March 6th, We are at sea today as we head for our first stop in Fiji. The Volendam Olympics event for today was Table Tennis. At last, something that I should be able to do well at (I thought). How wrong can you be? It wasn’t a regular game of Table Tennis. One half of the table was laid out with various sized glasses and to score a point you had to serve the ball from the other end and have it bounce into a glass. We were given 10 serves each and a small hope and a prayer that you would fluke one in. Consequently I scored zero. Not to be disappointed I then went to have a go at the Blackjack Tournament in the Casino. $20 bought me $1500 in chips to play and after my round was finished I managed to just get onto the winners board in last place, but after the next round of players I was knocked off the winners board, so time to quit. Val went to the Art Auction for a Champers and a look then on to Bingo, no win today. It was a bit rough towards late afternoon, the ship was rocking and Val was a bit off colour, so she went off to bed and didn’t surface till next morning. I took in the Show which was a “stand up” Comedian, Paul Stevens, who was very good. The ship rocked and rolled all night, so Val told me in the morning.
March 7th, We docked in Lautoka, Fiji at 8am and the rain was bucketing down and very windy. We had breakfast and relaxed with a book. We went ashore after lunch and caught a shuttle bus into Town. The rain had stopped but it was now very hot. We walked around the Shops, this was our first stop where the stores were not unlike a Country Town in Australia. The Markets were interesting, with all their local produce laid out on tables (Kava powder, coconuts, all sorts of roots and vegetables and local fruits). The shuttle bus, for our return trip to the Ship, was the usual type found everywhere in Fiji without glass in the windows. We had dinner in the Lido Restaurant and took in the movie that was shown in the Frans Hal Lounge on the big screen. We had been told it was a silent movie called “The Artist”, so were wondering whether we would like it. Having now watched the movie we were amazed that everybody, including ourselves, had nothing but praise for this thoroughly enjoyable, wonderfully scripted movie. I would recommend it to anyone. We finished off our day in the Casino.
March 8th, We anchored offshore at Dravuni Island, Fiji, at 8am. We were taken ashore by Tender Boat and walked along the Market Stalls and admired the lovely beach and crystal clear water. There were no roads, so no cars on the Island. They did have a small School for the kids and the total population was 125. Val was able to buy grass skirts for Jessica and Annaliese, so that completed out souvenir shopping for this Cruise. Once again it was hot and humid, so we were glad to get back on board. Tonight we had to put our clocks back 1 hour as we were crossing the time Zone on the next leg.
March 9th, This was another “sea day” but they had plenty of activities to keep us occupied. As one star “Mariners” (our 2nd cruise with Holland America), we were invited to the Mariners Brunch, with the Captain and Catering Manager, and were treated to a great meal with Champagne and all the works. Val did Bingo, Trivia, Slot Tournament and an Art Auction where they were drawing the Free Raffle for a piece of Art. Val’s numbers were drawn 3 times but because it was a free raffle her 2nd & 3rd numbers were redrawn. I did the Olympics event, Quoits, and managed 3rd place, so was pleased with that result and then took in the Movie. At 6pm we went to collect Val’s Raffle Prize and were surprised at the selection of paintings to choose from. They were reproductions and beautifully framed. Our joy was turned upside when we were told that the prize would be unframed and shipped to our home address, in a tube, at a cost of $65, from Miami to Australia. After Val gave the Art manager a few harsh words in describing what she thought of his “Free” Raffle and tore up the prize winning ticket in his face, she was offered a package of smaller artwork that would be delivered to our Stateroom. Val settled down with the help of a Pina Colada, made by her favourite Barman. When we returned to our Stateroom after our evening activities, a package of 7 artwork prints had been delivered, as promised, with a very nice letter of apology.
March 10th, At 8am we anchored off Kuto, at the Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia (Isle of Pines). We decided to try and beat the heat we would do the trip ashore in the morning. The islands were true to name being covered with Pine Trees from one end to the other. After we took the Tender Boat ashore and walked around the Native Stalls and were taken in by the nice beaches and crystal clear waters. Val even had a paddle in the water’s edge. This is a French Speaking Island and Val had a little difficulty with the language barrier when buying a few trinkets for herself and wasn’t too sure if the money conversion by the Traders was correct. They were happy to deal in US or Au Dollars, with the visitors, in lieu of Francs. This is our last stop before we head straight back to Sydney.
March 13th, We docked at the Bangaroo Wharf, in Sydney at 7am. Too early for us to be up for the entry into the Harbour. The last 2 days were at sea and full of fun activities, food and drink. I did the tour of the huge Galley, where all the food is stored, meals are prepared and served to the 1450 guests, all through the day. A massive task that runs very smoothly. The “Meet the Entertainment Group” and backstage Tour was also very interesting. We had a very entertaining Final of the Karaoke Competition, in the Crows Nest, with the Winner being the most popular and deserving choice. On our last day at sea, the Catering Group put on the most amazing “Dessert Extravaganza” around the Pool on the Lido Deck. As well as the fabulous cakes, breads and desserts, the decorations included Ice Carvings. It was all a great end to a very enjoyable Cruise.
Our car was parked on the Dock, where we had left it, as Steven had returned the car early in the morning, on his way to work. We dis-embarked at 10.15am which was smooth and uneventful. We did have to pass through a Customs Check Point, as we indicated that we had things that Customs had to approve. We met Steven for a coffee at a local Coffee Bar before driving up to Dunleith Tourist Park at The Entrance, back Home (Caravan site 20, on the waterfront). We caught up with all the news from Joan and Robert , who had enjoyed their holiday in our Van.
No comments:
Post a Comment