Final expenses for cruise on the Celebrity Solstice from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, NZ for 14 nights…A few photos…

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Tom is the king of cruising.  He loves every moment and I love every moment with him. We were walking in the rain in Sydney when I took this photo.

It’s been a fabulous cruise. With only a few days of not feeling up to par with colds, we both enjoyed every single day and night. The social life was exceptional, the other passengers friendly and welcoming and we spent every meal except a few reveling in mutual travel experiences throughout the world.

The Celebrity Solstice is a meticulous ship, well maintained and easy to manage when walking from one area to another. The staff is thoughtful, helpful and welcomes each passenger they encounter in all venues and decks. 

All activities were organized, well advertised, and promoted with plenty of opportunities for even the single traveler to participate. Surprisingly, the WiFi, although slow preventing more than a few photos to be posted daily was relatively reliable with only a few occasions when we couldn’t connect.

As for the food, by far, this ship above any other previous cruises provided me with the best attention to detail for my special dietary needs preparing beautiful plates with careful consideration of my list of restrictions. Never once, did I have to send back a plate that wasn’t properly prepared. Only once, was it necessary for me to wait for my meal after others at our table were served. 

Every night I was served a perfect avocado, sliced and served with my nightly salad and cup of full-fat sour cream which I used as a salad dressing when none of their prepared dressings were befitting my way of eating.  I sweetened the sour cream with a few drops of my liquid Stevia making a tasty dressing which we often use when preparing our own salads.

It was pouring in Sydney the day we boarded the ship, but it didn’t prevent us from getting out and exploring.

Apparently, a server had given my dinner to another guest and they had to start over, to prepare a complex plate of seafood and vegetables. 

I maintained a level of calm while waiting and once the food arrived, I’d forgotten about it.  Otherwise, the dinner service was always exemplary.

Tom also enjoyed the diverse nightly menu trying many new foods and always finding them not only palatable with his somewhat picky taste buds but overall quite delicious. 

Sure, some passengers complained about being “nickeled and dimed” but we never felt that way.  Our final bill was an acceptable amount lower than we’ve experienced on any of our past 11 cruises.  Then again, we don’t gamble, buy much if anything in the shops, and this time, never felt a need or desire to dine in any of the specialty restaurants.

With the “drink packages” included for both of us in the fare as a “perk” never once did we purchase a beverage not included in the package. Although I don’t drink alcohol, I enjoyed the free-flowing specialty teas, whole cream in Americana coffee with an occasional small shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup, making for a rare special treat.

The cabin, a 2B class which we were upgraded from a 2C class due to our current Captain’s Club standing was ideal for us. We continue to accumulate more points which will enable further upgrades on future cruises.

This photo was taken on the aft of the ship as we sailed through Milford Sound in New Zealand.

The bed, king-sized, was very comfortable with equally good pillows and bedding. The bath had all the space we needed with lots of storage and many amenities. The cabin was 194 square feet, 18 square meters, a size we always find more than adequate. We had a full-sized sofa and coffee table, an extra we often enjoy more for providing extra storage space than actually for lounging. 

The balcony was 54 square feet, 5 square meters, which on this ship we didn’t use often due to inclement weather, was suitable with two lounge chairs and a small table. To date, we’ve always selected a balcony cabin knowing we’d feel cramped and uncomfortable without access to the outdoors from the cabin.

Here are our total expenses for this cruise including the conversion to New Zealand dollars for which, going forward over these next three months, we’ll be stating along with US dollars. 

Cruise fare for the above cabin as stated:
USD $4,771.32, NZD $7,393.85 (Beverage package included for two, valued at USD $1,652, NZD $2,560)

Total excess bill for internet and a few small purchases:
USD $412, NZD $638.45 after the onboard credit of USD $100 , NZD $154.96)

Grand total: USD $5,182.32, NZD $8,032.45
Average cost per day for two: USD $370.24, NZD $573.24

Our ship, the Celebrity Solstice, docked at the port of Tauranga a few days ago.

Having paid the cruise fare in full 75 days before the sail date, the only portion we had to pay now was the USD $412, NZD $638.45 which was charged to the credit card we left on file on the day we boarded the cruise. I’ve already verified the payment online for accuracy without issue.

By the time this post is automatically uploaded this morning, we’ll be well on our way by rental car to our new home in the Taranaki region, close to New Plymouth, New Zealand. 

It’s a five-plus-hour drive which most likely will stretch to six or seven hours with multiple photo stops along the way, including an additional stop for groceries in New Plymouth. We’ll be back tomorrow with all new photos of our journey through the countryside which we’re anticipating with considerable excitement. 

Once again, dear readers, we’ll be “home.” Please stayed tuned.

Photos from one year ago, January 19, 2015:

The area of Princeville where we lived for four months beginning one year ago, was named in honor of an 1860 visit by Prince Albert Kamehameha, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma. It was then a plantation owned by Robert Crichton Wyllie. He named another part of the plantation Emmaville, but that name never stuck. Originally the land was planted with coffee which was not suited to the wet lowlands. Later sugar cane was planted with some success. Wyllie’s nephew inherited the land but committed suicide in 1866. In 1867 it was purchased by Elisha Hunt Allen to later become a cattle ranch. It was sold for development in 1968 and became a golf course and resort called Princeville at Hanalei. For more details, please click here.

We booked three more cruises while on the ship with lots of extra perks…Off the ship in Tauranga…Photos!

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Our ship, the Celebrity Solstice looked huge while docked at the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand.

Booking cruises while aboard ship definitely has perks often unknown to passengers until they decide to investigate. Although this is only our 12th cruise, many passengers we’ve met have been on dozens of cruises over the years with considerably more experience than us. 

Those passengers have learned the ins and outs of saving the maximum number of dollars while gaining the maximum number of perks offered by the cruise lines. The more we cruise, the more savvy we’ve become in taking advantage of every possible benefit.

While on this cruise we booked three additional cruises, although we may not ever go on these specific cruises.  For that reason, we won’t list the details and itineraries at this time.  Should we decide to follow through on them, we’ll post the details at that time.

We stopped at a local park as we walked to the center of town in Tauranga, New Zealand located on the North Island where we’ll be living.

However, as explained by the “sales staff” in the Future Cruise Sales Office aboard the ship, if we book these cruises now, the perks we receive are fully transferable to any other Celebrity cruise, we may choose to book in the future with no time limits or constraints as to when we may use them or which routes we may choose to explore. This is a huge benefit.

Booking these same cruises through our usual Vacations to Go rep, doesn’t allow us the magnitude of these perks which are only offered while on the ship. And yet, our VTG rep will receive full commission credit for any cruises we book on the ship which, based on the good service we’ve received over the years with VTG, it’s important to us. 

Plus, our rep at VTG will continue to handle when and if we decide to transfer these perks by moving them to a new cruise and canceling the prior booked cruise(s). 

The bay in Tauranga.
The only “catch” is that the cancellation/transfer must be made 75 days prior to the sail date when the final payment is due and automatically billed to our credit card on file. Canceling after full payment results in hefty penalties, which we’d never incurred.

Yesterday, while I was busy posting Tom visited the Future Cruise Sales Office to review each of our upcoming Celebrity cruises to determine if re-booking was a benefit. The only existing booking which proved beneficial to change was the Alaskan cruise, at this time. That may change in the future when we’re aboard another cruise.  This same policy applies to Royal Caribbean cruises, all under the same corporate umbrella.

For us, this could be a “paperwork” nightmare. But, with our spreadsheet with all the information detailed and documented and further noted on our online calendar with reminders, it’s relatively easy. 

Tom spotted this street rod and suggested this photo.  Note the license plate.

For the average traveler booking one or two cruises, it’s a breeze. As of today, we have nine future cruises booked over the next 26 months all with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean except the one upcoming Mekong River cruise (Viking lines) next summer. 

Now, this sounds like a tremendous amount of cruises but considering we moved every three months, plus the fact that use cruising as a means of transportation when possible, it’s not so alarming.

Sure, we wish we’d never have to deal with airports, overweight baggage and long lines and could cruise everywhere we’d like to travel. It’s just not possible when there are only so many routes that cruise ships navigate throughout the world. 

Cruise passengers, other tourists, and locals filled the busy Tauranga, New Zealand streets.

Each of the three cruises we booked in the past several days have offered amazing perks. One of the three cruises we booked in a replacement to the Alaskan cruise on May 17, 2017 we’d already booked. By making a second booking on the same exact cruise in a different cabin number, we’re able to acquire more perks. 

Once we arrive on land and contact our rep at VTG, she’ll cancel the first Alaskan cruise and transfer the new booking to the cabin number we originally booked. The staff on the ship can’t do the cancellation from the ship, suggesting we do it directly with our usual rep. Maneuvering this seemingly complicated process got us more perks on the nine-day Alaskan cruise including:

1. Classic Beverage Packages, for two: Valued at US $59 per person, per day for the nine-day cruise, totaling US $1062
2. Unlimited Internet Package for two (no sharing required): Valued at US $488
3. Onboard credit of US $150 which can be applied to the mandatory tips required at US $12.95 per person, per day totaling US $234. (We could have chosen a perk to include full payment of the tips, but these other above packages gave us more “bang for the buck.”

On our prior booking for this particular cruise we only had one perk, not the above three perks as follows:
1. Classic Beverage Packages, for two: Valued at US $59 per person, per day for the nine-day cruise, totaling US $1062

By booking onboard, we’ve saved US $638. We’re still going on the same exact cruise with the same exact balcony cabin class. It’s certainly worth the time and effort.

After a long and delightful walk through the town of Tauranga, we sat on a park bench enjoying the beach on a sunny day.

As for the other two cruises we booked, we were able to pay a minimum deposit of only US $200 for the two of us with similar perks on each cruise, as above stated, transferable to any future Celebrity cruise. The fact that the two other cruises don’t meet our itinerary and criteria, is irrelevant. They’ll eventually be transferred long before the final payment dates.

We realize this information may be boring to many of our readers who don’t cruise or have little interest in cruising. For this, we apologize. But, as we’ve always attempted, if we can save our readers who do cruise a little money here and there, we’re more than happy to do so.

If any of our readers have questions we can answer regarding this, please comment at the end of this post and we’ll promptly reply sharing our suggestions with all of our readers.

Today is our final full day aboard ship. We’d booked a small group tour with four other passengers to go sightseeing in Bay of Islands, New Zealand but Tom is getting a sore throat. Not wanting to infect the four other passengers in the charter van we decided to pay our share of NZ $170, US $110 and not go. 

The rocks at the shore were covered in a wire mesh to prevent erosion.  The seagulls are so used to people, this one didn’t flinch when I took the photo.

The four other passengers appreciated our willingness to cover our share to avoid them paying more when last night we delivered the NZ $170 to one of their cabins. As it turned out, this morning another couple took our spot and we got our NZ $170 back! Safari luck! 

Now, let’s hope Tom’s sore throat dissipates over the next few days. As always, many passengers are coughing and sneezing with colds, common on cruises. He can handle a cold and actually feels quite fine otherwise. The fact that its pouring rain today certainly doesn’t leave us disappointed that we aren’t going on the mostly outdoor tour.

This afternoon, we’ll pack, leaving out clothing and toiletries for tonight and tomorrow since our bags will be collected this evening. We’ll keep our carry on bags with our most valuable items, in our possession as always, including the yellow Costco bag, the computer bag and the wheeling cart to hold it all.

We’ve been assigned a disembarkation time of 7:00 am tomorrow although there’s a degree of flexibility in getting off a little later if we choose. We’ll play it by ear with nary a concern. By 9:00 or 10:00 am all the passengers will have disembarked as the ship prepares for the next load of 2850 passengers embarking in Auckland, New Zealand on the reverse of this cruise.

Today, we’ll prepare tomorrow’s “final expenses” post including our cruise fare, the included perks and the final bill we received for extras not included in the fare which will automatically be uploaded a bit earlier than the posts over the term of this 14 day cruise.

Thanks to all of our readers for cruising along with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the journey with all of YOU at our sides!

Photo from one year ago today, January 18, 2015:

View from our veranda in Princeville Kauai where we lived for four months. We enjoyed every moment on the exquisite island for its beauty, the Laysan Albatross, “Birdie” and for all the wonderful people we met and the lifelong friends we made. We love and miss you all! For more details, please click here.

How do we handle tonight’s dress up night?…Old dress-up photo with Tom in a tuxedo!…

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This photo was taken in 2000 at a formal dinner we’d been invited to by Ruth and Bruce Dayton when I worked at the Marsh (5 years). We sat with them at the US $10,000 a plate charity event (they paid for our plates!) Recently, Bruce passed away. He was a kind and generous man who will be missed by many.

Tonight is a “dress-up” night. Long ago, we parted with all of our dress-up clothing, unable to continue to haul a sport coat, dress pants or suit, tie and dress shirts for Tom with dresses, jewelry and heels for me. With only one suitcase of clothing for each of us, carrying anything dressy is impossible.

As time goes on in this casual world, more and more cruise ships are getting away from dress-up nights instead of sticking to the “smart casual” concept for all the nights, during which “designer” jeans are accepted with nice shirts and tops.

However, no one is prohibited from entering the dining room, specialty restaurants in wearing “smart casual” on “dress-up nights.” We no longer dread dress-up nights, although we’re unable to do so with our limited clothing contained in each of our single suitcases with clothing.

The Michael Kors store aboard the ship.  These handbags range from US $400 on up. Since I don’t own a handbag this store is of no interest.

Tonight, we’ll ask a passenger to take our photo wearing the few options we have for such an occasion, which we’ll post tomorrow. Some passengers still wear evening gowns, diamond jewels, and tuxedos. 

Others wear lots of costume jewelry and fancy outfits that aren’t necessarily in the formal wear category but serve the purposes. We’ll even spot a few passengers still wearing blue jeans and casual short sleeve shirts. 

No tee shirts with words or shorts are allowed at dinner in the main dining areas, nor are flip flops, which neither of us owns. At breakfast, it’s more casual in the dining rooms and upstairs in the buffet, the Oceanview Café, anything goes except robes and swimsuits.

In our old lives, getting dressed up would have been a thrill where now, it doesn’t phase us at all, nor do we feel out of place among all of the other passengers dressed in formal attire.

The men’s Nautica store had nothing that appealed to Tom although he liked this brand name in our old lives.

As much as I enjoyed clothing in my old life with every closet in the house filled with seasonal items, my single bag suits me just fine. On the other hand, Tom has never been a “clothes horse” with no interest in shopping, although he takes special care to look good on each occasion.

As we wander along with the decks where the shops are located I keep an eye out to purchase a new watch when they’ll have the “two for one” sale close to the last day. Today, a big sale was promoted, but after checking the “bigger sale” has yet to begin. 

I definitely need a few new clothing items but have a hard time finding pants, long enough for my long legs, the equivalent of men’s 35 inches (.89 meter) inseam. 

Most women worldwide aren’t as tall as I am, and it’s problematic finding pants. Other than the two pairs of blue jeans I ordered once in the past three-plus years from the US. Also, I’d like to purchase a few warmer shirts and sweaters, disposing of other older items in their place. 

Another store with relatively high-priced merchandise.

I’ve been feeling cold arriving on this ship. With five more upcoming cruises around Australia and the South Pacific, slightly warmer clothing may be advisable. I don’t own a single warm top other than two jackets which I don’t want to wear indoors day and night.

As for today, a sea day, we’re totally content sitting here in the Café al Bacio, watching a glass auction (they blow glass on the ship) sipping coffee and tea as we wrap up today’s post. As mentioned earlier, it takes almost an hour for four or five photos to upload aboard the ship with the slow wifi resulting in keeping the number of photos at a minimum.

We found the above photo of us on Dropbox (a cloud) where Tom had scanned and stored all of our old photos before we left Minnesota. We’re thrilled to be able to reference old photos.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back tomorrow with dress-up night photos of us in our smart casual and hopefully others in formal wear. It’s lobster night and we’re looking forward to it.

Be happy.  Be well!

Photo from one year ago today, January 16, 2015:

Notice Tom’s red face and forehead from too much sun on Tuesday when visiting with the new neighbors the prior day. This is the lobby of the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel where we stayed overnight before our flight to Kauai. For more details, please click here.

Four days until the cruise ends…Fun coincidence!…Exchange rate shocker!…More of Tom’s food photos…

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The shore in Akaroa.

Last night at dinner at a “sharing” table for 10, we sat next to a lovely retired couple from New Zealand.  Ironically, they’ll be our “neighbors” when we live in the Taranaki region in New Zealand less than 2 km, 1.24 miles from our new vacation home for the upcoming three months.

What a great resource we discovered in Audrey and Trevor! They even knew our landlord as alpaca farmers.  They, too had been sheep farmers before retiring a few years ago. 

We had a fabulous time discussing the endless options available in the area for shopping, farmer’s markets, grass fed meat suppliers, and fish markets. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to meet this couple.

View of the residential area on Akaroa, New Zealand.

Once we arrive at our new home in four days, the owners will further educate us as to the many nearby conveniences, all within a 20-minute drive, along with our research, for the availability of restaurants, sights to visit, a fitness center, and a dentist for Tom’s bad tooth which is no longer problematic (for now).

I’ve fully recovered from the annoying cough and cold I’d caught on the plane. Luckily, it never impeded any of the activities aboard the ship and we’ve had an over-the-top experience.

Having been on this same ship, Celebrity Solstice in September 2014, we feel right at home, easily finding our way around the good-sized (not huge) vessel that carries 2850 passengers and 1250 crew and is 1033 feet, 315 meters long. 

Passengers on a sailboat ride in the bay.

On March 1, 2017, we’ll be cruising on this same ship for 12 days from Sydney to Sydney that visits a new country (to us) we’ve yet to visit in the South Pacific. Then again, on May 17, 2017, we’ll board this ship for the fourth time to sail from Vancouver to Seattle for an inside passage Alaskan cruise. 

Once we’re done with the Alaskan cruise, we’ll rent a car in Seattle and begin to make our way to Minnesota to visit family where we’ll stay for at least a month. When we booked our several remaining cruises, getting to Minnesota seemed a long time away.  And yet now, it’s a mere 16 plus months. Yep, “time flies when you’re having fun!

Soon, we’ll start preparing the directions for the five-plus-hour drive from Auckland to New Plymouth, NZ, (population 68,900) the closest city to our new location. Once we arrive in New Plymouth we’ll stop for groceries and supplies before arriving at the house. 

According to Audrey and Trevor, it’s only a 20-minute drive from New Plymouth to the house. We’ll certainly appreciate the close proximity to shopping and other conveniences and also the abundance of available products after living in Fiji for four months.

Tom’s burger lunch a few days ago by the pool. It’s been too cool and windy to use the ship’s pool.

Yesterday afternoon, I visited the “guest services” desk to inquire as to converting AU $500, USD $349 to New Zealand dollars. Checking online for the current (changing daily) exchange rate, we were well aware that an even conversion rate would be AU $500 to NZ $539. OK. That’s fine.

Asking the “guest services” how many NZ dollars they’d give us by handing over the AU $500, US $349, NZ $539 after checking their computer they explained they’d give us NZ $416! 

In other words, the fee for handling the transaction was outrageous costing us NZ $123, AU $114, US $86.  I walked away empty-handed returning the AU $500 to Tom’s wallet. There was no way we’d suffer such a loss for money exchange. 

We knew cruise ships generally gouged passengers to exchange money, having never asked for an exchange on our prior 11 cruises. We’ve always waited until we arrived at our destination to use an ATM, most often away from the port or airport where exchange rates are typically poor compared to an ATM in a small town or village.

Once we have the rental car in our possession we’ll find an ATM. What an eye-opener! With several trips scheduled to return to Sydney including a 40-day stay in 2017, we’ll easily use the Aussie cash. 

Tom went for the big time yesterday, eating these two plates of food, one hotdog, and one burger. I’ve stuck to one meal a day (dinner) after I found I just couldn’t eat twice a day, feeling too full for dinner, if I had breakfast. (The blue cast in this photo if due to a reflection from the blue glass windows on the ship).

Luckily, when we were leaving Fiji we used the last of our Fiji dollars and small change when we paid with cash and credit card for our overweight baggage. It makes no sense to be carrying leftover cash from numerous countries we visit. 

Other than our leftover AU $500 dollars, some US dollars, and Euros, we’ve used all of the other cash we accumulated along the way except for $1100 Kenyan Schillings, worth a paltry US $10.74. 

Today, our ship is docked in Wellington, NZ where we’ll return when we tour the South Island in March or April, the suggested months to see the most greenery. 

For now, we’re as content as we could be, living in the moment, enjoying every last day on the ship. 


Photo from one year ago today, January 15, 2015:

One year ago today, Tom captured this unusual moon photo the evening before we left the Big Island after the family visit ended. For the final expenses for the holiday gathering, please click here.

Curiosity about our lives from many passengers we meet…How could this life come to a quick end?

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Knox Church is a notable building in Dunedin, New Zealand. It houses the city’s second Presbyterian congregation and is the city’s largest church of any denomination.

As we’ve mentioned many times, people are exceedingly friendly on cruises, to a point that one would have to be a total recluse not to frequently engage in conversation with other passengers on a consistent basis.

There are countless areas where sharing a table is necessary, if not encouraged, which in doing so results in conversation no more than seconds after we’re seated. 

The only time of day we’re seated by ourselves is in the Café al Bacio, drinking coffee and tea, sitting at an ergonomically correct table and chairs for two while we prepare the day’s post.

A view of the village.

That’s not to say we avoid socializing while working on the post. Many people we’ve met and others that have seen us seated at this table, morning after morning, have stopped to talk inquiring as to what we’re doing here each day. 

We never mind stopping what we’re doing to chat. As a result, we’ve uploaded most posts later in the day than when we’re living somewhere for a period of time. 

Need I say how much fun it has been to interact so freely with many passengers from all over the world aboard this ship? We’ve handed out dozens of our business cards and look forward to hearing from them with suggestions for our travels when we visit places where they reside and places they’ve traveled.

Homes close to the ocean in Dunedin, New Zealand.

During these delightful conversations as we all share our stories, Tom often interjects that when my health returned after changing my diet, we decided to travel while we can. Who knows? It could change in a day. I could wake up tomorrow morning and not be able to walk and be in excruciating pain as I was, almost five years ago. 

After all, my dear sister Susan with the same inflammatory disease, four years my senior, has been lying in bed unable to walk for the past 10 years. That could be me and would have been having I not made this huge change in 2011. 

It was three months after changing my diet, the awful pain subsided and only a few months later, we decided to travel the world.  Who knew how long we’d have before it returned, making it impossible for me to carry on, putting a fast end to our world travels? 

Early morning view to Akaroa, New Zealand. We’ll return on our own to many of these quaint towns over the next three months. At present we’re planning a few overnight trips to tour both the North and South islands.

This single fact has motivated us to travel, Tom’s idea, not mine. I’d have never asked him to do this, although many of our family and friends assume it was my idea.  We never dreamed of traveling the world. 

All Tom cared to experience was traversing through the Panama Canal which we accomplished in January 2013 on a cruise from San Diego to Belize. My dream was Africa. Now with these glorious experiences behind us, we hunger for more, as good health continues, for as long as we’re gifted with this blessing. 

See how easy it is for me to avoid taking a single bite of food not allowed on my way of eating? The motivation is powerful and unwavering…food or happiness? I choose happiness over food every single day and have yet since 2011, taking one bite of any item not included in my way of eating. Why take the risk? 

Reflection of the ship on the sea as we anchored in Akaroa.  A 20-minute tender boat ride is required to go ashore.

As Tom often explains, “Touch a hot stove, burn yourself and you’ll never touch that hot stove again!” A simple premise but it easily explains it all. 

Thus, as we continue to meet people who usually inquiry as to what motivated us to leave everything we knew and loved behind, he jumps in with this explanation which often precipitates many questions as to what I eat and don’t eat and ultimately what conditions I have.

When I explain the condition is not gone but that I simply don’t experience the accompanying pain they get it.  We never forget for one hour, one day how fortunate we are and how humbled we are for the gift of having this opportunity to see the world for as long as we can.

While many passengers were off the ship on tours, we stayed on board when the crew had a mandatory emergency drill as shown in these photos.

Now, 39 months later, we’ve seen so much. On the other hand, we’ve seen so little with oceans of opportunities facing us in the near and distant future. We don’t worry about what we’ll do if the pain returns and we can’t carry on. We have no doubt, we’ll figure it out when the time comes.

Yes, dear readers, one day, you’ll open this post and you’ll see we can no longer continue.  But, for now, we’re like two 20-year-olds, having the time of our lives, feeling wonderful, tightly wrapped in each other’s arms, hoping and praying for one more day. This is the story we share.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, January 14, 2015:

This photo of the snorkeler was somewhat confusing.  Could they have been conducting some type of research?  For details, please click here.

Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound…The story of a name…Making decisions aboard ship…

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A small wake from the ship as we sailed through Doubtful Sound.

Yesterday, our ship sailed into Doubtful Sound, one of the three “sounds” we visited in one day, a few hours apart, as we approached New Zealand. The story of this particular sound was particularly interesting as follows:

“History of Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound was named ‘Doubtful Harbour’ in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers, although it is not technically a sound but a fiord.

A Spanish scientific expedition commanded by Alessandro Malaspina visited Doubtful Sound in February 1793 to conduct experiments measuring the force of gravity using a pendulum, a part of the effort to establish a new metric system. The officers of the expedition, which included Felipe Bauzá y Cañas, a cartographer, also made the first chart of the entrance and lower parts of the Sound, naming features of it.

Today these form a unique cluster of the only Spanish names on the map of New Zealand: Febrero Point, Bauza Island and the Nee Islets, Pendulo Reach, and Malaspina Reach.“

As we made our way through Doubtful Sound.

As our ship made its way through the relatively narrow passageway, we were in awe of the pristine beauty of the unusual location along with the other two sounds we’d visited during the day, Milford Sound, as shown in yesterday’s post with a few photos of Dusky Sound, the third in the group. 

Spread throughout the day, we spent considerable time outdoors, freezing in the cool air and wind after a long period of hot and humid weather in our travels over these past years. In a way, it felt good to finally be cool. 

Exhaust from the ship.

As we all often do, we soon forget the discomforts of the past and only observe the moment’s conditions. Our hooded jackets, needed to keep the rain off our heads, weren’t warm enough to keep us from shivering although we’d each worn multiple layers underneath.

In any case, we were enthralled with the three sounds and the reality that we’d arrived in New Zealand, our home for the next three months where we’ll have a car and be able to travel about both the north and south islands at our leisure.

The colorful shoreline in Doubtful Sound.

This is our 12th cruise in 39 months. After all these cruises we’ve come to a few conclusions that we’ll carry with us on all future cruises:

1.  We’re using cruises as a means of transportation. In order to continue to do so, we must monitor expenses to ensure we don’t receive a huge bill at the end of the cruise. Overspending could deter us from future cruises.
2.  The cost of excursions are often too high for us to schedule any on each cruise although we have booked one upcoming next Monday.
3.  Getting off the ship to go sightseeing with the high cost of venues and transportation (none are included in the cruise fare) doesn’t make sense when we’ll be living in the country for months to come with a rental car.  If we’re not staying in the country, then we may explore on our own, keeping the costs as low as possible.
4.  The cost of WiFi is an expense we choose to bear on each cruise. On this particular cruise, the cost is US $244 each (at a discount from US $299 each due to our growing priority status) in order to be able to be online at the same time. With both of us busy with research and posting each day, sharing a connection is not an option for us.

It was rainy, cold, and windy when we took this photo of Dusky Sound, the last of the three sounds we sailed yesterday.

5.  We no longer feel the necessity of dining in specialty restaurants when the food in the main dining room has been very good for both of us including my way of eating.
6.  We don’t need to eat twice a day if we aren’t hungry (we never eat three meals a day). This morning I couldn’t eat a morsel when I still felt full from last night’s good meal of rare prime rib, salad, avocado and veggies. I joined Tom in the dining room this morning while he had a light breakfast. His snacking on pastries, ice cream, and daytime treats has diminished on this cruise when he said he doesn’t feel like being “bloated” from excess consumption. 

Passengers aboard this boat waved at our ship as we passed in the sound.

7.  Unless the “beverage package” is included in our fare as a promotion, most likely we won’t purchase it in the future. At US $65 per day per person, requiring that both parties in a couple purchase the same package to avoid “sharing” it makes no sense when all I drink is coffee and tea, both of which are “free” in the cafeteria on any ship. 

Tom doesn’t drink enough cocktails in a day to pay for it.  Even with the included two beverage packages for this cruise, he hasn’t had more than three cocktails in a day which would average around US $10 each. Sure, I’ve had several specialty teas and a once-a-day coffee with full fat cream with a splash of sugar-free vanilla syrup to create my own coffee drink, it certainly hasn’t been worth US $65 per day. I could easily forgo both of these without giving it a thought.

Following is a photo of the various drink packages offered on Celebrity Cruises at this time.  On the last cruise with Royal Caribbean (the same parent company), the cost was US $59 per person per day. Regardless of how we access these packages, none make a whole lot of sense.

This photo of the Celebrity drink packages can easily be enlarged to
more clearly see the prices.

Do our above “limitations” inhibit our enjoyment?  Not at all!  We’re having the time of our lives meeting other passengers, interacting with the thoughtful crew, and thoroughly enjoying the ship and the scenery as we continue on our way to Auckland, New Zealand, our final port of call where we’ll arrive on Tuesday, January 19th in six days. 

We’re feeling well, sleeping well, frequently walking about the ship for exercise, and of course, treasuring the time we spend sharing it with all of our readers worldwide.

Have a beautiful day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 13, 2015:

One year ago, we were two days until departure to Kauai, Hawaii. Tom took this beautiful sunrise photo from our veranda at the house on Big Island. For more details, please click here.

We’ve reached the first of three fiords in New Zealand… Milford Sound…Photos!

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Milford Sound, New Zealand, although cloudy and rainy was an extraordinary place to see including the rainbow.

The anticipation we’re feeling over reaching the beautiful country of New Zealand is indescribable. With many Kiwi passengers and experienced travelers in our midst aboard this ship extolling the virtues of this country, we’re reeling with excitement.

This morning’s flurry of activity with everyone racing to the decks by 7:30 am to witness our entry into the first of three New Zealand fiords we’ll visit today, Milford Sound, loaded up with cameras, iPads, and cell phones in hand on a cool, windy day.

The sun peeked out for a moment, enhancing the scenery.

Milford Sound is described as follows:

“Milford Sound (Māori: Piopiotahi) is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand‘s South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World.”

There are numerous waterfalls in the sounds.

As the day continues, we’ll travel through two more major fiords, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound, for which we’ll share new photos tomorrow.  As has been typical this past year in our travels, it was cloudy and raining for most of the 90 minutes we sailed through this breathtaking area.

Inclement weather or not, we’re grateful to see these amazing sites, especially when we caught a glimpse of a rainbow and a large pod of Bottlenose dolphins. As often, my photo-taking skills aren’t quite perfected enough to get the quality shots of active marine life although I continue to try. In part, I think I get so excited seeing wildlife, I can barely hold the camera!

We wore long sleeve safari shirts with jeans, the warmest we’ve dressed since we were in Vancouver in September 2014.

And here we are again, after breakfast, back out to the open sea, situated in the Café al Bacio, sipping on hot beverages, content as we can be. We find sitting in this “Starbucks” type café an excellent spot to work on our site and meet new people.

Last night’s dinner with two English couples was as entertaining and fun as always. One of the couples actually lives in the village of Highclere where the popular TV series, Downton Abbey is filmed in the exquisite castle which we visited in August 2014. How fun it was to hear about their lives in the countryside in England!

At each meal, we meet new people, occasionally encountering a couple from a past meal reveling in the good time we had last time around, embracing the new meal together with enthusiasm. 

The time is flying as we’re now only one week from disembarking in Auckland, New Zealand to make our way via rental car to our new home for the next three months. 

Lots of clouds and a ray of sunlight.

We imagine that when most passengers are facing a cruise at the halfway point there’s a certain sense of disappointment anticipating that soon it will all end. We’re grateful that we don’t bear any significant disappointment in it coming to an end when the next leg of our journey will be equally as interesting and meaningful. 

We can’t help but feel a bit of disappointment that we won’t be able to chat with new people at every meal, easily enjoying the friendly companionship. Then, again, we’ve made new friends aboard the ship with whom we’ll surely stay in touch.

Posting has been difficult during this cruise due to our inability to upload more than a few photos each day. The Internet staff has explained that using the wifi mainly works for Facebook and a few email messages. We’re pleased to have been able to do as much as we have as we continue to make every effort to upload more photos each day.

What a view!

I suppose part of the difficulty is taking the time to complete a single post when people frequently stop by to chat. To avoid being rude, I stop looking at my laptop while we chat. Picking it back up 20 minutes later often results in my losing my momentum and flow. 

So, if it’s been scattered, we apologize and will get back on track once we’re living in NZ as we begin an entirely new adventure after settling into our new house on the alpaca farm and start exploring both the north and south islands. 

We’ll return tomorrow with more photos of the two other “sounds” we sail to today. Back at you later. Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, January 12, 2015:

Ironically, one year ago today, we booked another cruise on this same ship we’re on now, the Celebrity Solstice, for March 1, 2017. For more details on that upcoming cruise in 14 months, please click here. (Unable to enlarge photo).

Living aboard a ship long term…More food photos…

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When I asked to be served one avocado a day, they always bring this huge portion which I’ve shared with tablemates.

We hear story after story about seniors living aboard a ship rather than an assisted living facility when often the cost differential is minimal. Many of these stories appear to be “Internet legends” although there have been several actual reported cases.

Here’s a link to a USA Today news story I spotted online about a widow who’s lived on a cruise ship for the past several years. 

After perusing several articles we’ve come to the conclusion that living on a cruise ship permanently is impractical for most of those seniors who may be able to afford the US $5,000 to $15,000 a month cost (depending on the ship, the cabin choice, the itineraries and the cruise line). 

The realities of a long-term life aboard a ship are discouraging for most seniors primarily due to the lack of available appropriate medical care, insurance, and space limitations. Grandma can’t bring along her favorite recliner or special bed when “renting” a cabin on a ship.

The sauce under this delicious garlic and shallot encrusted lamb chops is a flour-less reduction sauce, the chef made for me.

There are a few ships worldwide that are permanent residences for those of all ages as shown at The World, a 165 “unit” residential ship that travels throughout the world with varying size and amenity cabins all with views to the passing world’s treasures. 

Prices aren’t listed at their site but some time ago, out of curiosity we investigated and most were priced well over US $1,000,000 depending on the size of the “condo” plus ancillary fees comparable to association dues one would pay in an upscale condo or townhouse.

What brought this topic to mind was an inquiry from a couple we met while in the Café al-Bacio who were curious if this type of life would appeal to us. Upon contemplative discussion, we have no interest in living permanently on a cruise ship. 

This is the entrée I ordered for the past four nights, seafood on a bed of cooked cabbage and vegetables.  Excellent!

Why not?  For several reasons, including the following in no special order:

1. Boredom: We love the variety in our lives of moving from location to location with a new (to us) property on each occasion. 
2.  Cost:  As much as many of these news stories and “legends” extol the virtues of living aboard a ship, the cost is actually much higher than one reads when all the ancillary expenses are included.
3.  The food:  There are only so many dishes a cruise ship prepares meal after meal. It would be easy to tire of them and plus, for my dietary needs, it would become cumbersome and repetitive.
4.  Exposure to illness: A cruise ship is a sailing petri dish. As seniors, our immune systems may not be as robust as in our youth and we can easily fall prey to many viruses and infections.
5.  Medical care: Many doctors choosing to work aboard a ship do not necessarily have specialties in more than one or two areas, leaving them unable and unequipped on a ship to handle more complicated illnesses beyond basic care. Most seriously ill passengers are airlifted to hospitals, at times to less than desirable hospitals and locations.

Of course, each cruise passenger would have their own list of reasons why long-term or permanent cruising may not work for them. For us, the novelty of cruising a few times each year remains interesting and fulfilling with the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people in one easy setting along with the opportunity to see many parts of the world as the ship travels from port to port.

Neither of us has any interest in getting off the ship when it’s in port when we’re already scheduled to live in that country, or in ports we’ve already visited in the past. 

Cruising “our way” has many benefits. However, for us, the ultimate experience in cruising is the opportunity to interact with others from all over the world in a relaxed setting. Add, the aspect of “using cruising for transportation” avoiding the stress, commotion, and rush of airports, cruising total fulfills our preferences and expectations. 

Today, we’re attending a special lunch at noon with over 100 cruisecritic.com passengers in the main dining room. Tom just returned from watching the  Minnesota Viking’s lost game but we both look forward to another great day aboard the Celebrity Solstice on day 6 of the cruise with 8 days remaining until we reach Auckland New Zealand.  Baah…

Photo from one year ago today, January 11, 2015:

The clouds continued over the Big Island as we wound down our few final days on the island.  The family had long gone back to the mainland as we began packing and organizing our belongings for the upcoming short flight to the island of Kauai. For more details, please click here.

Rough waters in the Tasman Sea…Time changes…Fabulous times continue…

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View from the ship of monument in Tasmania.

We apologize for yet another late posting at almost 3:00 pm, our new time here in the Tasman Sea in the South Pacific. We overslept after I’d kept us both awake during the night with a hacking cough. 

This morning upon awakening late I immediately noticed if I’ve turned the corner and am on the mend. Thank goodness. I didn’t want this entire cruise to consist of stifling a dry cough. Tom’s abscess is healing and he feels good. We’re renewed and refreshed feeling like ourselves once again.

We missed breakfast which was fine. After eating two meals a day over the past four full days of cruising I felt stuffed and ready for an intermittent fasting day with a 24-hour reprieve from food. 

Tom is also avoiding food today, except for his Mudslide, an alcoholic ice cream type drink with vodka, Kahlua, coffee liqueur, and Bailey’s Irish Cream included in the drink package we both received as a perk with this cruise.

Last night, we met some amazing people at our dinner table. I sat next to an interesting and enlightening older couple. He’s an 86 year old Anglican priest and she’s a spiritual advisor. They’ve both traveled the world extensively. The three of us became engrossed in sharing our philosophical viewpoints on many topics for some highly stimulating conversation.

Tom at the martini bar last night.

Their warmth, kindness, and intellect precipitated my feeling grateful for meeting them. It’s these types of interactions that leave us reeling with happiness over the opportunities we encounter while cruising.

Tom sat next to an equally interesting couple with whom he became totally engrossed, as well as one more couple at our table. None of us hardly noticed our meals, eating little bites between conversations.

With a pending one-hour time change last night (with another tonight), by the time we returned to our cabin it was 11:30 PM and we’d yet to change the time on our watches and digital equipment. 

This morning, when we finally got up and ready for the day it was too late to make it to the dining room before breakfast service ended at 9:30 am. We could have gone to the buffet but, we’ve avoided this area due to a higher risk of “catching” something.

We just returned from waiting in a long queue to check-in with New Zealand immigration required of all passengers disembarking in NZ on 19th declaring any food products and where and how long they’d be staying in the country. We had no problem getting our 90-day stamp to stay in the country without an additional visa.

Once again, we’re back at the Café al-Bacio while Tom’s savoring his tasty drink and I’m sipping on my new favorite herbal African tea, visiting with a variety of passengers who stop by to chat. We couldn’t be more comfortable or enjoying ourselves more, especially now that we’re both on the mend.

Tom’s “new thing,” a crab cake with succotash.

The rolling seas are tolerable. We hardly notice until looking out the window and see the horizon moving up and down with the rough seas. Luckily, neither of us ever suffers from seasickness.

We’ll continue to be out to sea over the next several days. Never bored for a moment, our cruise is comparable to being at one huge cocktail party filled with lively and enthusiastic guests who are highly sociable, friendly, and eager to start conversations. 

Surprisingly for a sea day, the wifi connection is good today even with many passengers also online on their iPads, phones, and laptops. Most likely, we’ll spend tomorrow morning in our cabin watching the Minnesota Vikings playoff game on TV. We’ll be back!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 10, 2015:

Tom took this gorgeous sunrise photo on the Big Island as we wound down our last few days until departing for Kauai. We were prepared to continue on.  For more photos and details, please click here

Ship docked in Tasmania today…Great comment from a loyal reader…

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 Due to a poor signal aboard ship, we’re unable to post many photos each day. 
Last night at the show, Jane, Tom and Rob, our new Aussie friends.

Today, our ship has docked at the port in Hobart, Tasmania. With our upcoming three months on the island beginning in less than 11 months, we decided we’ll save touring this interesting location for that time.

We’ll have a rental car for the full period and can travel at our own pace as we choose. Besides, I’m still nursing a cold/virus I picked up on the flight to Sydney when the man sitting next to me sneezed and coughed during the entire flight. With the use of Tylenol and a nasal spray I’m nursing it, hoping to return to total health in a few days.
As much as we’d prefer not to whine about being ill, we feel it’s only fair to our readers to tell-it-like-it-is including the less than ideal periods we experience from time to time.  
On occasion, most of us get colds, flu, viruses, infections or injuries which regardless of our aggressive preventive measures we can’t seem to avoid. It’s life. Ups and downs. How foolish and unrealistic our site would be if we only shared the “up” times and not the “down” periods.
The thought of doing more today than lounging with a cup of hot tea was beyond me. Thank goodness I’m not sneezing and coughing during the day or I’d quarantine myself to the cabin. Now, as day four since the onset of these symptoms, I’m hoping I’m not contagious.
No flash photography was allowed during the performance, making these photos a bit dark.
Luckily, over the past five days, I haven’t felt so badly that we weren’t able to go to breakfast and dinner. Last night, we dined with new friends, Jane and Rob from Australia. After dinner, at 9:00 pm we all attended the Andy Joy show in the Solstice Theatre, who’s a talented and versatile musician and singer. 
When the show ended, we said good night (no handshakes, no hugs) and headed to our cabin where again I had a good night’s sleep, vital during periods of feeling less than ideal.
Now, with 80% of the passengers off the ship for one of many Tasmanian tours, we’re again quietly content to be lounging in the Café al Bacio coffee bar. We’re contemplating spending a little time at the pool once we’re done posting. 
Today is a mild, not humid, sunny day, a rarity in our lives over these past many months of living in outrageously hot and humid weather. As we move along on this cruise, we’re expecting cooler weather which we’ll fully embrace.

As our posts have continued over the years, we’ve had countless heartwarming experiences of hearing feedback from our readers. Often, they prefer to email rather than post a comment at the end of any day’s post. Some prefer anonymity while others find it quicker and easier to email rather than post a comment.  Either way is fine for us.

However, we suspect that many of our readers enjoy reading the comments of other readers, although they may not be comfortable posting their own comments. I can easily be a “lurker” never saying “boo” on another blog or website I may peruse regularly or on occasion.

Getting into the theatre at the last minute we had no choice but to take seats on the side, not center section.

Our reader, Amit, who stumbled upon us accidentally only a short time ago, has sent email and also posted a few comments. An email he sent a few days ago lingered in my mind that it may be of interest to our other readers. Here’s Amit’s email message sent on January 5, 2016:

“Hi, Jess,
 I have continued reading your blog with great interest and have gotten to the part where you visit the Namale resort to celebrate the third anniversary of your adventure with Tom. Belated congratulations on your new to me occasion. 
    
One of my Facebook friends from my only adventure in the last 25 years, a trip to Central Europe, posted about her upcoming trip to Australia and Fiji and asked for advice. I eagerly recommended your blog and have showed it to other friends, especially the 8 visitors in 1 day post from Marloth Park. 
It’s exciting to realize that I am only 2 months of posts away from your real-time adventures, on a new Pacific Cruise if I remember correctly. In the post I’m reading now you talk about the world map of your travels which I always open in another window when I read your blog. 
You talk about updating and correcting the map and I’d just like to make one minor observation. The map has a link to Borabora in New Guinea rather than Bora Bora in French Polynesia. It would be so exciting if you did get to New Guinea on a cruise. Maybe later. 
Thank you so much for all happiness you have given me with this blog. It makes me excited for my own travels in the future. I really would like to go to Morocco now, although just for a short trip. And I never even knew about your favorite place, Marloth Park.”
His message immediately inspired Tom to correct the map on our homepage. Tom, who handles the map, got to work to make the corrections. In our ongoing efforts to always present a realistic and accurate representation of every aspect of our lives of travel, we can’t express how much we appreciate Amit alerting us to the error. 
The performer was versatile, playing multiple instruments including the piano.
In the past, other readers have offered correction suggestions all of which we’ve taken seriously which we’ve immediately implement when applicable. We welcome suggestions provided they aren’t of a “bashing” or bullying nature. We’ve certainly had a few such comments we soon deleted to which we’ve seldom responded.
This is a positive and “happy” place for us to share our experiences. Yes, some days things go wrong or we’re “under the weather” but that doesn’t diminish the overall depth of the quality of our journey. It all a part of life which for all of us is rarely a constant stream of perfection and ease.
We wrote back to Amit, thanking him for sharing his thoughts with us, explaining that he started at the beginning to read from our first post in March 15, 2012 to the present, which he’s almost reached.  Perhaps, by the time he reads about himself here, he’ll be caught up.
Today’s post is #1257. Amit, that’s quite a commitment and we thank and commend you for tackling it and, for sharing it with your friends and for writing to us. 
As we strive to continue to grow our worldwide readership, sharing our web address with family and friends is so appreciated and meaningful to us. All you need to do is send them an email including this link:  www.worldwidewaftage.com
It will direct your friends to today’s newest post which changes daily as we continue to post 365 days a year…366 this year, a leap year.
That’s it for today, folks. We hope you have a wonderful day. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new photos as we continue to revel in our “boatload” of new friends and experiences!
Photo from one year ago today, January 9, 2015:
A map illustrating how the city of Hilo near the bay was wiped out from tsunamis over the years.  Notice the Lyman Museum name at the top of this page, which we’d also visited in December 2015 with the family. Click here for details.