Journey with Bill & Mary Ann on the Amsterdam's 2016 Grand World Voyage - 114 days +

[Lizzie68]

On a long cruise I think I would quite enjoy comfort food too, now and then. I know after a couple of weeks on my last one I was happy with a bowl of soup and a salad most evenings.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[chefestelle]

Inventions : the 2 most famous ones the hills hoist and the victa.

 

Of all the things I miss from home , vegemite might be the top. Don't forget to try a meat pie (check out if Harry's cafe de wheels is still in Sydney). Definitely sample a Barossa valley red.

 

Deadly animals: also box jellyfish, irikanji, and of course the salt water crocs! How do we survive? [emoji847]

 

Locals: you should always say "no worries, mate" or even better "no wuckas". If surprised by something "crikey mate" is appropriate [emoji4]

 

Try and check out some aboriginal art in the galleries, it's gorgeous.

 

Don't be offended if as an American you are referred to as a "yank" or "sepo" it will be meant with affection, and if you are Canadian don't be surprised if you are mistaken as a yank. The accent is easily confused (as others confuse Aussies and kiwis). Brits likewise may be referred to as "poms". We love our slang. [emoji12]

Note customs (as in immigration) can be very strict and serious.

 

 

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Are you I. Canada now or US? We can get vegemite in our grocery store s in Canada

Edited February 9, 2016 by chefestelle

[WCB]

Report # 40 Sailing Towards Sydney, Australia Tuesday (Mardi Gras) Partly cloudy & 77 degrees

 

We woke up to the smell of burning wood, as in smoke from a forest fire. Now that is unlikely that this would be coming from the ship, or we surely hoped it wasn’t. At breakfast we asked some other folks we knew if they could smell it and they said no. The waiters also said no. But during our morning promenade walk, CD Gene announced that several passengers had reported the smell, and had called the staff at the front desk. Checking into it, he said that there was indeed a fire somewhere in Australia, and the winds were blowing the smoke offshore. Since we are hugging the coastline, we are right in the path of the smoke. Knew we were not crazy. Eventually, we must have sailed past the worst of it, since by the late afternoon, the smell was gone.

 

There was a reminder that today was Fat Tuesday when we came out of the elevator on deck four, and found the entrance to the dining room decorated with Mardi Gras colors of green, purple, and gold. Wonder if we all will get fancy masks and strings of beads at dinner tonight? Somehow, with the little cutbacks we have been seeing this year, we rather doubt it.

 

The next two days will be busy ones at least for us in Sydney. The largest and oldest cosmopolitan city of Australia, the population of Sydney is a whopping 4.4 million lucky people. Can’t imagine what it must have looked like thousands of years ago, when the Aboriginals inhabited this harbor area.

 

Eventually, the natural harbor was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770, when he claimed the east coast for Britain. By 1788, 1400 convicts were sent here along with some settlers to establish a new colony. Many Sydney citizens can claim they are related to a convict, and are proud of that fact. By 1925, the population had grown to 1 million people, followed by 2 million in 1965. Must have been due to the fact that this city is rated as one of the most beautiful as well as livable, that the number of people soared to over 4 million.

 

What is there to do and see? A whole lot. So much so, that you would need weeks instead of two days. There is still enough time to go to Circular Quay, where we are usually docked. This time, we will be at White Bay, with a free shuttle to bring us over the hill. The most famous icon here is the Sydney Opera House, opened by Queen Elizabeth ll in 1973. If you chose to book an evening to see a performance here, it would run you from $255 to $335 per person. That does include a bus to take you and bring you back to White Bay, where the Amsterdam will be docked.

 

The next most famous sight is the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which can be climbed. A tour booked with shore excursions runs $600 per person, but it does include a walk through the Rocks area. That is another cool place to explore, as it was one of the first places that was settled when the Brits arrived. The history here is fascinating. There is also a very excellent pizza café there.

 

Walking up the streets from the ferry hub, you will find shopping galore. There is Westfield Mall, the Stand Arcade, and the Queen Victoria Building to name a few. The Sydney Tower is located on these hillside with a revolving restaurant on the top. The height of the tower is 1014 feet. We have had the pleasure of eating dinner up there with our travel group years ago. You certainly never got bored with the view, as it changed every hour or so.

 

The Botanic Gardens and Domain are 200 years old, and a most wonderful way to spend a morning. You can make your way to Mrs. MacQuairie’s Chair and Point from there.

 

Darling Harbour is a must to see. Besides shopping, there are many attractions to see there. Restaurants on the harbor are plentiful. You can reach Chinatown from there as well. And Paddy’s Market, a place chock full of produce and souvenirs.

 

Going out of town, you can take a ferry to the Tauranga Zoo, or to Manly Beach, or Bondi Beach. Going to the Blue Mountains is pleasant, but it does take all day. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have taken the tour at least twice.

 

To rest up for the next two days in Sydney, we were pretty lazy today. The highlight was meeting Barb for lunch in the dining room. We ordered spring rolls, soup, ½ sandwich, and a quesadilla. Barb had a hot entrée that wasn’t. It has been problematic getting hot food sometimes. When you order your entrees, you have to remind the waiter to bring it hot.

 

It may have been warm at the aft pool, but we never made it back there today. Now that the ship is headed in a northerly direction, the sun rises on the starboard side and sets on the port side. So if you are walking on the cool side of the ship, you need jackets. The deck is still closed off for continuous foot traffic, because the New Zealand crew is still working on the tender boat. No props or shafts have been replaced yet.

 

Have we mentioned that we have special guests coming to the ship in Sydney? That would be the new president, Orlando, along with the CEO of the HAL group, Mr. Kruse, the CEO of Carnival, Mr. Donald, and Gerald, the Mariner Society President. They will be sailing with us until Cairns, and we can expect there to be many events while they are here. In fact, we were invited to a President’s Club dinner with them on February 15th , the last evening they will be on the ship.

 

Even though the dining room had minimal decorations at dinner time, the waiters were dressed like jesters. Not sure they like the uniforms, but they looked festive. The big event this evening was a Crows Nest party with snacks and drinks for sale. Barb told us that last year, Gene handed out Grand Dollars to everyone. Good way to draw a crowd up there.

 

A group by the name of the Australian Tenors performed tonight in the showlounge. We heard from someone that they overheard their practice, and reported their show was going to be really good. Don’t want to miss this one, as we believe they are new to the Amsterdam.

 

Thanks to everyone who has replied to our blog. Love the positive comments. Also, regarding the question about 7056, there is access to the aft deck on seven. However, having seen that room, it is really suitable for one person, tight for two. Don’t remember there was a closet to hang your clothes.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[chefestelle]

I'd love to hear the tenors! What a treat!

[teamflames]

Are you I. Canada now or US? We can get vegemite in our grocery store s in Canada

 

 

No unfortunately I am in India where I have actually found it but at $10 a jar couldn't bring myself to do it and the naan bread is so good I can survive[emoji4]

 

They have the Brits version called marmite but as far as I'm concerned it's not the same.

 

Btw if u don't like vegemite Australia also has promite similar but not as thick.

 

 

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[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[chefestelle]

No unfortunately I am in India where I have actually found it but at $10 a jar couldn't bring myself to do it and the naan bread is so good I can survive[emoji4]

 

They have the Brits version called marmite but as far as I'm concerned it's not the same.

 

Btw if u don't like vegemite Australia also has promite similar but not as thick.

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

 

 

Yes, DD has spells of marmite madness too. Have never heard or promite I wonder if Bill & Mary Ann will see that on board too!

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

Did you view Captain Cook's cottage in Fitzroy Gardens?

Are the HAL VIP's assigned to suites?

[Lizzie68]

Yes, DD has spells of marmite madness too. Have never heard or promite I wonder if Bill & Mary Ann will see that on board too!

 

I grew up on marmite - marmite on hot buttered toast. Yum.:D

[teamflames]

Looks like beautiful weather in Sydney hope you had a spectacular sail in? What did u get up to?

 

 

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[teamflames]

I grew up on marmite - marmite on hot buttered toast. Yum.:D

 

 

When I was a junior in my first job I had to get the breakfast orders. No kidding there was 6 different ways to order vegemite on toast [emoji2]

 

 

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[WCB]

Report # 41 Sydney, Australia February 10, 2016 Wednesday Sunny & 83 degrees Part # 1 of 2 80 Pictures

 

We woke up to find the Amsterdam already through the headlands and into the Sydney Harbour very early this morning. The good thing was that today was going to be a beautiful sunny one, but the downside was that the ship was not docking in Circular Quay. Nope, another ship was there already, and we had to go to the White Bay Terminal instead. Bummer. Don’t get us wrong, we are thrilled to be here in this fabulous city, but being docked so far away from downtown will cut into the actual time we really spend here.

 

The local Port Authority did provide complimentary shuttles that began running at 9am to 11:30pm. The first three buses filled up quickly, then took off into the early morning traffic jam. Then there was a wait, as the guests lined up. Local fellows handed out bus tickets, 28 at a time. By the time we walked to the line, we were given bus three tickets. That could be an hour at this rate. Thanks to a number of folks that did not wish to wait, and pay $10 each for a one way ferry ride to Circular Quay, we moved up to group two. Finally a bus came back, and we were able to get on bus one. By the way, there was no cutting in line, because without that ticket, you were turned away. A few did try, and were politely told to go back to the terminal and get a number.

 

The 30 minute ride took us over the modern Anzac Bridge, past the Fish Market, Darling Harbour, and eventually to The Rocks at Circular Quay. That is when we spotted the Dawn Princess tied up in “our spot”. She is a 4 star vessel, built in 1997 and is 77,499 gross tons. Obviously, it is too big to fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The ship holds from 1950 to 2250 passengers, and is described as a large cruise ship with warm decor for the mature-aged cruiser. It has been dedicated to sailing in this area for the Aussie crowd. We have sailed on this ship on their Mexican run out of San Francisco several years ago. We did a “dog” cruise on her. Really a trip with 35 dogs and their blind handlers. Interesting. Our fondest memory was that they had a pizzeria restaurant that was excellent.

 

Anyway, our plan for today was to make our way over to Darling Harbour. Every time we have come to Sydney, we took a free bus from Circular Quay to Paddy’s Market. Well, that was gone, so we would be in for a good hike uphill. Walking to Pitt Street Mall was fine, even though it was crowded. Sydney is such a big city, reminding us a lot of San Francisco where we grew up. Only bigger and more people. Judging from the number of stores, it is a shopper’s paradise. Impossible to see it all.

 

By the time we got to Market Street, we turned right, and found we were on track to the Pyrmont Bridge and the start of Darling Harbour. The cafes were full of morning folks eating breakfast and downing coffee. This harbor has 60 restaurants and 21 bars, as well as museums, theaters, and a children’s playground. By the time we reached Cockle Bay at the end, we found much of the area was under construction. The entire outside of the Chinese Garden of Friendship was fenced off and torn up as they are enlarging it. This is a peaceful place with flowing waterfalls, exotic plants, and meandering flowing pathways. A new convention center is taking shape near here, and it should be completed by the end of this year.

 

We made it to Paddy’s Market and Market City on the second and third floor of the complex. Old Paddy’s Market is more like a flea market where they sell food, fashion, and fake designer labels. There are thousands of Aussie souvenirs to be found for cheap, cheap, cheap. Got lucky and found a needed swimsuit, and another singing bird in a cage. Battery-operated of course. It will be fun hanging it over the window garden.

 

We went to Market City, and walked through there for a while. One place we like to visit is the food side of Paddy’s. There is a meat and fish section, as well as the freshest produce that can be found in Sydney. The place was full of local early morning shoppers. We did notice that the prices were high in comparison to shopping where we live.

 

Heading back to the harbor, we checked out the menus at every café along the way. As usual, we ended up at the Hard Rock Café in the Harbourside Shopping Center. On the way inside, we were stopped by a local who was giving tourists a shopping pass that gave discounts. It was good for 15% off at the Hard Rock. Would have been nice if it worked at the store, where we bought t-shirts, but it did qualify for a 10% discount for the café. Maybe we can save it for Hard Rock Singapore.

 

Sure was nice to find that their haystack chicken salad was back on the menu. Most all of the Hard Rocks have taken that popular salad off of their menus. Two ice cold beers really hit the spot, because it was hot outside today. An hour must have flown by, and we needed to continue on. Staying on this side of the water, we walked to the Maritime Museum and took lots of photos of the boats and ships in the harbor.

 

Crossing over the pedestrian Pyrmont Bridge, we were back where we had started. Still had lots to see and do. It’s always a treat to make a pass through the Queen Victoria Building, a restored Romanesque-built structure. It was completed in 1898 as a monument to the reigning monarch, and has been revived today as a high-end mall. Great place for a high tea, or light lunch.

 

We made a mandatory stop at Woolworth’s, a local supermarket with just about everything. We replenished some room snacks, and added two packages of Tim Tams, a favorite Aussie treat. Loaded up, we made our way through Pitt Street Mall, now even more crowded.

 

Back at Circular Quay, we bought a cup of ice cream, rum raisin, to share. Sitting at the end of the harbor across from the iconic Opera House, we relaxed while watching a local guitarist singing for change. The ferry traffic never ceases to amaze us, since this area is always hopping. Disappointed, we did not see a digeridoo player this time. Maybe tomorrow.

 

The shuttle was waiting at the corner, and we were the last to board. The shuttle passed by Barangaroo, the newest and hottest massive urban waterfront renewal. Eventually, three towers of apartments or condos will be built with 90 retailers and 60 more restaurants. They have already planted over 75,000 native trees and shrubs on this harborfront. Actually, this is where we alternately docked over the years. But those facilities are long gone.

 

Perfect timing, we got back to the ship by 4pm. Also the perfect time to download all of the photos of the day. And catch up on composing reports for the day. We wandered up to deck nine to get some sun before it went down. Since we have not been in the Crows Nest since the beginning of the cruise, we slipped in there for a minute. We ran right into Allan and Sandra (Alsas on CC). They were here for a short visit, but will be getting onboard in HK for the rest of the trip. Sure was nice to see them, even if it was a brief visit.

 

Dinnertime found all of us present. We thought perhaps Bonnie and Paul would have walked their legs off, but they pretty much did the same amount of walking as we did. We had pre-ordered the vegetarian egg rolls, and they were delicious. Even better, was the entrée of the rack of pork, a tender well-done grilled chop smothered with a most delicious BBQ sauce. Three of us got lucky and ordered it. Green jello was our choice of dessert, since all of the courses were good tonight.

 

Today ends the first segment. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 147 folks will be getting off of the ship tomorrow morning, and another group of about the same size will board. Among them are the big wigs from Seattle’s HAL office, as well as the head of the Carnival Corporation. This will be the start of the Mariner Days, which will last until Cairns, when the group goes back. The total distance traveled on this cruise so far is 11,066 nautical miles or 12,726 statute miles. We have lots more to go……………..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[sahara1]

Are they offering 2 36 bottles wine packages on your cruise.? Are they the same wines as Navigator and Admiral? Do they get the Mariners discount? I am leaving on the Grand Med and they are cheaper if you buy ahead of time but they don't tell you anything about them.

[windsor26]

The Dawn Princess and Sun and Sea can all get under the bridge but as she is bigger than Amersterdam they get the prime space

[teamflames]

I haven't been to paddys since I was a kid! Forgot all about the place. Sounds like a nice day, completely different to your fellow bloggers day which shows how much there is to see and do in Sydney.

Bus might have been cancelled in the recent overhaul of the bus routes.

 

I'm surprised the ships don't tell people of the option to bus through nearby Balmain (worth a visit) and d to take the ferry from there to cq

 

 

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[OzarkCruisers]

Thanks for taking us on your adventure!

 

Gloria

[WCB]

Report # 42 Sydney, Australia February 11, 2016 Thursday Partly cloudy & 82 degrees Part #1 of 3 81 Pictures

 

Our second day in Sydney turned out to be another marathon one. We were off and running right after a proper breakfast in the dining room. There were few folks at breakfast today, so either they over did it yesterday, or they were off on more tours. There was a large number of people that went to the opera last night, at least two busloads. We calculated that they would have returned to the ship after midnight.

 

Going outside on the promenade deck, we discovered that we had company at this pier. A ship that looked just like an HAL vessel was docked next to us. It was named the Pacific Eden and belonged to P&O. The closer we looked, we recognized that ship as the former Statendam, which went over to P&O last fall. It was slated to go into dry dock to be remodeled. We would find out later how much it had been changed.

 

There was no line at all for the shuttle bus when we left the ship at 9:30am. Our timing must have been right, because we were at Circular Quay within ½ hour. Not bad, since today was a regular workday.

 

So our hike began at the point of the drop off across from The Rocks, and on the corner of Circular Quay. The first thing we noticed was that the Dawn Princess was gone, and a huge ship had replaced her sometime this morning. It was the Explorer of the Seas, a large ship designed for entertaining the whole family. She was built in 2000, just like the Amsterdam. This ship can hold up to 3840 guests. Obviously this ship could not fit under the Sydney Bridge, another reason we were berthed at White Bay. Since we saw many people pulling multiple suitcases near the ship, we figured that today was the end of a cruise and the start of another.

 

The waterfront was full of people enjoying morning pastries and coffees, sitting outdoors in the warm sun. Sure turned out to be a nice day, unusually warm even. The ferries were running back and forth across the harbor, carrying thousands of commuters to work. Bet that takes many cars off of the road. Good thing, because many major streets in the downtown area are cordoned off, while the workers carried on updating their metro system.

 

Making our way to the Opera House on the point, we discovered there was an injured seal sitting on a flight of sea stairs below the wall. He must have been injured, and was recuperating under the city’s surveillance. A sign was posted warning people to keep a distance from the seal or he could bite. With the presence of sharks in the harbor, this seal may have been attacked.

 

We got many great photos of the Opera House, which was designed by a Danish architect and was opened by Queen Elizabeth ll in 1973. We have never been inside, but understand that the performances are over the top with the special acoustics.

 

The gate to access the Royal Botanic Gardens is right near the Opera House. This 74 acre garden was established in 1816, over 200 years ago. It just happened to be the celebration of the park’s 200 year old birthday, making this garden the oldest in Australia. Originally farmed by local Aboriginals, this area was used by the British to raise a crop of grain. There are thousands of plants and mature growth trees now. You could easily spend a half day here to see all of the displays.

 

The wild life is restricted to birds. Most commonly seen are the magpies, pigeons, silver gulls, plovers, ibis, ducks, cormorants, and sulfur-crested cockatoos. These cockatoos are the noisiest birds ever, and probably destructive. Fun to watch however. It was normal to see fruit bats hanging in the tall trees, but they have been removed the last couple of years. Besides being creepy, they were causing damage to the native trees.

 

We ran into new friends, Nancy and Mike, who happened to be hiking the park like us. Spending some time discussing the fine points of cruising, we shared some information concerning the President’s Club. There are so many stories floating around about this level, that it is almost laughable. Don’t know why this is not promoted in any of the HAL brochures. They also shared some interesting news with us concerning the fellows that are onboard fixing the tender boat. Assuming they were New Zealanders, it turns out they are from Louisiana. They work for a company that specializes in boat repairs, and are deployed worldwide. Not only do they repair cruise ship small boats, they also do military vessels as well.

 

Time to continue on, we made our way deeper into the garden. We ended up at the ponds near Farm Cove, and had planned on going to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. However, time was wasting, so we missed the sandstone rock formation that was carved into the shape of a bench. The governor’s wife, Elizabeth, liked to sit there watching the ship traffic in the harbor back in 1810.

 

Exiting a gate by a fountain, we ran right into the State Library of New South Wales. Parliament house was next to the library, followed by Sydney Hospital, The Mint, the Hyde Park Barracks, and the Land Titles Office……all fine examples of colonial architecture.

 

The most impressive cathedral on College Street is St. Mary’s. We located the side door, and walked in right in the middle of the communion part of the Mass. The church was full of school-aged kids, probably on a field trip. On the outside steps, was a bride getting her photo taking standing on the stairs to the front door of the cathedral. Across a stretch of a courtyard, another young bride was being photographed as well. We have passed this icon of Sydney many times while on bus tours, but never got a chance to see the inside. Quite impressive to say the least.

 

Directly across the street was Hyde Park, a public square since 1810. Back in the old days, the park was used for cricket matches, prize fights, and horse racing. At one end is a massive fountain, surrounded with locals lunching, while at the opposite end, is the Anzac War Memorial, erected in 1934. It is truly an oasis in the center of the city.

 

As much as we would have liked to stay to see more, it was time for our lunch. That destination was an authentic Italian restaurant by the name of Caminetto’s in The Rocks. Right on the hills overlooking Circular Quay, The Rocks area has to be the oldest precinct. The history here is displayed in many museums and buildings preserved from the original colonial days. Today it is full of cafes, boutique shops, artists, and restaurants. We knew that the best pizza cafes were in the center of the rocks, hidden away off the beaten path. After hiking the city for hours, we were really ready for some relaxation and fantastic pizza (margherita) with ice cold beers. One of the waitresses, Wendy, remembered us from years past. She has worked here for 12 years, and says she is leaving in two years to go on a well-deserved vacation. With so many cruise ships stopping here, she must see hundreds of thousands of customers yearly. And as always, the pizza was to die for.

 

The last shuttle to the ship was at 4pm, so we had enough time to buy cups of ice cream before we boarded. A flavor quite similar to hokey pokey was the caramel butterscotch vanilla at Copenhagen’s Creamery. It’s pricey, but well worth it.

 

The ride back to White Bay took 35 – 40 minutes….traffic was stacking up as we neared the Anzac Bridge. Comparing the commute traffic in San Francisco to Sydney, we feel it moves way better here. There are many other options to get in and out of the downtown area with the ferries, buses, and underground transit, as well as by car.

 

Back at the ship, we had a little time to work with downloading photos before we headed for the complimentary food and wine sail away party on the aft pool deck. Small tented stations of snacks and treats had been set up, along with wine, beer, or soda bars. Waiters passed around the food and poured fine wines from New Zealand from 5:30pm to well past 7pm. Sometime around 6pm, the Amsterdam left the dock, and sailed under the Sydney Bridge. We heard that the Pacific Eden had left before we got there. As the ship went under the bridge, the Captain blew the horn, making the crowd shout a huge cheer while waving at the bridge climbers overhead. At this point, we think the wine and beer had kicked in, and the folks, including the 150 new cruisers, were having a fine time.

 

The CEO’s and families were milling about the crowd, saying their hellos to all. Gerald, the head of the Mariner Society spent lots of time with our group, since we know him well. Our friends Bob and Martha boarded today, making our group even more happy.

 

The ship had sailed almost out of the harbor, when the Captain announced that we had a medical evacuation that had to take place before we sailed out to sea. The ship stopped, and the sick person was taken off at the tender platform into a white police boat. We would need to wait until they were delivered to shore, and our medical team sent back to the ship. It was more than one hour before we resumed sailing. We are still wondering why we did not sail back to the dock. It may have been because the Explorer of the Seas was following right behind us as they left the harbor. What we did not know, was that there were two medical evacuations, according to Tom M, our host, who joined us briefly after dinner last night.

 

As we left the pool deck, we said our hellos to Mr. Kruse, thanking him for such a nice party. He promised there will be more to come. Doubt they will be able to match last year’s special event at Ephesus in Turkey, but whatever they do, will be unique, for sure.

 

Dinner was really nice as we welcomed Martha and Bob to our group. Bob will only be sailing with us until Jakarta, as he is not retired yet, and Martha will continuing on to Ft. Lauderdale. Is was nice to fill the void at the large table for a change…….it keeps the conversations moving along nicely. The entrée we chose tonight was the prime rib, but we were disappointed in the fact that it was not as tasty as the first time we ordered it, and it was still “mooing”, on the rare side. Could have sent it back, but we rarely do. Martha was proud that her jello dessert has rubbed off on us. Now she will not be the only one teased.

 

We surpassed the time for the Big Movie, shown in the Queens Lounge at 10pm. It was Spectre, the latest Bond movie. Hope it turns up on the room TV, because we would never last the 2 ½ hours to see the whole thing in the show lounge.

 

Tomorrow promises to be a very different day at sea as we head towards a new port for us……Mooloolaba. We’re just having fun learning how to pronounce it.

 

Oh yes, good news…….the clocks went back one hour tonight. Most welcomed.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[teamflames]

Wow you pounded the pavement! That is a decent walk and definitely covered all the colonial and historical highlights. Did you go past the art gallery while in the botanical gardens?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

[bcnvcanada]

Really enjoying this blog on the world tour. Love the information given out, which we will save for our travels. Thanks for the effort.

[WCB]

Report # 43 Sailing Towards Mooloolaba, Australia February 12, 2016 Friday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees 52 Pictures

 

Well, tomorrow we should be in a new port called Mooloolaba. A new one for us, we have to admit we had never heard of it. The plan is that we will be tendering to shore, as there is no suitable dock for ships. From the tour descriptions, we deducted that this city with a fun name is an artisan community with arts, crafts, boutiques, and beaches. It is famous for its beach club by the name of Noosa Surf Club.

 

What is there to see and do there? There is Edmundi Market, a “make it, bake it, grow it, and sew it” kind of town. To see the highlights, the cost onboard through shore excursions is about $60. That would take you to the market and also the Queensland Air Museum with 70 aircraft to tour. You can also hike to the Noosa Heads National Park.

 

There is also a tour to nearby Montville, established in 1887. It is 1400 feet high in a mountainous village. A resort for relaxing, you can travel to the wine country. A reminder to those who want to buy local wines……you are allowed one bottle with no corkage fee ($18) per person, per day, per port. The last tour offered would take you reef and game fishing…$200 for 5 hours. Good luck catching something.

 

We must be close to Brisbane, because there is a 7 hour tour there. Really, it is a transfer with a drive by of all of the major sights for $95, no lunch included. You are on your own to explore.

 

Now that we got all of that memorized, including pronouncing the name, it appears that it will be cancelled. While we were having lunch in the dining room with Barb, Captain Jonathon announced that due to rough sea conditions, the tender landing in Mooloolaba was closed. No way in the world are they going to take any chances with those tender boats.

 

Not sure what the plan is now, but we kind of wondered if we will stop at Brisbane, on the way to Cairns. Later this evening, we were all delivered a note card saying that every effort was being explored to get us to shore. Maybe Brisbane, although it was never mentioned by the Captain. In his card, the Captain said that with the assistance of the corporate staff, they are attempting to reschedule our ship at an alternate port of call. Efforts had been ongoing all day, and optimistically, we hope for the best outcome. If not, we will sail directly to Cairns, the following stop. It is not uncommon to miss ports for many reasons. Safety is definitely the number one reason NOT to go. If nothing else, we will receive credit for port charges and fees. It won’t be a whopping amount. In addition, they will be transporting an officer from this ship to another via a pilot at 6am. That’s a first.

 

Assuming the aft pool would be busy today, we stayed inside and worked on photos. A two hour dining room lunch with Barb used up part of the time. Several walks later, the time for the beginning of the pool party was near. This event was called the Australian Beach Party, and would run from 5:30pm to 9pm.

 

The Lido pool area was transformed to a semi-Bondi Beach, complete with sand pits, and many small and large beach balls. Sure was colorful, especially when looking from deck nine. A group of young Aussie lifeguards were brought onboard yesterday, we assume, and joined our HAL dance team to entertain the guests poolside. All they did was play with beach toys thrown across the pool, and jump in between the balls in the water. A local band, Hipnosis, played live music for the entire time. The guests who like music, especially loud music, were digging it. They played songs we remembered from high school.

 

Food offered included chilled seafood in a buffet line. Hot food was served in the Lido. Bars were set up in several places, totally complimentary. Wine, beer, sodas, and mixed alcoholic drinks were offered. Unfortunately, they did not have our favorites, so we passed. The more crowded it became, we ducked out the aft to watch the sunset. It was a nice one, as it set over the land instead of the sea horizon. We went up to deck nine to listen to the music and watch the passengers who thought they could dance, dance. Very amusing. The more they drank, the funnier it got. A group of folks joined us at the railing, since the sound of the music drove them out of deck eight.

 

It was almost eight o’clock, so we headed down to change for dinner. Our entire group showed up, even though we had read that the dining this evening was only on deck four. The fixed seating on deck 5 was closed. We are fixed on deck four anyway, so Pandi knew to save our table, since we told him this morning at breakfast. The staff has never done this before, closing one dining room, so it was a test. Appeared that enough folks went to the Lido instead, and the dining room was never crowded.

 

It was a different type of special event, but could not hold a candle to last year’s special event in Turkey. Every so many years, HAL goes all out with these events. The first was the meeting of the two ships in Dubrovnik in 2007, then the cistern party in Istanbul in 2008. Last year’s event was at Ephesus, where everyone was bussed to the lower part of the complex. What a magic evening we had with the concert in the ancient ruins. Guess we have been spoiled.

 

Dinnertime was fun as Martha and Bob got to know Bonnie and Paul better. They seem to get our type of humor, and go with the flow. The best entrée was the leg of lamb with roasted potatoes. The gravy made the lamb even better. Much better than last night’s prime rib.

 

Here is the pricing on the wine packages, which could be purchased either ahead of the cruise (slightly cheaper) or onboard. The Wine Compass Premium runs $511 for 12 bottles, $971 for 24 bottles, or $1838 for 48 bottles.

The Wine Compass Package is less….12 bottles for $386, 24 bottles for $734, and $1391 for 48 bottles. Those Mariner members with four stars or higher will get ½ off of that price. Hope this helps.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[MMDown Under]

Mooloolaba is part of Sunshine Coast, which is a very popular holiday destination for Aussies. It has a beautiful beach, with it's famous beachfront "Loo With a View".

Each major beach has it's own Surf Lifesaver Club, with lifesavers volunteering during the summer season. Lifeguards, employed by the local councils, work all year.

The Sunshine Coast Hinterland has beautiful rural views, with Montville being the creative hub, with lots of speciality shops.

The popular Eumundi Markets are held on Saturdays, with a smaller market on Wednesdays.

 

Hopefully you'll get to visit another time.

[Ottawa traveller]

....

Bus might have been cancelled in the recent overhaul of the bus routes.

I'm surprised the ships don't tell people of the option to bus through nearby Balmain (worth a visit) and d to take the ferry from there to cq

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

 

I just googled the route from the cruise terminal to a nearby bus stop in Balmain and asked for walking directions. It gave me an almost 5 km route out via the port access road and back up. It mentions restricted roads. My guess is that there is no port exit to Balmain area at the cruise terminal.

[MMDown Under]

I just googled the route from the cruise terminal to a nearby bus stop in Balmain and asked for walking directions. It gave me an almost 5 km route out via the port access road and back up. It mentions restricted roads. My guess is that there is no port exit to Balmain area at the cruise terminal.

 

The nearest bus stop is Robert Street and Victoria Road. Travelling west is towards Balmain, whilst travelling east is towards the City.

 

http://www.sydneyports.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/29006/WB_Cruise_Terminal_Public_Access_for_Community.pdf