Anyone following a Queen Victoria World Cruise Blog?

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a Queen Victoria World Cruise blog? Earlier we were in port with them on a few stops but for Rabaul they were a day ahead of us. I'm anticipating that may be the case for upcoming ports and would love to read the posts on places we will be before we get there. If anyone is following one or more Q.V. blogs could you post the links here? I'm not sure of the Queen Mary World Cruise route but if it looks to be hitting the same ports that we will hit and is in front of us I would like those links also. Thanks!

Sleepy day at sea

The beauty of seeing the world on a cruise ship is that after a hot tiring day in port you retire to a luxury air conditioned cruise ship to rest, relax and eat well until the next port. Today the weather was warm and comfortable. We have moved out of the hot oppressive weather that we were having so I spent some time reading on deck 5. We returned to sailing in a sea with swells but the bouncing hasn't been too bad. The ship's personnel were cleaning the ash from the lifeboats on deck 5 and I imagine other areas that I did not see. I took a nap this afternoon and had dinner in my room while catching up on e-mail.

Volcanic Rabaul

I've had the most wonderful and amazing day visiting Rabaul! Who ever thinks they are going to get up close and personal with a very active volcano?

We pulled in to port to the majestic scene of spewing volcanos (pic. 1). I could smell the ash in the hallway as I left my room. Usually I eat on the back deck but today the ash was bothering my lungs so I ate inside. My tour left early and I brought along my dust mask just in case I needed it.

Our first stop was at a scenic overlook. It was going to be a hazy day as the sky was filled with ash. The next was the Volcanological Institute. We didn't spend much time there so I snapped pics of the placards to read later. There are 30 people who work at the institute, 5 or 6 are scientist. They have 3 evacuation plans for small, medium and major eruptions.

On the way up to and back down from the institute we saw many entrances to Japanese tunnels that were dug during WWII. There are 100's of kilometers of these tunnels. Pic. 3 is one of the entrances to the tunnels.

Black ash everywhere!

From the institute we recrossed town, with residents waving and smiling to us as we went through. Naturally we all waved back and had a good time observing each other. All the on-foot people from the ship were being accompanied by groups of children as they walked through the town.

As we got closer to the volcano, we drove out across fields of pure ash, surrounded by hills covered in ash. Pic. 1 shows our caravan. The local land owners were counting the passengers to be paid for the use of their land. There were also pick-up trucks of men who were tasked with making the deep ravines cut into the ash, by water running off from the mountains, passable for the vans. Everyone was friendly and waving at the vehicles throughout the entire day.

As we got closer, we left the vehicles and set off on foot across a plain of ash and through a small ravine (pic. 2 shows where we embarked on foot). There were sticks marking the path for us to walk. Soon we were standing across a bay from the volcano (pic. 3). From this point you could hear the rumbling very clearly. Periodically large plumes of smoke would come up. The guide indicated that you could see the flames shooting out of the top at night. That must be quite a sight!

Bubbling sea

As we got closer to the volcano there was a small area of the water that was bubbling (pic. 1). Apparently there are no swimming beaches anywhere around the island because the water is too hot.

We were told that the water we were seeing was boiling (pic. 2) but it was hard to tell if that was the case or if it was steam or air coming up through the water. No one stuck their hand in to find out or got close enough to fall in since the ash was pretty wet in that area.

The entire area looked like black sand beaches but were in fact volcanic ash (pic. 3).

It was amazing to be standing there with a spewing growling volcano so close by. It was constantly spewing the ash and making noise. Every now and then a larger plum of ash would shoot up and it would get a little louder so one would turn and look to see if there was anything to be concerned about.

Trying to stabalize the volcanic ash

After departing the active volcano site we headed to a village of about 2700 people. On the way we passed trees that had been planted to try and help stabilize the land (pic. 1). They struggle to live but then get covered in ash and die back.

The village was made up of widely placed homes that were up on stilts, probably to avoid the ash slides when the heavy rains came and washed down the ash covered hills. Pic. 2 shows a village home.

Village

In the village we went to a central area where there were vendors for us to get souvenirs. I bought the carved volcanic head that the lady is holding in the center of picture 1. Everyone was very friendly and easy to talk to throughout the entire day. The guides were not forthcoming with information but happily answered questions and it was easy to engage the vendors and other people standing around in conversation. Most seemed to speak English well or have someone in the group who spoke English.

Our guide lived in this village and her daughter caught sight of her as we drove away and was so excited to see her mommy. Her nephew also ran along side the caravan, everyone waving and smiling.

From there we went to a WWII plane crash site (pic. 2). There were more vendors here so we did a little more shopping.

Back at the ship I headed out to the gate of the port to visit some more vendors. Some of these vendors had wonderful high quality carved wood object and the prices were very reasonable. The Queen Victoria visited this port yesterday which made me wonder what treasures they had picked up as everything we saw was hand made and unique, not mass produced.

On the tour I did not have to wear my dust mask because we seemed to be upwind of the ash. However, back at the ship I wore my mask to and from the shopping area as the air quality in this area was poor. Some ship's personnel were also wearing them so I did not feel too out of place.

The day was hot and humid. Everyone was glad to get back on board and into the air conditioning.

The city of Rabaul was completely destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1994 which buried the city in 2 meters of ash. We saw the remains of a few buildings (very few). The buildings were not rebuilt but instead the offices moved to other cities that were further away from the volcano and thus a better investment. As a result of Rabaul's proximity to the volcano the structures that have been erected are generally of poor quality and look patched together out of salvaged material.

Another calm day on the Coral Sea

Today we sailed on calm glass-like water. It was a wonderful ride! It was again hot and humid. Every time a door opened to the outside it felt like a blast from a furnace.

Tomorrow we stop in Rabaul, Papa New Guinea. This is a very exotic stop. So much so that many on board have been cutting it down. As a result, everyone has very low expectations. I am very much looking forward to it. I prefer the more exotic stops to those that have USA-like shopping malls.

Currently Rabaul has an active volcano. It has been acting up recently and the airports are currently shut down due to the ash in the air. However, we are told that we will be able to make our scheduled stop. Some of the entertainers were scheduled to get off here and be replaced by a new batch. However due to the flights being canceled they are not getting off until Guam. I'm scheduled to go on a tour that includes the Volcanological Observatory, see a bubbling beach where underwater vents heat seawater to boiling and stop at a local village.

Smooth sailing on the Coral Sea

I'm pleased to report that when we exited the area shielded by the Great Barrier Reef we encountered smooth seas. Yesterday and today we have had the smoothest sailing that we have had to date on this cruise. It is wonderful!

We had two lectures yesterday that I caught parts of on TV, 'Art Deco Architectural Landmarks' and 'Japanese Weddings, Is It Love or a Suitable Arrangement'. From what I saw, both were interesting.

It is so incredibly hot and humid out that I didn't even want to go out to get in the pool. It is the same today. There is condensed water on my window just from the muggy conditions. However, get in the pool I did and it was refreshing!

Great Barrier Reef - So close, yet so far

I'm disappointed to report that I did not go to the Great Barrier Reef. We pulled into port to rain and an overcast sky with dark clouds all around. We called our helicopter company to see what the expected weather would be for the afternoon when we needed to come back from the Great Barrier Reef. They did not have a favorable prediction and as a result we decided to go to Kuranda, a rain forest area instead. It was a horrible mistake as the weather cleared up and we could have done the full tour. We made the decision with the best information we had and I am heart broken that I didn't decide to chance it and go. One of our tour members correctly pointed out that the risk would have been worth it if we had a nearby town for our next port but our next one is Rabaul in Papa New Guinea. The ship's tour went and in this case I lost big by planning my own tour. Everyone I talked to had a great time.

Moving on to what I did do. I had a very pleasant relaxed day. We took a cab to the Kuranda Village in the World Heritage Rainforest. We had a great cab driver who gave us a nice tour on the way up. I took the first pic. at a scenic overlook that we stopped at. We could have taken the train but decided to drive up and train or sky rail down. In the town, the shopping was good with reasonable prices. There were many attractions. One of the first I stopped at was a bat rescue. The injured bats are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. This picture of a sleeping back who was free flighted but came back to the cage for a nap reminded me of Count Dracula with the way his wings were wrapped around him.

Birdworld

I went to the Birdworld which was interesting but I don't recommend it as the birds did not look to be in as good of shape as I would like to see for this type of thing. Perhaps it is too damp and dark in the environment that they have the birds in. However the birds were friendly. Immediately a parrot hopped onto my shoulder, made its way down to my water bottle and proceeded to put a hole in the lid.

Skyrail

I then had lunch at a nice Sri Lankan restaurant where I enjoyed two curry dishes. After lunch I headed over to the Skyrail for my trip back to Cairns. This was a very nice ride. At the first stop there were nice paths through the rain forest with 3 overlook points for a fabulous waterfall. There has been alot of rain recently so it was really flowing.

Rainforest

At the next stop there was a short tour of the rainforest with explanation plaques to explain the features of a rain forest. The first pic. is of a canopy tree. These types of trees have no leaves down near the base and spread out at the very top where they can reach light. The rain forest generally is very dark with many plants competing for the available light. The second pic. is of a basket fern on a tree. The basket fern is growing on the other tree using it as a host. There were many examples of plants growing on other plants. The third picture was taken of the rainforest canopy as seen from the Skyrail. The views were wonderful and it was very relaxing.

At the bottom I hopped a bus back into town and stopped at a visitor center to try and book an afternoon helicopter or seaplane tour of the Great Barrier Reef. I was out of luck as none were available. I hope I get back some day and get to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

40 days

Today is day 40 of the cruise. It seems like a long time to be on a ship but it also seems hard to believe we have been sailing for 40 days. I hate to admit it but my formal dress last night was a little more fitted than it was the last time I wore it at the beginning of the cruise. This means I've gained weight. We've only had 10 ports over the 40 days so lots of ship time with little activity.

Today I saw a lecture titled "Captain William Bligh from a Seafarer's Perspective". It was very interesting, addressing the events that lead up to Captain Bligh's somewhat not very complimentary reputation. I also saw the beginning and end of the 2009 Academy Awards. One of our lecturers is the graphic artist who designed the posters and other material for the Academy Awards.

The book club started today. Somehow I missed the meeting announcement in the Patter. I'm going to have to read it more carefully.

Even though it was overcast and rainy I still got my water exercises in as it is hot and muggy outdoors.

Tomorrow is Cairns where I have reserved a cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef, a day of snorkeling and then a helicopter flight back. Hopefully the weather will be favorable and it won't get canceled.

Sailing within the Great Barrier Reef

Today we are sailing within the Great Barrier Reef. We had a reef pilot come on board to assist us with navigating the waters. He also gave a talk on the history of European sailors around Australia and the Great Barrier Reef area. In two days we will have the opportunity to see it up close when we dock in Cairns. In the mean time, we are enjoying the extremely calm water that is found within the reef. No swells and as a result no rocking of the boat. Before we get to Cairns we sail outside the reef to dump waste water and then come back in to dock. The ship holds on to all it's waste within the Great Barrier Reef to assist in preserving the Great Barrier Reef.

We had two other lectures, Designing for the Oscars and the Voyages of Captain James Cook. I will have to try and catch them on TV.

Tonight is our first formal of this segment.

Brisbane

Princess provided a $10 shuttle to Brisbane from the ship. There was a nice welcome from the Brisbane visitor staff with brochures and such to take and look at to decide what to do in Brisbane. I got off the ship not quite decided what I wanted to do. There was a hop-on/hop-off bus $25. The Botanic gardens offered free tours at 11 and 1. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary looked attractive because I did not learn as much as I should have at the other sanctuary and it had some attractive additions. So I went to the visitor center to get the info on how to get there. I ended up taking a city bus out and back. There is also a ferry option which left the city at 10 a.m. and got there at 11:30 a.m. The ship's tour which drove to the Koala Sanctuary took this same ferry back. All 3 transportation options had pros and cons in terms of what shows you could make at the sanctuary. Many liked the ferry ride.

I got to the sanctuary in time to catch the end of the lory feeding (pic. 1). The Lories are free flighted in the trees and come down to feed when food is put out for them. I then went to the sheep dog show and got to see some wonderful border collies demonstrate working some sheep (pic. 2). One border collie kept creeping up to get a head start on the other one which was cute. Then they swapped in a Queensland Heeler. The dogs then jumped on the backs of the sheep and walked across them. I'm not sure of the purpose of the back walking part but it sure was interesting. Before the show the Border Collies were out with the crowd and then afterwards the Queensland Heeler got to socialize.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

From the sheep dog show I went over to see the wombats. They were huge compared to the ones I saw before and really cute (pic. 1). I stopped at the general store for a bottle of water and was visited by a lizard that parked itself at my feet and was begging for hand outs (pic. 2). From there I went to visit the kangaroo compound. They had more sizes, colors and types of kangaroos compared to the other sanctuary. These were more standoffish (didn't care to be scratched) but still liked to be fed. I caught this picture of one licking his lips.

Birds of Prey show

From the kangaroo compound I headed to the Birds of Prey show. This was alot of fun. They had the hawks and owls flying between the rows and over your heads such that you felt their leather straps or wings going by. The talk that was given was really good.

Koalas - Moms and babies

The best part of the sanctuary was the Moms and babies section. Here the Koalas were the most active.

I then swung by the dingos, Tasmanian Devils and birds section before heading back to the city bus. The weather was really hot and humid and when I got back to the city I just did a little shopping before catching the last shuttle to the ship. The shopping area (Queen St. Mall) was extremely large and was a mix of discounters, high-end stores and everything in between.

Nap time

I didn't mention it in my Sydney post but I did not sleep well the night before Sydney due to the roughest water that I have felt on this trip. That combined with the busy day yesterday caused me to be tired today. I took a nap after lunch and slept until dinner. Oooh that felt good!

After dinner everyone from the next sitting was raving about the show so I thought I would pop in to see for myself. Surprisingly the singer was a cut above the normal cruise ship singer so I stayed, working my way through three chairs to try and be comfortable. After that I went up top to see the lit up coast line and the electrical show from a brewing storm. Beautiful! Tomorrow Brisbane!

Sydney - victim of my poor planning

Sydney is a fabulous city and I won't be able to do it justice in my post as I did not do it justice in my tour. I spent about 11.5 hours out and about and 10 hours of that time on my feet. I just didn't plan the day well.

I started off strong. The Sydney Opera House tour is a must do. We booked on-line so it was $26 vs. $35 in person. I love architecture and the Sydney Opera House has alot going for it. Every which way you looked the architecture is stunning. The lobbies, stair cases, concert halls, seats, bathrooms etc were all works of art. I could have wandered around in there for hours just looking at the details. Attached are some pics from the tour. If I ever get back to Sydney I am going to try and attend a performance there.

Of special note to me was how comfortable the seats were. They were designed by a surgeon and are the most comfortable I have ever sat in for a performance hall. In addition there was plenty of knee room which is unusual for performance seating. Unfortunately in one hall they are going to be installing computer screens behind each seat which will probably result in them replacing the seats.

At the beginning of the tour they take your picture. It is an unusually good picture package with your pic on the front of post cards, on a CD and of course the normal pics. You don't have to buy it but it is worth doing and then taking a look at.

More Opera House pictures

Sydney Botanical Gardens bats and birds

From the Opera House I wandered over to the Botanical Gardens. There was a sign indicating that the free tour was at 10:30 from a central point. It was 10:25 and it was a 10 min. walk to the walking tour. So I sped off to find the tour. It was a wonderful tour which took about 2 hours. We heard all about the history of the area as it related to the plants. The tour guide tried to keep us in the shade as it was really hot out. We also saw a ton of bats. They were roosting in the tree tops above us for most of the tour (pic. 1). The tour guide indicated that they don't normally fly much during the day but they sure were stirred up for us. They seemed to be constantly flying overhead.

Later we moved to a section of the park where I saw some wild cockatoos flying over head and took a picture of one in a tree. What a treat! I loved seeing the birds in the wild. Someone else saw Lories but I didn't spot them. I would have loved to have hung out in this area longer, just looking for the birds.

More Botanical Garden

Toward the end of the tour there was a great opportunity to take a pic. of the Opera House (pic. 1). I also loved this tree. I think it is called a bottle tree (pic. 2). And finally I got a pic of the city skyline with the park in the foreground (pic.3).

I was very impressed with this park. I think it is the best city park I have ever seen. It is a huge asset to the city.

After my 2 hour walking tour I took the $10 trolley tour that has 4 hop-on/hop-off stops. This is the option I think most people would enjoy. I got off and walked to Mrs. Macquarie's chair. I then took it to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This art gallery was free and a fabulous stop. I took this picture of a digital person there but it also had wonderful pictures of early Australia, as well as some great classical art.

From there my day went down hill. When we got off the ship there was no visitor information which was unusual. Practically every port had something so we were expecting visitor guides and maps. I picked up a map from the Museum and struck off in the direction of The Rocks. On the way I got some lunch but had likely waited too long to eat (it was around 3 p.m.). As a result by the time I got to the Rocks and tried to make my way to the visitor center I was just wandering in and out of the shops wasting time. I got to the visitor center with only 5 min. before closing so did not make it to any more sights. I then walked back to the ship, stopping in shops as I went but was disappointed that I didn't make better use of the rest of my day. I reboarded the Tahitian Princess at about 7 p.m.

I went up top to see the sail away and enjoyed seeing the city lights as well as the Opera House lit up.

Wild day at sea

Today started off overcast, then moved to rain with the seas kicking up. We bounced our way through the day with those getting off in Sydney saying their last goodbyes. This is the first time I've stayed aboard at the end of a cruise segment. It is sad that some are leaving but at the same time exciting to get some new passengers aboard for the next segment. I understand that we are to have about 120 leave and another 120 join.

We've been aboard 36 days. I for one am glad to be continuing on and I haven't heard anyone say they wish they were leaving. One couple did something quite clever. They are getting off in Sydney and staying 6 days then joining the Royal Princess to continue the same route with a slightly different ending.

Burnie Tasmania Australia - What a fabulous day!

The weather was fabulous for our Burnie visit. The first pic is from the back of the boat while I was having breakfast and we pulled into port. The city of Burnie did a fabulous job welcoming us. They had free buses to town, a free hat pin for bus riders, the mayor dressed in costume available at the gangway for pictures and maps telling us where the ATMs/banks, visitor center, shopping, internet etc. were. The town is very small and it is easy to walk to any of the 3 shuttle bus stops as it is only about a 5 min. walk across town.

I got off at the visitor center. They had a tour operator offering the Wings Wildlife Park for a significant savings over the ship's tour but I had already booked my ships tour for the afternoon so had to forgo. There is a hop-on/hop-off bus available from the visitor center that went to 5 local (out of town) attractions for $15 AUD. I heard good things from those who took this option. I did go to the Pioneer Village Museum at the visitor center. I would give this a miss as it is not good value for the $4.50 entrance fee. However the visitor center is a must do as it had great souvenirs and information for tours or things to do. From here to the second stop is about 2-3 blocks so no need to ride the bus to the downtown, you can just walk over.

I spoke with one of the tour operators as I just wanted to get a good walk in. They indicated taking the boardwalk to Burnie Park was a good option so that is what I did. I walked back through town to the board walk entrance. This is pic. 2. I included this pic because throughout the day we were treated to the fabulous views of the coastline with sandy beaches, rock outcroppings and stunning turquoise, blue and green water. The main roads that we later went on also followed the coast. I couldn't take my eyes away from it. Due to the shape of Tasmania the land is always curving away from the water which made the water feel more expansive. The way the light was hitting the water brought out the most fabulous colors. In addition I read that it was a very unpolluted area which may have also affected how the water appeared so brilliantly colored.

From the boardwalk I walked down to the local penguin observation blind. This was an area where you could stand behind wood panels and observe penguins coming in to rest at night and going out in the morning. Since I was there in the middle of the day I did not see any, but I did see a bunny rabbit. The 3rd pic. is the view from the blind.