Guam - Santiago Sep. 8 - Oct. 17. Missives from The Andesite Line on Pursuit

[lincslady]

The sort of day that will stick in your memory.

[kej1]

So we will be on the same cruise!  Or most of it.  Look forward to meeting you.   A couple of the ports are repeats for us but we are really looking forward to seeing the ports in Indonesia as we have only been to Bali and Java in the last ( by land and air).  🤞will be another great trip!

 

We look forward to meeting you.  We met great people on our Papeete to Guam last spring on Pursuit.  That was a highlight along with being in the South Pacific.

[Fletcher]

Still following this with interest and enjoyment but I wish Seabourn would be a little more ambitious with their South Pacific itineraries - the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu for example and Wallis & Futuna which has some simply mind-boggling churches (one of them straight out of Bavaria) and awesome beaches.  And then across to places like Tokelau while it still exists.  But they tend to stick to the more conventional routes and that's OK I guess but means I won't be aboard. I'm also beginning to suspect that these new ships, Pursuit and Venture, as brilliant as they are in most respects, might be a bit too big for some places.  I went to most of these Pacific islands and atolls on ships with only about 50 cabins.

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:57 AM by Fletcher

[BioInfoLib]

6 hours ago, kej1 said:

So we will be on the same cruise!  Or most of it.  Look forward to meeting you.   A couple of the ports are repeats for us but we are really looking forward to seeing the ports in Indonesia as we have only been to Bali and Java in the last ( by land and air).  🤞will be another great trip!

 

We look forward to meeting you.  We met great people on our Papeete to Guam last spring on Pursuit.  That was a highlight along with being in the South Pacific.

Great! I am very excited for the cruise too. We spent much of this last summer in Indonesia between the cruise and two snorkeling resorts and what I learned from those experiences is you can never have too much Indonesia! Can’t wait for next summer.

[highplanesdrifters]

@BioInfoLib & @kej1

You have me rethinking waiting till 2026 to come back.😂

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

On 9/24/2024 at 1:55 AM, Fletcher said:

Still following this with interest and enjoyment but I wish Seabourn would be a little more ambitious with their South Pacific itineraries - the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu for example and Wallis & Futuna which has some simply mind-boggling churches (one of them straight out of Bavaria) and awesome beaches.  And then across to places like Tokelau while it still exists.  But they tend to stick to the more conventional routes and that's OK I guess but means I won't be aboard. I'm also beginning to suspect that these new ships, Pursuit and Venture, as brilliant as they are in most respects, might be a bit too big for some places.  I went to most of these Pacific islands and atolls on ships with only about 50 cabins.

 

 

We are so fortunate to explore and take these trips.  However I am terribly jealous of of your travel history.  

 

We were just talking to some others about the lack of adventure on this trip.  The Captian walked by the other day and was grumbling about needing to put the stabilizers out and how that would slow him down.  How about speeding up so we can have more than a nano second at a small remote spectacular atoll like Vulanga, Fiji.

 

I'm might disagree a bit about the size of Pursuit being a limiting factor for small island visits.  Fulanga is only 18 square kilometers. The Dynamic Positioning System eliminates the need for anchoring.  The number of people on board might be more of an issue.  The biggest issue as you have mentioned is the Mother Ship!

 

Oh to do a few laps around the islands you mention.........

[highplanesdrifters]

Tuesdays big excitement....Tonga and Indian Market.  The first of four sea days with two Tuesdays.

 

We dropped the Fijian Delegation off in Tonga around 6:30 am.  

 

Exciting, eh?

 

 

The previous day I suggested that it would be nice if we could get a glimpse of the volcano that blew it's top. Turn on the fancy schmancy GSS and zero in.  

 

The ship is the blue arrow, red circle is the volcano.  Hellooooooo Captian....take a left......

Go wild, throw caution to the wind.  Leave the stabilizers in we won't mind a bumpy ride.  Pretty please.

 

 

You know the answer. 😟

 

 

We had to crack the Fijian Blue Turtle gin to drown our  disappointment.  It's made with Kava and we had our own special ceremony. 

 

 

Collinade Chef Rudolpho

outdid himself with the Indian Market decorations. We overate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BioInfoLib]

3 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

@BioInfoLib & @kej1

You have me rethinking waiting till 2026 to come back.😂

 

 

We booked onboard for next year got 20% discount and $850 each OBC. Could not pass it up. Think I’m sorry we didn’t book all the way to Papeete.

[highplanesdrifters]

12 minutes ago, BioInfoLib said:

We booked onboard for next year got 20% discount and $850 each OBC. Could not pass it up. Think I’m sorry we didn’t book all the way to Papeete.

A good TA should be able to extend it with the discount.  Go for it!

[highplanesdrifters]

Two Tuesdays and no Tacos or Tutus.

 

We crossed the international date line and got a fancy piece of paper noting our accomplishment. The cruising equivalent of a participation ribbon.

 

 

Yesterday's activities included something called the Fun Fare. A first for me.  There were numerous stations where one could earn points.  I assume those points were tallied and prizes were awarded.  Folks did seem to be enjoying themselves.  

 

Pillow stuffing.

 

 

Knot tying.

 

 

Towel animals

 

Beer pong

 

 

My sole accomplishment was 5 points for drinking a shot of Champagne. 

 

 

[Lilly55]

42 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Two Tuesdays and no Tacos or Tutus.

 

We crossed the international date line and got a fancy piece of paper noting our accomplishment. The cruising equivalent of a participation ribbon.

 

 

Yesterday's activities included something called the Fun Fare. A first for me.  There were numerous stations where one could earn points.  I assume those points were tallied and prizes were awarded.  Folks did seem to be enjoying themselves.  

 

Pillow stuffing.

 

 

Knot tying.

 

 

Towel animals

 

Beer pong

 

 

My sole accomplishment was 5 points for drinking a shot of Champagne. 

 

 

We had the fun fare on the Ovation transatlantic last year

[highplanesdrifters]

On 9/25/2024 at 11:36 AM, BioInfoLib said:

We booked onboard for next year got 20% discount and $850 each OBC. Could not pass it up. Think I’m sorry we didn’t book all the way to Papeete.

 

It's never too late, go for it!

[highplanesdrifters]

We are on our fourth glorious sea day.  They are filled with coffee, reading, eating, swimming, eating, lecture, napping, swimming, napping at lecture (in room), reading, drinking, hot tub, eating, and drinking. Often in that order. Lather rinse repeat. Sorry, I've gotten to lazy to produce food porn.

 

We have had days of sun, rain, sun with rain, sky so blue you think it might crack, big white billowy clouds, dark scary clouds, all within your field of vision.

 

Tomorrow brings us to two days in Papeete. One day will be spent cleaning the hull, probably because no one at the mother ship thought to make an appointment in Ushuia.

Change equals opportunity.   Hopefully something good will come our way.  Because, on a positive note we are getting a new Captian and EL. Yipeeeeeee!

 

There are only 60ish people staying on for the next leg, 120 leaving.  Word is we will only have 155 for next leg.  A veritable ghost town.

 

Sea days glorious sea days.

 

 

A fun Expedition team this leg. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thime for the 5 o'clock drinking

 🤣

 

 

 

[lincslady]

Almost one expedition team member for each passenger?

[Fletcher]

3 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

There are only 60ish people staying on for the next leg, 120 leaving.  Word is we will only have 155 for next leg.  A veritable ghost town.

 

Interesting . . . I would have thought the next leg to Pitcairn, Easter Island and onwards would have been sold out.  

 

What a lot of swarthy beards on your team. 

[Covepointcruiser]

The price was very good for this portion of the repositioning.   Surprised more folks did not take advantage but guess passengers wanted a real expedition with ports/landings/zodiac cruises almost every day.   We will need a vacation from our Arctic Venture cruise.   We were on the go all days but 3 days (15 day expedition).   The 0700 boarding times for Zodiacs was a killer and two Zodiac adventures on some days was exhausting.   The Arctic scenery, people and animals are wonderful and well worth the effort.   The South Pacific is definitely a different scene.

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, lincslady said:

Almost one expedition team member for each passenger?

Sometimes two!

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, Fletcher said:

Interesting . . . I would have thought the next leg to Pitcairn, Easter Island and onwards would have been sold out.  

 

What a lot of swarthy beards on your team. 

 

Aye matey, it's a great team, swarthy beards and all.  It's been nice to connect with many of them during the many sea days. They are smart, fun, and full of adventure. Although they are not able to verbalize it,  It seems that many are also looking forward to the EL and Captian change.

 

Also surprised at the empty ship on leg two. Silversea always filled up so quickly for this leg, could never manage a booking.

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, Covepointcruiser said:

The price was very good for this portion of the repositioning.   Surprised more folks did not take advantage but guess passengers wanted a real expedition with ports/landings/zodiac cruises almost every day.   We will need a vacation from our Arctic Venture cruise.   We were on the go all days but 3 days (15 day expedition).   The 0700 boarding times for Zodiacs was a killer and two Zodiac adventures on some days was exhausting.   The Arctic scenery, people and animals are wonderful and well worth the effort.   The South Pacific is definitely a different scene.

 

Exactly, can be a very different mindset from the go go of the poles. I love both.  Well....except for those early wake up calls at the poles.

 I don't think I've gotten in a zodiac before 8:30 am on this trip. And it was only once. 😎🍸

 

I've always looked at this cruise as a South Pacific Vacation with half of it having expedition activities. Seabourns canceling of numerous ports made it more so.  Many of the stops were only half day. Grumble grumble.

 

Last year's Silversea trip to the region was the opposite.  Barely a sea day and go go go. Just depends on who you're sailing with and the itinerary. 

 

@Covepointcruiser

Pull up a lounger and join the fun. You deserve a nice tropical rest after all those tough early days on the zodiacs!🍹🏝

[highplanesdrifters]

Good Morning Papeete!

 

 

Its HOT and steamy. Looking forward to a leg stretch on land.

 

Look at this sleek beauty.

 

 

La Datcha. Oligarch?

Chopper is missing, probably hopped over to Bora Bora or The Brando.

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

If you are finding you are missing something or need to replenish, the Papeete Mall is across from the Tahiti Hilton.    Not your usual mall but it does have several shops and their Walmart alternative.    There is no tourist mark up there.

[FlaviaOfTheMonth]

What do all these expedition people do besides drive the Zodiacs?

[johng75370]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If you are finding you are missing something or need to replenish, the Papeete Mall is across from the Tahiti Hilton.

Sounds like @highplanesdrifters is planning a wine run to the Carrefour there (and hopefully the ship's F&B manager)!  The Carrefour also has some local items as gifts for a good price.  

Edited 4 minutes ago by johng75370