Hitch a Ride with Bill & Mary Ann on Holland America's 2018 World Cruise - 113 days +

Thanks for your reports.

Hope the any problem is controlled, we don't want them bought ashore in New Zealand.

Report #25 Vaitape,Bora Bora, French Polynesia January 24,2018 Wednesday 79 degrees & Chance of rain Part #1 Of 4 80 Pictures

Somewhere around 7 million years ago, the island of BoraBora came into existence. It is theoldest of the Society Islands, and part of the Leeward Islands. Located about 170 miles from Tahiti, is hasbeen described as paradise on earth. Wetend to agree that the lagoon is the most beautiful in the world with waterranging from turquoise blue to deep sapphire. The island itself is 5.5 miles long, and 2.5 miles wide. But the surrounding lagoon is 31 squaremiles, three times larger than the land mass. The entrance to the only pass, Te Ava Nui Pass, is 180 feet deep withgray sharks and barracuda feeding there. Two major peaks can be seen on the island. They are Otemanu at 2385 feet in elevation,and Pahia at 2168 feet high. The roadaround the island is only 20 miles. About 9000 people live here, and are employed mainly in the tourismindustry. A few marae still exist here,but most of them were destroyed by missionaries 100 years ago. This entire island also houses relics fromWorld War II, although much of it has been consumed by the jungle.

The 10 ship tours offered here included two land excursionsfrom 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours for $70 to $170. There were two tank dive tours, one for 2 hours at $150 and the next onefor 3 ½ hours for $210. This is the placefor water trips like the four boat tours for 2 to 3 hours for $80 to $150. Last but not least, you can take thesnorkeling boat for 3 hours for $130 to $150. We recommend the swimming trips, because you will never be in waterslike this, seeing so much coral and fish…..little and big. Just be careful what type of ladders theboats have, so you can make a quick entrance into the boat when you see thelarge sharks so close. Thrilling……

Our plan for the day was simple. Eat a light breakfast, and take a tender boatover to shore around 10am. Although theprojected high of the day was only 79 degrees, we think they were off by 10degrees. It was shaping up to be a veryhot day, with an occasional breeze. Theride to Vaitape was quick, and we were loaded into a waiting van for the $5ride each to Matira Beach. Most of thefolks bailed out at Bloody Mary’s, an old establishment here, made famous fortheir signature drink of tomato juice and vodka. A number of Hollywood stars, as well as worldpoliticians have been here over the years. Too early for lunch,so we went to the end of the line at Matira Beach.

Checking out the Intercontinental Hotel at the point, wediscovered that they no longer offer a day pass. Not that we planned on staying, but we didwant all the info to share. You could goto their restaurant, but not use their facilities or pool anymore. It has always been expensive anyway.

Further up the road, we walked past the other major hotelssuch as the Maitai and the Sofitel. Someof the thatched roofs at both properties were being repaired, so we figured astorm must have done some damage here recently. Both still offer day passes and a nice place for lunch. Still too early for us, we turned around andmade our way to the beach at Matira Point.

There are basic restrooms there, as well as a smallconvenient store nearby in which to buy beverages…..a most important thing tohave with you in this heat. We walkedthe stretch of this famous beach, beingcareful not to step on the bits of broken coral. It’s always at this point of our walk, thatwe remember that it would have been wise to have brought the aqua shoes. If we had chosen to swim here, thoseprotective shoes would have been a must. Strolling the surf was good enough.

And once we reached the far end, we began to see the largesting rays. Appearing to be black rocksunder the surface, the rays moved slowly, barely breaking the surface. According to the local tourist booklet, theserays fill this part of the reef. Most ofthe snorkel boats bring their guests here to see them. They came within a few feet of our feet, asthey must feed on the smaller fish in the surf. Pretty neat.

Before we joined the road, we stopped to put on ourshoes. We watched a nearby dive shopfilling tanks for the reef trips. Youhave to be certified to do this activity. This is the end of the beach, and where the old Hotel Bora Bora sits inruins. A metal fence now blocks thebeach, so you cannot wander into the property.

Walking the road, we noticed many folks had rented vehiclesfor the day. For instance, a small carwould run 9500 francs ($95) for 4 hours. A jeep would set you back 19000 francs or $190. A more economical way to go would be to renta scooter for 5500 francs ($55) for 4 hours or rent a Twizy, the name of the 2person electric car for 7900 francs ($79) for 2 hours. A bike rented out for 1500 francs ($15) for 2hours, the best deal of all.

It sure was nice to finally come to the famous Bloody Mary’sRestaurant. Not a large place, it isalways fun to have lunch there…even more fun having beer there. Not fans of the real Bloody Mary beverage oftomato juice and vodka, we opted for the Hinano beer at half the price $4 for aglass. The place was pretty full, but wemanaged to be seated right away, under one of the overhead fans.

We ordered a chicken quesadilla and a bowl of fries toshare. Needed that cold beer tore-hydrate. And since it happened to bea birthday for one of us, we ordered one serving of profiteroles to split. What a neat place to spend a quiet birthday.

Right outside the restaurant, we joined the waiting shuttlefor the ride back. A funny thing hadhappened while walking the beach. Looking for seashells to add to our huge collection at home, one of usfound a 1000 franc bill in the sand. Absolutely no one was anywhere near there, so we figured someone mayhave lost it in the water. Oh well, weused it for the ride back to the pier…….a little surprise birthday gift.

Looking for a pair of earrings made with the carved motherof pearl shell, we had no luck. We hadbought a carved pendant with a single black pearl attached to it a few yearsago. Trying to find something similarproved fruitless. It’s always fun tolook at their tables of treasures, but today we were not tempted with anythingnew. Downtown was pretty busy, sincethere was another ship in the lagoon with us. It was the Wind Spirit once again. We think we rode back to town with some of their guests. They were a bit on the younger side, and didnot look like HAL passengers.

Back in the comfort of our room, we worked once again on thecomputer. Then we went outside to see ifa good sunset was going to happen. Itwas OK, but mostly blocked by the nearest motu. Nothing close to the sunset we saw in Tahiti. Passing through the Lido, we checked out theevent of the evening…..a Polynesian cook-in. Normally, a deck BBQ would be held in this port. But they have been banned, and the party hasbeen moved to inside. The entire Lidowas decorated for the occasion, and the food offerings weretropical-related. As for us, we hadreservations in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm.

The sun went down behind the motu, but it was nowhere nearas stunning as the sunset in Tahiti. Afew folks were armed with their cameras to catch the setting rays, but mosteveryone was busy filling their plates in the Lido buffet.

The Pinnacle Grill was not crowded, so the service wasperfect. It is such a treat to have thecourses flow, and be done in an hour or so. And it was not a total surprise that a large decorated cake arrived fordessert. Yes, they did remember it wasmy special day. The nice thing is thatin this venue, the wait staff and Tina keep the occasion low-key, just the wayI prefer it. They offered to keep thedessert to share at our table tomorrow evening. Yes, that’s a great plan, as we cannot consume a whole cake. For our meal, we had one order of lamb chops,and one filet. Dessert was the little souffléand a dish of Cherry Garcia ice cream.

Too early for the show, we missed a magician by the name ofNathan Coe Marsh. For sure, he will beback for another performance.

It was extremely muggy outside when we walked the promenadedeck. Vaitape was lit up, but we knowthat very few things would be opened this late. All aboard was 10:30pm, and everyone must have been back already bythen, because we left the lagoon shortly afterwards.

Another day in paradise. The evening ended with a chuckle. All of the cabins had notes waiting for them regarding the tendertickets used for the orderly debarking. Henk M wrote the wittiest message to please return missing tickets. His message read: We’ve noticed that a goodfew of you are progressively creative in trying to outsmart this well-intendedprocess. Or, you are so caught up in thejoys of this process, that you may have forgotten to return the remaining sparetickets in your possession? Should thatbe you, we would highly appreciate for you to return them at the front deskdrop box. Thank you kindly. Henk M. Is that funny or what? Didn’t wetell you, that people resent the priority debarking being suspended?

Bill & Mary Ann

I thought I was reading everything but apparently I missed this......confess.....in trying to catch up I might have skipped an episode or 2!! Silly ;me....now I don't know why priority debarking was suspended. I can guess but I will go back to find out.

I thought I was reading everything but apparently I missed this......confess.....in trying to catch up I might have skipped an episode or 2!! Silly ;me....now I don't know why priority debarking was suspended. I can guess but I will go back to find out.

I think that I read that it was suspended because so many 4* and 5*'s were aboard and priority tendering was useless.

I think that I read that it was suspended because so many 4* and 5*'s were aboard and priority tendering was useless.

I was on the Voyage of the Vikings this summer and there were 900 4 and 5 star mariners.....we still did the priority tendering thing but it was a bit silly......still had to stand in a long line to get a tender ticket.

Loving your reports.

Swimming is not for me. Had an instructor when I was quite young try to teach me to swim -- put me in the turtle position and I sank like a rock. He tried several other things -- I sank like a rock. There is something about my body fat that keeps me from floating. Thus all these swim and water tours are a bust for me. DH never tried to learn to swim.

Love the letter you all got from Henk!!

I've been following this thread each day and enjoying it.

Keith

Report # 26 Day atSea January 25, 2018 Thursday 81 degrees & Partly cloudy

A day at sea was welcomed by just about everyone, afterspending so many days in French Polynesia. Not only did the activities keep us all busy, but the heat and humiditydid a number on most folks. In a word, itwas exhausting. Now we rest up for moreahead.

The Polynesian team left us in Papeete, although we did seeKainoa yesterday in Bora Bora. Weremember he has a cousin here that deals in black pearl sales. Andmore than likely, he directed some of the passengers to his shop. Replacing this team, a group of New Zealandmaoris have begun teaching crafts with weaving this morning. At 3pm, you couldlearn the exciting dance called ura of the Cook Islands. Later in the day, we heard the groupserenading in the Sports Bar area. Thisinformal gathering was titled Polynesian Love Songs and Cultural Night Market.

Although rain was not in the forecast, we don’t believeit. While relaxing on the back deck, itbegan to sprinkle lightly. Past experiencetells us it never sprinkles here, as the showers can come swiftly and dump alot of water. Truthfully, it felt goodto cool off, but our things are not waterproof, and we took temporary shelterby the bar. Then it was gone as fast asit arrived, and we resumed the sunbathing.

Eventually we were joined by friends, sharing ourexperiences the last few days. As we alldo different things, it’s fun to discover other options for return visits. All of us are still laughing over the missingtender tickets, the message that was left in our room last night. There was a box on the front desk for ticketreturns….no questions asked. Taking thisa step further, this evening, we received tomorrow’s newsletter. A new warning was printed in the tenderoperation section. Cutting in line orsaving of spaces for any more persons other than one’s self is not allowed andno tender tickets will be issued to anyone doing so. Naughty, naughty, naughty.

Some new speakers and one guest chef have joined the ship. Lecturers are Milt Keiles and Melvyn Bowen,both talking about South Pacific related subjects. The guest chef is Charles Lallemand, a newname for us.

Dinnertime had sort of a surprise, since we had re-directedthe birthday cake for our table dessert. As much as one of us likes to keep birthday celebrations at a minimum,when the cake arrived, the waiters gathered and sang their special song. They have so much fun doing this, we allliked watching them, as well as joining in. The cake turned out to be carrotcake, which is one of our favorites. Slam served chocolate-drizzled vanilla icecream with it. One birthday down, andone to go in April…..

It is a 50/50 chance that we will be able to tender ashoretomorrow in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Theswells right now are measuring 6 feet, and Captain Jonathon mentioned at his PMtalk, that he will never repeat the mistake of using the alternate landingplace. But that’s another story…..

Bill & Mary Ann

It's always amazing to me that adults hoard tender tickets, cut in line, save lounges, etc. Some children act better than that.

Good luck on tendering in Rarotonga tomorrow. I feel lucky that we were able to get in the time I was there as the snorkeling was some of the best and it was a beautiful island.

Great reports.

Still laughing about the tender tickets.

Report #27 Avatiu,Rarotonga, Cook Islands January 26,2018 Friday 80 degrees & Mostly cloudy Part #1 Of 4 80 Pictures

Leaving French Polynesia behind, we are now heading into NewZealand territory. Our stop for todaywas the island of Rarotonga, one of the 15 Cook Islands. These 15 specks of land are spread out overan oceanic space the size of India. Thepopulation is 19,600 Maori and English-speaking people. They enjoy heady, but smoky, South Seas air,pristine beaches, blue lagoons, and fish and fruit a-plenty. The interior hides valleys and volcanic peaksas high as 2142 feet. The driest season,April to November, are the best months to visit. January and February have the highesttemperatures, and needless to say, it is also humid. Cooler months are May to October.

Things to do here: stuff your face while enjoying thedancing, singing, and fire-juggling at many nighttime extravaganzas. At least,that’s what the booklets say. The CookIslands are also the second largest producers of black pearls in theworld. And their next largest industryis tourism.

Now, getting onshore is not easy most of the time. This is the island where Captain Mercer hadto use an alternate landing spot two years ago. One of the tenders “floated” over a mound of coral, and was damagedbadly, stranding many guests for over 3 hours. Our buddy, Barb, happened to be on that boat, and joked later that itwas the best 3 hour “tour” she ever had. She has indeed earned the title “Barbie on therocks”.

So today, we half expected the captain to abandon theattempt at Avatiu Harbor, since the swells were border-line dangerous. But by 8am, an announcement was made thatonly the able-bodied folks would be allowed to leave the ship. This meant that there would be no wheelchairsor scooters going off today, even if they had booked tours. Wonder how that is going to work out?

Usually we have breakfast, then leave. But since there weregoing to be challenges today, we skipped eating, gathered our things, and wentto the top of the stairs to proceed down to deck A to mix in with theline. That was a mistake, because theline was not moving. It was then that werealized that the tour groups were filing down the secret doorway from the showlounge to board first. This process haschanged since last year’s world cruise, when these groups went down to deck oneto use the stairway. Must have been afire hazard to block the hallways, we’re guessing.

About six of us President’s Club members went down to mixwith the groups. The first boat hadloaded, and left. But the unpredictable swellskept us waiting for at least 20 minutes, before we began to load. Dolly decided it may be too risky for her, soshe bailed. And as one might expect,there was one couple, the wife in a wheelchair, waiting to board, despite thefact they had been banned. This fellowargued with Henk M that they had paid a lot of money for this cruise, and theyresented being denied access to the shore. In our opinion, there was no way she could have gotten into that boattoday, let alone a large wheelchair. Henk stood his ground, and suggested that they see the captain. With that, they left the platform area, madas heck. We did learn later that thosewho were fearful of the procedure did get their money back for a missed tour.

We were the first ones to board, but it took at least ½ hourbefore the rest joined us. The boat dipped at least 4 to 5 feet with the swell,and slapped into the side of the platform sideways, sending folks flying. One poor lady fell the minute she got insidethe boat. Three crew members, includingHenk, could not lift her up. Finallygetting up on her own, we all realized that her pride was hurt more thananything else. To ease herembarrassment, we all clapped for her. Once we were on our way, Henk M also got applause. We would not want his job for all the tea inChina.

The ride over was easy, and the harbor sheltered us from thewave action, making debarking much easier. We had intended on buying some New Zealand dollars onboard, but sort offorgot to do it. The souvenir vendorsalways take US dollars, and the restaurants always took credit cards. We thought we were covered, but more aboutthat later.

No doubt in our minds, it was going to be a hot day. There were clouds passing over, which helpedcool things off every now and then. That’spart of the reason a lot of folks did ship tours today. There were four offered. Two were sight –seeing….one in 4x4’s going upinto the valleys and peaks, and the other was an island drive. Both were three hours and $70 to $100. The other two involved the water. A Muri Lagoon cruise and a beach break wouldcool folks off for 3 to 3 ¾ hours for $100.

Beginning at the souvenirs tents, one of us purchased threesilky pareos. They are much lighterweight that the typical rayon ones, and seem to last forever, and very usefulfor home and travel. Other items beingsold were jewelry made with black pearls. These necklaces, bracelets, and earringscould run from hundreds to thousands, depending on the quality of the pearlsand whether or not they are set with diamonds.

Continuing up the road, we came across their Avarua PunangaNui Market, the biggest produce market in the country. Saturday happens to be their busiest day tosell food, arts and crafts, and island clothing. Produce comes from the many plantations thatgrow citrus, bananas, tapioca, papaya, and taro root. Many little huts were set in a row with avariety of fast food items. Most werenot opened yet, since it was only 10am.

Downtown Avarua has many little boutiques andrestaurants. Government buildings arehere as well, such as a large police station, a post office, and acourthouse. There is also a veryconvenient bus system here. Since theisland is only a bit under 20 miles around, there are two buses that travelit. One goes clockwise, while the othergoes counter-clockwise. Their timetableis printed in all of their maps and brochures. The cost of the 50 minute ride is $5 New Zealand. It’s also an easy way to get to Muri Beachand Lagoon, the hot spot of the island. One can snorkel, swim, or dive in the protected coral gardensthere. There is a 2 kilometer whitesandy beach there, protected by some islets and reefs. Vacationers can rent a boat for the day tofish for marlin, tuna, sailfish, and wahoo. And during the months of August and September, boats take folks out towatch for humpback whales that have migrated from Antarctica to calve andbreed. Bet that is a thrill.

Once past the main part of town, we strolled by a number ofseaside homes with shops and restaurants dotted here and there. One place advertised goat meat, slow-cookedwith ginger and coconut cream. Orgrilled flying fish and free range chickens, another island favorite. The only pizza place we spotted was in thecenter of town, but way too early to be opened for lunch.

We made it as far as the gas station where we knew we couldget something cold to drink. This iswhen we could have used the proper currency. They did accept US dollars, but as an equal exchange. As the rate is 1.35 NZ to $1. US dollar, theywere making a better deal on their end. For soda, we did not mind, because we already sipped and finished ourbottles of water.

Heading back brought us to a place we have dined twice inthe past. It is the Tamarind House, arestored colonial home, described as exclusive, private, and romantic. This establishment also doubles as a venue forwedding receptions. The food has alwaysbeen good, and they have always accepted credit cards. We did ask before ordering about the creditcards, and the waiter said yes, they did take them.

We had two small salads, a bowl of French fries, and ashared plate of linguine with puttenesca sauce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Tui beers helped to re-hydrate us, and thedessert of an apple/walnut cake with ice cream finished the meal. When the bill arrived, we gave them the Am Excard, only to be told that they don’t take Am Ex anymore. Not good….we did not bring another card withus, as they took that same card two years ago, no problem. This is when something strange happened. The waiter suggested we could pay in USdollars, but at the equal rate. The billhad come to $77 NZ, which should have been about $55 USD, plus maybe 3% for theexchange rate at the bank. We were notpleased with that, but at least, we would not have to wash dishes the rest pfthe afternoon.

Well, this did not sit well with a couple of locals, whowere sitting at a table next to us. Turned out, they were two ladies in the tourist business, and reallywent the mile to stick up for us. Horrified that the waiters were takingadvantage of American tourists, they read the riot act to the owner. We did not say a word….we didn’t haveto. Two more tables of locals alsoagreed loudly with the other ladies. Now,this is how it went down. The tour guidegals paid for our lunch with their credit card, and we gave them cash to coverit. They insisted that the current ratewas enough for them, and would not take any more than that. We thanked them, and made a promise toourselves, we will never leave the ship without some local currency. What we did not know, was that these Cook Islandsstopped accepting Am Ex for the last year or so. Now we know.

On the way back, we stopped at the Cook Island ChristianChurch and cemetery. Interesting to readthe crumbling tombstones, and find the oldest dates were in the 1800’s.

It was good to get back to the tender pier at 3pm, where aboat arrived within minutes. Seems thatthe waves and swells had calmed quite a bit since this morning, and off-loadingwas fairly easy. This time, an officerinformed us that only one at a time would be helped off the boat. It was orderly and successful…..no accidents.

Cooling off until 4:30pm, we went to the sail away at the SeaviewPool, which was advertised at 5:30pm. CaptainMercer announced that one of the stabilizers was out, and if we all wanted tosee it, they could hang over the starboard railing, before he retracted it. A slight shadow of the “wing” was visibleunder the surface, then it was gone. Thehot appetizer served at the sail away was a beef meatball, rolled in coconut,and served on a bed of sweet mango salsa. Really good.

Quite often, one of us is asked to take departing photos(video) at sail away. Always happy tooblige, the many “forms” of cameras these days are not cameras really. Cellphones or tablets are the usual culprits, and are not familiar for one of us touse. Just show us the button to push,and we will give it a shot. Today a nicecouple wanted a video of the island disappearing in the distance. Guess it worked OK, since they came back andthanked us profusely, although we’re not sure they had turned the sound on.

One of our favorite dishes was on the menu tonight - sweet and sour breaded shrimp. They don’t have it often enough in oropinion. Brenda also ordered it, and savoredevery bite, as we did. Dessert tookforever to arrive, and, our table was the last out of the room. So we did not even consider checking out theshow : Irish Party in 3rd Class” by Gary Arbuthnot. A high-energy show packed with music frommovies, rock and pop icons would not have kept us awake tonight.

Looking forward to a relaxing day at sea tomorrow, and more so,because the clocks went back one more hour this evening.

Bill & Mary Ann

Another great report.

We had that problem in Visby -- had used our AMEX card a couple of years before in this one store. When I handed the man my card (only one with us that day) he told us they no longer accepted AMEX. He lost a sale.

About the lunch: does anyone know which dining room would be the best place? Maybe we could just pick a time and meet outside the entrance? I’ve never been in the ship before so don’t know how lunch in the first day works.

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At that time, they told us thatthe passengers voted for their ports, and the majority ruled. Can you imagine doing that here? It would never work.

 

Moorea is such a lovely island!

The above is partially correct. Sometimes, passengers are offered a choice of two ports on a given itinerary, and they can vote which one. We had no choice on our cruise with Europa 2. It was the most luxurious ship I have ever been on with food to match. The cruise put a serious dent in our budget.

Just a heads up - a lot of shops and restaurants in Australia and New Zealand have stopped accepting AmEx due to extremely high fees that the retailer has to pay. For a while the retailer was passing this fee on to the customer, but recent law changes mean the retailer now must pay these fees themselves. Their solution - not to accept AmEx as a form of payment. Visa and MasterCard are readily accepted, although often with a minimum spend.

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Love your blog thank you for posting see you soon

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Report # 28 Day atSea January 27, 2018 Saturday 81 degrees & Partly cloudy

Sure was super getting that extra hour of sleep last night,as we turned the clocks back once again. Our waiters at breakfast were even more chipper than usual. Nice that they have a chance to rest up a bitmore too.

The new cruise director, Hamish, has been starting his dailyannouncements around 9:20am. Hopefullythis is not going into the rooms, because many late night folks like to sleepin later. Gene always gave his itinerarytalk right before 10am, when the first lecture would start in the Queen’s Lounge. Although Hamish is doing a good job, wemiss Gene. Hope he has found his new jobwith a different cruise line rewarding.

Lectures began with things to do and see in Auckland, a citywe really enjoy. After all of thesesmall ports with villages and towns, it will be nice to experience a bustlingmetropolitan city for a change. Especially in New Zealand, where the locals are very friendly andwelcoming.

We always seem to miss the walk a mile grand activity, sincewe do our walking around 9:30am. Peoplewere already congregating on deck three in the atrium, when we were having aone-on-one chat time with one of our favorite hosts. We have three hosts, and usually one chattime on deck five. This year, they havedecided to split up, and one fellow sits at the table outside the offices. This is nice, since we can have privateconversations without eavesdropping.

Seeing that Henk M’s office was open, we ducked inside for afew seconds to thank him for going the mile yesterday in loading the tenderboats. Despite his best efforts, weheard that quite a few passengers had some slips and falls. Nothing bad though. Now we are wondering if tomorrow’s port willbe a go. This is one place that one ofus thought a hip was broken, when the tender boat dipped 5 feet, right whenthey said “go”. I went as instructed,just as the boat went down in a nano-second. Bad, bad feeling, but I came out OK. It was a miracle however.

It always amuses us to see passengers with all the walkinggadgets. We can understand listening tomusic, but all the other toys that measure miles, heartbeats, blood pressure,etc., do not interest us in the least. People ask how many miles did you walk. To be honest, unless it is marked on the road or a map, we really don’tcare. We know just about how far ourfeet will take us, then turn around and go back. Nice if there is lunch in the middle of thatwalk. Heart rates? We’re happy that our hearts are still pumpingduring and after those hikes. Yesterday’sexcursion was an example of how locals see us…..the tourists in general. They do not walk anywhere. It is too hot, and too far for them. For the most part, we were the only ones onthe road yesterday. A very nice nativelady with her daughter stopped her little pickup and offered to take us totown. She said we were crazy and it wastoo hot. Probably right, we thanked her,but declined. Wishing us luck, she wason her way again. At that point, we wereclose to the restaurant, and stopping anyway. Some folks are really nice. Kindof made up for the not-so-friendly restaurant experience.

Thinking today’s weather might be less warm, we found out itwas much the same as yesterday. On theplus side, the heat has kept the pool deck almost empty of sun bathers. No rush to save lounges. In fact, we have observed that the usedtowels have been removed after the 30 minute limit. The bar staff has been very attentive with theoffer of ice water, tea, or lemonade throughout the day at the Seaview Pool.

Joy, our “girl Friday” at the front desk, called and tookour order for the next President’s Club amenity. Once again, we chose a bouquet of flowers andZero vitamin waters. The flowers will bedelivered after we arrive to Auckland, since that is when the florists receivefresh ones. Speaking of flowers, Eddyand Calista still perform their miracles with the most artistic arrangementsthroughout the ship. However, we arenoticing that they are using far less flowers, and more props. Painted sticks and decorative grasses are thebase for small vases of orchids, daisies, or lilies for instance. The huge flower urns around the atrium ondecks four and five are still impressive, full of mums, roses, and Asiatic lilies. Our friends said they caught a passengerrunning down to their room with one of the potted orchids from the Lido theother day. One of the larger pots too. Howfunny is that? We can only hope that oneof the many ship cameras caught that action…..

Lunch for us was room service. Ordering extra-large chicken Caesar saladsand one club sandwich was perfect. Thesalads were every bit as good as what they serve at dinner, and the deliverywas prompt. But that is probably becausewe ordered lunch at 2:30pm, well after most folks have eaten.

We have yet to go to a movie in the Wajang on sea days. Many people do just that at either 2pm or6pm. It is the only place you can getfree buttered popcorn during the day too.

Dinner had some really good choices. We have come to notice that some days thereis nothing that appeals to us, and other days, there are four greatchoices. That happened tonight. Lamb chops, prime rib, and spaghetti were thebiggies. One of us had the prime rib,and had to admit, it was one of the best pieces of beef ever. Outside cut with the seasoned crust, andstill pink and tender, it was the number one pick. Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce? One of us had eaten too much at lunch, so thepasta dish was just right.

The show tonight was comedy and conversation with FrankKing. While we were listening to themusic of the Ocean Trio, we watched as the early diners began filing into theQueen’s Lounge at 7pm to wait for the show at 8pm. Some groups sit in the same seats everynight, and have begun card games to utilize the time. Interesting crowd, this world cruise group.

Bill & Mary Ann

Just a heads up - a lot of shops and restaurants in Australia and New Zealand have stopped accepting AmEx due to extremely high fees that the retailer has to pay. For a while the retailer was passing this fee on to the customer, but recent law changes mean the retailer now must pay these fees themselves. Their solution - not to accept AmEx as a form of payment. Visa and MasterCard are readily accepted, although often with a minimum spend.

 

 

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Thank you for this information.

Very helpful for a lot of people.

Loving your review.

Tender ticket keepers -- now people stealing the potted flowers.

I have been following your thread and really enjoying your posts.

I know how time consuming this can be and really appreciate them.

Keith

Just a heads up - a lot of shops and restaurants in Australia and New Zealand have stopped accepting AmEx due to extremely high fees that the retailer has to pay. For a while the retailer was passing this fee on to the customer, but recent law changes mean the retailer now must pay these fees themselves. Their solution - not to accept AmEx as a form of payment. Visa and MasterCard are readily accepted, although often with a minimum spend.

Your post is both inaccurate and incorrect and needs clarification

The legislation allows merchants to recover actual costs involved in accepting credit cards - interestingly it doesn’t cover non bank issued AMEX’s ie those issued directly by AMEX- but it may mean they may be able to justify a higher surcharge for AMEX than Visa/MasterCard however it doesn’t mean they’ve stopped accepting AMEX

If you substantiate your claim with some proof then I’ll be the first to support it but as it stands I think you are just being unnecessarily alarmist with false information.

Thank you for this information

Very helpful for a lot of people.

It would be if it were true - but it’s not....

Your post is both inaccurate and incorrect and needs clarification

 

The legislation allows merchants to recover actual costs involved in accepting credit cards - interestingly it doesn’t cover non bank issued AMEX’s ie those issued directly by AMEX- but it may mean they may be able to justify a higher surcharge for AMEX than Visa/MasterCard however it doesn’t mean they’ve stopped accepting AMEX

 

If you substantiate your claim with some proof then I’ll be the first to support it but as it stands I think you are just being unnecessarily alarmist with false information.

Sorry if there are any inaccuracies in my post regarding the legislation around credit card fees, but the fact remains that many vendors and retailers in Perth refuse to accept payment via AmEx. As much as I’d like to run around my local shops and restaurants to provide evidence to my claim, I have better things to do with my time.

After all, I was only trying to provide a bit of guidance to tourists visiting Australia and New Zealand and advise that they maybe shouldn’t rely on American Express cards as their only payment option. Apologies to anyone I upset by trying to help.

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Our car dealership repair section does not take AMEX here in NY. We don't have an American Express card but two years ago we needed some repairs and there was a sign posted no AMEX cards. I asked the clerk why (just curious) and he said their fees are too high. Thanks for the information.