Radiance of the Seas Down Under (2/14/14-3/3/14) Sydney to Perth - Review with Photos

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review and great photo's.:)

[kccrzr]

Wellington, continued.

 

Prior to leaving home I intended to stop in at Kaffe Eis (http://www.kaffeeeis.co.nz/) by the base of the cable car for gelato when we arrived back down the hill because I had read so many great reviews. However, it was still too cold to really enjoy gelato, so we decided to just make our way straight to Te Papa Museum.

 

There were lovely outdoor spaces along the harbor close to Te Papa. On a nice balmy day it would be a great place to linger a bit. There is also a big brew pub with a large outdoor patio, Mac's Brewbar (http://www.macsbrewbar.co.nz/) right next to Te Papa. We did not go because it was still a bit early (actually had it been warmer we may have gone even though it was only 10:30 in the morning)! Reviews I read indicated the food isn't all that good but for drinks it would be great. The patio looked like a great place to sit and people watch for a while.

 

Te Papa Museum/Free Wifi:

 

It was obvious the moment we walked in the door to the museum that it had free wifi due to the dozens of folks glued to smart phones/tablets. We went up a floor and found a bank of benches to sit on so we could take advantage of the wifi as well. Business done, it was time to explore the museum.

 

Te Papa is really a lovely museum - both the architecture and the exhibits were very interesting. It is always great to go to a museum that has exhibits you won't see at home. There is a café on the ground floor and a well-patronized coffee shop on the 4th floor.

 

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This amazing creation was made by a young teen girl for a costume competition:

 

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We spent two hours looking at the exhibits and could have spent more time but by the time we finished with the wifi and the exhibits we were about ready for lunch - after a quick stop for a bit of shopping. Admission to the museum is free but we gladly made a donation in the box provided.

 

Shopping at Te Papa: Te Papa had a large, well-stocked gift shop on the ground floor by the front doors. There were a variety of types of products and a large range in prices to fit every pocketbook. I was thrilled to find a salad utensil set with inlaid puau shells which I liked even better than the one I had seen in Picton and it cost no more at the museum ($80 NZD) . I also picked up some maori design key chains that I plan to deconstruct and turn into Christmas ornaments. My husband thinks I'm crazy but I love picking up unusual objects to turn into Christmas ornaments. Every year I have a great time reminiscing about the interesting places we've been.

 

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[kccrzr]

Enjoying your review and great photo's.:)

 

 

Thanks. It's taking me longer to complete than I expected - glad others have the patience to stick with me.

[kccrzr]

The Bangalore Polo Club, Wellington: I had researched several options for lunch. We decided to go to The Bangalore Polo Club (http://www.bangalorepoloclub.co.nz/) because it was quite different than restaurants at home. It is a theme restaurant and was a bit cheesy and over-the-top but the food was very good as were the drinks. The bright materials were a welcome contrast to the gray, dreary skies outside.

 

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I ordered chicken curry and DH had tandoori chicken pizza; we shared some naan:

 

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We paid $84 NZD for lunch, drinks (3 pints and 1 G&T) and tips, which I thought was very reasonable given the portion sizes and the quality of the food. We were surprised how empty the place was but it was a bit after the ordinary lunch hour and it may be one of those places which is busier in the evening.

 

 

Simply NZ Shop: After our enjoyable lunch, we walked to the Simply NZ shop (http://www.wellingtonnz.com/shopping/simply-new-zealand) in the iSite offices on the corner of Victoria & Wakefield. Prices were quite good: DH bought two shirts for $25 NZD and I picked up yet more tea towels for $6 NZD each. You might have noticed from earlier pictures of DH in his Polo shirts that he loves bright colors:

 

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Cuba Street: I had read online that Cuba Street had lots of trendy boutiques and cafes. IMHO we should not have bothered going - most of the shops were selling cheap stuff which could politely be called "interesting."

 

Kircaldie & Staines: I had thought about going into Kircaldie & Staines (http://kirkcaldies.co.nz/) because I had read online that it offers a 15% discount for travelers but ended up deciding I didn't want to spend time in a department store.

 

On the way back, we took some photos of some interesting wall art for our youngest daughter who attends art school:

 

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Although it was still early, we decided to head back towards the ship. We stopped in a small art gallery on the way but unfortunately, most of the exhibit was closed in preparation for an upcoming show. There were also some bars and cafes with outdoor seating at Queen's Wharf (http://www.wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz/getting_around/Waterfront_map/queens_wharf/index.htm) about 2 blocks from the cruise port. But the weather just wasn't warm enough to enjoy a cold drink outside.

 

We arrived back on board at 4:00, which is earlier than we thought we would get back but we had really pounded the pavement and were ready for a rest (Google indicates it is 2.7 miles one way from Te Papa to the Westpac Stadium).

 

John Darsk, pianist: We didn't go to many of the evening shows but we enjoyed this show more than we expected.

 

Captain Change: This was the first cruise we had been on where the captain changed in the middle of the cruise. When we started out in Sydney the captain was Goran Peterson but when we returned back to the ship the new captain, Sindre Borsheim was on board. At the early morning show by the CD, she had interviewed Captain Peterson who indicated he would be going on leave for 2 months and would be re-joining the ship in Honolulu. Amazingly to us, he said some of the people on our cruise would still be on the ship when he returned two months later! All I can say is, WOW.

 

Giovanni's: I so wish I had taken some photos of our specialty dinner at Giovanni's. We had never been to Giovanni's before and it was quite excellent. I had scallops for an appetizer and tenderloin for dinner with a small size of potato gnocchi in gorgonzola cheese sauce which the waiter was kind enough to recommend. DH had a Caesar salad and lamb chops. We ate so much we could not even think about ordering a full dessert even to share - much to the dismay of our server who kept insisting we try something. I asked if we could get about a third of a slice of cake because it looked great but the portion was huge. However, he said the chef did not intend it to be served in less than a full portion. :confused: Not that we needed dessert after the great meal.

[kccrzr]

AKAROA, NZ, day 6:

 

Our original itinerary included Christchurch but because the port has not yet been repaired after a catastrophic earthquake several years ago, Akaroa, a tender port, was substituted.

 

Akaroa has an excellent information site with maps and listings/contact information for tour operators, restaurants, etc.:

http://akaroa.com/

 

 

Breakfast in the CL: We went up to the CL at 7:50 for breakfast. We had not been previously and did not think it was fantastic but it was definitely adequate with Danish, bagels, salmon, lox and cheese. The coffee machine is a huge plus. :)

 

Tender Process: At 8:15 am J.D., true to his word, escorted those of us in the CL down to the very first tender of the day. This was such a time saver. According to the Cruise Compass for the day, tenders until 9:00am were reserved for those on ship's tours and all tenders from 9:00-11:30am required a tender ticket which had to be picked up in the Dining Room.

 

Akaroa: We really loved Akaroa and hope to go back some day. It is a beautiful, walkable town with cute cottages and public buildings surrounded by gorgeous flowers.

 

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And the harbor front location with plenty of restaurants and bars with outdoor seating to enjoy the beautiful scenery and people watch could not be beat:

 

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Every place you turned in Akaroa, there was an interesting photo opp:

 

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We spent a couple of hours wandering around and checking out a few of the shops without buying anything.

 

Free Wifi/Public Library: We walked by the public library and noticed it had free wifi. There were multiple benches conveniently set up around the outside of the building. We took the opportunity to send some work emails and check in with family.

 

The Trading Rooms Restaurant: On the way back to the dock to check in for our tour, we stopped for a few minutes to have a drink on the patio of this very popular restaurant. We went inside to order and pay and then the drinks were delivered to our table. We had two Stella Artois on tap which seemed a bit pricey at $17 NZ but a table outside overlooking the harbor made the cost of admission a bargain. Many people were also there for tea and coffee.

[kccrzr]

Swimming with Hector's Dolphins:

 

The Akaroa Main Wharf, where the tenders dock, is also the place where we were to go to for our tour.

 

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After signing the requisite forms we were all sized up and provided wet suits. Getting the wet suit on was not easy (and wasn't a pretty sight either). :eek: There were enough people signed up for the tour that we were divided into two groups and went out on two different boats.

 

This is our boat and group in the water:

 

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It was quite an experience. We went all the way out of the harbor mouth into the open seas. It was 62 degrees F, partly cloudy and very windy. Even with the wet suit on it was quite a shock to the system jumping into the ocean. The crew stop when they see some dolpins and then wait to see if the dolphins are curious or want to play around the boat. If they don't, the boat moves on. We went further and further away from town before stopping.

 

The dolphins are very small - and FAST - with black fins which made them difficult to see when you are in the ocean, treading water, thinking about the next 3 foot wave coming over your head, blowing in the snorkel to try to attract the dolphins, etc. etc. But they sure are beautiful:

 

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The pods only have 2-6 dolphins each and if there is only one pod in the very near vicinity or they leave quickly, you get back on the boat and look for more. We spent quite a lot of time just driving around looking for more pods. Finally, on the way back to the ship near the mouth of the harbor we found several dolphins which were very curious about us and kept coming up to the boat. It was awesome to see.

 

We decided to stay on the boat at this last stop because it was actually easier to see them from the boat than it was the water. It was pretty funny to see a dolphin swim right between two people who were only 4 feet away from each other and neither see it.

 

On the way back, we were able to see more of the beautiful surroundings:

 

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Without anyone overtly complaining about the amount of time spent looking for dolphins rather than swimming with dolphins (I figured that is just the risk you run on a tour like this), the Captain of the boat told us their tours usually see more dolphins so he offered every person a partial refund. When we got to their shop, we were surprised to receive $50 cash each as a refund (even though we had paid with a credit card). We were very happy with how the tour operator unilaterally offered the refund.

 

 

Other Tour Operators: There were many other tour operators who had outposts at the end of the wharf where the tenders dock. This is a port where you can make arrangements at the last minute if necessary. We thought the Vintage Car Tour looked like a hoot:

 

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[kccrzr]

AKAROA, continued:

 

After our swim with the dolphins we were ready for some lunch - not even struggling into and out of wet suits could put us off our food for long.:rolleyes:

 

We had many great options to choose from but decided to go to

 

La Thai Restaurant: http://www.lathairestaurant.com/

 

I had a very good curry dish and DH really liked his stir fry. Lunch and drinks (1 beer and 3 pre-made Gin & Tonics) cost $58, which we thought was reasonable compared to some of the other restaurants in town, which were pretty pricey. The bottled G&Ts were fine but didn't hold a candle to Rosario's.

 

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La Thai has a nice patio overlooking the bay which is a great place to enjoy the scenery and to people watch. And to top it off, the sun had finally come out - the heat was very welcome as we were still chilled from our swim in the ocean.

 

Every where we went in town locals told us it had been 92 degrees in Akaroa the day before. They were relieved the weather had broke and it was only in the low 60's. Personally, I would have preferred the heat - that is what I was dreaming of when we left our snow-covered yard at home.

 

Shopping in Akaroa:

 

After enjoying a leisurely lunch we decided to do a bit of shopping since we now didn't have to worry about storing our stuff while on the dolphin swim and since I was still in search of a unique present for my oldest daughter.

 

New Zealand Craft Artisans Gallery: http://www.akaroa.com/things-do/arts-crafts

 

This was a small, but interesting shop, specializing in New Zealand arts and crafts. I found a beautiful hand dyed silk ombre scarf for DD ($43 NZD) , unfortunately, the photo does not do it justice:

 

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Akaroa Supply Store: http://www.akaroa.com/akaroa-supply-store

 

I'd had a cough for several days which was exacerbated by our ocean swim so we went into the Akaroa Supply store to pick up some throat lozenges.

 

Woolshed Gallery: http://www.woolshednz.co.nz/

 

We did not purchase anything at this shop but it had a large, if pricey, selection of nice clothing - including some made from possum. The clerk in the shop spent some time explaining the differences between North American opossums and the NZ possums and why the fur of the NZ possum is so great for clothing. I thought about purchasing some gloves for DD but thought she would not like fur in general and possum in particular. The store was nice though, and would ship items home. We spoke to others on the ship later who had purchased items at this store.

 

Fire & Ice: http://www.fireandice.co.nz/

 

This store had a very large selection of jewelry including semi-precious gems and pearls. It was well-organized by predominant color of the gemstones. We didn't purchase anything here but it is a good option if you are interested in jewelry.

 

Black Cat Tours Shop on the Wharf: http://www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html

 

We found some interesting etched wooden postcards at the shop in this busy tour office for $6.95 NZD. The clerk told it would cost no more to send the wooden postcards than it would an ordinary postcard. (Although we intended to mail them off at one of our later stops we never got around to it -so we just sent them off with some other souvenirs when we arrived home). They make an inexpensive and unusual memento.

 

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Tender back: The last tender was scheduled to leave Akaroa at 5:30 pm, so we headed back to the wharf a bit before 5:00.

 

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We really enjoyed our day in Akaroa and didn't want to leave. As it turned out, the last tender back did not leave until 7:10 pm due to a late ship's tour.

 

That was not unusual on this trip. We had been late leaving every single port so far on the trip. Apparently, distances required to be traveled on some of the tours are a problem. Some folks we talked to, who went to Christchurch, were quite unimpressed with their tour. They said they 2 hours each way and had 1/2 and hour in a botanical garden.

[jensue1]

Hope the op is coming back, I've been enjoying this review :)

[kccrzr]

Hope the op is coming back, I've been enjoying this review :)

 

Glad you are enjoying the review! I have been tied up for several days with a business trip and tax returns :( but hope to be able to resume in a day or so.

[jennyau]

Glad you are enjoying the review! I have been tied up for several days with a business trip and tax returns :( but hope to be able to resume in a day or so.

 

I had a feeling work somehow interrupted. I'm looking forward to more instalments.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Forums mobile app

[kccrzr]

I had a feeling work somehow interrupted. I'm looking forward to more instalments.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Forums mobile app

 

 

I love my job, so can't complain about that taking me away from posting for while. Taxes, on the other hand ...

 

But, I'm back now and am going to post another installment.

[kccrzr]

Dunedin, New Zealand (Day 7):

 

 

We woke to another cloudy morning in the low 60's, threw on our hiking clothes and ran up to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast. We had pre-arranged a half day walking tour on the Otago Peninsula. The tour operator was to pick us up on the pier at 9:00 am but we wanted to first make use of the free wifi in the port to send some emails to family and work.

 

Our tour operator arrived as promised. There were 6 people signed up for the hike. One disappointment was that the intercom in the van did not work properly - there was so much static it was not usable - so there was some changing of seats so everyone could hear. We had a pleasant drive along the bay from the port to town, passing the beautiful rail station on the way, and then all the way around the bay to the other side.

 

We stopped for a photo opportunity en route. It was really a fantastic sight being so high up we were above some of the clouds.

 

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The morning clouds added to the experience. A walk on the path between the trees gave us this intriguing sight which made us wonder what would be at the end of the tunnel.

 

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I was delighted to see a rustic red sheep shed in the clouds:

 

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The weather turned out to be perfect for hiking. Within 30 minutes or so, the sun came out but it was still cool and breezy so we did not get over-heated on the hike.

 

 

The hike along the ridge went through some sheep grazing areas so we had to pick our way carefully! But we were rewarded with views of the beautiful coastline, chasm and Lover's Leap.

 

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And, of course, up close and personal encounters with sheep:

 

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Part way through the hike we stopped for a cold drink and some cookies.

We enjoyed the hike very much but some things you should know:

This hike is not for someone with mobility issues -- where there was a path, it was rough and the hike did involve walking up and down hills.

There are no facilities

[kccrzr]

Dunedin, New Zealand continued:

 

After our hike we still had several hours before having to be back on ship so we asked the tour operator to drop us off at the beautiful railway station rather than taking us back to port. We saw some more beautiful scenery along the way:

 

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The Railway station is famous and for good reason - the architecture is beautiful inside and out. If you have some time to spare, there is also a nice art gallery and craft shop on the second floor of the railway station.

 

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We then headed down the street towards The Octagon (town "square"), seeing yet more beautiful buildings.

 

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We had originally not planned on going to Cadbury World (http://www.cadbury.co.nz/en/cadbury-world.aspx). But, we changed our minds after several crew members, including our waiter, told us what a popular spot it was for the crew - with those getting off the ship to go into town taking candy orders for those who weren't. We did not take a tour but did go into the retail shop - what an adventure that was! The place was completely packed and large candy bars (4 for $10 NZD) were flying off the shelves. We saw one person who purchased more than $100 worth of candy and there were multiple crew members there lugging away heavy sacks. The shop clerks were extremely efficient but the place was so packed there was still a long line. If you go and it is busy, consider having one person stand in line while the other(s) shop.

 

By this time, we were ready for lunch so we headed the few blocks to The Octagon which is ringed with multiple restaurants, drinking establishments and shops. Dunedin is an University town of approximately 125K population, 25K of whom are from the university,and the selection of bars, restaurants and shops reflected that.

 

We found an Irish restaurant, The Craic (http://thecraic.co.nz/) for lunch. The food was good; the drinks better.

 

Afterwards, we spent some time walking around town, taking photos of wall art for our daughter and doing a bit of shopping.

 

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When we returned to the Octagon where the shuttles to the port were staged, the line for shuttles was long and the afternoon was warm so we decided to while away some time on the patio of Craft Bar (http://www.craftbar.co.nz/) across The Octagon from the shuttle stop.

I had two good G&T's and DH had Monteith's beer, which we had first enjoyed in Akaroa.

 

Around 4:45 we went over to the shuttle stop, paid $10 each for our one way trip and were soon back in port. We were told taxis cost about $40 each way.

 

On the way back, DH took some photos of the Forsyth Barr Stadium (http://www.forsythbarrstadium.co.nz/the-stadium/):

 

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Tourist Information: Dunedin has a good tourist information site for additional information (http://www.dunedinnz.com/visit/home)

[debshomespun]

Great review....waiting for your next installment!

[jensue1]

Wonderful having you back!:) enjoying your review very much.

[kccrzr]

Thanks all - it's good to be back. I better pick up the pace or I will still be working on this review when it is time to take my next cruise in December. :o

[kccrzr]

Dunedin, Shopping:

 

One of the shops we stopped in was ArtZone (http://www.art-zone.co.nz/) where DH picked up a beautiful sketch pad and a pen.

 

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For more traditional souvenirs, the New Zealand Gift Shop (http://www.upic.co.nz/digitiseshop/cat-20/New%20Zealand%20Gift%20Shop.htm) right on The Octagon was very convenient, had a good selection and great prices. DH found a ball cap for a song ($7 NZD):

 

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And, of course, we purchased some of the famous candy bars from Cadbury World, which we handed out to crew members at the end of the cruise along with some extra gratuities:

 

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We walked by numerous shops and several shopping malls as well, but didn't go in. However, Dunedin would be a good place to shop while in New Zealand.

 

Dunedin Port Area:

 

This is a view from our aft balcony of the port area and Chalmers. As you can see, free wifi was offered in the tent. There were some tables and chairs but in the afternoon, demand definitely outstripped supply. Although we were quite close, the signal was not strong enough to reach the ship, so we stood inside the tent and sent off some emails before re-boarding.

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Chalmers: as we drove back to port we noticed some nice looking restaurants and shops in Chalmers within walking distance of the port. Unfortunately, we had no time to look around but if you are on a ship's tour and get back with a little time to spare, it would definitely be worth a look around. If we are ever lucky enough to go back, we will set aside some time to look around Chalmers.

 

Dunedin Visitor Information: There was an iSite location (https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/isite) close to the Octagon in town with a big board showing available tours. And of course, maps and other information was available. There were also some folks set up inside the tent at the port but we did not go see what type of information they had available.

 

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[kccrzr]

The Sounds - Dusky, Doubtful & Milford; Day 8:

 

It was chilly, overcast and rained on and off throughout the day. I can only imagine how gorgeous the Sounds would have been on a bright, clear day because they were fantastic even in inclement weather.

 

We were running a bit later than originally predicted in the itinerary for arriving at the first sound, so we had time to run up to the Windjammer for breakfast.

 

We spent most of the rest of the day in our cabin and enjoyed the sounds from our aft balcony. We turned the tv to the deck shot so we could see where we were headed as well.

 

While in Milford Sound, 30 or so people who had been on an overnight ship's excursion joined back up with the ship. We also saw a helicopter which flew very close to the ship on it's first pass. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a photo until it's second pass when it was much further away so not good enough to post.

 

Amazingly, the Captain actually put the nose of the ship right in a large waterfall (I believe it's called Stirling Falls) in Milford Sound and announced that people could go on the heliport at the bow to see the waterfall very close. It was quite chilly, windy and raining when we arrived there. We watched on the tv as many people scurried out several minutes before we arrived at the fall only to run back within seconds. If you want to give it a try, wait until the last announcement to go out. I was thinking of going but DH said he was not interested. Later, he agreed, he should have gone - it seems like one of those things which are likely to be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

It was interesting how low the cloud cover was during certain parts of the day:

 

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This is near where we picked up the excursion-goers:

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We always find the wake at the back of the ship mesmerizing:

 

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[tazza_0712]

Beautiful photos! I would love to cruise NZ in the future. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[kccrzr]

Beautiful photos! I would love to cruise NZ in the future. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

 

Thank you for the compliment on the photographs. At the time, we thought all of our photos would be gray and dull due to the weather but some of the ones with clouds turned out to be the most dramatic.

 

NZ was quite fantastic. It was a great combination of stunning scenery, quaint towns and a large city with all that has to offer. We hope to be able to go back some day and spend more time.

[windjamming]

I am really enjoying this review. It's an itinerary that will be difficult for me to do, so I appreciate the opportunity to experience it vicariously! Your "roll with the punches" attitude (no doubt backed up with loads of research) is so refreshing, and the pictures are simply breathtaking.

 

Thank you for broadening my horizons!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[kccrzr]

I am really enjoying this review. It's an itinerary that will be difficult for me to do, so I appreciate the opportunity to experience it vicariously! Your "roll with the punches" attitude (no doubt backed up with loads of research) is so refreshing, and the pictures are simply breathtaking.

 

Thank you for broadening my horizons!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

 

Thanks so much. Broadening horizons is exactly what cruising has done for us! It was such a convenient way to travel to amazing destinations with our children when they were younger and the more we travel the more we want to travel. I think our "kids" , who are now young adults, are now much more self-assured, confident and accepting of others because they have experienced other cultures.

 

I'm actually a Type A personality and in the past way overbooked everything because I was so afraid of missing out on something. Over time we (okay, I) came to realize that some of our fondest memories were when we just happened across a little café, museum or shop and took the time to explore. So now I try to do my research but play some things by ear and allow more free time.

[kccrzr]

Tasman Sea: Evening of Day 8, Day 9 and Day 10

 

On the evening of Day 8 we set our clocks back one hour. We ran into some rough weather and seas on our crossing from New Zealand to Australia. Our Cruise Compass for day 9 indicated the wind would be nearly gale force from the West at 27-33 mph.

 

To add insult to injury it was cold and cloudy each of these days. As the inclement weather dragged on, the Solarium filled up earlier and earlier each morning. The morning of Day 9 I arrived at the Solarium as 7:15 am and there were only about 5 loungers left - 4 of which were facing the windows rather than the pool. At it turned out, we were better off sitting back by the windows. The seas were so rough that the loungers by the pool were actually in a wading zone- there was standing water almost all day long on the main floor due to all of the water sloshing out of the pool. The crew tried to mop it up but the water had them beat, it was pouring out of the pool, down and steps and across the floor in wave after wave.

 

I wish I had taken my camera or phone with me because it was quite a sight to see. We certainly had never experienced that in the Solarium before. By 1:00pm, the water in the pool was way down.

 

The weather on the trip was a disappointment to many and became a common topic of conversation. Frustratingly, on several evenings the skies would clear around 5:00pm for a short while.

 

I took this photo with my camera that evening - it is really impossible to tell from the photo just how high the waves were.

 

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While we were sitting in the Concierge Lounge having a drink before dinner a rogue wave hit the back of the ship with a loud crash and the whole ship shuddered. When we got back to our cabin around midnight we discovered that one of the bottles of wine we had purchased in Sydney for the cruise had fallen off the counter and crashed on the floor. None of the other things on the counter, including wine glasses, fell off - we later discovered that the cabinet door did not latch all the way and figured it must have swung open when we were hit by the big wave and knocked the wine bottle off. Which just so happened to hit the trash can and break - talk about a perfect storm! We tried to mop the mess up as well as we could but did not call our room steward as it was already so late and had been sitting there for about 6 hours as it was.

 

 

Top Tier event: this returning cruisers party was held at 7:45 pm on Day 9. There were lots of laughs with people trying to walk the gauntlet of officers without running into them because of the rolling waves. The drinks were good but we didn't try any food as we had some appetizers in the CL.

 

People behaving badly, redux: At lunch time I was standing second in line at the salad/chip station at Park Café in the Solarium when a lady walked up and demanded two of the three remaining bags of "crisps." That upset the woman at the beginning of the line, who had originally asked for two bags of chips, so she changed her order to 3 bags. I just do not understand people who think they are entitled to immediate service of what they want regardless of others who have been waiting.

 

Samba Grill: I'm going to admit right up front that Brazilian Steakhouses are just not my kind of restaurant. I had only been to one other land based restaurant of this kind and was not impressed with it. Plus, I have trouble getting past the thought of all of the food that goes to waste at such restaurants. But, we had a Chef's Table package so made reservations to give Samba a whirl.

 

I really enjoyed the salad bar, soup, dessert and sides. We had a good bottle of wine as well. But the meat, in my opinion, was just ok. Even my husband thought it was just too much food and not that great - I think he tried 4 or 5 of the 9 kinds of meat. Much of it was overcooked for our taste. There were not many people eating at Samba Grill and I wondered if that were typical or not. Our service was excellent and the experience itself is interesting, but I don't think I would go again.

 

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Robbie McNay: After dinner we went to hear Robbie McNay play and sing in the Quill and Compass Pub. He is from Liverpool and sang mostly English songs from the 60's. He also took requests. We really enjoyed the "show" and went and saw him one other time afterwards.

[jennyau]

When we were on before you Samba Grill also didn't seem very popular. The pink salt in your picture, do you have any idea what it was? Could it have been Murray River pink salt? That would be a nice Aussie touch if it was.

 

Jenny

 

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[MDFAN]

Great stuff. Keep'um coming. As I mentioned in the other thread, I have booked #1100 for the 29 days from Sydney to Vancouver in April 2016.

 

Can't wait, so please any more pix of the room or views from the room would be greatly appreciated.