Report on my first cruise, on Coral Princess

[Aus Traveller]

sorry to hear the difficulties you have with the tour in Rabaul. I would also be disappointed. We have been on numerous private tours and haven't experienced problems like this.

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

My first cruise, part 5

I would not be surprised if there was Covid on every cruise, just as there is Covid on land everywhere in Australia.  On my cruise, I did see some evidence of people being left meals on tables outside their rooms, but only two or three in the many corridors I walked along.

 Back to ports and excursions:

 

RABAUL

 

Hi cruiser3775

What a great instalment.👍
Great that the excursion still had its good points.
Whilst I can attest, organising a tour entails a lot of work, the facilitator of that tour also has a responsibility to ensure it progresses as advised. It sounds very slack of the couple who organised it.
If you’re going to organise a tour, you should also follow through with checking the details and advising people. And make sure the itinerary fulfils the expectations of those on it.

IMHO😁
 

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Whilst I can attest, organising a tour entails a lot of work, the facilitator of that tour also has a responsibility to ensure it progresses as advised. It sounds very slack of the couple who organised it.

If you’re going to organise a tour, you should also follow through with checking the details and advising people. And make sure the itinerary fulfils the expectations of those on it.

IMHO😁
 

I agree with those comments.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We did the Princess excursion in Rabaul some years ago, first to the volcanic observatory then to a few other places. It was worth every dollar. The locals entertained us at almost every stop.

[cruiser3775]

14 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We did the Princess excursion in Rabaul some years ago, first to the volcanic observatory then to a few other places. It was worth every dollar.

My first cruise report, part 6

Back on Coral Princess at the end of the first day in Rabaul, I looked out over the port from my balcony at the harbour and the volcanoes and was disappointed that I had missed on seeing the volcanological sites. I studied this stuff at university, and I actually had a primary school teacher who was working in Rabaul in 1937 when Tavavur erupted and killed more than 500 people.  In the main corridor of our school, she had erected a photo display about Rabaul and the volcanoes, and I remember being fascinated by it as a 10 year old. Probably one of the reasons I chose to study geology and geography as an adult.

I checked the ship's excursions, and there were still places left on the next morning's Volcano Excursion, 3.5 hours for $A180.  So I took a deep breath and blew 80% of my remaining OBC on it.  I was concerned that it would be 50 people crammed into a big coach, but I thought at least the coach would be air-conditioned, which is a big consideration in the heat and humidity. It was usually 28 - 30 degrees and 80% humidity at 8am most days, and it only got hotter as the day wore on.

The excursion ticket, delivered to my door, came with a warning: "Tour operates by basic vans, no aircon, no microphone, and bumpy, dusty roads". At least they warn you.

I lined up to disembark the next morning, and got sent to the head of the queue, because they were looking for a single passenger to make up the numbers on the first mini bus.  This was a good thing, because we travelled in a convoy of eight small buses, and all the following ones had to eat the dust  of the lead vehicle on the unmade roads.  The ash from the volcano eruptions creates very fine dust which coats everything.

The ship tour was indeed worth the money. It was very professionally run, the guides were excellent and it went to all the places I wanted to see.  It even had a back up van, the only one with airconditioning, with just the driver and no passengers. It was presumably to transport anyone who got sick?

We started off by driving through modern Rabaul, then through the remainder of old Rabaul, which was buried by the 1994 eruption.  Our guide was considerable better than yesterday's, with more facts and figures at her grasp, and the ability to make locations come alive. Old Rabaul is no Pompeii. Yes, the town was buried in three metres of ash, but it was almost completely destroyed. You need imagination.There's not much to see, just a few concrete remnants, and bare ground now being colonised by scrubby vegetation and the volcanic cones looming over it all.

Next, we went down to an area of hot springs at the base of Mt Tavavur, where sulphur coloured rocks have bubbling water running over them. They are fairly minor ones and not particularly sulphurous in odour. The Kiwis on my bus were not very impressed. "Not a butt like Rotarua..." said one in a 'thuck excent".  I had to agree.  A man with a microphone walked around and spoke well about volcanicity.  There was also a long row of locals selling handicrafts and commercial souvenirs like PNG flags and PNG t-shirts, and PNG baseball caps.

Next we went back to Mautpit Island, but this time to the main village, with the school and the church, where we were able to wander around. I talked to a school teacher and left some pencils and a bopok I had brought with me. The church was interesting, with signs inside in English and pidgin, and a painting of Peter To Rot, the first Papua New Guinean to be beatified.   A village elder gave a talk on local culture.

The next site was the former Rabaul airstrip, buried in the eruption. You could just make out the remnants of the runway. The we went to another airstrip where Japanese fighter planes were buried in the 1937 eruption, and have been excavated in shallow trenches. Most of the fuselage had crumbled, but there was a more or less intact large radial engine. More talks by a local guide, plus a children's choir, singing modern songs.

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by cruiser3775

[cruiser3775]

Back on the bus for the last stop, up a winding mountain road, past some of the miles of tunnels dug by the Japanese in WW2 for defence, and the usual professional explanations and stops for photos.

The last stop was high up on a ridge at the Vulcanological oservatory. It had fabulour views over Simpson Harbour and the volcanoes. We ewere able to go into the observatory which has a disp[lay of posters about volcanoes. If you waited, a small group could go inside the actual observatory, blessedly air-conditioned, and look around at the monitoring equipment and have a talk about what they do there. I waited in the heat, and managed to get into the last small group. We were nearly at the end of the talk when the power failed. The backup generators came on to maintain the monitoring, but we had to leave.

We drove back through modern Rabaul to the port. Yes, it was an expensive excursion, but so well run that I definitely thought it was worth it.

[Fortunatefew]

20 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The captain wasn't impressed by the way some passengers behaved during the first helivac. Everyone had been told to stay off their balconies while the helicopter was operating around the ship but, of course, some people thought that didn't apply to them. When the captain announced the second helivac he gave those people a stern telling off and told them not to do 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Fortunatefew

[LittleFish1976]

 

@cruiser3775 Thanks so much for your very evocative report on the volcano excursion. I similarly have a bit of an obsession with volcanoes so look forward to one day making it to New Guinea also.

 

I had a trip there planned for early 2020 which went the way of so many in that first year of the pandemic but had flown over NG the year before and was very excited to see the geography and the vegetation that was visible from the air.

 

I'll have to make sure I get to Rotarua one day if the landscape is as interesting as you imply.

 

[cruiser3775]

23 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

I'll have to make sure I get to Rotarua one day if the landscape is as interesting as you imply

Sorry, I spelt it wrongly. It's Rotorua in New Zealand's north island. It has to be one of the best areas of geothermal activity in the world - hot springs, bubbling mid pools, geysers etc, plus a very strong 'rotten eggs' smell of sulphur. I remember going there as a teenager, long before they fenced it off. Dad parked the car, and I opened the door and almost stepped into a boiling mud pool.

www.newzealand.com/au/rotorua-geothermal/

The Rabaul hot springs are minor in comparison, but the whole area, with those volcanic cones looming over it all, and the historical tragedies that buried towns and killed so many people, is a very evocative experience I'm glad I was privileged to see.

Edited December 13, 2022 by cruiser3775

[Yaya_in_Oz]

Love your report @cruiser3775. I'm on this tour in Jan and your information has helped a great deal. Many thanks.

One question, I've booked on the ships Volcano Excursion and in the details it states no restrooms available for the whole 3.5 hrs of stops. Long time. How is this handled? Do they make bush stops?or are there pits in the village?

[joejoe 59]

Great review thanks

[Ozwoody]

20 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

Back on the bus for the last stop, up a winding mountain road, past some of the miles of tunnels dug by the Japanese in WW2 for defence, and the usual professional explanations and stops for photos.

Another great instalment thank you.

[cruiser3775]

20 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

it states no restrooms available for the whole 3.5 hrs of stops.

There were toilets in the village on Matupit Island. Possibly the squat type. I didn't use them.  Maybe forget drinking coffee on the morning you go on the excursion?

[arxcards]

Part 4  - Alotau

We enjoyed a similar day a few years back. Loved the dancing, and agree there is no way I would walk there.

 

The markets were interesting, and I particularly thought it strange the selling of individual cigarettes in glad wrap. Some nice carvings too.

[cruiser3775]

PNG Cruise, part 7

We arrived at Kiriwana in the Trobriand Islands just before 9am.  This is a tender port, my first experience of one.  I decided to avoid the early crowd, but I wasn't the only passenger who thought the rush would be over at 11am.  I went down to Crooners Bar and got a shuttle ticket, as instructed. They were alphabetical, and mine was T for Turtle. I sat in a comfortable chair and discovered they were only up to N for Narwal.  I had to wait one hour and 10 minutes before us Turtles were called down to board the tender.

Did I say the sea was calm?  Well it looked calm enough on my deck 11 balcony. Down at sea level there was a considerable swell and the tender was bouncing around while we waited at the ship for more people to board. A woman sitting next to me turned green and leapt up and off the tender before she threw up.  Thankfully, we departed soon after and it was only a five minute ride to the pier.

The short concrete pier was in the centre of a beautiful white sand beach backed by huge shade trees and palms. At the top of the wharf, Princess had set up two gazebos, one with chilled water and chilled face towels, and the other was the medical tent, with chairs in the shade. I was very glad of a chair, and just sat for a while and took it all in.

Down on the beach, people were swimming and snorkelling, and boys were rowing around in traditional wooden canoes, plus there were small motorboats you could hire to take you around the lagoon.

Back from the beach, the paths were lined on both sides by people selling handicrafts. The ones in the prime spots closest to the pier had display benches and palm front shelters. As you got further away, the sellers were sitting on the ground with their wares on blankets or tarps.

I asked a young woman which way to the school, so I could deliver some things I wanted to donate. Becky offered to show me, and we walked along the pathways with the vendors until we came to a primary school set back from the path. There was an old man with a waist high blue plastic barrel, the collection point for donations. I added my books and pencils. The older man offered me his chair and we had a chat.  He had six grandchildren at the school, which had about 200 children. They learned English at the school, so books in simple English were very useful. They loved the cruise ships because people brought much needed donations for the school, and the islanders were able to sell their handicrafts direct.   Kiriwina is noted for its very fine wood carvings. We were very welcome, he said.

After a rest, and a chat, we started back along the handicrafts displays. There were some absolutely beautiful carvings, but many of them were too big for me, as I had to get on a plane in Australia to go home. Becky took me on a different path towards the beach, and we came to the food prep area.  Several men were smoking fish on a raised platform over a charcoal fire. They were big fish of various kinds. I recognised a coral trout.  Behind the fish smokers was  a man selling crayfish. They had beautiful orange and maroon markings, unlike the southern rock lobsters I am used to seeing at home. The man wanted 20 kina for a mid sized one. I was tempted, but you would have to sit on the sand and eat it with your fingers. I gave it a miss.   The next hut had two small boys cooking yams in a large cast iron pot over a fire.  One food hut had a large bird of prey, like an eagle, just sitting on a bench watching everyone.

Back at the pier, I had another rest, then started in the other direction to look at more handicrafts. That way there were some smaller ones that were practical to take home. I eventually bought two - a very stylised crocodile with shell inlays in rosewood, plus a pig - a big sow with three piglets suckling and a small man hanging onto its curly tail.  (Pigs are important in PNG culture - there is a pig on the 20 Kina banknote). The prices were very low for the amount of fine work that had gone into the carvings. I also wanted to buy a string carry bag, called a bilum, which are very common in PNG.  I should have bought this in Rabaul, where there was much choice. They were less common on Kiriwina, where they make beautiful woven palm leaf baskets.  Eventually I found one I liked hanging on the top of a stall like a decoration.  It was old and beautifully made, and quite grubby. The stall holder wanted to sell me a newer one, but I liked this old one much more. He flung in a small carved pendant with the deal.   Back on the ship, it took six changes of water and detergent to get the bag clean.

I spend the rest of my time on Kiriwina sitting in the shade at the beach and talking to local people. I did not see as much of the island as I would have liked, as the walking was beyond me, but I enjoyed what I saw and loved having friendly conversations with the locals.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by cruiser3775

[Aussieflyer]

4 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

PNG Cruise, part 7

We arrived at Kiriwana in the Trobriand Islands just before 9am.  This is a tender port, my first experience of one.  I decided to avoid the early crowd, but I wasn't the only passenger who thought the rush would be over at 11am.  I went down to Crooners Bar and got a shuttle ticket, as instructed. They were alphabetical, and mine was T for Turtle. I sat in a comfortable chair and discovered they were only up to N for Narwal.  I had to wait one hour and 10 minutes before us Turtles were called down to board the tender.

Did I say the sea was calm?  Well it looked calm enough on my deck 11 balcony. Down at sea level there was a considerable swell and the tender was bouncing around while we waited at the ship for more people to board. A woman sitting next to me turned green and leapt up and off the tender before she threw up.  Thankfully, we departed soon after and it was only a five minute ride to the pier.

The short concrete pier was in the centre of a beautiful white sand beach backed by huge shade trees and palms. At the top of the wharf, Princess had set up two gazebos, one with chilled water and chilled face towels, and the other was the medical tent, with chairs in the shade. I was very glad of a chair, and just sat for a while and took it all in.

Down on the beach, people were swimming and snorkelling, and boys were rowing around in traditional wooden canoes, plus there were small motorboats you could hire to take you around the lagoon.

Back from the beach, the paths were lined on both sides by people selling handicrafts. The ones in the prime spots closest to the pier had display benches and palm front shelters. As you got further away, the sellers were sitting on the ground with their wares on blankets or tarps.

I asked a young woman which way to the school, so I could deliver some things I wanted to donate. Becky offered to show me, and we walked along the pathways with the vendors until we came to a primary school set back from the path. There was an old man with a waist high blue plastic barrel, the collection point for donations. I added my books and pencils. The older man offered me his chair and we had a chat.  He had six grandchildren at the school, which had about 200 children. They learned English at the school, so books in simple English were very useful. They loved the cruise ships because people brought much needed donations for the school, and the islanders were able to sell their handicrafts direct.   Kiriwina is noted for its very fine wood carvings. We were very welcome, he said.

After a rest, and a chat, we started back along the handicrafts displays. There were some absolutely beautiful carvings, but many of them were too big for me, as I had to get on a plane in Australia to go home. Becky took me on a different path towards the beach, and we came to the food prep area.  Several men were smoking fish on a raised platform over a charcoal fire. They were big fish of various kinds. I recognised a coral trout.  Behind the fish smokers was  a man selling crayfish. They had beautiful orange and maroon markings, unlike the southern rock lobsters I am used to seeing at home. The man wanted 20 kina for a mid sized one. I was tempted, but you would have to sit on the sand and eat it with your fingers. I gave it a miss.   The next hut had two small boys cooking yams in a large cast iron pot over a fire.  One food hut had a large bird of prey, like an eagle, just sitting on a bench watching everyone.

Back at the pier, I had another rest, then started in the other direction to look at more handicrafts. That way there were some smaller ones that were practical to take home. I eventually bought two - a very stylised crocodile with shell inlays in rosewood, plus a pig - a big sow with three piglets suckling and a small man hanging onto its curly tail.  (Pigs are important in PNG culture - there is a pig on the 20 Kina banknote). The prices were very low for the amount of fine work that had gone into the carvings. I also wanted to buy a string carry bag, called a bilum, which are very common in PNG.  I should have bought this in Rabaul, where there was much choice. They were less common on Kiriwina, where they make beautiful woven palm leaf baskets.  Eventually I found one I liked hanging on the top of a stall like a decoration.  It was old and beautifully made, and quite grubby. The stall holder wanted to sell me a newer one, but I liked this old one much more. He flung in a small carved pendant with the deal.   Back on the ship, it took six changes of water and detergent to get the bag clean.

I spend the rest of my time on Kiriwina sitting in the shade at the beach and talking to local people. I did not see as much of the island as I would have liked, as the walking was beyond me, but I enjoyed what I saw and loved having friendly conversations with the locals.

 

Your comments about the donations being welcome at the school are wonderful to hear - it is so good to feel that what is small bickies to us is important. Also the importance of cruise ships for the local handicrafts. Thanks for the information. It's sad but my only knowledge of the Trobriand Island is from Anthropology 202 at Uni in the early 70s.

Edited December 14, 2022 by Aussieflyer

[cruiser3775]

5 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

It's sad but my only knowledge of the Trobriand Island is from Anthropology 202 at Uni in the early 70s.

Yes, I studied that too.  The anthropologist Malinowski made the Trobriands notorious in the 1940s because he described a cult of "free love" for teenagers. His work has been discredited since then, I believe. They had some of his writings in the ship's library.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Look what I spotted in a very foggy Auckland harbour, peeking between the buildings. The "jet engines" are a clue.

 

 

[Fortunatefew]

9 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Look what I spotted in a very foggy Auckland harbour, peeking between the buildings. The "jet engines" are a clue.

 

 

Coral Princess. My sister boarded today in miserable weather. Don’t know where the NZ summer has gone.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, Fortunatefew said:

Coral Princess. My sister boarded today in miserable weather. Don’t know where the NZ summer has gone.

Of course! 🤣

 

It's not cold just misty. 

 

We're boarding Westerdam on Tuesday but I think we'll be having a rainy cruise. Oh well, we're mostly doing it to catch up with family and friends but not much fun for those you haven't been here before.

[Gwendy]

On 12/14/2022 at 5:05 PM, Aussieflyer said:

Your comments about the donations being welcome at the school are wonderful to hear - it is so good to feel that what is small bickies to us is important. Also the importance of cruise ships for the local handicrafts. Thanks for the information. It's sad but my only knowledge of the Trobriand Island is from Anthropology 202 at Uni in the early 70s.

When we were there we gave the children playing on the beach some pencils and colouring in books.  About 20 mins later a very fierce looking man came up to us, the children’s father and gave us some bananas. I was very impressed by this gesture. Everywhere we went on this cruise the local people were wonderful.

[SinbadThePorter]

3 hours ago, Fortunatefew said:

Coral Princess. My sister boarded today in miserable weather. Don’t know where the NZ summer has gone.

 

Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington were sunny and warm. After that things got miserable.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Coral Princess leaving Auckland last night.

 

 

[MMDown Under]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Coral Princess leaving Auckland last night.

 

 

Thank you.  Are you on another holiday?  What a beautiful sight.  We stay at Parnell in Auckland and I love watching ships arrive and leave.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

Thank you.  Are you on another holiday?  What a beautiful sight.  We stay at Parnell in Auckland and I love watching ships arrive and leave.  

We board Westerdam on Tuesday. We're staying in an apartment hotel in the city and have great views of the Queens Wharf part of the harbour over the top of buildings.