Part 1: Disembarkation After my rough night, I was ready to get out of bed at 5:15. I got my morning tea at La Palette and noted that the weather was very nice – sunny, warm, and less humid than I expected. I did my best to relax for the next hour. At 6:45, I […]
South Pacific Cruise: 17 November 2007
Malolo Island, Fiji and Lautoka, Fiji This was our last full day on the ship. We both woke before 5:00am and tried to go back to sleep. At 5:15 we gave up and got out of bed. Up at La Palette we chatted with the other early risers, comparing excursion notes from the previous day. […]
South Pacific Cruise: 16 November 2007
Suva, Fiji Suva is the capital of Fiji. It is a city of about 300,000 people and looks it. It has high-rise buildings, shopping malls, and lots of traffic. It was the largest city we visited on our trip. It was nice that we were able to tie up at the city’s wharf instead of […]
South Pacific Cruise: 15 November 2007
Savusavu, Fiji Thanks to our relaxing day at sea and our early bedtime, we both awoke early. We watched our approach to Savusavu from the deck outside La Palette. As we were setting anchor, a large, blue overnight ferry arrived from Suva. We watched it dock and begin to unload. Lots of people, vehicles and […]
South Pacific Cruise: 14 November 2007
At sea Despite the time change, we managed to sleep until 6:45, our latest morning yet. Chris ordered coffee and pastries from room service, and they came within five minutes. We enjoyed the food and caffeine on our balcony, where we noticed the air was much less humid than it had been on Vava’u. More […]
South Pacific Cruise: 13 November 2007
Vava’u, Tonga We both woke up early and went to La Palette for coffee. We watched as the Paul Gauguin threaded its way through a narrow channel to the port of Neiafu, Tonga on the Vava’u island group. We got the feeling that not many cruise ships visited the area. As the captain carefully navigated the channel, […]
South Pacific Cruise: 12 November 2007
At sea Once again, I was up at 5:45am. The sunrise looked very nice from La Palette, so I went back to the room and got my camera. After getting some pictures, I took a cup of coffee to Chris and got her up. Before we had a chance to get breakfast, Chris went to […]
South Pacific Cruise: 11 November 2007
The day that wasn’t For us, there was no Sunday, 11 November 2007. The ship’s clock leaped forward twenty four hours at midnight to Monday, 12 November 2007. We did not pass Go. We did not collect $200. By my reckoning, we didn’t cross the date line until after 7:00pm, but it’s easier to skip […]
South Pacific Cruise: 10 November 2007
At sea We went through our normal morning ritual. At breakfast, I decided on eggs instead of cereal. While I waited for my eggs to be fried, I looked around the buffet. There behind the oatmeal was something that looked like grits. I knew it couldn’t be, but I got a bowl of it anyway. […]
South Pacific Cruise: 9 November 2007
Rarotonga, Cook Islands We were definitely in a routine: Up around 6:00, coffee from La Palette, and then breakfast at Le Grill. This was our second of two stops in the Cook Islands. The Cooks are a territory of New Zealand, so everyone speaks English. That fact makes shopping and getting around easy. Rarotonga from […]