We Sail the South Pacific on HAL’s Newest Ship – the Queen Mary

[Bluwater7]

Great pictures thanks ....

[SailorJack]

For those of you who have Vancouver in your future, the bridge area offers a lot more than bridges. There are great walking paths, little brooks and ponds, ecology lessons, and (of course) a neat little shop! I leave you with these final photos of the Suspension Bridge area.

 

 

 

 

[Bluwater7]

Thanks again for posting the beautiful BC pictures and of course all your other posts ... looking forward to your next cruise and comments.

[SailorJack]

Thanks again for posting the beautiful BC pictures and of course all your other posts ... looking forward to your next cruise and comments.

 

Glad you are enjoying them. Editing the pictures sort of lets me extend our cruise.:) I will try and upload our pictures of Hilo and Akaka Falls today.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

Hilo, Hawaii is noted for its black sand beaches - which come from the lava spewed forth from the volcanos. Here are few shots from the beach near Hilo.

 

 

 

 

The beach has a number of inlets where you can watch green sea turtles feeding.

 

 

[SailorJack]

In Hilo, and on the way to Volcanoes National Park we passed the Liliuokalani Park - a Japanese themed park. It is quite stunning and should you visit Hilo it is time well spent to visit here.

 

 

The volcano crater was huge! Actually, if you look closely you can see that it is actually a crater withing a crater.

 

 

There is a viewing area with signs explaining the history of the volcano.

 

 

This is the sight of another eruption. If you look closely, you can see a white line going across the bottom of the crater. This is actually part of a trail that you can take to walk across the crater.

 

 

Another view.

 

[rubrrick]

Jack, always love your stories! We left the Infinity intact for you (just got off of an Eastern Panama Canal cruise) and look forward to hearing about you next adventure way down under!!:D

 

Rick

[Beejay4016]

Captain Jack - fabulous photographs. Some of those are like a lunar landscape, totally amazing.

 

Rubrick, Rubrick, Rubrick! Quick, hide the forks!

[SailorJack]

Captain Jack - fabulous photographs. Some of those are like a lunar landscape, totally amazing.

 

Rubrick, Rubrick, Rubrick! Quick, hide the forks!

 

We thought the same thing about the lunar landscape! I took several pictures of lava fields, but they were not as impresive as pictures as they were in person so I didn't post any of them.

 

OK - what's with the Rubrick quote...I admit I haven't a clue.:)

 

 

Jack, always love your stories! We left the Infinity intact for you (just got off of an Eastern Panama Canal cruise) and look forward to hearing about you next adventure way down under!!:D

 

Rick

 

Glad you enjoy the postings. We are really looking forward to the Infinity...glad you took care of it for us.:D It has been several years since we sailed X and we are so looking forward to it.

 

Jack

[kazu]

Really wonderful pics - you are as talented a photographer as you are a writer:):) it's all good:)

thanks again:)

[Beejay4016]

We thought the same thing about the lunar landscape! I took several pictures of lava fields, but they were not as impresive as pictures as they were in person so I didn't post any of them.

 

OK - what's with the Rubrick quote...I admit I haven't a clue.:)

 

 

 

 

Glad you enjoy the postings. We are really looking forward to the Infinity...glad you took care of it for us.:D It has been several years since we sailed X and we are so looking forward to it.

 

Jack

 

Hi Jack,

 

Thinking of Rubrick from the Steve Martin/Michael Caine movie "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". If you haven't seen it, do check it out. And - oh my goodness - I do hope that Rubrick's screen name is a funny reference to that character in the movie and not his/her real name. If it is not a screen name but your real name, Rubrick, I apologise and would trust you implicitly with those forks.:D

 

Cheers .. Bev

[josie724]

I was going to skip over this when I saw how long it was. So glad I didn't. It was worth every minute. Thank you.

[Lizzie1213]

thank you for your funny review!!

[sansterre]

We were on the same cruise and I think met each other - maybe at the Meet and Greet or Trivia perhaps. I think Judy or Ted introduced us to you and possibly Jill too.

 

I nearly didn't read this because of the title, but I recognized your name from Roll Call. While on the cruise and continuation to New Zealand, I also wrote (Live from the Oosterdam). Alas, it is not with the humor and interest you command.

[madera1]

I very much enjoyed reading your review. I was laughing out loud and kept telling my husband that he needs to read your review. I only wish I could write as well. I look forward to reading future posts from you.

[SailorJack]

We were on the same cruise and I think met each other - maybe at the Meet and Greet or Trivia perhaps. I think Judy or Ted introduced us to you and possibly Jill too.

 

I nearly didn't read this because of the title, but I recognized your name from Roll Call. While on the cruise and continuation to New Zealand, I also wrote (Live from the Oosterdam). Alas, it is not with the humor and interest you command.

 

Jill and I did have the pleasure of meeting you at the M&M...and we have also had the pleasure of following along on your "live" posts for the NZ leg of the cruise - which we were unable to take. Your posts are much more organized and informative than mine - which tend to wander a bit.:) I thought you did a great job in bringing the cruise alive.

 

Really wonderful pics - you are as talented a photographer as you are a writer - it's all good:)

 

thanks again

 

Thank you for the kind words... but the credit for the pictures goes to the camera - not me.:D

 

I was going to skip over this when I saw how long it was. So glad I didn't. It was worth every minute. Thank you.

 

My reviews do tend to go on a bit. As I think I may have mentioned earlier, the original review for this post was somewhat twice as long and had to be severely edited. I have been trying to keep them to no more than 12 pages on Word, but perhaps I should shorten them as you are not the first person to comment on the length.

 

Jack

[josie724]

 

 

My reviews do tend to go on a bit. As I think I may have mentioned earlier, the original review for this post was somewhat twice as long and had to be severely edited. I have been trying to keep them to no more than 12 pages on Word, but perhaps I should shorten them as you are not the first person to comment on the length.

 

Jack

 

 

NO NO NO please DO NOT shorten them. I enjoyed it so much I read it AGAIN with my husband, both of us were laughing. Thank you again. My point was that looks are deceiving,(similar to when I put on my body shaper and wear all black :D). Once you start reading it, you want more.

[superoma]

Please don't shorten your reviews. I am still looking for the pages that ended up on the cutting room floor. I went back and find all your old reviews and read them again - they are so enjoyable.

[sansterre]

Jill and I did have the pleasure of meeting you at the M&M...and we have also had the pleasure of following along on your "live" posts for the NZ leg of the cruise - which we were unable to take. Your posts are much more organized and informative than mine - which tend to wander a bit.:) I thought you did a great job in bringing the cruise alive.

 

Thanks Jack. I just posted a few more photos on our post days in Sydney and Canberra on the LIVE from the Oosterdam thread. Probably the most exciting was seeing the Royal Yacht, then Prince Charles and Camilla during our Harbor Tour in Sydney.

 

BTW, one of your edits must have been Lifou, New Caledonia....it was a sleepy little island. Nevertheless memorable in my mind.

[Jujuju2]

Well done and thoroughly enjoyable cruise review, SailorJack!!

 

So I suppose you also met Juju and Bigdog at the CruiseCritic Meet and Greet as well? I cannot place which faces you and Jill might have been. And it sounds like you might have gone on a tour Vince arranged. I wish we had known to look for you. I almost missed seeing this jolly good story.

 

Well, we will likely sail together again one of these days.

 

Oh!! And that HAL ship you saw from the Space Needle. It very likely was the Westerdam, and it really WAS going to Tahiti. We took Westerdam same time last year, almost same itinerary, and I can assure you that you will LOVE Tahiti, although you will love Moorea and Bora Bora more.

 

Happy sailing,

Juju

[SailorJack]

Well done and thoroughly enjoyable cruise review, SailorJack!!

 

So I suppose you also met Juju and Bigdog at the CruiseCritic Meet and Greet as well? I cannot place which faces you and Jill might have been. And it sounds like you might have gone on a tour Vince arranged. I wish we had known to look for you. I almost missed seeing this jolly good story.

 

Well, we will likely sail together again one of these days.

 

Oh!! And that HAL ship you saw from the Space Needle. It very likely was the Westerdam, and it really WAS going to Tahiti. We took Westerdam same time last year, almost same itinerary, and I can assure you that you will LOVE Tahiti, although you will love Moorea and Bora Bora more.

 

Happy sailing,

Juju

 

Yes. we were on one of Vince's tours and had a great time. I also spent some time with JuJu when we were both in the Terrace pool. Obviously, I am looking forward to Tahiti!:) Also am looking forward to seeing Bora Bora - if for no other reason that I love saying that name.:D

 

Jill and I did have the pleasure of meeting you at the M&M...and we have also had the pleasure of following along on your "live" posts for the NZ leg of the cruise - which we were unable to take. Your posts are much more organized and informative than mine - which tend to wander a bit.:) I thought you did a great job in bringing the cruise alive.

 

Thanks Jack. I just posted a few more photos on our post days in Sydney and Canberra on the LIVE from the Oosterdam thread. Probably the most exciting was seeing the Royal Yacht, then Prince Charles and Camilla during our Harbor Tour in Sydney.

 

BTW, one of your edits must have been Lifou, New Caledonia....it was a sleepy little island. Nevertheless memorable in my mind.

 

Yes, I did edit out my review of Lifou...which I hated to do because it was one of our favorite spots. We spent several hours snorkeling off the amazing reef on the other side of the island and we both agreed it was one of the best snorkeling we had done in years. I will post some of the pictures we took on Lifou as soon as I can get to them.

[Jujuju2]

Yes. we were on one of Vince's tours and had a great time. I also spent some time with JuJu when we were both in the Terrace pool.

Well, doggone! Are you those folks I met in the pool on one of the later sea days of the cruise, and I introduced myself as Juju from CruiseCritic, and you replied yes, you knew, and I was so startled that I forgot to ask your username?

 

I always swim in the pools, preferably rear, on cruises, if at all possible, and I almost always at least have an idea who the other people are. There are a group of us who are regular pool-goers, and especially rear pool, on any given cruise, and I call us "the fish." I guess I am going to have to get to formally know "the fish."

Edited November 21, 2012 by Jujuju2

[SailorJack]

Well, doggone! Are you those folks I met in the pool on one of the later sea days of the cruise, and I introduced myself as Juju from CruiseCritic, and you replied yes, you knew, and I was so startled that I forgot to ask your username?

 

I always swim in the pools, preferably rear, on cruises, if at all possible, and I almost always at least have an idea who the other people are. There are a group of us who are regular pool-goers, and especially rear pool, on any given cruise, and I call us "the fish." I guess I am going to have to get to formally know "the fish."

 

That's about the way it went.:D

[SailorJack]

As I mentioned in my review, Akaka Falls is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. According to the tourist bureau it is one of the most visited spots on the island of Hawaii. The photos below highlight the walk down to the falls.

 

This photo is at the start of the trail to the falls and you can see the falls in the far background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the trees were in full bloom

 

 

The stands of bamboo were all different colors

 

Tropical flowers abounded

Edited November 21, 2012 by SailorJack

[SailorJack]

On the way to the falls there were several small streams and brooks.

 

 

 

 

The fall is 442 feet down and falls into a beautiful little lake.