September 27 - 29, 2014 – Flew out of Phoenix to Seattle, Washington. Seattle was clear and sunny when we arrived late in the afternoon. By evening it got cloudy and damp, which is the way that it stayed until we boarded the cruise ship on Monday, September 29, 2014. Took a taxi to the port and breezed through our check-in and were able to board shortly thereafter. We boarded the Holland America ship called “Oosterdam”. Went to our balcony cabin to find out where it was and then get acclimated to the layout of the ship. First and foremost on any cruise you find out where to eat. That was easy and found that the food was exceptionally good. The rest of the day was dreary with rain off and on, but that does not matter once you are onboard. The ship left port at 4 pm promptly and we sailed out of the waterways in about 4 hours and then were on the ocean where we headed southwest for the next 2,500 miles. This was the last sighting of land until we get to Hawaii on Sunday morning. The waters were calm until we got out to the ocean and then got a little rougher, but not bad.
Seattle harbor from the ship on our balcony
Seattle harbor from the ship on our balcony
September 30, 2014 – Today is a little warmer, but still overcast and damp. The ship rolled side-to-side slowly most of the day. Have to get used to walking like a drunk down the hallways. The ship has good activities, interesting lectures and great food.
October 1 – 4, 2014 – The weather has become great. Mostly sunny with mild winds and the waves have calmed down. It gets a little warmer each day. No sight of land in the last 5 days. Have only seen a few other vessels out here. Very peaceful and relaxing. We walk around the decks daily for about an hour along with a number of other walkers. Most of the people on the cruise are 70+ years old, but they have been rather quiet. No wild parties.
October 5 – 6, 2014 – We are in Honolulu, Hawaii for 2 days. It is hot here. Probably in the upper 80’s. We go for a walk and find free wifi to check out the rest of the world. There is wifi onboard the ship, but it extremely expensive and I am too cheap to pay that much for it. Second day we do a tour of a jewelry factory and then spend the afternoon walking along the beach and having cocktails and lunch beachside at one of the best resorts on the island. After several drinks and nearing suppertime, we grab the last bus going back to the ship. We do not want to miss the boat. The ship leaves port at 10:30 pm.
Honolulu at night
Honolulu at night
October 6 – 11, 2014 – We are sailing out in the middle of the ocean. There is no scenery except for water as far as we can see. The weather is great. It is in the low 80’s every day and the calmest, smoothest waters we have ever sailed. On the 10th, we crossed the equator. The ship’s crew put on a show about King Neptune taking his toll for our crossing the equator. It was all good fun and very well attended. At this point, we are primarily relaxing, reading, eating and viewing some of the shows put on by the guest entertainment. There are a few professors that are guest lecturers and have been giving great lectures that are very informative and entertaining. Tomorrow, we will cross the international dateline at 2:45 am. That will be Sunday morning until 2:45 and then it will be Monday, 2:46 am. Not quite sure that I fully understand the concept or how it will affect how I keep track of what time it is back in the U.S. We have one more day of open ocean before we come into the second port of the cruise, Apia, Upolo.
October 12-14, 2014 – Found out that the way they worked the date line was to just skip over Sunday, October 12. It just becomes Monday, October 13. OK, it was a nonevent. Continued sailing on the smoothest water possible. Weather is Partly cloudy and warm. Saw a good show called the “Piano Man”. It was a performer and backup singers that did a great job of performing Elton John and Billy Joel songs. Came into the port of Apia, Samoa. A tropical island that is much bigger than expected, but not much to do or see. Took a tour that was uneventful. Got back in time to see Monday night football (which is strange as it is now 2:30 pm on Tuesday when it is broadcast live. Leaving this port at 5 pm today and will have another sailing day all day tomorrow before we get to Fiji on Thursday. Weather at port is warmer. It was 90 degrees and that was with humidity.
Fiji
Fiji
October 15, 2014 – Another day at sea. Relaxing day. Good day of reading and watch movies.
October 16, 2014 – Suva, Fiji. Nice place with great weather, and very friendly people. Went through a fish market and an open air market before heading to the Robert L. Stevenson museum. He was the author of “Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde” and “Treasure Island” along with more than 40 published novels. He died at his home here which is an awesome place with a huge yard and gardens on a hill overlooking the water. The house was very large and beautiful. Stevenson died here in the house at the age of 44. Also saw native dancers, singers and a kava ceremony.
October 17, 2014 – At sea again as it is a long ways to the next island. Did some reading and watching movies. Very relaxing day.
October 18, 2014 – Mystery Island, Vanuata. This is a very small uninhabited island that we were able to walk all the way around in 45 minutes. There is a grass airplane landing strip in the middle of the island.. The interesting part of that is no one lives here. But, it is the only nearby island that has a flat enough space to land a plane. So the planes land here before being sent by boat to the surrounding islands. Good weather except for small drizzle when we were walking around.
Mystery Island
October 19, 2014 – Lifu, New Caledonia. This is much the same as Mystery Island except that it is a little larger. Not much here except beautiful beaches, great weather and beautiful water.
October 20, 2014 – Ile de Pins, New Caledonia. Very pretty island with very large pine trees among the palm trees. Very different. Great weather and a steady breeze that crosses the island and probably does so on an ongoing basis as most trees along the coast have a lean towards inland. Walked around to a resort where an iced tea was $8.50.
October 21, 2014 – Noumea, New Caledonia – One of the larger cities in this part of the world. Just walked around and got some exercise sightseeing around town.
October 22 – 24, 2014 – 2 days at sea with the usual entertainment and endless food. Finally arrived in Sydney in the morning of the 24th. Took a cab to our hotel and admired the very large modern city. About 4 million people in this town. Did a little walk around the neighborhood to see what it was like. Very interesting. It is a lot like Toronto, but slower pace, cleaner and very friendly.
October 25 – 28, 2014 – Did a lot of walking for what looked like a short distance on the map, but it was very long. Went to visit the harbors, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Bridge. The bridge is a popular tourist spot as they let you climb up to the top with safety precautions and guides. Would have done this if it were not $190 per person to do it. Spent one of the days on a hop-on hop-off tour bus seeing the sights and where everything was. Thought about stopping at Bondi Beach for a while, but it was extremely crowded and hot. Maybe another time. Saw the typical stuff such as churches and historical monuments including a prison where the country was essentially founded upon – since it was once just a penal colony. The prison held more than 30,000 prisoners over a 30 year period. There is quite a conglomeration of people of all varieties. The best part so far is that the language has not been as difficult to understand as I thought it would be. Maybe it is just because we are still in the big city. Tomorrow morning we will pick up the rental car and begin a new adventure – driving on the left hand side of the road. It is even more confusing to the senses than you realize until you see it in operation. I am getting full coverage insurance! Well, back to plotting out our course for tomorrow’s road trip.
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