Oceans of Fun

Ever since my husband, Lynn, retired, he has talked about us sailing around the world. I've managed to put it off for a variety of reasons: I get seasick, it would take too long, I get seasick, it would cost too much. Oh, and did I mention that I get seasick? I became convinced, finally, when he read about a 30-day cruise from San Francisco to Sydney with stops in places like Bora Bora, Tahiti, Fiji, and other areas in the Polynesian Islands. Before I could change my mind, we were booked to go. I was thrilled and a little nervous about it. We told our friends what we had planned and one couple decided to join us.

The first difficulty was tackling how to even pack for a 30-day cruise. After laying in a good supply of anti-seasickness medicine, it was time to think about clothing and shoes. I read the Good News Girlz article on packing lite for inspiration and got some great ideas from Harriet, the closet wizard! I used her ideas for packing and came up with a color scheme of mostly black, white, and turquoise- classic and seaworthy at the same time. We had the added challenge of packing for cool weather in San Francisco, tropical weather in the tropics, and cold weather in New Zealand, but we managed to fit it all into two suitcases and two carry-on bags.

Once we were at sea, it was easy to understand why cruises appeal to so many people: they offer such a vast amount of activities. The first thing I signed us up for was the Star Olympics. The Olympics were held on sea days and included such sports as shuffleboard, golf, table tennis, Wii sports and quoits. When all was over, I had the Women's Silver Metal and a certificate of completion - yay rah! We didn't win all the activities, but after the 16 days at sea, we ended up with new friends, half a dozen bottles of champagne and more ball caps than we could use or give away.

 

Days in port were busy, too. Unfortunately, a cruise ship doesn't give you a lot of time in each one, so sometimes all we learned was whether we'd want to return for a longer visit. We bought one excursion from the ship, but then decided that the DIY approach worked best for us at the other ports. On Bora Bora we had a 76 year old guide who gave us one of the best tours of the trip. He told us about the uses of plants and how the islands could support life in the fullest. Having him for a guide showed us why these islands are called "paradise". On Moorea, we booked an excursion through the ship and it was decent, but when I take another cruise like this, I will use www.cruise.advisor.com for information on tours. We met a couple who had set up excursions with this web site. They had booked the most amazing excursions, which were different from the usual offerings, had smaller groups, and lower than expected cost.

Since we got home, I've been asked by many friends what the best thing about the cruise was. That's a hard one to answer because it all went so well, but I think it was the people we met. Our fellow passengers were from 40 different countries, but mostly the U.S., Australia, England, New Zealand, and Germany. We have the names and email addresses of people that I hope to stay in touch with for a long time. We were told by several "seasoned cruisers" that they travel so much that they often run into people on other ships or make side trips to visit friends they made on a long cruise. After this experience, I hope we can do that, too!