Tag Archives: golden princess

First cruise memories…

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On this day, 4 years ago, a friend and I boarded our first cruise ship, the Golden Princess, for a 17 night round trip cruise from Adelaide, South Australia to New Zealand. The ship definitely became my happy place.

There’s something so magical and peaceful being on a ship. It’s definitely another world. I loved the sea days where I could sit outside of the Promenade Deck and look over the ocean and just relax and forget about the world in general and I did. For 17 nights, I had no idea of what was going on in the world, just what was going on board the ship.

I definitely became a cruise addict while on board the ship. Okay, if truth be told, I think I was addicted even before I got on board. Once on board the ship, it was confirmed that I was addicted to cruising.

I mean, why wouldn’t you be? For the duration of a cruise, you don’t have to cook, wash dishes, prepare meals, do housework, or make your bed. It’s all done for you by the wonderful and friendly crew on board the ship. They just made everything happen with precision.

While on that cruise, I met some wonderful people. I also got to know some of the crew from the cabin steward, the waiters in the theatre, the Explorer’s Lounge, the Lido Deck and in the Horizon Court buffet.

I laughed at the Cruise Director’s team as they entertained the passengers, I enjoyed the shows in the theatre, the barista in the International Cafe got to know my habits and how I have my coffee, or at night before going back to my cabin and bed, how I have my hot chocolate. The waiters got to know my orders as well… chocobana mocktail or a glass of Coke anyone?

While on the ship, I actually forgot that there is a world outside of the ship as I didn’t watch any news to even know what was going on in the world at the time.

One late night sitting in the Piazza and having my hot chocolate, the singer in the Promenade Lounge was playing the piano and taking requests from all the people up on deck 7. Someone had requested YMCA and so the singer is singing the song, he gets to the “it’s fun to stay at the YMCA” part and a few of us sitting in the Piazza on deck 5 start doing the actions. That was funny.

There were many funny moments and beautiful memories from that cruise, I will treasure.

New Zealand is beautiful as well and the cooler temperature, I enjoyed. While the temperature was perfect, in Adelaide, everyone there was going through a heatwave.

One day, I will return for another cruise. I am just waiting for this covid mess to calm down. People, get vaccinated, wear a mask and wash your hands!

I didn’t want to leave the ship. I could have happily stayed on as a stowaway. I had such a fabulous time.

I miss cruising but I have photos to remind me with the memories attached to those photos. One day, I will be back on a ship again, just not now.

Until next time

Kaye

What a year has this been…?

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This time last year was the last week of normal life before everything was shut down due to covid-19.

Remember when we were living in a normal world? Remember travelling by plane or cruise ship to exciting destinations around the world? Remember hugging? Remember shaking hands? Remember going to birthday parties and the birthday person would blow out the candles on the cake? Remember the world the way it was before it all changed and we all had to learn to live a new way of normal?

Last weekend, I was so close to booking a cruise for 2022. I was so close to actually booking it that I had my travel agents website up and I was about to hit the chat button and tell whoever was online at the time, to book it, you’ll receive the money for the deposit as soon as we’ve finished our online conversation.

It was going to be on a Christmas/New Years cruise from Adelaide, South Australia to New Zealand return trip, 2 of the safest places in the world right now to travel from and to, on board the Grand Princess. 17 nights. It was going to be fun. I’ve done this cruise before but on the Grand Princess’s sister ship, the Golden Princess. There were a couple ports in New Zealand the Grand Princess will be travelling to that are different from my cruise in 2018 on the Golden but it still would be wonderful to go and do.

I didn’t book the cruise however because in the world we are living in now, nothing is guaranteed. I wasn’t sure if this cruise in 2022 will go ahead, there’s just too many invariables. I don’t care if I have to wear a mask on the ship, or have my temperature taken even before setting foot on the ship, or have to be vaccinated, keep social distancing and use hand sanitiser or wash hands frequently, I’ll do it because I believe in keeping not only me safe but everyone around me safe as well because I really do not want this virus and it’s not just “a little cold” because too many people have died from covid-19.

I didn’t book the cruise because in a world that is unpredictable, the world is not safe. Travel is not safe. Travellers from overseas and interstate have been placed in hotels after arriving at the airport here in Adelaide, South Australia and are taken by bus and placed into one of the various medi-hotels around town to quarantine there for 14 days before they are allowed to be out in the community. I want to ensure that it is safe before I return to being on a cruise ship again and enjoy a third cruise. So until then, I will wait.

In the meantime, as I wait to be able to cruise again, I will look at my photos and videos I had taken while on board a cruise ship of my 2 previous cruises and I will think… one day, I will get to do this again.

Until next time

Kaye