Southeast Asia Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Brunei
The Celebrity Century docked in Muara which is a 45 minute drive from Bandar Seri Begawan (the capital of Brunei).

When I did my research for Brunei I had read that there would be limited taxis available to take passengers to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB). To my surprise we encountered many private vehicles and taxis offering rides to BSB while walking away from the cruise terminal in Muara.

Map of Muara posted at the cruise terminal

We decided not to go to the capital of Brunei and chose to explore the area around the port of Muara instead. Since the majority of cruise passengers go to BSB the benefit of staying in Muara is you aren't surrounded by tourists. Granted there isn't much to see in Muara in terms of "tourist attractions" but I'm happy with seeing locals going about their daily lives in a new place. We made our way to Old Town Muara where the shops and bank is located. There are several supermarkets that sell unique snack items and cold drinks at very good prices. We bought some snacks and drinks from the supermarket and made our way back to the cruise terminal since it was extremely hot and humid outside.

Tip: The cruise terminal is air-conditioned and has free WiFi.


Vietnam
The ship made two stops in Vietnam: Nha Trang and Phu My (Ho Chi Minh).

Cable cars in Nha Trang to take people to Vinpearl Resort

The port of Nha Trang is a tendered port. As we got off the tender there was an outdoor market with several tables set up selling souvenirs a few feet away.

There were a lot of taxis waiting for passengers as they left the port area. I definitely learned the importance of saying a firm "no thank you" to the taxi drivers. I made the mistake of saying "maybe" to a taxi driver and was followed all over the city as I walked away.

While walking around the streets of Nha Trang I saw an alley of what I thought was a market. Turns out it was actually just the alley of people's homes. It was nice to walk through the alley and take a peek into what a local's home looks like from the gates outside.

Alley in Nha Trang

As the sun was particularly strong on this day my family decided not to make Nha Trang a beach day because we didn't want to become "lobsters" (having our skin burnt red). However, we still wanted to explore Nha Trang so walking to Vinpearl Land was our way of accomplishing that.

Vinpearl Land is where you can take the cable car to Vinpearl Resort. To get to Vinpearl Land we walked along the water and followed the direction of the cable cars.

Almost at Vinpearl Land

The entrance to Vinpearl Land has many park benches shaded by trees making it the perfect spot to cool off after the walk from the port. There also is a neat looking fountain to take pictures by.

Made it to Vinpearl Land!

Our second stop in Vietnam was Phu My (Ho Chi Minh). The ship docked in Phu My which is a 2 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). When doing my research for this port I found that the best price for a shuttle service to Ho Chi Minh from Phu My was through a Celebrity Shore Excursion called Saigon On Your Own.

Tip: Ho Chi Minh is easy to navigate on your own without a tour guide. Since we knew where the shuttle would be dropping us off in Ho Chi Minh we used Google Maps to plan out our day. We made sure we visited several of the major landmarks, architectural marvels and famous markets.

On the ride from Phu My to Ho Chi Minh we passed by a lot of motorists and rice fields. It still amazes me how casual the motorists are about driving in traffic. They weave around other motorists and people crossing the street with ease.

Motorbikes in action in Ho Chi Minh

The shuttle dropped us off at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame Cathedral

From there we followed the itinerary we planned out and walked from landmark to landmark. Our first stop was to see the Saigon Opera House.

Saigon Opera House

Next we walked by City Hall.

City Hall

We then walked into Rex Hotel (which is close to City Hall) to use their washroom facilities.

Tip: The cleanest washrooms in Ho Chi Minh are inside the malls and in fancy hotels.

From there we made our way to Saigon Square to check out the market. After wandering around the market for a little bit we made our way to Ben Thanh Market. This market is more crowded and popular with tourists than the market at Saigon Square.

Ben Thanh Market

On the shuttle ride over to Ho Chi Minh our tour guide mentioned the restaurant Pho 2000. It was made famous when Bill Clinton ate there in 2000. Since we were in the vicinity of Pho 2000 (located on the 2nd floor of a building to the right of the clock tower side of Ben Thanh Market) we ate lunch there.

Pho 2000

After eating lunch, we made our way towards Bitexco Financial Building (the 2nd tallest building in Vietnam). It has a helicopter landing pad on the side of the building and was quite the architectural marvel to look at.

Our final stop of the day was the Reunification Palace which was formerly the presidential palace. To get there we made our way back towards the Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office.

Notre Dame Cathedral (left) and Post Office (right)

Reunification Palace

One final note: Crossing the streets in Ho Chi Minh is absolute insanity. The best thing to do is to walk at a steady pace as you cross the street and let the motorists weave around you. I have to admit I silently screamed to myself every time I stepped out onto the streets.


Read Part 2: Singapore here
Read Part 3: Thailand here

Sojourn to Southeast Asia

Have you ever experienced something really amazing and said "check that off the bucket list" even though it was never on your bucket list to begin with? Just me?

I've had some really memorable experiences where it never occurred to me it was something I wanted to try or was even a possibility to do in the first place. Examples include jet skiing in St. Maarten, renting a Hourstan Glascraft (a 16 foot, 50 horse power boat) to drive around the waters of Vancouver, and attending a lecture from the strength and conditioning coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

I caught myself saying "check that off the bucket list" again after getting up close and personal to an elephant in Pattaya, Thailand but I'll explain that in more detail later.

At the Elephant Village in Pattaya

My family and I booked two cabins on the Celebrity Century for a Southeast Asia trip about a year in advance. After several months of planning for this trip it was finally time for us to fly out of Vancouver to begin our cruise adventure. We embarked the ship in Singapore on February 22, 2015. Two weeks later we disembarked in Singapore and left with hundreds of video clips, thousands of pictures, and more than enough memories to last a lifetime.

Since there is so much to write about I will be splitting my experience in Southeast Asia into three parts:
Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam
Part 2: Singapore
And saving my best memories for last,
Part 3: Thailand

Easter in the Eastern Caribbean

It's been just over a week since my return from working on the Regal Princess during the busy Easter/Spring Break season. The Regal was doing an Eastern Caribbean itinerary which I have done previously as a passenger and then as a crew member a few years later. The ports may have been familiar but the sun and warm waters of the Caribbean will always be novel to me.

Clear waters in the Caribbean

I was excited to join the newest ship on the Princess fleet because I knew the production shows and entertainment would be top-notch! I was lucky enough to catch two shows in the lovely Princess Theatre. The first was The Unexpected Boys which is a tribute act to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I love songs from the musical Jersey Boys so it goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The second show, Fiera!, was a production show featuring the singers and dancers. By seamlessly incorporating the use of props, pyrotechnics and HD screens on stage the production value of Fiera! was unlike any show I have ever seen. I was blown away by how good the show was. I could ramble on and on about how nice the ship is but I'll move on to the good stuff: the ports!

Princess Cays: This is the private island owned by Princess Cruises in Eleuthera, Bahamas. There is an enclosed play area called Pelican Perch where youth staff like me supervise children while the ship is anchored at sea. On days when I didn't start work until 12 noon at Pelican Perch I happily ate the BBQ lunch on the island before my shift. After my shift was over I usually had an hour or two to enjoy the island before having to take the tender back to the ship. The water by the tender docks is so clear that no snorkel gear is necessary to see the fishes in it. I cherished the opportunity to watch a variety of colourful fishes swimming in the ocean while standing on the docks above.

St. Thomas: The highlight of my time in St. Thomas was when I went on an excursion called The Legendary Kon Tiki Harbor and Beach Cruise. It was a nice way to experience a morning in St. Thomas. As passengers and I boarded the Kon Tiki boat we were greeted with calypso music from the steel drum band playing aboard the boat. The boat had glass-bottom viewers that offered snorkeling-like views so passengers could see coral and fish in the harbours of Charlotte Amalie. The boat then anchored at the small but lovely Honeymoon Bay for 1 hour. This beach had the most crystal clear waters I have ever set foot in and the sand beneath my feet were soft and free of any debris.

View of Honeymoon Bay from the Kon Tiki

St. Maarten: The thing I love most about the port of St. Maarten is that it takes only 20 minutes to walk to the beach/shopping/town area. There is no need for a taxi to get to this beach although a water taxi is available if you don't feel like walking. I spent most of my time in St. Maarten at the beach relaxing on the sand or going for a dip in the ocean when it got too hot. The great thing about this beach for me was it's proximity to McDonald's meant I could buy an Oreo McFlurry to take to the beach to enjoy. Things as simple as enjoying a yummy treat on the beach during my morning off on a port day makes me appreciate how lucky I am to work on cruise ships.
P.S. If you love the taste of coconuts then you need to try the coconut smoothie from the Coco Express smoothie stand near the pier. They hand out samples but it's so delicious that I couldn't help but buy a full-sized smoothie. Their coconut smoothie comes in two sizes: medium ($4 USD) or large ($5 USD).

Fort Lauderdale: There are two things most crew members love: WiFi and shopping at Ross. Both of these things are not hard to find in and around the Port Everglades cruise terminal. I definitely had a crew member moment when I realized I spent my whole morning in Fort Lauderdale shopping at Ross, buying a 1 gallon carton of water at Publix supermarket and then using WiFi. On another morning out and about in Fort Lauderdale I walked to Turtle Nesting Beach which is about 45 minutes away from the cruise terminal. Along the way I stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to make myself an iced coffee for the walk to the beach. Turtle Nesting Beach is massive! The beach appears to go on for miles with lots of sand so it never feels crowded. The abundance of picnic tables and benches at this beach makes it a great place for any type of group gathering involving food.

This was not my first time in the Eastern Caribbean and I'm fairly certain it won't be my last either. I'm perfectly content with that fact!

A to Z: Australia to Fiji to New Zealand (Part 3: New Zealand)

Part 3: New Zealand

Hello New Zealand!

After seeing the beautiful Fjords while cruising Fjordland National Park I was very excited for New Zealand. Although the Tasman Sea had the roughest waters I have ever experienced it was well worth it to be able to go to New Zealand. Lucky for me we had back-to-back cruises to New Zealand so I was able to experience some ports more than once.

Port Chalmers:
Week 1: We took a crew shuttle into Dunedin. The picturesque drive from Port Chalmers to Dunedin was filled with images of a serene lake, several green hills as well as farms with sheeps and horses outside our window. The shuttle dropped us off across from Cadbury World so of course we had to go inside. We bought several chocolate bars and tins of hot chocolate because they were so much cheaper than in Canada. We then walked around Dunedin to get a feel for the city. We found our way to the main shopping district but didn't have much time to browse the shops. On our way back to the shuttle pick-up location we walked by the railway station. I was amazed at how beautiful the railway station was.

The most beautiful railway station I have ever seen

Week 2: We started our day by exploring the small town of Port Chalmers. We made our way up a hill so we could see the architectural handiwork of an old cathedral up close. A trail up another hill was located near the cathedral and because we were feeling adventurous we decided to make the trek up the hill. About halfway up the trail there was an abandoned 19th century cemetery in the middle of a secluded forest. It looked like something out of a horror movie set - pretty cool! Checking the time we noticed the crew shuttle was scheduled to depart from Port Chalmers to Dunedin in about 10 minutes so we quickly made our way back down to the cruise terminal to catch the shuttle. After seeing so many Japanese restaurants the first time I was in Dunedin I knew I had to satisfy my craving for Japanese food. Jitsu was the first Japanese restaurant we saw and it was full of locals so we gave it a try. Feeling satiated with the chicken teriyaki roll I ordered we headed back to Cadbury World to stock up on more chocolate!

Love this place!

Akaroa:
Week 1: I was working port day supervision so I didn't have enough time to get off the ship.
Week 2: It was too windy to tender. Such a shame because I was scheduled to go on an excursion.


Wellington:
Week 1: You can pay for a shuttle to take you to town but since it's only a 15-20 minute walk from the port to the downtown shopping area (Lambton Quay) we decided to walk. There is everything from boutique shops to department stores to electronic stores in the Lambton Quay area. Since it was the holidays most stores were still closed when we got there. We decided to go to the Civic Square and spotted the giant silver ball hanging from the "sky" - an interesting piece of modern art and a great spot to take a photo. We then walked across the City to Sea bridge to check out the waterfront area. The nice thing about Wellington is there is an abundance of informative signs all over the city so it's easy to navigate on your own.

The beautiful waterfront

Week 2: I went on an excursion called Wind Farm & Seal Safari. I could describe my experience but the tour overview described on the Princess Cruises website states it best:

This tour covers Wellington like no other tour. From the cruise ship terminal you head through the heart of the city to Otari Wilton's bush - New Zealand's only Botanic Gardens completely dedicated to Native plants, with a unique tree top walkway. Then it's over the hill and up to Tinakori Lookout, one of the best lookouts in Wellington with fabulous views over the City, harbour & surrounding suburbs. Leaving the main road, you will travel through Terawhiti Station, one of New Zealand's largest wind farms. The station has been in the same family since 1850. Learn about the fascinating history of the area and its connections to Wellington. Wind your way through towering 111m turbines that harness the wind to generate clean, renewable electricity.
Travel through Oteranga Bay; a strategic part of New Zealand's power grid where the Cook Strait Power Cable joins the North to the South Island as you make your way to the rugged South Coast of Wellington to see a Wild New Zealand Fur Seal Colony. Get up close (but not too close!) and personal with this real native New Zealand marine mammal. Seal sightings are guaranteed year round. With breath taking views over the Cook Strait to the South Island, you will soon discover why we consider this the best scenery in Wellington.

Interesting fact: New Zealand Fur Seals are actually sea lions and not seals because of the way they walk. This tour gave me a chance to see rural New Zealand and it was so much fun riding in the 4-wheel drive vehicle through the rugged terrain!

New Zealand Fur Seals

Napier: 
Week 1: The ship docked in a commercial shipping port so a free shuttle was provided from the port to your choice of either the city square or the aquarium. The city of Napier is filled with Art Deco architecture. In the city square there were people dressed in vintage style outfits performing a dance and vintage cars were on display as well. While walking around I noticed a skate/scooter park in addition to a multitude of other recreation facilities. We perused the shops before reaching a park called Clive Square. This park had bells which rang every half hour which I thought was pretty neat. I was very impressed with the care this city put into public spaces like the gardens and parks. Before heading back to the ship we wanted to walk along the beach. The beach is covered with pebbles and rocks instead of sand so it wasn't crowded with people suntanning. 

Take a step back in time in Napier

Week 2: I went on an excursion called Hawke's Bay Express. As described on the Princess Cruises website this city tour was in "a modern road train that's styled like an old-fashioned steam engine, but it travels on road, not rail, so you can get up close and personal with the city". I really enjoyed this tour because it gave me a chance to see Napier from a different perspective than the first time I was there. Also, the tour guides were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I came away with a better understanding and respect for the city of Napier and its history.


Tauranga:
Week 1: I didn't get a chance to get off the ship because I was working port day supervision. However, the view of Tauranga from the ship made me excited for the next time we were there.
Week 2: The ship docked at Mount Maunganui and this place had a surf town feel to it. Pilot Bay is right where you exit the pier to your left. If you walk across the island, to the right of where your exit the pier, there is Main Beach. Main Beach is a more sheltered beach so it's popular with surfers and it is a bigger beach than Pilot Bay. We made our way to Main Beach to soak in the sun and use the free WiFi to reconnect with family and friends back home. Before heading back to the ship we made our way to Burger King to enjoy a Frozen Coke - perfect on a hot day.

Pilot Bay

Auckland:
Week 1: We started our morning by getting a green tea from Starbucks to enjoy while walking around the city. By the waterfront area there are some giant wooden lounge chairs perfect for relaxing and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent some time on these lounge chairs before walking around the city again. We passed by the Sky Tower which has the distinction of being the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand. At a supermarket I bought a cold green tea drink and we headed to a park nearby to enjoy our drinks and to people watch from a bench in the shade.

The famous Sky Tower in Auckland

Week 2: I planned to buy some souvenirs here as my time in New Zealand was coming to an end but nothing really piqued my interest. We discovered another park called Albert Park which was much more scenic than the park we went to the first time we were in Auckland. This park had interesting looking trees as well as a fountain surrounded by a garden of flowers. It was nice to just breathe in the fresh air while lying on the grass. On our way back to the ship we walked by several back alleys that were lined with restaurants and shops. It made me realize there is something for everybody in Auckland - from the the big city atmosphere to the peaceful getaway of the parks and waterfront area to the trendy shops and restaurants in the alleys - it definitely became my favourite port in New Zealand.

Peaceful day at Albert Park

Bay of Islands:
Week 1: This was a tendered port and a free shuttle into Paihia was provided. We visited an arts and crafts market which contained only New Zealand made souvenirs. We also went inside a supermarket to buy some snacks. The local library has free WiFi so we made a brief stop there. Then we walked up to a lookout point at the waterfront to get a nice view of the different islands that make up Bay of Islands.

View of some of the islands that make up Bay of Islands

Week 2: I was working port day supervision and didn't have enough time to get off the ship. Until next time New Zealand!


Read Part 1: Australia here
Read Part 2: Fiji here

A to Z: Australia to Fiji to New Zealand (Part 2: Fiji)

Part 2: Fiji and South Pacific

Welcome to the South Pacific!

When I first found out I was going to be on the Sun Princess over the winter break and saw Fiji and South Pacific on the itinerary I was over the moon! As a fan of the reality TV show Survivor I always wanted to go to a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific and finally this was my chance to experience that part of the world.

Noumea, New Caledonia: The ship docked at a container port so the only way out of the port area is by getting on the free shuttle that takes you downtown. There is a cafe with free WiFi where the shuttle drops you off. The first thing I noticed was everything was in French. Turns out New Caledonia is an overseas province of France so it all makes sense. We walked around before settling down at a restaurant to cool off with a drink. I ordered a homemade mango iced tea and it was the most delicious drink ever!
Once again I had to go inside a supermarket to see what snacks they had. It was pretty neat to see French labels on items I would normally see in English at stores back home.
Tip: You can pay for items in Australian or US dollars but your change will be in Francs.

The Chinatown in Noumea

Port Denarau: This tendered port is essentially an island populated exclusively with resorts. However, there is a shopping centre right where the tender drops you off. There was a traditional Fijian dance performance at the shopping centre which was nice to see. Not really in the shopping mood we purchased a Bula bus ticket for $8 Fijian which allowed us to ride the hop-on-hop-off bus that takes you from the shopping centre to all the resorts located on the island. Since time was limited we chose to get off at the Wyndham to sit on their weaved wood beach chairs perched at the end of the beach.

The beach chairs are calling my name at the Wyndham

After an hour or so of relaxing at this hotel we needed to get back on the ship. On the ride back to the shopping centre we got a nice view of all the resorts. The resorts all had an open concept lobby and looked very new. There was something wrong with the tender so everyone had to get on a catamaran (owned by South Sea Cruise) to get back to the ship. We experienced rain showers off and on throughout the day but while we were in the catamaran the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. I'm glad we left the resort when we did because there was a torrential downpour while we were in the comforts of the catamaran.


Suva: With a full crew drill in the morning and working port day supervision in the afternoon I was not able to get off the ship at this port.


Savusavu: This was another tendered port. I went on a shore excursion called Traditional Fiji: Nukubalavu Village. I had the most wonderful time and can't stop raving about it! When the bus arrived in Nukubalavu Village we were greeted with a choir of men, women and children singing to us. As we stepped off the bus a local villager placed a flower necklace around our neck and handed us a bottle of Fiji water. This island was full of beautiful forested mountains and coconut trees. 

The gorgeous beach at the Nukubalavu Village

We witnessed a traditional kava ceremony and some guests were even invited to participate. I was impressed to see a villager climb a coconut tree to chop down the palm leaves so a fellow villager could demonstrate basket weaving. 

Getting ready to chop down the palm leaves

The Fijian men performed a "sword" dance and the Fijian women did a dance performance as well. Coconuts were cut open and guests were invited to take a piece to try which I very happily did. We had some free time to browse the village and markets for souvenirs before the shuttle took us back to the port. While walking around the village I noticed there was a station set up for green coconut juice. The villagers skillfully cut open a green coconut with a machete in front of you and then stick a straw in it so you can enjoy the juice. The green coconut I was given was huge and very heavy but the juice from it was so fresh!
One of my favourite memories from this excursion was when a local boy came up to me and handed me a seashell he found on the beach. We then proceeded to head down to the beach to look for more seashells. I will never forget the friendliness and hospitality of the Fijians.
Since the excursion ended before noon, I had time to get off and explore Savusavu on my own as well. I took a taxi for $20 Fijian to Blue Lagoon beach - the only beach within a reasonable distance of the port. This was one of the strangest beaches I have even been to. The tide was very low so there was a pool of water in the middle of the beach and then just very shallow water for what appeared to be miles before reuniting with the ocean. As much as I enjoyed getting some sun at this fairly secluded beach I won't be going back to Blue Lagoon beach the next time I am in Savusavu.


Dravuni Island: Unfortunately it was too windy to tender here so we continued sailing to our next port.


Lifou, New Caledonia: This was a tendered port once again and the ship docked right by the beach. The water was the most beautiful turquoise colour. At the far end of the beach there were some giant rocks/cliffs that had a very Survivor-esque feel to it. I finally experienced my "let's pretend I'm on Survivor moment"!

Just look at those turquoise waters!

 

Is there a hidden immunity idol here?

One last look at the beach before heading back on the tender

Read Part 1: Australia here
Read Part 3: New Zealand here

A to Z: Australia to Fiji to New Zealand (Part 1: Australia)

Wow! Getting to experience Australia, Fiji AND New Zealand for the first time was an absolute blast. I had the opportunity to work on the Sun Princess for 7 weeks in December 2014/January 2015 and although it had its challenges it was also one of the best experiences I ever had.

Part 1: Australia/Tasmania

The iconic Sydney Opera House

My journey began on December 6, 2014 with a 13 hour flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong before another 9 hour flight to Sydney. This was the longest series of flights I have taken to date and the exhaustion definitely hit me by the time I arrived in Sydney on December 8, 2014.

View of Sydney from the plane

At the Sydney airport my excitement grew when I recognized one of the customs officials from the TV show Border Security: Australia's Front Line. It's the little things that make me happy.

Next, it was off to the hotel. Upon checking out my hotel room I realized I couldn't plug my electronic devices into the electrical sockets. It was then that I realized the power of a travel adapter! I couldn't figure out how to get the TV to work so I listened to the radio provided in the room instead. I was pleased to discover a lovely radio station called Smooth 95.3 in Australia which I will be streaming over the internet back home now.

On my first day aboard the Sun Princess I witnessed one of the most scenic sailaways in the world. We sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and past the Sydney Opera House. Gorgeous!

With most passengers being Australian I quickly picked up some "Australian words" from the kids I worked with. For example, instead of markers (as in the device used to colour things in) they use the word texters. The word toilet is used instead of bathroom or washroom. The word lolly is used instead of candy. And everybody says "nearly" instead of "almost".


Hobart: The capital city of Tasmania and the first port in our cruise. Just as you walk out of the cruise terminal there is some art on display outside University of Tasmania's Centre For The Arts.

Artwork outside University of Tasmania's Centre For The Arts

With no plans as to what to do we decided to wander the streets. Along the way we passed by several restaurants, a tourist information center, a hospital, and a church before stumbling into the main shopping district where a shopping mall was located. This shopping mall had a mix of international chain stores as well as stores only found in Australia/New Zealand, such as the wonderful tea store called tea too.


Port Arthur: A historic 19th century penitentiary similar to Alcatraz in San Francisco. This was a tendered port with one of the most scenic rides to shore. I treated the tender ride as a "scenic cruise" viewing it as a luxury rather than a hassle. Upon getting off the tender I was greeted with wide open grass fields and several old buildings that used to house the prisoners.

Welcome to Port Arthur!

Port Arthur's immaculate grass lawn

Look at that architecture!

While walking outside from one building to the next I saw a wallaby jumping along the grass field. It was a very exciting moment for me but nothing new for the Australians.
On the tender over to Port Arthur I noticed a beach to the left of where the tenders docked and I knew I had to find a way to get there. So, when I was done looking at the buildings I made my way along a secluded trail that seemed to lead in the direction of the beach. About 15 minutes later I was at the beach and felt a huge sense of accomplishment for finding my own little oasis at this port.

My oasis in Port Arthur

Burnie: The ship docked in a container port so for safety reasons everyone had to take the free shuttle out of the port area. The shuttle stops at 3 locations. I got off at the 3rd location which has the shops, restaurants and beach. Since I had worked port day in the morning and only had a short time off the ship I headed straight to the beach and used the free WiFi to catch up on my emails.


Melbourne: A beach is located right beside the port so that's where we headed first. We took several pictures by the dock at the beach then strolled along the sidewalk beside the beach.

The dock on a beautiful day in Melbourne

I marveled at all the beachfront apartments we passed by - all so different in style but all very beautiful. From there, it was time to check out the grocery stores and supermarkets. One of my favourite things to do in a new city is to see which snack items are unique to that part of the world - I was not disappointed by the selection. Melbourne is a very beautiful city and I wish I had more time to explore it.


Sydney: The Sun Princess docked at the White Bay cruise terminal which unfortunately is not the terminal located near the Sydney Opera House. Thankfully a free shuttle was provided to take crew from the White Bay cruise terminal to the IMAX theatre downtown. After getting off the shuttle we walked around outside before making our way inside the Queen Victoria Building mall and Westfield mall. For $1 we got a large "Frozen Coke" from McDonald's which is essentially a medium sized Slurpee in Canada. Walking around the streets in Sydney you are never far from a great park to hang out at.

One of the many great places to hang out in Sydney

While wandering the streets of Sydney we spotted what looked to be a harbour so we made our way towards that direction. Imagine our happiness when we discovered we had somehow walked all the way to Darling Harbour and were just mere steps from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. It was an amazing moment and many pictures were taken.

Hello Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Read Part 2: Fiji here
Read Part 3: New Zealand here

Muchas Gracias Mexico

I recently came back from a 1 week cruise to Mexico. With 700 kids on the ship it was definitely a busy week for me and all the youth staff on the ship.

After joining the ship in Los Angeles and working back to back 11-hour days we were in our first port of call: Puerto Vallarta. It was so nice to feel the heat and sun in Mexico on what would have been a cold November day back home in Vancouver. The beach was just mere steps from the port so we spent our day in Puerto Vallarta at the beach soaking in the sun.

The closest beach to where the ship docked in Puerto Vallarta

The second port of call was Mazatlan. Upon docking there was a complimentary open-air shuttle to take passengers from the commercial port area to the cruise terminal where several shops are located and taxis are waiting. We took a taxi into the part of town known as the "Golden Zone". From there we walked along the beach, dipped our toes in the ocean, and marveled at the souvenirs for sale in the various stores. When it was time to head back to the ship we took an "open-air taxi" which is essentially a golf cart. It was a lot of fun having the wind blow in our hair while the taxi driver pointed out various attractions along the way.

The third and final port of call was Cabo San Lucas. I was on-call for port day supervision so I wasn't able to get off the ship in Cabo. However, I did enjoy the lovely sunshine in Cabo while reading a book on the crew deck.

View of Cabo from the crew deck

The timing was perfect for me to be in Mexico because it gave me a chance to practice my Spanish. I have diligently been learning Spanish using Duolingo and I was excited to get a chance to speak and listen to native Spanish speakers. Hasta mañana Mexico!