Pacific Dawn, Swine Flu & We!

The Pacific Dawn Cruise Ship has been in the News a lot lately, because a couple of Cruises back, a family just returned from Disneyland in the States, took a cruise on it and two of their Children came down with Swine Flu. Initially upon the end of that Cruise, the Ship was briefly quarantined, but then allowed to go on its next cruise. A seven-Day affair. Part way through that, 3 of the Crew from the previous trip, came down with Swine flu and were quarantined within the ship, but the whole ship was then quarantined and not allowed to dock anywhere and had to return to its base prematurely. However the Swine flu never spread to the passengers and all have now been allowed home and the Ship is now getting ready for it’s next cruise, starting Thursday June 4th.
This interests us, because we, (My wife two daughters and myself,) are going on this self-same cruise. Now some say, “Aren’t you worried about getting swine Flue there?” For quite a few reasons, “No, we are not”.
Firstly, there have only been slightly 400 cases of swine flu in the whole of Australia. With 306 of those here in Victoria: and 300, here in the Melbourne metropolitan area, although none yet in the Croydon area! (That we know of!).
Secondly, The Ship has not only been cleared and disinfected, but is also under constant supervision to prevent a re-occurrence of Swine flu there.
So to summarise, we will have a far less chance of getting swine Flu on the Princess Dawn, then we would just staying home in the Croydon area for the next month. And in the unlikelihood of actually getting swine flue on the Boat, we will have a better and quicker chance of it being detected and treated early there, than at home.
So the only concern we have now, is in getting up to Sydney and onto the Ship and away from contagious old Melbourne without getting it first!!!!!

Actual South Pacific Cruise Itinerary

THU 04/06 SYDNEY 04:00$
EMBARK FROM 12:30P !
SUN 07/06 NOUMEA 08:00 A 05:001
WED 10/06 NUKU'ALOFA 09:OOA 05:00
THU 11/06 VAVA'U 07:OOA 03:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
FRI 12/06 RAROTONGATENDER REQUIREDWIC ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED 10:00A 06:00
SUN 14jOb RAIATEA OB:OOA 05:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
MON 15/06 PAPEETE 08:OOA
OVERNIGHT
FOR SECTOR PAX EMBARKING
CHECK IN 1:OOPM-4:OOPM
TUE 16/06 PAPEETE 04:00
TUE 16/06 MOOREA 07:OOA 06:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY BE LIMITED
WED 17/06 BORA HORA OB:OOA 06:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
SUN 21/06 PAGO PAGO OB:OOA 05:00
MON 22/06 APIA 07:OOA OB:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
WED 24/06 NIUAFO'OU 12:OOP 02:00
THU 25/06 SAVU SAVU FJ OB:OOA 06:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
FRI 26/06 SUVA OB:OOA 06:00
SAT 27/06 PORT DENARAU OB:OOA 06:00
SUN 28/06 DRAVUNI ISLD 07:OOA 04:00
TENDER REQUIRED
W/C ACCESS MAY HE LIMITED
THU 02/07 SYDNEY 07:OOA

Tired of trying to Get Typhoid Shots.

A few days back, amid the mighty brou ha ha in the Press about Swine Flue being on the Ship we are going on our cruise on, our Last born decided to check again what health precautions we were supposed to have taken before we left. In doing so she discovered that we should have checked to see if our Hepatitis A & B immunisation was up to date and had a typhoid shot, as our last one was about 20 years ago, and not in the last three! (Which is apparently only as long as they are good for!)
So on the Thursday, a week before the cruise (and 6 days before we fly from here in Melbourne up to Sydney the day before,) I went up to the Doctors to have a chat.
The upshot was that I had a blood test there and then to check if I was still immune to Hepatitis, and then was to come back the next morning with my wife and we would get a prescription and then go to a nearby Chemist, get the Typhoid material and bring it back to the Doctor, who would then give it to us there and then.
That night, our last born said all her friends were saying we should also get the normal flu shot, for even though it is ineffective against swine flu, it is still effective against 3 of the other common strains of Flu currently around and as we would soon be mixing with nearly 3000 others, there could be more of a chance of getting that instead.
So the following morning Friday, my wife and I go to the Doctors and she takes the blood test and having mentioned the possibility of getting flu shots, got them there and then. We then went across he road and got the Typhoid material and fronted back up at the Doctor’s only to be told that we couldn’t have the typhoid shots then, because we had just had the flu shots and the two might not be good party partners. So we were told to come back on Monday for the Typhoid shots. So Yesterday morning (Monday) I rang to make the appointment only to be told that that was the Doctor’s day off and so now we are going up later this morning and hopefully then, we will finally get the typhoid shots. If not, you will soon find a postscript to this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still and all, despite that, although the chances of getting typhoid are pretty slim, it is best not to take chances and at least now we know where we stand in regard to Hepatitis A& B, Typhoid and the 3 main common Flu virus currently going around. Although that last one may not be much comfit. Many years ago in South Africa we all had Flu shots one year, only for my wife who never had flu before, to get it. When I complained to the Doctor, he brightly replied, “Oh what she got was a different strain!!!!!!!!”

Big results from Small thoughts.

One night while watching something on the Tellie, I saw an add for an Ocean Cruise to the South Pacific for 9 days and nights for just under $1000 per Person. Unto then, a sea Cruise had not entered my mind ever. Other trips certainly, just not a cruise and certainly not to the South Pacific. And in fact, we were seriously thinkng of taking another trip to South Africa, but just as visitors this time, to see a couple of places we never saw when we lived there, and to visit as many of our old friend there that we could. Unfortunately this meant a lot of travelling and driving by me (as the sole driver) in a short time and was not really, by any stretch of the imagination, to be a “holiday”. And so the thought of visiting various countries, but remaining in the same accommodation all the time, and with someone else driving, quite took my attention. And much to my surprise, my wife, once she got over this “out of left field’ idea, quite quickly became very enthusiastic about it. Even to the point of being more enthusiastic than me then.
Anyway we started to check out Travel Agents for more information and the first TA really wasn’t interested and so we went to another to get more information, but we did find out that price was not for twin Berths, but for 4- birth Cabins and if we wanted a twin berth Cabin we would have to pay more.
Anyway, in looking at all the other cruises on offer, we decided that 9 days & nights was probably a bit short anyway and so was looking for something around 2- 3 weeks, but there really wasn’t a lot in that range and the only thing that really stood out was a 28 day cruise, which was going to cost only a little more for four people that it would cost for two people, so we had further consultation with our children and so in June, we and our two daughters are going on a 28 day cruise of the South pacific. And thanks to our last –Born’s friend (see “Shop Around” blog), for less than originally being charged for two people.
All this eventuated from two things: 1. The originally small idea of taking a cruise. And 2. Not just thinking on it, but actually acting on it too. So if you don’t hear from me for a while it is because we acted on a small thought and are now enjoying a Cruise of a lifetime.

Heading North to Go to the South!

This idea of heading North to go to the South, kind of takes me back to our days in South Africa, where if we wanted to go to East London (in South Africa), we had to actually travel to the South West. Only this time, here in Australia, we have to go to the North to get to the South. For if we actually went south from Melbourne, the only place of importance between us and Antarctica is Tasmania. And although I wouldn’t actually mind going to Tasmania again, “one day” or even to fly over the Antarctic one summer, I have no intentions of going for a sea cruise there in the wintertime.
Yes! When it comes to a desired destination during our winter, my wife and two daughters and myself, have another “South” destination in mind. And that is the South Pacific. Which is actually North East of us here in Melbourne. Yes in June we are heading to the South pacific on the Dawn Princess for a 28-day Cruise. So future blogs on this site, for the immediate future at least will be connected to that event.