VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA 2011

AURORA 2011 OUR NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS 9th JANUARY IN SOUTHAMPTON

Our itinerary is as follows:-

Southampton, Madeira, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Amalia Glacier cruising, Pio X Glacier cruising, Puert Montt, Valparaiso, Easter Island cruising, Papeete, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, Noumea, Brisbane, Sydney. Arrive March 1st , disembark 2nd.

Queen Mary 2 Eastbound Transatlantic

Having found our cabin, with a sheltered balcony on deck 4 midships (good position if we were to have rough weather) and been impressed with the luxury of it, within 30 mins we had our suitcases so immediately unpacked. Then it was a quick walk round (that’s stupid as the ship is enormous) and a bite to eat in

Kings Court

, the buffet area which is situated on the Promenade deck 7. Emergency drills followed at 4pm-why is it people always put their lifejackets on when told not to?

As we wandered around it soon became apparent how large and spacious the QM2 is. Having just sailed on Crown Princess we thought she was big but QM2 is bigger! The figures for the 2 ships are:

                                          QM2                                    Crown Princess

Gross Tons                        148,528                                   113,561

Length Overall                     1,132ft                                     948ft

Breadth                                    148ft                                     118ft

Passengers                               2,800                                     3,300

Departure from New York was delayed slightly to allow bunkering to be completed but it was a beautiful evening and lots of passengers were on deck sipping champagne. The departure from Brooklyn was not as spectacular as leaving from the Hudson River terminal as The Statue of Liberty and Manhattan are in the distance but it was nevertheless a wonderful sight. After we passed under the Verrazano Bridge the sun was setting and the sky was lit up in the most spectacular fashion as the sun sank in the west-a truly unforgettable sight.

The weather on the 7 day crossing was amazing, not sunny necessarily but any wind was on the beam or abaft it and the sea was so calm. For a couple of days the swell built up but the stabilizers coped well even at 23kts.

How did we fill our 7 days on board? We were always late up in the morning because the clocks were advanced 1 hour on 5 occasions and we always partied till at least 2am! We visited the gym several times, we walked miles around the deck, we watched films in the cinema (which is also the first Planetarium at sea, we watched the shows (which surprisingly were mediocre), we ate (the food really was excellent) and we visited several of the bars and the night club called G32 of course.

Our favourite bar was the Commodore Club on deck 9 forward, a small version of a Crows Nest. At 4pm everyday there the Friends of Dorothy Meeting became a must as we met and chatted to so many guys from around the world. At the first meeting there was going on 100 people turning  up. We made quite a few friends and that resulted in the week being so enjoyable.

Overall view of the ship is that she truly is magnificent in her own way but is a lttle difficult to find your way around sometimes. The Queens Room is a magnificent Ballroom for those who love to dance. There are massive amounts of deck space so she must be a good hot weather ship. But  all that dressing up is stressful. We had 4 black tie nights in 7 which excluding first and last night (casual but with jacket)) means one day in the middle wearing jacket and tie. Quite a lot of people ate at the evening buffet and didn´t dress but at no time did the ambiance spoil because people were underdressed.

By Monday evening it was time to pack and say goodbye to the friends we had met. Very sad but we all agreed that the week had been fantastic.

Tuesday morning and we awoke already alongside the Ocean Terminal in Southampton and were ashore soon after 0830. Quick taxi ride to the Coach Terminal and our 0945 bus to Heathrow and a long wait for our 1615 flight to Malaga. There was a bit of a delay but thanks to Bob and Trish we were home by 2230 to reflect on a most magnificent holiday.

New York

Having left the ship we got a taxi to our hotel-another driver who wasn´t sure of his way around New York! Our hotel 4^th floor room overlooked Ground Zero where major works are under way to build 5 towers of differing heights and a major water feature memorial.

We were in New York for 5 nights but moved to a small Chelsea hotel on the second day.

We walked for miles of course but did use the subway on several occasions. We intended to go to the Statue of  Liberty but the 2 hour wait for a boat was too much. So we did the 15 minute helicopter ride which was spectacular. We did the Circle Line 3 hour boat trip right round Manhattan again which is a must. We visited the Rockefeller Centre and went to the Top of the Rock at about 68floors. We did the tour of Radio City and saw that magnificent auditorium and heard all about the Rockettes-even met one! We ate in the Hard Rock Café at Times Square and saw a great show in Cages aux Folles. We were amazed at the crowds in Times Square on Saturday afternoon-we thought London was busy but this was something else. We strolled around Central Park on Sunday morning and watched the joggers and walkers enjoying the sunshine (we were lucky with the weather for all of our stay). We even managed to find some friendly bars in the Village and Chelsea. Overall we had a great time and want to go back sometime less than the 19years it is since we last visited!

On Tuesday morning we had to pack yet again and wait till lunchtime before we could taxi to Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal to join QM2. We had a taxi driver who actually knew where he was going! But the approach to the terminal is awful-what a run down area!  We queued for a short while but checking in was largely straightforward and we were on board at 1400. Another part of our wonderful adventure was about to begin!

Bar Harbour, Maine to New York

Early Monday morning we anchored off Bar Harbour, Maine and eventually tendered ashore after everyone on board had  presented themselves to US Immigration Officers. Despite good ship organization, many people had to wait in line for at least 45 minutes causing the usual unrest!

Bar Harbour is a small town situated on Mount Desert Island and is the gateway to Acadia National Park which includes 33,000 acres of forest. With autumn arriving a little late this year the trees were showing some autumn colour but were still not at their best.

Travelling around the island, we visited a coastal ´thunder hole´ where waves funnel into a rock tunnel and also climbed to the top of Cadillac Mountain, said to be the highest point on the east coast of the USA. The views were fantastic and the sun shone! Many large mansions are dotted around the coastline but most are only holiday homes as the winters are quite harsh.

The highlight of our day was a hotel lunch where we were served a whole fresh soft shell lobster each. What fun we had getting at the meat which was delicious!

That evening we picked up the anchor and were off to Boston, a lovely city that we last visited in 1991.

The morning arrived and we were alongside by 0800 but so disappointed to have grey and drizzly weather. Undaunted however we set off about 0930 in our wet gear on the shuttle bus which took us into the centre of the city and dropped us off near Quincy Market.

Boston has such wonderful history (The Tea Party and Paul Revere spring to mind) and such impressive buildings (The State House especially). For tourists the Freedom Trail is marked out on the pavements and is easy to follow and connects all of the major places of interest. But on a grey day with continuous heavy drizzle our enthusiasm waned quickly and after walking most of the Trail we ended up in a Cheers Bar next to Quincy Market the got the shuttle bus back to the ship. We sailed at 1600hrs and 2 passengers and 2 crew were late back and held the ship up!

On Wednesday morning we awoke anchored in Newport Rhode Island but another wet day. We tendered ashore to do our tour to visit Rose Island Lighthouse which involved a boat trip around the wonderful harbour but we all got soaked! We had always imagined this centre of yachting to be so pretty and remember the Americas cup races years ago which were held there. Saw some magnificent mansions around the bay and of course some large boats but the atmosphere was lost due to the weather conditions. After our tour it was still raining hard so we returned to the ship to dry out, disappointed that we couldn´t explore further.

Thursday morning and we awoke early as we steamed up the Hudson River to our Manhattan berth at Pier 88. That wonderful skyline is unmistakeable!. Breakfast after we evacuated our cabin and said goodbye to Roberto our steward. Then waiting around until 1000 when we left Crown Princess after a great 10days.

I haven´t said much in these notes about the ship but she is magnificent. Wonderful cabins and we had a great balcony but didn´t use it much! The food could not be faulted anywhere and was excellent. The staff especially are terrific including the

Horizon Court

staff who actually serve up juice and coffee and alcoholic drinks as well as clearing tables. Why don´t P&O do this? Special thanks to Peggy, Joe and Natalie in Crooners Bar who were always such fun. Most of the passengers were so great to talk to too and interested in talking. No British reserve  although there were about 300 Brits aboard.

Charlottetown to St.John

After leaving Quebec we had our only confirmed sea day as we proceeded down the St.Lawrence River. The weather was quite cool but we managed to walk a couple of miles round the deck and spend some time in the gym. Email connection was patchy so that was out of the question.

Thursday saw us arrive Charlottetown at 0800, a small town on Prince Edward Island. The island only has a population of 33,000 but is swelled by many tourists in the summer. It is Canada´s smallest province but has significant historical connections. The first European to land here was Jacques Cartier in 1534 but settlement only began 200years later when the island was called Iles Saint Jean. In 1769 it was renamed Prince Edward Island after one of the sons of George III.

Charlottetown is known as Canada´s birthplace after the historic conference of 1864 which resulted in the formation of Federal Canada. The Province House where it all happened has been restored and was well worth the visit we made to it.

The other claim to fame of PEI as the locals call it is as the setting for Anne of Green Gables and the birthplace of its author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

We toured part of the island on an opentop bus and then wandered round the very pleasant town visiting the Province House and one of the largest churches in Canada, St.Dunstan´s Basilica.

On Friday, after a short overnight crossing to Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, we were due to anchor off Sydney and tender ashore (Eurodam got the only berth) but a storm was brewing, the wind was up and due to increase so the Captain aborted the call for safety reasons. A great pity as it would have been good to have visited two Sydneys in the same year!

After the unscheduled sea day at slow speed in windy conditions we arrived on Saturday morning at Halifax the capital of  Nova Scotia and berthed alongside! Off on our tour of the town and harbour in an amphibious DKW unfortunately the weather was against us and we had heavy rain all morning  Luckily the afternoon was fine to allow us to walk around part of the town and waterfront. Said to be the second largest natural harbour in the world to Sydney, Aus it is a pity it is not nearly so scenic and modern development has done it no favours.

Halifax has three main claims to fame. The first is the main entry port for thousands of migrants from Europe in the early 20^th Century.

It also was the main landing port for bodies from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and many are buried there.

Also in 1917 an ammunition ship collided with another in the harbour, causing a massive explosion which devastated much of the city and killed thousands of people. This is the reason why little of the original architecture is in evidence near the shoreline and has resulted in a disappointing appearance.

Next port on Sunday was St. John, New Brunswick a pleasant town with a population of 125,000. Situated on the Bay of Fundy it is famous for its massive tidal range. We visited the Reversing Falls round about low water and it looked like serious rapids as the St.John River flows to the sea. It seems amazing that approaching high water the sea water tide becomes stronger than the river and the river flow reverses.

Being a Sunday the town was quiet but some of the shops had opened specially for us! In the afternoon we even saw the sun for a while! This was our last Canadian port of this cruise.

Quebec Sep 2010

Our adventure began on Friday 24^th September when Geoffrey picked us up from home at 0945 and drove us to Gibraltar airport. Our Excellent BA flight was slightly late due to French air traffic control problems but all went smoothly except finding our correct shuttle bus at Terminal 3. It appears the hotel shuttle buses don´t stop at the correct designated stops and the poor unsuspecting traveler is supposed to know!

After a night in the Holiday Inn we were up bright and early for our 0830 Air Canada flight to Toronto. Great flight-lots of legroom even in economy and only just over 7hours flying on the 777.  Only an hour and a half stopover in Toronto, of course we had to pickup our luggage and clear customs then drop our bags again but it was trouble free. Then a smooth 55minute flight on a tiny 48seat jet to a rainy Quebec.

We were met by a Princess rep and escorted to our hotel, the magnificent Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac which has commanding views of the St.Lawrence River from its position on Cape Diamant. We were immediately impressed!

Quebec is a beautiful city with so much history. New France is said to have been discovered  by Jacques Cartier in 1535  but he only returned to France to report its existence. It was only later in 1608 that Samuel de Champlain established a French settlement in the New World  at Quebec (Kebec a word from an Amerindian language meaning place where the river becomes narrow).

The French ruled happily until 1759 when the famous battle of the Plains of Abraham resulted in General Wolfe´s English army defeating the French one of the Marquis of Montcalm. Despite both leaders dying in the battle, this resulted in British rule from that day despite attempts by American troops to take the city in 1775-6. In 1867 the British North America Act united the various provinces and paved the way for the formation of the state of Canada that we know today. Quebec became the capital of the Province of Quebec.

Quebec has its own unique feel as some say the city is more French than France. French is the first language but most people also speak English.  The city is so picturesque, clean and  colourful that you can´t help but love the atmosphere. Hence the hoardes of tourists that throng the streets during the day. Lots of tourist shops, cafes and wonderful restaurants line the streets and give it a warm and cosy feeling. It must be magical at Christmas time when snow is on the ground.

We did lots of walking on Sunday despite the bitterly cold wind, it was 20C colder than Estepona! Luckily we had woolly hats and scarves. Our ship arrived that day and looked marvelous from the ramparts outside the hotel. On Monday we checked out from the hotel and walked the 10minute walk to the ship and checked in without too much hassle-how great to be Elite members! The sun shone and Quebec was beautiful.

On Tuesday we were due to ride bikes to Montmerency Falls (said to be higher than Niagara) but torrential rain stopped that and our money was refunded. Later that day, with all 3100 passengers on board we left the berth, turned round and headed down the St.Lawrence, leaving that wonderful view of the city and the Chateau firmly in our memory.