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

[ellie1145]

3 minutes ago, cnd crsr said:

Hi Ellie,

Thank you for the additional sail away pictures. Sydney has proven to be a spectacular sail away harbour. Last time we were here we were disembarking and the early morning arrival was wonderful with the well- lit Opera House, but that and the bridge were all we could see. I would still probably rate it as my second favourite sail in.

 

I am so glad to hear you have done so well overcoming the traumatic  loss of a vocal cord. What a stressful time that must have been. Sometimes life really hits us with challenges and your determination has paid off. However you are such fluent and descriptive writer your voice could be heard!

 

Now that we have settled in and had a very restful sleep, I am looking forward to a relaxing sea day. I am now off to the dining room for a nutritious breakfast.

Gail

 

Thank you Gail.

 

It had some advantages for my DH. For once he could get a word in edgewise! 🤣

 

See you in the dining room...our favourite table by the window?????

[AF-1]

ellie1145:  I am back and here is what I have to tell you

1. The lyrics to your sail away song was "Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys

2. I have stayed at that Hyatt Hotel; and it is right beneath the bridge; with total views of the harbor

3. I have a woman friend from church who lost her vocal cords just like you. She went in for minor surgery; something happened and now she is scarred for life;  her voice is coming back; back she sounds raspy all the time.  She is alive and she can talk so we thank God for that.  Dinner looked great.

 

[ellie1145]

 

 

I’m a little concerned when I read in the Princess Patter that ‘it is unlawful to feed any wildlife from your stateroom, including birds,‘ but then I realise I can feed them on my balcony so that’s a relief. I was a bit worried for Azbirdmom, as how on earth is she going to cope with all her birds ?

 

Good job I left my rice cooker behind, too.....

 

We have missed Trivia this morning, but meet up with our team for the first of the Cruise Long Progressive Trivia in Princess Live at 12.00 pm. Thank goodness we managed to make the trivia last night as we were able to join up with a team for this daily event. 

 

Princess Live really is the worst possible place for a quiz, as most of the seating is fixed so it’s really difficult to communicate with each other, and of course it’s imperative that nobody lets slip an answer that an opposing team might hear!

 

We try to get seats to the left of the door, which are movable, so that we can huddle together as we pick our brains for the answers. This quiz will take place on every sea day and the total points will accrue as the cruise proceeds. There are dozens of teams so we don’t know how well we will do. It’s always easier to win when there are only 2 teams.....

 

Gareth is great fun but he will not give us the answers (or our scores) until tomorrow, at the next Progressive Trivia. It’s great to sit and chat with our fellow travellers, and it’s one of the delights of cruising, meeting people from different countries.

 

After Trivia we go to the dining room for a light lunch (did I say ‘light’), and then meet our team for Afternoon Trivia at 2.45.

 

I’m not sure why I missed out the rest of the menu. Perhaps it was because we were absolutely starving and I couldn’t waste time taking photographs....

Albondigas Soup, not that exciting I’m afraid.

 

DH’s choice, some sort of chicken and rice whilst I choose a beef dish.

 

 

 

And to finish, my absolute favourite, a soufflé.

 

Trivia finishes in time for us to amble down for our first Afternoon Tea. Surprisingly few people seem to take advantage of this refined experience. The staff are always charming and we are shown to a table for two before being served sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and of course, scones, jam and cream. The tea is served from silver teapots and is always delicious and refreshing.

 

Natalia, from Ukraine, becomes one of our regular servers. She always has a beautiful smile.

 

 Marlon, from the Philippines always has a smile and a cheery word.

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by ellie1145

[AF-1]

Your pictures got me thinking; in the near future when cruise start sailing again; I bet any crew member who serves food and drinks will be wearing the gloves like these to servers in the picture

[dides]

1 hour ago, ellie1145 said:

 

 

Princess Live really is the worst possible place for a quiz, as most of the seating is fixed so it’s really difficult to communicate with each other, and of course it’s imperative that nobody lets slip an answer that an opposing team might hear!

 

 

 

Agreed, really dislike Princess Live as a venue overall and was really happy with the new design below that we found on Sky Princess (hopefully carried through to Enchanted and Discovery).  It's now open with lots of comfy seating - a bit like Explorers used to be but with all the new tech. And great for sitting in a team for trivia!

 

 

Sandra

 

 

[AF-1]

dides,  that looks nice

[winifred]

I am a teacher too ellie1145,  you must have been very determined to return to teaching after all you went through,  you sound very dedicated. Thank goodness your voice returned,  albeit not the one in your head. You deserve to have a lovely holiday and cruise,  I will buy you a drink when we meet onboard and we can chat about the joys of teaching! I am so excited being "onboard" I get this feeling whenever I cruise I just think to myself this is amazing! and I am feeling it looking at your pictures!! 

[ellie1145]

50 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Your pictures got me thinking; in the near future when cruise start sailing again; I bet any crew member who serves food and drinks will be wearing the gloves like these to servers in the picture

 

AF-1 I guess they will be in full PPE and they will have to throw the scones at you from 2 metres away! 

 

I dread to think how they will be able to serve the hot tea! 

[winifred]

Dides,  thanks for picture of SKY princess, was supposed to have been on a cruise  at Easter on Sky, maybe another time..  

[ellie1145]

9 minutes ago, dides said:

 

Agreed, really dislike Princess Live as a venue overall and was really happy with the new design below that we found on Sky Princess (hopefully carried through to Enchanted and Discovery).  It's now open with lots of comfy seating - a bit like Explorers used to be but with all the new tech. And great for sitting in a team for trivia!

 

 

Sandra

 

 

 

Well, I am VERY pleased to see that, Sandra. What an improvement. I really do hate Princess Live. It just doesn’t work for so many of the things they try to do in there. 

 

That looks a really lovely lounge, and a great addition to the Royal Class of ships.

 

Thank you so much for posting that photo.

[ellie1145]

3 minutes ago, winifred said:

I am a teacher too ellie1145,  you must have been very determined to return to teaching after all you went through,  you sound very dedicated. Thank goodness your voice returned,  albeit not the one in your head. You deserve to have a lovely holiday and cruise,  I will buy you a drink when we meet onboard and we can chat about the joys of teaching! I am so excited being "onboard" I get this feeling whenever I cruise I just think to myself this is amazing! and I am feeling it looking at your pictures!! 

 

That would be lovely, Winifred, we can exchange stories over a drink. 

 

Glad you are feeling the excitement. I have enjoyed revisiting the cruise too.

[ellie1145]

 

Come Back New

 

So what activities have been available for you all today so far?

 

Well, trivia of course, but as well as that there’s been Zumba, a Destination presentation on Lifou and Port Villa, Ping Pong Tournament, Cruise Long Scavenger Hunt Challenge, Basic Photography Seminar, an Egg Drop Challenge Sign Up, an Art Talk, Line Dancing, Fruit and Vegetable Carving Demonstration, Reflections Screening: Captain Cook, Princess POP Choir Sign Up, Afternoon Game Show: Passenger Feud, Ballroom Dancing Class, South Pacific Enrichment Presentation: Life and Death with the Spirits, Mr Hairy Chest Competition, Ukulele Class for Beginners, Dicey Wooden Horse Racing, Arts and Crafts: Quilling, Martini Demonstration, and of course, BINGO!

 

Apart from that there has been a Morning Movie - Grease - Under the Stars on Decks 16 and 17, Music Concert with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet, also on Decks 16 and 17, the Afternoon Movie in the theatre: The Old Man and the Gun, Music Concert: Hall and Oates on the big screen on decks 16 and 17, Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals Live, again on the big screen.

 

Of course there are the usual Effy Presentation and Watercolour Rum Punch Party, Champagne Art Auction, How to Spot the Best Pearl, Diamond and Gemstone Seminar, and a Timepiece event, but these don’t appeal to us, sadly.

 

There is live music everywhere, Piano melodies with Vadim Tutov, Poolside Melodies with Jaame’s Band, Classical and Contemporary Melodies with Music Wave String Duo, Beatles’ Music with Zinger Quartet, the Music of Michelle Joly in the Crown Grill and Bar, and our favourite Rudi Douglas, Piano Entertainer in Crooners (more of him later).

 

There is also stand up comedy showtime starring Simon McKinney, a Production Showtime: Fantastic Journey, Majority Rules Gameshow in Princess Live, the Voice of the Ocean Round One,  the Wild Bunch Party with Jaame’s Band, and DJ Reno plays your Favourite Dance Music.

 

Phew! I’m feeling tired just thinking about all of that. 

 

During the day there have been the usual round of seminars such as a Complimentary Acupuncture Seminar, Restore Your Skin, Lotus Spa Hair Show, and Non-Surgical Facelift, all of which, sadly, I manage to miss. So I’m afraid my DH will have to put up with my unruly hair, my sallow skin, and my droopy face.....

 

In fact, I don’t know where the day has gone!

 

 

[ellie1145]

 

Even More Trivia....

 

For us it’s time for another Trivia at 4.15, which is 70’s music, the last of the day for us, as the Evening Music Quiz at 8.15 is in the middle of dinner.

 

We stay in Princess Live for the stand up comedian, Simon McKinney, who is, apparently, New Zealand’s number one Comedian and Character Impressionist. Well, New Zealand is a very sparsely populated country, I guess....We aren’t hugely impressed I have to admit. 

 

We have time to spare so we go back to the room and find a movie to start watching. Princess is really good for entertainment on the TV as there are lots of free movies which are on demand, and which we can stop and start at will. Every day there is a different movie added. The cabin is so comfortable, it’s a real retreat where we can relax.

 

 

I pop out onto the balcony to take a few photos of the evening sky. 

 

After a shower and hair wash we dress ready for dinner. It’s smart casual tonight.

 

 

Here’s the menu for tonight. Hope you all enjoy it.

 

Country Style Pate. Delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I must apologise for the lack of main course photos. I guess we must have gobbled them up before I had time to take a photo! But DH had the sole and I had the Slow Roasted Sirloin of Beef, which was good.

[ellie1145]

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

ellie1145:  I am back and here is what I have to tell you

1. The lyrics to your sail away song was "Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys

2. I have stayed at that Hyatt Hotel; and it is right beneath the bridge; with total views of the harbor

3. I have a woman friend from church who lost her vocal cords just like you. She went in for minor surgery; something happened and now she is scarred for life;  her voice is coming back; back she sounds raspy all the time.  She is alive and she can talk so we thank God for that.  Dinner looked great.

 

 

You are correct, AF-1  It is indeed the Beach Boys.

 

A super powered, mini, collapsible, Vortex Vacuum cleaner small enough to fit in your pocket is winging its way to you via Amazon (the river, of course!)  There's no sex discrimination here! I'm sure you will love it. Your carpets certainly will!

 

Wow, you've stayed in that Hyatt Hotel. What an amazing view you must have had. Do the rooms all face the harbour?

 

Unfortunately, damage to the vocal cord nerve is not unknown in heart operations, too, as this nerve travels down from the neck and up the chest, so anything involving surgery in that region carries a risk. I'm really sorry to hear about your friend. I have been very lucky that the one moving vocal cord has gradually learned to compensate, and now moves right across the trachea to meet the paralysed one. It's not actually a cord, its more like a membrane that flutters and moves with speech, opening and closing the trachea, so if there is no movement sounds cannot be made. I am very grateful that my voice has eventually returned to something like normal, but it was a real struggle for several years. 

 

I would go to the shops and ask a shop assistant for something and immediately they would say 'what did  you say?' so in the end I just hated having to go shopping. It often seemed as if people wouldn't even try to listen, which wasn't their fault, they weren't to know,  but the lovely trivia team we met on Star Princess really helped restore my confidence. 

 

PS if your friend ever wants to speak to someone who has been through it, let me know. I felt so alone when it happened and I never found anyone else who had suffered in this way. 

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

Production Show: Fantastic Journey

This show is  described as 'high-tech' with elaborate costumes, and 'state of the art' multimedia technology. There are special effects, drones and high flying aerialists, who showcase the music of today's superstars.

 

So here's a taster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This sequence was Bond themed and involved a tussle on the roof of a train....

 

Some beautiful work with silks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by ellie1145

[TeaBag]

19 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Indeed it is, TeaBag, the wonderful Diana Ross and ‘I’m Still Waiting.’ What a fantastic singer. 

 

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

Glad you enjoyed our departure from Sydney. Hope you, too, return one day.

Thank you so much, Ellie.  I suppose winging by river, it will take a bit longer to reach me but not as long as some of the Chinese junk I order!!

 

Looking forward to your days on the cruise.  Our next one is 8 months away and I'm not even sure we'll be on it, so your posts are a great substitute.

[ellie1145]

 

Photos not the best, there was an awful lot of light, and I'm a point and shoot person, I'm afraid. Apologies

 

This singer gradually rose up with her dress getting longer and longer, a little bizarre.

 

These guys were excellent.

 

 

These costumes lit up.

 

Bad Romance by Lady GaGa

 

Exotic costumes

 

 

 

 

Did we enjoy it? Well, it was certainly interesting, the singing and dancing is fast and furious, and for Princess it is probably a step up. The aerialists were great, and I loved the silk work. The drones were innovative, too. It was definitely visually exciting, but we did not enjoy the music too much. Quite a lot of it we didn't recognise. That probably shows our ages....

 

I confess that, having experienced the shows on Symphony, Allure and Oasis we have been somewhat spoilt. It just seemed to be a series of unrelated songs. But we don't go on Princess for the shows, although I do love Bravo, and Encore.

 

But I am sure many people really loved it, and that's what it's all about. Having a choice.

Whether one enjoys the entertainment on ships is very subjective. I absolutely loved 'Cats' on Oasis of the Seas, and saw it several times (mainly because the theatre emptied during the interval so I could find a seat easily!) but many people hated it. 

 

I hope all you cruising adventurers had a great evening whatever you did! 

[ellie1145]

57 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Thank you so much, Ellie.  I suppose winging by river, it will take a bit longer to reach me but not as long as some of the Chinese junk I order!!

 

Looking forward to your days on the cruise.  Our next one is 8 months away and I'm not even sure we'll be on it, so your posts are a great substitute.

 

Honestly, TeaBag, you wouldn’t believe the speed of those piranhas! Quick as a flash, should be there in a nano second.

 

Like you, I am very unsure whether cruising will start up again anytime soon. We are booked on Harmony of the Seas for a Transatlantic in October 2021, and we even have doubts about that, particularly if there is no vaccination.

 

Sometimes it makes me so angry that this thing has happened, and the Chinese got away lightly it would appear - if you can believe anything they say! 🤬

[ellie1145]

Good night, sleep tight, see you in the morning!

 

Well, all you Cruising Adventurers, we come to the end of our first sea day on Majestic Princess.

 

I hope you’ve all had a lovely time and done lots of different things. 

 

Tomorrow is another sea day before we hit the islands, and then it will be full on.

 

We wend our way exhaustedly to our cabin, having had a quick cup of de-caffeinated tea in the World Fresh Marketplace.

 

Then it’s a quick bath and that lovely bed beckons.

 

See you tomorrow. 

[WAussieSFO]

What a great day at sea! To top it off we enjoyed a fantastic evening with family and friends doing an Ultimate Balcony Dinner for 6 on our aft balcony (Baja 739). 

 

We love the Ultimate Balcony Dinner and doing it early in the cruise means I get to enjoy the flowers for the whole cruise.

[ellie1145]

7 hours ago, sfkaren said:

What a great day at sea! To top it off we enjoyed a fantastic evening with family and friends doing an Ultimate Balcony Dinner for 6 on our aft balcony (Baja 739). 

 

We love the Ultimate Balcony Dinner and doing it early in the cruise means I get to enjoy the flowers for the whole cruise.

 

Hi, sfkaren, glad you enjoyed our day at sea. Hope you found plenty to do.

 

What a great idea to book the Ultimate Balcony Dinner last night. Thank you for posting the photo. What did you have to eat? Do let us know, please.

 

The flowers look beautiful, and you will enjoy seeing them each day, I’m sure.

 

Hope you continue to enjoy our adventure.

 

 

[ellie1145]

Was it a dream or was it a nightmare?

 

 

I had the strangest dream last night......

 

I was standing on our balcony, looking out over a sea covered in cruise ships, all at anchor, all strangely still.

 

I could not hear a sound, no throb of the engines, no sign of the little tenders ploughing their way backwards and forwards to the distant shore.

 

I looked up and down the ship, but there was not a soul on any of the balconies. Nobody to give a friendly wave to, nobody watching the sea, and in the sky there were no planes.

 

We went out into the corridor and it was strangely empty, all the cabin doors were wide open and there was no sign of the usual minutiae of cruising, no clothes hanging in the wardrobes, no make up on the dressing table, no shoes strewn on the floor.

 

Outside our cabin, on the wall, was a bottle of hand sanitizer and a box of what appeared to be face masks. They were outside every cabin, how strange!

 

As we walked along the corridor we were pleased to see a person, another passenger, coming towards us, but the minute she saw us she turned and ran, as if we were lepers, some carriers of a strange and virulent disease.

 

At the elevator shafts the lift buttons were covered, and a member of staff stood there, with a bottle of hand sanitizer. He was a skeleton, a skeleton with a face mask on, I guess you could say skeleton staff, and he kept saying ‘wash your hands for at least 20 seconds,’ and ‘please use the stairs not the elevators.’

 

We walked up the stairs but there were notices on the banisters saying ‘DO NOT TOUCH!’

 

Eventually, we arrived in the buffet. There were rows and rows of wash hand basins, and between each table there were Perspex screens. But there was nobody there, not a soul, only skeleton staff in white hazmat suits, wearing face masks and visors, serving the food to nobody. Had there been a massive outbreak of Noro we didn’t know about?

 

We went out on the deck and above us we could see two of the entertainers, in full costume, just as they were last night, and they were holding a banner saying ‘please let us go home!’ But apart from them it was eerily empty on deck.

 

We could not understand what had happened, and there was nobody to ask. The pools were empty of happy people, no towels strewn on sun loungers, there were no children in the play areas, the hot tubs were silent.

 

Even the bars were shuttered,  and there were notices everywhere saying ‘KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!’

 

We went down to the dining room and there were hardly any tables, and those that were there had been moved far apart. Every table had a screen beside it, separating it from its neighbour, it was most strange.

 

We started to return to our cabin, and suddenly I was in bed, asleep, and I could hear a ringing noise beside me. I struggled to wake. I had a feeling of deep foreboding, but it was only room service saying our order was on its way.

 

I shook myself awake, got up and went out on the balcony, and there below me I saw a tender, chugging towards the land. A ‘plane flew low overhead on final approach, and our neighbour gave a cheery wave from his balcony.

 

How strange I felt. As I stood there I had goose bumps up and down my spine. I pinched myself to make sure I was really there.

 

But what a ridiculous dream, how on earth could any of that possibly happen.................

 

Was it a dream or was it a nightmare?????

 

[ellie1145]

Good Morning all you Cruising Adventurers!

 

Hope you all slept well, and had a great evening.

 

Well, today we have another relaxing day at sea, although if you did everything in the Patter I’m sure you would be exhausted.

 

First, here is the list of eating venues and times - 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

Sunday October 21st 2019       At Sea

 

We leave the Tasman Sea in the early hours of the morning, and enter the Coral Sea.

 

 

Since yesterday we have sailed 486 nautical miles, at an average speed of 20.3 knots. At noon, the nearest land is Noumea, New Caledonia, which we will visit later in the cruise.

 

It’s partly cloudy, with an easterly Force 3, and the temperature is 22 degrees C (72 degrees F). The ship is incredibly stable and we can’t feel her move at all. She really is a lovely ship.

 

I walk out onto the balcony and see these birds swooping low over the sea, catching fish, and then soaring into the sky.

 

 

 

We both slept like logs again last night, and wake feeling refreshed. Before we went to bed last night we ordered hot tea, some fruit and a couple of croissants for a light breakfast. We have decided that we can’t cope with a full breakfast and lunch, so we will have a relaxing start in our cabin before we go up for trivia at 10.15 in the Vista Gaming Lounge.

 

Then after our quiz we will pop up to the buffet and grab a late breakfast, which will see us through until afternoon tea. 

 

Now I’m not going to bore you with a blow by blow account of our sea days as they tend to merge into a series of food, trivia, more food, trivia, afternoon tea, trivia, a swim, more food, followed by some sort of entertainment. Instead, I will try and show you a little of the ship, 

 

Today is our first Formal Night, so this evening there will be the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall, an Encore Comedy Showtime with Simon McKinney, and the Headliner Showtime with Catherine Alcorn.

 

As it’s a sea day we must meet up with our Progressive Trivia Team for Day 2, and see how many questions we got right yesterday.

 

There is a final performance of ‘Fantastic Journey’ in the Theatre at 1.00 pm, for anyone who missed it last night. 

 

Suffice to say that we enjoy some lovely relaxing, lazy days onboard, and revel in our conversations with our lovely trivia teams. For us, meeting new people is one of the great joys of cruising and we certainly weren’t disappointed this time as we have met some really wonderful fellow trivia mates. 

[winifred]

We might meet up with you as we go to all the trivia too, infact on  our last cruise there were lots of Americans on board and they had an "American trivia " we won it, well my husband did,  much to everyone's amusement! 

Love a sea day!!  some relaxing on deck with a cocktail or two reading my book looking at the ocean then heading to a zumba or dance class! Great pictures of the evening show another thing I love, my husband enjoys them too as  he always has a nap no matter how loud the show is!