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Published: September 28th 2019
A cruise from Sydney around NZ - 14 November to 27 November 2019
Date Port Arrive Depart 14th Nov 2019
Sydney, Australia 18:45
15th Nov 2019
At Sea 16th Nov 2019
At Sea 17th Nov 2019
Fiordland, New Zealand 07:00 16:00
18th Nov 2019
Dunedin, New Zealand 06:45 18:00
19th Nov 2019
Akaroa, New Zealand 08:00 18:00
20th Nov 2019
Wellington, New Zealand 08:00 18:00
21st Nov 2019
At Sea 22nd Nov 2019
Tauranga, New Zealand 08:00 19:00
23rd Nov 2019
Auckland, New Zealand 07:00 18:00
24th Nov 2019
Bay of Islands, New Zealand 07:00 16:00
25th Nov 2019
At Sea 26th Nov 2019
At Sea 27th Nov 2019
Sydney, Australia 06:45
Wednesday 13 November - Brisbane The Eve of Departure ! But a portend of things to come with a message from Princess saying Majestic Princess arrival in Sydney tomorrow morning is delayed due to "adverse weather conditions in the Tasman Sea" Sounds like it may be largish seas slowing the ship down. The import of that is that we cannot board until later in the afternoon. Notionally, our boarding time
is 4:30pm for a 6:45pm sailing. it late - so we might try and get on board a bit earlier.
Thursday 14 Nov 19 - Brisbane / Sydney Early start from home to make our Virgin flight to Sydney at 8am. All good - flight got away 10 minutes early and we arrived 10 minutes early in Sydney. A few small bums on the way.
No evidence of smoke from the fires during transit and arrived to a brilliant Sydney day with blue skies at 10.30am
Caught the Airtrain from the Airport to Circular Quay - $17.50 each. Took about 15 minutes, clean train. Simple and easy. Used the NSW Opal Card bequeathed to us by Adrian and Vanessa.
We had messages from Princess that "due to adverse weather conditions", the ship would be late docking and that our boarding time was delayed from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. We found out later that heavy weather had delayed the ship and it could not meet its apparently strict window for docking at Circular Quay and it docked 3 hours late.
We walked from Circular Quay to the Overseas Cruise Terminal and dropped our large bags and
headed up George Street to have some lunch and to stock up on the travelling items we did not pack in Brisbane.
Returned to the ship around 3pm and boarded without any hold up and straight into the cabin - D519 on Deck 9.
Mr Hong (a 35/40ish Chinese gent) appears to be our Cabin Steward. The evidence of Majestic Princess operating primarily for the Asian (Chinese) and Australian market is evident everywhere with all signage in both English and Chinese. Many of the staff appear to be of Chinese origin as well, compared to the Filipino emphasis on other ships we have been on.
The cabin is a Deluxe Balcony category and the main advantage of that there is a two seater sofa seat rather than a single tub chair. Much more comfortable. The ship is only 3 years old and everything is in a good state of repair and maintenance. Not as much storage space though, compared to the older ships we have been on. Still, managed to find a place for everything.
The standard safety briefing at 5.30pm and then to dinner at 6.30pm. The ship sailed on time at 6.45pm but failing
light denied any decent departure photos of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House - hope to get those on re-entry at the end of the journey.
Our dinner companions were two ladies travelling together - Margaret and Jean - one from the Sydney Northern Beaches and the other from the NSW mid Coast. They had both been nurses and proved to be good conversationalists. Late leaving the dining table after 8.30pm !!
Given our early start, we were both fading so after a quick walk to find some of the other ding / restaurant /bar / entertainment venues, it was back to the cabin and to bed.
Clocks moved forward one hour overnight.
Friday 15 Nov 19 - At Sea Some movement evident overnight and the Captain has forecast larger seas as we get out into the Tasman.
The bed is comfortable but the usual broken sleep getting used to the noises and the new surroundings. A day of rest and exploration planned for the day. We have two days at sea then a day of "scenic cruising" in the Fiordland National Park on the southern tip of the South Island before arriving in
Dunedin on Monday.
Nothing ever goes smoothly !! Having problems with the Netbook computer and getting the Office suite of programs working properly. It will not give me access to Word so I have had to resort to using Sticky Notes to produce the text for the blog. More than a little annoying !! Hope it works.
Mr Kong , our Cabin Steward (I have been corrected from who I thought was Mr Hong) has excelled himself. Noticing that I have a CPAP machine, he has delivered a bottle of distilled water for use in the reservoir tank. Very thoughtful. Unfiltered local water can be corrosive.
Attended a port lecture for Port Chalmers, Dunedin and Akaroa - put on at the ridiculously early hour of 9am. On a sea day, most people are not even out of bed at that hour !! However - it was interesting and well presented. Late breakfast following the lecture and then our usual sea day routine of finding a quiet hole in the wall and reading / crosswords / coffee.
Took a stroll around the ship to familiarise ourselves with the new features and facilities. One new feature is a
"
Skywalk" - a section of deck with glass panels on the floor directly over the ocean below. Quite fun to see the reactions of some people who cannot bring themselves to walk this section of deck.
One disappointing aspect is the lack of a continuous promenade deck where I usually go walking under cover and in the shade. There is only about 50 metres of covered decking on each side of the ship on Deck 7 whereas, on most other ships, that space continues around the entire outside, providing a perfect walking track. A walking track is provided on Deck 18 but it is entirely exposed and open to the elements. Not ideal. There are also the walking machines in the gymnasium but they are as boring as bats...t.
Light lunch in the buffet - euphemistically known as the "
World Fresh Marketplace" - another spin doctor at work, no doubt.
Caught up on the ironing in the very good Laundrette which they have on most decks. On our deck, there are 4 washing machines, 4 dryers and three ironing boards. Tokens are used to operate the machines - $3 a wash, 3 a dry and $1.50 for
a sachet of washing powder.
Nanna nap required to catch up on the long day yesterday and the broken sleep last night.
Happy Hour in the cabin to start our first full day at sea and then to the Piazza to listen to "Classical and Contemporary Melodies with Music Wave String Duo" a violin playing pair of young ladies we heard last night. Very talented and playing music that is easily listened to.
Dinner in the Anytime dining venue of the Symphony Dining Room again. A table for just us two tonight as we wanted to leave in time for the first session of the show which started at 7:15pm. Shared tables always take longer with service and the chat inevitably flows.
Attended the first production show of the voyage - "Fantastic Journey" - described as a "
visually stunning multimedia production that combines rock concert energy and high flying aerial artistry". Held in the 800 seat Princess Theatre on Decks 6 and 7 in the forward section of the ship and certainly lived up to the descriptive hype. What a show - the very best technology with light, sound, LED, effects that we have seen on
a ship. The costumes, dancing and singing were also excellent. High energy, very visual. There is a repeat performance tomorrow so will try and get some photos.
Again the Captain has warned us of heavier seas to follow overnight and into tomorrow. We have had slight movement pitching and rolling through today, having to hold on to the nearest rail or wall sometimes, at its worst. He tells us we have been having 3 metre seas today and that will increase to 4-6 metres in the next 24 hours - so we will have to be careful moving around the ship and make sure everything is secure in the cabin. He has altered the speed of the ship to avoid seas of over 7 metres. Could be a fun 24 hours !!
9pm now and the clocks have to be advanced another hour tonight to get us onto NZ time. Seas still OK but the wind is whistling and there is a slightly greater amount of movement.
Saturday 16 Nov 19 - At Sea Late start to the morning for both of us !! I slept in to 8am and Roz to 9:45am. I am lucky
to get past 5:30am on most days - bonus !! And even with the clocks being advanced by an hour, that was still 9 hours for me. We took breakfast on the open (but covered) deck at the back of the ship - bit nippy but lovely fresh air after all of that smoke and dust around Brisbane. Probably down around 12 degrees with the wind factor. The hay fever symptoms seem to be improving as the pollens are blown away.
Seas overnight have increased in size and we felt the odd large wave hitting the bow. The rolling is significantly greater as we move into the day but no pitching (yet). It was quite relaxing at night with the sleeping as the beds are oriented fore and aft and we "go" with the roll.
Tomorrow, we will be in the protected waters of the Fiordland National Park but I expect the seas will be more significant as we exit those Sounds and turn left around the bottom end of the South Island and head toward Dunedin. This area was the roughest section when we sailed to NZ in 2012 with the weather and winds appearing to come
straight off the Antarctic.
It is indicative of the deteriorating seas state that the repeat matinee performance of last night's show scheduled for 1pm today has been cancelled for today, as it would not be safe for the performers.
Another restful day at sea for us. Following the late rising and consequently late breakfast, we headed to an area called the Hollywood Conservatory - an Adults Only space with lounges and small seating areas. Spent a couple of hours reading and then headed back down for a coffee and light lunch. The obligatory wander through the Shops of the Majestic and back to the cabin for a movie / reading / washing / ironing.
Tonight is a Formal Night so we will see some nice (and not so nice) finery in the corridors. Some people really do go to great lengths to dress up and we see some dinner suits for gents and After Five / Evening / Cocktail dresses for the ladies. The ladies generally go to more trouble than the lads but I suspect most men will just put a tie on a long sleeve shirt and some may have a coat.
Five O'Clock
Wine O'Clock taken in the Vines Bar tonight. Again, not overcrowded and plenty of room. Asked one of the Wait Staff if the ship was full and she indicated she did not think so. Whatever - it is good to be able to go to any of the common areas and to be able to find a seat without having to wait.
Now 9pm and dinner is over. Nice meal in Symphony Restaurant with Ray and Kathy from Broadbeach and Tony and Sue from Twin Waters. We were the middle aged couple - Tony and Sue slightly younger than us, Ray and Kathy had about 10 years on us. Pleasant dinner conversation. Tony and Sue are lucky to have been on the cruise. They arrived in Sydney a few days early and Tony tripped and fell walking up the Opera House steps, striking his head and lip. The black eye looked good but he did not get a concussion - lucky !
More than a few dinner jackets seen. Most of the Ladies' outfits were appropriate and nicely presented.
The after dinner entertainment was a ventriloquist comedian Dean Atkinson. A whole lot of granddad jokes (oldies but
goodies with more than a few double entendres thrown in) but a good ventriloquist and very quick with the wit and the patter. Very entertaining - had most of the audience with tears in their eyes from the laughs.
The Captain's tales of doom and woe about the sea state do not appear to be coming to fruition. While we are still rolling a bit, it is nowhere near the 4-6 metre waves we were expecting. The night is not over yet so I suppose we could get a late lashing.
The cruising schedule for tomorrow is:
Milford Sound - 7am to 9am
Thompson / Doubtful Sound - 11:45am to 1:15pm
Breaksea Island / Dusky Sound - 2:15pm to 4:00pm
Sunday 17 Nov 19 - Cruising Fiordland National Park Another gentle start to the day waking at 7am. Raining and wind on deck so no walking again. Hope that improves as we head north from tomorrow although I don't hold out much hope while we are in the waters of the South Island. Weather improved a bit and stopped raining as we approached Milford Sound.
The sea state overnight remained relatively calm
although there were a couple of lumps and bumps from time to time - but nothing to worry about. The gentle rolling continued but, as the day wore on, the motion changed to pitching fore and aft. The movement is very noticeable at the front and back of the ship, not so much midships where our cabin is.
We arrived at Milford Sound at about 7:15am and spent about 2 hours moving through it. Incredibly spectacular scenery, even if there was low cloud cover. The mountains just rise out of the sea and reach a height where snow can be seen on the tops. So rugged and apparently uninhabited. Many waterfalls from the cliff faces. In some places, the ship is passing within 50-60 metres of the shoreline so the edges of the mountains must just drop straight to the floor of the Sound. I noticed we took a Pilot on board before entering Milford Sound and there has been a representative from the National Park providing an ongoing commentary about the various locations and features.
A light lunch and then went back to the Princess Theatre to see the show we saw the other night "Fantastic Journey"
again - we enjoyed it the second time !
Further transits through Thompson and Doubtful Sounds in the middle of the day, past Breaksea Island and through Dusky Sound in the afternoon.
An icy chill is in the air and it is absolutely freezing on the open decks. The periodic showers and rain (with small hail from time to time) is not helping. Hope that improves the further north we go.
9pm now. Had dinner in Alfredos tonight - the pizza and pasta restaurant. Not as good as home made pizza but good for a change in menu offerings and a rest from the formal dining room. We are booked into the Crown Grille (steak) restaurant on the 21st for an upmarket dining experience. We pay extra for that but it is worth it once in a while. The service and the quality of the meal are a step above what is offered in the other ship's restaurants. There are two other restaurants onboard that you have to pay for - Harmony (Chinese/Asian) and Bistro Sur La Mer (French) - which we have not booked yet. Not sure that we will - will see how we go.
Post dinner entertainment was a band called Evolution playing in the Piazza. The lead female singer has a great powerful voice (in tune too !!). I think we have found our band to follow for the cruise. They are doing a Motown set tomorrow night - that should be good.
Arriving at Dunedin tomorrow at about 10:45am and will depart around 9pm. The port for Dunedin is actually Port Chalmers - about 40km north of Dunedin and a shuttle service is provided for transfers.
The seas are relatively calm at the moment but the wind across the deck is still bitingly cold. We have had showers on and off for the afternoon.
Monday 18 Nov 19 - Dunedin Very calm overnight - like a millpond !! The last time we passed this way, it was the roughest part of the trip. Bonus - good sleeping !!
Up at 7am and off to an early breakfast at 7:45am. Virtually no one up there in the buffet.
Arrived right on time in Port Chalmers at 10:45am. Amazing how a ship of this size (144,000 tonnes) can manoeuvre alongside by itself and by millimetres, even backing
up into its slot alongside the wharf. You could not even feel the ship stopping or securing to the dock.
Exit from the ship was done in an orderly fashion, only delayed by NZ Immigration clearing the paperwork. Disembarking started about 11:05 and by 11:15am, we were on a shuttle bus into Dunedin - NZ$20 each return. The trip took about 20 minutes.
Dropped at the Octagon which is the centre of Dunedin CBD and this was also the point for retuern to the ship. Last shuttle at 7:30pm.
Dunedin city looks very aged but with some beautiful older buildings. A lot of the buildings are in a poor state of repair and you can only think that the citizens are going to be up for significant maintenance, refurbishment and rebuilds in the future.
There are a lot of churches - some still operating, some have been converted to other uses and seem to have been constructed in the 1870's. Very grand in appearance - you do think of the Scottish heritage the city has.
It is also a large university city with a strong international flavour and that is reflected in the many cafes
and restaurants in the CBD (the University of Otago is close to the city centre). Many of the cafes and restaurants are Chinese / Japanese / Thai to cater for the large Asian student population.
We tramped the Octagon perimeter visiting art galleries, churches and the historic railway station and had lunch in The Corner Store, one of the well attended restaurants - they must love cruise ships and their visitors !! It was full of us !
A lot of handicraft and art gallery stores. We were not particularly impressed with the general standard of the art - but what would we plebs know ??!! Some very nice glassware though.
Topped up our supplies for the next leg of the journey including some NZ wine. We are allowed to take more bottles of wine onboard if we pay an AUD$18 per bottle corkage fee, which would then allow us to take those bottles to the dining rooms. With the cheapest bottles of wine at AUD$46 and more if you buy onboard at the restaurants, paying NZD$12 for Roz's Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc, plus the AUD$18 corkage, it is much cheaper than buying onboard - and it is
the wine she likes !! We bought two whites and two reds, expecting to pay AUD$18 per bottle but when we boarded, the young lad allowed us two of the bottles free and only paid $18 for two other bottles - BONUS !! So we will not be paying their ridiculous onboard wine prices and will top up in Auckland, if we have to.
We had curious weather throughout the day - many of us would have thought we were visiting Melbourne again ! We had brilliant sunshine, cloud, overcast, wind, rain, hail and sleet - all in a period of about 4 hours. And throughout the period, there was a bitingly cold breeze driving us into alcoves and shops just to escape the incessant freezing conditions. Could not believe the scanty clothing some people went ashore in - shorts, thongs, just a blouse or T- Shirt. They must have been Victorians !
Having seen what was to be seen, we were back to the ship by 4:30pm in time for dinner. The walk from the Terminal building to the ship was about 200 metres and Dunedin decided to give us a last hurrah and a kick in
the backside to help us on our way. Without warning, about half way along that uncovered walk, rain and hail started to fall with gusto, pushing us along with a big tailwind. On ya bike, Aussies !!!
Dinner in the Symphony Restaurant - an older couple John and Marie from Scone in NSW and Merv and Pauline from Perth. Pleasant conversation again - Merv had been a bank johnny in Madang in PNG in 1969 so we had something in common to chat out our PNG experiences.
The headline act - Russell Harrison - apparently a 6 ft 8in Maori with a big voice - has been cancelled !! The ladies are devastated. So having to make do with waiting for Evolution doing their Motown set at 9pm.
John - a better day - 11,167 steps - about 8km.
Tuesday 19 Nov 19 - Akaroa Very smooth sailing overnight to arrive at Akaroa at 7am this morning. Brilliant sunshine to greet us but this deteriorated to overcast cloudiness by about 9am and remained that way for the day. Coolish but nowhere near as cold as it was in Dunedin. Ashore, got down to shirtsleeves for
most of the day.
We allowed the first flush of people getting ashore to go before heading down to the lounge to get our Tender tickets. Tickets are allocated on a first come first served basis and you wait your number to board one of the lifeboats (Tenders) for the 20 minute journey to the shore. We only had to wait about 30 minutes - 150-160 people per Tender. There is no wharf in Akaroa for any cruise ship to dock.
Both the French and the British co founded Akaroa in the early 1800s. Apparently the French bought the region from local natives for 240 pounds but got gazumped by the British who claimed and occupied the area a few months later. The French influence remained though with most of the streets named in French - e.g Rue Croix etc..... and many French flags flying and red, white and blue tricolour schemes around town.
Once ashore, we took the long walk along the beachfront which constitutes the majority of what is to be seen in Akaroa. And the majority of what is to be seen is very tourist driven - cafes, restaurants, craft shops, icecream shops, souvenir
shops.
The depth of the settlement is only about 3-4 streets from the beachfront before it reaches the rising hills behind but there are many houses which were obviously built in the 1800s still in existence. Some have been well maintained, others are really showing their age and need significant refurbishment.
There has been a lot of development since we were last here in 2012 with many new residences being constructed on the steep slopes of the hills. I guess new construction methods have allowed these places to be built. No care for heritage or or character though - the new residences are very modern.
Roz was rapt in the cold weather flowers - particularly the roses, pelogonias, geraniums and rhododendrons that proliferate the gardens. They certainly add a lot of colour.
In a discussion with a shop owner, he indicated cruise ships visit only in the summer months and this year about 93 were expected, of various sizes. Majestic Princess is one of the largest and that was reflected in the occupation rate, particularly in the cafes The visitation rate is about one cruise ship every 3-4 days through summer and he indicated that they
(the shop owners) hoped to make enough profit in summer to carry them through the quiet winters and allow them to open again next summer. Of concern to them is that the port for Christchurch - Palmerston - is being readied for opening again and this may reduce the number of ships visiting Akaroa.
We stopped off at various places throughout the visit. Our contribution to the local economy was minimal on this occasion, however - a small packet of fudge, having been conned into tasting the product - delicious !! And a stop off at a boulangerie offering French baked products. Our original intention was to have the touted fish and chips for lunch that the area is well known for - but the apple tart, sausage roll and coffee blunted our appetite and we forewent the pleasure.
Visited a lighthouse that had been built in the late 1800s and relocated to Akaroa in 1980. It had been located at the entrance of the harbour to Akaroa and when it was replaced by an automated light, the plan was to demolish the original. The good citizens of Akaroa saw an opportunity, however, and purchased it for $1
from the NZ Government and the relocated it in 3 pieces to the new location on the edge of town. It is now a part of the tourist attractions at $2.50 a person to visit to climb the very steep stairs.
The mechanism to turn the light is operated by a clock like dial in the horizontal plane and driven by a weight that draws down and rotates the device. The lighthouse keepers had to wind the weight up to the top every hour to keep the light turning !! Two keepers were resident and worked in shifts. The device had a mechanical alarm that sounded every hour to wake the lighthouse keeper, if he fell asleep. Ingenious !
Back to the ship about 3pm and a Nana nap was called for after all that walking and climbing.
5 O'Clock Wine O'Clock in the cabin before heading to dinner in the dining room.
Report from last night - not only was the big Maori voice missing in action, our favourite band, Evolution, was also punted from its 9pm slot when it was going to do a Motown set and replaced by a DJ - outrageous !!
The fans left the venue in droves and retired to bars or, in our case, back to the cabin for an early night.
Just dinner for two tonight as we wanted to get to the show at 7:15pm. Very well served by Mr Musor from Thailand (he will do well in the Lady Boy review) and Mr Narry from the Philippines. Both excellent and got us in and out of the dining room in plenty of time for the show.
An excellent night of entertainment ! Started with a Production Show with the Majestic Singers and Dancers - "Sweet Soul Music" - backed up by the Majestic Princess Orchestra. All very professional and a great show. Surprise performance by Russell Harrison who we missed out on last night. There were some problems with aircraft connection apparently but he put on a show in the Piazza. Not as big a voice as we thought but still a good entertainer - but he is a big lad at 6ft 8in !!. Followed by Evolution with 50s and 60s Rock n' Roll Party in the Piazza. Well attended and plenty of great jive dancers from the older set.
So a
good day out , nice dinner and a good night of entertainment.
Windy Wellington tomorrow an, apparently, it is going to be windy. We have also been told there is another cruise ship in - the Nordam - and we have been advised that it has had the Noro Virus on board. Our Captain has warned us to stay away from them !!
Getting late - have to upload the photos yet !!
John - a better day again - 12,904 steps - 9.2km.
Wednesday 20 Nov 19 - Wellington Again, smooth sailing overnight and an early arrival at 7am in Wellington. We were closely followed into the port by the Holland America ship Noordam and both ships were tied up alongside and disembarking passengers by 8am.
Brilliant sunshine from the East streamed right into our cabin this morning as we were outward facing from the pier. But there was still a tinge of coolness in the air, indicating we should take a jacket with us today. The Captain's prediction of doom and gloom with overcast skies and Windy Wellington again appear to be overstated !
The City Fathers of Wellington recognise a
good thing when they see it so they provided free shuttle buses to assist us to get downtown and start spending our holiday money. This would be particularly so with our 3500 passengers and I would think over 2500 from Noordam in port for the day. Add the 1000 or so crew members who were also able to get off the ships and that is a tidy number of visitors, lunching, cafeing, topping up supplies, taxis, touring, paying entry fees etc......
Roz was not feeling super flash so we limited our day ashore to the immediate CBD. On place we had intended to get to was the botanic gardens where there would have been a beautiful display of roses in particular. The last time we visited, it was spectacular.
Wellington City did not present any better or worse than other capital cities we have been to. It was very crowded (bloody tourists) and there was a high proportion of Asians seen and Asian restaurants. Not sure if this was due to University students or a liberal allowance for immigrants from the Labor government under Adern. Also evident on the streets were a lot of beggars and people sleeping
rough in doorways..... dots connected ??....
A lot of construction seems to be going on in the city with whole blocks demolished and being rebuilt. As we have previously noted, NZ seems to be needing to catch up with replacing or refurbishing older buildings and this is certainly the case in Wellington. There are some very modern new buildings in the waterfront area that have been designed to take advantage of the great views.
The whole waterfront aspect of the CBD is very well done with pedestrian and cycle pathways the length of the city. Many, many restaurants and cafes and the Wellington Museum and Te Papa Museum being signature buildings in that area.
We found a busy but pleasant cafe for lunch in the CBD - the prices on the waterfront obviously match the rents they are paying !!
Clouds rolled in as the day progressed and it was quite cool in the laneways and in the shade but the strong winds did not eventuate.
Back on board by about 3:30pm and grabbed a washing machine to do some heavier washing of jeans, long trousers, shirts and underwear. We are on our 7th day
of cruising having left on Thursday last week and the laundries will be busy tomorrow as it is is a sea day. Best to get it done while things are quiet.
Happy hour sitting on our balcony watching the passing trade of vessels coming and going and planes heading from the airport - we are right on the departure flight path. The crew have been busy with Emergency Drills all day and there has been a steady procession of lifeboats being lowered and raised, presumably to make sure the hoists are all operating OK (and there are no holes in the lifeboats !!). This morning they all had to attend a simulated fire drill in the machinery spaces.
Dinner in Symphony Restaurant - with Denise from Newcastle, Roslyn from Tweed Heads, Pauline from Sydney and Cheryl and Graeme from Perth.
The show tonight was a Comedy Variety Showtime from two of the Four Kinsmen - Robert Pearson and George Harvey. Yes, they are of an age !! All we can say is Australian audiences are easily amused. George Harvey still has a great voice but the act was full of grandad jokes and slapstick comedy - which
the audience lapped up. Have to admit they were funny and well skilled in the art but.......
Tomorrow is a sea day before reaching Tauranga on Friday.
John - not as successful today - only 10,428 steps - about 7.45km.
Thursday 21 Nov 19 - At Sea Cannot believe the trip is over half way already ! Boarded on Thursday last week and we will disembark on Wednesday next week. However, the purpose of the holiday is being achieved - relaxation !!
Very smooth sailing overnight but we did have a big electrical storm about midnight last night. Thunder, lightning and heavy rain for about 45 minutes but other than the theatrical light show and the washdown, it did not seem to affect the ship at all. We did have to close our balcony door though as the rain was beating in onto the balcony and the door itself.
Brilliant sunshine and blue skies greeted us this morning with a near flat sea - and it has remained so all day. Cloudiness settling in during the afternoon but sailing conditions have been perfect.
We have had a very lazy day, taking our time
getting to breakfast, followed by a crossword and reading session up to lunch. Watched a movie - "Official Secrets" - on the TV. Must have missed that one but it was an interesting true story about the reasons used to justify the second Iraq War and the leaking of official secrets. Kiera Knightley did well in the role.
More reading and a snooze this afternoon and then to the Crowne Grille for dinner. We paid the extras for dinner in the steak restaurant where better fare and service is provided. Mr Nebesja from Serbia was our waiter - he did a professional job of service. The steak and lobster were up to Crowne Grille standards.
The after dinner entertainment was a production show with the Princess Singers and Dancers called "Fiera". Again, the costuming, sets, technology and singing and dancing were of a high quality. Incredible what can be produced at sea. the music itself was not so much to our liking but the talent of the singers was great.
Not much else to report for the day - sorry !!
Tomorrow, we arrive in Tauranga to which we have been before. Roz took me there
for my 60th birthday back in 2010 and we visited again on a ship in 2012. It is the gateway for tours to Rotorua but we did that tour in 2010 so will just stay local in Tauranga for the day.
John - given the relaxation, a measly number of steps to day. Not worth reporting.
Friday 22 Nov 19 - Tauranga Smooth, comfortable sailing overnight again. It is like a millpond out there at the moment.
Arrived at 5:30am in Tauranga - although more specifically, the port of Mt Maunganui which, we are told, is the third busiest port in NZ - and it looks like it. Piles of timber and containers everywhere.
An absolutely glorious day with bright sunshine and blue skies to greet us. About 13 degrees to start and getting up to 23 degrees through the day with only a gentle breeze. Quite the best day we have had so far on this cruise.
Holland America Noordam also docked with us this morning - so again, we have large numbers of visitors and crew ashore. In fact there are three ships in but the last one is very small (4,200
tonnes compared to our 144,000 tonnes - and only 300 passengers). More than that would have stayed on board on our ship.
As we have to sail early at 4:30pm to catch the tides, we decided to get off the ship and have breakfast ashore, just for something different to do. So headed into the pleasant township of Mt Maunganui which is basically one long main street with so many cafes, clothing shops, gift and souvenir shops, jewellers and shoe shops !! But cruise ship business is big business and virtually all of them were open at 8:30am. Nice to have something different for breakfast. A walk the length of the main street and then back to the ship to area to catch the free shuttle bus into the Tauranga CBD - about 8km away. Again, the City Fathers know the value of visitors and got us in there as quickly as they could to start spending our money.
As I said in the last post, we visited Tauranga for my 60th birthday in 2010 and again on a cruise ship visit in 2012. The action seems to have moved from Tauranga to Mt Maunganui because the CBD
was very un-alive and the number of vacant shops was very evident. A lot of development has gone on in Tauranga and in the strip between the two townships but Tauranga CBD is really dead this time and looking more than a little scruffy compared to our last visits. Unfortunate because it is a very nice seaside area.
The best part of the day in Tauranga was the ginger and tumeric NZ icecream we had !! Deeeelicious !! And we had some seagulls visiting to get the crumbs from the cone - very protective of their area from other birds.
Decided to shift operations back to Mt Maunganui and went to catch the free shuttle. Wrong timing as two of the five bus drivers decided to have lunch and there was a long wait - but when they did turn up, there were three of them. They all got a yobbo cheer when they arrived and to make things worse, the bus we got on developed a door problem. The rear doors would not close for love or money - or the efforts of the three bus drivers. Apparently open doors disable the bus and it could not
move. So those of us on the first bus had to decant and get onto the second bus. Many (un)happy campers left in the queue !! And the queue was long because the bus service was being used by both Majestic Princess and Noordam passengers (quite a few of the latter seemed to have developed cruiser's cough. We have been lucky so far and we have not heard any sustained coughing onboard our ship). Something to brighten our day and add to the touring tales.
Back in Mt Maunganui and a light lunch of Banh Mi had in a Vietnamese restaurant. We searched the street for a supermarket but couldn't find one. A local told us a New World was "just down the road" - turned out to be about 3km !! Anyway caught a local bus ($3.40 each for 1 hour of travel) and got a couple of items, caught another bus back and back onboard by 3:45pm.
We sailed at 5:45pm and I think the ship was about 30 minutes late getting away. There seemed to be some problem disengaging the gangways and the Captain had made it clear we needed to depart close to on
time, at about 5:15pm, to make sure the ship could navigate the relatively narrow channel out of the port, as the tides changed.
Dinner in Symphony Restaurant again tonight and shared with Barbara from Colac in Victoria, Lorraine from Woollongong and Molly from Newcastle. Lorraine and Molly were daughter and Mum.
Talking about dinner - see the photo for the hand wash facilities outside the buffet. First time we have seen this where a basin, soap and hand towels are provided. A great idea but far too few of them. Only two at each entrance and there is always a line up to use the facility. On other ships, we have had the squirted dollop of hand wash. This is a much better idea and they do provide staff to police entry and "request" passengers to use it before entering the dining room.
The after dinner show was a comedian - in name only as it turned out. Not a good performance and people were leaving in droves through the show. I was stuck in the middle of a row. had I been on an aisle, I would have left early too.
Tomorrow is Auckland -
22 degrees forecast.
John - a healthy 14.606 steps today - around 10.4km. We dun good !!
Saturday 23 Nov 19 - Auckland The smooth sailing conditions continued and we arrived alongside in Auckland at about 6:30am. Its a bit challenging here in Auckland as the ship docks right up alongside the Hilton Hotel and both shipboard folks and the hotel guests have to be very careful with their curtains at that hour of the morning as we are level with their balconies too. As you can see from the photos, a couple of hotel guests were happy to pose in their dressing gowns !!
A little overcast and slightly cool to start with but the day progressed into another beautiful one, reaching about 23 degrees with no breeze at all.
We have been to Auckland twice before, the first time for 5 days so we have had a pretty good look at it and visited the highlights before. We decided to skip breakfast on the ship again and head to a suburb called Ponsonby where there are a lot of cafes and small retail shops.
We took a green Interlink city bus on
the circuit to Ponsonby - fares are NZD$3.50 each for a single journey no matter the distance on the circuit. An All Day ticket is available but that would be around NZD$20 each and, as it turned out, our fares for the day did not exceed NZD$21 for the three sectors that we took. The bus drivers were most helpful, indicating where to get on and off the buses. Auckland has four colour coded bus routes - Red, Green, Blue and Yellow that have different routes that circle the city. Very effective.
Stopped at a small cafe for a light breakfast and then poked around the strip shopping up and down Ponsonby Road. Very aged shop fronts, modernised and refurbished inside but the effect on the street is laid back and pleasant. We did recall that from our last visit and looked forward to seeing that area again - not much had changed !
Took another bus sector down to a more modernised area called Newmarket. Larger retail shopping and a refurbished Westfields Centre with a new David Jones store recently opened. Found a nice place for lunch with a glass of wine to relax the shattered nerves
from all this travel !!
Train from Newmarket into Britomart, the recently refurbished central train station in the City. They are doing a great amount of refurbishing and replacement of buildings on the waterfront area, including the construction of an underground train service. All looking very good with excellent signage and facilities.
A gallop up and down the main street of Auckland - Queen Street - most shops open until 7pm even on a Saturday. One thing missing in the main streetscape is coffee shops. There are a few in the back and side streets but the main street was bereft of a place to sit and watch the world go by.
Back on board at 3:30pm and stopped off for a coffee and sticky bun in the Piazza to the tunes of the String Duo, a pair of Russian ladies who play violin and cello very well. Nice interlude and a chance for a sit down after a fair bit of walking today.
At 4:30pm, we were treated to a Maori cultural show in the main Theatre - a Folkloric performance as they call it onboard. A small but enthusiastic and well drilled Maori team
of ladies and gents who put on 45 minutes of singing and dancing, explaining the background to the settlement of NZ by Maoris, their customs and traditions. Well done and interesting. Of course, the event ended up with a performance of the Haka - then they had to run for the door to get off the ship before it sailed !!
Too tired to get dressed up and go to the dining room tonight so just headed to the buffet - first time not to go to the dining rooms for the cruise.
Quiet time back in the cabin and just watched a movie and did some reading - more relaxation !!
Took a few more shots around the ship in the Hollywood Conservatory for record purposes. Will try to get a few more of other areas while we are at sea over the next few days.
Tomorrow is our last port before heading home - Bay of Islands - and we have to tender ashore again in this location as there are no docking facilities. A free shuttle is being provided to a small town called Paihia. Not sure there is a lot there but
will stretch our legs and have a wander. Forecast is for a fine day up to 25 degrees.
John - a good day today - 17,041 steps - about 12.1km. Don't think we will get that tomorrow ! Sunday 24 Nov 19 - Bay of Islands Another magic start to the day with smooth seas and bright sunshine. We arrived at the Bay of Islands at 7:00am - noisy crewmen dropping the tenders into the water just under our balcony woke us up !! The hide of them !
There are 144 islands in the Bay area, apparently most uninhabited but more than a few are. Our anchorage was off the township of Paihia and the tender journey was about 15 minutes to the wharf. the claim to fame for the area is that this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and the Maori in 1840, effectively establishing New Zealand.
Free shuttle buses were provided from the wharf area into Paihia and by the time we got there, the small settlement was overwhelmed with visitors. Could not get a seat in a cafe (or a toilet) for love or money
! The usual craft markets were in operation and, surprisingly, the local helicopter company was doing a roaring trade - 3 people per ride, 30 minutes in the air, NZD$260 per person !! It did not stop all day.
While the beaches are a bit pebbly and there are rocky outcrops, the water itself looked pristine and had a lovely green / blue colour depending on depth. Lots of locals in the water collecting pippis - some sort of shellfish.The sun was shining - up to 25 degrees.
After a short gallop around Paihia and observing the crowds, we decided to take a ferry to another island nearby to the township of Russell in the hope it would be more calm and serene. And, indeed, it was. Interesting for us because Roz is currently reading a book - "
The Promise" by Leslie Pearse - and in it, it tells the fictional story of two women widowed in WW1 who migrated to Russell . Pearse's research is good because it names the Duke of Marlborough Hotel which we actually saw on our walk around and an accurate description of the streets and some of the houses that are still
there.
Four ferries were taking the route to and from Russell at NZD$13 per person, return. The trip took about 10 minutes in the fast ferry, perhaps 15 in the slower ones.
Russell was a very pretty place with many beach front cafes and pubs/restaurants. The best feature was a beachside walk called The Strand. The Strand lead to the Pompallier Mission where French Marist priests established a mission in the mid 1800's and built a Printery that produced leaflets and books in the Maori language. A pretty little coffee shop serving coffees and French pastries beckoned us and we could not resist. The pastries were excellent ! It was so quiet and pretty just sitting on the verandah - could have stayed all day.
Rounded out our visit to Russell with a visit to the local Anglican churchyard - many graves from the 1860s and 70s - art galleries and craft shops.
Back to Paihia by ferry in time to catch one of the later buses back to the wharf and then the tender back to the ship.
The site of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is apparently a good place to
visit but a couple of hours is needed to see it properly - and a bag full of money at NZD$40 per person entry fee !!
The weather has been magnificent and this has probably been the warmest day of our visit to NZ.
The evening's entertainment does not look great - will have to make up our minds about the choices. There is a show "Fireworks on Four Strings" - "with an eclectic repetoire of music from Lord of the Dance to Fiddler on the Roof". Not sure about that one !
Dinner in the Symphony Dining Room again. Shared the table with Leoni and Raylee - travelling sans husbands - from Taree in NSW and with Allen and Magda from Adelaide. Long chat with all of them - went to dinner at 6pm and rose from the table at 8:30pm. Very interesting dinner companions. Missed the Show in the theatre. It started at 7:15pm and was over by 8pm - no hope !!
Two more days at sea across the Tasman back to Sydney, arriving there at 6am on Wednesday. Hope the seas are calmer than the voyage before our cruise that was delayed
due to large seas and it missed its Harbour entry by 3 hours.
Given the long way home, the ship has picked up speed and we are travelling at a good 20 knots at the moment (think that is around 35-40kph). The seas are still slight so we can only just feel a bit of movement in the water and the bow hitting the odd larger wave.
John - not as many steps today - only 7881 - about 5.6km.
Monday 25 Nov 19 - At Sea Very quiet day at sea today - just relaxing and getting organised for the packing exercise tomorrow.
An absolute millpond at sea last night and today. As smooth as we have had in any cruises. BUT - the Captain says we are making speed while it lasts, indicating we can expect more swells tomorrow as we get further into the Ditch and he will have to slow down to keep it comfortable for us. It has remained an overcast day and quite cool on the open deck.
Late start sleeping in until 8am. I woke around 4am and could not get back to sleep so got up
and read for an hour, then went back to bed until 8. We spent the rest of the day doing crosswords and reading between breakfast and a late lunch.
Dinner in Symphony again with an English couple from London and an American Mum & Dad with their 30 something daughter from Indianna. Pleasant evening swapping stories and experiences. Makes us feel old(er) though when the conversation revealed Roz & I were the old folks at the table and the rest of them were in their late 60s !! Lobster was finally on the menu for dinner - for those who like it. I preferred the Beef Wellington.
We have not been as impressed with the food onboard as we were on our last Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean cruise in May. The quality and the innovation of presentation has been somewhat lacking. It has been adequate but, given the size of the ship, we thought they might do better. Not so.
The evening's entertainment in the Theatre was the best we have seen yet from the Princess Orchestra, the Singers and the Dancers and a guest violinist. The show was called "
Encore" and was described as
"a sophisticated evening of music and glamour that celebrates the traditions of pop opera and musical theatre". It was an evening of classical music with a magnificent set and costumes out of this world. The ladies' gowns were stunning - I hope the photos I have attached do them justice. Plus it was a formal night for us all and with the performers in very formal dress and the rest of us in more formal attire, it was a pleasant experience.
9:15pm here and we are just losing last light. The sun set around 8:30pm but we can still just see the horizon. that won't last much longer though. We add one hour of sleep tonight and then another tomorrow night to get us back to Sydney DSL time for our arrival on Wednesday. And of course, we get another hour up our sleeve when we fly to Brisbane !
John - only 5,400 steps today.
Tuesday 26 Nov 19 - At Sea Last full day on the voyage and last day at Sea - arrive Sydney at 0600 tomorrow morning. We have bought a Princess bus transfer to the airport and have to be in
the Princess Theatre at 07:40am tomorrow morning to gather the group heading to the airport. Our flight does not leave until 12 noon so we expect to have to amuse ourselves at Sydney airport for a couple of hours - what fun !! Not sure of the weather on arrival - last we saw was a forecast of smoke and high winds. Thought it best to walk off the ship under cover and catch a bus right there at the Overseas Cruise Terminal rather than taking the chance and having to dash the 400 metres to Circular Quay pushing two heavy bags.
As predicted, the seas have increased in size and the wind is absolutely howling outside. We have had to close the door it is so noisy. The Captain said this morning the seas were 3-4 metres - they must be up around 5-6 metres this evening and the rolling of the ship from side to side has increased significantly through the day. We have to hang onto railings and walls as we are moving around the ship at the moment. Should be nice sleeping though being rocked to sleep.
We have had a really nice last
dinner in the dining room tonight. We were going to ask for a table for two but we are glad we offered to share. Ended up with two Australians we had dined with before from Perth and two American couples who are neighbours in Florida, USA - just north of Orlando. They were all great conversationalists and nice folks. Had a most enjoyable dinner. As is traditional at the end of Princess cruises, the Kitchen and Serving staff parade Bombe Laska around the dining room half way through dinner and it is then served for dessert. It also gives us a chance to recognise and appreciate their contribution to our enjoyment of the cruise.
Another extra hour of sleep tonight as we retard the clocks one hour to be on Sydney time tomorrow morning.
It has been good cruise with weather improving as we moved north in NZ. The ship is in a great state of maintenance and repair and the decor is modern. Staff have been very good and our Cabin Steward Mr Kong has really looked after us. He finishes on this ship in December and heads home after 8 months at sea to his family
in northern China. He has a 6yo son and a wife he hasn't seen in that time.
As previously reported, food has been average - nothing wrong with it but not much imagination or range, compared to other ships we have been on. The layout and presentation of dining in the buffet is not good for "people flow" - everyone seems to be crossing over each other and getting in the way. The lack of a promenade deck right around the ship on Deck 7 is most annoying for those of us who like a morning walk. On the promenade deck on other ships, we can walk under cover whereas on this ship, there is only a walking track, open to the elements, up on Deck 18 - and it has been far to cold and windy to do that on this trip.
Despite the 3,500 passengers onboard, it does not feel crowded and we have been able to find quiet spaces to sit and read on most days. The worst area of crowding is at the entrance to the buffet where the two basins for washing hands at each entrance is far too inadequate.
Another annoying
design feature is only having two coffee / tea making points in the middle of the buffet. Again, most other ships have a coffee / tea station in each corner of the buffet and some even have a coffee point on the outside decks so that you do not have to go into the dining rooms just to get a coffee or tea. First world problem, I know, but still annoying !
Next adventure is taking Aunty Helen on a 4 day cruise on 4 February 2020 on Pacific Dawn to Airlie Beach.
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Denise Wilson
non-member comment
Enjoy
Bon Voyage. They will still leave on time I am sure. ❤️❤️