Blogs from Oceans and Seas - page 8

Saturday 4th April. Have been trying to catch up with the blog but although not much is going on time seems to fly, especially now we are on our last leg of the cruise. Have heard this morning we will be anchoring outside Tenerife to refuel in a few days. Other than that we are enjoying the tropics. Passed over the equator yesterday afternoon at almost exactly 4pm, so now in the northern hemisphere. It’s hot and humid, cloudy, but quite pleasant at the moment with some light airs. Better than yesterday when the air was full of moisture and everywhere outside felt like a sauna. It rained several times, but cleared up later in the evening. Enjoy the news below. We are about 160 miles off the African coast near Liberia. First picture Cape of ... read more

Today is “bonus day” – at least as far as counting the days in the year. There is one extra day today. Unfortunately, that does not convert into a bonus day of the cruise. Today is still the last full day of the cruise and as usual it is disappointing to be so close to being finished. We slept this morning until about 8:00. At 8:30 we called the Sieberts and agreed to meet for breakfast in the dining room at 8:45. It was a little crowded (many people having their last leisurely breakfast) but we got seated by 9:00. Janet and Kathy both got the Eggs Benedict while Jim and David both had the meat and potatoes breakfast with eggs. We also had juice, pastries, and coffee/tea/milk. So our next-to-last breakfast was very filling. At ... read more

Day 9 - a sea day Day 10 - another sea day - wet Weather gets worse as we get closer to Sydney. Preparations today for disembarkation tomorrow. We were given our bag tags and other info. Noticed that there was a possible transfer to Central Station and because of the weather we thought it might be the way to go. Went to guest relations and booked two tickets at $10 pp. Leaves at 7:20 Rest of the day spent packing and relaxing. Day 11 - end of cruise - extremely wet We arrived into Sydney to extremely wet weather. Up early, showered and then off for an early breakfast. Our departure time was 7:20 and we were away about 7:30. Joined the long queue snaking its way towards collecting our suitcases. We gave our customs ... read more

Geo: 1.3278, 172.977... read more

At Noon this day, the captain reported Caribbean Princess had crossed 60 degrees north latitude at 5:30 in the morning. We were now officially in the Arctic Region! Presentations were held on board about maritime navigation and the preparations Princess Cruises had made for this cruise. In one lecture, the Third Officer discussed navigation. Ships today normally use electronic charts. However, sailing to Greenland would require plotting the course on traditional paper charts. Bridge officers had taken special training in Arctic navigation. In addition, Greenland pilots had boarded at Sydney, NS, and would remain with the ship until St. Johns, Newfoundland. We had been hearing the ship's whistle sound often during a frequently foggy passage. Sounding a foghorn is required whenever visibility drops below two nautical miles, we learned. The Third Officer then took us on ... read more