This was my 13th cruise and first time on Royal Caribbean. I had heard a lot of good things about them and was anxious to climb aboard. My friend Pam who loves to travel as much as I do gave me an immediate yes when I told her the incredibly low price of the balcony cabin. Travel advisories, weather, flights, and visas, all checked out good so I booked us a cabin in the fantail and we started doing our research on the ports of call. FLIGHTS We flew Asiana Airlines from Seattle to Seoul where we had a 24 hour layover coming, and a 12 hour layover on the return. Even though the connections weren't great, Asiana offered wonderful service with 3 meals on the first leg and two on the next, plenty of beverages, a good selection of movies on the seat back screens, and each of our 4 flights were right on time. We would definitely fly with Asiana again. SEOUL We arrived Seoul about 7pm on February 14th and went straight to the hotels desk. The agent booked our room at the Oceanside Hotel and 20 minutes later our friendly English speaking driver was picking us up. We had a nice room, good hot cooked breakfast, and free shuttle for under $100. The following day we spent several hours at the Incheon Airport on the upper floor that overlooked the shops and runways. We kicked back in comfy lounge chairs and took advantage of the free wireless Internet. We also booked a room at the transit hotel for our return flight. The rooms were small but quiet and had a bathroom and shower. The cost was $80 for 8 hours and advance reservations are highly recommended. 
We arrived Singapore about 10pm on Feb. 15th. Pam exchanged money while I got some cash at the ATM and we got in the taxi Que. Our driver was knowledgeable, friendly, and pointed out some tourist sites in route to the Value Inn Thomson. Our room was tiny, walls were thin and beds were hard, but at $95 a night the price was right, location was good and we took advantage of the lovely pool on the 7th floor in the heat of the late afternoons. We rode the bus to downtown Orchard street where we purchased a 2 day ticket on the hop on hop off sightseeing bus. I think it cost $35 and included a boat ride along the waterfront of Clark Quay. We were very impressed with the cleanliness of the city and the friendliness of the people. The Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort (above) is an architectural marvel, the Botanic Gardens a delight, and the Orchid Garden at only $5 per person shouldn't be missed. Our second full day took us to China Town, Little India, and the shops along Orchard street. We wanted to visit the highly regarded Zoo, but we'll have to catch that next time. 
LEGEND of the SEAS Embarkation was quick and easy. They took our passports upon boarding so we couldn't get back off once we were on but that was OK. We unpacked, explored the ship, and ducked out of our first bit of rain as we set sail for Indonesia. Our rooms were a little cramped since we had twin beds rather than a king, but our balcony was nice and big and we enjoyed the view from the aft on deck 7. The ship was built in 1995 and was showing some wear. I could smell mold in the hallway near the elevator but aside from that it was a lovely ship and the staff was constantly working to keep it in tip top shape. Royal Caribbean didn't offer as expansive menu as some other lines, but the food was good and seemed to have something for everyone. The majority of the guests were from Singapore, Japan, Australia, and the U.S. with 32 countries being represented. The buffet offered standard fare but the deli was very popular and the goat cheese pizza was scrumptious. There was a lot to choose from at the salad bar until the Noro Virus broke out and the staff had to serve rather than self serve. At that point, the food options dropped in the buffet line. Pam and I were vigilant about washing our hands and using the hand sanitisers, but she unfortunately got the virus on our second to last day at sea. The Dr. and nurse were very kind to make a cabin call at 1am and there was no charge for the visit. Guests with the virus were quarantined to their cabins until they were healthy, which was usually 24 hours. Entertainment included the dancers who were quite good, a pianist, a movie night and an acrobat team with an amazing finish. We were fortunate to have guest lecturer Aileen Bridgewater at our table who spoke about her life and times in talk radio. If you are looking for something to do on your days at sea then you might find a lecture to be not only educational, but delightful! 
SEMARANG I opted to take the 8 hour tour of Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five RC buses got a police escort on the hour and a half drive that would have been much longer without the sirens that enabled us to go through stoplights and blasted other drivers to the sides of the road. I was disappointed to see that many of the passengers closed their blinds on the windows so they could sleep during the drive, but I eagerly watched out the window as this was my first visit to Asia. We passed dismal shanties along the rivers before heading up the hill where expensive homes dotted the dense green mountains. Mopeds were the key source of transportation and occasionally you'd see an entire family of four on one bike. Most without helmets. The monument itself was awe inspiring and our guide described the 10 levels of enlightenment that the monument represented. He explained some of the stories that were etched on the stone and we tried not to loose him amongst the throngs of visitors as we made our way to level 7 which was the highest level open to visitors after damage from volcanic ash closed the upper tiers. We had a fabulous lunch and traveled the busy road back to Semarang where Pam had gone into town and purchased Indonesian dresses for us to wear to dinner that night. 
BALIPam joined me on the 10 hour Balinese way of life tour where we got to see a good portion of the beautiful island in a short amount of time. Our first stop was in the state of Klungkung to see the ancient court justice known as Kertha Gosa. Our 2nd stop was at the charming village of Penglipuran where we were invited into the homes of the local villagers to see how they lived. We enjoyed a great lunch with a view of the Batur volcano in Kintamani. Then on to the tranquil temple of Sebatu (above) and a quick pass by the lovely Tegalalang Rice Terrace.
Lombok
LombokThe quiet serene mountains of Lombok seemed to beckon us ashore as we were tendered into the port. This was RC's first time in Indonesia and though the tours for Semarang and Bali were quite tempting, there were only four options for Lombok. We read that the island had pretty beaches so we had planned to hire a taxi to the beach but the crew gave us different information as to which side of the island we would dock on, so we decided to play it safe and take the ships shuttle into town. The view from land was much different than that from Sea. Garbage was piled alongside houses, near the river banks, and in the rice fields. There were many temples and mosques...most unfinished. After becoming disenchanted with the drive through the countryside and a short walk through the local mall, we opted to skip the beach. This was perhaps a mistake as we spoke to some others who found the beaches to be lovely, with seashells on one and big waves for water sports on another. A reminder that it pays to do your research and plan ahead. Some ships and cruise lines offer detailed guidance while on board while others have nearly no information at all which is what happened in this case being that it was the ships first time to these ports of call.
SENTOSA ISLAND in SINGAPORE
SENTOSA ISLAND in SINGAPOREOur flight home was not scheduled to depart until 11pm, so we checked our luggage at the cruise terminal after disembarking and hopped the monorail over to the nearby Sentosa Island. There is something for everyone at this amusement park on the beach...a flowrider, flying trapeze, butterfly park, segway tours, cable car, luge, zipline, hotels, and Universal Studios. We wandered for a while keeping an eye out for monkeys before heading to the airport. We had planned to check in for our flight and then hang out at the rooftop pool at the airport, but since we were traveling standby they couldn't give us seats until 45 minutes prior to flight departure, and we couldn't get through security and to the transit hotel and pool without boarding passes.
Note to interline passengers traveling standby.
If you book a cruise that's been deeply discounted, keep in mind that there will most likely be a lot of other airline employees trying to travel standby. Plan to arrive to your departing port of call at least 3 days early. You'll alleviate stress and you can spend some time exploring that city. In this case, Singapore turned out to be our favorite port of call. It may take a few days to get home. We met about 50 airline employees on the ship, which was probably about 1/2 of them. Most were trying to fly on Delta. Make sure you know what your other options are before leaving home. We purchased passes on 5 different airlines before we left home, which paid off in the end. Some of our new airline friends took a lot more time to get home then they had planned because they only had passes for their own airline.
Travel Insurance is especially important when traveling outside the country. Be sure to ask your travel agent about coverage.
Aside from Pam getting the Noro Virus this was a wonderful vacation. Traveling abroad takes more time and planning, but was well worth it. This particular cruise was a good mix of busy days of exploration and lazy days at sea.
Happy Travels!
Shelli Spencer
KVI Travel
