Our energetic, cruise consultant has turned 80 years old since we last saw her. She took on Jay and me as clients when working out of the old, uptown office. That former building has been replaced with a large residential tower. Even when working from a different part of town, she has been our 'go-to gal' for at least the last decade now. We get ideas, find the best online deals, and then run to her to see what she can do for us.
Arlene knows how each company works and how to wrangle a better deal with additional perks. When using the company, we can also pay ahead in installments. In fact, we were there to not only catch up after the winter, but additionally to make a final payment. The cruise leaves in November but it's a pleasant realization having future travels all set up well in advance. Generally our winters are pre-paid and the only stress is the fun of learning how to live in a new location.
The cruise we paid for today will be our means for arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We leave Vancouver for Southamption, England at the beginning of November and board the MSC Virtuoso on November 7th. We have the rest of the month to sneak past the Rock of Gibraltar for a week and proceed to some ports stops on Macaronesian islands before crossing the Atlantic southernly.
We have already reserved our Airbnb in Rio . We have to disembark from the MSC ship on December 1, 2026. We then head directly to an apartment in Rio's Lapa neighbourhood. We will have the big New Year's eve celebrations at Copacabana Beach and world-famous Carnaval in Feburary while in residence. We must leave Brazil on March 1, 2027 because the country only allows a visit of 90 days.
Jay and I are deliberately keeping our return home in mid-March open. We will figure out how to take a couple of weeks to get back to British Columbia.