Live from the 2015 QE World Voyage

Thanks for replying.:) Sorry for the delay in my response, we're scrambling to get everything done here before coming to join the ship, and the days are ticking by pretty quickly.

I do hope we have a chance to meet fellow CCer's before Hong Kong, as that will be halfway through our trip!:confused: We'll be arriving one day prior to boarding in Yokohama, so we'll have a chance to do a little exploring before we get settled in on board.

Anywhere else CCer's connect other than the laundrette?:)

Petra & Don

Thanks for replying.:) Sorry for the delay in my response, we're scrambling to get everything done here before coming to join the ship, and the days are ticking by pretty quickly.

I do hope we have a chance to meet fellow CCer's before Hong Kong, as that will be halfway through our trip!:confused: We'll be arriving one day prior to boarding in Yokohama, so we'll have a chance to do a little exploring before we get settled in on board.

Anywhere else CCer's connect other than the laundrette?:)

Petra & Don

I think they have regular meet ups in the Yacht club/bar on the first sea day after a new segment, can someone confirm?:D

To all those boarding in Sydney today, especially DreamflightPat, have a great cruise and all those staying on have a great rest of the cruise.

I look forward to the live threads and reading all about it!

Chez

CC meets are usually the first sea day at the start of the sector.

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Sri last was cut short, the meetings have been at 12 noon in the yacht club and details up to now have been published on the Daily Programme. Check there every day to see. John

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Are there any pics of the Poppies?:D

Preparations for Anzac service

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Bon Voyage to all those embarking in Sydney.

Pat,

I hope you have a great time and remember to have one of those rolls in the Lido for me!:D

Cool, thanks for the photo John.:D

Found these photos just now on fb.

https://www.facebook.com/CruiseCriticAU

:D

 

Preparations for Anzac service

 

 

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Lovely Photos John.

I wish all world cruisers a happy cruise as you near the half way mark then you are homeward bound. :( Dreamflight Pat have a great time and enjoy this leg of the cruise as much as you did last year.

Maggie. & JT. x

Just to confirm..the next M&G is scheduled for 5 March at 12-1 in the Yacht Club on Deck 10 and as John said it should also be noted in the DP.

Tuesday, 3 Mar

We were up early at 4:30 to watch a bit of the sail-in. I just love it this

early and standing out on the balcony was so peaceful. After we got to the

Opera House, we went for breakfast and there were lots of people there already.

We were along side the OPT by about 6am and we waited to hear the Captain's

announcement for us to be able to go ashore. By 8am we still had not heard

anything but got ready and headed for Deck 1 to find that they were letting

people off already.

Today's first order of business was to head to an ATM to get some AUD. Once

that was done we went to the HSBC bank to exchange currencies that we had left

over from earlier ports. Next was back to the Circular Quay area to purchase

the MyMultiPass (24AUD) for all forms of transport. When we got there a nice

man behind the counter informed us that it as cheaper to get the Opal Card,

which he said is the same exact thing but on a card that you purchase for $20

AUD. You then get unlimited travel for the day for $15 max cap which means

that once you hit the $15 the rest of your trips are free. Great deal!

While we were waiting to catch the ferry we met a couple of our CC friends

who introduced us to their family who was in Sydney for holiday. They were

all smiles and I hope they had a great day!

We have a favorite Iranian Restaurant, Vatan, that we were headed for for lunch.

We took the ferry to Parramatta and then transferred to the train to head back

4 stops to Auburn. It is a strange way we know but we like taking the ferry

to a farther point, like Parramatta for the scenic ride. By the time we did

all that it was perfect timing for lunch. We had a delicious meal, as usual,

there and got to see the lady that we know that works there.

After a visit to the pharmacy/chemist to purchase a few more meds to get us

thru the rest of our cruise, we strolled around a little. This time we took

the train from Auburn all the way back to Circular Quay. Then we went to the

ship to drop off our purchases and freshen up a bit and get hydrated.

The last time we were here in Sydney we went to Manly Beach, we thought. It

turned out that we just saw the beach from the ferry and that was not actually

Manly Beach. So next in our day was to take the ferry back to Manly and see

the real thing this time! It was a 30 minutes ferry ride with nice scenery.

We sat across from a man who just happened to live in Manly for the past 30

years or so. Along the ride he pointed out places of importance and told us

a bit about what we were seeing. Before getting off the ferry we thanked him

for his kindness and for being a tour guide for us and with that he smiled and

left.

So once we were off the ferry, we crossed through the terminal and then across

a main street. There were shops and restaurants everywhere along with the many

people who just got off the ferry with us. Most of the walk to the beach was

through a pedestrian mall type area. Some of the buildings were so pretty with

their architectural features. We finally got to the beach which was large and

filled with lots and lots of people. The wind was pretty strong here so the

waves looked better suited for surfers rather than swimmers. There were only

a few people swimming but lots sunning themselves, or talking and laughing

with friends and family. We bought a Slurpee and sat on the steps near the beach

for awhile and took a few pictures.

Once we had enough of that, we headed back to the ferry and arrived just in time

to start boarding...what luck. The ride back was nice, but that is when I noticed

that the clouds had moved in over Sydney. Some of them looked ominous and I

hoped it would not rain. During the ride back I offered another suggestion to

DH....how about taking the ferry to Darling Harbour so we can have a nice beer

at one of the restaurant/bars. So that is what we did and the beer was very nice

especially since we caught it during Happy Hour. :)

We walked around Darling Harbour from the Bangaroo side to the Pyrmont Bay side.

It was a nice stroll and it was getting a bit dark so we caught the ferry back

to Circular Quay and the ship for the night. After a quick shower, updating this

blog, we wanted to enjoy our view from the balcony. We are parked at the OPT

bow first so with us being on the port side we have the BEST view of the Opera

House! So out will come some wine and with that I will bid you all a good night!

Sounds like such a nice way to spend the day in Sydney. Cheers.:D

Barbara, I am sooo jealous. Been to Oz 4 times, twice on land based holidays and twice on cruises. There is something special being docked next to the Opera House.

Would go back in a heartbeat but it is such a long way.

Here are the poppies at circular quay

They do look good now and QE and the poppies seem to have attracted a lot of interest. It was grey this morning but it is a beautiful day now, wall to wall sunshine.

QE leaves at 9 pm tonight.

John

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Thanks, enjoy the good life.:D

QE at the OPT last night

John

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Anzac service practice

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First World Cruise Party

I feel hungry again ?

John

One more !

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Some great photos, thanks for posting them.:D

Wednesday, 4 Mar

We woke up bright and early again to get a full day for our last day in Sydney.

We got to the Lido early and it was evident that mostly new people were in

attendance because they just went ahead and started getting food before it was

actually open, much to the crews disappointment. Thy will probably have to

put the rope barriers back up until the ewbies get the routine down.

After breakfast, we headed out to top up the Opal card we got yesterday. Then

today's first mission was to visit Lady Macquarie's Chair which even after all

the times we have been to Sydney we still had not seen. It was a beautiful

walk along the water's edge from Circular Quay around the Opera House and

around Farm Cove. I love taking pictures especially of flowers and plants,

so half way through our walk I was disappointed by my camera saying the memory

card was full! Everything was so beautiful, except the spiders, so that meant

we were going to have to make another trip here later.

So back along he same path to the ship to download the pictures (double checking)

to the laptop and then to clear the memory cards. Once that was done back out

we went getting smiles from the crew who thought we needed a revolving door today.

Since it was getting to be mid morning and we were trying to figure out about

lunch again, we decided on going back to our favorite restaurant again...same

as yesterday...Vatan's. This time though instead of taking the ferry to Parramatta

and then the train back to Auburn, we just took the train straight to Auburn.

We leisurely strolled the shops so we wouldn't get to the restaurant too early.

After lunch, we took the train back to Circular Quay and then headed for our

re-walk to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair and the Royal Botanical Garden, where we

walked and walked and took lots of pictures! We kept taking a moment here and

there to rest on the park benches that are dotted around the Garden. Earlier

in the morning there were lots of clouds, but those had long disappeared and

been replaced with the hot sun. The saving grace was the nice breeze that

occasionally brushed or faces.

Once we arrived back to Circular Quay DH wanted to visit Milson's Point which

is the location for Luna Park. So off we went, but when we got there found out

that the rides and attractions were closed today and would not be open until

Friday. :( So then we had to wait for 30 minutes or so for the next ferry to

come and pick us up. We wanted to go to Darling Harbour again, but before we

arrived at the Darling Harbour pier we changed our minds again and just rode

the ferry back to Circular Quay. I like to just ride the ferry sometimes to

see the beautiful harbour and surroundings.

At this point, it is about 5pm, so we decided to head back to the ship. Once

on board it was time for the Passenger Drill so we got to hear the new Captain

go through the instructions. I haven't met her so hopefully will get to do so

before we disembark in HK.

DH has a good idea for dinner tonight by going to the Lido at around 6pm and

order a nice pizza that we will eat on our balcony. You can't beat our balcony,

for the view of the Opera House and Circular Quay, as it is better than any

restaurant located around Circular Quay imho. This idea is also good as we

will be able to attend the sailaway as All Aboard time is 8:30.

Thanks for the great pictures John!

Thanks for the update Barbara, I can think of no better way than having a pizza for sailaway in the harbour, except for maybe a bowl of Garlic prawns and some fresh bread rolls.:D