Last Day In Sydney



After a morning of recovering from the bridge climb we headed into the area known as Thai Town in Darling Harbor.  Several of the crew members had told us that the food in Thai Town was great.  We grabbed a taxi and ventured out for lunch.  After a little looking we decided on the Bangkok and were really surprised at the excellent quality of the food.  Cindy had Khao Pad Tom Yum (Fried Rice Cooked with Tom Yum paste with pork, carrots, mushrooms, onion, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon grass).  Our friends Gary and Pat came along with us which was not only fun but helpful since Gary speaks Thai.  We ran into a little rain both going and coming back from lunch. 

We said goodbye to approximately 194 passengers who departed the ship here in Sydney yesterday.  New passengers began boarding the ship at about noon.  I’m sure it will take them a few days to find their way around the ship. 

Sail away was at 7:30pm last night.  We will be cruising to our next stop,  Adelaide, Australia arriving there at approximately 7:00am on Friday, February 25, 2011.

Sailaway And First Day

Yesterday we were delayed in our departure from Fort Lauderdale until after sunset.  The Pacific Princess finally got underway on the World Cruise at about 6:15pm.  The Cruise Director, Brett Siborne hosted the

Champagne Sailaway Celebration for all the passengers and the ship's company.  The views along the Florida coastline were magnificant!  Miami at night from 4 miles out to sea was something to behold.  It really didn't matter that our suitcases didn't arrive to our stateroom until much later, since there was so much going on around the ship. 

The Maitre D'Hotel, Francisco Patricio selected a very nice four-top table for us in the Club Restaurant for dinner.  Here is  a autographed copy of the Sailaway Dinner Menu.  

Of course, we both selected the Prime Rib.  This will be our biggest meal for awhile, as we attempt to pace ourselves and keep the calorie count under control.

This morning we awoke to clear skies and 75 degrees F.  The sea is really calm with absolutely no swells.  After a light breakfast we headed up to Deck 10 for a Meet and Greet with all the Cruise Critic Roll Call members.  Almost all are doing the entire 107 days.  

NEWS FLASH FROM THE CAPTAIN.  Our scheduled port call to Seychelles, Mahe, April 1, 2011 has been cancelled.  The reason given is Pirates in the area west of the Seychelles.  We will be changing our course and will now be making a port call on Richard's Bay, South Africa on April 7, 2011.  This is a disappointment for most of the passengers because the Seychelles are lush islands with white sand beachs not frequently visited.  But---Safety First.
  

Tomorrow's The Big Day

The Big Day is just about here.  We will head over to the ship tomorrow at about noon for boarding.  The ship is expected to sailaway at around 5:00pm.  The weather is looking very good with small sea swells expected. Our first stop will be Grand Cayman and then on for the transit of the Panama Canal. We just do the transit with no stops in Panama and head on to Manta, Equador.  Manta is the disembarkation stop for passengers who will be going overland to Mauchu Picchu or the Galapagos Islands.

We will spend today getting last minute laundry done and packing up things here at the Palm-Aire.  Needless to say, the long wait for this cruise is finally over.

Cold In Florida

This morning we awoke to a sunshiny and balmy 42 degree temperature here in Fort Lauderdale.  The weather is forecasted to warm over the coming few days and hopefully by sailaway it will be in the 70s.

Yesterday we did some shopping for items that we will need during the world cruise that we didn't want to transport on the plane.  And, hopefully our box that we shipped by FEDEX will arrive here tomorrow.  It's going to be fun trying to get all the luggage and extra items we purchased to the ship.  But, I'm sure we will be able to figure something out.