2014 Whisper World Cruise Live Blogging Segment 1

[fdnycruiser]

Kate thank you for the info on Oliver tending bar. IMO he's simply the best.

Most of all,thank you for your very detailed posts. Makes feel like I'm right there. Well almost.:) Keep enjoying your voyage !

[CanadianKate]

It is final night for those disembarking in Auckland. Several close friends are leaving. In total, only 52 are leaving and 105 joining us.

 

 

We had lunch and dinner 'dates' with friends who were leaving. We kept the GGP's way too late over dinner so hope they can pack in time!

 

 

It was an uneventful sea day, my last for a while. It was calmer than yesterday and the sun came out toward the end of the day.

 

 

The trivia team managed to come second once more. We will have a vacancy starting tomorrow. I'll be reviewing CV's of incoming passengers, looking for someone with strong music skills, and preferably a Brit since there have been a large number of questions that only Brits might know the answer to and we are down to just one on the team.

 

 

For this leg of the trip, we will not have to do the Muster drill tomorrow. Here's the wording of the letter.

 

 

 

A passenger Muster Drill will take place tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.

 

 

Please bring you life jacket with you.

 

 

This exercise is required by Law and is held for your safety. This is a mandatory exercise for all embarking guests and though you have already attended one previously we strongly recommend as an in-transit guest on multiple voyages, to participate at the Muster drill but not mandatory since you have participated on last drill.

 

 

Signed Captain Corsaro

[Observer]

For this leg of the trip, we will not have to do the Muster drill tomorrow.

 

It's good to know that at least on this cruise SS is not requiring continuing passengers to do muster on each segment. As best I can gather, SOLAS does not require repeated attendance on back-to-backs. I don't understand why some captains insist on adding even more people to crowded musters by requiring attendance by continuing passengers. Encouraging but not requiring seems to strike precisely the right balance.

[CanadianKate]

While SOLAS does not require it, I suspect each country has its own regulation so that probably explains the difference for me vs someone traveling elsewhere.

[CanadianKate]

Auckland was spectacular!

 

 

We got up early, just missing the pilot coming aboard but in time to see the wonderful harbour in the early morning sun.

 

 

One couple was waving madly at a particular building, where their friends were supposed to hang out a sheet when they spotted the vessel. The bridge lent a hand to help with the waving. A giant red hand on the end of a stick to be exact.

 

 

We docked at the Princes Wharf which is right next to the Hilton Hotel. Our balcony lined up with a public balcony and so we visited by talking across the pierside with several locals who had come to see the ship, answering questions they had about the ship and what it was like aboard.

 

 

After a lovely breakfast on the aft deck, we hung around for a short while in order to give a hug to our special friends who were leaving. Sigh.... this is the part of back-to-back cruises that I hate. For the third time (out of six cruises) we have made great friends with a couple we met the first night on board. That's a pretty great batting average!

 

 

After that, we headed out to get 1) fresh milk; 2) NZ cell phone SIM cards and 3) NZ currency. Not in that order.

 

 

We ended up at a central business district, waterfront, mall that had all three but just picked up cash there and then walked up Queen Street to a proper grocery store and a Telecom store. Their pay-as-you-go chips were cheaper than Vodafone's and so we each have an NZ number now. And for the first time, we have data on phones as well (it came with the package.) We drank over half a quart of milk once we picked it up. We have really missed fresh milk, a staple at home but unavailable on the ship.

 

 

We walked back to the waterfront and met up with Auckland friends for lunch.

 

 

 

We had a lovely lunch of fish and chips, and then a brief walk around. It was Auckland Anniversary Day so there was lots happening along the waterfront. Our friends had another commitment but recommended we take the ferry to Devenport, which we did and we had a lovely walk around there, bought directly from the artisan , a beautiful glass necklace, from a gallery, and then had an ice cream before heading back on the ferry.

 

 

There was a shop with great t-shirts, bags and aprons with sayings. Luckily we had little time. With more time, I think my resolve not to buy things for the kids would have melted away. It helps that things are insanely expensive in New Zealand. I kept questioning the exchange rate since I could not imagine paying so much for things.

 

 

We made it back to the ship just before tea stopped being served.

 

 

I tried to host a table of only newcomers but that didn't work since the Maitre d sent only one new couple to join us, plus some world cruisers and our neighbours across the hall. It was still excellent conversation and a nice mix of a Australian, British, American and Canadian. Just not what I had intended.

 

 

No show so we got to bed not too late. Which is good because we are in a different port each day for a while now.