Explore the world with Pete & Judy on the 2018 Holland America Grand World Voyage

Has this actually happened for Kangaroo Island?

First person in line was there at 6:15 am. Tender tickets were passed out at 10 am. We got there at 9 am and got tender ticket 6. Ended up on the second tender with number 6. Not sure how many HAL tour tenders went first.

Here was our tour route today. 7 of us rented a van. Went to Seal Conservatory and King Island wildlife park. Details to come.

http://www.theinsidecabin.com

Hope you bought some honey while you were there.

Hope you bought some honey while you were there.

No time for honey. We went to a place in Napier, Is Kangaroo Island Honey special?

Two sea days will give me time to catch up on my posts! Just completed the 2020 world cruise survey they offered onboard. More on the blog

Looking forward to your report on your travels on Kangaroo Island.

Day 40, 13 Feb - Hobart Tasmania

Hobart is about as far south of the equator as Detroit is north. To further calibrate your climate thinking Feb 13 is equivalent to August 13 in the northern hemisphere. Hobart reminded me of Annapolis, Maryland or maybe a smaller version of Baltimore. They both have touristy harbor areas surrounded by working cities.

Our plan for today was to rent a car, drive to the Tahune Air Walk, return via Mt Wellington and then visit some yarn shops back in Hobart.

Renting a Car

We left the ship a little before 10 AM, passed through the cruise terminal and walked to the Avis location about ½ mile away. The Hobart cruise terminal is a large warehouse where various vendors set up tables to sell their wares or services. There is a sign advertising free Wi-Fi but we didn’t try using it to see if it was worth the effort.

The AVIS office here is typical of what you would expect from any AVIS location anywhere in the world. I had made a reservation and all I needed to produce was my credit card and drivers license. My car, a Toyota Camry, was parked on the street and they pointed to a drop chute outside the garage door where I would return the key if I arrived after they closed at 5 PM.

I had originally planned to rent a GPS, but now use MAPS.ME on my IPAD for navigation, which included verbal turn-by-turn directions and doesn’t require a cell phone signal.

Driving to Tahune

After checking out the car, we were on our way. The roads were in great shape, nice and wide and were well marked. Once we were out of town speed limits were 100 km/h or about 66 mph. For the first part of our trip we were on a limited access divided highway, but after about 10 miles, near Kingston, we turned inland and the road went down to two lanes, one in each direction. Nice wide roads continued past Huonville, hugging the scenic Huon River, until Geeveston when the roads began to narrow. For the final 12 miles we lost the white centerline and the road was quite winding, narrowing to about one and one half lanes wide. The speed limit here was 60 km/h and in most places it was difficult to go much above 50 km/h.

The Tahune Airwalk

Finding the Tahune Airwalk is easy. Large, easy to read signs will guide you all the way. Check out their website HERE

Admission is $30 AUS and allows access to all the walks and events except for the cable controlled Hang Gliding, which cost an extra $19 AUS. The major features of Tahune Adventures include:

• Tahunue Airwalk: The Airwalk is a 600 meter (4/10 mile) long, 6 feet wide metal grated walkway, mounted on tall poles, with 5-foot-high grated safety fence along the sides. It doesn’t sway at all, and despite being over 50 feet off the ground and in some places over 150 feet, we didn’t have any sensation of height as if you were standing on the edge of a cliff. The walk ends with a cantilevered extension high over the Huon River that gives you an incredible view of the surrounding area.
  
• Swinging Bridges Walk: This walk is a little less than 2 miles round trip and takes you on both sides of the Huon River which you cross via a swinging bridge.
  
• Huon Pine Walk: A short 20-minute loop near the banks of the Huon River. Some of the path uses a wooden walkway that is narrow.
  
• Eagle Hang Gliding: This is an extra $19 and offers an experience similar to a zip line.
  

Accessing the airwalk requires walking up about 100 steps. There is a shuttle bus available if you prefer not to climb so many steps.

Guided tour walks are available at no additional charge.

The visitor center includes a small gift shop and a café which offers beer and wine. Free internet is available and is reasonably fast. Service in the café can be a little slow, so don’t order anything if you are in a hurry.

From the time we left the visitor center to the time we returned was 1 hour and 20 minutes. This included our time walking to the airwalk, climbing the steps, doing the airwalk, going back down all the steps and then walking back to the visitor center. We walked at a very leisurely pace and you could easily go faster if you chose.

The walk itself was pleasant with nice views throughout. The views from the cantilevered extension that overlook the Huon River are wonderful and the entire area is peaceful and serene.

We made sure that we left the Tahune Airwalk ahead of the HAL tour bus, which had arrived shortly after we did and was scheduled to depart at 2:15 PM. Following a bus down the winding 12-mile road would have been excruciating.

Apple Museum

On the way back to Hobart we stopped by the Apple Museum, a privately operated facility that is actually a restaurant and gift shop with a small Apple Museum in the corner of the restaurant. Hundreds of apples were on display in small compartment shelves that acted as a room divider between the restaurant and the museum. An old apple delivery truck and a few other apple related items were also on display. We spent about 15 minutes here before moving on toward Mt Wellington.

The Yarn Shops in Hobart closed at 5:30 and it was now about 3:20 so we needed to keep moving if we wanted to go to Mt Wellington and then back to Hobart by 5:00 PM.

Mt Wellington

We left Highway A6 on Sandfly road and connected to Highway B64 which headed up to Mt Wellington. Along the way we passed by the Longley International Hotel, which hosts a woodchopping carnival. Out in front they have a huge, maybe 20 foot high, axe stuck into a large replica tree trunk. We didn’t have time to stop, but I was able to find a few pictures of the axe online HERE and HERE

The road to the top of Mt Wellington is quite narrow after the final turnoff from the main road, about 7 miles from the top. Here is where you will appreciate having a smaller car as most of the time the road is little more than a single lane and you sometimes must crawl when you come across a car going the other direction.

The weather was starting to close in as we arrived at the top, but we managed to spend 10 minutes enjoying the view before the clouds obscured most of the views toward the city. The views are spectacular and well worth the trip to the top. If the weather does start to work against you, there is a very nice view spot, 2.4 miles up the mountain from the turnoff, on the valley side of the road. I would stop here on the way up as these views are almost as good as they are at the summit and since you are lower, there is less chance they will be impacted by low clouds.

Other people we spoke with afterwards said that that when they went to the top in the morning, it was freezing, windy and the view completely obscured. We met some staff members from the ship at the top who had used Uber to get to Mt Wellington from Hobart. If you use Uber, I would make a deal with the driver to wait, as it only takes 15 minutes to see everything you want to see, unless you want to hike around the area.

Yarn Shops

There are 4 yarn shops in the Hobart area, but we learned that The Stash Cupboard was recently closed after we had already parked about a block away. The Wool Shop in nearby Moonah closed at 5 PM so we couldn’t get there in time. We headed to the Salamanca Wool Shop in Battery Point. This shop would be an easy walk (a little less than a mile) from the cruise terminal and is in a nice area with a lot of other nice shops and restaurants.

We arrived at the Salamanca Wool Shop a few minutes before they closed. Judy rushed in while I parked the car. The shop is half knit wear and half yarn. There were a few hanks of hand dyed and hand spun yarn. Judy was looking for some local products but a yarn spun in Peru for a New Zealand company caught her eye. Sulco by Fusion is a fingering weight baby alpaca/lyocell blend in a medium gray. There was enough in stock to knit a sweater and Judy bought it all. The proprietor, Lily, mentioned that The Wool Shop in Moonah was a very nice a shop and had the best selection in the area. (The Wool Shop is 4 miles from the Cruise Terminal)

Here are the Hobart Yarn Shops

The Wool Shop

58 Main Rd, Moonah TAS 7009, Australia

Salamanca Wool Shop

69 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point TAS 7004, Australia

The Spindle Tree (This shop is in business but was closed by the time we arrived. It is next to the Salamanca Wool Shop)

77 Salamanca Pl, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia

The ship would be in port until 8 pm tonight, but after we left Salamanca we refueled the rental car and then dropped off our car at AVIS before we walked back to the ship.

Mardi Gras on the Amsterdam

A little bit of New Orleans swept thru the dining room this evening as the Amsterdam celebrated Mardi Gras. Colorful hats and beads decorated each table while the staff wore festive hats, vests and ties.

Cornmeal Crusted Catfish, "Chicken" Fried Steak with Bell Pepper Corn Fritters, Chicken Creole with Andouille and Vegetarian Jambalaya were some of the New Orleans themed menu choices. Baked Chocolate Soup and King Cake were featured on the desert menu.

Many guests joined the fun wearing a wide variety of Mardi Gras themed attire.

There wasn’t a show tonight due to our late departure so I headed up to the Crow’s nest to check out the Mardi Gras Party which was in full swing by the time I arrived. Everyone was having a great time and the dance floor was full – what a way to end a wonderful evening at sea.

What a wonderful day you had in Hobart. Lots of useful information.

Great picture of the ship.

Day 41 - 14 Feb At Sea

We were supposed to be in Port Arthur today, but it was canceled due to the expected heavy swells at our anchorage. Skipping Port Arthur would also allow us to get a head start on our way to Kangaroo Island and give us time to transit via the more protected Bass Strait between the mainland and Tasmania.

Heavy Weather

Heavy seas and high winds are here. Throughout the day the relative wind shown on the ship’s TV exceeded 70 knots and a few people reported seeing gusts of over 90 knots. There was significant motion and from time to time there was a touch of roll as the waves exceeded the capability of the stabilizers that can handle most rolling motion. Green apples and crackers appeared on the counter of the Front Desk.

Valentine's Day Ball Cancelled

Today was Valentine’s Day and was scheduled to be a Gala night with a Valentine’s Day Ball in the Queen’s Lounge complete with another Chocolate Surprise. Early in the day, Hamish came over the public-address system and announced that due to the heavy weather causing significant deck motion, the Valentine’s Day Ball was postponed and the Gala night dress code was cancelled. All the evening shows were returned to their original times as they had been moved to 5:00 PM and 7:15 to accommodate the Ball in the Queens Lounge.

Coffee Chat

Assistant cruise directors Amanda and Mario were the guests at Coffee Chat. Amanda is from Washington State and went to Morehead State in Kentucky on a cheerleading scholarship. She started in Club HAL before getting her current position as an assistant cruise director. We learned that she has a black belt in Taekwondo, a “Korean martial art characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques”. Wow!

A guest asked Amanda, half joking, if she would demonstrate a cheerleading routine and much to the amazement of all, she put down her coffee and the microphone and performed a “forward handspring step out” in the very limited space in front of her chair. Amazing!

Mario is from Columbia and started working in shops before moving over to the entertainment side.

Crafts

Crafts has been very popular, and many times Judy has returned empty handed since all the allocated kits were already distributed by the 2:30 scheduled starting time. Once they started passing out kits early people started coming to class even earlier and many people were going to the Lido for lunch and sitting in the craft area and then staying there for 2 hours until the class starts. Henk distributed a memo asking people to respect the fact the many venues serve multiple purposes and arriving way ahead of time impacts the people in the previous activity. He stopped by before class started today and reminded everyone to avoid coming to events too early. They have now stopped passing out craft kits early and the situation is now much more reasonable with people no longer arriving so early. Read Henk's memo on the blog.

A list of all the craft projects for the entire cruise is posted on the blog.

We Love Chocolate

Abby, the America’s Test Kitchen host, scheduled a special cooking class “We Love Chocolate” In the Wajang Theatre aka America’s Test Kitchen on Deck 4. I arrived 30 minutes early and was surprised to find that I was the first person in the room. The room eventually filled up, but there were a few seats empty even when the class started. Before class started, Abby’s cart came rolling across the front of the room, heading straight for me, when the ship took a big roll. Fortunately, someone alerted me, and the cart was moving slow enough and was light enough that I was able to easily stop it with one hand.

Abby opened the class with an overview about chocolate and various useful techniques helpful when using chocolate in recipes. She followed with a demonstration of two recipes: Pots de Creme and the chewiest brownies on the planet. You can find the recipes on the blog.

I played 2 Texas Hold’em tournaments and didn’t win either time.

Evening events

With the announcement that the Gala dress code was relaxed, many people reverted to their normal smart casual attire, but there were a significant number of people who wore their special Valentine’s Day attire. The Main Dining Room was all decked out with the Valentine’s Day decorations and there was a special menu for the event. Dinner featured a “Surf and Turf” with Filet and a Grilled Shrimp. I always enjoy their pot pies, so I selected the Lobster Pot Pie which was very good. You can see the complete menu on the blog.

Louie Shelton, a session musician who played his electric guitar with a wide variety of famous artists, was the headliner in the Queen’s Lounge. He put on a marvelous show as he played many familiar song’s including the theme songs from “The Monkees”, the Beverly Hillbillys” and a wonderful rendition of the Santana Hit – “Black Magic Woman”.

Day 42, At Sea - 15 Feb 2018

Change in plans

The heavy weather continued today but we were able pick up our speed to around 16 knots. At this rate Captain Jonathon said we should arrive at Kangaroo Island around noon tomorrow. This news threw a big monkey wrench into our plans. Five of us were planning on renting a van and driving to the Flinders Chase National Park, which is as far away as you can get and still be on Kangaroo Island – almost 100 miles each way. This trip was going to take every minute of our original 9 hour port visit but was now out of the question since we would be delayed 4 hours.

Most of my morning was spent reviewing our options and what may be possible in 4 hours. My original van reservation was with Hertz for 9 AM but I wasn’t sure if they would hold my reservation if I was 3 hours late and rental cars were in short supply. I was able to connect with a Hertz rep via online chat and the rep adjusted my reservation for a 12:30 arrival.

I stopped by the 10 am knitting group but didn’t do much knitting as all the conversation was on our schedule and what options might remain for a half day in Kangaroo Island. This stop was never a high priority of the places I would like to visit, so I wouldn’t have been too disappointed if they cancelled the port altogether.

Afternoon events

I played Texas Hold’em in the afternoon and lost.

Judy went to her drawing class where the subject was a continuation of recognizing circles and boxes and now adding shape to those shapes. She was able to get a seat at crafts where she made some wine glass charms.

We continue to have fun at evening trivia and we have picked up a guest from the UK on our regular team who has been helpful answering questions like “How many pounds in a stone”.

I checked on the exchange rate for Australian Currency on the ship to compare with what you can get out of an ATM. $115 Australian was being sold at the front desk for $101.65 USD. The same $115 AUS would cost $91.27 AUS if you used an ATM ashore or about 10% less than on the ship. As expected you pay a premium for the convenience of changing your money aboard ship, but for the small dollars most people exchange, it may be worth it to avoid the hassle of finding a shore side ATM. I used to change my foreign currency back into dollars but now I just keep it and use it for my next trip.

Evening events

I had the Lasagna for dinner this evening, which is the first time I ever tried this on any cruise ship anywhere before. It was pretty good and I will definitely order it again in the future.

Paul Adams put on his second show this evening. This show was much better than his first show as he avoided any further commentary on the small size of the 10 PM audience which I find very boring and unimaginative. Paul has a quick wit, a nice delivery and was very funny and was at his best when commenting on current events like the surprising number of commercials about the “My Pillow” guy on Fox News.

More pictures on the blog

Sorry you missed a port and your Valentine's Ball was cancelled.

Glad that the cart didn't crash into you.

Wonderful reports.

Day 43, 16 Feb - Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island

Clear skies and smooth seas greeted us this morning as we closed the final mile to Kangaroo Island. Our original forecast arrival of around noon was improved by about 1 hour to 11 AM. It was going to be a beautiful day with calm seas – what a change from yesterday.

This is scheduled to be our final tender port this cruise. We will all be glad to finally be done with them.

Tendering on last time

Tender tickets were scheduled to be distributed at 10AM by the Lido Pool. Since time was already limited ashore, I decided to bite the bullet and get in line about 1 hour early. The line was already back to the Lido Pool Bar, near the entrance to the Lido with the first person waiting patiently near the Dive In. I learned later that he arrived around 6:15 AM. The difference between arriving at 6:15 and 9 AM was about 40 people, or 80 tender tickets, since each person can collect 2 tickets. As it turned out, we would end up being in Group 5 which would make us the last people to board the first tender that wasn’t dedicated to tours and the shore side set up. This was the same tender as those people who got in line at 6:15AM, so my timing of getting there 1 hour early was about right. Henk was down on the platform supervising the operation which has become his standard practice this cruise.

Our tender left the Amsterdam at 11:34AM with a tender ride about 10 minutes.

Welcome to Kangaroo Island

There is a nice sign welcoming us to Kangaroo Island and these always make for nice pictures. Afterwards we spotted a man holding a HERTZ sign and carrying a clipboard. He crossed our name off his list and told us to head to the end of the street wear their driver would take us to the Hertz Rental Office, about ½ mile away.

There were 7 people in our group sharing the van. Rick would be driving, and I would navigate. The HERTZ shuttle was the manager’s personal SUV so only Rick and I went to the office to get the van. We would return to the dock to pick up the rest of our group.

Renting the Van

This was a small Hertz office, but they had everything ready and most of the paperwork was already complete. I always take the local insurance for these short one-day rentals while on a cruise ship. Even though my credit card would cover most issues, I don’t want to have to deal with anything while on such a tight schedule and where making phone calls to credit card companies from the ship could be an issue.

An additional benefit of taking the local insurance here was that this allowed us to drive on the unpaved roads, which would save a lot of travel time throughout the day. The people renting a car in front of me, who declined the local insurance, were told they were not allowed to drive on the dirt roads without the local insurance.

Since we only had 4 hours instead of 8 we had to revise our plans. We had always planned to go to the Seal Bay Conversation Park and that would still be our first stop, about 1 hour away. Our next and final stop would be the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Parndana, about 30 minutes from Seal Bay in the center of Kangaroo Island.

The van was equipped with a Garmin GPS, but I used MAPS.ME on my Ipad as my first choice for navigation. I always bring a cigarette lighter adapter that will keep my IPAD charged during the trip.

Seal Bay

We started out on a two-lane paved road, but we took a short cut on a hard packed dirt road which probably saved us 15 minutes on our way to the Seal Bay Conservation Park.

We arrived at Seal Bay Conservation Park around 1:30PM. There are two choices for touring the park: The self-guided Boardwalk tour for $16 pp AUS or the guided tour for $35 AUS. The guided tour takes about 45 minutes and allows you to walk on the beach instead of being restricted to the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is, as the name implies, a boardwalk which goes from the visitor center down to the beach and is probably about a quarter mile long.

We chose to stick to the Boardwalk and not take the guided tour. Once we reached the boardwalk viewing platform, which is the closest point to the beach, we were able to observe about a dozen or so seals of various sizes laying in the surf and occasionally rolling over or playing with one of their neighbors. We were probably as close to the seals as you would have been permitted even if you were down on the sand on the guided tour. If you only want to see the seals taking the boardwalk tour will get you close enough to easily watch them on the sand. It’s possible that the seas were exceptionally close to the boardwalk viewing point today and on other days it may not be possible to see them as well without being on the beach.

A HAL tour arrived shortly after we did and everyone on the bus was on the same self-guided Boardwalk with us. I don’t think the HAL tours included the option for the guided tour.

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park

Our next stop was the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park (KIWP) near Parndana. It took about 30 minutes to drive there. It would have taken us over an hour to get there if we weren’t able to cut across the island using the dirt roads. The dirt, or unsealed roads as they call them, are in good condition and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive a sedan on them.

KIWP is a small, privately run, wildlife park that is home to Kangaroos, Cassowaries, Wallabies, Pelicans, Koalas, Emus, Penguins, Flying Foxes and other animals you would find around Kangaroo Island. The animals are kept in relatively small pens and are well cared for. We were able to watch them feed the Pelicans and Penguins during our visit and they give you a bag of Kangaroo food you can use to feed the Kangaroos yourself. For an extra $30 you can hold a Koala, or a snake for $10.

A copy of the visitor’s brochure is on the blog.

Admission is $25, which seemed expensive for the size of the park, but everything on KI probably costs more due to the islands location.

We had to leave after 1 hour. We could have easily spent another hour here if we had more time, but it was now 4 pm and we were 1 hour from the ship and the last tender was 5:30 only giving us a 30-minute buffer. I didn’t mind cutting it a little closer than normal since our next port was Adelaide, only 20 miles away, and an easy ferry ride if we were to get a flat tire or something and miss the ship.

Back on the Ship

There is a single gas station in Penneshaw, which was not self-service, much to our surprise. After we filled up, we dropped off the van and were in the tender line at 5:15 pm.

The ship celebrated the Chinese New Year today with decorations in the Lido. There weren’t any decorations in the main dining room, but the menus did have a Chinese theme including such items as a Pacific Rim Salad, Chinese Curried Beef Brisket and Sweet and Sour Pork plus more. See the complete menu on the blog.

The Valentines Day Gala that was canceled on the 14th was held this evening in the Crows Nest. They passed out the Chocolate Surprise after 9:30PM in the Crow’s nest and around Deck 5. We missed the Chocolate Surprise since we went directly from dinner to the showroom and didn’t spot anyone passing out chocolate along the way. We didn’t look too hard either.

Louie Shelton was back tonight with an all new show. He played more Santana, Cream and other classic rock hits before finishing his show with Surfin’ Safari by The Ventures which featured Graham on the drums. Louie puts on a great show and is worth making a special effort to catch one of his performances.

As in 2016, I am really enjoying traveling with you on your 2018 WC. I assume that when we don't get a report it is because you are having so much fun you just don't have time to post!!!!! Thank you for all the details on your daily activities and excursions, they are so helpful to many of us who may be in one of these locations in the future. I have a question that you may be able to answer towards the end of the cruise...do you know how most people book the WC? Is it through HAL, through a TA, etc. We hope to have a WC in our future and I was wondering what most people do. So looking forward to "our" continued journey. Thank you for taking us along!!!!! Cherie

What a wonderful day you had on Kangaroo Island.

We've never been to Kangaroo Island and I really enjoyed reading about your day there.

Keep enjoying.

Keith

As in 2016, I am really enjoying traveling with you on your 2018 WC. I assume that when we don't get a report it is because you are having so much fun you just don't have time to post!!!!! Thank you for all the details on your daily activities and excursions, they are so helpful to many of us who may be in one of these locations in the future. I have a question that you may be able to answer towards the end of the cruise...do you know how most people book the WC? Is it through HAL, through a TA, etc. We hope to have a WC in our future and I was wondering what most people do. So looking forward to "our" continued journey. Thank you for taking us along!!!!! Cherie

I don't have any data, but I suspect that most people by a wide margin book their world cruises thru a travel agent instead of HAL directly. Travel agents can usually offer better pricing than HAL.

My priority is to enjoy activities above posting, but I try to keep up as best I can. We go to every show which occupies us from 8 PM thru 11 PM. I try to work on the blog in bits thru out the day.

Day 44, 17 Feb - Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide is the capital city of the state of South Australia, and the fifth-most populous city of Australia with a population of over 1 million people.

Our tendering days are over, and it was nice to be moored to a cruise terminal with the ability to easily get on and off the ship. The gangway was located on Deck 3 next to the Atrium.

The weather was beautiful, with nice blue skies and temperatures in the 70’s.

Taking a taxi

The cruise terminal had a sprinkling of shops, tour operators and souvenir stands. There is a taxi stand outside the terminal and our plan for the day included taking an Uber to two yarn shops and then to the downtown area. Unfortunately, the nearest Uber was 20 minutes away, so we headed over the taxi stand where 5 taxis were waiting. Since we had multiple stops, we tried to negotiate a more favorable multi-trip rate, but the driver insisted on only using the meter, so we elected to use him for the single trip and get an Uber later.

Barb's Sew and Knit

Barb’s Sew and Knit was our first of two yarn shops. It is about 12 miles south of the cruise terminal, near the airport in the Glenelg area. Barb’s shop sells and services knitting machines in addition to supporting hand knitters and crocheters. Barb is a straight talker and doesn’t mince words which may be a turn-off for some, but we found her candor refreshing. Barb’s shop is small and chock full of yarn and four knitting machines. Judy bought a lovely neutral colored possum blend yarn. She got enough to knit a sweater. She’s hinting that she may knit it for me, we’ll see.

After we finished having a great time with Barb we headed off to the Needle Nook, another yarn shop about 8 miles to the east. Uber was readily available, and we were on our way in a few minutes and arrived about 15 minutes later.

The Needle Nook

The Needle Nook is bright and airy with a nice selection of Patons and Lang yarns to name a few brands. We met a nice local knitter and had a wonderful time chatting with her about Adelaide and life in Australia.

Rundle Mall

The Mall Balls, located at the Rundle Mall was our next destination. The Mall's Balls are two large mirror finished silver spheres – like large pinballs – located in the center of the Rundle Mall. The Rundle Mall is a large outdoor mall featuring a wide pedestrian only walkway in the center of Adelaide and was the location for the Adelaide Fringe Festival Box Office.

Fringe Festival

The Adelaide Fringe Festival started the day before we arrived. “Fringe” festivals are held in cities around the world and are a collection of artists performing a wide variety of non-juried acts that are open to anyone. The performances are not selected on any basis or merit. This attracts a wide variety of artists and gives you a lot of choices to sample an incredible array of talent. The first “fringe” festival was in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is still held there every August. Fringe festivals get their name from the concept that the performances take place on the “fringes” of the mainstream venues or OFF- OFF Broadway.

We purchased tickets online for the Fringe event called “Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tour”, before we left on the cruise. More info on the Disco Walking Tour HERE. The tour is lead by Dave, dressed in a colorful costume. Each participant wears a wireless headset thru which we could hear the disco tunes along with Dave’s commentary. After we picked up our tickets we strolled thru the Rundle Mall, stopping by the Apple Store to use their free, fast Wi-Fi to sync up our Iphones and Ipads.

The Disco Walking tour didn’t start until 6:30 PM and we wanted to change our clothes before the tour so we grabbed an Uber and headed back to the ship. We arranged for the Uber driver to pick us up in an hour, so we wouldn’t have to risk having a long wait for a different Uber driver.

South Australia Police

While we were walking back to the ship thru the cruise terminal, we struck up a conversation with 2 local police officers. We learned that Australia doesn’t have city police or county sheriffs like in the USA but state police that perform all their police functions under a single jurisdiction. It would be like your city police, county sheriff and highway patrol all rolled into one organization. The police were in no hurry and chatted with us for 10 minutes before heading on to the ship. We weren’t sure what they are doing onboard, but we heard a rumor later that a couple of passengers were arrested for marijuana possession after a drug dog alerted as they were leaving the ship. Apparently, this was enough to authorize a search of their cabin where they found more drugs.

Disco Walk

After our quick change on the ship, we met our Uber driver and headed back to the Mall's Balls. There is a train stop nearby the cruise terminal and many passengers bought a $10 card which allowed them to ride anywhere in the system all day. The train took a little longer than an Uber and a lot longer if you had to wait long for the next train. An Uber to downtown cost around $30-$35 and when divided among 4 people it was still more expensive that the train, but we preferred the convenience of Uber over the price of the train. When our time in port is so short, we usually prefer the fastest mode of transportation rather than the least expensive.

Rick, Margaret and six other people joined us near the Mall's Balls for the Disco Walk. The Guru Dudu, Dave, passed out our wireless headsets and he started us out with some warm ups. In a few minutes we were on our way, dancing to the disco beat that only we could hear. Our small group brought a smile to everyone we encountered, and many people joined in on the fun for a few blocks as Dave’s assistant carried spare headsets for temporary use by passersby.

HERE are some links to Guru Dudu videos from other fringe festivals.

We danced in silence for most of the walk, but we paused once on a sidewalk and serenaded the passing crowd with a awful rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. After 45 minutes we entered the main grounds of the Fringe Festival in Rundle Park where we simulated hand washing passersby to the tune “Car Wash” but we were the only people who heard the disco beat.

One hour after we started and 1 mile down the road we gathered for a final dance before wrapping up. After taking some group shots we bid farewell to our Guru Dudu and headed back to the street to catch our Uber for the ride back to the ship.

We returned to ship right after the Lido closed so we ordered some room service for a late dinner. Judy ordered the BBQ Pulled Pork Sub while I chose the Rigatoni – both were very good.

Interesting day you had -- Fringe Festival and arrest of a couple of passengers.

I have recently returned from a holiday at Franklin and Hobart, Tasmania. Like you, I hired a car and found many of the roads were windy, some narrow with roadworks (with road chip warnings). For your next visit, a local told me it was quicker and easier to take A6 back to Hobart and drive to Mt Wellington from there, rather than take B64, which is windy. As you discovered, the weather is very changeable at Mt Wellington, so you were lucky to see the spectacular view during a short visit.

I was sorry to learn Amsterdam had to leave Hobart early and miss Port Arthur, because of the extreme weather conditions. I was pleased that Amsterdam was able to tender at Kangaroo Island, but it was a pity the visit was limited to a half day, because of the long distances involved. Kangaroo Island is one of those magical places, with wild life best seen at dawn and dusk.

Thank you for the recipes. Did you like the brownies? They look delicious and I am thinking of trying the recipe.

Possibly the passengers with pot were needing it for medical reasons and were allowed back on the ship.

I thought your Disco Walking Tour sounded like so much fun. What a great experience and sense of adventure. Thank you taking us along on this incredible adventure. Cherie

I have recently returned from a holiday at Franklin and Hobart, Tasmania. Like you, I hired a car and found many of the roads were windy, some narrow with roadworks (with road chip warnings). For your next visit, a local told me it was quicker and easier to take A6 back to Hobart and drive to Mt Wellington from there, rather than take B64, which is windy. As you discovered, the weather is very changeable at Mt Wellington, so you were lucky to see the spectacular view during a short visit.

 

I was sorry to learn Amsterdam had to leave Hobart early and miss Port Arthur, because of the extreme weather conditions. I was pleased that Amsterdam was able to tender at Kangaroo Island, but it was a pity the visit was limited to a half day, because of the long distances involved. Kangaroo Island is one of those magical places, with wild life best seen at dawn and dusk.

Thanks for the tip on Mt Wellington. The most winding part was the last 12 miles and their is no way around that, but going to Hobart and backtracking looks like it may be faster, albeit a little longer.

After we returned to the ship we realized that seeing the view was more rare than not seeing it as you noted. We didn't realize how fortunate we were at the time

Thank you for the recipes. Did you like the brownies? They look delicious and I am thinking of trying the recipe.

 

Possibly the passengers with pot were needing it for medical reasons and were allowed back on the ship.

 

I thought your Disco Walking Tour sounded like so much fun. What a great experience and sense of adventure. Thank you taking us along on this incredible adventure. Cherie

No more info on the drug bust and I can't find anyone with first hand knowledge. Everyone is saying the "I heard from someone" soooo.....not sure what to make of this ,,,,

Unfortunately, we didn't get to sample the brownies. They are not allowed to serve them since they are not baked in a certified kitchen. I would like to see them bake their samples IN a certified kitchen so we can sample them - this would enhance our cruise experience.

Day 45 – 18 Feb - At Sea

Coffee Chat

Courtney, the Librarian, and Claudia, the Digital Workshop Host, were the guests for Coffee Chat this morning. Courtney is from the USA but now lives in Belgium with her husband. This will be her last contract as she plans to spend more time pursuing opportunities ashore. Claudia is from Mexico and is hoping to return for next years world cruise.

2020 World Cruise

Every year about this time they post prospective itineraries for the World Cruise 2 years away, in this case 2020. In addition to soliciting the opinions of current cruisers, surveys are usually sent, via email, to past World Cruise participants. The final itinerary is usually published in late May. It only takes $100 pp to hold a cabin until the schedule is released but then it bumps up to around 10% of the expected fare. Final pay for a Grand Voyage is 120 days of the sailing date but if you make full payment 60 days before that – you receive a 3% discount and other perks.

Afternoon Activities

Judy continues to enjoy the Drawing Class. Today the lesson built upon spheres and squares with an introduction of foreshortening and hash marks to show volume.

Ever since Henk sent out his memo and made an appearance at the Crafts group Judy has never failed to make the cut and get a kit. Today she made an Owl Totem Native Australian Design Key Fob.

I won the only Texas Hold’em tournament I entered today. Texas Hold’em is very popular this cruise with at least 3 tournaments a day, sometimes 4 and a full table at the cash game from 9 PM till closing around 11:30 to midnight.

A copy of the days When and Where with all the daily activities can be found HERE

Evening

New England Pot Pie was on the menu again this evening, which I always order when available. Judy enjoyed the Blackened Ahi Tuna Oaxaca-Style. Both dishes were outstanding along with the service.

Penny Shaw and Fiona Cooper Smyth, aka Divalicious were the in Queen’s Lounge this evening. Their powerful soprano voices performed a variety of popular show tunes including hits from Les Misérables and Sound of Music along with an occasional opera aria thrown in for good measure. Between songs they engaged in some humorous light banter as Fiona joked, for example, that she was Bond Girl, but Penny was more of a Miss Moneypenny.

Day 46 At Sea 19 Feb

America's Test Kitchen

We made 5 Star Mariner status this cruise and one of the benefits is a Complimentary Culinary Arts Center Cooking Class. Our class was scheduled for us today at 11 AM in the America’s Test Kitchen (aka Wajang Theatre). We didn’t have a choice as to which class we would take or when and there aren’t any classes offered for purchase, so we couldn’t really determine a value for this 5 Star benefit. There are many other cooking classes offered to everyone every few days or so, and I reported earlier about going to the class about how to make brownies on Valentine’s Day.

We arrived a few minutes before 11 AM and a person at the door was checking names off a list. Once inside we were given the recipe cards for todays class along with a bright red America’s Test Kitchen apron.

Today we would watch Abby, the America’s Test Kitchen Host, prepare Fresh Ravioli Pasta without a machine along with Wild Mushroom Filling. While this is advertised as a class, I would call it a demonstration since there isn’t any hands-on participation which is what I am used to seeing in other cooking classes I have taken. The difference between this cooking class offered as a 5 Star Mariner perk and the classes open to everyone else throughout the cruise is the free apron and the limitation on the number of people in the session.

After the class we are encouraged to take pictures and ask questions. Unfortunately, there isn’t any food available for sampling since the food wasn’t prepared in a certified galley. On a previous cruise they solved this problem by preparing the identical dish in the Pinnacle Grill Galley and then brought it over at the end of the class. Nevertheless, Abby is an excellent instructor and presents the material well.

Tai Chi by the Pool

Judy observed a couple of passengers practicing a form a Tai Chi that involved using a sword (this one appeared to be plastic) in the gazebo near the Lido pool during lunchtime.

Afternoon Activities

I played two Texas Hold’em tournaments winning one and loosing the other.

Jerry and Kathy (LuvsACruise) from our cruise critic roll call group organized our second slot pull. About 20 people participated with everyone putting $15 in the slot machine and pulled the handle 5 times (pressed the button marked MAX BET). After the smoke cleared we learned that we broke even, and everyone got their $15 back.

During the drawing class today, Ben continued his discussion about how to use spheres and squares to help in drawing the human form. Their model was a projected image of an excellent example of Hellenic Greek Sculpture called the Belvedere Torso.

During today’s craft class Judy made an Adorable Stuffed Owl Pincushion.

Frozen Planet

Tonight’s show was a screening of the Holland America Film “Frozen Planet” featuring scenes from Antarctica and other cold places. What makes this screening different is that the soundtrack is performed live by the HAL orchestra along with Adagio.

I am enjoying your reports.

Interesting about no samples from the cooking classes -- we always enjoyed going to the demonstrations and getting a little nibble of one of the 2 items they prepped.

Catching up with your reports.

Thank you.