THE WIND PICKED UP ON FRIDAY EVENING and was blowing a gale by the time we arrived at the Majestic Princess. Circular Quay is a refreshing change from the commercial ports where cruise ships often dock and we spent the afternoon watching as ferries and harbour tour boats shuttled back and forth under Harbour Bridge and past the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Circular Quay
Harbour Bridge
We have never sailed on Majestic Princess but the ship’s layout and Art Deco decor are similar to other Princess ships. So is our tiny interior stateroom on Aloha Deck 12 aft. There is no window, of course, but for the cost of an AirBnB we get meals, entertainment and housekeeping. Plus we are sailing to Fiji!
Art Deco is always in vogue
Three days of rocking on “moderate” 10-foot swells brought us to Port Vila, Vanuatu, an island we first visited in 2012. Connie has been on deck every morning combining her exercise routine with searching for pelagic birds. She has logged dozens of miles and seen Wedge-tailed and Sooty Shearwaters, Red-footed Boobies and Black-winged and Providence Petrels.
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters
Red-footed Boobie
Providence petrel
Steve, a fellow birder Connie met on deck, pointed out a trail leading from our berth up a steep hillside that he birds on his frequent visits to Vanuatu so we gave it a shot. The 85°F and 85% humidity wiped me out. Just as I was ready to call it quits, Steve trudged up the hill and he and Connie continued on while I slunk back to the ship. I wish I had taken photos of her when she returned drenched in sweat and splattered in mud. And no new birds to report
Port Vila and "Connie's Hill"
We had been on a cruise to Fiji before so we weren’t too upset that it rained the entire time we were in Suva—sometimes a drizzle and other times rain like happens only in the tropics. The weather was better in Lautoka but the port was quite a distance from town and Princess was charging for the shuttle. We went ashore anyhow, mostly to stretch our legs and look for birds before it rained again.
Approaching Lautoka, Fiji
Rainbow after the deluge
Dravuni Island requires a tender from the ship to the dock. The captain had been monitoring the weather and decided it would be too rough and said we would have to skip Dravuni altogether and slowly head to New Caledonia a day early. This was another island we had visited before so no biggie.
