- Sleep in
- Breakfast at the Pantry
- Coffee
- Nap
- Lunch at the Grill
- Longer nap
- Dinner at Angelo's restaurant - very nice.
- Casino - lost some money on the pokies
- Crash
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Barrier Reef Discovery cruise on the Pacific Aria - Day 2 - 4 July 2016 - at sea
An excellent nothing day, as planned!
Barrier Reef Discovery cruise on the Pacific Aria - Day 1 - 3 July 2016
Fairly standard 'first day of a cruise', although the usual excitement is tempered by the disappointment that the guest of honour can't join us.
We left our motel as planned (after having inadvertently woken everyone by trying to use the wrong button to open the car boot and setting the horn off!). Nice car - a Camry Hybrid - which has now made its way onto our list of potential solutions to the 'what to do about a car once Paul retires' question.
No trouble finding the ship and dropping off the suitcases.
Paul tried to leave his mobile phone with Avis when we dropped the car off, but failed due to the eagle eye of the man who was checking the car back in. I was worried that getting a taxi at the airport might be a problem - first day of school holidays and all - but it was really quiet.
Checked in without drama apart from some confusion about whether we were entitled to priority boarding or not (we were).
Muster drill was one of the nasty ones - out on the deck. And the recorded talk went on forever(!). However it was finally over and we made our way up to the Dome to meet the family and watch the view sailing down the river. All very nice, although the industrial silos, factories and mangroves of the Brisbane River don't quite compare with the sail out of Sydney Harbour of course.
The rest of the day went as planned - dinner at the Pantry (which was almost empty compared with the lunch time rush), lose a bit of money on the poker machines, crash.
Tomorrow is a sea day so the plan is for various combinations of eating and lazing around reading.
We left our motel as planned (after having inadvertently woken everyone by trying to use the wrong button to open the car boot and setting the horn off!). Nice car - a Camry Hybrid - which has now made its way onto our list of potential solutions to the 'what to do about a car once Paul retires' question.
No trouble finding the ship and dropping off the suitcases.
Paul tried to leave his mobile phone with Avis when we dropped the car off, but failed due to the eagle eye of the man who was checking the car back in. I was worried that getting a taxi at the airport might be a problem - first day of school holidays and all - but it was really quiet.
Checked in without drama apart from some confusion about whether we were entitled to priority boarding or not (we were).
Muster drill was one of the nasty ones - out on the deck. And the recorded talk went on forever(!). However it was finally over and we made our way up to the Dome to meet the family and watch the view sailing down the river. All very nice, although the industrial silos, factories and mangroves of the Brisbane River don't quite compare with the sail out of Sydney Harbour of course.
The rest of the day went as planned - dinner at the Pantry (which was almost empty compared with the lunch time rush), lose a bit of money on the poker machines, crash.
Tomorrow is a sea day so the plan is for various combinations of eating and lazing around reading.
Saturday, 13 February 2016
Holiday plans are taking shape
Plans for the next big holiday are now well under way, although given my current '6 days a week' work schedule they're not advancing as fast as I'd like. :-)
We have booked the flights and the cruise, so those dates are all confirmed. There's still a week or so where the only plans so far consist of 'somewhere in England, or maybe Wales' but apart from that we have a reasonable idea of where we'll be. So, it currently looks like this:
The cruise is actually one of the least definite things at least when it comes to the detail. Normally by now a cruise schedule would be quite definite, and this one appears to be. However, three of the scheduled stops are in Turkey, and some other cruise lines have already cancelled some or all of their stops in Turkey this year. Princess is a fairly conservative cruise line and I'd be surprised if they weren't at least thinking of changing their plans too. That would be really disappointing but I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens - it's hard to imagine they'd cancel the whole cruise but you just can't tell. If they just cancel the calls in Turkey then I suspect that we'll see more Greek islands than we intended to - and I for one wouldn't object to seeing Santorini twice!
Anyway, ignoring the uncertainty around Turkey, the itinerary promises to be somewhat exhausting, even for a cruise - 14 days, only 2 of them are full sea days, and almost all of the ports are places I'm really keen to see.
The only one that doesn't really float my boat is Mykonos, but for the rest of them the problem is knowing how much we're going to miss by only being there for a day!
We have booked the flights and the cruise, so those dates are all confirmed. There's still a week or so where the only plans so far consist of 'somewhere in England, or maybe Wales' but apart from that we have a reasonable idea of where we'll be. So, it currently looks like this:
- 6 September 2016 we fly to Singapore, overnight in a transit hotel - I'm getting too old for this whole "24 hours in economy seats" thing! - and then on to London.
- 2 nights in London to catch our breath and to see a few more things we missed last time
- 9 September we fly to Rome and stay there overnight, including an evening tour of the Colosseum
- 10 September make our way to the port for the Mediterranean cruise.
- 24 September we arrive back in Rome and stay there for a few days
- 27 September we're back in England and the plan is for our first stop to be in Canterbury or thereabouts
- 30 September we're going to Derby for the weekend for Paul's war-game convention, and then all the way to Nottingham for a couple of days :-)
- The rest of the trip is yet to be decided - we want to go to Cardiff, and maybe somewhere in Cornwall.
- 11 October is definite though - that day, we have to be back at Heathrow for the flight home - again with a short rest in a transit hotel in Singapore on the way.
The cruise is actually one of the least definite things at least when it comes to the detail. Normally by now a cruise schedule would be quite definite, and this one appears to be. However, three of the scheduled stops are in Turkey, and some other cruise lines have already cancelled some or all of their stops in Turkey this year. Princess is a fairly conservative cruise line and I'd be surprised if they weren't at least thinking of changing their plans too. That would be really disappointing but I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens - it's hard to imagine they'd cancel the whole cruise but you just can't tell. If they just cancel the calls in Turkey then I suspect that we'll see more Greek islands than we intended to - and I for one wouldn't object to seeing Santorini twice!
Anyway, ignoring the uncertainty around Turkey, the itinerary promises to be somewhat exhausting, even for a cruise - 14 days, only 2 of them are full sea days, and almost all of the ports are places I'm really keen to see.
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Sandy's New Year holiday - Day 6 - 3 January - kicked off the ship and on my way home
Unlike the 'Day 5' post, this one wasn't lost, I just didn't write it at all. So, here's a final catch-up, only a week late!
Disembarkation went off without a hitch.
I managed to get a table in the buffet for breakfast which is a bit of a surprise; usually it's really busy on disembarkation day.
After that I did one last check around my cabin and then wandered off to the lounge to wait until it was time to leave - even when you're doing "Express Walk-off" as I did, you're given a time when you'll be allowed to leave the ship.
So, I sat down ready to wait for half an hour or so, but then they announced that anyone with any Express Walk-off time could leave whenever they liked. So I did; I waited a little while after the next 'new departure' announcement so the crowd would have died down, then it was basically only four or five minutes until I was off the ship and wandering around Circular Quay. Always sad to end a cruise, but with two more cruises scheduled for this year it's less sad than usual :-)
Anyway, the rest of the trip home was okay. I liked the Greyhound bus; they allocate specific seats rather than the Murray's 'free for all' option, my seat was quite comfortable and they have powered USB ports at all the seats. What I didn't like so much was the way that the young lady in front of me reclined her seat right back into my face for almost the whole trip; I really didn't have much room to move. Overall it wasn't too bad although I was somewhat regretting not flying home. Paul and Adam came into the city to pick me up so no dramas waiting for a taxi or a bus.
Final thought - cruising by myself was different and I enjoyed myself but all in all I'd prefer to have Paul with me!
Disembarkation went off without a hitch.
I managed to get a table in the buffet for breakfast which is a bit of a surprise; usually it's really busy on disembarkation day.
After that I did one last check around my cabin and then wandered off to the lounge to wait until it was time to leave - even when you're doing "Express Walk-off" as I did, you're given a time when you'll be allowed to leave the ship.
So, I sat down ready to wait for half an hour or so, but then they announced that anyone with any Express Walk-off time could leave whenever they liked. So I did; I waited a little while after the next 'new departure' announcement so the crowd would have died down, then it was basically only four or five minutes until I was off the ship and wandering around Circular Quay. Always sad to end a cruise, but with two more cruises scheduled for this year it's less sad than usual :-)
Anyway, the rest of the trip home was okay. I liked the Greyhound bus; they allocate specific seats rather than the Murray's 'free for all' option, my seat was quite comfortable and they have powered USB ports at all the seats. What I didn't like so much was the way that the young lady in front of me reclined her seat right back into my face for almost the whole trip; I really didn't have much room to move. Overall it wasn't too bad although I was somewhat regretting not flying home. Paul and Adam came into the city to pick me up so no dramas waiting for a taxi or a bus.
Final thought - cruising by myself was different and I enjoyed myself but all in all I'd prefer to have Paul with me!
Sandy's New Year holiday - Day 5 - 2 January & 4th day of the cruise - sea day
I wrote this but somehow it didn't get posted, so here it is, a week or so late....
I woke up very early this morning, so I decided to get up and have an early start to the day. I have never seen so few people in the Horizon Court buffet! After that I went back to my room and picked up some documentation, then downstairs for coffee.
The idea was to wait around downstairs until 9am when the special "disembarkation" desk opened. For some reason, I had been given a fairly late departure time, and they had somehow decided that I wanted to take a Princess transfer bus to the airport. I really really don't need my luggage (or myself) taken to the airport since I'm catching a bus home from Central Railway Station.
Anyway, that got sorted without too much trouble. The interesting thing though was how so many people don't take any notice of what they're told - while I was there a young lady came up to the desk asking if she could get someone to help take her luggage off the ship, because she has too many bags to manage by herself. Now, she had booked an "Express Walk Off" departure and I can't see how she could possibly have done this without understanding that the Express Walk Off is only for people with one suitcase and only if you can manage it completely by yourself. While I was waiting they swapped her over to a normal disembarkation, which of course means that you have to pack tonight and leave your bags out by 10pm. Based on her attitude, I'm almost prepared to bet that she won't leave them out and that she will expect someone to be made available to drag her luggage off the ship tomorrow.
I wouldn't work on a cruise ship for quids; it's not just the hard work and long hours, what would really get to me is that sort of self-entitled attitude some people have of not caring or even understanding how much trouble they cause.
The sea is still bumpy today and the weather is still overcast but it looks like we might get some sun later in the day.
Yesterday I had a fairly good good session on the pokies - I ended up with around $52 in my player bank. I need to either cash it in or lose it today, so I decided to go with losing it and failed - current balance is just over $101 which puts me only about $70 behind for the whole cruise. However, there's still the rest of today!!
Later - dinner is over, I've lost a few dollars on the pokies (I've still got the $101 though!), and now I'm using up the last few minutes of internet time. Early start tomorrow, so I'll be off to bed soon. Last night of getting rocked to sleep by the ocean; well, last night for 6 months anyway. Once I get home I'll do all my washing and then it will be time to start seriously planning (and paying for!!) this years' cruises!!!
I woke up very early this morning, so I decided to get up and have an early start to the day. I have never seen so few people in the Horizon Court buffet! After that I went back to my room and picked up some documentation, then downstairs for coffee.
The idea was to wait around downstairs until 9am when the special "disembarkation" desk opened. For some reason, I had been given a fairly late departure time, and they had somehow decided that I wanted to take a Princess transfer bus to the airport. I really really don't need my luggage (or myself) taken to the airport since I'm catching a bus home from Central Railway Station.
Anyway, that got sorted without too much trouble. The interesting thing though was how so many people don't take any notice of what they're told - while I was there a young lady came up to the desk asking if she could get someone to help take her luggage off the ship, because she has too many bags to manage by herself. Now, she had booked an "Express Walk Off" departure and I can't see how she could possibly have done this without understanding that the Express Walk Off is only for people with one suitcase and only if you can manage it completely by yourself. While I was waiting they swapped her over to a normal disembarkation, which of course means that you have to pack tonight and leave your bags out by 10pm. Based on her attitude, I'm almost prepared to bet that she won't leave them out and that she will expect someone to be made available to drag her luggage off the ship tomorrow.
I wouldn't work on a cruise ship for quids; it's not just the hard work and long hours, what would really get to me is that sort of self-entitled attitude some people have of not caring or even understanding how much trouble they cause.
The sea is still bumpy today and the weather is still overcast but it looks like we might get some sun later in the day.
Yesterday I had a fairly good good session on the pokies - I ended up with around $52 in my player bank. I need to either cash it in or lose it today, so I decided to go with losing it and failed - current balance is just over $101 which puts me only about $70 behind for the whole cruise. However, there's still the rest of today!!
Later - dinner is over, I've lost a few dollars on the pokies (I've still got the $101 though!), and now I'm using up the last few minutes of internet time. Early start tomorrow, so I'll be off to bed soon. Last night of getting rocked to sleep by the ocean; well, last night for 6 months anyway. Once I get home I'll do all my washing and then it will be time to start seriously planning (and paying for!!) this years' cruises!!!
Saturday, 2 January 2016
Sandy's New Year holiday - Day 4 - 1 January & 3rd day of the cruise - sea day
Woke up about 9am, and that was after having moved the clock back an hour. I'm certainly going to need the alarm to wake me up in order to be kicked off the ship on Sunday morning! The captain warned us yesterday that we'd be experiencing gale force winds and that the seas wouldn't be smooth, and he was correct, both for last night and during the day today.
I decide to have a splurge today and I ended up having a massage. I've been feeling a bit stressed about getting back to work and the fact that we have ***so*** much work to get done between January and June, and it was really showing in the muscles around my shoulders. The massage was exactly what I needed. The lovely young lady who did the massage said that I should get one done at least once a month, particularly around my neck and shoulders, and I think she's probably right!
Princess offer a couple of different drinks packages, and I used this trip to try to work out if any of them would be good for our Mediterranean cruise later this year. I know I could never do justice to the alcoholic drinks package, but I thought that for this small trip I'd try their "Ultimate Soda and More" package, which is basically soft drinks, hot chocolate and any of their non-alcoholic 'Mocktails'. I have concluded that even that package probably isn't worth the price for me; it doesn't include coffee (which I knew) but it also doesn't include canned soft drinks (which I didn't know until today).
Dinner tonight included the wonderful "Twice Baked Goat's Cheese Souffle" which I first came across on our cruise a couple of months ago. It was absolutely delicious, as was the main course which was basically sea scallops in a really nice citrus sauce. And sadly I can't walk around the Promenade deck to work some of it off, the seas are too rough and you're not allowed out there.
I decide to have a splurge today and I ended up having a massage. I've been feeling a bit stressed about getting back to work and the fact that we have ***so*** much work to get done between January and June, and it was really showing in the muscles around my shoulders. The massage was exactly what I needed. The lovely young lady who did the massage said that I should get one done at least once a month, particularly around my neck and shoulders, and I think she's probably right!
Princess offer a couple of different drinks packages, and I used this trip to try to work out if any of them would be good for our Mediterranean cruise later this year. I know I could never do justice to the alcoholic drinks package, but I thought that for this small trip I'd try their "Ultimate Soda and More" package, which is basically soft drinks, hot chocolate and any of their non-alcoholic 'Mocktails'. I have concluded that even that package probably isn't worth the price for me; it doesn't include coffee (which I knew) but it also doesn't include canned soft drinks (which I didn't know until today).
Dinner tonight included the wonderful "Twice Baked Goat's Cheese Souffle" which I first came across on our cruise a couple of months ago. It was absolutely delicious, as was the main course which was basically sea scallops in a really nice citrus sauce. And sadly I can't walk around the Promenade deck to work some of it off, the seas are too rough and you're not allowed out there.
Friday, 1 January 2016
Sandy's New Year holiday - Day 3 - 31 December & 2nd day of the cruise - Bay of Islands
Had an excellent night's sleep - the ship was rocking just the right way to help me drift off and stay asleep.
I'm in an inside cabin which means there's no outside light at all, and this really encourages sleeping in. People often suggest that if you're in an inside cabin you should leave the TV on all night, tuned to the ships webcam. The webcam is high up on top of the ship and points in the direction the ship is travelling. In theory then the webcam channel will be dark during the night and then gradually light up the room as the sun comes up. In practice though, what I found was that although this probably worked with the old fashioned TVs, the newer flat screen TVs don't show black properly, so instead of "dark" what I got was "creepy red snow". That wasn't going to work, so I went with - wake up whenever I wake up!
I still haven't decided whether to go ashore today or not; at the moment I'm waiting for the crowds to die down a little then I'm going to wander upstairs for breakfast, then downstairs for coffee, and then I'll decide!
Later: in the end I went ashore, around lunch time, and got the shuttle to Paihia which was really busy. Even without a cruise ship in port, it's a really popular holiday / beachside resort and this is one of its busiest times of the year, of course.
There was an Arts and Crafts fair in town, and I bought myself a hat - the lady running the stall makes them all herself. It wasn't cheap but I'm very pleased with it. Then I walked around town a little, then walked back to the spot where the tenders pick you up rather than taking the shuttle - I really should be getting more exercise!
Back on board I had a very nice nanna nap until it was time to get ready for dinner - formal night tonight and I did make the effort to get dressed up a little. One big disappointment though - on Princess it's traditional that they have lobster for dinner on formal night. And they did, but it was Cajun flavoured with spicy rice. You shouldn't do that sort of thing to lobster; I didn't try it at all because Cajun just isn't my thing. The other ladies at my table also had a disappointment - they all ordered the 'Traditional Pavlova' for dessert, and the menu clearly said that there would be passionfruit - which there wasn't. Apparently it was very nice, but still, no passionfruit. I had something different - something they called a parfait which wasn't at all my idea of what a parfait is - but it was quite yummy.
I thought about going to a show but in the end I decided to just wander around for a while and then crash.
I'm in an inside cabin which means there's no outside light at all, and this really encourages sleeping in. People often suggest that if you're in an inside cabin you should leave the TV on all night, tuned to the ships webcam. The webcam is high up on top of the ship and points in the direction the ship is travelling. In theory then the webcam channel will be dark during the night and then gradually light up the room as the sun comes up. In practice though, what I found was that although this probably worked with the old fashioned TVs, the newer flat screen TVs don't show black properly, so instead of "dark" what I got was "creepy red snow". That wasn't going to work, so I went with - wake up whenever I wake up!
I still haven't decided whether to go ashore today or not; at the moment I'm waiting for the crowds to die down a little then I'm going to wander upstairs for breakfast, then downstairs for coffee, and then I'll decide!
Later: in the end I went ashore, around lunch time, and got the shuttle to Paihia which was really busy. Even without a cruise ship in port, it's a really popular holiday / beachside resort and this is one of its busiest times of the year, of course.
There was an Arts and Crafts fair in town, and I bought myself a hat - the lady running the stall makes them all herself. It wasn't cheap but I'm very pleased with it. Then I walked around town a little, then walked back to the spot where the tenders pick you up rather than taking the shuttle - I really should be getting more exercise!
Back on board I had a very nice nanna nap until it was time to get ready for dinner - formal night tonight and I did make the effort to get dressed up a little. One big disappointment though - on Princess it's traditional that they have lobster for dinner on formal night. And they did, but it was Cajun flavoured with spicy rice. You shouldn't do that sort of thing to lobster; I didn't try it at all because Cajun just isn't my thing. The other ladies at my table also had a disappointment - they all ordered the 'Traditional Pavlova' for dessert, and the menu clearly said that there would be passionfruit - which there wasn't. Apparently it was very nice, but still, no passionfruit. I had something different - something they called a parfait which wasn't at all my idea of what a parfait is - but it was quite yummy.
I thought about going to a show but in the end I decided to just wander around for a while and then crash.
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