Feb-March, 2008 Back to Back Cruises Down Under

We will be returning to one of our favorite regions on earth and sailing on one of our favorite ships, Celebrity's Mercury. The most fun will be returning to places that we've visited before, adding new places to our list of favorite sights and seeing crew members with whom we sailed to Alaska.

We are leaving home on February 12, spending 2 nights in Honolulu on the way, and sailing out of Sydney on February 17. We will return on March 17 after celebrating our 47th anniversary on the last day of the cruise (March 16). This will be the longest trip we've ever taken (the previous longest was our first trip down under almost 13 years ago).

My plan is to post our itinerary and background plans over the next few months and then add to our travelogue, as we go, by keeping a journal on my PC and uploading here whenever we have Internet access. We hope that our friends and family will vicariously enjoy traveling with us and post their comments and questions along the way.... It will be a great ride!

Note: our posts will be listed in descending order; so, if by any strange chance, you've missed one or more (eek!) of our thrilling, descriptive and delightful posts, just scroll on down and find the ones that you've missed.

(NOTE: To add a comment click one of the "Comments" buttons below each post. To send an email go to "View My Complete Profile" at the bottom of the About Us section and select WEBMASTER on the "My Web Page" link. We'll be sure to answer your questions the very next time we have Internet access - we love getting email when we're away from home.)

Itinerary - Home to Honolulu

Feb 12 - AA to DFW to HNL leave 6 AM; arrive 4:25 PM. We expected to stay at the Marriott Waikiki, where we stayed on our trip last February, to earn some additional Marriott Rewards points - an obsession. However, I decided to see if I could get a better deal using Priceline and ended up with a good price at the Ala Moana Hotel (near the marina, shopping center and a lovely park and beach). When I found an even better price at the Hotel's Web site, I contacted Priceline and, based on their low price guarantee, they quickly adjusted the price! So...we have a 4 star hotel, good location and price and the taxi/shuttle fare from the airport is less. We're there for 2 nights.

Feb 13 - Honolulu - since we know Honolulu well, we will try to visit a few places that we haven't been on earlier trips - perhaps the Bishop museum and China town. We'll also use our Club Corp membership to eat at the Plaza Club that overlooks Aloha Tower. We ate there with our dear friends, Ed and Pam, in Feb. and really enjoyed it (and we get 2 complimentary meals!).

Feb 14 - Our Hawaiian Airlines flight to Sydney leaves at 12:05 PM. Several of our Cruise Critic Roll Call friends will be on the same flight, so first meeting will be at the airport. It's a 10 hour flight that crosses the International Dateline so we arrive on the 15th in the evening.

Itinerary - Sydney to Auckland

Feb 15 Arrive Sydney 7:20 PM. We plan to take a taxi or airport shuttle from the Sydney International Airport (perhaps with our CC friends) to the Marriott Sydney Harbor Hotel. We're excited to be staying there for 2 nights (another Priceline deal). The hotel is just 2 blocks from Circular Quay (the main transport hub in Sydney) and a short distance from the pier where our ship will dock. We can even wheel our luggage from the hotel directly to the ship.

Feb 16 Sydney We have planned a tour of wineries in the Hunter Valley using Sydney Wilderness Tours. Three of our fellow cruisers (from Germany) are going with us.
We will be picked up at the hotel at 7:45 AM and dropped off back at the hotel at 6:00 PM. On the tour, we'll visit 4 wineries, have a gourmet lunch, visit a chocolate factory and a cheese factory. Most important - we'll buy wine to sip on our balcony during the cruise :) The 2 hour drive across the Harbor Bridge to and from the Hunter Valley will allow us to see the lovely countryside....we can't wait!

When we get back from our tour, we will meet our Cruise Critic Roll Call friends in the bar at the Marriott at 7 PM for our first (of many) get-togethers. If we're late getting back, we're sure they will be able to start without us! Hope the jet lag doesn't catch up with us - we might just doze through the party and, more likely, on the way back from the wineries - the wine + drive + jet lag .

Feb 17 Sydney - We plan to check out of the hotel after breakfast and board the ship as early as we can (late morning). After having lunch and getting settled in our cabin (our first aft balcony cabin), we will do some sightseeing in the city center. Of course, a return visit to the Opera House, the Rocks, the Harbour Bridge and the Botanical Gardens.

On a fun note, we coincidentally met a couple from Sydney at our hotel in NYC last May. We have been in touch with them via email and they have been kind enough to invite us to join them for part of the Sydney Film Festival in the evening.

Feb 18 Sydney - Another day of sightseeing after breakfast on the ship (perhaps room service on our balcony?). We hope to go to the top of the Sydney Tower for a drink and picture taking; We sail-away at 6 PM - with sunset over Sydney Harbor - what could be better?

Feb 19 At Sea - Plan for total relaxation as we're finally at sea - love those sea days. We will likely have the Cruise Critic Connections party in the morning so will meet many of our Roll Call members.

Feb 20 Melbourne 7 AM to 6 PM - We've never been to Melbourne before so plan to do this city on our own using the Melbourne free tram from the pier and hop on-hop off buses to see the sights. We're waiting to hear from a group in Melbourne that provides local volunteers to show us around the City Center. They won't know until close to sailing time if a volunteer is available. We will do a walking tour of the market and downtown area, return to ship for lunch, and then more sightseeing around the harbor.

Feb 21 At Sea - more relaxation - never get enough of that...imagining sitting on our large veranda with a glass of wine and a good book. Heavenly.

Feb 22 Hobart 7 AM to 6 PM - We have booked a tour that includes Hobart city sights, Mount Wellington, Battery Point, and Richmond Village with 8 of our Roll Call friends. Were hoping that the weather allows us to take the great pictures we've heard are possible from the top of Mt. Wellington overlooking Hobart city.

Feb 23 At Sea - Tasman Sea - rocking and rolling! This part of the cruise is described as the most likely for rough seas. We'll have Meclyzine, Ginger capsules, and ginger ale with us and expect to enjoy several happy days on sea...stay tuned to see if this goes as planned :)

Feb 24 At Sea - Tasman Sea - more rock and roll!

Feb 25 Fiordland - Milford, Dusky and Doubtful Sounds from 6 AM to 4:30 PM -

On our first trip to NZ, we did a day tour to Milford Sound. The weather was glorious on the bus trip to the sound, we boarded and had lunch and that was the last we saw of the sun for the entire day. We were cold and wet. It rained and rained and then rained some more. The waterfalls were amazing and dolphins swam alongside of the boat. We were told that everyone needs to see Milford sound in both rain and sun - the scenery is totally different in different weather. Soooo, we're expecting sunshine this time. We have never been to Doubtful or Dusky Sounds, so we're excited to see the differences among the 3.

Feb 26 Dunedin 8 AM to 6 PM - Isabel and Tom booked an all day tour to the Otago Peninsula and we are joining them along with 2 other couples. We are going with Arthur's Tours (not a relative :)) - Arthur gets great reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor.

Will visit the Albatross Colony, hopefully there will be babies hatching at this time of the year; the penguin colony that we saw on our last trip to Dunedin - delightful; and Lamarch Castle (another new experience).

Feb 27 Christchurch 7 AM to 6 PM - Plan to take the bus from Lyttleton to Christchurch (where the ship docks) then will be on our own...we've been here twice and love this city. Will wander around, take the tram, visit the cathedral and Botanical Gardens again and just enjoy the ambiance of the riverside. We're thinking of a tour to Akaroa but haven't decided yet.

Feb 28 Wellington 7 AM to 5 PM - Since I spent a week in Wellington last March, I'll be the tour guide for Art (who spent 2 days here about 13 years ago). Friends from the Hutt Valley outside of Wellington are meeting us for lunch and pointing us in the direction of the $2 store where we plan to buy school supplies for the children of Christmas Island (more info in the itinerary for our 2nd cruise). Then we'll go to the Te Papa museum (free admission to this wonderful national museum of NZ) and return to the ship. But I must have a glass of Five Flax Sauvignon Blanc which I tried in March and loved (even though I usually drink red wine). If we can find it, we might even try to take some onboard for veranda drinking!

Feb 29 White Island Cruising 5-7 PM - cruising around and past this live volcano - the only one in NZ

Mar 1 Tauranga 7 AM to 7:15 PM We have a wonderful cultural tour planned with Indigenous Trails. I've been in touch with Des Harris of this company and we have a full day of experiencing authentic Maori culture, scenic wonders, and a Kiwifruit farm. Des has been amazing to work with in planning this trip and I'm so looking forward to meeting him and his staff. Eighteen of our Cruise Critic Roll Call friends are accompanying us.

Mar 2 Arrive Auckland 7 AM - Whew, hope to have time to do a few housekeeping things like getting my nails done and then taking a ferry ride across the harbor to one of the islands...not sure which one yet. However, after much negotiation which I'll explain in the section on Christmas Island, we now will be receiving a shipment of educational materials to take to the children on Christmas Island (Kiribati). So...we won't know until we dock whether we'll have time to do any sightseeing. No problem, this will be our third time in Auckland and we've hit the main attractions before. It will be a new experience to say good-bye to those leaving the ship and hello to newcomers while staying onboard and using it as our harborside hotel for the day. We sail at 5 pm.

Itinerary - Auckland to Honolulu and Home

Mar 2 Auckland Since this is our third trip to Auckland, we plan to walk around the harbor area, take a ferry from the old Ferry Building to one of the islands nearby (perhaps Rangiroto Island which is adormant volcano) IF we have time after receiving the educational supplies for the children of Kiribati.

We'll drop off some laundry at a place downtown that will do it for us (unless we get the magic all you can fit into a bag deal onboard at the end of cruise)! I also plan to have my nails done and pick up some wine for evenings on the balcony in the South Pacific. Just writing that gives me goose bumps. Imagine us in Tahiti and Bora Bora!

Then we'll get settled in our new cabin and check to see if any of our Roll Call friends joining us for this leg of the cruise have boarded yet. One of the great things about keeping the Roll Call list is that I have a list of cabin numbers and names... We've invited Dave and Kim to have a drink with us on our balcony, so will have to hunt them down! Sail-away is at 6 PM - hope to have our first 2nd leg Roll Call group gathering for that!

Mar 3 Tauranga 9 Am to 5 PM After a long day of touring here on March 1, we had planned to relax, have a leisurely breakfast and just walk around Tauranga. But...at a conference in Atlanta last October, I met a Nurse Administrator who lives in, of all places, Tauranga, NZ. She offered to take us on a personal tour and how could I say NO?? No way!!

Mar 4 At Sea

Guess you get the picture...more relaxation and a morning meeting of the folks who have brought gifts for the children of Kiribati

Mar 5 Cruising/cross International Date Line

Mar 6 Rarotonga, Cook Islands Our plans have changed since the original tour we planned left from a different island. New plans are to be picked up at the ship and taken to a beach for snorkeling and sunning by the Dive Centre folks (and, for me, using the underwater housing for my new camera for the first time).

Then we hope to take a public bus around the island for picture taking and meeting the people who speak English and Cook Island Maori.

Mar 7 At Sea

Mar 8 Papeete, Tahiti 7 AM to 6 PM 1/2 day tour with Patrick (planned by Isabel for 8 of us) on 2 wheel drive vehicles through the rain forest. Figured we'll get enough snorkeling tomorrow in Bora Bora so no beaching it today. Will return to the ship for lunch then go

to the huge market in Pepeete.

Mar 9 Bora Bora 8 AM to 4 PM Isabel took the lead in planning a full day tour with Nono - who is recommended highly by those on Cruise Critic who have taken this tour previously - including snorkeling, lunch on a motu (tiny island) and lots of promised marine life. We hav

e quite a nice size Roll Call group going with us on this one also.

Mar 10 At Sea

Mar 11 At Sea

Mar 12 Christmas Island 10 AM to 6 PM This day should be very special. I've been in touch with ForGranted - a non-profit organization formed by former Peace Corps volunteers to provide educational materials for the children of Kiribati (Kee Ree Bahs) - real name of the island. Many of our cruise mates (and we) are planning to bring gifts for the children. I've been put in touch with the Minister of Education and we will bring what she says they really need. Lots more details after we visit.

The big news is that after many emails and telephone calls, the executive director of For Granted and I have been able to arrange for Mercury to pick up a shipment of edu

cational materials in Auckland and deliver them to the island children! In addition, RCCL will accept a large shipment from For Granted in Miami in April and delivery it to Kiribati. We feel so grateful to have accomplished this for this island - one of the 10 poorest in the world. My contact person on the ship is the Hotel Director who will faciliate this project for us.

Mar 13 At Sea

Mar 14 At Sea

Mar 15 Hilo, Hawaii 7 AM to 5 PM We're sharing a van with Steve and Henny and Isabel and Tom to explore the Hilo side of Hawaii.We plan to visit the Akata Waterfall and the Botanical Gardens and stop whenever we wish!

We visited Volcanos National Park when we were here

some years ago so wanted to see more of the area on this visit.

Mar 16 HAPPY 47TH ANNIVERARY Arrive Honolulu 7 AM We will disembark after breakfast - not in a hurry to disembark, so will just enjoy our last meal and beginning of our anniversary onboard. Hopefully we can find a place to store our luggage (or use the ship's luggage valet service). We've made reservations to have lunch at the Plaza Club (an affiliate of the Carolina Club - our membership makes it possible for us to have complimentary meals). So our traditional anniversary dinner will be lunch! After lunch we'll head to the airport where we'll buy our usual pineapple to take home; AA Flight HNL 4:45 PM to DFW - a red eye, of course.

Mar 17 Arrive Home