"Live" Majestic Princess, 33-Days, Apr 10th to May 12th, Sydney to Seattle (+6 Nights Sydney Pre-Cruise)

[icat2000]

20 hours ago, sailingkiwi said:

Weather looks reasonable for Wellington tomorrow. Great day for sightseeing. It is feeling quite autumnal here now. 

 

Anyone headed to Te Papa, be prepared for it to be more crowded than a normal Monday as it is school holidays. 

And Te Papa is free No need to go on ship tour. Take the shuttle to the second stop and it basically across the road from the stop.

 

Same with Cable car. Get off at first stop and buy your tickets.

Edited April 15 by icat2000

[call_your_mother]

Great idea!  All the fluff is not needed, gelato & chocolate sauce! PERFECT!

 

[sailingkiwi]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Great day today in Wellington!  After taking the free ship shuttle to the city center, we walked to the cable car station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then hopped on the free shuttle to the Zealandia Sanctuary.

 

 

We began our hike into the Sanctuary hunting for the rare and elusive KaKa parrots.  The valley in which the Sanctuary is located is very Jurassic Park-ish.  It is lush, green and beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sanctuary is also home to the Tuatara.  The Tuatara are a rare reptile found only in New Zealand.  They are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs.  After about 30 minutes of searching for them in heavy vegetation, we found three of them!!!

 

 

A bit later, we found 3 KaKa parrots in a thick canopy of trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After climbing further into the valley, we finally found some Kakariki Parakeets.  They were impossible to photograph.  Below, I'm pointing to a tree where they were hopping branch to branch.

 

Below is what a Kakariki looks likes in an aviary.

 

A few more photos from the valley.  A big thank you to  @sailingkiwi  for the recommendation!

 

 

 

 

 

So happy you enjoyed yourself. And amazing that you found Tuatara in amongst the bush. 

[LACruiser88]

10 minutes ago, sailingkiwi said:

So happy you enjoyed yourself. And amazing that you found Tuatara in amongst the bush. 

We were also commercial breeders of Australian Bearded Dragons (along with a few other reptiles) so I knew what to look for.  Fantastic time!  Thanks again!  🐊

[LACruiser88]

We are trying a new Cab, to us, at Vines tonight.  At $17 per glass, we prefer the Silverado. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 15 by LACruiser88

[valantine80]

2 hours ago, icat2000 said:

And Te Papa is free No need to go on ship tour. Take the shuttle to the second stop and it basically across the road from the stop.

 

Same with Cable car. Get off at first stop and buy your tickets.

The only shuttle stop in Wellington is now near the Parliament building. They no longer drop off near Te Papa which is a shame.

[icat2000]

32 minutes ago, valantine80 said:

The only shuttle stop in Wellington is now near the Parliament building. They no longer drop off near Te Papa which is a shame.

Much have dropped it since we were on the Royal Princess in December. Shame about that. 

[Yehootu]

1 hour ago, valantine80 said:

The only shuttle stop in Wellington is now near the Parliament building. They no longer drop off near Te Papa which is a shame.

Really wasn't a bad walk to Te Papa.

[LACruiser88]

Tonight's extra dish in the Reserve Dining Room was a Rib Eye Steak.  So, they made us a Seafood Pasta.  Muy Bueno!!!

 

Tonight's dinner wine.  We purchased yesterday.  We rated it 92 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 15 by LACruiser88

[LACruiser88]

 

 

[LACruiser88]

Good morning!  It has finally cleared up and it is definitely getting warmer!  

[Host CJSKIDS]

Beautiful picture of blue skies and the blue sea.  

[Muffinz]

11 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Tonight's extra dish in the Reserve Dining Room was a Rib Eye Steak.  So, they made us a Seafood Pasta.  Muy Bueno!!!

 

Tonight's dinner wine.  We purchased yesterday.  We rated it 92 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm curious to know why some dishes on the menu have an asterisk * next to them - like Pan Fried Tilapia with Orange Hollandaise and Rack of Pork with Glazed Artichokes.

Do you know what the * means beside these dishes? 

[EDVM96]

19 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

Do you know what the * means beside these dishes? 

* Public Health Advisory: Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, egg or any product containing these raw or undercooked food items may increase the risk of foodborne illness especially if you have certain medical conditions.

[Muffinz]

25 minutes ago, EDVM96 said:

* Public Health Advisory: Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, egg or any product containing these raw or undercooked food items may increase the risk of foodborne illness especially if you have certain medical conditions.

oh ok thanks for that.... one would assume the chef's on Princess cruises wouldn't serve raw or undercooked meat..

[EDVM96]

11 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

one would assume the chef's on Princess cruises wouldn't serve raw or undercooked meat..

Well, of course they do if you want. Just like many other restaurants.

 

Some people like their steaks just rare.

Beef tartare is coming with raw beef and raw egg.

 

Fish is sometimes undercooked to not dry it out too much.

And remember all sushi dishes are raw fish.

 

Edited April 15 by EDVM96

[LACruiser88]

Beautiful day!  The pool is busy!

 

[HotRoot]

Checked our bill today.  $63 in erroneous bar charges.  You might want to check yours.

[minniegidget]

@LACruiser88 could you please ask Olivia the cruise Director how much longer she will be on the ship for me please? 

[LACruiser88]

3 hours ago, minniegidget said:

@LACruiser88 could you please ask Olivia the cruise Director how much longer she will be on the ship for me please? 

If we see her.  We don't go to shows or games and don't interact with the CD or their staff.  Maybe other fellow passengers can answer that for you???  🤷‍♂️

[LACruiser88]

Tonight's extra dish in the Reserve Dining Room was a Shrimp in a Tomato Sauce with Lemon Rissoto.

 

They prepared grilled vegetables with olive oil and balsamic reduction for our appetizer.  We had the crab cakes as our second course and the Vegetable Korma as our entrée. 

 

Tomorrow night we are dining at the Catch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LACruiser88]

 

 

 

[Yehootu]

12 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Checked our bill today.  $63 in erroneous bar charges.  You might want to check yours.

I thankfully haven't had any for the last few days. I check everyday.On one correction, it got taken off my ledger and then added to my wife's.

[LACruiser88]

Good morning Tauranga!

 

[LACruiser88]

1 hour ago, Yehootu said:

I thankfully haven't had any for the last few days. I check everyday.On one correction, it got taken off my ledger and then added to my wife's.

I check our folio every evening via the app.  No errors so far.