Live on Edge Down Under - Mar 24 & Apr 5 - NZ and S Australia 🛳️🇦🇺🦘🇳🇿🥝🛳️

[81Zoomie]

I wanted to add a bit more info and options in the local Adelaide area.  The distance to the Adelaide CBD is considerable, roughly 30-40 minutes by car.  The trains ran approximately every 30 minutes.  We heard a story of a taxi into the CBD costing A$75 for 4 people.

 

If you are interested in a relaxing day, the smaller beach towns south of the port area may be a nice option.  There is a wide paved sidewalk along the beach that stretches for miles.  We saw many walkers and runners.  The towns of Glenelg and Brighton had very cute main streets with cafes and shops.  There were fishing piers and children’s playgrounds.  These areas could make for a nice day if you want something a little more unstructured.

 

 

 

 

[81Zoomie]

We skipped cocktails 🍹🍷 this evening since our day was basically cocktails!  We decided to eat about 7pm.  To our surprise, Luminae was quite empty.  Most people ate early.  It was a pleasant change.

 

 

I selected the kale salad and the duck.  DH had the scallops and the cod fish.  The amuse bouche was beet with some type of Tatar.  DH liked his seafood selections.  I enjoyed my salad and the sweet potatoes with my entree.  For me, the duck 🦆 was just OK.  I ate about half.

 

We noted that the couple seated next to us were Vegan.  They enjoyed their dishes as well.  Ironically, we chatted about Kangeroo meat and fried gator bites in the US 🤔.

 

 

The highlight of my meal was dessert!  I requested the chocolate cake from main dining.  It wasn’t busy, and our asst waiter told us it would take 7 minutes to pick up.  It was well worth the wait 💕.  DH had crème brûlée.

 

 

The headliner this evening was a repeat we had seen on the previous cruise.  DH was exhausted, so we decided to have a relaxed wind down in our cabin.  DH was asleep 😴💤😴 almost instantly.

 

The ship is rocking gently.  I understand it is a 30 minute ferry ride to Kangeroo Island from Adelaide.  I expect we will be bobbing nearly stationary all night!

[mikegrip]

On 4/7/2024 at 2:07 AM, 81Zoomie said:

I do have a question for the E Class experts.  Getting on and off the ship and the location of the gangways seems a bit odd.  I do not remember this on Apex.

Today there was one skinny gangway on deck 5.  You use the same tiny walkway getting on and off.  The security was set up in the Casino.  In Sydney, it was through Raw on 5.  The area is very small and gets quite congested.  It seems as though it’s a lot of work to move all the scanner and metal detector equipment into place and then break it down when we sail.  It must be a pain for Raw on 5 when the ship sails late.  Is this the same situation on the newer E class ships?  Or, did X design a better solution/location for the gangways?

 

If I am not mistaken it has something to do with the tides and dock configuration in where the gangway ends up.  When we were on Apex for Ireland/Iceland cruise majority was exiting on deck 2 with many walks down through the Chandelier bar out but also experienced by the Casino, thru Cafe Al Bacio, and Next to Bistro/Le Petit Chef

[81Zoomie]

Day 6 - Kangaroo Island

Good morning from the waters just off Kangeroo island.

 

 

 

 It’s a bit gray this morning and we are in no hurry to get off the ship 🛳️.  No excursions for us today.  We decided we did not wish to spend 2+ hours 🕰️🕰️ each way to get to the wildlife reserve on the other side of the island.  Tuscan sounded like a good idea for breakfast.  There were quite a few folks there this morning.  Today is the first time I was able to pour my tea 🍵 without soaking the table!  
 

 

It was actually good we didn’t need to rush off the ship.  The tenders were backed up due to having to give way to the ferries during rush hour and strong currents.  Additionally, there was only space for one tender at a time at the small pier.

 

 

We waited until 10 am and then went ashore.

 

 

The town of Penneshaw is quite small.  There was a small arts and crafts “cruise ship market” by the locals.  We took a nature walk in hope of seeing some small penguins 🐧🐧, but they were hiding.  

 

 

There were lovely views of the bay and the ship.

 

 

 

There were 2 streets with shops, restaurants, and a post office.  We walked to find the Kangeroo Island sculpture trail.  By this time the skies were misting and we put our rain jackets on.  For the next 30 minutes or so we put on and took off layers of clothes several times.

 

 

The sculpture trail provided a brief look at the local terrain, plants, wildlife, and artistic creativity.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

We were lucky and spotted some Wallabies!

 

 

 

After the sculpture trail we had pretty much seen everything that was walkable in the small town.  We walked back to the pier.  Standing on the pier we spotted a pod of dolphins 🐬 🐬.  No acrobatics, just their fins.

 

 

Lunch options onboard were venue limited because it was a shore day.  We opted for the OV knowing lots of passengers were still ashore.  It was a Greek 🇬🇷 themed buffet.  I opted for chicken, spinach, Greek salad, feta, and mini pita breads.

 

I eagerly went to get some of the yummy looking baklava I saw earlier.  It was gone 😩.  OK, next choice some of the refreshing tropical fruit sorbet available most days.  Skunked again!  Only chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and peach ice cream.  Yes, I am pouting 😠.  I was about ready to add a shot of Baileys to a latte and call it a win.  However, we have a gym date later and that probably isn’t a good combination.  On the bright side, fewer calories to burn off!

 

I did notice the wait staff has continually been pushing specialty dining both inside and outside the OV.  The Roof Top Grill has probably been a bust on this sailing because of the weather ☔️💨🌊.  It would also be quite windy and chilly if there is a Magic Carpet dinner.  The other overhanging trend is the reduction of included OBC and the price increases in the specialty venues.  Passengers may be less eager to have a bill 💵 due at the end of the cruise.  There have been no advertised specials.

 

The other interesting thing on this sailing has been the extremely limited casino operations 🎰🎰🎰🎲🎲🎲♠️♥️♣️♦️.  Unlike the Caribbean where most ships zip out to the 12 mile limit, Celebrity has opted to hug the coast and keep the casino closed.  I suppose it’s a trade off between time, distance, and fuel costs versus casino revenue generation.  The casino will reopen tonight after being closed for 2 days.

 

The sun and blue sky have finally made a lasting appearance 😎🌞.  It should be a lovely sail away 🛳️🛳️  in a couple of hours.

 

[81Zoomie]

Well, we are 1hour and 20 minutes past the supposed last tender and this is the view off our balcony.

 

 

No announcements from the bridge, so we suspect this is the result of tours getting back late.

 

There is a rain/fog bank rolling back and forth not too far away.  It could make tendering operations interesting if they do not wrap up soon.

 

 

 

 

[81Zoomie]

Well, we shoved off over an hour+ late from Kangeroo Island with no announcement from the Captain.

 

We decided to have a drink 🥃🥃 in the Retreat and shared our wine adventures in the Adelaide area with another couple.  At 7ish it was time for dinner.  The menu for tonight:

 

 

I ordered the potato soup and the chicken.  DH selected the carrot salad.  As a special request last night he asked about Cioppino.  And, the chef delivered!  Happy hubby 😁.  The amuse bouche was shrimp and tomato 🍤🍅.

 

Following our amuse bouche there was a broadcast announcement.  Our CD Giuseppe told us that due to severe weather conditions the evening production shows would be cancelled.  We  were told to expect deteriorating conditions throughout the night.  Oh well…

 

Dinner was very good.  DH was over the moon with his seafood!   My chicken was very moist and tender.

 

 

 

 

We were excited about dessert 🧁🍰🍦.  Chocolate soufflé and pineapple mousse 🍍. They were delicious 😋♥️😋

 

After dinner we went down to the casino.  It was open… YEA!  It was the $5 promotion night.  Mine lasted a bit longer than DHs.  We enjoyed playing with our funny money 💰💰💰.  While we were in the casino, a second announcement 📣. Giuseppe again, the 9:30 pm show was cancelled, but the movie Mean Girls would be showing.

 

I have to say it’s a bit disappointing we haven’t heard anything from the Captain about our late departure or the “severe deteriorating weather conditions” we were told to expect overnight.  We noticed on the TV we are sailing over 21 knots which is a quick pace.  We have no idea what to expect in the morning!?!?  Hopefully we can sleep 💤😴💤😴 through to worst of it!

[TheGinBoy]

Really enjoyed your reviews/blog on your extended cruise (not jealous AT ALL).

 

We're joining Edge in Seattle this May.

 

Any idea who the Captain and Cruise Director will be? I've heard they're both leaving when the ship repositions to the West Coast of America.

[Galaxy2004]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:54 PM, 81Zoomie said:

It’s a bit like my DH’s old Navy ⚓️ days, eat till you are tired and sleep till you are hungry!  

I had not heard this before but am adopting it as my new cruising slogan😁.

[depplep]

I'm interested if you were happy in the end with visiting McLaren Vale versus Barossa Valley for your wine tour? I'm undecided as of yet for our tour. Stinks about the weather you've been having, but a great review with interesting information.

[hcat]

is this generally a bad time for cruising these itins..or just bad now?

 

We are used to mostly smooth sailing in the Carib.

 

 For a trans Atlantic we'd want a very sturdy Ocean Liner vs a Cruise ship..

[81Zoomie]

21 hours ago, depplep said:

I'm interested if you were happy in the end with visiting McLaren Vale versus Barossa Valley for your wine tour? I'm undecided as of yet for our tour. Stinks about the weather you've been having, but a great review with interesting information.

 Very good question.  It’s a bit like would you rather have gone to Napa instead of Sonoma? 🍷🍷🍷. If you have a good guide who understands your wine preferences and wishes I think you would be happy in either Barossa or McLaren Vale.  As you know, wine tasting is sometimes surprising 😲.  Occasionally, you find an enjoyable wine in the least likely winery.  And, sometimes the highly touted brands don’t deliver the hype to your palate.  The atmosphere in the tasting rooms, scenery’s in the area, and attentiveness of the wine staff are important as well.

 

This was a topic of conversation with the other couple we met.  One day is not enough time to do more than one region.  We would love to come back someday and incorporate a land portion visiting the Barossa and Margaret regions.  We almost sailed on an Azamara cruise because it offered an overnight in Adelaide.  That would have been ideal!

[81Zoomie]

19 hours ago, hcat said:

is this generally a bad time for cruising these itins..or just bad now?

 

We are used to mostly smooth sailing in the Carib.

 

 For a trans Atlantic we'd want a very sturdy Ocean Liner vs a Cruise ship..

I don’t know what the normal sea conditions are in this part of the world 🌎.  Currently watching a pen ✍️ roll back and forth on the dresser top!  We are mid ship 🛳️ and definitely rolling enough to make things interesting.  It must be quite challenging for the dining staff.  Agree on ship size.  Edge isn’t a dingy 🚣‍♀️😂🚣‍♀️!!!

[depplep]

12 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

 Very good question.  It’s a bit like would you rather have gone to Napa instead of Sonoma? 🍷🍷🍷. If you have a good guide who understands your wine preferences and wishes I think you would be happy in either Barossa or McLaren Vale.  As you know, wine tasting is sometimes surprising 😲.  Occasionally, you find an enjoyable wine in the least likely winery.  And, sometimes the highly touted brands don’t deliver the hype to your palate.  The atmosphere in the tasting rooms, scenery’s in the area, and attentiveness of the wine staff are important as well.

 

This was a topic of conversation with the other couple we met.  One day is not enough time to do more than one region.  We would love to come back someday and incorporate a land portion visiting the Barossa and Margaret regions.  We almost sailed on an Azamara cruise because it offered an overnight in Adelaide.  That would have been ideal!

Good analogy. I appreciate the feedback.

[81Zoomie]

Day 7 - At Sea

 

Good morning from the middle of the deep blue sea!  Deep, yes, there is 10,000 ft of water beneath us. 🤪👍☺️.  It has warmed to 59 deg and we have 25 kt window from the southwest 💨💨.  The predominant influence, however, is the 4 meter swell causing us to pitch and roll.  Capt Costas has reported that it will improve as we get closer to Tasmania 👍.  Then he followed with, “It should calm down about midnight.” 😆😵‍💫🤣.  There are peaks of blue through the clouds, but it is not shaping up to be a great outdoor day.

 

 

It was an ideal day to go down to Tuscan for the CC breakfast.  Lower is better.  That comes with a caveat for me.  I am fine looking at the waves from above, high up 🔝.  I run into a bit of an issue when I look 👀 at the seas and swells 🌊🌊🌊 from the side.  So this is one morning I was happy not to have a window table.  As insurance, I followed breakfast with a Bonine to protect against 🤢🥴🤢.

 

There are a lot of activities to fill the day. The pool an activities will most likely be cancelled again.  Not to worry,  because you can go to an art 🖼️ auction, buy some diamonds 💎, get your footprint 👣 analysis, or gamble the day away 🤣🤣🤣.  Surprisingly, people probably do this or it wouldn’t be available!
 

 

This was billed as a “Wine Cruise”.  People have commented that there have been no wine lectures, special wine activities, or wine dinners showcasing Australian wines. 🍷🍷🍷.  Everything on the agenda related to wine is the same as every other Celebrity cruise.  The Australian wines included in the X beverage packages are best left in the bottles 🍾🍾🍾.  They are not representative of wines that Australia 🇦🇺 is known for!

 

It may be a good day to begin sorting clothes and gifts before real packing begins.  I don’t like to pressure pack on either end of the cruise.  I saw this flower 🌸 in Tuscan at breakfast.  It represents that end of cruise feeling…

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

On 4/10/2024 at 11:00 AM, TheGinBoy said:

Really enjoyed your reviews/blog on your extended cruise (not jealous AT ALL).

 

We're joining Edge in Seattle this May.

 

Any idea who the Captain and Cruise Director will be? I've heard they're both leaving when the ship repositions to the West Coast of America.

The staff is very quiet about the senior personnel changes.  If we have the opportunity we will ask.

Edited April 11 by 81Zoomie

[G&N]

1 hour ago, 81Zoomie said:

The staff is very quiet about the senior personnel changes.  If we have the opportunity we will ask.

Captain Matt will take over in Auckland on the TP sailing.

[81Zoomie]

We continue our roller coaster ride to Tasmania.  The view from the Retreat Lounge is a bit deceiving. Don’t let that lack of white caps fool you.  There were plenary of people up there, but no one wanted to get up and move around. To quote DH, “It’s a swell day!”

 

 

This isn’t a day to limit items usually on the only once in a while list.  Sprite, coke, and bread are go to items today.  It was time for lunch and we voted for Luminae.

 

I ordered the Cobb salad with cheddar cheese and DH the Cajun pasta.  The salad 🥗 was fine. Nothing remarkable as you can see.  The pasta was pretty bland and in a creamy white sauce.  DH was disappointed ☹️.  I ate my share of bread 🥰 and washed it down with a full up original coke.  Carb central I know 😜.  
 

 

 

The view from our table was a little closer to the action!

 

 

 

We elected to check out the outside venues and pools on our way to get dessert.  CLOSED was the theme of the day!  There were a few people outside at the bars, some under blankets.

 

 

 

 

 

 We were laser focused on dessert.  DH grabbed a cookie in Eden and I went back to the OV for ice cream.  Yes, tropical flavors were back today 🌸🥝!  And everything is better with chocolate sauce 😋. Sorry, I was so excited I started to eat it before I took a pic.  BTW, I am OK with the little wooden spoons 🥄.  They do not detract from the experience.

 

 

 

We returned to the cabin to find our clean laundry.  It had multiplied from 1 bag to two!  
 

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

The staff is very quiet about the senior personnel changes.  If we have the opportunity we will ask.

Captain Costas will be leaving.  Have not heard or asked about Giuseppe. 

[81Zoomie]

I couldn’t say it better.  Celebrity’s theme for this 9 day Southern Australian cruise!!!

 

 

[TheGinBoy]

6 hours ago, jelayne said:

Captain Costas will be leaving.  Have not heard or asked about Giuseppe. 

 

Just spoke with Giuseppe, he's leaving on May 17th - but can't say who'll be replacing him.

[81Zoomie]

Today was a first for me on this B2B cruise. When DH went to the gym, I took a glorious nap 😴💤😴. He came back, showered, changed, and I slept through it!  
 

We opted for an early dinner so we could catch the first show.   We swayed upstairs to eat.  I normally try not to touch anything, but grabbing the handrails today took precedence over germ avoidance!  Everyone including the staff are so ready to be done with these swells 🌊🌊🌊🌊!

 

It’s the last chic night, so we had a more interesting menu!

 

 

We both ordered the soup, rack of lamb, and baked Alaska.  Our waiter added some scallops and lobster to share.  We requested and received mint jelly. Just love mint jelly with lamb!  The lighting was a bit dim tonight, so the pics are darker than usual.

 

 

 

 

 

The lamb was very good and cooked to order.  The lobster were pretty small, but they were an addition to our meal.  We brought our own Australian wine 🍷🍷.  After dinner while waiting for dessert there was a bigger swell.  Then came the loud crash💥‼️💥‼️ from the prep area.  One of the waiters said it was the wine 😮🍾🍷😱.  The baked Alaska arrived and it was soooo good!!!

 

 

Our timing was good and we were able to make the first show.  Yes, the theatre was pitching as well.  Giuseppe mentioned that photos with the Captain were moved to tomorrow night because he was needed on the bridge due to the conditions.  The headliner tonight was Rachel Vidoni doing a rendition of Queen and Freddy Mercury favorites 👑🎵👑.  I really enjoyed the show.

 

 

 

 

We swung through the casino after the show and pulled on the slots a few times.  No jackpot! 🎰🎰🚨🚨.

 

We have an early meet up for an 8 hour excursion in Hobart tomorrow.  We are turning in early. I hope my dreams include calm seas tonight 😴😉💤.

 

Edited April 11 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

Day 8 - Hobart, Tasmania

 

Good morning from Tasmania!

 

 

It looks like a beautiful day ahead of us 😃.  Currently 55deg going up to 65 deg.  We have an 8 hour ship tour 😎 today.  We usually book independently, but had NR OBC to use.  Hope we get to see some interesting sights!  Otherwise, lots to do around the ship as always!

And for those of you who choose not to drink the Lavazza, here is my answer to cafe mocha ☕️.  Two instant coffees, add some hot cocoa, then a splash of skim milk.  Fill with hot water!  Just grab your paper to go cup in the morning.  They disappear after breakfast 🥳.

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

What a beautiful sunrise in Hobart! Hope you enjoy a wonderful tour there. We had a great time with a private company prob saw many of the sights you’re going to today. Def would love to return there for another visit someday. Enjoy!!

[81Zoomie]

I have to admit DH booked our Hobart tour and I didn’t do any research.  I thought Port Arthur was a small coastal town with a jail 🤪🤪🤪.  So live and learn!  Port Arthur was actually a penal colony for repeat offenders in Australia and England plus the rest of the commonwealth established in 1788.  It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Hobart.  Our tour bus was only about 2/3 full, so we had some room to spread out.  It was a very scenic drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the former notorious prison enclave. I was surprised at how expansive it was.  It was in the middle of nowhere, but the location was so scenic.  It was very interesting to learn about the history, walk the grounds, and enjoy this #1 tourist destination in Tasmania.  The prisoners were incarcerated, but also educated, hopefully reformed, and made to worship on Sunday.  Most of the roofs are missing as a result of brush fires.

 

 

 

 

 

The grounds were stunning.  There was a lot of open space and we enjoyed the opportunity to explore after our narrated tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was very interesting to see the solitary confinement cells and experience the space.  Silence was mandatory!

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most interesting parts was about the early tourists after the prison was closed.  Who else but cruise passengers 🛳️🧍🧍‍♀️🛳️ 🥳🥳!

 

Following our prison adventures we went to the Tasmania Un-Zoo to experience Tasmanian Devils 😈😈 and Kangaroos 🦘🦘.  We learned a lot about the Devils and watched a feeding.  They wouldn’t make great pets 😜😮🥸.  It was the afternoon and the Kangaroos seemed tired of visitors and full of food from earlier in the day.  We were able to walk through the kangaroo enclosure, but they were not at all interested in us 🦘🦘🦘.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bus stopped at a scenic overlook on the way back to the ship.  The picture says it all 😍😍😍.

 

 

We arrived back at the ship at 4:30 pm.  Our neighbor at the dock was the Australian Antarctica 🐧🐧 research facility support ship!  It is the

lifeline to the Aussie researchers.

 

 

This was the last sail away of our B2B journey.  We savored the lights as we left the harbor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12 by 81Zoomie

[depplep]

These pictures are simply astounding! I was going to say it reminded me somewhat of Barbados and Antigua until we got the Tasmanian devils!