HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A GLOBAL CRUISE?

A newsworthy item today is the Egyptian Peace Plan for the Hamas-Israel war.

• The good news is that neither side outright rejected it.
• The Plan.
• Mediation led by Qatar.
• Initial cease-fire of up to two weeks.
• Phased release of up to 50 hostages, in return for 120-150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
• Formation of a government of experts to rule Gaza and the West Bank for a transitional period to work out presidential land parliamentary elections.

Watch this NBC video.

Getting more air time might have been the appearance, again, of Taylor Swift at a Chief's game.  On Christmas Day she wore a Santa hat with the number 87, that of Travis Kelce.  She came with her family:  brother, mother, father.  Travis' dad was also in the suite, as was the wife of Patrick Mahomes.  She said she'll be there for the final game of the year, which is this coming weekend.  Alas, the Raiders beat the Chiefs, 20-14.

Today begins a three-day cruise series.  We almost went around the world on the Island Princess.  We were supposed to leave Los Angeles in January of 2021, but that cruise was cancelled by the company.  We could have had 15 drinks/per day for 111 days, or a total of 1665 alcoholic beverages, each.  We would have died.  Good thing the pandemic came.

There is a plethora of global cruises, many of them don't exactly circle our planet, and most of them depart in January.  Here are some you can consider, although some are fully booked:

• Island Princess.
• Leaves Fort Lauderdale on January 4 for 111 days, returns on April 25 and space is available in all classes.
• Interior $16,898 ($152/night)/person.
• Balcony $21,498 ($194/night).
• Ship eventually gets to Los Angeles, and you can initiate the around the world cruise there from January 18.

• The Cunard Queen Victoria departs Southampton on January 11, and returns on April 28.
• 107 days.
• All the cheaper staterooms are taken.  Cheapest suite is available for $58,799 ($550/day)/person.
• However, Cunard's new Queen Ann will take a 107-day maiden global journey in 2025, beginning with a departure from Hamburg on January 7 or Southampton on January 9, returning on April 24.
• Alas, only suites are available from $117,598 ($1099/day)/stateroom.  Thus about the same as the Queen Victoria.
• The Holland American Zuiderdam departs For Lauderdale on 3 January 2024 and returns on May 11.
• 128 days.
• Ocean View $24,899 ($194/person).
• Verandah #34,999 ($281/person)

• The Regent Seven Seas Mariner departs Miami on January 6, and returns on May 16.
• 132 days.
• All cabins booked, but the Veranda costs $90,999 ($699/day) person.
• The Regent alway includes drinks and tours.  That is, everything is free.

• The Oceania Insignia departs Los Angeles on January 14 and returns to New York on July 12 for a 180-day journey.  So it's not quite around the world.
• Inside $47,499 ($264/day)/person.
• Veranda $68,799 ($382/day)/person.
• All rooms are currently taken.

• Royal Caribbean has an Ultimate World Cruise of 274 days, but it already left Miami on December 10.  Returns to Miami on September 10.
• Interior  $53,999 ($197/day)/person.
• Balcony $74,654 ($272/night)/person.
• Includes everything (but tours), plus business class flights to and from port.

• The above is mostly provided as background for you to plan a global cruise next year, for most of them do this annually.

We found that the food got stale, like a cafeteria, if on the same ship for a long time.  Thus, what about shorter cruises, back to back, such as from Honolulu to Europe?  That will be Part 3.  Tomorrow, Part 2 will feature our next trip, which will be around the world.  Air plus three cruises.

A post-Christmas ending.  First, is this a green flash?  Taken last night at sunset.

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CHRISTMAS MEALS AND JOY

Did you know that our Milky Way Galaxy has a Christmas tree?  New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC) 2264 was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel, and is located 2500 light years away from Earth.  These stars are only between one and five million years old.  Some are seven times the size of our Sun, which is 4.6 billion years old.   There is a smaller cluster within NGC2264 called the Snowflake Cluster (photo to the right).

The entire grouping is known as the Christmas Tree Cluster.  NASA compiled renderings from multiple sources, their Chandra Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab Observatory, producing an animated image with the assistance of the Two Micron All Sky Survey.

We are dining well this holiday season.  Here a dinner we had at the home of a golf colleague, Tommy and his wife Gail.  4,000 square feet home with a view from Diamond Head across the whole Waialae Golf Course, where the Sony Open is held, all the way to Koko Head.  You can see the coconut trees W sign.  I took no photos, but others did 

The five golfers are, from the left, starting with me, David, John and Steve, with Gail in the middle.  Tommy was grilling.

They featured steaks and salmon.

Gail is a noted artist.  Some of her works.

Other holiday meals.

Roast pork and duck.

Chicken katsu and ahi sashimi.

Blue-fin tuna o-toro sashimi and pork chop with onions.

Pork tonkatsu and o-toro sashimi with hot sake and cold beer.

15 Craigside provided a Christmas Eve Dinner, which I ate in my room last night.

I like to enhance my take-out meals.  Added onions and mushrooms to the braised beef, frying them in butter, and same for the fish and chicken.  Added watercress and sea asparagus to the salad.

I provided the beer and Fisher Cabernet Sauvignon.

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CHRISTMAS PHOTOS

This Christmas we're doing nothing.  Sort of a continuation of our recent Japan trip when we mostly did nothing.  Mind you, nothing is great.  I live in Honolulu and this is the view from my computer as I start this posting.

The temperature outside is 76 F, and there is a zero chance of rain if I wanted to go out on Christmas Eve.  The temperature for the rest of the week will reach a low in the very high 60's, and highs around 78 F.

But since I'm doing nothing this weekend, I'm showing Christmas photos from the past.  A year ago we were in Singapore.

In 2021 the Christmas tree on my 15 Craigside floor had a rainbow backdrop.

From 2020, Medellin River in Columbia and Garden by the Bay, Singapore.

In 2017 I was on VIA Rail from Vancouver to Toronto.  Saw a lot of snow.

In 2016, went to a Christmas show.

In 2015 I had a staycation at the Waikiki Sheraton, followed by an annual Christmas dinner at Betsy and Harvey's.  No more, for they are both gone.

In 2014, focused on Christmas in the Orient, and noted that Seoul is a cool city:

But in 2013 I showed the largest gathering of Santas, 12,965, Northern Ireland in 2007.  

However, of all the places, 18,112 Saint Nicks came together in Kerala, India on December 27, 2014.

Mentioned Taylor Swift's Red in 2012.  Took her a decade to become Time's Person of the Year.

On Christmas Eve of 2010, I took a photo of the Green Flash.

Merry Christmas.

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