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Cruise Chronicles

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Memorable highlights from a few of my World Cruise experiences. . .

2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

What an exciting ship and what an exciting time to be aboard, for the first world cruise of this great ocean liner. As the QM2 is too large to go through the Panama Canal, she will certainly not be doing many world cruises and this voyage is going around the world in 80 days! Actually the main purpose of the itinerary is to introduce this most famous ship to major world ports. Thus, we go fast, have few ports, and port calls are brief. Great for bridge players (me)!!

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

Greetings from the Radisson Seven Seas Voyager and the beginning of yet another world cruise. I'm hosting again for Virtuoso and our group this year is much larger than last year. On the first segment we have 180 guests! My co-host from the past, Svein Johnsen, is not joining until Sydney, so hosting with me on the first and second segments are my friends Kathy Aaron and Rod Hazard respectively. It was nice to come back to the same ship - it really felt like coming home, knowing so many of the guests, staff and officers. So, come along and enjoy the cruise!

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

From January 10 to April 13, 2004 I am escorting a group for Virtuoso with my friend, Svein Johnsen, on board the Radisson Seven Seas Voyager World Cruise. I will add regular updates to this site as we proceed around the world. So, come along and enjoy the cruise!

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

Greetings from the Radisson Seven Seas Mariner and the Panama Canal. It's about time I get something written here at the beginning of this 6-week cruise from Ft Lauderdale (Jan. 7) through the canal to Los Angeles (Jan 21) and down to the South Pacific. I get off the ship Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia and plan on staying down there for a few days visiting friends in Australia and New Zealand.

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

From February 20 to April 22, 2002 I escorted a group for Virtuoso with my friend, Svein Johnsen, on board the Seabourn Sun's final World Cruise. Myanmar (formerly Burma) was a maiden call for me and I was so enchanted I wrote about it and emailed it to my family and a few friends. I was encouraged to continue writing about other ports on the cruise, and the result is a series of descriptions of some of my experiences and observations for those of you who would like to do a bit of world traveling through my eyes. Enjoy! p.s. It's pretty long, but you don't have to read it all at once!

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

1996 was the single most memorable year of my life and the first three months were almost outside the realm of reality. I worked as Cruise Sales Manager on the Sagafjord through the 1995 Christmas cruise, and was scheduled to go on leave afterwards for six weeks. I had planned to have a relaxing winter, including a few weeks visiting friends in Switzerland. Just prior to the end of the cruise Meredith, the other CSM, resigned suddenly, leaving us scrambling to fill the position for the world cruise. I could not merely extend my contract, as I had flights and arrangements for Switzerland in January. I agreed to stay on a few extra days and train Yvonne, the social hostess, to fill in as CSM until I could rejoin the ship in February. To add to the turmoil, the last day of the cruise we got word from the Cunard home office that our beloved Sagafjord would be retired the following September. I was heartsick. I spent the first two days of the world cruise with Yvonne, frantically trying to cram weeks of training into 48 hours, so she could fill in until I returned, then I flew home from St. Thomas.

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1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

The time has come again to spin a tale of two cities (or more) as we wend our way around the world on the 1994 Sagafjord World Cruise. Here I am back in the tour office where I started my great adventures at sea exactly five years ago this month. At that time I certainly had no idea of the great adventures in store for me discovering the world from both land and sea. Now, here we are on board the lovely Sagafjord heading south down the east coast of South America for Cape Horn and Antarctica. Then it's off across the Atlantic for South Africa, Kenya, India, and the Far East. That will all be detailed in coming chapters, of course, but for now suffice it to say it looks like an exciting few months ahead.

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

As I take up my proverbial pen for another World Cruise Volume there appears to be plenty on the horizon to fill the pages of these chronicles. The key phrase at the beginning of this cruise seems to be, "wars and rumors of wars." With all the commotion in the Persian Gulf there is a great deal of uncertainty about our itinerary, which is supposed to take us up through the Suez Canal. Rumors abound. Will we detour around South Africa, or even have our cruise interrupted before we get that far? There's enough to worry about without speculating.

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1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

We are already coming to the end of our first segment of the 1990 World Cruise so it's time to publish the first epistle in my 'Tales of a Traveler'. Several passengers leave us here in Tahiti so I can send my letters with them first class.

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise

Greetings from the Middle East (of the Atlantic). Things are finally settling down in the Tour Office after a very hectic first week. Everyone had to pick up pre-paid tour tickets and book ones they still wanted before they sold out. The shore excursions are selling like they've never sold before for American Express on any ship and we have long waiting lines. It really keeps us hopping.

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2007 Cruise   2005 Cruise   2004 Cruise   2003 Cruise   2002 Cruise  
1996 Cruise   1994 Cruise   1991 Cruise   1990 Cruise   1989 Cruise