grozzy1

You realise this post was nearly 2 years ago?

On the Spirit recently, my card was swiped at some outlets, so if you have your card in a sleeve be prepared to remove it

They were very fortunate. I don't remember enough details to Google it, but one of the museum's in Wellington has a display on several maritime tragedies through the years

There was barely any easing in the rain all day. It was constant Forrest Gump. Today was dry enough to get out and explore, but there was plenty of debris in the CBD

I got off the Norwegian Spirit yesterday, luckily my hotel room was ready. For most people it was a good day to stay indoors. She seemed to be enjoying herself I also had a ticket for Elton John, but didn't even attempt to go to the stadium.

A public bus took me south to the gondola and a trip up to the top of the hills. Spectacular 360° views north to Christchurch And south to Lyttleton and the Spirit Final stop was a quick walk down the main street of Lyttleton before returning to the ship

Today's adventure was in Lyttleton and Christchurch. A quick geography lesson. Lyttleton is the port and Christchurch is the city about 20min north on the Canterbury plains, seperated by large hills I started by hopping on the paid shuttle to Christchurch. I had previously been here in 2007, before the devestating earthquakes of 2010-2011 I was keen to see the recovery. The Cathedral is one of the landmarks still being restored. I don't know when or if it can be fully back to its magnifice. Pre earthquakes. Many modern buildings have been rebuilt though there are still patches of vacant land. This hole was the hotel I stayed at 15 years ago, still waiting to be redeveloped. The tourist trams also make a circuit of the city, even though an arcade Next was a stroll along the Avon River. No prizes for guessing where it's styled after

The food menu on Spirit is basically just macarons. And I think the drinks aren't as varied either. So it does vary between ships

My transfer was part of the railway excursion, but I think you can pre pay for the 20 min ride. They were using ordinary public buses without much ventilation

Saturday's port is Dunedin/Port Chalmers Sunrise and passing the Albatross centre. I had booked the Railway Experience, which was a bit expensive, but I didn't want to regret it later. Transport was on a fairly ordinary bus to Dunedin railway station. I believe that pre COVID the trains went right to the dock. Provided was a snack box which nobody could be allergic to. Let's just say if you want something a bit more filling go to the buffet car. Returning, I had a quick walk around Dunedin before catching the shuttle bback

Not much to report from yesterday, weather was cloudy and drizzly, so it was just an indoor reading type day. Day 6 is the Sounds Picked up the pilot. Prime outdoor viewing location was deck 13 forward, above Spinnakers and opened up as we entered the sound Noordam was leaving as we entered PXL_20230119_201108539.mp4 PXL_20230119_201108539.

Day 4 is the first of 2 crossing the Tasman. I took it easy and didn't take many photos. The Local is now my semi regular breakfast choice. Morning was spent reading in Spinnakers. Afternoon was spent playing Deal or no Deal, then Bingo. Dinner was great at Teppanyaki with my Mexican tablemates. Entertainment was the first of 3 main shows World Beats. For such a modest size cast I was impressed with the number of costume changes and the number of routines they had to remember

Day 3 was in Melbourne, temperature of 35°c most likely the hottest day of the cruise. Today we'll be sharing Station Pier with Pacific Explorer. I've been to Melbourne plenty of times, so I was happy just to Freestyle™ it. Getting into the city was easier than expected. A free shuttle bus dropped us off near the casino then straight onto a tram to the zoo. When I got tired of walking around the zoo a train took me back to Flinders St station, one of Melbourne's 2 main stations. Next was Eureka Skydeck with views over the city and bay. A quick trip to get some reading material then onto the tram to the ship I could have spent the day at the beach I think there were 1 or 2 buses back late because we were over half an hour late to depart. PXL_20230117_08

I'm currently on Norwegian Spirit. They've been through the fjords twice so far this summer and confident of returning in a few days. They're obviously doing something right that other ships haven't.

Here's some pictures of my cabin. I'm in a typical balcony midship of deck 11. This balcony has an overhang from the lido deck above which provides some shelter from the weather. Though it may obstruct the view above the horizontal when going through fjords. Typical power sockets at the desk. There's also USB in the reading lights above the bed

Looks like on the smaller ships they've gone back to the old fashioned muster outside. Don't ask me why. You just had to scan your card, then shut up and listen and watch the demonstration. Maybe this way it's easier to ensure everyone has attended and you don't need to chase people up

I meant to post these before we left the harbour but I had technical difficulties. Sorry they're a bit out of order The reason we left from White Bay was because Ovation of the Seas was at Circular Quay Muster was a bit crowded, held on the deck 7 promenade. Everyone must have done the right thing because we backed out on time at 6 Passenger count for this cruise is just under 1300 and something like 900 crew. I paid for the streaming internet upgrade, and now I have it mostly figured out it isn't too bad so far. I've been able to get my YouTube fix

Got up before dawn to watch the ship sail in. Got to White Bay a bit earlier than expected because the Uber driver knew where to go. Google navigation sends you to the wrong place. I had 30 min to wait for the check in to open at 11. The port staff seem confused about priority access but I managed to skip the long line. Once I had my card it was a quick trip through border security and the metal detector then straight onto the ship before 11:30

I won a night's stay at Crown Sydney so I decided to use it for a precruise stay. Crown is Sydney's second casino. They spent heaps building it only to be told they were unfit to hold a gaming licence. The casino part eventually opened but only for VIPs. Great room and views though but a touch outside my budget! Also took a RAT test and photographed it. Remains to be seen how vigilant they are about it, and I'm sure you could fake it if you wanted.

A bit of background: I was originally booked on a similar cruise 12 months ago but Australia and NZ weren't quite ready for cruising so I've been waiting quite a while for this trip. It's a 12 night cruise the first half will be mostly sea days crossing the Tasman then up the east coast of New Zealand to Auckland. I'm travelling solo in a balcony cabin. I'll try to post at least daily but if you don't hear from me for a while there's probably one of three reasons: The internet sucks The ship has sunk I just can't be bothered. Meanwhile, here's some photos I prepared earlier

My bid for a suite on Spirit just went live about 11 days out. The hard part will be trying to avoid getting caught up in the excitement and paying "overs"

In the days leading to your cruise this channel should give you an idea of the weather conditions in the Tasman I have no idea if this works or I am just resistant to sea sickness. They taste good though!

Emma Cruises has put out a YouTube with her experience. Personally, if their safety is that bad I'd take the refund, not the FCC and stay clear of the ship.

They were having dinner at 9:30am?

They were fortunate to have an accurate location, I wonder how long till the alarm was raised. The search pattern appears tight and efficient