We leave to go home today. After eating breakfast we went back to our room and repacked our suitcase for the last time. We got a late checkout for 1:00 pm.
We finally left the hotel around 1:15 pm or so. It was an easy drive to the rental car place. They checked us in quickly and a bus was there in a matter of minutes to take us to the airport. There were only 6 of us on the bus which was much nicer than when we arrived and the bus was packed. He let us off at the curb near American Airlines check in. First we had to send our bags through a scanner for agriculture.
American checked us in quickly and then we were off to security. We both had TSA Pre-Check and were the only ones in that line so we were through there in record time.
We stopped at the food court and got a bite to eat at Burger King for lunch and then did a little shopping.
We got to our gate early so it was easy to get a good seat to wait it out. We boarded the plane easily and found our really nice First Class seat. Got settled in and had a glass of orange juice. The Captain told us we will be landing at DFW about 30 minutes early. We began taxiing and ready to take off and the Captain came on and said there was a security issue with a bag so back to the gate we go. We are sitting here now. There was probably a 30 minute delay and are ready to take off now.
We took off and I had dinner. It wasn’t my favorite but they do have Dr Pepper and the ice cream sundae was to die for. I watched 2 movies and dozed for a little while. I didn’t want any breakfast because I wasn’t hungry and I will be home in a few hours and can have good food there.
We are less than an hour from landing so I will sign off until next time.
Thanks for following along with me. I hope you enjoyed the adventure.
Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor, Montenegro
Thursday, April 26, 2018
April 24, 2018
This is our last full day in Hawaii and we have no plans on what to do today. We had breakfast at the buffet and discussed our plans.
We didn’t leave the hotel until about 11:00. I wanted to go down the street and check out the location and parking for the Hampton Inn that we almost booked. It is at a mall and may have been a better option for being able to walk and find restaurants. Our hotel (Embassy Suites) didn’t have restaurants within walking distance unless you count the hotel restaurant.
As we were driving around I was reading tour brochures I had picked up and saw where there was a whale watching tour that we could possibly do so first we had to drop back by the hotel where I could go grab my sun screen. After having that in hand we were off. It was almost noon and as I returned from the room I saw housekeeping on our floor and spoke to them (more on that later).
On the way to whale watching was a Disney Resort so we drove through that area. As well as Disney, there is Four Seasons and Marriott. Seems like the least expensive room there was about $700 per night so that is why we didn’t stay there.
As we were now making our way to whale watching, I went online to see if I could make reservations. It appeared as there might be no availability but we decided to check it out anyway. When we got there we weren’t sure exactly where to check in and I didn’t like the looks of the boat. There also seemed to be lots of homeless around. Hawaii has a real problem in the homeless area. They are everywhere. We decided not to try the tour. We weren’t sure if we would even have a car when we returned if we did.
We spotted a Drive thru Taco Bell that looked like a likely location for lunch but first we wanted to drive to the end of the road as far as we could. On the way towards the end I spotted a bunch of surfers and told Mary P if she could find a parking place to pull over where we could watch them. There were lots of people in the water and in cars watching. As we pulled in the parking space the right front tire went off the pavement into the sand. We just sat there in shock. Neither one of us had seen the drop off. There was a Spectrum guy a few cars down so Mary P went and asked for his advice. He said we could get several guys to lift the car up and get us out but he was on duty and couldn’t do that and then he suggested AAA. By the time Mary P got back to the car I already had my AAA card out. I called for help and they were very efficient. In about an hour a guy showed up and promptly got us back on the road again. During the time we were waiting for him several people came up and offered their assistance. One was an Army guy. He assessed the situation and said no damage was done and we should be fine. He talked to us for a while and then sat in his car and waited until help arrived. Once they arrived, he waved and left.
We continued our trip down the coastline to the end. It was really pretty. Once to the end we turned around and backtracked our path. We stopped at Taco Bell Drive thru and took it to a park and ate. I was glad that we started our drive when we did because traffic was really bad going towards the end. They were having some kind of no drunk driving and watch out for pedestrians rally. Even the police were out holding up signs. Traffic was backed all the way up to the exit for our hotel.
When we arrived to the hotel at a little past 4:00 pm I heard a guest who was standing outside of the hotel ask if they were finished cleaning their room yet. When we got to our floor (7 th) I saw housekeeping carts in the hall and when entering our room it had not been cleaned yet. Figuring they would be to our room soon since the cart was only 2 rooms away we sat out on our balcony. It was really nice and pleasant outside. Every so often I would poke my head out in the hall and check their progress. They we’re getting closer. They had done next door and had moved to the room across the hall. I went out the last time at 5:00 pm and there were no carts in the hall. We had been missed. Mary P called housekeeping and they sent a maintenance man up to make beds, empty trash and give us fresh towels. Mary P let the housekeeping supervisor know she wasn’t happy about what had happened. We were staying on Friends and Family rate so we couldn’t be too mean to them. We went down to check out what their Manager’s Reception consisted of since we hadn’t been before. When they explained it, we weren’t interested so went back to the room but on the way we stopped by the front desk and told them what had happened so they agreed to remove our parking charge from our bill. That was worth $80 so that was good.
Around 8:00 pm we got hungry. It was dark outside and I have this thing about not wanting to take out in an unfamiliar town at night so we went to the hotel restaurant where everything was really high but the food was good.
After dinner we went back to the room and watched TV.
We didn’t leave the hotel until about 11:00. I wanted to go down the street and check out the location and parking for the Hampton Inn that we almost booked. It is at a mall and may have been a better option for being able to walk and find restaurants. Our hotel (Embassy Suites) didn’t have restaurants within walking distance unless you count the hotel restaurant.
As we were driving around I was reading tour brochures I had picked up and saw where there was a whale watching tour that we could possibly do so first we had to drop back by the hotel where I could go grab my sun screen. After having that in hand we were off. It was almost noon and as I returned from the room I saw housekeeping on our floor and spoke to them (more on that later).
On the way to whale watching was a Disney Resort so we drove through that area. As well as Disney, there is Four Seasons and Marriott. Seems like the least expensive room there was about $700 per night so that is why we didn’t stay there.
As we were now making our way to whale watching, I went online to see if I could make reservations. It appeared as there might be no availability but we decided to check it out anyway. When we got there we weren’t sure exactly where to check in and I didn’t like the looks of the boat. There also seemed to be lots of homeless around. Hawaii has a real problem in the homeless area. They are everywhere. We decided not to try the tour. We weren’t sure if we would even have a car when we returned if we did.
We spotted a Drive thru Taco Bell that looked like a likely location for lunch but first we wanted to drive to the end of the road as far as we could. On the way towards the end I spotted a bunch of surfers and told Mary P if she could find a parking place to pull over where we could watch them. There were lots of people in the water and in cars watching. As we pulled in the parking space the right front tire went off the pavement into the sand. We just sat there in shock. Neither one of us had seen the drop off. There was a Spectrum guy a few cars down so Mary P went and asked for his advice. He said we could get several guys to lift the car up and get us out but he was on duty and couldn’t do that and then he suggested AAA. By the time Mary P got back to the car I already had my AAA card out. I called for help and they were very efficient. In about an hour a guy showed up and promptly got us back on the road again. During the time we were waiting for him several people came up and offered their assistance. One was an Army guy. He assessed the situation and said no damage was done and we should be fine. He talked to us for a while and then sat in his car and waited until help arrived. Once they arrived, he waved and left.
We continued our trip down the coastline to the end. It was really pretty. Once to the end we turned around and backtracked our path. We stopped at Taco Bell Drive thru and took it to a park and ate. I was glad that we started our drive when we did because traffic was really bad going towards the end. They were having some kind of no drunk driving and watch out for pedestrians rally. Even the police were out holding up signs. Traffic was backed all the way up to the exit for our hotel.
When we arrived to the hotel at a little past 4:00 pm I heard a guest who was standing outside of the hotel ask if they were finished cleaning their room yet. When we got to our floor (7 th) I saw housekeeping carts in the hall and when entering our room it had not been cleaned yet. Figuring they would be to our room soon since the cart was only 2 rooms away we sat out on our balcony. It was really nice and pleasant outside. Every so often I would poke my head out in the hall and check their progress. They we’re getting closer. They had done next door and had moved to the room across the hall. I went out the last time at 5:00 pm and there were no carts in the hall. We had been missed. Mary P called housekeeping and they sent a maintenance man up to make beds, empty trash and give us fresh towels. Mary P let the housekeeping supervisor know she wasn’t happy about what had happened. We were staying on Friends and Family rate so we couldn’t be too mean to them. We went down to check out what their Manager’s Reception consisted of since we hadn’t been before. When they explained it, we weren’t interested so went back to the room but on the way we stopped by the front desk and told them what had happened so they agreed to remove our parking charge from our bill. That was worth $80 so that was good.
Around 8:00 pm we got hungry. It was dark outside and I have this thing about not wanting to take out in an unfamiliar town at night so we went to the hotel restaurant where everything was really high but the food was good.
After dinner we went back to the room and watched TV.
Monday, April 23, 2018
April 23, 2018
I didn’t sleep well last night. Our room is not cool enough so I tossed and turned. Then this morning very early, Mary P got a call from a bill collector. The person they were looking for was the guy that ran into her last summer. After back asleep from that my phone rang and it was someone that was calling to see if I had my 2011 Murano. I had a few choice words for him and hung up.
After getting dressed for the day we went down for breakfast earlier than yesterday and it was packed again. We went by the front desk and told them our room was hot so they sent an oscillating fan up which is really helping.
Today we decided to drive to Waikiki. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get there. There were lots of people out walking. We didn’t stop because we weren’t sure where to park. We also drove up to Diamond Head. We then took the coastal drive around the island. We saw lots of pretty beaches. The speed limits on the roads are very low so it took us a long time. We had discussed going to the Polynesional Cultural Center but when we got there there was lots of cars in the parking lot and it is something that takes all day and a lot of the Day was over. Instead we went back to the Dole Pineapple Plantation for another ice cream.
We did stop for lunch at a McDonalds today and it was pretty good.
We got back to the hotel around 6:00 where we will stay in tonight watching TV again.
After getting dressed for the day we went down for breakfast earlier than yesterday and it was packed again. We went by the front desk and told them our room was hot so they sent an oscillating fan up which is really helping.
Today we decided to drive to Waikiki. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get there. There were lots of people out walking. We didn’t stop because we weren’t sure where to park. We also drove up to Diamond Head. We then took the coastal drive around the island. We saw lots of pretty beaches. The speed limits on the roads are very low so it took us a long time. We had discussed going to the Polynesional Cultural Center but when we got there there was lots of cars in the parking lot and it is something that takes all day and a lot of the Day was over. Instead we went back to the Dole Pineapple Plantation for another ice cream.
We did stop for lunch at a McDonalds today and it was pretty good.
We got back to the hotel around 6:00 where we will stay in tonight watching TV again.
April 22, 2018
This morning I awoke refreshed and ready to face the day. We went down for our complimentary breakfast around 10:00 am and it was still really crowded. Breakfast was adequate but I missed my apricot preserves from the ship.
After breakfast we picked up some brochures to look at to try and decide what we wanted to do. I was hesitant to try and go to Waikiki since the traffic had been so bad the previous day. We decided to go check out the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They had a huge gift shop which we enjoyed. They also had a train ride, walk through the gardens and a maze to walk through. We only did the train ride which we enjoyed.
From there we drove over to the North Shore and watched people play in the water. We also witnessed what appeared to be a rescue where we watched the rescue squad launch their boats and jet skis in the water. We couldn’t see where they went to and didn’t wait for them to return. Hopefully everything turned out ok.
We also stopped at a coffee factory which didn’t amount to much. That stop didn’t take long.
We were getting hungry and found an Outback to eat a late lunch, early dinner. The service and food weren’t the best but at least we were no longer hungry.
I was trying to find us a way to get back to our hotel but all I did was get us lost. We weren’t where I thought we were. I thought we were a lot closer than we were. We finally got back in the area of our hotel and explored to find other eateries close to the hotel for future reference.
We spent the evening watching tv in our room. We have a 2 room suite with 2 TV’s so we each get to watch what we wanted.
After breakfast we picked up some brochures to look at to try and decide what we wanted to do. I was hesitant to try and go to Waikiki since the traffic had been so bad the previous day. We decided to go check out the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They had a huge gift shop which we enjoyed. They also had a train ride, walk through the gardens and a maze to walk through. We only did the train ride which we enjoyed.
From there we drove over to the North Shore and watched people play in the water. We also witnessed what appeared to be a rescue where we watched the rescue squad launch their boats and jet skis in the water. We couldn’t see where they went to and didn’t wait for them to return. Hopefully everything turned out ok.
We also stopped at a coffee factory which didn’t amount to much. That stop didn’t take long.
We were getting hungry and found an Outback to eat a late lunch, early dinner. The service and food weren’t the best but at least we were no longer hungry.
I was trying to find us a way to get back to our hotel but all I did was get us lost. We weren’t where I thought we were. I thought we were a lot closer than we were. We finally got back in the area of our hotel and explored to find other eateries close to the hotel for future reference.
We spent the evening watching tv in our room. We have a 2 room suite with 2 TV’s so we each get to watch what we wanted.
April 21, 2018 - Day 2
Today was April 21, Day 2. I woke up on my flight from Sydney in time to be served breakfast that wasn’t the best but it kept me from getting hungry. I know I was fortunate to have been able to fly Business Class but this was probably near the top of uncomfortable flights that I have had. I only watched one movie on the flight — The Greatest Showman.
We landed in Honolulu around 11:20 am and quickly got through Customs and Immigration thanks to Global Entry. We were at the rental car place by a little after noon. There was a short wait for our rental car (mini van) but we were on our way by about 12:30 pm or so.
We had no idea how to get to our hotel which is located in Kapolei. I entered the address in Google Maps and off we go. We took a wrong turn because we didn’t understand the directions we were given. We ended up entering the military base. They put a cone behind the car, took Mary P’s drivers license and had us to do a u-turn to leave the base. He then returned the drivers license. We finally figured out how to get to the hotel. It took us about an hour to get to the hotel. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we went to a local eatery and ate lunch. When we returned to the hotel we were able to check in.
Once we settled into our room, we were really tired. I took a shower and went straight to bed. I don’t think it was long before Mary P went to bed also.
We landed in Honolulu around 11:20 am and quickly got through Customs and Immigration thanks to Global Entry. We were at the rental car place by a little after noon. There was a short wait for our rental car (mini van) but we were on our way by about 12:30 pm or so.
We had no idea how to get to our hotel which is located in Kapolei. I entered the address in Google Maps and off we go. We took a wrong turn because we didn’t understand the directions we were given. We ended up entering the military base. They put a cone behind the car, took Mary P’s drivers license and had us to do a u-turn to leave the base. He then returned the drivers license. We finally figured out how to get to the hotel. It took us about an hour to get to the hotel. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we went to a local eatery and ate lunch. When we returned to the hotel we were able to check in.
Once we settled into our room, we were really tired. I took a shower and went straight to bed. I don’t think it was long before Mary P went to bed also.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
April 21, 2018 — Day 1
I woke up early this morning and got my shower. I wasn’t sure how close we were to Sydney so stepped out on the balcony. We were just passing the Opera House and getting ready to go under the Harbor Bridge. The cruise was coming to an end quickly.
Our last room service breakfast was delivered. The only cabins that can have room service on the last morning are suites and it is so nice. I managed to stay away from the buffet most days and I didn’t want to start on the last day because I am sure it was a madhouse.
We had to be in the Wheelhouse Bar by 7:55 am to meet for our tour. We got there about 7:50 and they sent us down to get our bags and see customs around 8:00 am. We found our luggage quickly and the line moved fast. There was no help available for our luggage so we had to get it to the bus ourselves. We were some of the first to the bus so quickly boarded.
There was about a 2 hour ride getting to the Blue Mountains. We visited Scenic World where we rode on the worlds steepest trains. I thought I was going to fall out of my seat. The ride was only about 2 minutes which was long enough. We also rode on a couple of skyways where we had to stand up and it had too many people for my comfort. There were some magnificent views to be seen. We drove through the town of Katoomba. It was a quaint looking town. I wish we had been able to get out and walk the streets but we are on a time schedule today and no time for that.
We had a brief stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park. There was an auto accident on the highway on our way and traffic was bad so we got there late. I am glad we had already seen most of the animals at the other parks we had been to earlier in the cruise.
We got to the airport a little before 5:00. When we went inside the first thing we did was repack our suitcases putting our liquids in our checked luggage. We were let off at one end of international departures and of course our gate to check in was A all the way at the other end. Before we walked that far we did find out that we wouldn’t be able to check in until around 6:00 so we found somewhere to sit until time to check in. Since we were riding business class everything went very fast but security did pull both of us aside for secondary screening. Once through that we were off to the Qantas Business Class Lounge which was really nice. They had lots to eat and drink but I just had a snack since we would be getting dinner on the plane.
We boarded the plane in seats 1A and 1B. It doesn’t seem to be as comfortable as other planes. There is not much storage space and I feel like I am sitting in the middle of the aisle. I guess I will get used to it but it wasn’t very well planned out.
We were served dinner and it was good. Now time to watch movies. It is also cold on the plane. Mary P was sitting in her seat fanning so they turned the air up. Everyone up here in business class is wrapped up in their blankets.
Our last room service breakfast was delivered. The only cabins that can have room service on the last morning are suites and it is so nice. I managed to stay away from the buffet most days and I didn’t want to start on the last day because I am sure it was a madhouse.
We had to be in the Wheelhouse Bar by 7:55 am to meet for our tour. We got there about 7:50 and they sent us down to get our bags and see customs around 8:00 am. We found our luggage quickly and the line moved fast. There was no help available for our luggage so we had to get it to the bus ourselves. We were some of the first to the bus so quickly boarded.
There was about a 2 hour ride getting to the Blue Mountains. We visited Scenic World where we rode on the worlds steepest trains. I thought I was going to fall out of my seat. The ride was only about 2 minutes which was long enough. We also rode on a couple of skyways where we had to stand up and it had too many people for my comfort. There were some magnificent views to be seen. We drove through the town of Katoomba. It was a quaint looking town. I wish we had been able to get out and walk the streets but we are on a time schedule today and no time for that.
We had a brief stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park. There was an auto accident on the highway on our way and traffic was bad so we got there late. I am glad we had already seen most of the animals at the other parks we had been to earlier in the cruise.
We got to the airport a little before 5:00. When we went inside the first thing we did was repack our suitcases putting our liquids in our checked luggage. We were let off at one end of international departures and of course our gate to check in was A all the way at the other end. Before we walked that far we did find out that we wouldn’t be able to check in until around 6:00 so we found somewhere to sit until time to check in. Since we were riding business class everything went very fast but security did pull both of us aside for secondary screening. Once through that we were off to the Qantas Business Class Lounge which was really nice. They had lots to eat and drink but I just had a snack since we would be getting dinner on the plane.
We boarded the plane in seats 1A and 1B. It doesn’t seem to be as comfortable as other planes. There is not much storage space and I feel like I am sitting in the middle of the aisle. I guess I will get used to it but it wasn’t very well planned out.
We were served dinner and it was good. Now time to watch movies. It is also cold on the plane. Mary P was sitting in her seat fanning so they turned the air up. Everyone up here in business class is wrapped up in their blankets.
April 20, 2018
This was the last Sea day and the day before getting off the ship. We played bingo 2 times and didn’t win either time. Oh well, maybe next time. We were set on the jackpot game but someone that had just boarded the ship in Brisbane won it.
We had to get everything packed so we could set our luggage out by 9:00 pm. We worked on it off and on all day and finished up around 8:30 pm.
We had our last meal with David and Beth. I think this trip was a success. All of our tours were good and we saw a lot and we all had fun and got along well. There is still so much to see but not sure I will have the opportunity to return.
We had to get everything packed so we could set our luggage out by 9:00 pm. We worked on it off and on all day and finished up around 8:30 pm.
We had our last meal with David and Beth. I think this trip was a success. All of our tours were good and we saw a lot and we all had fun and got along well. There is still so much to see but not sure I will have the opportunity to return.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
Today we were in Brisbane. This is a huge city with so much to see. To do it justice you need more than a day just to scratch the surface.
We started out with room service at 6:00 am. We had to go through immigration and wanted to be among the first off tge ship. We were told to go to Legends at 7:00 and we would be let off between 7:00 and 7:45. We got there at 7:00 and the room was already full. However they had just started handing out numbers and I was able to get us 65-68 so I thought that was pretty good. They didn’t start letting us off the ship until 8:00 and it was 8:20 or so until we got to our guide who had been waiting on us since 7:00.
The first stop for our tour was Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We got there before they opened so we were the first ones in once the gate opened. Our guide, Val, walked through the park and showed us all the animals explaining as we went along. We had the opportunity to have our picture with a koala but didn’t do it since we had already done that. We got to feed kangaroos. We had not been able to see them up close before this so that was fun. There was also a platypus who was too fast to get a picture of. He was smaller than I thought he would be. We also got to see a Tasmanian devil and a Dingo. The dingo reminded me of sky.
Next stop was the botanical gardens where we did a quick drive through and stopped at a picnic pavilion for a morning snack. Our guide made us coffee and had some homemade Anzac cookies for us. It was all very good. He even put a tablecloth on the table for us.
We drove through an area I think he called Hamilton and saw all the really nice houses. Some were very old and one was on acreage and had deer on it to keep the lawn mowed.
The rest of the tour was mostly driving seeing petty scenery and beaches. We went to Moreton Bay and Redcliffe. We also saw where The Bee Gees went to school.
By this time we were starving and I asked if we could stop for a quick bite to eat. I told him we would even do McDonalds. He took us to a local seafood market where you could pick your fish and have them cook it. Since it was almost 3:00 I just got a fish and chips snack pack. It was fresh and very good and only cost $5.50 Australian Dollars. When ordering the girl working there had lots of questions and I am not sure what kind of English she was speaking but I didn’t understand half of what she was saying. It was very comical.
After this stop we drove back to the ship. It appeared that most people were back on board when we got back at 4:00. All aboard time was 4:30 and we left around 5:00. We picked up some new passengers in Brisbane. I think after they drop us off in Sydney on Saturday they are going back to the Great Barrier Reef. In about a month or so this ship starts her World Cruise.
We started out with room service at 6:00 am. We had to go through immigration and wanted to be among the first off tge ship. We were told to go to Legends at 7:00 and we would be let off between 7:00 and 7:45. We got there at 7:00 and the room was already full. However they had just started handing out numbers and I was able to get us 65-68 so I thought that was pretty good. They didn’t start letting us off the ship until 8:00 and it was 8:20 or so until we got to our guide who had been waiting on us since 7:00.
The first stop for our tour was Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We got there before they opened so we were the first ones in once the gate opened. Our guide, Val, walked through the park and showed us all the animals explaining as we went along. We had the opportunity to have our picture with a koala but didn’t do it since we had already done that. We got to feed kangaroos. We had not been able to see them up close before this so that was fun. There was also a platypus who was too fast to get a picture of. He was smaller than I thought he would be. We also got to see a Tasmanian devil and a Dingo. The dingo reminded me of sky.
Next stop was the botanical gardens where we did a quick drive through and stopped at a picnic pavilion for a morning snack. Our guide made us coffee and had some homemade Anzac cookies for us. It was all very good. He even put a tablecloth on the table for us.
We drove through an area I think he called Hamilton and saw all the really nice houses. Some were very old and one was on acreage and had deer on it to keep the lawn mowed.
The rest of the tour was mostly driving seeing petty scenery and beaches. We went to Moreton Bay and Redcliffe. We also saw where The Bee Gees went to school.
By this time we were starving and I asked if we could stop for a quick bite to eat. I told him we would even do McDonalds. He took us to a local seafood market where you could pick your fish and have them cook it. Since it was almost 3:00 I just got a fish and chips snack pack. It was fresh and very good and only cost $5.50 Australian Dollars. When ordering the girl working there had lots of questions and I am not sure what kind of English she was speaking but I didn’t understand half of what she was saying. It was very comical.
After this stop we drove back to the ship. It appeared that most people were back on board when we got back at 4:00. All aboard time was 4:30 and we left around 5:00. We picked up some new passengers in Brisbane. I think after they drop us off in Sydney on Saturday they are going back to the Great Barrier Reef. In about a month or so this ship starts her World Cruise.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
April 18, 2018
Today is a Sea day again. We rocked and rolled last night and I woke up half sick. I took bonine, Imodium and drank canned Diet Coke and that made me feel better.
We had room service for breakfast. This morning they had a culinary demonstration in the Vista Lounge so we went and saw that. There was a packed house for this and it was quite comical.
We played bingo and didn’t even get close. This is getting old. We have been used to winning each session.
We decided to switch it up and go to lunch in the dining room. The special was seafood pasta and it was very good.
We returned to our cabin to rest for a short time before we had to go watch wooden horse racing. Last time we bet on the races and didn’t win so this time we just watched.
Bingo was next. We decided to change things up. We usually get machines 2 and 3 and we weren’t winning on them so we got machines 6 and 7. I won $60 on #6 and Mary P won $160 on #4. The woman that got machine #3 won 2 times for a total of $200.
We watched trivia and didn’t know much this time.
We went back to the cabin and I took a nap which felt good. When I woke up we went to the hot dog place for dinner and then popped in to the buffet to check out the cookies since they are just available at night or during tea time. They had some out and they looked absolutely horrible so I passed them up.
On the way back to the cabin we tried our luck at the casino which wasn’t very good.
Tomorrow morning we have to present ourselves to immigration in Brisbane at 7:00 am so we are back in the cabin early for the night. As soon as we finish with immigration we have a private tour until 4:00 pm and then we will be Sydney bound.
We had room service for breakfast. This morning they had a culinary demonstration in the Vista Lounge so we went and saw that. There was a packed house for this and it was quite comical.
We played bingo and didn’t even get close. This is getting old. We have been used to winning each session.
We decided to switch it up and go to lunch in the dining room. The special was seafood pasta and it was very good.
We returned to our cabin to rest for a short time before we had to go watch wooden horse racing. Last time we bet on the races and didn’t win so this time we just watched.
Bingo was next. We decided to change things up. We usually get machines 2 and 3 and we weren’t winning on them so we got machines 6 and 7. I won $60 on #6 and Mary P won $160 on #4. The woman that got machine #3 won 2 times for a total of $200.
We watched trivia and didn’t know much this time.
We went back to the cabin and I took a nap which felt good. When I woke up we went to the hot dog place for dinner and then popped in to the buffet to check out the cookies since they are just available at night or during tea time. They had some out and they looked absolutely horrible so I passed them up.
On the way back to the cabin we tried our luck at the casino which wasn’t very good.
Tomorrow morning we have to present ourselves to immigration in Brisbane at 7:00 am so we are back in the cabin early for the night. As soon as we finish with immigration we have a private tour until 4:00 pm and then we will be Sydney bound.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018
Today was a Sea day and we kept pretty busy. We started ou with room service for breakfast. Then it was time to watch Zumba. We always go early so we can make sure and get our seat for bingo.
Next was trivia which we didn’t do too good today. We were then ready for bingo and we had no luck.
Hot dog for lunch and then off to the last final art auction. We go to these so we can get free prints that I will probably put in a drawer somewhere when I get home.
After the art auction, we rushed off to bingo and there was a big crowd in the Vista Lounge. We had no idea what it was but it was the Princess Pop Choir that was singing. They were pretty good and it was standing room only. After the pop choir sang, the ukulele class performed. This was not over until time for bingo to start and it took forever to get everyone out of the lounge so bingo started late and then they rushed through it so they could start trivia on time. We had no luck in bingo but did pretty good at trivia.
This was the last formal night so we couldn’t eat in the dining room. We ate in the pizza restaurant with David and Beth.
After dinner we went back to the cabin because the ship was rocking and rolling.
I forgot to mention that they cut the air conditioner off in part of the ship (our cabin) and did maintenance. Our cabin now seems much cooler.
Next was trivia which we didn’t do too good today. We were then ready for bingo and we had no luck.
Hot dog for lunch and then off to the last final art auction. We go to these so we can get free prints that I will probably put in a drawer somewhere when I get home.
After the art auction, we rushed off to bingo and there was a big crowd in the Vista Lounge. We had no idea what it was but it was the Princess Pop Choir that was singing. They were pretty good and it was standing room only. After the pop choir sang, the ukulele class performed. This was not over until time for bingo to start and it took forever to get everyone out of the lounge so bingo started late and then they rushed through it so they could start trivia on time. We had no luck in bingo but did pretty good at trivia.
This was the last formal night so we couldn’t eat in the dining room. We ate in the pizza restaurant with David and Beth.
After dinner we went back to the cabin because the ship was rocking and rolling.
I forgot to mention that they cut the air conditioner off in part of the ship (our cabin) and did maintenance. Our cabin now seems much cooler.
Monday, April 16, 2018
April 16, 2018
Today we were in Alotau, Papua, New Guinea. It definitely is a whole different culture there. We were told to stay in groups and not go out alone. If we took money with us it should be small bills. Don’t wear flashy jewelry or clothes. We chose to do a ship tour which was a tour of Milne Bay. They told us the history of the area and about World War II here. We basically sailed in a circle for about 1.5 hours. All that we saw, I could see from my balcony. It of course I wouldn’t have the narration. They offered us refreshments and drinks but I only drank my bottled water that I took with me. When we got off tge tour there was a mix up and nobody came to pick us up for a while. It was really hot so they took us back to the boat to sit out of the sun. When the vans did come to get us the driver smelled so bad I was about to gag. I’m glad we only had to go a couple of miles.
Once on board we went straight back to the cabin and took showers and put on clean clothes. After we had a chance to rest and cool off we went up and got hot dogs but had to go in the buffet area to eat because it was too hot outside.
We watched a couple of movies in the cabin today. I went and got a pedicure this afternoon and it felt so good but I will be glad to get back to Cindy. I never did get my nails done and they have grown out so much. I am afraid they won’t know what to do to them on the ship so I will just try and make it back there Cindy the end of next week.
Mary P and I had dinner with Beth in the dining room. David wasn’t hungry and didn’t come. We had a nice visit.
It is an early night again tonight. We have 2 sea days and then we will be to Brisbane. We found out that we have to go through immigration when we arrive in Brisbane so that will cut down on our tour. Hopefully it won’t take that much time. I emailed the tour guide telling them we may be a little late and to not give up on us.
Once on board we went straight back to the cabin and took showers and put on clean clothes. After we had a chance to rest and cool off we went up and got hot dogs but had to go in the buffet area to eat because it was too hot outside.
We watched a couple of movies in the cabin today. I went and got a pedicure this afternoon and it felt so good but I will be glad to get back to Cindy. I never did get my nails done and they have grown out so much. I am afraid they won’t know what to do to them on the ship so I will just try and make it back there Cindy the end of next week.
Mary P and I had dinner with Beth in the dining room. David wasn’t hungry and didn’t come. We had a nice visit.
It is an early night again tonight. We have 2 sea days and then we will be to Brisbane. We found out that we have to go through immigration when we arrive in Brisbane so that will cut down on our tour. Hopefully it won’t take that much time. I emailed the tour guide telling them we may be a little late and to not give up on us.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
April 15, 2018
Today is a Sea day and we started out with room service. Our schedule is back to normal again since they have bingo 2 times a day again. I mentioned to the Casino guy selling bingo cards about it being 2 times today and he said they would continue it. They had changed to once a day to see if they could draw a bigger crowd but it didn’t work. I could have told them that. It is the same people there everyday. He said that usually on longer cruises the turnout is lower.
Before Bingo was trivia and we didn’t do that good but I enjoy going because I feel like I learn things. Hopefully I can retain at least a fourth of what I learn.
Beth came and sat with us at bingo in the morning and Mary P won $60 on game 1 and I won $80 on game 2. Now when we win, we don’t even get to say our name and where we are from. The bingo caller announces it! We aren’t very popular with the other bingo players. One man was talking to Mary P on the elevator and threatened to break our arms. The ladies in the cabin above us told us they were going to throw something down on us when we are out on our balcony. When we were collecting our payout today a lady said we should be banned from the afternoon session.
We had hot dogs with David and Beth for lunch and watched a Mojito making demonstration which was down by the pool. Well actually I didn’t pay much attention to them but I heard them making noise and talking and I looked at them every once and awhile so I guess I did kind of watch it.
We went to music trivia which I knew nothing about but we had to get there early so we could get our seats for bingo later in the afternoon.
The future cruise consultant did a presentation on upcoming cruises. The 2019-20 season will be released for sale on April 19 and he will be working as long as he needs to for everyone to get booked on the cruise they want. Beth has her eye on a couple that she is going to try and talk David into.
We played afternoon bingo and Mary P won game #4 for $120 and I won game #5 for $160. We got even more dirty looks.
Bingo was followed by trivia and I knew nothing today. I guess if I had to win something I would rather win at bingo than trivia.
After resting in the cabin for a bit it was time for dinner. The special for tonight was chicken fajitas. As I am picky about fajitas I ordered scallops. However when Mary P got her fajitas they looked so good that I changed my order. Since I had already received my scallops I ate part of it and it was very good also. I am totally stuffed now.
After dinner we went to the casino to cash in our winnings from bingo. We also decided that we had done so good today that we were buying chances to tonights lotto drawing. It is up to $380,000 now.
We went to have our picture taken but tge backdrop didn’t look that great for the 2 of us so we passed.
Before Bingo was trivia and we didn’t do that good but I enjoy going because I feel like I learn things. Hopefully I can retain at least a fourth of what I learn.
Beth came and sat with us at bingo in the morning and Mary P won $60 on game 1 and I won $80 on game 2. Now when we win, we don’t even get to say our name and where we are from. The bingo caller announces it! We aren’t very popular with the other bingo players. One man was talking to Mary P on the elevator and threatened to break our arms. The ladies in the cabin above us told us they were going to throw something down on us when we are out on our balcony. When we were collecting our payout today a lady said we should be banned from the afternoon session.
We had hot dogs with David and Beth for lunch and watched a Mojito making demonstration which was down by the pool. Well actually I didn’t pay much attention to them but I heard them making noise and talking and I looked at them every once and awhile so I guess I did kind of watch it.
We went to music trivia which I knew nothing about but we had to get there early so we could get our seats for bingo later in the afternoon.
The future cruise consultant did a presentation on upcoming cruises. The 2019-20 season will be released for sale on April 19 and he will be working as long as he needs to for everyone to get booked on the cruise they want. Beth has her eye on a couple that she is going to try and talk David into.
We played afternoon bingo and Mary P won game #4 for $120 and I won game #5 for $160. We got even more dirty looks.
Bingo was followed by trivia and I knew nothing today. I guess if I had to win something I would rather win at bingo than trivia.
After resting in the cabin for a bit it was time for dinner. The special for tonight was chicken fajitas. As I am picky about fajitas I ordered scallops. However when Mary P got her fajitas they looked so good that I changed my order. Since I had already received my scallops I ate part of it and it was very good also. I am totally stuffed now.
After dinner we went to the casino to cash in our winnings from bingo. We also decided that we had done so good today that we were buying chances to tonights lotto drawing. It is up to $380,000 now.
We went to have our picture taken but tge backdrop didn’t look that great for the 2 of us so we passed.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
April 14, 2018
Today we arrived in Cairns but before we arrived, Mary P and I had breakfast with Beth in the dining room. David was supposed to join us but he decided to sleep in.
The first thing we saw before docking was a huge yacht with the name Octopus. Research showed that it belonged to Paul Allen with Microsoft. Mary P and I remembered that we had seen it when we docked in Monaco several years ago during the Cannes Film Frstival.
Mary P and I left the ship around 10:00 and quickly met our guide for the day. There were 10 of us on the tour with Cairns Tableland Tours with Eileen as guide and her husband, Clive driving.
We had a quick 20 minute drive to the Skyrail Station. We were riding it to Kuranda. We got off at 2 stops along the way to go on walks through the rain forest and look at the views. Once we arrived at Kuranda, Eileen was waiting for us where Clive drove us to the restaurant where we were having lunch. There were big lizards all over the place waiting for people to drop their food. The food was excellent.
After lunch Eileen pointed us to all tge markets and other attractions that we might be interested in. We had about 2 hours of free time before we had to make our way back to the train station for our ride back into town. I looked at some of the shops and we slowly walked to the train station where we found free internet when we arrived and it was so much faster than on the ship
Mary P and I upgraded to gold class service on the train. We were the only one in our group that upgraded. They gave us unlimited drinks, macadamia nuts, cheese tray and mango sorbet all along with amazing views. The ride back to town was 1.5 hours. Once we arrived back to the train station in town Eileen was there to meet us and Clive drove us safely back to the ship.
Once back in our cabin I had to get a shower. I was so hot, sweaty and tired from being on tour. Mary P and I ordered room service for dinner and ate on our balcony since we were still in port. I had a 7:30 appointment for a facial. Mary P said she told our cabin steward that we just needed him to clean the bathroom, take the room service dishes and throw some chocolate on our beds. We hadn’t been in our room all day so we hadn’t messed it up.
After I returned from my facial I felt pretty relaxed. Tomorrow we have a Sea day and we reviewed the schedule in the patter and it looks like they added back 2 sessions of bingo tomorrow. I am wondering if they had lots of complaints. It looks like we can get back with our schedule tomorrow and won’t be so bored.
The first thing we saw before docking was a huge yacht with the name Octopus. Research showed that it belonged to Paul Allen with Microsoft. Mary P and I remembered that we had seen it when we docked in Monaco several years ago during the Cannes Film Frstival.
Mary P and I left the ship around 10:00 and quickly met our guide for the day. There were 10 of us on the tour with Cairns Tableland Tours with Eileen as guide and her husband, Clive driving.
We had a quick 20 minute drive to the Skyrail Station. We were riding it to Kuranda. We got off at 2 stops along the way to go on walks through the rain forest and look at the views. Once we arrived at Kuranda, Eileen was waiting for us where Clive drove us to the restaurant where we were having lunch. There were big lizards all over the place waiting for people to drop their food. The food was excellent.
After lunch Eileen pointed us to all tge markets and other attractions that we might be interested in. We had about 2 hours of free time before we had to make our way back to the train station for our ride back into town. I looked at some of the shops and we slowly walked to the train station where we found free internet when we arrived and it was so much faster than on the ship
Mary P and I upgraded to gold class service on the train. We were the only one in our group that upgraded. They gave us unlimited drinks, macadamia nuts, cheese tray and mango sorbet all along with amazing views. The ride back to town was 1.5 hours. Once we arrived back to the train station in town Eileen was there to meet us and Clive drove us safely back to the ship.
Once back in our cabin I had to get a shower. I was so hot, sweaty and tired from being on tour. Mary P and I ordered room service for dinner and ate on our balcony since we were still in port. I had a 7:30 appointment for a facial. Mary P said she told our cabin steward that we just needed him to clean the bathroom, take the room service dishes and throw some chocolate on our beds. We hadn’t been in our room all day so we hadn’t messed it up.
After I returned from my facial I felt pretty relaxed. Tomorrow we have a Sea day and we reviewed the schedule in the patter and it looks like they added back 2 sessions of bingo tomorrow. I am wondering if they had lots of complaints. It looks like we can get back with our schedule tomorrow and won’t be so bored.
Friday, April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018
Today was another Sea day. We started out with room service breakfast at 8:00 and then took our time until we went down for trivia. I went to the photo gallery to pick up our picture we had taken in Darwin. We couldn’t find it on the wall so one of the photographers looked it up on the computer for us and found it. He added it to the flash drive and I have to go back later to pick up the print.
We tried to go listen to a boring talk about sunken treasures or something but the theatre was full of old people so we walked into the Wheelhouse Bar and they were getting ready to start a talk in there so we sat down and looked on the Patter to see what it was and it was something about boosting your metabolism or something like that so we quickly got up and found something else to do. We watched the dance class where they were teaching the jive. I am sure if I tried, I could do it perfectly just by sitting in my seat watching.
We are actually pretty close to land at this point. You can see mountains in a distance and it looks like there is snow on top. At the Captain’s noon time talk he said it is sand on top of the mountains.
For lunch we had hot dogs again and watched the people swimming and sunbathing until time for the art auction. I actually bid on something this time.
Bingo was at 2:30 and Mary P won $80.
We had dinner in the dining room at 5:30 and as soon as we finished eating we rushed to the showroom to get a seat for the show. The entertainment was Acrobats Zimboys. They were really good. I don’t know what their background is because they don’t bother to tell us.
The final auditions for Voice of the Ocean were tonight. There were 11 people that auditioned tonight. They announced the ones that made it to the finals. I didn’t count how many there were but probably 6 or 7. There were only a handful that knew how to sing.
Tomorrow we will be in Cairns where Mary P and I have a tour into the rainforest and a train ride. It should be fun. David and Beth are going on a ship tour to Great Barrier Reef.
We tried to go listen to a boring talk about sunken treasures or something but the theatre was full of old people so we walked into the Wheelhouse Bar and they were getting ready to start a talk in there so we sat down and looked on the Patter to see what it was and it was something about boosting your metabolism or something like that so we quickly got up and found something else to do. We watched the dance class where they were teaching the jive. I am sure if I tried, I could do it perfectly just by sitting in my seat watching.
We are actually pretty close to land at this point. You can see mountains in a distance and it looks like there is snow on top. At the Captain’s noon time talk he said it is sand on top of the mountains.
For lunch we had hot dogs again and watched the people swimming and sunbathing until time for the art auction. I actually bid on something this time.
Bingo was at 2:30 and Mary P won $80.
We had dinner in the dining room at 5:30 and as soon as we finished eating we rushed to the showroom to get a seat for the show. The entertainment was Acrobats Zimboys. They were really good. I don’t know what their background is because they don’t bother to tell us.
The final auditions for Voice of the Ocean were tonight. There were 11 people that auditioned tonight. They announced the ones that made it to the finals. I didn’t count how many there were but probably 6 or 7. There were only a handful that knew how to sing.
Tomorrow we will be in Cairns where Mary P and I have a tour into the rainforest and a train ride. It should be fun. David and Beth are going on a ship tour to Great Barrier Reef.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
April 12, 2018
Today is a Sea day and boring. In the past we had our day pretty planned out. For some reason they decided that bingo didn’t have a big enough turnout so they have cut it back to once a day however I did win $100 today though.
We were up half the night because our cabin was so hot we couldn’t sleep. W turned on a movie and watched it around 1:00 am. The room finally did cool down but we are beat today. It’s as if they turn the air conditioner off at night.
We ate hot dogs for lunch earlier than usual because we didn’t have anything else today do. I went in the buffet to try and get cookies for dessert. We found out that they keep them under lock and key and you have to ask for them. When I asked, they told me they only had them at potty time and at dinner. I am not sure when potty time is. I couldn’t find it on the schedule anywhere and I am sure if I asked him to tell me the time I wouldn’t be able to understand him anyway. They had them at lunch the other day but maybe the Australians were eating too many of them and they are rationing them, or maybe it is the Americans eating too many.
We finally got around to trading in our mini bar. In a suite they gave us a set up of little mini alcohol bottles (assorted types), beer, and sodas. We called and we were able to trade it all in for 18 diet cokes. I am sure they made money on us but that’s ok because we didn’t want the other stuff. We really don’t need the cokes because we have the drink package. However whenever we order coke (we can’t get canned drinks for drink package) we get Pepsi which is not my favorite.
Dinner tonight was one of my favorites. Surf and turf with filet and shrimp was the special. The dessert was brownie with hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream. Carrot cak was the sugar free dessert and Mary P and I shared a piece of that.
We watched the show which was a Johnny Cash tribute. We had to watch it in the overflow theatre because it is next to impossible to get a seat in the main theatre if yo don’t get there an hour in advance. It was just ok. It would have been better to see it live.
There was a game show afterwards which was fill in the blank. We stayed to watch it and it was really silly. That is 45 minutes of my life that I will never get back.
We were up half the night because our cabin was so hot we couldn’t sleep. W turned on a movie and watched it around 1:00 am. The room finally did cool down but we are beat today. It’s as if they turn the air conditioner off at night.
We ate hot dogs for lunch earlier than usual because we didn’t have anything else today do. I went in the buffet to try and get cookies for dessert. We found out that they keep them under lock and key and you have to ask for them. When I asked, they told me they only had them at potty time and at dinner. I am not sure when potty time is. I couldn’t find it on the schedule anywhere and I am sure if I asked him to tell me the time I wouldn’t be able to understand him anyway. They had them at lunch the other day but maybe the Australians were eating too many of them and they are rationing them, or maybe it is the Americans eating too many.
We finally got around to trading in our mini bar. In a suite they gave us a set up of little mini alcohol bottles (assorted types), beer, and sodas. We called and we were able to trade it all in for 18 diet cokes. I am sure they made money on us but that’s ok because we didn’t want the other stuff. We really don’t need the cokes because we have the drink package. However whenever we order coke (we can’t get canned drinks for drink package) we get Pepsi which is not my favorite.
Dinner tonight was one of my favorites. Surf and turf with filet and shrimp was the special. The dessert was brownie with hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream. Carrot cak was the sugar free dessert and Mary P and I shared a piece of that.
We watched the show which was a Johnny Cash tribute. We had to watch it in the overflow theatre because it is next to impossible to get a seat in the main theatre if yo don’t get there an hour in advance. It was just ok. It would have been better to see it live.
There was a game show afterwards which was fill in the blank. We stayed to watch it and it was really silly. That is 45 minutes of my life that I will never get back.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
April 11, 2018
We are in Darwin today and have been watching the forecast for days and storms have been forecast. We decided not to book a tour but just play it by ear and possibly do the Hop On Hop Off Tour. The sun was shining this morning but it was very hot and we decided it would be too hot to sit on top of a HOHO bus. The town had a shuttle available to take us in to town for $14 round trip. Mary P, Beth and I decided to do that. Beth had been wanting to purchase some pearl ear rings so this was the perfect opportunity. The pearl shop was at the mall where they had free WiFi so it was a perfect plan. Beth shopped while Mary P and I surfed. Beth purchased some beautiful ear rings and I found a bracelet that I liked but I restrained myself.
We walked through the mall which was an outdoor mall. Mary P picked up a few things that she needed and I found a chocolate shop because I had run out of chocolate. We discussed going to a restaurant on the waterfront for lunch but opted for one in town. Beth and I shared an order of fish and chips and Mary P got an order of nachos. After we finished our lunch we took the shuttle back to the ship.
We returned to the ship around 2:30. All aboard time was 3:30. David had gone on a military tour which was scheduled to be back at 3:30. We found a table by the window at the coffee bar on Deck 5 which was the deck people were boarding on. We sat and watched for David to come back and did see him right at 3:30 as he leisurely made his way back.
We went back to our cabin to watch the sail away at 4:00 pm and to wait for dinner. I told David that we took care of Beth for the day that Beth had agreed to have dinner with us and he quickly agreed. I was surprised because he usually likes to eat at 8:00. He said that he was hungry because he hadn’t eaten lunch.
We were some of the first in the dining room at 5:30 or so and finished up a little before 7:00. David and Beth went to listen to music while Mary P and I went to the casino but when we got there it was closed for the night so we went back to our cabin where we watched tv.
We walked through the mall which was an outdoor mall. Mary P picked up a few things that she needed and I found a chocolate shop because I had run out of chocolate. We discussed going to a restaurant on the waterfront for lunch but opted for one in town. Beth and I shared an order of fish and chips and Mary P got an order of nachos. After we finished our lunch we took the shuttle back to the ship.
We returned to the ship around 2:30. All aboard time was 3:30. David had gone on a military tour which was scheduled to be back at 3:30. We found a table by the window at the coffee bar on Deck 5 which was the deck people were boarding on. We sat and watched for David to come back and did see him right at 3:30 as he leisurely made his way back.
We went back to our cabin to watch the sail away at 4:00 pm and to wait for dinner. I told David that we took care of Beth for the day that Beth had agreed to have dinner with us and he quickly agreed. I was surprised because he usually likes to eat at 8:00. He said that he was hungry because he hadn’t eaten lunch.
We were some of the first in the dining room at 5:30 or so and finished up a little before 7:00. David and Beth went to listen to music while Mary P and I went to the casino but when we got there it was closed for the night so we went back to our cabin where we watched tv.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
April 10, 2018
Today is another Sea day. It was extremely hot in our cabin last night. We asked our cabin steward for a fan and he said that he would get maintenance to check out our air. I hope they can do something for us.
We lost an hour of sleep last night and will lose another 30 minutes tonight. We started out with room service for breakfast and then went down and watched the Zumba class. After that was trivia. We are getting better with guessing our answers.
At bingo this morning Mary P won $80 and I won $100. At afternoon bingo I won $100. Whenever we pass people on the ship that we don’t know, they call us by name because they know us from bingo.
We counted up and we have won bingo 17 times between the 2 of us.
We had hot dogs with the Morgan’s on the pool deck for lunch.
We still are undecided on what tour to do in Darwin tomorrow. David said he is doing a military tour. We are trying to decide between a Harbor Cruise, Jumping Crocodiles, or Hop On Hop Off. It is supposed to be thunderstorms so we may not do anything. Beth said she is going pearl shopping so we could always accompany her to keep her in line.
They had a couple of fun things we did this afternoon. One was like Family Feud. Once again we kept our answers to ourself and did pretty good. They also had a wooden horse race where you could bet $3 for your horse. We played the first 2 races and lost both races. We sat out the last race but if I had placed a bet I would have won $13 on a $3 bet.
We played afternoon trivia to pass time until time for dinner and scored the best we have done — 17 out of 21.
Tonight the special for dinner was tuna. I haven’t liked fresh tuna in the past when I tried it so I ordered salmon. The waitress wanted us to try it so she brought us an order on the side to try. Well I tried it and I still don’t like it. It tasted kind of tough. I did take the extra broccoli and ate it.
We skipped the show tonight and went to the Liar Liar game show. It was hilarious.
We lost an hour of sleep last night and will lose another 30 minutes tonight. We started out with room service for breakfast and then went down and watched the Zumba class. After that was trivia. We are getting better with guessing our answers.
At bingo this morning Mary P won $80 and I won $100. At afternoon bingo I won $100. Whenever we pass people on the ship that we don’t know, they call us by name because they know us from bingo.
We counted up and we have won bingo 17 times between the 2 of us.
We had hot dogs with the Morgan’s on the pool deck for lunch.
We still are undecided on what tour to do in Darwin tomorrow. David said he is doing a military tour. We are trying to decide between a Harbor Cruise, Jumping Crocodiles, or Hop On Hop Off. It is supposed to be thunderstorms so we may not do anything. Beth said she is going pearl shopping so we could always accompany her to keep her in line.
They had a couple of fun things we did this afternoon. One was like Family Feud. Once again we kept our answers to ourself and did pretty good. They also had a wooden horse race where you could bet $3 for your horse. We played the first 2 races and lost both races. We sat out the last race but if I had placed a bet I would have won $13 on a $3 bet.
We played afternoon trivia to pass time until time for dinner and scored the best we have done — 17 out of 21.
Tonight the special for dinner was tuna. I haven’t liked fresh tuna in the past when I tried it so I ordered salmon. The waitress wanted us to try it so she brought us an order on the side to try. Well I tried it and I still don’t like it. It tasted kind of tough. I did take the extra broccoli and ate it.
We skipped the show tonight and went to the Liar Liar game show. It was hilarious.
Monday, April 9, 2018
April 9, 2018
We left Broome a little after 1:00 am the morning and are going at top speed. We were to have Kimberly Coast Scenic Cruising today but because of the late start we didn’t get to see much before the sun went down.
It was another warm and somewhat quiet day. We did Trivia and bingo this morning. Mary P won $60 at bingo and I had no luck.
Lunch was hot dogs and chicken chicken nuggets on the pool deck. We watched 2 movies in the cabin today.
Dinner in the dining room and it was really good. We eat in the Club Class dining room which is for suites and some mini suites. There is a special each night in the dining room that is not available in any other dining room. I really like that and most nights I will order the special. Tonight it was crispy prawns which still had shells on served on a bed of watermelon and bell peppers. I know it sounds strange but it was really good.
We didn’t go to the show and came back to the cabin and watching what there is to do in Darwin. We haven’t made a decision on what to do there yet. We are still watching the weather because it may be storming when we are there and almost guaranteed it will be HOT!
It was another warm and somewhat quiet day. We did Trivia and bingo this morning. Mary P won $60 at bingo and I had no luck.
Lunch was hot dogs and chicken chicken nuggets on the pool deck. We watched 2 movies in the cabin today.
Dinner in the dining room and it was really good. We eat in the Club Class dining room which is for suites and some mini suites. There is a special each night in the dining room that is not available in any other dining room. I really like that and most nights I will order the special. Tonight it was crispy prawns which still had shells on served on a bed of watermelon and bell peppers. I know it sounds strange but it was really good.
We didn’t go to the show and came back to the cabin and watching what there is to do in Darwin. We haven’t made a decision on what to do there yet. We are still watching the weather because it may be storming when we are there and almost guaranteed it will be HOT!
Sunday, April 8, 2018
April 8, 2018
We were in Broome today. The ship docked around 3:00 am because of the tides. We weren’t allowed to begin leaving the ship until 7:00 am. This is a working port so we had to take a complimentary shuttle bus to town.
David was released by the medical staff so he was able to go on tour with us. Our tour was scheduled for 9:00 am so we went down for the shuttle around 8:30 am.
As soon as we got off the shuttle in Broome our tour guide was waiting for us with a sign so we could easily identify them. This was a change from our last 2 ports where we had to go find our guide instead of them finding us.
Broome is famous for pearling. Our guide, Kerry, explained about the pearling and how so many people lost their lives doing this. We saw the Chinese cemetary where many of them are buried.
The soil here is red and there are gorgeous rock formations. We got out of the car and walked down to some of the rock formations. It was so HOT! I didn’t go as far as I could because I was afraid I would fall. David on the other hand was crawling all over the place. I was afraid he would slip and fall but he didn’t.
We went to several other places to see the views. Kerry was rich in history and had a story to tell about everything. We got to see where they have their big horse races. I think she said they were in June. It is quite a big deal. To look at the track it doesn’t look like much but she said they all get dressed up and come out to the races.
We went to the popular Cable Beach where parts of it are nude. There are also camel rides along the beach. We didn’t see any camels when we were there but Kerry did drive her 4 wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser on the beach. She said they had just opened up the beach to drive on so a path had not been made through yet and she had to drive on some pretty big rocks. At one time I thought we hit bottom but she pulled us through. We all got out and walked along the beach. Beth and Kerry went in the water. They then yelled that they saw a stingray so the rest of us followed. I wasn’t able to get out far enough to get a picture but I did see it.
At the end of the tour we were back in the center of town. Beth wanted to look at pearls so we went into what looked to be a high end pearl store and all tracked sand in there. I’m sure they were glad to see us go.
We were so hot all we wanted to do was get back to the ship. Once back on board we took showers and out on clean clothes. Mary P and I went and got a hot dog for lunch. We also checked out the New Zealand Ice Cream shop on board. A sundae was $9.50 so I passed. We went back to the cabin and took a nap.
We were to leave at 5:00 pm and it was about 5:10 and we hadn’t left yet. We were discussing that something must be wrong and then the Captain came over the speaker and announced that a tour bus had broken down and had not returned yet as well as a passenger that needed to go to tge hospital for surgery and we were waiting for an ambulance. Because of the tides we needed to leave by 5:15 and that time had passed and the next opportunity for us to leave would be 1 in the morning. We are supposed to have a scenic sailing of the Kimberly Coast tomorrow. The Captain said he wasn’t sure how that would be affected. We need to be in Darwin on Wednesday morning.
We had dinner with the Morgan’s at 8:00 and closed the dining room down. After dinner Mary P and I went back to the cabin calling it a day.
David was released by the medical staff so he was able to go on tour with us. Our tour was scheduled for 9:00 am so we went down for the shuttle around 8:30 am.
As soon as we got off the shuttle in Broome our tour guide was waiting for us with a sign so we could easily identify them. This was a change from our last 2 ports where we had to go find our guide instead of them finding us.
Broome is famous for pearling. Our guide, Kerry, explained about the pearling and how so many people lost their lives doing this. We saw the Chinese cemetary where many of them are buried.
The soil here is red and there are gorgeous rock formations. We got out of the car and walked down to some of the rock formations. It was so HOT! I didn’t go as far as I could because I was afraid I would fall. David on the other hand was crawling all over the place. I was afraid he would slip and fall but he didn’t.
We went to several other places to see the views. Kerry was rich in history and had a story to tell about everything. We got to see where they have their big horse races. I think she said they were in June. It is quite a big deal. To look at the track it doesn’t look like much but she said they all get dressed up and come out to the races.
We went to the popular Cable Beach where parts of it are nude. There are also camel rides along the beach. We didn’t see any camels when we were there but Kerry did drive her 4 wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser on the beach. She said they had just opened up the beach to drive on so a path had not been made through yet and she had to drive on some pretty big rocks. At one time I thought we hit bottom but she pulled us through. We all got out and walked along the beach. Beth and Kerry went in the water. They then yelled that they saw a stingray so the rest of us followed. I wasn’t able to get out far enough to get a picture but I did see it.
At the end of the tour we were back in the center of town. Beth wanted to look at pearls so we went into what looked to be a high end pearl store and all tracked sand in there. I’m sure they were glad to see us go.
We were so hot all we wanted to do was get back to the ship. Once back on board we took showers and out on clean clothes. Mary P and I went and got a hot dog for lunch. We also checked out the New Zealand Ice Cream shop on board. A sundae was $9.50 so I passed. We went back to the cabin and took a nap.
We were to leave at 5:00 pm and it was about 5:10 and we hadn’t left yet. We were discussing that something must be wrong and then the Captain came over the speaker and announced that a tour bus had broken down and had not returned yet as well as a passenger that needed to go to tge hospital for surgery and we were waiting for an ambulance. Because of the tides we needed to leave by 5:15 and that time had passed and the next opportunity for us to leave would be 1 in the morning. We are supposed to have a scenic sailing of the Kimberly Coast tomorrow. The Captain said he wasn’t sure how that would be affected. We need to be in Darwin on Wednesday morning.
We had dinner with the Morgan’s at 8:00 and closed the dining room down. After dinner Mary P and I went back to the cabin calling it a day.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
April 7, 2018
Another lazy sea day with a schedule similar to yesterday. We played bingo this morning and afternoon. No luck in the morning but I won $75 this afternoon. Whenever we win now people moan when they hear our name.
Beth hung out with us today since David is still quarantined. He is doing better and should be released in the morning.
There was a Thomas Kincaid art auction. I was tempted to bid on one of them but refrained. I really liked it.
Tonight we had the first round of tryouts for Voice of the Ocean. There were 7 people that entered tonight. There will be one more night for tryouts. I hope not people enter because the pickings were pretty slim.
Tomorrow we will finally get off the ship tomorrow in Broome and then 2 more sea days.
Beth hung out with us today since David is still quarantined. He is doing better and should be released in the morning.
There was a Thomas Kincaid art auction. I was tempted to bid on one of them but refrained. I really liked it.
Tonight we had the first round of tryouts for Voice of the Ocean. There were 7 people that entered tonight. There will be one more night for tryouts. I hope not people enter because the pickings were pretty slim.
Tomorrow we will finally get off the ship tomorrow in Broome and then 2 more sea days.
Friday, April 6, 2018
April 6, 2018
Today was another Sea day. It seemed we had more free time than usual.
8:00 - Room Service Breakfast
10:15 - Trivia
11:30 - Bingo (no luck)
Noon - Lunch in Dining Room
1:00 - Back to the cabin to rest
3:30 - Bingo - Mary P won the first game for 60 and I won the second game for $80
4:15 - Trivia
6:15 - Hypnotist Show
7:30 - Pizza for dinner - formal night and we didn’t dress up
9:00 - back to cabin for the night
We got a notice in our box that the flu is going around the ship. We had seen them disinfecting several cabins around us this past week including our next door neighbors. I had sent several messages to David and got no response. Beth finally tracked us down and said that David was sick. He went to the medical center and was diagnosed with the flu. He was fine when we saw them last night in the dining room but was sick this morning. Beth said he had not taken the flu shot. Keeping our fingers crossed. So far Mary P and I feel fine but we have been very careful with where we have been eating and keeping our hands clean. Hopefully he will get better soon and that Beth doesn’t catch it.
We reserved a couple of DVD’s to watch in our room tomorrow trying to stay away from the illness. I have observed them really sanitizing the ship today.
8:00 - Room Service Breakfast
10:15 - Trivia
11:30 - Bingo (no luck)
Noon - Lunch in Dining Room
1:00 - Back to the cabin to rest
3:30 - Bingo - Mary P won the first game for 60 and I won the second game for $80
4:15 - Trivia
6:15 - Hypnotist Show
7:30 - Pizza for dinner - formal night and we didn’t dress up
9:00 - back to cabin for the night
We got a notice in our box that the flu is going around the ship. We had seen them disinfecting several cabins around us this past week including our next door neighbors. I had sent several messages to David and got no response. Beth finally tracked us down and said that David was sick. He went to the medical center and was diagnosed with the flu. He was fine when we saw them last night in the dining room but was sick this morning. Beth said he had not taken the flu shot. Keeping our fingers crossed. So far Mary P and I feel fine but we have been very careful with where we have been eating and keeping our hands clean. Hopefully he will get better soon and that Beth doesn’t catch it.
We reserved a couple of DVD’s to watch in our room tomorrow trying to stay away from the illness. I have observed them really sanitizing the ship today.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
April 5, 2018
Today is a lazy day at sea. We slept in and didn’t have room service until 8:00.
The first thing that we did today was trivia where we got about half of the questions right.
Next up was bingo where Mary P won 2 games for a total of $200
Lunch was a hot dog but we were unable to find a seat outside so had to go inside the buffet to sit and even that was hard to find a seat.
Art Auction was at 1:00 and we got a free picture for attending.
Future Cruise Presentation on Europe at 2:00.
Afternoon trivia was at 2:30. We don’t officially participate but write our answers down on a napkin. After all the questions are answered you switch papers with another team to check. Another team wanted to switch with us and we told them we weren’t playing. Good thing we didn’t give them our “napkin” because their team won. They would have thought our answers were crazy (because they were).
Bingo was at 3:30 and I won $160.
We had dinner at 5:30 and back to the cabin to watch movies. These past few days long excursions have worn us out so we are trying to recover so we will be ready for our next excursion on Sunday.
The first thing that we did today was trivia where we got about half of the questions right.
Next up was bingo where Mary P won 2 games for a total of $200
Lunch was a hot dog but we were unable to find a seat outside so had to go inside the buffet to sit and even that was hard to find a seat.
Art Auction was at 1:00 and we got a free picture for attending.
Future Cruise Presentation on Europe at 2:00.
Afternoon trivia was at 2:30. We don’t officially participate but write our answers down on a napkin. After all the questions are answered you switch papers with another team to check. Another team wanted to switch with us and we told them we weren’t playing. Good thing we didn’t give them our “napkin” because their team won. They would have thought our answers were crazy (because they were).
Bingo was at 3:30 and I won $160.
We had dinner at 5:30 and back to the cabin to watch movies. These past few days long excursions have worn us out so we are trying to recover so we will be ready for our next excursion on Sunday.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
April 4, 2018
Today we arrived in Fremantle which is near Perth. Our tour was from 9:00 until 8:00 but our tour guide brought us back to the ship 45 minutes early because she had an 8:30 airport pickup. I am not really sure how that became our problem but it did.
Our first stop was a prison tour. When we got there we were told that the tour didn’t start until 10:00 so back in the van we went for a quick drive around town and then back to the prison for our tour which lasted a little more than an hour. It was an interesting tour where we got to see the cells, library, chapel, solitary confinement, medical center, and administrative offices. I’m sure there are other areas but it escapes me now. My mind seems to wander as I follow along and don’t always pay attention to what they are saying.
Our next stop was King’s Park in Perth (I think). It was so clean and had amazing views. All of the plants were labeled with the names which made it nice so we would know what we were looking at. Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay to look around more.
Our next stop was an hour or so down the road where we had lunch in Lancelin at a seaside restaurant. I had the seafood basket which was a lot of food but good. I was hungry since it was now 2:00. We were near the huge sand dunes where people were surfing on the dunes as well as riding 4 wheelers. I would have surged on them if we weren’t short on time.
Now we were to drive another 1.5 hours to the Pinnacles which are amazing to see. We walked through some of them and then got in the van where we drove through the rest of the park. I think they are formed by the wind blowing across the sand making the formations. The trees in this area are growing sideways because of the winds.
It was around 5:00 and we needed to head back towards the port. We made a stop at Yanchep and spotted koalas and kangaroos. This was the first kangaroo I had seen over here. Beth had spotted a couple that had been road kill.
We got back to the port around 7:15 and went back to our cabin to rest up. We finally decided to go get a hot dog for dinner because we weren’t in the mood for the dining room. When we got up there they had closed down at 8 so we missed out. It was 8:20. Our options then were the buffet, pizza or the dining room. We opted for pizza.
The show for tonight was the Western Australia Police Pipe Band. I enjoyed it. They also had a young girl singing and a 17 year old Irish Dancer. We went to the 9:30 show and we had no problems getting a seat at the late show so we may try that to see how it goes.
We will have 3 sea days and then we will be in Broome on Sunday.
Our first stop was a prison tour. When we got there we were told that the tour didn’t start until 10:00 so back in the van we went for a quick drive around town and then back to the prison for our tour which lasted a little more than an hour. It was an interesting tour where we got to see the cells, library, chapel, solitary confinement, medical center, and administrative offices. I’m sure there are other areas but it escapes me now. My mind seems to wander as I follow along and don’t always pay attention to what they are saying.
Our next stop was King’s Park in Perth (I think). It was so clean and had amazing views. All of the plants were labeled with the names which made it nice so we would know what we were looking at. Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay to look around more.
Our next stop was an hour or so down the road where we had lunch in Lancelin at a seaside restaurant. I had the seafood basket which was a lot of food but good. I was hungry since it was now 2:00. We were near the huge sand dunes where people were surfing on the dunes as well as riding 4 wheelers. I would have surged on them if we weren’t short on time.
Now we were to drive another 1.5 hours to the Pinnacles which are amazing to see. We walked through some of them and then got in the van where we drove through the rest of the park. I think they are formed by the wind blowing across the sand making the formations. The trees in this area are growing sideways because of the winds.
It was around 5:00 and we needed to head back towards the port. We made a stop at Yanchep and spotted koalas and kangaroos. This was the first kangaroo I had seen over here. Beth had spotted a couple that had been road kill.
We got back to the port around 7:15 and went back to our cabin to rest up. We finally decided to go get a hot dog for dinner because we weren’t in the mood for the dining room. When we got up there they had closed down at 8 so we missed out. It was 8:20. Our options then were the buffet, pizza or the dining room. We opted for pizza.
The show for tonight was the Western Australia Police Pipe Band. I enjoyed it. They also had a young girl singing and a 17 year old Irish Dancer. We went to the 9:30 show and we had no problems getting a seat at the late show so we may try that to see how it goes.
We will have 3 sea days and then we will be in Broome on Sunday.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
April 3, 2018
Today we arrived at Busselton which is the port for Margaret River. This was the first and only tender port for this cruise. We were to arrive at 9:00 am so were surprised when a little after 8:00 they announced that the ship had been cleared and they were starting the tenders. Since we are in a suite we had received a letter in our cabin with a letter explaining the tender process and tender tickets. It said when we were ready to go ashore to go straight to deck 4 with our room keys and the tender tickets. When we got down there they were letting the ship tours on the tenders. Security tried to send us to a lounge to wait but I whipped out our letter and he let us through. We were on the first tender to shore. We quickly met up with our guide and discussed our itinerary and we were on our way in our Toyota HiAce people mover vans.
Our first stop was Sugar Loaf which was a beautiful lookout of the ocean. David and Beth took a walk out on the rocks and got closer to the water. After that brief stop we were off to the lighthouse. We got there a few minutes early and were able to get an iced coffe. Their iced coffees come with a scoop of ice cream in them.
We had a tour of the lighthouse and we had a small group of about 7 people. We were able to climb to the top and go outside and walk around the top. I was able to make it to the top with no problems so I was quite proud of myself.
When we finished our lighthouse tour we had to hurry off because we had a wine tasting and lunch reservations. They gave us about 9 wines to taste. I didn’t really care for any of them. They quickly seated us for lunch. This tour was all inclusive with lunch. I didn’t realize we wouldn’t get to order our own lunch. They served us a lot of strange things. The first thing they gave us was these black things and they said it was potatoes with squid ink on them along with something to dip it in. There was also a cheese plate, some bread and a meat platter.
The next stop was a cave. I’ve been on cave tours before and thought this would be good when I chose it. What I didn’t know is that there were 350 steps down into the cave and another 350 steps back up. They told us that it would also be difficult to breath the further down we went. I only went partway down and I started worrying about not being able to get back out. I huffed and puffed but I made it out without passing out.
By this time we were getting tired but did agree to taste chocolate. We had a chance to do more wine tastings or cheese tastings but we opted to skip that and do some scenic driving. We found a nice beach where Beth went and dipped her toes in the water.
The last tender back to the ship was 5:30. We got back around 5:10. We had a chance to check our email with the free WiFi and then back to the tenders where we were on the last one back to the ship.
After resting a bit in our room we went down to the dining room and had dinner. We were so tired that we didn’t attend any shows and went back to our cabin and watched TV.
Tomorrow we will be in Fremantle (Perth) where we will be on tour from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm.
Our first stop was Sugar Loaf which was a beautiful lookout of the ocean. David and Beth took a walk out on the rocks and got closer to the water. After that brief stop we were off to the lighthouse. We got there a few minutes early and were able to get an iced coffe. Their iced coffees come with a scoop of ice cream in them.
We had a tour of the lighthouse and we had a small group of about 7 people. We were able to climb to the top and go outside and walk around the top. I was able to make it to the top with no problems so I was quite proud of myself.
When we finished our lighthouse tour we had to hurry off because we had a wine tasting and lunch reservations. They gave us about 9 wines to taste. I didn’t really care for any of them. They quickly seated us for lunch. This tour was all inclusive with lunch. I didn’t realize we wouldn’t get to order our own lunch. They served us a lot of strange things. The first thing they gave us was these black things and they said it was potatoes with squid ink on them along with something to dip it in. There was also a cheese plate, some bread and a meat platter.
The next stop was a cave. I’ve been on cave tours before and thought this would be good when I chose it. What I didn’t know is that there were 350 steps down into the cave and another 350 steps back up. They told us that it would also be difficult to breath the further down we went. I only went partway down and I started worrying about not being able to get back out. I huffed and puffed but I made it out without passing out.
By this time we were getting tired but did agree to taste chocolate. We had a chance to do more wine tastings or cheese tastings but we opted to skip that and do some scenic driving. We found a nice beach where Beth went and dipped her toes in the water.
The last tender back to the ship was 5:30. We got back around 5:10. We had a chance to check our email with the free WiFi and then back to the tenders where we were on the last one back to the ship.
After resting a bit in our room we went down to the dining room and had dinner. We were so tired that we didn’t attend any shows and went back to our cabin and watched TV.
Tomorrow we will be in Fremantle (Perth) where we will be on tour from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm.
Monday, April 2, 2018
April 2, 2018
Today we are in Albany after rocking and rolling all night long. We had a private tour. We first went to see The Gap and The Natural Bridge with amazing lookouts. Next stop was the Whaling Station where David went on a tour while the rest of us browsed in the gift shop.
We then went to the Wind Farm and went on a walk for approximately 1 mile where we got to see some of the most gorgeous seaside views. I could have looked at those views all day long.
It was about time for lunch so we went to Middleton Beach and ate at a local restaurant. After lunch Beth went down to the water and put her foot in.
Our guide suggested going to a place where a local carves all sorts of things out of trees. It is located on his property where he lives and you just drive through and look at his work. I asked how old he was and our guide thought he was about 50. He is really talented. I will post some pictures to Facebook later.
We made a brief stop at the Anzac Center but we didn’t have tike to take the tour so we just went in the gift shop and Beth walked to the top of the hill for some more good views.
We returned to the ship around 3:00. We sailed away a little after 4:00. We used a tug to help us pull away from the pier as the winds were up.
Tonight we had a free dinner at the Steakhouse. It was bette this time than the last time but none of us were very hungry because we had all had a big lunch.
No shows for us tonight after touring all day and we have another tour in the morning around 9:00. Tomorrow will be our first tender port.
We then went to the Wind Farm and went on a walk for approximately 1 mile where we got to see some of the most gorgeous seaside views. I could have looked at those views all day long.
It was about time for lunch so we went to Middleton Beach and ate at a local restaurant. After lunch Beth went down to the water and put her foot in.
Our guide suggested going to a place where a local carves all sorts of things out of trees. It is located on his property where he lives and you just drive through and look at his work. I asked how old he was and our guide thought he was about 50. He is really talented. I will post some pictures to Facebook later.
We made a brief stop at the Anzac Center but we didn’t have tike to take the tour so we just went in the gift shop and Beth walked to the top of the hill for some more good views.
We returned to the ship around 3:00. We sailed away a little after 4:00. We used a tug to help us pull away from the pier as the winds were up.
Tonight we had a free dinner at the Steakhouse. It was bette this time than the last time but none of us were very hungry because we had all had a big lunch.
No shows for us tonight after touring all day and we have another tour in the morning around 9:00. Tomorrow will be our first tender port.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
April 1, 2018
Today is Easter Sunday and another Sea day. We rocked all last night and all day today.
Room service for breakfast, early morning trivia followed by bingo where we got close but had no luck.
We decided to try the hot dogs for lunch because David had been eating them every day for lunch. We ate outside with David and Beth in the cold and the hot dogs were some of the best I have had on a cruise ship.
After lunch Beth told us we should come to the art auction with them so we went and registered as a bidder so we could get a free picture. It was interesting to watch but I made sure I kept my bid number down so I didn’t accidentally bid on something.
After the art auction we went to tea with Beth. It wasn’t very crowded so we got in and out in a hurry and were able to go play bingo where we won $140.
Tonight was formal night so no dining room for us. We had pizza and came back to the cabin for the evening because we weren’t interested in the shows. We watched a couple of movies on TV before turning in for the night. We have an early tour in the morning.
Room service for breakfast, early morning trivia followed by bingo where we got close but had no luck.
We decided to try the hot dogs for lunch because David had been eating them every day for lunch. We ate outside with David and Beth in the cold and the hot dogs were some of the best I have had on a cruise ship.
After lunch Beth told us we should come to the art auction with them so we went and registered as a bidder so we could get a free picture. It was interesting to watch but I made sure I kept my bid number down so I didn’t accidentally bid on something.
After the art auction we went to tea with Beth. It wasn’t very crowded so we got in and out in a hurry and were able to go play bingo where we won $140.
Tonight was formal night so no dining room for us. We had pizza and came back to the cabin for the evening because we weren’t interested in the shows. We watched a couple of movies on TV before turning in for the night. We have an early tour in the morning.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
March 31, 2018
After rocking and rolling all night long we had another Sea day. It was a pretty busy day starting with room service for breakfast.
We hurried down for trivia followed by bingo where I won $80. Lunch was at the pizza place where we learned that they don’t have salads and desserts for lunch == only pizza.
After lunch there was another trivia. They then had a presentation on Alaska which was pretty good. This was followed by another session of bingo where we didn’t win this time. David played bingo with us and he didn’t win either. There was another trivia after bingo but we decided not to stay for that. We went back to the cabin to freshen up for dinner.
Dinner was in the dining room and was fast. There was a show in the Princess Theatre at 7:45 so we headed down there at 6:30 so we could get a seat. The theatre didn’t open up for seating until a little after 7:00 but we did get an aisle seat. The show was someone playing Adele music which I thought was pretty good. As soon as the show was over we dashed to the other end of the ship because a comedian was performing at the Vista Lounge at 9:00. This guy was from New Zealand and I guess all of his jokes were inside jokes with the Aussies and Kiwis. I didn’t think any of it was funny. Then he started in on Trump and his wall. I didn’t see any humor in that either. After about 15 or 20 minutes into his show we walked out and went back to the cabin and called it a night.
We hurried down for trivia followed by bingo where I won $80. Lunch was at the pizza place where we learned that they don’t have salads and desserts for lunch == only pizza.
After lunch there was another trivia. They then had a presentation on Alaska which was pretty good. This was followed by another session of bingo where we didn’t win this time. David played bingo with us and he didn’t win either. There was another trivia after bingo but we decided not to stay for that. We went back to the cabin to freshen up for dinner.
Dinner was in the dining room and was fast. There was a show in the Princess Theatre at 7:45 so we headed down there at 6:30 so we could get a seat. The theatre didn’t open up for seating until a little after 7:00 but we did get an aisle seat. The show was someone playing Adele music which I thought was pretty good. As soon as the show was over we dashed to the other end of the ship because a comedian was performing at the Vista Lounge at 9:00. This guy was from New Zealand and I guess all of his jokes were inside jokes with the Aussies and Kiwis. I didn’t think any of it was funny. Then he started in on Trump and his wall. I didn’t see any humor in that either. After about 15 or 20 minutes into his show we walked out and went back to the cabin and called it a night.
Friday, March 30, 2018
March 30, 2018
We are in Adelaide today and have a private tour booked. It is Good Friday and a lot of places are closed so it was challenging to find a tour. Our tour guide, David, said he would find some places and show us around.
David had a wonderful VW van to travel in. It was so comfortable. Too bad we can’t get them in the states.
The first stop of the day was Gorge Wildlife. We were some of the first there so it wasn’t crowded. David had arranged a private holding of a koala. We each got to hold it for about 5 minutes. Her name was Claire and will be retiring soon. I think they said she was about 9 years old. She was bulky and kind of heavy. They told me to stand there like a tree.
We then walked through the park and looked at the other animals. A goose chased Mary P and pecked her on the back of her knee. It was quite comical.
We had requested to do a chocolate tasting so he took us to a chocolate factory with 100’s of kids there getting their Easter candy. The only tasting was samples around the store. I did purchase a dark chocolate candy bar for later. We weren’t in there long as this wasn’t really what we were interested in.
He then drove us to Hahndorf, a German town. There were lots of shops and restaurants there. He dropped us off at one end of town and said he would pick us up at the other end and for us to find a place to eat along the way. He had recommended Haus so we located it and ate there it was good but a lot of food.
After lunch he took us to Mount Lofty for a view of the area. Absolutely gorgeous. We continued back into Adelaide for an overview of the town. He took us to a really pretty church. They were getting ready to have a Good Friday Meditation Service. We traipsed through there with our cameras. I felt kind of strange but he said we were ok. I don’t know if that was his church or not but I kind of felt like it might have been. Beth wanted to hear the organ so Mary P, Beth and I went back inside for the first few minutes to listen but they never really played it. We did get to hear the choir sing though.
There are parks surrounding Adelaide and they are so pretty and peaceful. The town is also very clean. He showed us some fig trees which were enormous in size. I’ve never seen one that big. It kind of reminded me of our redwood trees.
We returned back to the ship a little before 5:00. All aboard time was 5:30 so we stayed in the cruise terminal to check our email on free WiFi. When we got back on the ship they were having lifeboat drill for the few people that got on the cruise in Adelaide.
We didn’t rush down to dinner and when we got there all the window seats were gone. Lesson learned — rush to dinner or wait a little longer. Dinner was good but by the time we got out we couldn’t get a seat to the show. We were there 30 minutes early but all the good seats were taken. We went back to the cabin and then went to trivia at 9:00. It was famous faces. We knew some of them but missed some obvious ones. After that it was back to the cabin.
I forgot to mention that the captain had made an annnouncement that we may have a rough night.
David had a wonderful VW van to travel in. It was so comfortable. Too bad we can’t get them in the states.
The first stop of the day was Gorge Wildlife. We were some of the first there so it wasn’t crowded. David had arranged a private holding of a koala. We each got to hold it for about 5 minutes. Her name was Claire and will be retiring soon. I think they said she was about 9 years old. She was bulky and kind of heavy. They told me to stand there like a tree.
We then walked through the park and looked at the other animals. A goose chased Mary P and pecked her on the back of her knee. It was quite comical.
We had requested to do a chocolate tasting so he took us to a chocolate factory with 100’s of kids there getting their Easter candy. The only tasting was samples around the store. I did purchase a dark chocolate candy bar for later. We weren’t in there long as this wasn’t really what we were interested in.
He then drove us to Hahndorf, a German town. There were lots of shops and restaurants there. He dropped us off at one end of town and said he would pick us up at the other end and for us to find a place to eat along the way. He had recommended Haus so we located it and ate there it was good but a lot of food.
After lunch he took us to Mount Lofty for a view of the area. Absolutely gorgeous. We continued back into Adelaide for an overview of the town. He took us to a really pretty church. They were getting ready to have a Good Friday Meditation Service. We traipsed through there with our cameras. I felt kind of strange but he said we were ok. I don’t know if that was his church or not but I kind of felt like it might have been. Beth wanted to hear the organ so Mary P, Beth and I went back inside for the first few minutes to listen but they never really played it. We did get to hear the choir sing though.
There are parks surrounding Adelaide and they are so pretty and peaceful. The town is also very clean. He showed us some fig trees which were enormous in size. I’ve never seen one that big. It kind of reminded me of our redwood trees.
We returned back to the ship a little before 5:00. All aboard time was 5:30 so we stayed in the cruise terminal to check our email on free WiFi. When we got back on the ship they were having lifeboat drill for the few people that got on the cruise in Adelaide.
We didn’t rush down to dinner and when we got there all the window seats were gone. Lesson learned — rush to dinner or wait a little longer. Dinner was good but by the time we got out we couldn’t get a seat to the show. We were there 30 minutes early but all the good seats were taken. We went back to the cabin and then went to trivia at 9:00. It was famous faces. We knew some of them but missed some obvious ones. After that it was back to the cabin.
I forgot to mention that the captain had made an annnouncement that we may have a rough night.
March 29, 2018
This was a Sea day and very quiet. We ate breakfast in the Club Class dining room. It was good but I think we will stick to room service. I ordered eggs and bacon. The bacon was good and crispy but the serving of eggs was enough to feed an army.
We had bingo in the morning but no luck. After bingo it was time for lunch. We once again ate in Club Class dining room. We always get such good service in there and it is really fast.
They had trivia so we went to listen. We don’t ever play because people are so competitive and they get mad if you don’t know things so we just listen. We know some of the questions which is fun. We keep our own scoresheet and pretend that we got all the answers right.
After trivia we had bingo again. Mary P won this time which was nice. After bingo it was time for dinner. We decided not to go to the dining room but had pizza which was good.
There was a special entertainer so we had to get there an hour early to get a seat. We found a prime location to sit and waited what seemed like forever for the 7:45 performance. There was not a seat to be had in the whole place. I don’t remember the performer’s name but he was from Montreal. He had a nice voice but I didn’t care for his stage presence. We listened to one song and left when he started the second one. I just couldn’t take it and it is rare for me to walk out. I usually will sit through the shows.
The singers and dancers were doing a show called Country Jam in the Vista Lounge at 9:00 so we went and got a seat for that show and waited an hour for it to start. I went to the cabin and got our iPads to keep us entertained. This show was great. They had done 2 performances of it a couple of nights before but we were too tired to stay up for it so missed it. This was the last chance to see the show and so glad we did. The lead singers are really talented.
After the show it was back to the cabin for the night.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018
Today we are in Melbourne and are in port until 11:00 tonight. We booked a tour through Tours By Locals. We have to meet him outside the secured area so I looked out to see how far we had to walk and it didn’t look bad. By the time we went through all the mazes they had set up for us to go through it was quite a walk. When we met up with him I told him I didn’t realize I had booked a walking tour. We all had a good laugh with that and then he showed us to the van he had rented for our tour. We were very comfortable unlike we were the prior day.
Our tour was to circumnavigate Port Phillip Bay. There were some boring parts but mostly very interesting and pretty. We were gong to ride a car ferry across to the other side but first we stopped to look at a beautiful view and a couple of lighthouses. One was white and one was black. He explained that they were like that to help ships line up properly to come through the narrow channel. They would look at the lighthouses and when the black one was completely hidden by the white one they knew they were lined up properly.
We drove over to the ferry and lined up. Once on the ferry we got out of the van and went inside. There was a food counter where we purchased sandwiches for a quick lunch. We saw the houses of the rich and famous overlooking the bay.
Once to the other side we drove over to Point Nepean National Park. We went on a brief walking tour through the Quarantine Station which was established in 1852. It was the place for quarantine purposes in Victoria until 1979 and closed in 1980. The site later became home to Army Officer Cadet School (1952-1985) and the School of Army Health (1985-1998). In 1999, selected buildings were used to accommodate Kosovo Refugees. The buildings contain intact artifacts spanning over 150 years of quarantine and army use.
We then took the park shuttle to Fort Nepean dating back to the 1880’s with views of Port Phillip and Bass Strait. We explored several of the tunnels, forts and gun emplacements from which allied shots were fired for both World War I and II.
We took the last shuttle of the day (4:00) back to our van. We continued on a coastal drive and got to see the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes. Evidentially they are very famous but I had not heard of them. Beth told us she had always seen pictures of them and was really happy to be able to see them. The cost of them are $300,000 and yo have to be a resident in the area to be able to purchase one. They are about th size of the little cabana that we rented when we went to Half Moon Cay.
It was getting late and our guide asked if we wanted a city tour of Melbourne and we agreed that we wanted to. There was lots of traffic but he drove us around and gave us a brief overview. This is a city I would like to return to.
We returned to the ship about 8:00 pm. He was able to drive us right up to the ship so we didn’t have to walk so far. Once on board we went to our cabins briefly and decided to just eat pizza and pass up the dining room for the night. The pizza was good. It is actually a restaurant where they wait on you. I figured it would just be counter service. We got an appetizer to share. I got Caesar salad and flatbread. Once finished eating we went back to the cabin and turned in for the night. It had been a long day.
Our tour was to circumnavigate Port Phillip Bay. There were some boring parts but mostly very interesting and pretty. We were gong to ride a car ferry across to the other side but first we stopped to look at a beautiful view and a couple of lighthouses. One was white and one was black. He explained that they were like that to help ships line up properly to come through the narrow channel. They would look at the lighthouses and when the black one was completely hidden by the white one they knew they were lined up properly.
We drove over to the ferry and lined up. Once on the ferry we got out of the van and went inside. There was a food counter where we purchased sandwiches for a quick lunch. We saw the houses of the rich and famous overlooking the bay.
Once to the other side we drove over to Point Nepean National Park. We went on a brief walking tour through the Quarantine Station which was established in 1852. It was the place for quarantine purposes in Victoria until 1979 and closed in 1980. The site later became home to Army Officer Cadet School (1952-1985) and the School of Army Health (1985-1998). In 1999, selected buildings were used to accommodate Kosovo Refugees. The buildings contain intact artifacts spanning over 150 years of quarantine and army use.
We then took the park shuttle to Fort Nepean dating back to the 1880’s with views of Port Phillip and Bass Strait. We explored several of the tunnels, forts and gun emplacements from which allied shots were fired for both World War I and II.
We took the last shuttle of the day (4:00) back to our van. We continued on a coastal drive and got to see the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes. Evidentially they are very famous but I had not heard of them. Beth told us she had always seen pictures of them and was really happy to be able to see them. The cost of them are $300,000 and yo have to be a resident in the area to be able to purchase one. They are about th size of the little cabana that we rented when we went to Half Moon Cay.
It was getting late and our guide asked if we wanted a city tour of Melbourne and we agreed that we wanted to. There was lots of traffic but he drove us around and gave us a brief overview. This is a city I would like to return to.
We returned to the ship about 8:00 pm. He was able to drive us right up to the ship so we didn’t have to walk so far. Once on board we went to our cabins briefly and decided to just eat pizza and pass up the dining room for the night. The pizza was good. It is actually a restaurant where they wait on you. I figured it would just be counter service. We got an appetizer to share. I got Caesar salad and flatbread. Once finished eating we went back to the cabin and turned in for the night. It had been a long day.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
March 27, 2018
Today we were in Burnie. Our ship docked in a working port so everybody had to ride a shuttle to go in or out of the port. We had to go to the dining room to get a numbered ticket for the shuttles. We docked at 10:00 and had a 10:00 tour so we wanted to get off as soon as possible. We were in the dining room at 9:30 and got tickets for bus #2. The 4 of us were sharing this tour with 2 other people so there were 6 on our tour.
We arrived on bus #2 to The Makers Workshop where we met our tour guide Cherie. After quick introductions we were on our way. Today the main place we were visiting was Cradle Mountain which was a few hours away. The car we were riding in was really cramped. Mary P and I sat in the very back. I think we had more room than anybody else but I had a really hard climbing into the car. Beth sat in the middle of the middle seat and she had no leg room and it was like she was sitting in a jump seat. This definitely was not a good car for a tour of 6 adults.
The first stop was a gift shop and Art Gallery at Cradle Mountain. From there it was on to Cradle Mountain itself. There were lots of walking trails all over. The air was cool and brisk. When we got to our destination we got out for a shortb15 minute walk. I opted to wait for them because I was afraid I would not be able to make it. It appeared to have a steep incline which I have problems with sometimes. While waiting for the others I saw several wombats which were interesting to watch. There was also a lone wallaby.
Cherie had brought chicken wraps for us as well as some Australian Dessert called lemmington. It was delicious.
We were rushed for time but we went for a few mote brief stops in Cradle Mountain. The area was absolutely breathtaking. I would love to go back and spend more time there.
We then went to Sheffield to see the Sheffield Murals. Murals were all over town painted on the side of buildings. There was also a mural park that we went to. I understood that they are getting ready to have a competition in another week or so of all the murals. I noticed that some of them in the park noted what year each one of them had won.
We were REALLY pressed for time then as we had to be back to Makers Workshop by 5:00 for the last shuttle. It was about 4:00 then and we were an hour away. I don’t know how fast Cherie was driving but it was FAST. We made it back with about 5 minutes to spare.
Once on the ship we watched the ship sail away and then had dinner with David and Beth. The food has not been as good on this cruise but we aren’t going hungry.
After dinner Mary P and I went to trivia and David and Beth went to listen to music. After trivia we called it a night.
We arrived on bus #2 to The Makers Workshop where we met our tour guide Cherie. After quick introductions we were on our way. Today the main place we were visiting was Cradle Mountain which was a few hours away. The car we were riding in was really cramped. Mary P and I sat in the very back. I think we had more room than anybody else but I had a really hard climbing into the car. Beth sat in the middle of the middle seat and she had no leg room and it was like she was sitting in a jump seat. This definitely was not a good car for a tour of 6 adults.
The first stop was a gift shop and Art Gallery at Cradle Mountain. From there it was on to Cradle Mountain itself. There were lots of walking trails all over. The air was cool and brisk. When we got to our destination we got out for a shortb15 minute walk. I opted to wait for them because I was afraid I would not be able to make it. It appeared to have a steep incline which I have problems with sometimes. While waiting for the others I saw several wombats which were interesting to watch. There was also a lone wallaby.
Cherie had brought chicken wraps for us as well as some Australian Dessert called lemmington. It was delicious.
We were rushed for time but we went for a few mote brief stops in Cradle Mountain. The area was absolutely breathtaking. I would love to go back and spend more time there.
We then went to Sheffield to see the Sheffield Murals. Murals were all over town painted on the side of buildings. There was also a mural park that we went to. I understood that they are getting ready to have a competition in another week or so of all the murals. I noticed that some of them in the park noted what year each one of them had won.
We were REALLY pressed for time then as we had to be back to Makers Workshop by 5:00 for the last shuttle. It was about 4:00 then and we were an hour away. I don’t know how fast Cherie was driving but it was FAST. We made it back with about 5 minutes to spare.
Once on the ship we watched the ship sail away and then had dinner with David and Beth. The food has not been as good on this cruise but we aren’t going hungry.
After dinner Mary P and I went to trivia and David and Beth went to listen to music. After trivia we called it a night.
Monday, March 26, 2018
March 26; 2018
Today we were in Hobart. We started off with a light room service breakfast. I had peanut butter crackers that we were going to carry with us on the excursion for a snack until lunch. There was an announcement made that no food could be carried off the ship. So much for those plans.
When we got off the ship someone was there checking our bags as we got off the ship. Glad I didn’t try and take them off. Once in the ship terminal we quickly located our guide for the day. We had chosen to go on the Ida Bay Railway which was a historic WWII Diesel Locomotive. It was a 2 hour ride where we got to see the scenery and wildlife along the way. Midway we stopped and got out and walked down to the water and I saw a wallaby in the distance. We also saw black swans. It rained off and on all day with sunshine periodically coming out.
For lunch we ate in a small bakery in the town of Geeveston. It was a quaint little town where we visited the tourist information center and met one of the volunteers that was a Geeves. Interesting man.
We were running out of time. We visited the boat building center where they teach boat building. David went on a private guided tour while Beth, Mary and I browsed the gift shop.
We returned back the the ship right before all aboard time — about 3:30. We had a smooth sail away. After resting a bit, it was time for dinner.
We had dinner in the Club Class Dining Room. Halfway through dinner the Captain came on and told us it was going to get rough and he wasn’t kidding. When we got up to leave the dining room it took all our power to stand upright and walk. We walked to the show lounge and I turned around to talk to Mary and found that she had fallen into a man’s lap and she had several people help her up. So many of these people on the ship are elderly. I don’t see how they get around.
The show was a ventriloquist and he was so funny. He had been on the first night but we missed his show because we were at dinner.
After the show we went to trivia and observed. We knew some of the answers but not all. It was fun watching.
When we got back to our cabin around 10:00 our fruit basket was all over the floor. Things on the bathroom counter were turned over and stuff in the shower had fallen in the tub. Drawers and doors were open in the cabin. It was evident that things had been rough. The ship rocked and rolled all night.
When we got off the ship someone was there checking our bags as we got off the ship. Glad I didn’t try and take them off. Once in the ship terminal we quickly located our guide for the day. We had chosen to go on the Ida Bay Railway which was a historic WWII Diesel Locomotive. It was a 2 hour ride where we got to see the scenery and wildlife along the way. Midway we stopped and got out and walked down to the water and I saw a wallaby in the distance. We also saw black swans. It rained off and on all day with sunshine periodically coming out.
For lunch we ate in a small bakery in the town of Geeveston. It was a quaint little town where we visited the tourist information center and met one of the volunteers that was a Geeves. Interesting man.
We were running out of time. We visited the boat building center where they teach boat building. David went on a private guided tour while Beth, Mary and I browsed the gift shop.
We returned back the the ship right before all aboard time — about 3:30. We had a smooth sail away. After resting a bit, it was time for dinner.
We had dinner in the Club Class Dining Room. Halfway through dinner the Captain came on and told us it was going to get rough and he wasn’t kidding. When we got up to leave the dining room it took all our power to stand upright and walk. We walked to the show lounge and I turned around to talk to Mary and found that she had fallen into a man’s lap and she had several people help her up. So many of these people on the ship are elderly. I don’t see how they get around.
The show was a ventriloquist and he was so funny. He had been on the first night but we missed his show because we were at dinner.
After the show we went to trivia and observed. We knew some of the answers but not all. It was fun watching.
When we got back to our cabin around 10:00 our fruit basket was all over the floor. Things on the bathroom counter were turned over and stuff in the shower had fallen in the tub. Drawers and doors were open in the cabin. It was evident that things had been rough. The ship rocked and rolled all night.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
March 25, 2018
This morning we started out by ordering room service for breakfast. We always order coffee and they deliver a pot of coffee. Today we got 2 cups of coffee in to go cups. This must be an Australian thing because there are several things that they have done that are not the norm.
Today was a Sea day so we were not rushed. They had given us cards to get stamped for the scavenger hunt so we went to all 6 places and had the cards stamped and dropped them in the box for the drawing to be held later in the day. We also had to go to the coffee shop and collect our coffee mugs that they were giving us.
I purchased the photo package for $99 a year ago. This gives me all pictures taken that have me or Mary in them as well as the digital file. This is quite a deal as the pictures are expensive. I picked up the picture that we got taken when we got on the ship yesterday and had them put the picture on the flash drive they gave me.
This morning was the first session of bingo. There was a decent crowd there but the payouts weren’t that great. Mary P won the first game for $60. They had a drawing at the beginning of each game for someone to play a free computer for that game. I was the lucky winner to play the computer for game 3 but I didn’t bingo. The bingo cards and the rules of Australian bingo are very different and I don’t think it is as much fun as the bingo back home. If I remember I will try and take a picture of their bingo card and post it to Facebook.
We had lunch in the main dining room and it was very good and relaxing.
There was another session of bingo in the afternoon and I won 2 games for a total of $240. They also had the drawing for the scavenger right before bingo started and Mary P won a coffee card. Of course it won’t do us that much good because we already have the drink package and all the coffee we can drink is already included.
Tonight was formal night so we were going to eat in the buffet. Before we ate, there was a Blue’s Brothers Tribute show that we went to see. They were very entertaining and funny.
After the show we ate dinner at the buffet. The food wasn’t that great but I didn’t go hungry.
The ship has been rocking and rolling today. The Captain came on the speaker and said they were having some type of mechanical problem that they were working on and that the stabilizers were not working and for us to be careful walking about the ship. We just stayed put in our stateroom until he came back and announced that everything had been fixed and we were continuing on course and would arrive in Hobart on time in the morning. It will be an early day tomorrow. Our tour starts at 7:30 am. I am not sure what I was thinking when I booked it.
Today was a Sea day so we were not rushed. They had given us cards to get stamped for the scavenger hunt so we went to all 6 places and had the cards stamped and dropped them in the box for the drawing to be held later in the day. We also had to go to the coffee shop and collect our coffee mugs that they were giving us.
I purchased the photo package for $99 a year ago. This gives me all pictures taken that have me or Mary in them as well as the digital file. This is quite a deal as the pictures are expensive. I picked up the picture that we got taken when we got on the ship yesterday and had them put the picture on the flash drive they gave me.
This morning was the first session of bingo. There was a decent crowd there but the payouts weren’t that great. Mary P won the first game for $60. They had a drawing at the beginning of each game for someone to play a free computer for that game. I was the lucky winner to play the computer for game 3 but I didn’t bingo. The bingo cards and the rules of Australian bingo are very different and I don’t think it is as much fun as the bingo back home. If I remember I will try and take a picture of their bingo card and post it to Facebook.
We had lunch in the main dining room and it was very good and relaxing.
There was another session of bingo in the afternoon and I won 2 games for a total of $240. They also had the drawing for the scavenger right before bingo started and Mary P won a coffee card. Of course it won’t do us that much good because we already have the drink package and all the coffee we can drink is already included.
Tonight was formal night so we were going to eat in the buffet. Before we ate, there was a Blue’s Brothers Tribute show that we went to see. They were very entertaining and funny.
After the show we ate dinner at the buffet. The food wasn’t that great but I didn’t go hungry.
The ship has been rocking and rolling today. The Captain came on the speaker and said they were having some type of mechanical problem that they were working on and that the stabilizers were not working and for us to be careful walking about the ship. We just stayed put in our stateroom until he came back and announced that everything had been fixed and we were continuing on course and would arrive in Hobart on time in the morning. It will be an early day tomorrow. Our tour starts at 7:30 am. I am not sure what I was thinking when I booked it.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
March 24, 2018
As you all know, my big Australian adventure has begun. I have failed to keep this blog updated since I have been posting on Facebook. I will try to summarize what has happened so far and update daily when possible. To keep down the weight on my carry on luggage I didn’t bring my computer on this trip and will be doing the update through my iPad which will be a little more time consuming.
I am traveling with Mary P on this trip. It has been a while since we have cruised but we are picking up where we left off.
We used air miles for this whole trip so we will be traveling in either business or first class the whole trip. We boarded Japan Airlines flight 11 from DFW to Tokyo Narita on Monday, March 19 around noon. We each had a little self contained pod with aisle access for our seats. I sat in the window seat which was really private. There were lots of on demand movies to choose from which I took advantage of. We also had a USB port for charging our devices as well as an outlet. The remote control had a place where you could place food and drink orders on demand. This was a 13 hour flight and out of that time I only slept about an hour. It was a long flight but I was comfortable.
We arrived to Tokyo around 3:30 or so on Tuesday, March 20. We had to go through in transit security which was very quick. Our layover in Tokyo was only about 2 hours or so and we were able to spend that time in the Sakura Lounge.
Our flight from Tokyo to Sydney was on Japan Airlines flight 771. This flight was about a 9 hour flight. By the time I got on that flight I was exhausted. I didn’t even make it all the way through the meal service until I told them I was done and to take everything away. I was off to sleep in my lay flat bed. Unfortunately I was only able to sleep about 3 hours but that helped refresh me.
Our flight landed on Wednesday, March 21 about 15 minutes early in Sydney. Immigration and luggage retrieval was fast. We had arranged for a car to pick us up through the Shangri-la Hotel. It was only a little after 7 in the morning and traffic was terrible. Once to the Hotel we checked in. We had reserved a Horizon Club Grand Harbor Opera House View. This room was not yet available but we were able to go up to the Horizon Club and have breakfast and relax. Around 11:00 they gave us a day room so we could go get some rest and at around 2 or 3 they called and said our room was available so we moved to our new room on the 33rd floor which nice with an amazing view but very small. Our day room was much larger but on the 6th floor so had no view. We were able to shower and change into fresh clothes. We wanted to go out but it was raining so we decided to rest up and see if it would stop raining. When we woke it was dark so we decided to stay in for the night so went to a hotel restaurant for dinner.
We woke up bright and early Thursday morning March 22. After getting dressed for the day we went up to the Horizon. Club for breakfast. We were meeting my friend Kris today for a Captain Cooks Harbor Lunch Cruise. I first met Kris on an Alaskan cruise in 2011. She is from Sydney and Krista and I met up with her in 2012 when we visited Sydney. Kris then visited Dallas a few years ago and I picked her up at her hotel and drove her around Dallas and to Southfork Ranch for a tour. We then finished up with a trip to visit Krista at her house and Kris got to meet Benjamin.
We met Kris at the Four Seasons hotel which was only about a block from our hotel. She walked us through an area with quaint little shops and we stopped at a coffee shop where we had a latte and some nice catching up. We soon walked to the harbor and boarded our boat for our lunch cruise. It was good that Kris was with us because there was no commentary and she gave us the history of places and explained what we were seeing. The food was delicious and so was the New Zealand wine that Kris purchased for us. After getting off the boat we walked over to the Opera House where we walked inside the lobby. We decided not to do a tour but did look around where we could. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. Kris wants us to come back and stay with her so she can show us other places that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. I sure wish I could take her up on that.
Friday March 23 we had breakfast at the Horizon Club again. It was supposed to rain again so we were slow leaving the hotel as we had planned to do a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour. Luckily the rain stayed away so we had a good day of it. I had a hard time understanding what they were saying on the commentary but enjoyed seeing what I saw. It was around 5:00 when we got finished with our tour so we were hungry. We went back to the same coffee shop that Kris took us to and had a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel. Once back to the hotel we were in for the evening.
Our hotel is in an area called The Rocks. It is at the top of a hill so we have to plan our way back and forth to keep from climbing too much. Going down the hill we go in the back of the Four Seasons which is on level 3 and ride the elevator down to the 1st floor. That puts us on level ground for the harbor. There are stairs to either go up or down between our hotel and the Four Seasons. The stairs are an easier climb than a steep street.
Saturday March 24 was the day that we boarded the ship. After eating breakfas we went ahead and settled up our bill and asked them to have someone to come collect our luggage at 10:45. We had arranged to have an 11 passenger van to pick us up at 11:00 and then on to pick up David and Beth at the Four Seasons so we could ride together to the port.
David was my boss at the City many years ago. When I told him we were going on this cruise he said that he and Beth wanted to go also. This is their first cruise so we showed them all the steps to take gettting on the ship.
We arrived to the port a little before Noon and they were already boarding. Checking in and getting on board was fast. We went straight to our cabins and dropped our stuff off and then off to the dining room for lunch. After lunch we walked around a bit on the ship and then back to our cabin for a rest before dinner. We ate at the steakhouse the first night. This is usually the highlight of the cruise. We were the only ones in there and in my opinion the food was subpar.
This ship is a smaller Princess ship than I have been on and seems to be chopped up on how to get around. Certain elevators only go to certain decks. We are on deck 9 and the dining room is on deck 6. The elevator near our cabin only goes to deck 7. If we ride that elevator, we get off on deck 7 and then walk down to mid ship and go down 1 more level. Another way wotid to be to stay on deck 9 and walk to the middle of the ship and go down to deck 6 that way.
This will take a bit to get used to but I am sure we can handle it.
I am traveling with Mary P on this trip. It has been a while since we have cruised but we are picking up where we left off.
We used air miles for this whole trip so we will be traveling in either business or first class the whole trip. We boarded Japan Airlines flight 11 from DFW to Tokyo Narita on Monday, March 19 around noon. We each had a little self contained pod with aisle access for our seats. I sat in the window seat which was really private. There were lots of on demand movies to choose from which I took advantage of. We also had a USB port for charging our devices as well as an outlet. The remote control had a place where you could place food and drink orders on demand. This was a 13 hour flight and out of that time I only slept about an hour. It was a long flight but I was comfortable.
We arrived to Tokyo around 3:30 or so on Tuesday, March 20. We had to go through in transit security which was very quick. Our layover in Tokyo was only about 2 hours or so and we were able to spend that time in the Sakura Lounge.
Our flight from Tokyo to Sydney was on Japan Airlines flight 771. This flight was about a 9 hour flight. By the time I got on that flight I was exhausted. I didn’t even make it all the way through the meal service until I told them I was done and to take everything away. I was off to sleep in my lay flat bed. Unfortunately I was only able to sleep about 3 hours but that helped refresh me.
Our flight landed on Wednesday, March 21 about 15 minutes early in Sydney. Immigration and luggage retrieval was fast. We had arranged for a car to pick us up through the Shangri-la Hotel. It was only a little after 7 in the morning and traffic was terrible. Once to the Hotel we checked in. We had reserved a Horizon Club Grand Harbor Opera House View. This room was not yet available but we were able to go up to the Horizon Club and have breakfast and relax. Around 11:00 they gave us a day room so we could go get some rest and at around 2 or 3 they called and said our room was available so we moved to our new room on the 33rd floor which nice with an amazing view but very small. Our day room was much larger but on the 6th floor so had no view. We were able to shower and change into fresh clothes. We wanted to go out but it was raining so we decided to rest up and see if it would stop raining. When we woke it was dark so we decided to stay in for the night so went to a hotel restaurant for dinner.
We woke up bright and early Thursday morning March 22. After getting dressed for the day we went up to the Horizon. Club for breakfast. We were meeting my friend Kris today for a Captain Cooks Harbor Lunch Cruise. I first met Kris on an Alaskan cruise in 2011. She is from Sydney and Krista and I met up with her in 2012 when we visited Sydney. Kris then visited Dallas a few years ago and I picked her up at her hotel and drove her around Dallas and to Southfork Ranch for a tour. We then finished up with a trip to visit Krista at her house and Kris got to meet Benjamin.
We met Kris at the Four Seasons hotel which was only about a block from our hotel. She walked us through an area with quaint little shops and we stopped at a coffee shop where we had a latte and some nice catching up. We soon walked to the harbor and boarded our boat for our lunch cruise. It was good that Kris was with us because there was no commentary and she gave us the history of places and explained what we were seeing. The food was delicious and so was the New Zealand wine that Kris purchased for us. After getting off the boat we walked over to the Opera House where we walked inside the lobby. We decided not to do a tour but did look around where we could. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. Kris wants us to come back and stay with her so she can show us other places that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. I sure wish I could take her up on that.
Friday March 23 we had breakfast at the Horizon Club again. It was supposed to rain again so we were slow leaving the hotel as we had planned to do a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour. Luckily the rain stayed away so we had a good day of it. I had a hard time understanding what they were saying on the commentary but enjoyed seeing what I saw. It was around 5:00 when we got finished with our tour so we were hungry. We went back to the same coffee shop that Kris took us to and had a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel. Once back to the hotel we were in for the evening.
Our hotel is in an area called The Rocks. It is at the top of a hill so we have to plan our way back and forth to keep from climbing too much. Going down the hill we go in the back of the Four Seasons which is on level 3 and ride the elevator down to the 1st floor. That puts us on level ground for the harbor. There are stairs to either go up or down between our hotel and the Four Seasons. The stairs are an easier climb than a steep street.
Saturday March 24 was the day that we boarded the ship. After eating breakfas we went ahead and settled up our bill and asked them to have someone to come collect our luggage at 10:45. We had arranged to have an 11 passenger van to pick us up at 11:00 and then on to pick up David and Beth at the Four Seasons so we could ride together to the port.
David was my boss at the City many years ago. When I told him we were going on this cruise he said that he and Beth wanted to go also. This is their first cruise so we showed them all the steps to take gettting on the ship.
We arrived to the port a little before Noon and they were already boarding. Checking in and getting on board was fast. We went straight to our cabins and dropped our stuff off and then off to the dining room for lunch. After lunch we walked around a bit on the ship and then back to our cabin for a rest before dinner. We ate at the steakhouse the first night. This is usually the highlight of the cruise. We were the only ones in there and in my opinion the food was subpar.
This ship is a smaller Princess ship than I have been on and seems to be chopped up on how to get around. Certain elevators only go to certain decks. We are on deck 9 and the dining room is on deck 6. The elevator near our cabin only goes to deck 7. If we ride that elevator, we get off on deck 7 and then walk down to mid ship and go down 1 more level. Another way wotid to be to stay on deck 9 and walk to the middle of the ship and go down to deck 6 that way.
This will take a bit to get used to but I am sure we can handle it.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
March 18, 2018
I spent most of yesterday and today trying to get packed for this trip. I have a closet in the guest bedroom that is dedicated to luggage. I tried each piece of luggage at least 2 times. I finally ended up with the piece of luggage that I tried the first time. I got everything packed and the suitcase closed. I then tried to pick it up so I could weigh it. I am allowed 3 checked bags weighing no more than 70 pounds each. I knew there was no way it weighed 70 pounds but I was curious. There was no way I was picking it up and if I did, I am sure somewhere along the way I would hurt myself.
It was then back to the beginning and taking things out and leaving them at home. Of course that meant I had to try out all the different options of suitcases because I didn't want to bring the HUGE one. I was getting really frustrated trying to get it all worked out. I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to bring 2 smaller bags plus my carry on. Once I split it into 2 bags I was able to get everything in with room to spare. Of course we are having the hotel to send a car to pick us up in Sydney when we arrive. I'm not sure it will hold all of our luggage so I shot off an email and told them what we have and asking if the car will hold it all. If not, I guess it is on to a bigger car.
I will be gone just short of 6 weeks. The different ports all around Australia are different climates so I need different types of clothing -- some are cool and others are hot and then I am ending in Honolulu. It also looks like there is going to be rain in some of the ports at first. I hope that clears out.
It was then back to the beginning and taking things out and leaving them at home. Of course that meant I had to try out all the different options of suitcases because I didn't want to bring the HUGE one. I was getting really frustrated trying to get it all worked out. I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to bring 2 smaller bags plus my carry on. Once I split it into 2 bags I was able to get everything in with room to spare. Of course we are having the hotel to send a car to pick us up in Sydney when we arrive. I'm not sure it will hold all of our luggage so I shot off an email and told them what we have and asking if the car will hold it all. If not, I guess it is on to a bigger car.
I will be gone just short of 6 weeks. The different ports all around Australia are different climates so I need different types of clothing -- some are cool and others are hot and then I am ending in Honolulu. It also looks like there is going to be rain in some of the ports at first. I hope that clears out.
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