LIVE from the Ocean Princess - 28 days from Rome to Singapore 10/15 - 11/12/2011

[Aussie Gal]

Wayne,

 

Thanks for your updates as we are doing your cruise in reverse in March. I am disappointed that the Ocean Princess did not tie up the river in both Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok as when we were on Oceania's Nautica in 2008, a sister ship, we went right up the river to both capitals, thus saving so many hours in buses.

 

You will find in all the Aussie Ports, that Customs will be very strict regarding taking food off the ship. We are an island - a big one at that - and do not have many of the diseases that are found overseas such as rabies, foot and mouth etc. and we want to keep it that way so please everyone take notice and do not bring food ashore.

 

The same applies to New Zealand and both countries do charge heavy fines if you are caught carrying food.

 

Jennie

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Welcome to Australia...

Have a great day in Darwin.

 

 

 

 

[Waynetor]

As of late evening there have not been any more announcements about illness onboard but all food facilities are in full staff serving only mode with extra hand sanitizer stations. The word from our dinning room captain is 30 people are sick and they all eat at the same restaurant in Bali and it is not a case of Noro Virus. The ship still needs 72 hours with no new cases before precautions can be relaxed. I’m not surprised about a problem with a restaurant. I’m not sure which tour these people were on but the restaurant we eat at had great views but there were lots of flies. Tomorrow we have the Captain Circle party and that has not been affected.

The Australian immigration official got on with the pilot so that when we docked at 8:00 am they were already processing passengers. With no real plans we ended up getting in line at 8:30 and it took us about a half hour to get through. After us the line was not too long. After returning we went back up to the Tahitian Lounge where the Immigration was done and the officers were still there doing some employees. I heard them talking about the next segment. Sounds like there will be 90 of the current passengers staying on until Tahiti. (Not us, we are jumping to the Sea Princess after a few days in southern Australia.) Getting off the ship an inspector had a sniffer dog checking for food and plant items.

The dock is quite high so we used deck 5 to disembark. In the port building about 6 small shops were set up along with a few tourism officials handing out brochures and answering questions. There is also a large tourism office near the top of the hill over the harbour.

Darwin is a city with very little historical buildings. The city was bombed in 1942 by the Japanese and was directly hit by Cyclone Tracy early Christmas morning in 1974. Between these two events the majority of buildings were damaged/destroyed and the population dropped off significantly.

We took a taxi to the Northern Territory Museum (taxi $14.50, free admission). The museum has a large section on aboriginal artefacts and artwork as well as sections on wildlife in the territory including a stuffed 16 foot alligator and on the impact of the cyclone. One of the volunteers there was a meteorologist here that day. He spent about 45 minutes giving a detailed tour and commentary on what happened that day. He and his wife hid under a mattress in the hallway of their home. They lost their roof and the ceiling to most rooms except the hallway. You could see he still gets emotional as he talks about some of what happened. Princess had a city tour that stopped there but they only had a half hour while we spent 2 hours there. From there we took a taxi to the main shopping area downtown - this was at least a kilometre less distance but cost $16.00. There were shuttles back to the ship from this area for $8 one way or $13 return but we walked back to the ship. At one point there is a lookout over the harbour – there was a man sitting there playing a large didgeridoo. From there an elevator is available to the lower level. On the lower level there are shops, hotel, condos and a small swimming area and a pool with a large wave machine.

Those that went on the Litchfield National park tour report having a wonderful time seeing a lot of the outback including a great mix of fauna and flora.

We are already a bit over 12 degree south of the equator. This is the start of the wet season here. The weather was mostly sunny and hot and well as humid but not quite as bad as I expected. There was a quick shower around 4 this afternoon and after sailing we could see a heavy thunderstorm moving in over the city.

Today a new enrichment lecturer boarded who will be sailing onto Tahiti. The entertainers also switched today. Tonight we had a comedian from California. He did a lot of ethic type jokes but in a funny way and involved several of the passengers.

[Aussie Gal]

Wayne,

 

You didn't mention that after Cyclone Tracey most people went south until all the services were restored. At that time there were 47,000 people living in Darwin but after the evacuation of 30,000 there were only 17,000 left mainly men.

 

Today Darwin is a very modern city with 127,500. A far different city to what it was back in 1974 when it was more of a real outback town with all low buildings and mainly "Queenslander" homes.

 

We love Darwin but not in the wet. In our winter, June to end of August, Darwin is the perfect place to be. Warm, dry heat and a temperature of 30C each day. No rain at all.

 

Jennie

[Waynetor]

There has not been any breakdown of nationalities on board but I believe Americans are still tops by a fair bit followed by Australian, Canadians and British. As Sammie the CD says we all have something to be thankful so we celebrated Thanksgiving. The ship had decoration in the dinning room, all the lounges and other areas. The set up outside the dinning room was extremely well done consisting of 7 decorated turkeys and other decorations.

To reach the Top 40 most travelled passenger luncheon for this cruise you needed 259 days. By the time we get home we will be at 255. We have had one luncheon and should be getting more in the future depending on itineraries.

Yesterday was a mix of sun and cloud with slight waves and temperatures in high 80’s. We had the Captain Circle party. The speeches were split between the CD, the Captain Circle host and the Captain. The CC host reported the Princess was returning to Galveston doing 7 day itineraries and asked if anyone was excited – she got no reply. She also talked about the new Royal Princess but had nothing new to report.

The top 3 passengers were from California 863 days, second place from Hawaii at 809 days and third from Nevada at 777 days. They asked the top couple what their favourite destination was – the Amazon.

On board there are 227 Gold members of which 170 will turn platinum, there are 160 platinum of which 75 will turn elite and 96 elite. 22% of the passengers are first time Princess customers.

The production show last night was ‘Do you want to dance’ - a wide mix of dance numbers from many countries and time periods.

Today was a repeat of yesterday’s weather. Around 4:30 we passed near 1 island and staring near 5:30 for a bout an hour we passed more land. This is the most northern point of Australia. It looks very sparcly populated. Although there is a wide gap between Australia and Papua New Guinea there are channel markers keeping the ships in a narrow line.

The best thing about today was at the end of breakfast they lifted the serving restrictions as the illness breakout is considered over and did not originate on the ship.

I thought it might be a good idea to let anyone planning cruise similar to this what to expect on TV. We have Fox, BBC, CNBC, MSNBC. Strange thing is Fox has real commercials while for every break MSNBC has the same repeating promo ads. There have been some NFL games including live and repeats. Regular TV shows include reruns of Two and half Men, Glee and the Office. The various port and enrichment lectures are shown later the same day and the next. There are several movie channels – looking today’s list I see Rango, Toy Story 3, Love and Other Drugs, Something Borrowed, Two Weeks Notice, and Working Girl. There is also the Discovery channel with 8 options being repeated throughout the day as well as various Princess dedicated channels.

[paul929207]

Wayne,

We can feel your pain with the Most Traveled Luncheon. We have 364 days and have made two luncheon. On our Australia cruise in September we had 320 days and missed by 8.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Early morning in Cairns as I post.

The larger cruise ships have to anchor in the bay and tender ashore ,but Ocean can sail straight in and dock at Trinity wharf.

Its just a walk down the gangwy and you are in town:D

Sun is at the wrong angle at the moment, perhaps someone could grab a pic of her later on today.:)

 

 

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

 

[balcony queen]

 

 

Thank you WAyne and Kiwikruzer really enjoying this cruise:)

[Waynetor]

We are now in beautiful Cairns Australia getting ready to sail again. Yesterday from around 11 Am to 3:30 it was like we were doing costal cruising as we passed through a channel between the mainland and the reef. At a few times it seemed we were just a few hundred yards off the coast. Off to the reef side there were a few islands and spots we could see waves breaking as the reef was close to the surface. There has been a navigational pilot of board since Darwin.

Yesterday they had what they said was a first time event – a special sale of art was held in the Tahitian Lounge for 3 hours in the afternoon. About 75 items were priced from 20 to 50% below the regular auction opening price. Artist included Van Den Nesgte, Zamora, Jon Rattenbury, Victor Shvaiko, Martiros, Danile Wall, Wyland and about a dozen items by Nechita along with some other items

Last night the main show was a very nice lady from Sydney that sang a range of adult contemporary songs. There was also a 10:00 PM adult comedian show by the same comedian from a couple days ago – clean language but a bit more sexual content.

Today is mostly sunny, slight breeze and in the high 80’s. We are coming back here for a few days at New Years for the land portion of this vacation and have 3 full day tours planned then so today we just looked around a bit and took the local bus to the Botanical Park. The bus fare was $10.40 for both of us return and we could have used it all day for other trips. The park has a wide range of tropical trees and flowering plants. Most of it was accessible with the paths varying between paved and fine crushed stone.

The captain remains quite visible around the ship. He dropped by our table last night during dinner and today he was getting back on the ship the same time as us – he had been out doing a bit of personal shopping.

Tonight they are planning a deck party that will include the champagne waterfall, buffet and dancing.

[Aussie Gal]

Wayne,

 

Thanks so much for the update. The more I read of this last part of your cruise, them more I am becoming excited for when we leave in March. Even though we have been to all the ports, we haven't done this itinerary by ship and it sounds as though it is a great one from Cairns to Darwin via the GBR.

 

Jennie

[Waynetor]

The Cairns sailaway was very nice with costal views until dark. Everyone at our table enjoyed the French Onion soups a few days ago that was on the French menu so we arranged for it again.

Those that did the trip out to the reef report having a create time. They had lots of time to see the sea life and do snorkelling. A nice buffet was included but drinks extra (Coke $3/beer $5) and a picture of yourself on the tour $22.

The evening show was Peter Kent from England. He did an attempt at imitating Rod Stewart with some comedy thrown in but overall it was not a very good show.

The champagne waterfall party seemed to go very well. It was quite windy but there was quite a few people dancing and having a good time. For the most part this ship gets quite after 10 PM.

Today our port was Airlie Beach. It rained heavily at dawn but we did not arrive until around 11:30. During the morning we cruised close to the mainland which made for nice viewing except the top of most of the mountains were lost in the clouds. Once anchored a tender boat was sent to shore to pick up immigration officers. Their job was to check passengers for banned products before getting on the tender – generally they would ask a few questions and have a quick look through your bag if you had one. It rained again just as they announced the tendering ashore would start but after about 15 minutes it stated to clear up and the afternoon turned out quite nice.

The ship only had about 10 feet of clearance when we anchored and that was down to about 4 feet with the low tide when we left. This means a lot of mud gets stirred up when the engines start up but not much else. There was a bit of an electrical problem when we were scheduled to depart. It affected mostly things in the background but there were no lights in the elevators for a little while. We departed a half hour late which is not much.

The main attraction of Airlie Beach is it is the jumping off point for the 74 island group, the Whitsunday Islands – passengers on tours that go to the islands or reef are picked up at the ship by the tour boat without having to tender. The tender ride to shore was 15 minutes. At the port there were 7 very friendly and helpful tourist volunteers. They only get about 35 ships a year here.

From the port it is about a 15 minute walk along the shore to town. In town there is a large man made lagoon for swimming at the water edge. Jellyfish are a big problem here for several months through the main tourist season so everyone can use the salt water lagoon safely instead of the beaches. The lagoon has a kids area and adult area with depths up to around 5.5 ft. The walkways and streets are very wheelchair friendly but many of the stores have a step up to get in.

This is another town that we will be spending a couple days in early January as part of our post cruise vacation so it was nice to see our hotel and a bit of the town.

For those reading this that were on the Rome to Singapore segment, you will likely remember 8 yr old Josh – he has been made an honouree Jr Assistant CD. He has a Princess cruise staff name badge and got a nice tour of the bridge. Being the only child on board he gets a lot of attention – represents a lot of passengers grandkids that they are missing. His mother wonders what it will be like when gets home and everyone just treat him like regular old Josh.

Well after 20 ports including Civitavecchia plus the Suez this trip is quickly drawing to a close. We now just have 2 sea days left. For us time wise, we are at the half way point. The rest of the time will be 21 days on the Sea Princess and driving around Australia. So far it has been a wonderful trip and everything has gone as expected.

I’ll try to give a rap up in the next couple days.

[Oahucruiser]

Please start a new thread when you are on the Sea Princess. We really enjoy your excellent and thorough commentary; we read it every day!! Would love your impressions of the Sea Princess, as well, as we'll be on her next summer. Enjoy your last few days!!

[Aussie Gal]

Wayne,

 

Thanks for telling us about Airlie Beach and the Lagoon Pool. We were wondering about going out to Daydream Island for a few hours but that is all we have in port and we will be back to Hamilton Island next May for a week. i would rather spend the time in Airlie Beach and have a swim in the Lagoon Pool.

 

Your posts have been fantastic and we have gained quite a few hints on what to do in each port in March. We have been to all the ports before (though not on a cruise) so we will just play it by ear when we are in each place.

 

Enjoy your time on the Sea Princess and if you have any questions about what to do in your spare time whilst in Australia, please don't hesitate to ask as we have seen a lot of our country over the years and are quite knowledgeable.

 

Jennie

[need2travel]

The main attraction of Airlie Beach is it is the jumping off point for the 74 island group, the Whitsunday Islands – passengers on tours that go to the islands or reef are picked up at the ship by the tour boat without having to tender.

 

Interesting...

 

Is there snorkeling at the reef and, if so, what is it like compared to Cairns?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Waynetor]

A couple more notes on Airlie Beach. There was a shuttle for those that did not want to do the walk. I was told it was $5 return but am not 100% sure of price. On the walk back we saw a colourful heron and very bright Lorakeets (sp?) up in the palm trees.

I have not talked to anyone that did the excursions yesterday but when we come back in Jan we have a tour with Fantasea Cruises for 9 hours that includes lunch, snorkelling, semi sub tour and underwater viewing chamber. This is similar to what Princess offered in Cairns except the time.

Today was mostly sunny with slight waves. Around dusk we could see land in the distance. We had our Captain farewell party before dinner and the Motor City production show after. It is similar as done on the larger ships but with the different stage and different number of performers the choreography was customized for the Ocean Princess.

 

Our land time in Australia starts with a flight to Melbourne. There we do a city tour and a tour to Philip Island, then rent a car to drive along the Great Ocean Road and then drive back to Sydney for the Sea Princess. That will be a busy 6 days.

[paul929207]

Wayne,

Thanks for all your commentary.

[Aussie Gal]

Wayne,

 

Enjoy your time in our lovely State of Victoria and our beautiful city. I hope you are staying down at Phillip Island for the night as the penguins don't come out until dusk so it is a long way back to the city on not so good roads until you get back on the freeway just after Cranbourne. It is a good 2 hour drive, though can be longer.

 

I have my fingers crossed for you that our weather will behave itself next week when you do the Great Ocean Road. Drive from Torquay to Port Campbell as you will be on the left hand side of the road, closest to the sea, and from there you will have the best views. It is a great road, but can be scary in places especially if you are used to driving on the opposite side of the road. Take your time as there are loads of curves especially after Lorne.

 

Our returned servicemen built that road in the 20's after returning from Europe and it took quite a few lives in the building of the road. It was fashioned out with picks and shovels. It is a memorial to all of them who served our country.

 

Jennie

[cruiserus]

I saw your comment about Peter Kent and his "Rod Stewart" show. He also appeared on our cruise on the Diamond (Auckland to Beijing) earlier this year. At one point, he asked everybody to stand up. He wanted to get us swaying or something. Well, a large number of people in the audience stood up and walked out! He was that bad!

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and your cruise on the Sea Princess!

 

P.S. Just a quick hi to Aussie Gal! We were on the Ocean together doing the West African Cape Town to Dover cruise with you.

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Linda,

 

Great to hear from you. That was such a great cruise, we did have a fantastic time with a wonderful Roll Call. I think that thread is still going.

 

Jennie

[Waynetor]

Our last day had turned out to be quite a change. It is solid cloud and very windy. The winds are near straight on with head winds around 45 knots and gust up to 55 knots. Combining with the ship speed the wind on the open decks is over 65 knots. As of mid morning all outside decks are closed except deck 9 and no one sat outside since early morning. Most of the afternoon mist from the waves has been raining done on the deck.

We are not too far from the coast and occasionally can see the outline of islands or the coast through the haze.

At today’s final art auction the Navigational chart sold for $200, down considerable from the Rome to Singapore segment price of $650. The seas are rough enough that white caps were breaking out on the glasses of champagne they give out. In the captains update he noted the swells are 4 – 5 metres with some reaching 6 metres (around 20 feet). Conditions are expected to improve around midnight and arrival time in Sydney should not be affected.

Late afternoon they had the passenger talent show. Two couples were scheduled to dance but they had to cancel due to the rough conditions so a couple of crew stepped in to fill in the program. The last number was the cruise staff standard ‘If I were not upon the sea’. For dinner there were a number of empty spots. Unfortunately the hazmat team has been busy the last few hours as some people have sudden uncomfortable body movements.

Princess seems inconsistent on their drink specials. After 8:00 pm the specials here are $3.99 for Blue Margarita, Long Island Ice Tea, Pina Colada, Singapore Sling, Strawberry Daiquiri, as well as House Spirits for Bourbon, Gin, Rum, Scotch, Tequila and Vodka – no beers included. There has been very little publicity of these specials which is odd as they keep pushing everything else.

As of 3 Pm the forward lifts are being shut down due to the sea conditions.

Overall the last 48 days has been a wonderful cruise and basically what we expected. As a first time small ship passenger we found advantages and disadvantages. While we had lovely diner mates we would prefer the flexibility of anytime dinning. The smaller ship makes it easier to meet the same passengers multiple times and to get to know some of them. There are a lot of very well travelled passengers so if you want to know about other destinations it doesn’t take much to find someone that has been there. The Cabaret lounge has a great layout but as the only major entertainment outlet we miss having more options at night. Getting on and off the ship for tendering has been easier than on a large ship. For a person with some mobility issues the smaller ship makes it much easier to get around and for everyone else the fewer floors makes using stairs more a habit and therefore a bit more exercise. We only had an advantage in one port over a larger ship – in Cairns we docked while a larger ship would tender.

Usually when we get home from a long trip people will ask us ‘what was your favourite place?’ This will be a hard one to answer. The history of Athens, Petra and Luxor were wonderful to experience while the natural beauty of the coast near Sorrento made for great photos. The great joy in the voices of the Egyptians we talked to about the potential for their future brings recent news into perspective. The southern Asian ports offered a great peak at the people and cultures of that area. Unfortunately the weather was not perfect in some ports but overall we did quite well. Overall I would recommend this itinerary but be warned if you have mobility issues you will be limited in what you can do in many ports.

We will be sailing under the Sydney bridge around 6:20 am.

Thanks to all those that followed this thread and made contributions. Hope this has been helpful. Happy future cruising to everyone.

Wayne

[paul929207]

Wayne,

Thanks again for you wonderful descriptions of your journey.

[sunsetbeachgal]

wayne,

 

Thank you for your inputs...very enjoyable reading.

 

Your observations about the small ship vs. large were similar to mine...loved how it easy it is to get off and back on the ship while in port...never a queue...but we missed Anytime Dining and the entertainment options.

 

And we too just loved the beauty of tendering at Sorrento!

[deedeetoo]

Wayne (and Pia),

 

I am new to cruise critic and to cruising but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I can't travel like this yet and its wonderful to be able to see all these ports through your eyes. Thank you for doing this.

[toeloop]

I have been a silent observer since day one. I really enjoyed reading everyones comments, stories and observations. It's hard to believe the cruise has come to an end. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.