Blogs from Pacific, Oceans and Seas - page 17

Mon 2/8/10 Super Monday Down Under It was another lazy sea day aboard the Volendam in the Tasmanian Sea. We got a late start having lost another hour to get to New Zealand time so headed to the Dining Room for a late breakfast before posting the previous day’s blog. Later that morning we went to the Theater to see “Cooking with Drew” where they had the Cruise Director making a Black Forrest Cake with the Executive Pastry Chef and an audience member. It was pretty funny but no one wanted to eat his creation for some reason. We had Lunch in the Dining Room Hamburger for me and Flounder for John. We then headed back to the Culinary Arts Center for a demonstration on decorating cupcakes that looked like ears of corn, Sheppard’s pie, and ... read more

It always amazes me how immense the Pacific Ocean is. You can travel for days and not see land or even another ship! So, once again, we left San Diego for a six day sojourn across the great Pacific knowing we’d see nothing but water for days. We have a really spectacular corner room on the back of the ship this year, with a wrap around balcony and windows that make for some really terrific views. I can sit mesmerized for hours just watching the water churn behind the ship, displaying a beautiful array of deep blues, turquoises, and white foam. The further south and west we go, the brighter the blues, the warmer the temperature, and of course the dreaded humidity … lots of bad hair days running around on this ship! We’ve had many ... read more

We are fortunate that the Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world’s four seas because it takes a while to cross this vast expanse of water. Thus we get to begin our cruise with six sea days. This is just perfect planning by the maker of the world and the cruise line. After all the last minute frenzy of getting ready to go on a four month cruise, it is heaven to board the ship and have plenty of time to unpack, settle into our stateroom, meet our passengers and get into the rhythm of shipboard life. With so much luggage, it does take a bit of time to get organized. We figured that we probably brought too much stuff, but then again this is our home for four months and we want to be ... read more

Well Hello! Welcome back to WWG Adventures. Yeah it was more than a brief delay but thats because it was Chriswanzaka and the New Year so I hope you all had happy holidaze! I've got a few more entries before I wrap up my NZ experience. And when I get my memory cards back I will post photos! So back to the south island and stepping off the water taxi in the Marlborough Sound at the Brightlands Farm. The cove we motored into to get to their dock was filled with the lines I saw from the plane. They were mussel lines for the famous green-shelled mussels that are a NZ delicacy! They had 2 large workboats moored in the cove that they use to assist in harvesting the tons (literally) of mussels they have hanging ... read more

A few weeks back, right around when American Thanksgiving passed and Christmas commercials started playing non-stop, Clair (my co-director) and I started talking about little things we could do to decorate our club for the holidays. We picked up a couple of small things like wrapping paper and bows in San Diego and we borrowed lots of craft supplies from the children’s playroom. Soon after that, we learned that the office was issuing a challenge to the camp programs on the different ships for the best holiday décor. And then we went nuts . . . The true challenge was to MAKE all of the decorations. No problem! We made paper chains, cut snowflakes and did cut-outs of every holiday shape we could think of: candy canes, santa, frosty, gingerbread man, bells, trees . . . ... read more

Greetings Friends! Heading into Nelson Lakes Nat Park for an 11 day backcountry hike in a bit so I won't be able to update y'all till after that. Stay tuned! WWG... read more

Greetings Friends! So you've all heard the hype about me flying to NZ and sitting next to the lead singer of the Wailers, Junior Marvin. Well, I rearranged my vaca plans so I could attend their concert in Auckland the Saturday after I arrived in Auckland. So after some sightseeing in the city and a trip out to Raglan we returned for the Wailers live at the Power Station! The Power Station is very similar to a certain choice club that is also a time of day (night) located at 9th and V St in Wasington DC. The Power Station, like the 9:30 Club has the stage at one end with a horseshoe shaped standing room and a second tiered level with a railing that wraps around the entire second floor, overlooking the stage and concert ... read more