Live Sun Princess 30/03/12 New Zealand.

[pjn1]

March 30th 2012

Sun Princess, New Zealand 13 night cruise.

Perfect day as we set sail, blue skies and the sun beaming down on the Sun Princess as we start our cruise.

Sailing out of one of the most beautiful harbours in the world with people waiving as pass under the Harbour Bridge and the children waiving from the Opera steps, is reminisce of years gone by when we would have been waiving back with ladies in hats and gloves and gentlemen in suits and ties. Now as I look around we do look a mixed bunch, with nationalities from all over the World waiving back with the same excitement as they would have had then.

A smooth passage through the heads and we are finally out to sea. The wind starts to pick up after a while so we decide to head in doors and get ourselves settled into our cabin.

This evening we meet our dining companions for the next 13 nights and were delighted to meet a couple we have been chatting with on the roll call for the last few months. With the majority of the passengers on board from Australia we were also joined by 3 other couples from varying states and an enjoyable evening was had by all.

On to the Princess Theatre for the Welcome aboard concert with our dining companions and were entertained in normal Princess style with singers and dancers.

Day 2

We have had a beautiful day, fairly calm seas, slight swell of 1.5 metres, blue skies for most of the day with a brief shower around lunch time.

Usual sea day activities around the ship, bingo, zumba, vegetable cutting and demonstrations by Bar staff and chefs. We joined in the trivia and came in 2nd, did customary 9 laps of deck 7 and then spent the afternoon with a book, lazing in the sunshine until the meet and greet at 3.30.

We had a great turnout, 75 on the list and 65 attended. I took name badges and I’m so glad. everyone mingled and we had a lively couple of hours together. We were joined by James the Customer Services director who took questions and answers, along with Estela Mudaliar, who is kindly going to help us with a luncheon on the return trip.

Comedian tonight and then an early night for us, unless we watch the movie. This cruising and relaxing round all day certainly tires one out.

[juakkers]

Sounds fantastic! Thank you for sharing. I would love to sail out of Sydney harbour. Maybe one day......:)

[highheel girl]

March 30th 2012

Sun Princess, New Zealand 13 night cruise.

Perfect day as we set sail, blue skies and the sun beaming down on the Sun Princess as we start our cruise.

Sailing out of one of the most beautiful harbours in the world with people waiving as pass under the Harbour Bridge and the children waiving from the Opera steps, is reminisce of years gone by when we would have been waiving back with ladies in hats and gloves and gentlemen in suits and ties. Now as I look around we do look a mixed bunch, with nationalities from all over the World waiving back with the same excitement as they would have had then.

A smooth passage through the heads and we are finally out to sea. The wind starts to pick up after a while so we decide to head in doors and get ourselves settled into our cabin.

This evening we meet our dining companions for the next 13 nights and were delighted to meet a couple we have been chatting with on the roll call for the last few months. With the majority of the passengers on board from Australia we were also joined by 3 other couples from varying states and an enjoyable evening was had by all.

On to the Princess Theatre for the Welcome aboard concert with our dining companions and were entertained in normal Princess style with singers and dancers.

Day 2

We have had a beautiful day, fairly calm seas, slight swell of 1.5 metres, blue skies for most of the day with a brief shower around lunch time.

Usual sea day activities around the ship, bingo, zumba, vegetable cutting and demonstrations by Bar staff and chefs. We joined in the trivia and came in 2nd, did customary 9 laps of deck 7 and then spent the afternoon with a book, lazing in the sunshine until the meet and greet at 3.30.

We had a great turnout, 75 on the list and 65 attended. I took name badges and I’m so glad. everyone mingled and we had a lively couple of hours together. We were joined by James the Customer Services director who took questions and answers, along with Estela Mudaliar, who is kindly going to help us with a luncheon on the return trip.

Comedian tonight and then an early night for us, unless we watch the movie. This cruising and relaxing round all day certainly tires one out.

 

 

Bonzer!

 

Thanks for checking in.

Have fun and keep checking in. :)

[cjm66]

Thanks Jane for organising the M&G - tried to catch you to say thanks but you were deep in conversation when we left.

 

Colleen

[srpilo]

Sounds like a great start

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your Sun cruise

Srpilo

[windsor26]

Good to hear from you Jane and glad the Meet and Greet worked out OK. We left the ship clean and good for you so you can relax for the rest of the cruise.

Pamela will be doing the world cruise shortly and is organising the Meet and Greet for her roll call Hope everything works out for her as well.:D:D

[Kiwicruiser25]

Thank you so much for reporting live, lets hope the Sun keeps shining all the way for you. Enjoy!! cause I missed out :(

 

Cheers:)

[pjn1]

Well, we didn’t get the early night last night after all, we went and saw the comedian Mark

Kristian before dinner, who pulled out the usual array of old jokes, however he also added some great new material and had the whole of the Vista lounge laughing out loud.

Dinner was Asian themed and an absolute delight, the lobster cakes and sauce were delicious and the whole table selected the prawns and they did not disappoint us.

After dinner we wandered around the lounges with our table companions, finally settling in the wheelhouse bar for cocktails and a chat.

The weather wasn’t that kind to us last night with the wind at 40knots and the rain was simply amazing as it blew horizontally across the decks.

This morning saw us up, not so bright and early, after we lost an hours sleep last night, and with the weather still overcast and swell still at 1.5 there are quite a few on board suffering the dreaded ’Mal de Mer’.

We are currently sitting in the atrium, as they are about to set up the Champagne waterfall, I think this may be a spectator sport, as we are rolling quite a bit at the moment. So far so good, we are now up to 4 tiers. 1st formal tonight, it will be great to see fellow shipmates dressed up in their finery and with the ‘Shimmy production’ on after dinner, looks like we will be busy for the rest of the evening.

1st port of call tomorrow, Bay of Islands, so fingers crossed for some sunshine as we want to walk into town and along the board walk to the waterfall if possible

Yvonne glad your are home safe and well and thank you for all your help.

[keagle]

We never got to see "Shimmy", computer breakdown. Hope it is a great show!

[SydneyOysters]

Well, we didn’t get the early night last night after all, we went and saw the comedian Mark

Kristian before dinner, who pulled out the usual array of old jokes, however he also added some great new material and had the whole of the Vista lounge laughing out loud.

Dinner was Asian themed and an absolute delight, the lobster cakes and sauce were delicious and the whole table selected the prawns and they did not disappoint us.

After dinner we wandered around the lounges with our table companions, finally settling in the wheelhouse bar for cocktails and a chat.

The weather wasn’t that kind to us last night with the wind at 40knots and the rain was simply amazing as it blew horizontally across the decks.

This morning saw us up, not so bright and early, after we lost an hours sleep last night, and with the weather still overcast and swell still at 1.5 there are quite a few on board suffering the dreaded ’Mal de Mer’.

We are currently sitting in the atrium, as they are about to set up the Champagne waterfall, I think this may be a spectator sport, as we are rolling quite a bit at the moment. So far so good, we are now up to 4 tiers. 1st formal tonight, it will be great to see fellow shipmates dressed up in their finery and with the ‘Shimmy production’ on after dinner, looks like we will be busy for the rest of the evening.

1st port of call tomorrow, Bay of Islands, so fingers crossed for some sunshine as we want to walk into town and along the board walk to the waterfall if possible

Yvonne glad your are home safe and well and thank you for all your help.

 

Hi Jane

Thanks for taking the time out of your holiday to inform us of daily life on the Sun.I did follow Yvonne and Colin (Windsor26) which was very good also.

We did the same cruise as you but on the Sea Princess in October last year.

But were doing the fiordlands first but weather so bad we were unable to go through the passage .

Enjoyed The cruise but just not fussed with the entertainment.

Look forward to following the rest of your trip.

We are doing Sydney to Dover on Sun in May.

Have a great time.

 

Regards

Marie.

[pjn1]

Bay of Islands.

Beginning to think I am on a rock and roll cruise and I don’t mean to music. We have not been lucky with the seas over the last couple of days and today was no different.

The Captain advised us over breakfast that he was only able to use 1 side of the ship for the tenders, which caused a significant delay to passengers, due to the swell and the wind.

Despite everything that was working against us the captain and the crew did a great job of getting all those ashore that wanted to go, or that were booked on tours.

We decided to take a wander around Paihia and were joined with a couple of friends who also decided to brave the wind and the rain.

The trip on the tender was exciting, a few passengers turning slight shades of green on the way, but if you enjoy the rides at the local fair, you can probably appreciate the tender ride to port and back.

Paiha is known as the jewel in the magnificent Bay of Island and is the stepping stone to to Russell and Waitangi, famous for the Treaty signing in 1840. In this weather there were not many people around, but we braved the elements and walked around town and then took a slow walk back to the ship, with a fish and chip lunch at Shippys, supposedly the best seafood in the Bay.

Back on board and another word from the Captain, just to let us know that tonight was going to be rough again. 50 knot winds and swells around 4 metres, so lock down around the ship and we are now ensuring everything is put away in the cabin, before dinner tonight.

Auckland in the morning and we can only hope that we get a little sunshine along the way.

Fingers crossed.

[paddingtonbear]

Very exciting to hear about your cruise live. Hope the weather improves for you. Good luck! :):):)

[Kiwicruiser25]

Sorry to hear about the rough weather you're having.

Apparently you are getting some of the tail end of the Fiji Storms.:eek:

I see in Auckland today it was a little better, hope you enjoyed your day there.

 

Going to try and upload a picture of Sun Princess just before you leave Auckland, not sure it I can make it happen ....

 

Cheers

Robyn

 

 

Well that didn't go so well, need some more practice, or lessons maybe!!!

[Kiwicruiser25]

Not sure I should mention this.... 22 deg and showers for Tauranga tomorrow can you delay the ship by one day as Thursday is suppose to be sunny and no sign of rain.

 

Don't worry NZ weather forecasts can be so wrong sometimes :) lets hope so.

 

Cheers

[pjn1]

The good news was we had a gorgeous day, mostly sunshine with the odd drizzle. Beautiful Auckland, City of Sails. We toured Eden Park, One tree hill, the tree that has no hill, only a memorial to the tree, as it was cut down during a protest. The Wintergardens, Achilles Point, Devonport, back and forth over the Auckland Bridge and finally a walk through Queen Street.

We then spent a lovely couple of hours sitting on deck, gin and tonic in hand with a delightful sail away seafood buffet, only to be told sail away was delayed, then we get to the bad news.

This was saved until we got on board. Tauranga was due to be the next port of call. However the cargo ship that went aground in port, has lost some of its containers and we cannot dock until after 10 am due to the tides and we have to leave on time, so no Rotorua and to top it off, the same weather as last night, rough seas and high winds. The Captain must be stressed, poor chap, as all he seems to do is give us bad news.

But on with the cruise and this evening we spent a pleasant evening in the Vista lounge watching the Liars club, very entertaining.

Tomorrow, well who knows!!

[Kiwicruiser25]

Hi,

 

Glad to hear you had a great day in Auckland.

The weather looked nice in Tauranga today. So sorry to hear about missing Rotorua :(

 

You will have to put it on the Bucket list to come back again...

 

Napier tomorrow enjoy!!

 

Cheers

Robyn

[pjn1]

OK, I am beginning to think I sound like a broken record, 10 mtr waves and 50kms winds. The Daily paper reported that the swells and wind are the highest on record for the area, so you can guess that quite a few people had a very bad night, glad to say we were fine, slept like babies, but were surprise when we woke in the morning and the drawers were open, due to the rocking and rolling.

Glorious sunshine in Tauranga so we spent the afternoon wandering around Mt Maunganui . Spectacular scenery and wild and windy seas, crashing in on the rocks as we walked the foreshores, was really a site worth seeing.

The seaside village of Tauranga was the perfect spot to sit back and watch the ocean in the sunshine for a change.

Back on the Sun and guess what more bad news. Bad weather ahead, but at least we have Napier to look forward to in the morning.

So we sat back enjoyed the ship and the evening’s entertainment and settled for an early night to get ready for the morning.

 

Day 7

Broken record again!!!! The Captain relayed over the tannoy that a container ship was in our berth in Napier and we would be delayed getting into Port, but he hoped to get us in shortly and that we would circle the bay for a while.

We settled in with some friends for a friendly session of trivia for 4 in the Horizon lounge and await the next news break, as we were so looking forward to seeing the Art Deco buildings in Napier.

Well at 2pm, Captain back on again, to advise we would be missing Napier as the berth offered to him was unacceptable and he wouldn’t be able to dock, he had decided that we were off to sea.

We decided nothing else we could do but go to lunch and we have just had a wonderful pizza with our dinner companions, followed by ice cream on the coldest and wettest day so far.

We did chat and then realised that the Captain hadn’t mentioned the weather, well we know why now. Rain, swells and wind, so once again we are off to sea, rocking and rolling.

Some very unhappy people on board, as missing out on Rotorua and Napier are the two of the most anticipated ports of call on this cruise.

The cruise staff are frantically trying to get entertainment up and running but the activities they have come up with are a little mundane, bingo, dance lessons and the TV movie of the day, Footloose, now showing in the Princess Theatre, would have thought they could have screened one if the newer movies.

We have decided to give these a miss and will spend a couple of hours with a good book in the comfort of our cabin, as everyone we seem to meet in the public areas are very unhappy. To top it off no kids clubs either.

What’s in store next, who knows, we have now given up on planning our next port visit until we actually dock somewhere first.

[pjn1]

What a wondefrful day in Windy Wellington. Only thing not windy, glorious sunshine and we had a terrific night at sea last night, the Captain must be one very relieved man.

We watched a terrific act last night in the Theatre, the Platium Tenors, sang many tracks from Il Divo and were marvelous.

Good Friday today so no stores open so a relaxing day on the little red tram and a wander around the botanic garden enjoying the sunshine.

Salmon for lunch and then watched a movie on deck, oh and a little snooze as well.

Fantastic Easter display on Deck 5 and outside the Horizon so hopefully the bunny will aslo call in on Sunday.

Happy Easter all.

[paddingtonbear]

What a wondefrful day in Windy Wellington. Only thing not windy, glorious sunshine and we had a terrific night at sea last night, the Captain must be one very relieved man.

We watched a terrific act last night in the Theatre, the Platium Tenors, sang many tracks from Il Divo and were marvelous.

Good Friday today so no stores open so a relaxing day on the little red tram and a wander around the botanic garden enjoying the sunshine.

Salmon for lunch and then watched a movie on deck, oh and a little snooze as well.

Fantastic Easter display on Deck 5 and outside the Horizon so hopefully the bunny will aslo call in on Sunday.

Happy Easter all.

 

Well you are certainly having a relaxing holiday. Happy Easter to you! I really hope the weather improves for you. So glad you are not one of the grumpy ones! :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Happy Easter to all on board...

Pleased you had a good time in Wellington.

Its been the same for me...whenever I have visited ,

there has not been a breath of wind...

Where DO they get windy Wellington from?:D:D

 

Caught you sailing into Aotea Quay...

 

 

 

Today in Akaroa.

 

 

 

 

[cruising4eva]

Thanks for your brilliant anecdotes. My parents and a group of their friends are on that same cruise. They are sending a short text message every couple of days, but it is fantastic to here the lengthened versions of the stories from you!! Hope the seas are a little calmer from here on in and that you get into all of the ports. :)

[pjn1]

Day 8

Wellington at last, quite quiet as it was Good Friday and the city was asleep enjoying the Easter break.

The sun came out to welcome us into port and we set off to see the little red cable car and the botanical gardens. We were not disappointed, the ride up the hill in the car was lovely and as we got off the ship early, we shared the car with only a handful of people and were able to enjoy the views on the way up the hill. This great way to see the city, as the car arrives at the look out, we could see all the way across the bay and looked over the city and the skyline.

Our The walk down the hill from the cable car was an absolute delight as the gardens weaved the way down quite a steep descent; we were able to see many native plants and trees along the walk. The walk took us around 1 & ½ hours with a coffee stop on the way and a short visit to the hot house, but was well worth the effort and I would highly recommend the trip.

Once safely onto the foreshore we decided to visit the Te papa , it rates very high in Lonely Planet. The museum is an eclectic mix of old and new over many floors. As the ship was in port and it was a public holiday it was very busy and I don’t believe it was the best day to see the museum and all it had to offer.

We wandered back to the ship to meet our table mates for sail away drinks on the top deck, followed by an early leisurely dinner.

 

Day 9

Akoroa today and off we get for a road trip to Christchurch. Many people on board have mixed feelings about this trip. Should they spend the day in the lovely little coastal town, sunshine and a French bakery along with many stores all with a French influence, or should they venture into Christchurch. Some thought it may be voyeuristic, as the city is still undergoing obvious recovery from the aftermath of the earthquake on Sept 10th 2011. We decided if we were going to spend any money buying gifts, then Christchurch needed it the most, as the economy had taken the biggest hit in the country according to the locals in other areas.

The journey into Christchurch took us through some beautiful countryside. Rolling green hills, deep valleys with small guest houses situated on the hillsides, lakes and waterways, until we began to reach the outskirts of the city.

This is where the devastation became more noticeable, the driver pointed out two large buildings that were leaning into each other, they needed to be demolished and we were still many miles from the CBD. As we approached the city we saw many more historic buildings that sadly were severely damaged and once again Mother Nature had been selective. Old Tudor wooden houses stood tall and strong, whilst the adjacent newer brick buildings were being held together with metal structures as the city was trying to rebuild itself.

The ingenuity of people and a city in crisis became apparent as we began to explore on foot. The storekeepers in the CBD had now built a new shopping centre out of ship containers. Some single storey, some three storeys high, all brightly coloured, as if to uplift the people and visitors.

Much of the devastation is still visible. The chain fence surrounding most of the inner city is a reminder of the atrocity that took place as the cathedral still stands quietly amongst the partially flattened buildings, a silent monument to those that lost their lives during the earthquake.

One of the most visual signs of the earthquakes aftermath was an empty pharmacist store. The store showed no sign of external damage, the shelves were fully stocked and as I walked towards the store I expected to see a sign on the door saying back in 5 mins, it didn’t. The simple sign read ‘no admittance, this store has been inspected and is no longer suitable for occupation’. Another silent reminder of the impact of Sept 10th had on this city.

[pjn1]

Day 10.

Settled by Scottish pioneers in 1884, Dunedin is the Gaelic word for Edinburgh and is also the starting point for the Taieri Gorge railway. The ships tour runs directly from the side of the ship, but we joined some of our Cruise Critic colleagues and proceeded into the historic train station to take an independent train trip to Middlemarch high up in the highlands.

The train is a collection of modern and vintage carriages and we were lucky enough to have 1 of the older style carriages. The tracks wander high into the hills, latticework bridges, tunnels, viaducts and breathtaking scenery along the way.

Middlemarch a small town, 1 pub, 1 store and the local rotary club providing a lovely sausage sizzle lunch, raising funds for local projects.

One of the regular sights according to the guide on the train is the nudist colony waving to the train as it passes their camp site ion the return journey to Dunedin and on this trip they didn’t disappoint us again. Mind you it certainly could have put you off your lunch, no Brad Pitt at that camp, well not waving at us that day.

The train meanders up and down the gorge on a daily basis and it really is a spectacle to behold as you weave you way for the 6 hour return journey.

Day 11 Fijordlands, Scenic cruising.

Scenic cruising can mean all sorts of things for different folks but on this occasion we were all astounded as we entered the first bay. The wind was blowing and the ship slowed as we passed small glacier mountains.

Albatross flew overhead, dolphins danced around the ship as we sailed gracefully into the bay admiring the view.

The waterfalls cascaded off the cliff tops and the wind blew the water so it looked like a veil shielding the landscape from our view, tempting passengers to look deeper and deeper into the valleys.

2000 passengers were on board the Sun Princess and at some point I am sure you could have heard a pin drop as we stared at the offering Mother Nature had placed in front of us in the Milford Sound. The ship herself played her part, slowing down so as we could capture the moments with cameras and our memories. No picture could ever truly capture the beauty that was unfolding in front of us.

As the captain brought the ship to a stop to begin our 180 degree turn to leave the Sound, it almost seemed as if the ship was paying her respects to the scenery as we were about to leave.

The light was beginning to fade as we began our exit, but this just added to the colours that were being danced across the cliff tops and along the steep sides of the ravines as the glacier ice clung to small pockets deep inside the ravines, glistening in the half-light of the Sound.

The wind began to pick up as we departed the magnificent Milford Sound, however the decks didn’t will clear as quickly as they normally would, as the cold wind whipped around our heads, it was almost as if we didn’t want the show to finish and everyone attempted to catch one last glimpse before the light left us completely and we were surrounded by the darkness of the night with the sound of the waves breaking over the bow of the ship.

Day 12 & 13

At sea and once again we are back to rocking and rolling. A few of the first time cruisers seem to think that the poor old Captain can control the weather. Well If I’m not mistaken he isn’t God and he is doing a pretty good job of keeping us as safe as possible, during some pretty windy and wild weather over night.

Another great night in the Vista Lounge at The London Pub night, but I don’t think I will be able to look at a Pink Fairy in the same light again.

We also enjoyed a lovely CC and Facebook roll call lunch in the Regency dining room and must remember to thank the maître D and Estela for helping to organise things for us.

On board all the trivia teams are enjoying their last challenges, with quite a few team members missing as the ship is still not having the best weather on our return trip to Sydney, the Bingo has just been won and some lucky passenger is $4500 better off, however I am sitting on Deck 7, drink in hand, in the sunshine with the wind and sounds of the sea gently rocking us home.

[erewhon]

Thank you for the reports of your cruise.

 

What a shame that you missed Napier.

 

A sincere Thank you for your support of Christchurch.