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Will we be able to see the stars?


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We are sailing on the Voyager of the Seas in February in Australia & New Zealand. I am from Canada and am really looking forward to seeing the stars in the southern hemisphere. Will that be possible aboard the ship or will there be too much light pollution? Where is the best place on the ship to view? We have an inside stateroom.

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We are sailing on the Voyager of the Seas in February in Australia & New Zealand. I am from Canada and am really looking forward to seeing the stars in the southern hemisphere. Will that be possible aboard the ship or will there be too much light pollution? Where is the best place on the ship to view? We have an inside stateroom.
For starters, the stars will not be visible from your inside - oh, you knew that already didn't you:rolleyes:

 

For star viewing I recommend going to the helipad. Go to Deck 4; go out to the Promenade under the lifeboats; Go forward until you see steps going up; Go up those steps; keep going forward; Go up more steps and you will be on the helipad. The helipad is generally open to anyone almost all the time [except in heavy seas or during helicopter operations].

 

If none of that works, the Southern Cross is visible on both the NZ and Oz flags.

 

enjoy!!

Thom

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I was looking forward to seeing the stars on my first cruise but the ship was so bright we could not. Perhaps on a smaller ship (I was on the Liberty)? Though I don't recall being able to see them on the Enchantment either.

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I was looking forward to seeing the stars on my first cruise but the ship was so bright we could not. Perhaps on a smaller ship (I was on the Liberty)? Though I don't recall being able to see them on the Enchantment either.

 

Did you try going out to the helipad on Liberty? It is pretty dark out there at night.

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I agree with the helipad. It is fairly dark on the pad so light pollution from the rest of the ship will not be an issue. This area is the darkest (outdoor) location on the ship at night so that there is little to no light pollution going into the navigation bridge.

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Assuming all is going well, and you are moving at night, the entire front of the ship is not lit, and has as little light pollution as possible- so that the bridge can see at night.

 

If there's an accessible helipad, there will also be chairs that you can sit out on. Wait for a while to have your eyes adjust, and the stars you see will be amazing. It's one of our most favorite things to do.

 

(I also have an app for star gazing- very cool)

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...If there's an accessible helipad...
Freedom, Voyager and Radiance class ships have accessible helipads. Oasis class has helipads, but in a restricted area [very occasionally open to suites and/or Diamonds for a sail away]. I don't think Vision and Sovereign class ships have helipads [but not sure of that]. Definitely worth checking out the helipad on OP's Down Under cruise.

 

Thom

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I'm an avid stargazer, but on the water, it always seemed clouds or water vapor....something!...would obstruct any decent views. If you are in a port in the evening, try to see from there!

While in a port will not give good viewing due to all the background light from the city. Being in port you would have a lot of light pollution.

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On some sailings they will arrange stargazing sessions and they are held on the helipads. Just check your compass to see if there is one during your sailing or as others have said go out tot the helipad on your own, but caution it is real windy getting out there by the sides.

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I was looking forward to seeing the stars on my first cruise but the ship was so bright we could not. Perhaps on a smaller ship (I was on the Liberty)? Though I don't recall being able to see them on the Enchantment either.

 

 

As an avid amatuer astronomer, I'll add i really takes your eyes 20 minutes (more if your older) to adjust to darkness. To really see the most from the bow you have to avoid accidentally looking back at the ship at all for a long time.

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Hi,

 

I'm Australian & sailing on Voyager in 2 weeks, I'll be back before you cruise I think, so I'll try to remember to check out the best spots & let you know. What date do you leave?

 

I live in rural Australia with almost zero light pollution, sometines so dark you can't see the car 10 feet in front of you. We see loads of beautiful constellations including the famous Southern Cross & the Milky Way is fantastic. Since I'm familiar with what you can see here I will be able to compare it to what you see from the ship. :)

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I know this reply won't be popular (wink), as we are early to bed/ early risers, but going out at 430-5a is better. The ship is at it's darkest then and it's quite pleasant.

Karen

 

I completely agree. I am a very early riser. I think early morning is the best time on the ship.

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I know that I am not answering your question, but might I make a suggestion?

 

At Ularu (Ayres Rock) they have something called "The Sounds of Silence Dinner" If you can get yourself on a tour a couple of days before you sail out of Sydney, you will never regret it. The dinner is held outdoors in the middle of the dessert. There is an astronomer present who points out the Southern Cross and other constellations. They take a few minutes for you to absorb the total silence in the Outback as well. The food is excellent. There is a fellow playing the digeridoo (sp) as well. It was an unforgettable experience.

 

You need to see the rock at dawn and at at dusk as it changes color with the inclination of the sun. Amazing experience.

 

Try to Google "Sounds of Silence Dinner"

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We are sailing on the Voyager of the Seas in February in Australia & New Zealand. I am from Canada and am really looking forward to seeing the stars in the southern hemisphere. Will that be possible aboard the ship or will there be too much light pollution? Where is the best place on the ship to view? We have an inside stateroom.

 

We did the 14 nighter out of Sydney on the Voyager recently.

 

The ship is very brightly lit. I don't think there are any good spots up on Decks 11 onwards.

 

I think your best bet would the Heli-pad at night. There are benches there. You may want to put on some warm gear. During our sailing, it was still quite cold.

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This is one of my favorite after dinner activities and I've had good luck stargazing from the helipad. Most of the ship and the lights are behind you. I'd recommend getting a luminous star chart too.

 

I was going to say that I was looking forward to trying this on our upcoming cruise after I didn't see many stars when we were on Indy, but then I realised we're doing Iceland and Norway in June and it'll be daylight for 22 hours a day! I suspect it won't get dark enough at all to see anything but the brightest of stars. :(

 

Oh well. I'll just have to book another cruise won't I?! ;)

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Thanks for the great responses everyone! It's the helipad for us then, bundled up in our warmest clothing. After our cruise, which begins on the 19th of Feb and ends in Perth, we will be driving up to Monkey Mia and staying in Denham. We will also be going to Uluru and on the Ghan. My hopes are high for being able to see the stars!

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