An update to our plans for 2016 - jump over to the new blog - pacificcruising2016.blogspot.com for the latest! Some of you may be surprised !!
OK that is history, but I had left a "p" out of blogspot, so some did not get to see our Queen Victoria experience. Don't worry, just 100 days until our Sun Princess cruise - a total Pacific expedition. See the new blog for all the details.
Thursday 27th
Sea day again. The sea is building a bit and the temperature is a little cooler but still shorts weather. Passenger talent show was great with Mark the star performer in 2 items. Danny insisted on shouting Vivian & me a drink to celebrate their bridge partnership. Later in the afternoon we passed by Tonga, about 10 miles to the west of our course. Otherwise a quiet day, which is just as well as tomorrow promises to be really hectic (in a nice way).
Friday 28th
Another sea day and now busy as we rush towards NZ. Hit a few speed bumps overnight but currently a moderate swell. Final Cruise Critic lunch, where surprisingly we are the only ones getting off in Auckland.
The ship provided a magnificent chocolate cake as a dessert. Special tributes flowed for Sandie and her magnificent organisation of our CC getogethers. We were at a table of 4 Canadians and 2 Australians from the Gold Coast - they actually boarded the ship in early April and had already done the Hawaiian cruise before the world one. To make matters worse, they are going all the way to Fremantle!
Mark (& Danny) were in the choir at 3.15 and it was a full theatre with a very good performance. After that we rushed to drinks with Cheryl & Graham, who were on our Machu Picchu bus along with her sister. They were actually travelling as a foursome with Cheryl's mother (in her mid 80s) and had all gone diving with sharks in in Bora Bora. Christine & Mark 2 also joined in the drinks.
The Captain's farewell cocktail party for the Auckland disembarkees was held at 7.15 and for a change was a pleasant experience, with all the Officers in attendance and plenty of hospitality 😀😀. It was also the last formal night for the cruise and a special souvenir menu. Yummy! Needless to say, straight to bed and a quick, quiet rock to sleep. Feels like we could sleep for a whole day (& more).
Saturday 29th
The day that we've all been waiting for.
It simply does not exist! Thanks International Date Line. ..and to think that I'd been promised free coffee today too!
Sunday 30th
Replacement day for the above and also our last sea day and indeed our last day onboard the Sea Princess on our epic voyage around the world. The sea is calm, the sun is shining, OK the temperature is down to 18, but still pleasant. The day we have dreaded for 99 days - packing day.
For some reason they have decided to have a brunch, so we had room service. Then packed a bag, went to church, packed another *big* bag, had coffee with our coffee team - Maureen & Wyn, Greta & Gordon and Jaye & George (all from Sydney). Next up was final lunch with Christine & Mark 2, then a catch up with Richard from Whitby on the way back to the stateroom.
Of course Vivian has been playing her final bridge, so I picked up our 22 DVD set of the cruise - we'll have no friends when we get home! and did the immigration papers. 4.00 we had final drinks with Greta & Gordon et al in their full suite aft on our deck. It was lovely and thankfully the sun was shining brightly as we approached NZ.
A final show in the Princess Theatre and an emotional farewell to all our wonderful friends & companions we have got to know so well over the last 100 days. Our bags have been picked up so there's no going back now.
Monday 31st
That's it. Woke at 5.30, just as the Pilot arrived. It is very calm, but guess what? .. that darned foghorn is going again! The forecast was for wet and wild, so let's home they are wrong for the sake of our fellow passengers. We have once again ordered room service breakfast as we otherwise wouldn't be able to eat, apart from the "Horror Zone" upstairs.
Assembled in the lounge at 8.00, off to immigration/customs and we are now no longer valued passengers, just past passengers 😀 Apart from our NZ friends, most of the others are off on excursions or whatever in Auckland and sadly we say goodbye to ship life and look forward to seeing our daughter Fiona waiting for us after such a long time away.
Time for quick reflection on the last 100 days. It has been amazing and honestly the time has flown, so in no way have either of us been bored or tired of the routine. I don't think that the enormity of what we have done has set in yet and our earlier experiences in the Middle East and the Mediterranean etc. seem like a different holiday.
We love (most of) our fellow passengers and the staff on the whole are amazing. Of course there were things that could be done differently, or better, but it is the overall experience to be treasured and there is no point in dwelling on the negatives (as one couple we met have done for the whole cruise).
So many things marked off the bucket list and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog and hope that the many readers (known & unknown) have enjoyed/been informed over the length of the cruise. Thank you.
Our next adventure is the 10 week Circle Pacific cruise in June 2016, which takes us up through Asia, Alaska, Vancouver, Western USA, Hawaii. There are several hundred from our current cruise doing this (including Vivian's bridge partner), so it'll just be like family!! The new blog address will be: pacificcruising2016.blogspot.com.
See you there next year.
As we bump our way home, a reminder of sunny days over the last week.
Tahiti, Bora Bora & Pago Pago.
Saturday 22nd
Another hour back, so we woke "early" as we approached Papeete. Last night the Captain determined that we'd be late, so moved everything forward an hour - however we were well on our way to our berth by 7.00 as originally intended. The long and the short is that we had breakfast on our deck well ahead of time.
We are berthed adjacent to the M5, apparently the largest sloop in the world - it is owned by an American billionaire and clearly just the crew are on board. The boat is huge and even boasts a seaplane aft.
We'd planned a day tour with Heather & Mark and once ashore made our way to the Avis office. Mark is our official driver and we hired a little 2 door Renault for our adventure. Before we set off we went to the markets and got some bananas and mangos. The poor guy at the stall had no idea of US$s.
We went clockwise around the island and Mark's driving was superb - a lefthand drive manual is a bit of a challenge. Our only minor hiccup was getting out of Papeete city - but we got to see sights we'd otherwise have missed. And to be fair to our guide, the various maps we had were all very good schematically, but useless for actually showing the streets.
Sadly it started to rain, so we only saw 1 of the 3 waterfalls from as distance (there were heaps of Princess tour buses there) as it was unpleasantly wet at that time. Onwards we went and just before midday we reached Tarevao at the bottom of the main island, where the little island joins. As we headed along we found a small cafe, so pulled in. We ended up with the most magnificent baguettes filled with salad, bacon & eggs (subway style) and tiny espresso coffees! Turns out that this was also very popular with the locals, including the local gendarmerie!!
We went on to the end of the road on the little island and found a small beach to have our picnic - which we just finished when the showers returned. Back onto the main island and around the corner heading up the west coast and the weather, road and the standard of housing and beaches improved dramatically.
We motored along and came across the Paul Gauguin Restaurant (the house and museum were a kilometre away and are closed!), so we called in for a coffee and .... lemon meringue pie. No, they were out of pie, so made do with the coffee, which was more expensive than the coffee & baguettes we bought at lunchtime. However, the ambience was magnificent and they had open fish ponds with lots of tropical fish.
As we approached the outskirts of Papeete, Mark decided to drive up a hill up to where all the modern expensive houses were. The only trouble was that the poor little car was not really made for such a climb. However Mark was our man and he got it up!! (What's that funny smell? asks Heather). At least the brakes worked OK on the downward journey.
Onward to the city and the next stop was the petrol station to fill up before returning the car. One slight problem was that they wouldn't accept a credit card as our fill was less than 2,000pfs but they would take USD thankfully (otherwise we might have met up with our gendarmes again). The conversion rates on the island do not bear thinking about, but after all it is only money!!
A quick wander back to the ship and reflection on a great day. We certainly have seen pretty well all of Tahiti and of course the weather by now is absolutely perfect! The crew of M5 have been on the turps all day by the look of it and as the evening progressed their music got louder and they had a great time playing up to an audience on the upper decks. It was pleasantly quiet as we sailed out, the lights of Papeete looked magnificent.
Sunday 23rd
A little cloudy as we arrive at Bora Bora, but this didn't last. A tender port (the last one), so we met Heather & Mark about 8.45 and were ashore by 9.15. We were not in a hurry today as we had planned to walk to Bloody Mary's, about 4 miles away.
It was an epic, but enjoyable walk and took just over 1 1/4 hours. The sun shone with the temperature around 30 degrees and thankfully there was a breeze most of the way. Funnily, after quite some time, Vivian was in need of a rest etc. so we stopped while the others went ahead. Once refreshed, we took off with gusto, only to find that our destination was just 200 metres up the road ☺
When we got to Bloody Mary's, there were numerous buses with Princess & other private tours, so it was a bit chaotic getting a drink before we continued on to the beach ("just 10 minutes " said Mark). 20 minutes later we could certainly see the beaches and suddenly Heather darted across the road to a cafe to check out the menu. Great move!
This little cafe (once again mainly supported by locals) was right on the beach with magnificent white sand and clear water. A lovely woman was running the place and she spoke perfect English despite my attempts at poor French. A good & reasonably priced (but probably not healthy) lunch.
Vivian & Heather and Mark had a swim, as did Mark 2, who arrived with Christine later. After all that excitement we were pleased to hail a shuttle bus on it's way back to the ship. The bus came complete with family (including the dog). Heather & Mark however completed the return trip by foot, so win the prize for "most walkers".
We had a spectacular sail away through the reef and into the setting sun. Even a whale was playing very close to the ship - well we hope it was playing and not stranded. We thoroughly enjoyed our balcony on a balmy evening, staying out there until it got completely dark and we had to go to dinner.
Monday 24th
The last hour back on our clocks, so we woke *very* early and had a relaxing time before breakfast. Otherwise it was a pretty normal sea day. The weather has been very pleasant, with temperature still in the early 30s.
Tonight we had an extended group dinner of 14 friends in the pizzeria. This was a great night, even though the Captains Circle deck party was scheduled just beforehand. It is disappointing that Princess do not see fit to entertain their guests in a more genteel manner as once again some (say) 1,200 passengers all trying to swill in the allotted 45 minutes is not a sight which will appear in their publicity brochures!
Having said that, we did not bother to attend (but the others reported back!), as we had to organise the seating arrangements, which staff seemed to have forgotten about. We were pretty well the only people in the restaurant, so the staff didn't mind that we overstayed a little beyond closing time - much!! Everyone enjoyed the gathering and just to clarify, we were 12 Kiwi's & Christine and Mark 2 (bravely the Australian contingent).
Tuesday 25th
Horrors, the days are running away on us. Another sea day broken by yet another " lifejacket drill" which meant no Mah Jong and a rush for coffee once the drill was over. Partly cloudy but warm day. A swell is coming from behind us, so we have a bit of a roll - Captain explained that a following swell is not really controlled by the "flippers" (stabilisers) as there is less water passing over them to be effective. Now there is the physics lesson for the day ☺☺.
Vivian & Danny came top at bridge today, well done. They only have 2 more bridge days to play so hopefully will continue to do well. I've been updating the blog before my memory fades completely.
Wednesday 26Thursday
Pago Pago is our last port of call before home and we arrived just after dawn. As with most of our Pacific ports, early morning is misty/rainy but by the time we got off the ship about 9.00 it was pretty clear and got hotter and hotter as the day progressed. Once again we were trekking with Heather & Mark, although not the epic of Bora Bora!
We saw all we needed to see and adjourned to Sadie's Hotel on the waterfront for coffee & toast at 10.30! They don't do things like scones, muffins or cakes! Mark & I left the girls to go swimming and we climbed up to the lookout. That was quite a climb but well worth it. We also got to find out the history of the former cable car which ran across the harbour and the disaster that occurred with a US Air force (I think) plane collided with the wires and crashed into the hotel below (now Sadie's) with much loss of life.
As always the walk down was much easier and on getting back to the hotel found Vivian & Heather in the sea. We each had to pay $5 for a day pass to use the beach etc. even though we were patronising the hotel. Shock horror, I had my first swim in some 2 years! Yes, you read it here. It probably won't be repeated and I am sure that any photos Vivian may have taken will be destroyed!!
So eventually we got (re)dressed and found a table under a fale. The place was crowded and the staff we pleasant to the extreme, but totally overwhelmed. Our waiter took our order, eventually came back with drinks and then returned some 10 minutes later to retake our order, because he had lost his bit of paper. We had a great lunch and Christine & Mark 2 came and joined us later, as they'd already eaten (but no swim).
Sadly I am writing this as we sail away from American Samoa. Our course will now tend far more southerly than westerly and I fear that the days of T shirt and shorts are numbered - possibly 1. The Captain has prepared us with his longer range forecast on our way to NZ and really when you think of it, over the 95 odd days we've travelled, we have had some great weather so mustn't grumble.
Monday 17th
Clocks back an hour, but sunrise still not until 8.00. A more cloudy day but temperature supposedly 22 degrees (apart from the windy side of the ship). What I'd describe as a standard sea day, brightened by my twin, Mark's birthday.
In the afternoon we had a Machu Picchu cocktail party and sadly the usual happened - the greedy got up to 8 drinks and the polite ones, nothing. I think it says a lot about the culture of some (happily a minority) of our passengers - hell, they'd paid over $2,000 each for the excursion, so you wouldn't think they were needy.
Happier times with a gathering in the Wheelhouse Bar where a number of friends gathered to celebrate our birthdays before dinner. We (all of us) took over the dancefloor and certainly made our presence known. The band even played a special "Happy Birthday" to Mark & me.
Tuesday 18th
Clocks back again as we rush along to meet the International Date Line next week. At least it is now light at 7.00 and the sea is calm, so looking good for another day of relaxing after such a busy 3 months ☺☺☺
A lot of socialising but that's about it. Temperature up to mid 20s but had cooled down in the afternoon with a solid cloud base and we are now experiencing a lazy south pacific swell. Captain anticipates this building overnight with an increase in wind too. All makes for an interesting rendezvous with the people of Pitcairn Island tomorrow morning.
Apology (of sorts): In my previous blog on Easter Island I referred to the fee charged to visit the National Parks. Surprise surprise, today our account was refunded the fee as they'd changed their mind again......... So, sorry to malign the Chilean government, but I understand there is still conflict between them and the indigenous people.
Wednesday 19th
Much brighter this morning, as yet another hour back overnight. As expected, the sea is a bit choppy and overcast, but quite warm. We arrived at Pitcairn Island just before 10.00 and the Mayor & about 30 locals came out in the longboat. They brought their goods onboard and set up stalls on deck 12.
His Worship & Captain Kent did the formal gift exchange and declared the markets open. A real bunfight, unfortunately spoiled by the odd shower passing through. The stalls each had a sign indicating the owner, so there were plenty of "Christians" about and I was delighted to see that one stall belonged to "Len Brown". Is it too much to hope that he has escaped to a life of solitude???
Pitcairn is a pretty desolate hilly place and only a small part appears to be habitable. It was a pleasant surprise to see quite a number of whales close to shore/ship (it may be that there were only a couple, but they kept surfacing in different spots).
The visitors packed up and returned ashore just before 2.00 as the wind picked up to around 60+kts. The ship actually used it's bow thruster to keep the longboat alongside. It looked a pretty hairy ride back to shore for the locals! After a quick whizz around much of the island, we continued our journey westward to Tahiti.
Thursday 20th
Less waves, same large swell, overcast with odd showers but quite mild. Oh yes, yet another sea day and everything that goes with it.
Friday 21st
Another hour's sleep in this morning (these 25 hour days are becoming too frequent). This is the last sea day for a couple of days, so making the most of it with the usual activities. The sea has calmed and skies are clearing, so it is looking good for Tahiti tomorrow. But that's another story.
