Paulchili Posted April 26, 2013 #26 Share Posted April 26, 2013 ; I have one question about Bora Bora and Fakarava: Were there drivers or tour vendors at the port or were prior reservations for tours the only option besides walking around on your own? . There are always plenty of local tour operators in BB to offer both boat tours of the lagoon and 4X4 tours of the island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted April 27, 2013 #27 Share Posted April 27, 2013 There are always plenty of local tour operators in BB to offer both boat tours of the lagoon and 4X4 tours of the island And these are the same tour operators O uses except you will pay one third the price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suncitygaltx Posted April 27, 2013 #28 Share Posted April 27, 2013 We were on the Marina last year and your food descriptions bring fond memories. I can still taste the miso glazed sea bass in Red Ginger. Me, too Betty! The sea bass is my absolute favorite entree on the entire ship. Although I haven't tried the lobster thermidor.....:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitraveler Posted April 27, 2013 #29 Share Posted April 27, 2013 any word on Dottie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loum140 Posted April 27, 2013 #30 Share Posted April 27, 2013 sacarr: Thanks for all the detail. Living vicariously through your trip report as we were unable to do the b2b. Can hardly wait till our Lima/NY cruise (the next leg) starting soon on Marina. :D Any further word on Dottie and Tom Drake? Are they back on the ship? Who is the Assistant CD? Marsha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 27, 2013 Author #31 Share Posted April 27, 2013 sacarr: Thanks for all the detail. Living vicariously through your trip report as we were unable to do the b2b. Can hardly wait till our Lima/NY cruise (the next leg) starting soon on Marina. :D Any further word on Dottie and Tom Drake? Are they back on the ship? Who is the Assistant CD? Marsha We were told by two people that Dottie and Tom were going back to the States. Don't know that that is "official" however. J.R. The Assistant CD is doing a great job. The rolling is a little better today. I was able to "let go" on the treadmill this morning. Today we had a second life boat drill. I do not recall doing this last fall or summer. I guess they are taking safety seriously which is good I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 27, 2013 Author #32 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Me, too Betty! The sea bass is my absolute favorite entree on the entire ship. Although I haven't tried the lobster thermidor.....:D Today's Cooking demonstration featured Red Ginger and one of the dishes they did was the sea bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grmmybtty Posted April 27, 2013 #33 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Can you share the recipe with us? I'd love to re-create it at home, but minus the banana leaf. I don't think our neighbor next door wants us to poach their banana tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 28, 2013 Author #34 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Can you share the recipe with us? I'd love to re-create it at home, but minus the banana leaf. I don't think our neighbor next door wants us to poach their banana tree. It's a full page more than I want to type out. But if you let me know your email I can take a picture of it and send it to you. I would post it here but I really don't know how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 28, 2013 Author #35 Share Posted April 28, 2013 This cruise is beginning to feel like a crossing, which I guess it is of sorts. Because we skipped Pitcairn this is our fourth day at sea. We have been enjoying the ship. Over these days we have been at the fitness center, attending lectures, cooking demonstrations, afternoon tea, evening shows, and have not missed many meals! The ship added many activities for the day we were to be at Pitcairn. Paula Smith added a lecture about all the English royal scandals since 1066. It seems that the latest group of royals have nothing on their ancestors. Her lecture was both entertaining and informative. The astronomer, Norman Caisse, scheduled a night viewing of the southern skies. In the middle of the ocean away from the city lights and pollution the skies are really quite beautiful and much more detailed than we normally see back home. Thursday night we had dinner at Toscana. For an appetizer Meg had the Shrimp wrapped in bacon and for an entrée and appetizer portion of the Tortoloni with Spinach. I had the calamari and the veal chop for and entrée We both also has a Caesar salad. The food was great and we enjoyed conversations with some of the staff. We had been told that the lamb chops for breakfast were wonderful We tried them on Friday morning and they were very good. We were served a couple of the ribs from a rack and they were prepared perfectly. Last night we had dinner in the Grand Dining Room. We both had the Tournedos Rossini with seared Foie Gras for an entrée Meg had a Salad I had the Crispy Scallops for an appetizer. It was all very good, particularly the beef. Today we had another life boat drill and the cooking Demo featured Red Ginger, as I mentioned in a previous post. This afternoon Paula Smith talked about Easter Island and Norman Caisse took us on a tour of the solar system, stopping at each of the six closest planets as well as a visit to the moon and some of the comets. His pictures and descriptions are beautiful. We did not go to last night's star viewing but Norman said that there was a large number who did and the viewing was very good. As I am writing this our butler Sonu stopped by. This guy is the best we have had. And the others before have been pretty good also. I might mention that the internet while not quite DSL is really pretty decent. We have been pleased with its speed and ease of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 28, 2013 Author #36 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Never should have bragged about the internet. It's bumped me off twice since I made that last post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grmmybtty Posted April 28, 2013 #37 Share Posted April 28, 2013 It's a full page more than I want to type out. But if you let me know your email I can take a picture of it and send it to you. I would post it here but I really don't know how. Thanks Sacarr, I would love to have the recipe. My email is bettytabora@yahoo.com. Thank you also for the great updates. Sounds like there are a lot of great activities aboard to keep everyone as busy as they would like to be. We're looking forward to our cruise when we trave the opposite way as you are doing now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKS Posted April 28, 2013 #38 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Thanks so much for your commentary, Sacarr. I'm booked for the same cruise next year, and your words just make me wish a year passed more quickly (who ever thought they'd say that at my age:eek::D). Glad you're having a good time. Please keep us up to date on your adventures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 28, 2013 Author #39 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Thanks Sacarr, I would love to have the recipe. My email is bettytabora@yahoo.com. Thank you also for the great updates. Sounds like there are a lot of great activities aboard to keep everyone as busy as they would like to be. We're looking forward to our cruise when we trave the opposite way as you are doing now. Sent. Let me know if you did not get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marebear Posted April 28, 2013 #40 Share Posted April 28, 2013 It's a full page more than I want to type out. But if you let me know your email I can take a picture of it and send it to you. I would post it here but I really don't know how. I would love to have the recipe. Please send it to mlhayes37@gmail.com and thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 28, 2013 Author #41 Share Posted April 28, 2013 I would love to have the recipe. Please send it to mlhayes37@gmail.com and thank you!! Sent, Best of luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimgib Posted April 29, 2013 #42 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Agreed internet is the best I have ever had on Oceania, also its cheaper as I always use it a lot as I work while on board. they now have a deal at about $22 per day due to our level we get it less 20% so at $17 and a bit a day it saves me a fortune. regards JimGib Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 29, 2013 Author #43 Share Posted April 29, 2013 This afternoon at about 2 P.M. we finally stepped on dry land after almost 5 days at sea. I have to start by saying that we had a wonderful meal last night in Polo Grill. Meg started with Foie Gras and mushrooms in pastry and I had the Oysters Rockefeller. Both were outstanding. I had a Caesar salad and Meg had the Waldorf salad. (luckily, John Cleese was not in the kitchen and they were not out of Waldorfs!) For an entrée Meg had the Filet with blue cheese and I had the Porterhouse with some grilled onions. No way either of us finished the steaks but they were excellent. We split a brownie and ice cream dessert. Some friends think that I am hard to please when it comes to steaks at a restaurant, but I can tell you that we have had nothing but fantastic food on this ship. It sure spoils you. This morning after the treadmill workout, we went to the interdenominational prayer service. We then had a "Champagne Breakfast" in our suite. We mixed the champagne with OJ and turned it into a "Mimosa Breakfast." After this we started to get organized for our Easter Island Adventure. The native people call the island Rapa Nui. The people themselves are called Rapanui. The ship anchored off the Island a little after 1 P.M. and started tendering guests off the ship at about 1:30. We had lunch and boarded the tender at about 2:00. We walked around town and walked about 30 min to see some of the Moai. The Moai are the famous huge statues carved into stone and moved to the shore. There are some theories but it is not known for sure, how these massive statues were moved from the quarry to the sites. Since I was a child and read Thor Heyerdahl's books Kon Tiki and Aku Aku, I have dreamed about visiting this island. I have to pinch myself and say you really are here! The Moai are really very impressive. And the island is beautiful. Local regulations say that the last tender to the ship is at 6:00 P.M. So we reluctantly returned to our ship, Marina. This evening we sat on the balcony off our room with a couple of Martinis, some cheese and some delicious sushi and watched the waves crash on to the Island of Rapa Nui and then enjoyed a beautiful sunset. I thought of an old beer commercial where they say: "It doesn't get any better than this." I don’t know about that commercial, but I can tell you that it was a wonderful end to a beautiful day. We certainly felt blessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suncitygaltx Posted April 29, 2013 #44 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Could you send it one more time, please? It's my favorite entree on the ship. Although I may have to reconsider my standard order of rack of lamb in the Polo Grill, having read your descriptions. The filet with gorgonzola sounds fabulous! We're on the Jan. 2014 trip, so your posts are just whetting our appetite for our own adventure. Thanks so much for taking the time.... marthalawlor at suddenlink dot net Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 30, 2013 Author #45 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Could you send it one more time, please? It's my favorite entree on the ship. Although I may have to reconsider my standard order of rack of lamb in the Polo Grill, having read your descriptions. The filet with gorgonzola sounds fabulous! We're on the Jan. 2014 trip, so your posts are just whetting our appetite for our own adventure. Thanks so much for taking the time.... marthalawlor at suddenlink dot net Many thanks! Sent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 30, 2013 Author #46 Share Posted April 30, 2013 We are here on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and had a wonderful day. We spent the day driving around the island. After breakfast we took a tender to the island and picked up our jeep at the pier at about 9 A.M. We drove the vehicle to the North side of the island to Ahu Anakena. On the way we drove through a fragrant grove of Eucalyptus trees. At Ahu Anakena there are five full Moai and a couple of half statues. There were also a number of fallen Moai on the grounds. Two hundred yards or so behind the Moai there is a beautiful beach. The road was very nicely paved up to this point. After this, while the map shows the road as paved, it was a pot hole filled dirt road. Now I know why our travel agent rented a jeep for us. We had to drive very slowly, lest we leave part of the vehicle on one of the pot holes. Our next stop was Ahu Te Pito Kura. This is the site of the largest Moai ever moved from the quarry to an Ahu. (Ahu is actually the platform the Moai are placed on. ) The Moai is lying on the ground. This site also contains other stone monuments including a rock that the Rapanui believed was the "navel of the world" Our next stop along the very bumpy road was Papa Vaka, the site of some petroglyphs. Following this we stopped at Puoh Ro. There is a "special rock" there with holes in it. Blowing in one of them creates a sound that calls the fish in to shore so the Rapanui could catch them. Our next stop was the big one, Ahu Tongariki. By the time we got here the road had improved somewhat. Ahu Tongariki has 15 Moai on it and most are in very good condition. If you have seen a picture of a whole bunch of Easter Island Moai it was of this site. This is really a spectacular place. We spent quite a bit of time walking around the site and taking it in. Next we went to Rano Raraku. This is the quarry where the Moai were chisled out of the rock. Behind the quarry is a beautiful volcanic crater filled with water. Unfortunately we ran into a bit of a problem. One must have a ticket to enter this site ($60 per person) and they do not sell the tickets at the site or any where nearby. We had to drive pretty much the length of the island to the ranger post to buy the tickets. The place to buy the tickets is very near the pier where we picked up the car. We figured we would drive to the ranger post and see how long it took and decide whether to go back to the site. The road from Rano Raraku was fairly good except for the horses that like to stand on it and an hour and a quarter later we were back at Rano Raraku, tickets in hand. Our guide book had said that tickets were available at the site but apparently a month ago it was decided to institute this policy. I guess things were just too darned convenient! We enjoyed both the quarry site as well as the beautiful crater. After this it was time to head back to the pier. Along the way we stopped at a few sites mentioned in the Easter Island guide book we had downloaded to our kindles. We got back to the ship late afternoon. It was a great but tiring day. We had intended to get lunch somewhere. However, we were simply forgot to look for anything and I think that on our tour of the island very little was available. We had not eaten any thing since breakfast and since there are no restaurants open after 4, we ordered a couple of cheeseburgers from room service. Boy were they delicious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted April 30, 2013 #47 Share Posted April 30, 2013 What a thrill that day must have been! Easter Island has been on the top of my list since I was a teenager! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mringenoldus Posted April 30, 2013 #48 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Did you happen to hear from any fellow passengers that toured with James from Easter Island Spirit (the fellow who wrote the book about the island)? We have a two day tour with him next April. What is the weather like? Has it varied much? Thank you! Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacarr Posted April 30, 2013 Author #49 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Did you happen to hear from any fellow passengers that toured with James from Easter Island Spirit (the fellow who wrote the book about the island)? We have a two day tour with him next April. What is the weather like? Has it varied much? Thank you! Maureen No I haven't talked to any one who said that they toured with him. I have talked to many folks on independent tours and possibly some of them were with him. We have his book and have used it while here. It was very good for our drive yesterday. Meg read as I drove and it was like having a tour guide in the car. The weather has been very comfortable. Partly cloudy and I would guess in the mid 70's. Currents said 72 for yesterday and I suppose that was close. There were a couple of short light rain showers yesterday (maybe 5 minutes), but not enough that I wished we had an umbrella or raincoat. The weather in French Polynesia was very hot and humid. So yes it is different here in Easter Island, but not such that you need different clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted April 30, 2013 #50 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Thanks for your posts! Very interesting, helpful, and entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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