Heading north to Alaska – Pt.2 (June ’19)

I left off my last post having just arrived in Anchorage. So I guess really, this post should’ve been titled heading south from Alaska back to Vancouver! But oh well!

The trip back to Vancouver was pretty much the same as over there. We stopped at the same places: Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park again. I think a lot of people would get bored going back to the same places on the same trip, but I like it because you have a chance to do things you didn’t get to do on the first trip. In saying that…I didn’t! Well to an extent. In Juneau, I went into the actual town. Not the part that’s showcased for the cruise tourists, but the actual part where people live. It’s completely different to the town right by the dock. I’m not quite sure where i ended up,but found myself up around where I’m assuming homeless people were living…bit unnerving, I definitely wasn’t in the tourist district anymore! I went bought myself some homemade Alaskan fudge to satisfy my sweet tooth (because that’s one thing I do miss when cruising, sweet confectionary!)

We were lucky on our second attempt at Glacier Bay National Park! It was perfect weather and got the full view of the glaciers from the get go. The people on this cruise didn’t know how lucky they were!

I purposely left Ketchikan until last, because I have the most to write about it. Well, the day/night before Ketchikan was eventful! When we arrived in Ketchikan, I headed to the old part of town again. Away from the tourist hustle and bustle. Because I was after McDonalds. When you’re hungover, nothing beats a Big Mac. And America has the best Big Macs. I walked for 30 minutes hungover to get that Big Mac! Now you’re probably wondering why I even mentioned the fact that was I hungover….I mean, it’s no secret that I enjoy the bars on a cruise!

Lets flashback to the afternoon before. Martini demonstration to be exact. I love the martini demonstrations! Anyway was super keen to try and get a free martini. That’s all my mind was set on. As well watching the talent of drink making too of course. First demo, and a new guy was performing. Next thing I know, a martini glass has been knocked off the table, breaking aaaaaaand there’s a piece of glass in my eye. Now what happened exactly after that, I’m not really sure. I went into the bathrooms to flush my eye out, thinking that was it. I came out to concerned passengers and staff. Off to the medical center I went, with me protesting that I was fine because I wanted to watch the martini demonstration. A couple of hours, eyeball anesthetic, lots of poking and prodding, eye drops and an incident report later (I just can’t escape them, it’s like being at work still!) my eye was fine, albeit very irritated and dry, but I wasn’t going to go blind! So, I was very disappointed I missed the rest of the martini demonstration. Priorities, I know. However I had a night filled of them so it certainly made up for it! And hence the hangover the next day in Ketchikan!

Let me say that I can’t fault the staff/cruise line at all for this. I’ve had plenty of people ask me why I wouldn’t complain about it, or even sue them! Why would I?! I’m not blind, I have no permanent damage…it was accident and it happens. I think people forget that sometimes, that accidents happen and it doesn’t have to be anyone’s fault…there’s literally no reason for me to hold a grudge. The staff were great, footed the medical bills, had flowers sent to my cabin and even became a running joke for the rest of the cruise between me and officers I had never met before. People definitely knew I was by the end of the cruise! A shitty incident doesn’t have to ruin a holiday or be turned into a bad experience. But I guess that’s just my outlook on life!

Luckily that happened in the last few days of the cruise so I only had to put up with a dry red eye, and putting eye drops in for a few days. The last few days were uneventful, other than the usual trying to get my weights worth of alcohol in at the bar and trivia’s and dancing!

To sum up Alaska, it was amazing. No photos, or stories I can tell will do Alaska justice. Going in June (which is the start of their summer months) was a great time. It was mostly nice weather (even in Vancouver, it was warmer than the winter back here in Australia), with the exception of some cold days, obviously. But being that winter wasn’t too far gone, there was still plenty of snow around on the tops of the mountains to appreciate it still looking ‘Alaskan’. I never thought I’d have the chance to sunbake by the pool surrounded by snowcapped mountains! The abundance of wildlife we saw without even having to go out of our way to see it; bald eagles, whales, orcas, sea otters, mountain goats…Also the scenery in Alaska is something of another world, and for someone who despises the cold, I loved it and would go again in a heartbeat.

On that note, stay tuned for the next post of my 2019 adventures! 😉

C.

Ketchikan
Home for 2 weeks. Coral Princess

Heading north to Alaska – Pt. 1 (June ’19)

Caution: long read ahead!

June 2019, i embarked on my first major overseas cruise. This involved having to do a 14 hour flight to Vancouver. This was also my first long-haul international flight. This trip was going to be a bunch of firsts for me!

I arrived in Vancouver 14 hours after leaving Brisbane at 11am and going back in time, it was about 8am the same day. Pretty much the whole flight was at night, unfortunately i didn’t sleep much though! I can’t fault Air Canada, they were especially friendly when it came to me wanting bulk coca-cola for breakfast! Once i made my way out of the airport and onto Canada soil without finding myself on border security, i managed to get myself a cab (as they call it over there!) to my hotel. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t check in until 3pm. It was currently 8.30am at this point, so i stored my luggage and despite being incredibly tired as i’d been awake for over, i dont even know how long at this point, i went off on adventure. I wasn’t staying in the city, it was about a 15minute train ride to downtown vancouver, with an added 15minute walk to the train station from my hotel. So i set off…and realised i had no map, or wifi to connect to google maps, and i had no bloody idea where I was going. Oh well. Luckily for me, i came across a McDonalds not too far down the road. Hooray for a maccas breakfast and free wifi. I LOVE McDonalds. However i learned that as cheap as it is it over in Canada (roughly $2.50 for a sausage mcmuffin $1.00 for a large coke) it is absolutely disgusting. Perhaps that’s why it’s so cheap! Anyway the positive in this story since i threw out my breakfast, is that i could get wifi to find out where the hell I was going. 20 minutes later i set off towards the train station.

I love Canada’s transport system. It’s so easy to navigate. One way to the city, one way back. Unlike Australia where you can get lost on multiple lines. Jumped on the train for about $2 and 15 minutes later I was on the middle of Vancouver. If you’ve never been to Vancouver, you should go. I’m not one for history and architecture, but Vancouver is full of it. And it’s amazing. The weather was warmer than it was back home in Australia. I was in shorts and a t-shirt. Granted it was summer over there, but i honestly didn’t expect it to be so warm. There was still snow on the mountain peaks across the harbour. By about midday I was struggling with the jetlag and walking around the city so i headed back to the hotel about 1.30pm in hopes that I could check in early. Fortunately, I could. I made a rookie error of falling asleep almost straight away. I woke up about 10pm feeling like i’d been hit by a truck. Sore throat, headache, achy. So I wasn’t just jet-jagged, i was also sick. Great. And I couldn’t sleep because i’d slept all afternoon. I ended up falling asleep at about 3am. The next day I had planned on exploring the city and going to Stanley Park….but it didn’t happen because i slept until 1pm! Oops. I still wasn’t feeling great anyway, but i forced myself to make the 15minute walk to the train station, and the 15minute trip into the city so I could find a drug store to get some cold and flu tablets. I then encountered the problem of everything being written in french! Everything in Canada has english, with a french translation on it. You’d think my french would have improved, but i can still only say ‘yes’ in french!

I was embarking on the cruise the next day, so as well as the cold and flu tablets, i also found a juice bar. So i ordered the healthiest juice I could find on the menu in hopes that it would help. Carrot smoothies actually dont taste that bad! I went for a walk down to the harbour and watched all the sea planes take off, almost colliding with cruise ships leaving the port. I finally headed off back to my hotel, slightly disappointed that I didn’t get to do much exploring.

The next day I woke up at a normal time, still feeling under the weather but super excited. Cruise day! Let me tell you, Canadian taxi drivers are crazy. I mean, i didn’t die, but i felt a bit like I was in a grand theft auto video game. Regardless i made it to the ship in one piece and boarding was hassle free and quick. Given that we were going to America, i was expecting it to be a lot more crazy regarding customs, but I was onboard within about 30minutes of getting to the terminal.

I was cruising on the Coral Princess, which is a lot bigger than the Sun Princess and Sea Princess which is what i’m used to sailing on. So, I got lost. A lot! My cabin never seemed to be in the same place. Different bars. More bars. More restaurants. But i liked the ship. I definitely prefer the bigger ships over the smaller ones now! They’re more spacious, and even though they take a lot more passengers (she takes about 2,000 people) you wouldn’t know it!

For the first time in my cruising history, I had bought a drinks package for the first half of my cruise. An Alaskan cruise is only 7 days, and goes one way. Vancouver to Anchorage, and Anchorage to Vancouver. So because i had wanted to do a round trip back to Vancouver, i had to book 2 cruises. Because I had the drinks package, i wanted to make the most of it. So straight to the bar I went when i boarded. Unfortunately for me, I had developed a finger infection about 2 days before i left, and i was on antibiotics for that. I was still also taking cold and flu tablets so I was on a cocktail of meds for the first two days of the cruise. Just my luck when I also have a drinks package and want to make the most of drinking! The vibe of cruising going to somewhere other than a tropical destination is something completely different. Here I was thinking i’d still be listening to typical reggae music, but (unsurprisingly) they dont play that type of music when going somewhere cold and icy!

Two days later we reached our first destination of Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world. And after tasting some authentic Alaskan salmon, i can see why! I’ve never been a huge salmon lover, but it’s actually amazingly tasty. the weather was unbelievable. It had been quite cold on the first sea day (before arriving in Ketchikan), but it was sunny skies all around and i was quite comfortable in jeans,t-shirt and thongs. I even got a bit of sun-baking by the pool in once i came back on-board the ship. I had gotten off and explored the town, which was very quaint. They also love popcorn there! Lots of salmon and Alaskan chocolate is pretty much the extent of what I ate on this day. I also got to see my first wild bald eagles, which i was way too excited to see! It wasn’t until i was back on the ship sun-baking when one flew over me so low i could see all the feather details. I was like a kid at Christmas and the American people next to me were definitely wondering why I was so excited. Ketchikan is the kind of place that you look at from a distance and it looks exactly what you think America ‘looks like’. All the pine trees, old houses…you just imagine bears running around in the forests.

The next day we arrived in Juneau. What a complete contrast to the day before. It was freezing! (well, about 13 degree’s celsius, but compared to the day before, it was COLD!) It was also rainy and grey and miserable, but it didn’t stop me from exploring. Juneau is home to Mt Roberts, which is known as bear territory. So naturally, this is what I wanted to do. Go find a bear! To get to the top of Mt Roberts which is where the trail starts, you have to take a cable car up to the top. And it’s a steep, almost vertical ride up. Over the tree tops on the side of the mountain.My fear of heights did not like this, however i must admit that the view is breathtaking. Even in all the rain, and we even spotted a bald eagle nest as we glided over the tree tops.

Once at the top I started my hike. It wasn’t until I read the information sign at the beginning of the trail, and it said what to do if you encountered a bear, that I realized I was in bear country. Walking along the trail….it was a very rugged, rocky, single person path surrounded by long grass, trees and bushes, or forestry trees. The higher up I went, closer to the top, there was a steep drop off. I wondered what I’d do if I ran into a bear at that point as there wasn’t really anywhere to go…but the thought didn’t last long as I kept getting taken aback by the scenery. It was cold and rainy still so the clouds were low, and there was still heaps of snow and ice over the mountain. Pictures or this blog won’t do it justice! A couple of hours later I was back at the beginning of the trail, and no bears were sighted unfortunately. But it was an amazing trek none the less!

I headed back down the mountain on the tramway for a bit of lunch, and I’d had a recommendation to visit a place called Tracey’s crab shack. So off I went, where I had the most expensive crab legs I’ve ever eaten! However, it was also the best, so I was happy. It was also super busy with lines out the door…if that’s any indication to go by of how good  of a place it is! Juneau is Alaska’s capital city, and what a cute little town it is! A small main street or two at the base of the huge mountains on the river that cruise ships dock at. Across the river are snowcapped mountains…actually everywhere you look you can see mountains. Given that it was June, so the beginning of their summer, there was still a fair bit of snow on all the mountains.

Skagway was the next days stop. Again, very cold and grey. And again, a completely different scene! Skagway is home to gold rush era type buildings, and the White Pass and Yukon route railroad. It was a bit of a walk from the ship into town, but it’s very scenic so it doesn’t take long. Skagway love their souvenir shops, so if you’re wanting souvenirs, Skagway is the place! There is one main street, so I wandered up and down until I was hungry for lunch. I ended up at Bonza Bar and Grill right in the middle of town. It had free wi-fi, and looked super cozy from the cold, wet grey day it was. The food…was amazing. Crab quesadillas and a cold Alaskan ale to wash it down, all with a view of the snowcapped mountains. I’m not typically a winter/cold type of person…but I was loving Alaska’s scenery by this point!

When I got back to the ship I was excited, because the Skagway port means one special event on the cruise ship. And that is Alaskan husky puppies. Dog mushing (or dog sledding) is the sport of dogs (huskys) pulling a sled. Dog musher Ryan Redington brings his puppies onboard for 45 minutes for people to meet. They are the cutest things ever, and they loved all the attention. Plenty of puppy kisses and cuddles for me, before heading off to get ready for the night ahead!

Next day was an early start!! We were scenic cruising through glaciers all day, and apparently those days have to start early! Now, if I thought Juneau and Skagway were cold, well Glacier Bay National Park was a whole new level of cold. It was about 8am when we started sailing up to them and getting a good spot on top deck and braving the cold was priority! Except for the little fact that there was nothing to see except cloud. And fog. After an hour or so it was starting to look like we would be unlucky with the weather. But, wearing 5 layers of clothing, gloves, a scarf and beanie I braved the cold and stayed up on deck. Fog and clouds aside, it was like being a different world. The water was insanely blue, and completely flat. Like glass. Bits of ice starting floating past us in the water, some with sea otters lying on them. And then, all of a sudden a weird pattern formed in the sky. Like bright white dots and speckles. It took us a while to realize that it was the fog parting in one specific area, and the sun (that we couldn’t see) was shining onto the glaciers that were hidden. It was a sight that I’ve never seen before, and absolutely incredible. As time went on, the fog started to part even more until we could see the glaciers on either side of the ship. As we got further into the National Park, the floating ice got bigger and started to resemble ice bergs, and we could see pieces of glacier breaking off and falling into the water. The sound was crazy. Think of rumbling thunder continuously. You would hear that thunder noise, and know more ice was about to fall somewhere. We saw more sea otters, a few whales, bald eagles, and even a mountain goat. By that time I had been up on deck in the freezing cold for a good 4 hours so decided it was time to go enjoy the warmth of inside the ship and get a drink from the bar.

3pm came around and I ventured back outside to see what the view was. We had sailed into another glacier area, and were surrounded 360 by tall, icy glaciers. I was surprised to discover that it was actually quite warm and sunny. So naturally, I decided it was a great time to grab a cocktail, my bikini and get some vitamin D by the pool. Never would I have ever thought I’d be getting a tan while surrounded by snow and ice!

We visited Mendenhall Glacier the next day as more scenic cruising, and while it was perfectly sunny outside, it was also freezing. So no sunbaking for me, but it was a very busy day at the bar as it was the last day of my drinks package! That night was a fun-filled, busy night as pretty much everyone else was getting off the next day when we arrived in Whittier. I finished up at the bar at about 12.30am and went out on deck before heading back to the cabin. I was shocked to discover that it wasn’t completely dark yet! For people who live in Queensland think about 7pm in summer. Almost dark, but there’s blue sky still. It was crazy. I didn’t get off the ship the next day (later that day?!) in Whitter. It was freezing, and there wasn’t a lot to do near the port…and I might have been a bit hungover. But it was nice having the ship literally to myself. Well until the next lot of passengers starting embarking!

Well, that was the first leg to my cruise to Alaska! 7 days from Vancouver to Whitter. This ended up being long enough, so I’ll put the next 7 days back to Vancouver in the next post! Stay tuned

C.

Ketchikan
Juneau
Leaving Vancouver
Juneau
Mount Roberts trail
Skagway
Begining of Mt Roberts trail
Juneau tramway
Glacier Bay NP
Glacier Bay NP
12.30am Whittier
GB NP
Mendenhall Glacier
Canada place, Vancouver
Vancouver

Back to it!

Well, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?!

I’m back, and yes i’m aware that it’s been a good 6 months since my last post, i’m sorry! I’ve had lots of people asking me if i was still writing my blog, and the answer is yes, i’ve just been slack, and honestly just haven’t known where to start with writing about my latest adventures as they’re going to no doubt be super long posts! So, i’m going to use this post as just an update, and i’ll post a few new blogs specifically about my trips. Because they’re going to be long! I’ll apologize in advance for the novels.

And yes, i said trips with an S! The last post i wrote, i was getting ready to go to Alaska for the first time. Well not only did I make it to Alaska, I also made it back a second time, and i’m 4 weeks away from heading on my next adventure. But i’m going to leave that as a surprise. I know, I know…i cant help myself.

Ok, i’m going to make this short and sweet since i know the next few posts will be long reads! No need to make this the same!

Stay tuned,

C.

 

Wanderlusting

My mind lately has been very occupied by the thoughts of travelling. I think it’s safe to say that the travel bug has well and truly taken over me. I want to travel the world and experience the different cultures of far away countries. And thinking back, it’s funny to see this part of my life playing out this way. It’s not something that i’ve always wanted to do, it’s literally something that has started in only the last 3 or so years. You look back to the type of kid that I was 10, 15 years ago and you would have never have thought it. I remember being on a passenger ferry as a young child and I refused to have my feet touching the ground. I hated being on that damn ferry! I also hated being away from home and my family overnight. I dont think I went on a school camp until I was in year 7! And here I am today. Lets face it, these days, I spend so much time on cruise ships, that i may as well be living on one. And I hope for rough seas. The bigger the seas, the more fun and better.  And I travel 95% of my trips solo, by myself and not knowing a single person. Complete contrast to child me!

But what changed? I had vacationed within Australia before and it never brought out the passion to want to travel. But then I got my passport and went on my first cruise out of the country (to the South Pacific back in 2015), and my inner cruise spirit got awakened. I loved it! I loved it so much that I booked another cruise with a friend only 5 months later. It was to the same place, but I loved it all the same. I could do the things that I missed on the first trip. And then I went on another one with another friend only 2 months later. That time, to Papua New Guinea. I found that each cruise that I did, i got off loving it even more and needing more. Now it’s the beginning of 2019 and I’ve just finished my 12th cruise, and number 13 & 14 are planned for June. One of the reasons that I liked cruising (amongst other reasons) is because I didn’t have to fly. I could travel to places without having to set foot on a plane. However, there’s only so many places  you can cruise to from Brisbane (meaning I didn’t have to fly anywhere), and if I wanted to start seeing all my bucket-list places overseas, I was going to have to fly to different countries. So I started with baby steps and booked cruises from Sydney, and taking the 1.5hour flight down to Sydney. I did that a few times before deciding I was ready to try something bigger and better, and cruised from New Zealand. Flying 3 hours to Auckland to board a ship, I was pretty much a nervous wreck and had no idea what I was doing. It was my first international flight, and i was by myself. But it was that flight and adventure that really opened up my desire to want to travel more, and to conquer my fear of flying and to go see the world. Because if I could do that, then I could do anything. And now because of that, I’ve got a 14hour flight to Vancouver, Canada to cruise around Alaska in June! I think i’ve come a long way!

I said that one of the reasons i loved cruising, was because I could travel without flying. Well, if I’m willing to fly places to cruise, then that can’t really be one of the main reasons anymore! But aside from that, I’ll always love cruising for many other reasons. One being the convenience of it. Once you’ve paid for a cruise, you only have to worry about how much you’re drinking, and whatever you want to do on land! One price and your accommodation is paid for, your meals are paid for, your entertainment is paid for, you dont have to worry about how you’re getting back to where you’re staying after a few drinks at dinner (…well, that’s not always easy as all the hallways look the same when you’re sober, so when you’ve had a few drinks, it can be a littleee bit confusing trying to find your cabin! I may be talking from experience here ;)).

But the second reason, and probably more bigger of a reason the the first one, is the experience of it all. It’s not just a mode of transport to get to a location. I love being on the ship. I love being out on the ocean surrounded by nothing but water. You haven’t seen an amazing sunset until you’ve seen one from the middle of the ocean! I love falling asleep to the rocking of the ship. Some people hate the sea days because they’re on it only to get from A to B. Which is what I thought I’d be like on my first cruise. But after so many, i’ve realized that the experience of cruising is more than just getting to your destination. Sitting out on a quiet deck watching the sun set over the ocean and the sound of the ship pushing through the waves is the definition of serenity.

It obviously has it’s downsides, as you dont get to spend more than one day in a destination. So you’ll never get to see everything a place has to offer. And you’ll be going to tourist destinations, as opposed to finding places that are off the beaten track that the locals know. But you get to go to many different places in one trip, so if I find somewhere that I really love and want to explore more, then i’ll make sure I visit again, not on a cruise and really see what the place has to offer. And my thoughts on this have changed a lot lately. Not too long ago, my focus was more towards purely travelling and seeing the world by cruising. And while that’s something that I still want to do, i’ve realized that the words ‘vacation’ and ‘travel’ have two different meanings. Vacation can always include travel and travelling, but travelling doesn’t always mean ‘vacation’.

My guilty pleasure? Travel doco’s on Netflix. I love watching them and the more I watch them, the more I antsy I get to want to go travel the world. At the moment, i guess you can say my inspiration to want to do this, is a series called ‘Departures’. It’s 2 guys from Toronto who packed up and travelled the world in year. And it shows everything they went through, the good and the bads. This is what made me think about the difference between a vacation, and travelling the world. To me, a vacation is a cruise. Or staying in a resort. You know, lying by the pool, drinking cocktails. Going out for dinner in a restaurant where the chances of you getting food poisoning are low. Not having to worrying about anything. However travelling and seeing the world is not necessarily that. It’s seeing places for what they really are. Going to third world countries where you have to watch what you eat and drink. Where it might be a bit dangerous, or you wouldn’t go walking outside at night. Where it’s a whole different culture that you have absolutely no idea about and you really ‘relax’ the entire time. To some people, that’s not appealing. And up until about a year or so ago, it wasn’t something that I ever wanted to do. But lately I have realized it is actually what I want to do. And watching these travel doco’s have certainly inspired me into realizing this. To have adventure and see the world for what it really is. Cruising so much, i’ve met and stayed friends with many people from all over the world who would happily help me out if I was to ever venture into their neck of the woods. And travelling by yourself, that’s always a good thing to have!

To all you travellers, adventurers, people who have been all over the world, what inspired you to want to travel and be adventurous? Was it something that you always wanted to do, or like me, watching other peoples experiences??

If anyone wants any inspiration or enjoys a good travel doco, here are a few that i highly recommend on Netflix!

  • Departures
  • Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
  • The kindness diaries

But, first things first, and that’s my upcoming adventures to Vancouver and Alaska! Only 74 more days, and I still have a LOT to do before then!

C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High seas to Far North QLD! (February ’19)

So my New years resolution was to get better at this blogging thing and stop slacking off, but evidently i haven’t been too good at it! It is only March however, so I still have plenty of time to perfect it, right?! Beginning now.

My latest cruise has come and gone, I’m struggling to believe i’ve only been back for 2 weeks! It feels like a looooot longer and i’m still a bit sad that i’m not on a cruise anymore! It’s safe to say that leading up to that cruise was a whirlwind of cyclonic activity. And i mean that quite literally. The effects of Cyclone Oma which was stirring up havoc around the south east coast of Queensland threw my travel plans into a bit of chaos beforehand, and to say I was super happy when i finally made it onto the ship was an understatement.

Being from Brisbane, I was flying to Sydney to embark on the Sun Princess. Then we were heading back up the QLD coast, stopping in at Brisbane, then going up to Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, past Willis Island, and back down to Sydney. The plan originally was to fly down to Sydney early on the morning of the cruise and head straight to the cruise ship, however a week out from the cruise and Cyclone Oma’s wrath was being predicted to be in full force that same morning. I decided to take comfort in knowing that if my flight out of Brisbane got cancelled, i could just join the ship when it came to Brisbane and start my cruise then. The next few days I spent stressing and constantly watching the weather forecasts to see what she was doing. 2 days out from the cruise and after a lot of umming and ahhhing and stressing, I made the decision to change my flight to 24 hours earlier so I would miss the worst of the weather and stay overnight in Sydney. Cue me forming into my own kind of cyclone as it was 4pm and had to get everything organized for a 7am flight the next morning. I hadn’t even packed by that stage (I still had my clothes out on the line!) and needed to find some sort of cheap accommodation/transport for the next day. Miraculously I manged to get everything ready without forgetting anything!

The decision to make sure i got on the ship in Sydney and not Brisbane proved to be the right one, as the Port of Brisbane (where the cruise ships dock) actually closed due to the high swell and winds. Which meant we couldn’t stop in Brisbane on our way up to North QLD! It also meant the Sea Princess (which was already up in Cairns) couldn’t return to Brisbane when it was supposed to and those lucky passengers got an extra few days on their cruise. Not everyone was that lucky though as some cruises got cancelled altogether, or they diverted and went south down to Melbourne and Tassie instead of up north. As it was, we weren’t sure whether our cruise was going to go up north or go south. I wouldn’t have minded if we had gone to Tasmania….except for the fact that I had packed all summer clothes and would’ve frozen down south! Fortunately though, we got to keep our original itinerary, minus Brisbane. I was okay with that as it’s home, but thats not to say other passengers felt the same way!

After a busy night making sure I was packed and sorted, a 3am start, and a VERY bumpy flight to Sydney (is it possible for planes to fall out of the sky if it’s windy?! Because it sure felt like that was going to happen!) i finally made it to my hotel. I’ve said it before in my posts and i’ll say it again, I hate Sydney. It was raining and cold (every time i go there its wet and cold. This time was no different.) I wasn’t staying in the CBD this time as I had organized a transfer from the airport, so I caught a train to where I was staying. Last minute accommodation in Sydney is not cheap! So i paid a fair bit for not much. And a lot of noise. But i still managed to fall asleep for the whole afternoon. I went and found a McDonalds for lunch without getting stabbed (thats the kind of town it felt like!) and then dinner consisted of 2 minute noodles, a block of chocolate and some chips while I watched TV all night!

The next morning i managed to make it back to the airport, find my shuttle bus and get to the ship while only managing to almost get hit by one car. Pretty good I thought! No words can explain that feeling of boarding a ship again. Pure happiness. Finally reaching Elite status also means not having to wait to board, so within about 15 minutes from being dropped off at the terminal, I was on the ship. First place I headed to, the bar of course! Unfortunately Sydney didn’t turn the weather on for us, so the sail away party was cancelled. That’s one of my favourite parts of the cruise! You begin to wonder if you’ve been on too many cruises when the band on the ship is the same band that was on previous cruises you’ve been on! That was a nice surprise however. Speaking of which, when I went on my cruise to NZ last March, my friend and I met a lovely older couple who we stayed in touch with after we got off. Well this couple was back on this cruise too so it was such a great time reuniting with them! We had great times at Crooners Bar. I can now say Watermelon Martinis are my new favourite (expensive!) drink!

As soon as we sailed out of the heads and into the open water, it was rough! In fact, we had decent swell up until we got into the Barrier Reef up north! My cabin was at the back of the ship so it was safe to say i definitely felt the ship moving up and down back there. I found it fun, but there were a few poor souls on board who didn’t enjoy it as much! We were pretty much sailing behind Cyclone Oma, so while we weren’t getting the worst of the weather, we were definitely still feeling the effects of her moods! Once we reached QLD however, the weather finally cleared up (the sun came out, the sea didn’t really calm down) and we could start having some fun outside again. Aka, I could lie by the pool and sunbake, which is really what i had been hanging out for.

Airlie Beach was wet and actually kind of cold! I had plans to get lunch and lie by the lagoon and have a swim and sunbake, but realistically, what happened was I went and got a Big Mac and walked around the lagoon before deciding it was too cold and wet and I headed back to the ship. This cruise was a very chilled out and relaxed cruise for me. I had opted to relax and not do much and thats basically what I did. I did a lot of lying by the pool watching movies under the stars, or being social at all the bars. Or lying in my favourite window lounge while admiring the view and reading. Oh and laughing at the people walking by on the open deck who would do a double take when they saw me sitting there watching them! I was also in saving money mode for my Alaskan cruise, so I was being semi reasonable at the bar too (well I was trying!).

We hit Cairns the next day and surprise surprise, it was rainy again in the morning. It didn’t last long though, but holy hell was it humid! My hair instantly resembled a lions mane the minute i stepped off the ship! I hit up the shopping center because i had decided i needed something else to wear for formal night. Probably not the best idea since I had already been over my weight limit coming onto the cruise! But we all know common sense goes out the window when you’re on holidays! After some shopping i headed down do the lagoon and had a quick swim and relax before it started to rain again and I headed back to the ship to get changed for my regular evening bar hopping shenanigans!

It’s no secret that Port Douglas is my favourite port up north, and that is where we were the next  day. And we arrived to perfect weather too. Well, sky wise. Ocean wise…it was a different story! If you read my blog last time I went to Port Douglas, you’ll remember that The ride over on the tender from the ship resembled a buck n bull ride. Well this time was the same, if not more so! I was lucky enough to go over on a big catamaran instead of a little tender because they had stopped using the them before i got off the ship. That would probably explain the hour wait I had to get off the ship in the first place. But coming back to ship….weowww! They were using tenders again and i was lucky enough to get to go one of them. I say lucky, because it was probably one of the highlights of my trip! Up one wave, smack down the other side like a rollercoaster. Throw in some waves coming through the window and wetting everyone and it was a bit like a Disneyland ride! Then we started slowing down because it was getting too rough and then we were just rolling from side to side, up and down….and the next minute sick bags were being handed out to people. I did start to wonder at one point whether the tenders can tip over in big waves, but I had fun all the same! I spent my day on land looking around in the limited shops for another bag to travel home with, had some delicious lunch and wandered off the beaten track to find a paradise of palm trees with an amazing view of the ship. Port D will always be my favourite place up north I think!

Scenic cruising around Willis Island, I surprisingly enjoy. The captain anchors off the tiny Island and we get a bit of an educational talk from one of the rangers. This time we were lucky enough to see them release a weather balloon from the island, but the abundance of bird life that suddenly appears when you reach the island is so cool to see! So many albatross (mainly) that soar and hang around the ship, as well as lesser frigatebirds.

Once we left the Great Barrier Reef Marine park heading home, we started getting rough seas again. It made for a lot of fun, until the second last night I became victim to it and fell into my TV shelf and smacked my head. Bit of an egg and bruise but nothing major. It became a joke between staff and friends I had made, that I had spent a lot of time at the bars and had many cocktails, and the minute i’m sober, i sustain an injury. Go figure, those TV shelves are dangerous! (I’m joking with that comment. No, I do not hold the ship responsible, accidents happen and that is all that it was).

This was yet another amazing cruise, surprisingly nothing major happened on it, unless you count Cyclone Oma’s remnants. I’ve been on cruises and there have been people overboard, engines breaking down, search and rescue of an abandoned vessel, fires, cyclones, death….everyone tells me the only thing left to happen is for it to sink. But touch wood that one never happens! I met up with people i knew, met new people, made new friends and all up had yet another amazing time. But now it’s time to look forward to my next adventure, which is Canada and Alaska in only 87 days! And holy crap, has that come around fast. I cannot wait for it, but i need all the time I can get to save up and get ready for it. I’ve decided that I definitely want to meet huskies and go sledding! But that is all that i’ve thought about! If anyone has any suggestions then i’m all ears!

Oh, and I have a new travel buddy. His name is Stanley and he’s the Princess bear. He was very kindly sent to me by my dear friends Kath and Bob when we returned from our cruise, and i’ve decided he’s coming on all my cruise adventures with me from now on. I’ve also started a new instagram page that is purely for my travels and adventures. I’ve put the link up in my profile section, so check it out and keep an eye out on what we get up to in future!

C. x

Stanley, my new travel buddy
My beloved window lounge!
Leaving Sydney
Lady of luxury I am
Port D

 

 

New year, new cruises.

Happy New Year! I’m back – 19 days late, but better late than never, right?!

I’ve been pretty quiet on here for the last month or so. I wish I could say it’s been because i’ve been busy off cruising, but unfortunately, it’s just been because life has been very busy! Between working 2 jobs, needing enough sleep to function, trying to fit in my much needed beach time, and still have even a smidge of a social life, i’m currently resembling the below image!

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But, the craziness is all for good reason.  I booked another cruise adventure, and it’s a little more extravagant than the usual close to home cruises that I usually do! This time I’m going to…..Alaska! Completely out of my comfort zone too; if you’ve read my previous blog posts, you’ll know that i’m not the biggest fan of flying, with the longest flight i’ve ever done being 3 hours to Auckland. Well, this cruise involves me flying a direct 14 hour flight to Vancouver, Canada from Brisbane. And then obviously back again after the cruise. By myself. So, for me, it’s a big deal trip. And, a lot more expensive! Hence working pretty much every day. But, you have to work for what you want in life. And I want to go to Alaska. Surprisingly, the cruise itself isn’t as expensive as i was thinking it was going to be. Considering that it’s two cruises back to back (purely so that i end up back in Vancouver) as all of Princess cruises to Alaska are 7 day trips back and forth between Vancouver and Anchorage. It’s the flights that are going to break the bank i think!

At this stage, the plan is to fly to Vancouver 2 days before the cruise on a direct flight and spend that time exploring Vancouver (or recovering from jet lag, since i’ve never experienced it before!) Then it will be 14 days cruising to Anchorage on the Coral Princess, and back to Vancouver. Excited is an understatement, but in saying that, the nerves are already high! I cant even begin to imagine what i’ll be like the night before. I was nervous about the process of flying into Auckland airport (which is so much like Australia) and thought i would end up finding myself on border security….so i’m extremely concerned i’ll end up on the same program trying to navigate somewhere a lot further away than NZ!! Not quite sure what i’ve gotten myself into here, but here’s hoping it all goes smoothly!

If anyone has any tips for the long haul airplane trip, or what to do or where to stay in Vancouver, feel free to share them! I haven’t even begin to look at whats to offer yet, so at this stage I’ve got an empty book!

On another note though, i actually have a cruise coming up in 34 days. In all honesty, i think i’ll be lucky if i remember to make it onto the ship. I’ve been so focused and excited about Alaska, that i keep forgetting about it! February 23rd i’ll be flying down to Sydney to cruise back up the Queensland coast to Cairns, Port Douglas, Airlie Beach and Willis island on the Sun Princess. That ship is basically my second home now. If this trip sounds familiar, it’s because its the same one that I did back in September. Although, the last one i did was the spontaneous trip, this one was already paid for back then! I’m not complaining though, as I love it up there and being storm season, i’m hoping for some cracking storms while we’re out at sea! Anytime i’m relaxing on a ship is a good time, regardless of where i’m going. I could be sailing to the Bermuda Triangle and i’d still be happy 😉

I’ll try and get better with writing these a little more regularly – i’m determined to make 2019 my year for adventures and cruising, so hopefully i’ll be having plenty to write about!

C x

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Dreaming of Alaska and Vancouver

 

 

Pre cruise excitement

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So, I’m currently writing this from my hammock on a beautiful tropical island in the Caribbean, while drinking a fresh coconut.

Except by tropical island I mean my backyard. And replace the coconut with a lemon squash. 17,000km away from the actual Caribbean. But I AM writing this from my hammock, while dreaming of being where my heart really seems to lie!

What caused me to be lost in this daydream? Well, I just booked my next cruise! Unfortunately, not until February 2019 though. 18 weeks, 16 hours and 20 minutes to go. Not that I’m counting down or anything, right? I’ll be heading back to Far North Queensland. It will be summer this time which means it will be super hot, so i’m excited for hot weather! A lot of people ask why I would go back somewhere that i’ve already been, and the many answers are pretty simple: Because I loved it there and want to explore more, because it was a cruise that worked out best when booking it, and at the end of the day, I’d be happy going anywhere as long as I was on a ship.

If you enjoy cruising, you will know the excitement that follows booking a cruise. The excitement of knowing that soon you’ll be back on your floating home, not having to cook, clean and getting little chocolates every night. Not to mention all the cocktails and beautiful locations. But then, there’s always the dreaded impatience. It’s SO damn far away; how am I going to wait so long?! I hate the wait. I’m the most impatient person in the world when it comes to vacations…or anything really. But in the end, the wait always works in my favour because i’m also very unorganised. The kind of unorganised where i’m still booking flights 3 weeks before the cruise, pre-cruise accommodation 2 days before and packing the night before! I’m trying to get better at not waiting until the last minute, so I figure the more cruises I go on, the more practice i get, right?

Which leads me to this topic: packing! Who hates it? Who loves it?? Me? I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the idea of it and I always want to start packing some ridiculous amount of time before the cruise. It gets me so excited. But then I drag my suitcase out, and think about only choosing certain clothing items, a certain amount of shoes and how hard that decision is, that I end up packing and unpacking multiple times up until the night before. It pretty much ends up being a lucky dip suitcase. On that note, how many pairs of heels for one cruise is too many? If I had it my way, I would be taking more than one suitcase with probably everything except the kitchen sink. I like to have options – what happens if i eat too much on formal night and i dont fit into my formal dress?? (because lets face it, there’s no such thing as dieting when you’ve got the buffet and dining room at your finger tips!)

Packing to come home is a whole different story. As I mentioned above, me being a serial last minute packer, in true form I will leave it until 5pm on the night that you have to put your suitcases out for collection. Then ‘packing’ will generally involve me literally throwing all my clothes, shoes, etc into my suitcase in no sort of order and having to sit on my case to zip it up. Packing up to leave is a sad reality that your cruise is coming to an end and definitely my most hated part of a cruise!

And then you have UNPACKING when you get home. If you’ve read this far then you can probably guess how it turns out for me without me having to go into detail! If you thought that I unpack as terribly as I pack, then you would be right. It happens gradually over time as I need things. If I just left my suitcase packed, then I wouldn’t have the trouble of packing for the next holiday, right??

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If the above doesn’t describe me when it comes to packing, then I dont know what does!

If anyone has any handy packing tips or must-do’s, feel free to share them!

C.

Favourites

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Local dancing. Port Vila, Vanuatu

One of the questions i get asked the most, and probably the hardest one to answer, is ‘where’s the best place that you’ve been to?’
There’s no one answer for that; i end up listing every place i’ve been to! There are some places that I loved more than others, but i’ve enjoyed every single beach, island, town, all for different reasons, and there’s no one ‘best’ place.

It’s no secret that I absolutely love the warm, tropical islands – i’m a coconut, turquoise blue water, palm tree loving girl through and through. So naturally one would assume the islands would be the best place. But which one? All of them. The islands in Papua New Guinea are so different to the ones in Vanuatu. New Zealand is cold, so one would think I wouldn’t like it there. Nope, I loved it. I just won’t be moving there anytime soon!

Where have I been? Granted, I’ve only been to a few various locations in different countries close to home: Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. I haven’t been all over the world (yet!) but i’m working on it! Caribbean and Tahiti, hold tight, i’m coming for you one day.

So to answer the question, the best place i’ve been to is:

  • Rabaul, Alotau (PNG): The people here were so nice! The volcano’s in Rabaul left me in awe (i’ve never seen one before) and i’m still kicking myself I didn’t do the walk up one! And i was definitely in my element with the hot, humid and muggy climate.
  • Doini Island, Kitava Island, Kiriwina Island (PNG): The tropical islands of PNG. It’s a given that i’ll love anywhere that has palm trees and blue water so naturally I was happy to wander around the few market stalls that the locals had set up for us, then sit under a tree and enjoy the peace and quiet. Te only down side is that they didn’t have coconuts here. They did however have native tribe dancing and traditional canoes that they were happy to take us for rides on and fill our heads with some history!
  • Honiara (Solomon Islands): A built up town that is VERY hot and humid! It was the kind of town that you learned as you were walking back to the ship by yourself, that you probably shouldn’t be by yourself. Especially when I reached the ship to find it guarded by armed guards. Oops. It was intimidating and an eye opener to the fact that we sometimes take for granted/forget how ‘safe’ Australia is compared to other places. There’s a lot of history to the country and I would like to go back to explore more outside of the city center one day.
  • Lifou (New Caledonia): This place has THE BEST snorkeling i’ve done! It’s a cute little island where pretty much everything is in walking distance from the ship. Coconuts, market stalls and music. There are a few little places you can visit if you hire a car or catch the shuttle bus, like caves and grottos. You can take a walk up to an old church which has amazing views overlooking the ship anchored off shore and both sides of the island (it’s a hefty walk uphill though!). Snorkeling at Jinek Bay on the opposite side of the island is worth the $15 to do it. They charge for it so that there’s only a limited number of people swimming at one time to protect the marine life, and thank god they do. You don’t want to see something as beautiful as Jinek bays natural aquarium ruined!
  • Port Vila (Vanuatu): A lot of people who have been here think of Port Vila as dirty and boring. I see it as an incredibly friendly city who are just trying to get tourism back after being hit hard by Cyclone Pam in 2015. The crowds of taxi drivers wanting business as you walk off the cruise ship can be intimidating for first timers, but they’re harmless. They’re so many beautiful places if you venture out of the city itself. The blue lagoon, waterfalls, horse riding, turtle bay…i could go on and on. And you cant forget the duty free there – The Big Yellow shop in the city itself…don’t leave without visiting it!
  • Champagne Bay,Mystery Island (Vanuatu): The tropical islands of Vanuatu, and probably would be my first pick to go back to if I had to choose. Mystery Island lives up to its name. I’ve actually been there 3 times, but up until that third visit last year, I’d never been off the ship due to weather and it being cancelled. Apparently it’s a common occurrence so if you can get off there, you’re lucky! But it’s stunning. A small island with an ‘airport’ (airstrip and a rundown house saying ‘mystery island airport) in the middle. White sand, palm trees, some good snorkelling and various water sports. Champagne Bay has the bluest water i’ve ever seen, regardless of whether it’s sunny or overcast. There’s some coral reefs not far off shore that you can snorkel, canoes for hire, the usual market stalls from the locals and of course, my fresh coconuts. They also have locals cooking fresh local food like lobster and crab which i’m yet to true, but is apparently delicious!
  • Fiordlands (New Zealand): Probably the most stunning scenery i’ve ever seen! Absolutely freezing, but you’ll never picture a cruise ship as tiny until you sail through here. The mountain peaks towering closely on both sides of the ship, with waterfalls cascading down them and snow lining the tops, it’s spectacular.
  • Dunedin, Akaroa, Bay of Isles (New Zealand): Each little town was so different in their own way, but all so similar. Dunedin and Akaroa on the south island are a lot colder and wetter. Old but pretty towns with a lot of history behind them and beautiful landscapes. Bay of Isles (Paihia) on the north island is a lot more modern (and sunnier and warmer!) and a bit more of a tourist town that has a lot to do with fishing. Plenty of opportunities to go out on boats and fish and do water sports, and is a very tropical little town for NZ!
  • Auckland (New Zealand): I dont like big cities, but I really found a soft spot for Auckland. It’s not quite as big as other capital cities in Australia, and not as busy. It’s right on the waters edge so you can stroll down off the main streets and it’s not long before you feel like you’re not in a city anymore. The people are super friendly, there’s so much good food, and many places to buy authentic NZ souvenirs.

So there you have it. That’s my answer to ‘the best place i’ve been’! I’ve probably also forgotten a few places too.
My ‘favourite’ place would be one that I would go back to over and over again, regardless of how many times i’ve already been, and would probably have to be Champagne Bay/Mystery Island/Vanuatu. As much as I love exploring new places, I’ll always be a tropical climate kind of girl!
C.

Far north Queensland adventures (Sept ’18)

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Airlie Beach

Home sweet home! No, i’m not talking about returning home. I’m talking about finally getting to board Sea Princess again after 6 months. I’ve been on this ship 3 times now and turned out i knew quite a few staff from previous cruises, so it really did feel like going home, in a weird way.

I got on the ship no dramas and found my way to my cabin on deck 6 eventually. 30 minutes later, i had already managed to lock myself out of my cabin (by leaving my key card in my room, like one of those hotel room key cards). My room steward hadn’t even had time to come around and introduce himself yet, so our first meeting was him finding me standing sheepishly outside my room. I don’t think he knew what he was in for! Lucky for him, i was to be changing rooms in 4 days time. Lucky for me too, as i discovered soon after just how annoying my ‘neighbours’ were going to be! They started playing Christmas carols and singing along very loudly. Then would have their tv volume up to what sounded like the highest possible. I’m confident the people up on deck 12 could hear them! An hour later after muster drill I would come back to my cabin to a lovely note on my door saying: ‘close your door quieter, we’re trying to sleep’. If you didn’t know….you can can close your door as quietly as possible but it will still make a loud clicking noise. But what to do.. (besides putting a note back on their door saying ‘listen to your Christmas carols quieter, it’s only September and I’m trying to sleep’!)

The 4 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney was actually the end part of a 106 day world cruise. So 98% of the passengers on-board had gotten on the ship in Sydney 102 days ago and been all around the world and were just about home. Maybe that’s why my neighbours were grumpy. But it also meant that 99% of the population onboard were also aged 70+. I was definitely in the minority! But besides the fact that the dance floor was pretty much non existent and everyone was in bed by 10pm, it wasn’t all bad. I met some lovely old couples who had some awesome stories to talk about while we sat at the bar and listened to music, and the bars were not busy at all so I was never short of a seat! The sea’s weren’t as rough as I was hoping for so I was a little disappointed about that! My thermostat in my cabin was also broken, so for the entire 4 days (the coldest 4 days at that!) it probably would have been warmer sleeping up on deck by the pool. Apparently i’m not very good at complaining enough to get things fixed!

We reached Sydney 4 days later and because of customs had to disembark. I was also changing cabins that day (thank god, i was sick of feeling like it was Christmas time in America with my cold room and Christmas carols still being played through my wall!). I wanted to have a look around Sydney (and buy some more clothes since i now knew that my already heavy suitcase was still under weight for my flight home!), but was cold and rainy. Why does it always rain when i go there?! So i got off and made my way to, where else, but McDonalds for another sausage mcmuffin. Then I wandered around, getting myself lost and eventually winding up at creperie. I LOVE crepes, especially classic lemon and sugar ones and it’s incredibly hard, if not impossible, to find them back home. So I treated myself to 2 giant lemon and sugar crepes and a large salted caramel thickshake before heading back to the ship. I’d decided it was too cold and wet to stay out. I also don’t really like Sydney that much anyway. Way too busy and bustling for me – Sydney is the furthest thing from warm and tropical!

By the time 4pm and the sail away party came around, the sun had finally made an appearance, and although still cold, the party band (from the Caribbean and plays a great variety of dance music, reggae and classics) did their thing and i finally got a taste of the dance floor. I’m not usually confident enough to get up and dance by myself unless I’ve had a lot of drinks, but once they started playing ‘hot,hot,hot’ and everyone started doing the ships dance routine, i couldn’t help but get up and join in. Which then led to the nutbush, macarena, cha cha slide and just a general good time. The age group had decreased significantly and there were a few more younger people and families to keep me company!
2 days later, we arrived in Brisbane where we finally got some warm weather and sun. Brisbane is home, and we had docked at a terminal which is away from absolutely everything, so i stayed onboard and took advantage of the fact that i could get a lounger next to the pool and had the bar to myself. That’s the only problem with nice weather and a younger crowd; it can be almost impossible to get a deck chair by the pool and bar unless you stake it out at 9am!
I caught up and had lunch and a drink with a friend who i’d met on my cruise back in March, which was nice, and I spent a lot of time over the next few days at sea relaxing by the pool and taking line dancing classes!

We reached Willis Island a couple of days later, which turned into a full on busy day! The ship doesn’t dock here, it’s what known as scenic cruising and we just cruise by slowly. Willis Island is a TINY island in the middle of the ocean about 500km off the coast of Cairns. All it has a BOM weathering station on it, and 4 people live on the island to monitor it. When Cyclone Yasi hit in 2011 it went right over the island and destroyed it. It’s since been
​rebuiltal, and the bird life surrounding the island was amazing. I hadn’t seen a single bird since leaving Brisbane, and suddenly we were surrounded by albatross, shearwaters and terns.
That day, it was Oktoberfest on the ship, so naturally, i was keen for this! It was quite a warm day and after a bit of ice carving in which it took me the entire 20 minutes to realize that the carving was not actually a headless koala but a cockatoo, we did some german knee-slapping dancing and a few other routines, which did in fact include the good ol’ chicken dance! I then found my self a part of a steiner (a giant beer glass) holding competition. 4 girls had to hold the 1L glass full of water arms length out, at shoulder height for as long as we could. The last one standing won free beer. Well I would like to say i won this…but realistically i actually came 3rd. It was a lot harder than it looked in my defense! We then spent the rest of the afternoon dancing to Exxile (the Caribbean band) by the pool with our drinks and getting sun-burnt.
That night was rock n roll 60’s night and was a night of more dancing, and again i found my self a part of a hula hooping competition. I also didn’t win this and missed out on a free bottle of champagne. I seriously would have practiced my hula hooping skill and strengthening my arm if i knew i’d be doing all this! Safe to say i slept well that night!!!

We hit Port Douglas the next day and i fell in love with this little town! Very tropical, palm trees everywhere and the bluest ocean i’ve ever seen! I had lunch at a lovely little seafood cafe overlooking the beach and palms, and then wandered down the main street looking at the shops, before heading back to the ship. The ride over to the shore from the ship on the tender however was the equivalent to being on a bucking bull! I dont get seasick and i love rough seas, but even i was a bit concerned sitting on top on a tender boat with no back rest as we rolled through the waves on a 40 minute trip over. Still, it didnt stop me from trying to take a selfie with the ship in the background and almost losing my phone into the ocean as we rolled over another wave. They canceled the tender service and started using the big catamarans from the shore to bring people back. Even that was a fun ride back with the waves! That afternoon back on the ship really made me feel like i was holidays. You know how in summer when you’ve had a long day at the beach, you’ve gotten some sun and you finally get home and out of your wet, sandy swimwear. You have a cool shower and then relax in the warm afternoon with a cold beer? That’s the afternoon i had. Out on deck with a cold beer watching the boats bring the rest of the passengers back and I was in heaven.

The next day was Cairns. I have to be honest, it wasn’t my most favourite place. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but just so built up and city like compared to the other places. We docked at the terminal this time so it was an easy walk off into the town. I made my way to the shopping center to have a look at the shops first, then wandered down to the lagoon for a swim. That’s the only downside to far north Queensland, is that you can’t swim at the beaches due the risk of crocodiles, and in the warmer months, stingers (jellyfish). A lot of places have man made lagoons, or man made beaches instead. I liked this part of Cairns, it was the most tropical part of the town. I actually ended up having a free fortune reading by a strange homeless looking guy. He approached me, and while i was decided whether i should run, he told me about my future and what i should expect. Strangely enough, everything he told me was what i had been thinking about right before he turned up! Now, i don’t know if i believe in fortune readings and psychics, but he was scarily accurate! Well, besides the fact that he thinks my husband will be someone who works on a ship!
By time i headed back to the ship, storm clouds were building and by 4pm, it was actually freezing!

Last stop before home: Airlie Beach. I loved it as much as i did Port Douglas, if not more! It’s a very touristy kind of town; one main street with a lot of souvenir shops, backpacker hostels, pubs and bars and more populated than PD, but not as much as Cairns. Palm trees everywhere, blue water, a man made lagoon…it was paradise. I walked the 1km along the coastal boardwalk to get to town from the ship, taking in all the sights of the ocean and marina and i didn’t realize how hot it was. I attempted stand up paddle boarding for the first time in my life…and i spent more time in the water than i did on the board that i may have well as just gone swimming – but it was good fun! I continued on and went for a swim and lie by the lagoon, and had lunch at one of many pubs on the esplanade. This was the one place that i was actually sad about leaving, so I enjoyed it by drinking the bottle of $5 moscato that’d bought in town and watching the best sunset we’d had to date!

We had two days at sea traveling back to Sydney, and i pretty much spent them basking in the sun and making the most of it as it was going to be getting colder as we headed south again, and eating as much as i could stomach of the buffet food! We had a bit of whale action as they swam up right next to the ship and frolicked around. It was an amazing sight to see. There was country and western night where I got to put my line dancing classes to the test. We also had a balloon drop party on formal night which is always fun! There’s something about dressing up and dancing the night away and then having a whole of balloons drop down on you! Unfortunately I didn’t win the free cruise they were giving away in a single balloon…i didn’t have much winning luck this cruise!

I always hate the last night of a cruise. You’ve made so many friends and get into a routine. For example, i had become friends with the bartenders at a bar and they knew i loved the wasabi crackers that were in the rice cracker mix. So every afternoon at 4pm i’d head there for a drink and they would have just wasabi crackers sitting there waiting for me that they had picked out. I’d sit there for a bit a chat and then head off, get changed, have dinner etc. Then i’d head back later in the evening and an older couple who I had gotten to know and had taken me under their wing like a granddaughter, would be there and we’d have drinks and a good laugh with the bartenders while the band played. It’ always sad on the last night saying goodbye to everyone. You see the same people every day for 2 weeks or so, that you do get to know them (and you either love them or hate them!) and you become like a community. Some people/staff you do end up crossing paths with again on other cruises, and that’s always exciting.
This cruise ended up being amazing, i fell in love with some amazing places in my own backyard that I didn’t know existed and met some awesome people (as usual!) and there will definitely be more stories in the near future!
In the mean time, until my next one, i’ll try and recap the last few cruises I’ve done on here too, so stay tuned!
​C.

Auckland firsts (Sept ’18)

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Auckland city

I just got back from my latest cruise a couple of weeks ago, and am still suffering from cruise blues. Yes it’s a real thing! You’re sitting at home wondering what you did with your life before you went away. How did I handle making my own breakfast,lunch and dinner, or my bed? Where’s the little chocolates on my pillow every night?? What do I do instead of heading to bar each evening before dinner to chat to my favorite bar tenders and have them make my favorite cocktail without me even having to ask??? It’s a tough life on-board a cruise!

That was the 8th or 9th cruise I’ve done. I’ve lost count these days. However, it was the first time I’ve flown internationally. And doing it all by myself (i’m also someone who is not really a fan of flying to top it off). So this was going to be a bit of an adventure just getting to the ship, which would be waiting for me in Auckland, NZ, before heading back across the ditch to Sydney, then up to Brisbane, and continuing to the beautiful Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, Willis Island then back to Sydney.

I mentioned in the last post that it was the customs officer who made me realize i’m a cruise addict! I arrived at about 6pm after a rough landing that felt like the pilot forgot where the brakes were, so  I was feeling quite anxious and nervous not knowing what to expect next; I’ve watched a lot of Border Security so I know what they do to people who look nervous and suss! Anyway, the guy asks me how long i’m in NZ for, I say a day and tell him i’m cruising home.
“Would you say you’re addicted to cruising?” he asks. Uh do they have all this stuff on secret file or something? How does he know how many I’ve been on?! I tell him how many i’ve done and he tells me i’m definitely addicted and sends me on my way. I’m happy, i made it out of the airport to my shuttle bus and not onto an episode of Border Security!

7.30pm and i finally make it to my questionable hotel right int the middle of the city that looked nothing like what I booked, and with a receptionist who spoke everything bar english! The beds were basically in the kitchen with a random pipe sticking out of the wall, and the toilet pretty much IN the shower. I had to leave the door open to shower because there was no light in there, and in turn allowed all the water from the shower to go all over the bedroom/kitchen floor. And then had a very wet floor whenever i need to go to the bathroom. Thankfully I was only there to sleep. I walked out onto my ‘balcony’ (i use that term loosely) and had an amazing view of the Auckland Skytower lit up, so wasn’t all bad. Although the daytime view….I woke up to a view resembling a warzone!

I left my 22kg suitcase with the hotel the next day while i wandered around Auckland. It was a lot colder than i was expecting, but just as pretty. It’s not super big, and it’s got all the usual shops you’d find in a city – I’m not a city girl at all (grew up in Melbourne) but there’s something about Auckland that I like and i enjoyed my day walking around. I admit, the first stop i made was breakfast….at McDonalds. I know, i go to a different country and eat exactly what i can get at home. I’m a sucker for sausage mcmuffins though! I shopped, checked out the ship docked at Queens Wharf, and just took in all the sights before heading back to the hotel,then struggling down the streets of Auckland city with my 22kg suitcase in tow, and my excitement building higher than the SkyTower.

One thing i did notice, was my accent! I felt extremely Australian…I would walk into a shop and they’d ask me how I was going, and whenever i replied I would almost start laughing because for the first time in my life I could  actually hear my accent! And the money! All the coins are the opposite of our Australian ones. $1 coins are the size of our $2 coins and vice versa. Same with 5c,10c etc. Quite often I felt like i was being that annoying customer taking forever to find the money and just wanted to hold the coins out and be like “here, take what you need”!

So that was part 1 of my adventure, I managed to navigate myself successfully to my hotel in another country in one piece by myself! Stay tuned for the next part.
​C.