AntjeG

Whereever I go I use ekit.com Works very well and in my opinion the price is not too bad.

I did land/cruise trip to AUS/NZ last year but I put the land portion together myself. I loved it! You can find the review in my signature. The English translation of the blog mentioned in the review is on page 3 and there are lots of photos, too.

Sorry, I didn´t get the part about missing time in Bad Doberan. It´s a pity it was shortened. But on the other hand you need to be on schedule at the train so better leave the church early than be stuck in the traffic and miss the train.

Well, the Molli is a train and not able to leave ahead of schedule. If the train would leave earlier this would cause traffic problems. So your smile was the right thing to do.

I am embarrassed about the experience the Rostock guide gave you. But on the other hand: if you didn´t want to use your free time for shopping you could have used your time to just walk around, admire the city, have a look at the famous clock at the medieval church and so on. Or try some of the excellent fresh fish snacks you get everywhere in the north.

I am sure nobody would force you to go shopping.

Many cruises but just one on Celebrity. Celebrity just cancelled my upcoming Western Med cruise so no more Celebrity in the near future for me.

Why book with Celebrity if you want to go to Berlin DIY and only need transportation? You can book train tickets in Germany on the website of our railway company at http://www.bahn.de They send your ticket by email and you pay with your credit card. The train takes about 3 hrs from Warnemünde (train station is near the port) to Berlin Main Station.

You can walk around in all trains and there are also restrooms on the trains. If you book early you can get discount tickets. If you don´t want to book online in advance you can buy your ticket at Warnemünde train station.

A rental car may also be a good idea to get from Warnemünde to Berlin.

I did this cruise last year and loved it. I did a review and a blog. The blog has lots of information about private tours in the pre-cruise posts. Sorry the blog is in German but it has a translate button. The review is in English and on page 3 has some of the information from the blog translated into English as well. Here is the review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2167007

Feel free to ask questions in the review thread or as a comment in the blog.

In my opinion AUS/NZ is not wat I would call a port intensive itinerary. You have several days at sea. So it is all to personal taste. If you want to see as much as possible from this part of the world switch to the cruise that includes Tasmania. I loved my port stop there. You may wish to read my review (see signature). On page 3 I translated my German blog into English and I also provided a link to a picture slide show that includes Tasmania.

Back at the resort..... another accommodation option

 

 

That´s where I stayed last year and I loved it. Not half as fancy as the Desert Garden I believe but fun. And I was able to go to the Desert Garden´s spa for a wonderful massage.

Your pictures from Uluru and Kata Tjuta are fantastic. Thank you so much for taking us with you on your trip. And welcome back to stormy Europe!

I did the guided tour last year and I really loved it. The guide shared a big knowledge and we could feel the passion he has for this great building.

However, photos are allowed most time during the tour but not in the concert halls. Doesn´t have anything to do with backstage or not (I was on the regular tour). When you go to a performance, you can take pictures of the venue where the performance is (prior to beginning of the performance).

Linda, I´m so sorry that you weren´t able to enjoy your trip to Kuranda. I did it SkyRail first and the journey back on the train and it went very well. There are less crowds at the SkyRail in the morning.

If you go to Uluru from Sydney be aware it gets even more hot there. Tour operators insist that every guest brings at least 1 ltr of water with them. I´d say you will be better with 3 ltr and good sun protection.

Do you even life?

 

How about...

 

"No, thank you."

 

Followed shortly by...

 

"I'm really not interested, thank you."

 

And, if necessary, a more assertive...

 

"No."

This all works very well on other lines but not NCL. I was told that I only can have my roomcard back after the spa crew member would be finished with all she had to say. One of the many reasons I´m done with NCL. No chance to avoid the sales pitch and they turn into rude mode if after the sales pitch you leave without buying anything.

 

I'm on an excursion to Kuranda via jungle train and skyrail.

I am sure you will have a great day! I did this tour during the land portion of my trip when I stayed in a hotel in cairns. I loved it and it was one of the best excursions I did during my trip.

"Europe" was wide awake but not able to read your blog this morning :D because the kids kept me busy. Just now able to catch up.

Linda, this indeed seems a once in a lifetime experience to me. Lucky you to be invited on the bridge. Thanks for sharing your adventure. I really appreciate all the work you put in this blog.

so you're saying there should be port fees returned for our lack of visit to Bali though we had extra time in Darwin?

Sorry to say that you probably won´t get anything back even if US and AUS/NZ cruisers do. I suppose you booked your cruise in the UK and then it´s European Union travel law. This means your price includes port fees & taxes. You don´t get anything back if you miss a port (because the price you pay is "the end of it" - I´m not sure how to explain in English but I hope you know what I mean). The good side of this is that you also don´t pay more if a port raises port fees. Your cruise fare is what you pay at final payment and that´s really final. But we Europeans also loose our deposit if we cancel before final payment so that´s the other side of the story.

I would recommend the National Park and Valle Gran Rey tour. While Hermigua is a nice place the other tour gives you a real feeling of all this fantastic islands has to offer.

I was in NZ last year on board Solstice. My review is in my signature. Here is what I did:

Dunedin:

Tairi Gorge Train and Dunedin City Tour

Booked with Head First Travel. They were great. We docked late so didn´t make it in time for the train. Head First took us (serveral people from the cc roll call) by bus to Pukerangi were we were able to board the train. The bus tour had commentary and we took a scenic road. We paid about half the price Celebrity charges for the Tairi Gorge Train tour.

Akaroa:

I went on the Scenic Mail Run. A very unique tour which I highly recommend. The local postman takes up to 8 guests with him when he delivers mail in the area. You go up the hills and down to the beach, you meet local people and you go on roads no big tourbus can take. A home made snack is included in the tour. He picks you up at the tender pier. After the tour you have time to walk the village or go back on the next tender to the ship.

It is a little risk because Akaroa is a tender port. You really need to catch the first tender boat or you´ll miss the tour. Due to regulations by New Zealand Post the postman is not allowed to wait for you if you are late. Also, there is a no refund poliy. So if you don´t make it or your ship misses the port you loose your money.

I was in line for a tender ticket more than 1 hour before the announced time and was assigned to tender No. 1.

Tauranga:

I was booked on a tour to Rotorua with Zealandiertours. Due to wind we were not able to dock. Zealandiertours refunded my money in full the next day without me even having to ask for it. So I can not comment on the quality of their tours but I can say that they keep their promise for a full refund if your ship doesn´t visit the port.

Wellington:

I took the Hop on hop off bus which I liked. The botanical garden is beautiful. There are several companies who do tours related to film studios. Te Papa National Museum of New Zealand was very very interesting. They have history, Maori, nature and special exhibitions.

Bay of Islands:

I took the Celebrity tour to the Hokianga/Waipoua forest which was pricey but very good. DIY you can walk the Waitangi treaty grounds from the tender pier and take a local shuttle bus.

Auckland:

There is a Hop on hop off bus which I took and liked very much. Don´t miss a visit to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. They have art collections, natural history collections, NZ history collection, Maori collection and there is a Maori cultural performance several times a day. They sell packages with guided tours and entrance to the performances. I also went on the Sky Tower observation platform which gives nice views. The ferry terminal is right beside the cruise pier so a ferry ride to Devenport gives you nice view on the city skyline, too. You can also book harbour cruises or a ferry to Waiheke island there.

I couldn't get a replacement screen for my Nokia Lumia 930 phone. Could someone in Sydney let me know if there's anywhere there I can get this replaced please.....

Well, I am not in Sydney, I am in Germany. But last year I stayed at a hotel near the World Square in Sydney and remember seeing phone repair shops all around the area. I think I walked past this one: http://www.fonefix.com.au/sydney/pittstreet

It is located near Hyde Park and you can get there by city train from Circular Quay (exit Museum station).

I did not know that..... as it is I keep forgetting to ask for a Senior discount.... I think I threw the ticket away already

I don´t think there is a senior discount with this company. But here is the solution to the discount for a ticket which has been thrown away:

Order your ticket online with them and add the voucher code LOYALTY10 to your basket - the result is the same (10% discount). They email the ticket to you and you present a printed copy of your email to the driver.

Linda, thanks again for this wonderful blog. I was on the Solstice last year and am just re-dreaming my trip.

May I suggest you keep the HoHo ticket. If you present your old ticket (no matter how old!) at the HoHo bus of the same company anywhere in the world you get a 10% discount.

There are more of them in these Australian cities:

Sydney (as you know), Perth and the Blue Mountains. So if you plan a trip to the Blue Mountains from Sydney you take the train to Katoomba and then take the HoHo Bus in the mountains. I loved it!

Linda, thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I enjoy especially the pictures and information on the Te Puia/Whaka... part. When I was in NZ on board Solstice we wheren´t able to dock in Tauranga so I had to miss out on my planned excursion to this attraction. I guess I have to go back some day.

great itinerary - have fun!

Disembarkation was quick and easy. My luggage tag number was called 15 minutes early so that I found myself and my luggage outside the Auckland cruise terminal at 7 AM. Took a taxi to my hotel at Emily Place. Emily Place is in walking distance but uphill and I would have had to drag my suitcase so the taxi was a matter of comfort. Dropped off my luggage at the hotel and walked back to the ferry/cruise terminal. There I bought my tickets for the HoHo Bus and for the Airport bus. I was 20 minutes early for the first HoHo Bus.

Shortly after boarding the bus I hopped off at Bastion lookout.

My next stop was the Auckland War Memorial Museum. As I didn´t have too much time I had booked a package there with a 1 hr guided tour and a Maori cultural performance (to replace the one I had missed in Rotorua).

I had lunch at the museum café and then continued the bus tour. Hopped off at Mt Eden where the city council runs a free guided shuttle from the bus stop to the peak. I really enjoyed the view.

I finished the bus tour at the ferry terminal and then took the ferry to Devenport. Nice view on the city from the water. The ferry passed my former cruise ship which was still docked there and I was jealous for the people who had just boarded to do the return trip to Sydney!

I had dinner harbour-side in Devenport before I took the ferry back to the city. Back at the hotel at 7 PM after a long but interesting day of sightseeing.

The next morning I was able to store my luggage at the hotel´s reception desk and took a 20 minutes walk to the Skytower. I really enjoyed the great views from there. A pleasant way to end my visit to Auckland.

Auckland pictures:

Back to the hotel, grab my luggage and walk to the ferry terminal which is also the departure point for the airport bus. Arrived at the airport after a 1 hr bus ride to find out my flight to Hongkong would be 1 hr late. Was a little bit nervous about making the connecting flight to London in Hongkong but everything went well and I arrived in Hamburg the next morning after a mere flying time of 23.5 hrs and a total travelling time of 36 hrs. It took me several days to get rid of jet lag (time difference between NZ and Germany is 12 hrs).

This is the end of the translated blog and i hope you like it. Again, please excuse any mistakes in my English as I am not a native speaker.

Before the 2010/2011 earthquake the cruise ships docked in Lyttelton which is Christchurch´s harbour. Lyttelton cruise wharf is still in ruins (people there have more important repairs to do of course). So since the earthquake the cruise ships go to Akaroa. The wharf there is too small for the big ships and they can´t make it bigger as the water is too shallow. Plus, they plan on the long term to get the ships back into Lyttelton.

The Celebrity Today announced yesterday that passengers who want to go on shore independently would need to get a tender ticket. They had announced that they would start issuing tender tickets at 8 AM. I had to be at the wharf for my Scenic Mail Run by 8.45 AM so I really had to catch tender No 1. I arrived at the ticket desk at 6.45 AM (!) and was not the first person to wait there. Several people had had the same idea. A nice early morning chat until at 8 AM I was able to get a No 1 ticket. I heard several people complain that they had been there at 8 as scheduled and were assigned to tender No 15. The early bird is catching the worm, as we say here. I had a pleasant ride on the tender boat (it was sunny this morning) together with other cruise critic members and met the Akaroa postman at the wharf at 8.45 AM. Tender No. 2 and we would have missed our tour!

This really is a unique tour. The postman takes up to 8 guests with him on his 120 km / 5.5 hrs tour around the Eastern Bays. We really got some first hand insights on the daily life of the people there as there was no „tourguide speech“. We would just ask questions and he would answer them. We also met local people who were waiting for their mail. Some of the narrow roads we went on no big tourbus would have been able to take.

Around lunch time he would stop at a lookout and we would have tea and crackers and relish (home made by his wife).

I really loved this tour!

I had some time after the tour for a little walk in Akaroa itself. The postman had told us that the first settlers here had been French. The streets still have French names (which the locals pronounce English – sounds a little bit funny).

Akaroa pictures:

As for the weather: the sun was shining when tendering in the morning. Some rain during the mail run and the temperature rushed down from 18 to 10 °C in about 10 minutes. The postman told us that if you don´t like the weather in NZ you should just wait for 20 minutes as it will surely change. Back on the ship my dinner table mates told me that the Akaroa clothes shops had made their business of the year on coats and jackets that day! Many people had left their coats on the ships as it had been warm and sunny when they entered the tender boat. Upon arrival at the wharf they found themselves in the rain and cold so most people bought some new coats.

I was back on the ship by 5 PM and as it was cold and raining and I still suffered from my cold I decided to skip sail away again and take a nap. Up for the theatre show at 7 PM which was great tonight. Another Australian singer and instrumentalist, Hayden Smith, performed together with the Solstice orchestra. It was a mixture of musical songs, pop and jazz and I really liked it.

Went to bed directly after dinner again which helped to fight the cold.

We docked in Wellington at 8 AM the next morning. I had planned to take the local HoHo Bus which started at 10 AM at the tourist information. There was a shuttle bus from the cruise pier to the tourist information run by the city of Wellington for a few dollars which was great. The walking time from the pier to the tourist information was estimated at 30 minutes so I was grateful for the ride. After a good night´s sleep and not having to get up too early again my cold was much better and I left the ship at a few minutes past 9 AM. I didn´t pre-order the HoHo bus tickets for Wellington as their website only accepted NZ dollars payment. The company who runs most HoHo Busses worldwide (but not this one) accepts Dollars and Euros. My credit card charges me for payment in foreign currencies so that I assumed I would be better off buying at the tourist office. As we say here, it is good if you are able to read. They day I prepared my day in Wellington I obviously wasn´t. The Wellington HoHo Bus is no open top double decker but a small 10 passengers van which sells out quickly. They stated this on the website and I didn´t take notice of it.

Long story short: the 10 AM bus was sold out when I arrived at the tourist information and I got a seat on the 11 AM bus. One hour to hang around at the tourist information and explore the surounding area.

The good thing was the tourist information had 30 minutes free wifi so I was able to check my email (hadn´t been able to do this since embarkation in Sydney as I didn´t buy an internet package from Celebrity).

There was a photo stop at the Mt Victoria lookout where I feared to get blown away by the strong wind. We were told by the guide that strong winds are somewhat normal in Wellington and that the city is called Windy Wellington.

We then drove by the Weta Caves Film Studios. Some people hopped off there to take a guided tour but I stayed on the bus.

The downside of the small bus is that you have to confirm a pick up time if you want to hop off. If you are not there in time, the next bus may not have a seat for you. So when I hopped off at the cable car I decided not to ride it but have a walk in the Botanical Garden. My confirmed pick up was at the main entrance of the Botanical Garden and there is a marked downhill walk from the cable car to the main entrance. I would not have had enough time to ride the cable car and walk down to catch the next bus. The walk was lovely although it was still very windy and sometimes difficult to keep my balance.

I had a little lunch in the Rose Garden before the bus picked me up to continue the city tour. The tour finished at the Te Papa where I spent about 2 hrs exploring especially the history of NZ section.

A short walk back to the tourist information to catch the port shuttle bus and I was back on the ship a few minutes to 5 PM. As it was still sunny altough windy I decided to watch sail away on the outside deck at 6 PM which was great.

Wellington pictures:

I attended the 7 PM show at the theatre which was a show with songs by Neil Diamond (performed by a singer from the ship´s show ensemble). I really liked the show.

The next day was a sea day. I had a nice sleep in in the morning, had breakfast on the outside deck, spent some time listening to the speakers in the theatre and spent the rest of the day in the sun on the outside deck. The first day on this cruise without rain and/or storm! In the evening I even skipped the theatre show as I wanted to spend more time outside.

After dinner there was a drum showdown in the Atrium between the drummer of the orchestra and the drummer of the jazz band. Great performance!

The ship was scheduled to arrive at the port of Tauranga the next morning at 6.45 AM. I was supposed to meet my tour operator for the tour to Rotorua at 8.30 AM and therefore had decided to take things slowly. When an announcement was made at 7 AM I didn´t really pay attention to it. I assumed it to be the usual „the ship has been cleared by the local authorities and you may proceed ashore now if you wish“.

Arrived at the breakfast restaurant a few minutes later and found the place to feel like a beehive. Asked some people what had happened and was told that we were not able to dock now. The wind was so strong that the harbour master had refused to let the big cruise ships (there were 2 of us waiting) in. We would be in a holding position until 10 AM when the harbour master had promised an update.

The cruise director repeated his announcement every 15 minutes until 9 AM and then he had to change it: The harbour master had decided to close the harbour for the entire day! The ship´s program would be re-planned for a sea day and we would make our way to the Bay of Islands now.

Of course I was very disappointed but better be safe than sorry – I wouldn´t have wanted the Captain to risk a shipwreck either. People who had booked a shore excursion with the cruise line got a refund on their on board account immidiately. I had booked a tour with an independent local company but they had a cruise guarantee policy. When I checked my email later from Auckland I found a message from them stating they had already refunded my money in full. Wow, that was quick! From what I read after the cruise, some people booked on other local companies had some problems.

After an hour or so from turning away from Tauranga the wind calmed down. Some crew members told me that the wind only was that bad in the coast area near Tauranga. This at least made for a nice sea day. I listened to the speakers in the theatre again, was able to spend some time on the outside decks and attended a „band talk“ with the leader of the onboard jazz band. All in all a pleasant day. I was lazy and avoided the pool and the gym (using my cold as an excuse).

The show in the theatre had an Italian tenor who sang opera and musical songs and Italian folk songs. I liked his voice. After dinner I listened to the jazz band for a while before bed time.

The next morning was sunny and there was no wind to speak of in the Bay of Islands. We arrived early so at 7 AM the tender boats were ready to go ashore. I had shore excursion ticket with the cruise line for the Historic Hokianga tour. As they tender their own tour guests first I didn´t have to stand in line for a tender ticket this time.

The bus drove for some time from Waitangi wharf to the Waipoua forest. I liked the landscape we saw during the ride.

At the Waipoua forest we met a local Maori guide who took us to Tane Mahuta, the Lord of the forest. I really enjoyed this walk with him as he shared some Maori legends and songs with us.

As this was a rain cruise it was of course raining in the forest. But we were lucky to have the sun for the rest of the day.

Our next stop was at the Opononi Hotel were we had lunch followed by a harbour cruise at the Hokianga harbour by boat. Very enjoyable cruise!

We then went to the Waimate Mission House. The volunteer ladies who run the place told us that they could not afford to keep it alive without cruise ship passengers coming there! They said it was a shame as the place is important for NZs history as the 2nd signing place of the treaty of Waitangi. They have arranged with the cruise companies to have several bus loads of passengers during the cruise season to come there for afternoon tea and visit the museum and the church. I really enjoyed the visit.

After the tea time at Waimate we went back to the tender wharf near the Waitangi treaty grounds. As I had one more hour until the last tender boat was scheduled to go back to the ship I took the public shuttle the community of Pahia runs to get the people into the town´s centre. They have a crafts market there on cruise ship days and the place itself is nice to have a little walk. After buying some souvenirs I went back to the pier and from there took the tender back to the ship.

pictures from the Bay of Islands:

Unfortunately my trip was moving towards it´s end so I had to pack this evening. I finished packing while we were sailing away from the Bay of Islands, placed my luggage outside the cabin and went to the theatre for the final show. 4 young lady singers from Australia performed songs from souls & swing to rock & pop. I really liked their voices.

Went to bed early as my assigned disembarkation time for tomorrow would be 7.15 AM. I had asked for the early time as I wanted to make the most of my time in Auckland.

During the night the wind had grown into a real storm which was so heavy that the outside decks were closed for security reasons until lunch time the next day.

After breakfast I attended the cruise critic meeting at the sky lounge. It was really fun to meet all the people I had been chatting with on the internet for so long. I spent some more time in the following days with some of them.

My NZ immigration appointment was shortly after the forums meeting. There was a line up for immigration as there were some people who didn´t pay attention to the time given on their immigration letter. Waited in line for about 30 minutes and left the place with an „approved“ stamp on my arrival card after 5 minutes!

I spent a lazy day at the solarium interrupted by listening to the speakers. I tend to not move around so much on a ship in rough seas. Even though I don´t get seasick it is not easy for me to keep my balance if the ship is moving in all directions due to my walking issues.

Dining room was more than half empty in the evening. I guess there were several people who got seasick. Theatre this evening was an Australian comedy actor – I didn´t attend it. At my dinner table was a man from Australia who told me at dinner that he was ashamed of that comedian being supposed to represent his country that evening!

Went to bed early as I felt tired (from doing nothing all day!). The night was rocky again.

I spent the next morning listening to the speakers again and chatting with some people I had met the previous days. After lunch there was an extra performance in the theatre with Daniel Mallori again – the Australian Popera singer. When I left the theatre the wind had calmed down a little bit, outside decks were open to the public again and we even had about 1 hr without rain. I went up to the Lawn Club to watch the glass blowing show which I really liked.

Evening performance in the theatre was an Australian string duo who made some sort of comedy out of their music. The Cello player had some good moments but all together I didn´t enjoy this show too much.

Another slightly rocky night and in the morning I woke up with a running nose and itchy throat – a cold came up. I tried to ignore this and went on the outside deck to admire Milford Sound early in the morning. There even were some sunny moments! I guess pics like these made for NZ being called the land of the long white cloud.

When the ship turned to leave Milford sound the rain started again. I went to the Sky Lounge for the rest of the day to watch cruising Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound. Late in the afternoon shortly before we left Dusky Sound the sun came out for a few moments and I was able to take pictues on the outside deck.

pictures from Fiordland NP:

Tonight´s show at the theatre was a dance show which I really liked.

We docked in Port Chalmers at 9:10 AM the next morning which is 10 minutes later than scheduled. I knew in that moment I would not make it to the public Tairi Gorge train which left Dunedin at 9:30 AM. But at the end of the day I was quite happy with what I got from my excursion organized by cruise critic members:

The tour company´s bus took us to the railway station just to admire it (the train was gone, of course). Well worth the stop as the railway station is really impressive. After that a tourguide entered the bus and we drove through the lovely countryside to Pukerangi with the guide explaining lots of things.

The train turns in Pukerangi so we were able to board the train there for the journey back to Dunedin. This way I was able to see both – the road side and the train side! We had to wait in Pukerangi as the train chartered by Celebrity was late! I saw more than the people on that train and paid about 50% less.

During the train ride the landscape is really spectacular.

Back in Dunedin the bus picked us up for a 45 minutes city tour. It started to rain again now after a dry and partly sunny time at Tairi Gorge.

You can see that Dunedin is a Scottish settlement. They even have a Robert Burns memorial.

30 minutes to explore the city centre on my own (I explored a pharmacy to get some medication for my cold) and then it was time to go back to Port Chalmers to board the ship again.

On board I took some pills to fight my cold and went to bed for a nap until dinner. I didn´t go to the theatre show but I don´t think I missed much. Today´s show act was a hypnotist.

I woke up in time for dinner which was nice and went to bed again afterwards as I knew I would have to get up very early the next morning.

pictures Tairi Gorge and Dunedin:

The first full day of the cruise was a sea day. I love sea days especially when I need a rest. There is nowhere to go and nothing else to do than being on the ship so you have no choice but relax!

Unfortunately I woke up in the morning with a bad headache due to neck problems. I guess it had just been too much the previous days – especially Australia Day. I sat on my foldable crutch when watching the boat parade and yacht ballet and most of the time I use my shoulders to stabilize myself. Outcome of this are bad headaches – I somehow expected this to happen.

So at least I knew how I got the headache – and I knew how to get rid of it! The spa had anounced special prices for massages if you take the last available appointment of a day. So I took a headache pill and went upstairs to the spa. I was lucky the special price appointment for today was still available.

Later in the morning I listened to the 2 guest speakers in the theatre who talked about Tasmania´s history and about Mamals of Australia and New Zealand. Very interesting although I had some problems to understand everything the naturalist was talking about.

I treated myself to lunch at Bistro on 5 which was nice and then spent some time at the gym and the Solarium. Later in the afternoon the rain stopped and I sat at the aft bar looking at the back wave for some time. I was already quite relaxed when I went to the spa to get my massage. The massage was very good and the neck headache didn´t come back until I started to work again.

When I returned to my cabin to get dressed for formal night I found my very first towel animal sitting on the bed.I don´t know which animal this is supposed to be but I liked the gesture. One of my friends claims it is supposed to be a snake. I kept it sitting on the couch the entire cruise.

Formal night was fun. Everybody really dressed up for dinner & theatre. After dinner the Captain gave his welcome aboard speech followed by a Broadway style show. I really liked the show. They have a live playing big band for their shows – no music from a CD like on other cruise lines.

We docked in Hobart the next morning at 8 AM. I disembarked early to meet my tour group at the pier at 8:30 AM. I went on a private tour organized by cruise critic members. We went on a 10 passenger van with a local guide to explore Tasmania.

First we went to Mt. Field National Park. We went on a walk there to see the Russell Falls. We then went to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a little zoo that also works as a sanctuary. They especially care for the endangered Tasmanian Devil. We also saw Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats, snakes and some birds. Very interesting especially as we were guided by a staff member who explained the animals to us.

Our next stop was Richmond. In this village you can explore Australia´s oldest jail which now is a museum and Australia´s oldest bridge. We had lunch at a local bakery which was nice, too.

Back to Hobart and we had a city tour with stops at various lookouts before heading back to the ship.

Tasmania pictures:

This was a very nice port day. I´ve seen & learned a lot and spent the day with a friendly, knowleadgeable guide and in a funny group of fellow passengers. The good thing about a small group tour is that it is customized. If you want the guide to spend less time here and more there she just does it.

From now on I would run into most people from this tour group on board the ship frequently and have a little chat or spend an hour here and there with them.

We were lucky it didn´t rain when we were in port. The rain started again just in time for sail away. (This is my cruise with the smallest number of sail away spent on the sun deck I ever had so far – but I would only realize that at the end of the cruise when I tried to find out if I even had any nice weather for sail away!).

We left Hobart at 6 PM (in the rain). I went to the theatre after sail away to hear the Australian Popera singer Daniel Mallari and the Solstice Orchestra performing. Great show – Mr Mallari has a very good voice and the music was a good mixture of opera arias, musical songs and pop songs.

Dinner after the show and when I returned to my cabin I found the invitation to attend the cruise critic meeting tomorrow and an official letter stating I had to go to the NZ immigration officers at 10:15 AM tomorrow morning.

Wind started to blow more in the later evening and I had quite a rocky bed that night.