Country Counting

I’m Terry and I love to travel.

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge: the best of the best

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I admit it. I am a hotel snob. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve stayed in some dumps in my time. After visiting 158 countries, I’ve seen it all. But in my old age, I’ve done my best to stay at places that have that little something special. That make you remember the care you’ve received and the beauty of the place.

Clouds Lodge in Uganda is one of those places. African lodges can be a real mixed bag. Most are expensive due to the logistics involved in getting high end food, clean water and materials to remote locations. But Clouds is a step above them all.

How did I find it? On the web. When Kelly and I decided we wanted to see the gorillas in Uganda, I started searching for a nice place to stay. It didn’t take me long to find Clouds and see that it was at the top of my list.

From my first email to the Clouds representative, I received kind, patient and comprehensive answers to all my questions. Mackline (info@wildplacesafrica.com) and I must have exchanged forty emails. She answered every question, no matter how detailed. She arranged for our stay at Clouds, explained that we would need to fly from Nairobi to Entebbe and then on to Kisoro for the final drive up into the mountains. She booked our hotel in Entebbe and the flights to and from Kisoro. She even took care of getting the COVID testing in Entebbe so we could return to Kenya after our visit in Uganda. (A doctor came to our hotel to administer the test and it took a total of 10 minutes.)

Once we flew from Entebbe to Kisoro, we were met at the airport and driven to the lodge by a kind and caring young man. Rasheed took care of our luggage and loaded us into a late model 4-wheel drive SUV. Despite being stopped as we left town by an over-anxious policeman, Rasheed kept his cool. When there was no budging from the policeman over a supposedly missing tourist sticker on the car, Rasheed quickly transferred us to another vehicle that took us the rest of the 2-hour drive to the lodge. (Uganda was in lock-down due to COVID at the time and the only vehicles allowed to travel were those that carried tourists.)

When we arrived at Clouds, we were greeted enthusiastically by managers Des and Kim, a South African husband and wife who have managed properties all over the world. Des and Kim are authentic, genuine and kind and apologized for the delay and assured us they had spoken with the local mayor and all was well with the car.

Our butler, Edith, met us as we entered the lodge and gave us warm towels to freshen up and offered us a beverage. (Edith was in charge of serving our meals and helping with all logistics.) The lobby of the lodge is huge, tastefully furnished with over-stuffed furniture and anchored at one end with a cozy dining room and at the other with a well-stocked bar.  The entire property includes art by well-known Ugandan artists and is tastefully decorated and comfortable.

The entrance to our cottage with the spectacular view to the left.
The bedroom was later made up for twin beds.
We had our own living room, complete with super comfy furniture and a fireplace.

After a stop for refreshments, we were shown to our cottage, down a rather precarious flight of stone steps. The cottage included a generous-sized living room, with large comfy couch and chairs and a twin-bedded bedroom with adjoining bathroom. A two-sided fireplace opened on the bedroom and living room and huge glass windows gave us an unobstructed view to the nearby forest and mountains.

Edith showed us a menu for lunch and asked us what time we would like to eat. No mass seating for meals at Clouds. Every room could select their preferred eating time and the three-course lunch and dinner menus included several options for appetizer and entrée.

Lunch began with fresh salad, from the Clouds vegetable garden.

Kelly and I were seated outside for lunch, overlooking the beautiful view of the mountains. For dinner, we sat in front of the fireplace in the dining room.

That evening when we went to bed, there was a fire lit in our cottage and we found hot-water bottles nestled in our beds. What heaven!

The next morning was our gorilla trek. We rose early for a hearty breakfast – ordered the night before. Des and Kim were there to get us ready. Edith strapped gaiters onto our legs and Des gave us walking sticks for the trek. They all reminded us to take our time and enjoy the trek. They supplied us with a lunch and four jugs of water, which we stashed in Kelly’s backpack.

Rasheed walked us to the ranger station, since the lodge was located just on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home of several gorilla families. (see my blog about the gorilla trek for details about the gorillas.)

When we returned from the trek, Rasheed was there with the SUV to drive us the short distance back to the lodge.

The next day, I decided to hang out at the lodge and take a “slug” day. Kelly opted for a tour of the local community. A guide accompanied her and she had a delightful tour which included the purchase of souvenirs and a demonstration of local dancing and singing.

Clouds was a delight from every aspect. The food was delicious and plentiful, the accommodations were top-rate and the staff was kind, considerate and helpful. A full-time gardener oversees a beautiful and bountiful vegetable garden, so our salads and vegetables were amazingly fresh and tasty.

If you want to see the gorillas, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is THE place to stay. We especially liked finding out that the lodge building is privately owned, but the land is owned by the community. Every night that a guest stays at the lodge, the community receives a fee that goes toward helping the community’s needs.

Why is it so expensive to travel to Africa?

When researching trips to Africa, you may be shocked at the cost of travel there. I know I was.

Here’s why it costs so much.

Most lodges are remote. That means transporting supplies to the lodge can be costly.

Safe water is not readily available. Most lodges must bring in safe drinking water or process it locally to be potable.

Lodges employ security staff, housekeepers, chefs and guides. Many lodges provide housing for staff as folks can’t easily commute to work from their homes.

All meals are generally included in your lodge stay. Also, laundry services are included.

Safari vehicles are expensive. You’ll travel out to see animals and visit remote locations in a vehicle that will transport 6-8 people, is four-wheel drive and has necessary amenities for off-road and touring activities.

You generally will fly by small planes to reach remote locations. Those planes are expensive, as they hold fewer passengers and may have to make lots of one-way trips to carry passengers.

Logistics can be complicated. Therefore, lodges must employ agents and representatives to arrange for flights, auto transfers and coordinating with international flights.

My Gorilla Trekking Adventure

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I’ve heard and read about gorilla trekking for years, so when Kelly suggested we visit Uganda I was all in. With a bit of online checking, I verified that Uganda is one of three places on the planet where you can still see gorillas in the wild. The others are The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

All are located in one area, which is home to the remaining 800+ gorillas in the world. We would venture into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where several families of gorillas were located. I learned there was no guarantee we would see the gorillas and that the trek to get to them could be difficult. Little did I know how difficult. I started training to do the trek – not religiously, but I convinced myself I could walk for miles and would be able to complete the trek. Little did I know!

First step was finding a lodge to stay at in the gorilla trekking area. I quickly located the crème-de-la-crème spot, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge. (See my blog on Clouds for more details.) Suffice to say Clouds was spectacular. The agent for Clouds arranged for everything including our transportation to the lodge. We had to reserve our trekking date ahead of our trip and pay the $750 fee per person to confirm our date. This fee goes to the government and helps to protect the gorillas and keep them safe. (Fees are $1500 per person in Rwanda.)

Our adventure started in Nairobi, where we landed and spent three days to adjust to the jet lag and see some of the sites there. We than took a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda. It was a short one-hour flight. After landing, we taxied to our hotel in Entebbe, No. 5 Boutique Hotel, after the hotel’s driver was at the wrong spot to meet us. No. 5 was a pleasant spot, located in a residential area on a dirt road (Africa has lots of dirt roads). We checked in and got a profuse apology about the driver missing us and then settled in for pizza in their pizza café. We spent a restful afternoon and evening at the hotel and got up early the next morning to take our flight to Kisoro, where we would meet up with the folks from Clouds to take us to the lodge.

The 10-seater plane ride was less than an hour to a tiny building that served as the airport in Kisoro. We were met by Rasheed, a kind young man, who escorted us to a late-model SUV and began our drive to the lodge. As we left the short, paved road in town to transition to the ever-present dirt road, we were pulled over by a policeman. It seemed the policeman didn’t think our car had the proper tourist stickers. (Uganda was in lock-down because of COVID and only tourists were allowed to transfer from place to place. No public transport was running.)

After much back and forth, Rasheed asked us to switch to another vehicle that was behind us and carrying four other trekkers. The drive to our lodge was only 15 miles, but took almost two hours. Suffice to say the roads were challenging even for a four-wheel drive vehicle. We dropped off the other four trekkers at their lodge and then proceeded to our lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.

What a delight. We were greeted at the entrance to the lodge by Kim and Des, the friendly and helpful managers, who profusely apologized for the car being stopped and assured us the town’s mayor had put everything to rights.

The next day was our trekking day. Kim and Des told us to take it slowly, go a bit at a time. They outfitted us with large walking sticks and put gaiters on our pant legs. First our pants were inserted into our socks, then the gaiters were buckled around our legs – all in an effort to keep bugs out of our shoes and legs. We were given four bottles of water and a bag lunch to bring with us on the trek.

We started out fresh and ready to attack that mountain.

Rasheed walked us to the Ranger station. It was rough walking there and I should have gotten a huge hint when I was winded getting to the station – about three blocks away from the lodge.

After waiting for everyone to arrive at the station, we were given a talk about the gorillas, warned to wear masks and divided up into groups. Our group was Kelly and I and two young twentyish girls from California and Lebanon. We had a ranger and two accompanying guides – one with machete and one with a large gun.

It had also been suggested that we hire two porters to carry our backpack (with our water and lunch). Richard and Gideon were a god-send – I soon found out as we began the trek. Let me describe it as not a flat surface in sight, all up and down hill with ravines, twisted roots and the need to keep your eyes firmly planted on your next step so you wouldn’t break a leg, twist an ankle or worse. After an hour of this trekking, the porters were helping me most of the way, with me hanging onto a shoulder or both of them supporting me by my waist. All this was at 6000 feet elevation, so I was already feeling the effects of the high altitude.

I kept asking our ranger how far we had to go. He would point to two mountains in the distance and say, “down this valley, up that first mountain and around it and then up the second one.” It seemed unreal to me to even walk that far, let alone, climb and navigate that distance. After 2.5 hours of climbing, sliding and being totally wet from the exertion, I finally said enough. I sat down in the forest and said “you guys go on, I’ll wait here. I can’t go any further.”

The terrain was rugged and I was feeling pretty tired at this point

Our ranger said, he couldn’t leave me alone, so he sent one of the porters and one of the trackers with the three girls. The girls kept encouraging me to try to make it, but I had reached my limit. While we sat on the forest floor, the ranger said I had another option – the African helicopter. “What is that,” I asked.  He explained that he would call guys who would come and carry me to the gorillas and then down all the way back. It would cost $300. I contemplated that offer for a bit and realized it was the perfect solution. The guys had not worked for months and months, so the money would be well-spent. And heck, I’d already spent $750 to have the privilege of seeing the gorillas, why not!

So, the call was made and in about 30 minutes, 15 guys appeared with a bamboo carrier, complete with pad and pillow. (This was the trek that had taken us 2.5 hours!) They lowered the carrier to the ground and I got in, stretched out and said, now this is the way to travel. Two guys took the front and two took the back. The others walked along to clear brush, help locate the best paths and switch off in what seemed like a well-practiced routine. Mask in place, I grinned the whole way and thought to myself, now why didn’t I get this ride from the beginning.

While I sat in the forest waiting for the guys, I thought, well maybe I could make this last trek up this last hill. After proceeding with the guys and seeing the terrain, I quickly put that idea out of my mind. I was amazed at how they navigated, how they moved the carrier and got me up the remaining hill and finally to the gorillas.

The African helicopter arrived and away I went in comfort.

The girls were already there and had been watching the gorillas for 20 minutes or so. The porters helped me move across a three-foot deep pile of huge vines and brush.

And there he was, the huge silverback Daddy, eating away at vines. He looked us right in the eyes, but kept eating, stripping away the vines from the nearby plants.

As the Daddy ate away, a female and baby appeared up in the trees. Although they were harder to see, they were still within our viewing range. At one point, the trackers began hacking away the vines and brush so we could see Daddy gorilla better. He didn’t like that and charged us. The ranger calmly told us all to stay still and don’t run away. “He’s just showing us who is boss,” he said.

Our viewing lasted well over the specified one-hour limit and I have to say it was amazing to be so close to them and see how powerful and huge they are. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When we finished our time with the three gorillas, the ranger led us a bit away from them and we sat down to eat our picnic lunches. I was so exhausted I think I ate two bites and then drank water and that was it. Our climb back down the mountain was heavenly for me. Comfortable in my helicopter, I watched the guys juggle me, tilt me and get through the dense forest. They seemed to have fun and traded off regularly, so everyone had a time carrying me. It was interesting to see how they worked together and did so with humor and kindness. When it started to rain, they put me down and insisted that I put on my rain jacket and even told me to zip it up.

The trip back was fast and efficient and when we arrived at the ranger station, I told them I needed to go to the lodge and get the money to pay them. Luckily the lodge had sent a car and Rasheed drove me the short distance, I grabbed $300 in twenties and we drove back so I could pay the guys.

With the guys carrying me back down the mountain, I had a pleasant and easy ride back to the ranger station.

Our trip had been seven miles and Kelly’s iPhone said we had climbed 145 flights of stairs. Whew. It sure felt like it.

Kelly made it all the way, but was pretty tired! No helicopter for her.

What tips can I share about seeing the gorillas?

Ask your booking agent to hook you up with the easiest climb or family. We found out when we returned from our trek that there was another place to see the gorillas that required a 15-20-minute drive and the forest was all flat. Boy, I would have loved that spot.

Consider using the African helicopter from the beginning. OK, I had no idea how rough the climb would be and I did want to experience it. But in retrospect, the day would have been so nice and easy with the guys carrying me the entire way.

Clothing for the trek. Wear a long-sleeved t-shirt with a light rain jacket with pockets for phone, Kleenex and other essentials. Good walking shoes or boots and socks are essential. Pants with gaiters are great. If you are walking in the sun some of the way, you may want to wear a hat. It rained on us coming back down the mountain, but it actually felt good to have some cooling rain. I had brought a fleece jacket and rain jacket and that was overkill. One would have been sufficient. Waterproof over pants had also been suggested, but I found them to be unnecessary.

Train for the trek. If you truly want to complete the entire trek on your own, train for it religiously. We were at 6000 feet elevation and everything was up and down. Flat Florida walking just didn’t make it. At that elevation, I would have struggled to walk on a flat surface.

Be lucky. The day after our trek, a couple who had left early for their gorilla siting, returned to the lodge after barely three hours. Did you see the gorillas, we inquired? Yes, they said. About eight of them were sitting before the river and we had a great site of them, they said. That was the river that I had easily passed the day before – which turned out to be about half-way to our siting area.

Stay at a nice lodge in the area. We were so lucky to find Clouds and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It’s a bit pricey but well worth the cost.

What I learned on my first international COVID trip

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Masks were required at the Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi, Kenya.

Niece Kelly and I took our first trip overseas this month and we jumped over a lot of hurdles and learned a bunch about traveling in the COVID era. Traveling internationally isn’t like it used to be. So, get ready to adapt and follow the new rules of COVID travel. Here’s what we learned when we flew to Africa to visit Uganda and Kenya.

It takes a bit of searching to figure out where you can go – so our first tip is:

1. Research carefully to find out where you are able to go as a US citizen.

Kelly researched which countries in the world would take US citizens and came up with two African countries, Kenya and Uganda – both of which we had never visited. Double-check with the country website and the US Department of State website. Ask your travel agent or advisor. But be sure you can safely go to the countries on your list before you buy any airline tickets. You’ll also need to check on COVID testing requirements to be sure you can visit that country (more on that below).

2. Be ready for airline cancellations and changes.

Be ready for the hassles. They’re going to happen, so don’t set your expectations too high. Remember that old tip: have a change of clothes in your carry-on and any necessary medications, toiletries – so you will be prepared if/when changes happen.

Our trip itinerary was changed three times before we left and another time while on the trip. Airlines are cancelling routes, changing times and increasing prices. Don’t think it is you – it’s everyone. You’re going to feel like you are being yanked around – and you are. But that is the reality of COVID travel. It’s challenging and upsetting, but be ready to deal with it. Before our trip, our return was changed to Nairobi (leaving at 5 am, ugh), north to Addis Ababa, south to Johannesburg (with a 10-hour layover), north to Newark and finally to Atlanta. The entire trip would have taken three days and would have been miserable.

While in Kenya, I looked at the flight and decided there must be a better way, so I connected by cell phone and called United. The extra challenge was I had booked the flights with mileage points, so we needed to find flights that were available with points. Luckily, after three dropped calls because of poor cell service and two hours on the phone (heaven knows what that is going to cost me), I got an agent who found a return flight that took us from Nairobi north to Addis and then onward to Toronto and finally to Atlanta. That trip was only 36 hours, so we were happy to find those last-minute available seats.

3. Bring plenty of disposable or other masks so you can wear a clean mask every four hours.

Although I’ve long been a proponent of wearing masks, I wasn’t quite prepared to wear a mask for the lengthy times we had in airports and on planes. Believe me, you’re going to get tired of breathing your own air. But there is nothing you can do about it. The airlines are strict about wearing masks and so are the airports. The best way to deal with masks is to bring plenty of them. Switch out your mask after four hours and toss it or pack it away. On a long overseas flight, you’ll need many, many masks, so be forewarned and give yourself a break.  Airlines even require you wear a mask when sleeping. I took off my mask and put the blanket over my head while sleeping to get a little relief.

You’ll be surprised at how many people overseas are wearing masks. Even in the poor areas we visited, people wore masks. Mask-wearing is not a political statement in other countries, so show respect for others and wear a mask. Everyone at our hotels and the restaurants we visited was very conscientious about wearing a mask.

4. Check out the country’s COVID testing requirements.

We found out before we left that both Kenya and Uganda required a COVID PCR test at least 72 hours before arriving in the country. Remember, there are two kinds of COVID tests: PCR and antigen. Be sure you get the correct test. We had to be tested here in the US two days before we travelled and had to have the results quickly. I had originally scheduled an antigen rapid test at CVS and realized the day before leaving that I had the wrong test. I found a local lab in Gainesville that could do a one-day turnaround on the PCR test. Whew! I was able to get the correct test the day before I travelled and got the results that evening and was able to print out the lab report.

For Kenya, we had to jump through more hoops. They required that we go online and get a Trusted Traveler number and a QR code from the Kenyan government. If you aren’t computer savvy, you may have trouble figuring this out. But believe me, you won’t get into the country without this info. We had print-outs and also kept the info on our phones, so we could show to the authorities when we arrived in Kenya. When you send in your negative lab reports, you receive an email with the QR codes.

Also, be sure to check the requirements for leaving the country you visit. We knew we needed an antigen test to return to the US. However, we found out in Kenya, that you couldn’t get into the Nairobi airport with an antigen test. They required a PCR test. This took a lot of double- and triple- checking by the manager at our lodge. So, be careful to check to see what is required.

One reason we ruled out visiting Tanzania, was that Kelly found that there were no places to get COVID tests back quickly. This seems like a little thing, but it can throw your travel itinerary out the window if you have a problem with rapid return of tests.

5. Allow time in your schedule for COVID testing.

Kelly and I had to get an additional three COVID tests when we were in Africa: one to enter Uganda from Kenya, one to return to Kenya and one to leave Kenya and return to the US. Luckily our first hotels in Kenya and Uganda arranged for the testing and had a doctor come to the hotel where we easily took the tests. Results were emailed to us later that evening. However, in our last lodge in Kenya, we had to be driven to the next town to take our COVID tests. This pretty much took up the entire morning. We were told we would get our results by 6 pm, but it was actually 8:30 pm before we got our negative result emails. I have to say, the manager of the lab was extremely helpful and kept calling us to be sure we got our results.

6. Be ready for restaurants and stores to be closed.

Because of COVID, many establishments are not open. Hotels may open only a few of their restaurants. Shops may be closed. Airports will have many shops and restaurants that are closed. Even the business class lounge in Istanbul was only half-way open. (We had an eight-hour layover there and would have loved to take a shower, but showers were closed.) You may be asked to sit in separate rooms while dining. Go with the flow, that’s really all you can do.

7. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize.

In Africa, we were offered sanitizer a lot. People expect you to take a squirt and rub your hands together. Do it in front of them, so they know you are following the rules and respecting each other. Same goes for taking of temperatures.  Your temp will be taken many, many times – entering stores, hotels, restaurants. Accept it with a smile and move on.

8. Bring plenty of cash.

The COVID tests are expensive. Kelly and I paid $300 for both of us to take one test. Two of our hotels let us add to our bill and pay with a credit card. The other required cash. I had not accounted for using cash for the tests, so be prepared.

9. Bring plenty of sanitizing wipes.

Don’t be embarrassed to wipe down your airline seat, tray table and surrounding areas. Even though some airlines claim to sanitize between flights, I didn’t see any evidence of that happening. You’ll be touching lots of handrails, ticket counters and other surfaces. Clean your hands religiously. You’ll feel safer and will not infect anyone else.

10. Check your airline’s policy on food.

Ken and I travelled to Alaska just before the Africa trip. We booked first class airfare on Delta and planned for a hot meal on the plane. Imagine our surprise when we were given a box of junk food (crackers, cheese, beef jerky, chips and a cookie). Our flights to Africa did serve hot food, but on Ethiopian airlines, we were often mystified about what we were eating.

Kelly and I had a great trip, but we were lucky to be well-prepared.  Everyone we met was happy to see us. They had not had visitors in a long, long time. So, they were glad to see tourists. Many had been on half or one quarter salary for months, so they were looking forward to increased visitors. I over-tipped in all cases as I knew folks had been suffering. The bottom line is plan ahead and be prepared. It is different, but you can still travel internationally.

Bon voyage.

To cruise or not to cruise? That is the question.

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I’ve never been a big fan of cruises. I’ve always felt too confined, controlled and not able to “do my thing” on a big ship. Add to that the mandated community dining and it was just too much for my rebellious self.

But, I recently saw a Viking cruise that went to two countries I wanted to visit: Algeria and Tunisia. It had been twenty years since my last cruise, so I thought, why not give it another go? Heck, thousands of people go on cruises every day. Maybe I had been wrong about my earlier assessments. After a little persuading, my hubby, Ken, agreed to accompany me.

I’ve been on three other cruises and none of them wowed me. My first experience was a spring break cruise to the Caribbean with three college girl friends. We thought we were going to have a wild and crazy time with all kinds of gorgeous guys on the ship. I can remember my Mom laughing her ass off as she dropped us at check-in. All we saw were masses of senior citizens. Suffice to say there were no ship-board romances on that cruise!

Our second cruise was with my in-laws to Mexico. That trip included hoards of loud New Yorkers and their kids running around the ship and lots of mediocre food. The third cruise was with my parents who wanted to be glued to our sides. Loud announcements on the PA every fifteen minutes were beyond obnoxious: ping pong on the Lido Deck; lecture in the auditorium and volleyball on the sports deck. Soup every night changed colors from white to gray to yellow to green. It all tasted the same.

My husband quickly adopted the name “prison ships” and we thought our days of cruise ships were dead and done.

So here we were, booked onto a one-week cruise ship leaving from Rome and returning to Barcelona. My sister reminded me: “keep your expectations low and you’ll have a good time!”

Things started out poorly. We received an email from Viking telling us that the Tunisia stop was being cancelled due to demonstrations! I quickly went online to read what was happening and as usual, things weren’t as bad as folks made them out to be. I called Viking upset about this change and threatened to cancel the trip. Of course, cancellation would mean a 100% cancellation fee. To sooth my savagery, they offered me a $200 credit. So I took the money, vowing to drink myself sick as compensation for missing Tunisia.

Once on board the ship, we had a few pleasant surprises. Our state room was much bigger than any of the previous three we had experienced. The bathroom had a separate shower, so you didn’t have to worry about showering over the toilet. The public areas of the ship were beautifully designed — modern and comfortable, with numerous options for sitting, chatting, and watching the waters go by. There was a three-story atrium area, complete with Steinway piano for afternoon concerts and an indoor pool with plenty of upscale lounge chairs and sitting areas. One of our favorite spots was the forward two-story bar, surrounded with shelves of books, ship models and sailing paraphernalia.

There were no “old school” required dining partners or times. You simply went to one of the two dining rooms whenever you liked or booked a reservation at one of the other two “special” restaurants. Our first night, we dined at the “Chef’s Table,” a special restaurant. Food wasn’t bad — but the chef had clearly not gotten the message that foam was over. Every course had some kind of foam. But it was a pleasant experience and we couldn’t really complain.

Breakfast and lunch were whenever you liked within designated times. Breakfast was from 7:00 to 10:00 and lunch from noon to 2:00. Room service, with a limited menu, was available 24 hours. You could eat as much as you liked and fortunately, the food was decent, there were healthy options and plenty of variety.

I must admit that after a week of eating on the ship, I was ready for a change. All food came from the same kitchen so it was a bit similar. The “special” restaurants did give you something slightly different, although service could be slow. In addition to the Chef’s Table, there was an Italian restaurant that was pretty decent.

Shortly after leaving Rome, the captain announced that the seas were too rough to go to Naples, the substitute port to make up for missing Tunisia. A number of fellow passengers were hoping to visit Pompeii and were thus unhappy about this development. Of course, all was supposed to be for our safety, so you couldn’t complain too much!

After a stop in Sicily, we headed for Northern Africa and our stop in Algeria, only to be told by our captain that, once again, we had rough seas and high winds and could not get into Algeria. ERRRR. I was NOT happy. So off we went to another substitute port, Mallorca.

The rest of the cruise progressed as advertised, but after talking with a number of other passengers, it appeared that many were distressed about missing the two North Africa stops.

So what is my bottom line on cruises? Here are things that are positives. You’ll get:

  • A small taste of a country or area
  • A controlled environment with food provided, tours offered and “no thinking” required
  • A one-price “all-inclusive” vacation. Viking charged $105 per person for a week for gratuities and alcohol was additional. Wine and beer were included.

However, to me the negatives outweigh the positives. I don’t like:

  • The total loss of control over where you go
  • The possibility of getting seasick (I had two bad nights on the Viking cruise)
  • Being on a large ship with a lot of other people you may or may not like. Luckily, two friends were with us on this cruise and they were fun to be with.
  • Food that can get boring after a week of the same thing.
  • Being subjected to tours that are not individualized or private. We rode busses for most of the port cruises.

If you are a cruise fan, I can highly recommend Viking. The ship was beautiful and all the staff were top-notch, helpful, friendly and kind.

Bon voyager or NOT!