated speakers scheduled to appear onboard are screen idol Tab Hunter; "Leave it to Beaver" star Jerry Mathers; "The Love Boat's" Gavin MacLeod; legendary Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump; Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of silent film star Harold Lloyd; Oscar-nominated Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks and Space Shuttle Astronaut Robert C. Springer. In addition, a variety of expert lecturers will join the cruise to inform passengers on topics such as World War II history and computer forensics.

The special guest appearances are part of an enrichment program designed especially for the Ft. Lauderdale to Venice cruise, which will visit 38 destinations in 28 countries, with calls on six continents as it sails through Latin America, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and Egypt, finally ending in the Mediterranean.

Special guests scheduled to appear aboard Pacific Princess include:

Rolly Crump -- Disney Imagineer (January 13-28: Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)
One of the original Disney Imagineers, Crump joined Disney in 1952, first in animation, contributing to legendary films such as "Lady and the Tramp," but soon moved to the new group of designers who were creating Disneyland's groundbreaking latest attractions. Crump worked alongside Walt Disney himself to create the Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tiki Room and other attractions, and later designed projects for Disney's EPCOT Center. Crump will talk about Walt Disney the man and the early days of designing iconic Disneyland rides.

Gavin MacLeod -- TV and Film Actor (January 28-February 10: San Diego to Pago Pago)
Perhaps best known as "Captain Merrill Stubing" from the long-running television show The Love Boat, MacLeod also earned acclaim for his role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as well as numerous film roles. A long-time fan of cruising, MacLeod has served as an ambassador for Princess Cruises since 1986. He will present a selection of his favorite episodes from these classic series for passengers, and will reminisce about his career and famous co-stars.

Colonel Robert C. Springer -- Space Shuttle Astronaut (February 10-18: Pago Pago to Auckland)
A two-time space shuttle astronaut, Springer has spent more than 237 hours in space. After joining NASA in 1981, Springer served as a mission specialist on shuttle flights in 1989 and 1990. Now retired from NASA and the U.S. Marine Corps, Springer currently works for The Boeing Company as director of quality systems, Integrated Defense Systems. Springer will talk about the shuttle program, his adventures in space, and the future of NASA.

Jerry Mathers -- Former Child Star (February 18-26: Auckland to Sydney) Although best known for his role as "Beaver" Cleaver in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver, Mathers also had roles in films such as Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry" and "The Seven Little Foys" with Bob Hope. More recently, he made his Broadway debut with a starring role in the Tony Award winning play "Hairspray." Mathers will screen favorite episodes from his TV series, plus several of his films, and will talk about working with legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope and Shirley MacLaine.

Suzanne Lloyd -- Granddaughter of Harold Lloyd (March 12-20: Tokyo to Hong Kong)
The granddaughter of one of Hollywood's founding fathers and silent film legend Harold Lloyd, Suzanne Lloyd will screen a mini film festival of her grandfather's silent comedy classics and talk about growing up on her grandfather's legendary Bel Air estate: Green Acres.

Leslie Iwerks -- Oscar Nominated Filmmaker (March 29-April 12: Singapore to Dubai)
A noted documentary filmmaker, Iwerks is also the daughter and granddaughter of Disney legends. Her first feature documentary, "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story," chronicled the life of her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, the animator who designed Mickey Mouse. Her 2006 Academy Award-nominated film, "Recycled Life," documents the lives of Guatemalans who live and work on a landfill. In addition, her 2007 film, "The Pixar Story," was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Onboard, Iwerks will introduce a showing of "Recycled Life," and discuss her work with George Lucas' special effects company, and the computer animation work of Pixar Entertainment.

Tab Hunter -- Actor, Screen Idol (April 12-30: Dubai to Venice)
A screen idol from Hollywood's golden age, Tab Hunter starred in more than 50 major films, including the Academy Award-nominated "Damn Yankees." Hunter also reached the top of the music charts with the hit song Young Love, and starred in his own television series. In the 1980s and '90s, Hunter starred in several John Waters films as well as the comedy Western "Lust in the Dust." The ship will screen several of Hunter's films, and he will talk about his career, his famous co-stars, and his autobiography.

In addition, World Cruise passengers will also have the benefit of a variety of expert lecturers who will share their knowledge on diverse topics, including:

Concorde Pilot -- A former British Airways Concorde pilot will speak about the glamour and technology of the Concorde. (January 13-28: Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)

World War II Historian -- Bruce Petty, the author of several books about World War II in the Pacific, will talk about topics such as Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and aircraft carriers in the Pacific. (January 28-February 18: San Diego to Auckland)

South Pacific Naturalist -- Ann Burgess, an expert on the natural history of the South Pacific region, will talk about a variety of related topics including Polynesian explorers and indigenous wildlife in the area. She will also host animal spotting sessions on the top deck to help passengers catch a glimpse of sea life such as dolphins and whales. (February 18-March 12: Auckland to Tokyo)

Ambassador/Diplomat -- Douglas Hartwick, a former ambassador to Laos and State Department diplomat, will talk about the life of a diplomat living abroad. (March 12-29: Tokyo to Singapore)

Computer Forensics Expert -- Mark Harrington, computer forensic company executive, will lecture on how computer footprints can find terrorists and criminals. (March 20-29: Hong Kong to Singapore)

Astronomer -- An astronomer will join the ship to teach passengers about the night sky, the solar system and the latest space exploration from NASA, plus will host stargazing sessions on deck. (March 29-April12: Singapore to Dubai)

United Nations Official -- John Renninger, a UN official and adjunct professor at NYU, will talk about the UN's peacekeeping role and Middle East topics. (April 12-30: Dubai to Venice)

"World cruise passengers will not only get to experience amazingly diverse parts of the globe, they'll also have access to a wide range of knowledgeable special lecturers," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. "Our goal is to enrich and entertain passengers throughout their entire time onboard with us."

All special guests and expert lecturers are currently scheduled to appear, but modifications may be made subject to changes in speaker availability.

Repricing/Rebooking

Over the past few months we have taken advantage of several (4) price reductions and promos.  This has significantly reduced the cost for this cruise.  Today, we again changed our booking.  In fact we canceled the booking through our travel agent and rebooked at a huge discount for a Category BD Balcony stateroom.  We were lucky that the information regarding this 2 for 1 promotion was passed on by several friends on the Cruise Critic World Cruise Roll Call thread.  So now we are not in a specific stateroom, rather a CAT BD Balcony on a Guarantee.  We have our fingers crossed that we will get a good location on the ship.  Never know, we could always get an upgrade.

Welcome

Welcome to our World Cruise Blog. We will be Posting about our preparation activities prior to departing on this adventure on January 13, 2012 and as we travel along. During the trip around the World, we will attempt to post something for each port visited and highlights of activities on board the Pacific Princess. To see a sample of our previous posts, you can visit our last World Cruise blog. A link to it is along the right side.

Animation--Turn On Your Speakers

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