After eighteen days abroad in the South Pacific, traveling to Tahiti to Australia, it was finally time for Ann Taylor and I to return home. Going into the trip, we knew that our return voyage would be incredibly long, but we had hoped that the rest of the vacation would make it worthwhile to spend…
south pacific
South Pacific Day 17: No Rules, Just Right
We have finally made it to Australia! Our goal for our day in Sydney was to see as much as possible without running around and exhausting ourselves, and I think that we found a perfect balance. Let’s start from this morning, though. Our wake-up call was early – 5:45am – as the captain had previously…
South Pacific Day 16: Last Day at Sea
I can hardly believe that we have reached the final day of our cruise. It feels like just yesterday that we boarded in Tahiti, exploring our cabin and the ship, and meeting the guests and crew with whom we would be spending the next two weeks. Our last day at sea started very similar to…
South Pacific Day 15: More Trivia, More Karaoke
For the second of our three days at sea, we took advantage of gaining an hour overnight (while we travel east to west) to sleep in. Each evening, after dinner, we receive a Princess Navigator, which outlines the calendar of events for the following day. Today’s itinerary did not have many highlights, so there was…
South Pacific Day 14: In the Kitchen
After three days on land in New Zealand, it was time to return to the water, with three sea days before we arrive in Sydney. Thus far, the sea days have been a mixture of some really interesting activities – trivia, shows, lectures – and some that are entirely skippable – carpet bowling, bingo, and…
South Pacific Day 13: They’re Taking the Shaws to Hobbiton
On our third – and final – day in New Zealand, we stopped at the North Island port of Tauranga. This was the stop that I was most excited about, as Tauranga is only an hour or so away from Hobbiton, where The Shire scenes from the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies…
South Pacific Day 12: Not a Baaaad Day in Auckland
Having left New York nearly two weeks ago, it was incredibly nice to wake up with our ship just a stone’s throw from downtown Auckland. Tall buildings again! The cruise terminal is part of the downtown harbor, so there is no need to tender or take a vehicle to access the heart of Auckland. On…
South Pacific Day 11: Trees and Worms
After three days at sea, it felt great to step off of the boat and onto dry New Zealand land for the first time. Of our three stops in New Zealand, Bay of Islands is the port that I was least familiar with, and the only stop where we elected to take a ship shore…
South Pacific Day 10: Elegance At Sea
Dan checking in! I will be capturing the memories from the second half of our South Pacific cruise, after Ann Taylor did such a lovely job of blogging the Polynesian Islands and our early sea days. Unfortunately, I am immediately faced with the task of recapping a slightly less busy – more relaxing? – day,…
South Pacific Day 9: Trivia Buffs
After two days at sea of not doing very much at all, I decided to be a little more active today. Following breakfast, our first stop was the cruise ship fitness center. Working out on vacation is not my idea of relaxation, but with all the food we’ve been eating, it’s a good idea to…