Carnival Spirit and the GPS of a Trajedy

On days when the ship was at sea with no land in sight, we would turn on the television to the channel with the GPS of the route. Usually it looked like a child's drawing of a single arrow and nothing else, except the wind and ship's speeds.
The morning after our visit to Mystery island was different. In the early morning we kept hearing an announcement for a crew member to please report in. At the same time you could feel the ship slowing down. During the course of the morning there were 2 separate all-hands drills for crew members to congregate. Also, there was a request for the same missing crew memeber to "please report in. you won't be in trouble. Please let us know you are okay." By this time the ship had stopped.
Finally there was an announcement that a crew member had disappeared overboard  and that we were going back to look for him. The ship turned around and picked up speed again. The next morning, this is the GPS we saw on the TV - a record of the squares within squares that the ship made on its all night search for the missing crew member. Later that morning we were released by the local officials and set out again on the cruise route.
Everyone was hit very hard by this sad situation, but I have to praise the entire crew of the Carnival Spirit for their prompt reaction and the way that it was handled, especially with the 2100 passengers aboard. There was genuine concern for their missing crew member and his parents in India. There was constant communication with the passengers at every step  and yes, we missed a stop at Port Denaray, Fiji, but everyone understood the importance of going back. After all, it could have been any one of us who went overboard.
After that morning it was difficult to look at the child's scrawl of a GPS arrow without thinking of the lost crewman.

Mystery Island, Vanuatu Farewell

It was good to get back to the ship and sadly, say farewell to Mystery Island, Vanuatu. As soon as all were on board the ship took off for Port Denarau in the Fiji Islands. It would take one full day at sea and then docking at the port the following morning.

Mystery Understood!

All stops at ports last about 8 hours before the rush back to the ship and then off to the next destination. A gorgeous morning on Mystery island turned into a windy rainy afternoon with 100s of people waiting for a lifeboat to take them back to the ship. Ferrying with lifeboats is called "tendering", but there was nothing tender about the rocking and rolling ride back to the ship. It was an E ticket (You have to be a very old American to understand that term). Let's just say it was exciting and a relief to be back on the ship.

How Can I Live Here?

Boating on Mystery island

All the Comforts of Home...

There may be no roads, electricity, phones, or buildings, but somehow there are comfort stations - and in keeping with true island life!

The Instant Shopping Mecca of Mystery Island

It was so impressive how a desserted island could be turned into a shopping mecca in a matter of hours. Dresses, wraps, scarves of gorgeous vivid colors, handmade jewelry, carved wooden items, purses, and 100s of items could be purchased at extremely low prices. When you finished shopping, you could have your hair braided and beaded, sip fresh coconut juice out of the coconut, sample the local cuisine, or get crazy and try a drink of the mouth numbing Kava.

Cannibal Soup

There is no better way to remember your time on Mystery island than to make a film of you in a bowl of cannibal soup. I was a bit stunned by this. Most countries I have visited tend to downplay or hide their less than stellar past. But why hide it, when you can capitalize on it? Everyone seemed to have a great time as the "cannibals" prompted the tourists on how to make the most dramatic shots of their turn in the bowl.

Family Festivities on Mystery island

No one lives on Mystery Island because ghosts are believed to wander the island at night. When a cruise ship arrives it seems that everyone and his family arrive to join the festivities.

Mystery Island Tours

The cruise ships provide a lot of income to the local economy. Carnival Spirit usually offers structured tours and activities at each port but on this half square mile island you are in the hands of the locals, although Carnival did set up bars and cafes on the island as an added attraction.

Rockin' on Mystery Island

While on the island we were entertained by the Nasitpu String Band made up of locals between the ages of 50 to 65 "to sing you sweet island melody songs to welcome you all to the Mystery Island." I was fascinated by the drummer playing the drums with flip flops (thongs in Australian).

The Mystery of Mystery Island

The actual name of Mystery Island is Inyyeug Island (I have no idea how to pronounce this)! When the first cruise ship the Fairstar came to the island in the 1980s they renamed the island Mystery island because it was a mystery whether or not the weather would cooperate to let you land tourists on the beach. We were safely "tendered" ashore in the ship's life boats, to be greeted by natives from the neighboring island of Aneityum. They canoe over to sell their wares and entertain whenever the cruise ships come.

Mystery Island: True South Pacific Paradise

My favorite port of call for the entire cruise was Mystery Island - a very small island with no people, roads. stores, running water, internet, electricity, TV, shops, or tourism (except when tour ships land nearby). Sounds heavenly doesn't it? No one lives here and yet 65,000 mostly Australian tourists flock here every year, 99% by cruise ship. In 1974 Queen Elizabeth made an unscheduled stop here for an impromptu "royal beach picnic in paradise. And for the first time, she had no one to wave to..."

A Few Comments About The Blog or "Where Did All the Info Go?"

Just a quick note about the blog itself. All of the information about me and the blog that usually appears at the right hand side of the photos has now disappeared to the very end of these photos. Only the gods of blogs know why. I do want to thank everyone who has visited my blog over the years. I wrote the first one in May 2005 and over the years it has had 13,900 hits. I am humbled by this. Whether you read my blog to help you sleep or travel along with me, I am grateful. In our travels together I have written 1405 blogs as I travelled to 65 countries and there is a big world out there just waiting to be explored.
Finally, the photo above is a last look at the Sydney Harbor Bridge as the Carnival Spirit began its cruise.

Cruise Dress Up Time

A couple of nights during the 12 day cruise everyone dressed to the nines. I was worried about it beforehand, but I think we did just fine. The real challenge was the combination of Spanx and a tiny ship's bathroom (only a woman will understand this).

The Heartstopping Fiji Zip Line Experience

This is an after- shot - after we completed a zipline course through a lush Fiji jungle. We did have a camera but we were too busy screaming and holding on for dear life to take any photos. The zipline consisted of 10 platforms over 100 ft high that connected the different lines. You get off at each pltform and reconnect your gear to the next platform for the next trip. We both wanted to do it again but the ship would have left without us.

Farewell Sydney - Let the "Fun" Cruise Begin

Around 6 pm of the day we arrived the ship slowly made its way out of the Sydney Harbor and the adventure began. This photo was taken from our balcony.

The unexpected highlight of the trip was that it started in the Sydney Harbor. Our room was on the 4th level at the rear of the ship with unparalled views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. To me the Opera House is one of the greatest architectural achievements and we lucked out with this amazing vantage point.

Carnival Spirit 12 hour Turn Around - a Miracle of Organization

In 12 hours Carnival Spirit managed to unload 2100 people and their luggage and load our crowd of 2100 people and our luggage plus all the food and supplies needed to take care of us for 12 days of nonstop eating. It was a miracle of organization.

Sydney Harbor - Perfect Place to Start a Cruise

Sydney Harbor is one of the most beautiful Harbors in the world, especially with the presence of the Sydney Opera House (in background) and the Harbor Bridge in the same harbor, If you have seen the first new Year;s Eve celebration each year, you have seen this harbor.

Carnival Spirit Cruise to Paradises (Fiji,Vanuatu, and New Caledonia)