Live (Almost) from the Rhapsody - Around Australia - Feb 24 through Mar 31

[BoyntonBeth]

I will try to post faithfully here, but, in case there are problems getting onto CruiseCritic from the ship, I also started a blog to chronicle my OZ/NZ circumnavigation. Between the 2, I should be able to communicate.

 

http://boyntonbeth.blogspot.com/

 

This is my first posting:

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

OZ/NZ Circumnavigation Cruise - Live (almost)

 

On Thursday 02/19/09 I will begin a most exciting journey. I will fly from Florida to Sydney, arriving early Saturday morning. On Tuesday 02/24/09 I will board the Rhapsody of the Seas for 35 nights (2 cruises back-to-back), returning to Sydney on 03/31/09 and staying there an additional 2 days before returning to Florida.

I have never done a blog before. Furthermore, I never had a laptop before either. If the laptop holds up, if the internet connection is reliable, and if the cost is not prohibitive, I plan to post my thoughts as often as possible. I am also planning to have a thread on the general Royal Caribbean board, called "Live from the Rhapsody - Around Australia" or something equally recognizable.

If you're not familiar with the itinerary, here it is. If you are familiar with it, sorry but I don't mean to be rubbing it in. As a matter of fact, when I first saw the itinerary, I knew I was in trouble. I booked the cruises before anyone I know had even heard about them. That was 16 months ago. Now I only have to wait 5 more days until the journey begins.

 

Date/Port

19-Feb

20-Feb

21-Feb

22-Feb

23-Feb

24-Feb Sydney, Australia

25-Feb CRUISING

26-Feb Brisbane, Australia

27-Feb CRUISING

28-Feb Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Islands

1-Mar Cairns, Australia

2-Mar CRUISING

3-Mar Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

4-Mar CRUISING

5-Mar CRUISING

6-Mar Darwin, Australia

7-Mar CRUISING

8-Mar CRUISING

9-Mar Broome, Australia

10-Mar CRUISING

11-Mar Exmouth, Australia

12-Mar CRUISING

13-Mar Perth (Freemantle), Australia TURNAROUND DAY

14-Mar Bunbury, Australia

15-Mar Albany, Australia

16-Mar CRUISING

17-Mar CRUISING

18-Mar Adelaide, Australia

19-Mar CRUISING

20-Mar Melbourne, Australia

21-Mar Burnie, Tasmania

22-Mar Hobart, Tasmania

23-Mar CRUISING

24-Mar CRUISING

25-Mar Milford Sound

Doubtful Sound

Dusky Sound

26-Mar Dunedin

27-Mar Christchurch

28-Mar Wellingon

29-Mar CRUISING

30-Mar CRUISING

31-Mar Sydney

1-Apr

2-Apr

Posted by BoyntonBeth at 8:46 PM

[kaseyoz]

I look forward to following yout travels.

I love these types of posts

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

Will be following you with great interest since you are our advance guard for our adventure next year. Bon Voyage. Stay safe.

[GMoney]

This is great! Much more interesting to me than the Mariner cruise. Thanks for sharing.

[Rancher Dave]

Have a blast. Perth is a lovely city, wish I could spend a few months a year there and the other months here.

 

Safe sailing!!!

[OHCruisinDad]

As a moderately frequent Aussie visitor, I look forward to reading your posts. Have a great cruise!

[LKN-NC]

Have a great time! I will be following your posts and blog with great interest. Our friends (who introduced us to cruising) are on the B2B with you, in fact they are already on the ship on the first leg of B2B2B. If you do meet Jim and Pat tell them Gretchen and Dave say hello!

 

I am envious of all on this journey as we would love to be doing it with you. Enjoy!:)

[emmy]

Have a wonderful journey. As a recent first time visitor to Sydney Australia where my daughter now lives and works you are in for a real treat.

 

Hope to have one of these cruises on my list soon :)

[BoyntonBeth]

I set this blog up with comments disabled so that I may use my time (read that as "money") more efficiently while on the Rhapsody. There have been comments on CruiseCritic where I'm cross-posting, at least for now. I have been reading your reponses on CC, and I thank you for the kind words.

 

I will try to chronicle the experiences, hopefully the experiences that make this trip unique. I see no point in talking about the menus, for example, because it will be pretty much the standard RCCL fare and everybody has an opinion. Besides, menu discussions get as boring as the menus themselves do while on a long trip!

 

On the other hand, there are several things that make this trip one of a kind. Some of them are personal - meaning individualized, not meaning secret. Some are global. Some are confusing. Some are anxiety-laden.

 

For example, I am concerned about leaving my 93 yo father for so long. He is in an assisted living facility, but he depends on me for so much. He is the first to say, go and have fun. He managed when I was in Europe last summer - that was 33 days compared to this 42 day trip. Fortunately I have 4 specific wonderful friends who checked up on him last year and will do so again now.

 

On the global level, how does one pack for 42 days without a washing machine?

 

As for the confusing items, I spent alot of time putting together a spread sheet with the itinerary, the port times, the probable tour times, the corresponding time at home, and, subsequently the best time to make phone calls between OZ/NZ and home. (I've got to check w/Dad and/or his babysitters!) Plus, to add to the confusion, Australia's daylight savings time is not national, but rather it's local. They have rather weird time zones, some are in 1/2 hour increments from the neighboring zone. I found one area that abuts 2 time zones which are an hour and a half apart, so that area is actually 45 minutes different than it's neighbors!

 

The most difficult issue is Papua New Guinea. The US State Department reports are scary although they seem to have moderated in recent days. This is their most recent update: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1757.html I have been very concerned for quite awhile because Royal Caribbean has been ambivalent about the port. Remember the Millennium passengers involved in an accident in South America a few years ago? Celebrity implied that nothing would have happened had the passengers taken a ship's tour, because the line checks out safety issues, licensing, etc. Well, Royal Caribbean has decided not to offer any tours in PNG, even though we are required to have a PNG visa simply because we are in PNG waters. "Welcome to PNG. Don't let the door hit you on your way out. Good bye and good luck." Are they going to have the nerve to push ship's tours in the ports before and after PNG? Meanwhile, I am weakening and I am on the verge of choosing between 2 tours, each organized by a different fellow Aussie passenger. The irony is that the Aussies are very cavallier about these tours, the Americans are rather nervous, and the truth is somewhere in between. Right or wrong, only time will tell which is the correct attitude.

 

Anyway, I guess you see what I mean when I talk about what makes a trip unique.

[Sarvowinner]

Hi Beth

 

What a great trip. I agree that we Aussies tend to be a little more cavalier than the Americans, and I would definitely take one of the tours organised by your fellow passengers in PM. My mother & daughter are just finishing the Round the Horn on the Mariner (we did the first leg). They found the best tours were those privately organised.

 

In terms of clothes, don't try to pack for 42 days, but rather two weeks. The MOS offered wash & fold laundry bag service every week or so for $20. They won't do jeans and heavy articles so pack lots of washable knit tops. I washed undies, t shirts and light weight cotton capris every couple of days. The dry cleaning rates weren't unreasonable.

 

We don't have Downy Dewrinkler in Australia so you may want to bring some with you.

 

I don't know what your luggage allowance is on the airlines, but you have plenty of time to buy extra clothing in Sydney. DFO is an outlet that will have tonnes of very cheap summer clothing - it's very close to Sydney Olympic Park if you want to tour - and they have some beautiful evening wear. Also the department stores in the city centre (Myer & David Jones) should still have sale items.

 

All the best

 

Julie

[demodawn]

Thanks for allowing us to come with you on a trip most of us will probably never get to make!

[wrp96]

Beth, I'm really looking forward to your posts. Wish I was sailing with you!!

[lancelady]

Boyton Beth, looking foward to following you on your cruise on CC,

Have a great cruise.

[wolfcathorse]

please post who your captain is and when he'll leave for vacation, if he tells you!

[stonerb]

Bon Voyage. As I have told you, I'm thinking of trying this next year. I'll be reading you as often as possible. Sheila, can I be on your trivia team again next year?

 

A couple of notes from my one trip to Australia in 1986. Do go to the David Jones department store. When I was there in 86, just inside the entrance, they had a white grand piano on a pedastel and they had a piano player who was all dressed in white including a white formal jacket with tails. It was a sight to behold. Best fish dinner is at a place called Doyle's. It is across the bay and you get there by ferry boat. The concierge at your hotel can arrange it. It is very famous.

 

In Brisbane, they have the Gold Coast south of the city and the Sunshine Coast north of the city. The Gold Coast is all big hotels with casinos while the Sunshine Coast is more rustic. We spent a couple days in Noosa Head on the Sunshine Coast and it was just the thing after all the hustle and bustle of getting there with time in Honolulu and in Sydney. It might be too calm for a swinging single like you. Ship tours are probably more likely to go to the Gold Coast.

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

I'm thinking of trying this next year. I'll be reading you as often as possible. Sheila, can I be on your trivia team again next year?

 

 

Roger, I hope you will join us next year and YES it will be my priviledge to have you on my Trivia Team. We'll have Sandy and Rick, Ray, and Nancy and Ken as well.

[BoyntonBeth]

I'm still trying to get a usable internet connection. I have kept daily notes on my new laptop and stored them on a flash drive. I haven't been able to get on the internet w/my laptop. Will try to get help and/or find an internet cafe. All I have to do is connect and then transfer the word files, but no luck yet. Worst case, I will post everything when I'm hope.

 

It's 10 pm Wed here and we're 9 hours until Brisbane.

 

To be continued, I hope

 

Beth

[cruisefromct]

Can't wait to read all about your B2B cruise since I'll be cruising it one year from now. Have a wonderful time.

 

Lisa

[wrp96]

I'm still trying to get a usable internet connection. I have kept daily notes on my new laptop and stored them on a flash drive. I haven't been able to get on the internet w/my laptop. Will try to get help and/or find an internet cafe. All I have to do is connect and then transfer the word files, but no luck yet. Worst case, I will post everything when I'm hope.

 

It's 10 pm Wed here and we're 9 hours until Brisbane.

 

To be continued, I hope

 

Beth

 

 

Beth sorry to hear you are having the same problem I had last summer. I gave up and just posted using their computers myself, but I was on a short cruise. For your cruise, I would fight it out with the internet manager.

[Papa T]

I look forward to your posts - we are scheduled for the last Australia and repositioning cruises next April. We has friends who just returned from a Rhapsody cruise and were not encouraging about the food or the general condition of the ship. I posted a thread and most who responded were complementary about Rhapsody - I am interested in your thoughts. Good luck and have a great cruise - Australia is such a special place!!!

[BoyntonBeth]

Wed 0225 – Day 2 - first sea day

All in all, this was a delightfully uneventful day. The Meet and Mingle, listed on the web site for 12:15 was held at 11am. It was hosted by Carly, the CD. It was the first time I had seen her, since I didn’t go to the show on the first night. She made a point of saying we should all make an effort to get to know the staff since she believed it would make a better cruise experience, so, when she worked the room, I told her the one person I wanted to meet was the Concierge. She told me there are currently no plans to retro-fit the Rhapsody.

I told her I had read about a private Cocktail Lounge, actually right where we were at the time (in the upper portion of the Viking Crown Lounge) and she seemed vaguely familiar with that history, but, again, there are no plans to do that again.

Then I told her how unhappy I am with the PNG situation. She was not aware of the debacle. BTW, I have since heard of people who were wait-listed fir or the PNG tours shortly after boarding.

There was the first of several destination lectures in the afternoon. I got there a few minutes late, and did not hear the gentleman‘s credentials, if, in fact, there was any introduction. He seemed to be an aging historian, perhaps a retired professor, got lost several times, was frequently contradicted (quietly) by Aussies in the audience. Overall, it was an enjoyable presentation.

I didn’t go to the show because I was still trying to get my computer working – I should have gone through the whole process before leaving home. Suddenly it is working without being plugged in, so I may not have to get it repaired. Right now, I am using my roommate’s laptop and she will email this document to me and then I will post it. That plan must have worked if you’re reading thus!!

So, day 2 ended with no blogging, no show, and, surprisingly, no trivia yet. I’m on vacation. All in all, a delightfully uneventful day.

[BoyntonBeth]

Thurs – Day 3 – Brisbane

When I first boarded, I learned that my Brisbane tour was cancelled by the tour operator, presumably for technical reasons. It was cancelled too early to have been lack of participation. I was looking forward to Vistas, Ferry, and Aboriginal Experience. I did not know what to book instead, so I went to the Shorex desk. I was asked what I was interested in, replied culture rather than animals, and she suggested Mt Tamborine and Gold Coast for approximately the same cost and the same duration. What a mistake!!

The tour was run as described – no more, no less. We left Brisbane heading for Gallery Row. I bought a key chain for someone who has a key chain collection and a coffee for me. I’m not into antiques. Then we got on the bus for the 5 minute drive to a winery – nice tasting, and nice shopping. Then another 5 minute drive to the St Bernard Hotel for a nice lunch. We go back on the bus 4 hours after we started and, as far as I’m concerned, all we did was a wine tasting and lunch. Not exactly what I would consider a tour.

Then we drove to the Gold Coast. We were dropped off in a touristy area that could have been Miami, Waikiki, anywhere where there are tourists, shops and beaches. We were probably there 45 minutes before heading into Brisbane for a very brief city tour – actually just an overview.

After hitting traffic, we got to the ship just at 5:30 which was the time we were due and we were the last to return to the ship. The only good thing about our late arrival was the fact that they didn’t argue very long regarding the wine we were carrying back.

The tour was very disappointing even though it was exactly as advertised. I guess we expected more.

I’m afraid I’m sounding negative. We’re really enjoying the cruise so far. I’ve only been reporting the unusual things, and they are the negatives.

[Rancher Dave]

Funny how a lot of the big cities there look a lot like American big cities. Just remember to look the other way before walking the crosswalks.

 

I don't recall if you stop in Cairns...its one of my favorite cities not just in OZ but in the entire world, its big enough for lots of things and activities, small enough to easily navigate. If you do stop there swing by Cairns Diver Center nice folks there who will share good info on neayby activities etc...I sail their overnight boats when I go to the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Thanks for sharing the cruise experience. I certainly hope the computer situation improves for you.

[colindastar]

Hi Beth,

We will be joining you on the second half of your trip, when you berth in Fremantle.

I am reading your commentary to find out what it's like on board the Rhapsody, and am enjoying it. Keep it up.

What's the food like? Are the drinks expensive? Is the crew treating you well? Can't wait to join you!

 

Cheers

Linda and Colin

:p

[BoyntonBeth]

I seem to have resolved the computer issues. I'll try to post the missing early days later today.

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Thurs 0226 – additionThe show Thurs evening had the theme of “Piano Man” and was a tribute toBilly Joel and a few others. I didn’t know it was a production show, andmight not have gone had I known it was, since I am not a fan of productionshows. This was probably the worst production show I ever went to and Ididn’t have an aisle seat to vacate graciously.

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Fri 0227 – day 4 – at seaThere were 2 destination lectures today. The first, about The Great BarrierReef, was presented by the pilot who will be with us all the time we are withinthe reef. Well worth the time. The second was about Hamilton Island and theWhitsundays. The speaker was the same gentleman who did the Australia overviewtwo days ago. It turns out that he is a journalist and not the professor Ithought he might have been. His presentation, unfortunately, was more of atravelogue than the subject would lead one to believe. It was probably a talkhe had given before, but it should/could have been tailored to the ship anditinerary. It was mostly interesting and somewhat self-serving for the speaker. I walked our knowing things I didn’t know before, so it was worth the time,Tonight’s show was a tribute to some of the better-known divas. Much betterthan last night.

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Sat 0228 – day 5 – Hamilton Island, Whitsunday IslandsIn Brisbane we took an all day tour, costing $125US, which was disappointing,to say the least. I had my doubts about today’s @2 hour $80 Cruising and HighTea. It was great!! Good scones, good service, good commentary. Pretty place, it reminded me of the Virgin Islands because there were so many islands neareach together, perhaps the way Pillsbury Sound at St Thomas might have beenbefore all the development and without lots of harbor traffic.After the tour we took the free island-sponsored shuttle sightseeing tour. Itwas less than 1/2 hour, but it gave us a good taste of the area. Lots ofcontrolled development, very pretty.Hamilton Island was a nice surprise.

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Random thoughts - tippingTipping is the exception here rather than the norm. When I checked into thehotel, I talked to the desk clerk about tipping the bellhop. She said Americansare expected to tip, and suggested $5AUD. When the same bellhop delivered myroommate’s bags 24 hours later, he seemed quite surprised to get another tip.We took a taxi from a restaurant back to our hotel. The driver refused my tip.When we went to the port, the cab driver took our luggage out of the car. Iasked him where the porters were. He didn’t know and offered no suggestions. I didn’t tip him.When I found the porters, the one who helped us refused my tip. He even walkedaway.