Our Big Transpacific Cruise - Gembrook, Australia
Gembrook, Australia
Day one. Thursday 10th April (Melb to Sydney) OMG, what a day. We were up at 3.45, showered, last minute packing and Dan the limo driver picked us up at 4.55. It was a great trip to the airport, arriving at 6.15. I had already printed off our boarding passes, so we went straight to bag check in and through security where Mum went off and had to be frisked. A it of a laugh, so it was the pin in her leg.. Had breakfast and bought mags, then wandered down to the boarding gate. After 10 mins, we heard an announcement that our boarding gate had changed, so we ventured up the escalator and the plane was already boarding. After settling in our seats in row 7, we waited and waited, finally getting a message from the first officer. There was only one runway operating, so there was a queue of 13 planes ready for takeoff ahead of us, plus the planes that were landing, so it would about 30 mins wait. We finally took off at 9.20, an hour and a half late. We landed at 10.30, collected our luggage and traipsed down to the train lugging our luggage behind us. We caught the train and were very impressed with them. It was a clean, smooth ride to Circular Quay. We walked down to the Radiance - she looks magnificent. I filled out the Customs forms, organised our paperwork and had a very smooth booking in experience once again. Once on board, we went straight to Windjammer and had lunch and by the time we finished, it was 12.50,so we went to Mum's cabin, then to ours. They are very nice and comfy - big king sized beds. After dumping our luggage, we did a short wander around, had a cuppa at Latitudes and went back to our rooms for a breather and waiting for bags. Mum and Greg got theirs, but mine didn't arrive until later. At 4.45, we all went down to the 4th deck for our muster drill which took over 1/2 hr. Greg and I went for a wander around the top deck, then we went outside as we sailed out of Sydney, then went and had tea at Windjammer. We came back to our room, mum and Greg sat out on the balcony while I unpacked, then Mum and Greg went down to the Casino while I went and got Mum's lanyard when the shops opened. I went to see the Welcome Aboard Show, then back to the Casino to pick up Mum and Greg, then off to bed. We had to put our clocks forward an hour, so it was 10.15 by the time we got to bed. I lay awake for ages thinking of Soots, then awake again at 2.12 and 4.35. Bugger it. Day 2 Friday 11th April (Cruising) We woke up at 6.40. Up and showered and went down to pick up Mum and have breaky. Yummy. We sat and had a coffee, Mum and Greg went for a swim, while I went to a Scrapbooking class. It was great. I'll make a great album of this cruise. I caught up with Mum and Greg at the pool, we sat around chatting for awhile, then back to our rooms where I organised Greg and myself for the shore excursions. I went down to Guest Relations and dropped off the form, then we had lunch at Windjammer. Greg and I went to see Pacific Rim in the Aurora Theatre, but it was ****** so I came back to our cabin to catch up on this journal and read on the balcony. Greg arrived and we decided to explore the top 2 decks, then met Mum and had afternoon tea. We had a peek in the Cascades dining room, had a play on the pokies. Greg and I went back to our room and watched a storm coming towards us till we hit it full pelt. The wind picked up and it got a bit rocky for a few hours. We had tea at Windjammers. Just as we got there, an Alpha call came over the PA and staff were racing passed us. Someone is in trouble on deck 10!! It was a formal night to meet the Captain, but a lot of passengers had opted to stay casual. Back to the casino for awhile before hitting the sack around 10.00, but we had to put the clocks forward again, so it was 11.00. Day 3 Saturday 12th April (Cruising) Up at 7.45. Showered and dressed, had breaky and sat out near the pool. Had a cuppa, then Greg and I sat in the Colony Club until 11 45, then had lunch. God it's a hard life at the moment. We came up to our room for a siesta, then Greg and I went down to the shops and bought a watch for Mum and tested some aftershave and perfume. We met Mum in Windjammer for afternoon tea, then came upstairs to get ready for our meet and greet with the Captain. It was really good, Ken the Cruise Director spoke, Phillipa, the Cruise Sales Director and the Captain gave speeches. There was food and drinks and 470 passengers attended. That's a lot of repeat travellers. One couple had cruised for 600 odd hours making them a Diamond Plus Member. We met up with Sheryl, ( the woman that Greg met up with in the pool yesterday) and her husband, so we were a bit late meeting Mum for tea. Greg and I went to the Country Trivia which was so funny, then Greg and Mum played the pokies. We met for a cuppa at 9.30, then Greg and I went to see the Country Night at 10.15 and didn't get back until 11.40. It was a fantastic night watching the line dancing and singing along. Tomorrow, Picton. Day 4 Sunday 13th April. (Picton) What a night. Got to bed around 11.50, woke up at 3.10 and we were a rockin'. Stayed awake for ages, but we were up at 7.15. Showered and dressed and met Mum at 7.45. Had breakfast and watched as we entered into Picton. There were mountain ranges on both sides, we sighted the township and then Radiance turned right around and we reversed into port. Wow, it was amazing. The port itself is like a logging mill, but the hills surrounding it are beautiful. Unfortunately is is freezing cold and very overcast. We ventured down to the 4th deck, had to show ID as well as our Seapasses, and we caught a bus into the township. I have been desperate for a banana, so we went into a supermarket and bought one for myself and Mum. We called into a pharmacy to get some travel sickness pills for Mum and some Coloxyl for me and bought some postcards before heading back on the bus, it was so cold. After lunch at Windjammers, we had a siesta and wrote out the postcards. Went down and had afternoon tea at 3.30, then tea at 6.30. We went int the Aurora Theatre and caught the last bit of Danny Elliot was fantastic, so we decided to hang around for an hour to catch his 2nd show, so didn't get to bed till 10.30. I bought his DVD, he was so good. Day 5 Monday 14th April. (Wellington) Up at 6.-5, showered, dressed, had breaky and down to Deck 4 to meet in theo Aurora Theatre for our tour. We boarded our bus at 8 and got a guided tour of Wellington. We got dropped off at Zealandia, the ecological hub of the capital. We saw some beautiful wildlife, but the tour was a bit long. It was very interesting, but we walked up hill and down dale for nearly 2 hrs. We were picked up at 10.30 and Peter took us to the Cable Car which was fantastic. It took us to the top of the mountain where we took pics, had a coffee and bought some souvs. Then back on the bus where peter took us past The Beehive and Parliament House, to a gorgeous Church and then back to the ship. We had lunch, then caught the shuttle bus back into town to post the postcards and find a Tiki for Jemma. Had. Hell of a job finding one, but we finally got back to the ship around 2pm. We rand Mal and David, then had afternoon tea at 3.30 and watched as we departed Wellington and NZ on our way to Moorea. We had a siesta, then had tea and went to the Elvis Trivia in the Schooner Bar which was a real hoot. Mum is really seasick as there is a hell of a swell since we left Wellington; rocking and rolling so we all are stumbling along bumping into walls. It's hilarious, it not so much for those with weak tummies like Mum. Day 6 Tuesday 15th April (Cruising) It was a rough night. I was still awake at 11.30 and woke up around 4.15. The waves are hitting us side on, so it was very relaxing to us that don't suffer with the chunders. We were up at 6.30, and after our ablutions, we had breakfast. Greg had rung his Mum and she is still really sick, so we just took some dry toast down to her. I'm going back at 10.00 to help her get out of bed so that her room attendant can make her bed and tidy her room. We sat up in the Solarium for an hour, me reading and doing a jigsaw and Greg perving. We went down to Mum, but Mohamed had already changed her towels and she was asleep, so we went to the Aurora Theatre to listen in on the lecture, but it was just advertising the tours around French Polynesia and Hawaii. We went and had a coffee and found all of our photos in the Photo Gallery, some look great, and went to check on Mum again. We took some bread and ice. She was awake, but still lousy. When we saw Kenwyn, we mentioned about Mum, and he gave us some motion sickness pills that they dispense down it the Medical Centre. When we saw Mum after lunch, we gave her 2 tablets. At 1.00, Greg and I went back to Aurora Theatre to see Saving Mr Banks which was a great movie, thoroughly enjoyed it. By tha time it was 3.10, so we checked on Mum again, still asleep, had afternoon tea and I had a snooze while Greg played the pokies and won $290.00. WOW. At 5.00, we rang to see how Mum was, and she said 85% to what she was, so we arranged to meet for tea at 6.20. Greg tried on his tux. We had a wander afterwards. Mum went back to her room while we attempted to do Music Trivia which was a waste of time. So I went back to the room and Greg played pokies again. Went to bed at 9 .30 cos I was so tired. Day 7, Tuesday 15th April again (cruising) passed the international dateline so 2 Tuesday 15th's Up at 6.30, ablutions and had breakfast, read, walked around the ship, ate, slept went to see Adventures of Spider-Man which was pretty ords. Liked Spider-Man with Toby Mcquire in it. Had tea and went down to the Schooner Bar to play Music Trivia Rock and Roll. I got 12 out of 15 right so I was stocked. Then we decided to see Marc Anthony, the hypnotist and so glad we did. It was so funny. At one stage, we looked across and Mum had her fingers in her ears. Greg asked her what was wrong and she said "nothing, I just don't want together hypnotised". Hilarious. We had to put the clocks forward again so got to bed after 12. Day 8, Wednesday 16th April (Cruising) Up at 7.00, tummy a bit ordinary, so took it easy with the eating today. I went to the Scrapbooking class at 11.00, then had a very small lunch. We lazed around this afternoon , then got dressed for the formal night. OMG, Greg looked just gorgeous in the tux. We had 14 photos taken, met Mum and had 4 more photos taken. Had tea and went to the John ?? show. I wasn't too keen on seeing it, but so glad we did. He was brilliant. He took off so many performers and actors and his take off of Elvis was amazing. Put clocks forward again so got to bed around.12.15. Bugger me, feeling like the walking dead at the moment. Day 9, Thursday 17th April (Cruising) Happy Anniversary Darling. Up at 7.30, had breaky and went to see a stupid movie. Grown Ups 2. I walked out and went to check our photos from last night. Went back and sat behind Greg until the film finished, then up for lunch. We relaxed up on deck 12, dozed off, but woke up when we were nearly blown overboard as the wind turned gale force. Went and had afternoon tea, took Mum to see the photos of last night's formal, then retired to our rooms until tea time. The weather is warmer today, still very rocky with patches of sunshine. Tomorrow is supposed to be 31 degrees - yay!! After tea, we went to the casino for awhile, but Greg and I only stayed for a short while then came back to our rooms cos we are both buggered. Went to bed early - we have 3 big days coming up and I can't wait. Day 10, Good Friday 18th April (Moorea) We are in paradise. We got up at 7.00 and we saw land. The sun was shining and coming into Moorea was so pretty with the mountain ranges, the blue ocean and scenery, it was magic. I couldn't sit still during breakfast as the scenery was changing every minute. At 8.30, we went down to deck 5 to get our tender tickets and waited until our number 3 was called. Then we hopped onto the boats and went into the little town of ??? There was a market set up for us, I bought a t shirt for little Ben and took photos, then back to the ship. Greg and I went up to the pool, I had a short spa, it was a bit rough and boiling hot (the humidity around these islands is a killer), and Greg got in the pool, but it was a bit cold for me so I lay for awhile. After lunch, Greg and I caught a boat back to the island ready for our tour. We got on the bus and drove up to Belvedere Lookout, through the villages, it was a 3 1/2 hr tour, but was pretty boring. The scenery was glorious, but it was hard to hear and understand our guide, so missed out on a lot of local history. We had 3 stops along the way and luckily we were sitting on the left of the bus and got good scenery, but couldn't take photos through the window. We managed to talk to Mal and David, so that was excellent, then met Mum in Windjammer for tea. We came. back to our room, Greg went with Mum to the 9 00 show, but I went to bed cos I was so tired. It was a wonderful day. Day 11, Saturday 19th April ( Bora Bora) Up at 6.00, we were very close to Bora Bora so took photos, showered and had breakfast and down to the Aurora Theatre by 7.45 ready for our tour. We took the tender boat to the island which was a lot closer to land than yesterday, and got onto our Le Truck for our 2 1/2 hr tour. It was fantastic. We drove right around the island, I bought a top, we had 5 stops along the way and once again, being on the left of the bus, I was able to get some amazing photos. The island was a base for American Troops in 1942 during the war. It is a very small island with a lot of history and it is a very close knit community as the islanders are mostly related in some way. Once again, the scenery was breathtaking, We got back to the ship, found Mum and had a cuppa before catching a tender boat back. We wandered through some shops, very overpriced. I looked at. Bracelet for Emma which was $87 so put that back pretty quick smart. Mum bought a top like mine and payed $5 more that I payed. I looked at Tahitian Vanilla Beans, but they were $46, so put them back. So in the end, I didn't buy a blessed thing. Back to the ship for lunch and a siesta. Had tea and went to check out Dancing with the Stripes on Deck 4, butMum decided she wanted to go cos of her swollen legs, so we met at 8.30 to go to the Production, but it was very ordinary, so we went back to our rooms at 9.30. Day 12, Easter Sunday 20th April (Papeete) Woke at 6.15, got up and checked outside, we were coming into Papeete, Greg had a shower while I was taking pics. I had a shower, we went up for breakfast and met in the Aurora Theatre for our tour. We set off on the bus at 9.45 for an island tour 2 1/2 hours. We went to see James Norman Hall, the poet and writer of Mutiny on the Bounty. It was a gorgeous home steeped in history. I'll be downloading some of his books. Then on to Venus Point, the only lighthouse on the island. Built in 1867, and the landing site of many European discoverers. Then on to a lookout offering views of the coastline and harbour. We got back to the ship at 11.15, we tried to find Mum, but couldn't raise her on her phone or knocking on her door and not in the pool area. She had been on the balcony, so we finally got her after 12. We had lunch and went down offshore to have a look at the market and find some postcards and a thimble for Mum. She decided she wanted to go back to the ship, but Greg and I wandered around for 1/2 hr or so. There weren't many shops open due to it being Easter Sunday. We got back to the ship, tried to ring Mal and David, but no luck. Greg texted David to call us, so we talked for about 7 mins, then he dropped out as we were nearly out of money on the card. We'll send another email in the next day or so. We went for a cuppa, wandered around and found a great spot aft just above the ropes. Wandered around for awhile taking pics. It was the Pool BBQ tonight, so Mum and Greg queued up for over half an hour to get their meat, while I just had salad and cheese and pavlova for dessert. Yum. After dinner, Greg and I decided we were going off shore again for awhile to check out the food tents they had set up and the market that was still open. We sat for ages just taking in the atmosphere of Tahiti and it was so relaxing. The ship was lit up like a Christmas tree and looked gorgeous. We got back on board around 9pm and made our way forward to the helipad to watch our departure at 9.30. The Pilot boat released the ropes which was fascinating to watch, the horn blew and off we went with 4 dolphins alongside. Just gorgeous. Then off to bed at 10.15. Day 13, Easter Monday 21st April (cruising) I woke up at 5.30, went out on the balcony with cameras in hand ready for a gorgeous sunrise at 6.09 and wasn't disappointed. Beautiful. We organised to get Greg's singlets washed and pressed. We had breakfast, I went down to Guest Relations to get another Seapass Card - my third so far, then met up again at 9.40 to go and see Mary Poppins that Mum had never seen. It was fantastic again, just love that movie. It finished at 12.30, so we had lunch, then went down to Guest Relations again to drop off our Disembarkation Details and to look at the photos from yesterday and back to our room for a siesta. I did a heap of washing. We didn't want to get undies or t shirts washed as they may shrink from what we've been told. We went and had a wander and had a cuppa at Park Cafe, went to see if there was a signal so we can sent emails, but the 3 people on the computers were having all sorts of trouble, so I guess that's a no. Back to our room, then at 5.15, we went down to the Schooner Bar for the Music Trivia, then up for tea. Then spent a lazy night wandering around. Day 14, Tuesday 22nd April (just cruisin') Up at 6.30, went and had breakfast and sat reading in the Solarium Pool area. At 9.35, Greg and I went down to Deck 5 to collect our passports, then we went back to the Pool area and Mum went to pick up her passport - different decks had different pick up times. Then we went up to Deck 12 to await the Crossing of the Equator ceremony which entailed 3 groups of people getting egged and floured, baked beaned and floured and kissing a fish. It was great, but we don't actually cross the Equator until tomorrow morning at around 9am. We had lunch and Greg and I went to the Aurora Theatre to see The Proposal movie which was pretty good. Then back to our rooms for a siesta. We went down to heck the shops and ran into Sheryl and Brett and had a chat to them. Apparently we have had 3 deaths on board, one just before we got to Wellington which explains the Alpha call we heard over the PA. We talked about jewellery and the young guy in the jewellery area looked at my brooch and said how stunning it was and it looks 18th century. He trained at one of the top jewellery stores in Toronto, so he knows his stuff. We looked at grog for David and walked out even more confused. Then went up and had tea. Wandered around for awhile and went to the Aurora Theatre to see Jon Darsk, a pianist and he was fantastic. A really good day. Day 15, Wednesday 23rd April (just cruisin' again) Up at 6.30, showered, started filling in the Customs Declaration Forms, then up to breakfast. At 9.00, we all went up to the Helipad as we crossed the Equator, the. Horn blew for 10 secs, and cheers all round. Then we went up to the Solarium and I finished filling in the forms, at 11.15, Greg and I went down to the Centrum to watch a bake off between Ken, the cruise director and the Captain against one of the ship's pastry chefs. It was hilarious. The head chef was instructing Ken and the Captain step by step on how to assemble a Black Forest Cake. He told them to cut the cake into 3 and the captain just hacked it into 3 pieces instead of slicing it through. Putting the cream on, the captain just picked up a handful and chucked it on the cake and the liqueur, he poured nearly the whole bottle on. Just great. We had lunch, Mum and Greg went to see separate movies and I found the Chain Man and bought a bracelet, then went to Scrapbooking, but just to pick up the packs. Back to our cabin, then met up with Mum and Greg in the Colony Club to check out the Bingo. Mum bought her pack and wasn't impressed cos it was $36 and she didn't I understand the rules, so she wasn't happy. By the time it finished, it was 4.15, so we went our separate ways until tea time. After tea, we went to the casino, stayed for 30 mins and left Mum to go to our cabin. Greg changed to have a dip in the pool, but came back 15 mins later saying it was too rough. So we were in bed by 10. Day 16, Thursday 24th April (cruising) It was a lousy night so I was up at 5.30, Greg got up at 6.00 and we went to the Internet cafe and topped up the phone card. Tried to check emails, but that was useless. Back to our room so Greg had his shower. It is extremely rough. I think there will be a few sick people this morning. Went up for breakfast, sat and read for awhile in the Pool Solarium until 10.00, then went down to the shops for the sale. Mum bought another bracelet for a friend and I picked up my bracelet. We went back to the pool area where I queued up for the Walk for Wishes shirt. Then down to the Quill and Compass for the Scrapbooking, but it was the usual, so I went back up to the pool where Greg and Mum were. Sat reading, then went for lunch. Back to our room, went for a walk, then got ready for our formal tonight. Greg and I went down to Deck 6 and had a few photos taken - one with Captain Sindre. We were waiting in line to get another photo taken, when one of the officers pulled Greg aside and had a talk to him. I'm wondering what on earth we've done wrong. When Greg came back to me, he had a huge grin on his face and told me we had just been invited to have tea at the Captains table. When Greg said we had his Mum with us, that stuffed it for us, but what a huge compliment that was. WOW, just stocked. Picked up Mum and went down for photos, but they had packed up to take photos in the main dining room, so we went to Windjammer for tea and went back at 7.30 and had 3 more sessions. Greg and Mum stayed to play the pokies, I went back to our room to read, then went back at 8.30 to go to the Aurora Theatre. Then bed. Have to be up early again to go to the Dawn Service up on the pool deck at 6.15. Day 17, Friday 25th April (cruising) Up at 5 20 and got ready for the Dawn Service. Mum knocked on the door at 6.00 so we made our way down to the Colony Club. It was packed by 6.15, nearly 300 we estimated. We had the Last Post, the Anzac Prayer, the meaning of Anzac, the NZ and Aussie National Anthems, a prayer by Father Ryan and Abide With Me. It was well done and very poignant. The Captain even have a speech. We had breakfast, then at 9.00, Greg and I went and had a coffee, went down to the Photo Shop and bought 4 photos from last night, wandered around taking pics, watched the towel animals demonstration down in the Centrum. They make it look so easy. Then we sat in the Solarium Pool area reading and listening to the iPod. At 12, we had lunch, then went down to the Aurora Theatre in readiness for the Captain's Corner. Mum bought 4 photos for $99.80 and damn near had a fit, but she got them anyway. Then we sat and waited for the Captain. It was very entertaining, he really is a character. He's been the captain on Radiance since 2006. We went had afternoon tea and went back to rooms and then met again for tea. Went and checked out the shops, then went to Aurora Theatre to see Paul McMahon from Nannup in WA. He was so talented and just hilarious. Never heard anyone talk so fast. He was great. Then off to bed. Day 18, Saturday 26th April (Lahaiana) I was up at 5.45 after a ****** night and watched the most amazing sunrise. We had breakfast at 7.15 and made our way to Aurora Theatre with our passports, Immigration and Customs Forms plus our Tour Tickets at 8.15, just as the ship tendered off shore. We sat until 8.40, then had to go over to Cascades dining room aft of the ship and queued for ages. We finally got through at 9.20, caught the tender boat and boarded our tour bus at 9.50, 52 mins late. We drove to the Iao Needle Valley thing, which was windy, cold and stunning. Then on to the Maui Tropical Plantation to do a tour in a tram car through mango, coffee, macadamia, banana and papaya plantations. Then on to the Maui Oceanic Centre, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. It was awesome - we saw green turtles, the most gorgeous fish, octopus, sharks, stingrays and I had a gorgeous mango cream ice cream, it is the nicest ice cream I've ever had. We got back on the bus and drove back to the boat at 3pm, finally getting back on board at 4.10. A bloody long day and I must say the bus tour driver didn't shut up for the whole 5 1/2 hours. God he could talk. We had a cuppa, rang Mal and David, finally found Mum, started packing and had tea. Then went back on shore, wandered around the shops and eventually found Brian, the Macaw Man and Greg and I had our photos taken with 5 parrots and macaws. It was just fantastic. He is posting the photos to Aussie. Then back to the boat to finish packing and have an early night. Day 19, Sunday 27th April (Honolulu and our last day) Sad face. It has been the most incredible holiday. I was up at 5.45 taking photos. We docked in Honolulu at around 7am, we were followed in by the Celebrity Solstice, she looks pretty big too. We went and had breakfast, then back to our room to do last minute packing, but Kenwyn needed to get into our room to clean, so we hurried, shook his hand, gave him a hug and went to get Mum who wasn't very impressed. We sat and waited for over an hour until we left the ship, then it started to our with rain while we were queued for a taxi - the queue was miles long, but within 20 mins, we were on our way into Waikiki to our hotel. The taxi driver unloaded our cases and the hotel porters secured our bags with lengths of cable until our room was available. We got to the reception desk at 10.10, but our room won't be ready until around 3pm, so we wandered around shops, had lunch and sat in the lobby for 2 1/2 hrs until we were called. Boring as all hell. Anyway, our room is very nice with a part ocean view. I did a bit of unpacking, got onto the free wifi and checked emails (237 of them), rang the tour company to confirm our pick-up for tomorrow for the Arizona Memorial. Mum and Greg went down to Macy's, but nothing down there. We did some washing at the laundrette and rang Mal and David. Had tea and went for a walk and by that time, we were bushed, so went to bed at around 10.00. Day 20 Monday 28th April (Waikiki) I was up at 5.10, had a shower first before the others and we went down to breakfast at 6.00. Pretty average buffet really. We may have to find an alternative for tomorrow. We stood outside at 6.30 and the bus arrived not long after, then we drove out to the Arizona Memorial getting there around 7.30.