My Viking Story

Covid testing and flights

The Cruise

I can hardly believe that I’ll be visiting three countries I’ve never been to before – Hungary, Austria and Germany. The scenery, art, history, food, architecture and culture was so enticing!

Come Cruising With Honey

So, here I sit, waiting for my flight and thrilled to have this opportunity. Join me on this voyage of discovery and beauty, I can’t wait for you all to come Cruising With Honey with Viking.

The last sunset

As the golden rays illuminated my cheeks, I breathed in the sunset craving to absorb this last moment of Alaska and imprinting every radiant beam onto my core memories.

A few tears escaped, leaving damp trails and finding a resting place in my smile lines. It felt as we’d been away for a month, but at the same time, only a few minutes. It’s funny, the 

passage of time; while we can measure it in hours and minutes, the moments are marked by the meals we ate, the drink savoured and all those “oh wow” moments.

Sea daze

There’s something about a sea day I just adore. There’s no rush to explore a port, you can discover parts of a ship in closer detail and just s l o w down. As with every last cruise day, the ticking of the clock is an unwanted reminder that indeed the voyage as drawing to a close, but I wasn’t going to waste time. I had things to do!

Breakfast was berry pretty affair, gosh I’m going to miss the meals, the smiles, the service. 

Next stop was the ‘Ask the Captain’ talk. Now you all know I swoon when it comes to ship captains, and this very charismatic man was no exception. I loved the information he shared and the audience was hanging on his every word.

Chit chats 

The day was speeding by, but two wonderful crew members had made time to have chat and share some insights into life aboard the Koningsdam. First up was the delightful and super talented Chenaye Meyer – all the way from Port Macquarie in NSW! I was in awe watching her the night before during the beautiful show Humanity and incredibly impressed with her dedication and achievements. 

Watch my interview with Chenaye here.

Watch my interview with Jayme here.

Was it really time to pack?

The saddest part of any cruise is pulling out the luggage from under the bed, packing the clothes and toiletries and knowing this signalled the end. With a humph and grump I filled my cases. Done.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent running around the ship taking more videos and admiring the artwork. 

Honestly, there was so many gorgeous pieces, from paintings, photographs and sculptures – and even a Swarovski crystal globe!  One day, when I’m back on board, I will write an entire blog JUST on the art.

Until we meet again

As I laid my head down for my last sleep aboard the Koningsdam, images of the last seven days swirled in my mind. Before setting off on this once-in-a-life adventure, I had a pre-conceived notion of what the experience aboard Holland America would be. I knew it would be elegant and tasteful with a focus on great food and fabulous entertainment. But, in all honesty, the cruise far exceeded all my expectations. It will remain as one the best cruises of my life; not only because of the destination but the ship.

And this is the thing about cruising. You leave a piece of yourself on every ship you cruise, and then hope that one day you’ll return to retrieve it to embark on your next journey through this thing called life. 

Ketchikan

Again, my preconceived ideas about Ketchikan were blown away. We both loved exploring the salmony-scented shops, laughing at the old brothels in Creek St and eating some fish tacos. 

In truth, I thought it would be really cheesy – and it was -  but in a good way! The lumberjacks were SO entertaining and very athletic. It was a good ol’ fashioned family show with lot of merriment and audience participation.

Lumberjack Show Part 1

Lumberjack Show Part 2

Lumberjack Show Part 3

Bye Ketchikan

Spa splurge

I do not like getting my hair done. Generations of my family have made their career in hairdressing (my grandfather was the hairdresser for the Royal Jordanian family for decades) and the ONLY person that will tolerate my whingeing and whining and fidgeting is my darling sister who gently cuts and colours my hair. My dear sister has sliced her fingers open numerous times cutting my mop, as I just can’t sit still long enough. Sorry Judy.

Anyway, I was given a $70 voucher to use at the spa so I thought I’d get my hair blowdried. The Red Carpet blowdry would be covered with my voucher and with taxes, I was only out of pocket $19. Bargain. My curly mane needed a good treatment and boy was I pampered!

The lovely Bosa washed and massaged and treated and blowdried, transforming my mess into a silky creation. YAY, no more frizz.

 Watch my hair (BEFORE) transformation here

And after

Funk and more

As we left Rudi’s, I could hear one of my fave funky songs by A Touch of Honey – Boogie, Oogie, Oogie. I raced to the dance floor at BB Kings and had a little boogie on my own. SO MUCH FUN! The band were on fire and it was an electric atmosphere.

After about a half-hour of dancing, I reluctantly slipped off my blue-suede stilettos and walked bare-foot back to our stateroom.

THIS is what I love about cruising; a date with a hairdresser, a photo shoot with the most incredible backdrop, a 5-star dinner, a dance and live music and then a very short walk back to get into bed in luxurious surroundings. Where else can you have all this in one evening? 

I was ALMOST going to start packing, but did not want to break the spell. Tomorrow will be our last day on board and I didn’t want to think about having to return to reality just yet.

Glacier Bay National Park

 

We laughed and bantered with our fabulous bartenders Julian and Jonathan who loudly proclaimed, every time we ordered a drink, that it was an “EXCELLENT CHOICE”. And, it always was!

Sushi and more

Tamarind was the dinner venue for tonight, and I will elaborate further on this wonderful restaurant. While the food was EXCEPTIONAL, the company was also EXCEPTIONAL. Mr CWH and I were invited to join a handful of Aussie and Kiwi journalists who were on board - amazing people.