He stole the show

More than 40 of our Villa Vie Odyssey residents worked over the last 3 months to produce a play on board.

The cast poses for a group photo (many more participated in support roles)

It all came together on November 7 and it was fantastic. A 2+ hour, nearly professional quality, production with 16 scenes. The female lead, Maggie, played by Sherrine, was in every scene and she did a wonderful job. Her expressions of emotion were easily seen and heard even in the back row. And, speaking of the back row ... it sure looked like the entire ship turned out to watch. The 'Neptune' theatre was packed for the one night performance on Nov 7. Sherrine, her co-star JJ played by Eric, and many other cast members acted, sang, and danced!! We were all exquisitely entertained!
It was Cherie Ohlsson's (an Odyssey resident) dream to produce a play about Maggie and JJ who are legends in the area of Colorado where Cherie grew up. She was determined, and she infected everyone with her enthusiasm. She needed stage sets but there was no way to construct actual sets. Jim, John, Paul and others put their heads, dollars, and technology together to create a rear projection system with digital backdrops, music, and lighting to support the production. Jim saw this as an opportunity to learn and use a new software system (to him) called QLabs.

Jim working his tech magic for the play - kind of like the Wizard of Oz!

This is where he sets up cues that will play music and change backdrops just by clicking a button. He spent hours and hours in our cabin watching YouTube videos to learn the system. He was hooked. Others took on the task of lighting. I heard there were over 100 'cues' for lighting alone. Cherie exclaimed that all she had to do was describe her vision and, like magic, people made it happen.
But, Jim also had an acting part! I think he was chosen because of his mustache! It fit the part of the saloon owner so well. This was a speaking part AND singing AND dancing!

Jim getting into his role while waiting for the play to begin

Jim poses with his dance partner, Lori Rae

Unfortunately, because of licensing for the screenplay, we were unable to record any of the play itself. You'll have to take my word for it that the entire production was simply wonderful, and Jim was a real hit!

Cast, and some of the supporting crew. Cherie (the director) in the blue dress kneeling in front.

Yap and Palau - Diving!

Those are island names right out of in-your-dreams dive destinations! We've known of these places, and known fellow divers who have visited (my mom for one!) for many years. 

Yap

Yap is known as the place to go if you want to see manta rays. It is also famous for it's stone money - wheel-shaped rocks that can be 2 to 12 feet across, that are actually used to store a family's wealth. 

Jim was able to get a last minute dive trip in while we were in Yap and he made this video

Palau

Palau is known for it's Rock Islands. They are mushroom shaped bumps above the water, sprinkling the area. Great for kayaking. Also some famous dive sites like Blue Corner, known for it's ripping current where lots of sharks and other critters fly by. The best way to see them is by using a reef hook. You find a solid place in the reef to hook into and attach the other end of the line to your gear. Then you put a little air in your BC so you raise up off the reef and let the current take you. Of course, it will only take you as far as your hook line allows, you feel like you're flying. At this point you can relax and watch the show go by. So cool.

Palau was a 'tender' port, meaning our ship was anchored and we took shuttle boats (tenders) to and from

What a gorgeous day and gorgeous scenery

Me and Donna, leading our group 😊

Residential Cruising with Pollyanna and the Grouch

 We live in a very unique situation - a residential cruise ship, one of only 2 in the world. I happen to love it, but I know it's not for everyone. Whether or not you would like it depends on your point of view and your attitude. I find it fascinating that 2 people could be in the same situation and see things so differently, so I asked Gemini to write a story: Write a short story about Pollyanna and the grouch. They are two people on board this residential cruise ship. Pollyanna loves everything about the life aboard and the grouch complains about everything. The food, the itinerary, the cost, the other people, the activities, the beer and wine. It's all good to Pollyanna and she plans to happily live here for many years to come. The grouch has had enough and he can't wait to disembark in just a few weeks.

The following is 100% written by Gemini A.I. - it's purely for fun:

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The ocean air, crisp and tasting of salt and distant lands, was Pollyanna’s favorite cologne. She inhaled deeply, a contented sigh escaping her lips as she watched the endless expanse of the Atlantic from her private balcony. “Oh, isn’t it just divine, Mr. Henderson?” she chirped, turning to the figure slumped in the deck chair next to her.

Mr. Henderson, known to most as ‘The Grouch,’ grunted. “Divine? It’s a bit breezy, isn’t it? And I’m sure it's just exhaust fumes from the engines, not ‘distant lands.’ Don't get me started on the cost of this balcony, too. Daylight robbery.”

Pollyanna merely smiled, her eyes twinkling. “But think of the adventures we’ve had! Just this morning, the sunrise was an absolute masterpiece. All those oranges and pinks painting the sky!”

“More like a traffic accident in the clouds,” Mr. Henderson muttered, adjusting his worn baseball cap. “And the breakfast buffet was a shambles. The eggs were lukewarm, the bacon was limp, and don't even get me started on that coffee. Tasted like bilge water.”

“Oh, I thought the eggs were perfectly fluffy!” Pollyanna countered, her enthusiasm unwavering. “And the little pastries! Such a treat. I even saw Captain Petrov out there, greeting everyone with such warmth.”

“Warmth? The man’s perpetually sweating, probably from the stress of keeping this floating coffin afloat,” Mr. Henderson scoffed. “And the itinerary! Another port of call where all they sell are tacky souvenirs and overpriced postcards. I swear, they could have just sailed in circles and saved us all the disappointment.”

“But the local crafts are so charming, and the people are always so welcoming!” Pollyanna exclaimed. “And last night’s jazz band! Weren’t they just marvelous? Such talent.”

“More like a caterwauling of amateur hour,” The Grouch grumbled. “The drummer was off-beat, the saxophone player sounded like a dying walrus, and the singer… well, the less said about her attempts at ‘My Way,’ the better. And the cost of that second glass of Chardonnay! Outrageous.”

Pollyanna chose to ignore the wine commentary. “I just love all the activities! The bridge club, the art classes, even the shuffleboard tournaments are such fun. Everyone is so friendly.”

“Friendly? They’re just after your bingo winnings,” Mr. Henderson retorted, pushing himself up with a groan. “And don't even talk about the bingo. Rigged, I tell you. All rigged. I’ve had enough of this floating prison, Pollyanna. Just a few more weeks, and I’m off. Back to solid ground, proper food, and people who don’t sing off-key at every opportunity.” He shuffled towards his cabin, muttering about the quality of the ship’s beer.

Pollyanna watched him go, a soft smile gracing her lips. She understood Mr. Henderson’s perspective, or at least, she tried to. But for her, every creak of the ship, every wave that splashed against the hull, every lukewarm egg and slightly off-key note was part of a grand, beautiful symphony. She imagined many more years of sunrises and shuffleboard, of slightly flat beer and eternally charming captains. This was her home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Conferences and Port Cancellations, Why I'm Skipping the Google Product Expert Summit

 As a Google Photos Product Expert I am part of a globe-spanning team of volunteers who answer people's questions about all sorts of Google Products on the official Google Support forums. Once each year Google gathers us all together for a conference - a PE Summit. They give us product updates, chances to get to know each other and our Google counterparts and a Party! I've attended every year since 2015 when we were called "Top Contributors." See some photos below.

This year the PE Summit is being held in Dublin. Google makes the travel arrangements and pays our way to these events, but only with one round trip ticket. Since I now live on a cruise ship I can't leave and come back to the same place and expect the ship to be waiting for me. When I registered for the conference, we were in Alaska. I looked at the itinerary and saw that the ship would be in the Philippines in October so I asked for round trip flights from Manila. Then I set about making my own flight arrangements to get from the ship to Manila at the beginning and back to the ship at the end. 

The Itinerary That Ate My Energy

The ship went thru several itinerary changes that required me to change my flights. The end result was 6 days of travel in order to attend the 3 day conference! Here's the timeline:

1. Event scheduled for Dublin Oct 8-10
2. Ship will be in the Philippines on those dates, so I requested round-trip from Manila, leaving Oct 6, return Oct 11 (roughly 19 hours of travel each way including layover in Abu Dhabi)
3. Oct 5 Ship is in Bohol (Tagbilaran City) I can fly from Bohol-Panglao Int'l airport to Manila MNL (about 8 hours including layover in Manila)
4. Oct 11 I can fly from Manila MNL to Guam GUM and get a hotel to wait for the ship to arrive in Guam on Oct 13. (overnight in Manila then about 4 hours to Guam and overnight in Guam)
5. Guam Cancelled: next port = Saipan. Flights from Manila to Saipan stopover in Guam, so keep the flight to Guam and add Saipan for 1 more hour
6.  Saipan cancelled: next port Yap. Once again, no direct flights from Manila to Yap so keep Guam and add Yap. Only 2 flights/week go to Yap so add another night in Guam then 2 hours to Yap. Ship doesn't get there till Oct 15 so add a night in Yap
7. Bohol port cancelled and replaced with Cebu. Cancelled the Bohol flight to Manila and added Cebu to Manila. Nice, shorter flight this time. Cool.

The Final Straw

And then, this week, fate delivered the final, chilling nudge. The news of the earthquake in Cebu, Philippines, where I was scheduled to fly from on Monday, sealed the deal. While the airport wasn't directly affected, the potential for lingering side effects—aftershocks, strained infrastructure, just general chaos—was the last weight that tipped the scales.

What had once seemed like a challenging but doable adventure now just felt reckless. The mental gymnastics and logistical juggling were simply not worth it. 

So, I officially threw in the towel. Registration canceled. Manila-Dublin flights canceled. Cebu-Manila flight canceled. And those labyrinthine flights and hotel stays for Guam and Yap? Canceled, canceled, canceled.

A huge wave of relief has washed over me. Instead of spending six days stressed out and stuck in airport purgatory, I now have ten unplanned, glorious days to simply enjoy my wonderful Odyssey at sea.

Sometimes, the best adventures are the ones you cancel. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Boracay and Puerto Princesa

 

Boracay

We ended September at a delightful Philippine island called Boracay. It's #59 in the map above. If you click the map, you'll be taken to our complete "World Tour" interactive map where you can click on the numbers and see more. We had no plans at this port, we didn't even get off the ship on the first day. For the second day we just wandered. We took the tender to shore, then hopped on the local bus to see where it would take us. We ended up at a place called The Keyhole. It's a picturesque arch in the rock at the end of the island and people actually lined up to take their photo. There was this guy at the front of the line who took your phone and told you how to pose. How fun! 

Then we got back on the bus and headed to the beach. It started raining and we sought refuge under a tarp where some locals were selling rum drinks. Gee, what a coincidence! A rum drink under a tarp, talking to locals is a perfect way to pass a rainy day on a beach.

We continued down the beach, stopping ocasionally for someone to admire Jim's mustache, and ended up at a wonderful open-air restaurant with a saxophonist.

Puerto Princesa and the Subterranean River

Next stop - Puerto Princesa. We signed up ahead of time for a tour on the subterranean river - I think we paid $120 each. I thought it was well worth it. A van picked us up right at the ship and we drove nearly 2 hours to get to where we got on a traditional outrigger boat for about 20 minutes to the mouth of the river. We had a beautiful day!

This is a major attraction and they've learned how to protect it. NO talking allowed. So, the tour guide did not come with us ... tour guides are noisy! They had audio devices with earbuds so we could hear a commentary. There are lots of bats in the cave and noise is a problem for them, not to mention the fact that if there's lots of talking we don't get to hear the silence and the sweet drip, drip, drip of the water from the walls into the river. Yes, some of it is water and they refer to it as "holy water' but some of it comes from the bats, so they call that "holy shit!" The helmets are to protect us from the latter 😊

Some are storm-chasers, we were storm-chased

 We had to leave Taiwan early because of Super Typhoon, Regasa. You can see in the image below how we were just able to scoot ahead of where the storm was going. I sure looks like, if we had left at our original time, we would have been sailing right thru the eye of the storm. We are so appreciative of our Captain Val and crew that keep us safe. It did rock and roll a bit that night but nothing that felt dangerous. 

The next port was Subic Bay and it was pouring rain. I didn't go anywhere, Jim made a store run. We just hunkered down and enjoyed the ship. Then we left for Manila, where we were supposed to be for 2 days. We had a dermatologist appointment booked for the first day, so we got off the ship as soon as it was docked and caught an Uber, nope, no Uber here, it's called Grab. Same thing, worked great. Dr. Deo Wong was great. He froze off the couple of spots we were worried about and checked us all over. All good.

Manila itself was chock-block-full of people, scooters, tuk-tuks, sounds, and smells. It was a bit much for me. We walked around a couple of blocks after the dermatologist, then went back to the ship to stay. 

Lots of people were getting on and off the ship in Manila. Those that were schedule for the first day were fine, but the second day, not so much. Another storm kicked up and was headed towards Manila. The port authorities said, "Everybody Out." So we had to leave by 10pm or so.

We made it. All is well.

Remembering the Kindness of Strangers

Throughout Japan and Taiwan, language was like a brick wall barrier between us and the locals. We know exactly 2 words in Japanese: arigato (thank you) and konichiwa (hello or good afternoon.) Our Chinese - for Taiwan - is similarly limited: xie-xie (thank you) and nihao (hello.) Although there were some locals who spoke english, there weren't very many. It was not like traveling in Europe or Latin America, where you can easily get by with just English. But ... if you were looking perplexed, someone who spoke a bit of English was sure to come out of the woodwork and offer help. Often, they would even walk with us for a ways until it was clear we were on the right track.

Train Stations

We saw it most often in the train stations. It is an easy thing to spot foreigners in a Japanese or Taiwanese train station, and also easy to tell when we are in need of help! We are standing in the middle of the station, staring at our phones and also looking around at the signs, but not going anywhere! If we stayed in that position long enough someone was bound to approach us and say, "can I help?" This happened both in Japan and in Taiwan. 

Night Markets

Also, in Taiwan, we were enjoying a night market. We decided we were thirsty and saw a sign that looked like iced tea so we each ordered one. When we put the straw in and tried to drink, it didn't work. It was like the straw was not open on the end inserted into the cup. We must have looked quite perplexed as I then picked the straw out of the glass and tried to blow thru it like a pea-shooter. The Taiwanese woman who came up to help must have been laughing hard because the problem was that this was 'bubble tea' with large, round 'bubbles' of gelatin on the bottom. She handed us a straw that was much bigger around and pointed to where we could get more. When we tried to drink thru that straw, the 'bubble' could get sucked up as well. We joined in the laughter all around us!

Local Buses

Number one in the leaderboard for a helpful local experience, was a Taiwanese man on the bus. It took us a while to find the right bus to take us to the Cave, then, when we got on and tried to tap and pay with the card that had worked just fine on the train - it didn't work. I still don't know if that was because our "easy card" didn't work on local buses, or if it had run out of money on the card, but it didn't work. The bus driver was chattering away at us but, of course, we couldn't understand a word, and more people wanted to get on. The bus was full. Just as panic was setting in, a kind gentleman stepped forward and, without a word, dropped two of his own tokens into the payment slot for us. It was a simple act, but it spoke volumes. 

The local bus in Keelung, Taiwan

Ultimately, it was these moments of connection that make our visits special. We may not have spoken the language, but the kindness of the people we met along the way spoke to us loud and clear.

 (Visit our photo album here.)

The Dentist and Taipei

 Both Jim and I like to get our teeth cleaned at least twice/year. Also a dermatologist visit because we have both had many instances of skin cancer - it's no big deal if you catch it early. Now that we live on a cruise ship, visiting our regular dermatologist and dentist is out of the question. I looked at the calendar and looked at the map and figured that Taiwan or the Philippines were about the right time. 

Our friend, Steve, used to live in Taiwan so we asked him about dentists. He gave us a specific recommendation for an office in Taipei and I contacted them and made an appointment for the 2d day that we would be in port nearby. We didn't know how involved the transportation would be to get from the port to downtown Taipei, so we booked a hotel for one night. Sounds like fun! 

We got situated in Keelung port about an hour's train ride from Taipei, gathered a few things and head to the hotel in the afternoon. Navigating the trains was every bit as complex as it was in Japan. I'm glad we had plenty of time and weren't on a deadline to get to the dentist. 

We decided to take advantage of the evening and go out to a street market: Linjiang Tourist Night Market, just a few blocks away from our hotel.

On our way back from the night market, we were intrigued by a bar on the corner called Salud, Tequila Bar. It was a very small bar and it was heavily decorated. They were preparing for a big Haloween promotion apparently. hmmm a bar in Taiwan with a mexican name and drink, decorated for Halloween! We loved it. Mostly we loved the people we met in there. One of the photos they were making for Halloween was a hostpital IV stand supposed to give you a transfusion of tequila! They asked Jim if he would pose as their patient - what fun!

Meanwhile I struck up a conversation with Windy who spoke quite good english. She was fascinated with our cruise ship lifestyle and the fact that we had a YouTube channel. She encouraged me to use Instagram more and we followed each other right then and there. See her at wiindy98.

So, after our night on the town, we went back to our hotel to get a good night's sleep before our dentist appoinment in the morning. It wasn't far, we could walk it no problem, but as with many establishments we've found it difficult to find the door! It's just a building with a plaque on the front wall showing the names of tenants - and it's in Chinese! We finally figured it out and made our way in and upstairs where we were told to take off our shoes and they had paper slippers for us. Then I noticed the sign that they don't take credit cards, so I had to make my way back outside, find an ATM,  and back in the hidden door. I made it. I was quite proud of myself actually. 😜 By this time Jim was in the dentist's chair. They took full exrays, and the dentist reviewed them in detail with each of us. Then she cleaned our teeth - no dental hygienist here, just the doctor. 

All in all it was a very pleasant experience, although a bit more expensive than I had figured on. I was probably thinking of just the cleaning - about $40 each. But since they insisted on full xrays, that came to $120 each. hmmm. Oh well, it's good to know that all is OK.

After the dentist, we walked to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and took in the sights.

Then we had lunch on the 85th floor of the 101 Tower. Once the tallest building in the world, it is a landmark in Taipei. We had a great view from the 85th floor, and a wonderful chat with a mother and daughter at the next table. The mother lives in Taiwan and the daughter was visiting from the US. I'm sure you've heard of how Taiwan is in danger of being taken over by China? It sounded like this mother would welcome that - she couldn't say enough about how wonderful China is and how we really must go. Interesting. 

We didn't get a good photo showing the 101 tower in the skyline, so I asked Gemini to make me one and to include the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial as well. The 101 tower is roughly accurate - not so the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. Still, it gives you the flavor.

As big cities go, I really liked Taipei. Big and bustling, clean and shiny, but still down to earth and friendly. There was not as much english spoken as I had hoped, but you could most always find somebody. We're always happy to get back to our ship!

Snorkeling in Japan

 I've heard of people scuba diving in Japan and all I thought was Brrrrrr. In my mind, Japan was a small island way up north. It would be like diving in the north Atlantic. Cold water and no coral reefs, no colorful fish. No good. Then I started hearing about how it's great diving in Okinawa, where we were going. Warm water and coral reefs, how can that be? 

Well, if you look at a map of Japan superimposed on the East Coast of the US, you see that it stretches from Maine to Miami. The island of Ishigaki, in the Okinawa section of southern islands, are about the same latitude as the Florida Keys!

This was our last stop in Japan, and I was beating myself up for not taking part in many activities since Nagasaki. We had to get in the water! And, apparently there was a great beach that a lot of fellow Odysseyans (our ship is the Odyssey!) were making plans to visit. So, we joined them. 

About a half hour taxi ride took us to Yonehara Beach.

Its beauty rivaled any South Pacific or Caribbean beach I've ever seen and, yes, indeed there was coral and the water was warm! About 84 degrees. No wetsuit needed. We got in the water and swam out a ways over the interesting coral formations in only about 4-6 feet of water. Perfect for snorkeling. Then we came back to the beach and walked along with others who said there was a cave a bit further down the beach. At one point the beach stopped and we had to get in the water to go further. We swam and swam - feeling in heaven! We did find a cave. It wasn't THE cave, because others swam further and found that, but it was a nice cave. Then we swam back, used the wonderful beachside showers that were provided for free and got dressed.

Beautiful beach, beautiful day, beautiful reef.

Seeing a sea snake was an extra special treat!

Here's a lin to Jim's video of our snorkeling day.

After the snorkel, we sought out a local restaurant for lunch, it was a short walk and we met up with friends.

After lunch, walking back to the beach where the taxis would pick us up, we passed a crazy looking place that we just had to go in. Some kind of sculpture park. Free to walk in and wander around. Love it!

In addition to the crazy sculptures, this was a beautiful lush-green park.

I thought Mom would like this place. Crazy, whimsical, lush and beautiful.