Mid summer's dream

As promised earlier in my 2018 World Cruise blog, we are off to Antarctica on-board Azamara Pursuit (yes, trying out the “opposition”). Of interest to cruise fanatics, - the Pursuit, until March 2018, was P&O Adonia and in an earlier life was the Royal Princess (2007-11).

She was the last of the Renaissance ships – R8, built in 2001. Although the passenger capacity has now increased a bit to 700, we cruised on one of her sister ships, Ocean Princess (since sold to Oceania) between Rome & Sydney in 2013, so we know (& like) the smaller size ship.

Our cruise leaves/returns to Buenos Aires and as much of the time we will be at sea in far-flung geographical locations, I don't know how reliable the internet connection will be, so I will give a bit of an overview now and hopefully get updates away as/after we travel.

5 January - fly to Buenos Aires in the evening, arriving mid afternoon the same day.

6 January - board Azamara Pursuit (balcony cabin, deck 7, starboard for a change)

7 January - Montevideo, Uruguay (just 100kms across the Rio de La Plata aka River Plate)

8 - 10 January - at sea

11 January - Ushuaia (bottom of South America) 1/2 day only

12 January - Drake's Passage

13 - 15 January - scenic cruising around the Antarctic Peninsula

16 January - cruise past Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands

17 January – at sea

18 January - Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

19 January - at sea

20 January - Puerto Madryn, Argentina

21 - 22 January - at sea

23 January - Buenos Aires (disembark)

We have a few days to explore the area and decided that we we'd come this far, we'd venture up to the Iguazu Falls and later try to get in a ranch visit and some Tango!  So here is the plan:

24 January - fly to Iguazu and explore the Brazilian side

25 January - Iguazu Falls, Argentina side and fly back to Buenos Aires

26 - 27 January - Buenos Aires sightseeing

28 January - Buenos Aires sightseeing & fly out at midnight

30 January - arrive home early morning (remembering that we've lost the 29th!)

Now our visit to Antarctica is a “cruise by” as opposed to a “landing”. There are pros and cons for both, but we do not feel the necessity of getting up close and personal with the wildlife (we plan to do that in the Falklands).

December & January are the most popular times to visit, with the tourist season from late November to early March.  As we are pretty well in the middle of the season, with loooong daylight hours & “warmer” weather, we are starting to cross our fingers for smooth seas and fine weather. 

The latest predictions I can see for the Antarctic Peninsula is a high of 0 degrees and a low of -3 degrees, with *snow*.

The end

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 ☺😊😀.

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.

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 😠

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?

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. 

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! 

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.

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.

Into the Pacific

Day 82 - 21 August - at sea
Nice to have a couple of days at sea after the busy shore days.  We are flying along at over 20kts, battling the Gulf Stream but I must say that the water is a lovely deep blue.  Unfortunately it is punctuated with a lot of orange seaweed or algae, but this is common in these areas.  We have officially entered the Caribbean,  after sailing within 15 miles of Cuba earlier this morning.  We have to believe the Captain about this, as the haze on the horizon did not allow us to see land.

Day 83 - 22 August - at sea
Another hour back overnight and a bit cloudy, although temperature is in the early 20s.  The sea has quite a bit of movement and the "bags" are back out on the stairwells,  something we haven't seen for quite a while.   Still steaming at almost 20kts and the Captain is certain we'll reach Limon on time tomorrow morning.  Almost forgot, another formal tonight - thankfully my shirt came back from the laundry last night.

A bit of good news from the Captain in his midday announcement.   The ship had been inspected by American Health Department people in Miami, as are all cruise ships in American waters, and Sea Princess achieved 100%.  This was the first time that she has reached this standard and apparently it is pretty unique for a 20 year old vessel.  To celebrate,  the Captain put on a BBQ on the back of Deck 14 *for staff only* - passengers were not able to use the facilities while the party went on.  

Day 84 - 23 August - Limon, Costa Rica
Although yet another (temporary) hour back, we still had to get up at 5.30 as we have room service breakfast arriving at 6.30 and have to assemble for our excursion at 7.30.  Just as we enter port the clouds turn to rain - quite heavily.  Fortunately by the time we get off the ship it has stopped.  There are around 50 on our tour and most thankfully they have split us into 2 groups (both buses & boats).  Oh yes, I haven't said yet, but we are exploring the Tortugero Canal, to see (hopefully) wildlife along the waterways.

The bus trip out took around 40 minutes and we were surprised to see that just around the corner there is another port - much larger than where we are berthed.  The township was uninspiring and did not encourage us to visit later.  The canal  interlinks with the natural waterways to provide access to inland areas & up the coast.   After a quick comfort stop, as there are no facilities on the boats, we boarded our pontoon boats.  As I mentioned, there were only 25 or so on each boat, which usually holds 3 or 4 times that number.  This enabled all of us to get a good view on both sides of the water.  Oh yes, it had a full roof to protect us from the rain, which continued for about half the cruise.

During our 90 minute cruise, we saw lots of different birdlife, mostly small birds, but also a number of waders along with sloths, various monkeys, iguanas, bats & some tiny frogs.   Unfortunately my photos were not very inspiring, particularly given the weather conditions, size of the birds (I'd been expecting big birds, not finch types) and the excellent natural camouflage. 

Can you see it?

A bird - where?

This one is a Sloth!

The usual tropical rainforest plants including bananas and decorative plants were in abundance.  At least our 2 boats went along slowly and our driver & guide were excellent at sighting and pointing out the wildlife, which quite frankly I would not have spotted.  Some other tourist boats seemed to be using the canals as a speedboat course.   

After disembarking we enjoyed (complimentary) iced tea along with fresh local pineapple & banana.  The best & sweetest I've tasted in a long, long time.  It was then back to the ship and time for a late morning coffee.  As we sit in our stateroom,  we are overlooking a banana boat unloading empty containers & at the same time loading an endless supply of large containers, containing Chiquita bananas (yes, a whole container ship of bananas).  Who knows, we may be eating them when we get back home.

A lot of bananas

Day 85 - 24 August - Panama Canal
We were woken early morning by flashes of lightning & heavy thunder.  Fortunately it didn't last long and by the time I got up it was just cloudy.  We were approaching the port of Colon, our last glimpse of the Carribean before we head into the locks and through to the Pacific.  You may recall that yesterday I mentioned the extra hour we got was temporary, so yes, an hour forward today!

It wasn't until after breakfast that we entered the first lock & the "mules" hooked up to the ship.  As we approached the end of the lock, somehow the mule's communications must have broken down, as we scrapped heavily along the wall of the lock (there goes a couple of hundred litres of white paint!).  We also noticed a large flock of crow type birds by the workshops causing quite a commotion on the mown grass - turned out they were fighting over/eating a 1 metre long snake.

Coming the other way

After traversing the Gatun Lake for much of the afternoon, we reached Pedro Miguel locks around 3.30. Apparently there was a small crocodile, but on starboard side, so we didn't see it.  Otherwise the traverse went without incident and as usual the large grandstand at the end of Miraflores Locks (the last in the canal system) was full of cheering well wishers. We were proudly flying our NZ flag (in competition with our 2 Australian neighbours! ).

At last we entered into the Pacific Ocean,  but we were surprised and perhaps a little disappointed that it was dark by then and it was only just after 6.00.  I recall that the last time we went through it was brilliantly sunny.  In any event, the lights of the skyscrapers of Panama City provided a great backdrop.  To complete the day the lightning returned (sans thunder! ). 

Day 86 - 25 August - at sea
Another day, another thunderstorm.  Sometime around 4.00am we were woken again by a short & violent storm.  It must have been bigger than we thought as apparently the front part of Horizon Court was flooded this morning.  Talking of this morning, it was our *final* Passenger Safety assembly - thankfully.  It is not that I disagree with the need to reinforce emergency procedures, but to treat it as a joke by using a singing version based on "The Love Boat" is a bit much.

Generally an overcast day with a moderate swell as we head down the Colombian coast towards Ecuador tomorrow.  They did the King Neptune thing this afternoon, although we do not actually cross over into the southern hemisphere until just after midnight.  

Goodbye America

Day 78 - 17 August - Charleston
Arrived at 9.00 and off the ship before 10.00.  It is looking like a hot day and as we don't have a tour arranged we thought that we'd get going before it got too hot.  Well it already was, so we managed to find some some shade as we walked along the waterfront to Battery Park.  It was then a stroll up King Street, which has all the historic houses - beautifully maintained I must add.  Interesting that the street was lined with garden maintenance vehicles - old habits, no one does gardening  themselves. 

As usual coffee was calling, but as with New York, Americans do not seem to "do" the cafe scene.   Vivian enquired at a health shop and was pointed in the direction of either the hotel (which was the whole block), or just around the corner.  We elected to go around the corner to this great french cafe, Cafe Framboise, and yes the owners were French.  The pastries and cakes were to die for and the coffee was good too, but out of "to go" cups.

We had established that there was a free shuttle bus and thought that that would give us a better overview of the town.  Well, by the time we walked to the bus stop and waited 20 minutes for the bus we may as well have just kept walking.  The area we travelled through was uninspiring and nothing like the area we'd been through. 

It was only 10 minutes back along King Street to Market Street and thankfully many of the shops were airconditioned, with doors open!   The markets take up 3 blocks, running straight back to the ship.  Very crowded and there was nothing that we were at all interested in, so we exited halfway through and found a lovely bistro, where we indulged in traditional crabcakes and a glass of wine.  Suitably recharged, we made it back to the ship around 3.30.

We have been to Charleston before and did the "slave trade" thing and had no desire to repeat.  Funny thing is that I had a feeling that there was more of the town to see but today confirmed that it is pretty compact and what we've seen is as good as it gets.  Although we were the only ship in port, the place was packed with tourists - predominantly Americans on their short vacations.  Local entertainment by way of a 5 piece bluegrass band in the Princess Theatre before they were kicked off as we sailed away at 11.00.

Day 79 - 18 August - at sea
Another glorious day at sea, with the sea like a lake most of the day.  It is hot however and we are thankful for the breeze on our balcony.  It was also nice to be able to sleep in a bit, with bridge back to 1.15.

Day 80 - 19 August - Miami
Although we were all docked by 9.00, it was almost 10.00 before the local authorities gave us clearance to disembark.  Miami is touted as the world's biggest cruise ship base - I say base, rather than terminal, as there are numerous terminals for individual cruise companies.  While they can take 6 cruise ships nose to tail, we were only 3 today, with Norwegian & Carnival ships already berthed when we arrived.

The terminal facilities are nonexistent,  with no tourist information, no maps, no shops, no shuttles.  We were a bit put out when we only found this out last night.  Clearly it is just an (dis) embarkation port and ships such as ours are a rarity.  Incidentally both the other ships had sailed before 5.00pm. Our thoughts were that we'd catch a cab and do Miami by taxi.

With a degree of luck (& good planning), we were with the first 100 or so to disembark and as we exited the terminal the Big Bus Co. were still selling Hoho tickets, including a shuttle back to the ship.   Although we had originally dismissed the idea, when we looked at the map we could see that this option would enable us to see everything we wanted - mainly the Vizcaya museum & Miami Beach, which are miles apart. 

There were 6 buses waiting at the terminal and fortunately the one we got on was doing the "red" route through Miami town (as I call it to differentiate from Miami Beach).   It was a bonus that it was Sunday, as traffic was not really an issue.  We had a drive through the various districts that make up the city - most of them have Cuban roots and it would be fair to say that these areas have not developed to the same extent as much the exclusive coastal areas we later went through.

Wynyard walk - street art area

Part way around the loop we got off at the Vizcaya Museum house & gardens.  We were the only ones from our bus to get off at this stop, so clearly most others planned to do the whole route.  The property is the remaining part of 180 acre farm and Viscaya was the winter estate of Chicago businessman James Deering.  The main house was built between 1914-15 inspired by Italian estates.  The formal gardens were added in 1922.  Being a seaside property on Biscayne Bay, it has seen its fair share of hurricanes. 

As a general comment, clearly Miami is very low-lying and *very* exposed to the elements, particularly hurricanes,  which have regularly devastated the area.  There is still evidence of the most recent Hurricane Gita, but to be fair they seem to accept these things and get right on rebuilding, even if they know that the next hurricane season (about now!) could reap devastation again.

As luck would have it, we only had to wait for less than 20 minutes until the next bus arrived.  So we completed the circuit through Coconut Grove (expensive) & Little Havana (more traditional Cuban), back to the depot in downtown Miami.  By now it was around midday and we had to wait another 20 minutes in the heat for the "blue" bus to Miami Beach. 

Going to Miami Beach involves traversing the causeway and bridge adjacent to the port.   I only comment on this as the wind in exposed areas was  extreme, but still the sun shone strongly.  South Beach was an eye opener,  with crowds thronging the cafe/bar area, causing massive traffic holdups.  This is also the area of the greatest number of Art Deco buildings in the world (according to them! ).  We were unable to see the waterfront from the bus however and had to wait for the first stop, a couple of blocks back (city rules).  

We walked back to the main road and had good lunch & a beer - they don't do wine here, just massive cocktails!  Oh yes, expensive, massive cocktails.  We were pretty well the only Europeans in the place and I must say that it was rocking and everyone was super friendly.  Concious of the time, we skipped across the road, through the beach activity area, through the sand dunes and onto the beach. Wow, white sand, sea (no surf) and people as far as the eye could see in both directions.  Of course most had rented chairs, umbrellas and little shade tents, so we just had to walk down through the throng to get to the water's edge.  

No, we didn't dip our toes in, which was just as well as we got back to our bus stop with less than 5 minutes until the bus arrived.   We completed the circuit,  heading north through the extensive/expensive hotel district until we turned around and followed the waterway towards the causeway.  This area overlooks the palatial estates of the rich & famous as well as their super boats.

Heading back to downtown Miami, I was keeping my eyes on the ever increasing black clouds and being aware of the inevitable afternoon rain!   We were really lucky, as none eventuated and we hit the main depot right on 5.00, which happened to be the time the shuttle took off for the ship (on the hour only 3.00 - 6.00).  It has certainly been our best experience of a Hoho and we achieved far more than what we had hoped to.

Day 81 - 20 August - Key West
We were due in at 9.00, but Captain came on the PA and reported that we'd be an hour late, due to the unusually strong Gulf Stream.  He had previously changed our departure time by 2 hours for the same reason, but obviously the current is actually even stronger than anticipated.  We had nothing planned for the day, but are aware of numerous transport options on shore.

So off the ship not long after 10.00 and there is no terminal here, just some booths selling tours & activities.  We are really berthed right in town, unlike Miami yesterday. All we were looking for was a map!  Eventually got a map from the Hoho trolley people, but baulked at the cost so headed down to the Conch train, who had a better product for us.  Not surprisingly the cost was more than quoted on the website before we left home 😐.  International tourists!!!

The little train trip through Key West took 90 minutes and we were very happy that we saw all the major attractions/buildings etc.  We also got to the southern most point of mainland USA - just 90 miles from Cuba.  We did not feel the need to get off at any time and in any event, the whole of the old town is very walkable-and many did just that.  Walked through lower Duval Street (main street), which is full of cafes/bars etc.  Good to see one entrepreneurial bar was flying both NZ & Aussie flags.

Carolines seemed a reasonable place, so we grabbed some (much cheaper) food & drink.  Vivian had fried prawns & I had a Cuban sandwich, followed by a shared Key Lime Pie - obviously we had to have the local dish.  After lunch, in the heat of the afternoon, we headed back but Vivian needed to buy a new diary.  She had found out that the pharmacy, a block away from the ship had stationery, so in we went.

We had been in a similar pharmacy in Charleston,  so knew that they stocked "everything", so in addition to the diary, we picked up a couple of bottles of wine.  Must be good for us, because we got them from the pharmacy!  The odd thing was that they had mainly NZ white wines, which even the Aussies were buying.  We topped up with reasonable Caifornian red however

Under our revised timetable we were scheduled to sail at 9.00, with all aboard at 8.30.  Well at 8.35 the Captain advised that we were still 3 passengers short.  Thankfully they turned up by 8.50 and it must have been the quickest ever pull up of the gangway,  as we pushed off exactly at 9.00.  So goodbye USA.