Sydney...What a Treat!!!!

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA

Before starting this job on cruise ships and even before this cruise I could not wait to get to Australia. Of course never being there and not knowing too many people from there I did not know what to expect. I mean, I knew all the things that we all know about Australia without going there, the poisonous animals, the rugged accents, the 2000 Olympics, The Crocodile Hunter, etc, etc, etc, but I never knew I would get to experience it like this. The one place I could not wait to get too was of course Sydney. Home to the magnificent Sydney Harbor Bridge and the iconic and impressive Sydney Opera House, Sydney defines everything great about the country. From the moment we arrived to the last glimpse of the skyline no one could stop saying how much they loved this city.
Pulling into Jackson Port where Sydney is located you get your first sight of the Opera House, skyline and the Harbor Bridge. We arrived around 7am in the morning and everyone was up to steal a first look. Everybody on the decks began to clap as we rounded the corner into the harbor and no one could put down their cameras. Naturally the city and surrounding landmarks offer awesome picture opportunities which cannot be beat. This harbor is by far the prettiest harbor in the world. To make it better the ship docks right in the middle of Circular Quay which is right in the middle of everything. You could throw a rock and hit the Opera House, downtown and the Harbor Bridge from where we were docked (check out the pictures. Step off the ship and your in the middle of everything. It doesn’t get much better then this. Right next to us was the Park Hyatt Hotel which offers rates for $600+/ night, so being able to dock where we were and having everything around us for free was amazing.
Unfortunately the first day I had IPM so I had to stay on the ship. I was bummed but I would have 2 days ahead to see everything. I spent the day lounging around and taking pictures of the bridge and opera house from the ship, both in the day and night. Being that this night was Halloween the city was full of people out having a great time. As some of you know Halloween is not celebrated widely in this country and only recently has gained popularity. Even though this is true, most people coming back that night said it was crazy. I managed to get off at 3:30am with Laura (our female singer/dancer from Italy) and got to get some breakfast at the “City Café,” which was a 24 hour eatery similar to “Jerry’s Famous Deli” back home. We then returned back to the ship after walking around the harbor a little and went to sleep.
The next day was all to myself. I woke up and headed out with my camera and planned to see everything I could. I started out in the first settlement of Sydney called “The Rocks.” The Rocks neighborhood is located between Circular Quay and the Harbor Bridge and still has many of the original buildings that were built after 1788, when the First Fleet stepped foot on this land. Today the neighborhood offers a glimpse into the past as well as many areas to entertain you. Restaurants, pubs, shopping and the very popular weekend market make up the majority of the area. I had to browse through the market and was able to check out the more than 100 booths set up. Yes, Christmas shopping was done here a little.
(Okay, I’m back from just taking a killer kick boxing class that whipped my butt…Suzy, you would have loved this class. )
From this area I made my way to the famous Sydney Opera House. Construction began in 1958 by architect Jorn Utzon and completed in 1973 after going through problem after problem. The opera house has 7 theaters with approximately 3000 shows a year. The original cost of the Opera House was supposed to be $7 million (AUS), but when all said and done came to a whopping $102 million (AUS). The design of the building is unlike any other in the world and is gorgeous. You can see the building from most places around the harbor and it offers great angles for pictures. I had to go up and touch the actual building just to believe I was there. Being able to stand under the huge shells of the roof was truly amazing. As usual I will be putting up many pictures of the Opera House on my Facebook account so please check it out.
From the Opera House I then walked back around Circular Quay where the ferries come and go traveling to various locations throughout the harbor. I was headed to the Sydney Harbor Bridge, aka “The Coathanger”. The following day I was to climb this bridge so I wanted to see what it was all about. Just like the Opera House this structure is also visible from anywhere in the Sydney area. Standing 134 meters tall and 45 meters wide it is the longest single arch bridge in the world. Surprisingly enough the Opera House weighs more than the bridge….how I have no clue. The bridge was completed after a 9 year build in 1932. It took 1,400 workers to build the bridge and only 16 died during the construction, including one survivor. The worker fell from the bridge and thanks to the advice of his friend who was a diver, fell feet first into the water, splitting his rubber boots to his thighs. With only a couple broken ribs and his life, this lucky fellow returned back to work 2 weeks later. The bridge has 8 lanes for vehicles and 2 rail lines to connect the City Centre to the North Shore. Crossing the bridge offers impressive views of almost every place in Sydney.
On the North Shore of the bridge and to the west about a block is the old “Luna Park.” Similar to Coney Island it offers free admission and rides that are ticketed. I especially loved walking through here and taking photos of the park. From here I returned to Circular Quay by ferry and after lunch at McDonalds headed back to the ship. Later that night Laura and I went to the “Italian Village” restaurant which was part of 4 separate restaurants located in an old building next to the ship and had spectacular views of the water, the bridge and of course the opera house. It was time to call it a night cause we had bridge climbing the next day.
Waking up early and grabbing a quick breakfast was hard because our adrenaline was flowing for our next feat…The Bridge Climb. Laura, Nicole, Alexa and I were about to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Started in 1998, the climb, depending on which one you purchase) takes you to the top of the bridge. You are actually standing on the highest point of the bridge right under the Australian and New South Wales flags. This is probably Sydney’s #1 attraction for thrill seekers and that it was. Upon checking in you sign your life away hoping it will not need to come in use and take a breath test to make sure you are not “under the influence” to climb. Next you meet the rest of the people in your group, receive your ever stylish blue jumpsuit and go into the dressing room to put it on. The following step is to walk through a metal detector to make sure you have nothing on you that can fall off. This includes cameras and such. Nothing is allowed on the climb and for good reason. After this you get fitted with your safety harness, hats, hankies, rain coat, radio and earphones (to hear your guide) and then try a simulation of stair climbing. Throughout the whole climb you are attached to a railing that’s hooked to your harness. From here you begin the climb. After a walk on the underside catwalk of the bridge, about 100 feet above the ground, you then begin your stair climb. Each section has about 15 to 20 stairs and takes you right past the road and rail way of the bridge to the beginning of the arch. To tell you the truth that was the hardest and most nerve racking part. When I say stairs I mean more of a ladder and it’s a nice feeling looking straight down on vehicles passing within feet below you at 50 miles per hour. Awesome!!! The beginning of the arch is where the fun starts as you begin to climb to the summit of the bridge. As you can probably imagine this is the best way to see Sydney. The view as you climb is insane and at different locations throughout the climb you stop to have your picture taken by your guide. Throughout the climb your guide offers facts and commentary on the bridge, surrounding areas and the city itself. The climb gently flattens out as you reach the top and until you look down you can’t really tell how high you are. 134 meters is highhhhhhh. All in all you climb over 1,400 stairs and I would guess the complete trip to and from is about a mile. At the top we were treated by a police helicopter stopping to say high on both sides of the bridge. Our guide said she had never seen that before and that was something that never happens. Unfortunately because we didn’t have any cameras, I couldn’t take any pictures of it. From here we crossed over the bridge to the other side and descended down and back to where we started from. The whole tour took about 3 hours and is one of the coolest things I have every done before. I am truly lucky to have had the opportunity to do this. If anyone ever goes to Sydney you will have to do this climb. Even if you are scared of heights you can do this…trust me.
At this time of the day our group went to the ferries and boarded one for Manly Beach. Manly beach is a 30 minute ride to the north side of Jackson Port. The beach is home to many surfers and that’s exactly what’s it known for. You can compare this place to Huntington Beach with surf shops, little eateries, souvenir shops and lots and lots of tourists. The waves were not too big and after a quick pizza and some shopping it was time to head back to the ship. Upon arrival back to Circular Quay we had another photo shoot at the opera house where you know we took those infamous jumping photos. One last memory and it was back to the ship for boat drill. We had a number of guests disembark the ship in Sydney and more came on so we had another boat drill.
As we pulled out of Circular Quay I couldn’t help but think how awesome this was. As we left and the ship let go the horns hundreds and hundreds of people all over the harbor, the bridge, the Opera House and on the North Shore stopped to watch us leave. Talk about a huge spectacle when leaving. As we backed up under the bridge people on top began to yell and whistle down to us. Passengers and crew on the aft (rear) section of the ship cheered back and it made me stop and think how awesome a moment this was. How many times in my life would I get to experience something like this. Yes it was sad to leave Sydney but I think doing it on a ship is the best way to do it. The sun was setting and the bridge, opera house and skyline offered once again gorgeous photos that symbolized how amazing this trip is. As we pulled away I told myself that this was not the last time I would see this place again and guarantee I will be back soon.
As of now we are headed to Melbourne. The Melbourne Cup was today, which means we missed it by one day. The Cup is the same as the Kentucky Derby but bigger. Businesses close for the day, schools let out, basically the whole country turns to the televisions to watch. Also comparable to the World Series or Super Bowl people go crazy. Maybe I’m glad we are at sea today and can se the aftermath tomorrow once we arrive. Wait and see what happens when next time I talk all about it. Take care and see you soon.

More of Australia....Brisbane. Koala's - Kangaroo's - Dingoes

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

Our next stop in beautiful Australia was in Brisbane. This city is also located in the region of Queensland and is located about a two days sail south of Cairns. We ported here on October 29th, and after having to do a General Drill for the Australian Coast Guard we disembarked the ship to head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, one of the most famous intimate zoos in the world. The zoo not only is home to many species of Koala’s, but also has many Australian specific animals including Red Kangaroos, Dingoes (basically a wild house dog), native birds, wombats, and the very cute and cuddly Tasmanian Devil(not so cuddly). As we entered the park we went straight to the kangaroo area where you got to get right up to them. Being close meant actually being able to pet them and feed them. The enclosure was quite big and was home to at least 40 to 50 kangaroos. Most would let you come right up to them and take pictures with them. One thing you notice about the kangaroos is how they move. They can be very slow and sneaky and then take off in huge leaps covering some distance. When they stand up on their rear legs it can be very intimidating. After spending about 40 minutes with them and taking a ton of photographs we headed to other parts of the zoo. We next saw the Wombat which looked like a little fat furry brown pig. Don’t be fooled though…they bite!!!! Next we found what we ultimately came to the zoo to find…the Koala’s. First thing I had to do was take a photo with one. When or where else would I get to do this? Sixteen dollars later I was holding a cute little Koala in my arms and taking pictures with it. For the life of me I cannot remember the little guys name but he was cute. They move very slowly and this one would keep looking up at you probably trying to figure out what kind of tree he was climbing on. After few moments of holding him I had to give I’m back so more people could share this experience. Yes, I did try to sneak him under my shirt but his sharp claws preventing me from getting to far away. Better luck next time.
Following this we ventured to an area which housed your everyday wild Australian animals and was able to take many great pictures of them. The park has different enclosures for different types of Koala’s and we checked a few of them out. Everyone loved the babies and Mom section s you could find a baby Koala riding on their Mom’s back up a tree. After spending some time here we then found our way to the Crocodiles. One of the only things I want to see in Australia is a wild Crocodile and here they had two of them. No bigger then four to five 5, these crocs still looked quite menacing as they made no movement. Being so still as they were you could tell they knew exactly where everyone was at all times and could react at a moments notice to catch a meal…if you know what I mean. By this time it was time to leave the park and head downtown for some shopping…well the girls did that anyways.
Once downtown, I also did some Christmas shopping…I have to be productive and was able to score some items in “Australia The Gift,” which is a huge souvenir shop in these parts. As the time got nearer to our all aboard time I began to get nervous. I was just told that the last shuttle back to the ship was gone and that meant time to flag down a taxi. This took of course forever and I began to sweat looking at my watch as the second and minute hand raced by. Finally a driver found us and stated he didn’t know where the ship was but “had an idea.” This was not very reassuring, but luckily we made it back with minutes to spare. Phewwww. Just another day living the life on the M.S. Amsterdam. Next we were off to the much anticipated port of Sydney for a 3 day 2 night stay.

Adventures In Australia

CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

Welcome to Australia…
We finally have made it to Australia and it is amazing. I cannot explain how awesome this country is. Who wants to come live here with me??? I’m kidding but after reading this I’m sure you will want to come visit as well. The Country is gorgeous, the people are very nice and they have great accents. To begin this part of our trip we made our first stop in Cairns. Cairns is located in Queensland which is situated in the Northeastern part of Australia. The famous and gorgeous Great Barrier Reef is situated right off the coast of Cairns and attracts a huge amount of visitors. Cairns is also a huge stop for backpackers making their way down and up the western coast. The city is just like any city with hotels, casino’s, bars, mall, etc, etc, etc. They even have a Target in one of their malls. We got to Cairns on October 25th at 5pm. Shortly after a group of us got off the ship to explore the town and of course eat. As you walk from the cruise terminal and through town you will notice a couple things. First off the city is very clean. The second thing you notice is they drive on the opposite side of the road here throughout the whole country. The third fact you will notice is that people are very friendly and willing to help you out. This is the general feel we have got from most locals in the ports we have been to in Australia. The 4th and final thing I noticed…the gift shops. They are everywhere and lets just say...Christmas this year is all about Australia. As we got closer to the center of the city we found a public pool sort of area located right by the water. Being that there are not to many beaches close to the city and that there are dangerous jelly fish in the water, the locals have this pool to use as a substitute. On the weekends the whole swim area is filled with kids playing in the water, young people and families sunbathing on the grass and tourists just stopping by to take photos of the fish fountains located on the far end of the pool. The pool and fountains offer great picture opportunities, especially at twilight. We found a Thai restaurant to eat at and then went to some bars and clubs. I went back to the ship to sleep because of our next activity.
After waking up early (I’m saying 7:45am is early) and then going to breakfast we headed out to the Reef Terminal. Today we were on our way to snorkle on the Great Barrier Reef. Our original plan was to find a scuba day trip but being that we had to be back on the ship at 4:30pm and trips come back after that time, we were out of luck. Because of this we settled on a half day trip to Green Island to snorkle. Green Island is one of the only islands located on the Great Barrier Reef and is about a 30 minute boat ride from the city. The island is privately owned and offers many activities. Being the island is a resort there is a hotel on the island and many activities can be done on the island including snorkling, scuba diving, parasailing, a dip in the pool, walks through the lush green rainforest and a chance to see some of the biggest crocodiles in Australia. Upon arrival we dropped our gear on one of the beaches and quickly put on our snorkle gear. Surprisingly the water was actually quite chilly, yet that didn’t stop us. As you swim out into the water you begin to see why this place is what it is. Things that come to mind when you think of the Great Barrier Reef are tropical, colorful fish, awesome colors in the coral, animals not seen anywhere else and crystal blue waters. That is basically what you get. I have never seen fish this colorful and in such numbers. Schools of fish would pass us and practically look like a rainbow underwater. The coral itself has vibrant bold colors and camouflage some creatures and unless they move you might pass right over them. We had about an hour to spend in the water and right before exiting the water we spotted 2 sea turtle. We swam with them while trying to take photos and videos of them…which we got. They were gorgeous swimming through the water and didn’t really seem to mind 5 people that were chasing them. As we got back to land it was pretty normal tourist things, eating and shopping, and then back to the ship to head to our next stop…Brisbane.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Hello everyone!!! Hope all is well. Things here on the ship are going smoothly and we are continuing our journey through the South Pacific heading towards Australia and New Zealand. This last week has been amazing. We stopped at 3 different ports and crossed the International Date Line last night. Many things have happened so here it goes…Enjoy!!!
I believe I ended my last blog with our stop in Bora Bora. After leaving there we stopped at the small port of Raiatea, which was our last stop in French Polynesia. The day was cloudy and rainy. There is not too much to do and I had to stay on the ship for IPM. I was able to get off for a couple minutes to look around the immediate area outside the ship. Not much is there besides some small shopping malls and supermarkets. The one highlight I found was a small 2 level structure with the lower level resembling a farmers market. You could purchase fresh vegetables and fruits. The top level had local artists selling such wares as jewelry, clothing, and artwork. The one item down here which everyone sells is black pearls. They come in everything from earrings, necklaces, rings and you can also buy them in the loose form. They are priced everywhere from super cheap to super expensive. They are beautiful though. After about 20 minutes I headed back onto the ship after stopping and chatting with some guests. Now…let’s get to the fun stuff.
The next port we stopped at is in my top two favorite ports…next to Bora Bora. The name of the island is Rarotonga (Avarua), part of the Cook Islands, named after the famous Captain James Cook who first chartered the islands in 1770. The Cook Islands is a collection of 15 small islands spread across 768,800 sq. miles (2,000,000 sq km) that are located in between Figi and Tahiti and is about a 3 hour flight from New Zealand. Rarotonga is the capital of the islands and this is where the main government center sits. The island is under New Zealand and follows the British form of Government. I had never heard of this island and I fell in love with it as soon as we got here. Like I said the island is under New Zealand rule and everyone who resides here holds a New Zealand passport. This means a couple things. Unlike the French Polynesian islands (Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, etc) this island is English speaking, a lot les

s expensive and super friendly. The island is full of activities, restaurants, resorts and beaches to play on. Our group rented a taxi and took a tour of the island which ended at Muri Beach, which is the location all the crew and passengers went too. The island is gorgeous. The island is made up of huge lush rainforest canopies and jagged mountains on the interior sliding down to the water, which is crystal clear. The immediate perimeter of the island all the way around has a shallow reef which allows awesome snorkeling and some Scuba diving. Around Muri beach there are a series of 4 smaller islands which are easily accessible by canoe, boat, swimming or simply walking across to them. The water was actually pretty chilly for this area of the world. Outside this area huge waves crash down onto the reefs. This day we spent lying in the sun. Matt (our main male singer) and I walked across to the small island of Oneroa, finding some interesting coral which is everywhere and taking some pretty cool pictures. I will have some of the pictures from this port up soon on Facebook so please take a look. My obsession with island dogs continued here as we had a couple of them come to play. The main one, “Leo,” as stated on his collar, decided he should stay with us and spent the whole afternoon sleeping next to our group and playing fetch. NOTE: I have decided to do an additional photo album on just the dogs of these islands because we come across at least one in every port. I look forward to returning to this island someday and if you can make it to this island, I recommend it. The other 14 islands near Rarotonga are easily accessible and should be visited when coming to Rarotonga. Each island has their unique feel and style.
The next island we got to stop at was Pago Pago, American Samoa. As most of you know if you have been paying attention to the news lately, this island was recently rocked by a huge earthquake and following tsunami, which caused a lot of damage and many casualties. We were unsure if we were even going to stop at this port, but I’m glad we did. Not only did we not know exactly what we were going to do and see, we had no idea what was in store for us. American Samoa itself is the largest of five islands located just east of the Intl. Date Line sitting approximately 1,800 miles northeast of New Zealand. The islands all together stretch about 300 miles in length. There are two distinct parts of the island chain, America Samoa which is the only territory of the United States south of the equator and Samoa (previously called Western Samoa) to the West. Being a territory of the U.S. made this island simple to visit. They speak English as well as their native language, use U.S. currency, and have fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC and Carl’s Jr. / Green Burrito. Actually, one of the biggest incentives being part of the U.S. is the aid they receive during a natural disaster such as the recent events. Upon arriving to the port a group of about 7 of us rented a local bus to ferry us around the island. Unbeknown to us at this time was the approaching fun we would have with our driver Joe, and his buddy, also named Joe. Now these two were awesome. The driver, Joe, looked just like you would think a true Samoan would look like...can you say “Big Boy?” Joe the assistant was not as big but sat in the back of the bus with us and offered facts about the island and pointed out landmarks. The first half of the day we had regular ship passengers on the bus with us so the both Joes could not get too crazy…of things to come. We started out the day driving to the other side of the island making stops at different places to take pictures. The island itself is gorgeous and made up of again, lush greens mountains and rainforest. One landmark is named “Rainmaker Mountain.” From the ground the mountain looks like a face looking up towards the sky. The one thing we all noticed about the people of the island is that they are super friendly. Joe, our driver, I shall call him “Big Joe” from now on, would honk as he passed different people along side the road and they would yell and wave back at us, each person having smiles on their faces. This was universal and it was so nice to see.
One main stop we made and the one that affected us was where the recent Tsunami hit. As you pull into this particular village all you see are structures that are destroyed, some with partial damage, and some with just the cement slab of the foundation. The area was pretty crowded with residents as they have no where to go. Most of these people lost everything and are still living off FEMA and private donations. Looking across the small river just past a truck embedded into a tree was a funeral going on in honor of a victim of the tsunami. The area we were in was ground zero and to walk though it was quite eerie. Just three weeks ago on September 29th the village was intact, then the earthquake occurred and what the smaller Joe told us as he witnessed the tsunami himself, is the water all of sudden pulled all the way back into the ocean and then a series of 3 huge waves came tumbling towards land. The level of water rose approximately 7 feet and went though the area with nothing to stop it. Joe stated that between the earthquake and tsunami they had 15 minutes to get out. Most people were able to make it to higher ground, yet a lot didn’t believe something was going to happen, and then before they knew it, they were caught in the destructive path. Like I said before about the people being super friendly and in good spirits, no where it was more apparent then here. The villagers were still waving and saying hello, most everyone having a smile on there face and eager to tell their story. The attitude here is rebuilding and remembering those who were lost. Big Joe said they have nothing to do but move on and build back up. He said this while standing in front of his cousin’s house that was completely destroyed. All around the village you can see pink notices put up by FEMA stating that each structure is unsafe and should not be entered, as well as signs near the river and lagoons stating to enter the water at your own risk due to contaminated water. The small lagoon by the bridge had 7 bodies which were found in it. You can also see many white igloo looking structures scattered all over which are temporary shelters for the village. These were also provided my FEMA. I did not see any FEMA personnel at this particular location but there are still many people on the island helping with relief efforts. Our ship took part in an aid drive and collected money and items from passengers, which were then donated to the island. The ship also donated linens, towels and other items that are in need. While standing in the doorway of a partially destroyed house I couldn’t help but feel the impact this area had on you. Later that day I would be walking back onto the ship and eventually going home, but for these people they have this to look at everyday and remember the tragedy. Talk about a humbling experience.
As we left this village we then visited some other points on the island before heading back to the ship. This is where the day got a little more upbeat. After dropping off the passengers we basically had the bus to ourselves and both Joes were eager to have fun. After having lunch at McDonalds and having a “dance party,” on the bus, we headed to the other side of the island. Again we passed another area that had more damage caused by the tsunami. It was weird to see boats thrown onto the land like toys and sometimes making a final stop in parking spots that are reserved for cars. We then drove by where Sunkist Tuna cans their goods and stopped to take more pictures at a nearby beach. We went through a local neighborhood and stopped at Big Joe’s brother’s house…his name also being Joe. I think everyone has the name Joe…or their parents were lazy. From there we went back to the ship thus wrapping up a wonderful day in that will never be forgotten. Check Facebook for the pictures.
After leaving Samoa we sailed west and through the International Date Line. Because of this you all probably had a wonderful Sunday, but for us we had no Sunday. It never existed except for the first two hours. At 2am in the morning we went ahead 23 hours, thus making us almost a whole day ahead of you. For example, as I write this it is 3:30 pm on Monday afternoon, for you, it is 8:30p.m. on Sunday evening….weirrrrrrdddddddd. It will be like this till we cross back over the line on November 19th and then we will have two Thursdays.
Well friends, I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and I will be back in a few days to let you know how our upcoming ports of Figi, Vanuatu and our first port of Australia, Cairns. Again, below is the link to my pictures on Facebook. Have a great week and write me when you can. Miss you all.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127251&id=509162521&l=d94d55bcba (FOR PICTURES)

Danny

The First Couple Ports

Hello everyone….
As you know I am currently cruising in the South Pacific and I’m here with an update for the last couple days. After 6 long days at sea we dropped anchor in Nuka Hiva. This port as well as the others we have visited so far are part of French Polynesia. This means everyone speaks French and the prices for everything are expensive. I’m talking about $16 US for a drink, $107 US for 3 shirts (not that I have had to spend this). There are no shore excursions on this island and not too many beaches. The one we did find was very rocky and therefore we were forced just to sit in the sun and bake. The sun down here is a lot stronger then up north so even a couple minutes in the sun can make you red. Luckily I have SPF 50 and 30 sunscreen…not really doing much for a tan. : )
The second port we stopped at was in Papeete, which is the main city in Tahiti. Being that I had to stay on the ship due to IPM, I didn’t really get to explore this port. We stayed there over night till 5:30am the following day. The only time I did get off was to stop at a restaurant quickly with my friend Laura (where we got those expensive drinks I talked about earlier), and to watch some Polynesian dancers a plaza by the ship. The following morning, after leaving Tahiti at 5:30am, we had a short trip to the island of Moorea. You can get between both islands on a 20 minute ferry ride.
Moorea is gorgeous and another island of French Polynesia. For most people this is their favorite island due to the beautiful mountains and white sand beaches. We decided to go to a “resort” where there was a proper beach. Finally time to try out the new snorkel gear. Unfortunately, even though the water was warm and crystal blue there was no sea life to look at. Two of our cast members, Laura and Nicole, went on shore excursions where they went snorkeling in deeper water and got to swim with sharks and sting rays. Can we say…Amazing??? The rest of us hung out at the beach and wasted the day away. On a side note, I have decided to start an album with pictures of the dogs on these islands. At every single island there have been stray dogs everywhere. In Moorea while I was eating a sandwich I had two little visitors who were more then friendly and decided to roll around on top of me before I had to give them some of my sandwich. They were pretty cute and I have decided that I can say NO to anyone, just not a dog. Keep a look out for this album as I will probably put it up on my Facebook account. Click below on the link to be taken to my album of all the other pictures I have so far.
Our next stop was Bora Bora, which is probably everyone’s favorite place to stop at. Besides being super expensive, this port is amazing. When you hear of Bora Bora I’m pretty sure these words come to mind…Tropical, Paradise, Heaven, etc, etc, etc. This is true. Being that we were there for two days this was another overnight port, but like before I had to stay on because I had IPM. Boooooo It actually wasn’t to bad though as I was able to get some things done and got caught up on some reading. (NOTE: I’m currently reading “Barrel Fever,” by David Sedaris and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guerrilla Marketing,” by Susan Drake and Colleen Wells) The rest of the cast and other crew members rented a bungalow over the water at a resort and spent the night of the ship. Today was our second day and I was finally able to get off the ship. I along with some friends went swimming with sharks and sting rays. Yes I said sharks. I finally get to do this. Yayyyyy The shark encounter was our first stop of three and after donning our snorkel gear it was time to jump in the water. Our guide first threw in small pieces of fish to attract hundreds and hundreds of fish which was amazing. They came right up to the boat and didn’t really mind us in the water with them. This however did not attract the sharks but as we ducked our heads under the water you could see the. Unfortunately, they stayed on the bottom and didn’t come up near us. The two types of sharks that were below us were Lemon and Black Tip sharks. Totally harmless to us humans but they feed off of fish, stingrays, and other sharks. There were probably 4 -5 sharks with us at any given time and the two biggest probably were approximately 5-6 feet in length. Talk about a spooky feeling watching them circle beneath you without glass protecting you like at an aquarium. After spending about 30 minutes here we went to another part of the water that was shallow enough to stand in. Almost suddenly in swam about 7 stingrays to play. Our guide came in the water with us and showed us how he could hang on the back of one of the rays and ride it like a “taxi,” which he proudly explained to us. The rays were super gentle and found it fun to scare us a little on purpose. They would do this by swimming near us and brushing their wet velvet skin against our legs. You got used to this after a while but it was still funny at times. We spent about 20 minutes with the rays before heading to our third and last stop, a reef garden. At the reef garden we jumped in the water above the reef which was swarming with different types of fish. No sharks this time but the colors and amount of fish were amazing. We could see fish that were solid colors to rainbow colored and “sparkly” fish. I called them this because when the light hit them they looked like they could light up any color and shine it back at you. These fish were generally friendly and would get pretty close to us, probably just as curious as we were to them. After about 20 minutes of swimming around the reef we got back in the boat and headed back to land.
This was such a fun experience and just a hint of hopefully things to come in the next ports ahead of us. Tomorrow we dock in Raiatea, our last stop in the French Polynesian island group. Once again I have IPM so no exploring for me. After that we port in Rarotonga and Pago Pago and then we cross the International Date Line. Right now we are 3 hours behind the West Coast but after that cross the line it’s pretty much jumping into the future by 23 hours. More of that later.
A lot of people are asking, how many shows are you doing on a 67 day cruise. The answer is….the same we have always done. 5 shows, one opening night show we did about 2 weeks ago and 4 full production shows. Nothing changes, just that we have anywhere from 9 to 19 days in between shows. Pretty nice job to have at this moment.
I have written a lot and will let you digest it all now. I will write again in a few days wither right before or after we cross the Intl. Date Line. Till then have fun and stay healthy. Write back if you can and once again I posted some pictures from the last couple ports on my facebook so click on the link below to check them out. Miss you all.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127251&id=509162521&l=d94d55bcba


Danny

The Beginning of the Grand Voyage

Hello everyone,
I have decided to write a blog on our 67 Grand Voyage cruise which goes to the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. This is because so many people are interested in it and quite frankly I have so much time to do it. For those of you who are reading this for the first time I am dancing on the M.S. Amsterdam of the Holland America Line in the production shows. We have 4 full production shows and one opening night “bumper” show. We are not learning any additional shows for this cruise which means (if you do the math)

5 shows – 67 day cruise = about 60 days off = 2 months of vacation. (2shows are repeated towards the end)

After doing the shows for 20 weeks in Alaska our bodies and voices can use the rest. Now you might ask, “How can someone tae a 67 day cruise?” Well, it is a life style for the passengers on this particular cruise. A lot of them do every Grand Voyage cruise, which are about 2 a year, and then our world Cruise which is once a year and is 114 days long. Hearing this you might imagine that the passengers are an older and retired crowd with lots of money. This is true but a lot of them are very nice and very fun to be around. The first leg of this cruise has been 6 sea days heading down to the French Polynesian Island of Nuka Hiva. 6 days at sea have gone by fast as we have only 2 left. Our last show was on the first sea day so the last couple of days we have been catching up on tans, reading, the gym and eating. I helped out with the first of many tournaments over the last three days. This was a miniature golf tournament and was a lot of fun. This is also a great way to meet the passengers.

After Nuka Hiva we spend two days in Papeete, Tahiti and then our third port is Moorea and that’s followed up by Bora Bora, which is also a two day stay. As the cruise goes on I will update this blog with pictures and details of each stop as best I can. Due to our “In Port Manning” schedule, which means at every port 3 members of the cast have to stay on the ship for emergency reasons, some ports I will not be able to get off in…but I think I will be able to offer a good representation of each port.

As in previous blogs if you have any questions, comments are requests or anything please write a response on this website, email me at danny.hochman@gmail.com or find me on Facebook. I would love to hear from you all and I cannot wait to get home. As of right now we are scheduled to get home on January 16th...if everything goes well because we are disembarking the ship in Lima, Peru. Anyways I hope everyone id well and I miss you all. Take care and talk and see you all very soon.

Danny