Blogs from Pacific, Oceans and Seas - page 4

Transpacific Adventure, Vancouver to Tokyo, September 2018 I’ve done a few cruises over the years with different companies, and today I’m again boarding a Celebrity ship for a repositioning cruise across the northern Pacific Ocean. What’s different about this journey is the fact I’m sailing Concierge Class, which comes with a boatload (no pun intended) of benefits I haven’t had the opportunity to sample previously. The one I probably appreciate most is the priority check-in which, for anyone who has cruised in the past knows, is a godsend – sometimes the line to get from quayside to cabin is a living nightmare – I don’t DO crowds and long lines, period! The other goodies of this cabin class rate fairly high on my list as well and I can’t wait to get started. Checking out of ... read more

Day 1 An early morning start of 4am to catch the red eye to Sydney saw us tired, however landing in Sydney the excitement increased. Kym and I were appropriately dressed for a cruise. I donned a navy and white nautical inspired outfit right down to my shoes and nails and Kym wore his Captain Hellfire tshirt and 3 quorn pirate hat, which had comments all day about him being Captain Jack Sparrow and his got excited seeing a real pirate. An uber shared between the four of us and we were at Circular Quay. Dropping off our suitcases at the terminal we had a few hours to kill before boarding and walked to the Opera House and bought our first celebratory drinks overlooking our cruise ship and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The warm sun felt ... read more

Monday Gizo Island required tenders and with a 2.5'metre swell and a choppy blustery sea the decision was made to cancel our island stop. The information was piped into the cabin by the captain early morning with the advice that safety was paramount. Imagine people going over by tender and not being able to get back on board due to deteriorating weather.So we did a lazy 3 hour loop of the island and set sail for Honiara.Pablo the cruise director then came over the intercom to tell of of the new sea day arrangements. A new what's on sheet was issued, outdoor decks closed and most people seemed content with the changes. Celebrity mugshot, trivia, dingbat, battle of the sexes, and the funniest game of celebrity heads kept us amused all day between eating and drinking ... read more

WednesdaySea Day This started with me walking 5 laps of deck6 which is the only longish walking area. 2.5 laps are 1km, quite a few walkers enjoying the breeze and sea spray, with the ship hooting along on its way to PNG. We were joined at breakfast by Norma and her daughter from Eden which is on the Sth coast of NSW. Lively elderly people, used to cruising, having a great time. Today was the joining in day. Shuffle board where I placed 1st out of 8 people, table tennis where I was runner up in quite a fierce comp, and then Karaoke tonight where I sang 3 songs. My usual The Rose and then 2 others. Ocean bar is the place for many of our activities, which today included 3 games of trivia, one evening ... read more

Today I definitely have to catch up on my blog submissions. We were. Lesser with an extra hour of sleep last night, setting our clocks backward one hour while closing in on California. Up by 8:15am, we scurry up to the Lido for a light breakfast, we'll, light for me. I have a small Belgian waffle with strawberries, four prunes, two eggs, one sausage and coffee. Karen, on the other hand, has nothing. Nope. Just coffee. She's still full from her delicious chicken dinner last night. We sit and visit by ourselves. About 10 or so we return to the room where Karen gets a head start on packing. This is what she likes to do. I start on the blog, beginning with the Panama Canal and finishing three more besides by the end of the ... read more