2011 World Cruise Voyage 1
Los Angeles, CA (January 19) to Papeete, French Polynesia (January 31)
13 days, 7 days at sea, 5 ports, 3781 nautical miles
Temperature range: 55º - 84º
Voyage 1 was the first of eight segments of the World Cruise. There were 360 passengers aboard (70 of which were World Cruisers like us) and there were 350 crew; good ratio for personalized services. The ship never felt crowded; in fact, many times there were so few around.
We were just getting started with our cameras - a learning curve that we eventually get over. If you want to see our movie of Voyage 1, please go to the bottom of the page.
January 19 was a day of travel - flying from Miami to Atlanta to Los Angeles. We believe there was a good omen of new adventures when we saw the 'moon rise in the west'. Yes, the moon was rising in the west as we took off from Miami at 0630 -- the full moon was actually setting but as we gained altitude, the moon appeared to be rising. What an interesting site! Typical Miami weather; warm and tropical, just right. Upon arrival in Atlanta, the temperature was in the low 40s with some snow on the ground from last week's storm; we had a short layover for our flight to Los Angeles. The flights were comfortable and we arrived at LAX just before noon in the fog and in the low 60s. There was a Silversea 'greeter' to meet us, help gather luggage, and direct us to a private car to drive to the Long Beach port where Silver Spirit was docked (very close to the Queen Mary). Everything looked like it would proceed quickly; the first three bags at baggage carousel were ours; but where was the fourth bag? We waited for all of the baggage to be unload; our fourth bag never came down the ramp. At the baggage claim service center, we were told that the missing bag was already on the flight from Atlanta and would arrive at LAX in about 45 minutes. Our 'greeter' directed us to proceed to the ship and our last bag would arrive at the ship later today.
More friendly greeters at the cruise terminal dock to take our luggage, clear customs and immigration to embark, and enjoy a glass of champagne. We were quickly directed to Reception for check in; our butler, Saji, led us to our cabin on Deck 9. We decided to enjoy lunch, tour the ship, then quickly un-pack. The evening started with a Cocktail Welcome Party with Captain Angelo Corsaro (Italian), Cruise Director Fernando (Portugese), Executive Chef Ricardo Dotti (Mexican/Italian), the dancers, and all of our fellow World Cruisers; then on to the first of many World Cruiser Dinners (wonderful meal and great service).
As we walked to our cabin at 10pm, we were surprised to get many personalized greetings from the staff - "Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. Kenoffel". It was a long day as we were up at 4am in Miami for our early flight; that's 1am Pacific time. Our last bag had arrived and our butler had unpacked that bag and stored our empty bags under the bed. Our "Welcome" champagne was in the ice bucket waiting for us to imbibe!
January 20 was a day to explore our ship, We went to the fitness center for a workout before enjoying the breakfast buffet. Saji (Indian) is our Butler who freshens our cabin each day with ice, fresh fruit, beverages in the refrig, cleans shoes and eye glasses, and makes sure that we have anything that we need. Patricia (Canadian) is our Guest Attendent, who makes the bed (clean sheets every day), cleans the bathroom (clean towels every day), vacuums, dust, and washes the sliding glass doors; she also turns down the bed and leaves chocolates for us each evening. Another day of fog and low 60s weather; afterall, it is January in California.
Lourae's nephew, his wife, and oldest son joined us for 4 hours for a 'bon voyage' gathering. We gave them a tour of our 'home' for the next four months - our cabin, the lounges, the pool deck, shuffle board - then enjoyed a wonderful lunch in The Restaurant. Late afternoon, we participated in the 'life boat drill' which was another opportunity to meet new people. In the evening, we went to the Observation Lounge (forward on Deck 11) to enjoy champagne and canapes while the ship left the dock - clear, cold night with lots of harbor lights and the full moon rising (in the east, as it should). Before dinner, we received a gift from Silversea - we each got a heavy weather jacket (which came in handy many times when we had cold weather). Our cruise begins!
January 21-26 6 days "At Sea". We thought that we would have lots of leizure time to read, relax, and enjoy the sun. We discovered several wonderful sun beds at the stern of Deck 9 - circular cushion, big enough for 2 people, with a wind or sun shade - fabulous. Each morning, we went to the Fitness Center or walked around the jogging track on Deck 10 (as the weather got warmer). Little did we know about the activities planned to keep us busy; we have never been on a cruise before. We signed up for several tours: Bridge Tour - interesting to see all of the latest navigation instruments; Galley Tour - to see the in's and out's of the galley; I asked about a Laundry Tour (but never got it). There were guest speakers aboard (see below for bio's) to lecture on art history, coral reefs, espionage and adventure tales, destination descriptions (and if we missed a presentation we could watch it on the TV in our suite). There were cooking demonstrations each day while sipping champagne and enjoying a taste of what was cooked. One day, there was a Galley Lunch where the buffet was set up in the galley; you walk through the galley to get your food and waiters help carry your plate to your table; of course, a large dessert buffet was available; and wine. Also, there were jewelry presentations in the boutiques or wine tasting in the two specialty restaurants - Seishin or Le Champagne. We crossed the Equator at 11:48pm on January 25 at 139.29 West longitude so the next day we participated in the "King Neptune Cross the Equator Party" and received a special certificate noting that we are no longer a 'pollywog' but now a 'shellback' (old sailing lore traditions).
We sampled the various restaurants: Stars Supper Club which serves tapa style meals while a jazz duo performs during and after dinner; La Terrazza serves a special Italian meal each night but also bufftet meals for breakfast and lunch; Pool Grill serves special buffet lunches as well as burgers, sandwiches, and salads for lunch; Pool Grill Hot Rocks for dinner gives you a salad, veggies, baked potato served alongside a wooden platter with a 'hot' lava stone for you to cook your own fish, steak, or lamb (we heard of some people complaining "If I knew I was going to cook my own meal, I would have stayed at home"), yet they would 'plate' your dinner for you if you wished; The Restaurant which is the main dining room with a different menu each day for lunch or dinner. After dinner, we would go to The Theatre to watch a production show or guest entertainer (see below for bio's) or big screen movie, or go to Stars to listen to jazz, or go to the Observation Lounge or The Bar for drinks with friends; or to our suite or upper deck to watch the stars (when out on the open ocean, there are "billions and billions" of stars).
The ship's course was slightly west of south; just over 2800 nautical miles from Los Angeles to The Marquesas. Lourae kept a daily log noting our position, course, speed, wind, and temperature. Being 'winter' in the northern hemisphere, it was quite cold (for us) in Los Angeles - just around +/- 60°. Yet, as we got farther south each day and crossed into the 'summer' of the southern hemisphere, the temperatures gradually rose into the 70s and finally to 81° the morning that we arrived in our first port.
Summary - we very much enjoyed our days at sea; days filled with meeting new friends, activities, fun, food, and laughter. But, we are ready to get onto some land. Sometimes, there is just too much blue between the brown spots!
January 27 was our first landfall - Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia - where we anchored in the bay from 9am til 6pm. Nuku Hiva is the main island in the northern archipelago of the Marquesas. Rising vertically from the ocean floor, the emerald-green Marquesas form the most spectacular and remote archipelago in French Polynesia. As the island is without protective coral reefs or lagoons, it lacks flat coastal surfaces, making it almost impossible to build roads along the coasts to connect one valley to another. Road transportation is therefore replaced by boats between the villages, which required the construction of port facilities for cargo ships. A rare exception is Taiohae Bay, which offers safe anchorage for all ships.
The town of Taiohae, the administrative capital of the Marquesas Islands, is located on the shores of Taiohae Bay. In fact, it lies in the center of a volcanic crater, half of which collapsed into the ocean creating the bay. Herman Melville wrote his book Typee based on his experiences in the Taipivai Valley in the eastern part of Nuku Hiva; Robert Louis Stevenson's first landfall on his voyage on the Casco was on the island's north side. More recently, the island was the site of the popular CBS reality television show Survivor. Despite this recent claim to fame, the infrastructure is still very limited and visiting Nuku Hiva is not unlike discovering a secluded and remote destination.
Traditional Marquesas Welcome A warm welcome awaited us (this was a complimentary excursion for all passengers). According to tradition, we were presented with a fresh flower lei and a performance of song and dance while sipping a fresh coconut drink. A trio of ukulele players added to the enchanting atmosphere of the Marquesas. We wandered the short distance from the pier to the specially set up market where artisans demonstrated their talents in woodcarving and intricate weaving of palm leaves. We walked to the picturesque Taiohae village located nearby; seeing the Cathedral of Notre Dame known for the wood sculptures by local artisans;
a memorial dedicated to the adventurer and novelist Herman Melville; and on to the Pearl Lodge for a local beer, Hinano, then walked back to the dock to board the tender back to the ship.
Summary - a very quiet island with breathtaking tropical beauty
January 28 Our destination was scheduled to be Hiva Oa, Marquesas, French Polynesia - the largest of the southern islands, the island is shaped like a seahorse; Atuona, a peaceful little port at the head of the Taaoa Bay, also known as Traitors Bay, has emerged from obscurity due to having had the privilege of being the last resting place of painter Paul Gauguin and of the singer Jacques Brel.; the tombs of these famous personalities are on the side of the Calvary cemetery looking out across the bay. The island's beauty is tropical, but rugged. Unlike other islands in French Polynesia, the Marquesan coast has no fringing reef or coral-clad turquoise lagoons, and the pacific swells crash right onto the rocky coast. Of volcanic origin, the islands consist of eroded and partially submerged peaks of extinct volcanoes.
With the stronger winds and choppy seas the prior night, the anchorage at 8am was not safe to anchor, so the Captain decided to sail to the sister island of Tahuata which offered a more protected anchorage but not much to see on shore. Arriving at 10:30am, many passengers quickly lined up to go ashore via tender (one of the lifeboats). The first tender dropped people off and returned to the ship. The ship was experiencing strong gusty winds (the kind that we call williwaws as they come in strong spurts with strong downdraft) over 40 knots, strong enough that the Captain cancelled all future departures and ordered the tender to return to the island to gather all passengers. The entertainment for the day was watching the tender maneuver into position alongside the ship; the winds and seas presented a difficult challenge; it took the tender captain five attempts to tie to the ship. Then the challenge was to safely off-load the passengers; no one was hurt, other than the tender captain's pride. The tender was quickly lifted and we departed The Marquesas by 1pm.
A good afternoon for a nap in the 'sun bed' with winds and swell on the stern port quarter to give the ship a nice comfortable motion.
Summary - nothing to comment on as we did not go ashore
January 30 After another tropical day at sea, we arrived at Rangiroa, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia Rangiroa, meaning ˜Vast Sky in Puamotu, is the largest atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago and one of the largest in the world; the atoll consists of about 250 islets and sandbars, with approximately 100 narrow passages in the fringing reef. The lagoon covers 618 square miles, large enough that it has its own horizon. With the tide 'flooding' into the lagoon, the Silver Spirit 'shoots the cut' with room to spare; this cut looked very intimidating with the swell crashing on the shores but it is very deep and wide; we anchored inside the lagoon from 8am til 5pm when Silver Spirit weighed anchor to 'shoot the cut' with the ebb tide.
Rangiroa ("Rang" as it is called) offers great scuba diving and snorkeling. We arranged for a scuba dive in The Tiputa Pass (inward flowing current) with "6 Passenger Divers". The dive was described as "entering the water east of the pass and the current will lead us into the interior of the lagoon… sounds easy…and it actually was! What’s more, it was truly exciting to drift in the current and virtually fly in the water without stroking your fins. The greatest difficulty of this dive was to remain grouped together and not stray apart; the simplest way was to stay behind the instructor, at his depth and to never lag behind.
We did a "Lloyd Bridges, Sea Hunt" roll out from a 12' dinghy to the east of the pass and after dropping to about 45' and adjusting for the current (grab hold of anything you can), a large turtle joined our group; everyone bouncing into coral, each other, or the turtle. We then drifted with the current seeing little grottos -- full of colors, little creatures, large fish (Buick sized parrott fish, dolphin, and sharks off in the distance), and large schools of tuna and many other small fish. Towards the end of the dive, we swam in the calm waters of the lagoon for dinghy pick up. It was lots of fun. Randy had his GoPro camera to film our dive; unfortunately, operator error; we got two shots of someone's legs, no turtle or big fish. Oh well, next time.
Summary - Rangiroa was a great tropical location with beautiful blues - sky and water - with an ocassional shower. A great place for a one-week dive vacation!
January 31 With clouds over the tops of the high mountains, the rising sun lit up the skies. We anchored from 8am til 4pm in Cook's Bay of Moorea, Society Islands, French Polynesia. Tahiti's heart-shaped sister island, Moorea is located only 9 miles across the Sea of the Moon from Tahiti. Although Bora Bora and Tahiti are destinations most prominently advertised, it is Moorea, the ˜Magical Island", that is the best-kept secret of this trio of famous islands in French Polynesia. In fact, Moorea has often been likened to James Michener's mythological island of Bali Hai, and it was easy to see why. Picture-perfect lagoons and gleaming white beaches are surrounded by jagged mountains and volcanic spires. Often called the ˜Garden Island", Moorea's valleys are unusually fertile due to the tropical climate and rich volcanic soil. Large fruit and vegetable farms make Moorea a veritable Garden of Eden.
We arranged for an ATV Moorea Tour - 3-1/2 hours on a quad bike -- we visited the Agricultural School grounds and farming area; had a chance to bath in the fresh water river; rode to the Belvedere (panoramic view); went up the pineapple road to an open view (Bounty Bay) to appreciate the panoramic view on the mountains; seeing plants flowers and tropical fruits at several stops; then crossed several valleys leading to the top of the "Magic Mountain" for a 360° view. This was great fun; the weather was perfect; got lots of GoPro videos, took lots of digital pictures/videos (but ran the battery down and my smart card crashed), and got thoroughly dirty (Randy's yellow shirt, our faces, our arms were rust color); I thought we got a wonderful tan that day. It was good to get back to Silver Spirit for a shower and a cold beer. The anchor was up by 4pm to sail the 9 miles to Tahiti.
Summary -- Moorea is a beautiful island; very tropical; touristy in some places but quiet in others. We could visit here again and spend weeks. We asked ourselves 'could we live here' but there is one negative --everyone speaks French.
Click the link below (or copy and paste in your search engine) - you can ride along with us!
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/111994370383291023211/album/AF1QipNFQtEWHppiurqIBAJYln-UEBPIIDsS7ERqKYgn/AF1QipOlVp0YrcB6vjLOWjzjgTMZeL0WZom_HJBlaXb-?authKey=CPXxyKipq8jPKg
January 31 We arrived in Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia just before sunset; beautiful! By 7pm we were at the cruise dock hearing the city noises - honking horns, sirens, trucks. Welcome to life in the big city.
Formed by two ancient volcanoes and joined at the isthmus, Tahiti is the largest island of the Society Archipelago and economic heart of French Polynesia. Ever since the famous French impressionist painter Paul Gauguin immortalized Tahitian maidens in vibrant colors on his canvasses, Tahiti has embodied a mysterious allure and still summons up the romance of the South Pacific as a tropical paradise. Rising in the centre, Mount Orohena and Mount Aorai are the island's highest points; deep valleys radiate in all directions from these central peaks, and steep slopes drop abruptly from the high plateaus to coastal plains. The rugged and rocky Northeast Coast lacks a protective barrier reef, and is thus exposed to intense, pounding surf. Villages lie on a narrow strip between mountains and ocean. The South Coast is broad and gentle, with large gardens and coconut groves sheltered by a barrier reef from the sea.
Papeete, Tahiti's capital, is French Polynesia's only real city and a major South Pacific port of call for freighters, cruise vessels, and yachts. With hills rising abruptly behind the town, Papeete stretches along the waterfront for about a mile. Running the entire distance, tree-shaded Boulevard Pomare is lined with new apartment buildings, banks, sidewalk cafes, boutiques, and government offices. Just off the seafront boulevard is Papeete's public market and center of activity. The atmosphere of the "marche", as the market is locally known, reflects an earlier Papeete; earthy, vibrant and filled with amiable confusion.
We stayed on the ship for the evening and joined our fellow cruiser's for a BBQ buffet on the Pool Deck with Tahitian dancers. We saved our exploration of this lively town with its unique mix of exotic and French ambiance for the next day.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Dress Attire: 5 casual, 6 informal, 2 formal
World Cruiser Dinner - Jan 19 and Jan 29
Pool Deck BBQ - Jan 31
Galley Lunch - Jan 25
Ventian Society Cocktails - Jan 22 and Jan 26
SPEAKERS
Nigel West, Intelligence Historian
Nigel West is a renowned military historian specializing in intelligence, counterintelligence, and security issues. The Sunday Times has commented: “His information is so precise that many people believe he is the unofficial historian of the secret services. His books are peppered with deliberate clues to potential front-page stories.” During 1987-1997 he was a Member of the British House of Commons, contributing to official secrets legislation and the statutes authorizing the security and intelligence services. He is currently European Editor of the Washington, DC-based International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence and a lecturer at the Center for Counterintelligence and Security Studies in Alexandria, VA.
This guy gave several fascinating lectures. We really enjoyed the stories that he told.
Dr. Lew Deitch, Destination Consultant
Dr. Lew Deitch is a semi-retired professor with over 30 years of experience teaching geography. During his distinguished teaching career, he directed the Honors Program at Northern Arizona University and developed interdisciplinary programs in arid lands and led Canadian studies. He completed his doctorate in Australia where he was based for several years. He is a globetrotter, having visited over 60 countries on all continents except Antarctica.
Lew is an experienced public speaker which showed in his presentations. He gave us colorful pictures of each destination, talked about the history of each location, and gave us information about 'what to see'. The only drawback was the lack of 'specific details' of most ports (i.e. if a shuttle bus will be available or description of the various tours offered). Nice guy that was with us for the whole World Cruise.
George Losey, Marine Biologist
George Losey is a Professor of Zoology and Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii, received his Ph.D. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and has studied the behavior and ecology of marine animals throughout the world. Topics have ranged from diving in Pacific tuna-fishing purse seines to appraise the behavior of dolphins captured with the tuna, to weeks of living underwater as an aquanaut in Puerto Rico to study cleaning symbiosis in fishes.
He had some interesting topics but he put us to sleep.
Caroline Boyle-Turner, Art Historian
Caroline received her Ph.D. in Art History from Columbia University in New York. A Fulbright Fellowship took her to France where she remained to teach at the American University in Paris and begin research on Paul Gauguin in Pont-Aven in Brittany. Caroline has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1993 she founded the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art. Since retiring she has returned to art history research full-time focusing, most recently, on Gauguin's trip to the Marquesas.
Her presentations were done in The Bar since there was a very small group that was interested. She worked with many passengers (mostly ladies) to do watercolors and other art forms.
ENTERTAINERS
Ned Rifken "Ambassador of Swing" As an interpreter of standards from the "Rat Pack" era and other swing favorites, Ned has amassed a music library of over one hundred classic musical arrangements of Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Quincy Jones, Don Costa, Count Basie and Neal Hefti - the music made famous by Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Steve Lawrence and Nat King Cole just to name a few. Currently he stars with Nancy Osborne in "Swingin' Vegas is Back." - a musical tribute to the classic performers who helped make Las Vegas the performance capitol of the world. Countless events and celebrations have proven his unique ability to win over audiences of all ages!
Violin Twins Jason & Nolan, identical twins, perform innovative original music and inspiring popular music, combining their skills as electric violinists, composers, and vocalists. Their repertoire ranges from classical and broadway, to film and pop, to celtic and inspirational. Raised in Southern California, Jason & Nolan began playing the violin at the age of eight, and by the time they graduated from high school, they were performing professionally, winning national violin competitions, and composing for full orchestra.
They gave us several interesting performances.
Kyle Esplin Kyle has been playing piano and drums since junior school and first played on one of his Dad's records when he was ten. Kyle also plays clarinet and guitar but his real love is the piano and in a remarkably short time he has built a huge reputation in the rock n'roll world as a boogie-woogie pianist with a great voice. When Kyle was just 15, he played in Knoxville, Tennessee and was spotted by the Jerry Lee Lewis band who thought his playing was quite sensational for someone so young.
Shea D Duo Jazz in the Supper Club
Peter Shea and Juliet Dunn are the Shea D Duo. Together, their sound is a cocktail of jazz, pop and soul enriched by various percussive instruments. Their love for music shines through in every performance. This Shea (pronounced Shay) D Duo has been performing together since 2007 all over the globe. Previous contracts include Brazil, Hong Kong, Morocco and the Caribbean. Peter Shea graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in jazz performance and composition and has been performing as a drummer, pianist and vocalist for over 20 years. He has played many prestigious jazz festivals, as well as playing for musical theatre productions. Juliet Dunn is both an actress and singer; her background ranges from popular music to jazz and she obtained most of her vocal training in Paris, France where she resided for 13 years. Her self-named Juliet Dunn Quintet has performed at many jazz festivals.
We enjoyed Peter's piano jazz and Juliet added a nice touch. They liked to schmooze with guests during their breaks. Afterall, this was a 'supper club'.
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Tahiti was the last stop for Voyage 1; many passengers disembarked and more embarked. The next day was very busy with people going and coming. It was a great voyage. We loved the days at sea but also enjoyed the lovely South Pacific tropical islands.
VIDEO --
Here is a link to Picasa for a video of Voyage 1. Just click on the link and it goes directly to Picasa and starts the video. You may want to STOP the video, let it load some, move the cursor back to the start, click for FULL SCREEN (at the far right), then PLAY. Check the volume for the music.
We hope that you enjoy our Voyage 1; we sure did!
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/111994370383291023211/album/AF1QipPyBlhkJ4RmOkMcmgfKcKjm_My44hNKRLKWww9p/AF1QipNuRT6WZapEtZfIQv5W37njgYDtJx7q1uVDddwj?authKey=CKyt2ouRtPLccg
If clicking on the link does not work, just copy and paste --- highlight the link data, RIGHT CLICK, select COPY, put your cursor in your internet search box, RIGHT CLICK, select PASTE and the video should start automatically. Check the volume for the music.
Best wishes to all,
Lourae and Randy
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