Dawn Princess - 104 Days - Around the World
Click here to see Itinerary (this will take you to Princess website)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
BIG APOLOGY OWED HERE.....
Guess I really need to apologise for abandoning my blogspot........ it just became a little too difficult to keep up with especially when we had several consecutive days in Port. However I did keep up my journal entries so will post them here now that we are home. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed the Adventure. In time I will eventually add some photos too.
Several days at sea......
Wednesday, 16th JUNE – AT Sea
Very heavy seas. Pools closed. Formal night tonight to meet new Captain. Ship broke down again last night and we drifted for 3 hours.
Thursday, 17th June – At Sea
Pools still closed. Captain says he may have to cancel Safaga – Bugger!!!
We had booked a tour to do the Valley of the Kings and a Felucca Ride on the Nile.
Swam in little pool at back this morning and then had a spa.
Friday, 18th June – At Sea
Woke at 7.30am. Seas very calm. Within 20mins wind blew up and white caps everywhere.
Temperature is 31C. Pools are open.
Today we transverse through the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Aden between Safaga and Yemen.
Ship’s speed is slow.
We are definitely not stopping at Safaga . Princess are talking compensation. Now we have 7/8 days at sea.
Many passengers are complaining about noisy cabins. Most seem to be located at either Front or Back of Ship on all decks. Nothing wrong with Caribe C505 though - we love it.....
Saturday, 19th June – At Sea
9.30am – 32C. In Red Sea between Yemen and Ethiopia
DARN..... Red Sea is not red!!!!! Very hot on decks. Usual routine planned today.
Walk AM. Work on laptop or knit while Ray swims before lunch then we both go to the pool in the afternoon. Drinks at 5 – 5.30pm till whenever.......................
Sunday, 20th June – At Sea
Swam, walked Deck 7, Watched Movie Under the Stars – shared popcorn.
Early afternoon we were in the middle of the Red Sea
Monday 21st June – At Sea
Longest day of the Year.
Walked this morning then went for swim before lunch. We will be entering the Suez Canal in the early hours of the morning and arriving Port Said about 6pm tomorrow.
Currently we are still in the Red Sea (at the northern end). Seems that they are going to re-assess the problem with the ship and hopefully fix it while we are in Port Said.
Looking forward to the Pyramids, Sphinxes and our Nile River Cruise.
Been told to be wary of Rides on Camels because after they will not let you off the camel (or worse still, lead you off into the Sahara Desert) unless you pay more.
Rumours have been spreading rapidly as to the likelihood of us continuing our journey in view of the technical problems onboard the ship. For two days we didn’t have any access to Maps showing our location which are usually available on our Princess TV channel. Leaves you feeling very uneasy - felt like we were just drifting aimlessly.
Hoses have been removed from decks – Pirate hazard seems to be over.
12 NOON Announcement
We have cruised 2724 nautical miles since we left Dubai. We are cruising at an average speed of 17 knots (31 kms per hour). We are in the far north Red Sea – 70 nautical miles off Egypt. Soon we will be in the Gulf of Suez.
Celine Dion concert tonight on big screen (Movies under the Stars) – probably watch 5pm session while having our drinks with Karen and Julie. As it turned out – Karen hates Celine Dion and the sound was dreadful. Drinks were good though.....
GREAT EXCITEMENT – This afternoon, our 7th day at sea and we have just sighted land – our first glimpse of Egypt. A sand haze blankets it. Several oil wells are located between us and the coastline and there are lots of ships going to and fro past us. Most of them are carrying oil. Mood on the ship is much cheerier. About 4.15pm – a helicopter flew low over the deck of the ship............
Very heavy seas. Pools closed. Formal night tonight to meet new Captain. Ship broke down again last night and we drifted for 3 hours.
Thursday, 17th June – At Sea
Pools still closed. Captain says he may have to cancel Safaga – Bugger!!!
We had booked a tour to do the Valley of the Kings and a Felucca Ride on the Nile.
Swam in little pool at back this morning and then had a spa.
Friday, 18th June – At Sea
Woke at 7.30am. Seas very calm. Within 20mins wind blew up and white caps everywhere.
Temperature is 31C. Pools are open.
Today we transverse through the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Aden between Safaga and Yemen.
Ship’s speed is slow.
We are definitely not stopping at Safaga . Princess are talking compensation. Now we have 7/8 days at sea.
Many passengers are complaining about noisy cabins. Most seem to be located at either Front or Back of Ship on all decks. Nothing wrong with Caribe C505 though - we love it.....
Saturday, 19th June – At Sea
9.30am – 32C. In Red Sea between Yemen and Ethiopia
DARN..... Red Sea is not red!!!!! Very hot on decks. Usual routine planned today.
Walk AM. Work on laptop or knit while Ray swims before lunch then we both go to the pool in the afternoon. Drinks at 5 – 5.30pm till whenever.......................
Sunday, 20th June – At Sea
Swam, walked Deck 7, Watched Movie Under the Stars – shared popcorn.
Early afternoon we were in the middle of the Red Sea
Monday 21st June – At Sea
Longest day of the Year.
Walked this morning then went for swim before lunch. We will be entering the Suez Canal in the early hours of the morning and arriving Port Said about 6pm tomorrow.
Currently we are still in the Red Sea (at the northern end). Seems that they are going to re-assess the problem with the ship and hopefully fix it while we are in Port Said.
Looking forward to the Pyramids, Sphinxes and our Nile River Cruise.
Been told to be wary of Rides on Camels because after they will not let you off the camel (or worse still, lead you off into the Sahara Desert) unless you pay more.
Rumours have been spreading rapidly as to the likelihood of us continuing our journey in view of the technical problems onboard the ship. For two days we didn’t have any access to Maps showing our location which are usually available on our Princess TV channel. Leaves you feeling very uneasy - felt like we were just drifting aimlessly.
Hoses have been removed from decks – Pirate hazard seems to be over.
12 NOON Announcement
We have cruised 2724 nautical miles since we left Dubai. We are cruising at an average speed of 17 knots (31 kms per hour). We are in the far north Red Sea – 70 nautical miles off Egypt. Soon we will be in the Gulf of Suez.
Celine Dion concert tonight on big screen (Movies under the Stars) – probably watch 5pm session while having our drinks with Karen and Julie. As it turned out – Karen hates Celine Dion and the sound was dreadful. Drinks were good though.....
GREAT EXCITEMENT – This afternoon, our 7th day at sea and we have just sighted land – our first glimpse of Egypt. A sand haze blankets it. Several oil wells are located between us and the coastline and there are lots of ships going to and fro past us. Most of them are carrying oil. Mood on the ship is much cheerier. About 4.15pm – a helicopter flew low over the deck of the ship............
Tuesday, 15th June - Bad start to Sector 2
Well what a day we had today. Captain Todd McBain departed the Ship in Dubai yesterday and we have a new Italian Captain onboard. I think Todd will return in Los Angeles to bring us home. We left Dubai yesterday and are at sea for the next five days. We are retracing our path back past Oman on our way to Safaga, Luxor and then the Suez Canal.
Pirate Drill at 9.30am – required us to all hide in our rooms away from doors and windows but with our cabin doors open so that we could gain instructions from our Cabin Stewards. Outside on the decks , large hose systems have been installed and were tested. We have been told that a sonic boom discharger has been placed somewhere near the Bridge. [We heard of another Passenger Ship cruising in this area, when it had had a Balcony Door damaged by some sort of a ''rocket'' being discharged through it -thankfully it didn't go off. So guess all these precautions relating to Pirates do have some merits, and aren't just about amusing the passengers]
Our Drill went well and after a time we were all told we could continue our day at sea and that any alarms we heard in future would NOT be a drill but the real thing.
ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS:
In the afternoon we headed up to the pool although today is a little cooler 31 degrees with a nice seabreeze. About Beer O’clock time when we had arranged to gather by the pool with some friends, Captain Vincenzo Lubrano announces that we have a problem. We have broken down and are adrift at sea. We were located somewhere off Oman and not so far from Iran. For the next few hours the Captain apologised for the problem but “what can he do, it is not fixed yet”. What an adventure to tell – we felt like sitting ducks with all these pirates in the area. Anyway finally about 8pm, he announces that the problem is fixed and we are on our way. From the back deck it looked like a storm was heading our way so although lots of fun do be drifting in the Arabian Sea, we were sort of thankful that we were at least going to have some engine power. Apparently this little hiccup might have upset our arrival into our next port but the Captain is going to give us more information about that tomorrow. I would have thought that 4 more days at sea would give him a chance to catch up but time will tell. Anyway I am writing this about 11.30pm and all is well – seas are a little rougher but nothing of any great concern – there have been no pirate attacks.........
Pirate Drill at 9.30am – required us to all hide in our rooms away from doors and windows but with our cabin doors open so that we could gain instructions from our Cabin Stewards. Outside on the decks , large hose systems have been installed and were tested. We have been told that a sonic boom discharger has been placed somewhere near the Bridge. [We heard of another Passenger Ship cruising in this area, when it had had a Balcony Door damaged by some sort of a ''rocket'' being discharged through it -thankfully it didn't go off. So guess all these precautions relating to Pirates do have some merits, and aren't just about amusing the passengers]
Our Drill went well and after a time we were all told we could continue our day at sea and that any alarms we heard in future would NOT be a drill but the real thing.
ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS:
In the afternoon we headed up to the pool although today is a little cooler 31 degrees with a nice seabreeze. About Beer O’clock time when we had arranged to gather by the pool with some friends, Captain Vincenzo Lubrano announces that we have a problem. We have broken down and are adrift at sea. We were located somewhere off Oman and not so far from Iran. For the next few hours the Captain apologised for the problem but “what can he do, it is not fixed yet”. What an adventure to tell – we felt like sitting ducks with all these pirates in the area. Anyway finally about 8pm, he announces that the problem is fixed and we are on our way. From the back deck it looked like a storm was heading our way so although lots of fun do be drifting in the Arabian Sea, we were sort of thankful that we were at least going to have some engine power. Apparently this little hiccup might have upset our arrival into our next port but the Captain is going to give us more information about that tomorrow. I would have thought that 4 more days at sea would give him a chance to catch up but time will tell. Anyway I am writing this about 11.30pm and all is well – seas are a little rougher but nothing of any great concern – there have been no pirate attacks.........
Monday 14th June - DUBAI
MONDAY, 14th June - DUBAI: (End of first sector)
Today's Bridge Report:
17 knots = 31 kmph, 2724 nautical miles from Sydney. 70 nautical miles off Egypt, far north Red Sea, soon into Gulf of Suez.
Temperature today reached 50C
Booked a Princess Tour that took us up the tallest building in the world – Burj Khafir.
Guide is Mohamad. Said he is like a young Sheik Mohommad, and told us they don’t wear anything under their kandora (head wear for men is called qetra).
Dubai is amazing – although the financial crisis has hit badly. Mohammad told us that there is still enough oil in Abu Dhabi to support the whole area for another 40 years. Evidence of their wealth is everywhere – from the air conditioned bus stops to the amazing man made Island developments.
We visited the Burj Al Arab (the building shaped like a sail– voted world’s most luxurious) for a photo shoot and at the same time dabbled our toes in the Persian Sea at Jumeriah Beach. Sand was so hot and water was also too hot to swim in for long.
Then we drove onto Palm Jumeirah, one of the Palm Frond Islands for a photo shoot of Atlantis (a 7 star hotel). Rooms are all suites at least 750 metres (bigger than our block of land at Safety Beach) and they have an Aquarium that holds 65000 fish and
We visited the Mall of Emirates (a shopping centre with indoor ski dome with fresh snow all year round and five ski runs and amazingly a dining area with an open fire burning (pretend). .
Then we moved on to the Burj Dubai Downtown. We couldn’t park the bus close by so had a walk to the Shopping Centre and then onto the Burj Khafir, tallest building in the world (188 floors, 818 metres, 2680 feet).
We entered the high speed elevator- high tech sound and light show played on the walls as we sped to the Observation Deck on the 124th floor. There are 57 elevators which travel at 10 metres per second. Then as we reached our destination, the music reached a loud crescendo as the elevator doors sprung open to a totally glassed in Observation Deck with a breathtaking view of the city, desert and the ocean (and palm frond islands).
In both Oman and Dubai there was a haze which we were told was a sand haze . This made photos interesting especially first thing in the morning. [Camera lens immediately fogged up so we had to get into the habit of taking our camera outside for a few minutes before actually opening it to use]
But here at the Burj Khafir, they have telescopes for you to look through and you can select day, afternoon or night and see a clear view through the telescope without the haze.
We finished our tour at the Dubai Mall Downtown (a shopping mall too amazing to describe) and also visited the Souq (market). I bought a gorgeous little Aladdins Lamp that I am rubbing each day in hope the Genie might pop out.
Today's Bridge Report:
17 knots = 31 kmph, 2724 nautical miles from Sydney. 70 nautical miles off Egypt, far north Red Sea, soon into Gulf of Suez.
Temperature today reached 50C
Booked a Princess Tour that took us up the tallest building in the world – Burj Khafir.
Guide is Mohamad. Said he is like a young Sheik Mohommad, and told us they don’t wear anything under their kandora (head wear for men is called qetra).
Dubai is amazing – although the financial crisis has hit badly. Mohammad told us that there is still enough oil in Abu Dhabi to support the whole area for another 40 years. Evidence of their wealth is everywhere – from the air conditioned bus stops to the amazing man made Island developments.
We visited the Burj Al Arab (the building shaped like a sail– voted world’s most luxurious) for a photo shoot and at the same time dabbled our toes in the Persian Sea at Jumeriah Beach. Sand was so hot and water was also too hot to swim in for long.
Then we drove onto Palm Jumeirah, one of the Palm Frond Islands for a photo shoot of Atlantis (a 7 star hotel). Rooms are all suites at least 750 metres (bigger than our block of land at Safety Beach) and they have an Aquarium that holds 65000 fish and
We visited the Mall of Emirates (a shopping centre with indoor ski dome with fresh snow all year round and five ski runs and amazingly a dining area with an open fire burning (pretend). .
Then we moved on to the Burj Dubai Downtown. We couldn’t park the bus close by so had a walk to the Shopping Centre and then onto the Burj Khafir, tallest building in the world (188 floors, 818 metres, 2680 feet).
We entered the high speed elevator- high tech sound and light show played on the walls as we sped to the Observation Deck on the 124th floor. There are 57 elevators which travel at 10 metres per second. Then as we reached our destination, the music reached a loud crescendo as the elevator doors sprung open to a totally glassed in Observation Deck with a breathtaking view of the city, desert and the ocean (and palm frond islands).
In both Oman and Dubai there was a haze which we were told was a sand haze . This made photos interesting especially first thing in the morning. [Camera lens immediately fogged up so we had to get into the habit of taking our camera outside for a few minutes before actually opening it to use]
But here at the Burj Khafir, they have telescopes for you to look through and you can select day, afternoon or night and see a clear view through the telescope without the haze.
We finished our tour at the Dubai Mall Downtown (a shopping mall too amazing to describe) and also visited the Souq (market). I bought a gorgeous little Aladdins Lamp that I am rubbing each day in hope the Genie might pop out.
In the afternoon we swam – it is very very hot. We wanted to phone the girls but there were no phone cards left dockside and none of the phones would take cash.
Sunday, 13th June – OMAN
Sunday, 13th June – OMAN
Shore Excursion Today – Mytical MUSCAT [Early start – need to meet at 7.30am in Princess Theatre]
In OMAN today and the ship’s position has been notified to NATO because we are in an area notorious for pirate attacks. We will be having Pirate Drill soon. The Captain has access to all NATO Intelligence reports. Today a naval vessel monitored our departure from Oman and this afternoon a fighter jet flew over. In the next hour or so we will be turning towards Dubai and will be close to Iran.
OMAN is very interesting – totally undemocratic – run by Sultan – no crime, everything clean and modern although their history dates back centuries. The Scenery was dramatic with huge stark mountains of rock surrounding the shoreline.
Very modern buildings – great roads, drive on RHS
We visited the Grand Mosque – enormous, built of marble and sandstone – we had to do the full cover up thing to go in but well worth it. Guide said they don’t put a monetary value on it – whatever it requires is done – but someone else said it has cost them $6 billion so far. The inside has magnificent stained glass, fantastic mosaics, handwoven carpet that we weren’t allowed to walk on, gold everywhere, gigantic chandeliers that guys climb into and walk around when a light bulb needs changing. Reflecting now that we are home - this Mosque was truly amazing - I still can't get over the opulence of it all.
Temperatures were 43 deg plus. Shopped in Muttrah Souq – bargained for everything and had lots of fun.
Also went to Private Museum where Oman’s history is chronicled. Interesting - most of the exhibits were open, not enclosed in glass. Very interesting artifacts.
Also saw Sultan’s Palace (one of his five). The Palace is sandwiched between two forts. This Palace looked even more amazing as we sailed out of Oman and we could see its full extent. One of the Sultan's yachts (more like a liner) was parked next to us in the Harbour.
Only short stop here because we are heading to Dubai tomorrow. Due to depart at 1pm today – although it probably ended up nearer to 2pm. Near midnight tonight we make a turn and will pass close to IRAN.
Hose nozzles have been installed dockside in preparation for Pirate Attack. Apparently there is something near the front of the ship that is capable of making a sonic boom.
Shore Excursion Today – Mytical MUSCAT [Early start – need to meet at 7.30am in Princess Theatre]
In OMAN today and the ship’s position has been notified to NATO because we are in an area notorious for pirate attacks. We will be having Pirate Drill soon. The Captain has access to all NATO Intelligence reports. Today a naval vessel monitored our departure from Oman and this afternoon a fighter jet flew over. In the next hour or so we will be turning towards Dubai and will be close to Iran.
OMAN is very interesting – totally undemocratic – run by Sultan – no crime, everything clean and modern although their history dates back centuries. The Scenery was dramatic with huge stark mountains of rock surrounding the shoreline.
Very modern buildings – great roads, drive on RHS
We visited the Grand Mosque – enormous, built of marble and sandstone – we had to do the full cover up thing to go in but well worth it. Guide said they don’t put a monetary value on it – whatever it requires is done – but someone else said it has cost them $6 billion so far. The inside has magnificent stained glass, fantastic mosaics, handwoven carpet that we weren’t allowed to walk on, gold everywhere, gigantic chandeliers that guys climb into and walk around when a light bulb needs changing. Reflecting now that we are home - this Mosque was truly amazing - I still can't get over the opulence of it all.
Temperatures were 43 deg plus. Shopped in Muttrah Souq – bargained for everything and had lots of fun.
Also went to Private Museum where Oman’s history is chronicled. Interesting - most of the exhibits were open, not enclosed in glass. Very interesting artifacts.
Also saw Sultan’s Palace (one of his five). The Palace is sandwiched between two forts. This Palace looked even more amazing as we sailed out of Oman and we could see its full extent. One of the Sultan's yachts (more like a liner) was parked next to us in the Harbour.
Only short stop here because we are heading to Dubai tomorrow. Due to depart at 1pm today – although it probably ended up nearer to 2pm. Near midnight tonight we make a turn and will pass close to IRAN.
Hose nozzles have been installed dockside in preparation for Pirate Attack. Apparently there is something near the front of the ship that is capable of making a sonic boom.
Friday, June 25, 2010
On our way to INDIA
Now us – we are at sea today – crossing the Arabian Sea and will be in Oman tomorrow and Dubai on Monday. We are 6 hours behind your time. Our position has been notified to NATO because we will be entering the Gulf of Aden shortly – with pirates active in the area. Our Captain has direct access to Intelligence Reports. The area is being monitored by NATO helicopters and planes. We will be having “pirate” drill on the ship (probably today). All very exciting.
I could write a book on India – absolutely a land of contrasts. We did a Princess ship tour in Cochin but it got a bit tedious towards the end and the weather is very hot. So we cancelled our tour for Mumbai and decided to go it alone. We ended up sharing a cab with a couple from San Francisco – cost us $US30 for 2.5 hours for four of us – Patsy did the negotiating. In both places there was rubbish everywhere – in Cochin they have introduced a program for women to sweep up the streets but all they do is sweep it into piles and no one ever collects it. The main streets were better than the side streets – you could hardly walk down some of them for the rotting rubbish. The traffic is amazing. Very few traffic lights – everyone just goes and toots continuously. At one point we were on the inside lane of a roundabout with four lanes and somehow we crossed over all of them and out of it. But no one lets you in – if there is a space they go for it. Two cars in one lane and a motorbike passed us on the inside..... We saw incredible architecture, the Gateway to India, the Railway Station and the Taj Mahal Hotel; (I am having trouble describing next bit) – then absolute slum conditions like I have never seen anywhere – only the photos can give any appreciation of how bad it is; people hanging out of trains – 10 a day die from falling or wandering up the tracks; local buses – no windows, no air conditioning, women up the front, men up the back – squashed in. But in Cochin, education is free and the children were all at school and dressed in uniforms. Not so in Mumbai, and this was the most shattering part – as we stopped, small children were pressing their faces against the car window – one in particular, a beautiful little boy made gestures with his long fingers to his mouth and throat for food. But our driver told us not to open the window – that is a picture I will never forget. Apparently they all have a pimp and anything they get is taken off them. Our driver – Imran Khan had a little five year old and it was costing him 80000 rupees to send him to school – only about $2500 but to them it was a fortune. There are 60000 cabs in Mumbai. As we got out of the cab to go back to the ship – women and children were all begging for chocolate – still don’t have an explanation for that...
Waiting for the ship to leave Mumbai, we watched rats running all round dockside – and skinny stray dogs were everywhere. An amazing experience– so glad we were on the ship and able to see but not stay because I could never stay there. Captain gave a speal yesterday about how he would gladly negotiate the Gulf of Aden and pirates than have to deal with Indian Immigration authorities. How they demand food, drink, cigarettes from the staff always with the veiled threat of delaying the ship. He said he will not stand for his staff being threatened and this time they had come very close to being booted off the ship. Everything is negotiable. Even when I called you from dockside – it was at a phone with a guy sitting there – initial charge was $US1 for 3 minutes (good deal) but when none of you were there – he only charged me $US1 for the 3 calls I made. I went back later and another guy was there – I did exactly the same thing and he said that will be $US2 – so I told him that previously I was only charged $US1 and he said OK $US1 – everything is totally negotiable. Except for a little china camel and elephant that I wanted to buy from a stall and the guy said $US10 each (no way) so I walked away and went back later and another guy said the same thing – so I said no, I will give you $US10 for both and he said NO – bad luck, I am sure there will be more along the way. It all just becomes a game.
I could write a book on India – absolutely a land of contrasts. We did a Princess ship tour in Cochin but it got a bit tedious towards the end and the weather is very hot. So we cancelled our tour for Mumbai and decided to go it alone. We ended up sharing a cab with a couple from San Francisco – cost us $US30 for 2.5 hours for four of us – Patsy did the negotiating. In both places there was rubbish everywhere – in Cochin they have introduced a program for women to sweep up the streets but all they do is sweep it into piles and no one ever collects it. The main streets were better than the side streets – you could hardly walk down some of them for the rotting rubbish. The traffic is amazing. Very few traffic lights – everyone just goes and toots continuously. At one point we were on the inside lane of a roundabout with four lanes and somehow we crossed over all of them and out of it. But no one lets you in – if there is a space they go for it. Two cars in one lane and a motorbike passed us on the inside..... We saw incredible architecture, the Gateway to India, the Railway Station and the Taj Mahal Hotel; (I am having trouble describing next bit) – then absolute slum conditions like I have never seen anywhere – only the photos can give any appreciation of how bad it is; people hanging out of trains – 10 a day die from falling or wandering up the tracks; local buses – no windows, no air conditioning, women up the front, men up the back – squashed in. But in Cochin, education is free and the children were all at school and dressed in uniforms. Not so in Mumbai, and this was the most shattering part – as we stopped, small children were pressing their faces against the car window – one in particular, a beautiful little boy made gestures with his long fingers to his mouth and throat for food. But our driver told us not to open the window – that is a picture I will never forget. Apparently they all have a pimp and anything they get is taken off them. Our driver – Imran Khan had a little five year old and it was costing him 80000 rupees to send him to school – only about $2500 but to them it was a fortune. There are 60000 cabs in Mumbai. As we got out of the cab to go back to the ship – women and children were all begging for chocolate – still don’t have an explanation for that...
Waiting for the ship to leave Mumbai, we watched rats running all round dockside – and skinny stray dogs were everywhere. An amazing experience– so glad we were on the ship and able to see but not stay because I could never stay there. Captain gave a speal yesterday about how he would gladly negotiate the Gulf of Aden and pirates than have to deal with Indian Immigration authorities. How they demand food, drink, cigarettes from the staff always with the veiled threat of delaying the ship. He said he will not stand for his staff being threatened and this time they had come very close to being booted off the ship. Everything is negotiable. Even when I called you from dockside – it was at a phone with a guy sitting there – initial charge was $US1 for 3 minutes (good deal) but when none of you were there – he only charged me $US1 for the 3 calls I made. I went back later and another guy was there – I did exactly the same thing and he said that will be $US2 – so I told him that previously I was only charged $US1 and he said OK $US1 – everything is totally negotiable. Except for a little china camel and elephant that I wanted to buy from a stall and the guy said $US10 each (no way) so I walked away and went back later and another guy said the same thing – so I said no, I will give you $US10 for both and he said NO – bad luck, I am sure there will be more along the way. It all just becomes a game.
Tuesday 8th June - Cochin
We left Langkawi and have three days at sea now and are heading across the Bay of Bengal (the largest Bay in the World). Capt McBain has warned us about the unsteady sea conditions and high winds. We can certainly feel the ship moving and shaking. Out on the decks the air is hot and the wind is phenomenal. We are moving fast – probably about 20-21knots. We will be on Cochin on Tuesday 8th June.Arrived in Cochin at 7am. Absolutely no port side facilities, just old sheds. We had booked a tour with Princess – Cochin City Highlights. Diane and George were booked on the same excursion and we arranged to meet in Wheelhouse Bar so that we would end up in the same bus but before our departure from the ship, we had to deal with Indian Immigration. .
We moved into Princess Theatre and waited our turn to depart. Down stairs to Deck 4 we clambered and there waiting for us was a table with three Indian officials. I went first and my Landing Document was signed by the first person, stamped by the second person and signed again by the third person. All totally meaningless but that’s the way it is in India. Off we went, down the gangplank, had our obligatory gangplank photos taken and headed along the dock to the gates. Soldiers were dotted all along and at the gate there was a group standing around. My document was checked and I was told I could head out the gate to the area where our buses were parked. But hang on, George,Diane and Ray were all told they would have to go back to the ship because they didn’t have THE STAMP on their document.. George said, “that’s because the guy in the middle got up and went to the loo or something – it’s not our fault” No No No, back you go and I was told again that I could go to the bus. So here was our first experience of Indian Officialdom = self produced chaos. Finally we boarded our bus last, but at least we were on the tour. The bus was old, but it had windows and it had some form of airconditioning because it was cool. Metal fans were strung from the roof but they weren’t in use. The local buses are horrendous – no windows and packed tight – women at the front and men down the back.
Well, nothing could quite prepare you for India. I had heard it was a land of contrasts and to be prepared for the smell. The smell wasn’t too bad – just a faint odd smell every so often. The traffic is a nightmare – many tuk tuks and cabs. Everybody goes fast, and often up the wrong side of the road. In Cochin, education is free, so there were many schools. The children all wore uniforms and looked immaculate. Medical treatment is also free. A program has been introduced for women to sweep the streets – so all along the streets are little piles of rubbish neatly swept up – but it seems that no one ever comes along to remove them – and the sidestreets were just dreadful – rubbish everywhere.
Driving is amazing – everyone just goes and toots. Cars all seem to go in different directions but somehow don’t seem to crunch each other.
Our first stop was St Francis Church - Vasco Da Gama memorial stone. Amazing teak carvings.
Fishing Nets were donated by the Chinese – streets are dirty. Fish are sold off the ground nearby.
Dutch Palace – too many people – hot. No photography allowed here and it has been set up as a museum. Jewish Synagogue – no leather allowed here – thought that would only affect the men and their belts then realised it also meant purses. Had to be covered up to enter. Decided not to bother. Too many people, too hot but as a result we ended up standing around waiting for those who did go inside. And then our Guide Raj left us in the street to shop but we had no idea where the bus was and all the nearby streets looked the same so we were frightened to move. Enjoyed the first part of this tour but the end part was tedious. As we headed to the Dock a policeman came on board to check our documents and also under seats –still not sure what he was looking for. But no dramas we were then allowed to enter the dock area.
Lots of green weed in the water but it didn’t seem as bad as what was described last year.
We are the last ship for the season in Cochin because Monsoon Season has begun.
We moved into Princess Theatre and waited our turn to depart. Down stairs to Deck 4 we clambered and there waiting for us was a table with three Indian officials. I went first and my Landing Document was signed by the first person, stamped by the second person and signed again by the third person. All totally meaningless but that’s the way it is in India. Off we went, down the gangplank, had our obligatory gangplank photos taken and headed along the dock to the gates. Soldiers were dotted all along and at the gate there was a group standing around. My document was checked and I was told I could head out the gate to the area where our buses were parked. But hang on, George,Diane and Ray were all told they would have to go back to the ship because they didn’t have THE STAMP on their document.. George said, “that’s because the guy in the middle got up and went to the loo or something – it’s not our fault” No No No, back you go and I was told again that I could go to the bus. So here was our first experience of Indian Officialdom = self produced chaos. Finally we boarded our bus last, but at least we were on the tour. The bus was old, but it had windows and it had some form of airconditioning because it was cool. Metal fans were strung from the roof but they weren’t in use. The local buses are horrendous – no windows and packed tight – women at the front and men down the back.
Well, nothing could quite prepare you for India. I had heard it was a land of contrasts and to be prepared for the smell. The smell wasn’t too bad – just a faint odd smell every so often. The traffic is a nightmare – many tuk tuks and cabs. Everybody goes fast, and often up the wrong side of the road. In Cochin, education is free, so there were many schools. The children all wore uniforms and looked immaculate. Medical treatment is also free. A program has been introduced for women to sweep the streets – so all along the streets are little piles of rubbish neatly swept up – but it seems that no one ever comes along to remove them – and the sidestreets were just dreadful – rubbish everywhere.
Driving is amazing – everyone just goes and toots. Cars all seem to go in different directions but somehow don’t seem to crunch each other.
Our first stop was St Francis Church - Vasco Da Gama memorial stone. Amazing teak carvings.
Fishing Nets were donated by the Chinese – streets are dirty. Fish are sold off the ground nearby.
Dutch Palace – too many people – hot. No photography allowed here and it has been set up as a museum. Jewish Synagogue – no leather allowed here – thought that would only affect the men and their belts then realised it also meant purses. Had to be covered up to enter. Decided not to bother. Too many people, too hot but as a result we ended up standing around waiting for those who did go inside. And then our Guide Raj left us in the street to shop but we had no idea where the bus was and all the nearby streets looked the same so we were frightened to move. Enjoyed the first part of this tour but the end part was tedious. As we headed to the Dock a policeman came on board to check our documents and also under seats –still not sure what he was looking for. But no dramas we were then allowed to enter the dock area.
Lots of green weed in the water but it didn’t seem as bad as what was described last year.
We are the last ship for the season in Cochin because Monsoon Season has begun.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Langkawi - great place to holiday....
Arrived at8am today. Once again it was raining but fined up during the day.
Princess Shore Excursion today is Langkawi Highlights.
We left on time about 9.30am and drove to the Rice Museum. Interesting!
Then we went to the Craft Centre – lovely craft work but prices were a little steep and no one seemed to buy very much there.
Then we drove up into the mountains and stopped at a Rubber Plantation – on the way there was another shower of rain. But the lady came out and showed us how they cut the rubber tree to release the latex. We had never seen this done before.
Then we headed to the Cable Car – it is located in the Indian Village and there were long queues of people. Apparently school holidays had started today. We finally boarded our car with a young German couple and their two small children. It was a very steep climb to the first stop but we did not get off here because we were told the second stop would have the best views. Wrong! By the time we got there the whole mountain was covered in cloud. Another long wait to get back on the Cable car.
We had a short walk around the village and then headed back to the bus. Bus returning directly to the Ship but we asked if we could get off in the town. We had a short walk around the shops – used up the rest of our Ringitt and caught a taxi back to the ship. We agreed to pay $US3 which was probably a little overpriced but the ships shuttle would have cost us $14 ozzie. Once again today we bought Magnums for about $2.
Population of buffalo is growing quickly and causing some problems because they sleep on the roads etc. Monkeys also causing hassles for some of the resorts where they go into rooms and steal things. Guests have complained about other guests or staff stealing their things.
A ferry runs from Langkawi to Thailand about an hours’ ride. Beach at Langkawi looked good with lots of opportunities to use fun things like jet skis, etc. Lots of good things to do here – elephant rides, horse riding, the cable car, ferry to Thailand.
Everyone back on board on time today.
$1 AUS = 2.7 ringgitt – excellent rate –huge duty free shop = great place for return holiday.
Princess Shore Excursion today is Langkawi Highlights.
We left on time about 9.30am and drove to the Rice Museum. Interesting!
Then we went to the Craft Centre – lovely craft work but prices were a little steep and no one seemed to buy very much there.
Then we drove up into the mountains and stopped at a Rubber Plantation – on the way there was another shower of rain. But the lady came out and showed us how they cut the rubber tree to release the latex. We had never seen this done before.
Then we headed to the Cable Car – it is located in the Indian Village and there were long queues of people. Apparently school holidays had started today. We finally boarded our car with a young German couple and their two small children. It was a very steep climb to the first stop but we did not get off here because we were told the second stop would have the best views. Wrong! By the time we got there the whole mountain was covered in cloud. Another long wait to get back on the Cable car.
We had a short walk around the village and then headed back to the bus. Bus returning directly to the Ship but we asked if we could get off in the town. We had a short walk around the shops – used up the rest of our Ringitt and caught a taxi back to the ship. We agreed to pay $US3 which was probably a little overpriced but the ships shuttle would have cost us $14 ozzie. Once again today we bought Magnums for about $2.
Population of buffalo is growing quickly and causing some problems because they sleep on the roads etc. Monkeys also causing hassles for some of the resorts where they go into rooms and steal things. Guests have complained about other guests or staff stealing their things.
A ferry runs from Langkawi to Thailand about an hours’ ride. Beach at Langkawi looked good with lots of opportunities to use fun things like jet skis, etc. Lots of good things to do here – elephant rides, horse riding, the cable car, ferry to Thailand.
Everyone back on board on time today.
$1 AUS = 2.7 ringgitt – excellent rate –huge duty free shop = great place for return holiday.
3 June - Our day in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is an hour and a half’s drive from Port Kelang where we docked. Port Kelang is very industrial – absolutely no shops or market stall here. Princess is running a shuttle to the nearest town 20 minutes away – cost is the usual $7 each/one way.
Princess Shore Excursion – Kuala Lumpur On our Own
Another option for us was to go to the International Marketplace but we would have needed to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus or take a taxi so we just opted to do things nearby. I was sorry to have missed seeing the Blue Mosque but we just can’t do everything.
Skybridge visit was awesome – 44 floors up. The building is 88 storeys tall but most of the floors are occupied by offices.
Princess Shore Excursion – Kuala Lumpur On our Own
We decided to do this tour because it will drop us into Kuala Lumpur near Petronas Towers but still give us an opportunity to do our own thing. And Petronas Towers was high on our list of things to see because it is the location where the film ”Entrapment” was made.
Kuala Lumpur began about 150 years ago and has been virtually carved out of the jungle with no real planning. It is so different from SIngapore There is a lot of high rise public housing. The whole area looked swampy. They had a huge flood in 2003 that resulted in a lot of damage and destruction. As a consequence a huge tunnel has been built to protect from flooding in the future. Kuala Lumpur is not like Singapore.
Our Guide told us we wouldn’t be able to go up the Towers because they only sell a limited number of tickets each day and people queue up from 4.30am in the morning. However when we got off the bus we walked into the Petronas Towers building to look for Money Exchange and somehow managed to find ourselves at the Information Desk. When we saw a queue of people we joined the queue. Ironically there were still tickets available for the 1.30pm lift ride to the Skybridge. Added bonus was that they were free.
The Petronas Tower Building is a huge shopping mall so we had a quick look there and then decided to go to Bikit Bitang – another shopping mall. The Guide had told us there was a short cut and to our surprise, we found we could walk more than half way there, through a tunnel. Another enquiry at the Convention Centre and we found ourselves in the Pavilion. This Shopping Mall was beautiful – full of Designer Shops. We wandered around here for a while and then decided to head back to Petronas to get some lunch before our visit to the Skybridge.
Skybridge visit was awesome – 44 floors up. The building is 88 storeys tall but most of the floors are occupied by offices.
There was some confusion at the end in trying to find our bus and the weather was hot and very very humid. But somehow everyone eventually turned up and we headed back to the Ship on time. Interesting to have seen KL but no real reason to go back.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Great day in Singapore.
No Shore Excursion booked here. Everyone says it is easy with the MRT System located near the dock.
About this time we met George and Diane and when we compared notes, we wanted to do the same things and neither of us had been to Singapore before. At this point we revised our plan and decided to go to Sentossa Island straight away. They had already purchased an all day ticket but we needed different tickets for the monorail ($3 each). Sentossa Island is basically just a big fun park. The monorail is fun and reliable. We stopped at the first station and had a quick look. Universal Studios is located here. Hopped back on the monorail and continued to the Beach Stop where the Luge Ride was located. Ray and George rode to the beginning of the Luge on a chairlift and had magnificent views from the top. Diane and I sat and waited – very easy.......
Now we continued our adventure – on the monorail back to the MRT Station. We discovered that Raffles is on the same line as Bugis Street but we needed to change lines on the way. The train system is fantastic. They are fully automated and safe, clean, fast and reliable. In fact they went so fast that at one stage we thought we may end up in a different country.... We didn’t wait more than 2 mins. We managed the change well and hopped off at City Central. Raffles is just as you would expect – a haven within the city. We girls had a Gin Sling while they boys had a very tall glass of beer (probably a pint glass). The Gin Slings did taste like lolly water but we both agreed we felt a bit tipsy afterwards so they must have had a bit of a kick (in any case, the bill gave us a kick - $S96 for four drinks). Oh well, we will only ever be there once so it is one of those things we can tick off our List.
Back to the MRT and on to Bugis Street. But my ticket failed and a guy came up to help. He took us over to the ticket machine. Lodged the ticket in the slot and bingo – out came a dollar – “now you can purchase your ticket to Bugis Street”, he said. So we tried this little trick each time we had a problem, we got a dollar back – so we even did it at the end of the day when we had finished travelling and bingo, it worked again. Seems this is the way they stop tickets littering and I guess they re cycle them. Incidentally we were disappointed with Bugis Street but were happy to return to the ship after a great adventure in unfamiliar territory.
Our departure was delayed because we needed to report to Immigration officials on our return to the ship and then hand our passports back to Princess. But as usual, several people didn’t hand in their passports and after several calls our departure was further delayed because SuperStar Virgo needed to dock beside us and consequently we had to wait. The Captain put over a stern message voicing his annoyance at having been delayed a further 45 mins
There were lots of shops at the dock so immediately we found the money exchanger to get local currency ($AUS50=$S57) and had a quick look around. We were offered a great deal on a movie camera but decided it was too early in the cruise for major purchases. We obtained a map of the MRT system from the Tourist Information Desk. We had a vague plan of going to Sentossa Island so that Ray could do the Luge ride and to Raffles for a Gin Sling and maybe Bugis Street or Orchard Road. Tourist Information advised us that Orchard Road is full of Designer Shops while Bugis Street is more funky - sounds like us. We could see Sentossa Island and the monorail from the ship so decided it might be better to go there in the afternoon because we would be closer to the ship and less likely to have problems returning on time. We had been told we could purchase an all day pass on the MRT for $8 (you pay $10 dep which is returned to you in exchange for your used ticket). Instead we decided we only wanted to go to Bugis Street (Monorail uses a different ticketing system) so we went to the machines and purchased tickets but they were only one way (more about that later). Machines were incredibly easy to use. You just selected your destination on a screen and the price was displayed with an option for purchasing more tickets. I should mention here that everyone speaks English – and signs are also displayed in English. We noted that the majority of people were young – it is a vibrant city, well worth a visit if only to ride the MRT system and do some great shopping.
Now we continued our adventure – on the monorail back to the MRT Station. We discovered that Raffles is on the same line as Bugis Street but we needed to change lines on the way. The train system is fantastic. They are fully automated and safe, clean, fast and reliable. In fact they went so fast that at one stage we thought we may end up in a different country.... We didn’t wait more than 2 mins. We managed the change well and hopped off at City Central. Raffles is just as you would expect – a haven within the city. We girls had a Gin Sling while they boys had a very tall glass of beer (probably a pint glass). The Gin Slings did taste like lolly water but we both agreed we felt a bit tipsy afterwards so they must have had a bit of a kick (in any case, the bill gave us a kick - $S96 for four drinks). Oh well, we will only ever be there once so it is one of those things we can tick off our List.
Back to the MRT and on to Bugis Street. But my ticket failed and a guy came up to help. He took us over to the ticket machine. Lodged the ticket in the slot and bingo – out came a dollar – “now you can purchase your ticket to Bugis Street”, he said. So we tried this little trick each time we had a problem, we got a dollar back – so we even did it at the end of the day when we had finished travelling and bingo, it worked again. Seems this is the way they stop tickets littering and I guess they re cycle them. Incidentally we were disappointed with Bugis Street but were happy to return to the ship after a great adventure in unfamiliar territory.
Our departure was delayed because we needed to report to Immigration officials on our return to the ship and then hand our passports back to Princess. But as usual, several people didn’t hand in their passports and after several calls our departure was further delayed because SuperStar Virgo needed to dock beside us and consequently we had to wait. The Captain put over a stern message voicing his annoyance at having been delayed a further 45 mins
2nd June – Singapore
Arrived early and went up on deck for photo shoot. But it was dark and not long after I walked out on the deck, there was a huge clap of thunder and lightning. I flew back inside. But true to form, rain stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the day.
No Shore Excursion booked here. Everyone says it is easy with the MRT System located near the dock.
There were lots of shops at the dock so immediately we found the money exchanger to get local currency ($AUS50=$S57) and had a quick look around. We were offered a great deal on a movie camera but decided it was too early in the cruise for major purchases. We obtained a map of the MRT system from the Tourist Information Desk. We had a vague plan of going to Sentossa Island so that Ray could do the Luge ride and to Raffles for a Gin Sling and maybe Bugis Street or Orchard Road. Tourist Information advised us that Orchard Road is full of Designer Shops while Bugis Street is more funky - sounds like us. We could see Sentossa Island and the monorail from the ship so decided it might be better to go there in the afternoon because we would be closer to the ship and less likely to have problems returning on time. We had been told we could purchase an all day pass on the MRT for $8 (you pay $10 dep which is returned to you in exchange for your used ticket). Instead we decided we only wanted to go to Bugis Street (Monorail uses a different ticketing system) so we went to the machines and purchased tickets but they were only one way (more about that later). Machines were incredibly easy to use. You just selected your destination on a screen and the price was displayed with an option for purchasing more tickets. I should mention here that everyone speaks English – and signs are also displayed in English. We noted that the majority of people were young – it is a vibrant city, well worth a visit if only to ride the MRT system and do some great shopping.
About this time we met George and Diane and when we compared notes, we wanted to do the same things and neither of us had been to Singapore before. At this point we revised our plan and decided to go to Sentossa Island straight away. They had already purchased an all day ticket but we needed different tickets for the monorail ($3 each). Sentossa Island is basically just a big fun park. The monorail is fun and reliable. We stopped at the first station and had a quick look. Universal Studios is located here. Hopped back on the monorail and continued to the Beach Stop where the Luge Ride was located. Ray and George rode to the beginning of the Luge on a chairlift and had magnificent views from the top. Diane and I sat and waited – very easy.......
Now we continued our adventure – on the monorail back to the MRT Station. We discovered that Raffles is on the same line as Bugis Street but we needed to change lines on the way. The train system is fantastic. They are fully automated and safe, clean, fast and reliable. In fact they went so fast that at one stage we thought we may end up in a different country.... We didn't wait more than 2 mins. We managed the change well and hopped off at City Central. Raffles is just as you would expect – a haven within the city. We girls had a Gin Sling while they boys had a very tall glass of beer (probably a pint glass). The Gin Slings did taste like lolly water but we both agreed we felt a bit tipsy afterwards so they must have had a bit of a kick (in any case, the bill gave us a kick - $S96 for four drinks). Oh well, we will only ever be there once so it is one of those things we can tick off our List.
Back to the MRT and on to Bugis Street. But my ticket failed and a guy came up to help. He took us over to the ticket machine. Lodged the ticket in the slot and bingo – out came a dollar – "now you can purchase your ticket to Bugis Street", he said. So we tried this little trick each time we had a problem, we got a dollar back – so we even did it at the end of the day when we had finished travelling and bingo, it worked again. Seems this is the way they stop tickets littering and I guess they re cycle them. Incidentally we were disappointed with Bugis Street but were happy to return to the ship after a great adventure in unfamiliar territory.
Our departure was delayed because we needed to report to Immigration officials on our return to the ship and then hand our passports back to Princess. But as usual, several people didn't hand in their passports and after several calls our departure was further delayed because SuperStar Virgo needed to dock beside us and consequently we had to wait. The Captain put over a stern message voicing his annoyance at having been delayed a further 45 mins.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Memorable Occassions
31st May – Day at Sea. Day before big Birthday. Jo rang in the morning to wish me Happy Birthday – very funny (its not till tomorrow). But as she said, at least she got in first.
Great news today – Belinda sent us a photo of her first scan (12 wks) – all is going well – ‘’Baby Bump’’ is kicking and waving – and perfect size. Attended Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party tonight.
1st June – Day at Sea.
Well, that birthday that I didn’t want - came and went. Woke to find balloons on our door and a card from the Captain. Ray bought me flowers which were delivered to our Cabin and he booked dinner for us in the only Specialty Restaurant onboard – Sterling Steakhouse. Spent a very relaxing day by the pool. Had wonderful meal (Shrimp Cocktail was actually King Prawns, followed by Fillet Mignon [Ray had Halibut] and then raspberry brulee. Waiters sang Happy Birthday and delivered special little cake with candle to our table. It was the slowest version of Happy Birthday I have ever heard – thought it would never end. Well at least that is another milestone gone.
As well, we crossed the Equator – usual messy celebrations on deck.
Great news today – Belinda sent us a photo of her first scan (12 wks) – all is going well – ‘’Baby Bump’’ is kicking and waving – and perfect size. Attended Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party tonight.
1st June – Day at Sea.
Well, that birthday that I didn’t want - came and went. Woke to find balloons on our door and a card from the Captain. Ray bought me flowers which were delivered to our Cabin and he booked dinner for us in the only Specialty Restaurant onboard – Sterling Steakhouse. Spent a very relaxing day by the pool. Had wonderful meal (Shrimp Cocktail was actually King Prawns, followed by Fillet Mignon [Ray had Halibut] and then raspberry brulee. Waiters sang Happy Birthday and delivered special little cake with candle to our table. It was the slowest version of Happy Birthday I have ever heard – thought it would never end. Well at least that is another milestone gone.
As well, we crossed the Equator – usual messy celebrations on deck.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Quick Update - will post more later
During this week, we have safely crossed the Equator, visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and tomorrow we will be in Langkawi. Have lots more to post but no time now. Having a superb cruise - it definitely is the only way to see the World.
Message here for Sheree: Aileen said to tell you that she is so relaxed, she is comatose - think we all are.
Message here for Sheree: Aileen said to tell you that she is so relaxed, she is comatose - think we all are.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Darwin and Bali
Our first port, Darwin. Busy day spent shopping and catching up with phone calls to our girls before we leave Australia. We watched the rain pour down as we ate breakfast but it had gone by the time we went ashore. However that just increased the humidity. It was a very very hot day.
Well, can’t believe we have completed twelve days of our Adventure.
Yesterday we arrived in Bali at about 7am. Our original port of call in Bali had been changed about two weeks before. So we anchored at Benoa Bay not really knowing what to expect. We would use the tender boats to go ashore and Capt McBain announced that he would also have available, a local catamaran that would hold 150 people. He was hoping to have everyone back onboard by 5.30 to enable us to negotiate our way out of Benoa Bay before the sun set. However things don’t always go as planned. The ’Bali Hi’ Catamaran they hoped to use, couldn’t get alongside our ship because of rough seas so instead a couple of larger tender boats were lowered. As a result some of the shore excursions were a little late getting away but that would work out OK for most.
We had booked the Taro Elephant Safari Park. It was a long drive to the Park but we saw many villages along the way and it was interesting seeing how the locals spent their days working at various industries – rice paddys, batik, silver work, stone carving, wood carving and duck farming. Each village has its own family temple which is the most well maintained part of the village. Roads were narrow and traffic chaotic with many motorbikes. We watched women with young babies strapped to them, clinging to the back of bikes, young children not much more than 10 yrs old riding bikes (although we were assured that could only happen within the confines of their own village) and even a ladder propped up between two people on a motorbike. We saw old people with antiquated farming equipment working away in fields.
On our arrival at the Elephant Safari Park, we were directed to wait for our ride on the elephant. They have 30 Sumatran elephants at the park including 3 young babies less than a year old. We loved watching the very delicate way the elephants walked – one foot at a time, placed slowly and purposely. About 8 or 9 were saddled with a two seater contraption and when our turn came, on we hopped. The elephant driver sits between the elephant’s ears and from there seemed to be able to get the elephant to do almost anything. Our elephant was called Krishuma. – and during the ride Krishuma stopped to do what all elephants do at some time but what our driver called a ‘Bali Tsunami’- interesting experience – his whole body rumbled as if it had a motor running – then whoooshh..............
After our 30-min ride through the jungle, we walked around to the enclosure where the elephants were resting and there we were able to feed one of the baby elephants – a sweet little female who then wandered over to a sleeping baby elephant and proceeded to wake it up so that she could play with it – they pushed and shoved each other until one of them got sick of it and walked off – very cute to watch...
These elephants are endangered and this park is helping to maintain the species. The elephants are all extremely happy and well cared for – there is no doubt they are loving what they are doing. Our elephant driver was a young boy from the local village who previously had only worked in the village. Now he is at school learning to be an elephant driver.
The Restaurant at the Park provided a great buffet lunch.
On our way back to the Ship we stopped at a local Batik Centre and watched the ladies working. Very delicate work. We bought a couple of bags from them- but no bargaining for us here although others later skited about their bargains. We felt the items were already priced much lower than we would have paid at home and were happy to see the money go to these ladies who were working so hard.
As we returned to the dock, we saw the most aggressive of traders we have ever seen - refusing to accept ‘no’ as an answer. We were just happy to be on the bus and not having to deal with these people. Apparently since the bombings in Kuta, their businesses were lost and now that they are starting to recover, they are desperate. After entering the security of the wharf we alighted from our bus and found a delightful area set up where we could get ice creams, drinks and a variety of local touristy items. We bought a Magnum Ice Cream for $Aus 2 each – at home we pay $3-60.
They also had a band playing and Balinese dancers. There were long queues waiting for the tenders and we were given tender tickets (855 and 856). They were only up to 451-500 so that meant a long wait. No good being bothered by these sorts of delays – we know from past experience they will try to get us all back onboard as quickly as they can. Our ship was moored a long way out and the seas were rough. There will be no chance of us getting out of Benoa Bay before Sunset. Then we heard that four buses had been delayed by a religious procession taking place just out of town – we had passed it just before it started. Anyway we finally hopped into one of the tender boats for the return to our ship which was more like travelling in a washing machine than a boat but we made it – exhausted and wet but fully satisfied with our day in Bali.
Later we heard stories of those last tenders returning to the ship - one blew a motor and the whole cabin was full of smoke. Water was so rough, they had to turn the ship around to try to protect the tenders so people could alight. People were turning green and worse........ Guess that is all part of this great adventure. Can only say the Captain did a fabulous job. We were told in calmer seas, decisions had been made not to visit some ports so he did well to get us all into Bali and safely returned us to the ship and then managed to negotiate the tricky exit out of Benoa Bay much later than he had hoped.
Well, can’t believe we have completed twelve days of our Adventure.
Yesterday we arrived in Bali at about 7am. Our original port of call in Bali had been changed about two weeks before. So we anchored at Benoa Bay not really knowing what to expect. We would use the tender boats to go ashore and Capt McBain announced that he would also have available, a local catamaran that would hold 150 people. He was hoping to have everyone back onboard by 5.30 to enable us to negotiate our way out of Benoa Bay before the sun set. However things don’t always go as planned. The ’Bali Hi’ Catamaran they hoped to use, couldn’t get alongside our ship because of rough seas so instead a couple of larger tender boats were lowered. As a result some of the shore excursions were a little late getting away but that would work out OK for most.
We had booked the Taro Elephant Safari Park. It was a long drive to the Park but we saw many villages along the way and it was interesting seeing how the locals spent their days working at various industries – rice paddys, batik, silver work, stone carving, wood carving and duck farming. Each village has its own family temple which is the most well maintained part of the village. Roads were narrow and traffic chaotic with many motorbikes. We watched women with young babies strapped to them, clinging to the back of bikes, young children not much more than 10 yrs old riding bikes (although we were assured that could only happen within the confines of their own village) and even a ladder propped up between two people on a motorbike. We saw old people with antiquated farming equipment working away in fields.
On our arrival at the Elephant Safari Park, we were directed to wait for our ride on the elephant. They have 30 Sumatran elephants at the park including 3 young babies less than a year old. We loved watching the very delicate way the elephants walked – one foot at a time, placed slowly and purposely. About 8 or 9 were saddled with a two seater contraption and when our turn came, on we hopped. The elephant driver sits between the elephant’s ears and from there seemed to be able to get the elephant to do almost anything. Our elephant was called Krishuma. – and during the ride Krishuma stopped to do what all elephants do at some time but what our driver called a ‘Bali Tsunami’- interesting experience – his whole body rumbled as if it had a motor running – then whoooshh..............
After our 30-min ride through the jungle, we walked around to the enclosure where the elephants were resting and there we were able to feed one of the baby elephants – a sweet little female who then wandered over to a sleeping baby elephant and proceeded to wake it up so that she could play with it – they pushed and shoved each other until one of them got sick of it and walked off – very cute to watch...
These elephants are endangered and this park is helping to maintain the species. The elephants are all extremely happy and well cared for – there is no doubt they are loving what they are doing. Our elephant driver was a young boy from the local village who previously had only worked in the village. Now he is at school learning to be an elephant driver.
The Restaurant at the Park provided a great buffet lunch.
On our way back to the Ship we stopped at a local Batik Centre and watched the ladies working. Very delicate work. We bought a couple of bags from them- but no bargaining for us here although others later skited about their bargains. We felt the items were already priced much lower than we would have paid at home and were happy to see the money go to these ladies who were working so hard.
As we returned to the dock, we saw the most aggressive of traders we have ever seen - refusing to accept ‘no’ as an answer. We were just happy to be on the bus and not having to deal with these people. Apparently since the bombings in Kuta, their businesses were lost and now that they are starting to recover, they are desperate. After entering the security of the wharf we alighted from our bus and found a delightful area set up where we could get ice creams, drinks and a variety of local touristy items. We bought a Magnum Ice Cream for $Aus 2 each – at home we pay $3-60.
They also had a band playing and Balinese dancers. There were long queues waiting for the tenders and we were given tender tickets (855 and 856). They were only up to 451-500 so that meant a long wait. No good being bothered by these sorts of delays – we know from past experience they will try to get us all back onboard as quickly as they can. Our ship was moored a long way out and the seas were rough. There will be no chance of us getting out of Benoa Bay before Sunset. Then we heard that four buses had been delayed by a religious procession taking place just out of town – we had passed it just before it started. Anyway we finally hopped into one of the tender boats for the return to our ship which was more like travelling in a washing machine than a boat but we made it – exhausted and wet but fully satisfied with our day in Bali.
Later we heard stories of those last tenders returning to the ship - one blew a motor and the whole cabin was full of smoke. Water was so rough, they had to turn the ship around to try to protect the tenders so people could alight. People were turning green and worse........ Guess that is all part of this great adventure. Can only say the Captain did a fabulous job. We were told in calmer seas, decisions had been made not to visit some ports so he did well to get us all into Bali and safely returned us to the ship and then managed to negotiate the tricky exit out of Benoa Bay much later than he had hoped.
Life On Board Dawn Princess
This Ship is great. The crew ensure it has a friendly relaxed atmosphere. All aspects of “service” are beyond superlatives – our Cabin Boy is a treasure. Shipboard life is awesome.
FOOD: The quality of the food is excellent and available 24 hours. For the first time, we have an allocated dining time and table. The three couples dining with us are all doing the full World Cruise and are around our own age group. However, we have only dined in the Restaurant a couple of times, because we prefer the casual dining options provided in the Buffet area.
SHIPBOARD ACTIVIIES: From the moment we stepped onboard, activities have been endless with a huge variety to suit everyone. We have participated in - table tennis, shuffleboard, water volleyball, Wii bowling, PS3 car racing, horse racing, line dancing, ‘500’card game, destination lectures, Movies Under the Stars with fresh cooked popcorn and blankets provided,.
Some other options include, Ballroom dancing, scrabble, basketball shootouts, Pictionary, golf putting, computer lectures, photography lectures, Art Auctions, Trivia, scholarship lectures, ceramics, library book club, Rugby League game (Qld vs NSW). Sudoku and Quizzes are available every day in the library.
There is a variety of entertainment every night – the Princess Dance Troupe, Princess Big Band, John Denver type singer, storyteller, horse whisperer; female singer, comedian/magician, the Ugly Dave Grey, string quartet, Alan and Alanna at the piano and doing music trivia, a band called Derringer, and Allan and Ladonna who do music to dance to in Wheelhouse Bar every night.
INTERNET TIME is costly but we will become Captain’s Circle Platinum Members after Dubai and will be eligible for $600 each. In the meantime, I have only bought a minimum package to get us through to Dubai. So far access has been good, but last years’ World Cruisers complained it was slow, so maybe the service will change as we cruise on.
COFFEE CARD - We paid $33 for one Coffee Card but this entitles us to 15 specialty coffees for the price of 10 and also entitles us to free brewed coffee and hot chocolate, so long as we have one Crown left unpunched
MEDICAL CENTRE - Unusually we have already been forced to use the Medical Centre twice. Consultation is $75 and any medications extra. .Ray has strained his hamstring playing water volleyball and I managed to come down with a upper respiratory tract infection (I think aggravated by the air conditioning),. 3 x medications cost me $75 but I think it was well worth it because I was back on deck quickly. And it is all claimable under our Travel Insurance.
INSIDE CABIN No complaints here. We are sleeping well and it is a quick hop step and a jump onto Promenade Deck if we need photos etc.
TIP: Recommendation for anyone using an Inside Cabin – at night, turn the TV to the ship’s webcam and the volume to ‘mute’. As the sun rises on the webcam, the TV will mimic a window in your cabin. BTW, we have not done this yet because we prefer to sleep in.
FOOD: The quality of the food is excellent and available 24 hours. For the first time, we have an allocated dining time and table. The three couples dining with us are all doing the full World Cruise and are around our own age group. However, we have only dined in the Restaurant a couple of times, because we prefer the casual dining options provided in the Buffet area.
SHIPBOARD ACTIVIIES: From the moment we stepped onboard, activities have been endless with a huge variety to suit everyone. We have participated in - table tennis, shuffleboard, water volleyball, Wii bowling, PS3 car racing, horse racing, line dancing, ‘500’card game, destination lectures, Movies Under the Stars with fresh cooked popcorn and blankets provided,.
Some other options include, Ballroom dancing, scrabble, basketball shootouts, Pictionary, golf putting, computer lectures, photography lectures, Art Auctions, Trivia, scholarship lectures, ceramics, library book club, Rugby League game (Qld vs NSW). Sudoku and Quizzes are available every day in the library.
There is a variety of entertainment every night – the Princess Dance Troupe, Princess Big Band, John Denver type singer, storyteller, horse whisperer; female singer, comedian/magician, the Ugly Dave Grey, string quartet, Alan and Alanna at the piano and doing music trivia, a band called Derringer, and Allan and Ladonna who do music to dance to in Wheelhouse Bar every night.
INTERNET TIME is costly but we will become Captain’s Circle Platinum Members after Dubai and will be eligible for $600 each. In the meantime, I have only bought a minimum package to get us through to Dubai. So far access has been good, but last years’ World Cruisers complained it was slow, so maybe the service will change as we cruise on.
COFFEE CARD - We paid $33 for one Coffee Card but this entitles us to 15 specialty coffees for the price of 10 and also entitles us to free brewed coffee and hot chocolate, so long as we have one Crown left unpunched
MEDICAL CENTRE - Unusually we have already been forced to use the Medical Centre twice. Consultation is $75 and any medications extra. .Ray has strained his hamstring playing water volleyball and I managed to come down with a upper respiratory tract infection (I think aggravated by the air conditioning),. 3 x medications cost me $75 but I think it was well worth it because I was back on deck quickly. And it is all claimable under our Travel Insurance.
INSIDE CABIN No complaints here. We are sleeping well and it is a quick hop step and a jump onto Promenade Deck if we need photos etc.
TIP: Recommendation for anyone using an Inside Cabin – at night, turn the TV to the ship’s webcam and the volume to ‘mute’. As the sun rises on the webcam, the TV will mimic a window in your cabin. BTW, we have not done this yet because we prefer to sleep in.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Friday 21st May –Ship Ahoy!!!
Thought this day would never arrive. We checked in at the Airport at 8.30am. Others must have arranged their seat allocations online because we couldn’t sit together – I hadn’t thought about that....but its such a short flight, it didn’t matter.Warning: Packing our luggage within the limits allowed for our flight to Sydney with Qantas, became a horror exercise. I tried to book excess baggage online to save 30% but Princess couldn’t provide a Booking Number. Qantas provided all the Booking Numbers, but the booking was simply listed as a group booking for 38 people – no names attached. In the end we were 5kgs over but we weren’t charged. We were warned not to do too much shopping while we were away.
In Sydney we were met by Princess staff and directed to our bus. Before we knew it, we arrived at Darling Harbour Wharf 8 and were looking at the awesome Dawn Princess from our bus window...... We hadn’t labelled one of bags with a Princess tag so had to organise that while the rest of our luggage stayed on the bus to be unloaded directly onto the ship. Following a quick lunch with rellies, Mike and Mary, we checked in at 2.45pm and literally flew through Immigration but I was still feeling hesitant until I put my first foot on that Deck – what a relief......... this is really happening.......
We found our Cabin easily (Deck 9, C505) – squishy but with plenty of cupboard space and drawers. Bathroom is roomier than usual. Our luggage had already arrived in our room and we met Ricco, our Cabin Boy for the next 104 days.. lucky him!!!!!!
Gosh no time to spare – almost as soon as we arrived in our cabin they announced our first compulsory Safety Muster. No time for unpacking – when the alarms rang, we grabbed our lifejackets and headed to our allocated Muster Area.
Then a quick change of clothes and off to the top Deck for our departure from Sydney at 5pm. Sailaway Champagne Party begins at 4.30pm – can’t possibly describe our feelings here – so exciting but at the same time some sadness that we will not be seeing our family or our home for such a long time.
On deck, the Band, ‘’Derringer’’ was playing but as well, a Brass Band was playing on the Wharf. The Captain sounded the Ship’s horn (sends shivers down your spine) and all of a sudden we realised we had pulled away from the dock. We could see the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and this would the first time we had sailed under it. We make it with inches to spare - a very BIG AAARRRRRR!!!!! moment. As we continued past the Opera House, typical Sydney rain poured down.
Dawn Princess Dining
This is the first cruise where we have been allocated a specific dining preference -1st Sitting at 5.30pm in the Venetian Restaurant, Table 126. We prefer Freestyle Anytime Dining. Tonight we will have no chance of making that 5.30pm schedule. Instead we head to the buffet area, Horizons Court. We have already decided only to use our dedicated Dining Time occasionally although the people at our table are good company – all doing the entire 104 day cruise – 2 couples from Sydney and one couple from WA - all about our age. After dinner we headed to the Princess Theatre to see the Trevor Knight Show – Instrumentalist, Singer, SongWriter, Horse Whisperer.
Seas are remarkably smooth –Capt Todd McBain is managing well because we wouldn’t know we are moving. Now we have 5 days at sea to settle into our new home.......
In Sydney we were met by Princess staff and directed to our bus. Before we knew it, we arrived at Darling Harbour Wharf 8 and were looking at the awesome Dawn Princess from our bus window...... We hadn’t labelled one of bags with a Princess tag so had to organise that while the rest of our luggage stayed on the bus to be unloaded directly onto the ship. Following a quick lunch with rellies, Mike and Mary, we checked in at 2.45pm and literally flew through Immigration but I was still feeling hesitant until I put my first foot on that Deck – what a relief......... this is really happening.......
We found our Cabin easily (Deck 9, C505) – squishy but with plenty of cupboard space and drawers. Bathroom is roomier than usual. Our luggage had already arrived in our room and we met Ricco, our Cabin Boy for the next 104 days.. lucky him!!!!!!
Gosh no time to spare – almost as soon as we arrived in our cabin they announced our first compulsory Safety Muster. No time for unpacking – when the alarms rang, we grabbed our lifejackets and headed to our allocated Muster Area.
Then a quick change of clothes and off to the top Deck for our departure from Sydney at 5pm. Sailaway Champagne Party begins at 4.30pm – can’t possibly describe our feelings here – so exciting but at the same time some sadness that we will not be seeing our family or our home for such a long time.
On deck, the Band, ‘’Derringer’’ was playing but as well, a Brass Band was playing on the Wharf. The Captain sounded the Ship’s horn (sends shivers down your spine) and all of a sudden we realised we had pulled away from the dock. We could see the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and this would the first time we had sailed under it. We make it with inches to spare - a very BIG AAARRRRRR!!!!! moment. As we continued past the Opera House, typical Sydney rain poured down.
Dawn Princess Dining
This is the first cruise where we have been allocated a specific dining preference -1st Sitting at 5.30pm in the Venetian Restaurant, Table 126. We prefer Freestyle Anytime Dining. Tonight we will have no chance of making that 5.30pm schedule. Instead we head to the buffet area, Horizons Court. We have already decided only to use our dedicated Dining Time occasionally although the people at our table are good company – all doing the entire 104 day cruise – 2 couples from Sydney and one couple from WA - all about our age. After dinner we headed to the Princess Theatre to see the Trevor Knight Show – Instrumentalist, Singer, SongWriter, Horse Whisperer.
Seas are remarkably smooth –Capt Todd McBain is managing well because we wouldn’t know we are moving. Now we have 5 days at sea to settle into our new home.......
Time to leave Melbourne.....
And loving my tidy pantry – No food = No Cooking
It is not easy to leave you home for such a long time but the anticipation of what awaits us over the next 104 days is almost too much to imagine. We booked in March/April 2009 so we have had a long time to plan and research the 42 ports we will be visiting. Information sharing has been the name of the game for so many months. Through the Cruise Critic website and Sheree’s blog, we have learnt much, not only about the exciting ports we will be visiting, but also about our new life aboard the wonderful Dawn Princes
Ray booked the 1.30pm Airport Bus and our neighbour very generously, offered to take us to the bus stop. A huge relief because the taxi service here can be unreliable.
Our flight to Sydney departed at 10am so we decided to stay at the Mantra, near the Airport, on Thursday night. Very happy with our choice here – the Mantra is located about 5-10 mins from the Airport but they have a great shuttle service and it is quieter than the hustle and bustle of the airport.. Our room was very comfortable – big King bed and pillows to match. We ate in the Restaurant – huge servings, and our deal included a buffet breakfast – not that we would need that with 104 days of gluttony ahead. The Bar area was popular with guests as well as locals.
It is not easy to leave you home for such a long time but the anticipation of what awaits us over the next 104 days is almost too much to imagine. We booked in March/April 2009 so we have had a long time to plan and research the 42 ports we will be visiting. Information sharing has been the name of the game for so many months. Through the Cruise Critic website and Sheree’s blog, we have learnt much, not only about the exciting ports we will be visiting, but also about our new life aboard the wonderful Dawn Princes
Ray booked the 1.30pm Airport Bus and our neighbour very generously, offered to take us to the bus stop. A huge relief because the taxi service here can be unreliable.
Our flight to Sydney departed at 10am so we decided to stay at the Mantra, near the Airport, on Thursday night. Very happy with our choice here – the Mantra is located about 5-10 mins from the Airport but they have a great shuttle service and it is quieter than the hustle and bustle of the airport.. Our room was very comfortable – big King bed and pillows to match. We ate in the Restaurant – huge servings, and our deal included a buffet breakfast – not that we would need that with 104 days of gluttony ahead. The Bar area was popular with guests as well as locals.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Our last post before we leave.....
Just a quick update.... Hadn't realised how much was involved in going away for so many weeks. House is in turmoil - I start one thing and before I have finished, remember something else I should have done.... head is spinning.
Spare room is overflowing with things I "might want to take". Baggage restrictions are causing grief. Unfortunately Qantas baggage limits will only allow us 23kgs each for short plane flight to Sydney. Ray's Size 11 shoes alone will just about fill one suitcase. And my dislike for flying, particularly with Qantas, means we don't have enough Frequent Flyer points to upgrade to Business class where we could have 30kgs each. Best other option is to pay in advance for extra kgs but that is proving difficult because I don't have a Booking No that works on the internet. Will have to call Princess for details if I want to organise this - nothing is ever easy..... We will look like Eskimos on that plane, wearing everything we possibly can. Mmmmmm, wonder how we can get Ray to wear three pairs of shoes????
Next week, we have booked a room at the Mantra near the airport on Thursday night. On Friday, our flight leaves at 10am, arriving in Sydney at 11.20am. We will be transferred immediately to Darling Harbour where hopefully the Dawn Princess will be docked at Wharf 8. Once we check our luggage in, we intend to meet Ray's brother and wife for a quick catch up and lunch/coffee. We need to board before 3pm and expect to have Safety Drill about 3.30pm. SailAway Party should begin about 4.30pm and at 5pm, we will unhook those bowlines and our adventure will begin ......... This definitely is the Adventure of our Lifetime - and something we could never have imagined would be possible for us.
Spare room is overflowing with things I "might want to take". Baggage restrictions are causing grief. Unfortunately Qantas baggage limits will only allow us 23kgs each for short plane flight to Sydney. Ray's Size 11 shoes alone will just about fill one suitcase. And my dislike for flying, particularly with Qantas, means we don't have enough Frequent Flyer points to upgrade to Business class where we could have 30kgs each. Best other option is to pay in advance for extra kgs but that is proving difficult because I don't have a Booking No that works on the internet. Will have to call Princess for details if I want to organise this - nothing is ever easy..... We will look like Eskimos on that plane, wearing everything we possibly can. Mmmmmm, wonder how we can get Ray to wear three pairs of shoes????
Next week, we have booked a room at the Mantra near the airport on Thursday night. On Friday, our flight leaves at 10am, arriving in Sydney at 11.20am. We will be transferred immediately to Darling Harbour where hopefully the Dawn Princess will be docked at Wharf 8. Once we check our luggage in, we intend to meet Ray's brother and wife for a quick catch up and lunch/coffee. We need to board before 3pm and expect to have Safety Drill about 3.30pm. SailAway Party should begin about 4.30pm and at 5pm, we will unhook those bowlines and our adventure will begin ......... This definitely is the Adventure of our Lifetime - and something we could never have imagined would be possible for us.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
This page has been looking so quiet, I thought it was time for an update.
The time has flown........
Here we are with less than one month to go. Life is frantic...... We have had our flu shots and obtained our Visas for India and done our e-docs for USA. Princess will obtain all other visas we need. We continue to research each one of those 42 ports. We have plans to do many of them on our own but some are a long distance from the cities or sights and traffic can be hectic. Rather than risk not getting back to the ship before departure time, we have booked 18 Shore Excursions with Princess.
Good news, my three page list of 'things to do before we leave' is down to two pages and the big house cleanup has begun. I had forgotten what a mess you need to make before you actually 'clean up'. With a month to go, it's time for us to catch up with friends and family before we leave........
Here we are with less than one month to go. Life is frantic...... We have had our flu shots and obtained our Visas for India and done our e-docs for USA. Princess will obtain all other visas we need. We continue to research each one of those 42 ports. We have plans to do many of them on our own but some are a long distance from the cities or sights and traffic can be hectic. Rather than risk not getting back to the ship before departure time, we have booked 18 Shore Excursions with Princess.
Good news, my three page list of 'things to do before we leave' is down to two pages and the big house cleanup has begun. I had forgotten what a mess you need to make before you actually 'clean up'. With a month to go, it's time for us to catch up with friends and family before we leave........
Monday, March 8, 2010
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