New Photos!

Hi there boys and girls!

Well, not too much to update you on. A new cruise started 2 days ago and already I have a good feeling about this one. Its a lot younger crowd, the people seem really friendly....PLUS we are now out of Red Level! That means we go back to the gym, the passenger restaurants, and the SPA which I am very excited about because I am in desperate need of some highlights!

Yesterday we were in Geraldton- not the most exciting port but it always gives me the chance to pick up some necessities from Target, and use the internet. I managed to upload my pictures from Vietnam and Singapore so if you don't have Facebook, here is the link to see them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=186931&id=501456765&l=2846a7e777

Today is the first of 5 sea days (groan...) and then we will be in Phuket, Thailand. We are finally able to go back there since the violence has stopped in Bangkok and the travel advisory has been lifted. On the down side, it means no more overnights in Singapore- but I have been dying to go to Thailand so I can't really complain! Unfortunately I am IPM this time around so I will have to wait a little longer to see it but I am here til October so I still have plenty of time!

Enjoy the pics!

xoxo Dianna

Super Day in Singapore!

So remember that whole Norovirus outbreak we had on our ship? Well apparently it wasn't Noro that everyone had- apparently it was a parasite from bad vegetables we picked up in Bali. I know, GROSS, eh? So that means its not contagious, no one had to be in isolation, and a lot of this hooplah was all for nothing!

Well its been a few days since we've been in Singapore but I had such a great time when we were there that I couldn't miss telling you all about it! The port in Singapore is connected to a massive shopping centre, so we didn't have to go far for our first order of business. I bought a bunch of stuff- although, I swear, its all stuff I needed! I got a few outfits for the evening (most nights we don't have to wear a uniform, just "smart casual" clothes), a necklace, and a pair of heels. Mission complete! After our whirlwind shopping spree we were starved so we went for a yummy sushi lunch. I hadn't had sushi since I got on the ship even tough all these wonderful Asian ports are THE place to get it! The restaurant we went to was the kind that the dishes were on a conveyor belt and you just picked off which ones you wanted. We tried not to get too carried away but it was just so good! Next on the agenda was a movie! Being a HUGE Sex and the City fan I was dying to see the latest movie and now was my chance! But instead of going to just a normal theatre we paid a little extra and saw it in a Gold Class theatre. There are only about 35 seats in the theatre- and they are all big Lazy Boy recliners! They give you a nice warm blanket plus concierge service so that you don't even have to leave your seat if you want snacks! Even though I was still pretty full from lunch I just HAD to order to chocolate brownie with ice cream- how often do you get that at the movies?! Even though the movie wasn't amazing (disappointing to say since I love SATC!), I LOVED the Gold Class theatre- its the only way I want to see movies now! If they don't have these in Canada yet they need to get them!

After the movie finished we only had about an hour until our final adventure of the night- the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo! The Zoo is supposed to be one of the best in the world- and from what I saw, I would have to agree! We were only there for a short time but I hope that next time I am in Singapore I'll be able to go back to the zoo and explore it a little more.

By 11pm we were back on the ship- and I was absolutely knackered! I had a wonderful day and I couldn't have asked for more! These are the days that make all this hard work worth it. How lucky am I?!

xoxo D

Good Morning Vietnam!

The great thing about being on a cruise ship is that you get to see lots of places in a short amount of time. The problem is- its only a short amount of time! A few days ago we were in Vietnam. Our port of call was Phu My which is about 2 hours away from Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). It was a long ride, but I had to make the trek into the city! It was definitely an eye-opening trip. Before, whenever I thought of "Asia" I just grouped all the countries into one category. But from the few places I've seen so far, they couldn't be more different from each other! Malaysia and Singapore were very clean, very Westernized, and every spoke English (even better than some countries I went to in Europe, in my opinion!) On the other hand, the same can't be said about Vietnam. It is definitely the most "third world" country we've seen so far. The drive into the city was quite interesting- someone mentioned that it looked like the war had just ended! Among only a few newer looking buildings were many run-down shops and huts. The "highway" was pretty much 2 lanes the whole way there and 99% of people ride motorbikes- cars are only for the wealthy. It didn't look like there were many rules on the road (at one point I believe we were pulled over by a cop who let us go after our bus driver paid him some cash) but we managed to make it to Ho Chi Minh City safely.

Our first order of business was to get some money exchanged- and with the exchange rate we were more than happy to do so! $1 USD = approx 19,000 Vietnamese dong...I only exchanged $30 which I figured would be more than plenty! We then headed to the Ben Thanh Market for some shopping and food. There was lots of great stuff there- lanterns, plates, fancy chopsticks, jewelry...even though it was super cheap I didn't indulge- no room in my suitcase! I did enjoy some yummy Vietnamese food for lunch though. I had "pho" which is a brothy soup with rice noodles in it- delicious! That and a pop cost me about $2, I think!

After getting separated from a few other people we were with (the market was jam-packed!), me and my Deputy Cruise Director, Frenchie, decided to go off and do a bit more exploring. When we exited the market we saw some bike taxis, or cyclos, and thought it would be a great way to see the city. They said it would only cost us 50,000 dong to take us to the Reunification Palace so we hopped on! I must admit it was a little scary being right in the middle of all that traffic- especially when they didn't seem to stop for anything! When we got to our destination we took a few photos and our "taxis" offered to take us to a few more sights. We agreed, and went on to see the Jade Emperor Pagoda (beautiful!) and a store that sold cheap bootlegged DVDs (its a huge thing here!).

We then headed back to where the bus was picking us up. This is when the trouble started. After we got off the bikes we were told it would cost us 1 million dong each-- thats about $50!!! I began to argue (first off, I didn't have that much on me, secondly, it was ridiculous!) but Frenchie just gave in and handed them a bunch of money so they would stop harassing us. It was very frustrating that they ripped us off after they were so nice to us earlier. Though as it turns out, I talked to a few people later on and it seems like we weren't the only ones who got into that situation! So remember, if you are ever in Ho Chi Minh City and you want to take a taxi (whether its a car, motorbike or cyclo) ALWAYS decide on the price beforehand!

We had a bit more time before the bus left so we headed into the Rex Hotel for a drink on their rooftop patio- a great way to end a (mostly) fun day! With all the travel time we only had about 3 and a half hours in Ho Chi Minh City but it was definitely worth it!

I wanted to say thank you to all my well-wishers when I was sick. I am all better now- although I can't say that about everyone! We are having a bit of a Noro outbreak right now. It has spread to more crew as well as a whole bunch of passengers...not fun! We have gone into red level which means LOTS of disinfecting, but even worse, we are not allowed to use passenger areas like the restaurants, pool, gym, spa, etc. Hopefully this won't last for too much longer so we can go back to normal! (Although I've heard it might last until the end of the cruise...which isn't until the 21st!)

Today we are in Cambodia...but I am IPM! I'm not too disappointed though- we are in Sihanoukville where there is not much to see, plus the weather is a little rainy! In a couple of days we are going to be in Port Kelang where I hope to get on a passenger tour, and after that we are in Singapore for 2 days! I have lots planned for when we get there- sushi, seeing the new Sex and the City movie, and going to a night safari at the Singapore Zoo! I can't wait!

xoxo Dianna

Well This is Shitty! (Literally.)

Living on a cruise ship has lots of perks- meeting new people, traveling the world...And then there are the downsides- like the fact that the Norovirus is easily spread throughout the people on board. Since my immune system is a piece of crap, of
course I managed to catch it. At first, I thought my stomach was just reacting to some greasy food I had eaten. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. After going to the medical center yesterday it was confirmed that I have NLV. Since we live in such close quarters the chance of the virus spreading is extremely high so they take this very seriously. We are immediately put into isolation (I had to pack up some things and move into another room) and we are not allowed to leave- not even allowed to open the door!- until we are better.

Isolation typically lasts 1-3 days...I'm on hour 15 right now and I haven't gone crazy yet! I have my laptop with a bunch of movies, music, a book to read- the only thing I'm worried about is that my internet card is running low! Since we aren't
allowed to leave our rooms we get to order room service- but its not as luxurious as it sounds. We have to order from a special menu with choices like chicken broth and saltine crackers- yum!

I'm feeling a lot better this morning so hopefully I won't be stuck in here too much longer. Although its kind of ironic- today the cruise staff has a very busy schedule (its a day we always dread doing!) so maybe I will just relax in isolation for a little bit longer...

xoxo D