“LIVE FROM” 2019 Oceania Insignia World Cruise, Jan. 11-July 11

[palakika]

Bob..glad you got to contribute to the winning ship.  Have fun in Sydney.

[RetiredLifer]

Lisa, just did the Opera tour this morning (as we are here to board Insignia on Monday) and it was great.  It takes one hour.  We did the first tour which was at 9am and it was not crowded but was getting crowded by the time we finished.  We are doing HOHO bus tomorrow.  It is suppose to be 90 minutes for the red line and 90 minutes for the blue line.  The blue line goes to Bondi beach.  We are staying at “the rocks” which is enjoyable and historical.  There was a major outdoor market today but it will not be going on on Monday.  You are trying to pack a lot into your stay.  I wish you luck and hope you and Connie can do it all. Weather is great with mostly sunny and temps around 80.  See you all on Monday and hope you all enjoy one of our favorite cities (Sydney).

[Senior Citizen]

We, too, are in Sydney waiting for the Insignia.  A lot goes on here Friday-Sunday.  If you’re here on Sunday, the Rocks market should be open (crafts and food).  The Sydney Opera House is offering a program called Great Opera Hits in the main theater, the Joan Sutherland Theatre, at 5 pm.  You can buy tickets online for $69 pp.  Should be good!  Tonight, they are having a huge Mardi Gras Parade.  Our concierge said it is one of the largest in the world.  We saw people sitting at 2 pm although the parade starts at 7.

 

We wish the best for the ill passenger.  I have heard they have excellent medical care here in Sydney.

Edited March 2, 2019 by Senior Citizen
Correction

[dritan]

On 2/28/2019 at 3:37 PM, palakika said:

Go-Bucks..Beautiful jewelry.   The fern opening one is very special. 

I'm really enjoying everyone's pics...including Pat' s travel blog.  Many of us wish we were along on the voyage.

Hi 

 

I'm also enjoying the thread but wondered where to find this travel blog you refernence?  

I'm following several at the moment with all the world cruises happening, so another one would be great 😉

Thanks

[cbb]

 if time permits, take a harbor cruise to Manly.  The ticket office is at Curricular Quay.  That way you get a harbor view of the Opera House, whole bridge in the background, water in foreground (which is a difficult pix to capture as the Insignia sails in) as well as a trip to a gorgeous beach and often on the weekends there is an artists market set up. 

 

Walk around Manly, grab a drink/food and sail back.  Now that you're spending the night it is a wonderful thing to do and the ferry itself doesn't take much of your valuable time. Bondi is also wonderful and we used the city bus to get there and back. 

 

Hope the ailing passenger's medical problem is quickly resolved. 

 

Have a great port visit.  Sydney is one of my top 5 favorite cities. 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 3/1/2019 at 9:16 PM, RetiredLifer said:

Lisa, just did the Opera tour this morning (as we are here to board Insignia on Monday) and it was great.  It takes one hour.  We did the first tour which was at 9am and it was not crowded but was getting crowded by the time we finished.  We are doing HOHO bus tomorrow.  It is suppose to be 90 minutes for the red line and 90 minutes for the blue line.  The blue line goes to Bondi beach.  We are staying at “the rocks” which is enjoyable and historical.  There was a major outdoor market today but it will not be going on on Monday.  You are trying to pack a lot into your stay.  I wish you luck and hope you and Connie can do it all. Weather is great with mostly sunny and temps around 80.  See you all on Monday and hope you all enjoy one of our favorite cities (Sydney).

 

We've revised it a bit...we have to do immigration at 4pm tomorrow, then we plan to do a "once around" on the HOHO to get the lay of the land. Not sure what we'll do in the evening...maybe the Eye?  Next day, Monday, our Opera house tour is at 11am (made reservations a long time ago), then probably go over to the Taronga zoo. Route 1 is likely all we'll do on the HOHO, not go out to Bondi beach. 

 

Look forward to meeting all of you at the Meet & Greet! This cruise has been awesome so far and I'm sure it will continue that way! People are so nice and friendly...don't worry about any of the negative comments that you might have read from those who aren't on the ship. 

 

I also want to give a shout out to our great stewardess, her asst steward and our butler (Natalia, Agust & Sidharth)!  All of them are so kind and considerate...they truly anticipate our needs and make us smile every day!  We love them.

[Go-Bucks!]

Our Polynesian craft classes have been so much fun! Today we made another necklace with either a black lip oyster mother of pearl or a golden lip oyster mother of pearl (our choice)...I chose the black lip.

 

The necklace on the left side is a fish hook, which I think we made last week.  The crafts and art classes are first class!  The days just seem to fly by cuz we're having such a good time!  🤩  🌴

 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 2/28/2019 at 6:37 AM, palakika said:

Many of us wish we were along on the voyage.

 

Wish you were here too! I'd love to meet you.  

[Senior Citizen]

If there isn’t an information booth where you dock at White Bay, go into the city and find the tourist information center or go to a hotel and get some brochures.  They have 20 percent off coupons for Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, Wild Life Sydney Zoo, Sydney Tower Eye, the Jewish Museum, Captain Cook Cruises and 15 percent off the Taronga Zoo.  Non-residents don’t qualify for senior discounts.

 

The Rocks weekend market is huge but closes at 5 pm.  On Monday, you could go to Sydney’s Fish Market and have a fabulous fresh fish lunch from one of the many vendors there.

 

There are an amazing number of things to do in Sydney.  Enjoy— and and we will see you on the ship!  This is a fabulous city!!!

[Skmar]

1 hour ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Wish you were here too! I'd love to meet you.  

Daylight savings is still on in Sydney so sunset drinks 🍷at any of the restaurants or wine bars in front of the Opera House is just brilliant and normally there is live music. Views of our magnificent harbour thrown in for free.👏🏻👏🏻 Welcome to Oz. Enjoy your time Downunder - see you all in Dubai. 

[jimbri]

3 hours ago, dritan said:

Hi 

 

I'm also enjoying the thread but wondered where to find this travel blog you refernence?  

I'm following several at the moment with all the world cruises happening, so another one would be great 😉

Thanks

I would like to know also.  Thanks.

[bob brown]

Had a great time this evening, watching the final performance of our ship’s cast doing “Showdown”.

Sophia and Brynn are leaving the Insignia.

We’ve grown very fond of their wonderful personalities and skilled performance’s, over the last 51 days...sad to see them go, we will miss them, and wish them the best of luck.

[bob brown]

Redemption for Big-O Points will be at 1100.   Big time “inflation” for prizes on this long segment, compared to last...😉

[palakika]

Dritan and jimbri...the other blog is patandnormtravel.com 

They give a lot of great info and interesting pics.

 

Go-Bucks...  your new fish hook necklaces are really cool.  You are acquiring quite a collection of interesting jewelry!!  Would like to meet you too:)

[2552phxcrzr]

6 hours ago, dritan said:

Hi 

 

I'm also enjoying the thread but wondered where to find this travel blog you refernence?  

I'm following several at the moment with all the world cruises happening, so another one would be great 😉

Thanks

3 hours ago, jimbri said:

I would like to know also. Thanks.

 

 Here’s the link https://patandnormtravel.com/

Edited March 2, 2019 by h2so4

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 People are so nice and friendly...don't worry about any of the negative comments that you might have read from those who aren't on the ship. 

 

 

 

It would  be interesting to hear form those on the  segments & their   POV 

[Mura]

12 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

I agree with Bob...my sympathies to the ill or injured person, but I'm really excited to have 1.5 days plus an overnight in Sydney! We went ahead and just bought our HOHO tickets and have a guided tour through the Sydney Opera House scheduled.  Hope to also go to the Taronga zoo and Bondi beach. 

When we were in Sydney 10 years ago we took the special backstage tour -- twice as long as the regular tour but the downside is that it started around 6am.  OTOH, we ended up having breakfast in the cast cafeteria at the end.  Afterwards we walked through the botanic gardens very close by, but the heavens opened so we left early.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

5 hours ago, bob brown said:

Redemption for Big-O Points will be at 1100.   Big time “inflation” for prizes on this long segment, compared to last...😉

WOW - I'll say inflation. One would have to be very busy or very smart to get even a T-shirt 

[RJB]

3 hours ago, h2so4 said:

 

 Here’s the link https://patandnormtravel.com/

Great pictures and comments.  Keep up the good work.  I am enjoying reading them and will continue to follow along.   Thanks a lot.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Wonderful blog.  Just curious:  You have pictures of the lighthouses you saw after departing from Wellington.  They are the Pencarrow lighthouses - one on the cliff and another down below in the water by rocks.   I'm a huge lighthouse lover, and would like to know how easy it was to see and photograph them.  Did you take those photos with a telephoto lens, or were they close enough to see and photograph without one?  

2 hours ago, RJB said:

Great pictures and comments.  Keep up the good work.  I am enjoying reading them and will continue to follow along.   Thanks a lot.

 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 3/2/2019 at 4:58 AM, bob brown said:

Redemption for Big-O Points will be at 1100.   Big time “inflation” for prizes on this long segment, compared to last...😉

 

Bob,

 

I would love a table purse hook but have no points...will they sell one to me?  Maybe in the boutique?  Just wondering if you might know.  😉

[Go-Bucks!]

On 3/2/2019 at 2:58 AM, Senior Citizen said:

Sydney Tower Eye...15 percent off the Taronga Zoo.  Non-residents don’t qualify for senior discounts.

 

The Eye is included in our HOHO ticket. The Taronga website said that international seniors get in for $33 (instead of $37) with a govt issued ID.  I'm excited to see both of these. I pictured the Eye looking like the London Eye but it seems to look more like the Sky Tower in Auckland. 

[bob brown]

18 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Bob,

 

I would love a table purse hook but have no points...will they sell one to me?  Maybe in the boutique?  Just wondering if you might know.  😉

They won’t sell anything, but I’ll get you one...🙂

[Paulchili]

22 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Bob,

 

I would love a table purse hook but have no points...will they sell one to me?  Maybe in the boutique?  Just wondering if you might know.  😉

They will not sell it and I doubt that it is available for sale in shops.

Surely some kind soul will give you 20 points - I would if I were there.

Bob beat me to it and it would appear that he IS a kind soul. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by Paulchili

[2552phxcrzr]

2 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Wonderful blog.  Just curious:  You have pictures of the lighthouses you saw after departing from Wellington.  They are the Pencarrow lighthouses - one on the cliff and another down below in the water by rocks.   I'm a huge lighthouse lover, and would like to know how easy it was to see and photograph them.  Did you take those photos with a telephoto lens, or were they close enough to see and photograph without one?  

 

You may wish to leave a message for Pat on her blog.  Not sure how often she visits CC.