Mariner Grand Pacific Paradise Voyage: Miami - Sydney, 10/10 -12/15/2018 - Rich48100

[papaflamingo]

Like Rich, we toured the city of Melbourne, but chose to do so on our own.  We took the tram into the city and visited St. Paul's Cathedral, toured the Old Melbourne Gaol (jail), walked to the Queens Market (only to find it closed), visited the Remembrance Shrine (see Rich's pictures), went up the Sky Deck (also see Rich's pictures), and then took the tram to St. Kilda's Beach for dinner in a nice pub on the water and waited to see the Penguins return to the pier.  Had a great day! 

Here's a few pics.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Ooh, penguins!  Is this a nightly ritual?  Is it only certain times of the year?  I've only seen penguins in the wild once, and would love to see more!

[Paul Bradley]

Ah, the penguins! I saw the Fairey Penguins on a remote beach in Tasmania back in '88 - we were the only people on the beach and it was magical! They didn't seem the least bit concerned about our presence. 

 

Neither of you took the opportunity to go to the MCG?! 

[papaflamingo]

10 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Ooh, penguins!  Is this a nightly ritual?  Is it only certain times of the year?  I've only seen penguins in the wild once, and would love to see more!

I think this is year round.  If you go to Melbourne, take the tram to St. Kilda's Beach and go out on the pier (you can't miss it).  The penguins come back at sundown or a little after.  They began arriving about 15 minutes after sundown. We didn't stay for the bulk of them because it was 9 pm, getting cold, and we'd been off the ship since 10 am.  But we saw 3 or 4 show up.  They are very close to the people so you get great views of them.  😎

[papaflamingo]

On our second day in Melbourne we took a shore excursion that included the Puffing Billy Railway, Rochford Winery, and the Healesville Animal Sanctuary.  

After leaving the pier we had a scenic drive through Melbourne passing many of the sites we saw on day one. Arriving at the  Belgrave Station in Belgrave, we boarded Puffing Billy.  Puffing Billy is a narrow gauge, steam driven railroad that opened in 1900.  We had a scenic  ride to Menzies Creek then reboarded our bus to the Rochfort Winery for a private wine tasting and nice lunch.  The wine was ok… not as good as California, but still a nice day.  

After lunch we then bussed to the Healesville Sanctuary where we saw a wide variety of native animals. After the Sanctuary we headed back to the ship.  We decided since the ship didn’t leave until midnight, to walk along the waterfront to the Local Tavern and have dinner and  a beer.  Yeah… Fish and Chips for me… can’t beat it!  

After boarding we relaxed on our balcony enjoying the beautiful views of Melbourne.  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

21 hours ago, Paul Bradley said:

Ah, the penguins! I saw the Fairey Penguins on a remote beach in Tasmania back in '88 - we were the only people on the beach and it was magical! They didn't seem the least bit concerned about our presence. 

 

Neither of you took the opportunity to go to the MCG?! 

What is the MCG?

[UUNetBill]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

What is the MCG?

Google shows it as the Melbourne Cricket Grounds.

[Paul Bradley]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

What is the MCG?

As Bill says, Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the most famous stadiums in the world. Not just cricket, but Aussie Rules football and rugby are played there - the Aussie Rules Grand Final is held there annually and is a huge occasion - like the Superbowl. 

 

There's a neat stadium tour and museum to visit there. Hallowed ground!

 

 

Apologies for the thread hijack, but it brought back great memories of my time in Victoria!

[Travelcat2]

papaflamingo - fish and ships sounds so good!  Melbourne is such a lovely city.  My husband has cousins there whom we have visited (he is from the U.K. but part of his family moved to Australia many, many years ago).  He also had friends in South Island in New Zealand that we also visited (both land trips - not cruises).  We fell in love with that part of the world but must admit that we liked New Zealand the most.

 

It will likely seem strange when you get off of the ship next week after being at sea for so long.  Did you book another cruise while onboard?

[rich48100]

We spent our second day in Melbourne with friends we met on a previous cruise.  What a wonderful day, and perfect weather.  Went to a botanical garden that showed many of the plants that would be in the Australian bush country, the a great picnic, followed by the Healesvile sanctuary.  A great number of Australian native animals.

 

Then off to Geelong.  Went on a tour of a National treasure House and gardens followed by the botanical gardens.  Many plant and trees from all over the world.

 

 

[papaflamingo]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

papaflamingo - fish and ships sounds so good!  Melbourne is such a lovely city.  My husband has cousins there whom we have visited (he is from the U.K. but part of his family moved to Australia many, many years ago).  He also had friends in South Island in New Zealand that we also visited (both land trips - not cruises).  We fell in love with that part of the world but must admit that we liked New Zealand the most.

 

It will likely seem strange when you get off of the ship next week after being at sea for so long.  Did you book another cruise while onboard?

Travelcat...as I read this we are, sadly,  packing on our last "at sea" day.  Tomorrow we stop in our last port, Eden, then off the boat in Sydney.  Yes, it will be strange leaving this beautiful ship.  But we have 4 days in Sydney which will help our transition to going home.  Not sure I like the idea of having to pay for meals and drinks... pretty used to the idea of great food and wonderful service and no check at the end.  But, alas, all good things must come to an end.  And getting home in time for Christmas with the Grandkids helps ease us out of our dream cruise.  

We actually have a second cruise booked in 2020 on Navigator.  It's 29 nights from NYC to Dublin!  We booked it before we did this cruise, so you can see I had high expectations of enjoying Regent, and must say they have exceeded all my hopes and expectations.  We have commitments in 2019 that prevents us from booking a cruise.  Our son is the Commanding Officer of a Navy F/A 18 Squadron and his Change of Command is sometime between July and October so we couldn't commit to a cruise for on board booking.  As soon as it's set we will be looking for something we can fit in.  That IS a joy of retirement, we can leave at a moments notice.  😎

[briar14]

papaflamingo—so glad you enjoyed Regent! Right now we are sitting in the Polaris Lounge in Houston waiting for our flight to Sydney. We board when you leave. Enjoyed all the posts in this thread. Safe travels home.

[papaflamingo]

Yesterday we spent a beautiful day in Geelong, Australia.  We decided to simply walk around and see the sites and were very glad we did.  It’s a beautiful town and the weather was remarkable.  We walked the waterfront, wandered through a bit of the town, shopped a bit, and toured the Wool Museum, which was much more interesting than it sounds.  

Geelong waterfront has a number of stick figures.  On some of them are rabbits.  Turns out it was Geelong’s waterfront where rabbits  were introduced to Australia. 

Had a nice lunch and beer at a waterfront café, then reboarded the ship for our sailing to Eden.  Today is a day at sea so we are, sadly, packing as we get off the ship in Sydney in 2 days.  

[papaflamingo]

Just now, briar14 said:

papaflamingo—so glad you enjoyed Regent! Right now we are sitting in the Polaris Lounge in Houston waiting for our flight to Sydney. We board when you leave. Enjoyed all the posts in this thread. Safe travels home.

Have a great trip!  Wish we were going with you.  We'll wave as you pull out of the dock.  😎

[Hambagahle]

Great photos of Melbourne.  My late sister lived in Melbourne and her daughter and family still do...out in the Dandenog Hills though.   I am surprised the MCG wasn't on your itineraries - that is hallowed ground to Melburnians.

 

Looking forward to photos of Sydney!

[UUNetBill]

26 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

Looking forward to photos of Sydney!

 

Here you go!!

Oh, wait, you said Sydney with a 'Y'.  Never mind...

[Hambagahle]

Sidney looks wonderful!  And I hope Sydney will too!!   My nephew gave his farewell concert on the steps of the Opera House and I have had a "soft spot" for that whole area ever since.  There were something like 350'000 people there!  (It was free...but that's not the only reason!)

[rich48100]

Yesterday was a sea day, and also a day for packing.  Today in Eden.  The Krew kapers show was yesterday.  They again put on a wonderful performance with some new Christmas acts.

 

here are some photos.  Not great quality, but you get the picture.  Great rendition of YMCA, and had the guests rockin’.

[xrvlcruiser]

I'm so glad to see the bamboo stick dance back again! Hopefully, it is fleet-wide.

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, xrvlcruiser said:

I'm so glad to see the bamboo stick dance back again! Hopefully, it is fleet-wide.

Peggy

 

Hi Peggy - they did the bamboo stick dance on the Voyager last month.  I suspect that it depends upon how many crew members know the dance.  I've seen this on most of our Regent cruises.

[papaflamingo]

After a day at sea we arrived for another “drive by anchoring” at Eden.  Unfortunately the swell was too high for the tenders with a forecast of increasing significantly through the day, so we missed this port.  Sadly it’s our last day.  We spent the day packing, enjoying our last day on the ship, and saying goodbye to new friends and so many wonderful crew members.  Tomorrow we arrive in Sydney and have to leave this beautiful ship as our wonderful cruise comes to an end.  We’ll spend four days in Sydney then home on Wed.  It’s been a fantastic cruise and we have photos and memories that will last a lifetime.  And we are looking forward to seeing Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Opera House, and the local area.   It's been fun sharing our experience here.  Thanks to all who have followed along.  And a special thanks to Wes and Rich for inviting me into the blog.  I can confidently say I am now hooked on Regent and look forward to our next cruise in 2020.  In fact I have a feeling we'll make it on board another Regent ship before 2020!  Hope to meet many of you on board. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by papaflamingo

[Hambagahle]

thanks papflamingo, for all the lovely comments/photos etc.  Much appreciated.   Now enjoy Sydney!!

[tnr]

Thank you papaflamingo and Rich for all of your wonderful pictures and commentaries throughout your trip.  We are home from our visit with friends in Melbourne and finally over our jet lag.  You made our small portion of your trip so much more enjoyable and will look forward to hopefully cruising with you again.

Terri

[flossie009]

Thanks to you all for a great blog.

Certainly some thoughts for future cruise(s) 😀

[papaflamingo]

1 hour ago, tnr said:

Thank you papaflamingo and Rich for all of your wonderful pictures and commentaries throughout your trip.  We are home from our visit with friends in Melbourne and finally over our jet lag.  You made our small portion of your trip so much more enjoyable and will look forward to hopefully cruising with you again.

Terri

Had a great time for sure Terri.  Really enjoyed getting to know you and Ray.  We look forward to cruising with y'all too.  

Jim 

Edited December 14, 2018 by papaflamingo