Wednesday 16 May 2012
I slept in until 7 am after a good night’s sleep so I
decided to have brekkie in the dinning room at 7.30 am. I was put at a table
with mainly Poms that had got on yesterday but an American couple who I had not
met before but had joined the ship in New Orleans were bagging the cruise for
its lack of service and management. Because the Poms had to wait for hours in
the heat to board they soon joined in complaining. It is a pity as the ship is
a good one BUT the management is non existent. Or most of us it is our first
and last time with RCI and the chorus is they were never treated like this on
other companies they had travelled with. Most of the Aussies on board now say
they will only travel from now on with Holland America or Princess.
Mr HAL, I
have got you so many converts because I tell folk about the great treatment
Holland gives ‘Sir Pat’.
It is such a shame
but if you don’t have good management the crew can only do their best but they
are let down by the incompetent fools running the show.
Lunch I had in the dinning room with George and Alice and
after lunch George and I had a few Scotches on my balcony.
I went to the Windjammer with Coral for supper as Jimmy was
still not well enough and is confined to the cabin. I had another early night
and was in bed by 9.50 pm.
Thursday 17 May 2012
It was another sea day so after my 2 mile walk I had a
shower, shave, etc, went to the dinning room for brekkie and was allocated to a
table with 2 Poms and 2 Aussies that had only joined the ship in Dubai. It was
a good conversational brekkie and we wer one of the last tables to leave the
dinning room.
I then ran onto my friend Bernardo from Santiago who just
happens to be an Orthopaedic Surgeon who asked me it I would like to join him
in the gym and he would give me some exercises that I may benefit from. Well as
most of you know I never look a gift horse in the mouth. At 11.30 am I met
Bernardo for a hour of exercise he had especially designed for me. OMG I slept
for 2 hours after lunch. What a bonus I will meet him in the gym for all the
sea days from now until we arrive in Singapore. I must say sometimes I fall on
my feet, and this is one of those occasions to have a specialist helping me
free of charge.
I went down to happy hour before meeting up with Coral for
dinner in the Windjammer with 2 other Aussie couples. (Jimmy is still not
well.)
An early night was on the agenda as we will be in Goa
tomorrow and I have a lot to prepare as I have not had access to the internet
for over 2 weeks.
Tomorrow I hope to go ashore with Jimmy and Coral and find a
wifi place to catch up with the outside world. Milroy my former cabin boy a
local of Goa has given me a suggested itinerary for the day.
Fri 18 May 2012
Had a dining room brekkie as I wanted to be ready for when
we dock at 10 am in Goa. I got a phone call from Coral to advise me Jimmy was
not well enough to go ashore for planned tour of Goa. I quickly arranged to go
with 2 Aussie couples and would meet them down on the dock when we were cleared
to go ashore.
Well the Poms and the Germans were leading the charge and
the hallways on the lower level were jammed pack with inpatient pushy people. I
finally got to the security check only to be told my keycard was invalid and
was listed as being stolen or lost. I had to go up to the front office to get a
new card issued. OMG, I felt like a little salmon swimming against the tide and
the rapids and that was just to get to the lift. So I joined the long line at
the understaffed front office and half an hour later I had a new card and when
I got down to the exit all the pushy folk had gone. I was so lucky as my
friends had arranged for a large car to take the 5 of us in air-conditioned
comfort but the driver had not returned with the vehicle.
We think he may have got a better price, so we walked the
1.5km to the port entrance. Outside we met a guy who had a cheaper price and a
suitable air conditioned vehicle. He also spoke very good English. Our luck had
changed and as we cooled off from the hot and very humid outside conditions we
were on our way.
Goa was nothing like what I thought it was going to be like.
It reminded me of my first visit to Malaysia back in 1972 and the countryside
was like the tropical highlands of Bali. We had a great day visiting the main
attractions and sights, but when we got to ST Francis Xavier’s church where he
is buried there were huge crowds lined up so we didn’t wait to go in. 
Our
driver took us to a Spice Farm which was a highlight of our day and we were
given lunch there. I even enjoyed a Kingfisher the local beer. Our day tour
including lunch and tips cost us $30 each compared with $90 for the ships tour
and didn’t include lunch.
Saturday 19 May 2012.
I had a very restful day as I slept in until 7.45 am and
went up to the windjammer for a late brekkie. I was talking to a lady from
Adelaide who had only got on the cruise in Dubai, and she was very disappointed
with the service on the ship compared with other cruises she had done on
Princess and Holland America.
I gave lunch a miss and worked on the reports for the early
afternoon. I was forced to buy internet time on the ship as I needed to do some
banking and I hadn’t had access to send my reports for the past 12 days. I had
over 400 emails waiting for me and about 300 of them bloody jokes that wasted
my time and money to delete unopened. However in saying that, my sincere thanks
to the family and friends for sending emails of concern, as I had been ‘off
air’ for nearly 2 weeks.
I went to the Ice show in the late afternoon, boy oh boy, it
was fantastic and the skills of the skaters were brilliant. It was certainly a
highlight of the shows over the past 5 weeks.
I did the happy hour with the boys and then met up with
Coral and Jimmy for dinner in the Windjammer. I had another early night and was
in bed before 10 am.
Sun 20 May 2012
Well the Bureaucracy of India, out did Julia and the Green’s
put together today, a mob of officials came on-board for face to face meetings
with each of us before we got our day passes issued. And with Mr Stupid and his
staff coordinating things it was a wonder we were allowed to ever leave the
ship. The process started at about 6.30am and we finally got off at 9.15am.
What a great day we
had in a Tuk Tuk we hired for 3 hours to have a look around Cochin. I went with
Warren and Lorraine from Perth as they had been here before and made great
guides.
I was again surprised with Cochin my second port in India I
have visited. It was hot and humid but with a cool sea breeze to cool you down.
I rained just before we were allowed of the ship so that laid the dust for our
visit. We only paid $10 each for the Tuk Tuk and our driver took us to all the
points of interest. We went to the Santa Cruz Cathedral where Sunday Mass was
being celebrated. Oh Lord the singing and music was just magic but the church
was crowded and we couldn’t get past the front door as there was standing room
only. Warren a self confirmed heathen said if the churches in Australia had
singing and music like this he would even go along.
We watched the net fisherman and the fish auctions, along
with goats roaming among the crowd. Then it was off to have a look around the
city, however as it was Sunday most of the shops were closed. It was great not
having to stop off at clothing or jewellery stores or temples.
Again this area reminded me of Malaysia about 40 years ago.
The locals were very friendly and when they found out we were Aussies, they
wanted to talk Cricket.
We were back on the ship for a late lunch and a nanna nap. After
Happy Hour I went up to the Windjammer with Coral, Warren and Lorraine for
dinner.
I awoke early (5 am) and was down in one of the Mall’s
hotspots on deck 5 to log in, check emails and send an update. At that time of
the morning I got a fairly good signal so that was a bonus for being on this
ship. I had brekkie in the dining room and then went up to meet up with friends
for coffee in the Windjammer. As today is a sea day many slept in so the rush
was about 9 am in the Windjammer.
I had a late lunch and a restful arvo and met up with the
Aussie guys at the highlights bar for a Guinness than I met up with Jimmy at
the Pig & Whistle for Happy hour.
I went to dinner with George and Alice in the dinning room
and then to the bar for a nightcap.
Tuesday 22 May 2012.
Wow, what a sleep in. I didn’t wake up until 8.15 am so
after a quick shower I went up to the
Windjammer for brekkie. I caught up with George and Alice for coffee. When I
returned to the cabin I got back into bed and slept for 3 hours. After a late
lunch I spent most of the arvo chatting to friends. I went to the Pig &
Whistle for Happy hour and caught up with Ken and Jimmy before going to dinner
with Jimmy and Coral at the Windjammer.
There was a letter from Mr Stupid waiting for me in my cabin
when I came up to change for dinner to advise me my credit card was not valid
and to see the front office urgently. Well, well, well, things only get better
with these idiots and they were going to suspend all credit to me for the rest
of the cruise. I went down to the office and got one of the brighter young
ladies and presented my new Westpac Amex card so after checking it out, it was
found they had written down the wrong number for their records. Poor Mr Stupid,
well I will be kind as anyone can make a mistake, but this arrogant idiot seems
to make many more than others. All is fixed up now so I can go along to happy
hour for the rest of the cruise.
I went with Coral to my second show since I boarded nearly
40 days ago, and saw the Celtic duo Livewire. What a fantastic show they put on
for us. So then it was to the Pig & Whistle for a night cap with Jimmy. I
was up in bed by 10.55 pm.
Wednesday 23 May 2012
I was up very early and down in the café by 4 am to use the
internet for an hour. Then I returned to bed until 9 am before going to a late
brekkie. It was a restful morning before going to lunch in the dining room with
7 other Aussies.
I called in at a bloke’s birthday party which was held in a
crowded balcony suite with about 25 people crowded in. I had only one quick
drink and then went off to the ‘Elite’ guests function with the Captain where
they had free drinks and not just champagne.
We were advised we were not in satellite range to pick up
the State of Origin footy match so that was another disappointment for the
Aussies. We were previously told they would arrange to have it played live.
Anyway Queensland won; we were advised by text messages.
I had drinks with Jimmy and then joined Coral and Jimmy for dinner in the Windjammer. I was in bed by 9.30pm.
Thursday 24 May 2012.
Another huge sleep in as I awoke at 8.15 am. Everyone went
to brekkie late as the windjammer was crowded. I then went down to the Casino
to get a cash advance so I would have money to change into the Malaysian
currency when we arrive in Penang at noon.
Well what a circus, they had problems getting the gangway
installed so it was about 1 pm before we could get off. So we went up to the
windjammer to have lunch before getting off. As usual the Germans and the
Asians were crowding the stairwells and the areas near the exits. They always
have to barge in and be first off so they started lining up about 11.30am and
they had the audacity to complain about the crowded conditions. When we came
down to get off it was a non crowded smooth exit from the ship.
Last time I was in Penang was back in 1972 (40 years ago) so
the place had changed so much it was like I had never been there before. When I
got off the ship I walked into the old town and found an optometrist to replace
a lost screw from my glasses and the nice man did this free of charge. I then
went to a money exchange to get some local money.
I then met up with Coral and Jimmy and as Coral was feeling
the heat she wanted to return to the ship so Jimmy and I set out to find a
local pub to have a cold beer. We were in luck and they had free Wifi so that
was a bonus. I think we were the only foreigners there and even the owner came
up to welcome us and present us with free snacks. After 2 drinks we set out
into the heat to look around and make our way back to the ship. We decided to
just have a look around the old town and not go to the new huge shopping
complexes.
Back on the ship a hot refreshing shower went down very well
before going to happy hour and then dinner in the Windjammer. I had another
early night and was in bed by 10 pm.
Friday 25 May 2012
I was up early for coffee and have brekkie in order to meet
up with Warren and Lorraine to get a cab to the railway for the ride into Kuala
Lumpur.
We had a great day as the KL central Station was right outside the
Central Markets. We had 2 hours to look around and experience the old KL before
heading back to the ship by 3.30 pm.
Warren even tried putting his feet in a
large bath to have all these fish nibble at his legs and feet.
The fish eat up
all the dry skin and clean your feet. No way was I going to try this as I am
very ticklish and I would most likely embarrass myself.
With the fear of being back late for the ship and not having
our passports we would have to make our own way to Singapore to re-join the ship
we left KL on the train in plenty of time. Shock by the time we had got to the
second station we realised we were on the wrong train so we had to get off and
change platform to get the correct train.
What an adrenalin rush we had. When
we got back to the end of the line our next shock came as there were no taxis
there at first. So this was the 2nd adrenalin rush in about 90
minutes. By the time we were out on the road we were swarmed with cabs. We made the ship in plenty of time so it was
great to go up to have a snack before having a shower.
Packing, OMG, I hate
this part of the holiday so I got this organised before going down to Happy
hour.
Just before I went down, one of Mr Stupid’s people came up with a letter
to say my credit card was null and void. I told the poor Chinese messenger I
had already fixed up this problem as they had written down the wrong card
number. No No No, I had to go down to join the long queue to have the problem
fixed.
May I say, I was not in the best of moods by this time? Everyone in the line was complaining and
stated they would never travel with RCI ever again. Actually the lack of
management and service on this ship has been the best advertisement for Holland
America, Princess and other cruise companies.
Anyway I was served by a young Brit guy, who could not
understand the problem so be rang my credit card people and was given approval
to use my card as there was no problem. It seems Mr Stupid’s staff was still
using the incorrect number.
By this time I needed a drink as I got to Happy hour over an
hour late. I went up to the Windjammer for the last supper with Coral and
Jimmy. I made it an early night as I had to get my bags closed and outside the
door before 11pm for collection.
Sat 26 May 2012.
We arrived at the new Singapore cruise terminal at 6 am.
This is the first ship to use terminal so there was heaps of media there for
our arrival. As usual Mr Stupid and his Guest Relations staff caused havoc with
the disembarkation process. I was not in a good mood as Mr Stupid’s staff had
not corrected their mistake of using a wrong credit card number; I had to go
down line up for 30 minutes to settle my account of $6.54 before I could leave
the ship. Mr Stupid had only 4 staff on duty and the line was so long with most
of the folk complaining about mistakes the ship had made with their accounts.
In the end everyone just organised themselves
and we got off earlier than we would have if we had followed their conflicting
instructions.
Everyone agreed it was good to get off this badly managed
ship and experience the brand new cruise terminal. I went with Jimmy and Coral
to the new Marina Bay Sands Hotel where they were staying. They were up on the
34th floor with fantastic views over the city.
We went up to the 54th
floor where there as a large pool, bars and eating places so we had lunch and a
drink and took in the splendid views.
I got the free shuttle from the Hotel to the Airport and
arrived in the Qantas Club just after 5 pm and caught up with emails and
checked my banking. I had a shower and a light super so the time went very
quickly. I did the long 10 minute walk from the Lounge to the departure gate so
I was hot and sweaty and had to go through another security check before
boarding the aircraft. I got to my Premium Economy seat to find the seat beside
me was empty so I had 2 spacious seats to spread out on, a far cry from my
flight from Brissie to LA at the beginning of the holiday.
We left the terminal on time and taxied out to the runway
but had to turn around and come back to the terminal as some valve to defrost
the ice off the wings was not working. After about 90 minutes they had to let
folk leave the aircraft as the air-con could not cope with the tropical heat. I
stayed on and was served with Gin & Tonics and savouries. They have just
announced that the problems have been fixed and so we departed 2 hours after
the schedule time. I prefer to have the plane working safely before take off so
it was not an issue for me.
I was served a great meal and wine once we were on our way
and by the time we reset our watches to EST Australia time it was well and
truly sleep time.
Sun 27 May 2012
It was a great flight and I got about 4 hours sleep. The
service was very good and they kept us informed before we landed about our
changes to connecting flights.
The Aussie Immigration Official said ‘Welcome back home
mate’ to me and I reckon Brissie airport is one of the friendliest
international airports I have ever been to. I got waved through and was out of
the Customs Hall very quickly.
I just missed my
connecting flight so I had five hours in the Brisbane Qantas Club. I had a
shower/shave etc, and a light snack so I feel human again. My friends Tom and
Flo after hearing I would be at Brissie airport for some time came over to
visit me. I was allowed to bring them into the Qantas Lounge so we able to
catch up in comfort.
It was a full flight home to Cairns and I was able to sleep
for just over an hour on the flight. I arrived to be met by my brother John and
nephew Matt who took me home via the supermarket. I found everything in order
at home and started the job of unpacking and filling the washing machine. My
good neighbours had a large heap of mail for me so that will keep me going over
the next few days.
I made myself
sardines on toast for supper and then had a long phone chat with my mate Kurt
before having an early night. Boy of boy it was good to get into my own bed
after 7 weeks.
Mon 29 May 2012
I awoke to the sounds of all the birds chirping in the back
yard as well as the screeching sounds of the cockatoos as the new day was
breaking and I thought it is beaut to be home and thank God I live in this
tropical Paradise.
I now have to get back into the routine of being home.
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