Category: Cruising

After Tasmania

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On Tuesday Mar 6 The ship sailed out of Port Arthur at about 6 PM into smooth seas, north, along the east coast of Tasmania. The trip across the Bass Straight was very smooth and we arrived in Melbourne early Thursday morning. Shortly after 7 AM we were joined in port by the Radiance of the Sea, a Royal Caribbean ship of similar size to ours.

After breakfast we went ashore and walked east from Port Melbourne to Port Philip and eastward toward St. Kilda. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day to walk along the beach. We stopped to chat several times, once with a couple from Calgary, passengers from the Radiance. It was interesting to watch workers grooming the beach. There was one machine hockey fans might describe as a Zamboni for sand. It scooped up the surface sand, filtered out anything not sand sized then smoothed it out for another day of use.

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There were lots of cars, walkers, joggers and cyclists. Noteworthy is the fact that cycling paths, walking paths and roadways were separate. A fascinating concept more cities could learn about and adopt.

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There were a few sun bathers, and swimmers or perhaps waders, and three guys doing training drills on the beach volley ball courts. After about an hour of wandering we stopped for a coffee, reversed our direction and returned to the ship.

After lunch and some time in the hot tub where we are sitting on our balcony in the warm shade. The ship is positioned so that the sun is more or less overhead such that both side are in shade and not in the 30°C sun. As we walked along the pier this morning there were literally hundreds of pallets of supplies waiting to be loaded onto one or the other of the ships in port. From our balcony we can watch the loading process on the Radiance of the Seas. Although we cannot see it from our balcony, the same thing is happening to the Diamond Princess. I managed to get a few seconds of time-lapse video of the ballet. Certain lift trucks move pallets from their delivery point to the side of the ship. Another selects a pallet and places it in front of the loading hatch. Another, with a longer reach, transfers it from the dock into the ship and backs away. Immediately, another machine moves the pallet from the entry point to elsewhere in the ship where it is stored for use on the next cruise segment. It is just like a form of ballet. I hope this time-lapse video gives you an idea. (if it works)

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I am always impressed by the precise movements of these large ships. I watched the Radiance of the Seas dock. She approached the berth backward gradually closing the gap between the ship and the dock. When the ship came to a stop with the shore gangway about 5 metres from desired location on the ship’s rail. The ship began to move again stopping exactly at the correct place. That’s control.

Weather-wise, this is one of the warmest days since leaving Sydney. The temperatures in Tasmania were cooler but we can’t complain. We have so rarely encountered bad weather on our journeys we feel charmed. (Immediately touching wood for continued luck.) 

Friday, March 9 was our final day at sea and cruising for this trip. As we sailed along the coast we had an unexpected sighting of another cruise ship, the Golden Princess.

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 When we disembark Saturday morning we will remain on land with occasional airborne bits until we arrive home. Once on land with reliable, inexpensive internet access I will get some of the photos on line with at least a little organization. By the way, I hope you are clicking on the emails sent to you so you can view the photos posted. There are usually photos in the message that are not automatically downloaded with the text.

Saturday, March 10, we arrived in Sydney again. Disembarkation was quick and painless, no immigration or other border security screening. Luggage picked up and taxi delivered us to our hotel where, once again, a room was ready for early check-in.

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Continuing southbound

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We checked out of the hotel around 11:30 AM into a waiting cab. The traffic was not so heavy at this time of day and the trip was quick. The huge check-in line we saw as the taxi pulled up to the cruise terminal made our hearts drop a little. There was a porter waiting to take our checked bags as they were unloaded. As we turned with the remaining luggage we saw the “Priority Boarding” sign which was our queue. As we entered our stateroom Gail’s watch read 12:15 PM. 

After boarding the Diamond Princess and doing a bit of exploring we went for our typical boarding day hamburger at the Trident Grill. Now here’s some comparisons. We have been on the Queen Elizabeth for three weeks, eaten in the LIDO repeatedly and only once been offered beverage service, this afternoon a waiter was at our table almost as we sat down. Another comparison, along with the beverage service waiter came several others offering wine tasting events and coffee cards for sale, whereas on the QE we never encountered such solicitations. 

It was evident even from our hotel room that the Diamond was much larger than  the Queen Elizabeth. From our third floor window we could see the top of the opera house and, with a little concentration, make out features of ships at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The only bits that were visible on the QE superstructure were the two white, spheres atop the vessel that house communications stuff. The upper two decks of the Diamond were quite visible over most of the ship’s length. Once on board the size differences were even more apparent. From  the upper decks residential east Sydney could be seen over the Opera House peaks.IMG 9352 On the other side, the view was of the roof of the terminal rather than the upper floor windows of the building.IMG 2495 As the Diamond set sail she had a huge impact on the ferry boats and pleasure craft. The Diamond’s turning circle requires most of the approach to Circular Quay docks. The eleven mile trip to the ocean offers some great views of Sydney. Once clear of the harbour she turned southward, steering a course paralleling Australia’s east coast. Our first contact with Tasmania should occur after about 40 hours and some 600 nautical miles after departing Sydney. As a result, we are traveling at a leisurely 12 knots.

Until this point all of the photos have been taken with my trusty iPhone SE. The next bit, on Sunday March 4, will be costal cruising therefore it is time to bring out the Fuji with it’s 700 mm zoom. I will have to sacrifice the geographical metadata but that’s life. Of course, having not used this camera for quite a while some of the buttons will be mysterious for a short while. Perhaps I’ll take it out for a spin on deck before we arrive in Hourglass Bay.

Sunday morning, March 4,  finds our position just east of the coast of Tasmania. Early this morning the ship shuddered slightly but otherwise passage through the shallow Bass Strait separating Tasmania from Australia .  Between 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM we cruised slowly along the coast of Wineglass and Oyster Bays. The rock formations and white sand beaches provided our first look at the State of Tasmania. Eventually, once back in Sydney with reliable internet and time, there will be more photos of the area, but for now, here are a couple.

Panorama of Wineglass Bay

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Panorama of Oyster Bay

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Monday morning we entered the port of Hobart. After a relatively clear sunrise the weather became rather cool and overcast with some sunny breaks. Our berth is at a commercial site with a warehouse as a temporary cruise terminal.

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Mount Wellington can be seen directly in front of the ship beyond the city.

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Later today we will take a tour in Hobart then another tomorrow in Port Arthur.

 

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Between A Queen and a Diamond

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Wednesday morning was our time to check out of our stateroom of the Queen Elizabeth and check in to our Holiday Inn hotel room for two days before checking in to our stateroom on the Diamond Princess. We have started to explore Sydney again.

We are beginning to figure out the subway system. Our hotel is four stops and one train change away. Our train change happens at the City Hall station which appears to be one of the busiest. Five of Sydney’s eight subway lines converge here, looping around the central business district. At City Hall it looks like there are six levels of platforms below ground. That said, upon arriving on one train you may be able to see the platform for your next train but need to go up to the top on one escalator then back down on another just to cross the tracks, so to say. The scenery on the subway is not so great.

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Conversely, there are eight ferry lines radiating from Circular Quay that offer rather scenic commuting throughout the harbour and along the Parramatta River. We have not yet tried the bus lines although there appear to be too many to mention. Perhaps we will get to them on our return from Tasmania. All of these services are ticketed through their OPAL system. One very interesting element of this system is that is supports variable time of day rates, daily and weekly maximums. There are other transportation services in the area that allow charging through the OPAL system but are outside the Sydney system maxima.

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During our intermezzo in Sydney we renewed acquaintance with The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, The Queen Victoria building and the mole city surrounding it. While looking for a place to have lunch we saw a sign for a food court. Upon entering we ascended a five level escalator where there was indeed a food court. In fact a whole shopping centre. Even more interesting, as we descended to level three we were again at street level, then again at level two, and one. Sydney is somewhat hilly and it seems that one might avoid climbing hills on the sidewalks by using the escalators inside buildings. I wonder how long it will take to figure this out?

Here are a couple of photos of The Rocks, Manly and the Queen Elizabeth building.

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The stained glass and diorama clocks are among its unique features.

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At Sea after San Francisco

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Monday, February 5, Boarding Day

Perhaps we will be on Pacific Time tomorrow, it wasn’t today. Despite the early morning coffee we managed not to be the first at the buffet for breakfast. We managed a bit of conversation with two other couples in the dining room. The remainder of the morning was just easy going. Our luggage was ready for pickup before 9 AM as requested but was not in fact collected until after 11 but who cares. We made a second pass at the breakfast buffet just before the 10 AM close then retreated to the room to await travel to the ship.

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The lobby was a mad house between 9 and 10 AM. By waiting until 11:30 to check out it was over in a minute. The wait in the lobby was not long and shortly after 12 noon we were  escorted to our coach for the 5 minute trip to Pier 27 and the terminal.

Boarding was done in a very orderly, British fashion. Upper classes immediately, the rest of us were assigned groups for checkin then boarding was permitted immediately. The whole procedure really didn’t take very long and best of all, our luggage was delivered to the room very quickly. One arrived before we did.

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Immediately after checking in to the stateroom we needed lunch. Up to the buffet, a quick lunch and a bit of exploration of the upper decks. Queen Elizabeth is, by current standards, a relatively small ship. Listed at 90,901 Gross Tons carrying around 2,000 passengers. The interior is quite impressive, old school decor. She has a library, book shelves covering two decks complete with spiral staircase.

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Thursday, February 8

Without the luxury of nearly unlimited internet time as we have with Princess, this is the first post of the cruise. We are just past the halfway point from San Francisco to Honolulu. The first three days have been relatively uneventful, as sea days should be. We have a celebrity guest on board by the name of Philip Gray who is promoted as an “Extreme Artist”. This intrigued me enough to take a look, although art is not usually my pursuit of choice. I think we will follow him through to Honolulu. He is, of course, promoting his art but in an entertaining way. The “extreme” characterization has come from his habit of practicing his art in dangerous locations including the slopes of Everest, shark infested tropical water, Icelandic volcanoes and Antarctic waters.

His descriptions of his adventures have proven to be quite interesting indeed. He has also chosen to execute three canvases while on board and has found ways to include passengers in the process by allowing them to help fill the canvases. Subsequently, he develops details from his experience. We have found it enjoyable to watch him work. I will include some photos of his work in future posts/

Like all Cunard ships, the Queen Elizabeth is beautifully appointed and the walls are frequently covered with historic memorabilia. I will collect some photos to post later. The staff dress code is evident regardless of the task they are assigned. Passengers too observe a more elegant dress code than on other lines. There is an older demographic on this ship to be sure, but there are very few mobility vehicles visible. Last evening provided the first opportunity for everyone to show off their formal attire. It was the Cunard Ball, at least for an hour or two. During that time the professional dance couple showed an extremely well executed Viennese Waltz as their first performance. I look forward to seeing them again.

The weather has been mild but not yet summer like. The sea temperature and air temperature are nearly identical, around 18°C to 19°C and today has been very overcast with moderate seas bouncing us just a bit. Gail doesn’t find the ship’s motion too comfortable so we’re having a cup of tea in our stateroom. We have the luxury of an electric kettle in the room so we can make tea or coffee at will, so to speak. The coffee is instant so we are avoiding it, the tea, however is just fine. British I suppose. We lan to fix the coffee situation shortly after arriving in Honolulu. We brought a Melita coffee system with us for Australia but we’ll activate it as soon as we buy coffee in Hawaii.

We share our dinner table with two very nice couples, one from New York, the other from Brisbane, the seventh and eighth chairs have as yet remained empty. Conversation has been quite easy. We are learning about the Gold Coast from the Australians and the New York couple are learning what to do during their stay in Sydney from both of us.

We were among the first group to the dining room for breakfast on the first two mornings and found ourselves with three women who were on a third or forth world cruise within the last five years. Even taking inside cabins this would kinda break the bank for us. This morning we were a bit later and found ourselves with another great group.

We reach Honolulu on Saturday and I will find some WiFi to post pictures etc.

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