deck chair Posted February 18, 2015 #451 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Hi Thanks for taking the time to post your impressions....I am wondering if the lack of a Chart Room on QE is caused crowding in other venues such as the Commodore Club and Café Carinthia....I certainly hope they never remove the Chart Room on QV. Deck Chair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted February 18, 2015 #452 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Not to be a total downer but after reading the world news of the past few weeks I am thinking that the world cruises currently afloat may be the last ones for many a year. Sort of like the last time the world blew up, no one was thinking about sailing the oceans blue for pleasure. Hi Lakesregion. Sadly, I was thinking the same thing after reading recent reviews from passengers who complained about certain port stops being cancelled in the Middle East. You wrote that "Sort of like the last time the world blew up, no one was thinking about sailing the oceans blue for pleasure." and that resonates with me; it's not a question of fear, but rather a considered choice of where one decides to spend their holiday and their money. Clearly cruise lines are not going to endanger either passengers or ships, so passengers need to accept that port changes will become more frequent for security reasons, increasingly common unpredictable changes in weather patterns, and communicable disease outbreaks. Add to that the fact that cruise lines are trying to attract younger passengers - and how many younger passengers have the time or money to afford a world cruise? Those four combined factors (and there are more) support the idea that world cruises will not be viable in the future, in my opinion. That's my long winded way of saying that I agree with you: "that the world cruises currently afloat may be the last ones for many a year". Regards, Salacia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted February 18, 2015 #453 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I disagree. I was told the World and Grand Voyages contributed a significant percentage to Cunard's coffers, a disproportional amount when considering the time the voyages took. The bean counters won't want to lose that kind of revenue. Only when passengers vote with their feet will things change. There will be ports missed and itineraries tweaked as world unrest continues and a few passengers will protest, but as long as the ships keep their staterooms and suites occupied, and they do for the majority of the time, the long voyages will continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare babs135 Posted February 18, 2015 #454 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Not to be a total downer but after reading the world news of the past few weeks I am thinking that the world cruises currently afloat may be the last ones for many a year. Sort of like the last time the world blew up, no one was thinking about sailing the oceans blue for pleasure. Not before I've saved up for my trip please :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiemou Posted February 18, 2015 #455 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Not before I've saved up for my trip please :D Babs135, If you book a full world cruise on Cunard your tips are included. :) Having done a few worldies. I am glad I have done them and seen the world as it is a changing world nowadays. However, I see no end to world cruises taking place , or world voyages as they are known if they are not circumnavigating the globe. World cruises are a big money earner for the shipping lines and more so the segments. When QM2 first started doing her circumnavigations of Australia a few years ago as part of her world voyage. The cruise did many short segments in Australia. We were seated at the Pursers table for part of the world cruise and he told us they had taken more money in the Australian segments then any other cruises took all year. The casino alone was non stop business 24/7 as the Australians who boarded in Fremantle loved to gamble and they upped the take big time. It is a shame if ports are missed but there are usually other ports that are added where possible that are just as appealing, and the beauty of a world cruise is if you miss the odd port there are going to be many more ahead hopefully. :D Plus the days at sea on a world cruise are just fantastic no rush to fit things in and time to relax and enjoy the ship. I love world cruises and world cruise segments are just as good IMO. Read some of my fun cruise world blogs here. http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-guides/maggiemou/?utm_campaign=MAGGIE290414&utm_medium=email&utm_source=MAGGIE290414 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibabacruisers Posted February 18, 2015 #456 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Tuesday, 17 Feb Not a restful sleep last night as DH was up and down with his cold type. Slept an extra few minutes before I normally get up and then headed for breakfast. The sun is already in full swing so maybe a day by the pool is called for. We spent a few hours lounging in the sun and reading, after an initial quick dip. When we got back to the cabin there was the first notice about the laundry deal. One laundry bag for $40, with a maximum of 20 items; no dry cleaning. The bag must be ready by 10am tomorrow morning and will be returned washed and ironed the evening of the following day. Since I did mine the other day, really don't have enough to do now so will pass this by. Since DH is not feeling so well, he tried to get some much needed rest. I was in and out throughout the afternoon checking on him, but then ended up in the cabin early. Had room service for dinner and made it another early night. I have not succumbed yet to the illness, and I hope I don't. But will be trying to rest and take care of myself the rest of today and tomorrow. Sorry not much today, will try tomorrow.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Scrapnana Posted February 18, 2015 Author #457 Share Posted February 18, 2015 If you are Diamond or Platinum, you can get 20% off the $40 bag provided you have used up all your OBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted February 19, 2015 #458 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Tuesday, 17 Feb Not a restful sleep last night as DH was up and down with his cold type. Slept an extra few minutes before I normally get up and then headed for breakfast. The sun is already in full swing so maybe a day by the pool is called for. We spent a few hours lounging in the sun and reading, after an initial quick dip. When we got back to the cabin there was the first notice about the laundry deal. One laundry bag for $40, with a maximum of 20 items; no dry cleaning. The bag must be ready by 10am tomorrow morning and will be returned washed and ironed the evening of the following day. Since I did mine the other day, really don't have enough to do now so will pass this by. Since DH is not feeling so well, he tried to get some much needed rest. I was in and out throughout the afternoon checking on him, but then ended up in the cabin early. Had room service for dinner and made it another early night. I have not succumbed yet to the illness, and I hope I don't. But will be trying to rest and take care of myself the rest of today and tomorrow. Sorry not much today, will try tomorrow.... Hi Barbara. Hope your hubby is feeling better today, and I hope you are well too. Good thing you have a balcony so you can both sit outside in the fresh air (weather permitting). Best wishes, -S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibabacruisers Posted February 19, 2015 #459 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Hi Kathi, we are trying to stretch out our OBC for a bit longer. I do remember reading before the cruise on CC the little caveat about having to use your OBC BEFORE the discount kicked in.;) CC always has so much info! Also, I remember you saying how much you loved the vanilla ice cream, so when we eat in the DR I have been trying to have a scoop for you!:p And you are so right....it is so delicious. Miss you! Hi Salacia, thank you for your well wishes! I am still doing ok, but DH is so stubborn .....:eek:......he will probably have it a bit longer. Hope you are doing well and thanks for reading the blog. It would be nice to meet you one day! Wednesday, 18 Feb I slept pretty good last night, but DH still struggling. Had to request extra tissues because DH is going through them so quickly. I feel kind of bad for the steward because he can't always get in here to clean, so I will try to keep it as straight as I can. So we had an early breakfast and he heads to the bed while I work a bit on this blog and then head out to see what's going on. I headed for Cafe Carinthia to work on finishing this 7th book! I still can't believe that. I sat down an was trying to see if the music was going to be a bother when I decided it was a bit too loud. There was no one in this area so I went to the Bar where my usual waiter was doing his morning routine. I asked him if the music volume could be lowered and he said yes. That was great! I never did get he nerve to do it myself.... So I read until 10:00 when the $10 sale was going to begin outside the shops on Deck 3. Of course, I bought a few things and headed back to the cabin. I figured I would check to see how DH was doing and see if he needed anything. Well, he had felt better so went to the gym to sweat. Met him as I was going to check the gym for him...we laughed at how we kind of thought alike. It was time for a little lunch so we headed for the Lido. When time for the noon announcement came, we were reminded about the Spa Raffle (I thought it was at 12:45 so I missed it) and the Crossing the Line Ceremony. We flew towards the Pavillion Pool on Deck 9 Midship. We have never attended the ceremony before so thought we'd check it out. Wrong....you have to decide way before now in order to be able to observe because people are EVERYWHERE! I was able to take a few pictures of some of the people involved, but they were taken inside the Garden Lounge. Once the ceremony began, everything shifted to poolside so we could not hear what was being said. It was like a jungle/sauna in the Garden Lounge, so me not wanting to tempt the germ gods, we left. We went to the Midships Bar area so I could finish the last 30 pages of my book and return it. That done we returned to the cabin so DH could rest. The steward had cleaned our room and it felt a little less "germy". DH likes to open the balcony door to let fresh ocean air in, but the down side of that in this part of the world, is that the humidity builds up in the cabin and makes it feel like a big incubator. So the AC needed to be adjusted to allow cooler air to fill our room again. Now, if I can keep it this way for now..... Well, got 2 more books to read and took one to the Promenade Deck to sit outside and read for a bit. Stopped for a gaze at the ocean going by and watched those that are far more motivated than me circle the Promenade. The humidity had me heading for the dryer, cooler areas. Then of course it was time to check in on DH once again and decide whether to have dinner in the DR tonight. It is a formal night and there is the Hawaiian Ball at 9:15. I would love to see that so we shall see. Made it to dinner, but not the Ball. Received our Crossing the Line Certificate for this cruise. I think it is a nice memento because not only does it list the Captain, but the date and ship. The hardest part will be to get them home without being bent or torn. This will be our second..first was QM2...so now have to take a cruise on QV in the future. We will watch a movie on our laptop and then retire for the night. Night all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiemou Posted February 19, 2015 #460 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Hi Barbara, Thanks for your updates. Pleased you and DH are feeling better, Shame you missed the crossing the line ceremony as it is was really good fun last year. The Captain got dunked in the pool along with the cruise director. Great fun. Yes, it would have been busy as may people have never crossed the line before. Here is how busy it was last year we were there 30 minutes before it kicked off as my husband wanted to video it all. Even though we have crossed a few times over the years it is still good fun to watch. The crowds gather as King Neptune arrives with his Queen. The Pollywogs line up to kiss the fish. Then into the deep and become a Shellback. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janix Posted February 20, 2015 #461 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Thursday 19th Feb 2pm Still progressing in a south westerly direction at 21 knots towards Pago Pago, American Samoa, 375 miles ahead of us. Weather is fine blue skies and white clouds with a temperatures around 30C and humid. We crossed the equator at 1939 UTC (0939 local) yesterday and we are due to gain another hour tonight before our arrival at Tutuila Island. We then cross the international date line overnight tomorrow night (Friday) and will lose one whole day, so no Saturday for us, we go straight from Friday to Sunday ! The usual permissions of King Neptune and his court had to be sought and as usual the pollywogs had to undergo the prescribed trials in order to become shellbacks. Copious amounts of red, green and yellow gunge were liberally applied to the pollywogs and this was capped off with a good smothering in spaghetti, before they were plunged into the pool. There were quite a few volunteers for this humiliation, needless to say a good time was had by all ? As we were already shellbacks it was unfortunate that we couldn’t take part in the ceremony ! Captain Clark however did not escape a dunking in the pool, but it was a hot day and he appeared to enjoy it. We have received notification that the World Cruise Event for Full World Cruise travellers will once again be held in Dubai, with a new venue at Atlantis, The Palm, very nice indeed. A reception and evening of fine dining and merriment to look forward to World Cruisers already receive their hotel and dining charges prepaid by Cunard, the use of a private section of the Garden Lounge where tea, coffee cold drinks and snacks are available, a Concierge available 9-5, and a World cruise cocktail party as well as complimentary gifts. We currently have received a World cruise Cap, a World cruise Pin Badge, a World cruise tote bag and a pair of Cunard binoculars to ease our passage. These really puts to shame the gift we received from P&O in 2013 ! Kin Novak, the Hollywood Actress gave an interesting interview with Amanda Reid the other day about her life in Hollywood and subsequently as an artist. She admitted to being bipolar and commented about how painting had always been a help in combating her bouts of depression. She is quite an accomplished artist, and her work can be viewed online at http://www.kimnovakartist.com. Kim also introduced one of her films ‘Bell Book and Candle’ which was shown on the big screen in the theatre yesterday. We have had some very interesting lectures on this sector as part of the Cunard Insights Lecture program. We have particularly enjoyed those by Captain Chris Rigby about aviation, Denny Whitford about various aspects of Oceanography, and Joe Kess with his talks about Polynesia and languages. Last evening we also had another wonderful show by Jonathan Ansell who shared the stage with the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers. The ex-G4 tenor was once again on supreme form, his show included both Classical and pop renditions of well know songs and was a delight to listen to. Unfortunately that was his last show as he leaves us in Pago Pago. Since leaving the Hawaiian Islands the executive chef has been tempting us with various local fish dishes including marlin, tuna, ona and striped marlin all of which have proved to be delicious. The Golden lion pub still does a mean cod and chips as well ! Since leaving the Hawaiian Islands, life in the Pacific has once again been bliss ! Oh and the laundry offer has appeared at last - 20 items for $40. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janix Posted February 20, 2015 #462 Share Posted February 20, 2015 We have been told that internet may be problematic around Pago Pago, so fingers crossed ! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oahucruiser Posted February 20, 2015 #463 Share Posted February 20, 2015 John and Barbara - -Thank you for being so faithful with your posts. They are a delight! How fabulous to have the world cruise dinner at Atlantis in the Palm area. A different venue from the usual very nice hotel in Dubai. It will definitely be a spectacular night! Hope you will write all about it afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiemou Posted February 20, 2015 #464 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Hi John & Andrea, thanks for your great review and update of events, I was pleased to read the Captain was a good sport once again and got a dunk in the pool. I was sorry to miss that again. I am even more sorry I wont to on the world cruise dinner this year. The Atlantis Palm will be superb! I have attended three world cruise dinner in the past in Dubai and they were all fantastic!! :) Out of this world ,and it really is special event. Get your bet glad rags out;) Would have liked to have seen Kim Novak as also. However, the rest I am happy to read about having done it so many times . I do love Pago Pago though so enjoy your time there Go see my lady friend with the hair flowers in the market. ( She is in my book) she makes the best flowers for your hair in Pago Pago. Have fun and thanks for the update. Maggie & JT. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poole Boy Posted February 20, 2015 #465 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) Just catching up on you blog as we left QV in LA. Interesting to note your laundry costs. On QV we had the same offer but it was 30 pieces for $20 Maybe Cunard are taking advantage of the 600+ world cruisers on QE Vs the 200 or so on QV Edited February 20, 2015 by Poole Boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safarigal Posted February 20, 2015 #466 Share Posted February 20, 2015 John, thanks for your updates. I am really enjoying reading them, especially as I am reading Maggiemou's book at the moment. So glad we can live vicariously through you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibabacruisers Posted February 21, 2015 #467 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Thanks Maggie for your pics of last years' Crossing the Line ceremony, felt like I was there. Also, I think I saw the lady with your hair accessories...they were very pretty! Thursday, 19 Feb Headed to breakfast at the usual time. I asked the lady there, I guess she is manager, where wll the usual guys were. She said a lot were finishing their tours and would be finishing in Sydney, so they put the new ones in to give them time to learn and take over. Then I went online to check emails. My sister's dog, Daisey, has been having health issues and now it has come to the time for her to be put down. I am so sad for her! This is their baby! So sad. My daughter emailed with possible health issues. This is worrying too and will make today a bit hard to go thru. We went to have lunch and then went to the Lido Pool area. We hadn't heard or seen the band Mute Out Loud since early in the cruise so we sat and listened for a few songs and a cocktail (me only). The sun felt pretty hot, but I decided to come back out for a bit of tanning and maybe a swim if the water temp is warm. The water temp was perfect, for me, today and I was so glad to have this to help take my mind off things! Enjoyed the pool and sun for a couple of hours while I watched distant storms come and go. Back to the cabin to check on DH and the cough is getting worse so time for antibiotics. He looks so miserable, poor thing :( Tried to walk around the open deck a bit for fresh air and then we retired to the cabin to rest for tomorrow. Friday, 20 Feb On our approach to American Samoa, we passed right by the big attraction of this island...Flowerpot Rock. Although, I immediately recognized it I don't think those on the balconies around us had a clue. Got quite a few pictures of that. That is one of the main attractions of several of the tours offered here. Also you could see rising above the island a big mountain and I took lots of pictures of that because it was so majestic, lush and beautiful! I later found out this was Mt. Alava and it is located on the northern aspect of the island and is inside the National Park of Samoa. Woke up and had breakfast so we'd be ready to fly out the gate when we docked. It was already 28C and very humid so we hoped we would try to catch the cooler weather. We left the ship and immediately outside the ship were about 15 to 20 vendor stalls set up and selling their wares for USD as this is American Samoa. We took a quick look around to note prices so we could compare later. Some approximate prices were Sarongs for $8, fans $3, magnets $2-12, shells $3-10, jewellery varies, wooden items varies, woven bowls $10+, imitation leis $1-3, clothing varies. There was also a table set up where 2 ladies handed out maps of the area and answered your questions. Then we headed for the gate which was not much further...maybe a total of 50 steps from the ship...5 minutes max. Then we encountered the hordes of taxis, and tour guys trying to get people to take their tour. We quickly nodded "no thank you" and exited to the left. I managed to see a few of their signs and listened to what they said....$20 for 3 hour tour, which sounded reasonable. We may resort to that if we have time. As we exited left, we walked for about 20 minutes or so. This dock is right next to a commercial area and lots of containers were organized around the place. After that we saw the Ocean Center which had a sign out front saying it was free, so of course we wanted to see what it was about. The door sign said they opened at 9am and it was 8:45 so we thought we would stop by on the way back, but a lady saw us leaving and opened the door to say that they were open. It was a small educational center, where a gentleman dressed in island attire, explained many school groups and others come to learn about the island, coral, fish and conservation of the island's environment. They have a few things around to read and look at and they show two films to explain more but we did not stay for these. He also explained that in the building next door, there was a bit more to see. We continued our walk and noted a bg white building across the road and up on the hill. We referred to the mp the lady gave us and saw that it was the Governor's Mansion, or Bat Roost as it is referred. I dont know why it is called that though. Then we came upon Sadies By The Sea, which is a small "resort" that you can pay a small fee to swim, pedal boat, eat or drink. Also to note at the top of their sign was 'FREE BEER" which I am sure there will be those who that will thrill with this humidity! Conintuing on, we saw various government buildings for social services, etc. across the street. On the water side of the street we came upon a small stretch, of what they call Utulei Beach. Not really much of a beach as there was virtually no sand that I could see. It had pcnic tables under these hut looking shelters and grassy areas for people to sit. The water met the land via pretty good size rocks. On the other side of the street we saw the Bank of Hawaii and a little store, which had groceries and a few souvenirs. We went in to take a look around and saw only locals getting their necessities. This was the only store in our whole day that we saw any kind of medications, which I was trying to stock up on. But the line to check ou was massive, so we thought we may come back and actually never did. Then, it was time to head back to the ship. At the gate, instead of turning right we went left this time. On the side of the water, this was we saw a Museum, Fagatogo Square Shopping Center and to let you know there was not much shopping to be had here. On the opposite side of the street were several grocery and little stores, which again seemed geared for the locals mainly, but there were some souvenirs like sarongs, towels, magnets, shells, jewellery, etc. There was the District Court and High Court Buildings across the street and the were getting a paint job...a crisp white. Further along on the water side, McDonalds appeared but they were only serving breakfast, so we made a note to stop for a drink on the wy back. At this point there were only locals and one tourist couple there, but later it was full mainly of the ships passengers and crew, many of which were utilizing the WiFi. Just around the next bend on the opposite side was the Sadie Thompson Inn and Restaurant. Pretty blue color and looked like a small hotel/motel. All along the way I saw lots of pretty island flowers and took lots of pictures because I love looking at them on the computer when I get home! Saw quite a few dogs too and their accompanying "mess". As they were just wandering around their owners obviously don't clean up after them as I barely missed some of the "piles"...no pun intended....lol. On the map, one of the ladies near the ship, gave us it states what there is to see around the area. Just to let you know....it says shopping 4 or 5 times in different areas and tha is a loose description of shopping. It is the local variety as I have described above, and not the high end or anything close to it, type. As you probably have read or heard, there are lots of colorful buses on this island and that is certainly true. They are used for local transportation as well as for tours when ships come in. I heard a lady say they were $1.25. They are little, noisy, old, mini buses that are open air...never saw windows just the openings. Most of them we saw, were pretty full. We headed back to the ship for some lunch. DH took this opportunity to take his meds and a little nap. As he rests, I am looking through the maps and brochures I got while ashore and will let you know a few things I saw. The immediate are of he ship, left and right you could walk in a few hours at a leisurely pace. The harbor is shaped like an upside down "U". To get to Tisa's, which is a place many seemed to want to go (Tisa' Barefoot Bar described on Trp Advisor) you could get off the ship, turn right but it is a very long way away...if I guessed it would be around 8 miles. If you turned left, there was an area that you see turtles and sharks about 10 miles. Leone Beach, which I think is included in one of the Cunard tours is about 15 miles maybe. More later........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwn Posted February 21, 2015 #468 Share Posted February 21, 2015 (edited) Barbara...please contact us cabin 4050 about the Tonga tour. Need meeting time...Carolyn Edited February 21, 2015 by cwn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted February 21, 2015 #469 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Dear Barbara, Thanks again for you posts. Very sorry about Daisy, the good dog. As regards to your daughters possible health concerns: she has wonderful parents and no doubt inherited strength and fortitude from you both - it won't do any good for me to tell you not to worry, but you will be home soon enough and Please God, the news will be good. I hope your husband is feeling better soon. BTW, the antibiotics he is taking was prescribed by the ships doctor, I'm guessing? If so, was he given a diagnosis before the antibiotics were prescribed? Best wishes, Salacia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted February 21, 2015 #470 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I disagree. I was told the World and Grand Voyages contributed a significant percentage to Cunard's coffers, a disproportional amount when considering the time the voyages took. The bean counters won't want to lose that kind of revenue. Only when passengers vote with their feet will things change. There will be ports missed and itineraries tweaked as world unrest continues and a few passengers will protest, but as long as the ships keep their staterooms and suites occupied, and they do for the majority of the time, the long voyages will continue. Hi Victoria2. Perhaps it is not only a question of passengers booking cruises to fill the coffers, but rather the risk/benefit ratio associated with certain routes that will determine what voyages are on offer in the future? World Cruises that can't safely sail around the world at the risk of passengers safety and/or multi-million (billion?) dollar ships have a negative risk to benefit ratio; select segment voyages indicate more profit. You might be interested in this study (which undoubtedly every cruise line has taken into consideration): http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG520.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted February 21, 2015 #471 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Hi Victoria2. Perhaps it is not only a question of passengers booking cruises to fill the coffers, but rather the risk/benefit ratio associated with certain routes that will determine what voyages are on offer in the future? World Cruises that can't safely sail around the world at the risk of passengers safety and/or multi-million (billion?) dollar ships have a negative risk to benefit ratio; select segment voyages indicate more profit. You might be interested in this study (which undoubtedly every cruise line has taken into consideration): http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG520.pdf I guess you partly agree with me then when I said ''There will be ports missed and itineraries tweaked as world unrest continues and a few passengers will protest, but as long as the ships keep their staterooms and suites occupied, and they do for the majority of the time, the long voyages will continue.'' Note I said 'long voyages'. Cunard call their present World Brochure 'World & Exotic Cruises '15'. Victoria is undertaking an Exotic Cruise at the moment, not an actual World. It's still a long voyage and I expect Cunard will continue their tradition of long cruises, actual World or Exotic, until there is no demand. What will contribute to a lack of demand is up for speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janix Posted February 22, 2015 #472 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hi Maggie, I said hello to Lena for you, although I think we both got confused ? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janix Posted February 22, 2015 #473 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Sunday 22nd Feb (GMT +13) Two Samoas in 3 days ? Yesterday (Friday) we visited Pago Pago in American Samoa for the third time in recent years, and there appears to have been signs of improvement since the devastating Tsunami of 2009 and again in I think 2012. The population of Tutuila Island numbers some 11500, and Pago Pago is the small capital of the island and is surrounded by dramatic cliffs which plunge almost straight into the sea, with fringe development along the ocean fringes. The main developments are mainly in the south and west, the north and east being difficult to reach. American Samoa, as it’s name suggests receives support and funding from the US and although not an American state the inhabitants are granted American passports. In the past it was a whaling port, and then Tuna fishing port, but this has declined over the years and there is only a small tuna fishing fleet now, apparently owned by the Koreans. The island itself is quite hilly and these are covered with dense tropical foliage. Development tends to be around the fringe and on any available flat areas particularly in the western portion of the island. The small International airport is situated in the southwest and is built out into the sea. The main population is a mixture of semi-urban communities and small town communities. We arrived early morning at 8am and moored in the centre of Pago Pago. The weather was very warm and humid, with 78% humidity and a temp of around 32C, which undoubtedly increased as the day progressed. We once again passed the large Samoan Policeman in their ie’s (that is what we were told their ‘skirts’ were called) and headed into town. A quick call at the post office to post postcards ended up taking nearly 30 minutes, as there were large queues of passengers and locals alike trying to avail themselves of the US postal service facilities. We were looking to stock up on provisions at the little supermarket next to the main US post office, but unfortunately this had disappeared since our last visit 2 years ago. We could not find a substitute locally, so guess a larger superstore may have taken the trade from the capital ? So it was to the delights of the Sadie Thompson Inn we went to quench our thirst, keep cool in the air conditioned bar, and try to access the internet. We managed a couple of these, but didn’t have any success with the internet. Crossing the road we visited the market and the Fagatogo Square Shopping centre, found a source of cool cans of soft drinks and then returned to the ship with these. In our previous visits we head always turned right off the ship so after depositing the shopping we again left the ship, but this time turned left from the port entrance, headed past the Governor’s mansion and headed towards Utelei Beach. Here we found Sadies by the Sea and decided this was a good spot to have a light lunch and pass the time looking out over the port entrance. The famed Flowerpot Rock was a little further around the next headland, so we waited until our departure to once again view this feature. The original hotel on the headland here was still deserted and in an even greater state of disrepair than on our last visit. Our table companions joined us at Sadies after taking a quick dip in the sea, and a pleasant afternoon was had by all ! All aboard time was 1730 and not long after we left Pago Pago, after a pleasant and relaxing day, heading towards our next stop in Apia, Samoa. However we had to cross the International dateline so we left American Samoa on Friday evening, travelled around 90 miles and arrived at Apia, Western Samoa on Sunday. We lost Saturday the 21st of February altogether. It is now Sunday the 22nd and we have returned from our trip ashore in Apia, where it was even warmer and at the Captain’s command we have left our watches on ships time (GMT +13) rather than changing to Apia time (GMT +14). We are due to leave at around 6pm so hope no-one had got mixed up with all the time changes. Apia is very religious and therefore there is not much happening on Sundays, apart from the usual little quayside market selling the usual Samoan shirts and dresses, wood carvings, sarongs and locally made jewellery. We walked into town, but nowhere seemed open apart from the cultural centre next to the parliament building, where several tours were having art and cooking demonstrations. The food is typically wrapped in banana leaves and then placed on top of hot coals, and buried underground for a few hours. They were offering tastes of fish, breadfruit and spinach cooked in this manner, with coconut juice direct from the fruit. As it was just after for us, we did not partake of the samples this time ! The ships weather system is showing the sea as having small ripples, a wind of 10 mph across the decks, and a high of 36C. We are 4723 miles from San Francisco, have 2929 miles to travel to our end of sector port Sydney, and there are 528 miles to sail now to Nuku’Alofa, Tonga arriving Tuesday, where we will be taking another private trip, Toni’s Tonga Tour, organised by Barbara where I am sure a good time will be had by all ! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiemou Posted February 22, 2015 #474 Share Posted February 22, 2015 John, thanks for your updates. I am really enjoying reading them, especially as I am reading Maggiemou's book at the moment. So glad we can live vicariously through you all! Thank you for reading my book and I am pleased it is bringing to life the world cruise and you can feel you are there. It was a shame I could not have added lots of photos as I have hundreds relating to each port. I am reliving it all over again by reading this thread and I am looking forward to reading about Tonga. That was a really good day out with the guide I found called Toni. You will have read about him in my book . He was a real character. :D I hope he is on form for the tour this year. We had rain all on his tour last year bit at least it was warm rain. :) Enjoy the cruise as we sail along in cyberspace. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiemou Posted February 22, 2015 #475 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hi Maggie, I said hello to Lena for you, although I think we both got confused ? John Thanks Andrea. It is usually me that is confused these days. :D::confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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