Day 105 - 13 September - at sea
We are back to rock n roll again, although it is more to do with the big swell rolling across the South Pacific. Still overcast and the temperature is down to 17°. Tonight is the *final* formal night & Black and White Ball with the Atrium & Crooners decorated black and white. I am pretty sure that the majority of the passengers don't realise that this is in honour of us Kiwis!!
Following on from my last post, there are no other "final events" being held after Auckland, so tonight we had the Captain's farewell speech to everyone. As he explained, with some 350 new passengers getting on in Auckland, tonight is the only night to acknowledge passengers on the World Cruise. I think that there are still some Aussies who think they are being short-changed.
Day 106 - 15 September - last day at sea
Well, Friday 14th did not eventuate and suddenly Auckland is a lot closer than it seemed yesterday. As we actually crossed the Date Line yesterday, it would have been better to have skipped Thursday (as was on the original itinerary) to give us more time to adjust! However today is definitely the "bag packing" day, with our cases due outside our stateroom before dinner.
The temperature has dropped to 14°, with cloudy conditions, but thankfully the big swells have eased as we still power along at 20kts. We had the bags packed after breakfast before going down for coffee, although this wasn't easy. We had a Cruise Critic group photo before our final CC lunch, which was well attended. The Maitre 'd arranged a special cake, which was a nice touch.
Our final dinner was fun, as usually at the end of each sector the dining room has been subjected to "Waltzing Matilda" & other Australian favourites. This time we got to sing Pokarekare Ana and were delighted when our Aussie neighbours joined in. A fun evening to finish on a high, with the Captain shouting everyone a glass of wine (unfortunately Elliott at our table had also shouted a couple of bottles of bubbles!) Thankfully, we get back our final hour overnight.
Day 107 - 16 September - Auckland (the end)
We docked early around 9.00 and Auckland turned on a great sail-in. As with all cruises, it was pretty much a bitter sweet moment as we vacated out "home" after breakfast and sat around waiting for our turn to get off. So all good things must come to an end and we are quite excited about seeing our real home again and of course family & friends.
Summary
By far, the majority of ports were superb and we particularly enjoyed the new experiences in the Adriatic, Italy & Canada, and of course adding Greenland to our "countries been" list. The passenger experience unfortunately was not as good as anticipated, but perhaps it is just us. The crew overall were very good, from our excellent cabin steward, Agnelo, to the room service staff who knew our early morning tea order recorded without having to say anything. Similarly, the staff at Crooners had our coffee order memorised - no mean feat.
We are not alone in saying that this was our last World Cruise, and that we will not be sailing on a Sun class ship again. Don't get me wrong, we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and do like the smaller ships, but this cruise has highlighted the inadequacy of passenger/lounge space. The OTT sales promotions of jewellery, art & photos was a real negative. Sadly, the dining experience was not up to our expectations and I believe that if Princess wishes to capitalise on it's (captive) Australasian market, a re-think is needed.
Finally, I have been amazed to see that there have been nearly 7,500 blog views during the course of this cruise and I hope that you have all enjoyed it or been informed a little. To those I know & those I don't, thanks - apologies to any who commented and did not get a response - as regular cruisers know, satellite internet is not the best and there are lots of "black spots" out there.
Now for something entirely different, feel free to follow us in January 2019 on our journey to Antarctica. We fly out to Buenos Aires on 5 January and jump onboard the Azamara Pursuit for a 17 day cruise down to the Antarctic peninsula and back. Should be fun - don't forget to put on your thermals if you come on here though ☺😊😀.
Sunday 16 September 2018
Thursday 13 September 2018
The end is nigh
Day 102 - 10 September - Raiatea, Tahiti
So pleased to wake just before 6.30 so that we could see the sail in. There is just a little gap in the reef surrounding the island and we were no further than 20 metres from land as we came through. The colours were magnificent and the sun reflection intensified this. As we reached our berth, the ship turned around so that (once again) we are docked on starboard but at least we have a great view of the atoll and more distant islands.
A lovely town and so different to our usual port of call - Bora Bora. The township of Uturoa, at our berth has been developed with modern facilities as have the various marina along the waterfront. We walked a couple of miles towards the airport at the north of the island. The roads are wide and well maintained as were the reserves and the majority of the houses.
When we returned to the township and went into the "main street" it was a little different, with many buildings in a poor state of repair. Souvenir shops abounded filled with cheap stuff (& just saying, these were Chinese owned), which did not appeal. Local goods were in the fales by the ship but nothing to entice us to spend. We did however have coffee & muffin from what appeared to be the only cafe (actually a Patisserie) by the waterfront. Very, very tempting pastries etc. but I held firm. While it was crowded with passengers, it was obviously also a favourite of all the locals.
Back on board by lunchtime and grabbed a couple of little rolls to have sitting on our balcony. Magnificent views across the reef and I was soooo pleased that we'd turned around when we berthed. We decided to celebrate for no real reason and finished a bottle of champagne (it was) that we'd acquired from a passenger down the corridor who doesn't drink. OK, the afternoon was topped off with a little nap.
Sailaway was at 5.00 and the Captain announced that although the gap in the reef (where we came in this morning) was pretty well straight ahead of us, it is only 100m wide and with a strongish breeze, would be too dangerous. Therefore we did *another* 180° turn and sailed north, still within the reef, and between the islands of Raiatea & Tahaa to a gap in the reef which is 300m wide. Unfortunately the local fisherpersons and outrigger paddlers were disinterested in our progress and even the sounding of our whistle did little to move them out of our way. We made it out however about 30 minutes before sunset.
Day 103 - 11 September - at sea
Another glorious morning as we sail in a southwesterly direction at over 20kts. A pity that the last couple of weeks hadn't been like this, but overall we have been very lucky with the weather. The temperature reached 25° this afternoon but unfortunately this is likely to drop a bit over the next couple of days. As evening approaches the familiar movement of the ship returns, but it has it's upside - sitting on the balcony with all the lights off and watching the white foaming waves, the stars in the sky, ... and the black smoke pouring out of our funnels ðŸ˜
Day 104 - 12 September - at sea
A bit of a cloudy day and temperature slightly down to 21° as we continue our homeward course. With just 3 days to go, the ship is very much into "end of cruise" mode, with finals of various competitions, passenger performances & oh! don't forget the final sales!! Also we have got our passports back along with our disembarkation papers, so it is very real.
A funny thing is (once again), that many of these "finals" had originally been planned by Princess to be held after Auckland, but then (as happened in 2015 & presumably every WC) they realised that some 350 World Cruisers are disembarking in Auckland, so rescheduled. We are thankful for this but really wonder why it has to be a mid-cruise decision?
So pleased to wake just before 6.30 so that we could see the sail in. There is just a little gap in the reef surrounding the island and we were no further than 20 metres from land as we came through. The colours were magnificent and the sun reflection intensified this. As we reached our berth, the ship turned around so that (once again) we are docked on starboard but at least we have a great view of the atoll and more distant islands.
A lovely town and so different to our usual port of call - Bora Bora. The township of Uturoa, at our berth has been developed with modern facilities as have the various marina along the waterfront. We walked a couple of miles towards the airport at the north of the island. The roads are wide and well maintained as were the reserves and the majority of the houses.
When we returned to the township and went into the "main street" it was a little different, with many buildings in a poor state of repair. Souvenir shops abounded filled with cheap stuff (& just saying, these were Chinese owned), which did not appeal. Local goods were in the fales by the ship but nothing to entice us to spend. We did however have coffee & muffin from what appeared to be the only cafe (actually a Patisserie) by the waterfront. Very, very tempting pastries etc. but I held firm. While it was crowded with passengers, it was obviously also a favourite of all the locals.
Back on board by lunchtime and grabbed a couple of little rolls to have sitting on our balcony. Magnificent views across the reef and I was soooo pleased that we'd turned around when we berthed. We decided to celebrate for no real reason and finished a bottle of champagne (it was) that we'd acquired from a passenger down the corridor who doesn't drink. OK, the afternoon was topped off with a little nap.
Sailaway was at 5.00 and the Captain announced that although the gap in the reef (where we came in this morning) was pretty well straight ahead of us, it is only 100m wide and with a strongish breeze, would be too dangerous. Therefore we did *another* 180° turn and sailed north, still within the reef, and between the islands of Raiatea & Tahaa to a gap in the reef which is 300m wide. Unfortunately the local fisherpersons and outrigger paddlers were disinterested in our progress and even the sounding of our whistle did little to move them out of our way. We made it out however about 30 minutes before sunset.
Reef exit far left - note boat centre right
Into the Pacific at last
Day 103 - 11 September - at sea
Another glorious morning as we sail in a southwesterly direction at over 20kts. A pity that the last couple of weeks hadn't been like this, but overall we have been very lucky with the weather. The temperature reached 25° this afternoon but unfortunately this is likely to drop a bit over the next couple of days. As evening approaches the familiar movement of the ship returns, but it has it's upside - sitting on the balcony with all the lights off and watching the white foaming waves, the stars in the sky, ... and the black smoke pouring out of our funnels ðŸ˜
Day 104 - 12 September - at sea
A bit of a cloudy day and temperature slightly down to 21° as we continue our homeward course. With just 3 days to go, the ship is very much into "end of cruise" mode, with finals of various competitions, passenger performances & oh! don't forget the final sales!! Also we have got our passports back along with our disembarkation papers, so it is very real.
A funny thing is (once again), that many of these "finals" had originally been planned by Princess to be held after Auckland, but then (as happened in 2015 & presumably every WC) they realised that some 350 World Cruisers are disembarking in Auckland, so rescheduled. We are thankful for this but really wonder why it has to be a mid-cruise decision?
Monday 10 September 2018
Cruising the South Pacific
Day 96 - 4 September - at sea
One of our more rocky nights, and it wasn't a lot better when we woke this morning. Even though we got an extra hour overnight, daybreak wasn't until 7.40. Well despite the rock n roll, we managed our mile after breakfast - I must say that it was a bit of a challenge at times.
You certainly know that you are in the middle of nowhere when all the TV channels come up with the message that no satellite feed is available - thankfully they have some pre-recorded stuff on. The weather has slightly improved, but hot sunny days are just a far-off memory.
Day 97 - 5 September - at sea
And another hour back this morning. Apart from that, pretty well a repeat of the above. Oh joy, another formal tonight (& yet another one due next week before Auckland). It is sad to note the number of (mainly elderly woman) passengers sporting bandages, plasters etc. from the many minor falls with this roughish weather. I don't mind admitting that I would far rather hold on to rails than try to be gung ho.
Day 98 - 6 September - Pitcairn Island scenic cruising
Smoother seas and a bit of sun early in the morning. We actually "pulled up" to Pitcairn just before 9.00, but with usual Princess organisation, today is the day that they are taking the group (2,000) photo up on decks 12 & 14). So after breakfast we dutifully went up and assembled. It took 30 odd minutes to get everyone in position, with the photo being taken at 9.45. To take the photo, the ship turned away from the island to get sunlight on the passengers. Amazing - every stateroom gets a copy of the photo - Free !
After the photo the ship returned closer to the island and did an anticlockwise circuit, which meant that we could sit on our balcony as we went around. Unfortunately it had become more cloudy and a few isolated showers scudded by. The ship then turned around and went back, clockwise before heading off across the Pacific. While the sun then came out, the sea got rougher, but not the big swells thankfully.
On our last cruise the Islanders came onboard with their wares, but apparently this has been stopped over the last couple of years. There have been a few "laundry" rumours going around, however I reckon it has more to do with Health & Safety and potential liability to Princess.
We finished our cruising visit about 12.30 and as we continue a nor westerly course we were hopeful of warmer, more settled weather. Well that was not to be, as it is now grey and showery (again). We are certainly being acclimatised for our return home !
Day 99 - 7 September - at sea
Still wet and a fairly large swell running. Nothing else to report today. Around midday we passed by Muraroa Atoll as well as some other minor atolls & islands which make up French Polynesia. I must admit that there are far more islands etc. than I realised.
Day 100 - 8 September - at sea
At long last, a perfect South Pacific day with clear blue sky & sea. Temperature is apparently 27° too. Today was the only day we didn't get an extra hour in bed, however at least the early morning sun woke us up by 6.30. I've grown tired of food, so just porridge for breakfast (as at home) and a filled bun for lunch. Don't know about dinner, but it is Margit's birthday tonight and we are dining in the Anytime restuarant.
We have pretty well decided that any future cruising we do will incorporate open dining. Set dining has previously been good, but this cruise the timing seems all out of kilter. 5.30 is too early and then our late dining at 7.45 is too late - particularly as our waiter does not really function at top speed, meaning that we are pretty well last out of the MDR. The other thing is that there is often a show/event at 9.00 (not finished dinner) or the late show at 9.45 finishes after 10.30, a bit late for us on a regular basis.
On the subject of food - we decided to try out the Elite in-room Afternoon Tea, together with Gwenda & Graeme. We had to order the night before (& we also ordered a beautiful calm sunny afternoon). Right on time, the room service steward arrived with 6 plates of food - scones, sandwiches & cakes/pastries plus tea/coffee. Somehow we managed to demolish 90% of the food over time. We commented to each other that we should have done this before as it was certainly better than being rushed out of the dining room at 4.00. But I admit that I did miss my chocolate fudge cake which we normally have with our afternoon green tea!
Day 101 - 9 September - Tahiti
Land at last after 10 days at sea. What a perfect day, the only downside being that today is Sunday and most of the shops are closed. We did however stroll around town and it was definitely not crowded, with many, many shops closed with roller doors down. The market was also closed with just a few stalls outside with floral arrangements for sale.
It was depressing however to see the number of homeless people sleeping on the streets. On the bright side however, most street corners had ukulele players providing impromptu entertainment. When we got to the end of town (well as far as we wanted to go) we found a bar and grabbed a couple of beers, toasted sandwich & free Internet. By the time that was all taken care of it was after 1.00, and getting hotter, so we retreated to the ship.
Papeete is our last replenishment stop and they are busily unloading some six large containers. I hear rumours that the fruit & vegetables were running very low, so with restocking we are unlikely to get scurvy over the next 5 days. Did I just say 5 days?, yes, sadly the end is very much in sight, with just one more port tomorrow before Auckland on Sunday.
One of our more rocky nights, and it wasn't a lot better when we woke this morning. Even though we got an extra hour overnight, daybreak wasn't until 7.40. Well despite the rock n roll, we managed our mile after breakfast - I must say that it was a bit of a challenge at times.
You certainly know that you are in the middle of nowhere when all the TV channels come up with the message that no satellite feed is available - thankfully they have some pre-recorded stuff on. The weather has slightly improved, but hot sunny days are just a far-off memory.
Day 97 - 5 September - at sea
And another hour back this morning. Apart from that, pretty well a repeat of the above. Oh joy, another formal tonight (& yet another one due next week before Auckland). It is sad to note the number of (mainly elderly woman) passengers sporting bandages, plasters etc. from the many minor falls with this roughish weather. I don't mind admitting that I would far rather hold on to rails than try to be gung ho.
Day 98 - 6 September - Pitcairn Island scenic cruising
Smoother seas and a bit of sun early in the morning. We actually "pulled up" to Pitcairn just before 9.00, but with usual Princess organisation, today is the day that they are taking the group (2,000) photo up on decks 12 & 14). So after breakfast we dutifully went up and assembled. It took 30 odd minutes to get everyone in position, with the photo being taken at 9.45. To take the photo, the ship turned away from the island to get sunlight on the passengers. Amazing - every stateroom gets a copy of the photo - Free !
After the photo the ship returned closer to the island and did an anticlockwise circuit, which meant that we could sit on our balcony as we went around. Unfortunately it had become more cloudy and a few isolated showers scudded by. The ship then turned around and went back, clockwise before heading off across the Pacific. While the sun then came out, the sea got rougher, but not the big swells thankfully.
On our last cruise the Islanders came onboard with their wares, but apparently this has been stopped over the last couple of years. There have been a few "laundry" rumours going around, however I reckon it has more to do with Health & Safety and potential liability to Princess.
We finished our cruising visit about 12.30 and as we continue a nor westerly course we were hopeful of warmer, more settled weather. Well that was not to be, as it is now grey and showery (again). We are certainly being acclimatised for our return home !
Day 99 - 7 September - at sea
Still wet and a fairly large swell running. Nothing else to report today. Around midday we passed by Muraroa Atoll as well as some other minor atolls & islands which make up French Polynesia. I must admit that there are far more islands etc. than I realised.
Day 100 - 8 September - at sea
At long last, a perfect South Pacific day with clear blue sky & sea. Temperature is apparently 27° too. Today was the only day we didn't get an extra hour in bed, however at least the early morning sun woke us up by 6.30. I've grown tired of food, so just porridge for breakfast (as at home) and a filled bun for lunch. Don't know about dinner, but it is Margit's birthday tonight and we are dining in the Anytime restuarant.
We have pretty well decided that any future cruising we do will incorporate open dining. Set dining has previously been good, but this cruise the timing seems all out of kilter. 5.30 is too early and then our late dining at 7.45 is too late - particularly as our waiter does not really function at top speed, meaning that we are pretty well last out of the MDR. The other thing is that there is often a show/event at 9.00 (not finished dinner) or the late show at 9.45 finishes after 10.30, a bit late for us on a regular basis.
On the subject of food - we decided to try out the Elite in-room Afternoon Tea, together with Gwenda & Graeme. We had to order the night before (& we also ordered a beautiful calm sunny afternoon). Right on time, the room service steward arrived with 6 plates of food - scones, sandwiches & cakes/pastries plus tea/coffee. Somehow we managed to demolish 90% of the food over time. We commented to each other that we should have done this before as it was certainly better than being rushed out of the dining room at 4.00. But I admit that I did miss my chocolate fudge cake which we normally have with our afternoon green tea!
Day 101 - 9 September - Tahiti
Land at last after 10 days at sea. What a perfect day, the only downside being that today is Sunday and most of the shops are closed. We did however stroll around town and it was definitely not crowded, with many, many shops closed with roller doors down. The market was also closed with just a few stalls outside with floral arrangements for sale.
It was depressing however to see the number of homeless people sleeping on the streets. On the bright side however, most street corners had ukulele players providing impromptu entertainment. When we got to the end of town (well as far as we wanted to go) we found a bar and grabbed a couple of beers, toasted sandwich & free Internet. By the time that was all taken care of it was after 1.00, and getting hotter, so we retreated to the ship.
Papeete is our last replenishment stop and they are busily unloading some six large containers. I hear rumours that the fruit & vegetables were running very low, so with restocking we are unlikely to get scurvy over the next 5 days. Did I just say 5 days?, yes, sadly the end is very much in sight, with just one more port tomorrow before Auckland on Sunday.
Tuesday 4 September 2018
No Easter bunny
Day 93 - 1 September - at sea
Sunny but still a lumpy sea as we power along at 21.1kts. Thankfully the temperature has risen to 20° and we ventured out around the deck for the first time in ages. Captains Circle cocktail party tonight, and as we haven't been to one for the last couple of sectors, we decided to go along.
Our scheduled party is 5.00 (for late dining), which is really disruptive as we are all done & dusted by 5.45 so they can have the "early diners" party at 7.00. Our issue is that there are 2 hours to fill in between the party and dinner. We had lunch earlier with Louise & George and they told us the best spot to go for the cocktail party, so we eventually joined them, along with Carol & Alan from our table. I say "eventually" as although we went down 15 minutes early, the queue was was way back to the Art Gallery!
There are almost 1200 Elite & 500 Platinum passengers and for some reason they lump us all together. Spread over 2 nights, with 2 parties per night equals roughly 400 each (allowing for non-attenders). Certainly the spot where we sat was excellent for service (polite expression for plenty of drinks) and comfort. The usual suspects were recognised as most travelled - 1900 days for the American and some 1200 for the regular Aussie couple who have been on all of our cruises. No, we didn't win the lucky draw either 😩.
Day 94 - 2 September - at sea
Bit of a shock to wake this morning at 6.40 and it is pitch black. Sunrise is not until 7.56! At least it feels slightly warmer and the sea is flattening a bit (I think, looking through the darkness). It goes without saying that we are only up at this hour because of bridge (again).
The talk of the day (apart from wishing every male in sight "Happy Fathers Day") is whether we'll get into Easter Island tomorrow. The forecast is apparently unhelpful, but the Captain has been to Easter Island twice - & got in both times. We'll see if his luck prevails. As we went to Easter Island last time, we are not concerned one way or the other. Certainly if we do get ashore we are going no further than the local town as the rest of the island is a National Park & the Chilean government wants USD80 each to go there.
While it is a sunny afternoon, the swell has increased - one of those long Pacific swells, which is causing the ship to both pitch and roll (even with the stabilisers out). The sea at last is a beautiful deep blue with a generally clear sky, but it is still a bit too chilly (Chile) to sit on the balcony.
Day 95 - 3 September - Easter Island
It is dark! Sunrise is not scheduled until 8.30, but from what I can see outside it is showery and a bit windy. Not unexpected, the Captain made an announcement at 8.30 that the sea conditions make it unsafe for tender operations and our visit ashore is being aborted. We really felt sorry for all those who had not been/missed visiting before. Even more sorry for those who had been queuing up for tender tickets since 6.30 & those (foolish enough) to have prepaid private tours.
Well at least the sun has come out as we sit at anchor with the officials aboard giving us clearance to arrive and depart. I think the reason for this is that we are disembarking 4 passengers/crew for medical reasons (hope the ride to shore is not too bad). Apparently the officials had to "borrow" the navy all purpose ribbed boat as the conditions were too rough for their normal boat!
Well that went well - Not! Having sat at anchor all morning, we are told just after midday that the officials on board and disembarking passengers & crew will shortly be leaving via our tender platform. The navy boat arrives and after a considerable period it approaches the platform, but they refuse to tie up. Although there is still quite a swell, we holding position with our thrusters to protect the port side of the ship.
Passenger bags are loaded, some officials jump onboard, half an hour later, still bobbing around and passenger bags are unloaded. No passengers/crew are now getting off, so a new manifest must be produced for the officials and after another half an hour the last official gets off and away they go. Interestingly, they seemed to have some "packages" with them....... Eventually at around 2.00 we actually got underway and had a scenic sail-by as we left, headed for Pitcairn Island scenic cruising in 3 days time.
After we left the relative shelter of the island the weather has further deteriorated with swells of 4-5 metres and light showers. Hopefully the Captain is correct and the weather improves tomorrow - fingers crossed!
Sunny but still a lumpy sea as we power along at 21.1kts. Thankfully the temperature has risen to 20° and we ventured out around the deck for the first time in ages. Captains Circle cocktail party tonight, and as we haven't been to one for the last couple of sectors, we decided to go along.
Our scheduled party is 5.00 (for late dining), which is really disruptive as we are all done & dusted by 5.45 so they can have the "early diners" party at 7.00. Our issue is that there are 2 hours to fill in between the party and dinner. We had lunch earlier with Louise & George and they told us the best spot to go for the cocktail party, so we eventually joined them, along with Carol & Alan from our table. I say "eventually" as although we went down 15 minutes early, the queue was was way back to the Art Gallery!
There are almost 1200 Elite & 500 Platinum passengers and for some reason they lump us all together. Spread over 2 nights, with 2 parties per night equals roughly 400 each (allowing for non-attenders). Certainly the spot where we sat was excellent for service (polite expression for plenty of drinks) and comfort. The usual suspects were recognised as most travelled - 1900 days for the American and some 1200 for the regular Aussie couple who have been on all of our cruises. No, we didn't win the lucky draw either 😩.
Day 94 - 2 September - at sea
Bit of a shock to wake this morning at 6.40 and it is pitch black. Sunrise is not until 7.56! At least it feels slightly warmer and the sea is flattening a bit (I think, looking through the darkness). It goes without saying that we are only up at this hour because of bridge (again).
The talk of the day (apart from wishing every male in sight "Happy Fathers Day") is whether we'll get into Easter Island tomorrow. The forecast is apparently unhelpful, but the Captain has been to Easter Island twice - & got in both times. We'll see if his luck prevails. As we went to Easter Island last time, we are not concerned one way or the other. Certainly if we do get ashore we are going no further than the local town as the rest of the island is a National Park & the Chilean government wants USD80 each to go there.
While it is a sunny afternoon, the swell has increased - one of those long Pacific swells, which is causing the ship to both pitch and roll (even with the stabilisers out). The sea at last is a beautiful deep blue with a generally clear sky, but it is still a bit too chilly (Chile) to sit on the balcony.
Day 95 - 3 September - Easter Island
It is dark! Sunrise is not scheduled until 8.30, but from what I can see outside it is showery and a bit windy. Not unexpected, the Captain made an announcement at 8.30 that the sea conditions make it unsafe for tender operations and our visit ashore is being aborted. We really felt sorry for all those who had not been/missed visiting before. Even more sorry for those who had been queuing up for tender tickets since 6.30 & those (foolish enough) to have prepaid private tours.
Well at least the sun has come out as we sit at anchor with the officials aboard giving us clearance to arrive and depart. I think the reason for this is that we are disembarking 4 passengers/crew for medical reasons (hope the ride to shore is not too bad). Apparently the officials had to "borrow" the navy all purpose ribbed boat as the conditions were too rough for their normal boat!
Well that went well - Not! Having sat at anchor all morning, we are told just after midday that the officials on board and disembarking passengers & crew will shortly be leaving via our tender platform. The navy boat arrives and after a considerable period it approaches the platform, but they refuse to tie up. Although there is still quite a swell, we holding position with our thrusters to protect the port side of the ship.
Passenger bags are loaded, some officials jump onboard, half an hour later, still bobbing around and passenger bags are unloaded. No passengers/crew are now getting off, so a new manifest must be produced for the officials and after another half an hour the last official gets off and away they go. Interestingly, they seemed to have some "packages" with them....... Eventually at around 2.00 we actually got underway and had a scenic sail-by as we left, headed for Pitcairn Island scenic cruising in 3 days time.
After we left the relative shelter of the island the weather has further deteriorated with swells of 4-5 metres and light showers. Hopefully the Captain is correct and the weather improves tomorrow - fingers crossed!
Saturday 1 September 2018
South America & beyond
Day 87 - 26 August - Manta, Ecuador
We awake to find ourselves back in the South Pacific, which we left 86 days ago, but is our last body of water back to home. Manta is the major tuna processing port, with huge boats unloading frozen fish continously. An overcast morning and we arrived (apparently) about 5.00am, as there are a number getting off for overland excursions, such as Machu Picchu, who have a 3 hour drive to the airport. We had a more leisurely morning, although as usual on a port day the MDR closes at 9.00.
We planned to take the ship's shuttle into town and generally wander around, as last time we were here we went to Monticristi for Panama hats etc. Back to today's visit, there were 2 free shuttles, 1 to downtown & 1 to the port terminal. From what we'd been told, it seemed more logical to go straight into town - so did most of the ship. We waited for over an hour before being able to board the bus - and ended up at the craft market, even further away from town. Vivian was not happy.
3 minutes walking around the market was enough, but having established that it was only 10 minutes from the port gates (why did we wait for the shuttle?), we walked. Yes, it was only 10 minutes to the Pacifico Mall, a new mall just 5 minutes from the ship. I had forgotten (or didn't know) that Manta had been devastated by a 7.2 earthquake in 2016, after our last visit. So the mall and a few surrounding hotels have been rebuilt, while many other buildings remain desolate.
Walked the mall (as does everyone else on a Sunday morning), had coffee & cake and walked some more. Left the mall and crossed the road - which is a life changing/challenging event, as I have no idea why they waste money on painting pedestrian crossings! On the other side is the beach area and this was really humming, not only on the beach, but all the restaurants, bars & stalls. Far more intriguing than the craft market. We ended up having lunch & a couple of beers before returning to the ship. The food was very good & large beers just $2 each. Wow.
Day 88 - 27 August - at sea
Although we are just below the equator, it is remarkably cool - just 19° and overcast.
Day 89 - 28 August - Lima
Cloudy & chilly morning as we continue to sail southwards. We are due to berth in Callao, the port about 10 miles from Lima. Once again the temperature is supposed to be 19° but it feels colder. We are doing Lima on our own and will be taking the free shuttle into town this afternoon. We have the rest of today and all of tomorrow, as we don't sail out until 11.00pm on Wednesday.
Callao is a huge port - the largest in South America, so there are compulsory free shuttles to both the port gate and to the Real Plaza Salaverry Mall, which is about 10km from our berth. Now at this port it is not recommended to simply go to the gate as there is nothing there, and it is an undesirable area. The mall option at least gets us part way into Lima, although not the central part, a good starting point for a taxi.
Learning from our call at Manta, we went down early to get our shuttle tickets (#143/4) and were delighted that they called the first 80 (2 buses) almost straight away. The next group of 80 were then called within a couple of minutes and we were off the ship before 12.00!
That was good - until we went to board the bus and we were stopped by the bus Co-ordinator, as the first 4 buses were full. How could this be? Simple. *Some* of our passengers do not think that rules and conventions apply to them, so they got off the ship (without shuttle tickets) to visit the portside local market. When they saw a queue of passengers getting on a bus they just joined in! As there were over a dozen of us held back, that shows it wasn't an isolated instance.
Not to worry, bus #5 was also there and in the end all the buses reached the mall at the same time. Although it was only 10km, the journey took almost an hour! Traffic is appalling, but more on that later. I must say that the shuttle coordination was fantastic and they had 12 buses running until 10.00pm (& again tomorrow). When we alighted at the mall we were of course accosted by various touts and drivers, but we'd already been advised to walk through the mall to the taxi rank on the other side.
This proved a slight challenge, as the first driver wanted USD20 each, when we'd been told the going rate (for rich cruise ship tourists) was USD20 per taxi! Oh yes, about a half or less for locals. We were approached by a driver who agreed the USD20 and we went with him in his "taxi". He was no more a proper taxi driver than I am, but given the state of all the taxis, who would know?
Our destination was Miraflores, an upmarket area on the coast just south of Callao. Although only some 5kms away, it still took around half an hour. Just to prove that our driver was not a real taxi, he did not stop at the taxi rank, nor indeed along the road, but drove into a car parking building! When I gave him his $20 he protested and waved his car park ticket, saying $10 more. Hah, did he think that I had not seen the entry sign saying "10 min gratious" (or similar). Just walked away........
Minaflores area is full of hotels and is really impressive, and although mainly an outdoor shopping mall, it is constructed below the road and built into the cliffs. All the high end shops were here and we wandered around and admired the views over the ocean, as well as paragliders soaring above and around. Although it was 3.00ish, it was time for lunch, so we picked a lovely restuarant with these great views. It was helpful that they had both an English menu and that many spoke good english. I had a traditional chicken curry with quail eggs & Vivian had club sandwiches.
After a walk along the promanade (well, the pathway above the cliffs anyway), it was time to head back to the mall and the ship. Forgot to mention that it was cold - very cold. Foolishly I was dressed in shorts & t shirt, whereas the locals had longs, woollies and jackets! Got a real taxi back this time and enjoyed the joys of Lima traffic. We very nearly got wiped out by a truck carrying LPG cylinders, apart from other instances.
Perhaps we too could solve Auckland's transport problems by simply removing all traffic lights, stop & give way signs, pedestrian crossings, and actually all road rules. Merging 3 or 4 lanes, or cutting across 3 or 4 lanes requires nerves of steel & thumb on the horn constantly. It seemed to work in Lima and surprisingly we saw no accidents or incidents - a true miracle.
Day 90 - 29 August - Lima
I dressed more appropriately today, having retrieved some winter clothes from under the bed. We did the shuttle thing again and you would not believe it, but we were once again stopped at the bus, but this time they found an additional 5 seats - still leaving 8 or 9 behind. When we reached the mall this time we got a taxi to downtown Lima. One of our objectives was to watch the changing of the guard at noon. We had around an hour to spend and went for a coffee.
That was not as easy as you think. Firstly there are very few cafes or eateries in the Plaza Mayor (Town Square) area and secondly coffee just came as sachets in takeaway cups. Eventually we found a cafe behind the Government Palace. They didn't speak english & we didn't speak Spanish. Coffee came as hot water in cups & a small decanter of brewed coffee. We tried asking for milk, to no avail.
Eventually, after demonstrating "milking" along came hot watery milk, to which we added the coffee. It was cold, but enough was enough, or so we thought. Ooops, they don't take US dollars, or Mastercard. After much shrugging etc. they took about double the cost in USD - $4, which didn't matter and at least we got to use the loos.
Not a huge crowd at the changing of the guard, so managed to get a front row view. Unfortunately the view is across the footpath & through the fence, so a bit obstructed. We enjoyed the band and the parading around with lots of goose stepping. There was an intense police presence with riot squad, bomb squad and even a water cannon or two to be seen. We later found out that it is a public holiday tomorrow and a huge parade is being held there.
Just adjacent is the Cathedral, so we did a visit to that as well as the Archbishop's Palace & religious art museum. We were entitled to a guide, but after listening to her for about 10 minutes, it was clearly going to be a long, tiring time, so we skipped ahead and saw all we wanted.
After passing some "dubious" local eateries, we ended up at the Parque de la Muralia - a park by the old city walls - which have been recently excavated. As with Miraflores, there was a restuarant under the park, which looked very upmarket. Only problem was no english. However we persevered and I had the local duck & Vivian a chicken dish (perhaps Pollo was the only word I recognised). As an enticement, I was entitled to a free Pisco Sour - the local drink. Interesting, but funnily mine was in a small cup, whereas I noted that people at the adjacent table (incidentally Cruise Director's staff) had ones 2 or 3 times larger. Another aside - they were the only people from the ship we saw all day!
After a walk around the Wall, we went back to the Plaza in the hope of getting a taxi. Darn, the Plaza is once again blocked off by Police & army. We were however able to enter and walk through, although I gather that later in the afternoon it was closed altogether. So where to find a taxi I pondered? Just as we approached the far corner, a taxi coordinator called out "you want a taxi to Real Plaza Salverry Mall? I have 2 safe taxi for you". So much for not looking like a tourist Hutch! It was all kosher, and was the official yellow taxi. The drive back to the mall took only half as long (but twice as scary) as it had this morning.
We thought that we'd take a little time to explore the mall and went up the escalators to the upper floors. What a revelation. Once again all the well known high end brands and all very clean. Picked up a couple of bottles of cheeky reds (which I see came through at around NZ$7.50 each) and said goodbye to Lima. We didn't stay up until sailaway and frankly I neither heard nor felt us depart.
Day 91 - 30 August - at sea
Apart from a bit of a sleep in, it was a bit annoying to find that for some reason we are having a Thursday "brunch", so no food until after 10.30. We decided to have our morning coffee first & met up with Margit and Jim for a debrief on Lima. Still cold, cloudy and a bit bumpy outside, so seating at a premuim. First grumble (actually second after my dislike of brunch, Princess style) is that most of the seating is taken up by people reading, knitting, internetting & even sleeping. Anything apart from having a coffee and moving on. We ended up outside the Wheelhouse and helpfully Mike, our server brought coffee down to us.
After coffee it was time to go to the MDR for their "international brunch" - no such thing, just an excuse to roll 2 mealtimes into 1 without providing any service and to turn the dining room into the Horizon buffet. As is pretty obvious, I actually object to this and the food was average to say the least and the usual overfilled plates and wastage was evident. I resisted eating in protest.
And yes, tonight is yet another Formal. By mid afternoon the photographers have taken over and blocked off half the atruim along with their intrusive lighting and closing of stairways for their formal photographs, which rarely occur. I have noticed it far worse this cruise and it seems that the passengers have no rights and the whole cruise is for the benefit of add-on sales. Now don't get me started on the Fine Art Auctions!
The only good news of the day is that we should be leaving this cold climate behind after tomorrow, so fingers crossed. What we have been experiencing is the Humboldt current, which is a flow of cold water running up the west coast of South America (complete opposite to the Gulf Stream we enjoyed on the eastern coast of America & up to Iceland). Anyway, this current brings lots of marine life & plankton up to the surface and enhances sea life. So yeah, I'll put up with a bit of a chill to save the fishes etc.....
Day 92 - 31 August - at sea
Can hardly believe it, but today (Friday) marks 3 months since we set sail from Auckland. Two more weeks across the Pacific and it will all be over. Unfortunately, if this grey & "bumpy" weather continues I won't be sorry to be back home. On a positive note however, as mentioned yesterday, I hope that the Captain is correct about the weather improving.
I am pleased to report that this afternoon the sky has cleared a little and we can see some sun, however the sea is still lumpy and it remains cold. I fear that the shorts will be in hiding for another day or two.
We awake to find ourselves back in the South Pacific, which we left 86 days ago, but is our last body of water back to home. Manta is the major tuna processing port, with huge boats unloading frozen fish continously. An overcast morning and we arrived (apparently) about 5.00am, as there are a number getting off for overland excursions, such as Machu Picchu, who have a 3 hour drive to the airport. We had a more leisurely morning, although as usual on a port day the MDR closes at 9.00.
Unloading tuna
We planned to take the ship's shuttle into town and generally wander around, as last time we were here we went to Monticristi for Panama hats etc. Back to today's visit, there were 2 free shuttles, 1 to downtown & 1 to the port terminal. From what we'd been told, it seemed more logical to go straight into town - so did most of the ship. We waited for over an hour before being able to board the bus - and ended up at the craft market, even further away from town. Vivian was not happy.
3 minutes walking around the market was enough, but having established that it was only 10 minutes from the port gates (why did we wait for the shuttle?), we walked. Yes, it was only 10 minutes to the Pacifico Mall, a new mall just 5 minutes from the ship. I had forgotten (or didn't know) that Manta had been devastated by a 7.2 earthquake in 2016, after our last visit. So the mall and a few surrounding hotels have been rebuilt, while many other buildings remain desolate.
Across to the beach - ship top right
Walked the mall (as does everyone else on a Sunday morning), had coffee & cake and walked some more. Left the mall and crossed the road - which is a life changing/challenging event, as I have no idea why they waste money on painting pedestrian crossings! On the other side is the beach area and this was really humming, not only on the beach, but all the restaurants, bars & stalls. Far more intriguing than the craft market. We ended up having lunch & a couple of beers before returning to the ship. The food was very good & large beers just $2 each. Wow.
Day 88 - 27 August - at sea
Although we are just below the equator, it is remarkably cool - just 19° and overcast.
Day 89 - 28 August - Lima
Cloudy & chilly morning as we continue to sail southwards. We are due to berth in Callao, the port about 10 miles from Lima. Once again the temperature is supposed to be 19° but it feels colder. We are doing Lima on our own and will be taking the free shuttle into town this afternoon. We have the rest of today and all of tomorrow, as we don't sail out until 11.00pm on Wednesday.
Callao is a huge port - the largest in South America, so there are compulsory free shuttles to both the port gate and to the Real Plaza Salaverry Mall, which is about 10km from our berth. Now at this port it is not recommended to simply go to the gate as there is nothing there, and it is an undesirable area. The mall option at least gets us part way into Lima, although not the central part, a good starting point for a taxi.
Learning from our call at Manta, we went down early to get our shuttle tickets (#143/4) and were delighted that they called the first 80 (2 buses) almost straight away. The next group of 80 were then called within a couple of minutes and we were off the ship before 12.00!
That was good - until we went to board the bus and we were stopped by the bus Co-ordinator, as the first 4 buses were full. How could this be? Simple. *Some* of our passengers do not think that rules and conventions apply to them, so they got off the ship (without shuttle tickets) to visit the portside local market. When they saw a queue of passengers getting on a bus they just joined in! As there were over a dozen of us held back, that shows it wasn't an isolated instance.
Not to worry, bus #5 was also there and in the end all the buses reached the mall at the same time. Although it was only 10km, the journey took almost an hour! Traffic is appalling, but more on that later. I must say that the shuttle coordination was fantastic and they had 12 buses running until 10.00pm (& again tomorrow). When we alighted at the mall we were of course accosted by various touts and drivers, but we'd already been advised to walk through the mall to the taxi rank on the other side.
This proved a slight challenge, as the first driver wanted USD20 each, when we'd been told the going rate (for rich cruise ship tourists) was USD20 per taxi! Oh yes, about a half or less for locals. We were approached by a driver who agreed the USD20 and we went with him in his "taxi". He was no more a proper taxi driver than I am, but given the state of all the taxis, who would know?
Our destination was Miraflores, an upmarket area on the coast just south of Callao. Although only some 5kms away, it still took around half an hour. Just to prove that our driver was not a real taxi, he did not stop at the taxi rank, nor indeed along the road, but drove into a car parking building! When I gave him his $20 he protested and waved his car park ticket, saying $10 more. Hah, did he think that I had not seen the entry sign saying "10 min gratious" (or similar). Just walked away........
Looking south from mall
Minaflores area is full of hotels and is really impressive, and although mainly an outdoor shopping mall, it is constructed below the road and built into the cliffs. All the high end shops were here and we wandered around and admired the views over the ocean, as well as paragliders soaring above and around. Although it was 3.00ish, it was time for lunch, so we picked a lovely restuarant with these great views. It was helpful that they had both an English menu and that many spoke good english. I had a traditional chicken curry with quail eggs & Vivian had club sandwiches.
Yum
After a walk along the promanade (well, the pathway above the cliffs anyway), it was time to head back to the mall and the ship. Forgot to mention that it was cold - very cold. Foolishly I was dressed in shorts & t shirt, whereas the locals had longs, woollies and jackets! Got a real taxi back this time and enjoyed the joys of Lima traffic. We very nearly got wiped out by a truck carrying LPG cylinders, apart from other instances.
Perhaps we too could solve Auckland's transport problems by simply removing all traffic lights, stop & give way signs, pedestrian crossings, and actually all road rules. Merging 3 or 4 lanes, or cutting across 3 or 4 lanes requires nerves of steel & thumb on the horn constantly. It seemed to work in Lima and surprisingly we saw no accidents or incidents - a true miracle.
Time to change the tyres!
Day 90 - 29 August - Lima
I dressed more appropriately today, having retrieved some winter clothes from under the bed. We did the shuttle thing again and you would not believe it, but we were once again stopped at the bus, but this time they found an additional 5 seats - still leaving 8 or 9 behind. When we reached the mall this time we got a taxi to downtown Lima. One of our objectives was to watch the changing of the guard at noon. We had around an hour to spend and went for a coffee.
That was not as easy as you think. Firstly there are very few cafes or eateries in the Plaza Mayor (Town Square) area and secondly coffee just came as sachets in takeaway cups. Eventually we found a cafe behind the Government Palace. They didn't speak english & we didn't speak Spanish. Coffee came as hot water in cups & a small decanter of brewed coffee. We tried asking for milk, to no avail.
Eventually, after demonstrating "milking" along came hot watery milk, to which we added the coffee. It was cold, but enough was enough, or so we thought. Ooops, they don't take US dollars, or Mastercard. After much shrugging etc. they took about double the cost in USD - $4, which didn't matter and at least we got to use the loos.
Not a huge crowd at the changing of the guard, so managed to get a front row view. Unfortunately the view is across the footpath & through the fence, so a bit obstructed. We enjoyed the band and the parading around with lots of goose stepping. There was an intense police presence with riot squad, bomb squad and even a water cannon or two to be seen. We later found out that it is a public holiday tomorrow and a huge parade is being held there.
Just adjacent is the Cathedral, so we did a visit to that as well as the Archbishop's Palace & religious art museum. We were entitled to a guide, but after listening to her for about 10 minutes, it was clearly going to be a long, tiring time, so we skipped ahead and saw all we wanted.
After passing some "dubious" local eateries, we ended up at the Parque de la Muralia - a park by the old city walls - which have been recently excavated. As with Miraflores, there was a restuarant under the park, which looked very upmarket. Only problem was no english. However we persevered and I had the local duck & Vivian a chicken dish (perhaps Pollo was the only word I recognised). As an enticement, I was entitled to a free Pisco Sour - the local drink. Interesting, but funnily mine was in a small cup, whereas I noted that people at the adjacent table (incidentally Cruise Director's staff) had ones 2 or 3 times larger. Another aside - they were the only people from the ship we saw all day!
Shanty town on hill in distance.
Old wall in foreground
More yum
After a walk around the Wall, we went back to the Plaza in the hope of getting a taxi. Darn, the Plaza is once again blocked off by Police & army. We were however able to enter and walk through, although I gather that later in the afternoon it was closed altogether. So where to find a taxi I pondered? Just as we approached the far corner, a taxi coordinator called out "you want a taxi to Real Plaza Salverry Mall? I have 2 safe taxi for you". So much for not looking like a tourist Hutch! It was all kosher, and was the official yellow taxi. The drive back to the mall took only half as long (but twice as scary) as it had this morning.
Simple intersection
Local housing around the port
We thought that we'd take a little time to explore the mall and went up the escalators to the upper floors. What a revelation. Once again all the well known high end brands and all very clean. Picked up a couple of bottles of cheeky reds (which I see came through at around NZ$7.50 each) and said goodbye to Lima. We didn't stay up until sailaway and frankly I neither heard nor felt us depart.
Day 91 - 30 August - at sea
Apart from a bit of a sleep in, it was a bit annoying to find that for some reason we are having a Thursday "brunch", so no food until after 10.30. We decided to have our morning coffee first & met up with Margit and Jim for a debrief on Lima. Still cold, cloudy and a bit bumpy outside, so seating at a premuim. First grumble (actually second after my dislike of brunch, Princess style) is that most of the seating is taken up by people reading, knitting, internetting & even sleeping. Anything apart from having a coffee and moving on. We ended up outside the Wheelhouse and helpfully Mike, our server brought coffee down to us.
After coffee it was time to go to the MDR for their "international brunch" - no such thing, just an excuse to roll 2 mealtimes into 1 without providing any service and to turn the dining room into the Horizon buffet. As is pretty obvious, I actually object to this and the food was average to say the least and the usual overfilled plates and wastage was evident. I resisted eating in protest.
And yes, tonight is yet another Formal. By mid afternoon the photographers have taken over and blocked off half the atruim along with their intrusive lighting and closing of stairways for their formal photographs, which rarely occur. I have noticed it far worse this cruise and it seems that the passengers have no rights and the whole cruise is for the benefit of add-on sales. Now don't get me started on the Fine Art Auctions!
The only good news of the day is that we should be leaving this cold climate behind after tomorrow, so fingers crossed. What we have been experiencing is the Humboldt current, which is a flow of cold water running up the west coast of South America (complete opposite to the Gulf Stream we enjoyed on the eastern coast of America & up to Iceland). Anyway, this current brings lots of marine life & plankton up to the surface and enhances sea life. So yeah, I'll put up with a bit of a chill to save the fishes etc.....
Day 92 - 31 August - at sea
Can hardly believe it, but today (Friday) marks 3 months since we set sail from Auckland. Two more weeks across the Pacific and it will all be over. Unfortunately, if this grey & "bumpy" weather continues I won't be sorry to be back home. On a positive note however, as mentioned yesterday, I hope that the Captain is correct about the weather improving.
I am pleased to report that this afternoon the sky has cleared a little and we can see some sun, however the sea is still lumpy and it remains cold. I fear that the shorts will be in hiding for another day or two.
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