August 2, 2024
Will try # ?? truly be our sail date!?!
We have had so many roadblocks along the way to starting this adventure! So many companies have failed before us too! I have to applaud the diligence of our ownership team at Villa Vie Residences! Today, we finally got the news that we are welcome onboard the ODYSSEY this Saturday afternoon! Embarkation is officially starting! WOO HOO!! Yesterday we heard, Friday wasn't going to work, so I moved my flight back to Saturday Night. I am not moving it up to Friday, to join the masses. Sunday will be much calmer, and I want to see proof Saturday from the others before I board that Aer Lingus Flight!
STAY TUNED, WILL THAT BULLSEYE FINALLY READ "SHIP EMBARKATION 8/4/24 !"
Ternate, Indonesia, which is both the name of the city and island, and is part of the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia. It is a port that sees maybe 3 Cruise ships a year. However, they really made an effort to show us the best of what they can offer. It's mainly a Muslim country, and we knew we had to dress discretely, but we knew little else. We didn't have our typical port talk prior, due to a technical issue with the AV equipment. Ben a fellow resident, organized an island tour, with about 8 stops, for 90 of us residents.
Cebu greeted our Ship with a big warm welcome, despite having just been rocked by a major Earthquake, days before our arrival. The Minister of Tourism arrived with a motorcade and she proceeded to chat with the residents and thank us, for all our support.
Today we were Cave explorers! We went to the one of UNESCO newly classified 7 NEW WONDERS OF NATURE - The Puerto Princesa Underground River.