Live from the Eclipse, Apr 19 - May 21, Sydney to Honolulu to Vancouver B3B in an Aqua Cabin

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 4 - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Transition Day

  

 

 

 
Today’s Starlink internet speed test while docked in Sydney Harbor.

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Norwaylady]

So happy you enjoyed the tour of the opera house! It's spectacular from a construction and architect view.... So I love it.

 

Bon Voyage for the next part of your b2b🥰 Fingers crossed for a functional wifi and smooth seas😇

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 4/21/2023 at 8:56 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

We returned from breakfast in Blu to find an envelope outside our cabin with our Transit cards and information regarding about our first turnaround day. I also called Guest Services and found out there will be 86 guests continuing on to Hawaii. 
 

This first letter contains the general rules regarding transition day.

 

 
Bolded in yellow on the second letter are the “honor system” antigen testing rules for B2B passengers to follow once they reboard the ship.

 

 

Just for the record, we did get the antigen tests when we got back on the ship. We took them, both tested negative, and did not have to report the negative results to anyone. Yay!! 

[Tee & Chilli]

This is great when I wake up I’m reading about how your day went.

 

Enjoy the evening activities 

[Boatharbour]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today after eating breakfast in Blu, we headed over to the Opera House around 9:30 for our 10:30 am tour we booked online over 5 months ago. But since we had a little extra time, we took the long way around through town and a park on the hill next to the Opera House, and of course I had to take some pictures of the local wildlife. 😁

The “park on the hill” is the entrance to The Royal Botanic Gardens - which has a pathway that meanders around the harbour foreshore.

If anyone plans to visit in the summer months try to get tickets for the open air cinema or the opera which are both held on a floating pontoon in the gardens with the bridge and Opera House as a back drop. Spectacular. 
Looks like you came across some of our magpies and a bin chicken (Ibis). 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Boatharbour said:

The “park on the hill” is the entrance to The Royal Botanic Gardens - which has a pathway that meanders around the harbour foreshore.

If anyone plans to visit in the summer months try to get tickets for the open air cinema or the opera which are both held on a floating pontoon in the gardens with the bridge and Opera House as a back drop. Spectacular. 
Looks like you came across some of our magpies and a bin chicken (Ibis). 

Thanks! Definitely good information to store away for when we come visit your beautiful city again! 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight on the way to dinner in Blu I finally took a picture of the hanging tree up above the Grand Foyer!

  

 
Then after another tasty dinner in Blu, we headed to the theater to listen to a very talented singer from Australia, Chantelle Delaney

 

 

 

Then we watched the True or False Game Show before heading back to the cabin.

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 5 - April 23 - Sea Day

 

 

 

 

[mahdnc]

On 4/20/2023 at 5:01 PM, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Since your visit in 1988 Newcastle has been completely revitalised with the steel works closed and industrialisation moved to the north side of the harbour. It is still a busy industrial port but the city is completely different now. There are now great coastal walks, beautiful beaches for swimming and surfing, restaurants, markets, parks and basically totally changed to what it was like 30 years ago. My son lives just outside Newcastle and we love visiting. The fort is fun to visit and the ANZAC Memorial Walk is a favourite.

 

 

 

 

 

I noticed that the mighty Queens Wharf Tower disappeared between my two port visits in 2018 and 2020. 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by mahdnc

[PurpleTraveller]

10 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

I noticed that the mighty Queens Wharf Tower disappeared between my two port visits in 2018 and 2020. 

 

 

The tower was demolished in September 2018 and the wharf building has restaurants and bars. The surrounding area is parkland, a foreshore walking path, apartment buildings and the old train station has been converted to shops and markets are held there on weekends.

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

The tower was demolished in September 2018 and the wharf building has restaurants and bars. The surrounding area is parkland, a foreshore walking path, apartment buildings and the old train station has been converted to shops and markets are held there on weekends.

 

 

Well that was one recognizable landmark that is gone!  I take it that overall the changes are considered to be a vast improvement.

[Ken the cruiser]

This morning we finally slept in until around 8:30! Yay! After eating breakfast out on the aft up at the buffet, we headed to the theater to watch a port talk on the Galapagos

 

 

followed by some cultural information about New Zealand!

 

 
This afternoon after our walk, we’ll probably go to a couple of trivia events. Then after dinner in Blu, go see the production show Topper again, which is always fun

 


followed by the game show, 60 Seconds or Less, which are always fun! 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

 

Well that was one recognizable landmark that is gone!  I take it that overall the changes are considered to be a vast improvement.

 

Yes, the city has become vibrant and a huge improvement from many years ago when it was not very nice to visit. Lots of new hotels, apartment buildings, restaurants, cafes and infrastructure such as the light rail make it a great place to visit and live.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Our next adventure as we head towards New Zealand and the Bay of Islands will be to cross the Tasman Sea or more commonly known as The Ditch!

 

Climate

The south of the sea is passed over by depressions going from west to east. The northern limit of these westerly winds is near to 40°S. During the southern winter, from April to October, the northern branch of these winds from the west changes its direction toward the north and goes up against trade winds. Hence, the sea receives frequent winds from the southwest during this period. In the Australian summer (from November to March), the southern branch of the trade winds goes up against west winds and produces further wind activity in the area.^[3]

 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Sea

 

We crossed it back in 2017 on the Diamond Princess and we still remember seeing a much smaller Regent Seven Seas ship heading the other way towards Australia with massive waves continually smashing over its bow!

 

Here is our current location and we’re heading right for it! 😁
 

 
with the weather and seas starting to get a little more active as well!
 

 

If I remember correctly, the Captain mentioned last night over the loud speaker that the swells as we cruise across the Tasman Sea may get to around 10-15+ feet! 😱

  

Edited April 23, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

As we were sitting in our cabin chilling the afternoon away, we glanced out and saw a double rainbow!

 

  
But for the first time we could ever remember in our entire lifetimes, we were also close enough to see the bottom of the rainbow!! 
 

 
And guess what, there was no pot of gold! I know, who knew! 😂

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s a photo of the sunset this evening over Australia while we were dining in Blu!

 

 
After dinner we headed to the theater to watch Topper again followed by the 60 Seconds or Less Game Show. Then we took a break back in the cabin before heading to Celebrity Central to watch the adult game show Blankey Blank at 10 pm. Not sure of the details, but I’m sure it will be fun! 😂

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Redking]

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Our next adventure as we head towards New Zealand and the Bay of Islands will be to cross the Tasman Sea or more commonly known as The Ditch!

 

Climate

The south of the sea is passed over by depressions going from west to east. The northern limit of these westerly winds is near to 40°S. During the southern winter, from April to October, the northern branch of these winds from the west changes its direction toward the north and goes up against trade winds. Hence, the sea receives frequent winds from the southwest during this period. In the Australian summer (from November to March), the southern branch of the trade winds goes up against west winds and produces further wind activity in the area.^[3]

 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Sea

 

We crossed it back in 2017 on the Diamond Princess and we still remember seeing a much smaller Regent Seven Seas ship heading the other way towards Australia with massive waves continually smashing over its bow!

 

Here is our current location and we’re heading right for it! 😁
 

 
with the weather and seas starting to get a little more active as well!
 

 

If I remember correctly, the Captain mentioned last night over the loud speaker that the swells as we cruise across the Tasman Sea may get to around 10-15+ feet! 😱

  

Rug up, winter is on its way to NZ. 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 6 - April 24 - Sea Day

  

 

 

 
Also, I just did another internet speed test using my Premium service package and once again we are receiving great service considering we’re out on the high seas in the middle of nowhere between Australia and Sydney. Is technology great!! 😁

 

Some folks on CC have posted these speeds are unacceptable. I guess I’m just one of those that remembers how it was on cruise ships not that long ago, say 5 years, when you had to hunt for the sweet spot on the ship, paid by the minute, and usually got the best service to download email after 10 pm! And don’t even think about getting quality service in your cabin. Fast forward to today. All of my speed tests and postings been done n this cruise in our cabin. 😁
 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, Redking said:

Rug up, winter is on its way to NZ. 

We’re ready. At least we’re hoping we are. I packed my flannel shirt along with a coat and my DW packed a sweater along with her warm coat. Hopefully it won’t be too windy as that can really make things chilly! 🤞

 

 

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Enjoying your reports. Thank you for sharing. 

[CGinMTL]

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

As we were sitting in our cabin chilling the afternoon away, we glanced out and saw a double rainbow!

 

  
But for the first time we could ever remember in our entire lifetimes, we were also close enough to see the bottom of the rainbow!! 
 

 
And guess what, there was no pot of gold! I know, who knew! 😂

 

I was lucky enough to experience this on a TA many years ago. I say. " We were the pot of gold" at the end of the 🌈

[Ken the cruiser]

8 hours ago, CGinMTL said:

I was lucky enough to experience this on a TA many years ago. I say. " We were the pot of gold" at the end of the 🌈

Good point!! 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

It’s around 8:15 am right now and we’re currently crossing The Ditch with 2600 passengers onboard. It’s definitely choppy out there as we’re cruising through it at around 24 mph! Should be fun walking to Blu this morning plus attending a couple of lectures, a future cruise seminar and a matinee show this morning and afternoon, besides eating and taking a walk. Oh, and doing all of this in 10-15+ foot waves! 😂

  

 

 
And the internet service is doing just fine.

 

 
Here’s a fun fact to keep in mind. If for some reason the Internet seems to be nonresponsive, try rebooting your device. It happens to me every now and then, and most of the time that solves the issue. Not always, but most of the time.

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[DaKahuna]

16 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

If I remember correctly, the Captain mentioned last night over the loud speaker that the swells as we cruise across the Tasman Sea may get to around 10-15+ feet! 😱

  

Want to swap?

 

 

 

Just kidding !! 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Want to swap?

 

 

 

Just kidding !! 

And give up all this tossing and turning and bouncing off the hallway walls! No way!! 😂