#cruises

           The End

       This brings Nick’s Hale Koa (1.0) to a close….for now.

                                    *          *          *          *

Family caregiving and hospice responsibilities will take my full attention for the foreseeable future.

I’ll return afterwards with a somewhat different approach to this blog….posting photo essays of my travels (especially on great ships going all over the world)….when it’s safe for all of us to venture out into the world by land, air and sea once again….and I can return to a “less responsible” life, as well.

Can’t wait to post very cool pictures from some fabulous cruise ship going someplace amazing….in Nick’s Hale Koa 2.0. And maybe sometimes wax poetic along the way, if I may, about my love of ships and the sea….

In the meantime….wishing everyone Fair Winds and Following Seas….

                                                                Nick

Longing for the long ships….

One of Holland America Line’s beautiful cruise ships pierside….showing her immense size on the outside….but a definitely warm, intimate, luxurious and welcoming vibe on the inside.

This is Oosterdam (comes from the Dutch word “oost,” meaning “east”)inWillemstad,Curacao. The ship is 951 feet (290 meters) long and displaces over 110,000 tons….a floating machine the same size as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

(That’sPrincess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess in front of her. She’s, coincidentally, exactly the same size as Oosterdam.)

                                         *          *          *          *

In a few years I’ll be able to spend most of the rest of my life aboard these kind of ships….rarely coming ashore any more….sailing blissfully around the world….exploring…..at-home at-sea….the motion of the sea rocking me to sleep most nights….until my time to join the fish for eternity….

                                         _____________________

>>Photos:Chris Koonstra

Seascape….

Summer sunset along coastal Alaska….

     ….the sky lights up in purple, pink and orange hues….

          ….as your ship cuts a crisp track through the placid waters….

               ….and the soul is soothed on a primal level….

                    ….immersed in an almost other-worldly seascape.

Floating city….

P&O Cruises’ massive new cruise ship MS [motor ship] Iona dwarfs the pier,  shore facilities and nearby homes….as she approaches completion….and entrance into service in early 2021.

The nearly 200,000-ton luxurious vessel will carry more than 5,000 passengers….to be pampered by a crew of almost 2,000. She’ll be homeported in Southampton, England.

MSIonaleaving the builder’s yard in Germany in June 2020….glistening new….on her way to getting her interior completed….and being readied to host guests in a few months.

                                           _____________________

>>Top photo: Nordic Drone

A ship or a shoe?

This is brand-new cruise line Virgin Voyages’ brand-new cruise ship Scarlet Lady. The ship was supposed to begin hosting passengers just as the Communist Chinese COVID-19 pandemic hit the world….

….so, she will continue to sit idle, and mint-new, until at least early 2021.

Meanwhile, even before I fully realized her name, the first thing that came to mind when I saw this picture of her was….

….the ship reminds me of a fashion ladies’ shoe.

(Perhaps just my semi-warped mind!)

(Canyou see the shoe-thing, too?!)

(Sort of what my warped mind sees in the photo of brand-new cruise ship Scarlet Lady.…)

(OK, OK….I’ll go back on my meds!)

(And, in the next few years, I suspect I will actually sail aboard this unique, adults-only ship….just to try on the new shoe!)

                                            ____________________

>>CLICK the top photo for a much larger image and a closer look….

Emeraude Classic Cruises #Halongbay

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#southeastasia #vietnam #travelvietnam #visitvietnam #cruisehalongbay #emeraudecruises #emeraudeclassiccruises #baitulongbay #indochinalegend #halong #boat #cruises #classic (at Halong Bay Cruises)