Day 18: Raiatea, French Polynesia - Land ho!

Wow.  It is only 8:15pm and we are tucked into bed. G claims he's going to go back off the ship (we're docked in Uturoa, Raiatea until 5am tomorrow) to try to get some internet at La Cubana restaurant on the pier, but between you and me, he's not going to make it. We are completely wiped out tonight.

While I've admitted we enjoyed our sea days more than we might have in the past, by yesterday we were getting a bit antsy to get off the ship. Captain D had told us at last night's Captains Circle party that if we thought we had enjoyed our cruise so far, just wait; the best was yet to come. The best arrived this morning!

I set the alarm for 5:30am and bounded out of bed and was up on deck well before 6am. Douglas Pearson was already holding court on Deck 11 forward (he told me later that he was thrilled to see so many people on the open deck and I replied that he had told us often enough that we MUST be up there for every island arrival!) I was just in time to catch the sunrise near the neighboring island of Huahine, and Douglas pointed out Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora in the distance. For a ship-full of people who hadn't seen land in five days, this was heady stuff. 

We were treated to a beautiful rainbow over the southern end of Raiatea, with a backdrop of of steep green mountains. G eventually joined me on deck (he had been out until almost midnight last night) and we watched our approach to the island for awhile longer (our scheduled arrival today was not until 9am, but made our way back to the floor to ceiling windows and wonderful breakfast service in Sabatinis. As we sailed through Teavapiti Pass, we kept going from one side of the ship to the other to catch the motus close by on either side. It was wonderful to see the familiar sights of Uturoa- the Gare Maritime, the Champion grocery store, Le Marché- and feel immediately at home. 

Our first glimpse of the Raiatea lagoon

Motu Ofetaro

The day was mostly sunny with occasional passing clouds. It was noticeably cooler and/or drier than we remembered from December last year. Some of the hottest days I recall were in Uturoa; it was far more pleasant today. We had no plans for the day other than to get to the ATM just a block from the ship. Unlike last year, we brought no French Polynesian Francs (XPF) with us; we knew we could use the ATM in our first port. Please note: if you're coming to French Polynesia on a cruise, ATMs are only conveniently located for cruise passengers in Papeete, Raiatea and Bora Bora. 

Our next stop was to walk through Le Marché and then over to Champion market. G needed some Coke in resealable bottles, and the price was quite reasonable (about $1.15 each). We walked though the tourist booths on our way back to the ship and met Tyronne who, with his wife Vai, offered a boat tour down the east coast of Raiatea to the Fa'aroa River, and then up the river. The Fa'aroa River is the only navigable river in all of French Polynesia and this was one thing we hadn't seen last year. On the way back to the ship, Tyronne would drop us off on Motu Ofetaro for almost two hours of beach and snorkel time. The price was 5000 XPF or $50 U.S. per person, a good value for an almost four hour tour. Our trip would leave at 1:45pm. 

Taro 

I was anxious to see what our rate of exchange from the ATM was and immediately got on Internet once we were back on the ship. 30000 XPF cost us $290 U.S. and that includes the 3% transaction fee. I am very happy with the value of our stronger dollar this year!

We took some time for a quick lunch in the buffet, and sat with blog reader Toni who had just conquered Mt. Tapioi overlooking the Raiatea-Taha'a reef. She wanted me to clarify here that, regardless of what the guide books say, it is NOT an easy hike. No, it is not!!  I cried on the way down last year; she cried on the way up.  But those views from the top...outstanding!!  G was already making noise this morning about climbing it today and I squashed that like a bug. Somehow, while sleeping, I injured my knee and I put on Mom's knee brace to make sure G knew it. I have no idea what I did. Comedian Troy Thirdgill has a harious bit about how, when you're young, every injury carries with it a great story. "I was going in for a layup and strained my knee", or "I was trying to stay inbounds when I caught that pass" or "I was sky diving and landed a bit too roughly". At our age, injuries come from things like reading. Or sleeping. Or clapping along to music a little too aggressively. It's a sad thing,

So, anyway, back to our afternoon. We wore swimsuits and I took my snorkel gear (including my new camera and sexy new hood) and boarded Tyronne's 12-person boat right near the cruise ship. We traveled quickly south along the coast of Raiatea and then navigated up the Fa'aroa River for about 30 minutes, right into the heart of the caldera of the original volcano that created the island. The mountains and flowering vegetation all along the river banks were really spectacular. We stopped once along the way where a family was selling fresh coconuts with straws in them to drink the coconut water   They had a little son about 9 or 10 years old who was just darling and he came on our boat and brought us all wild ginger and bird of paradise flowers (and was well compensated for his cuteness).

The now defunct Hawaiiki Nui hotel, site of the first overwater bungalows in French Polynesia 

We left the river and started back north up the coast. When we reached Motu Ofetaro, Tyronne dropped off the five of us who wanted some beach time. G and I immediately walked down to the far end of the motu where I had had the phenomenal experience of spotting my first-ever clown fish last year. I snorkeled back and forth over the same area I was in last year, but, while I saw a lot of beautiful coral and fish, I did not find Nemo. I'll have to keep trying. 

The island of Taha'a as seen from Motu Ofetaro

Tyronne picked us up about 5pm, and we were back on the ship by 5:20pm. We took speedy showers and rinsed out our gear, and then rushed to the Club Restaurant about 30 minutes late for dinner. No matter; it was nearly empty. The Children of Raiatea folkloric dance group was performing at 5pm so many people were watching that and were just dining in the buffet afterward. The adult folkloric show is at 9:45pm. We won't make it that long tonight. 

Today was our 32nd wedding anniversary, the first time we've ever celebrated it on a cruise. Sadly, we were so worn out during dinner that we asked waiter Henry to skip the group fanfare and just provide the special cake. Henry obliged but offered us a beautifully simple song he had written for his wife around their 15th anniversary. No group singing, no applause, it was a perfect end to a perfect day. 

The alarm is set for 4:30am tomorrow (yikes). We will be leaving Raiatea and making our way through PaiPai Pass, between Raiatea and Taha'a en route to a 9am arrival in Bora Bora. It should be an absolutely spectacular morning as we cruise up the west coast of Taha'a and through Teavanui Pass into that beautiful Bora Bora lagoon (nothing else could get us out of bed that early). 

And, finally, I will be adding pics and maps to these posts when we get to Papeete...I hope. Internet is simply way too slow on the ship. We hope that Chaplin's relatively speedy WiFi is still available and are preparing ourselves for the many Hinano beers we'll be drinking as payment.  

Day 17: Fifth of five days in a row at sea

My eyes opened like clockwork at 6am this morning, which is good but maybe not good enough for our upcoming island arrivals. I think I will set an alarm at 5:30am for tomorrow morning's arrival in Raiatea through Teavapiti Pass. It's a gorgeous one!

This morning, I read until G started to stir, and then we got cleaned up a bit for breakfast in Sabatinis (something about dining there compels us to be more presentable than for breakfasts elsewhere on the ship). 

I will mention this here only because it is a fairly standard offering on Milestone Princess cruises (we had one on the Emerald Princess on our 50th cruise): at 9:30am we were to meet just outside the bridge for a bridge tour. As I've mentioned, there are 75th cruise perks, such as flowers, that we've not received because there is no florist on board; we've learned to never expect and are then delighted when things do come through, and this was a perfect example. And, as with our 50th cruise bridge tour, it's the act of simply being on the bridge that provides the biggest thrill. The view from up there; and the view from the bridge wings...amazing! Looking down through their glass floors is a bit like being on the Seawalk on the Royal Princess. 

Third officer Emmanuel gave us the tour

Looking down at the ocean surface nine decks below

From there I went to Ramon's origami craft session, where I finished the box to match the lid I made last cruise. It is definitely not an easy project, and the entire thing must be assembled at the end in a process I've named 'and then a miracle happens'. Or Ramon comes around to save the day. Either term is appropriate. 

I spent some time this morning and afternoon writing several thank you notes (using our personalized stationery!) but G pulled me away to look at the BIG! 75% off Pacific Princess logo wear from prior seasons. We have been sooo cold on the ship that G purchased an Alaska fleece pullover for $11.70 and I purchased a 50th anniversary World Cruise fleece pullover for $12.15...and we immediately put them on to go to lunch in the Club Restaurant. We both brought just one fleece with us, and they are currently in the laundry because they have been hard worn. If you'll be cruising on the Pacific Princess in the near future...you've been warned!

G went to a ukulele class while I finished the thank yous, and then he went to a hot tub to warm up. I relaxed on a lounger on the Promenade Deck while listening to an audiobook. We thought we had to be dressed for formal night #4 of the winter by 4:35pm for the Captains Circle party but then realized that the party wasn't until 7pm. All dressed up; we decided the place we wanted to go was to Deck 4 in the Reception Hall to listen to Douglas Pearson tell his tales of the South Pacific until it was time to go into dinner at 5:30pm. It was a great menu, but I only had escargot and lobster- and tiny cookies for dessert, of course- before we needed to get to the Cabaret Lounge for the Captains Circle party.  We were doubly honored tonight for being this cruise's most traveled passengers but also for our 75th Princess cruise. 

Production show singer Lanie Gullickson then performed a solo show backed by the Pacific Princess show band that had G reaching for my hand over and over and me in tears at one pointt. She is really quite amazing, and to hear her shine on her own is a real treat.

G atill has energy and is going to go back out for Lanie's second show and the champagne waterfall, but I am done for the night (wine with dinner as well as two Breeza Marinas deserve most of the blame but there's that 5:30am wake up tomorrow too...). Our plans tomorrow for Raiatea are totally in flex, but chances are they will involve some walking on terra firma for the first time in over five days and a stop at an ATM for French Polynesian Francs. 

And then there's our wedding anniversary, celebrated at sea for the first time ever. How perfect is it that it is coinciding with our first French Polynesian port?!?

Life is good. :-)

Day 16: Fourth of five days in a row at sea

We awoke to a bright sunny day. The seas remain calmer than they were right out of Hilo, but not as calm as the day after that (I can still pass the Cabaret Lounge test with no trouble), but it's the temperature (mid-80sF) and consistent sun that is most notable...plus the current ocean temp (almost 90F; even Captain D is remarking on it). What a pleasant trip southward we've had!

Breakfast in Sabatinis remains a wonderful way to start the day, but I'm keeping it light now. Just a fruit plate and (today) a fruit and yogurt parfait...and fresh squeezed OJ and a mimosa, naturally. ;-) More than that is really not necessary on sea days when we'll be eating a nice lunch and dinner. But even though the breakfast choices are simple, the service is anything but. Two waiters for four passengers can't help but provide a memorable dining experience. In fact, when he knew we had to leave for Douglas Pearson's 9am lecture (today's was on Huahine), waiter Jaime sent us off with to-go cups of cappuccino, to keep us warm in the refrigerated Cabaret Lounge. 

 That's G's poached eggs in the lower left

We continue to enjoy Douglas' presentations for three reasons: 1.) they remind us of many things about each island; 2.) they teach us a least a few things every time; and. 3.) they get us so darned excited to be returning to these places we love so much. We've thought about and planned this trip for so long, it's hard to believe we're finally almost in French Polynesia. Just our cruise to date has been a wonderful vacation, but soon the pièce de resistance will be added. 

Life is good. :-)

We wanted to stay in the Cabaret Lounge for Dr. Evans' lecture on Captain Cook and the relationship between his South Pacific voyages and the stars, but, honestly, it's just too cold to spend that much time in there. G made tracks to a hot tub while I checked out Ramon and Alex's craft session in the Steakhouse. Today's craft was once again the ribbon leis we made last cruise, and they had a full turn out, so I didn't stay. However, I did act as a visual aid. I don't think I've yet been able to publish the photo I have of the lei I made with the ribbon I purchased at the Hilo WalMart, but I will. (I have a LOT of photos to get caught up with). I wore the lei to the craft session and acted as model (the first and last time in my life I'll ever be asked to do that!). 

I then adjourned to the heat of a lounger on the Promenade Deck. I am listening to an audiobook, and it's a favorite place to do that. However, the crew has been doing quite a bit of painting and sprucing up of the deck railing, and something they were using today caused me to develop a headache (but obviously didn't have any ill effects on the other passengers out there), so I returned to the cabin to await G's return.

While I waited, I tried to get on WiFi and was thrilled to see it was the tiniest bit better. I had been trying to upload just a single photo to my post of two days ago (that fantastic sunset) and had had no luck at all, but this morning I finally got it posted. Well, yay!  However, I am going to wait with the many other photos I have, until Papeete or perhaps until the Pacific Princess reaches the Society Islands in a few days. I have plenty of free internet minutes left; all I need is a stable ship and a good satellite signal, both of which we'll hopefully have in a couple of days.  

I had quite an effort to pull G away from our cabin when the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! came on at noon. I kept reminding him it would play, over and over again on Channel 24 for the rest of the day, but... We did finally make it to lunch in the Club Restaurant, but not early enough for me to eat and make it to the 1:15pm movie in the Cabaret Lounge: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. That's okay; it will be on Channel 21 at 8:15pm tonight, and our cabin is at least ten degrees warmer than the Cabaret Lounge. 

I had part of a wonderful spanikopita with a truly flaky crust for lunch, and we watched as the Grapevine wine tasting was being set up in the center of the Club Restaurant. We really weren't intending to go to today's wine tasting but headwaiter Josko told us they would be presenting totally different wines to last cruise. That sounded too good to pass up, so we returned to the cabin for our wine tasting invitations and spent a most enjoyable hour tasting five wines. I even found a new favorite red, quite a shocker for me, as I am not a Cabernet Sauvignon fan, but this one (Greystone Cellars) was a blend with merlot and had much less tannin. Consider me sold!

G was antsy to get back to the movie on TV (because his 57 previous viewings of Tora! Tora! Tora! were simply not enough), but spent a few minutes with me in a lounger on the shady side of the Promenade Deck. I was eventually left alone to listen to my book and enjoy the passing sea, entirely mellow after the wine tasting. Yep, these sea days have been tough to take!

We skipped the Elite Lounge tonight and went directly to dinner. When I told Henry I was hungry tonight, he smiled as if we had given him a gift and said, "Finally!" Maybe we should start skipping lunch, if it makes Henry so happy to see us hungry when we arrive for dinner. As on other evenings when there has been a theme party later in the evening (tonight it was the Country Western Hoedown at 9:45pm), the shows in the Cabaret Lounge have been at 7pm for late diners and 8:30pm for early diners. We ate quickly (but ate three courses!) and went to the 7pm performance of musical entertainer Duncan Tuck, and then I went back to our cabin, opting to watch The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on TV while tucked comfortably into bed. G is heading out to star gaze with Dr. Rhodri Evans, weather permitting. We're still hoping to catch a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy but the moon getting increasingly larger is not helping our efforts.  

Only one more sea day. Sigh. I'll miss them a little when we begin the parade of islands starting September 24th. Really. ;-)

Day 15: Third of five days in a row at sea and Crossing the equator!

I tried too long last night and again this morning to add at least one of many photos to yesterday's post and, after about 23 minutes of internet usage, got nowhere. Frustrating, but I really should know better. I will eventually add photos and will let you know when I do...maybe at Chaplins in Papeete?  That will be familiar territory!

Our weather continues to be spectacular, sunny and 82F with 18mph trade winds from the northwest (so, from behind the ship). The ocean swell continued to diminish until this afternoon when we started to experience small waves and more choppiness, and the weather forecast for tomorrow is unchanged. We have been really fortunate weather-wise except for Hilo (where it almost always rains) and our Kauai port miss (but I feel that the daytime cruise of the southwestern Oahu coast and the extra night in Honolulu more than made up for that).  

Today's Princess Patter included the following navigation notes: 

During the morning we will continue following southerly courses towards Raiatea, through the Pacific Ocean. This afternoon Pacific Princess will cross the equator. Certain navies, such as the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy, have a tradition of holding ceremonies on board ship to mark sailors' first crossing of the equator. Crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, will also be held this afternoon on board Pacific Princess. The equator is an imaginary line that lies at zero degrees latitude, is 24901.55 miles long and divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 

I managed to wake up before 6am today, which was good, but allowed myself the luxury of reading in bed until G started to stir. We went to Sabatinis for breakfast shortly after 7:30am and ate very lightly, because of our plans for lunch. At 9am, I was in the Cabaret Lounge for Douglas Pearson's presentation on Moorea, and looking at his photos of that gorgeous lagoon and beautiful mountains, I felt certain once again that Moorea is the most beautiful island we visit...until I get to Bora Bora, when I'll change my mind. Honestly, I can't choose. 

Today at noon in Sabatinis was this cruise's MTP luncheon. Once again, a bit of a clean up (elegantly casual attire was specified) and best behavior was called for. We peppered Captain D for information about exactly what time we'd be crossing the equator (7:15pm-ish), which pass we'd be entering the Raiatea lagoon through (Teavapiti Pass) and which of Moorea's bays we'd be anchored in (Cooks). Captain D had made his daily noon announcement a few minutes early to allow him to get to the luncheon by noon, and during it he said that today we were going to experience something truly unique, even among seasoned sailors. Crossing the equator so closely to the autumnal equinox (about 27 hours apart) meant that the sun couldn't be anymore directly overhead than it is, and we would cast absolutely no shadow at midday. This only occurs when crossing the equator at the vernal and autumnal equinox. How cool is that? (And how geeky are G and I that we had already checked on how the closely timing of the two events would occur several weeks ago when we were still home. We love this sort of thing!). 

Our luncheon menu today was different that last cruise, but every bit as delicious. Since I have no hope of uploading any photos of the menu, I'll just again type it below:

Fusion of Parma ham and king crab salad

OR

Pumpkin and Stilton cheese risotto

Hawaiian jumbo shrimp in garlic sauce

OR

Beef steak tagliata style

Chocolate hazelnut bar with citrus cream

Where there was a choice, I chose the first option. It was all spectacular. But, oh, it's difficult to feel any kind of motivation after that kind and quantity of food at midday. Luckily, the first part of the afternoon was taken up with the ship's Crossing the Equator ceremony. The sun was so hot (and so overhead that there was absolutely no shade on the pool deck), that I was happy the entire event lasted only about 30 minutes. Most notable was that Hotel General Manager Ivano Calandri made an excellent King Neptune and Deputy Cruise Director Jason an hilarious Queen Titicaca. The mock trial of pollywogs (those participating passengers who had never before crossed the equator) devolved into a huge slimey food mess, as it always does, and preparation and clean up probably takes at least twenty times as long as the event itself. 

I returned to the cabin to change out of my dressier clothes and back into my usual shorts and T-shirt and adjourned to the quiet, shady side of the Promenade Deck. The dolphin sightings that had me so excited yesterday had been just as common (with perhaps larger pods) until late this afternoon when the waves picked up, and I could have spent all day out there watching for them.  We also saw; for the first time today; several frigate birds. Here, in the middle of total nothingness. Where did they come from?

Without much appetite, we skipped the Elite Lounge and went directly to dinner in the Club Restaurant at 5:30pm. We ate lightly (salad and seafood skewer for me) and G kept going to the Passenger Services Desk TV monitors to check on the ship's location. Finally, about 7:19pm, we felt the bump in the water (haha) that indicated we had crossed the equator and passed from summer to winter (and tomorrow to spring). Holy transitions, Batman!

We were excited tonight to see a new (at least we don't recall previously seeing it) production show called Shake, Rattle and Roll. Great songs, accompanied by the Pacific Princess Show Band, and wonderful costumes. I am doing some serious fan girling of male vocalist Shai Yammanne...a sensational vocal range and cute to boot. How old am I? ;-)

And that was it for our day. I'm not sure why (champagne mimosas for breakfast and wine for lunch and dinner, perhaps?) but we were feeling very relaxed today. Or maybe it's just because we have nothing to do and all day to do it. Is there a sweeter sentence in the English language?

Day 14: Second of five days in a row at sea

Today was simply perfect, from start to finish. Honestly, it just couldn't have been any better.  Did I once say (many, many times) that sea days are not our favorites?  I was wrong. Very wrong.

As Captain D had promised, the ocean swell diminished considerably overnight (how did he know it would be exactly 36 hours of high swell after we left Hilo?). We slept in, until almost 7am. We need to quickly lose that bad habit; lots of early morning island arrivals lie just ahead.  Sabatinis for breakfast was just incredible...all of it. Perfect service, beautiful table setting, floor to ceiling windows with endless views of sunshine sparkling on calm water, mimosa and fresh squeezed OJ. Today I followed the usual fruit plate with freshly made Belgian waffles, served just the way I love them, with orange marmalade and whipped cream. Mmmmm....

We were scheduled to go through French Polynesian immigration at 9am in the Pacific Lounge, and I couldn't wait to meet these people (there were two of them) who are spending five days on board to stamp 615 passenger passports (and whatever they do for the 300 crewmembers). After 20 seconds of scrutiny (most of it spent finding our cabin number on a listing), we were officially welcomed into French Polynesia...as of four days from now, on September 24th. It's good to be (almost) back!!

I returned to our cabin to put our passports back in the safe, and there was a knock on the door. Wilson, from Room Service, was delivering a plate of beautiful chocolate covered strawberries from Captain D, celebrating our 75th cruise. So nice!  A few minutes later, there was another knock. This time it was Wilson delivering chocolate covered strawberries from Chef Gaetano Patamia celebrating the same. This is all just wonderful; our 76th Princess cruise can't help but pale in comparison (but we can't wait to endure it, just the same). ;-)

I had just 45 minutes to Miracle Walk up on Deck 10, and covered in sunscreen and armed with a Tilley, I listened to an audiobook while I did my duty. We've come a long way from yesterday, when we needed to hold on in the shower to stay upright; there was only a minimal swell today. 

I was so excited, to read in today's Princess Patter, that Alex was going to offer another quilling session this morning. You may recall that this is the craft I so seriously botched last cruise. However, I had mailed the results of my effort to Mom from Maui and she had already received it while we could still talk on the phone, and thought it was simply the best. This just goes to prove that, whether one is 5 or 55 years old, all moms think their kids are Picassos. 

We went to lunch in the Club Restaurant promptly at noon, to allow us to get to Douglas' talk on Bora Bora in the Cabaret Lounge at 1:15pm. Lunch featured our favorite menu:  deep fried mozzarella sticks for G and spaghetti aglio, olio and pepperocino for me. But because I had not had any protein at breakfast, I asked for just a small portion of pasta and paired it with tilapia tacos. G declared his dessert- an apple baked in puffed pastry with walnut ice cream on the side- the best he's ever had. Happiness reigned. 

Douglas' Bora Bora talk was packed, and just seeing his slides again made me very excited to be returning. When I see Bora Bora, I think it's the prettiest island in the world; when I see Moorea, I'm sure it is. They are winners, both of them. We are really looking forward to our excursion on Bora Bora; it hard to believe it's less than a week away now. 

We should have stayed in the Cabaret Lounge for Dr. Rhodri Evans' lecture on the Andromeda Galaxy, but the Promenade Deck was loudly calling our names by then (after 2:30pm). Of course there were empty loungers available on both the sunny and shady sides of the ship...this is the Pacific Princess!  We started on the sunny side with just our legs in the sun, and enjoyed that until it got a little too hot. We then moved to the shady side, enjoying a beer (G) and can of fuzzy water (me), and just when we thought life simply could not be improved upon, we spotted an entire pod of dolphins surfing in the ship's bow wave, then a single dolphin and another followed by yet another pod. Here, in the midst of the vast Pacific Ocean. That was an incredible thrill!!!

Eventually, we had to pull ourselves away from what I'm sure would have been more dolphin sightings, and only one thing was enticing enough to do that:  Breeza Marina night in the Elite Lounge. The endless vistas from up there are just gorgeous, and Captain D promised us an even calmer and sunnier day tomorrow. 

Dinner was quick and simple. Our intention had been to finish in time for the 7pm show in the Cabaret Lounge of comedian impressionist Jeff Burghart, so we had just two courses, but the gorgeous (and I mean gorgeous) sunset had us rushing out of the Club Restaurant with iPhones in hand. It had to be in the top five of sunsets at sea we've ever seen. The Pacific Ocean is definitely pacific tonight!

We made it to the comedian's show- his style was different and pretty funny- and are hoping to make it to the 50s and 60s Rock and Roll party later tonight in the Pacific Lounge.  Tomorrow afternoon we will enjoy the Crossing the Equator Ceremony on the pool deck for (I think) the fifth time. It sounds like the weather will be perfect for it.