Monday, January 12, 2015

Bullet Train in Shanghai


The bullet train in Shanghai provides transportation from the main downtown train station to the international airport - about 20 miles. At 450 KM/H, the trip takes just over 5 minutes. It's an exhilarating ride! You don't necessarily feel the true speed, but with the cars & landscape rushing by you know you're going extremely fast! Once we boarded, I turned on the video camera and let it run the entire trip. Ultimately, it ended up being 10-minutes in length - much too large to post on this blog, so instead, I've uploaded to YouTube: Simple click on the link below or if that doesn't work, copy & paste it into your browser. This was truly a bucket-list item!


                                                      http://youtu.be/fbkM6K9WynY

















Monday, January 5, 2015

Sailing Date - March 2016

Designed to explore some of the most remote corners of the world in elegance and style, ms Prinsendam is Holland America’s most intimate, private ship. Accommodating a max of just 835 passengers, they say she gives guests the feel of a classic yacht at only 669 feet in length, with a beam of 106 feet. This will be a new experience…please come and join us as we explore Albania, France, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Monaco, & Montenegro.

According to the U.S. News & World Report Travel... "Launched in 2002, the ms Prinsendam is one of Holland America's smallest ships. Carrying up to 835 passengers (plus 470 crew members), the ms Prinsendam can navigate to remote ports of call. (In 2015, the ms Prinsendam will spend most of its time in Europe and the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic to explore the Caribbean andSouth America.) A main selling point of sailing on the ms Prinsendam is its intimate atmosphere: You won't have to battle as many people for a spot by the Lido pool or a seat in the Crow's Nest lounge. That said, because of the ship's compact size, guests can expect less wiggle room than aboard other boats within the fleet: Staterooms range from 150 to 862 square feet, whereas the top tier suites on other ships often exceed 1,000 square feet. But many recent passengers were happy to give up the extra legroom for more customized experiences and the chance to sail to harder-to-reach destinations than those you would expect to explore on a 4,000-guest megaship. This is also a better option if you're looking to avoid a cruise geared toward families. Though the ship sports a putting green to please the younger crowd, the ms Prinsendam lacks Club HAL children's program facilities. Instead, it offers adult-friendly features, like the Holland America's Culinary Arts Center, the Digital Workshop, Explorations Café, and four dining venues.

 Here's our March (2016) itinerary...


 PORT-OF-CALL
DATE
ARRIVE
DEPART
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Mar 11

11:00 PM
At Sea
Mar 12


At Sea
Mar 13


At Sea
Mar 14


At Sea
Mar 15


At Sea
Mar 16


At Sea
Mar 17


At Sea
Mar 18


At Sea
Mar 19


Maderia, Portugal
Mar 20
08:00 AM
04:00 PM
At Sea
Mar 21


Malaga, Spain
Mar 22
07:00 AM
05:00 PM
At Sea
Mar 23


Cagliari, Sardini, Italy
Mar 24
11:00 AM
06:00 PM
Trapani, Italy
Mar 25
08:00 AM
04:00 PM
Valletta, Malta
Mar 26
08:00 AM
11:00 PM
At Sea
Mar 27


Pylos, Greece
Mar 28
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
Thira, Santorini, Greece
Mar 29
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
Athens, Greece
Mar 30
08:00 AM
06:00 PM
Kavala, Neapolis, Greece
Mar 31
10:00 AM
06:00 PM
Cruising the Dardanelles
Apr 01


Istanbul, Turkey
Apr 01
02:00 PM


Apr 02

04:00 PM
Mytilene, Nisos Lesbos Greece
Apr 03
10:00 AM
06:00 PM
Kusadasi, Ephesus, Turkey
Apr 04
08:00 AM
11:00 PM
At Sea
Apr 05


Olympia, Greece
Apr 06
08:00 AM
04:00 PM
Kerkira, Nisos Kerkira, Corfu, Greece
Apr 07
08:00 AM
06:00 PM
Durres, Albania
Apr 08
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
Kotor, Montenegro
Apr 09
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
At Sea
Apr 10


Venice, Italy
Apr 11
08:00 AM


Apr 12

01:00 PM
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Apr 13
10:00 AM
06:00 PM
Crusing Straight of Messina
Apr 14


Scenic Cruising Stromboli
Apr 14


Naples, Italy
Apr 15
08:00 AM
06:00 PM
Rome, Italy
Apr 16
07:00 AM
07:00 PM
Florence/Pisa, Italy
Apr 17
07:00 AM
07:00 PM
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Apr 18
08:00 AM
06:00 PM
Sete, France
Apr 19
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
Barcelona, Spain
Apr 20
08:00 AM
11:00 PM
At Sea
Apr 21


Gibralter, British Territory
Apr 22
Noon
06:00 PM
Seville, Spain
Apr 23
07:00 AM
05:00 PM
Lisbon, Portugal
Apr 24
10:00 AM
11:00 PM
At Sea
Apr 25


At Sea
Apr 26


Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Apr 27
08:00 AM
05:00 PM
Horta, Azores, Portugal
Apr 28
08:00 AM
04:00 PM
At Sea
Apr 29


At Sea
Apr 30


At Sea
May 01


At Sea
May 02


At Sea
May 03


At Sea
May 04


Fort Lauderdale, Florida
May 05
07:00 AM