24/25/26/9/2013 New York

The last few days have been busy and enjoyable.

We have been to the 9/11 site and walked around the 2 memorial pools and through the memorial museum with items left from the horror. It is a very moving experience and hard to believe that human beings could inflict that amount of pain and destruction on other human beings. 

Yesterday we went up to the Observation Deck on the 66th floor of the Rockefeller  Centre. We were told that the view from there was as good as the view from the Empire State Building. While we don't have a comparison we were not disappointed.  The day was clear and we could see for miles.  The queueing was still there but we only waited about 30 mins.

Ted and Gloria, a couple we met on the cruise, live in Brooklyn New York and invited us out today to ensure we saw New York through the proud eyes of locals. Gloria's family originated from Italy and she lived all her life in the Italian area of New York.  We drove through all the narrow streets of Little Italy and Chinatown, stopping at the small intimate shops that only the locals know exist. Ted drove us over and under and around the Brooklyn Bridge and finished our Brooklyn tour at their house for morning tea and pastries that Gloria had purchased in a small Italian pastry shop. We then drove to Coney Island to see the beach and enjoy a hotdog at the famous Nathan's World Famous Frankfurters, which has been selling hotdogs since 1916. This was our first hotdog in NY as we had been a little hesitant about having one from any of the vendor carts which are on every street corner. The volume of diners was evidence that the food was fresh and safe to eat at Coney Island.

When in NY do as the locals do so they say, so I enjoyed my hotdog with chilli, sauerkraut and a beer in a cardboard cup. It actually all tasted rather delicious. 

Ted and Gloria dropped us back in town right in the middle of the street markets on 6th Avenue. These markets went on for about 20 blocks, selling food, craft and the normal souvenirs.  We bought a hot cob of corn which looked pretty safe to eat and enjoyed the ambiance of the markets basically at  our door. 

We popped the cork on the bottle of champagne in the fridge with Keryn, while we exchanged news on each others day's activities.  Keryn and I walked down to the corner to Times Square to check out tomorrow's theatre times for the show Annie. We are going to the show together tomorrow. Times Square on Saturday night was certainly jumping. It is like being dragged along with the tide of people at The Brisbane Show.

David and I went to see Wicked the other night and loved it.

We have seen and done a lot in NY and are ready for home.  Tomorrow is packing day as we fly out on Monday. Ken and Anne left NY 2 days ago to spend a couple of days in Washington befor flying out for Brisbane today.

The Buxton family sent us a photo of their new addition to their family- a little black puppy called Max.  We look forward to meeting him when we get home on Wednesday.

This will be my last entry on this blog from OS as I am sure that packing is not something worth recording or worth reading about. USA flights are tough on overweight so it will be carefully packing and weighing tomorrow. They charge $25 for each bag anyway and $100 for each and every bag over weight. 

Pam

24/9/2013 New York

We have certainly packed a lot in today.  

Did I tell you that the United Nations is meeting here this week- trust us to pick this week to be in New York.  Accommodation is nearly non existent and prices are at least double what they normally are. President Obama is staying within walking distance of us and most of the streets are blocked off to traffic.  Police are everywhere and every road around is lined with black Lincolns, Buicks, Mercedes, BMW's and huge limousines all feeling that their important passenger is more important than anyone else, so there is a constant chopping and changing of lanes which includes blowing of horns.  The road outside Obamas hotel is lines with 'gravel trucks' - huge trucks loaded with sand.  I can't seem to find out what they would do in the event of an emergency.  Will make some more enquiries tomorrow.

This morning we drove through Central Park in a horse and buggy with Ken and Anne with a blanket wrapped around our legs. The park is about 600 acres and our drive took an hour. It was exciting to see all the places that we have seen in the movies in real life. We saw where John Lennon was shot and Yoko Ono still lives. Also saw the 3 storey apartment that a man paid 88 million for his 22 year old daughter to live in.  The weather is fine with bright blue skies but there is definitely a chill in the air especially in the morning. We shared the road with nannies with their prams, squirrels, skate boarders, bike riders and runners.  Horse riding is no longer allowed in the park.

From there we caught a hop on hop off double decker bus and did the 'down town' round trip which normally takes 1.5 hours but with the high security and road closures it took closer to 3 hours. 

Quick lunch, then out again to join the crush in Times Square which is 2 minutes from our apartment. We purchased some half price tickets to see show ' Fantasticks' which we saw tonight. Just arrived home. Tomorrow night we are going to see 'Wicked'.  These shows are on Broadway and within easy walking distance to us.  

Some of the shops are open 24/7 and some of the department stores close at 10 or 11 pm. Crazy place.  Crowds of people all day and constant entertainment.  Keryn is going to love it when she arrives tomorrow.

Not sure if you remember the famous 'naked cowboy' in America.  Well he was singing on the street in Times Square and grabbed me as we were crossing at the lights.  Photo attached. This photo is definitely not going on Facebook but I had to share it with you for a  laugh. 

We are hoping to go to Ground Zero tomorrow.  There are long queues to get in but we really want to go there. 

Having fun.

Pam

9/2013 New York

We made it.  We are finally in New York for the first time.

Our trip was planned around a few things that we wanted to do and some other things that we would like to do, and David did a great job of combining these all together in this cruise.  Our wish list consisted of visiting New York and going through the Panama Canal.   We have been through the Panama Canal and loved the experience.  

Our entry to New York was in daylight and it was cold, extremely windy but hugely exciting. We stood on the front deck of the ship as we came into NY and luckily had new shipboard friends who lived in Brooklyn NY to give us our personal commentary as we came in.  All the things you see in movies and magazines suddenly become reality.

Today we spent a couple of hours in NY and decided we had never seen such a strange mix of people.  We hired a taxi to take us on a city tour and luckily struck a black local taxi driver who has lived and breathed NY all his life and was happy to show us his city.  Best way to see and get a feel for a place. 

We hopped onto a ferry and went to Statton Island and back. Took a thousand photos of the Statue of Liberty but were not close enough to get good photos.

Tonight is our last night on board as we disembark tomorrow.  We have a week in NY to enjoy the city.  

Tomorrow is the start of the heads of state meeting of the United Nations so the  city will be busy and on high security. Today we saw military boats everywhere with machine guns on the front racing up and down th NY harbour.  

We will be sad to leave the ship bit looking forward to our week in NY.

21/9/2013 Charleston South Carolina USA

Here we are In the deep south where they talk reeeeeeal slow and with a lovely drawl.  

We entered the breakwater into the huge Charleston Harbor from the Atlantic Ocean and docked in the centre of the beautiful old town. Now that we are back in USA we no longer have the military escort into the docks.

The town was founded in 1670 and originally known as Charles Towne to honour King Charles of England. Originally founded by the English who then decided it was too swampy and mosquito ridden to be a worthwhile settlement.  When the French decided to settle here, the English quickly changed their mind and the city was established by English, French and West Africans.

The population today is about 700,000 residents and the city is situated directly on the earthquake fault line of the east coast. Many of the houses show evidence of past earthquakes with part of their brick structure bulging and most houses now have steel rods inserted from one side to another for support. The rod ends have decorated caps on the outside of the house, attempting to hide and individualise each house. 

This is Gone with the Wind country and the houses are beautiful Georgian style.

We went on a horse and carriage ride through the city- Charleston's version of the  hop on hop off bus. We clippity clopped through the old streets between the beautiful old houses, sharing the road with the local traffic through the traffic lights and moving to the side of the road to let cars pass when space allowed. At one point the animals decided to urinate in unison while they were waiting for the traffic lights to change, which was very noisy and caused a rush of pedestrians to scurry out of the way. To comply with strict environmental control the driver produced a pink plastic marker from her pocket and dropped it onto the road to indicate to local council workers the deposit just left.  They then quickly sponge up and wash down the road to ensure minimum damage to their harbour.

David and Ken thn took a local bus ride to see the seamier sixe of town, while Anne and I checked out the markets, meeting back in an Irish pub for a drink before reboarding the ship. There has usually been an Irish pub in our ports.

During the afternoon the dolphins came to our side of the ship to show off their babies and put on a diving display for us, disappearing under our stationary vessel only to reappear and float on their back as if asking for a belly rub.

Birds love flying with the ship using the air currents and on our departure from Charleston we were accompanied by about 30 pelicans giving us an aerobatic display. The pelicans in this part of the world are grey and small and not as nearly as nice as our home grown black and white pelicans with huge beaks.

We were impressed with Charleston and it's gracefull homes and beautiful harbour.

The next day will be a sailing day without a stop and our next port is New York. We have a sleepover on board in NY when we dock and the next day we disembark. 

We are looking forward to a week in NY but will miss our lovely home on the sea. We have thoroughly enjoyed our trip and met some really nice people.  We are impressed with the size of this ship, being smaller than others we have been on and are blown away by the level of service by the staff. Wish I could take some of them home. 

NY here we come..we arrive am so hope to have some amazing photos.

Pam

19/9/2013 Port Canaveral - Kennedy Space Centre

Today was another early dock and an early start for our tour. But what a day.

We went by coach to the Kennedy Space Centre and were lucky enough to have a tour guide who has worked at the space centre for 8 years.  Her father had also worked there so she was very informative and very interesting.  

I went on the tour with only half interest as I did not think it would be of great interest to me but felt I should go seeing we were so close. We were all blown away with the centre.  It was so well organised and displayed it was like being at one of the Disneyland theme parks but offering information and education on a really interesting level.

It is hard to believe how large the place is and how massive the shuttles are. They have a 3d IMAX theatre showing the space program from starts to current. I really felt like I had been to space.  There were loads of other displays as well, including Atlantis, the latest space shuttle to return from space. It has been transporting equipment and goods to the international orbiting space station. It is massive, so how these things ever leave earth is a amazing. The space programme began in the early 1960,s and all calculations had to be done manually as this was prior to computers.  As they pointed out they put man on the moon before they put wheels on suitcases.

James Reilly, an astronaut spoke to us during our lunch and he was very interesting.  He has been in space 3 times and told stories and showed film and photos of his experiences.

The NASA Centre is only 1 storey high but the same height as a 35 storey building. We could see it from our ship and we were 30 miles away. We didn't go inside this building for security reasons. The space shuttles are assembled ready for launching in this building hence need the height and space.

The space ships are launched towards the sea for security reasons and staff need to be 3 miles away from the launch pad for their safety.  The NASA site is hundreds of acres in size and is secured by 4 bridges which can be raised to ensure security if required.  The only occassion in recent times that this has happened is 9/11.

Everyone on the tour thoroughly enjoyed the Kennedy Space Centre tour and we would happily recommend it to anyone who is in the vicinity.

Tomorrow we are off to have a horse and carriage ride in Charleston.  This is Rhett Butler country from Gone with the Wind and renowned for old world charm.  Looking forward to it.

 

Pam

17/9/2013 Fort Lauderdale -Miami

Today we had an early start on our day tour to Miami. The ship docked at 8 am amd we were the first tour group off the ship. 

This was our first port of call back into USA so we had to present our passports and go through immigration.  What a pain. They are so without a smile or sense of humour and with only 2 officers on duty it took forever to get everyone through, so our tour got away to a late start.

Our coach took us firstly to the Everglades  for an air boat ride across the alligator infested swamp waters and the skimmed across the grass growing in the area.  There was not much animal life around and we only saw a glimpse of a smaller alligator hiding in his hole in the trees. We saw an alligator sunning himself behind the bus when we returned so that was our close encounter. The boat ride was fun though. Holds about 30 people and can really move when it gets going.

We then went to the beachside suburb of Miami to see where all the rich and famous live, do coffee in the sidewalk eateries hoping to be seen.  

Our next stop was for lunch at a Cuban restaurant. Veeeery forgettable. Actually horrible. We all complained.  one of the worst meals I have been offered anywhere.

From there we went by coach to Biscayne Bay for a scenic cruise to see where the rich and famous live or play. We saw the house Elizabeth Taylor owned and many others lovely homes owned by the wealthy people of the world. Some have homes on an island only accessible by helicopter or boat. 

It was a long day as we had been out for 8 hours and it was very hot.  We were glad to bet back on board.

Australia is still the best place we have seen.

16/9/2013 George town Cayman Islands

Wow what a day. 

Arrived at George Town Cayman islands around 8am. We anchored out in the horseshoe harbour as the water is too shallow for a dock for large ships.  Our ship hold 400 passengers and the Disney Ship holding 3800 passengers arrived as well. We were dwarfed.  We went ashore via our tenders which is fine but takes longer to to and fro from shore rather that walk down the gangplank onto the wharf.  

Only 13 on our day trip which is nice. Smaller coach and not so many bodies to round up at each stop. 

Fort port of call was 'Hell' in Hell St. Small gift shop name Hell selling appropriate gifts and t shirts. 

Next stop was the turtle farm where they mate, incubate, rear and then release turtles.  We were allowed to hold some of the smaller ones.  So cute.  

Then onto a flat bottom boat for a 1/2 hour trip to see the stingrays.  The water is green and beautiful. The crew have squid and as soon as they get Into the water with the bait dozens of stingrays appear. We got into the water with them and it was amazing as the rays swam around you and flapped you with their wings. And nuzzled our legs looking for food.  They will take the food from your hand.  I was not brave enough to feed them and in actual fact was doing a pretty good job of walking on the water or climbing on anyone's back that was close to me when the rays got close to me.

Eventually I relaxed enough to enjoy it all but Ken said he had never laughed as much as watching me that day.   Photos attached. Sorry about the quality but these are photos of the TV screen from a DVD of our day. My face will tell its own story. 

All in all it was a wonderful day and something that we will always remember.  We really loved the dolphins but knowing that the rays are in the wild makes this experience so much more awesome.

On our way back towards USA now and after a day at sea we reach Fort Lauderdale. 

14/9/2013 Cartagena Colombia

We docked in Cartagena in Colombia, today at 12 noon just in time for our on shore tour.

Today's shore excursion was a bus trip through the city and then shopping. We had been warned through the ship to be aware of pickpockets, leave everything of value on board, and not to trust the local taxi drivers or walk to the city. So we all went ashore stripped of our jewellery and feeling rather vulnerable.  Maybe it  was the fact that we were with a guide and on a bus but it all seemed ok to us.  As per normal the shopping seemed to take place where the guide got the most commission so the shopping was fairly pathetic.  

It was hot as Hades and the guide talked too much. Other than that the day was pleasant enough.  You can only take in so many churches and local dignitaries and where they are buried etc in 35 degree heat. Old city walls and history become second in line to cold water and toilet stops on these tours.

On our return to the boat we retreated into our cabin with a cold piña colada and margarita which was very fitting for the end of the tour.

Although this city is renowned for being the drug capital of the world we saw little on offer.  But Ken was offered a durrie by a local lady in he street. He refused luckily.

Coffee is the big export from this part of the world and the shipping port was certainly busy with containers on the wharf. Not sure what was in the containers though.

We are on our way to the Cayman islands.  Sound very tropical and we are hoping for some real shopping. Nothing worthwhile so far.

Friday 13th September 2013 Panama Canal

What a day.  We arrived at the Panama Canal early today.  The officials boarded about 6 am to check that our ship was capable of accessing and passing through the canals. Seems that size weight and cargo are judged.  We are classed as 'precious cargo' so have priority queuing.  Hundreds of ships waiting to enter the canal but have to wait their turn and until their payment has cleared before being allowed in.  

It is one if the only places in the world where the captain of the ship relinquishes control of the ship to another person. The Panama pilot boarded once the ship was cleared for entry and the pilot was then in control of the ship for the whole 8 hour trip.  The cost of our passing through the canal was $150,000. 

The ship was secured to the canal wall by ropes and the 100 year process of doing this is still in operation.  2 men row a very small rowboat out to the ship and one man throws a rope onto the ship to which our large ropes are attached and dragged to the shore for securing.  Small train like machines called mules ( animal mules did this job years ago) drag the ship into the locks. Gates front and back are closed, and the lock is flooded through huge  tunnels the size of underground railway tunnels  from water in lakes, high in the mountains.  The gates are open when the lock reaches the water level of the next lock and the ship moves through. The process starts all over again for 3 locks at each end of the ,canal. The opposite happens at the other end of the canal when the lock lowers the ship down to the lower level.  The ship is raised to 65 feet going through the 3 locks before travelling on its own steam through a huge lake to the other end of the canal where the opposite process happens to lower the ship. The length of the the canal is 50 miles, 80k.

It was very hot and I dont know how anyone could work in that heat all day. We started off at the front of the boat about 7 am to watch the locks open but by 8.30 it was too hot for me. I enjoyed the view from our air- conditioned cabin and ventured outside to take photos. Once we're constantly warned of the heat and to take care.  One lady collapsed on the front deck before 9 am. 

I was so pleased that some of our family and friends were able to access the Panama web site and watch our ship go through the canal.

Tomorrow we are in port at Cartagena, Colombia.  

11/9/2013 In port at Puntarenus , Costa Rica.

Today we are in the Costa Rica port of Puntarenus.  Puntarenus is the western port of Costa Rica. San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica but it is an inland city, so shipping arrives via here or Limone on the eastern side of the peninsula.  The  Country of Costa  Rica is sandwiched between the countries of Nicaragua to the north and Panama in the south.

Porta Rica  means 'rich port'.  This is a very loosely titled name as the coutry looks far from wealthy. The country's claim to fame is that they have do not have an army as they do not fight with anyone. ???? The funds saved from disbanding the  army in 1946 are ploughed into education and every child receives a free education and can use this til finishing university. All citizens have a free medical and dental service and all homes have access to running water and electricity. Seems strange to see shanty's with satellite dishes and dirt floors. Rubbish is every where despite the governments $600 fine for littering.  They are aiming for the tidiest city for 2025.  Good luck with that. The average wage is $500 per month for menial work and degree holders can earn up to $3000 per month.  Tax is 9 percent for workers and 14percent for companies. These taxes fund the education and aged pension.  

They all seem like happy people and are keen to show off their country to the outside world. 

Drugs are a problem in the country now and the infiltration of drugs and people from Nicaragua are changing the way the cou try has been run.

While there is not a lot to see they did their best to make our day enjoyable with a sightseeing bus tour of the countryside where we boarded an old train which did not make the whole journey. With smoke billowing from the engine they phoned our coach and after a short wait we continued our journey to an Eco boat where we glided over the muddy water to see heir environment.  We saw a few baby crocs and heard a few birds but it was a nice day out.

Tonight is a BBQ on deck which should be fun.

Tomorrow is a day at sea and the next day we go through the Panama Canal.

My iPhone and iPad are not talking to each other at the moment so I am not able to transfer any photos for publishing.  So no photos today.  

Monday 9/9/2013 Puerto Chiapas

Tourism is the only income that supports this country and they seem to put all the effort and expense into the port presentation. Today's port had green lawns, manicured hedges, thatched reception halls complete with welcoming band and local dancers and singers on the wharf. Once again we had  a naval escort into the port.

Our bus tour of the city, 23 miles( 40 mins bus ride) away showed a different side to the town.  The local and very close volcano along with the high mountain ranges means that it rains most days and the unsealed roads in town are mostly wet and difficult to walk on.  We did a tour of the new, then the old city hall- looked about the same to me- the local church and the museum.  The museum consists of mainly artefacts from the Maya existence and is quite interesting to see itms from an existence  3000 to 4000 years ago.  

The locals live very poorly but I guess they do not know any different so seem to be happy enough. Soldiers with machine guns are stationed all through the streets but the locals seem to accept is as normal. Most locals understand a little English so it is easy enough to make yourself understood. 

Today is our last port of call in Mexico and u fortunately we found very little to buy so didn't leave them with much income from our trip.

Tomorrow is another day at sea before we reach Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

8/9/2013 Huatulco (pronounced wah tool co) Mexico

The weather is still perfect.  Temps in the high 20's to 33 and the humidity is up there as you would expect for Mexico but all in all it is enjoyable.  The seas are as flat as a board and the water changes colour from blue to green depending on the depth.  The dolphins regularly swim along with us.

Today we docked at a small tourist place complete with naval escort into the port. The naval boats kept motoring around our ship all the way into port and the navy were in full force on the dock and jetty complete with machine guns. It was explained that they were there for our protection rather than being concerned about us being there. They rely heavily on tourists and are keen to ensure that tourists feel safe in Mexico again.  Acapulco apparently had trouble last year and a lot of the major tourist shipping lines have decided not to call there anymore and this has damaged the reputation of all of the Mexican ports for tourism.  Our ship has by passed Acapulco.  It was originally on the list of ports for us to visit.

We did not feel concerned in any way today and the locals seem to be very pleased to see tourists in their town.

Our tour today was on a catamaran and we sailed up and down the coastline checking the many bays and beautiful beaches.  They have 39 beaches and some magnificent homes and hotels. They are building a hotel with 5000 rooms so let's hope for their sake that the tourists come back.   We stopped in one little bay and swam into the shore from the back of the boat. Yes we 4 all swam in and it was just beautiful.  Drinks were free on boat trip and after 2 Palomas ( tequila, lime and squash) we were very relaxed on the return trip to the ship. I tried to do some tourist shopping before returning to the ship but the prices were ridiculous so they didn't get any tourist dollars from me.

Today was Anne's birthday.  The staff went all out to ensure we celebrated.  Flowers at breakfast, balloons stuck to the ceiling in her cabin, red roses with our 5pm drinks and canapés and a cake with candles as they sang happy birthday at dinner.  

The staff are e emotional with their service. Nothing is too much trouble and they are all very friendly without being too friendly.  Well trained in customer service.

8/9/2013 on the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico

Election day in Australia and we are very happy to welcome back the Liberal Party to try to get the country back on financial track. Labor has obviously been good for the unemployed and the union members with their handouts at the expense of us in the workforce especially those of us who employ staff and pay taxes to keep the others willing to accept a handout each week with out lifting a finger to support the country.

Surprisingly there are 100 Australians on board out of the 400 passengers and we celebrated the Liberal win today in one of the cocktail lounges with a drinks party arranged by the ship. Out of the 100 celebrating with us, only 2 seemed to be Labor voters so who actually votes for them?

At the moment of writing we are just south of Acapulco. Normally the ship would have called into this city, but with the local unrest it is now bypassed.  shame for us as we would have enjoyed seeing this famous place.  We are getting close to the Panama Canal and looking forward to crossing from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the canal.  We did experience the 64 canals on the Rhine River but is will be unique.

Today is day of cruising and we are enjoying the ships facilities on board. 

2 of our grandchildren- Lauren and Jordan are celebrating their 16th birthday today And we hope they had a great birthday even though we couldn't be there to celebrate with them.  

Tomorrow we are docking in Huatulco in Mexico and we are looking forward to a day on shore.

We are enjoying  our trip.

6/9/2013 Puerto Vallarto Mexico

The mini cyclone last night was uncomfortable but did not disturb us too much.  Nothing moved in our cabin and the crew had tied all outside things down pretty tight. The pool was closed and all pool furniture was stored for safety. I checked outside a few times through the night and the spray was high but the ship seemed to handle it very well. I guess thanks to the capable Captain and his crew.

We cruised into this beautiful little bay about lunch time today and docked to the local band playing Mexican music complete with sombreros.  It was hot, about 32 degrees and the humidity was pretty high but the colour of the water was a beautiful green. 

We had pre- booked a trip to 'Encounter the Dolphins'. Our bus trip to the dolphin pool took 20 mins and it was enough time to see that most of the beauty was at the waters edge and not behind the sleepy little town.  Most buildings are either half finished or half knocked down. 

Our dolphin encounter was a pleasant surprise. While the pool enclosure did not compare to our Seaworld it was well kept and the 23 dolphins were wonderful.  We stood on platforms in the pool and the dolphins came up to us on command.  We were able to pat, kiss and cuddle them and we all had our photo taken with one.  It was a very enjoyable day and a wonderful experience to play with these highly intelligent mammals.  

This is a photo of David and I with the dolphin today.

5/8/2013 Cabo San Lucas

Today was our first day in Mexico and our first day ashore since leaving San Francisco.  

Cabo San Lucas is a tourist destination on the lower tip of the Mexican Peninsular.  Huge rocks sculptured by the seas offer a safe haven for the boating fraternity and it is a water sport heaven for tourists.  Marlin fishing is a huge industry and with 8 first class golf  courses it relies on tourists for survival. 

It was a very hot day and as per usual the coach trip took in the normal commission based stops which gets very tiresome. We would have liked to spend time at the port and even had a swim in the beautiful clear water.

We didnt buy any thing and were pleased to get back to the ship. 

Tonight  we are expecting to encounter a mini cyclone on our trip further down the west coast of Mexico towards Acapulco. We have our sea sick tablets on hand so hope we won't feel the effects of the sea too much. They expect 4 meter seas which will be interesting.

Tomorrow we land at Puerto Vallarta in Mexico I around 1 pm.  

Pam

31/8/2013 San Francisco

Once again, flying in the USA proves to be challenging.  Upon arriving at Vegas airport to fly to San Francisco our luggage was weighed on the footpath at the entrance to the airport. My suitcase was 4 lbs over the allowed weight and David's was 3 lbs.  The cost of all luggage is $25 per case on top of your ticket price and $100 extra again per case if your luggage is overweight. We had to unload our cases on the footpath and transfer items to our carry-on case to avoid paying the extra $200. It all ended up on the aircraft one way or another so seemed a little strange.

Keryn was still in San Fran when we arrived so we caught up with her for dinner at Fishermans Wharf.  It was nice to see her and she was glad to have some 'family' to hang out with even if we were the older set.  Especially at night.  It is a bit risky to be wandering around on your own in San Francisco as David found out last time we were there, when he was chased by a group of young guys outside our hotel. We made sure Keryn was safely home.

Our sail out of San Francisco was wonderful.  The America's Cup trials are on and were racing as we sailed out.  The dolphins also accompanied us for a way.  We sailed under the famous 75 year old San Francisco Bridge which has been closed since being damaged in an earthquake in 1989. It was due to re-open the following day. So we were part of its new history. 

Our ship is smaller than any other we have been on and with only 400 guests it is very friendly.  Lots of Australians.  We decided to have an Australian Party Next Sunday.  We have met some 'neighbours' from Sovereign Island and Hope Island.  David and Ken have met a couple from Paradise Point Bowls Club.  Small world.  We have our Oz flag flying on the balcony.  

This ship has just finished the Alaskan-tripn and continues on to Montreal when we leave.

The staff outnumber the guests so service is exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble.  They even make my morning cup if tea. Or any other drink we want at any time of the day or night. My kettle is on standby, but in hiding.

Our next stop  2 days at sea is Mexico so will update from there.  

Pam and David