200 Days to go

A new adventure is on the books. The countdown clock is reading 200 Days. Before we know it, final payment will be due and then we will be sailing away. Departure Day is 4th February 2012.
Sydney to Singapore by way of China. 39 days at sea on the Diamond Princess and then a few days in Singapore before flying home to Adelaide.

Home again

Sad but true it is all over. We made many wonderful friends this trip. Had a ball. Will just have to do it all again soon.
Hawaii and Tahiti are back on the list of places to visit.

Day 33-34 - Sea days

The Final 2 days at sea. Not enough time in the day to do all on offer. New friends to have a final coffee with, games to play, food to eat and the not so good, pack the bags. We all hate the bag packing and that is when the cruise blues sets in. Time to go home, but never fear we can always book another cruise.

Day 32 – Port Denarau

Monday May 9^th – Port Denarau – Fiji
Tender port today. Linda and Alice met us at 7 am today, we were on the second tender and made it to shore soon after 8 am. By 8.30 we were swimming in the pool of one of the resorts. We caught a taxi and organised to be picked up for the return journey at 11am. We had a lovely time swimming and on our return to the dock we checked out the shops before heading back to the ship for lunch. The last tender was 1 pm so not a lot of time to venture further, but Tony and I were here 12 months ago so we were quite happy with our leisurely day.
After Lunch we slept for 2 hours, missed sail away, so we got ready for dinner (it was only 4.30). We sought out Linda and played cards until dinner time.
John, Marion and Linda joined us at our table so for the first time this cruise we had a full table.

Day 31 - Suva

Sunday May 8 – Suva, Fiji

Tony and I made arrangements to meet up with Linda and Alice before leaving the ship. Once off we decided to just check out the City and found Lesley and Ross on the dock with the same plans, so we stuck together and roamed the city. Not all shops were open as this is a Sunday, and by lunch time we decided to head to the ship for a feed. We all ate in the dinning room and then went out again for awhile. Those that have been to Suva will understand our lack of enthusiasm to travel to far a field.

Day 29 & 30 – Sea Days

Friday May 6^th & Saturday May 7^th – at Sea

As always the Sea days fly. On Friday Lesley, Ross, Linda, Barbara, Tony and I made a team for 'Passenger Feud'. We did not do very well, but we had a good laugh.

After Dinner we rushed to the Vista lounge for 'A Night at the Races'. We laughed even more than usual as the Cruise director staff dressed up for each race. They are a great team, keep us well amused.

Saturday races were in the arvo today and after dinner we teamed up for a gameshow called 'majority rules'.

Day 28 – Two Days rolled into one at Sea

Wednesday May 4^th and Thursday May 5^th – At Sea

Two days rolled into one! Today we woke up and it was Wednesday May 4^th we will go to bed tonight with it being Thursday May 5^th. This will be the shortest 2 days I have encountered.

Day 27 – Bora Bora

Tuesday May 3^rd – Bora Bora – French Polynesia
Our last day in paradise, and we had to tender to the shore. Ross again had organised us a tour for 8 of us, this time just 3 hours. Our first stop today was to feed the sharks, yea again. Today was different in that we were in deep water and the sharks were bigger, but below us, about 30 feet down. The water was deep enough that a submarine was able to pass under us.
The rays today were larger than the last two days and with each passing day we were all more confident in our interaction with them. Our last stop was for a snorkel and this was also in deeper water than we have experienced this trip.
With the tour over we headed back to the dock and seven of us decided to visit Bloody Mary's for a drink. We found Linda on the dock about to return to the ship so she joined us. Bloody Mary's is a bar/eatery that has a sand floor and a controversial men's loo. We women did visit but it is not that great, in fact it is rather disappointing. I will not give it away, so you can all look for yourselves when you visit. We had a drink at the bar. Barbara had a Bloody Mary that she could not finish as it was too hot with the Tabasco Sauce that was added. We were all hungry by now so we headed back to the ship for a feed.
The weather has been perfect til now, it started to rain just before we caught the tender, so after dinner the scheduled deck party was held in the rain. It did not dampen the enthusiasm of the many passengers who attended, we stayed for a while but retired early, our 4 days of tours has warn us out and I am fighting a head cold.

Day 26 - Raiatea

Monday May 2^nd – Raiatea – French Polynesia
Raiatea is the second-largest island in French Polynesia
Today we are joining Ross and Lesley and 8 others on a tour that will take us around the tiny island of Tahaa just 2 miles north of Raiatea. The two islands share a Lagoon and are encircled by the same protective barrier reef. The itinerary for the day was swimming with rays and sharks, visiting a vanilla plantation, lunch and snorkelling. Even though we had done similar yesterday this was different as today we drift snorkelled, you just get in and the current takes you through the coral garden.


This tour was with Mata tours and cost us $100US per person for the full day.

Day 25 - Moorea

Sunday May 1^st- Moorea – French Polynesia
Moorea is only 20 miles to the North of Papeete. We apparently set sail at 330am in order to arrive here at 800am this morning. Today was a tender port. As we had no planned tours today we took our swim and snorkel gear and took the 15min ride to the shore. Within 5minutes we had negotiated a snorkel tour that included ray and shark feeding for a cost of 4000 CFX each.
It was a small group on our boat and it was exciting to be able to get in the waist deep water with the rays and sharks. The rays are very friendly; they obviously know where their easiest food source comes from.
Back on the boat and off we went to a nice beach where we were supplied with water and fresh pineapple. We soon ventured back in the water to snorkel. There were no time constraints; the boat came back every hour with another load of passengers so we could stay for as long as we wanted. When we came in for a break we found Linda and Alice had arrived and further down the beach, Ross and Lesley were also there. We snorkelled some more before retuning to the dock and then hopped on a tender back to our food supply, Horizon Court. The weather was once again perfect and a good day was had by all we spoke with.

Day 24 – Papeete - Tahiti



Saturday 30^th April – Papeete – Tahiti
Our little princess Port Guide reads "Think of any superlative – beautiful, stunning, magnificent, spectacular- and you'll just begin to describe Tahiti, that island paradise….."
Well I have one more word to add to the list WOW, not a word but we sure used it plenty today. WOW describes the views, the land the waterholes and the time we spent together today.
I was the organiser of today's tour; eight of us went 4WD driving through the centre of the island. Another group of 8 CCers were in a second vehicle.








We met our drivers at 930am for our full day tour. The first stop we made was for food so that we could picnic later. Our two vehicles then headed out of the town and towards the interior of this pretty island. Waterfalls were a plenty, the winding and sometimes rough roads took us higher and higher towards the clouds. We stopped and our guide Patrick gave us times to photograph his backyard and told us about the flora and fauna. We tasted native fruit growing along the way.

When lunch time came around we stopped and Patrick lead us up and then down on a tiny path to a place he called his office, you could only wish to have an office like this one. Not every one of the 16 made it to the office but those of us who did enjoyed a wonderful dip in a waterhole. We had a waterfall to get a massage from and rocks to sit on in the water when not swimming about. WOW! How great was this. We had to hike back to the rest of the group to have our lunch while sitting in a river bed, under the shade of trees. WOW!

Onward we went up and up, then through a tunnel in the mountain to the other side of the island. By now we had passed the centre point and all that was left to do was head back to the ship. This tour took us 8 ½ hours for a cost of $80US per person.

The tour operator is Patrick 4x4 Adventure website: papeete.com/patrick/

Email him on patrickaventure@mail.pf if you are travelling to Papeete, you are sure to have a WOW time.





Hiking to the 'office'



Patrick at his "office"



The gang in the "office"



Lunchtime





View from "office" window



WOW what a view

Waterfall



Light at the end of the tunnel



Looking back to where we had been





 



Great day coming to an end



Days 21, 22 &23 – At Sea

Wednesday27^th, Thursday28^th & Friday 29^th April – Busy Sea Days
We have all partied hard these last few days. With Captain Circle nights held over two consecutive nights( too many reapeat sailors for just one),a late night in Jammers, a Pre-Wedding do up on deck followed by the broadcast of the service and tonight a special Atrium party I have had no time to post. Adding some photos, to tell the story of our adventures with our new friends.


The Gang in Jammers til close.



Tony with cruise staff at Pre-wedding Party



Adam in Atrium Bar entertaining Us



Day 20 – Sea Day

Tuesday 26^th April – at Sea
The CCers met again today to welcome those that joined us in Honolulu, it was a well attended Meet and Greet,

Today I thought I would try and fill you in on some of the ship rumours, gossip and perhaps some factual stuff that may be of interest.

Let's start with happy hour, fact, it is called Power Hours. From 8 pm til close you can get all these at all bars for $3.99.
Cocktails     Pina Colada
                   Singapore Sling
                        Long Island Ice Tea
Beer            Dos Equis (also called XX)
                   Becks


I heard a story about a lady who had breakfast deliveredto the cabin; her husband was out and about, so when she was finished she put the tray out side the door. The door slammed shut behind her; she was in her nightie and no card to get back in. She asked a passing passenger to call her cabin steward, but he did not answer. Another Steward finally came to her aid. I will refrain from mentioning names but it was NOT me, or Barbara but it was someone from our table.

 People have been put off for fighting, probably Laundry rage, but hey doesn't that rumour go round every cruise. I have no first hand knowledge of this.

Someone was hurt on a Princess shore excursion. This is fact, I met the woman in the Laundry, and she has a badly broken arm from falling off a bicycle in Tonga. Poor husband had the bags packed and was on shore when she was returned to the ship with only 5 mins to spare, some US military guys had helped her to the hospital and rushed her through so she could continue the cruise.

Make friends with the Head Waiter (White coat), it can get you some preferential treatment. Again fact, Tony and our head waiter banter each night, so when Tony complained that they do not offer as many soufflés as they have on other cruises he promised to speak to the chef after Easter. Two nights later, before Easter our table was served Anti Pesto the the Head Waiter personally and at dessert time out came Chocolate soufflés for just our table. I don't like them; so I gave mine to a guy who sits nearby who had seen them arrive only to be told it was a special order and not available. Lucky us hey!!

Day 19 – Kona - Hawaii

Monday 25^th April – Kona – Hawaii
Tony started the day at the Dawn Service which was attended by 150ish people.
Kona is another tender Port, no problems with getting off, our tender left the ship with maybe 20 people on board. We got to shore by 8.30 and spent the day going from one shopping centre to another. We did not shop in all the other ports but we made up for it today. Caught the Shuttle to the first place Wal-Mart, a friendly local couple drove us to a camera shop after we asked for directions and said we were walking. We then walked a couple of miles to K-mart and Macy's, followed by another mile to Target. (Notice I am talking in American distance, got to do as the locals do) We hopped in a taxi back to the wharf and the taxi driver was English. Picked up some beer and last minute souvenirs from an ABC shop, and joined the long cue for a tender.
Goodbye Hawaii it has been great.

Day 18- Honolulu - Hawaii

Sunday 24^th April – Honolulu – Hawaii


Tony and I were off the ship by 8am again today, took a bus to Ala Moana Shops. Please note we did not shop. We caught a bus that goes all the way around the island, it cost us $2.50 each it takes 4 hours if you do not get off. We did stop once for refreshments and hopped back on the next bus ½ hour later. The north shore area is so pretty, well worth the trip. Unfortunately I missed much of it as I had me one of my headaches, took some drugs and slept a lot of the way. We hopped off the bus near the ship, ate, I slept for ½ hour and off we went again to Waikiki. My headache had settled but I was mighty light headed, so we called it a day about 6.30 and returned to the ship for dinner in Horizon Court. I then went to bed to sleep off the drugged state I seemed to be in. Tony woke me for sail away and then straight back to bed.

150 new cruisers joined the ship today and many of the staff changed over also.



Waikiki Beach



Day 17 – Maui - Hawaii

Saturday 23^rd April – Maui – Hawaii

Today was a tender port, so like good people we met early to get our tender tickets and got ashore by 8am, an hour before our pick up time. Ross had organised a private taxi for 6 of us, so we checked out this lovely town before we took off on our tour. Not the best guide today, but we still had fun, got in some snorkelling, but I am still not thrilled with what these people think is good snorkelling areas. Sure hope Tahiti lives up to its hype coz Hawaii does not.

Finished the day by buying some fabric from a local Quilt shop and headed back to the ship for more FOOD of course.

Dinner tonight was Indian so our entire table, that is just five of us, Barbara, Ross, Lesley, Tony and I went for Pizza. Great company as usual but the Pizza did not do it for me, oh well maybe next time.

Day 16 - Hilo - Hawaii

Friday 22^nd April – Hilo, Hawaii

Today 12 of us took a tour organised by Ross. This being our first US port we all needed to front up for a face to face with US immigration. Our group arranged to line up at 7am and this meant we were all processed within the first half hour. By the time we all left the ship at 9am people were being asked not to line up as the line was through the Atrium all the way to Vista Lounge and growing.


Our hosts for the day Tina and Gil Nelson were waiting for us in two air conditioned vans. This nearly 7 hr tour took us to Akaka & Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory, Akatsuka Orchid Gardens and the Volcano National Park. We had photo stops at all of these as well as Halemau'mau Crater, Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Caldera and the Jagger Museum.

We had a great day and if anyone is visiting Hilo in the future I recommend you visit Tina and Gil's website: http://www.ainatours.com/ you will not be disappointed, this tour only cost us $US80 each.



Akaka Falls





Kiluaea Caldera



Day 15- Sea Day

Thursday 21^st April

Photos from the Crossing the Equator Ceremomy - It was a hot day and many turned out for the event.



Kiss the Fish



Days 13 & 14 - Sea Days

 Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th April – More lazy days at sea.

Ice Carving - An Eagle



Dicey Wooden Horse Racing

Tony as a jockey

Day 12 – Sea Day

Monday 18^th April – Yet another super busy day at sea. Carpet Bowls was the game of the day, we spent 1.5 hrs playing and watching this morning. Close to 100 passengers turned out to play. Trivia started before we finished to bowls so we just popped in to hear the answers.
Washing has been on our to do list for a couple of days now, so we went for it. It was actually quite an OK experience no unhappy people, all smiling and friendly.
We slipped out for lunch between wash and dry cycles and then as a washer was still free (amazing) we did a second load, so now we should be right till after Hawaii.
Dicey Wooden Horse Racing filled in the arvo before afternoon tea. We just found enough spare time to play trivia before putting on our fancy threads as it was Formal Night the evening.
The early show was not riveting so Linda, Tony and I left to have pre dinner drinks. Ross and Lesley had seen us leave and were quick to join us.
Here was a Production Show after Dinner and then we listened to Adam on his piano yet again to finish off the night.

Day 11 – Sea Day

Sunday 17^th April – No resting on sea days, breakfast, 9.30am Quoits in the Atrium, 10.45 am Trivia then lunch.

1pm I watched to Ice carving and returned to the cabin to check on a sleeping Tony, just in time to take a call from Linda ( another CC friend) who wanted to meet up for a chat. She took me to check out her cabin, followed by a game of shuttle board, and then we had refreshments in Horizon court with Ross, Lesley and Tony.

By now it was 3.15 pm and time to find a spot to watch the crossing the Equator Ceremony.

Another round of trivia was slotted in before dressing for Dinner.

Note to self – put aside time to post some photos for the people at home.

Day 10 – Pago Pago – American Samoa

Saturday 16^th April – Pago Pago, is a lovely port and you need to be up to watch the ship sail in. The harbour is in a bay created by Mother Nature; the seawall of a volcano collapsed, allowing water to enter the steep-sided volcano.

 

We were off the ship by 9am and soon sitting in a local bus taking a $20 per head 2hr private tour. Only 11 of us shared this bus, I could have been 25 but the operator was satisfied with the smaller number, unlike many others who had to sit squashed in uncomfortable seats. We all had a seat for 2 to ourselves and a window. It was a pleasant trip; the bus stopped for us to take photos and made a stop at a local store when we requested a drinks break. Most of us hopped off short of the ship to have a swim at small beach, before walking back to the ship for lunch. The humid weather we are experiencing is a shock to the system and the suns rays are starting to brown up my fair skin a little now. I am being super careful not to get burnt. We returned ashore and walked to the town centre and back.

Tony and I do not like Derringer the resident band so to save ourselves from their noise we watched us depart this lovely port from deck 7.

After dinner we thought we might make a donation to the Casino, but surprisingly we left with ever so slightly heavier pockets.

Day 9 – Apia, Western Samoa

Friday 15^th April – We arrived early in Apia. A crew member needed urgent medical attention; he had an internal haemorrhage, so the Captain increased speed.

We were doing a Princess tour so we had breakfast and headed to the assigned meeting place. With no prior organising we just happened met up with Ross and Lesley and once again spent a lovely day with them. The tour took us around the island coast and through the centre to a waterfall lookout and then on to Tafa Tafa Beach. The scenery along the way was beautiful. At the beach we had fruit refreshments and then swam and snorkelled for the next hour and a half. The water was warm and the coral not so interesting. It was a good tour til it was time to go home, we had to endure the long trip back. It took an hour and forty minutes and as we were behind 3 other buses the diesel fumes were a bit much to take. I used my hat to filter the air I was breathing, no way was anyone closing any windows, as the temp was 34C.

Back on board the ship and hunger had set in, so we made a quick visit to our room to drop of our gear, and I decided I needed to give my face a wipe over. The white flannel turned a horrid colour by the time I had finished; I looked at it in horror before realising that it was the diesel (soot) that had caused it. After another go at it just to be sure I it was tanning happening on my face not dirt, we headed to Horizon Court for a feed.

A shower and a sleep was the next order of the day, with us waking with just enough time to get ready for Dinner. We set sail after Dinner had begun. Tonight was our first Production Show, 'Shimmy' which any one who has sailed with Princess in the last few years would have seen. It is still good to watch as each time it is a different cast.

Off to bed now it is another port day tomorrow. Pago Pago, American Samoa. We have nothing planned here so we will play it by ear.

Day 8 – at Sea

Thursday 14^th April –That is not a mistake. We have had two Thursdays.
Tony had a bad night, a tummy upset, nauseated. Now he knows what I feel like when I get a 'you beaut' Migraine or heaven forbid Seasickness. He can not blame the feast in Apia as no one else had the same problem. He fine now thank goodness. 
It was a slow day, got up at 930am and really did nothing all day. We had a swim around 3pm, Lesley and Ross joined us in the pool closest to the MUTS screen. We watched people fail miserably at Wii archery in the comfort of the pool.
Dinner as usual was good there are five of us occupying a table for eight, so we like to mix up the seating, one night we are all side by side, the next we space it out. Just for variety! Must say there is a very poor turn out in our area of the dining room. The three waiting teams around us, including ours, should all have 20 people each, they average 9 apiece.
The show tonight was SAD. Nathan Foley, singer (so you think you have heard that name before? Maybe so, he WAS part of a kids group HIGH FIVE).Well he has a nice enough voice, the Princess band was great backing, BUT, his diction was atrocious, did not understand half the words to the songs. He is leaving us in Apia so no need to worry.
Adam James has become our staple evening ending; he plays a mean piano and sings OK. His diction is perfect; you understand every word of every song. Adam takes requests and tries not to ruin them; mostly he does a good job. I have discovered Long Island Ice tea, the atrium bar makes it good and potent and for those not in the know, they are on the Happy Hour list, that I have neither seen nor heard officially about, but it does exist. $4 is all it costs me.

Day 7 – Vava’u



View from lookout


Thursday, April 14^th – Tender Day today, so we needed to get up and meet our fellow tourists for tender ticket allocation at 845am. No one was late so we had the first 7 tickets getting us on land by 9am. We found our driver Semsei and off we went in a very comfortable 4WD Van. We Saw Kava being processed, which is laid out to dry so it could be ground to a powder. Kava is a plant that has narcotic effects apparently; the local men drink it a lot. We also watched some women preparing and weaving mats. The 4WD was needed to get us to a remote lookout on the North side, the view was spectacular. Our angels were watching us as soon after hitting open road we discovered the van had a flat tire. Easy to change on this road but had it happened on our inland jaunt I can not imagine how it would have been done.
Our lunch was waiting for us on a beach under the very cool shade of a Banyan tree. Plenty of seafood, Lobster in abundance and other fish and salads as well. I do not care for seafood but the rest of our group ate their fill and there was still some over. All this was washed down by the milk of a freshly opened coconut.
We all swam and snorkelled after lunch til it was time to return to the ship.
Dinner menu was a little poor when comparing to the luncheon feast, but we still ate. The evening's entertainment was made up of a show with the Mexican and the Magician, Adam James and finished at Jammers Disco. Made it to bed soon after 1am, Thursday Morning.
.

Tongan Feast

Day 6 - Nuku’alofa

Wednesday, April 13^th – Land, who needs it really. You have to get up early, pack your gear for the day, eat your breakfast. All this just to step foot on land! Well actually it was worth it, this Tongan island is flat, lusciously green and most welcoming. Tony and I took a tour with 33 other CCers . We travelled over many very bumpy roads on our jaunt around this lovely island. We saw the Blowholes, many historical sites and had time for a dip in the ocean after our lunch of Fish and Chips. The weather was Hot, Humid and we even got a little rain thrown in. Needless to say we all enjoyed ourselves and the company of our new found friends.

Back on the Dawn, quick lets eat!. No joke it was the first thing we did, touring and swimming works up an appetite. Found a few of our companions form today in the pool, so as we were still dressed in appropriate attire; in we went.

Just enough time was left for a shower before sail away. We stayed on the top deck to watch a most beautiful sunset before the obligatory 'nanna nap' before dinner. The after dinner show tonight was Lisa Crouch and we finished the night in the Atrium lounge with Adam James.

Day 5- Yet another Sea Day

Tuesday, 12 April 2011 – Lunch in the buffet today nothing took my fancy on the dining room menu, so I had bread and hot chips, Tony made do with a salad. We played Outburst in the arvo and were going to have a go at Wii baseball but the bad weather, loads of rain meant they could not plug in the equipment. Tony read for a while (til he dozed off and I did half a lace bookmark. We found our tablemates at afternoon tea so we chatted with them for some time. We have and early show, that is pre dinner show, and then another after dinner tonight, so we need to dress for dinner much earlier. The Comedian Magician, Steve Hart, was OK would not bother to see him again. String Fever was great, so wish I had not missed their first show. After the show we had drinks with Ian one of the assistant cruise directors while listening to Adam James an English pianist/singer til he finishes at 1130. Have listened to him now, for 3 nights in a row. Tonight we then went to the rocking disco bar Jammers, 2 bar staff and 1 DJ plus the Cruise Director and his deputy and US. Sad but we stayed till 1230 before turning in.

Day 4 – Sea Day

Monday 11^th April – A lazy day at sea. Chatting, eating, playing Taboo, Wii tennis (gee I suck at that game, never came close to hitting a ball), more food and a wonderful vocalist Lisa Crouch in the Princess theatre to round off the evening.

Day 3 – Sea Day

Sunday April 10^th - What a great day; no headache.
After breakfast we attended a CC meeting. Met the people we will be doing many of our tours with. Some crew members popped in to say hi including our Captain.
After lunch we went to Wii bowling, just watched Norfolk Island float past us, and had Afternoon tea. Tony is now napping; I am watching a movie while typing this. We will be getting ready for dinner in 2 hours, the day has flown. Only 2 more sea days and we will be in Tonga.





Norfolk Island

 

Day 2 – Sea Day

Saturday 9^th April – the lost day for me. Woke with a headache, turned into a migraine, had me out for the entire day.

Departure Day

Friday 8^th April. – The flight into Sydney was fabulous because we came in over the city. The Dawn Princess was clearly visible berthed in Darling Harbour.
Sydney had provided us with the perfect day for sailaway which was delayed til 430pm – one passenger was late arriving. We met us with some of the online CC group for drinks at sailaway. Great to put faces to names.
We are sitting with 5 other CCers at our dinner table, as arranged pre cruise.



Sailaway



Just 1 more Sleep

Tommorrow is the day. We have a 9am flight out of Adelaide to Sydney to meet up with our old friend the Dawn Princess. The bags are packed. Very heavy, but hopefully still under the allowable 23kg each. I tried so hard to leave stuff out , but.... oh well, we will not be able to buy anything to bring back unless we discard something we take first.

Hawaiian Cruise 2011

12 Sleeps to go.

Sunday 27th March 2011.  The bags are out and the list is being checked, with only 12 sleeps to go it is time to start packing. 5 weeks to pack for...... the list is hard to pare down, do not want to take too much but need to take enough.