Days at Sea

A couple of days at sea. 

Hi All,

Back at sea for two days before we reach Bora Bora.  Kim won the Poker tournament last night and feeling good about it.  She lost today’s tournament, but is still happy with her overall play.   I’m still holding my own in the Casino, but not getting in big wins.  We have done the usual stuff – wine tastings, hanging out on the deck, watching a few movies and napping in the afternoon – Tough Life!

Samoa is a volcanic group of islands and very mountainous with abundant plant life.  It is extremely beautiful.  The people are friendly and laid back and proud to be American.  We did not leave the port area, but did walk to a local resort and hung out with a number of the crew members and a few other passengers. 

We crossed the International Dateline and have a certificate from the Captain to prove it.  We are now on the same day as you guys are.   It is 2:00 PM here and 8:00 PM in the Central Time Zone.

Take Care!

Keith Q.

Hi all,

Not much going on, still at sea headed for Bora Bora.   I won the blackjack tournament and Kim took 2^nd.  I would tell you that it was brilliant play; however, it was just luck – I got a pair of matched kings on a side bet to take a 50 to 1 win.  That was a $500 payout so that helped our overall score!

More to come after Bora Bora!

Keith

Suva, Fiji

Hi all,

We are in Fiji today (April 25).  The weather is very warm and tropical now – 88F.

Fiji reminds me of Jamaica in many ways.  The landscape is about the same – volcanic, mountainous and very lush vegetation with about 200 inches of rainfall per year.  Fiji is made up of three groups -  1) the natives that are called Fijians, 2) people that were brought from India by the British called Indians and 3) a few others that are called Europeans (Brits, Aussies, NZ, etc.)  Kim is pictured with a few natives that are looking for dinner.  We are docked in Suva about 2 hours away from any resort areas.  We went up in the mountains for lunch at a local tourist area and had a decent lunch of fish and native foods.  The thing to do off the ship is to go to a local village for dancing and lunch and maybe catch the fire walkers.

Not much to mention about the Casino – we are holding our own, but no big wins to report.

We will cross the International Date Line tonight.  We will get to repeat our Wed. April 25^th tomorrow.   That is kind of a strange event. 

More later!

Keith Q.

Today is ANZAC Day and a very big holiday to Australian and New Zealand.  We have many from both countries on the ship so we have been honoring the day.

ANZAC DAY (the first April 25^th) – Instituted to honor the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (AMZAC) soldiers who fought in World War I’s historic Battle of Gallipoli, Anzac Day is also an annual day of remembrance for the fallen troops of several South Pacific countries.  Many pay tribute to the fallen on Anzac Day by attending dawn services that include prayers, a moment of silence, and the laying of wreaths at war memorials. 

The Captain just came over the sound system to let us know that tonight we will move one hour forward and one day back.   Is this time travel???  Or are we in the movie ‘Ground Hog Day’? 

Photos to come with faster internet service. 

4-24-12 Day at Sea, concerns and recipes

Below is an email we just received from one of our customers and we thought it might be enlightening to some.   We are big fans of RCCL and have never heard of this issue but we will check it out before booking a repositioning cruise for anyone. 

Hey Keith & Kim,

     We have enjoyed the updates on your cruise.  I was talking with my hair stylist and she did a repositioning cruise on RC.  Their cruise was a short one just across the Atlantic.  She said the number of crew was less the half of a normal cruise, with one cabin steward per about ten cabins.  They did not get room service unless they asked for it.  She also said there we no shows but there were a few entertainers in the smaller venues.  They also did not have the midnight buffets and food service was limited, and only the slots and video gaming was available in the casino.  Just wondering how that compares with your cruise.  I also wanted to know if the mini golf on your ship is as bad as the one we had on the Sapphire Princess.

Cheers,

Robert

Hey,

Thanks for the feedback from your stylist – We will be sure and do our homework before booking customers on repositioning cruises.  If this is a recent experience, she might consider writing the Crown and Anchor with details about her cruise.   They may send her a next cruise offer to help get her back onboard.  I’ll be glad to do that for her if she sends me the information on the service, her crown and anchor number and the cruise details.

I do not see any evidence that Princess has cut back on service or other activities on this cruise.  They switched out entertainers in Auckland and the feedback from other passengers is that the shows and entertainers have been very good.  They have their dancers and regular shows, comedians, singers and all that I would expect.  The ship is full and as I mentioned a older crowd – makes us feel very young.  They also picked up sells specialist for Tahitians pearls in Auckland. 

The casino is absent a craps table and the slot machines are configured for the Australian market with no video poker machines – but that is understandable.  The casino staff is at full strength and they are keeping all their table games open even during slow periods.  They all know us by name and are very engaging and helpful.  Princess has also been very good at opening up a table that is closed if you make the request.   Food service is also very good and they have a very nice pizza dining venue that is probably the overall top restaurant on the ship and rivals the best land based pizza that I have eaten (excluding Italy of course!).  The Sterling Steak house on this small ship is open in the evening on the other half of the buffet.  It is closed off and the décor and service is excellent.  I was not overly impressed with the beef, but we are pretty picky.

The captain (Martin Stenzel) has been the most approachable and conversational of any captain that we have encountered.   I took a bridge tour conducted by a Jr. Officer, but the captain joined us on the bridge for a Q&A session at the end. 

Sea Princess is one of their 3 small ships – 1900 passengers and 900 crew.  They do not have mini golf onboard.  To make up for it, they have daily goofy golf challenges on sea days.  Kim is of course participating.  They configure mine golf type courses around the ship and putt down stair ways and through obstacle courses for prizes.  The will also have a chipping contest into one of the pools as sea conditions permit.   We are a bit windy and rocking and rolling today.  They have a sports court that is configured for basketball, but also a miniature type of paddle tennis that Kim and I play onboard.  However, a bit rough today.

Take Care,

Keith

The goofy golf has been a bit goofy indeed.  I have not won any lanyards yet, too many sand traps and water hazards. J  I was at a competition between the head chefs and the head bartender earlier and I think the bartender won.  He made five drinks to the chef’s two entrees.   All had to be made with Kiwifruit which is big in New Zealand and they looked wonderful.  Here are the chef’s recipes –

Shrimp Cocktail with Kiwi Guacamole

Ingredients for 4 Persons

·         4 green kiwifruit, scooped into pieces

·         1 avocado, peeled and pitted (do last minute)

·         1 tbsp fresh key lime juice

·         1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

·         2 green kiwifruit, scooped and cubed

·         1/3 cup sweet onion, minced

·         1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

·         1 large clove garlic, minced

·         1 tsp sugar

·         ½ tsp salt

·         ½ tsp black pepper, ground

·         24 shrimp, cooked, 21/25 count

Mash pieces from four kiwis, avocado and lime juice in medium bowl, leaving some lumps, Stir in tomato, the two cubed kiwis, onion, cilantro, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.  Spoon 2/3 cup into chilled martini glass, and arrange six shrimp around the rim.  Serve immediately

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry with Kiwifruit

Ingredients for 4 persons (vegetable oil, for the skillet.pan)

·         500g chicken breast, boneless, skinned and sliced into strips

·         1 garlic clove, crushed

·         2 fresh red chili, seeded and sliced

·         Red bell pepper, chopped

·         ¼ cup oyster sauce

·         ¼ cup cashew nuts, roughly chopped

·         1 ½ cup fresh bean sprouts

·         ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, sliced

·         1 jigger Brandy

·         4 fresh Kiwifruit

·         Hot cooked egg noodles or rice

Heat an oiled wok or large frying pan to medium-high heat.

Stir-fry the chicken in batches until browned and tender.  Set chicken aside, and keep warm. 

Stir-fry the garlic, chili and red bell pepper until tender.

Return the chicken to the wok and add the oyster sauce, cashews, bean sprouts and basil.

Slice kiwifruit into halves and spoon out bite-sized chunks into the wok with the remaining ingredients,  Stir-fry until just hot.  Serve on a bed of egg noodles or rice. 

Enjoy for now - tomorrow we will be in Fiji…

Auckland, New Zealand

Hi all,

We are now at sea for the next three days headed for Suva, Fiji.  The seas are moderate – meaning a few large swells and some rocking back and forth.  This is typical for the open Pacific Ocean. 

Auckland was a really ideal large city.  I’m never overly impressed with large cities, but this one was very clean, well laid out and a good mix of old and new.  We did a little shopping in the morning and then took a ship’s tour and visited three wineries out in the country side.  (Kim took her own credit card – she is finding out it is much easier to carry her own than asking me to pull out my wallet!)  The Hilton Hotel is right on the pier – we were looking onto the balconies from our cabin.  NZ is known for the white wines (Sauvignon Blanc) and we tasted several superior wines with very good prices.  I lowered the size of the attached photo to help reduce the transmission time.  This is a picture of us leaving Auckland last night.

Kim did not win last night’s Poker Tournament, but has another chance at 1:00PM today.   I broke even.  (That makes me a big winner!).  Princess has some very good lectures onboard.  I’ve been attending finance lectures by David Leibowitz that is onboard for the entire cruise.  He is entertaining as for as investors go, but I don’t have any great stock tips yet.  The average passenger age of the cruise is probably around 65.  I noticed a number of people sleeping through the lecture.  Kim is off at a service meeting for her Rotary participation. 

I’ll probably not send updates for the next few days until we reach Fiji unless something interesting happens.  Our reports from the house continue to be very good.

Take Care,

Keith Q.

We bought wine at two of the wineries Nobilo Icon we purchased a 2010 Pinot Noir produced in Marlborough, NZ and at Soljans Estate we picked up a Gisborne Pinotage 2010.  We were also given 2 Selaks Sauvignon Blanc 2011, small bottles.  It was a fun day.  We only have 5 showing up to the Rotary meetings but they have been interesting. 

I just played another poker turnie and went out early.  Just no cards came to my spot.  Next I will be off to a horse race and then a hole in one competition and Keith is heading for his bridge tour with the captain.  Formal night tonight and seas are getting rougher should make for a rocking/rolling good time. Kim 

Dunedin and Akaroa

Hi all,

We arrived in Dunedin, New Zealand this morning to another beautiful fall day.  This part of NZ is filled with very large trees, beautiful vistas and very friendly people.  Kim and I took a shuttle from the dock area into Dunedin and hiked over a mile from the center of the city, through the shopping district, across a very old university to the Botanical Gardens.  We spent a couple of hours enjoying the gardens, flowing water and birds from across NZ.  An incredible garden with some great people to show you around and talk about the plants and country.  (Mama – wouldn’t Mrs. Scott be proud!)

We hiked back and ate lunch with the locals at a nice restaurant with bluff oysters, NZ wine, shoestring potatoes and great bread.  The locals were good company and shared their opinions as to why we should return to NZ and just avoid Australia.  The cost of items and the exchange rate here is on par with the US.

No luck tonight in the Casino.  We are setting them up for a big win later in the cruise!!!!

Keith Q

We are now in the town of Akaroa, NZ.  We have been on another hike to see two cemeteries and a garden called the Garden of Tane.  If we were in the right place the garden is more of a beautiful trail than a garden as we know them.  We had heard some wonderful birds and seen some lovely apples hanging from the trees.  We are finding internet services at the local libraries which are free.  Seems as if everyone from the ship is here.     

Fiordland Nation Park, New Zealand

Hi all,

We are currently sailing the Fiordland National Park at the bottom of the south island of New Zealand (April 18 @ 11 AM).  It is a little cold and windy, but very beautiful clear skies.   The park ranger that boarded our ship indicates this is an unusual clear day.   This area of New Zealand gets 24 feet of rain per year.  Waterfalls and rainforests are abundant!  (Russell – the park ranger mentioned that they are over populated with Red Deer and allow hunting from helicopters – sounds like a great get-a-way!)

We just left the Milford Sound where we went in and turned around.   We are headed for the Thompson Sound then the Dusky Sound for sightseeing before traveling to Dunedin by morning.

Kim tied for 1^st last night in the Poker Tournament.  They decided to split the pot rather than playing it out.  I had a good night in the Casino with a rather skillful run at 3 card poker – if I say so myself!

Our wonderful house sitter (Shanna Watson) reports everything is going well at the house.  It is a great comfort knowing that things are being looked after.  She has not mentioned the puppies (our little terrorist) so that could be an issue!

Take Care!

The problem with the deer is they don’t belong here.  They were brought in with wapiti and possums.  Now they are eating away at the under story foliage and causing erosion. They even make products out of a combination of possum and sheep fur/wool called something mink.   

As far as Keith saying he was rather skillful at 3 card poker.  He really picked a lucky seat as there is not any skill in the game.  But he did bet well…

We made it to the dining room for the first time last night.  We have good table mates.  A Couple from South Dakota and three siblings who live near San Francisco who are all retired.  They have a great pizzeria onboard which we have been to once and might be on the plan for lunch again today. 

We have tried to attach photos but the internet on the ship can't handle the uploads.  So we will post photos once we are on solid ground.   

Pacific Rim Post 1

Please follow along with our trip along the Pacific Rim.  I am going to add photos as we go along.  These will be letters sent from Keith to the family and in my defense I may/will add some comments. 

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All,

We arrived in Sydney as planned.   Long flight and we arrived at 6:00AM Sydney time on Friday and we were able to catch a few hours of sleep on the flight. We spent the day touring Sydney Harbor, the botanical gardens, took the ferry to Manley Beach and now we are about exhausted!   We are 15 hours ahead of you guys.  The weather is perfect – it is Fall here and the high today was about 78.   Lots of palm trees – I don’t think is ever freezes here.

We will venture out for dinner in a little bit and will probably be in bed when you guys eat breakfast.

It was truly a long flight and we were in economy but at least we had an open seat between us.  The Gardens were wonderful, large and had the coolest bats hanging out in the trees in the middle of the day.  I did not know bats were ever out during the day.
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Hey,

Kim and I are out at sea today – Monday the 16th.   It takes two days to sail to New Zealand from Sydney.  Kim is slowly getting use to the confined space of a balcony cabin – Did I say slowly!

Sydney was a very beautiful city and the Harbor area is a thriving market center with great restaurants, night life, shopping and all kinds of excursions.  It is also very expensive.  Across the board things are 30 to 40% more expensive when you factor in the exchange rate.  A decent meal for us with a bottle of wine in Dallas is usually around $60 the same meal in Sydney - $110.00.  It is a very clean city and also very Green.  One of the political parties in power is the Green Party – Kim is ready to move!

Today Kim is taking up Zumba and I’ve been to the gym .  We had to work out due to the large breakfast.  The most entertaining bar tender is working in the buffet area and we already have our seats in the bar area for most meals.

Princess Cruises was kind enough to reward me with this Graduation Cruise; however, there is NO CRAPS TABLE IN THE CASINO on the Sea Princess.  I will personally take up the matter with the board of directors as soon as I get back home!  J

More to come – We are checking email early in the morning – that is in the afternoon for you guys.

It is a small cabin.  We still like each other right now ;).  Even when you get out into the countryside of Australia it is green by design.  We were way out of the city up in the Blue Mountains and where they were doing road construction they made sure there were still fenced off areas for bikes and pedestrians to continue to use. 

Zumba was fun but I think you should have ‘some’ rhythm.   Good workout and I need to continue if not playing tennis.  I just returned from my first Rotary meeting, there were only 4 of us today.