South Pacific 2002: 3 - At Sea

We transferred by taxi from the hotel to the ship after getting emails away, and walking down the street for a good lunch in a Turkish restaurant. The location of disembarkation was listed as the non-existent Princess Wharf on our tickets, but fortunately I inquired as to the location of it when we were on the ferry yesterday, and was informed it didn't exist. It turns out it is Prince's Wharf, name after Prince Albert. Most of the wharf is the Hilton Hotel - a great location for a hotel.

There was no line to board the ship. Reception was handled very courteously and efficiently by both ship's staff and New Zealand's customs and immigration. Boarding started at three in the afternoon and continued until six, and then the ship sailed at seven after lifeboat drill. We chose to arrive just after three to give us time to unpack, settle in and explore the ship before we sailed. We will be on board for the next three weeks.

Marilynn and I have been on quite a number of cruises, and our cabins have varied from the closet sized ones on the exploration ship Explorer, to the more luxurious ones on Princess Lines Crown Odyssey and others - but nothing could have prepared us for what we have here. There are people living in smaller apartments, and the outfitting in positively lavish. We were fortunate, through the good graces of the travel people who booked the cruise for us and the cruise line, to be upgraded from the very lowest cabin class we paid for to a suite valued at more than twice the amount.

Our suite is located on the 7th level of the 11 deck ship, and has a private open balcony which comfortably fits the two padded lounge chairs and table out there. This will be great when we get into the warmer tropical climate - today, the day after leaving Auckland, it is 20 degrees Celsius - still too cold for sitting outside for us Costa Ricans. The whole balcony wall is floor to ceiling window, with a sliding glass door for access.

Inside on one side of the room is a full size three cushion couch with two easy chairs and a coffee table. Across the room from that is a large desk and cabinet which includes a fridge, which came well equipped with the complementary first load of mixers and beer. I've been informed that the first filling with beer is complementary, but then I have to pay. Unlimited mixers, soft drinks, bottled water, tea and coffee are provided at no cost - so much for our shopping expedition to bring some of those items on board! Our ice bucket was in use when we arrived, containing a full size bottle of complementary private label champagne which was quite good, and which we made fairly short work of.

Also in the desk set up is a good sized TV, VCR, built in bar with glass doors to include the liquor and glass storage areas, plus book shelves. To assist us in getting the bar going we were presented with two one-litre bottles of the liquor of our choice at no charge by our room stewardess.

The working desk itself has internet plugs, plus 110V or 220V plugs for connecting computers. Recessed lighting illuminates the area well. There is a telephone - one of three in the suite. The others are by the bed and in the bathroom. All are usable for internal calls on the ship or direct dial international calls.

The bedroom has a king sized bed with side tables on each size and excellent reading lights, designed not to bother the other person in bed. Marilynn is delighted with the built in dressing table with wrap around counter to ceiling mirrors and lighting down both sides.

There is a walk in closet with loads of hanger space, a good sized safe, a chest with nine large drawers and lots of shelf space. This is the first time we have been on a ship and had more drawers and storage space than we could use!

The bathroom is something in itself. It is done in real marble on the floor and walls, with lots of counter space around the sink. On each side of the sink counter there are three large glass shelves for toiletries. There is a full sized bathtub with a shower of the type that can be removed on a flexible hose. In addition, there is a full sized, glassed in, regular stand up shower on the other side of the room.

In room dining and other services are available 24 hours per day. No charge for anything but the liquor. We tested the theory with a four course breakfast including steak & eggs served in the room this morning! Yes, we are quite content with the accommodations!

Just down the hall from our suite is the shopping area, definitely a dangerous location, but the prices are such to hold even Marilynn at bay. She says T-shirts were available for only $US 109 each, and short pants for women at $US 190!

Beyond that is the casino, then the beautifully done show lounge. The swimming pool and hot tubs are two decks above us. The ship's library, besides having a good selection of books has a huge video library of movies for in-suite viewing, and over a dozen computer stations all connected to Internet. The library is open 24 hours. There is no check out procedure for books or video - everything is on the honour system.

When we arrived in our suite there was a nice letter informing us that the cruise line has given us a credit of $US 400 on our shipboard account to be used for anything purchased on board including liquor, tours, shopping, etc. The only thing it cannot be used for is the casino.

The Seven Seas Navigator is 560 feet long with a beam of 81 feet. On this cruise there are about 300 passengers. The ship can accommodate 490, so nothing is crowded. There are 324 crew from 36 different countries on board. The 33,000 ton ship cruises at 20 knots. So far we have had clear skies and calm seas.

There are three restaurants and eight bars on board. The dining room is open seating, one sitting for meals and no specific time to start dinner as is usual on cruise ships - any time within an hour and a half is fine. The tables seat for from four to six people, small by cruise ship standards, where things are usually much more regimented and tables seat 8.

I just finished sending off an updated GPS position and a couple of emails in the ship's library. The system is great. There are lots of terminals, the connections are fast and the price is not bad. A meter running continually lets you know what you have spent up until the moment. I sent an email, the GPS position, answered an email and cleared out up some of the junk mail by deleting it and spent only 72 cents.

It is now Wednesday, October 23. Tomorrow we will dock in Nuku'alofa, Tonga at 7 AM and explore the island and the town. So far on this cruise the weather has worsened each day, the opposite that one would expect heading towards the normally calm seas near the equator. In spite of the size of the ship it is being thrown around quite violently today. The seas are very heavy, and spray off the bow is hitting our 7th story balcony window steadily. The temperature is up slightly to 21 degrees C, but the winds are gusting to 100 km / hr. Not a lot of on deck activity happening! Marilynn is OK as she is taking seasick pills. Fortunately, I'm not affected, but I'd expect a light turnout today for meals from our fellow passengers!

As is the case with most cruise ships, as daily newspaper is circulated, but there is an interesting twist on this one. They print a Canadian supplementary edition with only Canadian news in it. I've never seen that before.

Last night was the first of four formal dinners, and much to my surprise I was able to squeeze my growing paunch into my tuxedo with less discomfort than I had expected. The deal last night was the captain's welcome aboard cocktail party, then dinner followed by a quite good musical show in the show lounge.

We had a great lunch in the 10th level restaurant which looks out over the stern. The sea is in quite a froth - I'd say we have around a force 10 gale blowing. Seating was sure not a problem, only about a dozen tables of people where in attendance.

I'll get the next dispatch off after we have done some exploring on Tongo. Meanwhile, I hope this finds you all well.