Jun 18. Olden, Norway

 Jun 18. Olden, Norway

Here we are in Olden 

Forecast: Showers, 13°

Wrong!!!  We had no rain (just overcast) and it reached 17°!

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words!  But these pictures  of our day cannot do justice to the beautiful day in Olden!  Our sightseeing tour took us out into the countryside starting with a drive along the north bank of the fjord.  Each turn in the road brought us past another breathtaking view of the mountains, the water, the farms!

Our guide, Fred, was black, born in Jersey Shores, later joined the Marines and lived in Seattle.  One day he was walking in the city and spotted a girl ‘with the longest legs he had ever seen!’, and asked her out on a date.  Next thing he knew he went to Norway to meet her family and  they never left!He was informative and had an engaging style with just the right combination of facts and humour!  He made this a memorable day!

Here is a sampling of some of the scenes….

We went through several avalanche tunnels, the longest just over 2 km long!

We enjoyed the scenery yesterday, but this was so much more!!

Back to the trough for dinner!  It’s going to be quite a rude awakening when we get home!  For starters, Split Pea Soup for Dorothy and Cold Mango Soup for Mary followed by Shrimp Cocktail.

The main course was Roasted Chicken breast for Mary and Pork Chop for Dorothy!!!  It was like a small roast of pork for a family of four!!!  Oh my God!!! It was obscene!!!

                                   I just couldn’t do it!  

Leaving room for dessert…. Caramel Turtle Cheesecake for Mary and Warm Hazelnut Pumpkin Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream for Dorothy!

 

And now we are waiting for the show to start.  Tonight’s performer is David Nathan, a magician!

We have a later start tomorrow in Trondheim which will be nice.

We’ll keep you posted!

Two Happy Travellers

Oct 26 - Sydney, AU

 Oct 26 - Sydney, AU

We have arrived!

Oct 23-25 - At Sea

 Oct 23 -  At sea 

A day of rest!  After a few consecutive port days we are happy to sleep in, attend a couple of lectures, and relax for the afternoon.  

This morning Hutch presented his talk on Aqaba, Wadi Rum and Petra.  These have been places that we have considered for future cruises in conjunction with the Suez Canal, but after seeing the physical demands of such a trip, and given the situation in the Middle East,  I think I will have to cross them off my lists!!  Lots of walking in desert heat is not within the realm of possibility now!

Following Hutch, we stayed in the theatre for Duncan O’Brien’s White Ships presentation.  He focussed on the Matson Line’s contribution to the golden age of luxury ships in the South Pacific and how it helped shape today’s cruise industry.

We had a leisurely afternoon basically doing nothing - a little TV, some iPad time, a little sun on the balcony, enjoying our life of leisure!  

We’ll soon need to prepare to change cabins (when we added this cruise to our previously booked Around Australia one, the same cabin was not available) Thanks to Teresa (our great travel agent) she found and booked the cabin right next door!  Sumeth, our cabin attendant will help with this on Saturday.  We’ve never done this before, so hopefully it will all be easy!

Tonight is ‘formal night’ again!   After dinner the show is something different - Yuri & Nato, an aerial act. A different type of entertainment than we have had so far.

 Come back to this page tomorrow for any exciting updates we may have!🤣😂

Oct 24 -  Still crossing the Tasman Sea

Another day at sea - but a bit cooler, foggy and a few showers! We set our clocks back another hour last night so we had an extra hour to get going this morning.  

Our first ‘activity’ was a meeting for In Transit passengers; there are about 250 -300 people staying on the ship in Sydney.  We were given information about changing cabins, getting off the ship in Sydney so they can show that the passenger count is ‘0’ before starting the new embarkation process and were instructed to carry an ‘In Transit’ card, a Customs and Immigration form, our passport, and our Princess Medallion (our room key etc) when we disembark. 

This cruise is different from any we have been on before!  There are passengers embarking and disembarking in several ports - Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane!  It must be a logistical nightmare for Princess to figure out which cabins are free to accommodate new passengers along the route!  We knew we would have to change rooms because we booked this cruise and the next one months apart. But our Aussie dinner mates booked the first leg and at the same time, the extension to Perth where they live, and they could not get the same cabin from Sydney to Perth.  So they have to move for their last 10 days?!  Musical cabins!!  LOL 

We have had a couple of ‘offers’ from Princess!!!  Offers to receive a 50% refund of the cruise fare we paid to relocate from a balcony to an ‘obstructed oceanview’ ( this has a window not a balcony)!, and yesterday an offer of 100% refund of the fare we paid if we would change our cruise to a different Aus / NZ sailing within two years!  This also included the cost of rebooking air arrangements!  We said, ‘No, thank you’!!  We waited too long for this trip to give it  up!

We went to the last White Ships talk where Duncan tied all his presentations together.  He talked about the circumstances that led the Matson Line to abandon luxury passenger travel and change their business focus back to shipping, their original business venture.

They were the last  American flagged ships to sail from the USA to Hawaii and the South Pacific.  The Jones Act required ships to go to a foreign port unless they were manned by a US crew.  Unions made this cost prohibitive.  They had been receiving US subsidies on their sailings between the mainland and Hawaii and when these were removed it became too expensive. Increased fuel costs and the cost of continuing to provide the luxury experience passengers had come to expect were too expensive to maintain.  The advent of airline travel began about the same time in the 1950’s.

All in all this was an excellent series of 13 talks - and given by a Canadian who had actually sailed on the Matson Line as a young child!

We had another relaxing afternoon and it will soon be time for dinner! Hopefully the show tonight will be as good as last night’s performance by Yuri & NATO!  It was very captivating and different from all the other entertainment so far. 

Tonight’s show is called Magic to Do and is described as a ‘spectacular musical revue paired with mesmerizing on stage illusions!’

We’ll post our last at sea update here tomorrow as we get closer to Sydney, Australia!  Stay tuned!

The Travellers

😊 🛳️ 😊

Oct 25 -  Almost there!

Last sea day!  

It’s been wonderful!  And we still have so much more to see in the weeks to come!

Today the captain announced that we will be taking on the pilot this afternoon and arriving in Sydney about 2 PM to avoid high swells later on!!!  Maybe tonight I will crack open the Gravol / Ginger!!!  We will stay at sea close to shore overnight and hopefully be able to enter the harbour and dock by 7:00 AM.  I think there is to be some special welcome for the ship as this is her ‘maiden voyage’ to Australia and New Zealand!  Guess we have to get up early and watch?

That should be easy as we set the clocks back another hour tonight to be on Aussie time!  So when get up at 7:00 AM it will be Saturday, October 26 here…. And 15 hours ahead of Toronto ET… I think!  It’s hard to keep track with all the time changes - so we just pay attention to ship time so we never miss a meal!!! 🐷🐷

Today we started to get our belongings together for the move.  Sumeth will bring in one of those moveable clothes racks and take everything from our closet to the cabin next door.  We’ll just dump everything else in our suitcases and then empty them tomorrow in our new digs!  We have to be out of our room by 8:45, so we aren’t sure if the new cabin will be ready yet…we’ll talk to him in the morning.

We plan to get off the ship and hang out near the ship in Sydney. We hope to walk to a pharmacy that is less than 1/2 km from our berth.   We’ll be docked right across from the Opera House!!  It’s so amazing to look across and see that iconic landmark!  We’ll get back on about noon to start our next voyage!!

See you in Sydney!!

Two Very Happy Travellers

😃😃

Oct 22. - Picton, NZ

 Oct 22 - Picton, NZ

We had the most glorious day for our last excursion on this cruise!  The temperature got up to 22° with bright sunshine!  We couldn’t have asked for better weather!

Our excursion was a scenic boat trip in Queen Charlotte Sound.  I will copy the description from Princess and then post a few photos. Unfortunately we didn’t see any dolphins or orcas, only a few ducks and gulls!  But just sitting out in the fresh air watching the passing scene was enough to make this a lovely day!

Here’ s the description…

View the dramatic seascapes of Queen Charlotte Sound from the deck of a sightseeing catamaran. Perched on the easternmost point of the Marlborough Sounds, the densely wooded shore is dotted with coves, bays and sandy beaches. During the cruise, the captain will recount the history of the region-from Captain Cook's visits in the 18th century (he sheltered in Queen Charlotte Sound during each of his three voyages of exploration at various points), to tales of pioneer days. Stellar views abound such as unspoiled natural scenery, lush forests, and scattered settlements that add a spot of color to the coastline. The nutrient-rich waters are a feeding ground for seals, seabirds and dolphins. At the Double Cove, you can feed the famous pet fish. Light refreshments are served during the voyage. Your tour concludes at Picton Township. Then, return to the ship via complimentary shuttle service at your leisure.

And a few photos…

 Our arrival in Picton - view from our balcony

                                                 

Back to our home for the past month!

Now we’ll have three days at sea before starting our journey around Australia.  This has been a relaxing and very enjoyable voyage and we look forward to more adventures!

Watch for updates!

😁😁

 

Oct 21 - Wellington, NZ

 Oct 21 - Wellington, NZ

A beautiful day for a coastal drive!  High was 18° and sunny - windy where we went.

Our tour went along the Stormy Coast to a sheep station.  Leaving the industrial port of Wellington we saw pile after pile of logs.  Our bus driver told us they leave Wellington as logs going to places like China, Korea and Japan and come back as chopsticks and toothpicks!   

We headed into the Hutt Valley passing through Petone where the first settlers landed.  Streets were named after the ships that landed there. Many of the trees we saw as we passed by villages were American Pine that thrive here because of the high rainfall and excellent soil.  

Houses are build up the side of the mountains and many residents have installed private cable cars!  Apparently there are over 400 private cable cars in New Zealand, 90 of them in the Wellington area!

                                                  You can see the white cable going up the hill

One of the settlements we passed was Eastbourne - very isolated because of the weather. 170 days of annual rain and winds in excess of 70 kph.  Dwellings started out as holiday homes and gradually became permanent residences.  There are no sharks in the cool water ( 13°-15° ) We passed huge area covering the hillsides with gorse. From time to time we spotted some goats high up on the cliffs among the gorse.  

We passed the oldest lighthouse in New Zealand.  There are twin lighthouses  - one high on the cliff, and the other by the water.  

Soon we arrived at Pencarrow Station Lodge, a privately owned sheep station surrounded by thousands of acres of regional parks with panoramic views of the Storm Coast.   We stepped into the lodge where they served coffee and a selection of finger foods, and then were invited to wander on the property and take in the fabulous scene over Cook Strait.

The owner then demonstrated how the farm dogs work with the commands being conveyed by whistles.  Two dogs work together - one barks; the other does not as they round up the sheep and put them into a pen.  The owner then demonstrated the shearing of one of the ewes.

We piled back into the motor coaches for the return to the ship.  The passing scene called for one photo after another.  

And then our ship came into view….

After a delicious dinner ( Chateaubriand for Mary, MahiMahi for Dorothy) we headed for the theatre to see Mikey Votano.

Tomorrow is our last port of call or this cruise!  Where have the days gone?  We have had wonderful weather, great tours, fabulous meals,  excellent service …. I could go on and on!!

Stay tuned for our update from Picton tomorrow.

M & D

Oct 20 - Napier, NZ

 Oct 20 - Napier, NZ

A lovely day in Napier!

When we booked our tours a few months ago I was not planning on needing a walker to get around.  Unfortunately recovery from the hip revision surgery has been much slower, and as a result I still cannot put weight on my right leg without support.  A few days ago, I decided to cancel my ticket for today’s tour as I wasn’t sure how I would manage getting to the ‘boat’ to say nothing of hopping in and out of a zodiac!

SO….  Intrepid Mary is off on her own today to do the Mohaka River Float while I have stayed onboard to recover from the physical demands of yesterday’s tour.  I’m sure she’ll post her photos taken from her waterproof cell phone holder on Facebook!!  Nothing stops her!

Depending on when they return from the tour (expected at 4:30 PM) and how the day went (Will she be a drowned rat? ), we’ll decide whether to go to the dining room for dinner or just grab something at the buffet.   

The show tonight is called ‘Princess World Orchestra’ and is described as a musical journey around the world.  Hopefully it will be a welcome change from all the ‘unusual’ entertainment we have had to this point!  The musical performances have made us feel we are out of touch with today’s entertainment - weird arrangements where we have struggled to identify the ‘melody’ and so-called ‘comedians’ who made us laugh once or twice during their acts, a hypnotist, and a couple of impersonators ( I thought Elvis was dead?). 

The very best show was Danny Elliott, the phenomenal musician who sang and played so many different instruments.  We’d love to see more of that kind of show!

Tomorrow we arrive in Wellington, the Capital of New Zealand. Stay tuned for more of our adventures!

The two Sailors!

Oct 19 - Tauranga, NZ

 Oct 19 - Tauranga, NZ 

This was a great day!  

Before we started, this brought a smile to my face!  We try to be apolitical on cruises, but I couldn’t resist taking this photo as we waited to be called for our tour!!  LOL

 

New Zealand, like so many other countries, has seen a recognition of the contributions of their indigenous people.  Signs are in Maori and English, many villages and settlements have retained their Māori names, and there are more opportunities for youth to learn about and keep the culture alive.  

Our tour today was a journey into the rich heritage, ancient skills and culture of the Maori people of Te Puia at the Te Puia Arts and Crafts Institute.

We set out from Tauranga for the hour long drive to Rotorua.  The highway was excellent and looked to be recently paved.  A very smooth ride through scenic countryside!

Along the way our driver, Brian, pointed out many areas of interest.  Back in Auckland our guide talked about the Americas Cup competition being held in Barcelona this year as the sporting event everyone was watching; here in Tauranga as we passed huge Cricket pitches, Brian mentioned the Cricket matches currently taking place against India, Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, Pakistan etc.

We passed many Kiwi farms, notable by the green screening.  Wind turbines help prevent frost burn.  Brian mentioned some disasters to the kiwi  industry - floods where half a year’s production was lost, and rats in hold of a ship!  Kiwi is the among the largest exports from NZ and the gold variety is becoming as popular as the green kiwi fruit. Manuka honey is also made here and is known for its medicinal uses assisting healing after surgery.

 

As we begin to increase elevation we see a transition to farming- cattle, sheep, horses graze in the fields.  

We reached Rotorua and our stop at the Te Puia Arts & Crafts Institute.The link will give you an overview of how we spent the day.  Te Puia in Rotorua

Our first activity was the Maori house and a lively cultural performance depicting the local lore and legends, including the famous Haka dance.

From there we went to a Kiwi house (the bird, not the fruit!). We saw a habitat where they live, and because Kiwi are nocturnal it is kept dark for viewing and no photos were allowed.

Our guide, Manoa, explained the travels of the original people to New Zealand.  They travelled in large canoes ( large enough to accommodate a whole tribe!) migrating from Southeast Asia to Polynesia.

From there we walked on to view the geyser ( first from a distance, and then up,close)  and the mud baths.

The last activity was a tour of the three year education program where young people learn the skills to preserve the art and culture of the Maori.  

Our tour culminated at a Hangi buffet lunch.  Hangi is the equivalent of a luau in Hawaii where food is cooked in the ground.  I’m certain all of the food was not prepared this way ( breaded chicken legs, potato salad, etc! ) but there was a huge variety of dishes - ham, lamb, chicken, prawns, salads, fresh bread, soups - and delicious deserts!

It was a lot quieter on the bus returning to the ship as several people dozed off after such a huge meal!!

It was a lot of walking and information to absorb,  but a really excellent tour. 

Dinner and the show (Les Femmes) and it was bedtime for these two tired dames!!

😴😴