Princess Cruise Lines - Regal Princess
Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii,
Christmas Island, Bora Bora,
Moorea & Papeete,Tahiti
April 12/00
Up at 4 am. Picked up by airport shuttle at 5 am. Weather was -2 degrees celsius here in southern Ontario, Canada. Flew American Airlines to Dallas, Texas. Horrible flight - a tiny DC-9 (or whatever they call them now). It was a Boeing "Super" 80, which was originally designed for dwarfs and midgets but, unfortunately, they have crammed all of us into it. Good flight ... very poor food. Left for another 8 hour flight to Honolulu. We were given even less food on this flight than on the last. Arrived in Honolulu, Oahu and had absolutely no fuss at the airport. Bags arrived immediately. Got on a "Roberts" bus (they are on all the islands) and had a wonderful ride to the Ala Moana hotel. It was a spectacular hotel. The rooms weren't extravagant but were really nice. We were traveling with friends, Len & Margaret. Len and I went shopping for booze since we were told there is no booze store on the ship. It was very expensive ... about 25$ USD for a standard bottle. We all felt so relaxed and in such good spirits, that we walked to Waikiki beach and then for 2 miles down the length of the beach looking at all of the wonderful sights. We had a huge steak supper and some Mai Tais at the Outrigger Hotel. This city is so clean and so beautiful. Every corner and sidewalk has flowers and palm trees. Finally, jet lag set in, so we walked back 3 miles to the hotel, shopping and eating ice cream along the way, and crashed.
April 13/00
Up at 8 am. Len and Margaret went to the Pearl Harbour Memorial, Carole (my wife) went shopping, and I decided to go to the top of Diamond Head and take some photos. The hotel staff at the Ala Moana were amazing. They were full of tips, maps and encouragement, but were not too truthful about how tough the climb to the top of Diamond Head is. I took the #58 bus all the way to Waikiki beach, through Honolulu to the base of the mountain. The ride was only $1 USD. The people here are wonderful. No one bothers you or hassles you to buy this or that, or go here or there. Diamond Head is a crater circled by a high rim. From the bus I climbed up a hill, through a tunnel and into the crater. When I looked up to the peak and the 1 mile path that goes up it with steps and tunnels, I didn't think I could do it in the time I had and especially in this intense heat. But I did it. It took 45 minutes. The top was cool and the view was breathtaking. I took a lot of photos, then raced down the mountain only to sit waiting for a bus for 45 minutes. The buses are spotless and ice cold. It will cost you only $1 USD to go anywhere on the island. When I got back to the hotel the bags had already left for the ship. We got on our Roberts bus, headed to the dock and checked in within 5 minutes. Carole was given a fresh flower lei by a Princess representative, which she really appreciated since she didn't get one at the airport. Then we got on board the Regal Princess. To step inside the lobby of that ship after 14 months of waiting for this trip was well worth the wait. As we expected, it was spectacular. There was no fuss boarding. We wandered to our cabin ... a beautiful full-sized room. No balcony though. Our luggage was already in the room! We met Len and Margaret and went exploring. Dinner wasn't great but we were still too excited, having waited so long for this day. Our cabin steward, Arnaldo, seemed really nice. We tipped him $20 USD which usually helps to get you a few little extras during the cruise. Time for lifeboat drill, which we missed somehow. Actually, we were at a bar across the street from the ship. We cast off at 11 pm. We slipped away quietly, with no fanfare. It was sad to leave Honolulu, one of the greatest places we have ever been too. Must come back here one day for a full holiday. Wandered around the ship and had a few drinks before getting to bed. Impression of Honolulu: "Laid back, efficient, no hassle and incredibly friendly people. After Honolulu, it will be awfully hard to tolerate the Caribbean with the hassles and, usually poor, attitudes that you always face down there. No wonder Hawaii is so popular!"
April 14/00
Woke up at 2 am to lots of noise as the ship manouevered to anchor off of Maui. We had a huge breakfast and waited until 9 am to get off the ship and on our tender. It was a fairly long ride to the pier in downtown Lahaina. Maui is a lot smaller than Oahu and has no large cities. The downtown was very old and beautiful. We shopped and stopped for coffee. Again, no one hassled or bothered us trying to sell us stuff (tours, timeshares, etc.). It was a cool morning ... only 75 degrees F but it warmed up into the 80's by lunch. Time for a swim. We decided to check out the hotel that our daughter (your traveler, Kim) will be staying at when she comes here in September/October. We simply raised our hand and a cab pulled up. We headed off to Kapalua Villas. The cab was $20 USD and the ride was only 10 miles to Kapalua. The hotel is awesome. It is huge with a central complex on the beach and condos and apartments on the hills. The golf courses are amazing! The lobby was full of glass and marble and the grounds had breathtakingly colourful gardens. We swam for half an hour. The water was cold! Then we went to the pool for drinks. We had Mai Tais that nearly put us under the table. Back to Lahaina for more shopping and then to the ship for brunch. I went back on shore for more photo taking and booze shopping. You can imagine, I have quite the bar in my cabin now 
. Back by 4:30 pm and finally bumped into Bernie and Andrea. Bernie and Andrea are from Pennsylvannia. We met them on our last cruise to the Western Caribbean on RCCL (travelogue). They are a super couple and are a lot of fun so we arranged to meet them on this cruise. We were getting very worried because we hadn't seen them until now. Time to dress up for dinner. Our waiter is Zoltan from Romania. He is quite good. We don't have a great table position but we don't really care all that much. Meal was ok. Nothing special. After dinner, we went to the casino and lost $20 USD in 5 minutes. Decided this is not the way to get rich and then retired to the bar with Bernie, Andrea and Carole. We played trivia games at 10 pm and came in second. I was so tired with excitment and had had such a perfect day, that I went to bed at 11 pm.
April 15/00
Up at 6:30 am. The ship was manouevering to get into the little harbour at Kauai. It looked like an impossible task but wasn't of course. Unfortunately, it was done with two noisy 3000 HP tugs pushing and pulling us at 6:30 am! Oh well. Might as well get up and film it. We had no plans for this island as it is known as "The Garden Island" and is not famous for towns and resorts. (The last statement proved to be wrong as you'll see.) Myself and Len and Margaret and I got off the ship to have a look-see. There was an Avis representative on the gang-plank. A car rental would only cost $26 USD for the day so we got in his van, went to town and picked up a Chevy Cavalier for the day. Kauai is a very beautiful island. We drove up one coast to the top of the island. Another road goes up the other coast from the Port of Nawiliwili but ends 2 miles before it would join our road at the top of the island. If it wasn't for 2 miles of rocky coastline, the road would go right round the entire island. We passed small towns and breathtaking beaches. (All a little rough for swimming unless you know the area. We saw, probably, no more than 20 people swimming in the ocean that whole day.) We stopped and took photos everywhere and ended up at the Princeville Resort. The lobby must have been 2 acres! It must be very pricey since there are no brochures or rate sheets around. This hotel is the only real hotel we saw on the whole side of the island that we explored. Kauai is a big island. It took us all morning to get to the north end. We stopped at a roadside diner for a snack and managed to get the car back to Avis by 3 pm. Again ... no fuss. The whole day cost me only $20 USD (I split the car rental with Len and Margaret). While back at the dock-side town of Nawiliwili, we found Holland America's Stattendam had followed us into port. Had a beer and a swim before going for dinner on the ship. Went to the Captain's cocktail party. Nice but no big deal. Today is my Birthday! Before leaving for dinner I had everyone over to my cabin for a birthday party courtesy of my kids. My daughter (your traveler, Kim), her boyfriend Jason, my son Martin and his wife Pam, had ordered a huge plate of canapes, nuts and chips with drinks all around! At dinner, we had Moet Chandon Champagne (again courtesy of the kids!). We were pigs tonight, having all the appetizers, followed by lobster and steak. It was a birthday to remember for sure. After dinner we wandered around the shops on the ship and lost at trivia again. The weather turned nasty at night with rain, cool temps and a nasty cross sea, so we retired early. I sat up a bit writing this log. Four islands in four days is very tough. You want to see as much as you can because it is so beautiful, but we can't party at night like we used to!
April 16/00
Woke up again at 6:30 am. This time the ship was pulling into Hilo, Hawaii. It was rainy and grey. Had a leisurely breakfast and left the ship at 9:30 am for our tour to Volcanoes National Park. A great bus and a great driver were waiting for us at the bottom of the gangway (we took the ship's optional excursion). As we set off,the sun came out and stayed out all day (apart from sprinkles in the upper rain forest). The tour took us to a Muana Loa Macadamian Nut Plantation, which sounds boring but wasn't, and we had a nice stop for snacks and coffee. Next we made a long climb (in the bus) through rain forests up to Kilauea on the plateau. We looked at steam vents, which increased in effect when the bus pulled up alongside them. Apparently, the vibration from the bus shakes the underground plates which shakes more water into the fissures, resulting in a sudden increase in steam! A bit disconcerting for the people who were stood by the vent at that time. On to the observatory which looks down into the caldera (very spooky and very barren). All vegetation has been killed by the acid rain from the sulphur vents. On down into the crater to stand on the lava and on the most recent fissures. The largest fissure, geologically, could re-open and a whole half of Hawaii would slide into the sea, so we were told. Not hard to believe when you see the sheer magnitude of this volcano plateau and the surrounding devastation. We walked on one fissure and stood on the lava for photos. On the north side we went from a landscape as barren as the moon, to a lush rain forest in just 10 seconds of driving! When Kilauea erupted, it blew one way.On the way down, we stopped in the forest, climbed down steps into a hole and walked underground through a lava tube ... reminded me of the movie, "Volcano". Again, a very spooky experience. During the 28 miles back to Hilo, the driver kept us entertained with old Hawaiian legends. He was a great storyteller. Altogether it was an amazing trip. I had no concept of volcanoes and what they do until I saw this. Interesting Fact : "Hilo is on the opposite side of the island from Kona (the two main towns). If you take the north coast route, it is 89 miles, if you cross the middle, over the volcanoes, it is also 89 miles. There is no shortcut!" Got back to the ship around 2 pm, had pizza and beer and headed back into town. Carole and Andrea had a good shopping spree going, but I was sweating a bit as we were cutting it close timewise. I kept thinking, "if we miss the boat, it is 4 days before it hits land again!". We made it, of course, but I did have a few nervous moments. We left Hilo in the sunshine and headed southwest to Christmas Island. At 10 pm, we passed the east shore of Hawaii where the horizon was lit up by lava hitting the sea!!! There must be a couple of miles of shoreline that looks like it is on fire (sorry, that is! on fire) and has intermittent explosions. The ship stopped so we could marvel at it for about an hour. Apparently, we were very lucky to get such a clear night with no rain or clouds to see this. Spooky ... especially on a modern industrial/touristy island. All the resorts, high rises, and shopping malls are only 30 miles away from where all of this is taking place. Very glad I got the chance to see it. Very sorry to see us leave the Hawaiian Islands. We will be back the first chance we get! It is the perfect combination of island life and North American attitudes. We are now on open sea and picking up speed. The lava flow has disappeared on the horizon. On to the South Pacific ....
April 17/00
Got up late at 10 am. The weather is beautiful. It is not hot but is warm and sunny. There are long swells on the Pacific, with a gentle ship motion. Had a nice breakfast up on deck (I refer to it as "The Grazing Line"). Sat at the pool bar and talked with Bernie and Len til 11 am. At midday it was hot. I spent an hour on the bridge and asked a lot of questions. The bridge was open all morning. You could just wander onto the bridge at your leisure. The staff couldn't do enough for you. Supper was semi-formal. As you have probably guessed by now ... it was a full day at sea. After dinner, sat at the back of the ship having drinks. Later I went to the show and then lost $30 USD at the casino. We are only a day and a half away from the Equator, so it is very hot and sticky. Currently, the ship is doing 22 knots, which is flat out. We are moving about 500 miles a day. Interesting fact : "The ship can go flat out for 20 days (about 10,000 miles) without refueling. It uses 1750 gallons per hour and develops 32,600 Horsepower." There is more motion on this ship than those in the Caribbean but it is a comfortable, predictable movement. It is more soothing than annoying. Peculiar to look out the cabin window and think that the nearest land to you, Hawaii, is now 500 miles away and there is nothing in front of you except one little island all the way to the South Pole. Plus, the nearest land mass on each side of you is 3000 miles away! Went for a bite to eat at the candle-lit, 24-hour, bistro and then went to bed.
April 18/00
At sea again. Went out on deck and nearly passed out ... Hot! Hot! Hot! We are now only 400 miles from the Equator. Tomorrow, we will be in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Toured the ship, ate lunch, and partied at the pool bar. I got a little burnt, but not too bad. It was formal night and Captain's Circle Awards. We were given a Captains Pin that signifies we have booked more than 5 cruises with Princess Cruise Lines. Later that night, we played games in the Adagio Lounge and went to another lounge for Kareoke and joke telling. The winner of the rude joke contest was a Priest from Chicago who was quite a character!
April 19/00
What a day!!! It was very hot and sticky on the deck. I had trouble with the camera because the humidity was so high. (This camcorder is going to be warn out soon!!! It has to be the most traveled camcorder ever! From Africa to the Caribbean, to England, to Mexico (twice) and now to Hawaii and Tahiti!!!!) Today, we made a brief stop at Christmas Island. It is the largest atoll of a group of atolls called the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kir-i-bas) and covers 248 sq.miles. Christmas Island is a peculiar shaped atoll. We were anchored off the tip of the "claw" of the island. There is very little on the island. Very little shade, poor washroom facilities, no shops, one old hotel and it is 90 degrees F and humid. Unfortunately, one of the tenders ran aground in low tides at 10:30 am so we stayed on board until 12 pm having capuccinos and eating pizza with Bernie and Andrea. Bernie had gotten hold of every colour tender ticket there was, so we were sure to catch the first ride out when they resumed operations. The tender ride was 30 minutes across the most incredibly blue and green coloured sea I have ever seen. We docked in the capital of Christmas Island, London! There are 4 main settlements on the island ... London, Paris, Poland and .... Bananas!!! The dock was a riot! On an island that only has 3000 people on it, 1500 guests showed up! The locals had little stores set up and the town band and choir were performing. It was cute. The people actually live in shacks with palm tree leaves for roofs. Garbage is everywhere ... rusting tanks and old WWII stuff all over the place. The shocked look on some of the passengers from the boat was priceless. We got to the dock in time to see Len and Margaret heading back to the ship ... they had been stood on the island, in the sun, waiting for a tender for a while due to the grounding incident. The rest of us walked through the shanty town which was like nothing I've ever seen in my life. We found a big sand beach to swim. It was so beautiful and hot that we just went swimming in our shorts and t-shirts (you wouldn't dare take your shirt off in this sun)! We walked along the road back to town. Old trucks would pass by and people would wave. There were little kids everywhere. One little shack was the bakery. A little girl came out of the shack with 3 loaves of bread and walked off down the road. They live so differently from us. They have such a meager existence out here on a tiny atoll that you can see across to the other side, in the middle of the Pacific ocean. It is really quite an experience to be here. The island is so small and so flat that even a 10 foot wave would wipe out the entire island. There would be nobody left. Luckily, they have never had a storm here. The post office lady was on the ship for the day selling stamps, so her son looked after the office on the island. The office is also their home. Carole and Andrea bought a couple of things and then headed back to the ship. Bernie and myself wandered through some yards, went to the other side of the "claw" for a swim, and took more pictures of the ship that dwarfs this atoll. We walked back to town and stopped to watch a man building his house. It was a wooden frame, no floor, a palm leaf roof and he is nailing up strips of bamboo or something on the outside. Each strip is only 1/2" wide so this will probably take him quite a while. The house is only about 20' X 20'. It is a peculiar feeling being here in this place. Abject poverty, junk everywhere from WWII, happy people, absolutely no facilities (not even a washroom)! I felt that we shouldn't be here, interferring in their lives, but it is one of the places that Carole and myself will never forget. Bernie and I bought a t-shirt for $20 USD. That will probably, who knows for sure, feed a family for a month. The people here are very shy. We are only the 2nd ship this year to stop there, so we were told. On the tender back to the ship, 2 Scottish ladies were telling us how they paid a man $10 USD to drive them in the back of his pick-up truck to the only hotel on the island. It was a tiny, run-down place with 24 rooms. The rooms were clean but had only the basics. They did have one thing though ... washrooms! The women were then treated to an impromptu island dance and cool drinks. Back on the ship, we cooled down and went to dinner and a show. We then headed on deck for the "Crossing the Equator Party". It was fantastic and I had far too much to drink!!!! We are now back at sea after our short but fascinating adventure. The sea is very calm but it is so hot and sticky that my glasses keep fogging up when I go on deck.
April 20/00
Got up late. Carole brought me tea and coffee in bed. I feel slightly "sluggish" after last nights party. Once up, we headed off to lunch. We had made a date with a fascinating couple and spent so long talking to them (Lloyd was Chief of Staff of the Sixth Fleet back just after the war and has some wonderful stories), that we had to (almost) be kicked out of the dining room at 2:30 pm! Went to the pool bar with Len but could only handle an orange juice for obvious reasons. Then I went back to the air-conditioned cabin and slept until 5 pm. The sea is like glass which is, apparently, normal. They do say though, that when the Pacific gets rough, it is really evil! It was semi-formal night. Carole had frog legs but didn't like them and Margaret was very nearly sick watching her try them. I only ate appetizers and dessert ... preparing for the evening ahead. First we went to the casino and lost $40 USD, then we went to the Adagio bar for drinks and to watch a cruise game. At 11 pm we went to the atrium to watch the "Champagne Fountain" (champagne glasses piled up like a wedding cake and champagne poured at the top which flows down like a fountain and fills every glass), and had crepes souzette. We walked the deck at midnight and went to the disco. Thanks to Bernie and Andrea, we had chocolate covered strawberries. (They had had a minor flood on their deck. Their carpet was cleaned and a huge tray of chocolate covered strawberries was delivered to their cabin.) We finally got back to our cabin at 1:30 am. Note : "We don't really like having our accommodation at the back of the ship. Everytime we come in to port early, the room shakes as the props go in reverse. We don't have a balcony ... our fault ... but it is terrible without! Considering the weather and ports that we have been too, there is no doubt that the centre of the ship is the ideal place to stay. It is close to all the ammenities." I am really glad of the air-conditioned cabin .... it is Africa hot tonight! Another Note : "We got a certificate from Princess for crossing the Equator. That was a nice touch."
April 21/00
Up at 9 am. Arnaldo (our cabin steward) brought me tea in bed. Emergency! Our toilet overflowed! Not sewage ... the refill water valve jammed. The water filled the bowl and spilled over the top of the seat. We rang the purser in a panic and started bailing with towels! We got all of our shoes up off of the cabin floor and then managed to stop the water from flowing over the sill of the bathroom into the cabin just in time, but we had to work fast. Arnaldo raced in, took one look and raced out into the hall to shut off the water to the cabin. We were shuffled out of the cabin while the staff fixed and cleaned everything. They even put all of our shoes back! No damage was done. Carole and I went for breakfast and won $100 USD at the casino and walked out with it!!! Had pizza and beer for lunch and went to a balloon sculpture class. We had a lot of fun and I mastered the art by making a balloon dog in 10 seconds! Later, we went to the talent show (excellent), followed by the final bingo ($2,600 USD had to be won). Didn't win, of course, but still had fun. Tonight was our final formal night for dining. We looked like a million dollars and felt like it too! The meal was exceptional. We were pigs tonight and ate a bit of everything. The evenings are cool, so we had a comfortable stroll along the promenade deck. Interesting Note : "on the Equator the sun rises and sets exactly 12 hours apart (6am to 6pm)." Good fun on the ship today. We went back to the casino later and gave them back $60 USD of the $100 USD that we had "borrowed" earlier. Very excited about Bora Bora tomorrow. It is Easter weekend though, so some touristy things may not be in full swing. Note : "This is not a normal cruise. For example we have been to Christmas Island which doesn't see big cruise ships often. No one knows what to expect tomorrow. Will there be taxis? Will there be rental bikes? Will they let us off the ship at 8 am? Even the crew doesn't know exactly what to expect since they haven't been on Bora Bora before. Not many cruise lines come here. It is very exciting. Moorea is even more of a mystery ... how will the islanders deal with 1600 people suddenly dropping by. We realized today that for the 4 days on the Pacific, traveling at full speed, we haven't seen one other ship, any jet trails, or any signs of life (not even any birds). Not to mention that we were traveling on water that reaches down more than 3 miles." My holiday has been well worth every penny so far and we still have (maybe) the best to come. Goodnight from somewhere in the Pacific ....
April 22/00
I woke up at 8 am. Carole was up at 6 am. She was too excited to sleep. Our first view was spectacular! We were encircled in a lagoon inside the atoll. We were up close to the old volcano. The weather was misty and cool ... around 80 degrees F (which, believe me, is cool after the last 4 days we spent at sea). We were too excited for breakfast so we met Bernie & Andrea for coffee at the coffee shop and then we all climbed on a tender to Bora Bora. We walked along the cute, little dock, up the street to get to our rental car from Europcar. It was a Citroen "Saxo" (it would probably have fit in the trunk of my car but, today, it was just perfect). We drove slowly, clockwise around the island at 40 MPH. It is a small island, but you are left gasping at the views around every turn. This is the perfect Pacific island, and is exactly how you would imagine it in your dreams. Within 1 hour, we had covered 3/4 of the island and ended up going down a lane to the Park Royal Hotel. Carole and myself had seen pictures of this place on the internet and set the photos up as our desktops. We vowed to sit right at the very spot we were about to, sipping drinks. It was breathtaking ... the gardens, bars, restaurants, shops and patios were beyond your wildest dreams. The colours of the flowers and the beach were extraordinary. The hotel made us very welcome. We sat at the bar taking in the view with Bernie and Andrea. Drinks, by the way, are almost $10 USD each!!! The hotel rooms are little huts out on the water. They are connected to each other by a long dock. The ones on the lagoon cost about $800 USD per person/per night! We peeked inside and found that the living room floors had glass panels (floodlit at night) so that you could see the fish swimming beneath you. I hate to say this, but the price is almost worth it! We ate lunch at the hotel, overlooking the lagoon. I had lasagne which I had planned months ago when I found the hotel's menu on the internet! Funny how things that you hope will happen, do, if you work at it. After lunch, Bernie and I went para-sailing over the lagoon. The guys in the boat only spoke french, so I tried my limited french on them. They laughed at my attempts but gave us a great ride over the lagoon for well over 30 minutes (15 minutes in the air each). The colours from above, are breathtaking. Why is the water so blue here? We ended up going half way around the island in the boat. What a thrill to be para-sailing in the most spectacular bay in the whole world!!! Bernie was a little nervous (it was his first time), so the boys raced all around the lagoon, giving him the ride of a lifetime and left him up there a little longer than usual. They almost ran out of room near the end though, and had to scramble to get him back on deck before we crashed into one of the lagoon rooms. It made for a very ungraceful landing! ... kind of like a lame crab crawling back on deck. We had a great time and, needless to say, the boys got a big tip. We wish we could have stayed out there all day. Carole and Andrea were on the beach swimming and talking to our ship table waiters who were having a small party on the beach. With great reluctance, we headed back to town to give our car back. The women shopped for a bit while Bernie and I relaxed with a few drinks. Sad to have to leave. This island is truly "The Jewel of the Pacific". We were up on deck while the ship was leaving. We couldn't be bothered with supper ... the view was too magnificent. Later that night, we won $150 USD at the casino and then went to the ship's bistro with B & A. The food was incredible! (It was the first time we had eaten a full meal at this particular bistro.) Then we went back to the casino and Carole won $375 USD straight away. What a day! Paradise and $500 USD! How lucky we must be in life to have had the day we had today. Looking forward to Moorea tomorrow.
April 23/00
Very hot and sticky today ... 90 degrees F. The bay where we are docked looks beautiful and I am very excited. We tendered ashore but the day was a disaster! It was so hot on the little pier that people were nearly passing out. The dock is a pile of concrete in a field about as big as our backyard. Imagine 1700 people in a backyard in 90 degree weather! The ship was trying to ferry over juice and cold water as fast as they could. It was Easter Sunday so there were virtually no taxis about. Carole and I set off to the right, along a little country road towards the hotel that we had seen from the ship. We enjoyed walking past the homes and gardens for about a mile, but then it got really hot. We walked at least 2 miles and got to the Park Royal Moorea. Carole was purple by now. We can usually handle the heat but this was stifling. No one stopped to offer us a ride or even acknowledged that we were there, as we struggled alongside the road. Not a good start to the day. The hotel was magnificent, although not quite as magnificent as Bora Bora. We staggered into the bar and waited 45 minutes for a coke! We looked at the rooms and shops, etc. The beach had no shade whatsoever. You couldn't possibly stretch out on it. The people staying here seemed very demanding and generally not very relaxed. This is a 5 star hotel but, unlike Bora Bora, something just didn't "click". You didn't feel as comfortable. Everything seemed false and more for show. After a couple of hours, we didn't even want to swim there! We, eventually, got a cab back to the pier and realized that we had left Kim's video camera back at the hotel. We got the driver to turn the cab around, went back and got the camera (the hotel staff had, kindly, saved it for me - there's a lesson : never judge based on first appearances), and then, finally, went back to the ship. At a local bar at the pier, we had a $10 USD beer! and waited for a tender. Bless the ship air-conditioning! Time for my snorkelling trip ... It was a nice trip to Motu Island which happened to have about 3000 locals there having a picnic because of the Easter holiday! This was a classic tourist trap but the water was good and there were plenty of stingrays to swim with. Not nearly worth the $40 USD that I paid for the trip but it was nice floating on the water. There was a band on the beach and plenty of refreshments too. The trip back was fun, however, with the local boys on the boat playing music, singing and dancing. It was a nice end to an otherwise poor day. Back on board (it was Bernie's birthday today!) we had champagne and a good dinner. We pulled in to Papeete, Tahiti at 9 pm (we only had to travel 40 miles from Moorea). Crowds lined the dock to watch us pull in. This place looks very lively, all lit up at night. We were too tired to really enjoy it after the heat on Moorea so we decided to head back to the cabin and pack our things. That way, we could enjoy Tahiti without worrying about having to come back to the ship and pack. Note : "Moorea did not seem as beautiful as Bora Bora. A lot of people like the unspoiled islands like Moorea and Kauai, but I find the islands like Bora Bora and Maui are much better because of the gardens, the hotels and the general overall atmosphere of those places."
April 24/00 Easter Monday
We hopped off the boat and went for a walk. The main street in Papeete, Tahiti is very busy but, once again, the heat is quite overwhelming. This is a big city but, unfortunately, most things were closed because of the holiday. We did manage to get 2 cups of coffee and 2 cokes for $20 USD plus a tip!
Back by the ship, after lunch, we made an arrangement with the now infamous "Louie" the cab driver. We paid him $40 USD/hour to take us around to see the local sites. The cab was, at least, air-conditioned. Poor Andrea was stuck in the front seat acting as an interpreter since Louie was difficult to understand. In Moorea, Andrea slipped while getting into a canoe. Now she is struggling around in a cast that goes to just below her knee. She is taking it all in stride though (no pun intended). We saw a few nice view points along the rough coast side of Tahiti and took some good photos. This place looks to be a surfer's paradise. At a supposedly famous lighthouse we stopped while Louie had a few beers. Up a little road, Louie stopped so that we could get out and see a cascading waterfall while he had another couple of beers! The waterfall was pretty but not very exciting. Got back in the cab and headed to a "blow hole" while Louie drank some beers along the way. The blow hole was a weak piece of lava strata at sea level, where the waves try to surge into a hole in the lava. The air in the hole is compressed and the water "explodes" back out as a fine spray. One hole in the lava goes under the road. Every few minutes it expels a huge jet of air. We didn't realize this 'til Bernie walked up to it and got a real fright as the air nearly bowled him over! Got some great shots of the coast on the way back to the ship but Louie was getting in even worse shape as the day wore on. He lost all sense of time and we had to suggest that we start heading back to the ship. This he did at hair-raising speed! He did tell us though that Tahitians aren't too impressed with the French who rule French Polynesia with an iron fist just as the old Colonial countries did. He says that only the French get the good jobs. Tahitians, whether they're educated or not, get the 2nd rate jobs. Tahiti is the capital of transvestites. As Louie tells it, this came about because of the tradition that the first born is always raised in "womanly" ways and is expected to take care of the family. Louie says this is still practiced in many parts of Tahiti and, consequently, transvestites are quite prevalent in Papeete. It is accepted and is part of their culture and tourism. Back at the ship we showered for our last diningroom meal which was a nice event, although the food was the worst we had had on the cruise. Note : "Throughout the cruise the meals have been rather bland. The presentation was always beyond your wildest dreams though, but nothing was quite exotic enough or delicate enough. Sounds snobby but part of cruising used to be to try some exotic dishes that you normally wouldn't. It certainly beats fast food though." We did our duty and handed over our envelopes of tips to our waiters (although they were not that great) and gave a nice tip to our Maitre D'. Our Matre D' was Nicola and he was an absolute gentleman! Every night he would come by and discuss our day with us. He was a small Italian fellow, about 55ish, and was very polite and down to earth. It was a pleasure having him stop by our table every night. It was baked Alaska night. We said our good-byes and then left the diningroom. We wandered around Papeete for a while. It is an interesting city with a flavour all its own. Like many of the most unusual places in the world, it is instantly recognizable. You would know where you are by the smell (I mean this all in a good way), the heat, the cockroaches (ok, maybe I'm not talking about the cockroaches in a good way), the abundance of transvestites, the total lack of English language (this was an annoyance to many on board), and the ambiance of the place that is Papeete and Papeete alone. We stopped for a rest at a sidewalk cafe before going back to the ship. Note : "During the day, the Regal Princess had it's registry changed from Liberian to English. Apparently, there was a big ceremony and all of the local bigwigs were there. There was a band and speeches, plus people from the P&O company in England. Unfortunately, we missed it all. Very strange to suddenly see "Regal Princess" London on the stern instead of "Regal Princess" Monrovia." It is not often that you find a cruise that stays in the same port overnight. It was very nice to be able to walk on and off the ship on a whim. We strolled back to the ship at 10 pm and then finished packing. All of our bags had to be outside the door for the morning.
April 25/00
Was woken up at 7:30 am by all of the ship announcements! Our luggage has already been taken off the ship and is under coloured tents on the dock. We got off in groups, identified our bags, and then moved them to the trucks where they were checked in for tonight's flight to L.A. (seemed like a waste of time until later). Back on board we drank capuccinos and collected my huge! shipboard bill. Most of our expenses were planned for so it wasn't too much of a shock. Carole and I braved the heat and went back to town. Carole loves the shops here so we did a real walkaround, sweating and gasping, but enjoying our last day here in this part of the world. We had a good lunch on the waterfront. Tahiti is very nice (not as nice as Bora Bora), but I can't get used to the black sand beaches here. I hear that the beaches on the other side of the island are white sand though but we didn't see any. We were still allowed to use all of the shipboard facilities with the exception of our cabins that were already being prepared for the next cruise. The casino was being used as a holding area for hand luggage. That was nice since you didn't have to carry it around all day. For us it was a nice way to end our vacation, but it wasn't so nice for the new people arriving. They arrived all pale and excited, only to find that their ship was already full of passengers in lounges, bars, pools and diningrooms. For a short while, there must have been 3000 people on a ship built for 1500. Our departure was at 5:30 pm. This was not just the end of a cruise ... we had been to some of the strangest and most exotic places in the world, not to mention that we sailed down the middle of the largest ocean in the world. The ship looked a little worn with dents and marks along the side from the tugs that we used in the island ports. There weren't very many ports that the ship was able to be painted in (the usual touch-ups that are done on Caribbean cruises). This was as much an adventure as well as cruise and we definately got our moneys worth! Tahiti airport was very cute and, thanks to all the fuss with the luggage on the dock this morning, we didn't have to check in. We just walked right on to our Tower Air flight. According to Bernie, I slept stood up in my seat for 4 hours solid! Thankfully, I didn't remember much about the hot, sticky, crowded plane. I do remember the disgusting food that was thrown on to my tray before I fell asleep though. We did get a nice travel pack from Tower Air. It was a nice bonus but they really have their priorities screwed up. Trust me ... I would much rather have had them spend the money on nicer food than on toothpaste.
April 26/00
We arrived in Los Angeles with no problems. We said good-bye to Bernie and Andrea (we really had a wonderful time with them), and then we got on to our Air Canada flight back to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After the flights on American Airlines and Tower Air, Air Canada felt like first class! All those ads on tv about American Airlines giving their passengers more room by removing some of the coach class seats are a joke. I think they moved all of the seats that they took out of the other AA planes and put them all into ours. Len, honestly, could not lift his knees up! With the exception of the flights, it was an extraordinary cruise and we are already planning another one (or, possibly, a land stay on Oahu), but, as always, we are now anxious to get back home.
Carole & Me on Formal Night
