Sandy's Travel Adventures 3: Cruise to South Pacific and Hawaii

Silverseas Cruise – An Amazing 31 Day Cruise to the South Pacific and Hawaii

The flight from Orlando to Los Angeles was uneventful and I had a great day in Long Beach. The next morning I took a long walk and saw the Queen Mary. I took a taxi to the Silverseas Silver Spirit for the start of my 31 day cruise.

Day 1 - Boarding and Departure

I boarded the ship around noon, plenty of time before our 5:00 pm sailing. Of course the first thing I did was having some champagne and lunch. While walking the decks I ran into Martin, a friend I met online who was on the same sailing. We arranged to meet before dinner.

The lifeboat drill was the worst I can remember. It took over 40 minutes, plenty of time for all of us to go under. The departure was delayed an hour to make sure all our provisions were loaded. I did get a few interesting pictures while we were in port.

I spent the rest of the day familiarizing myself with the ship. After cocktails, we had our first dinner in the main dining room. The service was not up to par, but the great food made up for it. Exhausted from the long travel day yesterday, we all retired early.

Days 2-8 - At Sea

There won't be an abundance of pictures during the at sea days. The clouds were out and it was still cold for the first two days at sea, but that didn't deter me from sitting on deck and enjoying a few bloody marys. For our first formal night the ladies (and the gays) were dressed to the nines. I was glad they served lobster - hopefully the first of many.

Seven days at see before our first port of call

An amazing sunset on deck

You can see some of the amazing culinary creations during the voyage.

On day 7 we crossed the equator at 3:30pm. Captain Neptune made his appearance and the pollywogs (new equator crossers) subjected themselves to kissing the fish, raw eggs, spaghetti and colored foam. What a mess.

It was amazing seeing the actual equator. The line runs all around the earth. And the water in the drain reversed directions. We still have another day at sea until our first port.

Day 9 - Nuka Hiva

After seven days at see I woke to an amazing volcanic island - Nuka Hiva. We were greeted by scantly clad natives chanting as we arrived by tender. I scouted the island and determined I could bring my fold up bike ashore. When I did I was unable to get more then a quarter of the way up the mountain. The ride down was much easier. I then rode the shoreline for a few miles. It felt good not having to make 30 laps around the deck for my daily exercise. As with most island port, the natives were trying to sell there locally (?) made trinkets. Needless to say I passed.

Nuka Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia

The Silver Spirit from the tender

Look who greeted me on arrival to Nuka Hiva

Boating in the wake of the tender

Riding my fold up bike

Day 10 - At Sea

We continue heading further south in the Pacific. Since leaving Nuku Hiva we have sailed in view of another smaller cruise ship - The Paul Gauguin.

Day 11 - Rangoria, French Polynesia

We arrived in Rangoria early. Luckily I was on the top deck, because the islands barely break the surface. It is an atoll of 240 islands; many were the rim of the now extinct volcano.

The only town was five or six miles away, so I headed out on my bike. At points the island was no more then 50 feet across and never more then an eighth of a mile. I rode past the airport and didn't see a single plane.

The road ended at the church so I headed back. It was hot but I had plenty of water. I can't imagine what the people do in a storm. Nothing is more then ten feet above sea level.

Needless to say the food continues to be amazing - and I'm down to one dessert a day.

Rangoria, French Polynesia

Day 12 - Moorea, French Polynesia

The island on arrival was majestic. There were lush green mountains and sparkling blue beaches. This is what I imagined all the South Pacific to look like.

My morning tour was the Trail of the Ancients - but only twelve of the younger passengers made the trek. The average age on the ship is 92.

We took a bus to an amazing overlook. Our hike started out fine but then the clouds opened. We were wetter then you could imagine, walking the mud and water. I can't remember being so wet.

After lunch I returned for another bike ride. They said it would be 90 degrees, but it felt a lot hotter on my way back. There are two huge bays, and I rode around both.

Tonight we're having a bar-b-que before heading off to Papeete, only a few hours away. The bar-b-que was pretty, but I prefer being served in the main dining room. I had another excellent meal.

Before I knew it we were docking in Papeete. This is the most populated port so far. I did not venture out for the evening nightlife. I'm always so tired after

Moorea, French Polynesia

Rainbows were seen in almost every port

Beautiful sunsets

Just like my last trip, I never got a lei

Day 13 - Papeete, French Polynesia

The highlight of Papeete was the market place. It wasn't as bad as the Lake Eola street fare, but close. Only 90% of the crap came from China. I walked around the city and didn't purchase anything.

I then got in my bike ride before it got well over 90 degrees (about 30 Celsius). I returned to the ship after only fifty minutes. The roads were not as safe as the other islands.

Day 14 - Bora Bora, French Polynesia

What do you call a parrot who has lost his memory? Polynesia

Today was one of the best days on the cruise. Bora Bora was absolutely beautiful. In the morning I took Le Truck tour. It was really a bus with low ceilings. We headed around the island. The first stop was to purchase local crafts - this is usually the last stop. We stopped a number of times for great vistas. There were hibiscus flowers all over the bus. At one stop the guide told us to throw them out the windows. There were holes in the earth and all of a sudden the land crabs came out and dragged the flowers in their holes.

Next we stopped at the white sand beach were I got my feet wet for the first time in the South Pacific. The final stop was Bloody Mary's, the bar made famous from the musical South Pacific. I passed on the ten dollar drink and got a free one when we returned to the ship.

Later in the afternoon I ventured out on my bike. It was cooler and it even started to rain lightly. I rode back to Bloody Mary's and then went on to the white sand beach. I was gone 30 minutes and decided to continue around the island. I had no idea how far it would be. I keep passing the sights we passed in the morning and knew it would be a long trek. I had plenty of water and the temperature had dropped. The landmarks were definitely far apart. Finally I came to a large bay and had to cycle around. When I hit Marlon Brando's house I knew I was close. The last few kilometers went quickly. On the tender back to the ship I found out it was 33 kilometers around. I earned my dessert tonight.