Odyssey Auckland to Sydney: The Grass isn't always greener

Back from my time down under it's about time to post up some pictures. If you want to contribute images from this segment - feel free.

My trip to Auckland starts were all my trips seem to start: The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. I usually start with a trio of drinks to stave off potential issues. Silly ritual, but tasty.

First, something that I will not be able to get on the ship aside from one of the cursed forms.

Secondly, a drink that is made everywhere, yet IMO mastered by few. Hopefully when the mixology program is in place this will be greatly improved and not made from a mix.

Finally, something that not only is impossible to get on the ship but hard to find in most places - a properly balanced Irish coffee (imo the ships coffee isn't right, and they lack the proper whiskey).

After making my way to the airport I ran into a roadblock. Air New Zealand wouldn't open for another few hours. Odd as other carriers are staffed this far ahead of time. To add insult to injury the check in station opened about twenty minutes late. Boo. Pre doesn't help with international flights but getting through security was a breeze at that time. I went to the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge (Air NZ doesn't have their own lounge at SFO) which was thankfully on the correct side of security.

I was surprised by the relatively small size of the lounge but as a benefit of being early I had my choice of seats. The lounge offered a few different wines, beers, hard liquors, espresso drinks from a machine and some finger foods. Id put it above the current US carrier lounges as I didn't see anything with a price tag on it. Towards flight time the lounge became crowded and very noisy.

Boarding of the plane was delayed (something that would become the norm for all my Air NZ flights :mad:). However once on board I was happy to note that for most business class passengers they had their own above head storage (one for each seat IIRC) and the cubicles were indeed somewhat isolated from each other.

I never did get a decent photo of the seating setup, or up/flat comparison image. The seats were true lie flat with an added mattress and safety belt. Both the food and service were IMO better than business on any American carrier I've been on and again IMO ahead of VAs upper class, BAs business and Lufthansas business. This was the first time I've actually been able to get decent sleep on an airplane. Too bad the flight was supposed to get in at 0500:eek:.

Sunrise over the Pacific.

A great start - keep in coming :D

Looking forward to reading more.

Bev

Looking forward to hearing more.

As I knew that I'd only be visiting two countries and spending a bit of time in each, paying for my cellphone companies exorbitant international plan made no sense. I planned to pick up a SIM card in each country. It worked out in both, but in New Zealand I was stuck on 3G (not sure if it was the carrier - Vodaphone or the infrastructure in the country). In Australia I was told by Ciara in Seabourn Square that Telestra was a good carrier for Sydney. I was able to connect at 4G speeds there. In New Zealand I didn't need ID to buy a SIM card, but in Australia you need a passport or other ID to purchase a SIM. Both plans came with 3-6Gigs of data and more calls and messaging that I'd use in several months.

Further as I would be spending a bit of time in hotels I went with the premium version of Disconnect.me to add a layer of privacy to my internet connections and in theory not have something bad happen while on a notoriously unclean hotel or public network.

While there were a number of hotels in Auckland to select from I ended up in the Pullman. The location wasn't bad for a morning hotel (it was at the top of a hill so walking away in the morning was easy, returning later in the day not so much. They also offered a program whereby if you took their transfer from the airport to the hotel you could check in while in the car on the way to the hotel. As I was originally supposed to arrive around 0500 the thought of being able to take a catnap and then start my day sounded a lot nicer than wandering around zombie like until a typical 1400 or 1500 check in. While I did meet a fellow cruiser and see several others, I think in the future I'd go with the was it Hyatt or Hilton on the waterfront. Aside from the ship leaving from there it was on flat ground and closer to the parts of the city I ended up spending most of my time.

Because we left San Francisco late, we got into Auckland later than expected. Going through customs was a breeze but I was given some questionable looks from the agriculture inspector before being allowed in. Once in all I had to do was remember where I was supposed to meet my driver. After checking my laptop to find the meet location I quickly found the driver and was on my way into Auckland. The driver was on the conservative side of the spectrum and seemed happy that the US Navy might start making port calls in New Zealand again. It was a nice drive into the city and as advertised when I reached the hotel my paperwork and bags were handed over and I was given my room keys.

After a brief cat nap I was off and down the hill to explore the downtown area. It was a bit hotter than I would have cared for but not too bad. There was a park right across the street from the hotel.

And just like in a lot of America dog owners were able to read the signs about as well as their dogs.

I was hoping to see more old architecture, but that would have to wait.

There were some nice pedestrian areas and interesting back alley shops.

After spending some time down town it was time to beat the heat and take in some liquid. I found a little bar/pub/gaming room staffed by a bartender from Finland and a bar manager from Ireland. What they had on tap seemed to be the norm for a lot of the places I visited in Auckland (also the Air NZ lounge).

I returned to the hotel for another rest and to avail myself of the first shower in oh how long has it been? For dinner I went out to a relatively close hole in the wall Italian/Pizza place called Thats Amore!

I tried a few of their different pizzas. The crust was crispy and the sauce was a bit on the sweet side for my tastes. The local mozzarella cheese tasted nothing like the mozzarella I've had in the states or Italy. If you're looking for something close to the Pullman (about a block away) for dinner (or are craving pizza) this isn't a bad choice.

I guess Lamborghini owners feel the rules don't apply to their cars.

Oops.

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The next day I awoke bright and early to take advantage of the included breakfast. This is where things at the hotel start not to work. It seems that they don't believe in having a host/hostess - so it was seat yourself and hope that the server realized new tables were seated when she came out from the back. Further the orange juice machine was just a pain to deal with, it was either out of oranges or only squeeze enough per run to fill 1/3 of a glass. I'll get it out of the way now: The restaurant and bar service in the restaurant/lobby was OK to subpar.

After a long drawn out breakfast I caught a cab to go to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. As a non-local the admission cost was a bit higher for me.

The kid was dropping his cars down the face of the memorial. I think some people need to take classes on how to travel - and if they fail - no passport (parents were there just watching and laughing).

Part of the museum was dedicated to the the original settlers

They also had some exhibits on local fauna, as well as imported fauna, including this New Zealand only critter - a flightless parrot.

There was also a section on childrens life, including toys

Then of course the war portions

And then the memorial portion (bad travelers again - taking running jumps at the listed names to see who could reach the higher up name).

The next day was another disappointing breakfast in the hotel (at least the juicer was somewhat working) and then I was off down the hill to the Maritime Museum.

I was initially greeted by a man in pirate garb which I thought odd as they didn't offer a fixed or special exhibit on pirates. Maybe he was there for the bikini/beachwear exhibit. They also had the usual exhibits of the maritime history of the country and immigration and then a good amount of space for the America's Cup racer. I thought I'd get at least a single comment on my shirt when I was in the exhibit (I was wearing a shirt from the last race held in San Francisco).

The had some nice models on display where the original was unavailable. I wonder how long it takes to do a rigging on a ship this size.

It was interesting to see cabins for passengers go from this on a wooden sailing ship

To this on a "modern" steamer circa 1950 IIRC

Of course, what would a maritime history be without any reference to whaling?

Along with the beachware exhibit they had a line of boats from different time periods that got New Zealanders out into the water and into sailing.

Moored outside the museum they had some more modern ships on display.

After walking down the waterfront a bit I quickly saw why this area of town seemed busier than it had in days past.

I was very disappointed that I did not find any penguins, mystical or otherwise working in this establishment.

How many children does it take to milk a cow? How many know that's where milk comes from?

I liked the lights they had along the waterfront

The Ferry building, much more colorful than the building of a same name in San Francisco.

I was surprised to see this

The only other time I've had their ice cream was when I was in Amsterdam right before embarking on the Pride for a Baltics cruise. The milkshake I had in Amsterdam at their namesake hotel was imo superior to the one made here, but this one was more refreshing as it was much hotter outside.

It was back to the gambling tavern for a pitcher of cider to while away a bit of time and let the sun shrink in the horizon a bit before venturing back out.

Something I haven't really seen in the states is diagonal crossing. I guess it's legal there, I didn't see a traffic control device specifically for that direction.

Embarkation day I took three whole pictures. Two were of the ship pre-boarding and had my finger over part of the lens. The third is if an empty Patio bar with the counter covered in glass trays. Oops.

Shoreside staff were useless "we can't let you on know" to "no ones allowed on the ship yet" Both were absolute lies. They'd been letting visitors on for the past few hours and new staff seemed to be streaming in. It would be nice if corporate had some semblance of control over the shoreside minions. Luckily I was joining a passenger in transit who let someone know that I'd be there and then someone took it upon themselves to venture shore side to find me and get me on board. Ergo, my boarding process was atypical in that I cleared security/customs in about ten seconds. I was escorted to Seabourn square to check in.

Check in took a few minutes and I requested a photoID card as well as the typical card. This would prove helpful as most ports would send security onto the bus before allowing us to disembark and they would check for the room key as well as a photoID. This way I didn't need to bring my license or passport off the ship with me (aside from clearing customs).

As I had never been on an Odyssey class ship before it was interesting to see something really new. I like the idea of the space, I like that they have a dedicated espresso bar. There were a few problems with it. The sandwiches had enough egg on them that the bread was quickly turned to mush and I don't think they were replaced throughout the day, just put out till the end of day. I'm still not a fan of the coffee Seabourn uses, but you can get a nice cold glass of orange juice there. The real issue I saw with the espresso bar was how quickly passengers would back it up. From the "I've been in line 10 minutes and still don't know what I want" to the "Theres a dozen people behind us in line, lets try to find out the baristas life history. Right now." it was the passengers that were putting a damper on the place. Of course there were also those passengers who've seen a coffee bar before and know how to order and scoot. And then there were the cookies. If any place on the ship needed Thomas Kellers food help it was here. Use some of the Bouchon bakery recipes for the pastries in the morning and cookies in the afternoon. Overall it was a nice space but due to customer induced lag I generally avoided it. It did seem that the best connection speeds were obtained using the fixed terminals in the square.

One of the other immediate big differences was the muster drill. No longer must you melt/freeze/get blown away on deck, you can now listen to the lecture on what to do, what not to flush and what to pack from the comfort of a chair in the Restaurant. This seemed much more civilized. Also, unlike some other lines Seabourn doesn't require passengers to drag man portable tripping hazards with them to the drill.

I also experienced the allergy computer for the first time. A nice idea, however it seems wasteful as the serving teams were armed with Windows RT tablets that could provide the same information paper free and flash warnings on screen if a passenger tried to order something that had a verboten ingredient.).

That first night at dinner I met the corporate wine buyer and he would be my ace up the sleeve for wine selection. I've never met so many wine stewards that don't drink, that was rather odd to me.

Back from my time down under it's about time to post up some pictures. If you want to contribute images from this segment - feel free.

 

My trip to Auckland starts were all my trips seem to start: The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. I usually start with a trio of drinks to stave off potential issues. Silly ritual, but tasty.

 

First, something that I will not be able to get on the ship aside from one of the cursed forms.

You were ripped off, mate. There's two to three times as much foam as there should be on a well-poured pint of Guiness. Demand a refill!

Something I haven't really seen in the states is diagonal crossing. I guess it's legal there, I didn't see a traffic control device specifically for that direction.

Surprised that you haven't seen this, as it is fairly common throughout the US and Canada. It was invented by traffic engineer Henry Barnes, and is therefore known as the "Barnes Dance." San Francisco has several along Stockton Street in Chinatown, Montgomery Street in the Financial District, and in several other locations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble

I lost some on that Guinness but made it up on the Bloody Mary.:D

I guess I've been downtown at the wrong times to see in in SF. I'll have to pay more attention next time im in Chinatown.

Breakfast, that hasn't changed. There was an ongoing problem with the Maitre d' where he liked to hide out of sight. Sometimes he had to be summoned by staff, other times there were so many passengers waiting that the noise drew his attention (which exacerbated seating times), other times the servers seemed tired of him not being around and told passengers to seat themselves. I suggested the crew buy their coworker a Waldo shirt and hat and then tell the passengers to play 'Where's Waldo'. Other than having to play "Wheres Waldo?" breakfast was the same as ever. I was hoping that the association with Keller would improve their pastries, no such luck. After a sluggish breakfast I was off to take the shuttle into town. Today we were in Tauranga. I didn't have any tours planned, so it was a poke around town for a bit then enjoy the ship sort of day.

We were dropped off at this interesting building.

I was surprised to look back down the track and realize that they'd built

between this

and this

This about sums it up. They built a childrens playground in between a train station/tracks and a sharp drop off into the bay

Turning into town you are greeted by a bland looking fountain with some questionable stains running down its front. I thought the dolphins were a nice touch and moved the eye away from the stains.

This girl was trying to get her wings, but should have gone with Red Bull rather than the Starbucks as everyone knows, "Redbull gives you wings".:D

It's always interesting to see what works where. In California, no one would pay any extra attention to an old Mustang convertible. I guess down here that's not the case.

Different mascots are always interesting to see

It seems the city had a nice flower budget, I wonder if that's because Tauranga is the horticultural center of New Zealand (thanks Wiki!)

They also liked their civic art

This looked like it should be burning wood for heat rather than topping a fountain.

Would you look at that, I haven't seen a ride in front of a store in ages.

It looks like someone may not have been happy with it when they put a hole in the sign.

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a bench, or some kind of display area.

We have a similar thing around here "Drains to bay"

I thought this to be an odd slogan in a country that seems to be lagging in broadband deployment.

You looking at me?

After wandering around the downtown area and taking in the shops and malls it was time to take the bumpy shuttle back to the ship.

The pool deck was so warped it turned what was once flat into a fairly good topo map in parts. It was so bad that sometimes when you put your foot down the board would sink. This sadly tripped up a few servers over the course of the cruise.

They ran out of this day 3 of 13 on my last cruise. Thankfully they didn't run out of most beverages this trip. The special order system also seems to make far more sense on the Odyssey class.

Today lunch was on the Patio Grill and I had the Napa Burger and Yountwurst. Somehow the order for the hotdog in the bun came out as hotdog no bun or toppings. I felt that both the burger and dog were steps up from what was previously offered, though I have to question the mayonnaise and ketchup on the wurst (if you get it as created). The burger was enhanced with the addition of bacon.

The fries sadly didn't change. I would've preferred Bouchons frites, especially when garlic fries appeared on the menu.

One nice thing about the Patio bar (issues: it has zero weather protection - why do the smokers upstairs at the Sky Bar get that protection?) is that the ice cream is served there. That makes it very easy to have say a mudslide shake.

You've lost me - I hope you found a happy place by the end of your cruise :confused:

 

They ran out of this day 3 of 13 on my last cruise.

 

Today lunch was on the Patio Grill and I had the Napa Burger and Yountwurst. Somehow the order for the hotdog in the bun came out as hotdog no bun or toppings. I felt that both the burger and dog were steps up from what was previously offered, though I have to question the mayonnaise and ketchup on the wurst (if you get it as created). The burger was enhanced with the addition of bacon.

Burger looks nice. I can't imagine eating a whole one however, that would feed me, my wife, a few people passing by and the bird in your first picture.

Bummer about the Grolsch. Hopefully that's the worst that happens to you. We took the same cruise 2 years ago and the captain decided the weather forecast couldn't be *that* bad and took us into a force I have no idea what with seas the like I've never seen before. And thus we didn't get to go to Milford Sound as we floundered around at 5kts for 10 hours trying to get out of it again. So if you're in Milford Sound and all they have is Becks, at least the scenery is nice.