Live Blog (Hopefully) – 02/20/2013 -03/06/2013 – Atlantis Events - HAL Oosterdam

[hpf]

Thanks for writing such an interesting report. I actually know someone on this cruise, he and his partner are from Nova Scotia, he (Ian) has his trailer stored hereat our place for the winter; and when he dropped it off for storage he was telling me about the cruise. So if you see Ian from NS tell him the Fiddes's say hello.

Have a continued great cruise.

Helen

[Typhoon1]

Looking forward to future live posts.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience with all of us.

[brucory]

Your Akaroa post was definitely my favourite so far!!!

 

I particularly liked the way you dealt with the 2 burgers situation!!!

 

Re the credit card pin: It took a while but most people prefer it here now as you dont have to wait for the chit to sign. Speeds things up...

 

:D:D:D

[absolutboy20]

Day 5 – 02/24/2013 – Dunedin

 

By the time we had woken up, we had already arrived at Port Chalmers, the gateway to Dunedin (pronounced Do-need-in). Port Chalmers is an active working port terminal, and the area is filled with shipping containers and pine logs ready to be shipped out to be made into furniture and paper. Our excursion for the day was a Sea Kayak tour with a meeting time at 1:30PM. As we were quite tired from last night, we took it easy in the morning and headed to the MDR for breakfast. I had my normal meal of an made-to-order omelet, bacon, and sausage.

 

Dunedin is about a fifteen minute bus ride from Port Chalmers. When you exit the ship, you can purchase a round trip ticket for a shuttle bus for about $15.00. We decided to venture into town prior to our excursion. We walked through the town and visited the train station, apparently the second most photographed landmark in the southern hemisphere, and walked by the Cadbury egg factory. We had lunch in the central downtown district while people watching. Many of the stores were closed on Sunday so there really was not much to do. We decided to head back to the ship and eat some more.

 

Around 1:30PM we met our shuttle at the pier to take us on our sea kayak adventure. There were a total of 14 people for this excursion, and it was a about a 40 minute bus ride to get to the kayaking site. The location is literally on the opposite end of the harbor and as there is no bridge or ferry system, the only way to get there is to basically go along the coast side and drive on narrow curvy roads. So if you're motion sickness prone, sit in the front of the bus.

 

When we arrived, we met our guides who gave us the basic instructions on how to kayak, and where we were heading. The kayaks seat two people each, with the person in the rear controlling the rudder with their feet. For the people who were couples, the guides mentioned that the kayaks can sometimes be referred to as divorce kayaks. My partner and I decided that I would take the rear and control the rudder. My partner has kayaked before in a single kayak, and he was the only one in our group with any kind of experience. They provided a kayak bib that looks like a sundress when it's detached from the kayak, so to see 14 guys wearing this was quite amusing.

 

Once we went through the safety briefing of how to detach ourselves from the kayak in case of a rollover, we were pulled into the water to begin the journey. The journey pretty much began as not a peaceful kayak excursion, but as kayak bumper cars. It took a while for people to get into the groove of the coordinating the pedaling with their partner and how to best use the rudder. My partner suggested during the excursion if I could possibly keep us going in a straight line rather than in a squiggly pattern, and I happily suggested if he would like to switch places with me while we were in the middle of the bay. I also suggested if he could stop scooping up heaps of water with his oar and splashing me in the face that would be helpful. Divorce kayak was brewing.

 

We did eventually get in sync and headed down the coast where we were able to see seals and albatross. The kayaking portion was roughly an hour long, and it was a good workout. At the end of the tour, the guides had some coffee, tea, and hot chocolate along with several types of baked goods to eat. The voucher for the excursion stated to bring towels which we grabbed several from the pool deck. By the way, I have heard about the new beach towel policy on other ships being implemented, but I have not seen this being implemented on the Oosterdam. I would also suggest a change of clothes as well as the person in the rear will get wet. I was soaked. By the time we arrived back at the pier, we were one of the last excursions to arrive prior to the gangway being pulled. The port had two bagpipe players playing and continued playing while we left port.

 

The afternoon activity on board was the Classic Disco Tea dance in the mid ship lido pool deck. All of the chairs and loungers are stacked into the corner of the deck so that the entire area can be used as a dance hall. This was by far the best attended event so far, with very little room on deck to move around. There were plenty of costumes, and I wore a green dealer visor, green 70's running shorts, and had a battery operated disco ball that I taped to a headband that rotated and lit up. The partner was in full disco attire complete with a wig, white disco suit, and a blinding sequin dress shirt.

 

After the afternoon dance party, we changed and went to the MDR for dinner. The MDR is all open dining with no reserved seating times. I love open dining and we had minimal wait time in getting seated. We always request a shared table, and last night our table consisted on the Ralph and Jeff that we just happened to run into in line waiting to get seated, a single Australian doing the roommate program, another couple from Sydney, and another solo traveler at the end of the table.

 

The evening entertainment consisted of the Garage Band in the Vista Lounge performed by the HAL entertainers, karaoke hosted by Miss Richfield 1981 in the Queen's Lounge, and dessert extravaganza at 11PM in the atrium lobby. We headed for the Queen's Lounge for karaoke, but we couldn't even get into the room with an overflow group at the entrance. My partner went to the casino for some 3-card poker, and I watched for a few minutes until I decided to go to the room and sleep. He stayed up for the dessert extravaganza.

 

The next day is a sea day with us starting our crossing on the Tasman. The captain made an announcement last night stating that crossing looks promising, with it being bumpy at times but should be better than normal. Keeping my fingers crossed. For some history on this cruise, this itinerary was done by Atlantis Events in 2010 on the Volderdam. During that crossing, all events had to be canceled, balconies were locked off, and I had heard it was two days of people being very seasick. Better make sure I put on a new Scop patch just in case.

[brazilgirl]

Wonderful review so far! Thank you so much for taking us on your adventures with you. Your costumes sound incredible , no pictures?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing.

[Dolly's my dog]

Thank you for taking the time to write about your cruise. I am really enjoying it. We are booked on the Oosterdam departing Auckland on March 30th, Auckland to Seattle 37 days.

[JamieB21]

Great post. Has me really excited to be on board the Oosterdam in July for the RSVP Vacations Alaska charter out of Seattle.

[debsjc]

Hope you are still have a good cruise. Looking forward to the next installment, when you get time. :)

[brucory]

Is this cruise over now?

 

Looking forward to your updates Absolutboy20 and hope you enjoyed Mardi Gras and got home safely!!!!

 

:p:p:p

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just catching up.

Have loved everything you have posted so far.

[brainyblonde]

Oosterdam specific question: Are there charges for the espresso and cappucccino in the MDR for breakfast and/or dinner?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

brainyblonde

[Seago2]

Ok I am loving this! Thank you for doing a live from, it can get extremely pricey and hard to keep up- but we're all on tenterhooks waiting for your next post.

 

Thank you!

[gelo7]

Thanks, for checking in.

[absolutboy20]

Day 6 and 7 – Crossing the Tasman Sea 02/25/2013 and 02/26/2013 (I failed at Live Blogging)

 

Sorry guys, from this point on it's no longer a live blog as it is obviously not February. I ran out of steam, time, and then the intermittent internet connection that ate up all my minutes. I spent part of my thirteen hour flight flying home trying to type up some of the remaining portions, and will complete the remaining hopefully this weekend. My hats off to the people who are able to live blog the entire cruise!

 

There were two sea days in our crossing from Dunedin to Melbourne. This was the portion of the cruise that many passengers who did the 2010 charter were very concerned about as it can be quite rough. Although there were swells during the crossing, I will say that the seas cooperated.. Malcolm our Atlantis cruise director contributed to the power of positive thinking which I'll take over rough seas.

 

I normally look forward to sea days as that means I will be laying out by the pool, but the first day was drizzly and cold, and the second day was foggy and cold. The covered lido deck pool was at its capacity, and I spent a good amount of time in the Exploration's Cafe catching up on some reading and or taking a nap in our room.

 

One event worth mentioning during the crossing was Bingo with Miss Richfield 1981. The game was scheduled to start around 4:00PM, and they asked for people to come early to purchase the cards so that they could start on time. We arrived roughly 20 minutes before game started. The line for Bingo went from the entrance of the Vista Lounge (main stage) to mid-ship which would be by the Ocean Bar. One of the crew members who assists in organizing the games stated she had never seen a turnout for Bingo in those numbers. The theater was packed by the time we started the game. Bingo pots ranged from $700.00 on one game to over $2,000 for the last blackout game. I unfortunately was not a winner on any of the games, but was happy to hear of a local cruiser from San Jose who works for the Rosicrucian Museum winning the large $2,000 pot. It still amazes me how many people call out a false Bingo when they get a some numbers in a row, after numerous reminders from Miss Richfield during the game, and the type of game that we are playing is on a giant projection screen with the numbers!! I don't know if this happens to the winner of a Bingo on a regular cruise, but the winner of the game on these cruises is normally pelted with crumpled losing cards by fellow passengers. You can imagine the scene with the Vista Lounge at it's capacity what this looks like.

 

The first sea day's night time entertainment was Bruce Villanch, who most notably was in Hairspray and Hollywood Squares. I believe he also wrote or directed the Academy Awards in the past. We did attend his second show in the Vista Lounge at 10:30PM, and although my partner is a huge fan of his, he was a little bit of a disappointment. I've seen parts of his comedy acts in the past, but it just didn't seem he had his full deck of jokes with him that night. There were several groups who left during the show, but I just feel personally bad doing that and we stuck around to the end. The other entertainment that night was Not-So-Newlywed Game in the Queen's Lounge, a sequel to the Newlywed game from the previous night, and David Hernandez, another former contestant from American Idol in the Queen's Lounge at 11:00PM. Matt Yee was also performing his singalong act named “Divas Dead: The Afterlife” show at 11:00PM in the Ocean Bar. Dancing theme on the lido deck that night was Pacific Heat. The original plan Atlantis had was to broadcast the Academy Awards live that afternoon in a public venue, but unfortunately due to the location of the ship they were unable to obtain a satellite feed. They tried to get a taped version to show on the second sea day but they could not get one in time.

 

The second sea day's activities included pool games of “Are you Smarter Than a Straight Girl”. They gather as many straight girls as they can including employees of the ship and bring in a straight guy if there are not enough girls, and compete against gay men which there happens to be an abundance of on this ship. I'm not revealing who won =).

 

The secret entertainer that was brought in for the main stage that night was Heather Small. She is well known in Australia selling 9 million albums with M-People. I recognized one of her songs named Proud and she was well received and attended. Matt Yee's sing-along show at this point for the fourth night (previous names were Divas Live, Divas Dead, Divas Afterlife) was named, “Matt Yee's Naked”. I didn't attend that show but can pretty much guarantee he wasn't as his title claimed.

 

The nighttime theme on the Lido deck this night was Atlantis Classics, which is pretty much 80's and 90's music. The party starts at 11:00PM. This is an unpublished theme that's not given as a theme party in advance, so I didn't prepare for this one and like my live blog that ended abruptly, I actually called it an early night after seeing Heather Small. This guy can only take so many late nights in a row and tomorrow was Melbourne, so I had room service send up two salmon fillets and french onion soup, and it was a wrap for the night. Tomorrow is Melbourne which I didn't do any research on in advance as I had booked two excursions. Penguin's on Phillip's Island and “Kangaroo's and Koalas In the Wild!!”

[linanles]

Glad to see you are back. I thought you might have got lost at the Sydney Mardi Gras.:)

Once you've completed your blog and things settle can you post a message let us know what you found with internet access. I thought you were using mobile roaming for wireless broadband but maybe I read your earlier post wrong and that was only for phone and text.

[absolutboy20]

Day 8 – Melbourne – 02/27/2013

 

From a person who knew NOTHING about Melbourne, first off I was pronouncing it Mel-born but it's apparently Mel-Ben or Bin, I was blown away by this city, literally. It was very windy getting into the city and overcast. I was taking power positive thinking from Malcolm our Atlantis Cruise Director that the weather will improve. Well it started showering so I gave up on that idea. But in all seriousness, I never realized how big the city was. Apparently the city is of roughly four million people, bigger than any city in the San Francisco bay area.

 

One very important item to note on a cruise first entering into Australia from a foreign port is that they have a requirement that all passengers must disembark and go through customs/immigrations before any passengers are allowed back on board. I don't know how bad disembarkation like this is on a normal cruise, but our charter tried to create some organization in this by asking passengers to pick up a card that had a gay icon on it the night before arriving (icons included Barbara Streisand, Judie Garland, Liza, you get the idea but there was outrage Madonna was not included) which determined a time frame as to when we were able to disembark. Suite guests were given a special card that allowed them to disembark at their convenience.

 

We disembarked a little after 11:00AM to explore the city as we had an excursion of Penguins at Phillip's Island which we needed to be back to the ship by 4:00PM. Melbourne is truly a city that I would move to in a heartbeat if I wanted the city lifestyle. The best way I can describe Melbourne from my experience is Chicago with it's it's riverfront but better designed with parks, shops, and restaurants, and better weather (not when we go). The city is VERY clean and apparently it was a planned city in that they built a central business district (CBD) and planned the areas all around as to what was to be built/zoned. When we arrived on shore, there was a long line for the convenience store which sold the electronic passes that are required to get on the light rail system that has a station right at the end of the port terminal. The system does not take cash, only the RFID card. This line will take you to the central business district which is the downtown area of Melbourne. When we asked the information desk as to what the best thing to do as we had a short amount of time prior to our excursion, she stated that it would probably be best to just take stroll along the coast towards St. Kilda. Five minutes into our walk, we ran across a large stand with about twenty blue bicycles with the words Melbourne written on the frame. They turn out to be three speed bicycles that the city had installed and are rent able by the public with a credit card using the automated machine. The cost was roughly $3 for a day, and there were about twenty stations in Melbourne where the bicycles could be checked-in and checked-out. We thought this would be a great way to see the city and quickly swiped our credit cards for two bikes. We were well on our way but first we had to find helmets as the kiosk indicated that in the state of Victoria has a helmet law. The local convenience stores sold helmets for a reasonable $5 (I'm assuming they must be subsidized). I accidentally purchased a size too small as I wanted the helmet that had the word “Melbourne” on it (looks over safety), and ended up having to purchase another helmet as my big head wouldn't come close to fitting.. At least they were only $5 each. We rode around town venturing into the downtown area but it began to rain, yes it's summer here (caveat to this is that I'm from central coast California, and it rarely rains in the summer or is humid) and as my partner was concerned about having to go to the excursion wet, we headed back towards the pier to look for something to eat.

 

We ended up going to a restaurant on near the pier, and normally my experiences in the past have been that the food in these more touristy areas are on the expensive side and mediocre. It ended up being one of two of my past experiences. There were about three restaurants near the pier, all looking very new and modern, and we went to a restaurant called the Waterfront which obviously had amazing views. The restaurant had a sign stating no singlets, and not knowing what that meant we asked the hostess. By her first description we thought she was describing a bikini which was not a problem that day for us. But upon further questioning and her response us saying bikini, it turns out to be tank-tops. Luckily we aren't tank tops or bikini wearers. In the restaurant and looking over the menu, I kept seeing a fish in New Zealand and now Australia called barramundi. Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a whole grilled barramundi with the lemon oil. It turns out to be a white fish and the taste I found to be more like mackerel. I liked it but the partner did not. The hard part of ordering a whole fish are the bones. I also had a seafood chowder that was outstanding. We ended up eating our meal quite quickly as we were getting close to our meeting time for our excursion. An unfortunate event as the meal was expensive but now I'm realizing what meal isn't expensive in New Zealand and Australia. A Red Bull, $5, a quick glance by a McDonald's for a Big Mac $8.

 

We met our bus on the pier for our Penguins of Phillip's Island tour. This was quite a popular tour in that our charter needed two buses. Originally it was scheduled to be a two hour drive to get to Phillip's Island, but with rush hour traffic and the rain, the drive took three hours. The tour was to include a stop at the Nobbies, a rock formation near Phillip's Island and a meal at the visitor's center prior to heading out to see the penguins. Our meal was a little rushed as we were very behind schedule and needed to reboard the bus to get to the actual viewing area. The meal at the visitor's center which had amazing views of the Nobbies and was a private second floor meeting room, was decent which included hamburger patties, bread, sausages, a caprice salad, and miniature desserts. I wasn't my favorite meal in the world but I was starving. A wish list item would have been a Pinnacle Bar. After scarfing down some food, water, and instant hot coffee which interestingly tasted like the Lido deck coffee, we went outside to quickly view the Nobbies. One of the passengers pointed out to us some penguins in the areas underneath the walkway who were already in their nests. Some quick non-flash pictures and we were off onto the bus. My partner reminded me to make sure I board the right bus, but with only three tour buses at that location, two gay and the other a Korean tour, I told him it shouldn't be a problem.

 

We arrived at the viewing area and the parking lot was large but not overcrowded so we felt pretty lucky. One thing to note about the this excursion is that there is absolutely no videotaping or photography allowed of the penguins, even with the flash off. There are minders who do enforce this as it may affect the penguins eyesight and scare them from their nesting areas. The visitor's center does have a great photo booth area where they will photoshop you into a picture filled with penguins. I saw a couple of people from our group coming up with hilarious ways of looking around the penguin. After going through the gift shop, walking out on wooden walkways to the viewing area, we arrived at the beach that is set up with large stadium style concrete bleachers for the guests. The beach itself is dimly lit as to not to disturb the penguins while they emerge from the ocean. Right about after sunset, we began seeing small specks emerging out of the water. They came out in small groups, and would take their time in walking out of the water to the shoreline, stopping frequently. We would see them waddle to the shore, and disappear into the fields behind us. This is entertaining to watch, but if we were to do it over again, the BEST viewing areas are actually on the wooden walkways heading back towards the Visitor's Center. This is where you are able to see the penguins heading back to their nests after coming off the beach, and many of them literally waddle their way back parallel to the walkways. This is where you're able to see them waiting for their mate in their nests, some pecking each other while waddling up the trail, all while having the sounds of penguins calling their mates wafting through the air. My suggestion for the people taking this tour is that it is best to watch the first few penguins emerge from the ocean to get that experience, but definitely spend more time on the walkways. We needed to be back at our coach at 9:15PM, and after finding our coach, it was a quiet two hour bus ride back to the the Oh-Stir-Dam in Mel-bin or Ben.

[absolutboy20]

Linanles,

 

Mardi-Gras was unbelievable and you're right I can't believe I made it through!

 

I was using my international roaming data package to access the internet on my Iphone to check e-mails, but in order to do my blog I needed use of my laptop (hard to type a blog on my phone) and ship data as I can't tether my Iphone to my laptop until a good jailbreak comes out as it's a locked feature with my wireless carrier.

 

If you're using just using your wireless carrier, my roaming package was automatically connecting to Vodaphone both in Australia and New Zealand. While cruising off the coast of New Zealand (Auckland to Dunedin), I was able to get good reception from the shore. The Tasman crossing had no Voda connection and switched to the Cellular-At-Sea which my plan does not include, but I hear some others do so check with your provider. On the coast of Australia, I had Voda coverage for Melbourne and I would say two or three hours heading in and out of the port of Melbourne, but no coverage while cruising between Melbourne and Sydney. Sydney obviously had good coverage.

 

I think you were the one asking about Telestra, and unfortunately I only checked that one time when it was asked and as it wasn't the default carrier, I didn't check it other times.

 

One thing to note was that I found myself having to reboot the phone several times as it would show reception but the data would not connect. This may be a non-issue if it's your native carrier. Even though my phone can do 4G and LTE, the plan would only allow 3G connection.

[absolutboy20]

Brainyblonde,

 

I only ordered a cappuccino once in the MDR, and that one time was the only time they didn't have to take my card for charging.

[linanles]

Thanks for the internet report.

If it was raining in Melbourne you should have waited a couple of hours and it would have been hot and sunny. Melbourne is famous for having all four seasons in one day. I'm a crow eater (South Australian born) but now live with the banana benders (Queenslanders). We aussies like to poke fun at the other capital cities. :D

I look forward to seeing what you thought of Sydney after your thoughts on Melbourne.

[brucory]

Day 8 – Melbourne – 02/27/2013

 

.....

 

Melbourne is truly a city that I would move to in a heartbeat if I wanted the city lifestyle. The best way I can describe Melbourne from my experience is Chicago with it's it's riverfront but better designed with parks, shops, and restaurants, and better weather (not when we go). The city is VERY clean and apparently it was a planned city in that they built a central business district (CBD) and planned the areas all around as to what was to be built/zoned.

 

LOVED the Melbourne update.... It truly is a great place to live... Sorry to hear that you copped the rain... This week, we are in the middle of ten days above 30 C/ 92 F.... No rain - just VERY hot sun!!!!

 

As Linandles said, Aussies like to poke fun at other cities. One example of this is Melbournians saying that "Sydney is the girl you would like to have a fling with, while Melbourne is the girl you would like to marry..." - typical of the Melbourne vs Sydney debate!

 

Looking forward to reading about Sydney and the big party!!!

 

:D:D:D

[absolutboy20]

Day 9 – Melbourne 02/28/2013

 

Let's face it, the weather has been the only downer on this cruise, and our overnight stay in Melbourne at port was no exception. There were good swells that night and the ship was literally being pushed against the pier which gave passengers who don't live in California their first taste of tremors throughout the night.

 

We had a early morning excursion, In the Wild! Kangaroo's and Koalas (Yes the excursion booklet literally had an exclamation point in it). We had the early morning 8:30AM tour, so it was perfect that we booked a late night excursion the night before. The Lido deck “coffee” helps. We boarded another bus at the pier, and my understanding was that there were three tour buses that day for the tour. After a question from the passengers about whether there would be bears or otters on this excursion (the gays will get that reference) and the tour guide right on cue answering by stating he was asked that question the day before on the previous tour and knows that reference, we were on our way for a forty five minute bus ride out to bush country. Here's a helpful hint, if you're looking to see koalas and kangaroos up close like at a zoo, don't book this tour. If you're looking to see koalas and kangaroos in their natural habitat and having to view them from a distance, AND have good coffee at the break area, you'll like this tour.

 

During the bus ride out, our guide mentioned that on average they are able to view one to three koalas. We were able to see two koalas perched high in the trees. It's good idea to bring a camera with an actual zoom feature and binoculars as it does come in handy. It was a little on the windy side so the koala views could get blocked by the trees. The two researchers that we met during the koala portion of the tour indicated that the money from the tours goes towards their research. The researchers were very knowledgeable and helpful in trying to get the best viewings as possible while trying not to stress the koalas.

 

After the koala portion, we were taken to a park for some coffee/tea and small treats which was prepared by a local caterer. Again, the coffee was good, and the treats looked good but I'm not sweets fan.

 

We were back on the bus to the kangaroo! sanctuary. The kangaroos in this area all being studied by the local university, so they all were wearing neckbands. One thing to note, kangaroos poop A LOT. The field which was huge and expansive was covered in dung. Our guide pointed out to not worry about the kangaroos excrements' but to watch out for the emus as those can be on the smelly side. Part of my entertainment on this excursion came from watching one fellow passenger from Canada try and tip toe his way through the field wearing Prada and what looked like stockings to a wildlife excursion. Ok back to the excursion: we saw a great deal of kangaroos in their herd and spent about forty minutes viewing them from a distance. After several hundred pictures, we headed back to the bus where the tour took us to two other locations where we viewed wild birds in their natural habitats which consisted of dry lake beds that have been recently filled by the rain. One other item worth mentioning is that you need to be careful where you walk on this excursion, not because of the previous mentioned item, but you can literally be walking through a large colony of ants if you are not careful. The ants like Australia are giant and quickly get onto your legs if you are stationary near their colony.

 

We returned from the excursion back to the pier a little after 1PM, at which point we headed into Melbourne to tour the city. We took a cab this time around which was reasonable and had them drop off us off at the Eureka Tower, the tallest building in Melbourne. One interesting note about this tower is that it is completely an all residential tower without any office space. The observation deck is located on the 88th floor of this building. We like tall buildings, and are a sap for these observation towers as it gives a great view of the cities we visit. We took pictures of the downtown area, pier with our ship in dock, and they also have a caged deck that is outside. It is included with the price of the observation deck, and one must go through two automatic doors which you have to wait for one door to close before the other opens. The reasoning for this is that the space literally could be used a wind tunnel facility once outside. After the included full body hair dryer experience, we were saps again and purchased The Edge experience. In this experience, you are placed in a frosted glass room with the floor also being made of glass, and it is pushed out and suspended over the side of the building. Once extended, the frosted glass turns clear and you can see the city all around and through the floor. Here's the thing, the experience could be better in my opinion. The frosted glass doesn't turn as clear as I think it should, so it doesn't give the person the full on effect. I found the one at the Sears/Ellis Tower in Chicago to be better and also included with the price of normal admission.

 

After the tower, we headed towards the riverfront, and venturing down the walkways to look for a restaurant. They had one really interesting looking restaurant at the base of bridge on the river, but the barbeque menu just didn't appeal at that time. We continued wandering through the riverfront, and ended up at a restaurant where we quickly glanced at the menu. After further review of the menu after sitting down, we realized that we ended up at the same restaurant, but different location, the Waterfront from the previous day. I did order the seafood chowder that was actually different from the one by the pier, and a salmon fillet. I still enjoyed the experience.

 

As I was carrying the two helmets that we purchased the day before, I was determined to get some more bike riding accomplished. The weather cleared up somewhat and we were actually able to feel sun that afternoon. I didn't know the precise location of the rental bikes, and after several attempts of trying to have Google Maps work on my phone, we finally headed in the right direction and found the rental spot on the riverfront. We rented two bikes, and headed down the river watching paddlers training with their coaches on megaphones. There must have been a competition coming up as every rowing team seemed to have been on that river. I somehow was confident that following the river would lead to the ocean at which point it we would be able to check the bikes back in near the pier where we originally rented the bikes the first day. After riding for a while with no ocean in site, Google Maps not loading again on my phone, I began to realize that the river ends at the ocean on the west side of the pier, and not the east side. We were heading up river and further away from the dock. Looking at my watch we had an hour before the ship left that day. The entire nightmare of watching the boat sail away came to my head, the bead sweat started, and the thought of all the wasted money spent on booking all excursions through HAL to avoid this specific issue started. If we missed the boat after I was fully confident in the direction we were heading, I knew the “look” I would be receiving from my loving partner. Somehow saying to him don't worry we have traveler's insurance didn't seem like it would sooth the issue. I quickly told him that we're heading back to the location of where we rented the bikes. We arrived to the bike station about thirty minutes before we were told to be back on the ship. Luckily, we were able to grab the last two remaining docking stations for the bikes. I really don't know what we would have done if those docking stations weren't available. We could have been returning to the ship with two bikes we had now purchased compliments of the city of Melbourne. We grabbed a cab back through rush hour traffic, and we were on board 10 minutes before our mandatory time. Needless to say, I was lucky.

 

Tonight's entertainment and biggest event on board, the White Party on the lido deck. As the name implies, anything white goes and again people were very creative. This is the last large night party as the next day is a sea day before arriving at Sydney for Mardi Gras. The roof on the lido deck was again closed as the weather was cool. I was lit up with white LED's like a movie marquee. I stayed up until around 2:30AM at which time I headed to bed. The next was was the last full sea day, and I am on a mission to get a full pool day in the sun.

[absolutboy20]

Lilanes,

 

It's 11PM here and I'm still obviously on Aussie time as I'm not tired but should head to bed. Yes I did hear about Melbourne and four seasons in a day, and we got some good weather the second day I still say. Sydney report coming up but will probably be this weekend as I need to get back into this timezone frame and head to bed. Sydney between MardiGras, Bridgeclimb, mosquitos on the 47th floor, coming soon =)

 

Brucory, stop rubbing the weather in my face!! I think the rain is just following me as it's pouring here as we speak.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience.