Odyssey Auckland to Sydney: The Grass isn't always greener

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Looking back at the city.

 

 

 

 

 

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The new and the old

 

Manhole covers that can be used in trivia

 

in Australia, even the pedestrians are deadly.:eek:

 

 

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Sometimes you'd end up running into a walking tour and get some additional information.

 

 

I don't think the woman in blue was overly please with that bird behind her.

 

 

The inside was more interesting than the outside.

 

This part looks more like a converted school or government building from the outside.

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Why, hello there!

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I don't think you'd survive a perimeter pub crawl around the opera house if you stopped at each vendor and drank.

 

 

 

 

 

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They have the opera house on one side and the harbor bridge on the other. Yet they take a selfie with the ground in the background.

 

 

 

Not enough bars I guess.

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After touring the opera house and then the police museum it was time for rehydration.

 

Moo Brew Pilsner. I'm still not sure what the logo had to do with the beer.

 

The fusion cafe in the hotel was nice and air conditioned. And did I mention the air conditioning?

 

Pork belly baos were excellent.

 

View from the bar next to the restaurant I was going to end up wasting time and money in. I should have just stayed in the bar.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[Emperor Norton]

Let's just say I was supremely disappointed with both the food and service in Altitude restaurant and move on.

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The next morning got off to a rocky start in the Rocks. Between the oppressive heat and the waste of last nights dinner I wasn't in a super happy fun time mood. I probably should have steered clear of Pancakes on the Rocks. Maybe I was there on an off day but the service was indifferent (like worse than Dennys or iHop level indifferent/bad) and the food was probably below Dennys. Lesson reinforced: Just because Trip Advisor or Yelp goes ga-ga over a place doesn't necessarily translate into something you'd care for.

 

At least I wouldn't have to worry about running out of water.

 

The pancakes were the best part (helps they were the only things properly cooked). I needed a knife to cut through the whites of the eggs and the potatoes were a grease laden mess. Sauces that are gratis in other places were an extra charge here for each one (eg: chili sauce, ketchup, A1, etc...)

 

Still, a slightly better experience than the night before.

 

Out and about before most of the tourists.

 

 

 

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Interesting little fountain

 

In Australia they send mail via giant salt and pepper shakers.

 

Oops. I was hoping to avoid tourists.

 

 

 

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I didn't see a single Sgt. Major.

 

 

A nice (if somewhat noisy) park under the harbor bridge

 

The Crystal Serenity I think it was - poor ship couldn't dock. The following day passengers had to disembark by tender IIRC. Ouch.

 

I can now say I've seen Men at Work in Australia with a backdrop of the opera house.;)

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I didn't quite get to that fair/carnival

 

An area undergoing gentrification

 

 

 

 

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Looking back Air New Zealand business class was excellent (the fact that all three of my flights were late, not so much). If I cruise out of Auckland again (or even stay in the city) I would go for the Hilton. It's location next to the cruise terminal, along the waterfront and on the flat was far better than the Pullmans. I was also less than thrilled with the Pullmans bar/restaurant service. That being said, the driver they hired to take me from the airport to the hotel and do the check in process in car was a font of local knowledge and a great ambassador for New Zealand. Being able to check in while in the car and have a room ready at ~6am was a nice benefit. I'd like to go back to New Zealand and spend more time there.

 

The cruise itself. This was my first time on an Odyssey class ship.

 

Embarkation: The shoreside people wouldn't let me board (even though guests had been boarding since before 9) until a crew member pulled me through. I then checked in from Seabourn Square. Easiest embarkation ever.

 

Seabourn Square: The square itself was unpleasant due to the number of times I'd walk by and hear a passenger yelling at a staff member. It frequently seemed under staffed. The computers surrounding it were nice, the library portion seemed to encourage people not to meet new people. The library portion did look good for those not wanting to deal with others or the elements.

 

The espresso bar in Seabourn square: Sadly it rates below Starbucks IMO. The coffee/espresso were just bad. The roasts didn't seem quite right and I don't know what water they brewed with but sometimes the drinks tasted like they came out of the back end of a cat. The "food" was the usual bad cookies and little sandwiches that would be mush a bit after lunch due to the egg/mayo soaking through the bread. That being said some of their custom drinks were quite nice, you could also get orange juice there and the Baristas were some of the nicest crew on the ship. I'm not sure how they kept their cool with the passengers that were trying to figure out this new fangled "expresso bar".

 

R2: On these ships is seems like a last second add on. Didn't partake.

 

Colonnade: It's a buffet. A decent buffet but a buffet none the less. I'm not sure why some people in the past have claimed it's not. It has all the noise of a buffet as well as traffic for breakfast and lunch. Also if someone is seated outside all that wonderful too cold/too hot air will make its way to you inside. Double doors would've been nice. Dinner is the exception. For dinner it's a sit down traditional restaurant (you still have an airflow issue if someone is seated outside).

 

The Grill: Much better than the Sky Grill on the little sisters. Part buffet and part cook to order, much bigger menu selection. Lunch/Dinner. This was my favorite place to grab lunch while on board.

 

The ice cream nook: This was a nice addition. The biggest drawback was that it seems there was a lot of repetition in the ice cream being offered. Being located in the Pool bar led to some interesting booze and shake combinations.

 

The Pool bar: What fool designed this? If it's raining out you get wet, when the suns beating down on you, you get fried. Couldn't they have added an awning as an afterthought? Supposedly the new Sky Bar, I found on my cruise that this wasn't the case (perhaps this changes depending on locale/passengers). One benefit is it's no smoking.

 

The Sky bar: The bar that I should have looked into sooner. Far better weather coverage, downside is dealing with the smoke.

 

Observation bar: Nice views, screwball setupfrom a bartenders perspective (having to leave the bar and go into the cabinets to get things). A nice place, but even a single smoker can fill it with smoke. I'd like to see the smoking nixed and the bar itself expanded for more seating and so the bartenders don't have to deal with as many trips to the cabinets.

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The club: Much roomier than the old one. The performers however are blocked from view more than on the little ships. Other than that it seemed to be just a bigger version. Oh, the bar stools were more comfortable.

 

The MDR: It's great they're tracking allergies and preferences, but IMO that could be done tableside using that nifty wireless tech build into those MS Surface tablets the crew have. I found the seating hostess to be an impediment to efficient seating in the room. On this cruise service was very Regent like. That is some servers would get you through a meal in a reasonable amount of time, others you'd be there nearly four hours later. There was a gem in this cruise in that the corporate wine buyer was on board and brought on a lot of off-list wines. Pity they can't clone him and put him on all the ships. Gone are the tableside flambes. They did the dinner dance thing again. Service of TK dishes was glacial. There didn't seem to be enough wine stewards. Food was nothing special for the most part. Perhaps I'm tiring of the same things cruise after cruise. Selection of proteins other than beef/chicken/fish from the regular menu were down. It was rare to see pork or game critters. I think a few dishes may have had what passed for heat in them. It would be nice if you didn't have to special order food with heat, or garlic.

 

Bartenders: I was very happy to see fresh faces in Melbourne.

 

Stewardess: Started off with a very good one, but lost her. Replacements were sometimes nice but never as good.

 

Patio Grill staff: Very friendly

 

Colonnade (again - oops). Very good service, TK chop house the second time was my second favorite meal on the ship. The first was the special Indian night done by the guest chef.

 

Officers - I saw the bar manager, food and beverage manager and hotel manager every day. The captain I saw at the Epicurean tables and he seemed rather cliquish. A far cry from say Capt. Anderssen.

 

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In this case there were definitely some areas that I thought were better because of the bigger ship. However in terms of meeting new people and getting to know staff, I feel the size of the ship/number of passengers was interfering in this process. This cruise also supported my view that if the ship is at or near capacity service suffers. The best experiences I've had have been on ships that were about half or so full.

 

I did purchase a future cruise credit, but I don't know if I'll use it. I loved the destinations but the food, service and interaction with other passengers and staff were a let down.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Emperor Norton