My “Please Excuse Me” note

We had decided to ‘Take another Cruise’. and, as the rest of the NZ family was going to be away for Christmas, this was the ideal time to do it.

We found the Majestic Princess, the newest of the Princess fleet,

For those interested, 330 meters [1083 feet] long, 68.3 meters [224 feet] high, 22 knots max speed, with 19 decks, 1,7870 cabins.

Catering for up to 3,560 guests, with 1,346 crew to ensure everything goes as expected.

The cruise left Auckland on 18th December, went to Tauranga, Akaroa, Dunedin, the Sounds, Hobart, Melbourne, and finished up in Sydney on the 30th December.

The travel agent suggested that we stay for a couple of days in Sydney to see the famed fireworks display on New Years Eve.

As is usual. The “What did you do for your holidays” report, in sections, follows.

We set out from Palmerston North Airport, and while we were waiting for the aeroplane, an elderly [late 80-early 90s] started to chat up the wife, he was also going on the same cruise, but didn’t know how to get from Auckland Airport to the wharf where the ship would be moored.

We suggested sharing a taxi, he thought that was a great idea, so away we went, and arrived at the wrong wharf, fortunately, it was next door to the wharf that we wanted, so we trundled our bags to the right place.

As there was plenty of time before we could check in and board, we went to lunch and during the course of conversation, the old bloke said that he was looking for an available 70+ lady, single, looking for companionship, did we know any?

Our boarding times were separate, so I only saw the old bloke at the bar on a couple of days, and don’t know whether his wish had been granted.

At the time of booking, the travel agent had managed to exchange the cheapest interior room for a suit with a balcony on the 10th deck, for an extra $100.00, so we worked our way up to the room, dropped off the hand luggage, and proceeded to get lost exploring our new home for the next 12 days.

On deck 5 to 7, in the front half of the ship was an atrium, surrounded by shops, cafes and bars, at on end of this space they had erected and decorated a large Christmas tree,

On the 16th deck, along with the usual swimming pools, was an extended walkway jutting out from the ship, with a glass floor, windows on one side, and a bar on the other, in case you needed courage to actually walk on the glass floor sections.

The walkway on the other side was for the brave, [no bar for added bravery.]

Above the bar was a glass light panel so the barmen could see what they were doing,

On the top deck, No 17, was a walking section, 4.25 times around to the mile, for those who needed to work up an appetite.

There were also screened table tennis equipment for the quick of hand, an enclosed driving range so the golf swing wouldn't suffer, as well as an outdoors exercise section for the dedicated to continue working on their “6-pack” while on holiday.

Also on the top deck was an extremely large TV screen set up over the swimming pool area, and surrounding area,

Towards the bow/front of the ship was an enclosed swimming pool and “Adult” section, where, while I was there, the speed of the ship, combined with the 3 meter swells, made the water in the swimming pool act as a surge pool.

The roof was covered so you didn’t get wet if the weather turned inclement, and in front of the pool were a lot of small cubicles designed for two.

Also in this area you could see directly over the bow of the ship.

Or sit and play games, read, or whatever took your fancy.

Everywhere we went there was a feeling of room, even in the Pursers area, that was never busy that I saw.

Surrounding the Atrium, and in lots of other parts of the ship were little “cafe’s”, that served mainly the evening meal, although some also did lunch. This is part of the displayed wine selection for one of these little food outlets

As well as the formal dining rooms, there was a buffet dining up on the 16th deck, that catered for all three meals. This is approx one half of the length of one of the two buffet dining areas, there was an equivalent area on the other side of the serving area, each had 8 serving lines when fully opened, but they were kept to a minimum to keep the food hot and a constant turn over.

We were very fortunate with the weather, reading some of the horror stories some people tell, the sea ranged from

to

Then, eventually, we opened the curtains to see that the trip has finished, and we have arrived in Sydney.

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner