BON VOYAGE Sea Princess 33 days around Australia and NZ

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi David. I've been about as close as the view you see on the cruise cam LOL. We were there on Pacific Sun in 2010 but I unfortunately had a migraine so stayed aboard. I know it was a long tender ride to the jetty. A lot of people went on a tour to Gilly islands from there - apparently awesome beaches & snorkelling. Very unspoilt - not as commercialised as Bali.

 

Thanks . Sounds nice.

 

They are anchored today off Geraldton , West Australia.

 

[rkmw]

we are at Geraldton today and its a really nice sunny day, ever since we left Sydney we have had great cruising weather....smooth calm seas....tomorrow we arrive in Fremantle and hope the good weather keeps up

 

with our day in Lombok it started out being very hot but just after lunch we had a bad storm but it only lasted for an hour or so but it caused a bit of damage to the area

[MMDown Under]

we are at Geraldton today and its a really nice sunny day, ever since we left Sydney we have had great cruising weather....smooth calm seas....tomorrow we arrive in Fremantle and hope the good weather keeps up

 

with our day in Lombok it started out being very hot but just after lunch we had a bad storm but it only lasted for an hour or so but it caused a bit of damage to the area

 

Pleased to hear that you have had great cruising weather, with smooth calm seas.

 

What did you do in Lombok, as our cruise calls there this month?

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks for the update Bob.

Glad to hear you are having great weather and smooth seas. It makes all the difference.

Have a great day in Fremantle tomorrow.

If you have been before and are looking for something different, the Maritime Museum is fantastic.

 

 

[rkmw]

Pleased to hear that you have had great cruising weather, with smooth calm seas.

 

What did you do in Lombok, as our cruise calls there this month?

 

we booked a taxi online with 10 other CC's for a total cost of $17 per person but you can get a taxi just off the wharf for $80 but people haggled and got a cheaper price.....the town is very poor and the place is dirty and smelly, our driver said he would take us to a market but forget to tell us it was a produce market and the fruit & veges were smelly and half rotten so if your driver wants to take you to the market just make sure what one he's taking you to....some of the places take AUD but its a good idea to have the local currency

[MMDown Under]

we booked a taxi online with 10 other CC's for a total cost of $17 per person but you can get a taxi just off the wharf for $80 but people haggled and got a cheaper price.....the town is very poor and the place is dirty and smelly, our driver said he would take us to a market but forget to tell us it was a produce market and the fruit & veges were smelly and half rotten so if your driver wants to take you to the market just make sure what one he's taking you to....some of the places take AUD but its a good idea to have the local currency

 

Thanks, rkmw. It doesn't sound very inviting.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

In Fremantle today..

 

 

 

 

 

[t60]

snip

Lombok.

Anyone been there?

Is there much to see?...

Is it just the the same , or different from Bali ?

 

I´ve been following this blog by jeff who is currently on MS Amsterdam

he´s got 2 pages on Lembar and Lombok

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/day-40-lembar-lombak-indonesia-part-1.html

 

Sandy in Spain

[MMDown Under]

I´ve been following this blog by jeff who is currently on MS Amsterdam

he´s got 2 pages on Lembar and Lombok

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/day-40-lembar-lombak-indonesia-part-1.html

 

Sandy in Spain

 

Thank you so much for providing this link to Jeff's blog (which I've followed previously).

 

I have been trying to get a feel for Lombok, as we're visiting this month.

[Aus Traveller]

 

Lombok.

Anyone been there?

Is there much to see?...

Is it just the the same , or different from Bali ?

 

Bob (rmkw) asked me to respond to this query. We have been to Lombok twice and both occasions we hired a car/driver from the enclosed yard at the end of the jetty. There is a tent on the right where the negotiating is done. The standard price is AUD$80 for the whole day. On our first visit we negotiated it down to $60 and on our recent visit we paid $70 (and we gave the driver a tip of $10). On both occasions our driver spoke quite good English, and the cars were clean. The drivers had laminated cards with "Sea Princess" on but I think they might have been government issued rather than cruise-ship issued because I saw the stall-holders in the yard also had the same ID cards.

 

People who went outside the 'yard' and took a taxi sometimes found it cost more. One couple were quoted $40 to go by taxi to Mataram (the big town), but they then found the price didn't include sightseeing and return to the jetty. I strongly recommend taking a car/driver from inside the yard. Mataram is only 25-30km away but it takes 45 minutes because traffic is slow moving.

 

Lombok is unspoiled by tourism and doesn't have the hotels/tourists/traffic jams of Bali. The people are Muslim so the culture is different.

 

What to see - temples, water palace, craft villages - fabric weaving and wood carving. There are numerous horse-drawn carts used for general transport. They use 'Lombok horses' that are tiny - not as small as Shetland ponies, but still very small. If you decide to take a ride on one of these, be very specific about the price and be careful where they take you. One couple felt intimidated when the driver and his friend he picked up demanded more money. Frankly, I would look and take photos but not take a ride!!

 

What to buy - hand-woven fabrics at the craft village. Pearls - both freshwater and sea-water. Freshwater are better quality than those available in the Pacific Islands and good prices. Sea-water pearls (Pinctada Maxima pearls like Broome pearls) are about 20% of the price they are in Broome.

 

If anyone has any further queries I will attempt to answer them.

[MMDown Under]

Bob (rmkw) asked me to respond to this query. We have been to Lombok twice and both occasions we hired a car/driver from the enclosed yard at the end of the jetty. There is a tent on the right where the negotiating is done. The standard price is AUD$80 for the whole day. On our first visit we negotiated it down to $60 and on our recent visit we paid $70 (and we gave the driver a tip of $10). On both occasions our driver spoke quite good English, and the cars were clean. The drivers had laminated cards with "Sea Princess" on but I think they might have been government issued rather than cruise-ship issued because I saw the stall-holders in the yard also had the same ID cards.

 

People who went outside the 'yard' and took a taxi sometimes found it cost more. One couple were quoted $40 to go by taxi to Mataram (the big town), but they then found the price didn't include sightseeing and return to the jetty. I strongly recommend taking a car/driver from inside the yard. Mataram is only 25-30km away but it takes 45 minutes because traffic is slow moving.

 

Lombok is unspoiled by tourism and doesn't have the hotels/tourists/traffic jams of Bali. The people are Muslim so the culture is different.

 

What to see - temples, water palace, craft villages - fabric weaving and wood carving. There are numerous horse-drawn carts used for general transport. They use 'Lombok horses' that are tiny - not as small as Shetland ponies, but still very small. If you decide to take a ride on one of these, be very specific about the price and be careful where they take you. One couple felt intimidated when the driver and his friend he picked up demanded more money. Frankly, I would look and take photos but not take a ride!!

 

What to buy - hand-woven fabrics at the craft village. Pearls - both freshwater and sea-water. Freshwater are better quality than those available in the Pacific Islands and good prices. Sea-water pearls (Pinctada Maxima pearls like Broome pearls) are about 20% of the price they are in Broome.

 

If anyone has any further queries I will attempt to answer them.

 

Thank you so much for your helpful comments and offer to answer queries -

 

Was it steamy hot? What kind of clothes did you wear, eg covered arms, below the knees, etc.? Did you take your shoes off when you visited temples? Did you buy anything, eg what was the quality like when you got it home? How far did you travel from the ship? I noticed you said it took 45 mins for 25-30 klm. Did you see any beautiful beaches?

 

Of all our ports on our cruise, my daughter is really excited about visiting Lombok, as she has visited the other countries.

[Aus Traveller]

Thank you so much for your helpful comments and offer to answer queries -

 

Was it steamy hot? What kind of clothes did you wear, eg covered arms, below the knees, etc.? Did you take your shoes off when you visited temples? Did you buy anything, eg what was the quality like when you got it home? How far did you travel from the ship? I noticed you said it took 45 mins for 25-30 klm. Did you see any beautiful beaches?

 

Of all our ports on our cruise, my daughter is really excited about visiting Lombok, as she has visited the other countries.

It was recommended by Princess that everyone wear long pants, but I noticed that several people apparently hadn't heard that advice. We wore long pants and short-sleeve shirts. We didn't have to take our shoes off because the temples we went to were historic rather than currently-used mosques.

 

The weather was hot and steamy, but not as hot as in Darwin a few days earlier. There was a bad storm that hit in the afternoon just after we got into the tender. Tender operations were suspended for 45 minutes. Many people were drenched to the skin. We heard from others that cars were driving through water that came up to the middle of their hub caps. The wind was very strong - houses were damaged and the big tent over the market stalls was blown down.

 

I am happy with the quality of what we bought (hand-woven fabric and pearls), but I do know the quality of pearls. On all these items we were able to get the price down significantly - more so on the pearls than on the fabric where we teamed up with other passengers wanting to buy and said "How much for four pieces?" type of bargaining.

 

The distance to Mataram is 25 km or so and our four journeys (two return trips) each took 45 minutes one way. Horse-drawn carts in the traffic really slow things down!

 

There is a beach but we didn't go there. The photos look good. It is called Senggigi. It is north of Mataram so would probably take 90 minutes driving time. People who went on the ship's 'shuttle' to the beach ($50 each) didn't sound impressed. In Mataram and in driving to and from we didn't see any beggars where we went and had absolutely no problem with hawkers crowing around each yelling lounger than the others to get you to buy (as there are in Bali). Other passengers said at the beach there were a lot of hawkers and also beggars. Maybe it is because they know bus-loads of tourists are going to be dropped off and they will be prime targets.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks for the great info on Lombok..

 

They have now turned the corner and are heading across the Great Australian Bight on their way to Adelaide .

Wishing you smooth seas folks..

 

[MMDown Under]

It was recommended by Princess that everyone wear long pants, but I noticed that several people apparently hadn't heard that advice. We wore long pants and short-sleeve shirts. We didn't have to take our shoes off because the temples we went to were historic rather than currently-used mosques.

 

The weather was hot and steamy, but not as hot as in Darwin a few days earlier. There was a bad storm that hit in the afternoon just after we got into the tender. Tender operations were suspended for 45 minutes. Many people were drenched to the skin. We heard from others that cars were driving through water that came up to the middle of their hub caps. The wind was very strong - houses were damaged and the big tent over the market stalls was blown down.

 

I am happy with the quality of what we bought (hand-woven fabric and pearls), but I do know the quality of pearls. On all these items we were able to get the price down significantly - more so on the pearls than on the fabric where we teamed up with other passengers wanting to buy and said "How much for four pieces?" type of bargaining.

 

The distance to Mataram is 25 km or so and our four journeys (two return trips) each took 45 minutes one way. Horse-drawn carts in the traffic really slow things down!

 

There is a beach but we didn't go there. The photos look good. It is called Senggigi. It is north of Mataram so would probably take 90 minutes driving time. People who went on the ship's 'shuttle' to the beach ($50 each) didn't sound impressed. In Mataram and in driving to and from we didn't see any beggars where we went and had absolutely no problem with hawkers crowing around each yelling lounger than the others to get you to buy (as there are in Bali). Other passengers said at the beach there were a lot of hawkers and also beggars. Maybe it is because they know bus-loads of tourists are going to be dropped off and they will be prime targets.

 

Thanks for answering my questions - much appreciated. BTW I love pearls!

[rkmw]

Thanks for the great info on Lombok..

 

They have now turned the corner and are heading across the Great Australian Bight on their way to Adelaide .

Wishing you smooth seas folks..

 

 

we have turned the corner and the seas are still calm.....we had a medical emergency at 6.30am today as a passenger was airlifted off by a navy chopper

[MMDown Under]

 

What to buy - hand-woven fabrics at the craft village. Pearls - both freshwater and sea-water. Freshwater are better quality than those available in the Pacific Islands and good prices. Sea-water pearls (Pinctada Maxima pearls like Broome pearls) are about 20% of the price they are in Broome.

 

If anyone has any further queries I will attempt to answer them.

 

I had no idea that Lombok was famous for their pearls, so thanks to you I've now done some research and discovered the size of the industry (worth $8.48 million per annum for cultivation side alone). Did you see the bronze, emerald and metal pearls?

 

Can you please give me a benchmark figure for the cost of a short strand of good sea water pearls, with high lustre? Is there one area/shop where it is best to buy pearls? Are they a set price or are you meant to barter on price?

 

Later reread your next post, re bargaining -

I am happy with the quality of what we bought (hand-woven fabric and pearls), but I do know the quality of pearls. On all these items we were able to get the price down significantly - more so on the pearls than on the fabric where we teamed up with other passengers wanting to buy and said "How much for four pieces?" type of bargaining.

 

I hope you are having smooth seas across the Great Australian Bight.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Extra news from the cruise on this thread...

Passenger airlifted to Hospital..

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1732496

[rugbypopsie]

Extra news from the cruise on this thread...

Passenger airlifted to Hospital..

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1732496

 

Middle son (Navy Boy) is crew on the HMAS Toowoomba that assisted in the airlift I hope the passenger makes a good recovery..

 

Sue

[Aus Traveller]

I had no idea that Lombok was famous for their pearls, so thanks to you I've now done some research and discovered the size of the industry (worth $8.48 million per annum for cultivation side alone). Did you see the bronze, emerald and metal pearls?

 

Can you please give me a benchmark figure for the cost of a short strand of good sea water pearls, with high lustre? Is there one area/shop where it is best to buy pearls? Are they a set price or are you meant to barter on price?

 

Later reread your next post, re bargaining -

I am happy with the quality of what we bought (hand-woven fabric and pearls), but I do know the quality of pearls. On all these items we were able to get the price down significantly - more so on the pearls than on the fabric where we teamed up with other passengers wanting to buy and said "How much for four pieces?" type of bargaining.

 

I hope you are having smooth seas across the Great Australian Bight.

We disembarked in Fremantle and are now at home. I didn't price the type of pearls you mention, but a couple with us bought a pendant of two high quality golden sea-water pearls (around 12mm) set in gold for AUD$500. The asking price was $900 and negotiating took a while.:) My estimate of a price in Australia would be at least $3,000. I will let you know the names of the shops we went to and the addresses, but I might not have time to do this today as we are going to our grandson's second birthday party.

 

I bought strands of very good quality freshwater pearls for $70. The quality is so good they would pass for seawater pearls to anyone but someone knowledgeable in pearls. We bought a strand for our daughter and each of our daughters-in-law for Christmas.

[Pushka]

Lombok is well known for its pearl industry as is Vietnam. Usually the going price is about 1/3 of what is first asked. The golden pearls are beautiful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MMDown Under]

Middle son (Navy Boy) is crew on the HMAS Toowoomba that assisted in the airlift I hope the passenger makes a good recovery..

 

Sue

 

You must be proud of the valuable work that he does, Sue.

[MMDown Under]

We disembarked in Fremantle and are now at home. I didn't price the type of pearls you mention, but a couple with us bought a pendant of two high quality golden sea-water pearls (around 12mm) set in gold for AUD$500. The asking price was $900 and negotiating took a while.:) My estimate of a price in Australia would be at least $3,000. I will let you know the names of the shops we went to and the addresses, but I might not have time to do this today as we are going to our grandson's second birthday party.

 

I bought strands of very good quality freshwater pearls for $70. The quality is so good they would pass for seawater pearls to anyone but someone knowledgeable in pearls. We bought a strand for our daughter and each of our daughters-in-law for Christmas.

 

Thanks Aus Traveller.

[NSWP]

Middle son (Navy Boy) is crew on the HMAS Toowoomba that assisted in the airlift I hope the passenger makes a good recovery..

 

Sue

Sad news, the lady passed away at hospital. I know the couple, friends of mine from Batemans Bay.

 

Thanks to all, including the Navy, for their efforts.

 

RIP Y.

[Flipper133]

Sad news, the lady passed away at hospital. I know the couple, friends of mine from Batemans Bay.

 

Thanks to all, including the Navy, for their efforts.

 

RIP Y.

 

Hi Les

 

I saw your post elsewhere...but also the other one that was somewhat contradictatory.

 

Saw the C7 TV news tonight with some pretty graphic footage.

 

My condolances to all...and I know you will feel some real sense of loss.

 

cheers... and sincere regards

[NSWP]

Appreciate it Flipper, thanks mate.