Fiji –

 

Our next port was Fiji.  We have been here several times so it wasn’t new for us.  We had a very nice day which included some shopping in Nadi, a visit to some tropical gardens, and the beach.  Being in Nadi reminded us of several years ago when during a torrential rainstorm a live electrical wire fell across our bus causing much concern.  This trip to Nadi was uneventful.

          

          


          

 

 

Crossing the International Dateline

Crossing the International Dateline

Awhile after leaving Samoa we crossed the international dateline, that imaginary line where today becomes tomorrow, and the moment you were experiencing just a moment ago is now, apparently, a couple days behind you.  This is the day after the 2014 Super Bowl even though it hasn’t been played yet.  We are hoping to watch it live on Monday.  Sounds a bit like back to the future to me.  Several years ago we went from Tonga to Samoa on Saturday night, only to arrive on Friday night.  Two Saturdays in a week is a beautiful thing!

The ship had a great super bowl party.  Fortunately we were able to get reception.  Sorry to all the Bronco fans, but our party was great.

        

American Samoa

Such memories here for Ann and I as well.  While at UH, Ann spend 3 weeks twice a year teaching here.  I had been here twice.  A tender day for both of us.

We borrowed a car from friends and another couple from  the ship and the art instructor joined us. 

 

                                         With Krista

 

It was a wonderful day.  We drove to the east side of the island and took the small “ferry” to the island of Aunu’u.  This little island has 500 hundred inhabitants and no vehicles.  Ann found out that the principal of the island’s school, whom she knew from previous visits, had passed away.  The people are so friendly.  One of our favorite encounters was with three little girls playing in front of the LDS chapel.  They spontaneously burst into singing “I am a Child of God”, and we joined in.  We spent time walking and visiting with them.  It was the highlight of the morning.

 

 

 

We went to the National Park of Samoa, the only US National Park south of the equator.  We will let the pictures of the views speak for themselves

The Society Islands, French Polynesia –

Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti – Our first stop in the Society Islands or French Polynesia was in Papeete, Tahiti Nui.  The two islands that make up Tahiti are Nui (large) and Iti (small).  They are actually one land mass connected by a small isthmus, referred to as two islands but actually one.

Papeete is the capital city of Tahiti and is located on the northwestern shore of Tahiti Nui.  It is the biggest city.  Just a big city with a port and an international airport.  We docked at the port and walked from the ship to the downtown in 5 minutes. 

The entire island is of volcanic origin as are the other Society Islands.  The interior of the island is lush and verdant.  There is a road around the island that connects each village to its neighboring village.  We did not go to Tahiti Iti.

Our tour on Tahiti Nui was quite eventful to say the least.  It started with a guide who spoke very little English and it went downhill fast.  Our touring partners were an excentric character who probably needs to be locked up in a psychiatric ward rather than be on a cruise ship.  His behavior so outraged the other couple on our tour that they were constantly requesting to be taken back to the ship.  The last member of the tour was a young French girl who flirted constantly with the driver/guide in French distracting him even more from his job of providing a tour.   All in all it was worth the price of admission to watch the dynamics in play on and off the van.  

Tahiti is a lovely island, but congested and most of the resorts have closed.  

Moorea – 

 

 

 

 

Moorea is a small island about 6 miles off the west coast of Tahiti Nui.  It is smaller than Tahiti Nui and much more beautiful and rural.  The circumference of the heart shaped island is about 60 miles.  We rented a “Moorea Roadster” and spent four hours driving around the island and up to Mt. Belvedere, the main viewpoint of most of the island.  We both agreed that Moorea is beautiful and needs to be explored more.

Bora Bora - 

Just incredible!  A volcanic island with a very predominant “Ship Rock” like plug in its center, surrounded almost completely by a reef.  Water is crystal clear.  We took a boat completely around the island in the lagoon.  We swam with black tipped reef sharks and sting rays.  Ann road an eight foot shark by grabbing its dorsal fin as it swam by.  Don’t know if that was on her bucket list but she enjoyed it.

 

 

Easter Island:

What and incredible day!!  Cruise ships have a very difficult time accessing Easter Island because of its isolation.  The closest islands are 1200 miles and the Peruvian mainland is 2000 miles.  Also, there is no dock so the ships have to tender passengers from the ship to the island.  There are only two places on the island where the island can be accessed, either at the main city, Hanga Roa, or at a bay at the north end of the island.  Often the seas are so rough around the island that neither can be accessed.  We had talked to passengers who have been on this cruise multiple times and never have been able to go ashore at Easter Island.  Today, the seas were cooperative and we made it ashore.  Yes!

The big story of course is the Mois, the large stone statues that are all over this small island.  Exactly how they came to be and why is disputed by scientists and even the locals.  

Post One:

Our home for the next four Months, is the ms Amsterdam--We are cruising on the ms Amsterdam.   The ms Amsterdam is the third ship to bear the name of the Dutch capitol in Holland America Line’s 140 year history.  Built in Italy, the Amsterdam blends the very latest in shipbuilding technology with the artistry, personalized touches, and superior service that has made Holland America Line one of highest rated cruise lines in the world.  She is the Holland America Line’s Pacific flagship and a sister ship to the ms Rotterdam.

                     

The Amsterdam features a multi-million dollar art collection.  This includes a three story fully functional Astrolabe in the main atrium which took over 15 years to design.  The Astrolabe tracks constellations, the planets, world time, and ship time as we travel. 

During the summer, the Amsterdam sails around Alaska; during the winter, she makes grand voyages around Asia, Australia/New Zealand and the South Pacific.  Join us on the Amsterdam via this blog as we circumnavigate the globe on our Grand World Voyage.

Fun fact: Several years ago, Ann’s Aunt and Uncle, Tom and Dot Moore, took the Amsterdam on a grand Asian and Pacific voyage.

General Information about the Amsterdam –

Owner                          Carnival Corporation

Operator                      Holland America

Port of Registry Netherlands, Rotterdam

Maiden Voyage           30 October 2000

Tonnage                       62,735 GT

Length                          777.6 Ft.

Beam                            105.8 Ft.

Decks                            12

Top Speed                    29 MPH

Capacity                       1,380

Crew                             647

Fuel Consumption      39,500 Gallons per day at 21 MPG

Our impressions of our ship, the Amsterdam, are excellent.  The size of the ship and the number of passengers appeal to us.  We have found that there are 950 persons on onboard, thus the ship is not near its capacity of 1,380 passengers. We are enjoying getting to know many of the passengers. Almost everyone is onboard for the full voyage, many have been on this voyage many times.  The ship goes to a different route each year, so that is attractive to many travelers. Three people at our dinner table have all been multiple times.

We have met legendary Dolly!  She extensively traveled the Holland America Line’s ships, mostly the Amsterdam.  At the end of this voyage she will have cruised 7000 days or just under 20 years.  She is spunky and very funny. She is the probably the source of the urban legend that many people live on a cruise ship.

From Florida through the Panama Canal - The first port of call was Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.  It is the port nearest the entrance to the Panama Canal on the east or Caribbean side.  Having spent time in the beautiful mountainous regions of Costa Rica before, we chose to walk about town for a while and people watch.  Most interesting was the local market, a huge conglomerate of small shops and stalls ranging anywhere from meat and produce markets to a zapateria (shoe repair shop).  We had a great walk along the beach.

                       

                             Great day at Puerto Limon

The transit of the Panama Canal, “the ditch”, is awe inspiring and fascinating with its beauty.  We went through the Canal for our first time three years ago.  This year is the 100^th

anniversary of the opening of the canal.  It is difficult to grasp that this construction project was completed with the technology then available. The Canal presently is being enlarged to handle the bigger ships that are being built.  The completion date has been put back until 2016, creating problems for the ship lines that will have their newer “monster” ships in use before then.

        

Pitcairn Island:

Leaving Easter Island we traveled 1200 miles west to Pitcairn Island.  One of the most remote inhabited locations on earth, Pitcairn Island holds a special place in history.  It was founded in 1790 by the mutineers of the HMS Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian.  The mutineers abducted a small group of Tahitian men and women, and upon landing on the island, burned the ship, vowing never to leave.  Nearly all of the islands current 45 residents are descendants of these settlers.  Adamstown is the island’s only town.  

The residents make their living mostly from tourism and fishing.  The island is too small to handle passengers from a cruise liner, thus, the residents came to the ship to talk with us of their history, and to sell their wares.  Jacqui Christian, 7^th ggdaughter made their presentation. Very interesting day

The mayor of Pitcarin