Happy New Year

Friday, 1 January 2016
Gulf Waters RV Resort — Port Aransas, Texas

370 … that’s the number of sleeps we have before we embark Insignia on 6 January 2017 for our 180-day RTW voyage.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?  But I guarantee it isn’t.  Between our travel plans for 2016 and all the prep to get ready for the RTW, the days are bound to fly … as they have since we booked this special voyage 155 days ago.

371 days from today we will be on Insignia for the first of 180 sleeps.

Happy 2016 everyone!  Hope it is a fantastic one for one and all.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

First Change ... Probably Not the Last One

Saturday, 14 November 2015
Aboard NCL Jade — Port of Houston, Texas

Still not writing a whole lot on the blog.  That’s likely to change in 2016 when I start working on the RTW plans more diligently.

We returned to the US today by way of a TransAtlantic cruise from Barcelona to Houston.  In fact, we’re still on NCL Jade, awaiting clearance to disembark so we can go pick up our “condo on wheels.”  You might ask what’s so urgent that I am posting to the RTW blog now … before I even get home.  Nothing.  But I do have some news, and I do have some time to kill … so pourquoi pas … why not?

Our Itinerary … in Text

Sunday, 11 October 2015
İzmİr, Turkey

I’m still in İzmir, Turkey — annual family visit.  Mui is in Switzerland at the moment — with his mom and sister … a quick getaway as part of his family visit.  I’ve been doing some local daytrip-sightseeing with my family — most recently to Chios [Sakız], a Greek island that is a short ferry ride from the Turkish resort town of Çeşme … more on that in this teaser I wrote for the Two to Travel blog.

Trial Run Successful

Sunday, 4 October 2015
İzmİr, Turkey

Our first O cruise is now under our belt.  In short, we loved the whole experience.

What’s not to like, really?  A small ship by today’s mega-vessel standards … only 684 passengers; a lovely aft cabin … beautifully appointed and with an oversized veranda; quiet public spaces … no raucous activities; great food … no-fee specialty restaurants as an added bonus; well-traveled fellow passengers; and an excellent itinerary … good mix of easy-to-DIY ports … some familiar, some new.  If there was one thing we didn’t like, it was the length of the cruise … just 12 nights!  We’re used to being at sea for longer periods and didn’t want to disembark the ship in İstanbul this morning.

Not that we had any doubts we would enjoy this cruise, but it is nice to have our decision to cruise with Oceania validated.

So what’s next?  We still have two segments of our fall Europe travels ahead of us.  For this next segment, however, Mui and I have parted ways.  I am currently at my mom’s condo in Alsancak, İzmir … the same one where I spent most of my teenage and a few of my young-adult years.  Mui is in Ankara to spend time with his family.  We will eventually rejoin forces and head to Barcelona, Spain where we will embark the Transatlantic voyage that will return us to Houston.

But the story of our Europe travels is for my Two to Travel blog … if I ever get around to writing it, that is.  So, as we say in Turkish, güle güle [bye] for now … I’ll catch up with this blog once we are back home.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Aboard Nautica — Santorini, Greece

Nautica is at anchor inside the caldera of Santorini Island.  After a great day of exploring Fira, we’re back on the ship again.

At the moment, I’m basking in the cooling breezes wafting across the veranda as I write this blog post.  Admittedly, I am a bit distracted by the scenery portrayed in this ‘POST’card and the tenders that are flitting back and forth, returning passengers to the ship.  That’s OK … I see those diversions as “living-in-the-moment.”  In another hour, we will have weighed anchor for our next port … Kuşadası, Turkey … where we will be meeting up with my family for a brief visit before finishing the cruise in İstanbul later in the week.

What does any of this have to do with our RTW voyage?  Nothing, really … except that it makes a nice segue to some great news about our 180-day adventure.

To say that we’ve been enjoying the O experience would be an understatement.  The proof: a few days ago we visited Jennifer, the Oceania Club Ambassador, and deposited on a couple of future sailings.  Looking at our booking history, she commented on our RTW booking … and I took the opportunity to ask if there might be any additional perks she might be able to get us.  No perks, but how about an additional discount off the fare instead!  That’s better than any perk, IMHO.  The paperwork to make the new fare official was waiting for us in the cabin when we re-embarked the ship earlier.  Now I just need to get the letter to Connie at BPC so that she can update our booking … but that can wait until we disembark.

Now tell me this wasn’t worth taking a break from the here and now to write about it?  If you were to look in the dictionary for the definition of happy cruisers, you’d find our picture ;-)

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.