Only a couple of weeks away!!!

Man time flies when you are hemorrhaging money! (I hate the stock market, the bond market, and the supermarket these days!) Oh well ... we can pretend we have the money to make the trip!

Actually we are REALLY glad we got the trip paid for (for the most part) when we did because we are committed to go this way and with the way the economy is going we might have otherwise missed out on a trip we likely will never have the chance to take again ... so ... all smiles ... off we will go!!

As we did in our Alaska travel log we will try very hard to make daily entries here and we LOVE to read comments so please do let us know what you think or questions about what we have seen.

If you scroll down in this log you will see some of the highlights of where we expect to go and what our actual itinerary is. As posted we will fly out of San Antonio VERY EARLY on November 7 ... have a lengthy (like 6+ hrs) layover in Newark and then wing it across the pond to Rome landing there around 7:45AM on November 8.

I have arranged thru our hotel in Rome to have a "driver" pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel ... we COULD have taken the train since the hotel is only a couple of blocks from the main train station in Rome but to tell the truth after my long ago experience with a cab driver in London that didn't understand my "Texan" I'm pretty sure getting on the correct train heading the correct direction and getting off at the right place and then getting directions to the hotel and walking there in Rome ... where not only do they not understand "Texan" but for the most part "English" ... I'm pretty sure that plan would be doomed to failure.

Our hotel is the Orlanda in Rome the link follows

Link to Hotel Info

This is NOT a 5 star hotel ... but it's close to the center of Rome (like the Coliseum) and other tourist type spots we want to see during our 2 day stay before sail away on November 10.

We will be touring the Vatican on our first day (Saturday) there and a couple of other such spots and then on the 9th will toodle around the major "must sees" downtown.

There are six of us traveling together ... we will meet up with our friends Woodie and Linda Meyer and their friends Paul and Jeanne Stone in Rome on the 8th. Those two couples left today (10/24/08) for Germany to visit and tour around that part of Europe before we hook up with them in Rome.

As posted in this web log earlier (scroll down) ... we have several exciting excursions all planned ... it's gonna be a blast!

We will post photo's either directly in the log or more likely in the Med Trip Gallery (there is a link to the gallery on the left side of the web log title page just under the subscription box) ... but ... internet access on the ship is both incredibly slow and excruciatingly expensive ... so it's likely that the majority of our photos will be posted after our return to home ground.

Ok ... enough for now .... thanks for reading and remember we love to read your comments as we boogie along ...

Bade

A small map of the itinerary ...

This is a small map of our itinerary ... looks like a nice trip

We have a cabin assignment!!!

When we booked this cruise we decided to save some money and book what is called a "cabin guarantee" ... which in essence means ... Princess doesn't know the cabin number you will be assigned at booking BUT you are guaranteed the class of cabin you are paying for "or better" ... it's that "or better" that we were hoping for when we booked the "cheapest" class of balcony cabin on the ship ... referred to as "BF" category ... well we just got our cabin assignment .. Lido deck cabin #L219 ... which is a "BA" category cabin .. the top of the line balcony class cabin ... so we got essentially a $500/per person cabin upgrade by taking a chance on the "cabin guarantee" ... IF (unlikely) they decide to upgrade us again ... it would be to a mini-suite ... which is what we had on our previous Caribbean cruise on the Grand and what we have on the Alaska cruise ... they are very nice ... but kinda spendy and we are TRYING to do this cruise on a bit of a budget due to the horrendous airfare costs ...

Ahhhhhhhh ... to be UPGRADED .... it's all good ...

Airline tickets secured ... OUCH!

Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought the roundtrip airline tickets for this trip ... we decided that buying them now vs waiting and hoping airfares would decrease closer to the actual trip was probably foolish in this time of astronomical fuel prices ... hope we didn't screw that up!

A few things about airfare prices nowdays ...

• #1 ... they ain't cheap
• #2 ... Using American Airline frequent flyer miles is apparently virtually impossible now. I had HOPED I could get at least one roundtrip ticket with 40k-50k airmiles ... not so much ... in fact ... unless I was willing to go 100k airmiles (which is way more than I have) ... I could not get a flight that accommodated or even almost accommodated our travel dates ... I am beginning to suspect that they ask for your travel dates and then specifically block those out of available frequent flyer mile seats. It's odd though because I was able to book two round trip first class tickects to Vancouver for the Alaska trip with out any hassle.
• #3 ... Using American Airline frequent flyer miles to UPGRADE a purchased ticket is also a joke ... see a trend here? I thought I'd BUY the tickets and then upgrade to 1st class with miles ... no problem ... 50k miles per ticket .... NOT!!!!!!!!

We are flying Continental Airlines ... Leave San Antonio Friday November 7 and return Sunday November 23 .... we will overnight in Rome 11/8 and 11/9 to see some sights there before we depart on the ship and then we will overnight in Rome again 11/22 before the flight back home.

We have booked some excursions in Turkey ...

The six of us agreed to book tours in Kusadasi/Ehpesus and Istanbul together ... the details of those are below ... we think these will really be interesting. We are using this travel agency .. they have been very responsive and helpful via email => http://www.ekoltravel.com/aboutus.html

14 November 2008 Grand Princess
TOUR 3 : Private Ephesus + House of Virgin Mary + The Temple of Artemis => http://sailturkey.com/panoramas/ephesus/
07:00am : Met by your private guide at Kusadasi port with Mr. Mrs. Millsap sign and start for Ephesus trip. Drive to the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. Impressive structures we will see include the Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, Theatre and Odeon. We also visit the House of the Virgin Mary where she is believed to have spent her last years. On August 18th, 1961, Pope John XXll proclaimed the House of Virgin Mary at Ephesus to be sacred. Drive back to Kusadasi. Some free time for shopping.
Including Professional Licensed Guide, transportation A/C, entrance fees.
Minimum Required time for this tour is 4 hours.


15 November 2008 Grand Princess
Private Blue Mosque + Topkapi Palace + St.Sophia+ Hippodrome + Grand Bazaar => http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Sultanahmet/BlueMosque.html
08:00am : Met by your private guide at Istanbul port with Mr. Mrs. Millsap sign and start for Istanbul trip. Istanbul was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. Impressive structures we will see Topkapi Palace, Santa Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar. Drive back to Port.
Including Professional Licensed Guide, transportation A/C, entrance fees. Minimum Required time for this tour is 6 hours.


NOW ... I just have to get those pesky airline revervations made and paid for ....

Bade

Plans for Cairo/Alexandria ... PYRAMIDS and the NILE

For our Cairo/Alexandria ports we have decided to join a group that have booked an independant (of Princess) overnight tour ... we will disembark in Port Said and then the next day reboard in Alexandria. This is similar to an excursion Princess offers BUT at a significantly lower price for more "stuff" ... here's what we will be doing ...

DAY ONE:

Meeting: A representative from Nile Blue Tours will meet us in Port Said (right where we come off the ship) at 7 am for transfer to Cairo with the Convoy (198 km) by air-conditioned coach for a two-day private tour of Cairo, Giza, Sakkara and Alexandria with an English-speaking Egyptologist. Security is provided by the Egyptian Government. During the tour we will do the following:
Excursion to Saqqara: The first stop on our shore excursion is south of Cairo in Saqqara, one section of the great necropolis of Memphis. Saqqara is best known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest of Egypt's pyramids. It was built for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect and genius Imhotep, who designed it and its surrounding complex to be as grand as it was unique and revolutionary. Imhotep was the first to built stone tombs to honor the king.
Lunch at Le Pasha 1901 in Cairo. Le Pacha 1901 has been awarded the coveted "Superbrands" classification for the Best 5 Star restaurants in Egypt. Restaurant lunch is included in price. To see some of the past illustrious patrons of Le Pasha 1901, check out http://lepacha.com/accolades.html.
Egyptian Museum of Antiquities: Built in 1857, under the supervision of August Mariette, it contains a large part of the fabulous treasure of Tutankhamen. We will spend the afternoon there and just get a taste of what this wonderful museum has to offer.
Check into the Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino, built around a historical palace which has housed European monarchs, including Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, and was the venue of the first performance of Verdi's Opera Aida!
I have already stayed at the Cairo Marriott and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is the most impressive hotel I have ever stayed at! Have a look: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/caieg%20/
The Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids: The sound and light show at the pyramids is an enchanting experience. The show makes the ancient times come alive through sound, light, and music describing the history of the Pyramids and the glory of the Pharaohs. The show lasts about 45 minutes. Bring a sweater. It can get cool at night.
Evening at leisure in the hotel. Here are your dinner choices from the Cairo Marriott web site. (See below for the optional Nile Dinner Cruise):

Nile Dinner Cruise on the Nile Maxim: The Nile Maxim is known to offer one of the most luxurious dinner cruises on the Nile with the best service. It departs right across from the Marriott and offers a non-smoking section. The food and the entertainment (belly dancers, twirling dervishes and singers) are known to be excellent. This is a dinner option for the tour and costs $45. (Researching this dinner cruise online I twice found that the price quoted was $65, so once again Hazem is offering us a great deal!

DAY TWO:

Excursion to the Giza Plateau: This is what you've been waiting for! The Great Pyramids of Giza, dating back to 2500 BC , are some of the most famous manmade objects in the world. While there are actually over one hundred pyramids in Egypt, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the only one of the "Seven Wonder of the Ancient World" that still survives.

Camel Safari (optional): You will have the opportunity to take a 25-minute camel safari from the Pyramids down to the Sphinx. This is a great photo opportunity! The price is $12 single "occupancy", $20 double "occupancy".

During your time at the Giza Plateau, there is no escaping the mysterious Sphinx, a symbol which has come to represent the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. With the body of a lion and the head of a king, there is as much mystery surrounding who built it as there is determining why it was built.
Lunch at Caviar Restaurant in Giza. Here you have a choice of red meat, chicken, or fish (calamari anyone?) with french fries. Nice atmosphere and good food familiar to American palates!
Shopping in a Government-approved store: In this store on three levels you will be able to shop to your heart's content. On the lower level you will find a wide selection of papyrus , on the main level is a beautiful selection of gold and precious jewelry, and on the upper level you will find a varied selection of typical Egyptian craftsmanship and souvenirs (kaftans, inlaid boxes, water pipes, amber jewelry, etc. etc. etc.). You will also have the opportunity to order a "cartouche" with your name written in hieroglyphics. Prices for silver cartouches last year started at $20 (Princess offered the option of ordering personalized cartouches on the ship with silver cartouches starting at $60!)

Departure to Alexandria: The transfer to Alexandria (230 km) will begin around 3:30 pm. in our air-conditioned coach with our English-speaking Egyptologist. Security is provided.

Arrival in Alexandria: Scheduled for approximately 6:00 pm. We will view some of the main sites in Alexandria from our bus as we work our way toward the port.
Transfer to the Grand Princess in the port of Alexandria at 6:30 pm in plenty of time for the 8 pm departure. There is a market inside the port area where you can pick up some last-minute souvenirs.

The tour package includes the following:
*** One night in deluxe 5-star Cairo Marriot Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino (breakfast included).
*** Lunch at La Pasha 1901 on the first day.
*** Lunch at Caviar in Giza the second day.
***Two-day Tour of Cairo (Alexandria) with private English-speaking Egyptologist. ***Private air-conditioned coach with toilet for visiting all sights.
***Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids
*** All entrance fee tickets for tourist sites (n.b. The mummy room at the Egyptian Museum is not included.)
*** Meet and assist at Port Said upon arrival
*** All transfers (Port Said/Cairo/Alexandria) *** Security during the tour
*** An English-speaking Egyptologist as our guide
What's not included?

*Egypt entry visa (this is arranged by Princess Cruises)
* Beverages (except water and soft drinks available on the bus)
* Personal expenses
* Tips for the Drivers, the Guide, etc.

Nile Blue Tours is an official tour operator, member AETBI, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism. They will provide experienced and friendly staff to take care of us while we are in Egypt.

Drunken Sailors ....

At least that is how we are spending money ....... aaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

We just booked a 12 day cruise thru the Eastern Mediterranean ... that will start and end in Rome with stops in Athens, Istanbul, Cairo, Alexandria, Naples, Capri, Mykonos, and Kusasasi ...

The link to the cruise info is

Link to Cruise Info

We will leave from San Antonio on 11/7 (I think still haven't secured the plane tickets -- yikes!!) and then the ship (Princess Grand which is same we took last February 2007 in Caribbean) leaves Rome on 11/10 getting back 11/22 and we will fly home 11/23

Woodie and Linda Meyer (they went on their first cruise with us in the Caribbean on the Grand in 2/2007) and another couple (friends of theirs) will be joining us on this adventure ... they have all been in this part of the world several times so it will be nice to travel with someone with a little experience.

With the 14 day cruise thru Alaska this summer and a dive trip to Cozumel ... it sure looks like retirement is way more expensive than just "working to live"!