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

[Bargeo]

Glad you enjoyed the review. And to answer your question, - no, I did not pen an article for the AAA magazine... but if it was a good one I will gladly take credit!:D

 

LOL......yes it was a good one. The author called himself Sailor Jack, wrote about a cruise, and had the same warped sense of humor as you. I say that lovingly.....because I adore people who can see the funny side of life. Humor has been my friend through some tough times in my life.

 

Keep cruising and writing.......your reviews brighten the day for many.

 

Sincerely, Barbara

[SailorJack]

LOL......yes it was a good one. The author called himself Sailor Jack, wrote about a cruise, and had the same warped sense of humor as you. I say that lovingly.....because I adore people who can see the funny side of life. Humor has been my friend through some tough times in my life.

 

Keep cruising and writing.......your reviews brighten the day for many.

 

Sincerely, Barbara

 

If you can remember the issue I would like to look it up and read it.

[SailorJack]

As I mentioned in my review, Robert Louis Stevenson's house has been turned into a museum. This is the front of the house - which really was more like an estate. Very impressive outside, but relatively spartan inside.

 

 

On a little of the macabare side, our guide pointed out that this is the spot on the floor where he collapsed and ultimtately died.

 

 

On a more joyuous note, after the tour we were treated to ntertainment which also featured a Cava ceremony.

 

 

 

Another beautiful sunset as we sailed from Samoa to Tahiti, er, Tonga.

 

[Minoushka]

Hello therec

 

Always loveyour reviewsc.You pix are trly remarkable. My dream is to go to the South pacific ,Tahiti .Fiji,Bali ....allthese lovely exotic places that have the kind of beach you showed us plus beautiful Warm waters ful of beautiful coral and colourful friendly fishes

when my kids were young we went toCuba and all took a boat to snorkel .I went in ....gorgeous ..they watched ...my little guy insistedon going in..and he did with a lifejacket goggles and the captain ...took a peakand fell in love .At the time he was 4 years old

i promised both kids if they learned to swim I would teach them to snorkel Both went to camp and learned how to swim

all grown upnow ..in college and university ...excellent swimmers who have been everywhere with me and still love snorkeling .....except my little guy ..now 6foot 4 ....not tht little any more .....lol.......at the time did not care for stingraysin .grand Cayman. My other guy played,fed.and got abackmassage from one

i still love to snorkel ...I love the peacefulness ,colours etc ..now tht I have prescription mask ...i can actually see .I treasure it and keep it in carryon

 

 

keepn writing

 

Michele

[SailorJack]

Hello therec

 

Always loveyour reviewsc.You pix are trly remarkable. My dream is to go to the South pacific ,Tahiti .Fiji,Bali ....allthese lovely exotic places that have the kind of beach you showed us plus beautiful Warm waters ful of beautiful coral and colourful friendly fishes

when my kids were young we went toCuba and all took a boat to snorkel .I went in ....gorgeous ..they watched ...my little guy insistedon going in..and he did with a lifejacket goggles and the captain ...took a peakand fell in love .At the time he was 4 years old

i promised both kids if they learned to swim I would teach them to snorkel Both went to camp and learned how to swim

all grown upnow ..in college and university ...excellent swimmers who have been everywhere with me and still love snorkeling .....except my little guy ..now 6foot 4 ....not tht little any more .....lol.......at the time did not care for stingraysin .grand Cayman. My other guy played,fed.and got abackmassage from one

i still love to snorkel ...I love the peacefulness ,colours etc ..now tht I have prescription mask ...i can actually see .I treasure it and keep it in carryon

 

 

keepn writing

 

Michele

 

Hi Michele, good to hear from you! While our next cruise is to Antarctica, we are sailing to Tahiti next year - so pack your gear and we will all go snorkeling along the great reefs!:D Like you, we also pack our snorkel gear for every trip in case we find a nice place to swim. We also like to Scuba, but the costs at resorts is getting pretty prohibitive to that anymore.

 

Take care - see you in Tahiti!

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

Of all of our impressions of Tonga, perhaps the most memorable were the people we met. This first lady is wearing a tradional mourning wrap - in honor of the King of Tonga who passed shortly before our arrival. Many of the buildings in Tonga were wrapped in purple bunting - also in honor of the late King.

 

 

At the Tonga Cultural Center there were demonstrations of various aspects of Tongan life. Here, there was a demonstration of coconut gathering and cooking.

 

 

 

Even the young ones got into the act.

 

 

Dancing was done at the site of Captain Cook's arrival in Tonga.

 

[RuthC]

Of all of our impressions of Tonga, perhaps the most memorable were the people we met.

I have wonderful memories of my stop in Tonga. It's a contender for best port of that cruise.

Your pictures do it justice. Very nice.

[Bluwater7]

I have wonderful memories of my stop in Tonga. It's a contender for best port of that cruise.

Your pictures do it justice. Very nice.

I have to agree with you RuthC - Tonga and Moorea - tops in my books ... Love Sailor Jack's pictures and reviews - sure brought back some wonderful memories of our trips to that area. Looking forward to his Tahiti trip for more memories. Will be following his Antartica one as well as that one is on our bucket list.

[SailorJack]

I have to agree with you RuthC - Tonga and Moorea - tops in my books ... Love Sailor Jack's pictures and reviews - sure brought back some wonderful memories of our trips to that area. Looking forward to his Tahiti trip for more memories. Will be following his Antartica one as well as that one is on our bucket list.

 

Have not been to Moorea, but if it is a nice as Tonga I will have to put it on my wish list!

 

I have wonderful memories of my stop in Tonga. It's a contender for best port of that cruise.

Your pictures do it justice. Very nice.

 

We wished we could have spent more time there...it was indeed very nice.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

As others have pointed out, Tonga is a place of many wonders. Here are a couple of shots of the famed blowholes - which were very impressive.

 

 

Ooops, I got too close... didn't realize that these things went as high as 60 feet into the air!

 

 

These are the Hanging Bats - also known as flying foxes. They are as big as chickens and hang from the trees in broad daylight.

 

 

This is known as the Stonehenge of the Pacific. Nobody knows for sure why it is here but it is estimated that the coral bocks weigh as much as 60 tons each. They extend several meters into the ground.

 

[Bluwater7]

Sailor Jack - Moorea was on our Bora Bora and Tahiti itinerary -it may be one of your ports on your planned Tahiti trip. Sure hope so - IMO it was fantastic.

[hammybee]

I have always wondered if Samoa had a national beer and now I know.

That was simply delicious. Your review, I mean.

[SailorJack]

Sailor Jack - Moorea was on our Bora Bora and Tahiti itinerary -it may be one of your ports on your planned Tahiti trip. Sure hope so - IMO it was fantastic.

 

I checked our itinerary and Moorea is, indeed, on our schedule. Thanks for the heads up.:)

 

I have always wondered if Samoa had a national beer and now I know.

That was simply delicious. Your review, I mean.

 

Thanks! I suspect that a lot of people had been wondering about that - one of the main reasons I included it in my review.:D

[itzmered]

Always love reading your reviews! Thanks for sharing it made for a nice read on a snowy Saturday morning

[SailorJack]

Always love reading your reviews! Thanks for sharing it made for a nice read on a snowy Saturday morning

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I can simpathize with the snow, it got cold here also, dropping down into the low 70s.:)

[SailorJack]

Some final shots of Samoa taken as we drove around the island. The first two are of cemeteries. They are nowhere like the subdued ones we have in the states. They were colorful and full of life.

 

 

 

This was a type of store that was found around the island. I don't know if it was crime prevention or just cultural, but you passed your money in through the slot and the goods you purchased were pushed out.

 

 

Some of the churches on the island were magnificent. This one sort of reminded us of Notre Dame - with the flying buttresses.

 

 

Another very impressive church.

 

[SailorJack]

The Island of Lifou, New Caledonia was simply a delight. It was sparsely populated and with the exception of some vendors selling stuff by the pier there were no stores or towns to be seen. It was also a tender stop. You know it is somewhat idyllic when the ship offers no tours at this stop. It was simply a fantastic beach day with some of the best snorkeling we have ever seen. The waters were clear and the coral and fish were varied and colorful. Here are a few scenes from this great island.

 

Here is the pier for the tenders...it is in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

The beach next to the pier.

 

 

The obligatory shot of the ship!

 

 

One of the few things to do other than swim or snorkel is to climb a small hill to visit a little church. This is a view of the beach from the top of the hill.

 

There is virtually no tourism on the island except for the rare appearance of a cruise ship. You can see how primitive (that's a good thing!) it is by seeing the crude ladder you need to use to get down to the lagoon to snorkel.

 

[Jujuju2]

We were actually over at that snorkeling spot with our snorkeling gear but then saw the ladder sagging under a 185 pound lightweight and chickened out on Bigdog putting it to the test. Next time ...

[SailorJack]

We were actually over at that snorkeling spot with our snorkeling gear but then saw the ladder sagging under a 185 pound lightweight and chickened out on Bigdog putting it to the test. Next time ...

 

You should have tried it! The ladder was quite sturdy and handled two or people on it with no problem. The snorkeling there was fantastic. But as you said...next time.:)

 

Jack

[Jujuju2]

We also loved what we did, which was just playing around in the surf at that sandy beach you show, the one right next to the tender dock. The water was just perfect. We also made it ashore in time to see the ceremony of the local chief welcoming the captain of our ship. Our captain even did a bit of dancing.

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for another great review!!

[SailorJack]

Thanks for another great review!!

 

Glad you enjoyed it.:)

 

We also loved what we did, which was just playing around in the surf at that sandy beach you show, the one right next to the tender dock. The water was just perfect. We also made it ashore in time to see the ceremony of the local chief welcoming the captain of our ship. Our captain even did a bit of dancing.

 

We missed that! I heard from other people that they enjoyed it as well.

[SailorJack]

We made two ports in New Caledonia. The second port, Noumea, was actually quite large and we took a private tour of the island.

 

WE were greeted at the port by a troupe of singers and dancers.

 

 

As our ship docked some ways away from the city, we took a shuttle to a drop off area in town where we were greeted by another troupe of musicians. I think that so few cruise ships come here that they do make a nice reception.

 

 

Some pictues of the town and its coastline.

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

One of the things we enjoyed was watching the fantastic sunsets in the South Pacific as we sat on our balcony with a glass of wine. Here are a couple of shots as we were leaving New Caladonia for our final stop in Sydney.

 

 

The sun appears to be melting into the Pacific.

 

 

As we had a lot of sea days there were a lot of onboard activities. Ice carving has to be fast when it is 90 degrees outside.

 

 

The Passenger vs. Crew water vollyball game drew a lot of volunteers from the passenger contingent.

 

 

The two teams lined up before the game (the passengers won). The crew all came out in robes to the the Rocky tune.

 

[PathfinderEss]

Great photo's, thanks for posting them.