I must first mention that today was not originally scheduled to be a sea day. We were supposed to be in Huahine (pronounced Who-ah-HEE-nee, and, wow, did autocorrect give me fits typing that!). But about two months ago we received one of infamous 'Emergency Notifications' from Princess:
Cruise ship congestion in Rangiroa (Rang-ee-ROW-a)? There are probably only 3 or 4 cruise ships within 1000 miles of us right now; what were the odds? However slim they were, I am happy things worked out the way they did.
Being a sea day, I'll be typing this post throughout the day. I have so many things to tell you that I'm not even going to try to string them together in a cohesive manner. So buckle your seat belts and prepare for a very GPS-worthy post!
Some leftover thoughts from past days...
We created a stir at both the Air Tahiti Nui check in at LAX and at Aimmigration at the Papeete airport. The fact that we're staying in the country for (I'll just spill the beans now) 60 days had everyone all aflutter. SIXTY days? You'd think we were the first ones to ever do so. We already knew we didn't need a visa to do this (I'd contacted both Air Tahiti Nui and the French Embassy months before we'd left home); the limit without a visa is 90 days. But I'm certain the folks in line behind us at both check points were wondering what kind of fugitives we were, as we produced proof after proof of our onward travel plans and talked with higher and higher level personnel. For once, we were the cause of consternation in the line.
Maybe knowing that we're staying for six 10-night cruises explains a bit why we didn't fly down early before the cruise and also didn't do any extensive sightseeing yesterday. We'll be in Tahiti 10 or 11 days through all this; plus, we've been there before, so we prioritized our time differently than most. On both our previous visits, we had taken an all day 4WD tour with Patrick, an ex-pat Frenchman, and I highly recommend him. We went far into the center of the island, into the Papenoo Valley, visited a marae (holy site) and jumped 10-15 feet off cliffs into rushing waterfalls, sliding down into rock pools where the water beat on our backs. It was a perfect combination of history, culture, scenery and adventure. While we immensely enjoyed both days, we don't need to repeat them.
Currency exchange is available through the Passenger Services Desk. US $1 gets you XPF86 minus $4.50 transaction fee, which is actually quite good. The reverse- it takes XPF103 to get US $1 back, minus the same transaction fee, not such a good deal. We are set for a couple of cruises with what we brought from home, but will eventually have to use an ATM card at one of the many banks in Papeete, which is generally the best way to get local currency when needed. If that doesn't work, we now have a backup plan through the ship, which is comforting knowledge (what with $13 tubes of laundry detergent and all).
Our Cruise Director David Bradshawe, who hails from England, is a singing CD. We've only had three singing CDs in our entire cruising career. And one singing captain (Captain Kent on Royal Caribbean). Of course, because the CD on the very first cruise we ever took sang, we thought they all did. Not so. Singing CDs are a rare breed. David introduced our comedy magician in song last night, which was different and clever.
We are quickly getting settled into our obstructed ocean view cabin. I should mention, at this point, that when we originally booked these cruises at the end of April, we were unable to get the same cabin for all of them; in fact, I don't recall that we were ever in the same cabin for two cruises in a row. Just a few days before we left home, we received notification that we had been assigned the same obstructed ocean view cabin on Deck 3 for all cruises, which was the nicest thing EVER. There are just 15 passenger cabins on this deck, it is the lowest (most stable) passenger cabin deck and we are on the same deck as the tender loading platforms. Very convenient! We are unpacked and moved in, and, as I've mentioned, have even rearranged the furniture to best suit us. And our tiny porthole is adorable...a child could use its alcove as a window seat, and we see the ocean rushing by just feet from our cabin.
Our steward Bianca told us that our area is considered a training area, with three fewer cabins than most stewards have to service. She's so good that we had no idea she was new at what she does.
I was too tired last night to mention that our comedy magician was Greg Moreland, and he was quite good and extremely personable. As predicted, it appears he is a resident entertainer, and will be offering classes to teach magic tricks to "impress your grandchildren". The twins are not grandchildren, but I imagine they might be impressed, however briefly, by magic tricks, at least until the start of the next football game. Impressing them grows harder by the year, so I'm going to try to acquire a newskill while on board. The Cabaret Lounge is, like every venue of this ship, appropriately small and it lacks the sloped, theater-style seating found in the Princess Theater on larger ships, but it offers a very intimate atmosphere that more than makes up for that.
There are basically three entertainment venues on this ship: the Cabaret Lounge, the Casino Lounge and the Pacific Lounge (excuse me for a moment while I go to Settings to set up new keyboard shortcuts for those names). The Cabaret Lounge features the evening show (shown twice, plenty of seating); the Casino Lounge and Pacific Lounge feature live music, with dancing at the latter, and last night there was pre-show music and dancing in the Cabaret Lounge. The Pacific Lounge very much resembles the Crows Nest on a Holland America ship, glassed in at the very top of the bow of the ship
The Pacific Princess Orchestra has only four musicians. Like everything on this ship, it exists, just downsized.
While wifi on the ship was pretty good while docked in Papeete (I called Mom using Vonage (for free! Get the app!)), it has deteriorated considerably today. It has never been fast enough for us to check our security cams at home (or else they are blocked) but has done well with our Nest thermostat. Still, I see that Internet availability will be a recurring issue on this ship/ itinerary, and if the number of photos accompanying a post seems paltry, that's the primary reason.
And, finally, on to today...
I slept until 5am again, and the earliest light of the day was already visible through our porthole. We went to breakfast in the Club Restaurant (aka the main/only dining room) where I made a point of taking food photos (you'd think I'd never cruised before). At 10am, port lecturer (notice, NOT port and shopping lecturer, but just plain port lecturer, which is 1000 times better) Douglas Pearson was speaking in the Cabaret Lounge. Douglas moved from England to French Polynesia as a boy, and is effusive and enthusiastic as he jumps from one French Polynesian topic to another (he talks like I write and I write like I talk, so that may be part of the reason I so enjoyed his lecture). He currently lives on Moorea (Mo-o-RAY-a) but I get the impression that he is sort of a resident lecturer on the Pacific Princess while it is sailing in this region. He is also available in the atrium a few hours every day to answer questions on all things French Polynesian. I think he'll be a valuable resource for us as we plan our days in ports. Luckily, his lectures are all re-broadcast on the cabin TVs, which is a good thing because...
...the Cabaret Lounge is meat-locker chilly. I am often tempted to bring sleeveless tops to wear for evenings on a ship, but I was reminded today of why I've learned not to. I may have to break out my fleece pullover instead!
We enjoyed lunch in the Club Restaurant (roasted bell pepper stuffed with rice for me, with fresh pineapple as sweet as candy for dessert). This afternoon, G attended the veterans get together and I walked on the track above the pool area. It's small but not nearly as small as the jogging track on the Emerald Princess, which is like walking in circles. I am trying to limit my sun exposure on sea days, as we will be in the near-equatorial sun so much in ports, so I did not hang out at the pool all day as I might have enjoyed doing. We had the best weather to date, with lots of sunshine and blue skies, but I know that passing rain showers are typical in French Polynesia this time of year.
I wasn't feeling particularly participative, not that there aren't plenty of activities to choose from; there are (line dancing, but no Zumba today, for those who are curious). In fact, I have to say that there are just as many options as on a larger ship, but with even more places to tuck oneself away and just relax, too. The Promenade Deck, though it doesn't wrap around the ship, is wide and covered on both its starboard and port sides. The library is beautiful (I'll try to take and post photos of everything when/if internet improves). The atrium, though small, features plenty of cushy seating. We are surprised at how much we like this ship. I especially appreciate the ability to escape the din of loud noise; no movie screen blaring action movies by the pool, no constant music in the atrium. Just a classy but relaxed atmosphere all around the ship.
Tonight was our first formal night. We started the evening with the Captain's Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party at 5:30pm in the Cabaret Lounge. Without the central Piazza that the larger ships have, I guess it's the only logical place to have it. We met (however briefly) our Captain, Carlo Servillo from Italy and his senior team. An astounding number of the ship's officers are Italian, with fewer Brits than we see on other Princess ships. Captain Servillo told us there are 29 nationalities on board this cruise, 642 people this sailing, with 377 in the ship's company, for just over "1000 souls" on board. Contrast that to the Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship we were on last winter, with between 8000 and 9000 on board.
We much prefer cruising this way.
Tonight's party was not at all like the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall on the larger ships and exactly like the Platinum and Elite Captains Circle parties instead. Will we have a Captains Circle party later in the cruise? We don't know; we're new here.
Dinner with Antonio was wonderful. Our table for two is very close to a table for six but with just four people. We've ended up essentially joining their table, but with a different waitstaff which is a bit amusing. The food has not been hot enough for my taste (I want my hot food hot and my cold food cold) but it has been delicious and my beef tenderloins tonight were tender and at the perfect temperature. Accompanied by a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and followed by a cheese plate for dessert, it was the epitome of a wonderful formal night dinner.
The Pacific Princess, with only one dining room, does not offer Anytime Dining, just fixed traditional dining at 6pm and 8:15pm. This is the way it always used to be on cruises, but we have been spoiled by Anytime Dining and the ability to linger after dinner over coffee and dessert without needing to clear out to make way for the next seating, or to skip dessert, go to a show and then return to the dining room. Still, we are having no trouble adapting. We simply prefer it the other way.
The first production show of the cruise, called Stardust, was performed tonight, but Captain Servillo told us at the party tonight that, due to the tide tomorrow in Rangiroa, we would be anchoring 90 minutes early, at 6:30am. Our desire to watch the Pacific Princess as she sails into the world's second largest atoll is greater than our desire to see Stardust. We are early to bed and (hopefully) early to rise as we greet our first day in the Tuamoto archipelago. Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine!