Hitch a Ride with Bill & Mary Ann on Holland America's 2018 World Cruise - 113 days +

[WCB]

Report #41 Sydney,Australia February 10, 2018 Saturday Sunny & 83 degrees Part #1Of 4 80 Pictures

 

We have arrived to the country of Australia with apopulation of 21,010,000 people mostly English-speaking. The capital is Canberra. The vast area of Australia has endlessplains, dense tropical forests, and wild southern beaches. They also have deadly spiders, snakes, andsharks. The more interesting and famousanimals include kangaroos, crocodiles, koalas, wallabies, platypus, andwombats. They fill the country sides.

 

The best time to visit is any time. The saying around here is: if it is cold downsouth, it’s warm up north. Good time tosee Uluru or Ayres Rock, the Blue Mountains, and the Great Barrier Reef. Kakadu National Park and native aboriginalhistory are fascinating subjects to study. A stark opposite pastime are the tours to wineries of the country.

 

Trademarks are dangerous creatures, surfing, endlesscoastlines, pubs, BBQ’s, beer, opals, digeridoos, convicts, and vegemite. A random fact is some interesting things wereinvented here. They include the bionicear, the black box flight recorder, the note pad, and wine casks. Who knew?

 

Tours from the ship offered today were fewer thanusual. They included 3 to 8 hour tripsfor $90 to $200. They took in theTaronga Zoo, city highlights, and a ride to the Blue Mountains. The more pricey ones were the bridge climbfor $600 (wow), a seaplane flight for $800, and an evening at the opera for theperformance of Carmen. These ticketswent from $255 to $335. Another wow.

 

Anyway, the Amsterdam arrived in the wee hours of dawn,right before sunrise. The sail into thisharbor is always a scenic one. We havehad the pleasure of seeing it many times, so this morning, we slept through mostof it. Barbara H gave a commentary all the way to the Sydney Harbour Bridge,then because of local restrictions, she had to stop her narrative.

 

By the time we docked, we were eating breakfast in thedining room, waiting for the mandatory Australian Immigration Inspection to commence. We know from experience that once we gothrough immigrations, we would not be allowed to come back on the ship, untileveryone had gone off. So it made nosense to go first, with our priority number A, because it was way too early tobe off for the day.

 

So we held back, and headed off around 9:00am. By then, they were calling number 15 and16. Even though we had been asked tobring our letter with our number assignment, no one asked for it. The line was long going into the terminal,but it was moving. While we were closeto the officials, we saw three custom officers with service dogs rushing to goonboard the ship. Rumor had it that theywere searching deck two with their dogs. Wonder what that was all about? Continuingon, we passed the inspection, and our passports were collected by the ship’sfront desk girls.

 

Speaking of the terminal, we were docked at White Bay, veryfar from everything. The Viking Sun wasin the slip in front of us. Since ourreference book for cruise ships is dated 2014, none of the Viking Ocean Cruiseships were listed. So we have no detailson her, other than it was registered in Bergen, Norway, and had far fewerlifeboats than we do. In Circular Quay, the NCL Jewel was there, wherewe used to be docked several years ago. Thatis really the best spot in town.

 

The bad thing about being at White Harbour is that we haveto take shuttles across the Anzac Bridge to the Central Business District. Of course, not having a shuttle bus would beworse. Besides the HAL tour buses, therewere three buses waiting to be loaded. Now you would think that one line of people would fill the buses one ata time. Nope. Without good directions from the terminalcrew, it was a free-for-all. Busesfilled from three separate places, cutting people off in the middle. So rude. Finally got seats on a comfortable coach with a nice driver. At least, we were able to pick up the localbooklet with maps before leaving the terminal. And while we are thinking about it, there was no wifi at thislocation. People were getting cell phoneaccess, even on the ship, however.

 

The ride took about 20 minutes, but instead of being droppedoff at George Street near Circular Quay, we were taken to Darling Harbour. Tobe more specific, we were off-loaded by the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. Thearea surrounding George Street (our usual stop) and Circular Quay were underconstruction, because light rail is being introduced. Much of it was fenced off, inaccessible totraffic and pedestrians.

 

Having a good street map was a must, even with all of thetimes we have been here. One of the mostimpressive buildings we passed along the way, was the Queen Victoria Building. Oras most locals call it, the QVB. It is aRomanesque revival structure built in the honor of the Queen in 1898. This is something we did not know - this building was originally used as a producemarket, and that it the reason that the mosaic-tiled floors are slanted foreasy cleaning and drainage. We alwaysfigured that the building was settling over the centuries. Today the QVB is the home to 170 shops,boutiques, cafes, jewelers, and home wares. Taking a few photos of the entrance was as far as we got today. Perhaps we will come back tomorrow and checkit out.

 

We found our way from the jungle of skyscrapers to CircularQuay, the main transport for the local ferries. That area was already getting very crowded with the guests from the NCLJewel and local families and tourists out for the day. Many of those touristsare Asian, because those countries happen to be closer to Australia. It is the destination for them, especiallythis time of year, when it is winter up north. Forgot to mention that it was heavilyovercast, but very humid this morning. Hopefullythe sun would peek out later, and we kept our fingers crossed that it would notrain. It must have rained last night, becauseeverything was puddled up on the pier.

 

From here, we followed the harbor to the Sydney OperaHouse. It’s most impressive with aDanish design, built in 1973. There are2500 performances and events held there every year. Walking around the back at Bennelong Point,we enjoyed views of the famous coat-hangar bridge, The Sydney Harbour Bridge. Consideredthe world’s largest steel arch bridge, it’s one of the two famous landmarks ofSydney. (The Opera House rivals it for number one.) This span opened in 1932,and was finally paid off in 1988. Itcost 13.5 million Australian dollars to build, and it took 21,120 gallons ofgray paint to give it one coat. Why thecolor gray? Well it was the only shadethat could be purchased in such huge quantities. Friends of ours were making the climb today,having booked it online just last week. Once at the top of the bridge, theywould be up over 400 feet high. The costfor each of them was $300 (not sure if that was Australian dollars or USdollars). But it was a much better dealthan the $600 the ship was charging. Butthen, the HAL tour included a walk through the Rocks with a beer. Another interesting tidbit about the bridge,is that it can expand up to 7 inches, depending on the weather.

 

The next part of our hike would be one of the best – a walkthrough the Royal Botanic Garden, 74 acres of what used to be a farm colony in 1788. Today we were treated to seeing 9000Australian and foreign plant species. Entering through the Queen ElizabethGate, we followed the path towards the Government House, a Gothic Revival structurebuilt in 1845. Slowly making or way through the meandering paths, we ended upin the center of the park at the Palm Grove Center with a café, a garden shop,visitors information, and more importantly, restrooms. Up to this point, we had seen many ibis,doves, ducks, and the best - sulphur-crestedcockatoos. Lots of them, in fact. They cannot hide, since they are quite noisy. These birds live in grasses, shrubs, antrees, and feed on seeds, fruits, palm hearts , and insects. They can be destructive to crops, and forthat reason, are shot in some countries. They like to nest in cavities of eucalyptus trees, laying 2 to 3 eggs. In past years, this park was over- run withfruit bats, but they have successfully been removed. Perhaps that gave these cockatoos a chance tothrive.

 

Leaving the garden, we found our way to Mrs. Macquarie’sChair, a sandstone rock carved into a bench for Elizabeth, the governor’s wifein 1810. Usually this point is socrowded, you cannot get close to it. Buttoday, it was wide open for photos. Thenicest part of this point was catching a breeze from the Woolloomooloo Bay. Several types of tour boats were in theseharbors, some catamarans, speed boats, and even crafts carrying pink rubbertube swans for floating in water somewhere.

 

This spot was the closest view we got of Ft. Denison, a tinyisland in the bay. It used to be aprison for the worst of the convicts, and the last place on earth they saw, asthis was also where executions took place. Later on, it became a military installationto protect the harbor from attack. Today, it is a museum with a restaurant, which is a most popular venuefor wedding receptions.

 

This was our turn-around point. Following the water’s edge, we passed by ashoreline entertainment stage. A huge screen must pop up with films,entertaining the folks in the grandstands. It was posted that the proceeds go to the Royal Botanic Garden.

 

On the walk back, we swung up to the garden’s main andwaterlily ponds. The main pond is hometo many fish about 12 or more inches long, together with some eels. A tree in the center of this pond houses aflock of black cormorants, who occasionally dipped into the water for theirlunch. Little kids, out with theirextended families, delighted in throwing pieces of stale bread in the pond tolure in the hungry fish. Despite signsprohibiting it, the fish seemed to enjoy the feeding, as we did.

 

The Rocks district was our final destination for ourlunch. Exiting the park at the GovernmentHouse Gate, we passed by the more modern Conservatorium of Music. It was about another hour leisurely walk tothe Rocks. One of the places we stoppedwas at the Intercontinental Hotel, a modern structure rising out of the centerof a historic building. Many years ago,we spent a few days here following a cruise from Auckland to Sydney.

 

The Rock district overlooks the Circular Quay area, as wellas the bridge. It was the local of the prisonback in the early days of colonization. Tons of history here. The cobbledlanes were cordoned off today for the weekend flea market of tentedsouvenirs. The vendors are here everySaturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Toaccommodate the crowds, there are numerous cafes, restaurants, bakeries, pubs,and museums. The best place to get pizzahas to be Caminettos, a mostly outdoor café serving lots of Italian dishes, aswell as the much sought-after seafood. They offered an all- day happy hour with Sol beer for $4.49 a bottle. Madefrom scratch, this has to be the tastiest Margherita pizza so far this trip. The waitress we have known over the years,Wendy, has left for greener pastures, last year, we were told. Can you believe she remembered us every yearwe had come here?

 

We must have relaxed over an hour, watching the activityaround the souvenir stalls. Nothing is abargain here, not even a silk jacket one of us spotted in a high-end shop onthe way back to Darling Harbour. A tadshy of $400 AU, we passed on the opportunity. Since so many more evenings are going casual on the ships, formal wearis not necessary. Too bad.

 

Taking our time going up the street and over the hill, wewere finally back to the aquarium and the bus stop. Lucky for us, one was waiting to befilled. The ride back found the AnzacBridge more congested with weekend travelers. Still nothing compared to the commute we are used to going across theBay Bridge in San Francisco. Sometimesan hour trip turns into a three hour excursion.

 

There was some time before we had a date in the Crow’s Nestfor cocktails with a group of friends meeting with Greg and Heo, formertablemates from Sydney. The pleasure of ourlong walk today, turned into a painful back for one of us later in theafternoon. It was a disappointing decisionto make, but cocktails and dinner would not work tonight. So sad to miss seeing the guys, we calledSusie and explained our situation. Kindof in the same boat, she fully understood.

 

So the rest of the late afternoon was spent with photowork. At some point, a couple of hoursinto the process, Microsoft decided to shut down their site. Needless to say, one of us was not a happycamper when all of the work was lost. Weordered room service dinner, something we have only done perhaps twice in thepast. Getting an extra hour or more ofrest, was priceless.

 

Ready for another marathon day tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[secoma4]

Bill and Mary Ann, you did some serious walking in your day, especially from The Rocks to Darling Harbour, after the Botanical Garden. Sydney is very undulating, which can be challenging in hot, humid weather. No wonder you were feeling weary back on board.

I always enjoy reading of your travels.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful review.

Glad you were able to get your Margerita pizza and a beer for lunch.

There was a time when we were able to do all that walking and we did in many ports.

[ozcruizer]

Pleased you have been able to see so much of our Sydney, but that was a lot of walking! White Bay is not a very convenient terminal - boarding the Noordam there three weeks ago, we got lost in spite of the SATNAV and we live in Sydney! By the way, Australia's population is over 24.5 million. Loving following your cruise.

[WCB]

Report # 42 Sydney,Australia February 11, 2018 Sunday Cloudy & 88 degrees Part #1 Of 4 80 Pictures

 

 

Day two in Sydney found cloudy skies, and a bit cooler tempscompared to yesterday. We found out thatit had rained through the night, explaining the puddles on the ground on thepier. By the time we left the ship at9:30am, the clouds began to clear, and sun was on the way.

 

Today’s venture was by far, much better than yesterday. There was no rush for the buses, since mosteveryone was off on tours already. Todayalso ended the cruise for the 50 or so folks that were leaving, and thebeginning of the second segment of the trip for about the same amount ofnewbies and the rest of the full cruisers. Two couples we know well, boarded today. All four of them are fellow President’s Club members, so our numbers aregrowing. Having spent some time inSydney, we bet they will be busy unpacking and settling in.

 

So it was off to Darling Harbour once again, with a veryfriendly and amusing driver. Overall,the Australians are particularly welcoming hosts to tourists from allcountries. Traffic was light because itwas Sunday morning, so the ride was less than 20 minutes.

 

Continuing on, we went up Market Street to Hyde Park, whichhas been a public square since 1810. Atone end is an elaborate fountain, which faces St. Mary’s Cathedral. This cathedral is considered the “mother”church of Australian Catholicism, with the foundation stone being laid in1868. It is a true Gothic Revival design. Since it was 11am, mass was justbeginning. So when we walked around theback to main entrance, we were stopped by guards, who suggested we come back in45 minutes. We did sneak a peek from asmall side door, not disturbing anyone. Not so sure the eight busloads of tourists felt the same way. They did attempt to get by the guards with noluck.

 

The bells of St. James were ringing for their 11am service aswell. Built in 1824, it is the oldest survivingchurch building in town. Next to thatwas the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, actually built by convicts. This museum now houses196 years of Sydney’s history.

 

We continued to the end of Hyde Park to the Anzac WarMemorial, and the exit to Druitt Park St, which led back down towards GeorgeStreet. A most familiar store came intoview by the name of Woolworth’s. Wealways shop here for much needed items. Today’s much needed items were four boxes of Tim Tams – those specialcookies we love. Can’t leave Sydneywithout them.

 

Right across the street from Woolworth’s, we took photos ofSydney Town Hall, their iconic civic and concert venue these days. The entire front of this hall was filled withChinese ladies dressed in red shirts. Theywere handing out small flyers, but were printed in Chinese. We felt this might be a demonstration, so weleft before seeing St. Andrew’s Cathedral further up the street.

 

The QVB, situated right across the street, is the mostunique building of its kind in Sydney. Even if you are not into shopping with the 170 shops here, the interioris so pretty, it is not to be missed. Even the display of food items in the cabinets in the center stallslooked quite appealing. Not to mention the Haigh Candy Store at the entrance– pure decadence. Too bad we had ahearty breakfast, or we may have been tempted.

 

There was a display of a video of dog portraits overhead inthe center section of the QVB. Eachcostumed dog was following the movement of the people standing under thisdisplay. It made total sense to us, whenwe saw the poster advertising the fact that 2018 is the Year of the Dog inChinese culture. Taking the rest of thephotos here, we continued our journey.

 

Going back to Darling Harbour, we took a left turn, andheaded towards Chinatown and Paddy’s Market. The entire area around Cockle Bay is underreconstruction. Something is alwayshappening here, but now there is a major project with a new IMAX theater,apartments, and a 5 star hotel with more shopping arriving soon. The center section of this area has beenfenced and blocked from access. We hadto walk almost to the new International Convention Center to continue to the end of thearea.

 

We did get lucky, and ran into two of our travel agencyhosts, Steve and Wendy, who did the bridge climb on their own yesterday(without being part of an HAL group). Hearingtheir excellent adventure from their point of view was about as good as doingit ourselves. One of us had a workhistory that included bridge work in San Francisco. Unfortunately, one of us would not havehandled the ladders involved in the climb (back problems). The safety procedures preceding their climbhad us laughing. They had to strip anything that might fall off of them whileclimbing. That included watches,jewelry, hats, cell phones, cameras, and chewing gum. Even their sun glasses had to be secured withextra safety strapping. And no restroomstops during the climb. Lastly, theywere testing to make sure no one was under the influence of any alcohol ordrugs.

 

After leaving them, we walked towards the end of theHarbourside area. Right near the ChineseGarden of Friendship, we saw the cutest thing ever. There were four toy dogs, resembling spaniels,dressed in red silk Chinese jackets with matching red tutu skirts. Their owner had them sitting side-by-side on apark bench. They were called “fourladies”, obviously females, so well-trained , they sat there posing forphotos. Must be advertising the year ofthe dog. They had been transported hereis a silk-lined stroller by their owner. It had a website for this little group, and we did not see that theowners was soliciting money, unlike the dozens of street people we saw, doing justthat. Every big city in the world hasthem, especially places that have such a mild climate.

 

Wandering through a small part of Chinatown, we found thelocals were busy going out to lunch here. The prices were more than reasonable. Right across the light rail tacks, we went into Paddy’s Market. This building houses the major supply ofAustralian souvenirs you can imagine. And the prices are negotiable. We made it through the market without beingtempted to purchase anything. We do findthe produce and meat/fish area a good spot to take colorful pictures.

 

Since all aboard was 5:30pm, we needed to get back to the harborand find a place for lunch. That would bethe Hard Rock Café, where we knew we could get complimentary wifi. Usually we never bring the computer off ofthe ship, but we’ve had trouble down-loading security updates. If the connection is too slow, it times outthe process, cutting off the downloads. That simply uses too much time for nothing.

 

So today, we spent over an hour, savoring a split lunch of ahaystack salad (our most favorite item), a side of fries, and ice cold draftbeers. Today’s choice was Carlton. Dessert kept us there long enough to complete our mission with thedownloads. No doubt, it was expensive,but since most all of the HRC have replaced that particular salad withsomething else, we look forward to enjoying it here.

 

Every time we come here, we check out the city tees. And each and every time, they have only smalland medium sizes left. Today was noexception…..no luck with the new city tee. This rarely happens at any other HRC around the world, Just here, in Sydney.

 

It was nearing 3pm, and by the time we left the restaurant,the skies had clouded up to the point we felt it could rain at any moment. Time to catch our ride back home. Our buddies, Bill and Leta, happened to be onthis bus, so we made plans to have dinner with them soon. Usually during days at sea, we do ourvisiting at the aft pool. Seems likeweeks since we have been there, due to cooler weather.

 

Sail away came too quickly, as we always take this time todo computer work. There was a mandatorymuster drill, but only for the new folks that joined today. All of us were happy about that.

 

Good thing we went early to deck eight, because the railingsoon filled up, with little wiggle room at all. Barb joined us as did a couple of other buddies. Barb reflected that wewere all lucky to have done this many times before, including today. She is so right. But then, she is always right. Christel, the Guest Relations Manager came tothe back to talk with us. We had seenher and her husband Henk riding their bike for two, going full speed across thePyrmont Bridge. Guess they had a smallamount of time to burn off some steam, before going back to work. Close to 6pm, the ropes were dropped, and alarge tug hook on, and guided us out of the harbor. Shortly following us, came the Viking Sun,who were leaving a three day stay here. We learned that they are also on aworld voyage, and this ship recently joined the rest of their ships in 2017. Appears that this ship is all balconies, andis mostly all-inclusive. The shipappeared to be about the same size as the Amsterdam, but with only 900 or soguests, the space ratio must be much bigger. And lots more money too.

 

The winds were blowing strongly as we sailed the scenicroute out to the Tasman Sea. But atleast, the rain held off. Captain Jonathonmentioned that we would be hitting swells of 3 feet with rain showers expected tonight. We do expect it to cool off somewhat, sincewe will be heading south towards Tasmania.

 

Nice to be back with our group in the dining room, listeningto what everyone has done the last couple of days. The menu had one of our favorite items - prime rib with baked potatoes. Delicious again, which is a good sign thatthe quality of the food will continue to be excellent.

 

Since we missed the show last night, we asked which one ofour tablemates had attended. Ken was theonly one who had the energy to stay up to see it. He was happy to report that the DiramuAboriginal Dance and Digeridoo performance was most entertaining. He said that the sounds coming from thedidgeridoo player were incredible.

 

Bill and MaryAnn

[Krazy Kruizers]

A Woolworth's?

Haven't seen one of them in our area for over 40 years.

Great pictures and blog.

[ozcruizer]

Woolworths are big in Australia - many supermarkets and variety stores. The one in the city is Woolworths Metro.

[bennybear]

What’s a haystack salad?

[bcnvcanada]

The Chinese flyers might have something to do with NewYears starting in a few days. Loved your detailed reports and sorry to

hear of the rough weather again.

[WCB]

Report # 43 Day atSea February 12, 2018 Monday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Yesterday we had another message from the hotel directorconcerning activity venues. Now we haveoften wondered what would happen if, for instance, 800 passengers would decideto join in popular activities like trivia, dance lessons, Microsoft work class,watercolors, or arts and crafts? Wellthis cruise has more people than ever participating in some events, and thereis a problem. Although this was notstated as the problem, we heard today that this complaint has been directedtowards arts and crafts. The studentsarrive before lunchtime to the Lido, eat lunch, then wait for the instructor toarrive at 2:30pm. Then they are therefor the supplies for the class of the day. Wonder if they are running out of supplies, as they under-estimated thesize of this class? Not much differentfrom our attempt to participate in the Microsoft lessons. We have never been successful in gettingcomputers, let alone get into the room. The way we see it, the time is coming when the guests will have to payto join these classes. That way,everyone might have a chance to join in , and the supplies would not run out. Time will tell if Henk’s message will workfor people not to arrive too early for scheduled events. Naughty bunch, this group….

 

It was much cooler with cloudy skies today. The further south we traveled, the rougher itbecame. At 11am, we went to the Crow’s Neston deck nine for another Cruise Critic meeting. This was the second gathering to welcome some new folks that joined thissegment yesterday. Except only half ofthe members attended this meeting. Morethan likely, the motion of the ship would have stopped most people from goingto this deck. We began hitting somesignificant swells after breakfast, and it continued to get worse by noontime. It was all we could do to stand up straight.

 

We met Barb for lunch, which is always fun. Captain Mercer gave his PM talk, but with atwist today. We have had an itineraryrevision regarding an intense low-pressure system, barreling its way towardsTasmania, our next destination. Theyhave decided to pull out of Hobart earlier than expected tomorrow, and skip ourstop in Port Arthur. With expected windsat 40 mph and swells of 6 feet, tendering folks ashore would be too dicey. The next port in Kangaroo Island is north ofTasmania, but the intended route would take us into seas with swells up to 24feet. The Captain has no intention oftaking us through that. So the plan nowis to travel up the east coast of Tasmania, through the Bank and Bass Straits,gaining access to the Australian coast. No doubt, it is still going to be rough. Whether or not we get to Kangaroo Island is not known at this point. Naturally, all of the cancelled tours bookedin Port Arthur will be credited to shipboard accounts. Everyone will receive arefund on the port charges as well. Andto keep most everyone happy, there will be complimentary sparkling wine or softdrinks at dessert on Wednesday evening to celebrate our safety. And that’s how things can turn on a dime. We say better safe than sorry.

 

Besides walking a few miles outside, watching some massiveswells explode off of the hull, we kept busy with yesterday’s photos. Two lectures took place in the Queen’s Lounge. One by Barbara H, all about what to seeand do in Kangaroo Island and Adelaide. We are still searching for her talk about Hobart, because although wehave been there at least three times, we cannot seem to recall what isthere. Our first visit, we went to PortArthur to tour the prison. The secondstop there, we took a wine and zoo tour. The third time, we went out exploringon foot, ending with a lunch in a pub. At the time, we had a different computer, sowe don’t have those old reports for reference.

 

The second lecture was from here to infinity with AlanWright. Not sure what that was all about, as there was no other hints. Same applies to the entertainer this evening,Andy Joy, with a unique blend of musical talent, story-telling, and humor.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, and a table fortwo. We are never disappointed with thelamb chops or filet…..both savory, with sides of French fries, you cannot gowrong. We would have been finished by9:15pm if we had remembered that a soufflé takes 20 minutes to bake. Still, it was worth the wait.

 

Tomorrow should be fun as we “re-discover” Hobart.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[jig]

A Woolworth's?

 

 

 

Haven't seen one of them in our area for over 40 years.

 

 

 

Great pictures and blog.

 

 

 

It’s not the Woolworths of America. It’s one of the two big supermarket chains in Australia.

 

 

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[jig]

We were just in Hobart and kangaroo island on the Noordam. In Hobart we took the public bus to Richmond. Quaint old town with an old stone bridge and several churchs. There are tours to it but the public bus was fine.

Kangaroo island was fantastic. We rented a car. If nothing ore booked then you see nothing. No public trans and nothing at the pier. Seal bay and flinders chase park are the big draws.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jig]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report.

Heard about the problems with the arts and crafts classes. Guess they weren't prepared for so many people interested in taking the classes.

Maybe, as you said, HAL will soon have to charge for all classes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It’s not the Woolworths of America. It’s one of the two big supermarket chains in Australia.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Thank you for that information.

[Stratheden]

Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia were all Safeway a few years ago.

[WCB]

Report #44 Hobart,Tasmania, Australia February 13,2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees Part # 1 of 4 80 Pictures

 

Australia consists of several states namely, WesternAustralia, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales,Victoria, and last but not least, Tasmania. The city of Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, and is the second oldestcity in Australia. Built at the mouth ofthe Derwent River with the backdrop of the 4000 foot Mt Wellington, it is quitea picturesque city. It is full of artist’sstudios, cafes, parks, churches, museums, and shopping. However, it wasn’t always this way.

 

Back in the 19th century, Hobart was a rough and rollickingplace – a whaling and sailor’s town, rum-fueled, grubby and dangerous. This is according to one of the moreinteresting pamphlets we gathered onshore. The slums housed tanneries, a dairy farm, iron smelters, churches andpubs. Convicts milled grains anddistilled grog, while whalers rubbed shoulders with British marines, whoseships were being built in town. Nearbybrothels kept the men happy, while the women of the town worked in the fruitcanning and jam factories. Whale oil wastheir most valuable export, and the locals kept their vessels working withshipyards, sail repairs, and chandlers. This area became known as Battery Point with fortified artilleryemplacements, underground tunnels, and stores of ammunition for the big guns.

 

Also included in this mix, were some nice estates of thewealthy. Some of them have beenpreserved over the years. This huge harbor was well-protected by invaders backthen. The only invaders these days arethe tourists , who are most welcomed by the friendliest Aussies.

 

Shore excursions offered 17 tours here. They ran from $30 to $250 for 2 to 8hours. They included a city tour,gardens, wildlife, wineries, kayaking, and even a prison tour in Port Arthur,our intended, but cancelled port for tomorrow. As for us, we have always done tours here, butthey took us out of the area. We wouldget our chance to explore the town on our own today.

 

There was no shuttle needed here, since we docked right inthe center of the business district. Perhapsone of the easiest ways to get about town is taking the double decker red bus,or as we like to call it: the Ho-Ho bus (hop on, hop off). Their price for 20 attraction stops in 24hours was only $35 per person. Ofcourse, it is impossible to take in that many sites in a day, but you couldchoose the most popular ones. The buswould return to each stop every hour to continue on to the next venue. Or you could simply stay onboard, and get thedrive-by version, complete with narration.

 

We left the ship before 10am, and found the terminalinformation kiosk had many maps and info. The terminal also had many tables of nice souvenirs, and some ratherexpensive jewelry of the area. Maybe we’llcheck it out later on.

 

One of the places we wanted to visit was the Royal TasmanianBotanical Gardens. Getting printeddirections from the info gal, we found our way with the help of a map. It was not an easy direct walk, since wecould not use the main road to get there, as there were no sidewalks.

 

So we had quite a hike to enter the Queens Domain by way ofan underground tunnel. However, theBotanical Gardens were not close to here. We found our way, with the help of a local fellow, to the trail that ledus past the Hobart Aquatic Center, to a World War I memorial trail called theSoldiers of the Avenue. There were hundredsof cement markers with names of soldiers that died in WWI. Each marker had a tree planted behind it. In time, these rolling hills will be a truly matureforest, and a wonderful monument to the fallen members.

 

The views of the bay and the Tasman Bridge were fantasticfrom up here. And as the song goes – on aclear day, you can see forever.

 

We followed the rocky path for what seemed like miles,taking note of the markers with directions to the gardens. Eventually we came across a huge sportsstadium with rest rooms. In the eucalyptusgroves, we could hear some parrots and Australian magpies. Besides a few silver and herring gulls, wesaw few other birds today.

 

Finally a narrow trail led off of this main path, and we headeddownhill until we reached the Royal Botanical Gardens, a 200 year old displayof exotic and native flora. The entrance was free , but donations were gladlyaccepted. This 14 hectare garden isconsidered a premier cool climate garden. We did recognize many types of trees that grow in our area inCalifornia, even the giant redwoods at the entrance. Summer-blooming bedding plantsand vines filled the displays.

 

With the park map, we followed the many paths that led usthrough the heart-shaped property lined with native and foreign plantings,arches, ponds, waterfalls, bridges, and a restaurant, café, and shop. A conservatory built in 1939 had orchid displaysand ornamental plants. The Subantarcticplant house had the winds and harsh landscape of remote Macquarie Island,complete with sound.

 

We could have spent more time here, but we would have tobegin back towards town, if we were to find lunch somewhere. There happened to be two buses outside thegardens. One was Gray Line, and the otherwas the Ho-Ho bus. Just out ofcuriosity, we asked the Gray Line driver if he offered a paid ride back to thepier. He said no, and he did not believethe Ho-Ho did either. There was no otherform of public bus that stopped here.

 

So we headed back the same way we had arrived…..up the steeptrail, and back to the memorial walk. Once at the junction, the hike did not seem as far as it did cominghere. Wonder why that is? At this point, we ran into a Dutch couple wehave seen on many world cruises, but have never really met. Recognizing us, they inquired if we knewwhere the gardens were. Happy to give themdirections, they admitted that high rise buildings and the hustle and bustle ofa busy city was not their cup of tea. Freshair and country scenery appeals to many of us.

 

Knowing we needed to stay on Liverpool Street, we simplymade our way into the CBD of Hobart. Thistime we had researched restaurants where we could find pizza. An Italian restaurant called Cultura poppedup. HAL even recommended it in their map. So we were happy to find they served alltypes of pizza as well as typical Italian favorites. The local beer was Cascade Draught, inbottles. Their brewery is located intown, and they offers tours there. Anyway, a good indication that the food was great here, was the factthat mostly locals filled the place. Of course,anything “fish” is the top cuisine in this town, so most cafes and restaurants advertisedthat.

 

Heading back downhill, we passed some more historicbuildings such as St David’s Cathedral, the old prison, treasury, andParliament. The Salamanca and theBattery Point districts were other places of interest to explore, but we didnot have the energy to walk it all.

 

Back at the cruise terminal, we took another look at theirsouvenirs and decided everything was nice, but we could live without any moretreasures.

 

The Amsterdam was scheduled to be here originally until 4amWednesday. At that point, we would have “floated”to Port Arthur, a tender port. Due tohigh winds and rough seas, the Captain deemed it unsafe to attempt a stopthere. Now the plan was to leave hereafter 9pm, and head back up the east coast of Tasmania, and reach the shores ofthe mainland. No matter the change, webet it will be rough sailing.

 

Our table numbers were reduced to five, as four weremissing. Barb invited Ray, her former dancehost friend, and his roommate Beverly to join us, as they were sitting at atable for two by the window. They saidOK. Tonight’s theme was Mardi Gras, orFat Tuesday, where everyone is invited to over-indulge in preparation for Lent,and the start of fasting before Easter arrives. To commemorate this occasion, each of us had a different color top hat,with a pile of purple, gold, and green beads to wear. Oh my gosh, more hats? This has to be the Year of the Hats. From what we saw, many folks left them on thetable, not taking them home. Our waitershad multi-colored sequined vests with matching jester hats and big bowties. Our guests asked for some jester hats and bowties, and our kind waiters handed some over to them.

 

Shortly after 9pm, we watched the sail away from the comfortof our seats at table 311. What abeautiful view we had of the Tasman Bridge, all lit up, as it got smaller andsmaller while the ship slowly left the spacious bay.

 

A Mardi Gras Party was held in the Crow’s Nest from 9 to11pm. Busting at the seams, they offeredsnacks and a Hurricane drink special for $6.75, while listening to the tunes ofthe Station Band. Barb says their musicis the best on the ship.

 

Right before we left our room for dinner, the temperaturehad begun to climb towards 80 degrees. Something was wrong. It remainedhot through the night, when we found out something had broken. At least, they were working on fixing it,except we spent a pretty uncomfortable night. Good thing we had the benefit of the rotating fan, which we ran allnight.

 

Wonder what kind of weather we will have tomorrow?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS As we are writingthis, Wednesday AM, Captain Mercer just advised everyone to batten down thehatches, as we are in for a rough sailing as the ship makes the turn into theBanks and Bass Straits, north of Tasmania. The apparent winds are recording up to 77 knots across the decks, and itwill get worse as the afternoon progresses. Not liking this at all.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Love reading your reports.

Wonder how many pairs of shoes you will wear out by the end of the cruise with all the walking you do in the ports??

Love the pictures -- makes me feel I am right there.

Stay safe and walk carefully on the ship with those high winds. I imagine they will drain the pools.

Hope the air conditioning in your cabin gets fixed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia were all Safeway a few years ago.

 

 

Thank you for this great information.

I always enjoy learning something new.

[WCB]

Report #45 Day atSea February 14, 2018 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 69 degrees 44 Pictures

 

Sometimes we think a sea day may turn out to be boring. That certainly was not today. During breakfast, we took note that the seaswere rough and the winds were blowing pretty strong. Not as bad as expected, however. Taking a walk after breakfast, really showedus what was happening outside.

 

To back track a bit, we had a problem with the temperaturein our room last night. It was nearing80 degrees, and not cooling down. Weheard it was pretty much ship wide, and many guests had trouble sleepingthrough the night. Unless you lived ondecks six or seven, there is no way to get fresh air into your room. It’s not like you can open a window. First thing this morning, we reported it tothe front desk, and of course, we were told it was being addressed. Something was mumbled about problems with acompressor. Makes sense.

 

We did get fresh air for sure during our morning walk, butalmost blew over board. No wonder all ofthe lounges had been lashed to the side railings last night. By the time we did a few laps, the outsidedoors had been roped off with signs on the window to stay inside.

 

It was a good time to continue working on photos fromHobart. Sometime around 10am, theCaptain made an announcement that we could expect 60 to 70 knot winds as theship turns westerly towards the Banks and Bass Straits. He warned that the seas and swells would increasedramatically the further we got. Headvised all to be careful.

 

We turned on the information channel on TV, and found outthat the winds were already a 12 on the Beaufort scale. Hurricane force we think. Also learned that we have traveled 11,892nautical miles so far from Ft. Lauderdale. Guess we have been lucky to havehad such fair skies and smooth seas to this point. We were still busy in the room, when theCaptain came on the speaker again, repeating his message, warning us to stashall the breakables and to be careful out and about on the ship.

 

We met Barb in the dining room for lunch once again. She had an interesting experience thismorning, while sitting at the aft pool. The motion of the ship is such that it may be smooth one moment, thenrocking, pitching or listing the next. That makes the pool susceptible to rolling and peaking, dumping watereverywhere. It happened with one bigroll of the ship, and most of the water emptied, flooding many cabins downunder deck eight. Not sure how that happened,but it did. Even more shocking, was watching a chair blow over the back deck,and into the sea below. Like we said, never a dull moment.

 

Then while we were eating lunch, the cruise director came onthe speaker saying that the Valentine’s Ball was cancelled or postponed. But only the dance. The gala dinner was still happening, but thedress code was relaxed. Mostly becausethe ladies might wear high heels, and it was dangerous to walk around likethat. So it would be a first to see howthe folks will dress this evening. To becertain, even with the three of us, we all heard a mixed message with thatannouncement.

 

Oh yes, we had chocolate bars from Seattle’s Best, left onthe bed this morning, along with a single red rose with a card. It was compliments of the Captain forValentine’s Day. Nice touch.

 

One of us did sneak out on deck three to take some photos ofthe massive waves hitting the hull, and the swells that were making the shiplist. The Captain had mentioned that theballast would have to be adjusted in order to straighten the ship up. By 5pm, it was necessary for the Captain toannounce that we had slowed to a crawl, and would endure the waves headon. It was our only hope to keep us allcomfortable until the worst was over.

 

So, we dressed for the gala evening as we had originallyplanned. Some folks did not. It was OK, as long as we were all safe. As we have hosts most nights, we were a bitsurprised to have the future cruise consultants as our “officer”. A bit crowded with 10, they kept busy withsharing wine and conversation with our new guests George and Ken. The motion of the ship kept up all evening,so the night was long for some of us.

 

We do know there was substitute entertainment, but for us,we called it a night, and headed back down to the most stable deck of the shipfor the night. Hopefully tomorrow willbring smoother seas, and it will be a “go” for Kangaroo Island on Friday.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am surprised that the pools were not emptied and all the deck chairs were tied down.

Hope you soon have better weather and that the air conditioning will soon be working.

[WCB]

Report # 46 Day atSea February 15, 2018 Thursday Overcast & 66 degrees

 

Conditions have not improved very much since yesterday’srough ride. We did get an extra half hoursleep, because we had turned the clocks back that pesty ½ hour. With all of the rocking and rolling, the onlytime we don’t mind it, is when we are tucked in for the night.

 

During breakfast this morning, Captain Jonathon came on thespeakers and announced that our arrival to Kangaroo Island will be delayeduntil noon tomorrow. He had reduced thespeed of the ship to keep it safer and more comfortable for the guests. And of course, that was necessary because ofthe sea conditions we are experiencing. If this remains like it is today, there is no way the Captain will takea chance tendering folks ashore. Welearned from Asep, one of the head waiters, that the winds exceeded 125 knotsduring the night. A couple of chairs actuallyblew over the back deck, a rumor we had heard yesterday. It was a miracle that only one accident withplate ware happened in the dining room last night. We’re surprised that more people have not hadfalls. But then, time will tell.

 

Our day was fairly laid back. It has been weeks since we have been able togo to deck 8 and enjoy the sun. In oneway it is nice to be able to visit with folks we know, such as Allan and Sandrawho joined the ship in Sydney. Lots ofcatching up to do.

 

America’s Test Kitchen prepared oven-roasted salmon today. If we liked salmon, which we seldom eat, itwould be a great class.

 

The morning guest speaker, Alan Wright, must have had a fullcrowd today, since no one was allowed outside to walk the lower promenade deck. Even we did not go under the tape. We did peek out on deck 8, to find that onlythe smokers were out there. A crew was preparingto clean the pool decking, which was flooded anyway.

 

There was a sapphires and pink diamonds presentation today –a grand unveiling. And like we saidpreviously, you have to know your gemstones before you invest in these things.

 

We met Barb for lunch, and did notice that the dining roomwas pretty full. Probably due to thefact that the ship was rolling, and the Lido would get the worst of it. During his PM talk, the Captain said prettymuch what he said earlier. He will notsay that we are not going to Kangaroo Island for sure. Now that the hours have been reduced, wefigure that by the time they get the folks ashore, they will have to start backshortly afterwards. All aboard is5:30pm. Will we make it, or won’twe? That is the question on everybody’slips.

 

We watched a TV movie late this afternoon. And did not do much more. We knew we were having company for dinner, sowe made it a point to arrive before 8pm. Susie and Woody were about the last to arrive, and we think they had afine time. One of us ordered the wiener schnitzel,and the other a tataki beef salad. We shareda lasagna entrée, but we still think it is too meaty for us. Not enough noodles and little sauce. Oh well, we try this item every year in hopesit will be better. Not quite yet…..

 

As we were leaving the dining room, the last again, thewaiters were placing every dish, glass, pitcher, and vases on the floor,covering them with napkins. Looks likethey are seriously expecting a very turbulent evening.

 

This is also a good reason to feature a comedian, PaulAdams, in the show lounge. Hisdescription was – everything you ever or never wanted to know about thecomedian you never heard of. Funny yet? Wonder who makes these descriptions up?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Krazy Kruizers]

It does sound like you may not get to Kangaroo Island. Noon to 5:30 isn't much time for anything.

[erewhon]

Hope you were able to get ashore at Kangaroo Island.

[ON cruiser]

And hope your a/c is fixed!

 

Thanks for continuing your most entertaining description of your journey.