 |
| Sydney Skyline |
Life on board Oosterdam is pretty hard to take ;-). For us it is a monotonous routine of sleeping in, late breakfasts (or early lunches), visiting the spa (Helen), taking in a movie, reading, playing trivia, partaking in the mandatory "Happy (cocktail) Hour" in the Crowns Nest bar, silver service dining in the sumptuous two story Vista Dining Room around 8pm. We generally stagger out of the dining room around 9:30pm having mentally prepared ourselves for the long trek from the stern to the late show in the Vista Lounge (theatre) at the bow of the ship (almost). I'm sure the cruise ship builders deliberately position these two venues as far apart as possible to ensure that passengers get some exercise during their "busy" day. This devious design also weeds out those who've drunk one or two glasses of red more than they should - walking along the winding corridors as the ship pitches and rolls in the gentle swell takes a special skill that red wine does not improve. After the late show we shuffle in to join the regular crowd at the piano bar where the laughter is as plentiful as the singing as we sit around the baby grand. Finally after our drinks waiter stops serving, it's time for a late night hot chocolate on the Sea View Pool Deck at the stern of the ship to take in the stars (occasionally) and the sounds and the smells of the ocean. When the weather permits we might also take a late night stroll around the Observation Deck and spend a few minutes on the forward verandah below the bridge.
 |
| Relaxing near the pool |
The deprivations are particularly horrendous. Top of the list would be never experiencing hunger and the burden of choosing from the extensive menu and wine list. Selecting a cocktail for happy hour is also a burden nobody should have to endure. Then there are the music venues - so many to choose from. Now we don't want to create the impression that it is all bad. There are a few challenges that are not so burdensome (for us at least) and all involve adding to Holland America's bottom line. There's the lure of the "Onboard Opportunities" (seriously - that's what they are referred to in the Daily News / Activity sheet) including the Casino (wouldn't know what to do anyway), the Sale Days at the shops (Gift, Jewelry and Apparel) and last but not least the "Fine Art" Auctions.
So far we've experienced excellent weather - warm temperatures and mostly a long low swell that reminds us that we're travelling across the ocean. For a couple of days this week, as we crossed the equator, the sea was smooth (almost glassy). Overall we haven't had many sunny days but then again there haven’t been too many rainy days either and the rain has been in the form of occasional showers.
So a little about some of our ports of call. Our plans for a private History Tour fell through in Noumea (the only port on this trip we've been to previously) so we settled for a walk to the top of the hill behind Cathédrale Saint Joseph.
 |
| Noumea Harbour |
 |
| Oosterdam berthed at the nearby Container Terminal |
We were sharing the port with several thousand Aussie passengers from P&O's Pacific Pearl.
 |
| Pacific Pearl berthed at the Cruise Passenger Terminal |
The cruise ship passenger terminal was awash with Aussies and locals selling excursions on the very popular tourist train that drives around the city streets and the nearby beaches providing a running commentary to the passengers blaring over the loud speakers in each open "carriage". Whilst this excursion type is not exactly our cup of tea, sadly this style of tourist attraction (a multi trailer mini road train) would never be permitted to operate on public roads in our over regulated state of NSW.
 |
| Le Petit Train in Noumea |
 |
| Rue de I'Alma |
 |
| Oosterdam at anchor at Lifou |
During our visit to Port Vila we were confronted with evidence of cyclone Pam. The CBD was not too badly damaged but in the outlying communities, where construction standards are fairly relaxed, the devastation is appalling. We saw plenty of evidence of NGO other international aid activity particularly in the outlying schools in Port Vila. By far the predominant building element in the greatest demand continues to be roof sheeting. Everywhere we looked, almost all of the factories, shops and warehouses have new (mostly green) Colourbond roofs.
 |
| Cyclone Damage are Port Vila |
Our snorkeling adventure - a private excursion (just seven of us), was to the least affected western side of the main island of Efate. Our guide Peter took us aboard his trimaran to three locations just off the beach to snorkel around the coral reef.
 |
| Efate West Coast |
Two of the dive locations were immediately adjacent to the camp sites selected by the producers of the ninth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor filmed in 2004.
 |
| "Survivor" Beach |
Peter explained that during the filming the Vanuatu Government declared and enforced a no-go zone around the entire coastline to prevent unauthorsed filming that might interfere or otherwise undermine the surprise element of the series. Apparently the subsequent long term economic benefit flowing from this series in the form of additional visitor numbers to Vanuatu has been negligible.
Our next stop was Suva, Fiji on Sunday 26th however at dawn on the sea day between Vanuatu and Fiji we took part in what was probably the most significant event on board Oosterdam during this cruise for hundreds of Australians and a handful of New Zealanders (plus a number of Canadians and Americans) a ANZAC Commemoration Service. Planning for the commemoration of this historic event started with an online Cruise Critic conversation and then several emails with Holland America. The Cruise Director Rick Barnes and his Events Team was tremendously supportive and the service was attended by up to 500 guests and some of the officers and entertainment staff (I originally anticipated up to 30 participants).
Our Master of Ceremonies was Rev. Major Barry Brown. Barry also delivered the address and New Zealanders Duncan Middlemas and Chris Cochrane and fellow Aussie Andrew McCarthy from Coffs Harbour each helped with planning and took an active role during the service. We were privileged to have the grandson of a Gallipoli Veteran (a stretcher bearer) on board who placed a wreath on behalf of all Australians. The service went off flawlessly and concluded just as the sun rose above the horizon. Dozens of passengers approached me following the service to thank me for ensuring that this significant commemoration took place and I was also thanked by Rick during the two shows that evening.
A wonderful surprise on this cruise has been reuniting with pianist, singer and all round entertainer Paul McDonell. We first met Paul on our first cruise aboard ms Zaandam on our Alaska to Vancouver Trip in 2011. Paul comes from Queensland and the Alaska cruise we shared was his first gig with Holland America. Sitting around the bar with Paul playing and singing is a hoot. Rather than try to learn the names of the regulars he refers to the guests by their home country eg. Germany, Holland, Canada and sometimes more specifically by their state eg. Queensland or location eg. Magnetic Island. The audience participates in song, actions and sound effects where applicable. Paul plays 7 nights per week from 9pm until after midnight. It is very tempting to skip the headline nightly show in the theatre just to stick around and not miss the fun.
 |
| Aussie Nite at the Piano Bar |
On the subject of music and singing, on the morning we berthed in Suva we walked the short distance to Wesley Central Methodist Church to be part of their quarterly combined worship service. The singing was everything we could have wished for; every hymn and every item (from the various visiting congregations) was sung in glorious four part harmony. They are still using the Australian / New Zealand Methodist Hymn Book (lots of thee's and thou's) but we really didn't care. The congregation knew every note of their respective part and they weren't afraid to sing enthusiastically.
 |
| Suva Wesley Methodist Church |
My pre-cruise research suggested that we could expect to find that Suva was a bit run down and unkempt. This was not the reality – the modern city that greeted us was neat and well maintained. Even though most of the city was observing the holy day, a few shopping malls near the dock were open for the visitors.
 |
| Port of Suva |
