AT SEA, cruising toward Perth, Australia – March 16

good bye parade

Partly cloudy, 25 degrees


Uncertainty and stress aren’t the ingredients for a good night’s sleep. We ate dinner with a Toronto couple we met when we moved into this new room – they are our next door neighbors, so didn’t even get back until late, so went to sleep quickly, but were up several times and then around 6:30 sleeping was over.


Like every morning, we check out what’s what…and we are just in time to watch the latest Alberta virus press conference. Recently, the ship’s Wi-Fi restrictions seem to have been relaxed, so that streaming isn’t blocked. Schools are closed…wow. In my entire life of going to school and then working in schools in Calgary (about 45 years) I can remember school being closed 3 times! Calgary schools essentially don’t close…when they do it’s something major…remember the flood? Yup, I do.

restaurant staff send off

Also, like many mornings, our plans changed. Last night we learned that Australia will be closing its ports to cruise ships starting today – I don’t think this helped sleeping either. We hear from the ship that we will be able to get to the dock in Perth a day earlier than planned…that being tomorrow… this is great news. The sooner things happen the better. Immediately, we start looking at flights and contact our rock star travel agent. Soon, we have a flight for tomorrow evening. At this rate…we should be home March 18 in the early evening.


Regent has offered to ship our luggage home – we’re sending 1 of our 3 bags with them, we should have them in a week. Regent is also putting, everyone who needs, up in a hotel until everyone’s flights – this is very generous. Thankfully we don’t need this but will use the hotel during the day until the flight. Regent is also transporting us to the hotel and then later to the airport.


The staff on the ship could not be nicer or more accommodating. Over our time we’ve gotten to know quite a few of them, particularly the ones who pour and deliver our drinks and our room stewards/butler. These people are far from home, are away from their families for months, many are young – for many of these this is the first time they’ve been away from home. The uncertainty has been hard on us, but wow…I’m with my husband and don’t have a family at home relying on me to send money home. The people on this ship always say hello and never let their emotions show – well, except for one time I walked by a group who were talking about a ‘s*&t-show’. The passengers never know what might be going on for the crew who always look like they are happy as clams, but I’m sure aren’t always. Some itinerary changes have meant the staff didn’t see their families when they expected to. Many of the crew are from India or Indonesia…even if they weren’t going to end their contracts when we visited there, they were going to be able to see family – that didn’t happen.


I hope everyone at home is also doing OK with this crazy, crazy situation.