SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2015:

It was a very foggy morning in Amman on Sunday morning.
I had about a two mile drive to the airport from my hotel.
Just before noon my nonstop flight to Dubai left Amman.

16 minute video of my Emirates flight to Dubai.

Upon arrival in Dubai my Emirates chauffeur delivered me to the Atlantis Hotel.

15 minute video of the Atlantis the Palm Resort.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON DECEMBER 20, 2015

Howdy Folks, After breakfast at the hotel this morning it was a quick three minute drive to the terminal. I'm glad I decided to drive back to the airport yesterday instead of this morning. There was a thick fog this morning and viability was almost zero. I never would have found my way. Emirates flight #902 left on time at 11:15AM. Below is a picture of the 777 at the Amman airport. Flying time was only about two hours and thirty minutes. Flying over Saudi Arabia most of the way. They served lunch during the flight. It was roast chicken and it was very good. I had chocolate Mousse for dessert. It was also good. It was a short day today, only 22 hours long as I lost two hours crossing two time zones. We landed in Dubai at 4:00 local time. When you fly business class on Emirates you get a free chauffeur to take you to your hotel. I got to my hotel as the sun was setting. I am staying at Atlantis the Palm which is pictured below. If I told you I took the picture above from the airplane just before we landed would you believe me? I have a nice room on the 16th floor of the east tower. Below is the view from my balcony. That is the monorail track on the left of the picture above. Below is the Dubai Marina as seen from my balcony. It is kind of hard to see through the hazy sky. After I got checked in I explored the resort a bit. It is decorated for Christmas despite the fact that this is not a Christian country. And that snowman looks a little out of place in the middle of the desert. It was over 80 degrees here today. I had dinner at tbj (The Burger Joint). One of the many restaurants here. I took a walk out to the beach after dinner. Below is the hotel as seen from the beach. I paid a visit to the Cold Stone Creamery along The Avenues here at Atlantis. You can watch the video below to see them prepare my ice cream. It's after 11:30, past my bed time. Good night, Tim

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2015:

Click on the image below for the original full-size image.

On Monday morning I did a little more exploring around the Atlantis Resort.


Around noon I checked out and took a cab to the cruise terminal.
This was my first cruise on a cruise line other than Princess.
RCL actually made me wait in line to check-in, HOW RUDE!
I finally boarded the Splendour of the Seas around 2:30.


This is actually RCL's Splendour of the Seas final deployment.
After she finishes her Persian Gulf cruises in April she will be sold to Thomson Cruises.
In June 2016 she will become Thomson Discovery and be based in Palma.
Below is a diagram of my stateroom.



Below was our seven-day cruise itinerary.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON DECEMBER 21, 2015

Howdy Folks, Not much to report on today. Had breakfast at the Atlantis Hotel this morning. I also took another walk around in the light of day. Below is a picture of the hotel in day time. I checked out at noon and took a cab to the cruise terminal. The Royal Caribbean people refused to recognize my platinum status with Princess Cruises and made me wait in line to check in. It took about 90 minutes to finally get on board. Below is a picture of my cabin. I am sailing on the Splendour of the Seas. It is a 7-day cruise in the Persian Gulf. But Arabs are offended if you call it that. They say it is the Arabian Gulf. This is a small ship, not quite 2000 passengers, and very few Americans on board. We sailed away around 7:00. We dock in Khasab, Oman tomorrow morning. That's it for today. Until tomorrow, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

The video below is 88 minutes long of my holiday Persian Gulf cruise.

Click on the arrow above for my adventures along the MUSANDAM PENINSULA.

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