At Sea We are back in the Tasman Sea again, but although we are heading into the “roaring forties”, it is not that stormy. However it is still too windy to sit comfortably out on deck. We spent the day inside. This gave me the opportunity to...
At Sea Beware the Ides of March It’s the Ides of March here, but will only be the Ides tomorrow back home. This is all very confusing. The weather has turned quite cold as we head further south, so no sunbathing today alas. I made up for it by...
Fiordland New Zealand The Baseball Cap Incident When we looked out the window this morning we were in Milford Sound. So that everyone could get to see the sound, they opened up the front of decks 5 and 6, but it was jolly cold and windy, so we...
Anchored outside the Port of Dunedin In the Fog Happy St Patrick’s Day! Well, despite my efforts I was unable to get an update on the baseball cap incident yesterday. We may never know what really triggered the alarm. The man whose cap was...
Akaroa I was awoken by the sounds of the tenders being lowered. I though this was a good sign – it could mean that we were preparing to abandon ship, but more likely it meant we had anchored in Akaroa, and they were getting things in place for...
Wellington Wellington is notorious for its windy weather, and recently it had been quite wet and cool, with one of the worst summers on record. However, today there was not a cloud in the sky, and only a very gentle breeze. The city experienced...
At Sea We spent most of the day sailing up the coast of New Zealand. It was a lovely sunny day, with light winds, and very calm seas. I went to the Pursers Office to change our left over Australian and New Zealand cash into US Dollars, and was...
At Sea Not in the Tropics yet…….. Last night we received a notification that it was a legal requirement that all passengers attend a safety briefing after 28 days on board, and we were ordered to attend the guest emergency drill in the Royal...
At Sea Yay! We are back in the tropics! It started off rainy this morning, and very humid. Then the sun came out, and we moved to the pool. It was lovely sitting outdoors again, and slipping in and out of the pool to cool off. There were too...
At Sea I was pottering around the cabin this morning while Brian was at the gym and heard the announcement that the fire response team were to go to the Commodore Club pantry. I had visions of my beloved Commodore Club going up in smoke, so...
Apia, Samoa When I looked out from the balcony this morning we were docked in Apia, and I could hear music and singing from the quayside. That’s the sort of welcome I like! There was also the loud annoying sound of the construction workers on...
At Sea A wonderful sea day. Ports are great, but there is something magical about sea days. Here the majestic ocean surrounds you, while our ship effortlessly sails through the waves. There is always a breeze across the open decks, even on the...
At Sea Yes, it is Saturday March 25th yet again. We have crossed the International Dateline and find ourselves in a Groundhog Day situation. Yesterday’s March 25th was fun, and today’s March 25th looks like being fun too! We are crossing the...
At Sea We had a bit of a bumpy night, but nothing spectacular. Still Brian decided to forgo the gym this morning as the ship was still rocking and rolling somewhat. You get enough exercise just going up and down the corridors as far as I am...
At Sea It continues to be rough out there. Still not transatlantic caliber, but enough for the ship to be bouncing along quite a bit. I was at the talk on the San Andreas fault (preparation for our visit to Southern California) in the Royal...
Honolulu, Hawaii I had hoped that we would be docked at the Aloha Tower. I have been to Honolulu twice by ship previously, and that’s where we were. Not this time, it was Pier 2 for us. We were instructed to go to the Queens Room between 7:15...
Hilo, Hawaii We had booked the volcano hiking tour, which I discovered was a rather over optimistic plan when I read the small print that stated that the hike was into the bottom of the crater, and then back out again. I had thought it would...
At Sea Boat Building Day After I returned from my craft session our boat building team, Rod, Deborah, Martin, Rita and the 2 of us reconvened in our cabin to construct our ship. We made some minimal alterations to our original plan, and set...
At Sea “It’s like the end of the world, and we are the only survivors”, quote from the man sitting next to me in the Commodore Club. We have not seen another ship while we are at sea since we left Sydney. However, things are changing. Out there...
At Sea April Fools Day Our younger son has played April Fools jokes on his gullible mother for many years, but it looks like I will get through today without being tricked by him. Another reason to go on a world cruise. However, some poor souls...
At Sea Although the sea is a deep blue, with the large waves and white horses it looks more like we are in the middle of a transatlantic winter crossing. It is cold and windy out on deck too. We have certainly left the tropics alas. During the...
San Francisco Day 1 The gale continued over night and there was a fair bit of pitching and rolling. However, when we got up at 6:00 the sea was calm and the only evidence of the stormy night was another shattered window in the Winter Garden....
San Francisco Day 2 Today dawned bright and sunny again. Every other time we have been to San Francisco the weather has been awful, cold, damp, and foggy – and I have several San Francisco sweatshirts to show for it. This time I was prepared...
Last Sea Day Under ideal circumstances we would have packed first, and then spent the day enjoying the ship. We couldn’t bring ourselves to pack, so ended up enjoying the ship instead. We heard the noon whistle for the last time....