Bon Voyage World Cruisers 2010 ( thats better )

[holidaymaker]

It has been fantastic reading the blogs. We came to UK three weeks ago and only today have been able to get on cruise critic. There has been a lot of activity on this site, we haven't got time to read it all as we are staying in Winchester with a friend. Tomorrow we board Dawn Princess for the trip back to Sydney. It will be fantastic unpacking and settling down to an easier pace. The past three weeks have been hectic, in and out of B & B's etc. Sounds like the passengers are having a great time, not too many complaints thank goodness. Cruising for us is the ideal holiday, we are really excited about our lovely long journey home.

Royma and John

[MMDown Under]

by the looks of the bridge cam she has turned around and is facing to sea again...

 

 

 

I saw something funny and cute on TV this morning. Live with Regis and Kelly are in Canada at Prince Edward Island doing their morning show this week. They mentioned a Holland America cruise ship (Maasdam) arrived this morning and panned the camera over behind Regis and Kelly's seats to show the ship. Right then the ship tooted its horn several times. The audience loved it!

 

Sounds right up your alley!

[MMDown Under]

It has been fantastic reading the blogs. We came to UK three weeks ago and only today have been able to get on cruise critic. There has been a lot of activity on this site, we haven't got time to read it all as we are staying in Winchester with a friend. Tomorrow we board Dawn Princess for the trip back to Sydney. It will be fantastic unpacking and settling down to an easier pace. The past three weeks have been hectic, in and out of B & B's etc. Sounds like the passengers are having a great time, not too many complaints thank goodness. Cruising for us is the ideal holiday, we are really excited about our lovely long journey home.

Royma and John

 

Unpack once then enjoy your lovely relaxing cruise home, Royma and John. Sounds like the perfect finish to a hectic holiday in the UK.

[Gaznjo]

dawn princess is due into southampton at 6.30 I think it is approx 2.11 there now so in about 3 hours i will come back and check....

dave only found one crappy looking webcam....at southampton vts.. must be better one somewhere ....

[Kiwi Kruzer]

WOW.....

Talk about waiting for a gap in the traffic to cross the road.

Dawns progress across the English Channel ,

as tracked on Live AIS....

 

 

 

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Looks like they will be the only cruise ship in the Port of Southampton today.

 

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/cruise_ship.asp

[MMDown Under]

Looks like they will be the only cruise ship in the Port of Southampton today.

 

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/cruise_ship.asp

 

Great live action maps, David.

 

We'll be the only ship there as well when we call in September, which is surprising.

 

I recently watched an enjoyable ABC show about Griff Rhys Jones bringing his sailing ship down through that English Channel traffic for a yacht race. He visited the "place" at Dover where they monitor all the traffic - hilarious. They showed, on a monitor, ships which would have crashed, if the other ship hadn't taken evasive action and said they would be fined.

 

Did anyone see it? It was a real eye opener, as I had no idea the Channel was so busy.

[Gaznjo]

after the excitment of yesterdays sail in todays will pail.... which is unfortunate as garry is working from home today and he could have joined in my excitment....

 

Dave a question for you ... being so well travelled...

after reading gail and phillips blog from yesterday and thinking wow i would love to visit a french village... puts us in the "hmm do we travel 3 hrs to go to paris or travel a shorter distance and go with quaint " ... Garry has been to paris and is still keen ... I haven't been but as it is one day is it worth it just to basically see the eifel tower and other drive bys.... only 4 hours in paris.... such a dilema...LOL.... I am waiting to see what Dianne and brett write as I think they are going to paris.......

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Dave a question for you ... being so well travelled...

 

Not really:eek:

 

after reading gail and phillips blog from yesterday and thinking wow i would love to visit a french village... puts us in the "hmm do we travel 3 hrs to go to paris or travel a shorter distance and go with quaint " ... Garry has been to paris and is still keen ... I haven't been but as it is one day is it worth it just to basically see the eifel tower and other drive bys.... only 4 hours in paris.... such a dilema...LOL.... I am waiting to see what Dianne and brett write as I think they are going to paris.......

 

Hard question Joanne.....

You can see a lot of Paris in 4 hours ,but it will probably just be drive bys, and 6 hours in a bus is along time.....and even then it is not uncommom for up to 50 busses to all call at the same time at a "comfort stop".

We went to Paris many years ago, when we did a Cosmos Bus Tour of Europe, but touring around we really enjoyed going into the small quaint villages and soaking up the atmosphere. Usually we would stop to visit an ABC...Another B***** Cathedral, so we would have a chat to the tour guide, find out when we were leaving the village and then go off and do our thing. It was wonderful.

I have never been to the part of France they docked, but have heard folk talking about Honfleur and would love to go there one day.

 

The same problem happens on the Baltic cruises when the ship calls at Warnemunde. You can go to Berlin for the day, but same problem as it is a long way.

 

[Gaznjo]

thanks for that dave.... I wonder why they **** Beautiful Cathedral LOL

 

just a side thing as garry is working from home... over our morning coffee we decided to watch another ancient megastructure episode, as you do.... Chartres Cathedral... did you go to that one... took 65 years and went through a lot of bishops to build!!

 

joanne

[Gaznjo]

well either they are getting close to the coast or traffic that is putting lights up a head ..

[Witchymob]

dawn princess is due into southampton at 6.30 I think it is approx 2.11 there now so in about 3 hours i will come back and check....

dave only found one crappy looking webcam....at southampton vts.. must be better one somewhere ....

I have just got a picture of Dawn coming past Ryde on the IOW, am trying to post it. The webcam is on the ais-live site. Thanks to everyone who has found all the links to follow the WC, almost like being there.

Sheila

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Just been following the AIS.

As I post they are opposite Osbourne House on the Isle Of Wight.

When we cruised from Southampton we took the ferry to the Isle of Wight and walked up the hill . Osbourne House is where Queen Victoria lived .I could actually zoom in on it all , and recognised the grounds and gardens where we walked around.:D

[Kiwi_cruiser]

I have just got a picture of Dawn coming past Ryde on the IOW, am trying to post it. The webcam is on the ais-live site. Thanks to everyone who has found all the links to follow the WC, almost like being there.

Sheila

 

Thanks for posting that webcam shot Witchymob :), it seems the Dawn Princess webcam has stopped updating :(

 

Have you got a link to that webcam?

[Kiwi_cruiser]

dave only found one crappy looking webcam....at southampton vts.. must be better one somewhere ....

 

Link Please?

[MMDown Under]

after the excitment of yesterdays sail in todays will pail.... which is unfortunate as garry is working from home today and he could have joined in my excitment....

 

Dave a question for you ... being so well travelled...

after reading gail and phillips blog from yesterday and thinking wow i would love to visit a french village... puts us in the "hmm do we travel 3 hrs to go to paris or travel a shorter distance and go with quaint " ... Garry has been to paris and is still keen ... I haven't been but as it is one day is it worth it just to basically see the eifel tower and other drive bys.... only 4 hours in paris.... such a dilema...LOL.... I am waiting to see what Dianne and brett write as I think they are going to paris.......

 

Joanne,

 

For what it is worth, I'd been to Paris quite a few times and didn't like it, because I found the people rude, however, I always loved the French countryside villages. Then we stayed in the city one December, within walking distance to everywhere, ate at local restaurants, bought a museum pass, observed the local people, soaked up the holiday atmosphere and finally fell in love with Paris. From my experience, Paris needs time.

[CassCruise]

For anyone interested I have been tracking their progress on the following link :

 

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/aismap/AIS%20Maps/solent.html

 

?? if that is the same one as Dave - but they have all sorts of links there....

 

Jane

[Gaznjo]

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/webcams.htm

[Kiwi Kruzer]

There is another cam at the Hythe Ferry Pier.

Dont have the link at the moment but if you google it you should find it.

They should be pasing that one soon.

[Gaznjo]

Joanne,

 

For what it is worth, I'd been to Paris quite a few times and didn't like it, because I found the people rude, however, I always loved the French countryside villages. Then we stayed in the city one December, within walking distance to everywhere, ate at local restaurants, bought a museum pass, observed the local people, soaked up the holiday atmosphere and finally fell in love with Paris. From my experience, Paris needs time.

 

thanks for that .... I will see what the other bloggers have to say too...I will also go and check the port forums... but I think you are saying what i am thinking...

[Sandielle]

Wow you guys have been busy! I haven't had time lately to keep up with this world trip let alone read the blogs.

 

Thanks for posting the links. I'm going to watch her all the way into Southampton, now. :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Joanne, From my experience, Paris needs time.

 

I totally agree.....

once you work out how the Metro works,

you can have Paris at your feet.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have just got a picture of Dawn coming past Ryde on the IOW, am trying to post it. The webcam is on the ais-live site. Thanks to everyone who has found all the links to follow the WC, almost like being there.

Sheila

 

Excellent catch Sheila and great timing to capture that shot...

I wonder if they realise, as they are all asleep , that we are watching them live.:eek:

 

 

[Witchymob]

Thanks for posting that webcam shot Witchymob :), it seems the Dawn Princess webcam has stopped updating :(

 

Have you got a link to that webcam?

Here is the link, hope this works too. Webcam now updating they are just going past the oil refinery at Farley. Am enjoying reliving saling up the solent did it on Adonia in 2004 in daylight as we were late in.

http://http://www.ais-live.co.uk/aismap/AIS%20Maps/solentcam.html

[Gaznjo]

it's like big brother on a ship LOL .... and 1000 people are being evicted in southampton LOL