tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70541085914049911142024-03-14T08:30:35.597+10:00UK 2010Here we go again - on our 5th trip to the UK since 1995. But this time -- by sea!!Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-43443762583524861322011-05-20T09:33:00.002+10:002012-01-09T08:51:03.076+10:00What this Blog was/is all about.This Blog documents our unusual "Round the World" cruise in 2010. It was unusual in that it took us to Southampton, UK and return - Brisbane to Brisbane, Australia - by two cruiseships - P&O Oriana and P&O Arcadia. Both cruises were of 42 days duration - and we had almost 3 weeks in the UK over Christmas, 2010 - including a "white " Christmas in London. It was the adventure of a lifetime.<br />
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The Blog covers a period of over 4 months - so, to see what led us to this big adventure - start reading at the first post way back on 23 March 2010 - LONG before we ever dreamed that this is what we would do.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-91785475423831893622011-04-09T18:55:00.008+10:002012-01-12T17:22:48.775+10:00Youtube channel to complement this BlogNow that we are well and truly back home - I am going to attempt to put our 3800 photos and 1500 video snippets into some kind of order - after culling much of it - so that I can create a number of short videos to upload to Youtube. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/bazzafromoz#p/u">Here they are</a>. It is better to watch them at the 480P setting and expanded (not to full screen size). It is going to be a mammoth task - which I think will take me sometime - so I hope you enjoy it all. I must apologise for the quality of all the pics in this Blog - they were all taken with a $50 Samsung pocket camera.<br />
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For us, this Blog and the movies will be our memories of our adventure into the future. Does anybody know how long things posted to the Internet will remain?? Forever??? But, in case they don't, we have had the Blog printed into a nice hardcover book - and we will store the movies on DVD's.<br />
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<br /></div>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-31049782486146426172011-03-03T14:09:00.003+10:002011-03-03T14:16:20.137+10:00Queen Mary 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Qg_5UbvqjdY/TW8T6n8UybI/AAAAAAAAApw/rBmpaYxTT78/s320/SAM_0152.JPG" width="320" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k59/Barryward12345/QueenMary2/?albumview=slideshow">Photo slideshow</a></div><br />
This Blog came out of our aborted plan to tour the UK by road in 2010. It was only meant to be about our new plan to visit the UK by sea for the first time. But something else also came out of our disappointment in 2010 - and that was a booking to sail on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 from Sydney to New Zealand - only six short days after we got home from our 100 day big adventure. It was very poor timing - we were quite tired when we got home on 15th Feb and really didn't need to pack up again after unpacking . But - it was too good an opportunity to miss and we had to do it . Having now done it, we can only say how pleased we are to have done so. Life is short!<br />
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This is what I have already posted to the Internet into some Cruising Forums.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"</span>I will try to add a few thoughts here - to attempt to put into words what I now feel about QM2. A weeklong experience like we have just had is very difficult for me to describe adequately. </i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>Firstly - We really LOVED this past week and really LOVE QM2. With everything all added up - airfares, hotels, etc - it was an expensive week for us - but it was one of those one-time life experiences which warrant such expense. I am certain we will keenly remember this past week for the rest of our lives. </i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>What is QM2 all about??? --- Well, if she was a car, she is not a brightly coloured brand new Ferrari with fancy chrome wheels. She is an older model Bentley, very well maintained and well used. When you sit inside her, the slightly cracked, but very expensive leather seats are just so comfortable and she just purrs along down the road so quietly and beautifully , that you instantly want to buy her and scorn the others passing you on the highway with hectic haste in their latest models. You won't see her on the cover of a fancy house decoration magazine either - if she was a house. She doesn't have the latest interior design colours and wallpaper - nor the latest avant garde furniture and artworks. She is furnished in what you might expect to find in a stately old Manor House in the UK - with many paintings and other memorabilia on display that show clearly the family's long heritage and good breeding. There is a very strong feeling that you are amongst "old money" here - not the "nouveau riche".</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>The thing about QM2 that impresses me the most is her size. She is MASSIVE!!! - and this is accentuated by the fact that she only carries around 2500 passengers. She truly is a real ship!! - and not a floating hotel, designed to maximise passenger cabin numbers. Personally - I thought that she is a much larger, and up-market version of Oriana!! Both show the heritage of their predecessors. I loved her open outdoor areas - especially her large open observation deck up front. Up there, I could almost imagine how it must have felt to be on a open Bridge of a Naval destroyer on patrol in the North sea during WW2. To really get all over this ship, you need some physical fitness. To walk from one end to the other - and to climb outside from Promenade deck up to the dizzy heights of Sun Deck is tiring .</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>I doubt that Christine and I will ever go on her again. She is definitely out of our financial league in regards to longer cruises, and this cruise was only ever meant to give us a feeling for her. For others in a similar situation to us, I would recommend that - if the possibility of a short cruise presents itself- take that opportunity. You won't regret it!!!! For those with the means to do so however, a much longer passage would be wonderful</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>PS - My only regret is that - for this particular cruise- the change of the original course from Sydney, around the bottom end of the South Island of NZ and up to Christchurch , to a much more direct course Sydney-Wellington, meant that we did not get to see the ship perform. I would have loved to see her get along at maximum speed in a bit of a sea - that was what she was designed to do. Unfortunately we only experienced calm seas - and a very leisurely pace"</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">You can find a slideshow of some of our photos taken onboard QM2 <a href="http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k59/Barryward12345/QueenMary2/?albumview=slideshow">here</a>. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I found it very difficult to take photos on QM2 - externally, it is so big that it is difficult to capture anything other than small bits of it. Internally, every space is so cavernous that I really needed a tripod to hold the camera still for the long time exposures required. And anyway - I also only have a very cheap camera. </span><br />
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</div>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-11161775740393038792011-02-14T05:49:00.001+10:002011-02-14T05:49:04.420+10:00Almost overSince we left Auckland, I think that most Aussies onboard have regarded <br>the cruise as basically over and have been largely marking time - this <br>has been especially so for those who have done the complete <br>circumnavigation. Many left the ship in Sydney, where we had an unusual <br>two day port stop. As I understand it, they were supposed to get off the <br>ship on the second day - but many insisted that they wanted to get off <br>on the first day. This introduced some problems regarding Customs <br>clearance - but in the end, they were able to do so. I don't blame them <br>for wanting to get off - I would not want to wait for another day after <br>arriving in Brisbane. When the party is over, it's over! Today is the <br>100th day of our journey and although very happy about it all, we are <br>looking forward to getting home.<p>However having said all that, we had an enjoyable stop in Sydney. <br>Somewhat strangely, the evening entertainment on both nights were some <br>of the very best we have had - in spite of the fact that many of the <br>passengers were off the ship. A lot of them went to the Opera House to <br>see "Madame Butterfly" on the first night.<p>I think that this will be my last post to this Blog - except that, after <br>we arrive home, I will attempt to answer some specific questions that <br>have been asked in the "Comments" section of each post. As I have <br>previously explained, I haven't been able to access the Blog much myself <br>while at sea, and when I did it was usually some time after a question <br>had been asked. So, I will gather all the questions together - and <br>answer each one individually.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-49771806934878031462011-02-14T05:48:00.004+10:002012-01-09T08:52:26.452+10:00San Francisco - eat your heart out!!!<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYfv5lhYsps/TVg1n_JMJsI/AAAAAAAAApE/rvaTJthzjIg/s1600/SAM_1392-727086.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573263499952137922" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYfv5lhYsps/TVg1n_JMJsI/AAAAAAAAApE/rvaTJthzjIg/s320/SAM_1392-727086.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8GgNCAxLbE/TVg1oIn7-8I/AAAAAAAAApM/OMAhBKHhYkk/s1600/SAM_1382-728633.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573263502497020866" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8GgNCAxLbE/TVg1oIn7-8I/AAAAAAAAApM/OMAhBKHhYkk/s320/SAM_1382-728633.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-sCJ6iPXR0/TVg1ol2D3wI/AAAAAAAAApU/zrsYRO-Dchs/s1600/SAM_1402-729882.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573263510340886274" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-sCJ6iPXR0/TVg1ol2D3wI/AAAAAAAAApU/zrsYRO-Dchs/s320/SAM_1402-729882.JPG" /></a></div>San Francisco is famous for it's Bay and it's Golden Gate Bridge. But, from the point of view of the passengers on a visiting cruise ship, they pale into nothing compared to the beauty of Sydney Harbour, it's Bridge and Opera House. As ex-Sydneysiders who now live elsewhere, we are always in awe of the Harbour - and never tire of seeing it. Last night we spent some time on the upper decks - just watching the passing parade on the water and the land adjacent to the ship's berth. It is a visual perspective that many/most Sydneysiders have not seen - and can only be seen from the outside decks of a visiting ship berthed at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay. We had done this once before - but thoroughly enjoyed it again. We are looking forward to doing it again tonight - before we sail to our final destination of Brisbane at around midnight. We will arrive home two days later on day 101 of our big adventure.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-14311828123207525362011-02-10T04:19:00.003+10:002012-01-08T09:38:05.997+10:00Quiet places of Auckland<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjnno1u7I/AAAAAAAAAoE/0FoIrfSYy8Q/s1600/SAM_1285-754384.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765958805404594" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjnno1u7I/AAAAAAAAAoE/0FoIrfSYy8Q/s320/SAM_1285-754384.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjn6Q_Y6I/AAAAAAAAAoM/v-Vo5Gb7ilE/s1600/SAM_1287-755642.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765963805647778" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjn6Q_Y6I/AAAAAAAAAoM/v-Vo5Gb7ilE/s320/SAM_1287-755642.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjoYwDxII/AAAAAAAAAoU/dfFOjTkMG1M/s1600/SAM_1288-756867.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765971989021826" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjoYwDxII/AAAAAAAAAoU/dfFOjTkMG1M/s320/SAM_1288-756867.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjofNwHQI/AAAAAAAAAoc/HhgEthn2xMk/s1600/SAM_1291-757383.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765973724175618" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjofNwHQI/AAAAAAAAAoc/HhgEthn2xMk/s320/SAM_1291-757383.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjos-rz_I/AAAAAAAAAok/BgDv1HFKZPU/s1600/SAM_1300-758251.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765977419075570" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjos-rz_I/AAAAAAAAAok/BgDv1HFKZPU/s320/SAM_1300-758251.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjopVoR8I/AAAAAAAAAos/15E5rupLBJ4/s1600/SAM_1303-758738.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765976441571266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjopVoR8I/AAAAAAAAAos/15E5rupLBJ4/s320/SAM_1303-758738.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjo1PnifI/AAAAAAAAAo0/X6K1FHx0xMc/s1600/S6304866-759458.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765979637582322" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjo1PnifI/AAAAAAAAAo0/X6K1FHx0xMc/s320/S6304866-759458.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjpK2FS7I/AAAAAAAAAo8/aTc_86p2BHY/s1600/S6304875-760308.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571765985436060594" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TVLjpK2FS7I/AAAAAAAAAo8/aTc_86p2BHY/s320/S6304875-760308.JPG" /></a></div>We had a surprising day in Auckland yesterday. On the last time we were there for a day, we stayed around the city precinct - including the harbourside area that was nicely redeveloped for the Americas Cup. We enjoyed the visit - but, not being ones who like the inner parts of big cities, we wondered what we would do this time. We decided to buy tickets on the "Hop on-Hop off bus" (for $25 AUD each) - and were very pleased that we did. We made the most of it - and it was excellent value for tourists. It is actually split into two parts - one of which departs every 30 minutes from adjacent to the cruiseship berth and a second part that departs every hour from the Museum. For a number of reasons, there is a tendency for many to only do the first part of the tour - there is certainly plenty to occupy yourself on it. But - DO NOT!! - make sure you go to the effort of getting onto the second bus route. We found it to be better than the first - and goes over some beautiful parts of Auckland. We were very pleased to discover some quiet and beautiful parts of Auckland this time around - and the bus tour showed us that they were only a few of many other similar places. Auckland reminded me a little of Honolulu - in that, I thought that there MUST be some ugly parts of the city somewhere!! Every city has them - but we didn't see any in Auckland or Honolulu!! During the last time we saw a little of New Zealand (on 5 ports visits as part of a cruise), we thought that next time we travel, it MUST be a land tour of the country. Considering that we have seen a lot of other parts of the World, we have seen very little of our closest neighbour. We now once again realise that we just must plan a longer trip to NZ. This is the last foreign port for us - on our journey around the World. We are starting to feel a little sad that it is just about over - but the "Dancing tugs" of Auckland put on a show for us as we were departing - plus we had the most amazing and most spectacular sunset we have seen to date as we pulled out of the Dock. We have been very fortunate on all of our Port visits and the ending of our visit to Auckland was the cream on top of the cake.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-13790469204173092182011-02-07T04:36:00.003+10:002012-01-08T14:59:27.189+10:00Port Denarau - Fiji<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qeejbOMI/AAAAAAAAAnE/8lPbwH6lQ3Y/s1600/SAM_1083-765625.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647598422505666" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qeejbOMI/AAAAAAAAAnE/8lPbwH6lQ3Y/s320/SAM_1083-765625.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qe8NljpI/AAAAAAAAAnM/sixrty6bup8/s1600/SAM_1095-767570.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647606383971986" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qe8NljpI/AAAAAAAAAnM/sixrty6bup8/s320/SAM_1095-767570.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qfScmgzI/AAAAAAAAAnU/OdeUUoVXFQM/s1600/SAM_1096-769421.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647612352529202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qfScmgzI/AAAAAAAAAnU/OdeUUoVXFQM/s320/SAM_1096-769421.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qfk0QSMI/AAAAAAAAAnc/BTN1oiVi4uM/s1600/SAM_1125-770654.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647617283573954" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qfk0QSMI/AAAAAAAAAnc/BTN1oiVi4uM/s320/SAM_1125-770654.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qgKvQfkI/AAAAAAAAAnk/LXx_Vn6Pk2Q/s1600/SAM_1105-772132.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647627463163458" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qgKvQfkI/AAAAAAAAAnk/LXx_Vn6Pk2Q/s320/SAM_1105-772132.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qgQESwsI/AAAAAAAAAns/3cQ36Wam5nM/s1600/SAM_1116-772903.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647628893569730" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qgQESwsI/AAAAAAAAAns/3cQ36Wam5nM/s320/SAM_1116-772903.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qg9HtMII/AAAAAAAAAn0/9kNQEfxritE/s1600/SAM_1123-775093.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647640987480194" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qg9HtMII/AAAAAAAAAn0/9kNQEfxritE/s320/SAM_1123-775093.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qhArm_gI/AAAAAAAAAn8/cF1Je3AlIy0/s1600/SAM_1140-776529.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647641943375362" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU7qhArm_gI/AAAAAAAAAn8/cF1Je3AlIy0/s320/SAM_1140-776529.JPG" /></a></div>We had another enjoyable day yesterday - on another South Pacific tropical island. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this grueling pace. The island and Port(which is really just a large Marina) of Port Denarau is a recent modern artificial creation. With a backdrop of the high mountains of the main Fijian island of Viti Levu, it has been developed from swampland - and I think it is fair to say that it is not representative of the rest of the country of Fiji. However, it is a beautiful place to visit - for a day like us or for a week or so like the many International visitors we saw there enjoying their holidays. It basically consists of a flat island with lovely tropical vegetation, a Shopping centre at the Marina site and a number (about 7) of 5 star type Resorts. The resorts have all the accommodation, bars, restaurants, shops, gardens and swimming pools backing onto a beach that you would expect from such places. We took a ride in the "Bulla bus" around all of these and had a look at most of them. The Bulla bus is a hop on - hop off bus that costs 7 Fijian dollars per day. We found that some of the resorts were fancier than some others - but all would allow a very nice relaxing holiday. From them, you could take tours to discover the real Fiji. We noticed that the restaurants in the resorts - although very nice and wonderfully located with fantastic sea views - were quite expensive (as you would expect in 5 star resorts). But there are less expensive options in the shopping village - actually quite cheap. This is definitely a place to eat fish - of very high quality. If I were to spend a week here, I would eat nothing but fish. We had a cheap lunch on the quayside - for $10 AUD each. We had Red Emperor and friends had Wahoo - delicious.<br />
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The weather was typically tropical - hot, clear and humid during the day with a thunderstorm developing in the afternoon. The ship's entertainment team had to move the sailaway party from the outside decks to inside the covered pool area - but after the storm and rain had passed, it was wonderfully refreshing to be out in the open air, with nobody around and the humidity gone. One of those "great to be alive" moments.<br />
Today, the ship is putting on a "Round the World" lunch for the Aussies (well, we think it is only for us). P&O ships Oriana and Arcadia have already given RTW lunches to the passengers (mostly British) - as is traditionally done for the RTW cruises Southampton to Southampton. They forgot however that they have around 300 passengers who have also sailed with them RTW - Australia to Australia. They have finally realised after some gentle nudging. I would imagine that this particular market segment is significant to them and could be more so. It is always amazing to me how some companies do not think much "outside of the box" and just repeat what they traditionally do.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-37668814946595974942011-02-05T18:54:00.001+10:002012-01-08T06:16:59.402+10:00American Samoa - Tutuila<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QmdAZBWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/2LklagDn9GE/s1600/SAM_0915-753429.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126566934512994" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QmdAZBWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/2LklagDn9GE/s320/SAM_0915-753429.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qmk5tgoI/AAAAAAAAAmE/zUgU7Gvsdgg/s1600/SAM_0936-754011.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126569053979266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qmk5tgoI/AAAAAAAAAmE/zUgU7Gvsdgg/s320/SAM_0936-754011.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qmiu6kfI/AAAAAAAAAmM/nGtVH4pgrvA/s1600/SAM_0955-754560.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126568471826930" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qmiu6kfI/AAAAAAAAAmM/nGtVH4pgrvA/s320/SAM_0955-754560.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QmwzK3FI/AAAAAAAAAmU/l9ugTbd4wUE/s1600/SAM_0980-755232.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126572247768146" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QmwzK3FI/AAAAAAAAAmU/l9ugTbd4wUE/s320/SAM_0980-755232.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qm6FDgvI/AAAAAAAAAmc/_clUuFCvR84/s1600/SAM_0981-755751.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126574738703090" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0Qm6FDgvI/AAAAAAAAAmc/_clUuFCvR84/s320/SAM_0981-755751.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnXvVnJI/AAAAAAAAAmk/LAIrK6ZDqww/s1600/SAM_0979-757263.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126582700678290" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnXvVnJI/AAAAAAAAAmk/LAIrK6ZDqww/s320/SAM_0979-757263.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnhznsNI/AAAAAAAAAms/HIk-1Q3AnM0/s1600/SAM_0983-758532.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126585402994898" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnhznsNI/AAAAAAAAAms/HIk-1Q3AnM0/s320/SAM_0983-758532.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnynRiuI/AAAAAAAAAm0/TbzjQF5zgA4/s1600/SAM_1006-759428.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126589914614498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QnynRiuI/AAAAAAAAAm0/TbzjQF5zgA4/s320/SAM_1006-759428.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QoJNq9kI/AAAAAAAAAm8/zjMoQ0YAgtc/s1600/SAM_1018-759933.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570126595981243970" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TU0QoJNq9kI/AAAAAAAAAm8/zjMoQ0YAgtc/s320/SAM_1018-759933.jpg" /></a></div>Yesterday we had two big surprises. The first was that we didn't have a yesterday - as we had crossed the International Date line and lost a day. The most surprised were those 3 people onboard who were expectingto have a birthday on 04 Feb 2011. The second surprise was that we had heard a lot of negative things about the port of Pago Pago, on the island of Tutilia, American Samoa (even from the P&O onboard Port presenter) - but it turned out to be something of an unexplored "paradise". Just about everywhere we have been to has been over-run by tourists - but this place appears to have no tourists and almost no tourism infrastructure. It also has no industry as it's famous tuna canneries appear to have been closed down. The port is located inside a magnificent flooded extinct volcano, the water is crystal clear, the mountains are covered with jungle - bananas, mangoes, breadfruit, coconuts , papaya and other tropical fruits grow wild, ocean waves crash onto the fringing reefs or the volcanic cliffs, the locals are unbelievably friendly, the local beer is good - and did I mention that there are no tourists?? Do not believe anything that you read about this place in any tourist guide written before 2011. It is definitely no Hawaii or Tahiti - but I suspect that a couple of weeks on this island as a tourist could possibly be life changing. It is also a place where somebody who merely visits for a day could make a wrong judgement about it. We took a 3 hour tour which took us out of the Port area (which many did not) into local village areas. It was very interesting and our tour guide very entertaining. One "feature" of this island is the amazing colourful local buses. I am not sure exactly who owns them - but there are hundreds of them. They have to be seen to be believed. This ship's tour is the last of 12 that we have taken - we actually booked 14 but one was cancelled in Sharm el-Sheikh and we missed a port in the Azores. We have enjoyed all these tours -but we also enjoyed the ports which we had visited before, were vaguely familiar with and we therefore chose to "do our own thing". I do feel that those who only do their own thing in foreign ports miss out on a lot - but I also find that nothing will convince them of that.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-27430637690739260762011-02-05T13:43:00.002+10:002012-02-23T12:05:06.796+10:00What is needed to "Cross the Line"<div class="mobile-photo">
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Just thought I would send some pics of our "Crossing the Line" ceremony today - just for those who are in the cold in the UK or Aussies at home who are labouring at work. It's a tough life onboard Arcadia - but somebody has to do it.</div>
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<br />Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-89047726726379159032011-02-03T09:40:00.002+10:002012-01-10T07:47:24.752+10:00"Which ship??"<div class="mobile-photo">
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This posting to our travel Blog is primarily aimed at the cruising enthusiasts following our progress. I was going to title the posting as "Ship comparison?" - but realised that, while it is possible to compare ships, it can only be truly fair if it is done within a definite defined context - as different ships are designed for different purposes and to use any ship for something that it was not really designed to do places it at a disadvantage when compared to another ship which is. Not being a Naval Architect, I can only guess at what the two ships we have been sailing on - Oriana and Arcadia - were designed for, but I believe that my guess agrees with many of my fellow passengers. This is that Arcadia is not as well suited for long passages as Oriana and perhaps it comes down to original design purpose. I have been told by longtime P&O passengers that both Oriana and sister ship Aurora were indeed designed for long distance passages - but don't know the truth of that assertion We have been in the company of up to around 300 Aussies on our trip across to the UK on Oriana and the return on Arcadia. Of these, we have conversed with a small percentage - and of these, we have had a regular association with an even smaller percentage. However, I would have to say that of these, the ship that will be remembered with the most affection and "preferred" is Oriana. We have definitely heard more praise of her positive aspects than we have of Arcadia's positives - and less criticism of her negative aspects than we have of Arcadia's negatives. Largely, I believe these have more to do with the basic design of the ships (for the purpose that we have experienced - long 42 day cruises across open oceans with longish periods of time at sea) than with other popularly discussed issues such as food, service, and ship decor.<br />
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<b>Oriana's positives</b> - her large Promenade, her unobstructed main Theatre, large cinema, tiered stern, internal access between public spaces,external access from lower decks to upper decks, forward facing external areas, access to external decks from cabin decks, large Pacific Lounge (additional to main theatre), large laundries, Al Fresco restaurant.<br />
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<b>Arcadia's positives</b> - very nice but underused Orchid Bar and Restaurant, lots of bars and lounges with contemporary decor, exterior lifts, indoor pool with roll-back roof. I am sure that others may see some of my "positives" as being a negative for them - for example, the matter of ship's decor. I am reluctant to quote "negatives" for the same reason. However, for me, the biggest "negative" of Arcadia is really a negative of the VISTA cruiseship class itself (of which there are many today and are obviously popular with the cruiselines). This comes from a basic "feature" of their design. There are internal and external public spaces on decks 1, 2 and 3, and then again on decks 9,10,11. Between these is a big "block of cabins/apartments" on decks 4-8. The only way to get from the upper public spaces to the lower ones and vice versa is via lifts or internal staircase through the 5 floors of cabins. The only way to also get from the lower outside deck areas to the upper outside deck areas is also via these. Hence, having a nice spacious and comfortable cabin on Deck 1, my most enduring memory of 42 days on Arcadia will be of waiting for and riding in lifts!! I have heard Arcadia's exterior lifts being praised - however even waiting for and riding in these wears thin after a while.<br />
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Last night we had an exceptionally good meal and most enjoyable time in the Orchid Restaurant (with drinks in the associated Orchid Bar) on Arcadia - possibly the best night we have had on our way around. So, you can see that this business of comparing ships is very difficult - it would probably be best for prospective passengers to ignore everything here and see for yourselves.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-57971947689544115092011-01-31T05:47:00.001+10:002012-01-08T06:04:04.136+10:00Hawaii<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAf_Q6BUI/AAAAAAAAAkA/qo5gFqfDZaI/s1600/SAM_0745-794740.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068170104309058" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAf_Q6BUI/AAAAAAAAAkA/qo5gFqfDZaI/s320/SAM_0745-794740.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAf1i5kfI/AAAAAAAAAkI/kkQ_ACBZiqg/s1600/SAM_0743-795725.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068167495422450" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAf1i5kfI/AAAAAAAAAkI/kkQ_ACBZiqg/s320/SAM_0743-795725.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAgsZBheI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/WeQOejjqfCU/s1600/SAM_0753-798047.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068182217950690" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAgsZBheI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/WeQOejjqfCU/s320/SAM_0753-798047.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAg3NwgKI/AAAAAAAAAkY/fr8DTUTwEKw/s1600/SAM_0765-799317.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068185123487906" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAg3NwgKI/AAAAAAAAAkY/fr8DTUTwEKw/s320/SAM_0765-799317.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAh-ZsNSI/AAAAAAAAAkg/9UAlhDO8-LU/s1600/SAM_0783-703214.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068204232455458" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAh-ZsNSI/AAAAAAAAAkg/9UAlhDO8-LU/s320/SAM_0783-703214.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAiJlLKfI/AAAAAAAAAko/2U4stxWCnus/s1600/SAM_0794-704424.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068207233411570" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAiJlLKfI/AAAAAAAAAko/2U4stxWCnus/s320/SAM_0794-704424.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAifqjqDI/AAAAAAAAAkw/qVid0_tQiE4/s1600/SAM_0829-705773.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068213161568306" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAifqjqDI/AAAAAAAAAkw/qVid0_tQiE4/s320/SAM_0829-705773.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAi7NtxsI/AAAAAAAAAk4/CgrF9lT8foQ/s1600/SAM_0845-707769.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068220556789442" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAi7NtxsI/AAAAAAAAAk4/CgrF9lT8foQ/s320/SAM_0845-707769.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAjYAME0I/AAAAAAAAAlA/IfqXYb5bUIE/s1600/SAM_0856-709536.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568068228284683074" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TUXAjYAME0I/AAAAAAAAAlA/IfqXYb5bUIE/s320/SAM_0856-709536.JPG" /></a></div>Yesterday - I fell in love. I first met her 30 years ago and liked her then, but perhaps I didn't see as much of her then as I did yesterday or perhaps I didn't fully appreciate her beauty. Of course, I am talking about the island of O'ahu in the Hawaiian Islands. The Weather and Travel gods were again very kind to us and the day could not have been more perfect - mid-winter temperature of 25C, clear blue skies. We took a shore tour called "Coastal Explorer". It was supposed to be of 4 hours duration - but took 5 hours (which was good). We covered quite a<br />
bit of the southern area of the island outside of Honolulu, including the beautiful coast and also crossed the very rugged central mountain range. Afterwards, we took a shuttle bus to the huge Ala Moana shopping <br />
centre - and also walked to Chinatown (only to discover that the one day we were in town coincided with Chinese New Year's celebrations - how fortunate was that? !!!!) So all things considered - we got a good idea of what both Honolulu and O'ahu are all about - and we were IMPRESSED!. After traveling 3/4 of the way around the World, we finally found a place that we will DEFINITELY come back to. A plan is formulating slowly in our minds already. As we came into Honolulu Harbour, we were preceded by the "Spirit of America" - which we have been told does 7 day cruises through the Hawaiian Islands. This, combined with a stay in Honolulu would be an excellent start to a future adventure. Actually, I have to do it - because I had planned to have a beer in the Royal Hawaiian hotel on Waikiki Beach, but didn't have time (this time).Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-50792268839706384192011-01-26T02:04:00.002+10:002012-01-08T06:25:58.508+10:00The two faces of San Francisco<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lONay8I/AAAAAAAAAjY/MG9vTfBXegk/s1600/SAM_0666-776173.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566155109783227330" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lONay8I/AAAAAAAAAjY/MG9vTfBXegk/s320/SAM_0666-776173.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lUhcTpI/AAAAAAAAAjg/NOiAI8oPbck/s1600/SAM_0695-777166.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566155111477825170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lUhcTpI/AAAAAAAAAjg/NOiAI8oPbck/s320/SAM_0695-777166.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lvLuWdI/AAAAAAAAAjo/dzi_Z1DJM_w/s1600/SAM_0706-777866.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566155118634490322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70lvLuWdI/AAAAAAAAAjo/dzi_Z1DJM_w/s320/SAM_0706-777866.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70l9VoKZI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Ha5ITJAariU/s1600/SAM_0717-779321.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566155122434124178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70l9VoKZI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Ha5ITJAariU/s320/SAM_0717-779321.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70mOaUXpI/AAAAAAAAAj4/vUESv_ekz7E/s1600/SDC14203-780233.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566155127017201298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TT70mOaUXpI/AAAAAAAAAj4/vUESv_ekz7E/s320/SDC14203-780233.jpg" /></a></div>We had an almost perfect day in San Francisco yesterday - 17C, clear blue skies and no fog!! -- normally unheard of in mid-winter!!! We had very calm seas and good weather on our way northwards from Acapulco, so we were hopeful of a clear arrival into San Francisco which is very well known for it's heavy fogs - especially at this time of year. We arrived early and were tied up at 6.30 AM before the sun rose. We had been warned that it would take us a long time to get clearance from the infamous US Border Control and Immigration authorities who insist on a personal and individual eye-to-eye meeting with every passenger. Fortunately, this was all VERY well organised by the ship and proceeded smoothly and easily - so it only took 4 hours for all to be cleared and for us to get off the ship!!! Fortunately, we also had a late departure of 9PM, so it allowed plenty of shoretime for us. Anybody considering cruising in the future should be of a calm and placid nature with lots of patience - especially those considering cruising to the US! I had a list of "iconic" things that I wanted to see/do in San Francisco - and was pleased to achieve two of them within the first hour of arrival - seeing the sea lions at Pier 39 and eating Clam chowder in a Sourdough bread bowl at the famous Boudin Sourdough bread bakery at Fishermans Wharf. This was washed down by me with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. We enjoyed it so much that we later had a toasted Crab cake sandwich at the same place - washed down, once again by me, by an Anchor Steam Porter. The relevance of these two beers will, I am sure, be understood by those who know about beer. Yum!We then bought ourself a day pass to allow us to ride the famous Cable car network (3 lines) - and the lesser known Heritage electric Streetcar line (F line). The cable cars go over the very steep hills and are great fun - the drivers and brakemen are obviously employed for their "character". We were amused by the way in which the cable car stops are in the flat areas right across the cross-streets, which block all other<br />
traffic. We also enjoyed the heritage streetcars (otherwise known to Aussies as Trams) - they have a huge collection of these from right around the world including Australia - but we especially enjoyed the very large pre-WW2 ones from the US - we have never seen trams so large. Now -about my reference to the two faces of San Francisco. When we first arrived and wandered around the touristy area of Fisherman's Wharf and<br />
took the cable car ride to "Nob Hill", we thought that the city was very clean and "nice". However, as we got closer to the downtown area of the city and went even further to the very end of the F streetcar line, we <br />
became more and more amazed at the number of homeless/street people/beggars. We have seen western street people before - in European cities, London, Canada and even Sydney -- BUT we have never seen as many as we saw in San Francisco. We have no idea of the reason for this - but it was certainly enough to alarm us and to change our idea of what the city is all about. I think that we would still like to return to <br />
California/San Francisco for a longer visit in the future - but we would have to rethink some things.<br />
<br />
Next port - HonoluluBarry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-18129023446900487822011-01-22T00:19:00.001+10:002012-01-08T09:00:41.877+10:00Acapulco<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWHSGTQTI/AAAAAAAAAh4/UAmcd1y80eU/s1600/SAM_0493-711782.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643866454475058" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWHSGTQTI/AAAAAAAAAh4/UAmcd1y80eU/s320/SAM_0493-711782.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWH5AxqAI/AAAAAAAAAiA/2wzK0qSXAtM/s1600/SAM_0526-714328.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643876900284418" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWH5AxqAI/AAAAAAAAAiA/2wzK0qSXAtM/s320/SAM_0526-714328.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWIFh0bxI/AAAAAAAAAiI/LDJL6kwqcNM/s1600/SAM_0532-716088.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643880260103954" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWIFh0bxI/AAAAAAAAAiI/LDJL6kwqcNM/s320/SAM_0532-716088.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWIqVs9-I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/oiv31kyGcXc/s1600/SAM_0543-717554.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643890141394914" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWIqVs9-I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/oiv31kyGcXc/s320/SAM_0543-717554.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWI-EHp8I/AAAAAAAAAiY/Ijc4AmUbTzI/s1600/SAM_0549-718919.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643895436355522" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWI-EHp8I/AAAAAAAAAiY/Ijc4AmUbTzI/s320/SAM_0549-718919.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWJXxue9I/AAAAAAAAAig/XKaD7iJ2Arg/s1600/SAM_0561-720171.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643902338530258" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWJXxue9I/AAAAAAAAAig/XKaD7iJ2Arg/s320/SAM_0561-720171.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWJhjUAiI/AAAAAAAAAio/8RAtU16tHK4/s1600/SAM_0593-721782.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643904962429474" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWJhjUAiI/AAAAAAAAAio/8RAtU16tHK4/s320/SAM_0593-721782.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKJPBd_I/AAAAAAAAAiw/3Yz4aKSskQs/s1600/SAM_0573-723319.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643915614746610" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKJPBd_I/AAAAAAAAAiw/3Yz4aKSskQs/s320/SAM_0573-723319.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKbM9HNI/AAAAAAAAAi4/MI36aJ_5dZ0/s1600/SAM_0577-724800.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643920437910738" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKbM9HNI/AAAAAAAAAi4/MI36aJ_5dZ0/s320/SAM_0577-724800.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKmv1n_I/AAAAAAAAAjA/LB9-nbh5H5Y/s1600/SAM_0578-725932.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643923537010674" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWKmv1n_I/AAAAAAAAAjA/LB9-nbh5H5Y/s320/SAM_0578-725932.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWLLk75VI/AAAAAAAAAjI/kwzzOcE_KaI/s1600/SAM_0597-728059.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643933423396178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWLLk75VI/AAAAAAAAAjI/kwzzOcE_KaI/s320/SAM_0597-728059.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWL2D-jWI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/wXsItaKrRkI/s1600/SAM_0612-731408.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643944827882850" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTmWL2D-jWI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/wXsItaKrRkI/s320/SAM_0612-731408.JPG" /></a></div>We had an almost perfect day in Acapulco yesterday. I had a feeling that we were going to enjoy our visit. Photos that we had seen looked good - and were supported by what we saw as we approached Acapulco Bay. BUT - we had heard some negativity about the place from a few passengers who<br />
had been there before and I suspected/feared that the shore tour we had booked (which included a visit to the famous La Quebrada cliff divers) may be a disaster with too many people. But none of this negativity came to pass and we had a very memorable day. From the sea, the approach to Acapulco and Acapulco Bay is quite spectacular. In fact, I can't think of any place we have been to that<br />
equals it - perhaps Honolulu will, as I vaguely remember it to be spectacular also (but haven't seen it for over 30 years). Once ashore, it became obvious that the city has "character". I cannot explain this <br />
"character" here - except that it includes such things as great wealth alongside poverty, mountain and beach beauty alongside one another, hustle and bustle, foreign-ness - a mix of an established tourist resort <br />
with an underlying economic tension. During our journey, we have seen many armed guards and Police in different countries. The first one of these places, where our tour buses had an armed Police escort was in <br />
Manilla - not a place that I would necessarily have expected to see such a thing. But, in Acapulco, they are not only armed -but HEAVILY armed!. It is not every day that we see a truckload of Army/Police, all armed <br />
with automatic weapons including a mounted heavy machine gun, patrolling up and down the main street!! It actually appeared quite surreal to me - as much as it would if such a thing happened in Surfers Paradise on the Australian Gold Coast. Our shore tour lasted around four hours - after which our heads were spinning. We covered quite a large area of Acapulco and the surrounding area and got a good idea of what it is all about. The highlight of the tour was our visit to the cliff divers. It was well organised and we had a good view from the terraces of the Mirador Hotel. ( Note to myself - check out the room rates of this hotel on the Internet when I get back home) So far, our cruise through the Caribbean, Panama and Mexican waters has<br />
been very enjoyable - we have never been to this area before and I don't know many Aussies who have. Of course, you only get a brief exposure to the ports visited on a cruise. Cruising itself is a wonderful and <br />
pleasant experience - but not the way to see parts of the World in any more than the lightest detail.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-65797202504461913802011-01-18T20:52:00.001+10:002012-01-12T17:17:54.619+10:00Canal Heresy<div class="mobile-photo">
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I have heard many many people say that, compared to the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal is boring, boring - a mere "ditch" (in the words of somebody famous - Churchill???) This seems to me to be the prevailing Orthodoxy of those who have traversed both.<br />
There is no doubt that the Panama Canal is an extraordinary piece of Engineering and human effort - even more so when you consider the history of it's building and the failures that preceded it's final completion. To pass through it now, although impressive, is very deceiving.You really have to look at what lies below the surface of the water in the locks and the Gatun lake between them to understand. The ship has been showing documentaries of the building of the Panama Canal on the ship's TV system for the past couple of days. It is not until you see these, which include old original movie footage of the work carried out in the later part of it's construction (old steam shovels digging out the Calebra Cut - very early 20the Century) that you realise the enormity of the task and the brilliance and determination of the men who built it.Our North-South passage started around 6AM at the entrance to the first three locks - the Gatun locks. It took about two hours to pass through these, before entering the huge Gatun Lake (created by damming the Chagres River.) This dam was the secret behind the completion of the Canal system - removing the original need to dig a canal along the entire 80 klm route, and providing water to power the locks. This was followed by a rather leisurely passage through the lake and through the Culeba Cut before arriving at the final 3 locks of Pedro Miguel and Miraflores, which lowered us into the Pacific Ocean. It was a wonderful experience for us - something that we had never dreamed we would be able to do - and we are very happy to have been able to experience it. But here is my Heresy -- if we were given the chance to repeat either the Suez transit or the Panama transit, which one would it be?? For Christine and I, the answer is immediate - SUEZ! I cannot explain here why we say that - too complicated for this short Blog. But we still recommend that anybody who is able do so, should do this transit of Panama - a fantastic experience.<br />
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You can watch a Youtube video of some Panama Canal pics <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5LUqYHulgE">here</a><br />
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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y5LUqYHulgE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-90221078435622775982011-01-18T03:07:00.002+10:002012-01-08T09:11:14.916+10:00First time for 34 years<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTR3V9Da4CI/AAAAAAAAAgg/cL_zlryr8vc/s1600/SAM_0288-754531.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563202658759270434" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TTR3V9Da4CI/AAAAAAAAAgg/cL_zlryr8vc/s320/SAM_0288-754531.JPG" /></a></div>Last night we had another Formal night - this one with a "Black and White " theme. This theme leaves a lot of room for some personalization of everybody's dress - from the traditional "Black Tie" to all combinations and permutations of black and/or white jackets, ties, and shirts (Talking about men's dress here). For the past 34 years, I have been carrying around a white "tie it yourself" bow tie - which I have<br />
never ever worn. It has " Property of the Royal Australian Navy " on a tag on the back of it - I never did know why it was issued to me as we only ever wore black bowies way back in my old Navy days. Anyway, I had packed it with a number of other ties - as I was well aware of the large number of Formal nights we would have on these cruises. Most men onboard are wearing modern ready tied bows - except for one of my table companions who insists on tying his own in the traditional manner. Following a challenge from him, I decided to drag this old white Bowie out - and discovered that I still remembered how to tie one. It isn't rocket science - if you can tie your shoelaces, you can tie a Bow Tie. I have been asked to describe what the differences are between a P&O UK cruise and a P&O Australia one. I have previously described the food differences - and the obvious Passenger Nationality differences - but there is also quite a difference in the nature of the nightly entertainment in the main Theatre. Last night, we had a Violin duet as the main entertainment. I was a bit ambivalent about it as we entered the theatre - and prepared for an easy and quick exit if needed. I cannot imagine such a thing being presented as the main entertainment for the night on a P&O Australia ship. But WOW!!! - this young married Polish duet were absolutely fabulous!!! In fact, I would say that they were the best entertainers/performers that I have seen since leaving Brisbane and I am looking forward to their next performance. There are good reasons for Aussies to try out different nationality cruiselines - other than the usual reasons floated on the Internet cruising Forums.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-37334960354199065262011-01-16T21:37:00.002+10:002012-01-12T10:31:03.264+10:00Aruba - in the Caribbean<div class="mobile-photo">
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We had a very nice day in Aruba yesterday. The weather was perfect (if a little hot for our liking), the scenery was varied and interesting - for once the place visited was not "Third World" and it was all so well organised as far as tourism goes that the visits of three cruiseships on one day was not a problem. We have come across a small number of cruiseships during our cruising so far. We were in company with Aida Aura in Kuala Lumpur, another Vista class ship (Costa) in Sharm El Sheikh, and the five that were with us in Southampton. But yesterday, after we berthed in Aruba, we were pleased to see Regent Seven Seas Mariner and Holland America's Zuiderdam come into port to join us. During our sailaway "party" yesterday, I spoke to a few passengers who have seen quite a few of the Caribbean ports, and they all expressed surprise at the high standards we found in Aruba. It has a lot going for it as a tourist destination. Good weather out of the Hurricane belt, a good standard of living with low unemployment and hence a low crime rate, an unusual scenery (lots of cactus), great beach resorts. If it wasn't so far away from Australia, I could easily see an enjoyable week there some time in the future. We are now headed for the Panama Canal - for transit through it tomorrow. We have been assured by many that it is far more interesting and spectacular than the transit through the Suez Canal (which we thought was a wonderful experience). We are however concerned that this ship Arcadia does not provide good unobstructed upper deck space for a large scale passenger viewing experience. It has no forward facing upper deck space (unlike Oriana which was very well designed in this respect). We are often asked which of the two ships we prefer so far - but an answer to that question is not easy. I guess that transits through the Panama Canal are not foremost in the mind of cruiseship designers (except in making sure that they can fit through!) - but it does go to show that there is more to answering that question than what first appears.<br />
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You can view a Youtube video of our day in Aruba <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVs24qrbP4E">here</a><br />
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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bVs24qrbP4E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-76110818865153745712011-01-14T22:00:00.001+10:002012-01-12T07:06:52.734+10:00Los Barbados - the land of the Bearded ones<div class="mobile-photo">
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It is said that travel is educational - today we did learn a number of things about Barbados that we probably would not have known if we had not landed there yesterday. We learned that the name is pronounced by the locals as "Bar-bar-dos", and not as we have always pronounced it. We saw the original "Trafalgar Square", complete with statue of Horatio Nelson, both built/erected before that other one in London. We learned that the local monkeys (Green monkeys - actually brought to the island with slaves) are the source of most of the world's supply of Sabin Polio vaccine. And we discovered RUM PUNCH!!!! We also rediscovered something that I have been aware of for some time. And that is - that the more experience you have of something, the more critical you become of it and the more blase you become about it. This applies to travel experience as much as anything else. And hence, we came away from Barbados with a slight feeling of disappointment. We took a 3.5 hour tour of the island - which got us out of the Capital city of Bridgetown (where we were docked) and took us to the higher interior part of the island and to the rugged east coast. Apparently the most touristy part of the island is the west coast - which is famous for it's calm beaches and incredibly blue water. We saw only a little part of this side - and the water colour certainly lived up to it's reputation.<br />
We later walked into the city. It is probably a little unfair to make a judgment in such a short and limited exposure to the island - and I am fairly sure that a week in one of the resorts on the west coast with some longer and more relaxed tours around the island (by the very extensive and inexpensive local bus network) would be very enjoyable. As Aussies however, living a long way away, and also as Queenslanders who <br />
noted that much of the island was very much like a cross between the northern tropical area of Queensland and the New South Wales coast, we are not sure at this time that we would go to the effort and expense of <br />
coming back. We are on to Aruba tomorrow - with today at sea! We are looking forward to Aruba - as it seems that it is very different from what we are accustomed to at home.<br />
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You can view a Youtube video of our visit to Barbados <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozVjM1l6v44">here</a>
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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ozVjM1l6v44" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-83948159137382772912011-01-12T20:44:00.003+10:002012-01-08T09:26:14.969+10:000 to 25C in 6 days!<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GMvHuYYI/AAAAAAAAAeg/edOYA-bzfR8/s1600/SAM_0134-705975.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561248668237848962" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GMvHuYYI/AAAAAAAAAeg/edOYA-bzfR8/s320/SAM_0134-705975.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GM8inTQI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Wh3udsYVuHI/s1600/SAM_0141-707334.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561248671840292098" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GM8inTQI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Wh3udsYVuHI/s320/SAM_0141-707334.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GNZoWS7I/AAAAAAAAAew/n5qJClhfM9A/s1600/SDC13627-708540.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561248679648971698" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GNZoWS7I/AAAAAAAAAew/n5qJClhfM9A/s320/SDC13627-708540.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GN8jj-bI/AAAAAAAAAe4/66FYepw_j9U/s1600/SAM_0130-710853.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561248689024137650" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GN8jj-bI/AAAAAAAAAe4/66FYepw_j9U/s320/SAM_0130-710853.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GOZaKXRI/AAAAAAAAAfA/MH48UTHDTfo/s1600/SAM_0179-712696.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561248696769338642" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TS2GOZaKXRI/AAAAAAAAAfA/MH48UTHDTfo/s320/SAM_0179-712696.JPG" /></a></div>We have seen a steady improvement in the weather since we left Southampton - including a substantial increase in the temperature. It is hard to believe that a mere six days ago, we were nearly freezing on the<br />
Promenade Deck - but now we are in T-shirts and shorts! Yesterday, for the first time on this cruise, the Brits have emerged out into the sun - laying back on the sundecks. The Aussies however continue to do what Aussies do - sit in the shade! Because of our inability to reach the Azores, we will have been at sea for seven days by the time we reach Barbados tomorrow - but it is surprising how the time flies onboard. There is as much or as little to do as you please - but longer cruises allow onboard friendships to build. This is even more so for us - as there are passengers onboard who we have known now for over two months, and we are enjoying their company. The "Happy Hours" we had on Oriana have gone by the wayside (as there are none on this ship) - but other aspects of the ship make up for this. The Rising Sun pub has much more "atmosphere" than the Lords Tavern on Oriana, so we are gravitating to that for afternoon/evening drinks - and as I said in another post, the Belvedere Buffet has also much more "ambiance" (especially at night) than the Conservatory on Oriana, so we are using it more at night. Last night was "Curry night" in the Buffet - so a group of us attended that. The food was great - absolutely genuine - and definitely wasn't for sissies. They played Indian music all night and the staff dressed in Traditional costume. I am starting to like this ship - after a slow start. It's just a shame about the outside Promenade Deck - Oriana wins that competition hands down!<br />
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You can view a Youtube video about our first week on Arcadia <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcERA1UfyxU">here</a><br />
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<object height="510" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WcERA1UfyxU?version=3&hl=en_GB&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WcERA1UfyxU?version=3&hl=en_GB&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-77725100699267533922011-01-09T21:32:00.002+10:002012-01-08T09:31:35.464+10:007 days at sea<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcx5iqXyI/AAAAAAAAAeI/O0THvVlHMs4/s1600/SAM_0123-743231.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560147596039315234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcx5iqXyI/AAAAAAAAAeI/O0THvVlHMs4/s320/SAM_0123-743231.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcyP2mXgI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/tg1zQBFdkPY/s1600/SAM_0133-744189.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560147602028518914" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcyP2mXgI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/tg1zQBFdkPY/s320/SAM_0133-744189.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcyYWC4tI/AAAAAAAAAeY/JhskoPE3kKc/s1600/SAM_0143-745527.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560147604307894994" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TSmcyYWC4tI/AAAAAAAAAeY/JhskoPE3kKc/s320/SAM_0143-745527.JPG" /></a></div>It is now in the early hours of our 4th day out from Southampton - the seas have calmed and we are making good progress. As I reported in my previous post - our second day was a "shocker". On the evening of the<br />
first night, our Captain warned us what to expect and which would develop overnight and stay with us all the next day. I had forecast this myself before departure - as I had been watching weather and sea height websites and I thought that it was highly possible that we would miss our first port of call. But it was not until yesterday that we got to discover the extent of the weather that we encountered. It was quite a deep low pressure system and we went right through the middle of it over a period of around 18 hours. According to the Bridge, wind was Force 11, gusting to Force 12 - and sea heights were around 12 metres (around 40 feet in the old money). Some fantastic photos were taken from the Crows Nest by the ship's photographers showing Arcadia's bow plunging down the swells and briefly submerging, with huge spray going right over the Bridge. Anybody who knows how high the bow of this ship is above normal sea level will understand what that means! All of the outside decks were closed for the day and we stayed mostly in our cabin - in a horizontal position. Christine (who suffers from seasickness) did quite well really, and only had to talk to God down the big white telephone twice during the day. Early yesterday, I discovered that the rear of the Lido Deck (deck 9) was open so we went out there for some fresh air - she wasn't too happy at this time as you can see from the photo. But, having moved out of the low pressure system overnight, we had blue skies after the sun came up and everything slowly turned rosier. The seas were still a bit confused during the day - but we were now running with the prevailing swell, instead of fighting into it. One thing we have discovered is that this is a very noisy ship - creaking and groaning. I know that there is movement onboard ships - but this is more reminiscent of that found on an old sailing vessel. It is the fifth cruiseship I have been on and have never encountered it before - sounds like wall panels have all been installed without any flexible jointing compound between them. I would be very unhappy if my old converted bus/motorhome creaked like this as I drove down the road - but I was astute enough while building it to use jointing compound between all joins.<br />
Anyway - all's well that ends well - and we were able to fully explore the ship yesterday , including all the open decks. As I said in a previous post, I really like the Belvedere (Buffet) restaurant - and we are looking forward to experiencing the Gary Rhodes restaurant and the Orchid restaurant ( the second of these including it's associated bar looks VERY nice indeed). We now have another 4 sea days before arriving in Barbados (after already having three) - so in my next post, I will attempt to include some photos of various parts of the ship.<br />
For any that are considering future long distance cruises, we have come to realise that to go right around the World, the cruiselines need to have some tight schedules in some places (especially in the long approaches to the Suez canal via the Indian Ocean and the Panama Canal via the Atlantic). It is very easy for these schedules to be interfered with by weather or mechanical problems - and subsequently ports are missed, as the over-riding goal is to arrive at the respective Canal in time for transit through it. Better get used to that idea - or don't book World Cruises.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-58920746444541312622011-01-07T23:44:00.000+10:002011-01-08T00:01:29.814+10:00Mid winter, Mid Atlantic - Force 11 gale!!Just a quick post - as I don't like to do computer work under the <br>conditions we are currently experiencing. Only the second day of our <br>cruise, and we have encountered a Force 11 gale on our way to the <br>Azores. It is worse than the one we got on Oriana in the Mediterranean - <br>in that we are heading directly into it and the seas are much bigger. <br>The Captain has slowed the ship right down for passengers comfort. Our <br>biggest problem really is that this ship is NOISY - creaking and <br>groaning with every wave, not like Oriana at all.<p>EDIT - because of the seas and the need to slow our progress down, the <br>visit to the Azores (Ponta Del Grado) has been cancelled. We are now <br>proceeding directly to BarbadosBarry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-51986909993056492812011-01-07T01:55:00.001+10:002012-12-07T14:21:18.947+10:00That British Bulldog breed!<div class="mobile-photo">
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Our sailaway from Southampton last night on P&O Arcadia was just a little different to ones that we have experienced at home. Most of our sailaways in Australia have been warm with no inclement weather to prevent people from getting out onto the upper decks - but last night we sailed at 6PM in mid-winter, pitch black night in light rain with a temperature of around 1C combined with a breeze which made it feel sub-zero. But did this stop the Brits onboard from getting out onto the open Promenade Deck to celebrate their departure with Champagne?? -- NO WAY!! And Christine and I joined in with them - but I did notice that I didn't see many of the Aussies onboard out there. We did enjoy the sailaway - and it will be memorable for us. Southampton had the largest number of ships in port for 50 years - six of them,<br />
Queen Elizabeth (who sailed out ahead of us), Queen Victoria, Black Watch, Balmoral and Saga Ruby - plus of course, us! On the wharf we had a Military Brass Band playing all the usual tear jerkers (like Land of <br />
Hope and Glory and Auld Lang Syne), strobe lights, large confetti dispensing machines, colourful air socks and a big fireworks display (which we stopped in mid-stream in Southampton Water to watch). Considering the weather, it was quite a sendoff - and something that I had heard rumours of and hoped would come about. It was definitely the closest thing to that done for cruiseships of old that I have ever seen. We haven't had a chance to make any assessments or judgements regarding Arcadia yet - except to say that it is noticeably "newer" than Oriana, but with a definitely different character. Somebody said last night that they felt like they were inside a large luxury hotel rather than a ship - and I can probably see where they were coming from. The Belvedere Restaurant (Buffet) is definitely a stepup in "class" above the Conservatory on Oriana - at night, it takes on the feeling of a very nice Asian influence with all dining places set up by staff. I nicknamed the Conservatory Buffet on Oriana as the " The Shove and Shovel" - but at this time, the Belvedere appears far superior.<br />
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You can view a video of our first week on P&O Arcadia <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcERA1UfyxU">here </a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WcERA1UfyxU" width="420"></iframe>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-24909324599070435162010-12-28T19:40:00.000+10:002010-12-28T19:40:15.693+10:00Next post to this Blog.....will be from this ship - after we board her on 05 January<br />
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This Fairground just went on and on - with very large rides which had obviously been a big effort to erect, even a huge Ferris wheel, second only to the "London Eye". All sorts of stalls, places to eat and drink - quite a big German input, we thought (even things like the enormous "Ghost Train".) All this coupled with the Winter/Christmas atmosphere inside Hyde Park (the Serpentine was frozen) made for a wonderful experience - and at my age, Fairgrounds are not really my thing!! For anybody with children visiting London at Christmas time next year, I recommend this as a "must see"!! Your children will LOVE you for it. But do what I had to do when I was a child waiting for the Brisbane Exhibition to come around - make them save their own spending money. Look <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=london+winter+wonderland&hl=en&prmd=ivnsm&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=_K0ZTeDyKY6WhQfIqfW2Dg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBAQ_AU&biw=1024&bih=681">here</a> for some pics better than mine<br />
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You can view a Youtube video about our visit to London<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCirQqGWQ3M"> here</a></div>
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<br /></div>Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-8417212406405011972010-12-28T15:58:00.001+10:002012-01-08T11:28:40.215+10:00No white Xmas for us!<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85CGrCMI/AAAAAAAAAcU/9qcv9ImoJsA/s1600/SDC13304-704411.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608934597462210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85CGrCMI/AAAAAAAAAcU/9qcv9ImoJsA/s320/SDC13304-704411.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85TJwnXI/AAAAAAAAAcc/hAoAw_Rwk8I/s1600/SDC13311-705368.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608939173813618" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85TJwnXI/AAAAAAAAAcc/hAoAw_Rwk8I/s320/SDC13311-705368.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85uNWZ8I/AAAAAAAAAck/u-EREmfUx4M/s1600/SDC13334-706714.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608946436630466" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl85uNWZ8I/AAAAAAAAAck/u-EREmfUx4M/s320/SDC13334-706714.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl856hUN5I/AAAAAAAAAcs/YdmV9cVA7KA/s1600/SDC13339-707641.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608949741598610" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl856hUN5I/AAAAAAAAAcs/YdmV9cVA7KA/s320/SDC13339-707641.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86ZLHcDI/AAAAAAAAAc0/2SQuCVpEHRk/s1600/SDC13350-708885.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608957969985586" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86ZLHcDI/AAAAAAAAAc0/2SQuCVpEHRk/s320/SDC13350-708885.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86V3lYgI/AAAAAAAAAc8/-KwJ3zQ5I1A/s1600/SDC13353-709796.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608957082755586" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86V3lYgI/AAAAAAAAAc8/-KwJ3zQ5I1A/s320/SDC13353-709796.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86jLvWqI/AAAAAAAAAdE/ebhtvggFpIw/s1600/SDC13363-710805.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608960656956066" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl86jLvWqI/AAAAAAAAAdE/ebhtvggFpIw/s320/SDC13363-710805.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl864Ntx8I/AAAAAAAAAdM/JX1BHHVsZB4/s1600/SDC13379-711599.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555608966302386114" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TRl864Ntx8I/AAAAAAAAAdM/JX1BHHVsZB4/s320/SDC13379-711599.JPG" /></a></div>Depends on just what your definition of a "White Xmas is" - but I would have to say that we didn't have one. Most of the snow in London had disappeared by the time Christmas Day came around - although there were pockets of it remaining and patches of ice everywhere. Probably just as well really, because we had to walk a little way to an East London pub on the Isle of Dogs in the Docklands for our lunch - and it was easier to trudge there than it would have been with snow underfoot. However, we<br />
went to Windsor on the train just a couple of days before and it was still snowed in - we could see why there had been problems at the nearby Heathrow Airport as we could immediately see that the snowfall in this area must have been considerably heavier than what we got in East London. Our time in London is coming to an end now - it has been unfortunately slightly marred by my head cold which is into it's 11th day!!<br />
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We have mostly been able to do all we had planned - the most significant things (and I am sure the things we will remember most in times to come) being our long walks in the snow in Greenwich Park and Regents Park, our attendance at the Xmas Pantomine "Jack and the Beanstalk", our Xmas lunch in a Docklands pub, our trip to see Windsor Castle - and we are yet to do our favourite activity when in Britain, feeding squirrels with peanuts in a local park. (We'll do that on our last day after we have packed our bags - which are becoming alarmingly swollen). My biggest disappointment on this trip to Britain - is the lack of bird song in the Winter. I had not thought of this before - but one of my most loved things here in the past has been the songs of the British birds. There are a number of them with canary-like songs and I usually hear them almost as soon as we arrive. But that has usually been in Spring and Summer. We will be soon going down to Hampshire to stay with our friends B&G for a few days - who we have stayed with many times before - and are looking forward to that. Then we are back to sea on P&O Arcadia. We are a little hesitant about this sea voyage - we will be at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean for 6 days before we reach the Caribbean area - and it has not been looking good on the various "wave height" forecasting websites. We weren't really able to acquire any sea-legs on the way over - because the seas were mostly calm. Methinks this voyage is going to be different.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054108591404991114.post-36836723499773922012010-12-20T17:03:00.001+10:002012-01-08T11:23:52.084+10:00More snow pictures<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_88_eIEI/AAAAAAAAAbk/Y2vEqRNeWbE/s1600/SDC13203-759230.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552656813223977026" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_88_eIEI/AAAAAAAAAbk/Y2vEqRNeWbE/s320/SDC13203-759230.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9IdCRpI/AAAAAAAAAbs/U8f56MrGd6w/s1600/SDC13213-760040.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552656816300770962" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9IdCRpI/AAAAAAAAAbs/U8f56MrGd6w/s320/SDC13213-760040.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9GR247I/AAAAAAAAAb0/xMAERwnMEdk/s1600/SDC13217-760679.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552656815717016498" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9GR247I/AAAAAAAAAb0/xMAERwnMEdk/s320/SDC13217-760679.JPG" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9Yc8tAI/AAAAAAAAAb8/hhCgGeBdQUo/s1600/SDC13221-761333.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552656820595373058" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9Yc8tAI/AAAAAAAAAb8/hhCgGeBdQUo/s320/SDC13221-761333.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9rY9erI/AAAAAAAAAcE/QUiM_oHNIq8/s1600/SDC13225-762016.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552656825678920370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZDdQ7zReasM/TQ7_9rY9erI/AAAAAAAAAcE/QUiM_oHNIq8/s320/SDC13225-762016.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I promise I won't bore you with more and more pictures of snow after this -- but we had such a nice time walking around Greenwich Park yesterday that I couldn't help including some. We are so very pleased to be here in London while it is snowing. We have been here a few times, but mostly in Spring and Summer. I spent a December in London in 1979 - but it was nowhere near as cold as now and certainly no snow then. It gives everywhere and everything (even the grotty" areas) a whole new look - beautiful. I expect it will be not so nice when it starts to melt - muddy slush is already visible on some streets and footpaths. It does seem to be lasting quite well though - I guess it has something to do with the -8C overnight temperature.<br />
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Last night we went to a traditional Christmas Pantomine (Jack and the Beanstalk) at the Hackney Empire theatre (Website here - <a href="http://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/">http://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/</a> ) It was a huge and amazing production (with many sets, a huge animated Giant and an animated talking Harp) - we thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it will become one of these things that we remember for years and years to come.Barry and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918215194426843697noreply@blogger.com3