Wookie01

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Great to hear.    I never saw them working on the Magic Carpet and happy it is back in service.  It is a nice way to board Tenders.

 

Curious.    What time and day did they move from the terminal to the anchor location in Sydney Harbor.

I understand that it was at 3am, but I wasn’t awake to verify 😂

@terrydtx a quick follow up as promised, we are anchored in the harbour and the magic carpet is being used for tender service, that’s a relief 🙂

Update to some previous discussions here.

Today we checked into the Rydges in The Rocks, pre our cruise starting tomorrow.

As some have said previously it is a bit old a tired, even a bit musty.

But on the other hand the room is really generously proportioned and has a nice view of the harbour and Opera House. The lobby bar was very comfortable for drinks and some casual food too.

Can’t really fault it for the price and location. An easy 200 metre walk to the cruise terminal and cost less than $400 for the night.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I did mention earlier that Iain had a problem with the Luminae "Sommelier" trying to charge him for a bottle of wine that was available in many specialties by the glass.   When he spoke to the Cellar Master he apologized and said it was a training issue and not only sent a bottle to the room but also assured it would be available every night.     The "Sommelier" previously had told him there were only 2 bottles on the ship.   The Cellar Master said he had cases of it.   

That doesn't sound like a training issue, sounds more like a poor attitude and laziness by the sommelier. Perhaps he would be better off demoted back to the MDR and somebody more deserving with a better attitude should replace him. 😞

5 hours ago, Redking said:

Might be tendering? They sometimes offer an overland overnight excursion between Milford and Dunedin (our vice versa) so that you can see Queenstown and parts of Otago. Jim?

Could also be for crew drills perhaps 🙂

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

If you read it on the Internet it must be true.... oops who said that

 

From a reliable Source  - https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/cruise/cruise-schedule/

 

 

 

I believe what you may have read that Edge will be over-nighting in Sydney.   On 12/21/2023 for Disembarkation and Embarkation she will be at Overseas Passengers Terminal but will at some point shift location to the Athol Bay Anchorage and will commence tendering.

 

 

lol that was me, and I said that the next day we were tendering. 🙂

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Thank you for the clarification.

 

I see that you are from Melbourne, we will be in Melbourne for 2 nights after we get off our cruise and finish our driving trip. Is there anything we should see or do that we shouldn't miss while there? We will not have a car so getting there will need to be by local transportation. Thanks for any recommendations.

Let me know your interests and I will try to come up with some appropriate suggestions. 🙂

Just now, terrydtx said:

I am surprised that the Edge has to tender in Sydney must be too many ship in port on that day. Thank you for following up.

We board at the OPT in Circular Quay on 21 Dec, but next day is at anchor in the harbour until 6pm when we head to NZ.
Were originally scheduled to visit Newcastle (just north of Sydney) on that day but there is some issue with port access so that stop was cancelled. 🙂

7 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Jim,

 

Do you know if the Magic Carpet has been repaired and in use now? Our GBR cruise has 4 tendered ports.

Terry we are boarding on Wednesday (when Jim leaves) and our first day is anchored in Sydney harbour.

Tenders will be in use so I will let you know about the Magic Carpet then.

@Jim_Iain hope your internet service improves. Have they said why it is so slow?
Enjoy your sea days before hitting Auckland 🙂

3 minutes ago, Relaxing Robbies said:

We were on Grand Princess in Lyttelton yesterday. Princess provided pre booked shuttles to Christchurch for $15 AUD return. There was a free shuttle into Lyttelton that ran regularly. Once in Lyttelton you could wander the town at your leisure. At the bus stop adjacent to the shuttle stop they were also selling a day pass for the public bus for NZ$10, which could be paid by debit or credit card. You could also board the public bus and pay cash for your fare.

Could you return to the ship from Lyttelton or did you have to go back to Christchurch and return on the shuttle? 

36 minutes ago, ging466 said:

Middle aged men in lycra (MAMIL). It's a term we use to describe a lot of cyclists!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

Lol, also called FOFILs - Fat Old Farts in Lycra 😅

27 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

School holidays already in Australia?

Each state is slightly different, but all are on holiday from mid/late December until late January 🙂

Sydney Mardi Gras is on between February 16 and March 3, that is probably causing the price increase.

@Jim_Iain Was the boarding debacle the reason for the delay? It looked like you were a few hours late departing?

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

The worst part is Getting your mind wrapped around it before you leave.   After your arrive you think back and say --- It really wasn't that bad.  

 

The downside (about the only one 😉 ) to living in Australia, everywhere else is sooo far away 😉

Have a great day and enjoy your last port prior to disembarking.
Safe travels and fun memories, thank you so much for sharing your review with all of us here, it has been a delight to follow along 🙂

@Norwayladythanks for sharing your SS views, so sorry that the Celebrity executive team have cut back so harshly that the suite experience is not what it should be. 😞
We will be in our first (and last) SS in late December to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. It is an outrageous price and something that we will never do again, but we thought that it would be a great 'treat' to celebrate the milestone. Seems that Celebrity are doing their best to spoil the celebration 😞

@Norwaylady how are you and Mr enjoying the suite? Anything that has particularly pleased, or displeased you about it? Would love to hear your thoughts and impressions. 🙂

Thanks for your wonderful reports, they are a delight to read and my 'Mrs' enjoys me reading bits out to her.

We will be boarding in Sydney for the Xmas/New Year NZ cruise and it will be our first suite experience - so looking forward to it! 🙂
 

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Rydges Sydney Harbour, which is less than 200m from the OPT.
From what I have read it is a 'middle of the road' hotel with great convenience. We will be staying there prior to our cruise in late December.

50 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

The Sirloin En Croute looks delicious.

Would be nicer if they cooked it!
Lol, too rare for my likes 😉

We will be onboard for the NZ cruise over Xmas/NY and so looking forward to it 🙂

45 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

So, don’t the Retreat have Infinite verandah’s?

Nope, suites have traditional verandahs 🙂

5 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

There's a slight discount if you get the combo - https://www.christchurchattractions.nz/

 

The discovery ride at the top of the Gondola is short but excellent. 

 

You certainly don't need a ship excursion to go to the Gondola or any of the Christchurch attractions. 

Thanks, yes we were aware of the combo ticket.
My concern is whether we can take the bus on from the Gondola into Lyttelton to board the ship or do we have to return to Christchurch and pick up the shuttle from there. 🤔

Thanks everyone for the recent posts. 🙂
From what I read it is still a bit difficult if you want to go to the Gondola on the way to/from the ship as there are no ship excursions.
Not sure if it is possible to shuttle into Christchurch and then take the local bus back to Lyttelton via the Gondola, then be able to access the port.

Hi all,

We are sailing on Celebrity Edge in December and our package includes premium wifi for one device.

Does anybody know how Apple Watches perform in this environment?
Does the ship see the watch as a second device?

My iPhone will probably be on airplane mode to avoid accidental network usage, will that create any problems?

thanks for any assistance, Graham 🙂