Day 61: Papeete (turnaround day)

I've decided not to purchase extra internet minutes on the ship this cruise. Our plans are pretty much in place now, and I don't need to be on the Internet as much; also, the quality of the ship's wifi is really quite bad. Therefore, I will be significantly cutting back on the number of photos I publish in my blog. I will go back and add more starting December 28th when we are in Papeete for ten days. Also, I will not publish today's post until tomorrow, when we return to free wifi in Papeete, before we sail at 5pm, just in an attempt to save wifi minutes on the ship. 

Thanks for your understanding!  :-)

I was shocked (!) when we awoke to no rain this rnorning, but felt more comfortable when rain moved in by lunchtime. It was, after all, Papeete. ;-) By the time we'd finished breakfast and sorted through paperwork and did some more exploring of empty cabins on turnaround day morning (most notably, the suites do not have separate showers in the bathroom but they do have a second half-bath, which I think is a fair trade off, and there are two connecting cabins, suites to balcony cabins on Deck 6) we had just enough time before lunch to walk over to the Hotel Tiare Tahiti and verify (for the third time, which finally put G's mind at rest...maybe) that they are waiting for us ten days from now. We've also received permission to stay on the Pacific Princess on next turnaround day until later in the day, which will be wonderful, as it will allow us to move our suitcases over to the hotel after their 2pm check in time. We stopped at an ATM on the way back to the ship and got some more local currency. The largest allowable withdrawal is 30000 CFP, about US $315. I was hoping to be able to make a larger withdrawal, since we will inevitably need it, but, alas, them's the rules. It's still the most economic way to get Polynesian francs.

Of course, it was pouring by the time we returned to the Pacific Princess. Once, just once, I'd like to have an embarkation security photo taken without water streaming down my face. It doesn't seem to be possible. They used my original one for several cruises (the one taken on our late night arrival in the rain after 22 hours of travel...I bet that was attractive), and last turnaround day it also rained. Alas (there was a lot of alas-ing today, wasn't there?) I have another security photo with flattened wet hair and water streaming down my face. 

We were seated at a table for two at lunch in the Club Restaurant, but, as so often happens, started talking with two couples at the next table. Finally, one of them (Kevin) looked at G and asked, "Are you G?"  When G asked how he knew, Kevin replied, "I have your photo on my phone" and it was absolutely harious. To think of G's photo on the phone of someone we'd never met...these French Polynesian cruises are getting to be like Caribbean cruises, where G and his white beard, yellow shirt and Tilley hat are famous (or is it infamous??). And still I skate through these cruises fairly anonymously.

;-)

We returned to our cabin to collect electronics and hot-footed it over to Chaplins. I had not been able to get yesterday's post uploaded, and, though I knew Mom wouldn't worry (I had phoned her this morning (for free, using Vonage!  Get the app!), I do get concerned emails from readers if I'm late with a post, which is so, so sweet and very much appreciated. (I didn't get any today, though. Everyone is too caught up in holiday preparation to worry about middle-aged me driving an ATV off a South Pacific mountain). Aaaahhh, Chaplins, home of fast wifi and a waitress who knows us by name and brings us our usual Perrier (me) and banana juice (G). While we were sitting there, the sun started to come out again, and the humidity dropped down to about 131% and it was quite comfortable. 

We internetted until our batteries were depleted and our fannies were sore from sitting on hard chairs. On the way back to the ship, we took a closer look at the premium cruise ship, Regent Seven Seas docked at the next pier. It's actually larger than the Pacific Princess, which is surprising. I think this is the first time we've ever seen a premium ship larger than the mass market ship we were on.  Love it!

The reason we docked the way we did in Papeete:  new anchor chains replaced the old ones.

Baby on board :-)

Regent Seven Seas Mariner was docked at the second cruise ship pier

We barely had time to get showered before going to dinner at 6pm. This first night of the cruise, when some passengers will be arriving late and we are overnighting in Papeete is open seating in the dining room, but we like to try to get there right at 6pm before someone else is seated at our usual table. Jose and Justin know us so well, and have our usual drinks and G's brioche rolls for him without us even needing to ask. I was still fairly full from the large lunch we'd eaten and just had chicken Caesar salad. And flourless chocolate cake for dessert, of course.  I had been texting friend Suzan from Chaplins today; she just returned from an Emerald Princess cruise (where she and husband Greg stayed in "our" cabin!). We were "talking" future cruise plans and football (of course...our two favorite topics) and when we signed off, she told me to enjoy my flourless chocolate cake tonight. How well she knows me, and how well she knows Princess' embarkation day dinner menu. I miss our frequent texts (especially when we talk cruises during NFL games with intermittent discussion about plays and penalties. How fun is that??). 

G has gone to the 8:30pm Welcome Aboard show in the Cabaret Lounge. I am more anxious to read some of the new magazines I was able to download on my iPad today using the Next Issue app. I have five People magazines to get caught up with; it's hard for a Welcome Aboard show repeat to compete with that. ;-)