The end of a blog

😢
Yes, as 2016 draws to a close, so this blog has served it's useful purpose and will be no more.

But a new blog lives for next year and beyond. www.mainlyatsea.blogspot.co.nz  😃😃

See you there early 2017

The final chapter

Day 67 - 25 August (continued)
Well the last of the Tenders were back and safely stowed without incident and we weighed anchor  (it was very heavy) and slowly turned around in the bay and headed out to sea through the coral reef into the setting sun just on 6.00.  Although it was probably officially twilight by he time we were out to sea, it was magnificently calm and peaceful.  We sat on our balcony with lights off and admired the stars as we motored away from our last landfall before Auckland.  It was remarkably warm and probably the nicest evening we've had on this cruise.

Day 68 - 26 August
Unfortunately the idyllic conditions did not continue and into the evening the sea became quite unsettled,  particularly with a fair swell accompanied by a strong southerly which was blowing against our side of the ship.  A lot of movement during the night but it did not trouble us, as one thing we do particularly well is sleep.

This weather continued throughout the day as we ploughed along at just over 20 knots.  We were able to complete our deck walk, but it was a bit hairy when we reached the confined area around the bow as the wind was compressed in that area however the run down the port side was a breeze - literally!   Otherwise it would be fair to say that it was a normal sea day.

Day 69 - 27 August
Beautiful day with the sea calmed to a very gentle swell.  The sun is shining and the morning is made even more pleasant by the extra hour we got back last night.  The downside is that *they* have decided to have a brunch this morning 10.00 to 1.30.  All very well, but unless we go up to the HZ, we have to starve for an extra couple of hours.  Fortunately I am carrying plenty of reserve supplies!   So we had our morning coffee as usual and waited until 11.00 before going down for brunch.  It was very good, but nothing at all like the grand affairs we've experienced on other ships. 

One thing that I haven't commented on over the last couple of weeks is the complete lack of both sea and bird life and also no other ships of any sorts apart from when we have been in port.  It just reinforces how big the Pacific is and how small and insignificant we are.  How those inhabitants and explorers found their way around is nothing short of incredible.

Haha, yes it had to happen - our last formal night tonight.  Once again it was disappointing to see the dining room only half full as many elected to go elsewhere - even those that did attend did not necessarily adhere to the published dress standards.  This whole exercise just reinforces the impression that cruising, particularly in this area is being "dumbed down"

Day 70 - 28 August
Today was cancelled through lack of interest (& the International Date Line).
Day 70 - 29 August
At last we are back (or forward) to New Zealand day & time, with our last hour given back over night.  Looked good at 6.00, when we woke, but a few bumps and an odd shower soon developed.  Today is Bev's birthday, so we had a champagne breakfast in the MDR.  Another great way to start the day.

Pleased to say that the weather improved over the day,  but still quite windy answer a medium swell is running - not overly big, but hitting the ship side on.  Still speeding along at 17 odd knots.  Vivian has been playing in a 2 day bridge competition in teams of 4.  Long and the short is that her team won.  The funny thing is that teams were selected by the Director, with 2 experienced (Vivian & Danny) and 2 newbies - well this couple were on their first Cruise from San Francisco & only started to learn bridge on board!  Back to the Wheelhouse for more celebrations. 

At dinner, Margit had decided to celebrate her birthday a bit early, so we had more cake and "Happy Birthday" sung.  As it had been a big day one way or another we retired straight after dinner.

Day 71 -30 August
Well, the swell etc. certainly developed overnight, with most people being woken at some stage or another as we bumped and shuddered through the early hours.  Not a problem to us, but certainly holding onto handrails.  As with yesterday, a bit overcast and windy, but still not cold,  so keeping to the shorts.  We have noted that the ship has had to slow down a bit due to the conditions but hopefully we have enough leeway to get us home on time.

A sad day as this is our last sea day and while Vivian went to bridge in the morning,  I managed to at least squeeze all my stuff into the suitcase.  The job was completed on Vivian's later this afternoon,  following the final ukulele concert & pop choir, oh and also the final visit to the Wheelhouse, for the drawing of the lucky tickets - but was not to be.

Before dinner we had a Captain's farewell party for those of us leaving tomorrow.  Enjoyable, but - not as grand as last year on the Sea Princess.  This one was in the Vista, with its usual shortcomings.  Neither the Captain nor his Officers were overly welcoming or engaging in conversation.  However, once to our final dinner, which was ... dinner, nothing special. Said our farewells to Victoria & Dianne,  who have served us well over the whole 71 days (less 1 day when we were in Vancouver.   The final activity was the Crew Concert, which was good, but not as good as we've seen on previous cruises - a lack of participation by the Cruise Director's staff, but that has been pretty evident all cruise, C D Mark is all about Mark.

Day 72 - 31 August
Absolutely beautiful day as we come into Auckland.  For a change we came through off the top of Coromandel and could see Port Jackson, which brings back great memories from our camping days.  We don't actually arrive until 10.00, but with usual efficiency,  we have to vacate our cabin by 9.00 and as there is no designated departure lounge,  we are here in
the International Cafe with our bags, saying fond farewells to all our new & old friends. 

We will be disembarking at 11.30 and this is the final entry.  Hope that you have enjoyed the journey with us.

Equator and South Pacific Islands

Day 61 - 19 August
A large Pacific Swell is running as we head south, however the weather is generally clear and it was pretty hot when we did our stumble-walk just after 9.00.  Pretty much the standard sea day with the addition of yet another Formal tonight.  Once again we elected not to go to the Captains Circle party and reports were generally that it was the right decision.   The wrong decision however was to go to the singers & dancers after dinner.  Not good to recorded country music and the "moves" are all the same.  Should have realised as it was in the Vista Lounge.  The best they could otherwise do in the Princess Theatre was Jamie, an Assistant Cruise Director.

Day 62 - 20 August
The sea was so calm when we woke, but during breakfast a quick shower passed over and it is now cloudy and a rippling sea.  I understand that we are officially in the doldrums  (not personally of course).  Bridge is a morning affair (for the usual reason) and we had a Cruise Critic lunch afterwards.

Met up with Bev & Rick for a happy hour catch up which went well over the hour.  This was followed by the show in the theatre, a tribute to Nat King Cole.  Much better than last night.  For some reason they are having an Hawaiian deck party tonight,  with pizzas - no, not our cuppa after dinner.  Update - apparently the pizzas were cold and the turnout was sparce.

Day 63 - 21 August
A few bumps from the swell, but otherwise a partly cloudy day ahead.  Our last Sunday on board, so attended the Church Service.  Steve (actually Lord Stephen - heredity title) takes a good service and clearly he enjoys the limelight.  He's the Customer Services  Manager and is Auckland born. Morning Tea as usual, but no, people power has not deterred the Lotus Spa people interrupting a perfectly peaceful setting.  Grrrrrrr.

That out of the way, we happily bumped (both figuratively & actually) over the equator just after 3.00, so we are now sailing along at 17 knots in the South Pacific.  If anything, the sea is a little higher and when we did our deck walk after bridge, the deck was covered in saltwater spray on the windward, or starboard side.  We made it around for our mile, but very windy as well.  Once again, the ship has decided to "celebrate" the equator crossing at 9.00 tonight.  See yesterday's comments above ☺☺☺. Hey, what would be wrong with doing it in the afternoon,  as they've done on all the other crossings we've been on?

Day 64 - 22 August
Still sailing south, the sun is pouring into our stateroom around 6.00 - not that we stir at that time. Looking like a lovely day, still with a little swell to keep things interesting. To say that it is another sea day would be an understatement!  But it was.

Day 65 - 23 August
Repeat of yesterday.  Sunny & warm as we head towards Tahiti tomorrow. Towards evening the storm clouds gathered and threatened rain, but nothing happened.  We are only just getting 12 hours of daylight currently,  with sunrise at 6.10 & sunset at 5.50, but there is no twilight, so it is pretty well pitch black just after 6.00pm.

Day 66 - 24 August
As always Papeete is cloudy with the threat of rain.  However hot!  Almost the last to breakfast, but as we have nothing planned there is no hurry.  We walked along the waterfront about far as (what we believe to be) the Anglican Church - unfortunately the whole of the church property was gated & locked, as is so much of the town.  We haven't explored the city previously, but as suspected,  there is not a lot to endear us.  That said, we pretty well covered the CBD area, had a cup of coffee and croissant  (USD 13) and headed back to the ship by midday.

We are relaxing on our balcony and enjoying the sights of the town, passengers coming & going and the provisioning of the ship.  They have unloaded at least 6 large, mainly refrigerated, containers (with provisions apparently from NZ),  so hopefully Vegemite, peanut butter, orange juice & red wine may be back on the menu by tomorrow!  Showers have now started and very much reminds us of last year when we drove around the island with Heather & Mark.  Well despite the showers coming and going  they actually got worse later in the day, so we were very happy to be cocooned on board. 

This year we have the 73 ft motor yatch Dragonfly moored adjacent - I note that her charter fee is only USD 530,000 plus expenses per week.  With 12 passengers, who wants to join us?  The crew on board have been pretty busy all day cleaning etc. so perhaps they have a job coming up.  Tonight, despite my normal reluctuance, we went to the local folkloric performance - it was excellent.  The hip and other movements by the performers were unnaturally incredible.  Pleased that Vivian talked me into it!

Day 67 - 25 August
Arrived into Bora Bora harbour to a clear day, although with the usual cloud over the mountains.  We probably would have slept in a bit later, but the sound of the tender mechanism put paid to that.   Just after we dropped anchor we were joined by the Aranui 5, and island-hopping passenger/freighter.  Apparently a very pleasant small ship experience around French Polynesia.

We got down for the tender about 9.00 and no tickets were required, straight downstairs and on board.  On shore we elected to do the island tour for USD 50 on board a real island school bus.  Hilarious fun and we got the full trip along with sore bottoms!! as they are just wooden planks and the roads are..?.  We had originally planned to go back to the beach where Vivian & co swam last year, but the water was not as clear and there was a bit of a breeze so we carried on back to "town" and once again a tender was waiting for us.

Lunch yet again at the International Cafe and back to our deck, where it is very pleasant and of course the breeze has dropped and the sea looks perfect now.  However it gives me an opportunity to bring this blog up to date before we start the journey back home.  The temperature is still in the 30s and we look set for a magnificent final sailaway, so long as the sun hasn't set by then 😮.

Papeete flower market
Papeete harbour
Bora Bora bus
Bora Bora coastal views

Island time

Day 57 - 15 August
One of those funny days (as was last year), as it is *really* my birthday today, but due to the dateline, it is only Monday here, so noone here takes any notice 😴.  Still, I can live in anticipation for tomorrow.  OK, that to the side, another lovely day, with bright sun and relatively clear skies as we sail towards Nawiliwili, on the island of Kauai.  We arrived just after 8.00 and after waiting for the tours and the really anxious,  we were on land just after 9.00.

Unfortunately there was complete shambles after getting off the ship.  No organisation at all and we all queued up waiting for (?).  It seems that most wanted a shuttle further into town, but fortunately we were able to short-circuit the queue and get a local shuttle out of the port and to the small shopping area adjacent to the Marriott Hotel.  This was actually only a 10 minute walk away & if we'd known that we probably would have walked.

The Marriott is located in the main bay, with sandy beach & breaks for surfers, which reminds me - the access for the ship into the berth is almost a figure of eight, with very tight turns.  From the beach it was extremely hard to visualise how the ship our size was docked where it was.  I digress, we walked to the end of the beach and met up with Bev & Rick and together went back to grab a drink and a bite (for Vivian ).  On further discussion,  we thought we would take a taxi together to the Waimea Canyon, which we were told was about 40 minutes away.  Not quite true as we eventually found out.

Got another shuttle back to the ship and waited for a taxi.  And we waited.  And waited.  Eventually established that all the taxis were already booked and so we had the thought of going into the main shopping centre, where we thought our luck may be better.  So caught yet another shuttle (all shuttles were free) to Kmart and after a series of misstarts, established that no taxi was going to take us at that time of day - 1.00.  And that it was 2 hours each way!! OK, so that was off the menu.

Big mistake was that we'd walked through Kmart and came back through Ross', which is a "Dress for Less" clearance shop.  I'd seen a shirt in San Francisco,  but it was the wrong size so we had to go through but no shirts, however Vivian found a dress,  so there goes our expense account ☺☺.  Took another shuttle back to the ship and indulged at the International Cafe.  Very convenient on port days, when most are still ashore.  The sail away was most interesting,  retracing our steps out of the harbour.   All the staff have changed into Hawaiian shirts/blouses and looked smart, however it was hard to distinguish our Head Waiter or the Maitre D from the general waiters.

Day 58 - 16 August
Today is Honolulu and of course it is my birthday on board.  The usual balloons and sign on the door as we left for breakfast. Not that the day was all about me, it was a great arrival with clear skies and warm temperatures.  The day eventually reached about 30 degrees and as I am updating this at 7.00pm on our balcony, it is a beautiful balmy evening, with cheese & crackers we picked up from the International Cafe on our way upstairs.

We had a ship's tour to visit Pearl Harbour and while the assembly time was 10.00, Vivian was anxious for us to be early, so there we are at 9.30, sitting waiting.  We eventually got to our bus at 10.20!  One of the strangest tour arrangements we've ever come across, as somehow groups #1,2 & 3 got mixed up and it didn't seem to matter.  Our driver /guide was Ed,  not, he assured us Mr Ed!  but he was a talker.  And he talked constantly, not that it overly concerned us, but I think that he actually confused some people at times.

Briefly, we had a city tour  (to fill in time) then to the lookout of the other side of the island - been there done that earlier in the year and then reaching Pearl Harbour about midday.  Now, we assumed that this was to coincide with our scheduled tour time - which turned out to be 2.15!  While there were some exhibits and displays, there was not a lot to do for all of 2 hours really.  Got a sandwich & bottle of water to fill in the time/tummy.  Forgot to mention,  but no bags or anything larger than 12 inches was allowed in.  Said to be for Naval security, but the whole memorial setup is actually operated by US Parks.  Yet another overkill.

Eventually it was 2.15, & in groups of 150, we rush into the theatre for 20 minute film on the Japanese  attack of 7 December 1941 then onto the navy boat and across to the Arizona memorial for about 10 minutes and back to mainland & the bus home, via Punchbowl Cemetery.  While we were pleased to have done the trip and seen Pearl Harbour, we felt that it was overly long and we would have been more happy with a 2 to 3 hour trip, rather than over 6.

Unfortunately we struck gridlock on the way back through Honolulu to Punchbowl and we were treated to seeing the less glamorous side of life in Honolulu as we took a shortcut through suburbia!  We were eventually an hour late in getting back and although Vivian thought it might be a good idea to go back in to town for shopping,  I reminded her of the time it took us to get to & fro on our last visit and the fact that we had "visitors" for dinner.

As the ship did not sail until later in the evening, we enjoyed the sunset from our balcony, prior to dinner.  Being a port day, it was open dinner seating - which was most fortunate.  Vivian had planned my birthday dinner with our Head Waiter, Sean and believed that we'd be at the back of our dining room, where we had been for Ash's birthday.

When we arrived (with a bottles of Omni (sparkling wine ) in hand), Victoria our waiter  told us that we were in fact at our original table #48!  Fantastic to have our friendly team of Victoria & Dianne, plus other waiters just helping out as they were not at all busy tonight.  So our table mates, Margaret & Roger, Margit & Jim were joined by Marilyn & Ray and Bev & Rick.  Wow, what a good time we had.  Vivian had ordered dessert of fruit platters and had convinced Princess to provide 2 birthday cakes (only 1 candle though), so we could all share.  The evening was topped of with Limoncello all around - never had it before but I am sure that they forgot the lemon but not the alcohol!  However I am now the proud owner of 9 green shotglasses.

Day 59 - 17 August
And again, a very hot day ahead as we arrive at anchor off Lahaina, Maui.  After breakfast we headed down to get our tender tickets, a short wait and there we were, once again on the waterfront about 9.00. The only problem is that nothing gets going until 10.00, so a quick wander around and although there were a number of taxis available, they had a set "tourist" route & price.  We didn't want to repeat the trip we did in February, so we flagged the idea.

When we were previously here, we'd spotted the Yellow Submarine, so here we were booking a cruise, but unfortunately not until 2.15.  Cost us just under USD100 for 90 minutes.  Found yet another shuttle to go to the shopping centre (which turned out to be be less than a kilometre away).  Overpriced and nothing in our sizes, so rather than shuttle back, we walked and admired all the usual port shops - jewellery, souvenirs, clothing etc.  3/4 of the way back we found a great little coffee place - actually it was advertising ice creams as its main function.  One of the nicest coffees we've had and got a seat looking out over the bay.

As there really wasn't anything else we wanted to do, we caught a tender back to the ship for lunch at the International Cafe  (sounding familiar by now?).  Although the tender trip is only 10 minutes, Vivian was getting anxious by 1.00, so off we went down to the tender pad on Deck 4.  A tender was sitting there with another one arriving behind it.  Very few people going back ashore, so we were all set to take off, when "Whack".  Forgot to mention that there was a pretty big swells out in the bay, but what happened was the Tender crashed into the railing on the ship's landing pad and smashed a hole through the side of the Tender just in front of us!   Clearly the tender will need to be repaired and I would hope it is done so before we sail.

Back to Tender #2 and ashore without any issues.  The trip to view the coral reef & fish was great - it is not actually a submarine, but the viewing cabin is fully below the water with amble windows for excellent viewing.  While it was a little murky when we started out, was pretty crystal clear around the reef and the fish were abundant.  As a bonus, a couple of dolphins swam by as we were motoring out.  We were the oldest people on board,  with the majority having younger children who were excitedly marking off the fish they saw from the brochure we were all given.

We were very lucky to get a Tender back to the ship almost straight away, remembering long queues to get to the QV earlier. Afternoon tea and then back to the cabin to enjoy the sailaway.  We watched the remaining tenders come back - an additional one had to return to shore as there were so many passengers trying to get on board at the last minute.  They tried to get the tender below us into storage position,  but the mechanism jammed and it took almost 2 hours to finally get it stowed.  I think the Captain was a bit annoyed, as he upped anchor and was motoring away from the island at about 2 knots while this was going on. Ummm, what happens if we strike an iceberg and have to evacuate? 😊

Day 60 - 18 August
Sailing into Hilo, our last Hawaiian port was interesting as we could see the volcanic smoke rising in the distance.  The morning was gloriously clear and we sort of rushed down to breakfast to ensure we got cracking early.  No, we had not booked a tour and I was confident that there would be tours available shore side.  Sure enough, just walking out of the terminal, we were approached by another passenger who asked if we wanted to make up a 6 for a taxi.  We jumped at this and although the price rose from USD 50 to 60, we were happy with the trip.

Our first port of call was to the volcanic area, including the very big l1ava tube and a couple of view points of the enormous crater and the active volcano inside.  The volcanoes on Hawaii are quite different to our peaks, as they are formed from a more gentle lava flow, rather than eruptions as we know.  This being said, we drove for just over 30 minutes, mainly on a straight 6 lane freeway without realising that we'd actually climbed almost 4,000 feet to the crater.

Following this we went down to the southeastern part of the island to see the more recent lava flows.  This was intriguing - the older part added 500 acres of new land, while inland we were able to walk through more recent lava from the flow of just 2 years ago, which caused major devastation to many villages.  In the event, the flow stopped just short of the CBD, which had already been deserted.  What I hadn't realised is that the flow took 5 months to reach the town, so they had plenty of time to prepare.  The lava was very slippery with loose material on top, making it hard to walk on.  Another type of lava around the coast was very rough & extremely sharp, named something like "ah ah", the sound one makes walking on such a surface.

The lava is currently flowing and much of the coast road was closed and we could only get onto the older part, where people are in some cases rebuilding - no water, power, sewage of course.  From here we could see the steam above the active lava flow, much of which is underground in lava tubes (as we saw before).  It is well over 10 kilometres from the end of the road to where the lava reaches the sea, so impossible for us to get there.  Enterprising locals apparently bought up all the bicycles from Walmart on special and are expecting to rent them out.  As you are no doubt aware, this lava flow has International attention and it was interesting to read the article on the Herald website, along with great video coverage.

The 5 hour trip ended with the local waterfall, which was somewhat unimpressive,  despite the fact that it had apparently been raining for the preceeded 3 days.  Once again, this island boasts the highest rainfall in the world (don't they all?).  All aboard at 4.30 as we prepared to set sail at 5.00.  Just to prove the rainfall thing, the weather deteriorated with showers and wind, which continued for the rest of the evening.  The Captain advised that we'd be sailing past the active lava flow about 8.30, however we were at dinner and it was still drizzly, but yes, we could see the red/orange flow of lava into the sea, out in the distance, as below.

So that was the end of the Hawaiian Islands as we sail pretty well due South to the other side of the equator and French Polynesia, our last 2 stops before home.

Photos
1-3 Nawiliwili with Bev & Rick
4-8 Honolulu & Pearl Harbour
9-13 Birthday celebration
14-25 Maui
26-32 Hilo, volcanic expedition etc.
33 Rainbow waterfall
34 "Jr" our driver
35 Lava flow

On to the Hawaiian Islands

Day 54 - 12 August
With the help of an extra hour's sleep, we woke at 7.00.  A bit grey, but the sea is smoother than yesterday.  When we did our deck walk this morning it was certainly a lot warmer and the sun broke through the clouds.  We are steaming along at 18 knots and predictions are that the weather will further improve.   Forgot to mention that I've pretty well left my cough etc.  behind in San Francisco.  The good news however is that I have pretty well cornered the cough medicine market - 4 different types on hand and no use for them.  Touch wood.

Had morning coffee with Bev & Ric before a quick lunch and Vivian's bridge etc.  Tonight is yet another Formal night,  so at least I don't have to decide what to wear.  Much as I am quite happy with formals (unlike an ever increasing number who aren't ), I would like to see a purpose for getting dressed, other than providing fodder for the photographers.

Once again we had Marilyn & Ray to the cabin before dinner and it was lovely sitting on the balcony, with a warmish summer breeze.  We remarked how nice it is to see an horizon  (no, not THAT one) at last after all our misty days.  The formal dinner was nothing special and I'd rate it average by being generous.  As indicated before, unfortunately too many passengers are boycotting the dining room and some of them let in were a disgrace.  Our Deputy Cruise Director was dining close to us and not only did he remove his jacket,  but he rolled up his shirt sleeves - sorry, but he should have known better, as I am sure that they have standards in Spain 😠

Day 55 - 13 August
Woke early this morning, thanks to yet another hour added last night.  The sea is back to the magnificent deep blue colour and although there are some white patches due to the breeze, it is about 24 degrees today.  Pleased to report that for the last 2 days we've added an extra lap to our routine.  We also noted today that it is pretty well the first day that the loungers on the Promenade deck were fully occupied.  The byproduct of this was that the cafe areas were relatively free. 

One of the things that "bugs" us is that almost everything  is the sell, sell throughout the ship  (Art auction every second day) and the use of the coffee lounge for Lotus Spa lectures - as well as others.  So yesterday they set up the data show,  screen etc and right on 10.00, the girl from Lotus Spa turns on mike for a lecture on acupuncture 😡  The lounge was full of coffee drinkers, get-togetherers etc. but not interested.  She asked "who is here for the lecture" -no one.  So she stood around unsure what to do next and disappeared.  Today a repeat performance of setup,  but her supervisor (must have been important as she had a white coat on) arrived. Took one look and then too disappeared.  Hey, hopefully they are getting the message - not holding my breath though!

Apart from that bit of "people power ", pretty much a standard sea day as we continue steaming towards Hawaii at 18 knots.  Dinner on our own tonight, although Margit & Jim did call in after dessert.  Frankly dinner is becoming a big problem, not just for us but for many.    I'd have to agree that the menu in the MDR is lacking in the variety we have experienced previously and is on a shorter repeat cycle, but on previous cruises the table camaraderie has outweighed the culinary!  Still, just a couple of weeks to go and then we'll  be able to complain about our lack of homemade variety - but no one will be listening.

Day 56 - 14 August
The last of adding the extra hour for a while and it made a big difference when we woke relatively early to another lovely sea day.  There is a bit more motion in the sea, but hardly worth noting in the scheme of things.  Bridge is early at 9.30, but we had the time to tread the deck beforehand.  Pleasant temperature,  but some passing showers or mist on the horizon.  Had a quick lunch with Marie & Jim from Rotorua in the International Cafe after bridge and arranged a meet-up with Danny for Happy hour to thank him.  They have a break from bridge for 4 days as we are cruise through the Hawaiian Islands.  Turned out to be a better celebration than anticipated as they came first today. 

Vivian's 2 large drinks are fruit cocktails in case anyone is wondering.

San Francisco (with flowers in our hair)

Day 50 - 8 August
Interesting to arrive in San Francisco during the morning.  We were half an hour late and eventually tied up at 10.30.  That cloud I mentioned in the previous post was present as we sailed in and the top portion of the Golden Gate Bridge was totally obscured.  However, once berthed, the weather improved and it was certainly a shorts & tee shirt sort of day, about 22 degrees.  We were berthed at Pier 37, which is the same berth as QV in February.  It is close to all the activities of Fishermans Wharf etc.

Immigration inspection was done on board and did not involve any fingerprints or photos and the officers were actually relaxed & friendly.  The only issue was with the Princess organisation, including our late arrival and priority for shore tours, which had us queued up for well over an hour.  Eventually we hit the streets just after 12.30 and it was very warm by then. The place was pretty crowded, particularly with the school holidays now on.

Our first port of call was Pier 39, where we'd been to the information centre on our last visit.  Our mission was to establish how we could get over to Muir Woods, on the north shore.  Unfortunately we had a bad experience with one of the HOHO companies previously and sure enough, same info. office, same company recommended.  The thing was that the tour was $60 each but it left from one of a number of downtown hotels at 9.00 in the morning.  It was all too vague for us and we weren't happy because of our prior experience.

Continued to the end of the Pier, which we didn't do in February and saw all the famous Sea Lions basking in the sun.  Vivian also bought a top (unrelated to the sea lions) and we visited the lefthanded shop for some scissors,  but the quality was lacking.   I decided that the shopping on the ground floor was too dangerous,  so we went upstairs, where it was much quieter and we had good views.  Pretty well straight away we found a bar and had a beer & of course the famous Clam Chowder - in the traditional  breadbowl.  It was OK but I'd made a mistake in the size of my beer, which would catch up with me later in the day, if you get my drift!

The bar-stop gave us time to consult our maps and we were still looking at getting to Muir Woods, or at least initially to Sausalito, the city at the other end if the Golden Gate Bridge.  The maps and information were not overly helpful, but did show a ferry going from Pier 41, next door.  Very helpful staff there had all the information on the ferry and the transfer arrangements from Sausalito to Muir Woods.  We bought ferry tickets for the first (11.00 am) ferry for the princely sum of  $11.50 each return.  So it looks as if tomorrow is now sorted.

Headed further down the Fishermans Wharf shopping area, where to be honest, most of the shops were outlets for tours or HoHo,  bulk cheap clothing, or dingy eating outlets.  One shop did inspire us, it was full of crystal, china and all good quality, including Lladro etc. and huge chandeliers.  We were allowed into the "inner sanctum", which was roped off and had a good look around.  I think that the owners were either Italian or certainly Continental.  One of them - owner, manager struck up conversation  (as they do) & yes, he'd just come back from NZ & yes, he knew exactly where Warkworth was as they'd just shipped a chandelier to a customer there. I don't wish to seem cynical, but what if I'd said we were from Waipukurau?

A safe escape from that shop and onwards, ever onwards, past the HoHo shop which kindly stopped the bus for us in February and on another couple of streets to the end of civilisation as we know it.  Our destination was the San Francisco Cable Car.  As we approached the terminus, which has the turntable, we congratulated ourselves that there were 4 cable cars sitting there and 2 others stopped just up the road.  There seemed to be a little queue but off we went to buy our tickets @ $7 each each way and noticed a sign "Do not ask,  but yes the queue is 1 hour long".  The bloke in front DID ask and was told in no uncertain terms what part of the sign did he not understand!

So the queue was just over 100, and with 4 cars sitting there  how could it take an hour?  Easy - this is a *cable* car and clearly the cars (or carriages) had to be hooked up to the cables which run under the track and are all linked together.   So, each car left at around 20 minute intervals.  There was a mad rush for the outside seats when our turn eventually came, but we hung back and fortunately I was pretty much last on at the back.  Although standing, had some great views as we rumbled up & down the road.  A great experience and we eventually got to the end of the line, where we had to get off. 

From there we went back to Macey's, to satisfy Vivian's shopping whims & to satisfy my desire for the restroom!  On the latter, Vivian found a man using the women's convenience & I was surprised at the deep snoring noise emanating from one of the stalls in the gents - only in San Francisco!  Fortunately there was no shopping done but we did spend some time looking.  By now it was about 5.30 and we thought it was time to try our luck on the return trip.  By toss of a coin, we headed down to Union Square rather than the starting point.  Although we had to wait half an hour for the first car to pass, there was enough space for 6 (of the 2 dozen waiting) to get on.  The brake men  (or driver & assistant ) were hilarious.   Almost all the staff are African American, with clearly some enjoying their job more than others.

By the time we got back to the waterfront the wind had got up and it was getting a bit chilly, so we walked back to the ship along one of the back roads - still the same shops as on the front road.  We were the only ones from our table at dinner, even though it was open seating.  As you'll recall, the ship is in port for electrical maintenance and this meant that the power was out for a couple of hours during the afternoon. A by-product was that the kitchen on Deck 5 was out of action, so staff had to go upstairs to Deck 6 for food, so the meal was not the hottest, but we accepted this in the circumstances.

Day 51 - 9 August
Nice to wake up to the sun shining into the stateroom for a change.  Looked out and saw the Grand Princess tied up a couple of wharves away from us.  She is a bit bigger than us and is doing Alaskan cruises from here.  Rumour has it that the missing passenger from Victoria was to be brought along to rejoin our ship but apparently he flew instead.  Also heard that he was 92 and was actually sitting in the Victoria terminal, but was unaware of the earlier departure time  - if this so, shame on Princess.  

As our trip over to Sausalito was not until 11.00, we had a leisurely breakfast, but wanted to ensure that we didn't miss our sailing.  The woman yesterday said to be at the pier at 10.45, so we got there at 10.15 and there was already a queue! - almost exclusively from the ship.  Haha, they didn't start loading until 10.56, but at least it was a lovely morning in the sun.

The trip over took about half an hour and as the next shuttle to Muir Woods didn't leave until 11.45, we had time to get over to the bus stop.  A mad dash of well-fed passengers ensued, but confusion reigned as we couldn't find the bus stop until we came across the sign "Muir Woods Shuttle Stop Here".  So far, so good.  The only problem was that the bus could only stop if it arrived.  And it didn't until half an hour later.  A second one was right behind! Typical.

Muir Woods is an ancient Redwoods Forest, some 45 minutes north-east of Sausalito,  sort of  coastal but over a range of hills, which were pretty well up in the clouds and very, very windy.   Before we got to the cloudy bit, the landscape looked very Australian, with tons of eucalyptus trees and similar housing in amongst these trees.  The land was very dry looking, but they do not seem to experience the fires as they do in Australia.

About 2 or 3 miles away from the park we came across all these cars parked on the side of the road.  All the way - now whether this was because of lack of parking or to save on parking fees I don't know, but fair to say a pretty good hike just to reach the hiking spot in the park.  We arrived at the Park entrance however, paid our entry fee ($10 + $5 shuttle) and went off through the forest.  Two things, one, being Kiwis we went the "wrong " way - to the left and two, although there were thousands of screaming kids on holidays, it was eerily quiet as we walked along through these magnificent trees, some up to 800 years old.  We felt we had seen enough after an hour and came back on the noisy side.  A dozen or so were gathered in one spot, cameras at the ready and sure enough, about 4 metres away,  a deer and her fawn were quietly munching away, completely oblivious to the crowd.  Still no bears though!!!

Half an hour wait for the shuttle back to Sausalito and we'd already decided on the 5.35 ferry back, so wandered around and found a cafe for lunch & a drink at 3.00ish.  Vivian had French toast & I had BLT with Wine served in tumblers!  Very pleasant spot, with great views over San Francisco, except for the clouds both over the city and also rolling down the hills behind Sausalito, over the bridge and on to the city.  Quite amazing cloud formations, pouring, like water over the hills.

Wandered back to the ferry terminal just before 5.00 and we were surprised at the queue - all with bicycles.  We reckon that there must have been 500 of them - some got on the 5.05 to downtown and the rest on our ferry to Fishermans Wharf.  They were pretty well all rentals for the "cycle the bridge" expedition.   Wow, whoever started that must be making a mint (in season).  The other thing we noticed was almost the lack of English language - very little American, many Continentals and if course Spanish, probably from the Mexicans and a surprising number of Muslims. BTW, pedestrian passengers got on & off the ferry first!

Day 52 - 10 August
Well this is supposed to be our last morning in San Francisco and once again a beautiful day.  We must have been a little tired from our expedition yesterday, as we woke late and didn't get to breakfast until 8.30.  We just got all our breakfast when the scheduled power cut from 9.00 to 11.00 took place - luckily we were on the sunny side of the MDR, with the remaining few on the other side under candles!  The power cut was for much of the ship and once again affected all the aft cabins beyond ours, on all the decks.  They were all given little torches I understand, which were collected the next day!

We were a little dubious at this late power cut, but obviously it was planned to enable the main power supply to be reconnected after work yesterday.  We wandered back down through town, as really there was not much anyone could do, with a scheduled "be back" of 12.00.  Had some problem however finding a coffee and eventually ended up back at Pier 39.  The barman made probably the best coffee we've had in USA.  Made it back on time and this time with everyone on board and electrics fixed, we set sail at 1.00 under a brilliant sun and our escort of 2 Coastguard machine-gun armed high powered craft.  Before this however we had our 3rd "General Energency" practice - thankfully for the last time.  Oh yes, a seal popped up right alongside the ship to say goodbye too.

Surprisingly, the Captain put on a sail away party with mostly free beer for an hour.  They were not only giving it away, but insisting that people had it.  From those who know,  at least the first lot was aparrently  flat and horrible and I think it was stuff that had been sitting around for a day or three during our power cuts!  How ungrateful of me.  Oh yes, we have a new Captain now - the regular one, an Italian.  Our Norwegian has gone home for his holidays.  We have also taken on board a couple of hundred new passengers and quite a few new crew, but life goes on.

Day 53 - 11 August
Forgot to mention yesterday, that as soon as we got to the Golden Gate Bridge, the cloud descended, the sun disappeared and it got quite cold.  Today we woke (late again) to a bit of movement in the boat and lumpy seas - nothing to really write home about, but a change from our harbour location.  So yes, another sea day and all the usual activities.  This has given me an opportunity to get the blog up to date and it is surprisingly hard to backtrack. Tonight we thankfully getting one of those hours back!!  In fact we have 3 successive nights of getting an extra hour of sleep.  I see that they are no longer doing the time changes during the day - probably as they'd end up with 2 Happy Hours!

Sea Lions of Pier 39
The beers (at last)
Clam Chowder
Cablecar  (4)
Sausalito in the distance
Muir Woods (3) - spot the fawn in #3
Sausalito Cafe
View back to San Francisco
Clouds rolling over Sausalito
Stateroom view (feeling patriotic)
To prove I was there - between piers 39 & 41
Our escort
Sail away party
Alcatraz
Goodbye San Francisco