A Very Busy First Week

January 22 to 24, 2015 - Transit and Arrival

We were picked up right on time, and got to the airport in plenty of time for our 3:00 flight to LA. It was smooth, comfortable and on time. The purchase of United's Economy Plus was well worth it for the extra room. The downside was that we were in the last boarding group. As a result we had to check our carry on bags due to no bin space.  

Our arrival gate in LA was the same as our departure gate for Sydney, but we had to go to baggage claim to get the carry ons. Stopped for supper on the way back to the gate. Then we camped out at one of United's charging stations to use our iPads. We still had 4 hours before departure for Sydney. 

Then came the 1 hour delay. We left at 11:30 PM. After a smooth and comfortable flight, we arrived in Sydney an hour early. Great tail winds. It was 8 AM Saturday. Sydney is 17 hours ahead of Chicago.

We breezed through immigration with our new global entry passports. We just passed them through a reader at the kiosk, answered a few travel questions and moved on to baggage claim. People we had met who had regular passports were way behind us in the manual lanes. Then the waiting for our bags began. We were all back together again.

A 40 minute cab ride brought us to The Russell Hotel in The Rocks. Our driver was very helpful in pointing out sights and neighborhoods. The Russell is situated right at the beginning of The Rocks near Circular Quay. It is built on a hill, and presented a bit of a challenge for us with our luggage. The entrance is not at street level, but along the side of the hotel near the back of the building. It is an old hotel with split levels on each floor as the building goes down the hill. Reception was on the 1st floor. We entered on the ground floor, and Alice stayed with our luggage while  I went up to check in. Maxine efficiently checked us in. Then she went down with me to help with our luggage. We parked it outside our room on the second floor. It was not ready because it was only 10:30. Maxine directed us to the sitting room on the first floor, and brought coffee for us. We asked about a tour to the Blue Mountains on Sunday and she booked it for us.

That resolved, we took a map and set off to explore The Rocks. Because it was Saturday, the market was set up very near our hotel. It was very interesting to see the goods being offered and learn the prices. Nothing was a bargain, but all of the vendors were very friendly and happy to chat with us. One lady even insisted on giving Alice some of her sunscreen. The UV is very high and people are constantly being warned to lather up to prevent burning.

It was hard to believe our energy level, considering that we had just finished 30 plus hours in transit. We walked the length of The Rocks, visiting all of the market stalls. Then we walked to the Overseas Passenger Terminal to scope out how our cruise check in would work. We were glad we did, because we learned that we would have to drop our bags at a tent well away from the terminal entrance. This was a good thing as it was much closer to the hotel, and we would be walking the luggage over.

A P&O cruise ship was boarding passengers. We stopped and talked with a family about to board. We learned that this was a 3 day cruise to celebrate Australia Day. They were also celebrating the end of summer and return to school for their son. He got out of school in mid November and starts again next week.

We continuing walking toward Circular Quay. All along the way preparations were being made for the activities and concerts that would take place on Monday as part of the Australia Day celebrations. When we got to our hotel our room was ready. It overlooked George Street, the main drag. After reviewing our options, we again set out on The Rocks. We found the tourist information center, and were helped in deciding how to get around the city with transit and ferry maps. We decided on one day My Multi passes. This would allow us to use any mode of city transit, including the Sydney Ferries, for a full day for just $24 Australian (about $19 US).

Moving on again we made our way to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We were under it. As we marveled at its size and construction, we agreed to walk across it, not climb it, on Monday. We walked through the market, again, on our way to Mass at St. Patrick's. Maxine had given us great directions, and we arrived on time for 6:00 Mass.

Then we went in search of supper. Not far from the information office we found the Lowenbrau Beer Garden. We were seated at the end of a long picnic table with many others. After we ordered our food and beer, we reviewed our exciting day. we were in SYDNEY!

A young fellow and two pretty girls were seated next to us. We had noticed the girls accent. The fellow was Australian and was offering them all kinds of advice. Then he asked us where we were from. When we told him Chicago, he exclaimed to the girls,See. He was demonstrating his prowess in detecting accents. They explained that the girls were German and on a six month journey to see the world before they started college. They had just met him. He was doing a fine job of impressing them.

Satisfied with food and beer, we returned to the hotel. It was ten o'clock. Our pick up for the Blue Mountains was to be 7:45. We gave thanks for a beautifully sunny first day inSydney, and went to bed.

January 25, 2015 - Sunday - Blue Mountains

The hotel's continental breakfast was fine to start our day. The mini bus picked us up promptly, and we were off to the Blue Mountains. We were the second pickup. Half an hour later we were heading out of the city. Before arriving at Scenic World, the park at the Blue Mountains, we stopped at a viewpoint to see the Three Sisters. This rock formation is the primary reason for visiting Blue Mountains. They are nice, but if you have seen the hundreds of formations at Bryce Canyon, they are nowhere close to it. We have to maintain our perspective. In Australia mountains of any magnitude at a rarity. Apart from Ayers Rock natural formations such as the Three Sisters are rare.

We stopped in the town of Leura for lunch and to visit the quaint shops. Alice andI went into the super market to buy sandwiches in the deli section. Not so fast. they don't sell ready to eat foods here. Strolling the Main Street brought us to a small sandwich place where we had excellent food.

After lunch we proceeded to Scenic World. Luke, our driver/guide explained that we would get tickets to ride the Scenic Skyway, the cableway and the railway. The Skyway would take us from the parking area across the valley to the site where the coal mining operations that had made the area well known used to be. When Luke saw the lines for the Skyway, he drove us to the other side of the valley. The new plan was to ride the cableway to the valley floor where we would walk a boardwalk through the rainforest. Then we would take the railway back to the top. Finally we would ride the Skyway across to the parking area.

We all rode the cableway down. Luke explained that we could chose from a walk of 15 minutes or 30 minutes or 45 minutes. We would be able to complete any one of these in the hour and 45 minutes we had left. Alice and I decided on the 30 minute walk because we know we are notorious for reading every sign and description. Luke assured us that the Skyway line would not be like the other side so we could follow our plan.

The walk was delightful. There were remnants of the coal mining equipment along the trail with good descriptions of there purpose. Trees were identified. To a lesser degree, fauna was also identified. We approached the Skyway with 30 minutes to make the 5 minute trip across the valley. The line was very long and tour groups were inserted ahead of us. All in our group were walking independently. We did not see any of the others. The one moved eve so slowly, and as the time for the bus departure drew near we did not think we would get on the next Skyway. We did not. We had no option but to wait it out. Ten minutes after the bus was to depart we boarded. Would the bus be there? When we got off the Skyway we were 15 minutes late. Luke was there. He fully understood the situation and was very gracious. We were not last.

We boarded the bus, and waited with the others as Luke checked out the next two arrivals. He came running to the bus and drove speedily to the other side, where he jumped out and ran to theSkyway boarding area. Soon he came walking back. He drove back to the parking lot to wit for the next arrival. They were there, a family of three from Virginia.

This delay caused us to miss the scheduled ferry we were to take back to Circular Quay to complete the tour. As he drove, Luke phoned to learn if we could make the next ferry. It would be close, but we could do it. We arrived at the pier with 5 minutes to spare.

After a nice ride to the quay we walked to our hotel before heading down the street for pizza. We always have pizza on Saturday night. At about 10 we collapsed. 

The day had been long, sunny, hot and wonderful. We were happy with what we had seen and done. It had rained overnight, so when we did get to The Blue Mountains, the views were fantastic. The air was beautifully clear, and the view to the horizon extended over 60 miles. The valley is full of eucalyptus trees. As the temperature rises, they shed oil fro their leaves. It is the vapor from this oil in the atmosphere that causes the blue haze that gives the mountains their name. We were really lucky to have had such magnificent views.

January 26, 2015 - Monday - Australia Day

Today is Australia Day. This is the day for us to explore Sydney on our own, and then join a group of people from the Cruise Critic roll call for this cruise on a harbor dinner cruise to celebrate Australia Day and view the fireworks.

We woke to rain. The wheelchair (really high performance cycles) race was run on the street below our window. We took a while to watch as the competitors raced by.

We returned to the information office to purchase our transit passes. It was lightly raining as we walked to Circular Quay to board the ferry to Manly. This suburb is on the headland where the harbor meets the ocean. When we arrived at Manly it was pouring. We made our way to the Manly info center. With a map and a lot of friendly advice from the young lady at the center we walked to The Corso. This main route would take us from the ferry terminal to Manly Beach. Along the way we stopped at pharmacies and souvenir shops to price sunscreen. Prices of $15-$20 seemed to be the norm. We will try to stretch what we have until New Zealand. With this rain that should not be difficult.

The walk was pleasant, even though the rain continued lightly. The beach looked very nice. The waves were breaking and surfers in their wet suits were taking advantage of them. A helicopter was monitoring the safety of the surfers. On our way back to the terminal we admired the facades of the old buildings lining The Corso.

A bumpy ferry ride took us back to Circular Quay where we boarded a ferry to Darling Harbor. This took us under the harbor bridge to Luna City. This is an amusement park on the far side of the pride. After one more stop, we arrived at Darling Harbor. We were very disappointed, and I do not think it was just because it was raining. The waterfront is well developed with hotels and bars. Then come the odd museums and souvenir shops. We walked a long way and then returned to take the ferry back. 

The rain let up as we walked toward the hotel. We stopped for a while at one of the music venues. The band was quite good and the audience very appreciative. Back at George Street we watched the activities that had been set up on the street. Croquet was set up right In front of our hotel. The kids were having a blast. A little farther along was a percussion area. Here there were all sorts of things for the kids to bang on. Some interesting music was made here.

We stopped in a few galleries and craft shops that had not been open earlier. We found and left many beautiful things. 

We got ready for our dinner cruise, and walked to the far side of the quay in front of the opera house. We were to board at 7, but had to be there at 6:45. Of course the rain picked up at about 6:30. Boarding went slowly, and we got soaked on the gangway. We were seated at a table for 8. Only one other couple had been seated, and they were from Sydney and Perth, but not with Cruise Critic. They were very pleasant, and we enjoyed talking with them. They had never come to the harbor to celebrate Australia Day before.

Finally 2 couples from Cruise Critic were seated with us. One couple had been moderating the Cruise Critic roll call. They had found out about this dinner cruise, and posted the information on the roll call. They then monitored the bookings and worked with the provider to have us seated together.

Unfortunately the cruise line did not follow through on their promises, and we were not all seated together. Our tables were scattered all around. We could manage that, but worse was the fact that the marketing was just that, marketing. The food was poor, sanitation in serving was worse and a large group of noisy locals was seated all together right next to us. They were so loud we could not carry on normal conversation. There was no narration of the sights we passed, but it was raining so hard we could hardly see them anyhow. When the fireworks went off we were in a very good location. Alice and I went outside to watch because the rain streaming down the windows made it very difficult to see. It was too wet to use the camera.

At 10:00 we Disembarked, donned our rain gear and made the long walk home. This proved to be the lowlight of our visit to Sydney.

January 27, 2015 - Tuesday - Embarkation Day

We awoke to rain, a real downpour. After breakfast, we whiled away the time with repacking and using the Internet before checking out at 11:30. With rain ponchos on we walked the short way to the baggage drop at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. There was no line, and our bags were taken immediately to the luggage staging area. We walked to the terminal and finally got out of the rain. 

The check in process went very smoothly. We were aboard by 12:15. Our statement would not be ready until 1:30, so we went to the Oceanview Cafe on deck 14 for a buffet lunch. We were overwhelmed with the size of the cafe and impressed with its openness. We found it to be well organized and efficient. We were very surprised that passengers were allowed to serve themselves. On other cruise lines we have not been allowed to touch the serving utensils for the first three days in an attempt to avoid the spread of "disease."

We shared a table with a very nice couple from Germany near Cologne. Sharing travel experiences made time fly. The announcement that staterooms were ready was made. We anxiously made our way to deck ten and our new home. It is very nice, spacious and with adequate storage. The game saver is covered shelving above the head of the bed. That is home to most of my folded clothes. The veranda is small, but adequate. The view is great, not obstructed in any way. The one disappointment is that there is no clothes line in the shower. We have had these on all of our other ships, and we were counting on hanging our quick dry clothing after washing it. Guess Celebrity really wants to sell their laundry. We will figure something out.

Next we toured the public areas. They are impressive. They are very large to accommodate the large number of passengers, yet they seem open but uncrowded.They are beautifully decorated. We returned to our stateroom. Still no luggage. It was dropped six hours ago. Off to dinner in our traveling clothes.

We booked this voyage over year ago and requested a table for six. We were seated at a table for two. We like each other, but meeting new people is part of the fun of travel. Sharing experiences at the end of the day rounds things out nicely. The servers are nice, but seem very rushed. They do not hurry our dining, but their scurrying does make us uncomfortable.

The assistant dining room manager visited at the end of our meal. I explained our disappointment with our seating. He took our stateroom number, and said he would pass it on, but made no promises. If a change was possible, we would receive a note in our room. Dinner was OK.

We returned to our cabin. Our luggage was in the hall. It seemed damp. We had heard other passengers talking about having clothes hanging all over the cabin to dry. We were about to learn why. When we opened the bags we found some damp and some very wet clothing. Our stewards told us to let then know what need cleaning and they would take care of it for us. The next two hours were spent unpacking. We hung the dry stuff and spread out the wet things. Thank god Alice had put the finer things in plastic. She did find a new top with the tags still on that had gotten very wet and faded from some dark piece. She assembled a laundry bag of stuff in need of attention. We will see what kind of attention it gets. Apparently the baggage was left in carts in the rain until it could be brought aboard. Don't know if that was the fault of the port or Celebrity, but they could have at least covered the carts with something.

We went to bed about 11:00. We were very tired with feelings of excitement and disappointment. This first day was one of very mixed emotions. 

January 28, 2015 - Wednesday - Sea Day

We awoke rested. The bed is very comfortable. I had been concerned about the rounded corners on the foot of the bed, but the lost length posed no problem for me. As we headed off to breakfast, Vishal and Derrick, our stateroom attendants greeted us cheerfully. We had met them yesterday and they are both professional, helpful and very friendly. They are very much like what we are accustomed to on Holland America. This is a terrific improvement over our experience on Oceania's Insignia.

We headed to the dining room for breakfast. We have grown accustomed to having breakfast served on board. The menu was uninspiring, but our table mates made breakfast a pleasant experience. They were two couples from Australia. We had a lot of. Fun with them. The waiter told us that the breakfast is the same every day. We will serve ourselves in the Oceanview Cafe in the future. The selection is far greater, and the food is hot, not tepid.

this is a sea day on the way to Hobart. We filled our days with lectures, and I got a start on this blog. The lectures were very good. We had lunch in the cafe, and opened our internet account.

This is a formal night. We did not receive a table change note, so we dined at our table for two. For a formal night the meal was very ho hum. No lobster. After dinner we attended the captain's welcome and introduction of officers. This was followed by song and dance review of old Broadway shows. It was great. The cast of 14 is extremely talented.

When we returned to our room, we found a note that our dinner table was changed. We hoped we had not jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.

Sleep came quickly.

January 29, 2015 - Thursday - Hobart, Tasmania

We arrived in Hobart to cloudy skies. It was cold. We walked off the pier and headed toward the Tasmanian History Museum. We had been told there was a guided tour at eleven, but found out that it was a special interest tour that did not excite us. The general tour was not until 2:00.

We started to walk the city. Our first site was a park that is also an old cemetery. Many former dignitaries were buried here. It was on our way to Battery Point. We had been told this was a neighborhood of quaint cottages. We passed a sign telling us we had arrived in the district, but the houses were quite ordinary. As we walked on we met a couple we had breakfast earlier. They told us there was a circus not far away that had many of the cottages we were looking for.

We walked on through the neighbor hood. The streets were hilly and led to the sea. The houses became more beautiful and architecturally interesting. Before turning back, we walked a street that had houses facing the water. They had their own moorings or piers, and rails leading into their boat houses. Walking uphill on a different street we found Arthur Circus. This is THE place. The cottages are very old and lovely. The gardens are colorful.

One house we found was at the end of an alley. After taking a picture of the house, we walked out front where we met an older gentleman. When we asked where he lived, he explained that he lived in the house we had just photographed. He gave us a history of the area, and explained that most of these houses had been in the same family for over 150 years. His wife had purchased their home form her father in 1947 for 350 pounds. 

This was a lot of money then, but now the house would sell for over $1,000,000. He then agreed to let us take his picture in front of the house.

This cottage has 2 bedrooms, a large living room, kitchen and dining room. It is L shaped and runs well back on the lot.

We walked back toward the port where we visited Salamanca. This a nice old building that houses many galleries and local craft shops. The work is exquisite. 

Back aboard we learned that we had a new tape assignment. When we went to dinner we were directed to a table for 6. One of the other couples is from Newcastle, UK. The other couple is from Nottingham. We hit it off very well they made us most welcome. It seems like old times for us. We all get along so well together that we talk and joke till the waiters need to close the section to prepare for the second seating.

January, 30 & 31, 2015 - Friday & Saturday - Sea Days

We are crossing the Tasman Sea on our way from Hobart to Milford Sound, New Zealand. We had been warned that this crossing can be rough. It is, but it is not. The waves are 15 to 20 feet and the wind is 45 knots. Access to the outside is closed off due to the motion and the wind. We are spending our time in lectures.

The dining room is on deck 3. At dinner on Friday some waves were so high that they were above the dining room windows. We have never experienced that before. Alice and I maneuvered quite well. No serious wobbling. Others were not so lucky, and the seasick bags were put out. We definitely notice the rolling more on deck 10 than we did on deck 5 on our other voyages. It is not uncomfortable, just interesting.

February 1 & 2, 2015 - Sunday & Monday - Milford Sound to Dunedin

The ship arrived at the entrance to Milford Sound at 7:15 AM, and the pilot boarded. We had gotten up at 5:45 to be ready for this. Solstice cruises into the sound and is met by a local boat. This ferries passengers to land for the 2 day excursion to Dunedin. Solstice leaves and spends the day cruising to Dusky and Doubtful Sounds before arriving at Dunedin on Monday.

We had decided months ago that since we would return to this area on our way to Perth, we would take the overnight excursion from Milford Sound toDunedin. The brief ride to shore was smooth. There we boarded buses and set of for Queenstown. This excursion would give us the opportunity to see some of the interior of New Zealand. 

Fifteen minutes later we left the bus in the rain to visit the Chasm. We did not know what to expect. After a short walk through. The rain forest we were greeted by thunderous waters. A magnificent waterfall cuts its way through the rock carving a chasm of beautifully sculpted rocks. Awesome!

As the bus drove from here we learned that the manual rainfall averages 21 feet. Today as the rain beat down, waterfalls sprouted up all along the road. In dry times these are dried up, but today they were rushing down the mountainside. At on place I counted over 20.

Moving on, we marveled at the curving road as it ascended and descended pass after pass. Suddenly the driver pulled over. The engine was overheating. The driver went out in the rain to fiddle with something.  He returned, telling our guide that he thought all was now OK. Fifteen minutes later he was out to fiddle some more. It was decided that at our lunch stop we would have a mechanic look at it, and change buses, if needed.

The driver disappeared with the bus as we entered and took over a small restaurant. Lunch was served promptly. Our choice was lamb shanks or chicken. Alice had the chicken. I had the lamb shanks. They were braised to perfection. Two of them. Alice and I shared a Speights Old Dark lager. A delicious New Zealand beer.

Back on the bus we were told it had been fixed. Guess what! Five minutes later we were again on the side of the road. This time we waited for a replacement bus. It was smaller, some 4 people had to move to another bus. There were four buses in our convoy. About 180 passengers were on this tour. The new bus was very uncomfortable. The seats were narrower, and the shocks seemed to be shot. We bounced all over the place. 

Fortunately in three hours we arrived in Queenstown. Unfortunately this reduced our exploration time in the city center. We had 45 minutes before we had to board the steamship for our cruise across the lake to our buffet dinner. Dinner was fabulous. The meat and fish courses were prepared on an outdoor grill. The kitchen spewed beautiful salads, vegetables and desserts.

We sat with Rex and Barbara form our dinner table on Solstice. They were on a different bus, but we met on the steamer. After dinner we watched a display of dogs herding sheep. Then we saw a sheep sheared before sailing back to the city.

Our hotel was the Hilton Resort and Spa about 15 minutes by bus from the city center. The other hotels were walking distance. We did not mind because our room was beautiful.  The floors were black marble throughout. We had a tub, 2 sinks and a large shower stall with a handheld shower or an overhead rain shower. The bed seemed larger than a king. What luxury.

 The continental breakfast was very nice. We were scheduled to leave at 8:20. When I boarded the bus at 8:05, the only seats available were in the last row across the back of the bus. This meant sitting on the seatbelt retainer. Alice and I had the two seats to the right side of the bus. A very large man sat in the middle seat next to me. There was a bit of hubbub because a seats just in front of us were wet from overhead dripping. 

The guide asked for 2 volunteers to go to another bus so the wet seats would not be needed. With some trepidation, Alice and I volunteered. Had we just jumped from the frying pan to the fire? In 15 minutes we would find out. That would be our first stop.

When we got there, our guide introduced us to Toni. She was the guide on our new bus. When we asked if she had two seats together, she said she would check one thing. We got the first two seats behind her jump seat. What could be better. I put our hand baggage in the overhead, and we walked to the Main Street. 

The declared feature in Arrowtown is the mining museum. It tells the tale of the gold rush in this area. It is located in a very small building, but it has an extensive display. Thoroughly enjoyable!

We walked the Main Street and then down to the river. When we returned to the bus someone had put their thing on our seats. I searched out Toni to ask where we should go now. She said the things were hers. She did not want any of the others to take our seats. She is great. We were to learn that she was a far better guide than our guide on the other bus.

As the bus set off we were welcomed by all the passengers around us. We praised them on being much friendlier than the first bus. A good beginning. As we moved out, Toni started her narrative. What a wealth of knowledge. She covered everything. Flora, fauna, history, geology, weather, politics and local customs.

Before our arrival in Dunedin, she took us to the bridge where bunge jumping originated, a wine tasting, a delicious lunch, glorious countryside, a quick tour of Dunedin's central business district and a visit to the famous train station. 

We arrived at Solstice in time for dinner.