Pacific Specifics

[Flamin_June]

On board Sojourn, somewhere in the Tasman Sea, a few hundred miles north of New Zealand. There is a swell from the south-west, quite a bit of churn. Not quite enough to bring out the wrist bands, but enough to think about doing so. It's about 19 degrees C, feels like 10 in the stiff breeze. But we are heading north and it should be getting warmer and calmer. Capt. Hamish has said it will, and who am I to argue.

Aside from the weather, all is well, as well as can be expected. Sophie is our CD and today, for the first time ever I was in a Trivia team that WON A ROUND !! We got some Seabourn baseball caps. Now I know, it's not the taking part that matters, but the winning.

Sojourn is in good shape. As you all know, the decking round the pool has been fixed (though I miss the large potted palm trees).  There was a major change of crew in Auckland yesterday, many of the new arrivals suffering jet-lag and first day nerves, but everyone pulled together, and everything seems to be working. Excellent service in the MDR last night. The experiment with waiter sommeliers seems to be over, there has been some slight relocating of buffet items in the Colonnade. Approx 130 U.S. passengers, 120 Aussies, 35 Brits, 32 NZs, 31Canadians, handfuls of other nations, 96 stayed on from the transpacific. A surprisingly Senior demographic, and almost all appears to be seasoned Seabournites.

The journey from the UK was an ordeal to be endured. Singapore is now Mrs June's favourite city in the whole world. Auckland has too many steep hills and is staggeringly expensive, but otherwise full of charm and positive energy. Claudio is bar-keeping in the club with great panache. Memory is our Stewardess and is phenomenal. 

[SKP946]

Thanks for reporting, please keep it going, and have fun (I’m sure you will)

Trivia: remember “IT’S ONLY A GAME” 😉

[frantic36]

Flamin_June I was just thinking of you today  and wanting to wish you a Bon Voyage. Pleas take care of the ship for us as we look forward to boarding in 3 weeks today. Oh, if you manage to drink all the good wines onboard pleas make sure they know to restock properly in Sydney. In other words, if all you leave me is the white zinfandel or others like it, I won't be happy .

 

Congratulations on winning at Trivia. Wear that cap with pride.

 

Julie

[Roxburgh]

Please have Claudio moved to the Observation Bar for the December 11th sailing.

 

Thanks in advance 😎

Edited November 20, 2018 by Roxburgh

[Chairsin]

I’m with you a Roxburgh. We might all need to storm the BAr Manager’s office  in protest if he is not moved by then. Claudio usually has my post dinner Sauternes poured by the time we sit down. 

 

Flaming June as usual I’m enjoying your treavleogue. Looking forward to the next chapter and hope you are enjoying yourselves. 

[frantic36]

Ummm, sorry Roxburgh and Chairsin but a minor protest from this corner. As much as my DH and I enjoy having drinks with friends in the Obs Bar at times, we usually prefer the Club on the Odyssey class ships. So I would like Claudio to stay in the Club please.

 

Julie

[Chairsin]

Sorry my friend for being so greedy with our favorite crew. Okay, here is a compromise (unless we are able to clone him) - we’ll have him rotate every other evening from one bar to the other. 

[Roxburgh]

How about the Club until 8.30pm and then the Observation after that.

Edited November 21, 2018 by Roxburgh

[Flamin_June]

Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately I do not have any influence over where Claudio goes, but I will let him know what his fan base are saying.

Day 2 and we are now several hundred miles off the north coast of NZ. True to the Captain's word, the swell has calmed, if not quite stilled itself, to a pitch (or whatever the nautical term is) of 1.5 metres, the breeze is more genteel, the temperature a soothing 20 degrees and slowly climbing. The sunny intervals are getting longer, new faces are emerging among the guests as they overcome jet-lag and everyone seems to have migrated from the square, where they gathered in large numbers yesterday, to the pool decks and loungers. 

Almost everyone we talk to appears to have done several hundred days on Seabourn and there are some no-doubt legendary passengers aboard, working their way through 100+ day stints.

Formal night, last night, and I guesstimate about 60% of the chaps in DJs and bow ties, the odd tux here and there, plenty of suits and ties, so most people playing the game to good effect. Mrs June wore one of her "this should stop them dead" outfits, and sure enough drew sufficient approving stares to make the effort worthwhile.

We came a credible runner-up in Trivia, and earlier, at  Baggo, I finally managed to get one in, as the bishop said to the actress.  Jumped in the pool before triv, as desperate for a swim, forgot it was heated, what a lovely surprise paddling about in the tepid water. In fact rather like swimming in the sea, as the swell was causing waves to slosh from side to side.

Ile des Pins tomorrow, and we are off on a Zodiac drift snorkel adventure in the afternoon. Assuming I survive, will report back in due course.

BTW, Chairsin, following one of your posts a few weeks ago, we booked Hotel Fort Canning for a few days when we do our return journey. While on subject of Singapore, discovered a great Chinese restaurant at the Asian Civilisations Museum - Empress; well worth checking out.

[frantic36]

So as not to stress Claudio, I will concede and say I am happy wherever he ends up being and will happily go there to say hello.

 

I am glad the weather is playing nice and warming up, also pleased that the seas less bouncy. 

 

Thanks for the recommendation re Empress. We will be staying for a few days at Fullerton before boarding Ovation so this is very handy.

 

Chairsin and I with our husbands will be going to The Atlas Bar for lunch in Singapore after our cruise. We went there to look at the amazing Art Deco building and interior earlier this year on a tour and then I got to have a lovely lunch there later. It has one a few international awards over the last couple of years for decor and as a top cocktail bar. 

 

Even if you don't dine there the building is quite lovely, especially inside. It has one of the largest gin collections according to some reports. It can get busy some reviewers are saying.

 

http://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2018/5365744/atlas-bar-singapore/

 

Julie

Edited November 21, 2018 by frantic36

[ajpeter]

Thank you flaming Juni for the lovely stories from onboard Sojourn.

 

I also would like to thank Frantic for the tip on the Atlas Bar, looks fabulous. We will also be in Singapore before boarding the Ovation in January. What date do you board? We will be on from January 19.

[frantic36]

Hi ajpeter, my husband and I  will be boarding with you on the 19th onto Ovation. 

 

Julie

[Chairsin]

Flaming June, 

I wish I could have seen Mrs. June’s killer formal ensemble - I’m sure she looked lovely. I also appreciate it when people make an effort on formal night. 

 

Yes, sorry to have sidetracked your report with Claudio. But of course the wonderful crew is why many of us select Seabourn.

 

Glad your weather is on the upswing as to the temps and downswing as to sea state.

 

Please do provide feedback on Hotel Fort Canning. And thank you for the Restaurant Emoress suggestion. We are looking forward to a couple of post cruise days there  with Frantic and her DH. 

 

[Thecat123]

Roxburgh we hope you are going to have a good cruise. Sounds like you are going with a good bunch of people

We are boarding The Encore early December and wonder if you could send those vouchers for the Retreat to the correct cabin this time as we didn't get them last time we were on The Encore  It would be the only way we get to try the Retreat

[Flamin_June]

Claudio was genuinely surprised, and I think chuffed, when told that people on CC were discussing where he should be posted for the next leg.I mentioned various CC handles, but he seemed none the wiser as to who you were. I'm sure you will let him know when you board. Calamity upon calamity yesterday as it emerged that there was possibly only half a bottle of Armagnac left on board.We are slowly sailing away from Tedine, the second of our New Caledonia ports of call. A pink-orange sun is setting on the port side. My 300 minute special complimentary internet package is about to run out (but we have another one). Two great days here, and a memorable Thanksgiving. Will write some more before long, but have to shower now and get ready for tonight's dinner and dance. . 

[frantic36]

Ahhhh, Flamin_June I am so envious...I want to be on the ship NOW. Your description of the sunset is lovely.

 

I have never told Claudio my CC name so I will let him know when I board, not that it is important, as long as they know they are respected and loved worldwide.

 

It is nice you post on here but I mainly want you to enjoy your cruise. Oh, I am with Chairsin, I would have loved seeing Mrs June's killer Formal night outfit.

 

Julie

[Roxburgh]

11 hours ago, frantic36 said:

Ahhhh, Flamin_June I am so envious...I want to be on the ship NOW. Your description of the sunset is lovely.

 

I have never told Claudio my CC name so I will let him know when I board, not that it is important, as long as they know they are respected and loved worldwide.

 

It is nice you post on here but I mainly want you to enjoy your cruise. Oh, I am with Chairsin, I would have loved seeing Mrs June's killer Formal night outfit.

 

Julie

 

I haven’t either. Once on board, CC isn’t really a topic of conversation. But wherever Claudio is, I shall enjoy seeing him again.

[Flamin_June]

A day at sea today, thankfully, as we nurse slight hangovers after yesterday's Rock the Boat or Deck Dance as they call it now. We obliterated the opposition at Trivia, as one of our team was able to list 10 wedding anniversary names in the correct order for a bonus of 100 points ! Collected a v. nice real leather wallet thanks to their efforts.

 

Fletcher, on here a few weeks ago, mentioned that Ile des Pins was his favourite tropical island, and having spent a day there we can see why. We tendered out to a little nothing of a jetty, to be greeted by locals performing a welcome dance in body-paint and  costume. A stunningly beautiful beach,a few hundred metres away: shallow, deep blue, aquamarine and turquoise water, white coral sands. A small colony of gannets taking up residence at one end, occasionally plummeting into the water with a sudden 'sploosh' and swooping back up into the sky (have photos, will post when we get back).

in the afternoon we went on one of the Zodiacs,Tua, from the Cook Islands at the wheel, to a small sandy cove where we beached, swam and snorkelled, collected a few shells, saw a sea snake, and later said hello to a dolphin as we headed back in the Zodiacs. There is a Ventures blog: https://my.yb.tl/sojournventures 

The following day, Tasdine there were free busses to the local beach, more white sands and soft blue gold dappled water, some very friendly 'wild' dogs, a stall selling freshly barbecued wood smoked skewers and local beer.

Nothing much to gripe about, the usual few passengers with an over inflated sense of entitlement or self-importance, but many, many more very affable, easy-going and charming. A significant number threw themselves into the deck dance with some gusto, an elderly couple jiving with their walking sticks. Crew all great, Sophie marvellous, some food wonderful, some only great, the odd culinary disaster.

we have booked up for all the TK ad hoc nights, as we enjoyed them so much six months ago. BBQd Ribs tonight, will report back in due course.

[Roxburgh]

Ile des Pins from when we stopped there on our 2012 Odyssey cruise:

 

[Flamin_June]

Ahem

[2SailingNomads]

I remember that port very well.  Wish we had more time there 🙂

 

[Flamin_June]

Sorry about above, just a spot of throat clearing.

Cruising the Coral Sea, though it is all the Pacific to me.Even here, within the archipelago the ocean seems vast, like the Atlantic, with barely a ship to be seen, and unlike the Indian Ocean, or South China Seas, there are no fishing boats at night, nor during the day. Just a endless big blue, sometimes azure, and now largely placid, sea.

Not to say there are no sights: whales, turtles and dolphins have been spotted. The last few nights we have had spectacular moon-rises. Just a few days past full, a blood red moon rises out of the horizon just aft of the starboard side, sending a red, slowly fading to orange, light path across the rippling water. As it rises it fades to the familiar yellow. All this in the tropical, humid hot night air. Taken with an after dinner Armagnac (still some left), the radiant Mrs June, and the good conversation of a few companions, these are moments that money can't buy (although, of course, it has).

35 degree C at the moment.

Earth and Ocean is due to open tomorrow night, first two evenings will be 'invitation only' launch nights, before the free for all.

 

 

 

[2SailingNomads]

As both Roxburgh and I know there can be fishing boats that are lost in that part of the world that the good ship Odyssey can rescue in that area. (Hint: check out the 3 stick figures on the Odyssey rescue boat, that was a cool experience how the pax and crew responded)   

[frantic36]

7 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Sorry about above, just a spot of throat clearing.

Cruising the Coral Sea, though it is all the Pacific to me.Even here, within the archipelago the ocean seems vast, like the Atlantic, with barely a ship to be seen, and unlike the Indian Ocean, or South China Seas, there are no fishing boats at night, nor during the day. Just a endless big blue, sometimes azure, and now largely placid, sea.

Not to say there are no sights: whales, turtles and dolphins have been spotted. The last few nights we have had spectacular moon-rises. Just a few days past full, a blood red moon rises out of the horizon just aft of the starboard side, sending a red, slowly fading to orange, light path across the rippling water. As it rises it fades to the familiar yellow. All this in the tropical, humid hot night air. Taken with an after dinner Armagnac (still some left), the radiant Mrs June, and the good conversation of a few companions, these are moments that money can't buy (although, of course, it has).

35 degree C at the moment.

Earth and Ocean is due to open tomorrow night, first two evenings will be 'invitation only' launch nights, before the free for all.

 

 

 

 

 

I am enjoying your poetic turn of phrase Flamin_June. 

 

I hope you get a chance to try the Earth & Ocean concept at least once. 

 

Julie

[Roxburgh]

8 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

As both Roxburgh and I know there can be fishing boats that are lost in that part of the world that the good ship Odyssey can rescue in that area. (Hint: check out the 3 stick figures on the Odyssey rescue boat, that was a cool experience how the pax and crew responded)