Day 96 Post cruise but the world is in turmoil due to Covid-19

41 days after disembarkation

Our life now has been isolation as our world is trying to stop the spread of this  Covid-19 World Pandemic. Restaurants, hotels, playgrounds, libraries, every part of our life which is not considered essential has been closed down. People have lost their jobs, and there has been a run on some grocery items, (toilet paper, tissues, hand sanitizers, flour, bread mixes, seedlings, egg-laying chickens). We have all been told to isolate and only essential travel.

All the cruise ships have had issues with entering some country borders. Some have had passengers and crews displaying flu-like symptoms which has complicated disembarkation of crew and passengers. Today most ships are heading to countries where most of the crew members live. when not working on the ships. Most crew seem to originate from the Philippines and cruise companies are sending their ships there to allow their return home. Today there are 9 cruise ships at anchor of Manila, waiting for permission to dock. 

View from Sapphire Princess. The Majestic  Princess on left, Voyager of Seas directly in front. In the distance behind the Voyager of Seas is Sun Princess. The fourth ship from left is the Sea Princess, the fifth from left on the horizon is Queen Elizabeth, then there are two ships on the right. The one visible is Pacific Dawn and the ship behind is Pacific Explorer. 

These ships have brought their Philippine National Crew members home and are awaiting clearance to disembark.
I am not sure how many on board have Covid-19.

The Ruby Princess left Australian waters on 23^rd April. When it disembarked its 2,700 passengers in Sydney on the 19^th March, 21 have since died and more than 600 confirmed positive with the virus. 190 crew members have tested positive and 1100 crew member have been in varying lengths of quarantine on board for weeks. The ship is presently sailing to Manila to allow some of its crew members to return home. 

Adelaide, South Australia

March 15th 2020 We are home

After 55 days sailing we have met so many lovely people. Unfortunately when we get back into the swing and demands of our lives at home, we tend to put aside those lovely friendships and in most cases, just don't follow through to catch up or contact our lovely ship board friends. It is not that we have made the decision not to but the distractions we have with family and friends at home tend to put our ship board friends on the back burner. 

I hope this time I am not so lazy and will follow up to know how are friends are settling back after our lovely cruise. 

We have heard on the news this afternoon that Australia has closed its borders to anyone entering Australia as at 12 midnight tonight. Wow, thankgoodness we are now home. 

  

Day 55 Port Lincoln, South Australia

Our last day of cruising.

Saturday, 14th March 2020

We woke up this morning a bit tired as last night we had to turn our clocks forward. Since leaving Fremantle we have lost 2 1/2 hours and since leaving South Africa a total of 8 1/2 hours. It's not as harsh as jet lag from Europe as we adjust over a 2 week period but still am adjustment which I find harder to cope with as I get older. 

I had booked two hire cars for our group to see Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay through Sparks and Spanners in Liverpool Street, Port Lincoln. I can recommend their service and vehicles. They are only a 10 minute walk from the ship, even taking into consideration the long jetty we were berthed at. Brian and I hired the cars and drove them to the shuttle drop off point (Information Centre in Port Lincoln) to pick up our dear passengers, DH one of them.

                                                Look who else booked their hire car?

View of Boston Bay, silos and the long wharf where Sun Princess is docked from Pt Lincoln lookout.

View of Sun Princess from Maritime Museum. The dirty marks at the bottom of the ship are rust!
She doesn't have much of a future with Princess. The ship is supposed to be used as a floating hotel in Japan for the 2020 Olympics. (but as as 24th March to Olympics have been post phoned until the                                                              Corona Virus is under control)

Firstly we headed out to Coffin Bay for a scenic drive along the esplanade, then onto Coffin Bay National Park for some rugged scenery lookouts. We had lunch at 1802 Oyster Restaurant for some very tasty seafood including local oysters. Yum Yum. 

                                   View at Templetonia Lookout over Coffin Bay to Mount Dutton.
                            There is a huge sheep station at Mount Dutton which still prospers today.

                                     View of Golden Island in the Coffin Bay National Park.

                                       
                                                Looking around coastline to Point Avoid.

                                                      Oyster beds in Coffin Bay SA

                                   Some of the tuna fishing fleet in the marina, Port Lincoln.

A drive back to Port Lincoln via the scenic lookout over the bay and township incorporating the Sun Princess alongside the jetty. Then onto the Marina Cove to see the fleet of Prawn, Tuna and Rock Lobster vessels. When we dropped everyone off at the shuttle pick up area we were able to see the bronze statue of Makybe Diva, the racehorse which won the Melbourne Cup 3 times. 

Now off to our last port, Adelaide. Home.

Day 54 Great Australian Bight

Day 54: At sea in the Great Australian Bight.

Friday 13th March 2020

We have just heard a public announcement from our Captain that due to the Corona Virus, Princess Cruises are suspending their operations for 60 days from 17th March to 11th May. All 18 ships will be out of service and passengers currently sailing will be disembarked and returned home. This cruise will cease in Sydney, the last of the fleet to disembark passengers.  This has made many of those who are not leaving the ship in Adelaide or Melbourne, very happy. Whoo Hoo. But a very sad announcement for all booked passengers on Princess and I assume all cruise liners throughout the world. Just imagine how stressed staff who work behind the scenes for Princess are, organizing accommodation and transport home for passengers and crew.

I am proud to say we are at the moment a Corona Virus free clean ship, thanks to the wonderful directive of the Captain, Staff Captain and Hotel General Manager. Kudos to them.

Also I suppose everyone who is washing their hands. I can’t believe there are still whingers who complain about having to wash their hands before entering the Horizon Buffet.

On Thursday 19th March 2020, the Sky Princess disembarked its passengers in Sydney. No one had been screened when disembarked and made their own way home via public transport, domestic and international flights. It has now transpired there were passengers with the Corona Virus and as at 24th March one 72 year old lady has since died as a result.

Day 52 Albany Western Australia

Day 52 Albany, Western Australia

Wednesday 11th March 2020

Albany is home to the National ANZAC Centre, a newly built, multimillion dollar museum which recognises the ANZAC Legend. On our approach into Princess Royal Harbour, the ship sailed through a 500 metre gap between granite landforms. On the starboard side I could see the ANZAC Centre and the Atatürk Memorial positioned about 100 below.

The township supplied a free shuttle bus for passengers to access the main street and shopping hub. A small market offering locally distilled sandalwood (Mount Romance, the world’s largest distiller of sandalwood oil) operated at the drop off area.

Albany presented as a flourishing coastal township offering scenic land forms, ANZAC and whaling historic significance and nearby winery and treetop walk.

We had visited Albany nearly 20 years ago, visiting the area’s attractions. Today, there are new modern buildings and the township appears to be well maintained and thriving.

Fremantle, Western Australia

Day 51 Tuesday 10th March 2020

Fremantle, Western Australia

Our arrival to Australia has brought several challenges to everyone who is sailing on to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. This cruise is an International one which officially concludes in Fremantle. Humph. All passengers, yes ALL passengers are required by Australian Customs and Immigration to present their luggage and passports for inspection at the cruise terminal in Fremantle. Humph. That means packing our suitcases and leaving them outside our cabin door before 11pm the night before. Humph. Then those who are lucky enough to be sailing onto the eastern states have the luxury of having their luggage returned to their cabins for them to unpack!  In our case we just unpacked one case each and left the other packed. Our toiletries and other bits and bobs which we intend binning before finally disembarking in Adelaide all came along for the short ride off the ship then back on again.

Then to add salt to our wounds, Princess will only hand over our duty free grog the night before our disembarkation in Adelaide. They are worried we might start drinking the alcohol when on board. Of course we wouldn’t do that!

I had met a lovely couple on a previous cruise who live in Perth and were going to take us out on a winery tour for our day here. I explained our dilemma of not knowing what time we would actually be free. John, my friend also explained he had arrived home on the weekend from UK after a 20 hour flight and had picked up a cold and cough from the aeroplane’s air-conditioning but was concerned it may be the dreaded Corona Virus. He had a test on Sunday but as at 3.30 pm on Tuesday, still hadn’t received the results.  The upshot from this is we did not meet up and have post phoned our reunion for another date.

800 passengers from the original 2000 are still on board the Sun Princess and will disembark in various eastern states. 1200 passengers arrived from various countries around the world and states in Australia. The cruise is now a 14 cruise to Sydney from Fremantle. There is a report that Princess is taking more stringent measures to screen any passenger who display fever flu-like symptoms. In tomorrow’s papers a report that a passenger who arrived from an overseas country displayed these symptoms and was not granted permission to board. His luggage had to be sterilised before handled and given back.

It is a relief to know that Princess is taking measures to protect the crew and passengers. The entrance to the Horizon Court has been partially blocked off making it impossible for anyone to enter without first washing their hands. I tell you now there were a few disgruntled passengers who did not take to washing their hands, even to re-enter again after their first selection.

DH and I caught the free shuttle bus to the railway station in Fremantle. From there we walked along the main street where I bought and posted a birthday card after enjoying an iced coffee in the historic mall. It was a pretty uneventful day after spending a hectic morning with our luggage.

We now have a new Captain who replaced Diego Perra who was supposed to fly home to Italy. Though I am not sure what he will be doing as all of Italy is quarantined due to the Corona Virus.

We have heard Princess has 5 cruise ships out of service due to the Corona Virus, several future cruises have changed or cancelled a lot of ports. We have 2 cruises booked in October then again in February next year and are seriously considering we may not go. Touch wood, we have arrived back in Australia virus free but has a new passenger embarked in Fremantle with an unsuspected case?

We had a late sail away. The reason given was a delay in loading the ship’s supplies. The ship is now on a mission to make-up time to arrive in Albany on schedule.

8 Days at sea

Day 48: At sea in the southern Indian Ocean

Sat 7th March 2020

The seas we are sailing in have been surprisingly smooth and calm.

Our 8 straight days at sea will be quite interesting, will we bored out of our brains, become super fit with all the possible extra time spent in the gym, will we have exhausted the supply of books on board and be well read, become champion board or card players, become great trivia, bingo or goofy golf players, or super slobs sleeping in until noon, eating, dining and eating and drinking?

A visit to the ship’s library has become a disappointment as it is empty except for reference books. There is a steady stream of (usually ladies) wandering in and out the shops on board checking to see if there is some new items out for sale. The Effy jewellery shop is continually having their new releases of different jewels with champagne offered to celebrate the release or free raffle. Blah.
Except for the gym, I think I can claim a little of all, except to say my ukulele playing has improved and I am learning music theory as well. When I walk around the ship in the mornings most of the tables in the restaurants and lounges are taken with people playing card games, mah-jong, knitting, sewing, card making, reading or chatting. There are various lectures held in the theatre, some interesting depending on our particular attraction.

The afternoon trivia is well attended, so to find seating for our group of 6 has become a challenge and in one case a verbal clash. Some passengers have claimed rights to seating, be it at trivia, bingo, or any other regular event and sometimes it becomes a crusade to win a seat. Fortunately for our groups, we have gone with the flow, usually claiming seats where empty. In the afternoon trivia it is the same groups having the most correct answers, challenging the organiser to rethink his questions. The rumour is these particular groups have been on the ship since June or around the same time and have heard the questions and answers repeated over several cruises. Or they are just so clever but the upshot of the scoring is our group always seems to be placed around midway in the results.

We also pass on our read books to friends. I brought 3 books on board to read and have since lent them out several times over in exchange. I spoke to a few people who actually sought out a second hand store or bookshop in various ports and bought a new supply.

Our very patient and music passionate ukulele instructor Aslan, has arranged for us to have a concert at the end of this segment of the cruise. Aslan plays the guitar for the ship’s resident band and has generously offered to teach ukulele and music theory to us passengers. Wow, I have never seen someone so patient, generous and encouraging. I usually sit near the front and with my off beat, bad timing and out of tune singing he manages to keep positive and encouraging.

                         Our ever so patient and encouraging ukulele instructors. Ewen and Aslan.

                                  2 of 3 Team Roger. Anna and Roger. I am taking the photo.

              My Ukulele Concert, Notice I am well in the back ground, just where I like to be.

We are a group of 5 who get together in the afternoons after my music lessons and before trivia to play various card games. Two are ladies I met at mah-jong earlier in the cruise. I have dropped off playing mah-jong in preference to hanging out in the cabin, either to sleep in, read or write my blog.  Sometimes I head to the theatre to hear a guest speaker.

                                      Sandy and Kerry our whiz card and Mah jong players.
                             Kerry had been well organised and had heaps of rules for various games.

                                              View from the ship of a pod of dolphins.

                   Calm seas most of the way from Fremantle to Fremantle. View over crew pool.

                                     Middle of nowhere about half way across Indian Ocean.

                                  Same time when I took photo of the ship's position as crew member
     is outside our cabin window, painting. Lucky I was already dressed and the curtain was across!

Our Captain Diego Perra has spoken to the theatre full of passengers about some of his experiences as Captain. His first subject being the emergency medical evacuation we had the day before arrival into Cape Town. He described the procedures reporting to the coast guard for the need of a helicopter to airlift the patient to Hospital. Then he went on to enlighten us of his most favourite port in the world, the most interesting and then some of the challenges involved arriving to a port.

Whenever I am about on deck or up at Horizon Court I am constantly scanning the seas for any dolphins or sea life. There had been a sighting of a whale just before we reached South Africa but I missed out on seeing. I have spotted several sightings of dolphins, a turtle and flying fish.

Mauritius A non event

Day 43

We have been denied clearance by the local port authorities, so have an extra sea day. Now 8 days before Fremantle.

Disappointment prevails the ship.

Pointe Des Galets (Reunion Island)

Re-Union Island - Pointe Des Galets

Day 42   Sunday, 1st March 2020

Re-union Island is a French State, operating under that French Government, where Euro is the currency, French is the common language, Creole, German and English are distant second, third and fourth and vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road. The longest domestic flight from Charles De Gaul airport in Paris to Roland Garros airport here in Re-Union Island over 11 hours and 10 minutes. It certainly beats Perth to Cairns!

There is an active volcano ‘Furnace Peak’ which spews ash and lava on the south eastern side of the island where Princess Tours will take those willing. I wonder how many will take this tour, considering what happened on White Island, New Zealand late last year.

We are here on a Sunday when most shops and offices are closed, so there wasn’t much appeal of heading into the main town of St Denis. Instead I chose to join a ship’s tour to visit a vanilla plantation and then traveled inland to drive following the path of a river as it made its way between high peaks to view several waterfalls. The most popular cascade being Bride’s Veil Falls.

On return to the ship DH informed me of the drama the shuttle service between the Port and St Gilles (at a cost of $30 return). As the buses tried to leave the gates of the port, protesters blocked their path, threw rocks at the bus and set fire to some tires nearby. Police and Fire Service arrived to quell the protesters with tear gas and douse the fires. Apparently people were protesting against crew and passengers visiting the island thinking there is a possibility of infecting the island with Corona Virus.   The service ceased until after noon when it restarted at no cost to passengers using the bus. Apparently the cost of the shuttle will be refunded.

Durban, South Africa

Durban, South Africa

Wednesday, 26th February 2020 Day 38

Our last South African Port before we head back to Australia, calling in to Re-Union Island and Mauritius on the way. Durban attracted the most warnings to tourists for pick pockets and muggings. Fortunately for us we did not experience any unpleasant occurrences.

The city is situated alongside a beautiful long white sandy coastline which has been given the name of Miami of South Africa. In 2010 South Africa hosted the world soccer championships which with overseas investment, encouraged hosting cities to build new, modern stadiums.  We saw new stadiums in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and now in Durban. Not only has Durban have a new stadium, it also boasts a lot of other sporting facilities in the same area. There are Track and Field, Olympic Swimming Pools, Rugby Stadium, PGA Golf course and more. (Which I can’t remember). A lot of the buildings in the city are Victorian, Art Deco and Indian and the streets appeared to be clean and tidy.

We travelled out of Durban on a well maintained 3 lane ‘tolled’ highway to visit the Zulu homeland in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Here we were entertained by costumed song and dance members of a Zulu group. They performed a rendition of traditional courtship and betrothal. Zulu men are still even today permitted to have many wives. Each wife’s family are paid at least 11 cows by the groom to gain permission to marry. Imagine if you had lots of daughters; you would have a healthy herd of cows! Though imagine if you had lots of boys only.

Alongside the display of Zulu huts we saw a collection of various crocodiles and reptiles, including snakes. I managed to not scream or run away when given a snake to wrap around my neck. My heart was thumping all the time whilst that snake was nearby.

Back in the city to enjoy lunch in what was previously a small reserve for an elephant and a few other native animals but now used as a lovely large walled garden with a pleasant café and courtyard nestled under huge fig trees. Our guide choose well. This garden is situated in the leafy green ridge area overlooking Durban and where the wealthier population resided. We met up with a couple on board who were visiting a cousin who had lived in Durban for several decades and whose children were now living in Canada and working in dental fields there. They were planning to sell up and move to Canada. Their house had been worth One and half million (I assume dollars, not Rand) 5 years ago but now they said it was worth about 375,000. They mentioned the crime rate had increased and they were living their life in constant danger.  When they went to lunch, the cousin got a man off the street to ‘watch’ their car whilst they had lunch, and then paid him when they arrived back!

We went to the Victoria Street Market on our last stop before heading back to the ship. Here we saw lots of various stalls selling spices, eye catching coloured clothing and jewellery and art works. I saw framed art made with different coloured butterfly wings. The shop owner was quick to tell me that the butterflies only live 2 days and after they die the wings are harvested and used in art designs. Our on board port lecturer warned us not to go here as it was Very Unsafe but our guide was amazed to hear this and explained she never has had a problem when taking groups here. When we arrived we saw clean and tidy alleyways, neat and colourful stalls with the ever present security guard in most alleys. Things were a lot cheaper here and I would have liked to have bought more but were reluctant to use our credit cards, instead using the last of our Rand. It is not surprising how some people get things wrong.

I compare this city to our own and see lots of similar history but I am surprised to see so much industry thriving here, it looks like there is a lot of work but still over 30% unemployment. Our guides have all explained a lot of people have come here from other parts of Africa to live and are not even registered, trying to find work and a better life. This country should be very wealthy but it is struggling to have the money to support its infrastructure. Schools and health are missing out. In Durban there is a big Toyota Factory manufacturing vehicle, just like in Port Elizabeth with its 4 vehicle manufacturers with all the supporting industries. The mines are still being mined for coal and gold but I believe the resources are soon to run out. Sugar plantations and production is very dominant in Durban. The place is vibrant and busy with large trucks supplying the port with raw materials and manufactured goods. Sadly all our guides have told us there is corruption in every level of government and business here and until it is checked South Africa will continue in the same direction. I worry for Australia.

Our last day in South Africa meant our travel visas had to be cancelled and passports stamped in a face to face interview. We were told to present ourselves in the ports terminal between 4.30 and 7.30 pm to conduct our interview. Yeh; right. DH and I had returned from our day and decided to wait for the line to start up. We were 20 minutes on the line with many passengers and crew lining up behind us, waiting whilst 3 immigration officers processed one person per 2-3 minutes. The Sun Princess has 2, 200 passengers and over 1,000 crew who went ashore in South Africa. Fortunately we got through within 45 mins but a lot of people were in the line for over 2 hours waiting to be processed. Even the Captain had to wait in line! Can you imagine the discontent and grumblings felt on board that night and the next day?  We both had a Panadol before going to bed that night. I know my back was aching just standing that time and am grateful we didn’t stand like others did for over 2 hours.