Welcome to Singapore!

Blog #1

The Lord is good and He brought us safely 1/2 way around the world!!!!  I'm currently sitting in the Ocean Lounge of the gorgeous MS Volendam!  So, where to begin....

Singapore Airlines is everything it's cracked up to be.  Granted, the only international experiences I have to compare it to are United Air flying to Hong Kong (Horrible) and Eva air flying home from Hong Kong (Amazing because I flew business class so it isn't a fair comparison).  Maybe these perks I'm about to fawn over are common place for savvy international travelers but I was astounded at the elegance, service and quality of Singapore Air.   

First of all, the "coach" seats are like no other economy seats I've ever seen. There was twice as much leg room with built in foot rests and pillows with foldable headrests.  The individual tv screens were enormous compared to other airlines with a selection of 143 movies, 180 tv shows and too many music channels to tally. I watched "Tangled," "Black Swan," "High Society," and a few episodes of Modern Family and Fresh Prince :) 

When we first sat down, we were given warm towels and individual Givenchy bags filled with slippers, headphones, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Then, we immediately partook of the complimentary drink options that included a signature cocktail called "The Singapore Sling," vermouth, whiskey, gin, vodka, Cointreau, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Riesling, beer and all the usual sodas and juices.  We both had a few Singapore Slings, wine and gin/tonics...it was a great flight! :) 

Now for the best part...the food!   

Jeremy chose the international selection for his first meal:
Smoked salmon chopped salmon
Braised beef in red wine sauce with buttered vegetables and mashed potatoes
Cheese and crackers
Rolls 
Coffee/tea 

I opted for the Japanese Selection:
Zensai-Japanese appetizers that included Ahi tuna sashimi - yum!
Japanese noodles
Donburi teriyaki chicken and rice
Rice crackers
Rolls
Green or Oolong Tea

There were also snack and lighter meal options such as vegetable curry, turkey wraps, Macaroni and cheese, shrimp fried rice, carrot cake, chocolate bars and more) and to top it all off -the gorgeous flight attendants in their beautiful silk regalia passed out individual cartons of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream after every meal.  I was in heaven.   

Our first flight was 14 hours and the second leg from Tokyo to Singapore was about 8 hours.  All in all, we had a wonderful experience traveling the 22 hours to Singapore!  And yes, we did sleep a little...

When we got to Singapore, we hopped in two vans and headed straight for the ship. Our van got there within 20 minutes but an hour and a half later we were still waiting for the other van with half of our cast.  After a lot of panicking on our part, they finally pulled up and told us their van had overheated twice and that they were stuck on the side of the road for an hour!  In hindsight, it's s pretty funny start to our adventure!   

The ship is beautiful but we're currently in dry dock so it isn't a good representation of how our ship will look and feel. Passengers don't board until the 14th so until then the ship is being renovated, cleaned, inspected, etc.  Basically, the ship is filled with tape, plastic, tools, and contractors-most of whom are Russian and all of whom are male. I think our female cast members are the only women on the ship right now.  Don't worry mom, I won't explore the ship alone! :)  

We've seen most of the ship but a lot of it is blocked off for renovations.  Our actual rooms aren't ready yet so we're staying in passenger cabins for the next few days. They're really nice for those planning to join us...!   We've been stuck on the ship all day today but tomorrow night we'll be able to venture into Singapore. The ship has to do weight checks so every crew member has to either leave the ship or stay in bed for 5 hours. Hmmm...tough choice...I think we'll opt to leave and have dinner in Singapore :)  

Tomorrow will be filled with costume fittings and trainings and then Wednesday we start rehearsals in the theater!  We love you all so much and can't wait to email and skype when we get a chance.   

With much love,
J & J