Anyone who has been stranded overnight in an airport, missed their train, encountered a sudden highway closure due to blinding weather, or had their hotel reservation cancelled, knows that travel is guaranteed to challenge the traveler to be flexible, willing, and open to change. You may not like it, but hopefully in the end, you can embrace it in the spirit of adventure.

We were similarly challenged when we learned the news of the Insignia accident and the cancellation of the first three segments of our long-awaited Around The World Cruise. Dean and I have spent the last few weeks in the throes of the holiday season gathering information to decide about the rest of our cruise, recovering from colds of both body and weather, and trying to figure out what to do with our new found free time as the trip countdown passed zero. We have had farewell dinners with friends and family we didn’t expect to see for six months and last minute pre-cruise appointments that were already scheduled. We are reminded of the steadfast advice of our travel agent in time of stress to “stay strong and press on”.

The cancellation of the first three world cruise segments temporarily knocked us off our feet, but it’s a new year and a new deal. We have had some time to stand back, take a deep breath, regroup, and have decided to meet Insignia in Singapore on March 22, 2015, for the remaining 109 days of the trip, which is called the “Connoisseur’s Quest”. It’s a little less shiny than “Around the World”, but still a grand adventure to be sure.

And, “why not?”, we ask ourselves again? We are virtually ready to go, minus the foreseeable, but unavoidable last minute packing frenzy and the now two days it will take to fly to Singapore across the International Date Line. Otherwise, the planning we have already done for the last half of the trip remains intact. Reservations, excursions, terms and conditions. Meanwhile, I’ll have time to learn how to use my new camera, spend more time with family and friends, tie up a few loose ends, take care of some deferred home maintenance, renew my anticipation, and get over my cold. From what little we know, the ship’s major repairs will be done in dry dock at San Juan while additional restoration and finishing touches will continue as she makes the passage at top speed to reach Singapore on time. When we board, she should be in better shape than ever before to take on the seas.

So the blog will continue. It’s something I wanted to learn to do and it will document my travel experiences, if only for myself. As always, you are welcome to come along. I would enjoy the company.