What a year has this been…?

This time last year was the last week of normal life before everything was shut down due to covid-19.

Remember when we were living in a normal world? Remember travelling by plane or cruise ship to exciting destinations around the world? Remember hugging? Remember shaking hands? Remember going to birthday parties and the birthday person would blow out the candles on the cake? Remember the world the way it was before it all changed and we all had to learn to live a new way of normal?

Last weekend, I was so close to booking a cruise for 2022. I was so close to actually booking it that I had my travel agents website up and I was about to hit the chat button and tell whoever was online at the time, to book it, you’ll receive the money for the deposit as soon as we’ve finished our online conversation.

It was going to be on a Christmas/New Years cruise from Adelaide, South Australia to New Zealand return trip, 2 of the safest places in the world right now to travel from and to, on board the Grand Princess. 17 nights. It was going to be fun. I’ve done this cruise before but on the Grand Princess’s sister ship, the Golden Princess. There were a couple ports in New Zealand the Grand Princess will be travelling to that are different from my cruise in 2018 on the Golden but it still would be wonderful to go and do.

I didn’t book the cruise however because in the world we are living in now, nothing is guaranteed. I wasn’t sure if this cruise in 2022 will go ahead, there’s just too many invariables. I don’t care if I have to wear a mask on the ship, or have my temperature taken even before setting foot on the ship, or have to be vaccinated, keep social distancing and use hand sanitiser or wash hands frequently, I’ll do it because I believe in keeping not only me safe but everyone around me safe as well because I really do not want this virus and it’s not just “a little cold” because too many people have died from covid-19.

I didn’t book the cruise because in a world that is unpredictable, the world is not safe. Travel is not safe. Travellers from overseas and interstate have been placed in hotels after arriving at the airport here in Adelaide, South Australia and are taken by bus and placed into one of the various medi-hotels around town to quarantine there for 14 days before they are allowed to be out in the community. I want to ensure that it is safe before I return to being on a cruise ship again and enjoy a third cruise. So until then, I will wait.

In the meantime, as I wait to be able to cruise again, I will look at my photos and videos I had taken while on board a cruise ship of my 2 previous cruises and I will think… one day, I will get to do this again.

Until next time

Kaye

Cruising life…

One of the many things I missed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic is cruising.

I’ve been on 2 cruises in my life. The first cruise was 17 nights on board the Golden Princess in January 2018, going from Adelaide, Australia to New Zealand and return. My second cruise was on board the same ship, the Golden Princess, leaving Adelaide and going to Fiji and back again for 18 nights in November 2019.

I loved both cruises and definitely found my happy place. I met new people and had a wonderful adventure on both cruises. I saw beautiful scenery from the ship and while doing shore excursions. I had taken lots of photos on my phone to remember my cruises by.

What I would really love to do right now is go on a cruise but I can’t because no one is travelling anywhere. It’s okay, I’m patient, I can wait for it to become safe to cruise again. I have my photos and videos to look at when I am experiencing “cruise withdrawals”, they put a smile on my face and give me a laugh as I remember some of the funny stuff that happened on the ship.

We will be back to being able to go on a cruise again, I know that but first, we must be safe to be able to get on ships again.

I have no issues with following advice from the medical experts about social distancing, wearing face masks, using hand sanitiser and everything else they advise to do. I do it because I want to not get this virus but also to keep others around me safe. You can bet that I will have the vaccine as well, once it has been proven to be safe with testing.

If I have to wear a face mask, have my temperature taken, hand sanitise or whatever else the cruise line informs me to do while on board a ship, I will do it, I don’t have a problem with it.

Right now, I am content with just having my memories and my photos and videos because I know that once this covid-19 or coronavirus is a thing of the past, we will be back on the ships and cruising again. Hopefully.

Until next time

Kaye