I won’t be adding many details about Singapore, as I will be spending several days here after the end of my cruise. So, below are just some quick notes.

• My flight left Phoenix at 6:30am, so I was picked up at my house at 4:00. Yesh.
• A short hop to San Francisco was followed by a SEVENTEEN HOUR PLUS flight to Singapore.
  • This 787 has tinting windows. No simple plastic blinds to raise and lower, but a button with six settings for how dark you want the window to be. I can’t decide if that’s cool or a big waste of technology.
• As we flew the clouds were amazing. Most of the flight it was solid white, like flying over a frosted cake.
• Mid-way during the flight I was surprised to see mountains below us. Turns out it was Japan. Seems we flew along both coasts rather than directly over the Pacific.
• I got to the Mandarin Oriental hotel after 10:00pm the next day (international date line), so I missed the pre-cruise dinner. That’s OK, I needed the sleep to balance my body clock.
• As I stepped off the plane I remembered why I retired to Arizona. Humidity. It just smacks you in the face here in south-east Asia.

The hotel was lovely, but the breakfast buffet was out of this world. They had various stations, but what I found the most fun was the separate Indian, Thai and Japanese sections.

The crew just brought my bags to the room, so it’s time to unpack and organize stuff. I then need to watch the safety video and check-in at my designated “Oh No!” station. After dinner the Cruise Director will introduce the crew staff to the guests.

Tomorrow: Malacca.