Come sail with me on a virtual cruise on Majestic Princess to Fiji!

[TeaBag]

The answer has already been given for Woodstock.  Funny, this AM I read in our local paper that today is the 51st anniversary of the beginning of Woodstock,  Aug 15, 1969.  How cool is that.

[rmf11699]

15 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

The answer has already been given for Woodstock.  Funny, this AM I read in our local paper that today is the 51st anniversary of the beginning of Woodstock,  Aug 15, 1969.  How cool is that.

Nice coincidence! I wonder if our host planned it that way.

Edited August 15, 2020 by rmf11699

[winifred]

AF-1 We also had a sky princess cruise booked for a big birthday this Easter with my daughters , hoping sooooo much we can go another time! We have not been on a Princess ship which is why I  am enjoying this "tour" very much as I  get to hear about Princess cruises as well as visiting islands we haven't yet seen.

Not sure I've noticed  any major differences between Princess lines and the other major cruise lines we have already done but its been interesting to compare! Hope we get to go back on Sky princess one day !Glad your back ellie looking forward to rest of cruise!!!

[ellie1145]

On 8/14/2020 at 10:56 PM, PurpleTraveller said:

Was the first member of the British Royal Family to graduate from university Prince William of Gloucester? I think Prince Charles was the first heir to the throne to graduate university. 

 

I am really enjoying your review. 😊

.

You are absolutely right, Purple Traveller! 

 

Prince William of Gloucester graduated in 1963, but was sadly killed in an aeroplane accident at the age of 30. However you are also correct that Prince Charles was the first heir to the throne to graduate from University. 

 

Well done!

 

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, is  winging its way to you via Amazon [the river, of course).

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying my review. 

 

[ellie1145]

19 hours ago, TeaBag said:

Glad to see your posts again Ellie.  Those trivia questions are hard. I always like classical music ones though.  Brahms wrote 4 symphonies.  He wasn't as prolific as Beethoven who wrote 9.

 

Top marks, Teabag!  Four it is!

 

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag, is winging its way to you via Amazon [the river, of course).

[ellie1145]

11 hours ago, rmf11699 said:

Welcome back ellie1145! 1969 for Woodstock?

 

 

Absolutely correct rmf11699!

 

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, is winging its way to you via Amazon [the river, of course).

[ellie1145]

10 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Little John, name was reversed;  his name was John Little and he was supposed to be almost 7 ft tall

Like our friend from Texas stated Woodstock was Aug 1969

I listen to Rock and Roll so can't help with Brahms

 

Well done, AF-1 Couldn't catch you out, now could I? It is, indeed John Little.

 

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, is winging its way to you via Amazon [the river, of course). You can never have too many of them! Make great gifts.....

[ellie1145]

4 hours ago, rmf11699 said:

Nice coincidence! I wonder if our host planned it that way.

 

It is also VJ Day and that is an important day for DH and I.

 

Tomorrow would have been my FIL’s 117th birthday. There was a wonderful commemoration on BBC TV tonight. Great that these soldiers are not forgotten. 

[AF-1]

21 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Well done, AF-1 Couldn't catch you out, now could I? It is, indeed John Little.

 

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, is winging its way to you via Amazon [the river, of course). You can never have too many of them! Make great gifts.....

I have been to the Amazon River;  to many of those fishes who like to take bites out of you;  plus with all the trees in the amazon jungle;  the humidity of off the charts

[ellie1145]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:48 PM, winifred said:

AF-1 We also had a sky princess cruise booked for a big birthday this Easter with my daughters , hoping sooooo much we can go another time! We have not been on a Princess ship which is why I  am enjoying this "tour" very much as I  get to hear about Princess cruises as well as visiting islands we haven't yet seen.

Not sure I've noticed  any major differences between Princess lines and the other major cruise lines we have already done but its been interesting to compare! Hope we get to go back on Sky princess one day !Glad your back ellie looking forward to rest of cruise!!!

So sorry to hear about ‘Sky.’ She looks beautiful and I’d love to sail on her. I’ll keep everything crossed that you will sail on her one day. 

 

Glad you are enjoying this tour. We find that there are subtle differences such as the ambiance of the ship, and the food is usually better than on other lines. But honestly, it is all subjective, and what suits one doesn’t suit another. i hope you will get the opportunity to try it out for yourself one day. 

 

We have arrived home after our first ‘staycation’ in over 20 years. It was a big washout. After days and days of hot temperatures we had one sunny day and then dull wet and chilly weather. It reminded us how expensive a British holiday is and how dependent on the weather we are. After over 22 years of flying out to the USA to pick up a cruise it was a bit of a disappointment. I just can’t wait for the day when we can fly to Florida. 

 

We had awful internet, hence so little posting. So many apologies everyone. But I’m back home and raring to go, so tomorrow will pick up the pieces and get on with the tour. 

 

Absolutely shattered after our 5 day staycation. 

 

[ellie1145]

35 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

I have been to the Amazon River;  to many of those fishes who like to take bites out of you;  plus with all the trees in the amazon jungle;  the humidity of off the charts

 

That sounds scary, AF-1! 

 

Hope those critters don’t eat your vortex vacuum cleaner......🤣

[ellie1145]

I’m back..... and about time I hear you say...

 

Sorry for my absence. Will be back ‘on duty’ tomorrow with some more tales of Majestic Princess.

 

Busy week this week as I have a big birthday on Wednesday, but it’s going to be a very quiet one this year. 

 

So goodnight, sleep tight, see you in the morning! 

[ellie1145]

 

Video of water sloshing about in Hollywood Pool. Apologies for the finger at the beginning. It was such fun swimming in the pool when it was rough. 

 

 

 

[rmf11699]

25 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

Video of water sloshing about in Hollywood Pool. Apologies for the finger at the beginning. It was such fun swimming in the pool when it was rough. 

Welcome back! We experienced similar pool action while on the Carnival Miracle back in 2014 on our Mexican Riviera cruise. The ship had left Cabo and was passing by the most southern tip of Baja Mexico and heading north to California. The only difference was they closed the pool so no swimming for us!

[ellie1145]

13 hours ago, rmf11699 said:

Welcome back! We experienced similar pool action while on the Carnival Miracle back in 2014 on our Mexican Riviera cruise. The ship had left Cabo and was passing by the most southern tip of Baja Mexico and heading north to California. The only difference was they closed the pool so no swimming for us!

 

I really enjoyed the experience. But of course, as it was my own private swimming pool there was no danger of anyone closing it down....🤣

[ellie1145]

 

 

A Relaxing Evening at Sea

 

Back to the cabin, and we put on a movie to watch while we get ready for dinner. Princess are the best for entertainment on the TV. There is a superb range of movies available, and a new one is added each day. Being ‘on demand’ is a real plus factor, as we can stop and start at will.  NCL offer nothing, as does RCI. We don’t want to watch non-stop TV but being able to dip in and out of a movie is a real plus factor, and sets Princess apart from the other cruise lines. 

 

Time for dinner!

 

 

DH orders a starter for a change - Pear and Blue Cheese with Candied Pecans. I opt for the pumpkin soup. I would have preferred the Leek and Potato, but not chilled. 

 

 

 

 

DH orders the Grilled Orange Roughy, whilst I opt for the Slow RoastedBeef Striploin, very tasty. I like meat rare but DH hates it. I’m definitely a carnivore I’m afraid. 

 

 

 

 

For some reason I appear to have missed seeing the soufflé and, instead, order the Sacher Torte. DH orders the meringue. Both very tasty.

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

Our stateroom

 

There are lots of things we really like about the cabin.  It is very spacious, and has a long sofa, something sadly missing from normal Princess balcony cabins. There is normally just a chair to go under the dressing table in those cabins. That is where Royal Caribbean score as there has been a sofa in every balcony cabin we've had.

 

There are two TVs, and lots of power points, including USB ports.

 

 

 

 

 

The wardrobe, which is typical of every Princess ship we’ve been on, is huge and open, with a tall shelved cupboard alongside. As you walk into the cabin the bathroom and wardrobe area is on your right, and separates itself from the main living space. Again, we rate it better than any other cruise line we’ve been on. The fact that it is separate from the main bedroom area also makes it a handy place for getting changed.

 

We love the bathroom, as of course, it has a bath with a shower over. I love having a relaxing bath before bed and use the shower during the day. It has lots of storage and is very functional, so no complaints there. I don’t like the shower gel they provide and always bring my own shampoo etc.

There is a razor point in the bathroom, so we can charge our toothbrushes as well as DH’s electric razor. 

 

 

We are given plenty of bars of soap, which we prefer. All in all, a great bathroom. The only problem will be going back to a ‘normal’ bathroom with no bath if we are ever able to cruise again.

 

The balcony, of course, is small, as on all Royal Class ships. The Grand Class balconies are much bigger. But we find it adequate, and we haBe great views as we leave each port. However, it’s a deal breaker for some folks.

 

Service in the cabin is great. Our cabin steward is brilliant, the cabin and bathroom are kept spotlessly clean. He was happy to bring me more hangers, plus two bath towels each and he replenishes the ice daily. We are not demanding passengers. He does his job well, he is very pleasant but not ‘in your face’ every minute, so for us he is perfect.

[ellie1145]

We finish dinner, and have missed the Evening Quiz, What’s that I hear? and aren’t interested in the Flags of World Trivia, although ONE day I really will endeavour to learn all the flags of the world....

 

So we make our way to the Theatre for the International Crew Show Extravaganza, which is usually good fun. It’s pretty crowded but we manage to get a seat.

 

We finish off the evening in Crooners, and Rudi sees us and plays my husband’s request from a previous evening. He has a great memory. 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

Time for Bed Says Zebedee...

 

Tomorrow is our last port, Noumea, and we have a busy day ahead. 

 

So see you all bright and early for our trip to Ile aux Canard. Bring your water shoes, sun cream and towels. We’re in for a treat. 

[ellie1145]

 

 

Noumea

Tuesday, October 29th

 

Noumea is the capital of the overseas French territory of New Caledonia, and is its largest city. It is one of the South Pacific’s most industrialised cities as we will see when we arrive at the port, which is large and full of containers and merchant ships. It was once a penal colony, but during World War 11 it served as the HQ of the United States military in the South Pacific.

 

It has a mixture of cultures but the French influence is strong. Indeed, it’s one of the few places in the world where the franc is the legal tender, and French is spoken by nearly 99% of the population.

 

If you should ever visit Noumea then you would find it beneficial to obtain some francs before you go. We didn’t and it’s a bit of a pain, plus their exchange rate is pretty bad at the Information Centre.

 

We have sailed a total of 696 miles since leaving Lautoka, at a speed of 18.1 knots. It’s mostly sunny and the temperature is 24C (75F). The pilot is picked up at 4.39 am, and Majestic Princess approaches the harbour at 06.51 before she sends her first line ashore at 8.01, bang on time.

 

Last time we took a hop on hop off bus to the Bay du Citrons, or Lemon Bay, which is a narrow strip of beach with some good swimming and plenty of shade. This time we are going to explore further afield, to the famous Duck Island.

 

No ducks, sunshine and lots of swimming

 

[ellie1145]

 

Noumea 

 

We awake to another beautiful day, which is great after the rather changeable weather yesterday. There are yachts anchored in the bay, but the port itself is not pretty as it’s a commercial area, with containers as far as the eye can see.

 

We know from our previous visit that we must take the free transport to the information centre in the city, from where we will make our way to Duck Island, or Ile aux Canard. We are determined to visit this little island this time after hearing about it last time.

 

We open the doors to the balcony as we can hear music outside. We see some dancers below and there is a very catchy tune to accompany the dancing. 🤣

 

 

[ellie1145]

Ready to Hop On, Hop Off?

 

 

One of the tours is on this little train, called the Wiki Wiki Train.

 

We get ready and have breakfast in the buffet for quickness, and then make our way down to the dockside where free shuttle coaches are lined up ready to whisk us away to the city.

 

There are lots of shuttles and we get straight on one, which takes us out of the dock and into the town. It is a highly industrialised port. 

 

 

 

It drops us at the busy information centre where we find two different tour companies offering trips to Duck Island.

 

We choose the combo of hop on hop off bus and glass bottomed boat to the island, offered by Noumea 2D at $30 AUD. It’s the cheaper of the two companies by about $8 but we found it to be very good. However, do be aware that if you use $AUD the money is taken in francs and the exchange rate is very poor.

 

 

 

We choose the Combo 2 which includes the bus and the boat trip. 

 

 

We are given wrist bands and directed outside to where we must pick up a bus to take us to the beach, and from there we will get the little ferry over to the island.

[winifred]

Thank you   ellie for the  lovely ship pictures!  I think looking at pictures that Princess may be most  similar to Celebrity  cruises which we love! Cannot  wait to return to cruising!!!!! We also did a holiday near home this year and it was  was really nice  but still had a lot of work to do, shopping, cooking etc whereas on a ship its  luxury as they look after us all so well!!!!

[ellie1145]

3 hours ago, winifred said:

Thank you   ellie for the  lovely ship pictures!  I think looking at pictures that Princess may be most  similar to Celebrity  cruises which we love! Cannot  wait to return to cruising!!!!! We also did a holiday near home this year and it was  was really nice  but still had a lot of work to do, shopping, cooking etc whereas on a ship its  luxury as they look after us all so well!!!!

 

Thank you Winifred. Glad you enjoyed them.

 

We have only been on Solstice, but she was amazing inside. Her decor is much more modern than any Princess ship. 

 

We, too, cannot wait to get back to cruising. I’d happily cruise to nowhere if we couldn’t get to any ports. 

 

We did 5 nights near Bath. It rained most of the time and there is so little you can do in the rain. It was horrendously expensive too. That’s the beauty of cruising, isn’t it?  You walk onboard and everything is done for you. 

[ellie1145]

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round...🎶

It’s incredibly hot as we walk along the dockside and wait impatiently for our bus to arrive. En route we are accosted by a representative of the other company who makes derogatory comments about our company, saying such things as you won’t have any air conditioning and you will boil, but this proves to be incorrect.

 

It takes a while but at last a big red double decker bus turns up, and we are amused to see it is decorated for Halloween, with spiders’ webs on the ceiling and pumpkins, bats and all manner of creepy crawlies hanging from them.

 

 

 

 

We pile on and more people arrive, including a lady who causes quite a kerfuffle as she manhandles her walker onto the bus, and sits herself down on the steps at the back of the bus (where she should not be sitting!), but more of her later! Henceforth she will be known as Mrs W or Mrs Walker...

 

The bus sets off and lets people out at various places. There is a market, and an aquarium which some exit at. Then it’s on to Anse Varta beach where we will pick up the water taxi, which is waiting on the beach. There are about 5 stops ending at a popular beach, where the bus then turns round and retraces it’s steps. It’s a pretty drive, through the town, out past the marina, and along the coastal road.

 

We make note of the bus stop where we must catch the bus back to the dock. 

 

 

 

We walk down the steps and try to board the water taxi but we are told that we must go back up to an office where we must exchange our voucher for a ticket, and book the return trip.

 

The ticket office is in the low single storey building adjacent to the round building.

 

We climb rapidly back back up the stairs and retrace our steps, where we stand in the doorway of the water taxi office, but the gentleman is busy with another customer on the phone and is speaking French. We are worried that the ferry will go without us, but after a long delay we are eventually served. We have found that people go out of their way not to speak English, though many of them do. They are not the most welcoming of islanders,

 

He certainly takes his time and is barely civil, but c’est la vie!  He asks when we want to return and we opt for a water taxi in just over 2 hours. We are nervous of getting back as we don't want to miss the ship, so we don’t want to leave it too late. Also, the water taxi is only allowed to take 12 passengers at a time so if you miss your slot you could be delayed. In actual fact there is no checking which water taxi you are booked on so it really wouldn’t have made a lot of difference if we had been later.

Then it’s back down to the beach where the water taxi is waiting, together with the lady with the walker, who is very vocal and demanding and plonks herself in the gangway, obscuring the view of everyone else.

 

But we are on the boat and ready to make our way over to Duck Island. Hooray!

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by ellie1145