Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Host Sharon]

[quote name='MMDown Under']:) Note the advance publicity from P & O calls the ship a superliner.

"P&O Cruises welcomes [B]superliner[/B], [B]Pacific Jewel[/B], the 70,310 tonne sister ship to Pacific Dawn, to our fleet, Pacific Jewel will sail from Brisbane from December 2009 to a number of idyllic [URL="http://www.pocruises.com.au/html/region-pacific-south-pacific.cfm"]South Pacific[/URL] and [URL="http://www.pocruises.com.au/html/region-australia-new-zealand.cfm"]Australian[/URL] destinations on cruises ranging from 7 – 21-nights."[/quote]

She's in for refit then :eek: Mind you, OV1 is the old Arcadia, which lots of friends loved. A real classic ship I'm told. Edited June 8, 2009 by ships cat

[MMDown Under]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']


[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Unfortunately, my final souvenir of the trip is a beautifully nasty summer cold. Yesterday was the "Lord, please take me away" phase, now I'm thinking I may actually survive the lung congestion and weepy eyes. By Wednesday, this'll all be in the rearview mirror, I'll feel fine, sound sick, and answer the "Are you sick?" thing. [/SIZE]But I got too tired with too little sleep and, altho we were sanitized constantly on the ship, my immune system lost a step and let in a marauder.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]The quality of the cruise exceeded my expectations. I saved so much $$$$ ahead of time on the tariff that I was afraid the ship would be cutting corners, but not so. And I enjoyed the vast array of international passengers - 60 Dutch,12 Kiwi, many Aussies, Canadians - it was tons o' fun to visit with them. At dinnertime, I would walk up to the maitre d', request a table for eight, and take his random selection. Each night was a learning process with all of the pax being world travelers so I was in my element swapping information and learning new things.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I am cancelling my Antarctica cruise. The scenario is this: A stranger walks up to my front door, puts her hands out and says, "Pick one." One hand has $14,000 in it, the other hand has 10 days in Antarctica. Every single time, I make the business decision and take the money.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Ruby[/quote]

Welcome Home Ruby. I was delighted to read that your cruise exceeded expectations. Sounds like you had a wonderful time, full of happy memories.

Sorry to hear that you returned home with a cold. Summer colds always seem worse than winter colds, as it doesn't seem right to be miserable in summer. Hope you make a speedy recovery.

I had to smile reading your reasons for cancelling your Antarctica cruise. I come to a similiar conclusion, whenever I do the cost per person per day exercise. I dream on, especially whenever I hear a personal recommendation or read a well written review. However, I'll only be tempted by a deal too good to miss. :)

[MMDown Under]

[quote name='ships cat']She's in for refit then :eek: Mind you, OV1 is the old Arcadia, which lots of friends loved. A real classic ship I'm told.

[/quote]

Did the old Arcadia sail between Britain and Australia?

[Druke I]

The Arcadia of 1954 did sail "down under". She was scrapped in 1979.

The Arcadia referred to by Ships Cat might have sailed "down under" when she was Princess' first Star Princess (laid down for Sitmar I think as Star Majesty).

Adding further confusion, there is a current Arcadia sailing for P&O (UK) which is a modified Vista (HAL) class hull, and originally laid down for Cunard!!!

Need a scorecard to keep them all straight.

[Kapricorn]

[quote name='MMDown Under']
... whenever I do the cost per person per day exercise.
[/quote]

That also is exactly what I do every time I consider a future cruise, especially when I travel solo!

Ruby, I hope that your cold goes away soon.

Donald.

[franu]

[QUOTE] am cancelling my Antarctica cruise. The scenario is this: A stranger walks up to my front door, puts her hands out and says, "Pick one." One hand has $14,000 in it, the other hand has 10 days in Antarctica. Every single time, I make the business decision and take the money.
[/QUOTE]
Although I had never heard of this prior to making my booking, Voyages of Discovery had a $200.00US penalty for cancellation of my cruise. Now that they have given me the opportunity to pay almost $4,000,00US less, I had to agree that it would be a $500.00US penalty.

We shall see where this leads me.

[QUOTE]a trip to Bar Harbor and the Bay of Fundy perhaps this autumn.
[/QUOTE]

Would that be a land trip or cruise?

Fran

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='franu']Would that be a land trip or cruise? Fran[/quote]

I'm staying on dry land for now. I enjoyed my many weeks on land in Oz and Kiwiland and there are places in the US I want to revisit by rent car and B&B while I am seeking peace and quiet.

Speaking of silence, at the ATL airport I had a minor layover and was looking for a quiet place to read. Short answer - it can't be done. Mobile carts beeping, TV monitors blaring, employee radios on high, trash cans that talk, people hollerin' on their cells, gate announcements - no rest for the weary.

On a more fun subject - attached is a photo of the famous water bottles. I just know y'all are all keen to view the interior of my fridge. Also attached are porcelain pix showing what I brought home from Yildiz Porselen in Istanbul. There is a third piece of contemporary ebru ceramics but the photo is so miserable that even I haven't the gall to post it.

I present these photos with deepest apologies to ships cat and so many of you who share the most beautiful pix with us. My photos can only kindly be called memento shots, not photography!

Ruby Edited June 9, 2009 by Saga Ruby

[CGTNORMANDIE]

WELCOME HOME RUBY!!!

Your water bottle collection looks surreal. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Elaine ate Mr. Peterman's antique wedding cake from the Duke and Duchess of Windor's wedding. Let's hope nobody drops in to visit and grabs a bottle of water to drink!!! Maybe you should have them encased???

ROSS

[Kapricorn]

Ruby, would you please identify the water bottles' countries, from left to right? Your latest acquisition is in the middle, right? I can't make out the text on that bottle, but it looks Cyrillic. If you have a closer picture of that bottle I might be able to tell you its brand name.

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']

On a more fun subject - attached is a photo of the famous water bottles. I just know y'all are all keen to view the interior of my fridge. Also attached are porcelain pix showing what I brought home from Yildiz Porselen in Istanbul. There is a third piece of contemporary ebru ceramics but the photo is so miserable that even I haven't the gall to post it.

I present these photos with deepest apologies to ships cat and so many of you who share the most beautiful pix with us. My photos can only kindly be called memento shots, not photography!

Ruby[/quote]

Just love your photos Ruby. No doubt your famous water bottles bring back many happy memories of how you acquired them.

The beautiful Turkish Date Bowl reminds me of a stopover in Dubai, where I devoured delicious dates from a similiar bowl in an Airport Lounge.

Hope you're feeling better.

[MMDown Under]

[quote name='franu']Although I had never heard of this prior to making my booking, Voyages of Discovery had a [B]$200.00US penalty[/B] for cancellation of my cruise. Now that they have given me the opportunity to pay almost [B]$4,000,00US less[/B], I had to agree that it would be a [B]$500.00US penalty[/B].

We shall see where this leads me.

Fran[/quote]

Are you still booked on your Voyages of Discovery cruise? That was a good price drop (plus a big jump in penalty).

Our deposits have always been non refundable, which is why we have to take out insurance before we put a deposit on a cruise. It is also why we have to be sure that we'll be cruising, as insurance only refunds for ill health, etc. Nowadays, I don't book too far ahead, as the risk is all mine!!

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='CGTNORMANDIE']Your water bottle collection looks surreal. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Elaine ate Mr. Peterman's antique wedding cake from the Duke and Duchess of Windor's wedding. Let's hope nobody drops in to visit and grabs a bottle of water to drink!!! Maybe you should have them encased??? ROSS[/quote]

Funny you should mention the concept of guests drinking up my collection. That almost happened one time and I had to make a hasty excuse of offering them a "fresher" bottle. And I thought this only happened to oenophiles.

[quote name='Kapricorn']Ruby, would you please identify the water bottles' countries, from left to right? Your latest acquisition is in the middle, right? I can't make out the text on that bottle, but it looks Cyrillic. If you have a closer picture of that bottle I might be able to tell you its brand name. Donald.[/quote]

From left to right - Norway (an English label, [I]quelle[/I] embarassing), Turkey, Sevastopol, Reykjavik, and Oman. A Font Vell bottle from Barthelona has been benched due to space considerations. I'm sorry that I'm too whacked out from jet lag and the summer cold to be able to magnify the focus of the Cyrillic bottle. Maybe later?

Some friends on the ship knew I was in hot pursuit of a Ukrainian water bottle and they brought me their empty shorex bottle. But I had to let it go as it had "Bon Aqua" on the label - a flagrant foul, as it were.

A man on the ship said he knew a guy who collected photos of fire hydrants from all over the world. I choose to believe that my pursuit is more noble.

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']
From left to right - Norway (an English label, [I]quelle[/I] embarassing), Turkey, Sevastopol, Reykjavik, and Oman. A Font Vell bottle from Barthelona has been benched due to space considerations. I'm sorry that I'm too whacked out from jet lag and the summer cold to be able to magnify the focus of the Cyrillic bottle. Maybe later?

A man on the ship said he knew a guy who collected photos of fire hydrants from all over the world. I choose to believe that my pursuit is more noble.
[/quote]

Thanks, Ruby! I would give the "water bottle beauty contest" title to Oman. It has the perfect label size so that one can easily see that it contains water. The Arabic lettering also is interesting!

Sure, another time to get a clearer picture of the Ukrainian bottle is fine with me, once you've recovered from jet lag and cold. I'm sure that you'd also like to know what is the name on that label.

Fire hydrants? That's something! I can imagine that there must be hundreds of different designs of that item all around the world. I took a look through my photographs taken on the "swine flu cruise" last month, and, for some reason, my favourite is this one! I had tried to take pictures of seagulls in mid-flight around the ship off Catalina Island, without much luck, but this one vividly contrasted the bird's wing against the water. A perfectly-focused one of the bird might have been too boring.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff339/pageantopolis/z2009_0503seagull.jpg[/IMG]
[/CENTER]

Donald

[Host Sharon]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']

A man on the ship said he knew a guy who collected photos of fire hydrants from all over the world. I choose to believe that my pursuit is more noble.

Ruby[/quote]


So - did you get to see the wonderful Ukranian bus shelters Ruby?? The porcelain is beautiful. Where in Istanbul did you find it. I will be back there next April, but never saw any of that last time, just rugs and jewellery!

That sure is an atmospheric cruise photo Donald. Edited June 9, 2009 by ships cat

[franu]

[QUOTE]Are you still booked on your Voyages of Discovery cruise? That was a good price drop (plus a big jump in penalty).
[/QUOTE]

Marion, I am still planning to go on this cruise. Since insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions when purchased within a certain time frame here in Ontario, I purchase my insurance when the non refundable amount is greater than the premium. This usually comes at final payment .

The end of September is final payment time.
Fran

[MMDown Under]

Marion, I am still planning to go on this cruise. Since insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions when purchased within a certain time frame here in Ontario, I purchase my insurance when the non refundable amount is greater than the premium. This usually comes at final payment .

 

The end of September is final payment time.

Fran

 

Fran, I'm pleased that you are still planning on going on your cruise, as it sounded a really interesting itinerary.

 

Our insurance doesn't cover pre existing conditions either, unless you can get a policy, at extra charge, which accepts the condition. I was able to get such a policy for my husband's mother, who travelled overseas for the first time in her 80s.

 

Our premium has always been less than the non refundable amount.

 

Is final payment time 90 days before?

[MMDown Under]

"In past years P&O Cruises Australia has named their new ships Pacific Sky, Pacific Sun, Pacific Star and Pacific Dawn. However with the arrival of two new ships due in December 2009 and one in 2010, P&O Cruises has decided to change direction and use names that reflect the Jewels that await us in our own magical tropical region and those that are to be found on their superb new ships! In December the third ship of the Australian P&O fleet will be named Pacific Jewel. Now, P&O has announced the name of their forth gem in their ever growing fleet and she will be named - Pacific Pearl.

This superb 63,500-tonne cruise ship (built as Star Princess, later she became known to many Australians as P&O UK’s Arcadia) will join the cruise line in 2010. Her itineraries are currently being finalised with cruises set to go on sale from March this year.

Pacific Pearl will be P&O Cruises’ fourth ship, sailing alongside their two existing ships, the 70,000-tonne Pacific Dawn and the 47,000-tonne Pacific Sun which is being first being relocated to Fremantle, as well as the 70,000-tonne Pacific Jewel due in December.

Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia which operates P&O Cruises, said. “We wanted to choose a name for our next ship that reflected the magic of cruising the waters of the South Pacific,” - “It was a difficult decision but we chose Pacific Pearl as the name of our next superliner because it evokes these wonderful and tropical images of the places we visit.” - “Pearls are such beautiful jewels and are also synonymous with Australia and this region so it seemed a good fit for this next step in the growth of our business.” - “We know Pacific Pearl, along with her sister Pacific Jewel, will prove winners with Australians and New Zealanders alike given their superb features and their great size.”

Presently this ship is sailing as Ocean Village in the UK, and the Pacific Pearl will undergo an extensive refurbishment before she is deployed to Australia.

Pacific Pearl will accommodate around 2,000 passengers and offer a wide range of features including multiple swimming pools, restaurants and lounges, as well as private balcony cabins.

Ships History: This superb ship was built in France in 1989 for Sitmar Cruises and was to named Fairmajesty, however, prior to her completion, Princess Cruises acquired Sitmar, and the ship was completed and named Star Princess.

After a successful cruise career in the USA, Carnival Plc transferred her to P&O UK in 1997, and she was duly was renamed Arcadia, in memory of another much loved P&O liner which ended her long career in 1979. This new Arcadia was given a muli million-dollar refit prior entering service in her new role, taking British passengers to the Caribbean, Europe, and for the annual around the world cruise."

Rueben Goossens

 

 

Edited June 10, 2009 by MMDown Under

[Saga Ruby]

So - did you get to see the wonderful Ukranian bus shelters Ruby?? The porcelain is beautiful. Where in Istanbul did you find it. I will be back there next April, but never saw any of that last time, just rugs and jewellery!

 

Yildiz Porselen is an ancient and locally famous porcelain factory in the Beysiktas area of Istanbul. It was because of my friends in Istanbul that I learned about it. No one on the ship, including the cruise lecturer, had ever heard of it. If you would like to peruse a website, you can view this website: http://www.ottomansouvenir.com/Porcelain/Porcelain.htm which shows my porcelain pieces and many other choices of wall panels, plates, vases, bowls.

 

The push of tourist-related agencies in major metropolitan cities onto the cash cows of cruise passengers - both from the ship and locally - I find offputting. All of the HAL shorex in Kusadasi and Istanbul required a visit to a local oriental rug shop for an hour and the ship's shuttle into Istanbul, a short commute, cost $12 and stopped only at the Grand Bazaar.

 

I heard that, in Navplion, the HAL tour buses whipped by the Corinth Canal and the tour groups didn't get to spend time in that historical spot. Considering the hefty prices charged for shorex ($99 for my 4-hour Sevastopol tour), the "bang for the buck" theory is not positive on most of the cruise ships nowadays.

 

About Sevastopol and bus shelters - this city was the only shorex I booked thru HAL. After viewing the unique and fascinating Crimean War diorama, and after passing the same tank war memorial for the fourth time, I realized that the bus was killing time for the navy dances concert at noon. It was so aggravating that I never noticed the bus shelters - the best thing I did was leave the tour in the town square and stroll back to the ship on a beautiful sunny day in Sevastopol.

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Well, no cigar for me, I guess.

 

I was slightly off, when I said she was laid down as Star Majesty, when in fact she was laid down as Fair Majesty.

 

So much for relying on memory, rather than checking my facts!

[Host Sharon]

All of the HAL shorex in Kusadasi and Istanbul required a visit to a local oriental rug shop for an hour and the ship's shuttle into Istanbul, a short commute, cost $12 and stopped only at the Grand Bazaar.

 

I heard that, in Navplion, the HAL tour buses whipped by the Corinth Canal and the tour groups didn't get to spend time in that historical spot. Considering the hefty prices charged for shorex ($99 for my 4-hour Sevastopol tour), the "bang for the buck" theory is not positive on most of the cruise ships nowadays.

 

About Sevastopol and bus shelters - this city was the only shorex I booked thru HAL. After viewing the unique and fascinating Crimean War diorama, and after passing the same tank war memorial for the fourth time, I realized that the bus was killing time for the navy dances concert at noon. It was so aggravating that I never noticed the bus shelters - the best thing I did was leave the tour in the town square and stroll back to the ship on a beautiful sunny day in Sevastopol.

 

Ruby

 

Thanks for the info on the porcelain. Fortunately with the P&O tours, we were given the option of the obligatory rug shops and everyone declined so the coach swept past. Their shuttle buses are free too which is a plus. I forgot you were berthed in Sevastopol. Most of the astounding Russian revolutionary-style bus shelters were on the road between Yalta and Sevastopol so I guess you couldn't have seen them. The War diorama was very good indeed I thought.

[MMDown Under]

Well, no cigar for me, I guess.

 

I was slightly off, when I said she was laid down as Star Majesty, when in fact she was laid down as Fair Majesty.

 

So much for relying on memory, rather than checking my facts!

 

Michael,

 

I just came across the information, so thought you might be interested. I like Star Majesty better than Fair Majesty, anyway. :)

[MMDown Under]

Yildiz Porselen is an ancient and locally famous porcelain factory in the Beysiktas area of Istanbul. It was because of my friends in Istanbul that I learned about it. No one on the ship, including the cruise lecturer, had ever heard of it. If you would like to peruse a website, you can view this website: http://www.ottomansouvenir.com/Porcelain/Porcelain.htm which shows my porcelain pieces and many other choices of wall panels, plates, vases, bowls.

 

Ruby

 

Thanks for sharing the Porcelain website, Ruby. How did you make your selection from such a beautiful collection? Did you know what you wanted before you went?

[Druke I]

Yes, Star Majesty does sound better than Fair Majesty.

 

I always thought Princess was off the mark when they named one of the former Sitmar ships Fair Princess - sounds mediocre. She's long gone to the breakers, also. I think she last served the Australian market.

 

I also thought NCL made a mistake when they changed the name of Windward, after stretching her, to Norwegian Wind. That name always reminded me of a flatulence problem.

[MMDown Under]

Yes, Star Majesty does sound better than Fair Majesty.

 

I always thought Princess was off the mark when they named one of the former Sitmar ships Fair Princess - sounds mediocre. She's long gone to the breakers, also. I think she last served the Australian market.

 

I also thought NCL made a mistake when they changed the name of Windward, after stretching her, to Norwegian Wind. That name always reminded me of a flatulence problem.

 

:)

 

Michael,

 

Yes, "fair" is just "so so".

 

One wonders just what they were thinking, as Windward sounds much better.

Edited June 10, 2009 by MMDown Under

[Saga Ruby]

Thanks for sharing the Porcelain website, Ruby. How did you make your selection from such a beautiful collection? Did you know what you wanted before you went?

 

Before leaving the States, I paged thru the website and made hypothetical choices. But when I walked into that small retail shop and saw one of my top favourites, I knew it wasn't for me. Viewing the choices ahead of time gave me a head-start in walking thru the store and looking at the items in the individual display cases.

 

I was open to choices and it was a big help that my Ekol Travel guide was walking with me, translating my questions to the saleslady. When she said the carmen-red date bowl was a classic traditional design, that sealed the deal for me. My intent was to memorialize the rich and deep cultural traditions of the Middle East in my "collection" and I am quite pleased with what I bought.

 

Ruby