The end - Auckland

Sunday 21st
Lovely to see the sun and a blue sea for a change.  The weather is much calmer and the mugginess has gone.  The good news also is that the upper decks are overflowing with (bronzed???) bodies, prostrated to the Sun Gods,  leaving us mere mortals to have a relatively quiet time on the lower decks.

We had an excellent coffee at our usual cafe on deck 2, and we're pleased to see that the Captain along with the Hotel General Manager (an Irishman who plays the piano at the Church service ) also call this their "local".  As it was a lot quieter, we decided to have pub lunch at the Golden Lion.  It was excellent - a pity we hadn't tried it earlier.   The other thing was that it was very quick, so we had time before Vivian's bridge to complete the ship's  questionnaire to which Vivian added a letter to the Captain on our experiences.  I had already emailed Cunard's HO in Southampton, so I don't think that we'll be welcome back!

On a positive note, it was Neville's (at our table) birthday, so he shouted a bottle of bubbles.  Surprisingly, it was also Cristabel's 9th birthday. She is of one of the children at an adjoining table (this was a family from New Mexico, where he is a professor in geography & she is a writer, travelling with their 4 young children).  Back to the story,  we sang Happy Birthday to Neville and Cristabel came over to give him one of her balloons - very touching indeed.

As usual, we were last to leave the dining room and we went to the singers and dancers,  who put on a new show.  This had been postponed due to the weather a couple of nights ago.  It was very good and the theatre was packed.  After the show we actually went dancing in the Queens Room - that is one for the books!  They had 2 bands, the Queens Room and the Royal Court Theatre,  so was very impressive.  The dance floor was full, yet there were few couples dancing, most just watching.  That seems contradictory,  so I'll explain.

Cunard have on board about 10 male escorts - no, not those types.  These are mature gentlemen, whose task is to accompany the single  (& I suspect the odd married) woman on the dance floor.  It was most illuminating, as they only had one dance and then chose another female partner, so as to avoid the "clingons".  This is something that the ship does well and we know that Eileen at our table only comes cruising for the dancing.   Anyway,  add to that the "professional " dancers who go to every lesson throughout the day and you can imagine that there was little room for us to shuffle around, but it was enjoyable and I had been promising  Vivian all trip!

Monday 22nd
And absolutely glorious morning as we head towards NZ.  I had hoped that they may have come close to the Bay of Islands, but no, we seem to be heading more towards Whangarei.  Well this is our last day and it has been a great cruise, with the odd bump on the way.  Summarising, the decor, lounges, entertainment of all types have been excellent, the food has been good to average and the service generally very good, except the Purser's office.  Having said that it is unfair to rate the ship/experience on one (very) bad experience.  Our fellow passengers have once again been great company and we have met many many over breakfasts, lunches and other interactions.  They have predominantly been from UK & USA with a number of Canadians & of course the Germans  but the strangest thing has been the lack of world cruisers.

Eileen is a full world cruiser and she told us that there are only about 250 doing the circumnavigation. Even so, they are allocated a separate lounge on deck 2 alongside the main thoroughfare to the dining room and also have regular (I think fortnightly) cocktail parties, also along the main thoroughfare to the theatre.  Don't get me wrong, it is good that Cunard celebrates their world cruisers, but I feel that between them & the Grills (1st class) passengers, we are continually reminded of our place .

There are about 200 of us getting off in Auckland and clearly 200 new passengers will be embarking.  The biggest changeover however will be in Sydney and I'd expect over 50% will dis/embark.  Us down-under cruisers are much more atuned to longer voyages and already we've noticed some cabin fever amongst some from the northern hemisphere. 

A couple of amusing comments from US passengers were the usual "can you drive over to Sydney?", which really surprised me as I had always thought it was a joke - but the person was serious.  The other (similar) one was in relation to the bad weather and their concern that if we were to also miss Auckland.  "I suppose you'd have to catch a ferry back to Auckland" - I don't wish them any harm, but they may change their tune after crossing the Tasman! !  And a late one - why can't you drive between North & South Islands? It is not necessarily funny, but you'd think that people would do some homework before going on holiday.

We had coffee up in the Commodore Club with Janet and Neville and it was perfect.  We got our first glimpse of NZ from up there and are currently sailing down the coast with minimal cloud and a brilliant sea.  Lunch again at the pub and had a superb steak pie.  We passed by Kawau Bay about 2.30, but to be honest, couldn't see Algies or Snells as it is a bit hazy.

A great sail-in along the North Shore and offshore islands.  The weather was perfect and we actually arrived early and we're berthed just after 5.00.  On our way in we passed the Pacific Pearl, en route to the South Pacific.  While certainly the Islands need tourism, I suspect that with much of the infrastructure damaged, it could be a bit less exotic than they expected.

Had our final dinner and said goodbye to our friends and wait-staff.   They have been great, despite the variation of nationalities - Kiwi, German, Bavarian, UK (or German, or Swiss or...).  After dinner we went to the show by Elektra - 2 female violinists playing all variety of music.  They were very very good but the theatre was only about a quarter full (as was the dining room) as most people had gone ashore after a week at sea.

Tuesday 23rd
A good nights sleep with no movement of the ship!  Up at 6.00 and off to breakfast at 7.00.  Had a final breakfast, went to our assembly point and within 30 minutes we were fully disembarked and back in New Zealand. 

So that is our summary of cruising on Queen Victoria and yes, we would probably do another Cunard cruise, but with the Princess perks we get and the limited cruises by Cunard through NZ, it could be a way away (unless I find another *really* good special).    

See you again on this blog in June.

Day 13 + - Auckland ahoy

Thursday 18th
Any avid readers will ask "where is Wednesday 17th."  Simply, it did not exist, due to crossing the International Date Line.  So all of a sudden, we are closer to the end of our journey, with all sea days due to not calling at Samoa. The weather this morning is overcast & showery with an increasing swell as we head towards Winston.  I am slightly corrected, as we are actually heading south to try & avoid Winston, but I have noted that it is expected that the cyclone will soon start moving down towards  NZ.  I trust that we outrun it!

We went up to the Wintergarden for coffee and found out that the coffee up there was simply machine made, not barrista so went next door and did our own in the Lido!  It was raining - very hard, with the water cascading down the stairs outside and the pool had waves flying up in the air.  Someone actually went for a swim for a while. Three were plenty of leaks in the Wintergarden roof and staff were busy mopping up.  When we had lunch later the MDR was really full as no one wanted to be upstairs with all the pitching & rolling!

The last formal tonight, but as I've mentioned before, having so many, so often spoils the event a bit.  However it was a good evening with good food tonight and the country singer was excellent.  Plenty of rocking & rolling still going on (& I am not talking about the dance floor! ).  We are expecting to be south of Winston tomorrow, so hopefully we may get some more fine weather before Auckland.  The temperature is 31 degrees, but muggy, so we are not venturing outside.

Friday 19th
A bit like yesterday, with big swells, rain and humidity. We are apparently some 400 mlles east of Winston, which is between Samoa & Fiji,  but not far enough away to avoid the swells.  Our midday report told of winds well over 200 kph, so quite happy to be on the outskirts.

At breakfast this  morning they were not too certain whether there were bananas on board, so I assume that they'd planned to take fruit on board at Apia.  Quite funny how many people we've spoken to are concerned about our fuel supplies. I don't think they understand the capacity and the fact that bunkering at Honolulu would give us more than enough to at least get to Sydney (if not further).  Some people love to worry!

Pretty rough around dinner time tonight and they have cancelled the singers and dancers to tonight as it is too dangerous.  In an act of faith, they've been rescheduled for tomorrow.  I hope that they are right and that we continue to outrun Winston.  We elected for an early night and we're rocked to sleep - not overly gently at times.

Saturday 20th
The sky is slowly breaking and the swells have reduced a bit, so it looks like they were right and we are getting away from the cyclone.  More good news, tonight we finally put our clocks back to NZ time.

We went to an interesting lecture on the sea floor and ownership issues.  It is likely to become even a bigger  issue in the future, with the depletion of land based resources.  After that we settled in to the lounge for coffee, which today was excellent,  but that's the problem - no consistency.

The Captain has just done his midday announcement and clearly we are clear of the worst of Winston,  but feel sorry for Tonga & Fiji bearing the brunt of it.  He also announced the "good" news that we are now scheduled to arrive in Auckland at 6.00pm on Monday, rather than Tuesday morning.  Not certain how that affects us, but assume our formal disembarkation will still be Tuesday morning.  The good news though is that we should get to see home, as we sail through "the gap" on Monday afternoon!  It is all coming to an end all too soon.

Day 10 onwards - All down hill towards home

Sunday 14th
The start of another few sea days, as we head southwest towards the equator.  The sea is a bit rough today and we are noticing the movement, particularly in the dining room.  We are back to the usual routine and while Vivian went to bridge, I got the blog up to date.   Traditional afternoon tea and yes, it is another formal night tonight -Valentines Ball.  All the ladies were given a red rose at dinner, but nothing for the guys 😠.   We did not go to the ball but enjoyed the show.  Hopefully just a warning, but a bit of a sore throat, so garlic & panadol for a nightcap.

Monday 15th
It worked, so much better today.  The sea is still pretty choppy but a beautiful day and  very warm.  We only got in a half mile before we went to the Samoa lecture.   As we've been there before we'll just do our own thing and look for a local bus.  We've just had the Captain's noon update and the news that we may not actually be going to Samoa, as there is an active cyclone called Winston (typical !) just south of Samoa.  It is still 3 days away, but I get the feeling that we are being softened up early on to avoid disappointment.   Watch this space.  The magician tonight was excellent and exceeded Vivian's expectations.

Tuesday 16th
The sea is a bit calmer but it is very muggy as we approach the equator. The Captain has just made the announcement that we were crossing the equator at 9.48 and the ship's whistle was sounded.  I didn't have time to check the bathroom to see whether the water went straight down at that time.  Anyway, seems like we are home, now in the South Pacific.  Heavy rain clouds are all around and the latest prediction is just a 20% chance of getting into Samoa.

The noon announcement confirmed that we are missing Samoa due to Winston.  There are many very upset by this and while we can understand, we also have sympathy for the locals who will miss out on a huge amount of revenue.  However cyclones are dangerous and it is better to be safe.  We will apparently track more to the east to avoid it and assume that we'll reduce speed to keep to our scheduled arrival in Auckland.  Some hopeful souls thought we may get in early, but I am sure Cunard do not want to pay extra berthage fees.

Continuing on the grumpy note today, I had a letter under the door from the Purser's office advising that the credit card preauthorisation had not been approved (yep, we've spent the free on board credit).  For a  change we went up to the Commodore Club at the front of deck 10.  Lovely views,  despite the light showers.  Decided to have a morning coffee, oops, shipboard card is blocked!  Down to Purser's on deck 1 to remonstrate, as I had  other been told that this would happen.  I told them that I'd go and get some USD to put our account in credit.  Back up to Deck 5 - my card has been deactivated and I can't get in!  Back to Deck 1, get new card and back to Deck 5, get cash and back to Deck 1.  I should add that on each occasion there were at least 5 in the queue ahead of me, so it was almost 45 minutes by the time I got back to Vivian on deck 10.  By now it's time for lunch.

After lunch, I get to use my one free call (a bit like being under arrest) to the bank in NZ.  As I suspected all along, it was Cunard's fault as they had entered the wrong expiry date in the system (because their scanner in LA wasn't working when we checked in).  All resolved and I am expectantly waiting for their apology.  Still waiting.  Still waiting.

Days 8 & 9 - Hawaiian Islands

12 February in Honolulu
The clocks went back an hour last night , so it was much easier getting up today.  Our trip assembly time was 8.45, so we were 3rd in line when breakfast opened at 7.30.  Our tour was Natural Highlights of Honolulu and involved a drive around much of the island.  The weather was glorious with gentle Tradewinds blowing.  The sights we visited were predominantly coastal and we saw humpback whales in the distance from both sides of the island.   The whales come down to Hawaii from Alaska with their young every year, so we were here at the right time.

We actually started off going to Diamond Head Crater, which for many years years was a military base and is now an active Civil Defence headquarters.  Our guide explained how the craters were formed in a different fashion to our NZ volcanoes and how the composition has been affected by winds and changes in water levels over the years.  Apparently volcanic activity from the depths of the earth are expected every 350,000 years - and that is pretty well the time since the last major bout of activity.

Our guide was particularly knowledgeable and barely stopped talking for the whole 5 hours.  I must add however that he was interesting,  not like some we have experiencedin the past.  The tour was scheduled for 4 hours, but he and the guide on the other bus got their times confused, so we got great value!  Only 1 couple complained - but even so, he continued on and ignored her.

We got back to the ship at 2.00 and came across the most grumpy US security staff we have ever experienced.  Dare I say it, but the were aged women who just seemed to love a bit of a uniform and authority.  To simply return to the ship we had to produce our passports along with our cruise cards, the former were intently scrutinised.  Don't know why, but  no point arguing.  On board we had room service lunch and then we headed back into town on our own.

We were headed towards Wakiki Beach and caught the #19 bus as far as Ala Moana shopping centre, where Vivian wanted to check out Macey. Really just another Farmers,  but bigger and  ore expensive.  After a brief visit we walked about half an hour to the top of Wakiki and watched the late sun and all the people walking, sitting, eating & drinking.  Very pleasant, but as it was about 5.30, thought it was best to head home.  Fortunately #19 was not far away and we were surprised that it was the same driver as our journey out.  The fare was just $2.50 each as that included the free transfer back to the ship.

It was too late for dinner by the time we got back, so we showered and went upstairs to the Lido.  For some reason, they did not have a full buffet tonight, only Indian,  which Vivian didn't feel like.  We however found Bangers & Mash,  so as we weren't hungry, this was adequate.  We "dined" on the open deck by the pool and it was a perfect temperature.  As an added bonus we found that the Hinton puts on a fireworks display every Friday, so we were in a perfect position to watch this.  Sad to say but we were in bed & asleep by 8.00.  The ship however didn't sail until just before midnight,  as we are only going to Maui, not far away.

13 February at Lahaina
Yet another beautiful day as we dropped anchor around 8.00.  This is a tender port and our trip today was the first off the ship which meant we had to be in the theatre at 7.45.  MDR still didn't open until 7.30, so room service was the only option.  It was very good too.  When the tender boat arrived at the dock, we were denied permission to land.  I am sure that they had sent over the same women from Honolulu!  Absolutely incredible when you think about it - after all we are still in USA & have been processed for that country.  Anyway everything was resolved and we headed for our business to take us to the Iao Valley, in the centre of the island.  On the way along the coast we once again saw (dozens of) humpback whales.

A very interesting trip and it is surprising how little of the land is being used for agriculture.  The last remaining sugar plantations are closing next month with the loss of over 600 jobs.  Clearly the people are unhappy with the way they are treated by both State & national governments.  While a lot of land has been opened up for prime real estate, there are also impoverished areas.  Our driver guide, who turns 70 this year, lost his home about 6 years ago due to the GFC and he now works 2 jobs to support his family, including sending his granddaughter to College.  Having said that, his daughter retired from the Police at age 45.

The State Park was lovely and green and clearly there is a lot of rain higher up the valley, whereas the slopes towards the sea are almost barren.  After a general tour around the capital of the island we went to the Maui Tropical Plantation,  which is simply a tourist trap.  We went on a road train trip around the property,  which is growing a variety of tropical plants etc. for sale at there market.  We had expected a true plantation but were not overly impressed.  The only part which did impress us was the locally grown & brewed coffee we had before heading get back to the ship - delicious.

Back in Lahaina, we walked about half of the town, but there was nothing to take the eye, so lined up for the tender back to the ship.  Yet more room service lunch (& 3.00) and watched the whales out on our starboard side.  The ship set sail around 5.00 and as we went out the whales got a little closer.  I think they thought that we were family!  Next stop is Western Samoa on Friday 19th.

Days 6 & 7 - Ocean blue

The Captain's Cocktail party last night was extremely well run and enjoyable.  We are lucky that the QV has a large ballroom available for such occasions, as well as all the ballroom dancing, Afternoon Tea & fencing classes!  A far more organised arrangement where we met the Captain and walked along a line of waiters with drinks before moving away to be served with little nibbles.  Drinks & nibbles were in abundance and there was none of the bun-fight we've experienced recently on Princess.  Captain Philpot gave a short address, introduced the senior staff and that was it.  Off to dinner.  We had actually been in this room just an hour earlier for formal afternoon tea.  Although we didn't indulge, the scone recipe must be shared amongst the Carnival group - rock hard & inedible.  The sandwiches & cakes however were superb.

After dinner we elected to have an early night.  It must be the sea air.  The sea has certainly calmed down and slowly the weather is warming, but as we put the clocks back an hour this morning, the evenings come quite early.  As we are predominantly sailing westwards towards Hawaii, the evening sun doesn't reach our balcony although it is quite mild, sitting here with our green tea & chocolate cake!

This morning we wasted an hour as they had bomb practice.  To explain, it was a predominantly crew exercise to practice procedures in the event of a bomb threat.  So we were pretty well confined to the cabin for most of the hour.  This afternoon we went to the movies, as they were showing the latest Bill Bryson film, Walk in the Woods.  The theatre was absolutely packed.  Vivian even missed her bridge to attend.  After dinner we enjoyed the show - very professional & they used all the various instrumental groups from around the ship as well as the theatre orchestra and singers.

Thursday 11th
Last sea day, as we arrive in Honolulu tomorrow.   While the sea has calmed and  today is a magnificent deep blue colour, there is a cloud covering and that usual Pacific Swell.  After breakfast we went up to the Wintergarden on Deck 9 and certainly the ship's movement is amplified up there.  Our own deck on 5 is pretty darned good!  We continue to meet really interesting people and while there are a fair number of Kiwis, there are also quite a contingent of Americans, Canadians, Germans and of course Brits.  Very few Aussies by comparison, although this will undoubtedly change after Sydney.  Only a small proportion of total passenger roll are doing the whole cruise, unlike last year's WC.

Ah, yet another formal night tonight.  While I like formal nights, every 2nd night is a bit much.  Whilest it is formal, it is also Hawaiian Ball, so not sure how that works.  All good and we managed to get our mile in before dinner.  It was a bit of a challenge as the swells are up to 5 metres, but smooth and gentle however the ship movement is the difficult part.  Enjoyed the show, which featured Jon Courtenay on piano/comedy & the British Tones.  The latter didn't do much for me and certainly their repertoire of American 50s was overdone.  But Vivian enjoyed them, clearly I have no taste!

Set the alarm for 6.30 tomorrow as we have a trip booked in Honolulu.

Days 3 - 5 Super Bowl & beyond

The day dawned bright & clear, later reflecting of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Fortunately breakfast was served early today, so we were all set to go exploring just before 9.00.  We decided to head down towards Fishermans Wharf to try and find an information centre as we'd  been given no information on board.  Surprisingly the booth did not open until 10.00 but then, more by good luck than anything else, we found an office upstairs.  While waiting for service another couple arrived and wanted to do the same things as us - Alcatraz & city tour.  It turned out that they too were from Auckland, so we agreed to do the day as a foursome.

Despite the ship's tour department telling us that there was no way to get to Alcatraz, we found that there were plenty of opportunities from the Wharf next to us (but the other way from where we were at Fishermans Wharf ).  Retracing our tracks we got to a small line & purchased tickets for the 11.00 sailing (they go every 30 minutes).  With time to fill, we grabbed a lovely coffee, learning a new trick  of buying a very large takeaway and getting an additional small empty cup, to share.  Equates to a 30% saving!!

A great trip across to Alcatraz , weather, views etc. perfect.  Seems such a waste of prime real estate to be a prison and now of course a National Park & tourist destination.  Apart from the historic prison & more recent Indian (Native American) occupation,  the island is home to numerous nesting birds.  A very interesting visit.  The journey back was equally pleasant and then started the least pleasant part of the day 😤

When we were at the information centre we foolishly purchased HoHo tickets, planning to do the city route.  Warning to future travellers - Don't.   The brochure was red and we *assumed* that we were on Big Bus or possibly GreyLine.  No, we were on the little known City Sightseeing,  where we had to validate our purchase before hopping on a bus.  After a walk of well over a mile, we found that the did NOT have an office and their busses were limited.  The nice woman at Big Bus hailed one which happened to be coming by and at least we got to the transfer point.  They tried to blame Super Bowl for lack of drivers and delays but sorry it doesn't wash.  That said, we DID have a great tour but elected to stay on the bus as we didn't want to be stuck up in town.

We were dropped off by the ship and decided to go back to our stateroom for lunch (at 3.30!).  We enjoyed room service & Champagne on our deck in the most glorious sun - it was our Wedding Anniversary!

As mentioned earlier, San Francisco is a sector port, so lots of new passengers and of course a change in dinner companions.  Our other NZ couple had gone to Nappa Valley and got back late, so didn't come to dinner, but we were joined by a woman from Boston & 2 (separate ) from Germany.  The German woman spoke little English,  so spent most of the evening speaking German to the bloke from Bavaria.  Half way through the meal we were joined out of the blue by an English woman who usually dined "upstairs" , but elected to see how we fared.  Surprisingly she too spoke German, so that was really great - 3 of them having a conversation that none of the rest of us understood.   I'll say no more after the  almost faux pas in a previous blog, being aware that this is all public!

Our breakfasts and lunches have, as usual, been in the MDR and we have met some great people and surprisingly a fair number of Kiwis.  We were really surprised at lunch on Day 2 when a couple joined our table - we looked at each other and said "we've met before".  They were a couple from South Australia who were on the World Cruise last year.  Later, in the evening the same thing with another couple of Aussies, bridge players also on last year's  World Cruise.  It turns out that both couples are regulars on both Cunard & Princess.  We have however been surprised how few passengers are doing the full World Cruise on this ship, with the great majority disembarking in Sydney.

The weather since San Francisco has been a little overcast and the sea has a small swell.  As commented earlier, Queen Victoria seems more inclined to roll in slight seas and while I originally thought it lovely to have the restaurants at the rear of the ship, being on deck 2,  it is quite noisy and certainly lots of movement.  I understand now why passengers were so uncomfortable in the rougher weather out of Southampton.  We have been doing our mile around the deck, but it is a bit of a challenge weaving along, made easier by the fact that a lot fewer are doing it!

The port talk for Hawaii was great.  On Cunard the talks are done by the Tours Office, who are quite open to giving advice to independent travellers.  No Hutch on this cruise!.  (World Cruise 2015 passengers will understand ).  We stayed after the port talk as Bill Bryson (the author) was the guest lecturer.  He was really great and  very amusing.  Also, the evening entertainment has been very good, superior to last year's  WC.

There are many lounges, bars and other quiet areas throughout the ship and there has been no problem getting a seat at any time.  When we did our Lifeboat drill on the first day, I noticed a wireless router by a bar which doesn't open until evening.  So yesterday went down & sure enough, no one was around and by sitting right under it is can download the newspapers, get emails, upload blog in 3 minutes.  OK, it's  not as convenient as being in the cabin, but internet does cost roughly  $1 a minute!

I am generally doing the wifi thing while Vivian is at bridge, so yesterday it was about 3.00 when I went down from Deck 5 (our deck) to Deck 3 (for wifi).  It was like a morgue - at one stage I was worried that everyone had abandoned ship and that I was the only one left on board!   Today is Tuesday and our first Formal.  The Captain has invited us to his Cocktail Party (along with some 898 others ) tonight, so we'll report back on that later.

Day 2 - San Francisco

We are currently docked close to Fishermans Wharf, having arrived about 5.00 pm Saturday (ship's calendar).  However to carry on where the last entry finished, back in Santa Monica.  We had pre-booked Super Shuttle to take us down to the port of San Pedro,  but after the  debarkle at LA airport when we arrived I had some concerns.  The other Kiwis we had met had made other arrangements, with one couple taking a taxi @ over USD120.  However I had no need to worry as I got a text just after 12.00 with the details of the shuttle and the code to track it all the way to the hotel.  Sure enough he arrived just before the 1.00 pickup and off we went - no other pickups!  It was just on an hour's journey and traffic was pretty heavy, but we had plenty of time.  Our check-in was very smooth and we were aboard by 2.30.

Nipped upstairs for a bite and a coffee while waiting for our bags to be delivered.  By the time we got back they were in the cabin, so unpacking began, interrupted by the mandatory Emergency Drill.  Unlike Princess, there was no scanning in of passengers to ensure that we actually attended and we felt that that was a little slack.  The Captain's recorded message went into a loop and was repeated (well started to be repeated ) 3 times before they were able to shut it down.   Back to the cabin, finished up packing and enjoyed a well earned glass of French Champagne.  Yes, the ship gave us a half bottle, however the travel wholesaler gave us 2 large bottles as well, so along with our ship credit we will not go thirsty!

First impressions of the Queen Victoria.  She appears a bit narrower than other ships we have been on, but this is compensated with length!  The narrowness is particularly  noticeable on the stairs, although so far very few people seem to use the stairs! The whole layout, both interior & exterior is one with lots of corners and very few long corridors or promenade.  For example, our stateroom  is about 10 from the midship stairs (notice there is no mention of lifts), however we turn right, left and left again to get to the stairs lobby.  Similarly it is the usual 3 times around the deck for the mile, but oh so many blind corners and so many walkers/runners who don't know the cruisers etiquette.   While midship is a fine location on Princess, Cunard have restaurants fully Aft but have a lot more lounge areas, rather than a main atrium.

Dining hours are a bit of an issue and we have elected for early sitting at 6.00, mainly because second sitting is 8.30, which is really far too late by the time we finish.  So off to dinner and we find another NZ couple from Wanganui and an American couple from Virginia.  There is another couple, but they were at alternative dining.  A little strange really as both American couples get off on Sunday!, so looks like  we'll have new table mates from then on.  In any event we had a great time.  Oh yes, another observation - on Princess, waiters introduce themselves and from our experience become personalised to the table.  While our waiters are extremely polite & efficient, they are just that - polite & efficient!

To clarify the situation - San Francisco is the sector port, however this year San Francisco hosts Super Bowl on Sunday 7 February and this of course is the biggest sporting (not sure about that) event in USA.  As such there is no accommodation available for arriving/departing passengers.  So they used Los Angeles to catch the overflow.  650 of us got on in LA and about the same number will get on in San Francisco.  There are a large number of both UK and US passengers who are going no further, but I gather there are quite a few doing the sector to Sydney - & of course a lot of Kiwis going to Auckland.

We sailed pretty well all of Saturday down the Californian coast, and passed under Golden Gate Bridge just after 4.30.  On our way in we have been "escorted" by 2 US Coastguard high speed craft, complete with manned machine guns.  They don't  mess around and cleared everything from 300 metres away.   As above, Super Bowl weekend has everyone on extreme alert!   The weather  could not be better and the sun reflecting off the bridge is magnificent.  As I started this entry, we are just along  from Fishermans Wharf and our stateroom looks straight out to the setting sun behind Golden Gate Bridge & the island of Alcatraz.  Magic.

Day 1 - Off we go

One of the "advantages" of flying eastward to USA etc. is that one gets to have a Groundhog Day experience.  So Thursday #1 saw us drive down to Fiona's with some trepidation as protesters against the signing of the TPPA were earlier blocking roads around the city and creating major traffic headaches.  However no problems and we had a lovely chicken dinner (this has significance later!) along with my new favourite  dessert Chocolate  on Chocolate  on Chocolate.

I had tried to check in on line with Air New Zealand earlier in the morning, but it was a  waste of time as we did not have onward reservation.  Eventually found someone to check us in and then found that self service bags check-in would also not accept us.  Apparently the US don't trust us to do it, so an airline employee had to assist.  Bearing in mind that most checking in at that time were going through the States, one would have thought that  some prewarning/more staff would have helped.

Boarding the plane was painless except that is becoming so noticeable that those of us in "cattle" class now have to weave our way through 4 compartments of business & premium economics.  We were lucky with our seats at the rear of the 1st economy section.  We had 4 other cruisers with us and more fortunately they arranged to move after takeoff so we had the whole centre row to ourselves. We actually managed to get some sleep.  Chicken was the dish of the day!

We must have had a tail wind as the flight was just 11.5 hours.  Having heard all the horror stories of LA airport we were prepared for the worst, but found it all very pleasant and we were out within half an hour.  The disadvantage of that was that we had about the same amount of time standing in the shade waiting for the shuttle.  The weather was clear & sunny but quite chilly. 

Wound our way through LA out to Santa Monica, where we are staying at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.  Lovely, just one small block back from the beach.  We got upgraded to an ocean view room on the 8th floor, which has been recently renovated .  Our room looks north along the beach and overlooks the Santa Monica pier.  Absolutely magnificent - particularly last night with the ferris wheel illuminated with multi patterned LED lights.

We were a little tired, so had dinner in the hotel.  Good, but not cheap.  Vivian had salmon, which surprisingly was from Iceland.  I would have expected Alaskan.  I had .. chicken again.

This morning we got up early and did a big walk along the pier and into Santa Monica, where we found a lovely place for breakfast.  It did take them 2 goes to get our coffee right however.  After that we walked south along the promenade as far as Venice Beach.  It's a good couple of miles each way and whilest it was a chilly 10 when we left it is currently  (11.30) 24.  Another stunning day and love,your people.  We need to check out by midday and have the shuttle down to the port booked.  Hopefully the next instalment will give first impressions of Queen Victoria.