Live from Voyager—Feb 20 to Mar 6, 2018–Sydney to Auckland with RachelG

February 21, 2018– sailing the Tasman Sea en route to Melbourne Australia

First, thanks again for all the positive encouragement and well wishes. I appreciate all of you. Now to the report.

The seas were pretty rocky all night, not bad, but enough that every so often it would wake me and remind me that we are on a ship. Nonetheless, we had a good night’s sleep until 3:30 am when George and I both awoke, probably partly due to going bed early and partly to it being midday in the US. We both did a little work online since it was daytime back home, then fell asleep again till 7 am, a much more civilized time to get up.

By morning, the sailing was much smoother. Wind had calmed. The temperature outside was in the mid 70s with sunshine, so I did an hour on the walking track. Lots of other walkers on this first sea day. Amazingly everyone was walking the same direction until they blocked off on side of the back half of the walking track to clean the deck, which totally threw everybody off. Fortunately I was almost finished.

There was a lecture, followed by a walk around wine tasting where they let you sample all of the complementary wines on offer, a good idea particularly for people who don’t really know what they like, though 10:45 am seemed a little early for me.

A quick word about internet and WiFi connectivity. So far so good. I did not spring for the new streaming extra cost package and, at least so far, have not had any issues with speed or connections. Time will tell.

We were invited to a galley tour followed by lunch. This was a part of our Am Ex benefits. And George had a big surprise for me. Our friends Steve and Joanna, who we met onboard last year, are on this cruise and were waiting there for us. I had no idea they were coming.

The tour was interesting. The ovens are huge. All bread except English muffins and bagels is baked on board. The area where they cook the fish is totally separated from the area where meat is cooked. One guy does nothing but peel potatoes.

Instead of staying for the lunch part, we went up to the pool deck because they were having the Greek buffet which is one of my favorites. Delicious Greek salad, which you could customize to taste, lamb gyros, stuffed grape leaves, tzaziki, hummus, olives. I was stuffed.

During lunch, a disappointing announcement was made by the captain. Apparently there is a huge cyclone over the South Island of New Zealand and heading straight for us. As a result, we are going to have to avoid it. So instead of 2 days in Melbourne, we only have one. Then we skip Eden altogether, have an extra sea day, and arrive a day early at Milford Sound. We then will have 2 days instead on one in Dunedin. George is mad, but there is nothing we can do about the weather. I just don’t like so many sea days in a row.

Spent the first part of the afternoon helping George write a speech he is to give the day after we get home. Took a little nap, then went to trivia. Our team of 5 came in 2nd, which is pretty good considering we have never played together before and are all Americans. I contributed a few correct answers, including quidditch, that no one else knew, so was happy. Our score was 13 out of 15. Then to Pilates and Abs workout classes.

The captain’s welcome was tonight, but George had, without telling me, booked a massage at 6:30. His back is hurting from the long flight. He is in the doghouse as I like to go to the reception early then arrive at Compass Rose right at 6:30 to avoid the rush. As a result of his poor planning, we arrived at Compass Rose at 8 pm, which of course had no tables available. They called up to Sette Mare which did have a table, so we ended up there. The meal was fine, but I really didn’t want to eat there two nights in a row. George had a huge Fred Flintstone veal chop.

The show was the production crew performing a tribute to abba with a lot of Mama Mia songs. If this is any hint of how good they are, we are in for a real treat as they were outstanding.

While I am not a fan of a lot of the ultramodern art around the ship, I think we got lucky. This is the beautiful painting in our suite. At least I can tell what it is supposed to be, and it is tranquil and pretty.

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Galley tour highlights. The baker is Oliver, from the Philippines. He is a very positive and enthusiastic person, and loves baking all the bread for the ship.

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View from our balcony this afternoon. We cruised along the Australian coast all day.

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George getting ready to dig Into his Fred Flintstone piece of veal.

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Rachel,

A great start to your blog.

Sorry to hear that you are going to miss some ports - we had wondered how it would affect your cruise when we saw the news reports about ex-cyclone "Gita" hitting NZ :(

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101627483/photos-excyclone-gita-hits-nz

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-43123148

Safe cruising :cool:

Enjoying your reports and wonderful pictures. Bringing back fond memories of our first Regent cruise this past Nov/Dec on the Mariner. Can't want to be back on another Regent ship.

Looking for to more updates! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

 

While I am not a fan of a lot of the ultramodern art around the ship, I think we got lucky. This is the beautiful painting in our suite. At least I can tell what it is supposed to be, and it is tranquil and pretty.

 

 

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I agree that you got lucky! We do love Regent, but imho, most of their art should be filed under the "what were they thinking" catagory. Chicken Wire man hanging in the elevator shaft on the Mariner comes to mind.....PLEEEZE ditch that with the refit!

Last year we were on the Voyager from Sydney to Melbourne cruise. The Tasman sea did not treat us well. For days we had 30 foot seas and 75 to 80 mile winds. We missed several ports. It was quite a ride. Even 2 windows on Compass Rose broke out. Some were mad but I was grateful that I felt safe and the Captain was trying to keep it that way.

Last year we were on the Voyager from Sydney to Melbourne cruise. The Tasman sea did not treat us well. For days we had 30 foot seas and 75 to 80 mile winds. We missed several ports. It was quite a ride. Even 2 windows on Compass Rose broke out. Some were mad but I was grateful that I felt safe and the Captain was trying to keep it that way.

We were on that cruise Singapore to Auckland! Indeed it was quite an experience. Not only the compact rose sufferred but La Veranda was damaged severely on the outside deck. I've never seen that before, and hope to never see it again.:halo:

We were very sorry to miss the Milford sound. It was supposed to be the high light of the trip....however, as Johnny Cash used to say I guess things happen that way :halo::cool:

Rachel,

Thank you for the time you are giving to tell us all about your cruise. I am intrigued that you mentioned an additional cost streaming package. I hadn’t heard of this can you please explain when you have time.

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Rachel,

 

Thank you for the time you are giving to tell us all about your cruise. I am intrigued that you mentioned an additional cost streaming package. I hadn’t heard of this can you please explain when you have time.

 

 

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Yes, I would like to know about streaming also. Thx

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Actively reading your comments, because my husband and I plan on going to New Zealand next year and we were thinking cruise, but I think we are looking at a land trip instead. It appears the water may be a deciding factor in this! I agree with you about the extra sea days, I find them a bit difficult to deal with. One is fine, but a couple in a row does me in - not TA in my future!

Did George eat that ginormous piece of veal? It looks great but I'd be happy with 1/4 of it.:halo:

irishwitchy - In my opinion, New Zealand is best seen on a land vacation. Map it out, rent a car and go. You can go miles without traffic and pass by amazing scenery. Do watch out for the flies that bite - they seem to be at every rest stop - beautiful environment - nice picnic tables ......... until you are attacked.

Milford Sound is amazing and you can do an excursion - no need to take a ship. New Zealand is another one of our top spots in the world!

We visited Australia and New Zealand in 2004 on an extended Tauck land trip. It was amazing. Flew from one city to another in NZ on a private charter plane. Saw Milford Sound by chartered boat. Best way to see Australia and NZ.

But, we still love cruising on Regent, returning to places we've been to.

Sheila and Herb

Duly noted about the seas, and potential danger we are avoiding. Just frustrating to have so many sea days in a row.

The additional cost streaming package is apparently a new thing on all the ship. It is $34 per day if you don’t have included internet. Not sure how much it is discounted for those who do have the included Internet. I will see if I can find out. Apparently it is fast enough the allow streaming, which is not what I need and so far the regular has been fine on this trip.

Jackie, he did indeed eat all the meat, but he scraped off most of the breading, which he always does. The waiter thought there was something wrong till i explained it is his normal practice. My doggies would have loved that bone.

Agree a land trip would be outstanding, but my favorite thing about cruising is just unpacking once and staying in the same bed every night. Oh, and of course, now free laundry!

Rachel- I agree that cruising is best now. I couldn't do those exhausting land journeys anymore.

Note: I talked about 2004. We were all much younger.

Safe and enjoyable sailing!

Sheila

 

While I am not a fan of a lot of the ultramodern art around the ship, I think we got lucky. This is the beautiful painting in our suite. At least I can tell what it is supposed to be, and it is tranquil and pretty.

 

 

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That was our painting! Room 713?

That was our painting! Room 713?

Forgap, we are in 711.

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February 22,2018– Melbourne Australia

The seas were so calm overnight that you would have thought you were on land. We awoke just sailing into Melbourne harbor just as the sun came up. The weather forecast called for temperature in the upper 70s with a slight chance of rain.

Our excursion for the day was to Ballarat. I was looking forward to Ballarat because of the series on PBS, Doctor Blake, which is set there and actually filmed there. Things started off poorly as we were docked next to the Queen Mary II, a huge ship that makes Voyager look tiny. The dock area is under construction, and apparently all available space was given to the giant ship. So our buses could not get into the port area near our ship.

Our tour was to leave at 8:15. They announced that they were having logistical issues. The theater kept filling with people waiting for their tours. Finally, at 8:50, our tour was called to board the bus.

Ballarat is a city of north and west of Melbourne. It got its start as a gold mining town when someone struck gold in 1851, but is now known as the place where “Doctor Blake”, a PBS series is set and filmed. I absolutely love “Doctor Blake”, so when I saw a chance to visit Ballarat, I jumped on it.

The trip there took about 1 1/2 hour. While it was warm and overcast in Melbourne, it was cooler and raining in Ballarat.

Our first stop was the wildlife park. This is a private park which rescues and rehabilitates wildlife. They have a bunch of tame kangaroos which run free, and these guys come up to you for a head rub or pat. They are totally socialized. They also have koalas, wombats, dingos, Tasmanian devils, huge crocodiles. I got to pet koalas and wombats as well as the kangaroos, who are just so cute.

Lunch was at the downtown Goldencity hotel. It was quite tasty, and lots of locals were eating there as well, which is a good sign. Driving around, I got to see several sites that I have seen in “Doctor Blake”.

We then went to Sovereign Hill, which is a reconstructed gold mining town to recreate Ballarat in the 1850s. This place is really well done, sort of like an Australian Williamsburg. George was in his element looking at all the old stuff and talking with the people who work there.

It was cool and rainy through our entire visit. I had a rain jacket and hiking shoes. Felt sorry for anyone with white tennis shoes, as it was pretty muddy. The streets are not paved, as they are wanting to be authentic.

Back at the ship, we went to a performance by a local singing group, then dinner in compass rose. George declared his lobster the best ever. It looked great, and my beef stir fry was delicious as well.

The show tonight was “Lights, Camera, Music” which was a tribute to movies musicals. It was a new one for me and really outstanding, so much energy and talent. The singers and dancers outdid themselves.

Sunrise sailing into Melbourne.

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Getting my cute animal fix. So excited I got to pet wombats, koalas, and kangaroos all in one day.

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Historic Sovereign Hill

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Our view from Compass Rose at dinner

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Thanks for sharing your Melbourne visit Rachel (and George). Sounds like a wonderful excursion that had special meaning for you Rachel and provided George and you terrific Australian critter encounters too.