So much to do, so little time

Every day Princess is releasing more shore excursion choices. I won't list any more prices but you get an idea of where the overland tour prices are from the previous post. Most day tours are in the $100 plus range and most half day tours in the $50 -$100 range. I'm happy to answer questions if anyone has a question on the choices for a particular port.

There is a lot of research that needs to go into a world cruise. There are 40 ports on this cruise and many options for shore excursions, both with the ship and on your own. The problem is doing the research for the independent excursions can be time consuming. However, the alternative is depending on ship tours which can be less rewarding then independent excursions.

Here is how I've done so far:
Egypt - I can't see going all the way around the world and not spending as much time in Egypt as I can. I really want to do an independent overland tour while there. I have e-mailed 5 tour companies. So far no taker for organizing an overland tour. But I'm not giving up. I just have to find the right tour operator.

Easter Island - The ship tours are all wait listed so I will organize an independent tour. There are a few others on my cruise critic roll call interested so it will be a reasonable price for a group of us. For someone reading who is not familiar with the cruise critic roll call. It is a group of people going on the same cruise with you. They all post on the roll call board and if the group is lucky someone steps up to organize a get together on board the ship so everyone can meet. The group also can be used to find others interested in independent excursions. http://www.cruisecritic.com/

For ship tours, I've booked the 4 day overland to the Great Wall of China. I figure with the Olympics having been there this year the infrastructure (buses, hotels, the sites etc) will be in great shape.

I've also booked a cooking class excursion in Vietnam. You shop in the market with the chef, cook the meal and then eat it. Sounded like great fun! This is also the taking off point if I want to see Ankgor Wat. Originally I decided not to do this tour due to the price for 3 days being too high. But a member of the Royal Princess World Cruise is researching an overland tour that is a fraction of the ship's price. So I may change my mind about the cooking class and strike off overland.

or?

In Bangkok I've booked the Princess shore excursion Legendary Bangkok - Explore Bangkok's legendary Grand Palace on a walking tour. View the fabled Emerald Buddha and explore the Venice of the East on a Chao Phraya River cruise. Attend a cultural performance after a traditional Thai lunch.

In Mumbai I've booked Elephanta Island and Caves - Board a motorcoach at the pier for the short transfer to the motorlaunch boarding area. A covered motorlaunch carries you for the approximately 45-minute cruise through the harbor to Elephanta Island. You pass Butcher Island and Neva Sheva along the way. Take in the busy harbor traffic ranging from fishing boats to supertankers. Follow your guide for a 25-minute walk up the 120 steps leading to the main cave. Elephanta Main Cave - Your guide escorts you through the cavern, pointing out the stunning sculptures and explaining their cultural and historical significance. The highlights include the "Mahesamurti," an 18-foot-high triple image representing Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. The Caves have been a must-see for the world's travelers for centuries. After your tour, enjoy free time to explore on your own. I like the walking on this one but TripAdvisor doesn't give it great reviews so I'll have to see is something more appealing shows up.

For Dubai I found that their hop on/hop off bus covers alot of interesting possibilities. The only trouble will be settling on just a few. For $48 it includes a beach tour, walking tour, ticket to the Dubai Museum, an Arabian Dhow Cruise (1 hr) and entrance to the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House. This is in addition to the regular many city and sightseeing stops on a normal hop on/hop off bus tour. It is going to take a great deal of dicipline to pick a few of the items like the cruise (which gets rave reviews), museum and walking tour and not get distracted by all the other possibilities.

I've also taken care of getting my tax stuff in order for next year, getting all my credit cards set up for auto-pay and contacting my bank to let them know I'll be out of the country.