Jump to content

LIVE from the Sapphire - 33 days from Seattle to Sydney


Pia1913

Recommended Posts

Our shore visit to Maui almost wasn’t. We lucked in to being the last two to board a tender so that we didn’t have sit there and wiggle around waiting for it to fill up. We inched along, then turned, then inched, then turned around, then backed up………..you get the message. For some reason the HAL Rotterdam tenders flew right past us and the Sapphire tenders hardly moved at all. Took us 40 minutes to finally arrive and dock, whereas it took 6 minutes to return.

Took the free Hilo Hattie shuttle which dropped us just around the corner from the supermarket Foodland . Filled in on some additional staples and now, like squirrels, have just about enough provisions to last a few weeks. Walked back to the ship and as always stopped into the local library. They always have tons of paperbacks for sale at 50 cents each.

We had lunch on board, decided not to see the movie and spent the next few hours reading in our cabin, since it is way too hot to sit on the balcony.

Sitting here now in the Princess theater waiting for the production show to begin. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pia - sorry if this is repetitive. I know you've done a wine run. Can you tell us if you carried any hard alcohol onboard when you initially embarked? I mean in your checked luggage that is taken directly to your room? Also, it's been my experience that Princess will allow one bottle of wine per person to be brought back on board from a port. What's your take on this? Thanks Didi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They'll allow as much wine as you can carry, cart or drag. Rocky

 

Thanks Rocky - that certainly was the case (literally) in FLL a couple years back when we hit that big wine store near the port and lugged it back onboard, much to the shock of passenger bystanders - most of whom immediately headed out themselves.

 

But Princess could clamp down on this at any moment so I'm hoping Pia will be able to report on her experience. We do intend to have two onboard October birthday celebrations - one for Alan and one for Sheryl's Doug, so hopefully that will cut us some leeway in case of questions. But again, Rocky, what you're saying is what we've encountered - at least at embarkation, and at least as recently as late last year. Didi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Pia,

Wish I could phone you. Oops I forgot, we could have done that for Hawaii.

 

I love reading your postings here. It is so you. I know you have a good stock of wine in your cabin by now. Can't believe what I started. For people that don't know Pia. She never even walked down the wine aisle before last May.

I sent her on a wine mission for us before we cruised together, and now she is

one of us.

Keep having fun and entertaining us as well.

Gloria and Lew:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Wednesday morning and what should be a wonderful day at sea. The weather remains sunny, but the seas are a little bouncy bouncy. In fact, that’s what rocked me to sleep last night.

This morning our passports will be collected and not returned to us until Wednesday October 6th. All passenger passports must be presented to French Polynesian immigration upon arrival in Moorea on Sunday. When they did this on our last cruise the room steward did the collecting and issued us receipts. They are continuing this procedure which I think is much better than hordes of people descending an area all at the same time. Same thing with return. Room steward will handle it.

 

On today’s “Menu” is the movie Iron Man being shown at 9:30 in Explorer’s and conflicting with the oceanography lecture at the same time in the theater. Following oceanography will be a port lecture on French Polynesia. This one will probably be very well attended since most passengers have never been to this part of the world. Another sommelier’s wine club is scheduled for this afternoon (the $25 one) as is another talk on Radio Days. There will also be a pub lunch in Fusion and the ever present art auction in Explorer’s.

The evening entertainment will feature Tom Stevens; billed as “An evening with Dean and friends.” I won’t be there. Explorer’s will have Wayne Hoffman; mentalist and illusionist. I probably won’t be there either. Our cabin TV is getting a good workout, since we’re watching movies almost every night. We very rarely go to the movies at home, so we really catch up on cruises.

Didi: I don't do hard alcohol, so don't know what others are doing. We carried on 3 bottles of wine in Seattle and another 4 in Honolulu. Our friend carted a case of beer on yesterday in Maui. Nobody even looks.

Gloria: "One of us". Is that a good thing? :D

Bye now. Time for breakfast here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pia - sorry if this is repetitive. I know you've done a wine run. Can you tell us if you carried any hard alcohol onboard when you initially embarked? I mean in your checked luggage that is taken directly to your room? Also, it's been my experience that Princess will allow one bottle of wine per person to be brought back on board from a port. What's your take on this? Thanks Didi

 

Hi Didi,

 

What Brad & I do is take a bottle of nice champagne and 1.75lt Grey Goose in our luggage, we like having martinis getting ready for dinner. Last December B2B Mex. Riv. I purchase a bottle of vodka just near the port and took it through security just in a paper bag and they even looked in it. I thought they were going to say something but they didn't even bat an eyelid. I was also sober (Mexican Riviera Booze Cruise) and discreet. Maybe they check my bar tab first....:D

 

Anthony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Anthony -I probably wouldn't try the hard liquor thing coming back onboard from a port visit - too many people tell me they just take it away - but packing it in your checked luggage has always worked for me. Didi

 

It was half way in the trip and we decided to just get a Absolut rather than Grey Goose so if they confiscated it it wouldn't have been a great loss but the embarrassment of getting caught at the gangway made me a little nervous. I think they give it back at the end of the cruise.

 

Anthony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was half way in the trip and we decided to just get a Absolut rather than Grey Goose so if they confiscated it it wouldn't have been a great loss but the embarrassment of getting caught at the gangway made me a little nervous. I think they give it back at the end of the cruise.

 

Anthony

 

 

Don't be embarrassed bringing a bottle back from port. We usually buy our duty free bottles to bring home from the ports. If they see it and ask us to hand it in until the end of the cruise, we do. If not, we just keep them in our cabin unopened and bring them home. If you are stopped, just pretend they're for taking home. No need to be nervous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our shore visit to Maui almost wasn’t. We lucked in to being the last two to board a tender so that we didn’t have sit there and wiggle around waiting for it to fill up. We inched along, then turned, then inched, then turned around, then backed up………..you get the message. For some reason the HAL Rotterdam tenders flew right past us and the Sapphire tenders hardly moved at all. Took us 40 minutes to finally arrive and dock, whereas it took 6 minutes to return.

 

Took the free Hilo Hattie shuttle which dropped us just around the corner from the supermarket Foodland . Filled in on some additional staples and now, like squirrels, have just about enough provisions to last a few weeks. Walked back to the ship and as always stopped into the local library. They always have tons of paperbacks for sale at 50 cents each.

 

We had lunch on board, decided not to see the movie and spent the next few hours reading in our cabin, since it is way too hot to sit on the balcony.

 

Sitting here now in the Princess theater waiting for the production show to begin. Talk to you all tomorrow.

 

Sounds like anothere great day.....:):):)

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not much to say other than the ship is still rocking, but nobody seems affected by it.

I wanted to give you an update on Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. Up to now all that was available was Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, so Christchurch (Lyttelton) has officially joined the group. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open, but most passengers probably are not aware of availability as yet.

We continue our losing streak with trivia and the usual “lost by one”. It’s ok. We do not need any more baseball caps or medals. These are the only two prizes at this time.

That's it for now. Almost time for dinner and almost time for bedtime for most of you. See you tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open.

 

We did Christchurch on our own, just used the bus shuttle to get into town and back. Easy to walk around and enjoy the town and what it has to offer. We made punting the first activity there. Enjoyed the botanic gardens, the Arts Center and the Fudge Cottage Kitchen Tour.

890400585_01312_31.03PuntingontheAvonRiverP06-17-16.jpg.522a97058f17e7039d1b1dc796acdcde.jpg

1820546380_03112_31.03PoisonPrimroseBotanicGardensP06-11-10.jpg.ba3903ee8de502e4eff907a21c0ca13d.jpg

1665576721_04112_31.03EchoN_Quad.ArtsCenterP06-07-6.jpg.77d426bc81e2361a08bb25c6ae5e77cb.jpg

1049410522_05312_31.03FudgeCottagekitchentourC08-16-12.jpg.afc256acf99d675c6516a5f4df9ddd10.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pia - I am reliving our cruise thru your postings. Thank you. Regarding Christchurch, are there changes in excursions, tunnel access routes, etc. as a resut of the earthquake? We loved our Transalpine train/bus/farm excursion. Seeing the fearless Kea (parrot) at the snow elevation was quite unexpected.

 

David - Glad to have you adding your maps and cam shots to the experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not much to say other than the ship is still rocking, but nobody seems affected by it.

 

I wanted to give you an update on Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. Up to now all that was available was Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, so Christchurch (Lyttelton) has officially joined the group. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open, but most passengers probably are not aware of availability as yet.

 

We continue our losing streak with trivia and the usual “lost by one”. It’s ok. We do not need any more baseball caps or medals. These are the only two prizes at this time.

 

That's it for now. Almost time for dinner and almost time for bedtime for most of you. See you tomorrow.

 

The tram is easily done on your own, but if you want to do the punt, do book ahead online. When we were there in Jan with mom, she sort of wanted to try that, and all the punting places were totally booked up.

 

The botanical gardens are/were very nice, and the art museum is well worth a stop as well. Christchurch is one of my very favorite cities - I hope they're recovering from the earthquake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: A Touch of Magic on an Avalon Rhine River Cruise
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...

If you are already a Cruise Critic member, please log in with your existing account information or your email address and password.