Pia1913 Posted September 29, 2010 Author #226 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Our shore visit to Maui almost wasn’t. We lucked in to being the last two to board a tender so that we didn’t have sit there and wiggle around waiting for it to fill up. We inched along, then turned, then inched, then turned around, then backed up………..you get the message. For some reason the HAL Rotterdam tenders flew right past us and the Sapphire tenders hardly moved at all. Took us 40 minutes to finally arrive and dock, whereas it took 6 minutes to return. Took the free Hilo Hattie shuttle which dropped us just around the corner from the supermarket Foodland . Filled in on some additional staples and now, like squirrels, have just about enough provisions to last a few weeks. Walked back to the ship and as always stopped into the local library. They always have tons of paperbacks for sale at 50 cents each. We had lunch on board, decided not to see the movie and spent the next few hours reading in our cabin, since it is way too hot to sit on the balcony. Sitting here now in the Princess theater waiting for the production show to begin. Talk to you all tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regnig Posted September 29, 2010 #227 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Thanks again Pia for taking us along. I can only dream of taking a cruise of this length as I'd have to leave DH at home. :eek: Squirrel provisions - now there's an experienced cruiser! :D Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockymountainsparky Posted September 29, 2010 #228 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Good morning Pia. Time to rise and shine.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayCalif-Ariz R Us Posted September 29, 2010 #229 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Pia - sorry if this is repetitive. I know you've done a wine run. Can you tell us if you carried any hard alcohol onboard when you initially embarked? I mean in your checked luggage that is taken directly to your room? Also, it's been my experience that Princess will allow one bottle of wine per person to be brought back on board from a port. What's your take on this? Thanks Didi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockymountainsparky Posted September 29, 2010 #230 Share Posted September 29, 2010 They'll allow as much wine as you can carry, cart or drag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayCalif-Ariz R Us Posted September 29, 2010 #231 Share Posted September 29, 2010 They'll allow as much wine as you can carry, cart or drag. Rocky Thanks Rocky - that certainly was the case (literally) in FLL a couple years back when we hit that big wine store near the port and lugged it back onboard, much to the shock of passenger bystanders - most of whom immediately headed out themselves. But Princess could clamp down on this at any moment so I'm hoping Pia will be able to report on her experience. We do intend to have two onboard October birthday celebrations - one for Alan and one for Sheryl's Doug, so hopefully that will cut us some leeway in case of questions. But again, Rocky, what you're saying is what we've encountered - at least at embarkation, and at least as recently as late last year. Didi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepWaterMariner Posted September 29, 2010 #232 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Walked back to the ship and as always stopped into the local library. They always have tons of paperbacks for sale at 50 cents each. Good tip Pia. We use the paperback exchange in the ships library but a long cruise like yours calls for creativity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san diego sue Posted September 29, 2010 #233 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Hi Pia, Wish I could phone you. Oops I forgot, we could have done that for Hawaii. I love reading your postings here. It is so you. I know you have a good stock of wine in your cabin by now. Can't believe what I started. For people that don't know Pia. She never even walked down the wine aisle before last May. I sent her on a wine mission for us before we cruised together, and now she is one of us. Keep having fun and entertaining us as well. Gloria and Lew:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynda90 Posted September 29, 2010 #234 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Pia, thanks so much for all the info you've provided about where to stock up on provisions and cheap books. Also, how to get to these places. Have gained a wealth of knowledge reading your "lives." :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pia1913 Posted September 29, 2010 Author #235 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Good Wednesday morning and what should be a wonderful day at sea. The weather remains sunny, but the seas are a little bouncy bouncy. In fact, that’s what rocked me to sleep last night. This morning our passports will be collected and not returned to us until Wednesday October 6th. All passenger passports must be presented to French Polynesian immigration upon arrival in Moorea on Sunday. When they did this on our last cruise the room steward did the collecting and issued us receipts. They are continuing this procedure which I think is much better than hordes of people descending an area all at the same time. Same thing with return. Room steward will handle it. On today’s “Menu” is the movie Iron Man being shown at 9:30 in Explorer’s and conflicting with the oceanography lecture at the same time in the theater. Following oceanography will be a port lecture on French Polynesia. This one will probably be very well attended since most passengers have never been to this part of the world. Another sommelier’s wine club is scheduled for this afternoon (the $25 one) as is another talk on Radio Days. There will also be a pub lunch in Fusion and the ever present art auction in Explorer’s. The evening entertainment will feature Tom Stevens; billed as “An evening with Dean and friends.” I won’t be there. Explorer’s will have Wayne Hoffman; mentalist and illusionist. I probably won’t be there either. Our cabin TV is getting a good workout, since we’re watching movies almost every night. We very rarely go to the movies at home, so we really catch up on cruises. Didi: I don't do hard alcohol, so don't know what others are doing. We carried on 3 bottles of wine in Seattle and another 4 in Honolulu. Our friend carted a case of beer on yesterday in Maui. Nobody even looks. Gloria: "One of us". Is that a good thing? :D Bye now. Time for breakfast here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississauga Posted September 29, 2010 #236 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Gloria: "One of us". Is that a good thing? :D Yes, Gloria, Pia loves being "one of you" so it must be good.:) She told me herself. LOL. You did a good job of converting her and Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper69 Posted September 29, 2010 #237 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Pia - sorry if this is repetitive. I know you've done a wine run. Can you tell us if you carried any hard alcohol onboard when you initially embarked? I mean in your checked luggage that is taken directly to your room? Also, it's been my experience that Princess will allow one bottle of wine per person to be brought back on board from a port. What's your take on this? Thanks Didi Hi Didi, What Brad & I do is take a bottle of nice champagne and 1.75lt Grey Goose in our luggage, we like having martinis getting ready for dinner. Last December B2B Mex. Riv. I purchase a bottle of vodka just near the port and took it through security just in a paper bag and they even looked in it. I thought they were going to say something but they didn't even bat an eyelid. I was also sober (Mexican Riviera Booze Cruise) and discreet. Maybe they check my bar tab first....:D Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayCalif-Ariz R Us Posted September 29, 2010 #238 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Thanks Anthony -I probably wouldn't try the hard liquor thing coming back onboard from a port visit - too many people tell me they just take it away - but packing it in your checked luggage has always worked for me. Didi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted September 29, 2010 #239 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Enjoy your sea days as you head to Tahiti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper69 Posted September 29, 2010 #240 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Thanks Anthony -I probably wouldn't try the hard liquor thing coming back onboard from a port visit - too many people tell me they just take it away - but packing it in your checked luggage has always worked for me. Didi It was half way in the trip and we decided to just get a Absolut rather than Grey Goose so if they confiscated it it wouldn't have been a great loss but the embarrassment of getting caught at the gangway made me a little nervous. I think they give it back at the end of the cruise. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayCalif-Ariz R Us Posted September 29, 2010 #241 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Oh for sure they give it back to you - but you want it N O W!!! Sitting down on the gangway, beating your fists on the ground and holding your breath until you turn blue does not work. I'd rather not explain how I know that:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississauga Posted September 29, 2010 #242 Share Posted September 29, 2010 It was half way in the trip and we decided to just get a Absolut rather than Grey Goose so if they confiscated it it wouldn't have been a great loss but the embarrassment of getting caught at the gangway made me a little nervous. I think they give it back at the end of the cruise. Anthony Don't be embarrassed bringing a bottle back from port. We usually buy our duty free bottles to bring home from the ports. If they see it and ask us to hand it in until the end of the cruise, we do. If not, we just keep them in our cabin unopened and bring them home. If you are stopped, just pretend they're for taking home. No need to be nervous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
margord Posted September 29, 2010 #243 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Still with you and still enjoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Woobstr112G Posted September 30, 2010 #244 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Our shore visit to Maui almost wasn’t. We lucked in to being the last two to board a tender so that we didn’t have sit there and wiggle around waiting for it to fill up. We inched along, then turned, then inched, then turned around, then backed up………..you get the message. For some reason the HAL Rotterdam tenders flew right past us and the Sapphire tenders hardly moved at all. Took us 40 minutes to finally arrive and dock, whereas it took 6 minutes to return. Took the free Hilo Hattie shuttle which dropped us just around the corner from the supermarket Foodland . Filled in on some additional staples and now, like squirrels, have just about enough provisions to last a few weeks. Walked back to the ship and as always stopped into the local library. They always have tons of paperbacks for sale at 50 cents each. We had lunch on board, decided not to see the movie and spent the next few hours reading in our cabin, since it is way too hot to sit on the balcony. Sitting here now in the Princess theater waiting for the production show to begin. Talk to you all tomorrow. Sounds like anothere great day.....:):):) Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pia1913 Posted September 30, 2010 Author #245 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Not much to say other than the ship is still rocking, but nobody seems affected by it. I wanted to give you an update on Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. Up to now all that was available was Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, so Christchurch (Lyttelton) has officially joined the group. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open, but most passengers probably are not aware of availability as yet. We continue our losing streak with trivia and the usual “lost by one”. It’s ok. We do not need any more baseball caps or medals. These are the only two prizes at this time. That's it for now. Almost time for dinner and almost time for bedtime for most of you. See you tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted September 30, 2010 #246 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Thanks for checking in Pia.............I sure do miss being rocked to sleep. Enjoy a restfull night. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted September 30, 2010 #247 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open. We did Christchurch on our own, just used the bus shuttle to get into town and back. Easy to walk around and enjoy the town and what it has to offer. We made punting the first activity there. Enjoyed the botanic gardens, the Arts Center and the Fudge Cottage Kitchen Tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlasali Posted September 30, 2010 #248 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Pia - I am reliving our cruise thru your postings. Thank you. Regarding Christchurch, are there changes in excursions, tunnel access routes, etc. as a resut of the earthquake? We loved our Transalpine train/bus/farm excursion. Seeing the fearless Kea (parrot) at the snow elevation was quite unexpected. David - Glad to have you adding your maps and cam shots to the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky3 Posted September 30, 2010 #249 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Hi Alison (atlasail) - It is great that Pia is taking us along AGAIN this year, isn't it? Lots of happy memories from our Star cruise last year. Thanks again, Pia. This is the next best thing to "being there" with you all. Bobbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonahCBrown Posted September 30, 2010 #250 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Not much to say other than the ship is still rocking, but nobody seems affected by it. I wanted to give you an update on Christchurch. They started selling shorex today and expect to stop as scheduled. Up to now all that was available was Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, so Christchurch (Lyttelton) has officially joined the group. In minutes, one tour was sold out and it’s Christchurch by punt and tram. All others are still open, but most passengers probably are not aware of availability as yet. We continue our losing streak with trivia and the usual “lost by one”. It’s ok. We do not need any more baseball caps or medals. These are the only two prizes at this time. That's it for now. Almost time for dinner and almost time for bedtime for most of you. See you tomorrow. The tram is easily done on your own, but if you want to do the punt, do book ahead online. When we were there in Jan with mom, she sort of wanted to try that, and all the punting places were totally booked up. The botanical gardens are/were very nice, and the art museum is well worth a stop as well. Christchurch is one of my very favorite cities - I hope they're recovering from the earthquake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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