Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Final comments on the cruise
OK, I took a bit longer getting back to this than I intended. The original plan was to wrap it up a week later. I missed this deadline by 1,075 days.
Oops.
So here's the wrap-up:
The cruise was brilliant. I had high expectations, which often leads to high disappointment, but the good points well and truly outweighed the low points.
There were so many highlights - the almost surreal experience of sailing up Tracy Arm and seeing my first glacier, the joy of watching the fish merchants at Pike's Market in Seattle hurl fish at hapless tourists, the picture-perfect sail into Bora-Bora (and ringing the relatives to gloat about how "just totally amazing don't you wish you were here?" it all was), walking through a volcano crater on Hawaii, jetboating in Christchurch (as always, nowhere near fast enough for Emma, but quite fast enough for me)...
And of course the people, especially fellow guests, some of whom we are still in touch with. And while I wasn't always delighted with aspects of the cruise, generally the staff were brilliant. Which matters. Lots.
The good stuff more than made up for things like the generally execrable on-board coffee, or missing out on Fjordland due to weather.
In fact the cruse was such a great experience we've booked another one. Our holiday starts on Friday, only this time we're sailing from New York to LA via the Panama Canal, with lots of cool bits in-between.
Whic means it's time for a new blog: Brian and Emma's Great Pan-American Adventure.
http://great-panam-adventure.blogspot.com/
I'm a bit excited about this one too.
Oops.
So here's the wrap-up:
The cruise was brilliant. I had high expectations, which often leads to high disappointment, but the good points well and truly outweighed the low points.
There were so many highlights - the almost surreal experience of sailing up Tracy Arm and seeing my first glacier, the joy of watching the fish merchants at Pike's Market in Seattle hurl fish at hapless tourists, the picture-perfect sail into Bora-Bora (and ringing the relatives to gloat about how "just totally amazing don't you wish you were here?" it all was), walking through a volcano crater on Hawaii, jetboating in Christchurch (as always, nowhere near fast enough for Emma, but quite fast enough for me)...
And of course the people, especially fellow guests, some of whom we are still in touch with. And while I wasn't always delighted with aspects of the cruise, generally the staff were brilliant. Which matters. Lots.
The good stuff more than made up for things like the generally execrable on-board coffee, or missing out on Fjordland due to weather.
In fact the cruse was such a great experience we've booked another one. Our holiday starts on Friday, only this time we're sailing from New York to LA via the Panama Canal, with lots of cool bits in-between.
Whic means it's time for a new blog: Brian and Emma's Great Pan-American Adventure.
http://great-panam-adventure.blogspot.com/
I'm a bit excited about this one too.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Day 38: The penultimate post: home again
After waaay too much time - the “arrival” posting.
We actually did manage to get up at 4.30am, and were on deck about 15 minutes later. The sky was overcast so no post-card sail-in this time. Even so Sydney Harbour is worth a look even when it’s grey.
The pilot boarded about 5am, and we had about an hour before we actually sailed through the Heads. It was freezing on deck, so I went below to get my jacket for Emma to wear.
This, of course, was when the dolphins swam past the bow of the ship. Apparently they put on quite a show and, once again, I MISSED IT.
Everytime I leave Emma something cool happens - the bear in Juneau, the somersaulting seal on the way to San Francisco, and then the dolphins sailing into Sydney. On our next trip I’m handcuffing us together.
At least I saw the whales leaving the Harbour. It must have been a big night on the town because they weren’t anywhere near as perky as the dolphins.
The Sun Princess was the largest ship to ever sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with a two and a half metre clearance. It looked a bit tighter than that to me - in any case it was a cause for applause when we didn’t smack into the underside of the bridge. Part of me thought it would be cool if someone had made an error in calculation…
Once docked in Darling Harbour we had an hour or so to say out final goodbyes to favoured staff and new friends, and the disembarkation went without a hitch.
After that was a 15 minute cab ride home, shower, and then back to work, a mere 10 minute walk from where we docked. For the most part it was great (if slightly surreal) to be back, but a small part of me thought climbing back on board and stowing away had a certain appeal as well.
On balance the “at home or on holiday” equation is firmly towards the “home” end of the scale, We’re not ready for permanent retirement yet, and we need to start saving up for the next one (probably the Baltic plus a week in Poland in ‘09, still TBC).
So it ends.
Overall, despite niggling annoyances and stuff-ups (what holiday doesn’t have its share of these?), it was an amazing experience. While we don’t know if we’ll ever do such a long cruise again, we’re not sorry we did this one.
I’ll probably be making a final post reflecting on the experience, but for now it’s good to be home.
We actually did manage to get up at 4.30am, and were on deck about 15 minutes later. The sky was overcast so no post-card sail-in this time. Even so Sydney Harbour is worth a look even when it’s grey.
The pilot boarded about 5am, and we had about an hour before we actually sailed through the Heads. It was freezing on deck, so I went below to get my jacket for Emma to wear.
This, of course, was when the dolphins swam past the bow of the ship. Apparently they put on quite a show and, once again, I MISSED IT.
Everytime I leave Emma something cool happens - the bear in Juneau, the somersaulting seal on the way to San Francisco, and then the dolphins sailing into Sydney. On our next trip I’m handcuffing us together.
At least I saw the whales leaving the Harbour. It must have been a big night on the town because they weren’t anywhere near as perky as the dolphins.
The Sun Princess was the largest ship to ever sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with a two and a half metre clearance. It looked a bit tighter than that to me - in any case it was a cause for applause when we didn’t smack into the underside of the bridge. Part of me thought it would be cool if someone had made an error in calculation…
Once docked in Darling Harbour we had an hour or so to say out final goodbyes to favoured staff and new friends, and the disembarkation went without a hitch.
After that was a 15 minute cab ride home, shower, and then back to work, a mere 10 minute walk from where we docked. For the most part it was great (if slightly surreal) to be back, but a small part of me thought climbing back on board and stowing away had a certain appeal as well.
On balance the “at home or on holiday” equation is firmly towards the “home” end of the scale, We’re not ready for permanent retirement yet, and we need to start saving up for the next one (probably the Baltic plus a week in Poland in ‘09, still TBC).
So it ends.
Overall, despite niggling annoyances and stuff-ups (what holiday doesn’t have its share of these?), it was an amazing experience. While we don’t know if we’ll ever do such a long cruise again, we’re not sorry we did this one.
I’ll probably be making a final post reflecting on the experience, but for now it’s good to be home.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Days 35-37: Sea days: homeward bound
Day 35:
The morning began with the Final of the Rugby World Cup being broadcast in the Princess Theatre. The ship put on coffee and pastries, so I was up and seated by 8.00am while Emma dozed.
Me up, Emma sleeping. This reversal of roles continues to astonish us both.
South Africa defeated England, which pleased me as I figured the Brits on-board would have been insufferable if they’d won. Of course if the Aussies had made it through we would have been even more obnoxious, so I shouldn’t make too big a deal out of that. Most amazing was the grace and total lack of obnoxiousness shown by the South Africans on board. I didn’t think that was possible.
More importantly I returned to winning form with my chess game again. I’m now 4-1.
As noted in yesterday’s entry, we were meant to be on the way to Milford Sound, but instead sailed up the east coast of the south island and through the Cook Strait. This made for a pleasant day’s sailing as it turned out, if a bit on the windy side.
That night we caught a show with a performer named Dave Stephens, an Australian Lebanese-Irishman who doesn’t have the best voice in the world, but largely compensates with truly manic energy.
Day 36:
Cruise ships suffer from a strange time dilation effect. Everything takes about an hour. If you go to play chess it takes about an hour. Lunch takes about an hour. Shopping takes about an hour.
Next thing you know it’s 11pm and you’ve only done three things all day. Very odd.
I had another chess game, this time a draw, largely through a technicality. I’m too damn proud to admit my opponent could claim I win, so I’ll put myself on four wins, one loss, one draw and call it quits.
On the level 12 they had the Scrapheap Regatta, where six teams had to build ships out of junk found on ship, load them up with two dozen cans of beer, and navigate the pool. Amazingly none of them sunk, so they managed to get the Assistant Cruise Director into one of them to see how it would hold up under her weight.
Answer: badly.
(pix to follow)
We also found a lovely little wind-break on the back deck (it’s only taken five weeks). While we were there two partially-sighted women showed up with their seeing eye dogs, who were allowed off their leads and allowed to play. As you’d guess, Emma and the dogs became instant friends.
That woman’s an animal-magnet. I’m surprised we don’t have dolphins sticking to the hull of the ship.
And then there was the food. Always food. Too much and too often.
Still, it gives us a chance to chat.
We managed dinner with two Canadian couples we’ve become friends with, who will be joining us for a BBQ at our place on Saturday (note to Simon: the place better not need much cleaning…)
Then we caught the comedian Marty Brill again, who put on a fabulous show. Immediately after that we came back to the Atrium for the Champagne Waterfall organized by Rui, the maitre’d, drinks, and dancing.
(still more pix to come - exciting, huh?)
Day 37:
And so the trip draws to a close.
Apart from a couple of lectures it was mainly socialising and it was time to pack (my role being thrown out of the room so I wouldn’t get in Emma’s way) and start saying goodbyes.
I managed to attend two more lectures , we spent the obligatory (if all too short) time on Deck 7, caught the final production show “Save the Last Dance”, checked our bill (thank god we don’t need to leave an inheritance to our children).
We’ve done as many good-byes as we can (you meet a lot of people over five weeks), and are now about to call it a night at 10am Sydney time so we can get up at 4.30am tomorrow to catch the sail-in to Sydney Harbour.
The morning began with the Final of the Rugby World Cup being broadcast in the Princess Theatre. The ship put on coffee and pastries, so I was up and seated by 8.00am while Emma dozed.
Me up, Emma sleeping. This reversal of roles continues to astonish us both.
South Africa defeated England, which pleased me as I figured the Brits on-board would have been insufferable if they’d won. Of course if the Aussies had made it through we would have been even more obnoxious, so I shouldn’t make too big a deal out of that. Most amazing was the grace and total lack of obnoxiousness shown by the South Africans on board. I didn’t think that was possible.
More importantly I returned to winning form with my chess game again. I’m now 4-1.
As noted in yesterday’s entry, we were meant to be on the way to Milford Sound, but instead sailed up the east coast of the south island and through the Cook Strait. This made for a pleasant day’s sailing as it turned out, if a bit on the windy side.
That night we caught a show with a performer named Dave Stephens, an Australian Lebanese-Irishman who doesn’t have the best voice in the world, but largely compensates with truly manic energy.
Day 36:
Cruise ships suffer from a strange time dilation effect. Everything takes about an hour. If you go to play chess it takes about an hour. Lunch takes about an hour. Shopping takes about an hour.
Next thing you know it’s 11pm and you’ve only done three things all day. Very odd.
I had another chess game, this time a draw, largely through a technicality. I’m too damn proud to admit my opponent could claim I win, so I’ll put myself on four wins, one loss, one draw and call it quits.
On the level 12 they had the Scrapheap Regatta, where six teams had to build ships out of junk found on ship, load them up with two dozen cans of beer, and navigate the pool. Amazingly none of them sunk, so they managed to get the Assistant Cruise Director into one of them to see how it would hold up under her weight.
Answer: badly.
(pix to follow)
We also found a lovely little wind-break on the back deck (it’s only taken five weeks). While we were there two partially-sighted women showed up with their seeing eye dogs, who were allowed off their leads and allowed to play. As you’d guess, Emma and the dogs became instant friends.
That woman’s an animal-magnet. I’m surprised we don’t have dolphins sticking to the hull of the ship.
And then there was the food. Always food. Too much and too often.
Still, it gives us a chance to chat.
We managed dinner with two Canadian couples we’ve become friends with, who will be joining us for a BBQ at our place on Saturday (note to Simon: the place better not need much cleaning…)
Then we caught the comedian Marty Brill again, who put on a fabulous show. Immediately after that we came back to the Atrium for the Champagne Waterfall organized by Rui, the maitre’d, drinks, and dancing.
(still more pix to come - exciting, huh?)
Day 37:
And so the trip draws to a close.
Apart from a couple of lectures it was mainly socialising and it was time to pack (my role being thrown out of the room so I wouldn’t get in Emma’s way) and start saying goodbyes.
I managed to attend two more lectures , we spent the obligatory (if all too short) time on Deck 7, caught the final production show “Save the Last Dance”, checked our bill (thank god we don’t need to leave an inheritance to our children).
We’ve done as many good-byes as we can (you meet a lot of people over five weeks), and are now about to call it a night at 10am Sydney time so we can get up at 4.30am tomorrow to catch the sail-in to Sydney Harbour.
Day 34: Dunedin
I figure if Sydney trains offered champagne breakfasts commuting by rail would be a much more appealing prospect.
We took the Taieri Gorge Railway from the docks through Dunedin (pop. 120,000; founded by Scots, it was originally planned to be called “New Edinburgh”, but they decided there were enough “New Whatevers” in the world and went for Dunedin instead - but I digress) and then northwest up to Pukerangi (pop. pretty much nothing).
The best part was the bit in the middle.
Most of the trip was a leisurely 15-25 kph, which allowed plenty of time to take in the views. Most of the rock in the area is schist rock, which is a metamorphic rock made up of minerals like mica and quartz. While this probably sounds rather dull, the effect on the scenery is remarkable, as the river cuts through the schist to reveal a ruggedly beautiful landscape.
It was just… gorge-us.
(Sorry - couldn’t resist.)
The actual train service was a delight as well. The train is staffed entirely by volunteers, presumably local train buffs, and it provides a wonderfully traditional post-colonial experience.
We noted the ship’s captain was on the tour as well. Emma figured this was further insurance that the ship wouldn’t leave without us. Conversely I figured this was probably the best time to date for the crew to stage a mutiny and sail off to parts unknown.
After the train trip we made another trip to Larnach Castle, a rather grand home built by one of New Zealand’s leading families of the 19th century. The house was OK, but more interesting were the gardens, which have been revamped over the last few decades, and the phenomenal views.
The cafe also had great espresso.
Back at port we were told that due to bad weather the captain had decided to cancel the following days cruise to Milford Sound and Fjordland. This led to enormous amounts of bitching and griping from some passengers, although given the forecast was for 10 metre swells Emma and I figured it was a good call. We tend to think not sinking was a reasonable alternative.
Besides, we had had nice coffee at Larnach Castle, so we’d agree to almost anything at that point.
We took the Taieri Gorge Railway from the docks through Dunedin (pop. 120,000; founded by Scots, it was originally planned to be called “New Edinburgh”, but they decided there were enough “New Whatevers” in the world and went for Dunedin instead - but I digress) and then northwest up to Pukerangi (pop. pretty much nothing).
The best part was the bit in the middle.
Most of the trip was a leisurely 15-25 kph, which allowed plenty of time to take in the views. Most of the rock in the area is schist rock, which is a metamorphic rock made up of minerals like mica and quartz. While this probably sounds rather dull, the effect on the scenery is remarkable, as the river cuts through the schist to reveal a ruggedly beautiful landscape.
It was just… gorge-us.
(Sorry - couldn’t resist.)
The actual train service was a delight as well. The train is staffed entirely by volunteers, presumably local train buffs, and it provides a wonderfully traditional post-colonial experience.
We noted the ship’s captain was on the tour as well. Emma figured this was further insurance that the ship wouldn’t leave without us. Conversely I figured this was probably the best time to date for the crew to stage a mutiny and sail off to parts unknown.
After the train trip we made another trip to Larnach Castle, a rather grand home built by one of New Zealand’s leading families of the 19th century. The house was OK, but more interesting were the gardens, which have been revamped over the last few decades, and the phenomenal views.
The cafe also had great espresso.
Back at port we were told that due to bad weather the captain had decided to cancel the following days cruise to Milford Sound and Fjordland. This led to enormous amounts of bitching and griping from some passengers, although given the forecast was for 10 metre swells Emma and I figured it was a good call. We tend to think not sinking was a reasonable alternative.
Besides, we had had nice coffee at Larnach Castle, so we’d agree to almost anything at that point.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Day 33: Christchurch
Another day on the “brilliant” end of the scale.
We sailed into Lyttleton, which is just the other side of a mountain ridge from Christchurch proper. The landscape was unseasonally green due to recent rains, and indeed snow the day before we arrived.
We piled onto our bus and travelled to the base of the mountains on the other side of Christchurch. Simply stunning countryside; between the views and the jet boating I took something like 150 photos. Loved it.
The jetboating place also had a few sheep and alpacas which were used for tourist shows. Being tourist sheep and alpacas they were particularly friendly to visitors.
Emma making friends with animals. Quelle surprise.
Of course no self-respecting New Zealand sheep station, even a bite-size one like this, would be complete without a Border Collie sheepdog. This one was named Jess, and an absolutely gorgeous dog, and needless to say Emma became best buddies with it.
Then there was the jetboat excursion proper. What a rush.
This a 40 minute roundtrip excursion, but it felt like half that. Screaming up the river at 1,000 OPH (Omigods Per Hour), in water that was as little as four inches deep (the boat travels so fast it planes across the surface of the water. They told us if we actually stopped in any of the four inch deep parts we wouldn’t be going anywhere soon), up a beautiful canyon, and probably terrifying the local fish (although the birds were remarkably blase about the whole thing).
Just wonderful stuff. Five stars.
We drove back through Christchurch, a pretty little town of about 300,000 people. We were too tired to get off and wander, although we spoke to a few people who did who said it was just beautiful.
I popped up to catch a few sunset piccies, and went to dinner with two friends from Coffs Harbour, Fred & Suze. By the end of the meal we had a competition to see who could fall asleep at the table first, Fred or Emma. Fred won, but not by much, so we went to our room, collapsed and -
*Snore*
We sailed into Lyttleton, which is just the other side of a mountain ridge from Christchurch proper. The landscape was unseasonally green due to recent rains, and indeed snow the day before we arrived.
We piled onto our bus and travelled to the base of the mountains on the other side of Christchurch. Simply stunning countryside; between the views and the jet boating I took something like 150 photos. Loved it.
The jetboating place also had a few sheep and alpacas which were used for tourist shows. Being tourist sheep and alpacas they were particularly friendly to visitors.
Emma making friends with animals. Quelle surprise.
Of course no self-respecting New Zealand sheep station, even a bite-size one like this, would be complete without a Border Collie sheepdog. This one was named Jess, and an absolutely gorgeous dog, and needless to say Emma became best buddies with it.
Then there was the jetboat excursion proper. What a rush.
This a 40 minute roundtrip excursion, but it felt like half that. Screaming up the river at 1,000 OPH (Omigods Per Hour), in water that was as little as four inches deep (the boat travels so fast it planes across the surface of the water. They told us if we actually stopped in any of the four inch deep parts we wouldn’t be going anywhere soon), up a beautiful canyon, and probably terrifying the local fish (although the birds were remarkably blase about the whole thing).
Just wonderful stuff. Five stars.
We drove back through Christchurch, a pretty little town of about 300,000 people. We were too tired to get off and wander, although we spoke to a few people who did who said it was just beautiful.
I popped up to catch a few sunset piccies, and went to dinner with two friends from Coffs Harbour, Fred & Suze. By the end of the meal we had a competition to see who could fall asleep at the table first, Fred or Emma. Fred won, but not by much, so we went to our room, collapsed and -
*Snore*
Day 32: Sea-faring to the south island
“I wonder if we’ll see any dolphins,” Emma said.
Not five seconds later some guy calls out “dolphins!”
Sure enough, right off the starboard bow is a pod of dolphins swimming by. Fortunately she ignored me when I told her we wouldn’t need the binoculars. We had a good thirty seconds or more, and even managed a few photos, although the lens on my camera didn’t capture them very well. Squint very hard, and use your imagination, and you might just make them out:
Later that morning Emma went to the Passenger Cooking Show where the short-listed passengers from the on-board recipe competition were to prepare their meals.
I went up to see if Emma was selected, but she hadn’t been, so I left. A minute later Dan, the entertainment director announced that the judges loved the recipe Emma had submitted, but it wasn’t shortlisted because it would take too long to prepare as it needed 2hrs to set.
(Thanks again to Ali for the Divine Lemon Pots recipe!)
So she was given an Honourable Mention and selected to be a judge. The winning recipe was a mandarin and almond salad, which Emma loved and will prepare after we get home. Like we need more food.
That afternoon I attended a lecture on Chinese face-reading and “picking the perfect partner”. Now the fact is I put as much faith in this kind of thing as I do in astrology, tarot cards and reading the entrails of newly sacrificed sheep, but apparently Emma and I are a perfect match: she’s “water” and I’m “wood”. Now you know.
I still bought the author/presenter’s book “Your Face Tells All” (50% off, what could I do?), and had a nice chat with authors, Erik & Ilona Kanto, who autographed my copy.
Not five seconds later some guy calls out “dolphins!”
Sure enough, right off the starboard bow is a pod of dolphins swimming by. Fortunately she ignored me when I told her we wouldn’t need the binoculars. We had a good thirty seconds or more, and even managed a few photos, although the lens on my camera didn’t capture them very well. Squint very hard, and use your imagination, and you might just make them out:
Later that morning Emma went to the Passenger Cooking Show where the short-listed passengers from the on-board recipe competition were to prepare their meals.
I went up to see if Emma was selected, but she hadn’t been, so I left. A minute later Dan, the entertainment director announced that the judges loved the recipe Emma had submitted, but it wasn’t shortlisted because it would take too long to prepare as it needed 2hrs to set.
(Thanks again to Ali for the Divine Lemon Pots recipe!)
So she was given an Honourable Mention and selected to be a judge. The winning recipe was a mandarin and almond salad, which Emma loved and will prepare after we get home. Like we need more food.
That afternoon I attended a lecture on Chinese face-reading and “picking the perfect partner”. Now the fact is I put as much faith in this kind of thing as I do in astrology, tarot cards and reading the entrails of newly sacrificed sheep, but apparently Emma and I are a perfect match: she’s “water” and I’m “wood”. Now you know.
I still bought the author/presenter’s book “Your Face Tells All” (50% off, what could I do?), and had a nice chat with authors, Erik & Ilona Kanto, who autographed my copy.
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