Abu Dhabi photos

Some photos of the mosque, from Etihad Tower & beachfront

New Palace at top of photo

Looking towards CBD

Looking towards the Towers

Overnight in Dubai

Day 26 - Dubai
Before I start, I should clarify my misdirected comments about the safety drill yesterday.  As I mentioned, it is Maritime Law to hold the drill every 30 days and although it is correct that it has not been 30 days yet, it is however another 30 days until we reach Southampton and clearly, particularly with our port intensive sector, it is preferable to get it "out of the way" now.  So apologies to any Princess readers (probably Nil). 

Yes, today signifies a quarter of our adventure is past, with our arrival in Dubai.  Although we have previously (twice) been to both Oman & Dubai, this is the first time that we've gone to Oman ahead of Dubai.  Irrespective, we still don't get in until midday again.  We all have to do the total clearance immigration thing, which we haven't had to do before, but we'll happily get off but probably reboard as soon as we are able, after using some of their WiFi so that I can eventually add some photos to this blog!  Not that keen to reboard too early as all potable water will be turned off until 3.30 and in this heat, water is the #1 commodity.

Bright, sunny, hot & humid at 6.00am when we woke.  Had our morning cup of English Breakfast Tea as usual - I only comment because yesterday morning the Steward said that there was no more EBT, except in the Horizon Court, not that I believed him, but just surprising the misinformation that spreads.  Just as well that I've been stocking up on "spare" tea bags for this eventuality 😉

Both breakfast & lunch are scheduled early today, due to our arrival at midday.  I am not too sure when (dis)emarking people get on/off, but assume that the official end of sector is tomorrow.  Only important as I am trying to use up our internet minutes before they expire. Yes, another subtle change by Princess - expiring internet minutes.  We have arrived in port at 11.30 and will have lunch before heading ashore for the immigration process.  Hopefully (?) the crowds will have dispersed by then.

A random thought - yesterday in Oman we were berthed adjacent to an Italian frigate.  I wonder whether it will be our shadow escort through to Aqaba.  A few years ago it was HMS Vanguard that kept popping up.  Time will tell whether I am correct or just my wild imagination.  One thing we do know is that there will be international warships somewhere over the horizon - all co-ordinated out of Dubai.

We had lunch and joined the throng getting off the ship.  The actual immigration process was less than 30 seconds, with no discernable wait.  The odd thing however is that Immigration have kept our passports - sure hope we get them back tomorrow before we sail!  We hung around the (air conditioned) terminal for about an hour before we were able to get back onboard.  Vivian actually went off to watch a movie (which had started before any passengers were back).  I believe there were just 4 people in the Princess Theatre.

Open sitting for dinner, we went at 6.30, so that we could go to the early show, as the late show would be far too late, given our early start tomorrow.  The show was the local folkloric show, but not exactly what we anticipated. There were 4 extremely buxom "ladies" and 2 male dancers.  On the positive note, the male dancers were amazing, with their twirling/ juggling skills.  Would love to have seen more of them.  The belly dancers were just OK, but clearly 3 of them were learning and their belly dancing was pretty well restricted to shaking their EEE's 😂😂. 

Day 27 - Off to Abu Dhabi
Had a simple room service breakfast, as we were meeting up with Marilyn & Ray and the others at 7.45.  We have a private tour to Abu Dhabi of just 9 passengers, using Oceanair Travels.  We left at 8.30 and the drive to Abu Dhabi was 1.45 hours.  The change was noticeable as we left the extreme high rise of Dubai and moved through the new industrial area, which is still being developed out of the desert then into Abu Dhabi, with it's red/brown seal as opposed to the usual grey of Dubai.  

The road itself was an 8 lane highway, with no discernable speed restrictions.  Our mini-van however was restricted to 100 kph, so we were passed by every imaginable luxury sports car, of which there are 100s.  Entering into Abu Dhabi, the roadside is totally fenced with green fences for probably 50 odd kilometres.  Behind were date palms extending "forever".  After this we entered a desert area and then lowrise housing before coming to the City proper.

Abu Dhabi is of course the capital of UAE and has the biggest, best, fastest, whatever of everything (according to our guide).  It is also made up of numerous (200+ & growing ) manmade islands.  Our first stop was Yas Island, famous for Ferrari World & Yas Water World.  The racetrack is the centre attraction surrounded by 5* hotels & resorts.  We made use of restrooms and photos of Ferrari! before moving on.

Of course the "highlight" was visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, truely a modern magnificent structure, where no expense has been spared.  I do have to say that it is magnificent being finished in white marble with intricate mosaics both on the ground and on the pillars.  Much lighter and more open looking than the one in Oman, which is in brown tones.  The carpet in the main worship hall (the public one) is the largest handmade carpet in the world. Unfortunately they had to cut it In half to get it into the building. 

Whilst it was extremely impressive, it was also extremely hot outside of the mosque itself.  So middayish we jumped back in the van and this time went to the Etihad Towers.  This was a new, unpublicsised stop, which saw us whisked up 74 stories for a magnificent 360° view of Abu Dhabi.  There was a small restaurant up there but we were only there for the free viewing.  Amazingly there was no discernable haze (unlike Dubai).  From up there we could see all the as yet unoccupied islands, many of which already had streets etc. constructed.  Our guide also pointed out the new official Royal Palace being  built (this is just the ceremonial one, as opposed to the residential one).  The total area of Palace and grounds would be equivalent to some 10 square city blocks at least.

Forgot to mention that on our way we passed through the Royal family area, where they all have waterfront properties.  When we came to Sheikh's house, we were forbidden to take photos, even though we were quite a long way away.  Almost all the Royal houses had open gates and no/limited security (1 armoured car at the Sheikh's palace).  We were told that this is because of the low crime rate (& even lower reoffending rate - if you get my drift!).

Now back to the tour.  We next went to the UAE Heritage Village, which included various museums and a replica village but more importantly, a restaurant.   We enjoyed a buffet lunch of traditional food, overlooking the water and the City Cornice (beachfront) on the CBD side.  After lunch and a wander around, we went for a drive along the Cornice and on to the Louvre Art Gallery.  Unfortunately the trip did not include entrance to the Art Gallery and we had just a 1 minute photo stop on the street outside , which really was  it worth getting out into the heat for.  Then it was time to sit back and head home, arriving around 5.30.

Open sitting for dinner again, no show, early to bed.  After dinner as we headed back to our cabin we went onto the Promenade Deck to look at the old QE2, which is now a floating hotel, all brightly lit up.  While there we saw an ambulance  turn up followed by a number of security vehicles.  Unfortunately a passenger was being disembarked, so sad for them.  One of the other passengers said that it was the 3rd ambulance that had been to the ship in Dubai.  I hope there are no more evacuations, particularly as we now have  6 sea days as we traverse pirate country and up the Red Sea to Aqaba, Jordan.

Muscat photos

Palace viewed from the sea

Sailing into port

Sultan leaving port shortly after 

From Asia to the Middle East

Day 22
Back to sea days full of rock n roll. Big "lazy" swell is causing more roll than rock thankfully.  By mid morning we are still heading in a more northerly direction, pretty well in line with Cochin (india) before we enter the Arabian Sea. The extra security staff are now patrolling the deck with their powerful binoculars and they have set up the LRAD sonic units as well.  So far all we have seen are local fishermen (fisherpersons) in their little 16-18 ft boats.  They appear to have 5 or 6 onboard and are net-fishing.   Not my idea of a good fishing day for sure.

Yes, another wine tasting today, so morning bridge and I have bagged a deckchair forward, where once again the odd wave is crashing over the bow. Where would we be without stabilizers?  Forgot to mention that we got yet another half an hour sleep in, so are now a full 7 hours behind NZ time, with one more hour before we reach Oman in 3 days.  Incidentally,  my cough did not develop into anything nasty and as suspected it was more about air quality,  but I am taking care, particularly with the air conditioning vs outside temperatures.  Update - it's now Vivian's turn although hers is more of a cold at this stage.

Went to the movies yet again (well exceeded my annual quota already!) "The death of Stalin".  What a nasty bunch they were back then.  We also did the 6.30 show with Irish comedian William Caulfield.  It was his second show and everyone was raving, but we were averagely unimpressed.  We did not go to the late evening show as Vivian's cold has really taken hold.

Day 23
After another bumpy night we woke to similar conditions as we head across the Arabian Sea.  No sign of any life out there, either human or nature.  We have just finished a light room service breakfast and Vivian has returned to bed.  We'll have to get out of here at some stage to get the room serviced.  Yes, formal again tonight, but we also have Cruise Critic lunch first.  Vivian persevered and even went to bridge!   No shows however tonight - just eat and sleep.

Day 24
A different day programmed as there is no breakfast in MDR, rather a midmorning brunch and later both the ukulele & choir concerts, so we are well out of our usual routine.  Clocks back another hour, so late breakfast is actually even later!  It was a pretty rough night with the swell rising a bit.  I liken it to living through the earthquakes - smooth rocking and suddenly a big shudder!  We need to take extra care, even walking around the stateroom.  We had a quick snack room service breakfast at 8.30 and are meeting Louise & George at 11.00 for brunch.

The Promenade Deck has been closed and the wave height increased to around 8 metres with some very violent shudders, but the Commodore has promised that it will abate overnight as we near the coast of Oman.  For a change our table (well 6 of us as the other two are gluten/dairy free) went to the Pizzeria for dinner.  It made a nice change and we had a great time chatting and were almost thrown out at closing time (joke).  Vivian is now 95% OK thankfully.

Day 25 - Oman
Yes, it was a lot smoother during the night and when we woke we could see the coast through the haze.  It was hot and steamy even at.6.00am. A pleasant sail-in with excellent views of the Palace etc (which seems to have been added to since our last visit).  We were also interested to note that the Royal Yacht was preparing to sail - perhaps His Highness, the Sultan couldn't stand to remain in town while almost 2,000 Aussies & Kiwis descended on his country.  A most impressive yacht, almost the size of a cruise ship and very pristine.  On that subject, the staff of our ship were busy overpainting all the rust stains from the lower deck portholes!

We had nothing planned for the day so went quite late to breakfast.  There is a free shuttle into town, but there were lots of us doing our own thing, so there was quite a queue waiting for the shuttle to return from town.  VERY hot standing in line for around 15 minutes waiting.  After getting on the shuttle we travelled all of 100 metres, disembarked and went through immigration scanning and back on the bus.  I recall doing that last time too.

It was even hotter in town - I reckon 40° by 10.30.  We quickly took refuge in the Souk and didn't get more than 20 metres when Vivian spied a kaftan dress, which of course got the store owner very excited.  Long & short is that we ended up buying one after some protracted negotiation,  including "first morning sale", "special for you" etc. USD 26.  Not a great bargain, but a good fair price.  We then spent the next 30-40 minutes wandering the maze of the shopping precinct.  We tried to get me a othe white cotton shirt, but to no avail - only long sleeved.

Even though we hadn't spent much time in the Souk or surrounding area, we felt that we'd done our dash.   We have been to Muscat twice before and covered the usual sights.  We called into our usual cafe/juice bar for a cold juice, but this proved a bit of a disaster.  They have quadrupled their size but did not have the staff or facilities to deal with the custom.  In hindsight we should have been like others and simply walked away after waiting 20 minutes, but we persevered in the heat.  We ended up with a wrong juice full of ice and  almost no juice but it had taken so long to get this far we just paid up and marked it down to experience.

Our next issue was to get the shuttle back to the ship.  This shouldn't have been an issue, but, almost every Princess tour had the Souk as part of the "free time for shopping", so there were dozens of coaches and hundreds of passengers blocking the road/footpath.  The shuttles could not get through.  Once again, another half an hour in the midday sun did not make us any more comfortable.  But thankfully 2 shuttles arrived in quick succession and we were back on board in no time .  Time enough for a "good" coffee before lunch.  Not that we ate much at all.

All back onboard by 4.30, which happens to be the time for another mandatory safety presentation.  Yes, I know that it is law to have this every 30 days but today is only day 25 for us from Auckland and tomorrow is the end of Sector 1, with some 300 passengers disembarking/ embarking.  I just would have thought it more practical to do this drill on day 2 Dubai.  But who am I? 

The home of Ceylon Tea

Day 18
Another hour back, so a more relaxed morning.  Earlier in the morning (about 2.00 am) there was a short, yet intense thunder storm, which initially woke us, but was over in no time.  The sea remains pretty calm as we sail at just over 20kts up the Malacca Strait between Indonesia & Malaysia.  The Commodore in his midday announcement advised that when we leave the strait there will be a 3-4 metre swell from a southwesterly direction, so something to look forward to.

We have started our preparation for pirate territory ahead, with high pressure fire hoses being attached along deck 7.   This is a bit earlier than on previous cruises, where preparation usually commences after Colombo.  The weather is still overcast, humid and 30°, which has become the norm now.  As we are in the middle of a major shipping lane, there is a continual procession of ships of all shapes and sizes.  Unfortunately there is also a lot of rubbish floating by.

Oh yes, yet another formal tonight (& a further one lined up for Saturday).  As usual we are hosting Marilyn & Ray to share our respective hors d'oeuvres before dinner.  We are not too sure what this formal is all about (apart from photographs) as we then have our Captains Circle cocktail party tomorrow night in smart casual attire.  Oh yes, funny things are happening - for example the passenger talent show is scheduled for 9.15pm, which really ignores the 2nd seating diners.  But hey, not a big deal.

Day 19
Yes, after we left the Malacca Strait the movement of the ship was quite noticeable and overnight the wind got up and I had to move the outdoor chairs as they were rubbing against the railings & the wind was whistling through the door.  Having said that, we slept very well and were thankful of yet another half an hour sleep in.

After breakfast we did our walk *very carefully*. The ship is certainly moving quite a bit and the odd wave was cashing over the bow.  It is very humid and our speed has dropped to 16kts as we are now heading due west.  On the Wake Show this morning, Corey confirmed the rumour going around that our internet mintues will expire on day 2, Dubai, a change from previous cruises and really just another small nail in the coffin perhaps.  I found it strange that Corey announced it publicly on TV rather than our Captains Circle hostess announcing it tonight.  Yes, 5.00pm bullrush is on for the late diners and I believe that there is a 7.00pm one for the early ones.  Post dinner canapes anyone?

It is now 5.50pm and we have returned from the cocktail party, which was exactly as expected.  Pretty certain that we won't be going to the next one.  Interestingly there are well over 1000 Elites & 500 Platinums on the cruise and as mentioned previously this will increase as we move between sectors.  The 2 most travelled passengers each had over 1800 days (both Americans travelling solo) and the 3rd was up towards 1100 days.  At that rate we have no show 😀. We were told that there are 3 more Royal class (3500+ passengers) being built and a whole new class of ship is due to come out in 2024.  Unfortunately I fear that there will no longer be any small/medium ships in the fleet in the next few years.

We hung around after dinner and went to the production show - yes, they have reverted back to the same old format and the dance routines are exactly the same, no matter what era the show is supposed to be featuring .  The lead singers are still  loud and shouty as before, not helped by the sound system being overly amplified.  One couple were going  down to Passenger Services for earplugs!

Day 20
Woke up really early as the clocks have once again gone back another hour.  However by the time we went for breakfast just before 8.00, the MDR was pretty crowded, mainly because this morning is pirate morning.   Yes, at 9.30 we had the scheduled pirate practice (no, not practising to be a pirate, but what to do if the ship is confronted with unwanted attention from undesirables).  At least this time it was relatively easy as we just sat in our cabin for some 20 minutes.  The Commodore did not put the ship through it's evasive maneuvers as Captain Kent did in 2015!  Pity.

The sea is still moderate, with 2-3 metre swell but the wind is described as gale force, so a little unpleasant and our speed continues at around 16kts.  The ship's information/location channel confirms the temperature at 30° but tells us that humidity is 1008% (i feel they are missing a decimal point somehow).  Went to both shows tonight.  The 6.30 in the Vista Lounge was chokka by 6.10. I think we got the last 2 seats.  NZ comedian Simon McKinney was OK but same material as 3 years ago.  9.45 in Princess Theatre was an operatic tenor, Brandon, who was very good.  So yet another late night.

Day 21
It wasn't even 6.00am when I got up to check on our location.  We are not due to berth until 8.00 and sure enough we are just rounding the "toe" of Sri Lanka.   The weather is overcast but I can feel a hot day coming on.  After breakfast we donned the backpack and headed off the ship.  Yes, there is a free shuttle to the port gates, just a few hundred metres from the Fort area that we intend to explore. 

On our way through the port area we came across a military helicopter, with the surrounding area secured by armed soldiers as well as Air Force vehicles marked "Bomb Disposal  Unit" - hugely reassuring.   Immediately outside the gate, where the shuttle discharged us into a horde of taxi/tuk tuk drivers, yet many more armed police, soldiers & sailors.  This was followed up with a passing motorcade of bikes, cars, vans etc.  Not sure who the dignatory was, but was impressive.

We marched onward, ignoring every tuk tuk & taxi.  On our journey we also met up with (separately) 3 suited gentlemen - one from the Parliament, one from the Australian embassy at the Hilton (!)  and finally one from the Tax department.  We'll, at least that was how they introduced themselves, but their common message was that we were in the wrong area and needed to go to the markets & temple some 3 or 4 kilometers away as there was a special Buddust festival and also the best jewellery in the world.  Perhaps each of them would have been better doing the job they were paid for (or of course, were they actually doing it?)

Undeterred we carried on, with the assistance of Mr Google Maps, which was a blessing in many ways as not always were the streets where they were supposed to be.  Our objective was the t Lounge by Dilmah.  I'd found this while checking out the map and thought that it would make a change from Starbucks coffee 😀😀.  It was just as weĺl I had my tablet with me, as we'd easily have missed the shop, which was pretty well in a back street (Um, yes perhaps everything looked like a back street).

We were a little apprehensive at first, but when we opened the door, we found a very pleasant environment, dedicated solely to tea (& light food).  We were invited to sit and were offered a cool blueberry drink which was very refreshing.  Unfortunately there was a strawberry on the top, so Vivian passed it up.  We were then presented with an extensive menu, which covered all types of tea both hot and cold.  We were fortunate that there was (at that stage) 1 other customer, an Englishman who had been in Colombo for a week and this place was his "local".  He recommended the First Ceylon Soochong, which of course we'd never heard of, so we had it and a piece of Butter Almond cake.

Both of these were delicious and the tea had a smoky flavour which left a very pleasant aftertaste.  The way the tea was infused was unique and the service was very, very attentive.  We took our time and as the time went by many other locals came in too.  A really great experience and all for the princely sum of NZD11.06 including taxes & gratuities.

We thought we'd look around a bit more but saw nothing of interest and the streets were in disrepair with a lot of construction and restoration going on, so was a bit of a mission to pick our way along, watching out for uneven paths and marauding tuk tuk drivers.   It was hot, but didn't feel as hot as Singapore, however we are not market types and have had our fill of temples, so headed back to the ship.

This was one area that Mr Google let me down - many of the streets shown were not accessible as they passed through either Interior Ministry or Police property.   So after a couple of false starts, we by good luck found ourselves at port security, who happily let us into the port area.  I should comment that the port area in Colombo is several hundred acres!  Onward we went, with Sea Princess in sight.  The only "problem" was that we were actually too close to the ship and had to head back to the port gates from inside the port.  Sounds silly I know. 

So past the helicopter & bomb disposal vehicle again - no-one took the slightest notice of us.  We could see the shuttle bus waiting, still some 1/2 kilometre away and then to our initial horror it started heading to the ship,  so we quickly crossed the road and thankfully the driver happily stopped to pick us up.  All back on board before noon.  We were very happy with our morning and have no wish to do anything further.

Lunch was up in the Horizon Court.  Fortunately almost 1500 passengers were still on shore excursions, so it was pretty empty.  That is until a film production crew took over the Amuleto Italian Cafe.  They were obviously filming a promotional video/film for Princess and there were over a dozen cast & crew.  The only slightly annoying thing was that as they were filming in the cafe so we were unable to get in and get our hands on the desserts!!  Fortunately there was a 5 minute break and we got to the cabinet (without as far as I know being captured on film).

Had a bit of a rest after lunch and next thing we know it had started raining. Not a lot, but actually cooled the air a bit.  As we'd had a good lunch we skipped afternoon tea but went down for a coffee.  As we are due to sail at 7.00pm, dinner is an open sitting, so we may (or may not) go down early.  One of the advantages of going up to the Horizon (which is infrequent) is that we've stocked up with cheese and crackers, so with the sun setting slowly over our balcony, that may be the better option.

Off to Singapore

Day 15
We had a pretty late night last night, as we watched a film (twice in 2 days is a record for me) "Mark Felt - The man who bought down the White House".  This time it was about the FBI and the Watergate scandal.  What with CIA the previous night and now FBI, it doesn't look good for American justice.   Scarily, the film has direct parallels with the just released Comey report......

Anyway that is a preamble to explain getting up a bit later this morning.  But still time for the usual morning activities and a *good* coffee at last.  Lunch was a Cruise Critic lunch and we took over at least a quarter of the MDR.  Vivian had to rush off to bridge and I resorted to my now familiar tussle with Mr Blogger and photos.  I will not be beaten, as I've been able to get them through previously, but in the meantime I may have to hold fire until we have proper land based WiFi.

It goes without saying that it is sunny, smooth & hot, with 95% humidity.  Most of the morning we were doing over 20kts - nearer 21, which is by far the fastest I've seen the old girl go.  Not certain why, but did notice on the TV that our course was  much closer to the shore than the planned direct route.  Who knows

Day 16
More overcast day, hot & humid.  Vivian has 9.00 bridge as there is *yet another* wine tasting this afternoon.  Really seems over the top to me BUT I think i have worked out their cunning plan.  Have as many " pay for" wine tastings on the early sectors as a huge number of passengers will become Elite later in the cruise and then get it for free!

I managed to get a deckchair on Promanade and it is interesting to watch all the walkers pass by - all shapes & sizes.  The one thing they seem to have in common is a blank look and the impression that they are walking out of sufferance or guilt - not pleasure.  The other thing noted is the number of ships and barges passing by, a sure sign that we are getting close to Singapore and the main shipping routes.

Later in the morning there is the "crossing the equator" ceremony, even though we are not quite there yet.  I don't recall a ceremony  going north on previous cruises, but perhaps old age/memory is catching up.  Lunch was at the pizzeria again, this time with both Gwenda & Graham and Margit & Jim.  It is good to have variety and as we share a pizza, it is pretty healthy. After lunch it was off to the theatre for LBJ - yet another American classic, with the assassination of Kennedy and LBJ's rise to power.  Did not show the Kennedy's or the Democrats in a very good light.

Took a later walk around the deck just before sunset, around 6.00 and were surprised that there were so few on deck.  They really missed out.  We must have still been walking as we actually crossed the equator as we didn't feel the bump 😀

Day 17 - Singapore
After breakfast we met with Louise & George at 9.00 as arranged and we eventually got through the disembarkation and immigration procedures by 9.45.  Grabbed a taxi from outside the terminal and headed for Gardens by the Bay.  It was very hot & humid as we looked at our options.  The gardens themselves are free and there are acres  & acres of grounds and displays to see, however after a "huddle" we agreed to go into the Cloud Forest & the Flower Dome ($28 Singapore each). 

All I can say is that it was worth at least twice that.  The Cloud was our favourite and an added advantage was that it was fully air conditioned.  It was an absolute marvel and was 3 to 4 times larger than the Flower Dome. After completing the Cloud, we went looking for a cafe and (yes, my fault) after circumnavigating the Flower Dome and getting back to our starting point, we found the cafe we'd been looking for just around the corner.  Fantastic coffee and Vivian also had an apricot tart - S$16. 

The Flower Dome was not as extensive and because we did it second, I was a little less enthusiastic.   A lot of cactus and arid displays on the upper level, but I must be fair and say that there were also some very colourful displays, particularly the begonias, on the ground floor.  Another aside, we walked through the Cloud earlish in the morning, well before the crowds arrived, but by the time we'd done that & had coffee etc. every man, woman & child were doing the same thing,  so much more congested, particularly with people photographing family & friends and then doing selfies.  Still, have got some great photos, which it looks as if I am not able to show unless the WiFi connectivity improves.

We then walked back through the gardens and over the connecting bridge to the Marina Bay Sands hotel & shopping centre.  Huge, huge, huge.  Amongst other things, George thought he may pick up a bottle of wine - at $700 I think not.  It was certainly an experience. We joined the queue at the taxi rank outside and back to the ship at around 2.30.  Everyone uses taxis and although there was a long queue, there were just as many taxis!   The taxi was $3 cheaper, so I assume that the Cruise Ship Terminal clip the ticket going out.  Still very cheap and convenient,  rather than having to change trains etc. on the MRT, plus having to buy a card ..........

When we arrived back at the Terminal it was bedlam, a local 4,500 cruise ship was on turnaround, apparently doing just a 3 day gambling cruise.  So yes, there were all 4,500 passengers waiting to board as well as a couple of thousand of us.  Fortunately we were separated, but it meant that we had reduced immigration capacity, so a slow process.  This was not helped by me giving Vivian my passport by mistake - an error which surprised the Immigration Officer, but did not illicit emotion.  Very serious people indeed.  As our friend, Hutch, continually says, Singapore is a fine country (they'll fine you for almost anything).

Safely on board and grabbed a takeaway coffee on our way up to the stateroom, where we ordered club sandwich, chocolate fudge cake & some green tea.  Almost feeling normal now as we wait for sailaway.  Sadly  I must say that I seem to have contracted the dastardly ship's cough, although I reckon it is more to do with the polluted and humid air.  Not that I expect the latter to improve in the near future.  The air definitely has an acrid taste which hits the eyes and the back of the throat.  Yet another early night may be the best remedy.  At least we have 3 sea days before our next port of call, Colombo.

Land at last - Komodo Island

Day 13 continued
Another pizza lunch, with our Algies Bay cruisers, Susan & Allan.  We have decided that we prefer the vegetarian option - yum.  After lunch we went down to Crooners for a coffee as we'd missed our usual morning fix.  Although we thought we had the Barista trained, our triple shot flat whites were once again basically tasteless.  It is not that they can't do it, as we have had perfect ones previously, but I don't think they (the company) wants to.  Watch this space.  Did our usual walk at 5.00, when the temperature was more pleasant and before it got dark - the downside of turning the clocks back. 

Promenadegate continues to escalate 😀.  The forward half of the deck is now closed from midnight to 7.00am, as there have been complaints from passengers on Deck 6 about the noise from above.  Not that I doubt it, *BUT* people have been perambulating the Promenade for years and the only request I have previously seen, is to refrain from running before 7.00 - not a total closure.  Of course when half the deck is closed, walkers must alternate between clockwise and anti-clockwise - in breach of the earlier edict.  Thankfully it doesn't affect us as we are not up that early.

Day 14 - Komodo Island
Woke early with the sound of the tenders being prepared. The first group are set to leave at 7.30, which is far preferable to those going at 10.00 or 11.00, in the heat of the day.  I am not sure of the temperature but it feels like 30° as there is no wind, clear skies and obviously smooth seas as we sit at anchor. 

I was right, less than 50% have gone ashore.  Sitting here on our deck, I can't see any dragons marauding around, despite the dire situation described in the port talk.  We are actually surprised at the size of the island, which is much bigger than we recalled and clearly the bulk of the dragons are contained in a pretty small area.

Lunch as usual in the MDR and we had the Dunedin couple at our table.  They had done the  tour and had seen the large "show" dragons as well as a couple of smaller ones.  They were happy.  We then heard the report of one group that were "attacked" by not 2 but 3 dragons and had to run away from them.  We knew that it is mating season and the group came upon a couple of males fighting for supremacy and there was another dragon on the other side of the track, so it was all on.  No doubt there will be numerous other stories, but this one has been verified, so we have lost our bragging rights to Komodos!

Heading 270°

Woah there.  Any astute reader of this blog *may* have noticed I got out of synch with the days - there were 2 Day 5 in the second posting.  I have now edited the previous posts to get back on track.

Day 9 - still at sea
Pleasantly surprised to wake and find that it was only just after 6.00 (thanks to the time change).  So time  for our normal routine of a cuppa from room service before facing the day.  Funny thing is that I always order tea for 2 with mik (hardly worth it for what Vivian has) and on all our previous cruises this has come with teaspoons,  but for some reason this fairly important cutlery item has been missing, which makes it tricky to make the white tea.  It now seems that the teaspoons have to be ordered or ..... so I have now kept one in our drawer for future use.  It's just the little things that one notices.

Although we had a shower of rain during the morning, 24 degrees is definitely more tropical and by lunchtime the sun was out and we are now powering along at some 19kts just off Cairns at 2.00 pm.  Recapping from earlier in the day,  Vivian had 9.00 bridge and I planned to sit outside and update the blog.  Unfortunately the seats were soaking, so retreated inside (under the WIFI). It was good to see the Commodore walking around the passenger areas, something we have rarely seen on other Princess ships.  I also met up with a number of WC 2015 cruisers.  Before the cruise I was teĺling people that we probably knew over 100 passengers from previous cruises,  well I think I need to up that to 3-400! or more.

Room service for afternoon tea and I tried to get a bottle of Pinot Noir (as we have previously), but No - not on their menu, so I had to traipse down to the Wheelhouse Bar.  Ummm, Consumate Host? probably not. However it is nice to be able to sit on the balcony in the ever increasing twilight, glass in hand.

Day 10
Glorious sunny warm (30 degree) day - need I say more?  Caught up with Margit & Jim (tablemates from 2016) for breakfast, which was great as we got a small window table at the rear of the MDR.  Rounded top of Cape York about  3.00pm and said  goodbye to Australia as we head west towards Indonesian waters. Did our walk just before 5.00pm, when it started to cool. 

BIG problems have developed onboard regarding walking on the Promenade Deck.  Convention/ every other ship sees walkers go around anti-clockwise however on this ship there is a sign showing that 3 times around the deck = 1 mile, with an arrow pointing clockwise.  Yes the same sign was there 3 years ago and has been ignored by 90% of the passengers.  Unfortunately Corey our Cruise Director has made this anomaly known and basically agreed with the clockwisers. It just doesn't feel right, but we'll conform at least in the meantime.

A 6.00pm show tonight, featuring Ric Steele from Nashville.  We have of course seen him before, but he is a very good entertainer.  After the show we went back to the cabin for a quick drink before dinner.  It was a glorious evening, which I enhanced by turning off all the lights, sitting on our deck with just the white of the little wave tops and a multitude of stars for company.  Almost didn't want to go to dinner!

Day 11
Similar to yesterday although there is a little cloud and the temperature is 28 degrees as we pass across the Gulf of Carpenteria.  We had a pizza lunch with Gwenda & Graham as there was a pub lunch in the MDR.  It is not that we don't like pub lunch, we do, but it was looking very, very popular and that makes it difficult to eat and run (to bridge for Vivian).

We ended up at the after dinner show - Krystal Washington, who has featured in the previous production shows.  Vivian liked it, but I found it very "shouty", plus although it was all supposed to be about her experiences on Broadway,  the material was generally unknown.  However a good turnout.

Day 12
Yet another formal tonight.  Much as we are quite happy to dress up, it does seem a little too frequent (probably even more so than Cunard).  I don't know whether I am pleased or not, but with our walk this morning we had 100% compliance with the "clockwise rule".  Still relatively early and I am sure we are heading for a 30° day under cloudless skies at a modest 15kts.  Lunched today with Margaret & Roger (2016), which was a great way to catch up.

Surf & Turf for dinner was the only highlight of the formal night apart from the photographers.  I must say however that they are not as pushy as we have experienced previously.  After dinner we all went to the film in the Princess Theatre - American Made, based on the true account of the CIA inspired arms deal with the Central American rebels.  Quite a long film, which didn't finish until well after 11.00.  The alternative was the Country & Western evening - an unusual choice for passengers in formal attire.

Day 13
The good news after last night was that the clocks have gone back yet again, so we are now a full 4 hours behind NZ.  The bad news however is that with yet *another* wine tasting this afternoon, Vivian's bridge is at 9.00, so down to breakfast at opening time (7.30).  Yet more good news is that because it is relatively early Ì have been able to snag a deckchair on the shady side of Promenade Deck.

We are still sailing at 14kts as we pass Timor and through some of the Indonesian islands.  Even at 10.00am the temperature is over 30° and undoubtedly will get hotter (& more humid?)  later in the day.  I must say that it is quite nice to see land after so many sea days.  Getting ahead of myself, but tomorrow is Komodo Island and I had thought that we'd have the ship to ourselves (as we have been & seen and been pursued by Komodo Dragons prevously), but it seems that half the ship is either disinterested,  can't walk, or are scared following yet another of Hutch's port talks.

Heading north

Day 7 - Brisbane
Brisbane (& most of Queensland) welcomed the rain, but not so much for us.  As usual the rain was heaviest as soon as we put our noses out.  Disembarked around 9.30 and decided to take the City Cat (ferry)($2.40 each) into Brisbane rather than the shuttle bus at $10 return each.  It was not to do with the money but a scenic tour up/down the river, which would probably cost at least $40 as an excursion!

As usual, in the rain and confusion we made a couple of wrong turnings and to say that we took the long way to the ferry jetty would be an understatement.  I'd like to say that we saw a lot but we didn't as all the roads were being dug up and yet more detours were in place.  The good news however was that the Cat turned up within a minute of us getting there.  What a great service.  It took roughly 55 minutes but was very comfortable and there was lots to see as the river winds into the City.  Even better, the rain gave way to sunshine.

We alighted at North Quay, at the end of Queen St Mall.  Enjoyed wandering along, looking for a cafe, when we found a Starbucks with of course free WiFi.  Vivian particularly liked the big cyclaman beds in the centre of the Mall.  After a couple of hours we retraced our tracks back to the jetty just in time for the return journey.  There was a long queue at the ship terminal going through security - both transit & new emarkees, but we weren't in any hurry.   Caught up with our friends Marilyn & Ray - Ray was towing a cart with a few dozen in "essential " supplies for the voyage!

Currently we sitting on our balcony having tea & chocolate cake - it's a hard life.  The sun is shining, although we are curently on the shady side.  When we leave in just under an hour we will be in the sun as the ship does a 180 degree turn around in the river.  I had expected that we would have turned around before docking this morning but then the tanker turned up to refuel us, which is just as well as there are 10 days until we got Singapore.

*Update*  Silly me, I forgot that the sun sets really early in Brisbane, so it was actually well into dusk as we set off! 

Sadly, I must relate the tale of our dinner table & (lack of) table mates.  When we left Sydney yesterday, both couples at our table indicated that they would probably come to MDR from time to time, as they just saw it as a "home base".  Sure enough, no one turned up and there we were by ourselves.  Having experienced this on previous  cruises, and considering that we have over 3 months to go, we decided it was time to take action.  While I am still unhappy with the way Princess have treated us, we now have a new table - just adjacent to our original one (which is a bit tricky).

Day 8
A lovely morning, OK a  bit of a swell but plenty of sun.  This is a very important day for me too - the day I ditched the jeans and bought out the shorts - yeah. 2 other observations today, far, far more people walking the deck this morning and the relative emptiness in Crooners when we got our coffee. 

Our first Cruise Critic meeting this  morning was a great success, with several hundred attending.  As an aside, I recall our first world cruise in 2015, when we had a small enough group that we sat around and introduced ourselves!   Back to today, we had an excellent turnout of Officers, including Commodore Giuseppe Romano, who, after 45 years is doing his first WC - only as far as Southampton,  where he will retire from the sea.  Interestingly for some of us, his first command was out of Sydney in 1977, on the old Fairstar.  Our very first cruise was on the same ship in 1978, so there is a connection there (or is there?)

Tonight is formal night, as it is really treated as the first formal night now that everyone is onboard, with Champagne Waterfall etc.  Not certain whether we'll bother,  but given that they've cut out the happy hour,  perhaps every drop of free Princess booze should be cherished.  As it turned out, the lure of "freebie booze" was not strong enough,  so we hosted Marilyn & Ray and then went down to dinner after the formalities.

Happily settled at our new table, which surprisingly is a Kiwi table (don't ask).  Anyway, amazing things are still happening - of our table mates, one I worked with when I was in Wellington some 20 years ago and another couple come from Waiuku, not far from where we used to live in South Auckland,  but he worked for NZ Steel and knew many, many of our "old" friends.  As an aside, our former table mates were very understanding and any potential awkwardness has been avoided.

After dinner we actually went to the show.  An American pianist, who was absolutely amazing.  The end result however was that we were late to bed (for us that is).  Vivian's bridge has been moved to 9.00 tomorrow to accommodate the wine tasting.  This means a relatively early breakfast, so we are thankful that the clocks are going back an hour overnight.  Although we are still sailing through the Great Barrier Reef and in Australian time, I gather there are a few hours to change before we reach Komodo and they obviously want to change the time over a longer period - you know how resistant to change us oldies are.

Photos & here in Brisbane

At last.

Sailing away from Auckland (2)

Sailing out of Sydney during Vivid (3)

Currently in Brisbane CBD using free WiFi @ Starbucks to refresh my memory on how to do photos.  So simple when you know how.  Next lot should be a lot bigger.

As an aside, probably not much to post over the next week or so as we have 6 sea days to Komodo and then 3 to Singapore.  But watch out for anything exciting in between. 

Pouring when we arrived in Brisbane, but took the Cat up the river and now sun is shining - long may it continue, 

Towing us out

Byeeee

Sydney in the rain (again)

Light show in pouring rain

Farewell Sydney

All at sea

Day 2
As promised last night the weather has turned.  A pleasant rocking & rolling overnight did nothing but enhance the sleep!  This morning however was a little more challenging, particularly when trying to walk in a straight line.  The outside decks are closed and the pools emptied.  Not that any of this worried us,  apart from the crowds in the Atrium when we went for morning coffee.

Mr Blogger has gone on strike, but I am pretty sure it will be resolved with a greater bandwidth, which means loading photos and posting blogs from directly under the WIFI. Associated with this, my camera initially refused to talk to the Tablet.  So really just as well it was a wet day with nothing on the agenda.

We rounded the tip of the North Island just after midday and with that the weather improved a bit and the swells are dropping.  As I write this at 3.30, we actually have sea-fog coming over.  We had afternoon tea up in the Amuleto Cafe, adjacent to the Horizon Court.  Much to my surprise we were joined by both Monika & Graham from Melbourne and Lyn & Harold from Sydney - part of the bridge contingent and fellow cruises on both WC 2015 & CP 2016.
To our surprise, we have found ourselves seated at a table with 4 Australians (nothing wrong with that) who are disembarking in a couple of days.  Added to this, our Waiter said that he didn't know whether he would still be at our table after Sydney.  Ah well, I am sure Princess knows what they are doing.

Day 3
Overcast with morning sun and a slight swell.  We managed the first of our 1 mile walks, followed of course by coffee.  Cruise Critic lunch for Auckland embarkers, afternoon tea with the "old" bridge buddies getting off on Tuesday and then Commodore's Cocktail Party for World Cruisers.  And it is formal night as well.   All in all a busy day, but thankfully we got an extra hour last night.

While the weather was quite calm in the morning, it deteriorated in the afternoon, with rising swells and was quite unpleasant.  The production show was postponed until tomorrow as a Heath & Saftey issue.

The Cocktail Party was just that. A drink, a speech, go away.  Still a great opportunity to see many of our fellow Kiwi, most of whom are doing the full cruise.  The CC lunch was a different matter and being far smaller & more intimate, we were able to converse.  Formal night was very low-key and the MDR was pretty empty, with many opting out.  It was a bit disappointing however to see the dress sense of some who did not bother to even try and look respectable.  I am aware that this is a contentious subject and have seen some very heated debate on Facebook about people's rights vs expectations of others.

Only 2 of our table companions turned up and we established that this was usual throughout the cruise.  Personally, I thought that by offering Anytime Dining, people who elected Traditional were implicitly indicating their intention to dine every night (with exception for special pre-advised sctivities).  We are not worried and await with interest the arrival of our new mates after Sydney.

Day 4
Are we that far already?  The sea is much calmer, but was pretty windy and cool when we did our walk.  I made a mistake last night and "assumed" thst the clocks would go back last night - but no, it is tonight, the night/morning of disembarkation day.  It looks like a recipe for disaster to me.  Sadly 2 of our dinner-mates did not turn up again and the other two disembark in the morning, so we'll  see.  Early night again.

Day 5 - Sydney
Felt the ship slowing as we entered the harbour and got up to watch us go under the bridge at 6.00am.  Quite cloudy and a bit chilly, so ordered tea and hopped back into  bed.  As breakfast finished at 8.30 today, we got cracking and planned to get off the ship around 9.00ish.  But when we poked our heads out it was absolutely pelting down.  We retreated to Crooners Lounge for a coffee.  Just before 10.00 they were imploring transit passengers to go ashore,  so we obliged. 

Princess kindly put on free shuttle to Kings Wharf, Darling Harbour (to compensate for changing our berth from OPT to White Bay).  We wandered,  dodged some of the rain, got wet, found various underpass etc. and eventually got to  Myers & QVB.  Fascinating and huge.  I will admit to getting just a wee bit temporarily unsure of ourselves (lost?), but all good after a couple of minutes.  The underpasses and underground shopping  plazas are all very well, but one looses all sense of direction without visible landmarks.

We got back to the shuttle stop around 12.15, just in time to catch the bus back to the terminal. By now, the terminal was pretty chokka with some 1500 passengers waiting to embark. We "transitors " just strolled past with our transit àcards in hand, much to some obvious disbelief from those who most likely had been sitting in the terminal for a couple of hours (and probably another couple to go).  Fortunately we were back in the cabin by 1.00 and plenty of time to get to the MDR, which was relatively empty, for lunch.

We cast off just after 6.00 pm, heading out of White Bay into Darling Harbour and under the bridge.  A couple of things - it was dark, Vivid light show was on, *BUT* mother nature decided once again to plonk a substantial rain cloud over us for the 30 minute sail past.  It was very wet, but the sights were worth it.

While standing under shelter watching the lights, Vivian (surprisingly) struck up conversation with a  couple,  with the usual "where are you from" - "Auckland", me too "north of Auckland" me too, "Algies Bay" No, me too!  Yes they live just up the road from us on Martin's Bay Road.  Not only being neighbours at home  they are just 2 cabins away.   I am  beyond being amazed on this  cruise.

Day 6
The weather is slowly improving, but still cool.  Just another busy day of eating, drinking, walking, talking (& of course bridge for Vivian).  Brisbane tomorrow and the last of the passengers who were on the previous cruise will be disembarking and the last of the world cruise contingent will embark.  I imagine that from then on we will very much feel like being on a world cruise.

Day 1 - Goodbye Auckland

Well the day has come and yet again a 4 degree start.  Plenty of locals heading out fishing, but certainly not us.  Breakfasted out at our local and then the final checklist completed.   Shuttle arrived ahead of time but that in itself was almost a matter of concern as I saw him  heading back past our place going the wrong way.  Turned out that he was just filling in time and enjoying the scenery.

We made it to the wharf some 15 minutes ahead of official boarding time and dare I say it, we bypassed the largish queue and were on board a little after 2.00 pm.  Surprised to meet our cabin steward and find that our bags were already in our stateroom.   All good so far.  Felt a little peckish, so up to the Horizon Court for a snack and on the way up met Louise & George from Whangarei who were with us on the 2015 World Cruise.  If that wasn't enough, heading to a table to eat lunch and who do we spy but Margaret & Roger from Whangamata, who were our table-mates on the 2016 Circle Pacific.  They had already met up with our other table-mates from the same cruise, Margit & Jim when checking in.  Small, small world of cruising.

After lunch we finally unpacked and then off to the safety drill, where we also come across 3 other couples from either or both the WC or CP.  Who knows how many other Kiwis are lurking, let alone the Aussies joining next week.  As a sideline, there are apparently 150 passengers on the current cruise who are continuing on.  One thing is for sure, the Sea Princess feels like a comfortable slipper (or some other familiar object).

As we already knew, we are not calling into the Bay of Islands tomorrow, due to the bad weather expected.   At least we got credit back for missing the port (plus port fees as well), which is much more generous than our previous cruises.  We also have lanyards, WC 2018 pins, WC 2018 pen set, backpack with an insulated compartment and a tote bag.  But wait, there's more - after dinner there was the famous blue Princess convenience bag (so we are all bagged out).  To readers from WC 2015, yes "Hutch" is back 😁😁

Dinner was open sitting, so we haven't met our new table companions yet but we know that none of the previously mentioned are at our table..  We cast off just a bit after 9.00 and are currently sailing very slowly towards Rangitoto.  Unfortunately we have been told that the smooth seas etc which we are currently experiencing will not last into the morning.  Very comfybed, new light fittings, big screen TV (but nothing worth watching), so that is Day 1.  Tomorrow is the first of many, many sea days but Vivian has spied Bridge in the afternoon and I just have to attend Hutch's lectures.