Life at sea can be tough, so much to do and trying to decide if having ice creams by the pool while watching the movies on the big screen will spoil our afternoon tea or indeed will melt in the searing heat before we have had a lick are decisions not for the faint of heart.
Yesterday was reported to be 44 degrees in Dubai but I think it is now a mild 30 something, we are out at sea and so far no sign of pirates.
The flight was good over, we had the middle seat empty so had a little room to move. We did spend 14 hours in the dark tho, the sun was behind us but we just kept flying into the darkness. Finally as we approached Dubai the sun was starting to rise and what a magnificent sight was laid out below with the lights of Dubai sparkling like the crown jewels but light enough to make out the landscape.
Our experience of the taxi ride into town was enlighting. We discovered you can indeed drive at over 120kph on a very busy & congested highway, make rapid lane changes, toot at people who only drove at 119kph all the while fish around in your handbag which was inconveniently located on the passenger seat requiring one to stretch over and frantically search before dragging it on your knee and if still not successful, take both hands off the wheel until finally, at the bottom of the bag, you find those elusive sunglasses. I’m not sure who was more pleased when she finally did find them.
It seemed very surreal to walk down a hotel corridor and see Roger, last seen on Waiheke Island while discussing what a great idea this would be, and here we all were.
As it was still only 6.30am we had quite some time to wait before we could check in on the boat so after coffee and a catch up we went out to a couple of the local malls to look at the shops. Generally there is no one around during the day because of the heat so the shops were decidedly empty of people. Dubai is a very odd city, it has massive modern high rises and beautiful mosques, green grass and pretty flowers looking decidedly out of place in the middle of what is obviously a desert. The large empty blocks of land between buildings is just sand and everything looks dry & dusty with a veil of heat haze descending around the city covering it like thick smog. It’s no use going up the tallest building to see the view as there isn’t one (view I mean).
The one thing I really wanted to see above all else was the dancing fountains so I convinced everyone (except Roger for reasons I will later explain) to go back into town after we had checked into the boat to see them. It turned out to be a good idea (as most of mine are) as they were spectacular and as every bit amazing as I had hoped they would be. They play every half hour between 6-10pm every night and go for around 4 mins, depending on the music. It was dark when we saw the show so the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa (worlds tallest building) with it’s lights flashing in time to the fountain and music made it look even more incredible. Lionel Richie singing All night long belted out of the speakers while the water rose and fell and waved and danced in time is something I will never forget.
At night the malls are heaving with people as the temperature drops to a cool 35 degrees. The Dubai Mall is huge with lots of named brand clothing stores, every 2nd shop seemed to be an elaborate chocolate shop with big displays of confectionery piled up looking most inviting and on one floor is a big open ice skating rink with burqua clad women whizzing around on their skates looking like highly charged black ghosts.
Meanwhile, back on ship, Roger was having lifeboat drill, so if this ship decides to do a Costa Concordia he is the only one who will know what to do. The check in process was long and tedious and took almost 2 hours. Apparently 300 people joined the boat in Dubai as it is the most popular leg being the one with the least amount of days at sea.
While we were assured of our berth, as we had booked so long in advanced and paid full price, Maureen & Roger were feeling very apprehensive as their deal was done 2 weeks ago and on the proviso they had a North American in their cabin as the deal was only open to Americans & Canadians. Their Canadian friend who was coming with them was now sharing with M & R’s other friend Jo who had decided to join them all. On top of that, Ellen (the Canadian) declared just as we were lining up that she didn’t print her boarding pass and would that matter! It stated on our boarding pass that entry could be refused if you didn’t have one. Then Jo went to check her emails while we were lining up and found an email telling her that her 93 yr old mother she has been nursing for years had fallen down and broke her arm & hip, so everyone suddenly went from being joyously excited to very nervous and worried.
If finally came our turn to go to the counter. There were three of them so we each stood in our respective pairs. There was a problem with our card somehow so we were told to go and sit & wait while it was sorted out, M & R were told their names weren’t on the manifest so go and sit & wait while it was sorted out, meanwhile the girls answered a few questions, were given their boarding cards and were off! After 10 minutes of sweating M & R were given their cards and they were off leaving us, the only legitimate passengers high & dry so to speak. WTF? After another long wait they finally gave us our passes & we boarded the ship we had so long waited for. Turns out it wasn’t such a bad deal to wait as somehow they have made a mistake and given Jon a platinum card which is for passengers who have either done 5 cruises or more or had 51 cruising days with Princess. With this card come certain privileges so we have yet to take advantage of that but Jon is guarding it jealously. Roger was refusing to get off the ship again just in case they decided he really shouldn’t be there and there was no way he wasn’t going!
Life on board ship can be very busy. We have two days at sea before coming to the next port of Salalah, down the south coast of Oman, well south of the capital Muscat. Yesterday (our first day) was an eatathon. We had breakfast at 7.30am, then explored the ship to see what it had to offer, then had a snack before meeting everyone for lunch. At lunch we made plans to meet up again for high tea then had to leave that to get ready for dinner. This has got to stop as already I can feel my stomach expanding.
After lunch we had a swim in one of the many pools they have then lay in our deck chairs and watched the afternoon movie showing on the big outdoor movie screen. Didn’t see the finish as had to dash off for afternoon tea. That night was our first formal night so all the women were dressed in their gorgeous evening gear, men in tux or suits and we descended the stairs in the Atrium to the sound of the quartet playing classical music. It was all very elegant. As we were lead into the dining room to our allocated table we saw someone we knew whom we haven’t seen for at least 5-6 years! Couldn’t believe it so after the exclamations of ‘what are you doing here’ we made a date to meet for coffee the next morning to catch up.
We were seated at a table for 4 and our 2 dining companions were a lively retired couple from Dubbo who managed to keep us amused while we were served crab quiche, lobster bisque, filets of salmon or beef and finishing with a hazelnut soufflé & coffee. We couldn’t linger at dinner as we had a date at the Captains welcome aboard party for those of us who got on at Dubai. There the champagne flowed, more canapés if you could fit anymore in and we were introduced to the main officers. Apparently there are 846 crew members to 1800 passengers made up mostly of Australians, approx 1200, 186 kiwis and the rest British, Canadian and a handful of Europeans.
We left there to hurry off to the 8pm show of dancing & singing & a little comedy. There was more fun to be had but we dragged ourselves off to bed for a lie down and tummy rub.
Today we joined the health fanatics and did a few laps around the Promenade deck, the only deck that allows you to walk right around the ship. 3 laps equals a mile. On the way we saw dolphins leaping high out of the water. Ellen told us this was the migratory route for whales & dolphins, down the coast of Oman and thousands of turtles come to lay their eggs here.
We met Bev (our long lost friend) for coffee at the appointed time. She had just come from a Zumba class which had followed closely after a Tai Chi class so she was already exhausted.
Every day we get a little newsletter detailing the days activities, which are many and varied. Most I’m thinking I will give a miss like the knitters & crafters get together or the Christian fellowship bible study or the Masonic gathering but they do have lectures on history, astronomy or about the different ports we will visit that may be worth attending. This afternoon I plan on going to the lecture from a Master Chef, Alfredo Marzi, who embarked at Dubai and is leading the kitchens for a few weeks. Then tonight will be busy as a few things clash like dinner, movie under the stars accompanied by popcorn & a nice blankey, a show by violin virtuoso Yasha from Russia & early evening drinks in the wheelhouse bar with melodies from a jazz duo. Not sure I will fit it all in but will give it a darn good shot.
I must admit, there are an extraordinary amount of old people aboard this trip, it’s like sailing around in a retirement village. No need to worry about going to the adults only area as I have only seen one child so far and it was so refreshing to see someone under the age of 80. The Zimmer frames do come in handy when it comes to carrying all the food from the buffet to the table tho, of that I envy them. We think to qualify for this cruise you have to be old or ugly or fat and it doesn’t hurt to be all three. I’m almost qualifying for the fat category although I have a long way to go from some of my fellow passengers. They are very ‘friendly’ tho and love to chime in and ’help’ even if it isn’t asked for or plonk themselves down at your table, preferable in the seat just vacated by one of our party to go and get an extra drink, without even asking if anyone was sitting there as if it were their extreme right to do so. Oh well, it’s all in the cruise experience.
Yesterday was reported to be 44 degrees in Dubai but I think it is now a mild 30 something, we are out at sea and so far no sign of pirates.
The flight was good over, we had the middle seat empty so had a little room to move. We did spend 14 hours in the dark tho, the sun was behind us but we just kept flying into the darkness. Finally as we approached Dubai the sun was starting to rise and what a magnificent sight was laid out below with the lights of Dubai sparkling like the crown jewels but light enough to make out the landscape.
Our experience of the taxi ride into town was enlighting. We discovered you can indeed drive at over 120kph on a very busy & congested highway, make rapid lane changes, toot at people who only drove at 119kph all the while fish around in your handbag which was inconveniently located on the passenger seat requiring one to stretch over and frantically search before dragging it on your knee and if still not successful, take both hands off the wheel until finally, at the bottom of the bag, you find those elusive sunglasses. I’m not sure who was more pleased when she finally did find them.
It seemed very surreal to walk down a hotel corridor and see Roger, last seen on Waiheke Island while discussing what a great idea this would be, and here we all were.
As it was still only 6.30am we had quite some time to wait before we could check in on the boat so after coffee and a catch up we went out to a couple of the local malls to look at the shops. Generally there is no one around during the day because of the heat so the shops were decidedly empty of people. Dubai is a very odd city, it has massive modern high rises and beautiful mosques, green grass and pretty flowers looking decidedly out of place in the middle of what is obviously a desert. The large empty blocks of land between buildings is just sand and everything looks dry & dusty with a veil of heat haze descending around the city covering it like thick smog. It’s no use going up the tallest building to see the view as there isn’t one (view I mean).
The one thing I really wanted to see above all else was the dancing fountains so I convinced everyone (except Roger for reasons I will later explain) to go back into town after we had checked into the boat to see them. It turned out to be a good idea (as most of mine are) as they were spectacular and as every bit amazing as I had hoped they would be. They play every half hour between 6-10pm every night and go for around 4 mins, depending on the music. It was dark when we saw the show so the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa (worlds tallest building) with it’s lights flashing in time to the fountain and music made it look even more incredible. Lionel Richie singing All night long belted out of the speakers while the water rose and fell and waved and danced in time is something I will never forget.
At night the malls are heaving with people as the temperature drops to a cool 35 degrees. The Dubai Mall is huge with lots of named brand clothing stores, every 2nd shop seemed to be an elaborate chocolate shop with big displays of confectionery piled up looking most inviting and on one floor is a big open ice skating rink with burqua clad women whizzing around on their skates looking like highly charged black ghosts.
Meanwhile, back on ship, Roger was having lifeboat drill, so if this ship decides to do a Costa Concordia he is the only one who will know what to do. The check in process was long and tedious and took almost 2 hours. Apparently 300 people joined the boat in Dubai as it is the most popular leg being the one with the least amount of days at sea.
While we were assured of our berth, as we had booked so long in advanced and paid full price, Maureen & Roger were feeling very apprehensive as their deal was done 2 weeks ago and on the proviso they had a North American in their cabin as the deal was only open to Americans & Canadians. Their Canadian friend who was coming with them was now sharing with M & R’s other friend Jo who had decided to join them all. On top of that, Ellen (the Canadian) declared just as we were lining up that she didn’t print her boarding pass and would that matter! It stated on our boarding pass that entry could be refused if you didn’t have one. Then Jo went to check her emails while we were lining up and found an email telling her that her 93 yr old mother she has been nursing for years had fallen down and broke her arm & hip, so everyone suddenly went from being joyously excited to very nervous and worried.
If finally came our turn to go to the counter. There were three of them so we each stood in our respective pairs. There was a problem with our card somehow so we were told to go and sit & wait while it was sorted out, M & R were told their names weren’t on the manifest so go and sit & wait while it was sorted out, meanwhile the girls answered a few questions, were given their boarding cards and were off! After 10 minutes of sweating M & R were given their cards and they were off leaving us, the only legitimate passengers high & dry so to speak. WTF? After another long wait they finally gave us our passes & we boarded the ship we had so long waited for. Turns out it wasn’t such a bad deal to wait as somehow they have made a mistake and given Jon a platinum card which is for passengers who have either done 5 cruises or more or had 51 cruising days with Princess. With this card come certain privileges so we have yet to take advantage of that but Jon is guarding it jealously. Roger was refusing to get off the ship again just in case they decided he really shouldn’t be there and there was no way he wasn’t going!
Life on board ship can be very busy. We have two days at sea before coming to the next port of Salalah, down the south coast of Oman, well south of the capital Muscat. Yesterday (our first day) was an eatathon. We had breakfast at 7.30am, then explored the ship to see what it had to offer, then had a snack before meeting everyone for lunch. At lunch we made plans to meet up again for high tea then had to leave that to get ready for dinner. This has got to stop as already I can feel my stomach expanding.
After lunch we had a swim in one of the many pools they have then lay in our deck chairs and watched the afternoon movie showing on the big outdoor movie screen. Didn’t see the finish as had to dash off for afternoon tea. That night was our first formal night so all the women were dressed in their gorgeous evening gear, men in tux or suits and we descended the stairs in the Atrium to the sound of the quartet playing classical music. It was all very elegant. As we were lead into the dining room to our allocated table we saw someone we knew whom we haven’t seen for at least 5-6 years! Couldn’t believe it so after the exclamations of ‘what are you doing here’ we made a date to meet for coffee the next morning to catch up.
We were seated at a table for 4 and our 2 dining companions were a lively retired couple from Dubbo who managed to keep us amused while we were served crab quiche, lobster bisque, filets of salmon or beef and finishing with a hazelnut soufflé & coffee. We couldn’t linger at dinner as we had a date at the Captains welcome aboard party for those of us who got on at Dubai. There the champagne flowed, more canapés if you could fit anymore in and we were introduced to the main officers. Apparently there are 846 crew members to 1800 passengers made up mostly of Australians, approx 1200, 186 kiwis and the rest British, Canadian and a handful of Europeans.
We left there to hurry off to the 8pm show of dancing & singing & a little comedy. There was more fun to be had but we dragged ourselves off to bed for a lie down and tummy rub.
Today we joined the health fanatics and did a few laps around the Promenade deck, the only deck that allows you to walk right around the ship. 3 laps equals a mile. On the way we saw dolphins leaping high out of the water. Ellen told us this was the migratory route for whales & dolphins, down the coast of Oman and thousands of turtles come to lay their eggs here.
We met Bev (our long lost friend) for coffee at the appointed time. She had just come from a Zumba class which had followed closely after a Tai Chi class so she was already exhausted.
Every day we get a little newsletter detailing the days activities, which are many and varied. Most I’m thinking I will give a miss like the knitters & crafters get together or the Christian fellowship bible study or the Masonic gathering but they do have lectures on history, astronomy or about the different ports we will visit that may be worth attending. This afternoon I plan on going to the lecture from a Master Chef, Alfredo Marzi, who embarked at Dubai and is leading the kitchens for a few weeks. Then tonight will be busy as a few things clash like dinner, movie under the stars accompanied by popcorn & a nice blankey, a show by violin virtuoso Yasha from Russia & early evening drinks in the wheelhouse bar with melodies from a jazz duo. Not sure I will fit it all in but will give it a darn good shot.
I must admit, there are an extraordinary amount of old people aboard this trip, it’s like sailing around in a retirement village. No need to worry about going to the adults only area as I have only seen one child so far and it was so refreshing to see someone under the age of 80. The Zimmer frames do come in handy when it comes to carrying all the food from the buffet to the table tho, of that I envy them. We think to qualify for this cruise you have to be old or ugly or fat and it doesn’t hurt to be all three. I’m almost qualifying for the fat category although I have a long way to go from some of my fellow passengers. They are very ‘friendly’ tho and love to chime in and ’help’ even if it isn’t asked for or plonk themselves down at your table, preferable in the seat just vacated by one of our party to go and get an extra drink, without even asking if anyone was sitting there as if it were their extreme right to do so. Oh well, it’s all in the cruise experience.
Ha ha - good start. Hope it's not too stressful - trying to fit in all that fun.
ReplyDeleteSo much fun in a short amount of time. How tinny is that to see someone you know. Trust Jon to luck in on the platinum card, make up for not having his senior card with him.
ReplyDeleteHi Paulette - What a great read! I love the last paragraph the best about the old/ugly/fat people on board - halarious. Glad to hear you are all having fun - tell mum to put the chocolate cake down! (only because i'm jealous!) Looking forward to the next post....
ReplyDeleteToni