August 4, 2024

When you hear "Good News, Bad News" does your spirit sink a little?

Here's our lovely Odyssey sailing out of the dry dock, around to the pier, alongside the shipyard entrance. Was like watching our baby swim for first time with floaties! And below is the Ship parked next to the Harlon & Wolff Shipyard Security Trailer, where we are due to begin embarking today. Except for one small snag, PSSC signoff for PNI insurance for us to begin living on Ship - meaning sleeping here! The insurance lawyers showed up waving a flag, late Friday afternoon, that until PSSC signoff complete, probably Monday or Tuesday next week, we can only go on the Ship during the daytime to tour, eat. mingle and ready our cabins from 8 am to 9 pm daily! We have to sleep at Belfast hotels, until this sign off is complete. Soooo, guess who called Aer Lingus to move her flight back again! 

Heard from fellow passengers who started arriving at Ship today, after 3 pm to get their room keys and check in. They said Crew and Staff were warm and welcoming, and the Ship looked great. Several ate dinner on board and said food was plentiful and yummy! Airconditioning was off in cabins, but temperature only in 60's and many started unpacking. Shot below is of one of smaller inside cabins on deck four - but looks like they may have overpacked!?!  There are 4 large suitcases behind the boxes. Can't wait to see mine!

ENTERING HONG KONG HARBOR

By Pat Patrick • September 1, 2026
On Saturday August 29, 2026 we achieved another historic milestone on this circumnavigation of the World , we cruised into Hong Kong Harbor. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The land encompassed by Hong Kong is confusing. It includes part of the southern coast of mainland China, just below Shenzhen, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories . Looking at a map helps, but the rules changed so many times! I asked my buddy Chat several times, to tell me if what I was looking at was the Hong Kong that the British had owned for years. The answer was never straight forward!

HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 31, 2026
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is one of those bucket list places I have had in my sights for years. It's the iconic picture in my mind's eye, whenever I think of Vietnam . We had made plans to go with 8 others on a brand new, swanky Red Dragon Junk boat for a harbor cruise and overnight stay, but sadly the weather did not cooperate the whole 4 days we were in port. No ships were permitted to sail, per the local government. Many of us were bummed! This is typhoon session and there was a lot of rain and high winds our first couple of days - we were hoping it would blow out the last day and we could at least do a day trip but no luck! 

HAI VAN PASS to HUE, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 30, 2026
To get to the final stop on our Vietnam FUN Tour in Hue, we had our driver take us on the scenic route called the Hai Van Pass. This 3 hour drive took us back through Da Nang and then into mountains and along coast for what is generally a very scenic route. Unfortunately for us, it was mainly covered in clouds and fog.