Happy New Year’s Eve (as it is nearly everywhere else)!
We had the best day, but it is nearly 1:30am, so this post will be a placeholder until tomorrow morning. Or afternoon. ;-)
Stay safe on New Year’s Eve!!
11am on New Year’s Day now, and I will continue this post...
The day began as so many of our New Zealand days have begun: overcast, foggy and rainy. The Golden Princess entered Dusky Sound at the southern end of Fiordland National Park around 8am...or so the Park naturalist who had come on board told us. We really couldn’t see a whole lot out of the windows in the Horizon Court Buffet, and standing outside in the rain wasn’t an attractive alternative. The Buffet quickly filled to overflowing as so many passengers camped out there to see what little there was to see. After breakfast, we gave up and returned to the cabin. We’ve seen the park on a stellar weather day; today was no comparison.
When the announcement was later made that we would miss Doubtful and Thomson Sounds altogether due to the weather, I gave up, and packed away the camera that I had fully charged for the day. How silly of me! Haven’t I learned by now that rain is simply the way New Zealand greets each day? Apparently not. By noon, the sun was out, the sky was clearing and the southwestern coast of New Zealand was looking spectacular. I dug the camera back out of the suitcase. We passed by the openings to Thomson and Doubtful Sounds and, around 2pm, sailed into the narrow entrance of Milford Sound on the northern end of Fiordland National Park.
When we did this itinerary in late November, we did it in the opposite direction and entered Milford Sound at 7am. The sun was shining only on the highest peaks, and the fiord, though spectacular, was full of deep shadows. Not so today; our afternoon arrival meant that the steep mountains were in sun, and the rainy morning resulted in (literally) hundreds of waterfalls of varying lengths and strengths. I skipped the ‘bow of the ship’ experience this time and chose instead to view it all from Deck 16 aft, crossing the ship from side to side to take best advantage of the views.
Also different today: all of the other small boats providing tours to travelers who had arrived in Milford Sound by road. These small boats- often fishing boats re-purposed for the day- can sail right up to the waterfalls, as their passengers stand on the decks and get sprayed. That has to be cold water, and I was happy for my dry and (relatively) warmer viewing position in the Golden Princess. Just before 4pm we disembarked the National Park pilot and naturalist, waved our goodbyes to both and returned to the cabin to get ready for New Year’s Eve.
I know it was the fact that the day had been a quasi-sea day that allowed us to make it to all five (!!Yes us!!) parties on board last night. Dinner was very special - a seafood starter, salad, intermezzo of raspberry sorbet with candied ginger, and lobster (hold the butter) and broccoli as the entree- accompanied by a glass (or two) of the bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne from our first Most Traveled Guest award this season. Though we’ve returned all of our other award champagne for the drawings at the Captains Circle parties, we held on to that one specifically for New Year’s Eve.
The Princess Theater entertainment was New Zealand vocalist Russell Harrison, and we went to the 7:45pm performance. We then listened to piano entertainer Juan Carmelo Escobar play in the Promenade Lounge until he finished at 10pm, which is when the various parties began. We started in the Vista Lounge (best combination of seating and dance floor) listening and dancing to Blue Jade from Argentina. Just after 11:30pm, we made our way back to the Wheelhouse Bar to listen to the Golden Princess orchestra (the dance floor was packed), then to Explorers Lounge for the family New Year’s Eve party with a DJ (cute to see the kids dancing) and finally to the Piazza where party band Soul Vacation from Bulgaria had been playing. It was predictably packed, SRO and no room to dance, but we stayed for the countdown and big balloon drop. These Australians know how to party; within 5 minutes after midnight, I was kissed by at least 20 men I don’t know. Oh, the germs that were swapped last night!
We backtracked then, to the Wheelhouse, to the Vista Lounge and finally up to Skywalkers where the late night/early morning party was being held. I don’t know what was more exciting: the New Year, the music and dancing, or holding on for dear life as the ship tackled the South Tasman Sea. The only thing that kept everyone from falling to the floor was how tightly we were packed in and the fact that there were railings around the dance floor. There was safety in numbers as we’d all shift side to side, front to back in unison as Skywalkers shuddered and shook. It reminded me of that old commercial (dating myself here)...weebles wobble but they don’t fall down. ;-)
We left Skywalkers shortly after 1am, though the party up there on New Year’s Eve usually continues to 7am or so. The Horizon Court Buffet was open until 1:30am with a special late night Buffet and our waiter Alona was working. We had promised her we’d stop by to say Happy New Year, and, while we were there, had beautiful fruit cups I topped with walnut halves. It had been more than 6 hours since dinner and we were hungry.
I don’t believe we’ve ever made it to every party on a cruise ship on New Year’s Eve, at least not for a few years. It was a fantastic night made all the better because there was no drive home in bad weather with scary drivers on the road. Though I may always have mixed feelings about Christmas on a cruise, nothing can top a New Year’s Eve at sea!
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2018 for all of us!