At Sea Day and Debarkation:

            After our late night dancing, we slept in on Friday morning.  According to the Carnival FUNTIMES, the Lido breakfast buffet was scheduled to close at 10:30 AM; however, it was still open when we arrived there after 11:00 AM.  Before long, we headed for lunch in the Imagination Dining Room for a very light lunch and to redeem our free drink coupons.   We both had Mai Tais, which were very good.   Since we needed to have our packed luggage in the hallway for pickup before dinner, we spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns packing and relaxing.  After dinner, we enjoyed the customary Baked Alaska for dessert, as well as a share of Verna and Earl’s anniversary cake.  Then we tried dancing to music provided by DJ Marius in the Jekyll & Hyde Dance Club, but the music was much too loud (deafening!) for Sally, so we danced only one song.

Tomorrow morning, we will be disembarking and taking the hotel shuttle to Quality Inn New Orleans Cruiseport to pick up our vehicle before heading home.  We’ll stay overnight somewhere along the way and arrive home sometime on Sunday.

Signing off at the end of another lovely cruise!

Cozumel, Mexico:

             Thursday, 13 Dec 2012 – We slept until 9:30 AM and headed for breakfast.  We were expecting an empty ship; however, the leaden sky promised to rain steadily most of the day, so that the majority of the passengers were still on board.  We had planned to go ashore and simply walk a bit in Cozumel, but decided to stay on board and keep dry instead.  By noon, it did clear up, we heard after the fact.  Having an interior cabin for the first time, we are usually in it, watching TV (Jesse) and reading (Sally).  At midday, we went for our usual late lunch, where we sat with family and friends; and at 4:00 PM we watched as the last few passengers hurried to the ship before its departure.
              As usual, we’ve been using the stairs in lieu of elevators on this cruise; but tonight was the first time that we took advantage of a dancing opportunity.  After dinner and beginning at 10:00 PM, we danced to the High Rise Band on the Lido deck; hopefully, this will help slightly with some extra pounds that we’ve been piling on.  (The two lobster dinners each that we devoured last evening and other rich food are to blame, of course!)

Progreso, Mexico:

Pit Stop

Pyramid of Kulkulcan

             We set our alarm clock for 6:00 AM, but luckily, we had requested a wake-up call as a backup, since the alarm clock didn’t go off until 6:30 AM.  After breakfast at the Lido Buffet, we disembarked and met our tour group on shore at 8:15 AM.  We had a 2-1/4 hour bus ride to the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins, with a brief stop along the way for necessities.  Chichen Itza is one of the most important archeological sites on the American continent and was once the home of the great Mayan Empire.  Replicas of the Pyramid of Kulkulcan have been seen in many movies, such as Mel Gibson’s Apocalypso.   Although the sun was very hot and we were tired, the scenery was spectacular.  Most of us enjoyed an afternoon siesta on the bus trip back to the ship. 

Earl and Verna

             After freshening up, we went to the ship’s restaurant for pizza before heading to Verna and Earl’s anniversary party.  The party became quite lively as Verna serenaded the group with Christmas carols.  After the party, we relaxed in our cabin until dinner.

5-day Western Caribbean Cruise

            Sunday, 9 Dec 2012 – Yes, we have departed for ANOTHER cruise.  This time, we’re sailing on the Carnival Elation, roundtrip from New Orleans, LA, with stops in Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico.  We left home late Saturday morning, stopping in West Memphis for the night; and then drove the rest of the way to New Orleans on Sunday.  We left our vehicle in the motel parking lot as part of their Hotel and Parking Package, which includes one night hotel accommodations, parking, and free round trip cruise port shuttle service.

On Monday, it was raining hard as we left the hotel in the shuttle.  In fact, New Orleans was under a tornado watch, and the temperature was much cooler than expected.  We boarded the ship around noon.  Since our ship cabin would not be ready until 12:30 PM, we went to the Lido Buffet for lunch.  We were unpacked in time for the 3:30 PM safety briefing; afterwards, Sally checked out some books from the library and we relaxed in our cabin until dinner.  Although we purchased our cruise tickets separately, Jesse’s sister’s tour agent managed to get us seated the rest of the group.  Our dinner table at 8:15 PM included Jesse’s sister, Verna, and her husband, Earl; Jesse's niece, Catherine, and her husband, Mario; one of Jesse’s high school classmates, Helen, and her husband Larry;  and Shelton and Fanny.   Jesse’s other sister, Catherine; his nieces, Melissa and Dolores; his sister-in law, Julia; and other friends were seated at two other nearby tables.  We looked for places to dance after dinner, but instead, returned to our cabin for an early night – not really that early anymore, as it was 10:00 PM.

On Tuesday morning, we went to the Lido Buffet for breakfast, and a few hours later for a late lunch.  The setup on the Carnival Elation is a lot different from the Princess cruise ships, which takes a little getting used to, but so far, the food has been great.  We’re also finding our way around more easily than usual.  Today the temperature on deck is more comfortable for shorts and sandals.  The pools and hot tubs are full of kids because lots of young families are on this cruise, totally opposite from the last two long Princess cruises we have taken.  Tonight is a formal night, which requires “Cruise Elegant” attire, so Sally will be wearing an evening gown and Jesse will be wearing his tuxedo.  We will be posing in a group photo with Verna’s cruise group at 10:30 PM; then heading back to our cabin.  Our excursion departs at 8:15 AM tomorrow morning.

Return to USA

On Airport Shuttle

             On Monday, 22 Oct 2012 in Sydney, Australia our alarm woke us up at 6:00 AM.  (We set two clocks, just in case.)  After dressing, eating breakfast, and finishing packing, we made it down to the lobby on time.  The shuttle arrived at 8:30 AM, and got us to the airport a half-hour later.  The airport layout seemed a little confusing, but we soon learned that the airline counters were arranged in alphabetical order; however, we still could not locate Qantas Airlines.  We were informed by one of the staff that the Qantas Airline’s counter was located in the C-D area (phonetic alphabet arrangement?).

            Our plane took off at 11:52, almost an hour late.  After only about 3 hours of sleep (typical for her before a trip), very soon Sally came down with stage one of a cold (runny nose and sneezing), which made for a miserable day; our cold medications were stowed in checked luggage.  On the plane, we were served a nice dinner and complimentary drinks (we chose white wine).  Later, we were served a snack consisting of a small, very tasty, packaged roasted red pepper pizza.  Lots of movies were available on the flight.  We both watched “Dark Shadows,” a comedy with Johnny Depp, and Jesse watched several others.  About 4:30 AM, we were served breakfast, which interrupted Jesse’s movie-watching.  We even had a choice of hot or cold breakfast.

            The plane landed in Los Angeles at 6:30 AM, Monday, 22 October which, by the clock, appeared to be five hours before we left Sydney.  Thus, we started Monday all over again!  (Sally’s watch, still on Sydney time, read Tuesday, 12:30 AM.)  Since we were scheduled for a close departure time to Dallas, we were given orange “expedite” boarding passes after we cleared customs, which helped us move faster through security.  Luckily, we made it to our gate just in time for departure.  (Surprisingly, it was also faster to change from the international to domestic terminal in L.A. than in most other major hubs we have used.)

            The flight to Dallas was on a much smaller plane, with no movies and only the usual domestic flight offerings: nonalcoholic drinks with no snacks.  We landed at the Dallas airport 10 minutes ahead of schedule.  There, we purchased cold medication for Sally, which improved her cold symptoms but upset her stomach.  Our flight to Peoria was scheduled for 2:50 PM on an even smaller plane, but due to mechanical problems, the plane did not leave Dallas until 4:30 PM, arriving in Peoria at 6:00 PM.  After driving to Bettendorf, we stopped to eat dinner and then arrived home by 9:00 PM.  Sally was asleep within the next hour – the end of a 40-hour Monday!  (Of course, Jesse stayed up even longer, dozing while watching a replay of the Presidential debates.)

            We slept until the phone rang on Tuesday afternoon after 1:00.  Although Jesse got up, Sally continued sleeping until 5:00 PM.  Probably it will take a few days to resume a normal sleep schedule.  Yes, Jesse is already planning our next cruise, next time maybe to the Far East, but first he has to clean the basement – Sally’s orders.

THE END

Sydney, Australia

             On Friday, 19 Oct 2012, we woke up early but lounged around our hotel room for a long time.  Finally we found out the location of the free “Green Shuttle Bus” and then rode around the central portion of Sydney, which took about 30 minutes.  On the second trip around, we got off at the harbor and walked around there.  The Carnival Spirit cruise ship was in dock, along with several harbor tour boats.  Since Jim and Gail had told us that Australian meat pies were a “must have” dish in Sydney, we bought two.  They were very tasty, but if Jesse had been hungry, it would have taken four of five of them to satisfy his appetite!  Just as we were starting to board the bus again, a German woman called out to us; she remembered us (actually Jesse) from our talking with her one morning on the Sea Princess.  From the bus, we also saw a woman that we had met from the Bahamas.  Sydney is a large city, but with 1,500 or so Sea Princess cruisers wandering around, we were bound to run into some of them.  We returned to our hotel room in mid-afternoon and rested until dinner time, when we walked towards Chinatown.  After checking out the menus (and prices) at several restaurants, we finally settled on the Sakae Japanese Cuisine restaurant.  The meal was excellent; moreover, Jesse ate almost his entire meal with chopsticks until he got a cramp in his little finger.  In spite of a few wrong turns, we made it back to our hotel room by 8:00 PM.



Green Shuttle Bus

Sydney Harbor

            At 1:15 AM on Saturday, 20 Oct 2012 we lurched to wakefulness when a loud, repetitive noise, followed by a loud announcement over and over, bombarded us: “The alarm has activated.”  Then, the repetitive announcement changed to “Evacuate the building.”  After pulling on our clothes, we joined others in going down the stairs to the sidewalk in front of the building.  Fire trucks sat at the curb.  Once there, we talked with a couple who often shared the dance floor with us in the Wheel House bar; it turns out that their room was just down the hall in the hotel.  The walk back up the 90 steps to the fourth floor totally woke us up for the next 1.5 hours!  After finally getting back to sleep, we woke around 8:00, ate breakfast, and boarded the free Green Shuttle around 11:30.   About noon we arrived at the harbor, where we purchased tickets for a harbor cruise for $25.00 AUD each, with a boarding time of 2:45 PM.  Then we walked along the pier to the Opera House.  Since neither one of us was up to following a tour guide around for an hour, we only toured the building exterior and the lobby areas.  (We had been told by someone that morning that the interior of the Opera House is “overrated,” which also influenced us.)  In a lower lobby, we ran into our Reno friends, Toby, Susan, Mattie, and Terry.  Amazing!  After that, we wandered around the pier and shared a waffle ice cream sundae until boarding time.  The harbor cruise lasted an hour and we enjoyed the scenery.  Afterwards, we took the green shuttle bus back to the hotel, where we lounged until dinner time.  For dinner, we had pizza and salad at Macchiato Pizza.  (Yes, the pizza was small and over-priced, but delicious; and the entire meal was probably the most nutritious one that we have had since leaving the Sea Princess.)



View from Sydney Tower Eye

On Green Shuttle

St Mary's Cathedral

On Sunday, 21 Oct 2012, we took the green shuttle bus to St. Patrick’s Church.  Since we must have arrived at the bus stop soon after it had left (and then we had to walk about two blocks), we were 15 minutes late – though there were several who came in after us.  St. Patrick’s Church has Mass on Sunday on the hour beginning at 7:00 AM through 12:00 noon, then again from 3:00 through 6:00, and finally a last Mass at 8:00 PM.  (We wondered where they could find enough priests to cover so many Masses.)  The inside is small, but pretty.  Soon after that, we found a McDonald’s, where we ate their “serious Lamb” (which we would call a lamb burger) and a chocolate frappé.   The lamb burger was topped with a fried egg, sliced beet, sliced tomato, and lettuce.  It was quite good.  From there, we walked into the entrance to the botanical gardens; however, since we didn’t feel up to doing a lot of walking, we didn’t go far.  (There are just too many things to see in Sydney!)  We walked to a place where we could board the green shuttle bus again and went to the Sydney Tower Eye.  For $25 each, we went up to the circular, glassed-in observation deck, where we walked around, viewing Sydney from all angles.  (We didn’t take the “sky walk,” which would have been higher and would require the wearing of a jumpsuit and tether!)  When this structure was built in September 1981, it was the fourth tallest structure in the world.  From there, we walked to St. Mary’s Cathedral and went inside.  The interior is much larger than St. Patrick’s Church.  Unfortunately, photography is not allowed, but the stained glass windows and altar are beautiful.  From there, we boarded another shuttle bus, this time revisiting Market City.  Jesse had wanted to return there, ever since our first visit there on Thursday.  This time Sally bought a Sydney shirt, her only souvenir from here.  (Jesse had found a khaki hat that fits him earlier in the day, after looking for one at every stop on our trip.)  For dinner, we decided to go back to the Japanese restaurant again.



Sydney Tower Eye

Harbor Cruise

              About the weather in Sydney, Sally expected it to be a temperate climate about like San Francisco or Los Angeles.  It is apparently sub-tropical, with palm trees everywhere.  It is spring here, with temperatures expected in the 70’s (though Australians use Celsius).  Saturday was unexpectedly hot, and the Internet prediction for Sunday was 86 degrees.  However, it was cooler than that because more clouds moved in.  Monday it is supposed to be 66 degrees, but we’ll just be going to the airport.  We purchased airport shuttle tickets from the hotel clerk for $16.00 AUD each.  We could have purchased tickets from the convenience store across the street for $12.00 AUD each, but we felt more comfortable making the purchase through the hotel.  We will need to be down in the hotel lobby by 8:00 AM.

Debarkation



Sydney from the Sea Princess

Last Day Onboard with Jim and Gail

             Thursday, 18 Oct 2012 – We set our alarm clock for 6:45 AM; however, the noise from the ship as it docked woke us up around before 6:00 AM.  We called Gail and Jim and met them for breakfast.  It was great getting to spend our last few hours on board the ship with them.  We disembarked around 9:45 AM.   The lines through immigration and customs moved very quickly, so we were at our hotel by 10:00 AM.  However, since check in was not until 2:00 PM, we stowed our bags in the hotel storage room and went out to explore Sydney.  When we needed to make a rest stop, we found Curve Café Bar, where we relaxed with mugs of hot chocolate for a considerable time.  We also surveyed the area for small convenience stores for breakfast groceries before walking more.  We walked to Chinatown and through Market City, a huge building, which looks just like an indoor flea market selling all products from China without named brands.  Sally had a hard time getting Jesse to leave.  We ran into several familiar-looking Sea Princess cruisers, who always recognized us, since we are such a memorable couple.  We finally checked in at 2:17 PM, but were probably nearly the last of those waiting.  The hotel storage room door had been left open to the sidewalk, and only one other set of luggage was left sitting there besides ours.  The hotel attendant said “Someone” had left the door open, but we knew he was the only “someone” who could have done it.  Luckily, everything was still there.  We pulled our luggage to the very slow elevator, and then to our room on the fourth floor, at the far end of the corridor around a corner and down four steps!

Chinatown

Market City

The room is small, but comfortable.  It is equipped with a coffee maker, alarm clock, and TV, but no telephone.  This was disappointing because we had planned to contact our Reno friends regarding a meeting for drinks.  However, we have fast Internet!  The sink and storage areas are almost microscopic, and we won’t bother trying to hang our clothes!  After resting up, we walked back Chinatown for dinner.  Sally immediately asked for forks, and Jesse soon used one, too.  Afterwards, we walked to a “Sydney Paradise Supermarket” for groceries, then back to the hotel where we called it an early night.

At Sea

              On Monday, 15 Oct 2012, we slept very late, until about 11:00 AM.  Sally had been awake for a while earlier but then went back to sleep, so that we barely made it to the Horizon Court before they closed the breakfast line.  We ate breakfast with Gail and Jim, and talked for quite a while.  Then we returned to our cabin, where Sally did a little hand-washing and we watched the movie “Touchback” on TV.  This made us late for our final Cruisecritics meeting.  During this cruise, we didn’t reap any benefits from the Cruisecritics meetings; however, the website beforehand allowed us to meet Gail and Jim from Australia before even we even boarded the ship in San Francisco; and also enabled us to enjoy Tai Chi classes.  (Thank you, Jeanine!)  Roy made it to dinner tonight, but it was apparent that he was still suffering badly from his cold.  Terry and Mattie had eaten earlier and were not there tonight.  After dinner, we danced only 30 minutes or so at the Wheelhouse Bar.

Formal Dinner

            On Tuesday, Sally slept very late, until about 11:30 AM.  She had been awake again for a little while earlier, but then went back to sleep.  Jesse woke around 9:00 and watched “Breaking Dawn, Part I” on TV.  Since we had missed the 11:30 breakfast deadline (and missed a meal for the first time on this cruise!), we joined Gale and Jim for lunch.  Burt and Jane, whom we had met previously, were also at our table.  Sam, a retired college president from the San Francisco Bay area, stopped by and entertained us for a little while, mostly describing his overnight adventures in Akaroa.  Apparently, not all of the stranded passengers were given five-star hotel accommodations, as we were.  Later, we dressed for our final formal-night dinner.  While our full table enjoyed a scrumptious lobster dinner, we also took photos and traded e-mail addresses.  After dinner, we stopped by the Wheelhouse Bar for dancing.  We sat with Inge and Thomas tonight and danced until 10:45 PM, the latest we’ve danced during this cruise!  Jennine had also joined us for a little while and Jesse danced twice with her.  We turned our clocks back by one hour tonight, giving us an extra hour of sleep.

Full Dinner Table (Final Night)

            On Wednesday, we woke up around 8:30 to a rainy day.  We missed seeing the New Zealand fiords either because of lost time at Akaroa or because of rougher water while crossing the “Ditch” (as Gale and Jim call it, between New Zealand and Australia).  The ship captain announced that, because of rougher water in the southern part of this sea, we were heading northward where it wouldn’t be quite as rough.  However, it has still been rough much of the time, and yesterday some people were taking pills or wearing patches to avoid sea sickness.  Today it was just as bad while trying to do Tai Chi.  Swimming pools were closed, people were advised not to go out on the deck, and a musical production scheduled for evening was cancelled.  In dance class, we learned a new Tango step and picked up a few pointers; hopefully, we won’t totally forget them by the time we arrive back home.  By 1:00 PM, we were back in our cabin, watching the Presidential debate (town meeting format, with the audience asking questions), while also packing.  We had a full table at dinner and enjoyed the “Baked Alaska” procession and took a group photo.  Afterwards, we visited the Wheelhouse Bar for the last time and danced until 9:00 PM.  Toby, Sue, John, and Roy joined us, but did not dance, though Toby danced once with the two of us (three-person dance).  Hardly anyone else was in the bar, and no one else danced.  Although Inge and Thomas stopped by to say goodbye, they didn’t dance because she was not feeling great.  Tonight we will set our clocks back again.  (We’ve lost track of how many times we have done this, not to mention crossing the International Date Line!)   We didn’t see Jim or Gail all day, but maybe we’ll run into them tomorrow morning.  Everyone must vacate their cabins by 8:30 AM, and we are scheduled to disembark in Sydney at 9:30 AM.  Goodbye, beautiful Sea Princess!

Akaroa (Christchurch), New Zealand

            On Saturday, 13 Oct 2012, we awoke to our alarm clock at 6:30 AM, dressed, ate breakfast, and headed for the Princess Theater for our 9:30 AM excursion to Christchurch via the Akaroa seaport.  It was necessary to ride to shore in the ship’s tenders to shore, which were severely delayed due to rain, high winds, and rough waters.  After sitting in the Princess Theater for an hour or so, Jesse became concerned that he was only taking a jogging jacket ashore, while most of the other guests were taking light winter jackets.  He finally rushed back to our cabin to get his jacket, which he was very glad later that he had.

Our tour bus finally headed for Christchurch about 10:30 AM.  The driver/tour guide had a wealth of knowledge about the area.  Earthquakes about two years ago caused severe damage, and many buildings are only partly repaired.  We also saw lots of sheep and cattle in the countryside.

Our first stop was the impressive Christchurch Museum, which was a scaled down version of the Auckland Museum.  There were also botanic gardens and other sites nearby, which we had to forego due to the rain.  Instead, we went into a “warm” restaurant and ordered cappuccino, latte, fish and chips, and hamburgers.  Because the service at the restaurant was so slow that the bus driver came looking for us, we had to eat our lunch on the tour bus.  (The driver was nice enough to allow us to break the “no food” rule on the bus.)

Hagglund Ride

Antarctic Snowstorm

Our next stop was Christchurch’s International Antarctic Center, where we got a taste of the South Pole by riding the Hägglund snow cat, visiting live penguins and donning cold-weather gear to experience an arctic snowstorm.  The Hägglund is a tracked amphibious vehicle used in Antarctica.  We rode over mounds, up and over a steep hill, and through a four-foot deep pool of water onto open ground.  The ride was very exciting!  Later, while experiencing the Antarctic snowstorm, Jesse remarked, “This feels like Iowa!”  Prior to leaving the Antarctic Center, we viewed the “Ice Voyage” in the 4D Extreme Theater, which took us on a cruise to Antarctica.  The moving seats, wind in our faces, water spray, bubbles, and snow let us experience an Antarctic cruise without leaving our movie seats.



Princess Birthday Cake

The George

High School Gymnasium

We then headed back to our cruise ship and arrived in Akaroa about 5:45 PM.  That’s when we were informed that the ship had stopped their tender operations due to rough waters, and we were taken to the local high school gymnasium, which was surrounded by numerous busses.  There, we joined 710 other stranded passengers and 50 crew members.   Although at first, there were few chairs, more were brought in (to Sally’s relief!).  At first, we hoped that eventually we might be able to return to the ship, but that hope soon died.  Efforts were made by medical personnel to aid those who needed insulin or other meds; and we were periodically promised (in several languages) that no one would go hungry, and that overnight lodging would be found for all – all of this in a village of about 700 population on a Saturday evening!  Eventually, volunteers served a minimum of small sandwiches of bread and half brats to everyone.  We were glad that we had eaten a hefty lunch.  Eventually, the Princess cruise staff started to look for people with disabilities or canes, and often 40 or so people were led out to a bus.  Sally, who hadn’t slept well the previous night, was beginning to wish she looked much older or in worse shape so that she and Jesse might be led out.  Anyway, it seemed that the “squeaky wheels were getting the oil” because some very fit and fairly young people were leaving.  Finally, when only about 150 or fewer people were left and they asked if there were people who really NEEDED to find lodging soon, Sally became assertive – and Jesse dutifully followed.  That time, they asked for 42 people, and we boarded a bus.  It was then 10:45 PM.  The driver informed us that we would be heading back to Christchurch (1.5 hrs. away), where we would be put up in a “5 star plus” hotel where President Clinton stayed when he visited New Zealand.  Despite the long ride, we were all very happy.  We arrived at The George (hotel) at 12:10 AM.  Once there, when it came our turn, Jesse just wrote his name and Sally’s name on a form, and we were given a key to a room.  We also were given toothbrushes and razors, if needed.  Our room was a handicapped room, so that there was no tub in the bathroom; we were a little disappointed because we had looked forward to soaking in a tub.  Anyway, we were in bed by 1: 00 AM.  Other [younger] friends who left on a bus after we did were taken to another hotel, but arrived there at 1:10 AM. 

On Sunday, 14 Oct 2012, we had a good breakfast at the hotel; checked out by 11:00 AM, were served lunch there by 11:45; and boarded a bus, which left for Akaroa at 12:30 PM.  While at the hotel, we chatted with Mary and Richard from near Rapid City, SD, and Mary and Jerry from Waco, TX.  Although it had been still raining early in the morning, by the time our bus departed, it had become a beautiful day.  This was our fourth trip on the windy road between Christchurch and Akaroa, but the other three times it was either raining or dark.  Our bus sat by the pier in Akaroa until it was time for us to line up to board the tender.  On the tender, Jesse led the passengers in singing “Happy Birthday” to Sally.  We finally arrived back in our cabin about 4:00 PM.  At dinner, we had an almost full table, and our friends all sang “Happy Birthday” to Sally, who was served a “Princess Birthday Cake,” a small, very delicious chocolate layer cake.  Before leaving the dinner table, Terry gave Sally a solo performance of the “Happy Birthday” song!  Afterward, we danced for 45 minutes in the Wheel House bar, and also talked with our German friends, Inge and Thomas.

Due to our trip delay in Akaroa, the Princess has cancelled our stop in Dunedin, New Zealand, so we will be spending three days at sea before arriving in Sidney.

At Sea

             On Friday, 12 Oct 2012, we started the day again with breakfast and Tai Chi.  Since it was a little cool on deck, our Tai Chi class was moved inside to the Wheelhouse Bar, where we had an audience and so felt under a little pressure to execute the moves more carefully.  Afterwards, we returned to Deck 14 to talk with Gail and Jim.  After a couple of hours, we decided to go ahead and eat lunch.  Since there was a Trattoria Buffet in the Horizon Court today with a huge selection of desserts, we both overindulged.  We returned to our cabin to watch the vice presidential debate that began at 2:00 PM (which was 7:00 PM CDT on Thursday!), while Jesse did a little more laundry by hand.  At dinner we had a full table, and then danced in the Wheelhouse Bar.   After a while, we stopped dancing and conversed with a German couple, Inga and Thomas.   Since they speak a little English and Sally speaks even less German, the conversation was a combination of languages, but interesting, nevertheless.  Because we are committed to an excursion to Akaroa, New Zealand tomorrow morning, we returned to our cabin at 9:00 PM.

Auckland, New Zealand

Maori Meeting House

            Thursday, 11 Oct 2012 – We awoke to our alarm clock at 5:45 AM, dressed, ate breakfast, and headed for the Princess Theater for our excursion to Auckland.  Jesse was not wearing his glasses and misread the departure time on our excursion tickets, so rather than arriving at the last minute, as usual, we arrived 20 minutes early.  Afterwards, we felt a little guilty for mowing down several elderly passengers to get to the Princess theater in time for our departure.



With Auckland Sky Tower

Tatooed Man

82-Foot War Canoe

 Our tour bus departed the port at 7:45 AM.  We rode through Auckland towards the Auckland Museum as the driver pointed out major points of interest.  The museum overlooks the picturesque Waitermata Harbour and is dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for their country.  Upon entering the museum, we were separated into eight-person groups and assigned a tour guide.  Highlights of the tour included a large Maori (Polynesians who populated New Zealand) meeting house and a mighty 82-foot war canoe carved from an enormous totara tree, both adorned with intricate carvings.  We were reminded of the movie, “The Piano,” which was set during early settlement of New Zealand by the British.  The natives in “The Piano” were adorned with facial tattoos, which today we learned were all unique representations of their personal genealogy.  When entering a Maori meeting house, visitors must first remove their shoes and then recite their entire genealogy.  After the museum tour, we continued our drive around Auckland, which included exclusive areas of Auckland with multimillion dollar homes and where, of course, the residents have attempted to ban tour busses.  Taxes here are around 30 percent maximum, and the government highly subsidizes university education and health care.   The driver complained about the “rich” in New Zealand finding ways of getting around paying their fair share of the taxes.  (Does this sound like the USA?)  The tour ended with a drive across the Harbour Bridge.  The original four-lane bridge was built in the 1950s, but was later expanded to eight.  With Jesse’s engineering background, he became terrified after the driver announced that the two outside lanes on each side of the bridge were made in Japan and then cantilevered onto the original structure; luckily, our bus made it across and back!

We returned to our cabin about 12:30 PM and immediately proceeded to the Horizon Court for lunch.  Afterwards, Jesse enjoyed his customary chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cone at the Sundaes Ice Cream Bar.  Then we returned to our cabin for more hand laundry, napping, and TV.  Since we were alone at our table as expected (the others were staying in Auckland longer), we finished earlier than usual so were able to dance longer before returning to our cabin.

 

At Sea

             On Sunday, 7 Oct, we started the day with breakfast and Tai Chi.  It was extremely windy on deck; we felt almost like we could blow off the ship!  The sea was rougher all day, also.  After a few minutes, we attended a dance class at 11:00 AM on the Rumba.  Since we re-learned a few steps that we had forgotten, the class was well worth attending.  Not long afterwards, we returned to the Horizon Court Buffet for lunch.  On the way back to our cabin, we found an empty washer in the laundry room, so we hurried back to the cabin to pick up a load of laundry.  We barely finished the laundry in time to attend a second genealogy get-together at 4:00 PM.  Since the meeting was apparently requested by one woman with a question on Irish research, the group was much smaller than at the previous meeting.  We came prepared to answer questions on DNA genealogy (because several had asked for more info previously), but no one seemed interested this time.  Tonight was another formal dinner and a full table, with lively conversation and good food.  Afterwards we danced for a little while in the Wheelhouse Bar and then went for a short swim.  It’s starting to get a little cooler on the ship at night as we head towards New Zealand.

            The next day we awoke to Tuesday, 9 Oct, because we had crossed the International Date Line and skipped Monday, 8 October.  (Jesse says he would prefer to sleep a day instead of skipping it altogether!)  Anyway, on this second at-sea day we went up to the buffet by 9:00 AM, back to our cabin briefly, then back up to the 14th deck for Tai Chi.  It was cool at first while the sun was under clouds, but then warmed up for most of the 40 minutes.  After chatting with Gail and Jim over tea until noon, we returned to our cabin.   While we watched a movie on TV, “Real Steel” with Hugh Jackman, Jesse washed a few shirts by hand; then we went to lunch and returned to finish watching the movie.  Movies show on the ship TV over and over again throughout the day, so we usually see them in pieces.  We had a full table for dinner again tonight; then we danced in the Wheelhouse Bar until the Tritones Duo went on break.

            We slept very late on Wednesday and missed our Tai Chi class – which was held inside because of rain.  After eating breakfast with Gail and Jim, who also had slept late, we then attended the second Rumba class.  The cruise director, Peter Roberts, taught three or four new steps that we were not familiar with, but it was too much at once and we really didn’t master any of them.  (We’ll have to practice when we get home.)   Afterwards, we relaxed in our cabin while watching the political news on TV; then lunch; and then more relaxing before dinner.  There were six of us at the dinner table tonight; then we danced again at the Wheelhouse bar until about 8:30 PM.  Since we are booked on an 8:00 AM excursion to Auckland, New Zealand, tomorrow, this will be an early night.

American Samoa

American Samoa

Samoan Dancers

             Saturday, 6 Oct 2012 – About 7:30 this morning our ship docked at Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango”) in American Samoa.  Early maps misspelled the Polynesian port as “Pago Pago,” and it has continued to be spelled incorrectly ever since.  After breakfast about 10:00 A.M. we boarded a bus for a tour of the largest island of the seven islands of American Samoa.  (They pronounce it “Sam’o-a.”)  Although it was in the 90’s with high humidity, the bus was “natural air,” as opposed to air-conditioned, as on Bora Bora.  The bus took us on the only main road, which was by the ocean much of the time.  Waves are high, but no one surfs there; the guide said no one knows how.  Also, there is a strong undertow, which would make it very dangerous.  However, with the cliffs and small islands not far from the shore, it was a beautiful drive.  We were taken to see a demonstration of some of the Samoan skills: a man quickly climbed a coconut tree, people were making cocoa from cocoa beans, some were weaving mats, and others were cooking a meal.  While we sat and ate mangos, chicken, and coconut, we watched five Samoan men dance.  We were back at the ship by 2:30, where we sat in the air-conditioned buffet area.  Although Jesse wanted to finish with an ice cream cone, he decided not to walk across the hot deck to get one.





Wheelhouse Bar

We dressed in our matching Hawaiian outfits for dinner.  Our table was full again, with lively conversation.  Afterwards, our table mates joined us in the Wheelhouse Bar, where we danced to the Tritones Duo until 9:00 PM; then we went up on deck and danced to The Nexus for another 45 minutes or so.  This was a full day, and we are looking forward to the next three at-sea days.

At Sea

Dancing to the Nexus

            On Thursday, 4 Oct, we started the day with breakfast and Tai Chi.  Because it was very hot on deck, the hottest thus far, Jeanine cut our routine short.  Afterwards, we talked with our Australian friends, Gail and Jim, for a couple of hours.  Apparently, there had been a lively discussion between the Democrats and Republicans at their dinner table, and they wanted to know the differences between the parties so that they would feel capable of joining in tonight’s political discussion.  We learned that, in Australia, voting is mandatory for all citizens.  (However, a few citizens sign in to get their ballot, only to rip it up and toss it in the trash!)  In mid-afternoon a genealogy interest group met.  (No, we were not the instigators.)  Probably between 25 and 30 people attended.  Each told what they were doing, and quite a few called themselves “newbies.”  For our part, we described some of the interesting results of our research and told of our new participation in DNA genealogy and what we have already learned from it.  Tonight we had a full table for dinner, following which we danced until almost 8:00 P.M.

On Friday, 5 Oct, we slept late, right through Tai Chi.  When we ate breakfast with Gail and Jim, Gail said Tai Chi was stopped early again because of the heat.  For our late lunch, we had pizza in the upper Atrium, where we watched the “egg drop,” a contest to see who could drop an egg down to the bottom floor without its breaking by using whatever creative means they could find to cause a gentle drop.  At dinner, our table was full again, with lively conversation.  Afterward, we danced for 45 minutes to The Nexus; also, Toby and Sue stopped by to see us dance, and to talk with us between dances.  Tonight we set our clocks back again so we get another hour of sleep – how wonderful!  Tomorrow we have an excursion to American Samoa but don’t have to get up early.

Bora Bora

Ship's Tender

           Wednesday, 3 Oct 2012 – Today we had an afternoon bus tour of Bora Bora.  Since we were anchored offshore, we boarded one of the ship’s tenders around 12:15 PM.  The “bus” was actually “Le Truck,” with windows half down and no air conditioning, so that we were hotter than on Tahiti.  In the 22 miles around the island, we passed by some ancient ruins that looked like low piles of rock, but also many small houses, where the Polynesians bury family members in their front yards.  However, the blue lagoon and the sea beyond were beautiful, along with the backdrop of the steep mountains in the island center.  There were several 15-minute stops, two along the very small public beach, and the last at famous Bloody Mary’s, a bar that has been visited by famous people (and is quite nice inside).  The guide pointed out Bora Bora’s “hotels,” which are designed to resemble grass huts and where celebrities, such as Jack Nicholson have stayed.  Since there is very little land available to build the hotels, many are built in the water on stilts.  We returned to the ship at 4:00 PM and relaxed in our cabin, while we watched the first presidential debate.


Le Truck

Bora Bora

Bora Bora Hotel

Before dinner, we danced in the Wheelhouse Bar.   At dinner, we didn’t have to dine alone; in fact, we were joined by Toby and Sue and four of their friends – Roy and John, whom we had met previously, and Mike and Mike.  (Yes, there were two Mikes.)  After dinner, we danced at the Wheelhouse Bar for about 45 minutes until the Tritones Duo went on break.  Following today, we will have two more at-sea days.

Tahiti

In Tahiti

            Tuesday, 2 Oct 2012 – We woke up to our alarm clock at 6:00 AM, ate breakfast, disembarked, and boarded our bus for our tour of Tahiti.  Our first stop was the ancient “Marae Arahurahu,” where ancient Tahitians performed their religious rites & human sacrifices.  As the bus drove our group around the island, our tour guide pointed out significant landmarks and shared some of Tahiti’s history with us.  We then stopped at a private colonial home, where we were welcomed by the owner, who gave us a personal tour of the meticulous grounds and served us refreshments of local juices and fruits.  Next, we made short stops at the Vaipahi Gardens with its picturesque waterfall and the Fern Mara’a Grotto Caves.  Our last stop was the Museum of Tahiti.

After the tour, we returned to the ship and enjoyed a light lunch and then relaxed in our cabin until dinner.  We watched the political news on TV, as we anxiously await tomorrow’s presidential debate.  After dinner alone at our table again tonight, we danced at the Wheelhouse Bar for a short time before the Tritones Duo went on break.   Although our tour of Bora Bora doesn’t start until 12:50 PM tomorrow, we decided to call it an early night because we started so early this morning.  

At Sea

Tai Chi

           On Thursday, 27 Sep, we slept later than usual; then breakfast and Tai Chi on deck (which now is hot, with the sun shining almost straight down).    While eating lunch, we chatted with a couple from the Bahamas, Pam and Mayberry.  After commenting on the “cheap” cruise fares that are probably available to them, we learned that the Bahamas are closer to North Carolina than to the Caribbean!  They are cruising with 16 others from the Bahamas but, like us, they have cruised more in the Mediterranean than the Caribbean.  Since the laundry rooms are much smaller (and busier) on this ship than on the Star Princess, this afternoon Jesse washed five of his shirts by hand and hung them on the shower clothesline to drip dry.  Today passengers were told to turn in passports to the cabin steward for French Polynesian immigration.  At dinner, the others assigned to our table were all no-shows again.  After dinner, we stopped by the Wheelhouse Bar for a few dances (including one Tango) before bed.

Reading in the Window

On Friday, 28 Sep, after breakfast we attended our Tai Chi class on deck, which was cut short by a sudden rain shower.   By the time our clothes had dried out, it was time for lunch.  After lunch, Jesse went to the laundry room to finish iron-drying his shirts, and Sally washed a few of her clothes by hand.  In the laundry room, Jesse chatted with Warren, a retired schoolteacher from Florida (originally Maine).  After Sydney, Warren and his friend Richard will be continuing on the Sea Princess for a cruise around Australia.  Also, between stages of laundry, we watched a movie on TV, “Source Code,” which involves time travel.  Our dinner companions were all no-shows again, so the Matre’D moved us to a nearby table to join another couple, Don and Sharon, from Houston, TX.  We had met them, previously, on our Hawaiian excursion to the USS ship memorials.  After they soon announced that they did not want “another four years,” we agreed to refrain from discussing politics.  After dinner, we stopped by the Wheelhouse Bar again for dancing.



At Wheelhouse Bar after Formal Dinner

Crossing the Equator Ceremony

On Saturday, 29 Sep, Sally slept late while Jesse had a long turn at playing on the laptop and watching TV with the volume turned down very low.  Since we brought only one laptop, we are taking turns using it, though Sally has often monopolized it, writing messages to new cousins identified through our DNA genealogy ventures.  Since we ate breakfast late, we skipped Tai Chi, but soon were drinking tea and talking with our Australian friends, Gail and Jim.  Before long, Chrys (of Knoxville, TN) joined us with her very heavy box of dominoes that she had brought in her luggage!  (It must weigh 5 lbs.)  Another woman (Jan, of Dallas) also joined us, so that (with Gail), five of us played a rather complicated version called Train dominoes.  We soon learned that Dallas rules for the game are different from Knoxville, TN rules – but Jesse, as uncompetitive as he is, actually won the second game!  Later that afternoon, we had lunch and Jesse washed a few more clothes by hand.  At 2:30 PM, we watched the "Crossing the Equator Ceremony."  Since we witnessed one of these on our last cruise, we knew better than to volunteer!  Tonight’s dinner was formal, so we got dressed up again.  This time the two couples from Reno showed up for dinner, and they brought another couple with them, Roy and John from London, England.  After dinner, we danced at the Wheelhouse Bar and then went for a late swim and hot tub soak.

On Sunday, 30 Sep, we got up a little earlier than usual for breakfast and Tai Chi.  Afterwards, we spent a couple of hours talking with our Australian friends, Gail and Jim, about DNA genealogy and other subjects.  In the afternoon, we went for lunch and Waltz dance lessons; then we watched a movie on TV, “Larry Crowne,” with Tom Hanks.  Toby and Susan showed up for dinner, so we had a great time getting to know them better.  Afterwards, we danced for a while in the Wheelhouse Bar.

We started Monday, 1 Oct, with breakfast and Tai Chi, followed by a long chat over tea with Gail and Jim.  We returned to our cabin and watched another good movie on TV, “Unknown,” with Liam Neeson.  After a late lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon watching political news on TV.  Iowa seems to be quite popular these days!  Before dinner, we danced in the Wheelhouse Bar.  Then, since no one else was dining at our table, we joined Don and Sharon for dinner at a neighboring table, also meeting their other table mates, Burt and Jane, from Australia.  It turned out to be quite a lively table.  After dinner, we danced for a little while in the Wheelhouse Bar, but returned to our cabin for an early night because tomorrow we have to be on the pier by 8:20 A.M for our excursion on Tahiti.