Blogs from Pacific, Oceans and Seas - page 33

Tirsdag 14/4 - 18/4 Manila og Palau Manila I løpet av ettermiddagen ankom vi Manila og tok inn på Manila Airport Hotel, som ligger rett ved flyplassen. Hotellet var slitent og ikke helt rent, men vi fant ingen andre alternativer. Vårt inntrykk av byen er kaos, fattigdom, mange slumområder, trafikk-kaos og en maurtue av mennesker, men vi var ikke her mer enn i 1,5 døgn. I løpet av denne tida var vi på et par kjøpesentre (uten å kjøpe noe), Ocean Park (et kjempeflott akvarium) og en ikke anbefalingsverdig tur med en offentlig rutebåt ned Pasig River (gjennom mange slumområder). Det beste var ”fiskefotpealing” på akvariet (det kilte skikkelig da vi puttet beina ned i vannet, se bildet) og at det var billig å kjøre drosje. De kjører på takstameter, virket trygge og er lette å ... read more

We are at sea and the weather has been horrific to say the least. We've had to secure anything that moves in our stateroom, they've drained all the pools and production shows were canceled for this evening due to the all the rocking. I even had a spa appointment this morning and had to cancel because I was too sick to attend...up all night with crap banging back and forth and motion sickness has gotten the best of me. Thank God for Dramamine! We've had to change course tonight due to the violent storm and this will put us a day behind getting into Valparaiso Chile. So many people are freaking out because this is their disembarkation port and will need to change flights and gaining access to civilization is not the easiest out here in ... read more

Just a quick update cuz I got lots to do: Tomorrow when I arrive in San Diego, I may not be allowed off the ship at all. Due to our Code Red status with the GI virus, I have to scrub down my entire rack and have it inspected by members of the CDC way early in the morning. Depending on when I'm cleared, I may only have a few hours off the ship, or it could work out that I'm not allowed off at all. If this is the case, I won't obviously be making my phone calls, so I appologize in advance if you all don't hear from me. The GI Virus has spread rapidly throughout the ship. The first day, we had a reported 10 passengers inflicted, and within 3 hours, the number ... read more

We arrived in Tahiti to a very special greeting…a gorgeous full moon. We quickly cleared customs and immigration and received the traditional Tiare Tahitian flower. As it was late when checking into our hotel, we quickly collapsed into bed. The next morning we were delighted with our surroundings. The resort was located on a soft black sand beach with beautiful surf. We relaxed on the beach for a few hours and mingled with other guests, all Australians and Europeans. We all participated as admiring, if uninvited, guests taking pictures of a young couples’ wedding. Papeete which means “a basket of water” in Tahitian is a lively, animated little city, with much of it’s interest centered along the waterfront, surrounded with markets to greet the tourists from the cruise ships. Beyond that, it’s just a busy city. ... read more

Hey all, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but the thing is.....I'm on a freakin' cruise ship!!!!! So, I'll try to get everyone back up to speed :) So, the first day we left San Diego, and then we spent the next two days at sea. During the sea days, I became friends with several members of the crew, like the Cruise Director (JT, who is only 24 and has a HUGE responsibility.....he does all the talks and announcements and all the introductions to big acts. It is very rare to have someone so young in that large of a roll. He's the coolest guy on the ship), the Assistant Cruise Director (His name's Dan, but he also doubles as the DJ for the Dance Club, so everyone calls him DJ Dan. He ... read more