Review of Silver Whisper Jan. 29 to Feb. 14, 2024 (Auckland to Sydney)

[Host Jazzbeau]

Tuesday February 13, 2024 – Eden, Australia

 

The last full day of our cruise!  Hot, humid, sunny, 80s.

 

We took a two hour tour called Walk with a Photographer.  Pete was a local who seemed to know everyone who drove past us.  We had expected a more hands-on picture-taking experience.  There was very little of that other than his mentioning the ‘rule of thirds’ when framing a photograph.

 

Instead, Pete walked us around a scenic section of Eden not far from the ship.  The ten of us started by trudging up a steep hill, pausing fairly frequently to hear the history of whaling or wool in the area and admire the changing views of the harbor.

 

01 Walk with a Photographer

 

02 Walk with a Photographer

 

03 Walk with a Photographer

 

04 Walk with a Photographer

 

05 Walk with a Photographer

 

06 Walk with a Photographer

 

07 Walk with a Photographer

 

When we got into a more natural area he pointed out birds like the masked lapwing, bottlenose dolphins swimming in the cove below, and a blue-tongued lizard climbing up the trunk of a nearby tree.  We saw scribbly gum bushes which are not endemic to Australia, Grevillea Robusta with long red stamens, tea trees…

 

 08 Walk with a Photographer

 

09 Walk with a Photographer - insect damage

 

10 Walk with a Photographer

 

11 Walk with a Photographer

 

From a viewpoint we saw Boyd’s Tower across the bay on South Head.  It was built as a monument to Boyd himself and was never used as a lighthouse.  In fact, it was never lit.

 

12 Boyd's Tower

 

13 Boyd's Tower poster

 

We took a snack break at some picnic tables where he provided water and cookies.  He spoke of the devastation of the terrible fires of 2019.  

 

Although whales were first spotted in the area in the late 1700s, it wasn’t until 1823 that the industry took off.  And who helped the whalers?  Orca killer whales.  They guided larger baleen whales into the harbor so the whalers could kill them.  This saved the orcas the trouble of killing the whales (which is hard for them), and the whalers gave them the whale tongues (which is the only part they eat).  This became known as the Law of the Tongue.

 

There were more great views, and a promised surprise: a koala in a tree [rare so close to an urban area!]

 

14 Walk with a Photographer

 

15 Koala in tree [Gotcha!]

 

16 Walk with a Photographer

 

17 Walk with a Photographer

 

18 Walk with a Photographer

 

As we were leaving the summit, we stopped at the Seamen’s Memorial Park.  And then proceeded down the hill back toward the ship.

 

19 Seamen's Memorial Park

 

20 Walk with a Photographer

 

21 Walk with a Photographer

 

Approaching the TI near our dock, our group dispersed and we caught a shuttle bus into town to visit the Eden Killer Whale Museum.

 

22 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

23 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

24 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

25 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

26 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

27 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

28 Eden Killer Whale Museum

 

Rather than walk uphill to the shuttle bus stop, we walked a longer route downhill back to the ship.

 

DW went up to the Grill and got a burger and cole slaw.  Then she started to gather clothes for packing.  I went up to the Panorama Lounge on deck 8 for Tea, and then retrieved our passports from Reception on deck 5.

 

We went to Team Trivia; six of us showed up and came in 2nd place (3 more points apiece).  Instead of redeeming our 76 points for ship merchandise, we decided to get a certificate to use on a future cruise.  Katarina gave us one rounded up to 90 points.

 

We met our Denver and Kent pals in The Bar on deck 5 at 6:30 to exchange contact information and photographs of wildlife, particularly koalas and wombats.

 

We went to dinner with the Denver girls and parted company at 9:30 so we could finish packing to get our bags out at 11:00.  [No matter how long the cruise is, you can’t escape this terrible last night ritual...]

[Host Jazzbeau]

Wednesday February 14, 2024 – Sydney, Australia – The Rocks

 

Breakfast early!  6:30-7:00 am!  Had to be out of our rooms for good by 8 am.  We hung out in The Bar on deck 5 until they called our brown luggage tags around 8:30.  Oddly, even though we answered the call promptly our bags were the only ones in the brown luggage area!

 

We went through the White Bay Cruise Terminal only to find out our pre-booked Uber driver had ditched us for another fare – the Uber App immediately tried to find another driver and luck was with us because one was siting right at the ship terminal!  So we got to the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Sydney by about 9:15.  Our luggage was tagged and taken by the bellman and we got on line to check in.  Our room was not ready.  [No surprise as we have no status with Four Seasons.]  So we explored the lobby and side rooms and shops to get the lay of the land and kill time before our walking tour.

 

We walked a few blocks to Clocktower Square for The Rocks Historic Walking Tour.  It was billed as 90 minutes but 20 of us trudged around in the killer heat and humidity for two hours.  We didn’t feel we got that much out of it as our guide was rather soft spoken and we had as much difficulty understanding the ‘English’ pronunciations of the Ozzies as we had of the Kiwis.

 

The Rocks is quite a nice area now but back in the late 18th Century it was a much different story.  One has to remember that much of Australia was a penal colony with convicts sent by the boatload from England.  The Industrial Revolution caused much economic and social disruption in England, poverty increased, and many people stole basic food and clothing to sustain their families.  As punishment many were shipped off to Australia (“transportation”).  If you served your term (usually seven years), you became free.  Many eventually earned their freedom but few convicts returned to the motherland because they would just be going back to the same dire conditions.  Australia was a land of opportunity and potential, and new alliances were formed through marriage.

 

We stopped at Reynolds Cottage, Nurses Walk (the site of a hospital built in 1802), The Doss House whiskey bar, and Cadman Cottage.

 

01 Reynolds Cotage

 

02 Nurses Walk

 

03 The Doss House

 

04 Cadman Cottage

 

There are lots of interesting old buildings in The Rocks, including Campbells Stores.

 

05 The Rocks

 

06 Wharf House Steps

 

07 Campbells Stores

 

Campbells Cove has great views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and then leads up past “The Settlers” statue to Playfair Street Terraces.

 

08 Campbells Cove

 

09 Campbells Cove

 

 

10 “The Settlers” statue

 

11 Playfair Street Terraces

 

Toward the end of our walk, we passed an unusual construction site that looked like a bunch of shipping containers, but had been built as affordable housing called the Sirius Public Housing Complex.  Eventually the government sold it to a private concern for $150 million.  It is now undergoing extensive renovation and the owner will probably sell these revised units as luxury apartments.

 

12 Sirius Public Housing Complex

 

Our guide finished our tour by telling us about the bubonic plague, which hit the Sydney area around 1900, devastating areas like The Rocks that were ripe for the spread of disease because of the living conditions there.  Between March and July 1900, The Rocks and waterfront areas were barricaded off and residents armed with lime, carbolic acid and sulfuric acid, were enlisted to cleanse, disinfect and even burn and demolish their own houses in infected areas.  This helped lead to the eventual revitalization of The Rocks, which is now a tourist attraction.

 

We parted company with our guide and the 18 others in tow.  Feeling the effects of the heat, we decided to take a breather at The Glenmore, a local pub.

 

We then attempted to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge to get a better look at the Circular Quay area and the Opera House.  Up there we were part of a crowd struggling to make their way in the intense sun and heat and humidity.  We reached the first tower and after I had taken photos of the opera house and surrounding areas we decided not to push any farther.

 

13 Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk

 

14 Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk

 

15 Sydney Opera House from Harbour Bridge Walk

 

16 Sydney CBD from Harbour Bridge Walk

 

17 Campbells Cove from Harbour Bridge Walk

 

We took our time at that point marveling at those who were in the process of not just crossing the bridge but climbing to the top of the structure.  This experience takes a total of 3 to 4 hours and includes instruction at the site before starting, wearing a special jumpsuit, climbing 400 steps, not being allowed to take any photos, staying in a pack of about a dozen people of all abilities and temperaments and paying approximately $300/person.  No thanks!

 

18 Sydney Harbour Bridge

 

19 Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

 

20 Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

 

We took our time and returned to The Rocks area, where we happened to bump into the Denver gals who were on line to buy lunch.  We said we were in search of a gelato place and one of them pointed out one diagonally across the street.  Off we went to Gelato on the Rocks and enjoyed our cold, creamy treat inside the mini mall.

 

Rejuvenated, we walked down to the water past the Museum of Contemporary Art and enjoyed more views of the Sydney Opera House (and its stunning ceramic tile covering), and an Australian White Ibis.

 

21 Museum of Contemporary Art

 

22 Sydney Opera House

 

23 Sydney Opera House

 

24 White Australian Ibis

 

We noticed an interesting high-rise building (Quay Quarter Tower), and the “Herald Square” fountain in Circular Quay before returning to the hotel where we cooled off and rested a while.

 

25 Quay Quarter Tower

 

26 “Herald Square”

 

27 “Herald Square”

 

We discovered that it was going to be hard to get a restaurant reservation, because it was both Valentine’s Day [a big date night...] and Ash Wednesday [limiting us to seafood], but a concierge at the Four Seasons managed to snag the last reservation at Harbourfront Seafood.

 

We walked there, which was a challenge in the unfamiliar and winding streets.  And it had begun to rain lightly but steadily.  We made it but had to sit outdoors in an eisenglass-protected area [nobody told the wind that it was protected...]  Service was spotty.  I had wonderful fried calamari, but my barramundi was uninteresting.  DW had a huge rocket salad with pear and pecorino, and then pickled octopus.  Nice!  We stopped for gelato back at Gelato on the Rocks on our way back to Four Seasons.  The rain had let up.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thursday February 15, 2024 – Sydney – Opera House and CBD

 

We opted not to eat breakfast in the hotel (at AU$60 a pop).  DW had her cereal/milk in the room, and I grabbed a croissant and cappucino later at Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café.  [Wonderful!  The croissant was a good as in Paris – so much better than the baking on Silver Whisper – and the cappucino was also better than the Silversea coffees.]

 

The weather had cooled and was cloudy today with the threat of rain.  We walked over to the famous Sydney Opera House for a prearranged group tour.  There were over 40 of us led by an SOH employee, Jason.  He was very knowledgeable but sometimes his mic would cut out.

 

We were both in awe of the design and construction of this world-renowned structure which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.  Attached is a link to a stunning aerial photo and key facts about the SOH:  

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/building/interesting-facts-about-sydney-opera-house

 

A young Danish architect, Jorn Utzon, won the design contest.  But this was his first major project and the architectural design was so groundbreaking that construction proved incredibly difficult; and apparently Utzon was also difficult to work with.  A new Mayor fired Utzon and hired an established Australian named Peter Hall.  It isn’t clear that the change sped things up or mitigated the cost overruns, but eventually the project was completed.

 

The SOH actually has six venues.  What people see from outside are three sets of wings.  The smallest is used for dining; the largest is the concert hall (holding 2,679 and everything in this hall is wood—walls, flooring, ceiling, seat frames…for acoustics); and the middle one is the Joan Sutherland Theatre for Opera and Ballet.  However, on the lower level there are three more areas—the Playhouse, the Drama Theatre, and the Studio which is a black box concept with movable seating for plays, cabaret shows, children’s performances, workshops and talks.

 

Back in the early days Surfer Movies were shown down in the Playhouse and local surfers would zoom in, leave their boards propped up outside and watch the film as they sat in their board shorts and tee shirts while upstairs couples in tuxes and ball gowns went to the opera.  Where else does one see this blend?  Sydney wanted this site to be used by everyone, not just the elite.

 

After the tour ended, I took photos outside.  [We couldn’t take photos in the concert hall because the crew was setting up for a performance.]  It was at this point that I finally had breakfast.

 

01 Sydney Opera House

 

02 Sydney Opera House

 

03 Sydney Opera House

 

04 Sydney Opera House

 

05 Sydney Opera House

 

06 Sydney Opera House

 

07 Sydney Opera House

 

The rest of the day was a walk from Hyde Park to Circular Quay.  We took the T3 two stops and got off at Museum and walked a short distance to the art deco Anzac Memorial erected in 1934 to commemorate those who died in WWI.  Inside is a museum dedicated to Australian military campaigns from WWI to Iraq.  We encountered at least three school groups of well behaved, attentive students and admired the way their teachers were making this ancient history come alive for them.

 

08 Anzac Memorial

 

09 Anzac Memorial

 

10 Anzac Memorial

 

11 Anzac Memorial

 

12 Anzac Memorial

 

13 Anzac Memorial

 

We walked through Hyde Park passing a flock of Ibis [much less exotic when you learn they are called “bin chickens” – and why]

 

14 Hyde Park - “bin chickens”

 

past Frazer Fountain and the Captain Cook statue to Sandringham Memorial Garden to inhale the scent of the wisteria.  Unfortunately, our timing was off for the blooming of the delicate lavender flowers.

 

15 Frazer Fountain

 

16 Captain Cook

 

17 Sandringham Memorial Garden

 

18 Sandringham Memorial Garden

 

19 Sandringham Memorial Garden - lovely Norfolk Island Pine

 

We crossed College Street and visited St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral.

 

20 St Mary's Cathedral (RC)

 

21 St Mary's Cathedral

 

22 St Mary's Cathedral

 

23 St Mary's Cathedral

 

24 St Mary's Cathedral

 

25 St Mary's Cathedral

 

26 St Mary's Cathedral

 

27 St Mary's Cathedral

 

We saw the Archibald Memorial Fountain with its three-part sculpture.

 

28 Archibald Fountain

 

29 Archibald Fountain

 

Leaving Hyde Park we saw the Hyde Park Barracks and a statue of Queen Victoria.  [I told one of my best Irish jokes, but she still wasn't amused...]

 

 30 Hyde Park Barracks

 

31 Hyde Park Barracks

 

32 Queen Victoria

 

We attempted to stop into St James Anglican Church but it was closed because of extensive renovation of their pipe organ.  Nearby we saw the Old Mint, the Law Courts, and took a late lunch break at a coffee bar called Legal Grounds Café.  I had a pepper beef pie, DW a chicken wrap.

 

33 St James Church

 

34 Old Mint

 

35 Law Courts

 

36 Legal Grounds Café

 

We walked through the grounds of Sydney Hospital, viewing the (Florence) Nightingale Wing.

 

37 Sydney Hospital

 

38 Sydney Hospital - Nightingale Wing

 

We then visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales.  It was closing soon, but entrance is free and it didn’t take long to go through the rooms of more classical art.

 

39 Art Gallery of NSW

 

40 Art Gallery of NSW

 

41 Art Gallery of NSW

 

42 Art Gallery of NSW

 

On we walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens, stopping to see the beginning of a swim meet at the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.  

 

43 Royal Botanic Garden

 

44 Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool

 

Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair (stone wall with seat) overlooks of the harbor and the Sydney Opera House.

 

45 Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair

 

46 Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair

 

 

47 Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair

 

48 Sydney Opera House from Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair

 

49 Sydney Opera House from Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair

 

We walked through the gardens enjoying the flowers and the birds (lapwings, mudhens, piebald cormorants, ibis…)

 

50 Royal Botanic Garden

 

51 Royal Botanic Garden

 

52 Royal Botanic Garden

 

We exited the Gardens with views of Government House, the Conservatorium of Music, and we passed the Customs House on our way back to the hotel.

 

53 Government House

 

54 Conservatorium of Music

 

55 Customs House

 

We finally reached our hotel at 6:30 and we had a dinner reservation for 7:30 so we had no time to rest.  I got an Uber that took us to Firegrill in no time.  We had a good dinner sharing a Wagyu filet and a Black Angus filet.  I got fries and DW a huge salad.

 

We didn’t stop for gelato on our 1km walk back to the hotel, as we didn’t pass any shop and it started raining steadily.  Today we did 20,000 steps!  [And I promised my legs that we'd soon return to a sedentary lifestyle...]

[Host Jazzbeau]

Friday February 17, 2024 – Sydney – Taronga Zoo

 

Our last day!  Hard to believe!  DW let me sleep late.  Then I checked the weather (good) and bought Taronga Zoo Ferry Express tickets online.  Unfortunately my lie-in meant we had missed the last morning ferry and had to wait over the lunch break.

 

So we walked back to Guylian for brunch— I had two more wonderfully buttery croissants and a latte.  DW had mango sorbet.  As we were about to get up from the table, a familiar face was staring at DW from the sidewalk outside.  It was one of our new ship friends, Valerie, and her husband.  We settled our bill and went out to chat with them.  They had to move along to check out and we had to catch the ferry.

 

It was a 10 minute Ferry Ride with great views across the harbor to the lower entrance to the Taronga Zoo.

 

01 Sydney Opera House from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

02 Sydney Harbour Bridge from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

03 North Shore from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

04 Luna Park from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

05 Circular Quay from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

06 Dawes Point Park from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

07 Sydney Opera House from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

08 Sydney Opera House from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

09 Sydney Opera House from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

10 Sydney CBD from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

11 Sydney Harbour Bridge from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

12 Sydney CBD from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

13 Royal Australian Navy Base from Taronga Zoo Ferry

 

14 Taronga Zoo Lower Entrance

 

We don’t know who decided to build a zoo in this location, but it’s a killer if you start where we did.  We were at the bottom and it ascended level upon level.  We made it to the top using elevators [aka lifts] at times or walking up ramps or stairs.  We passed the giraffes, but kept moving.

 

15 Giraffes - Taronga Zoo

 

Our goal was koalas and we were not disappointed!  We saw quite a few in two separate locations.  Most were napping.  [They sleep about 20 hours a day, and I felt a great affinity to them...]  They eat only eucalyptus leaves which are poisonous but their digestive tracts are so long it doesn’t harm them.

 

16

17 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

18 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

19 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

20 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

21 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

22 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

23 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

24 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

25 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

26 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

27 Koalas - Taronga Zoo

 

We saw emus, kangaroos, wallabies (small roos), dingos, platypus, echidnas, , Arabian camels, Asian elephants,spoonbills, parrots, ibis, koi carp…

 

28 Emu - Taronga Zoo

 

29 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

30 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

31 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

32 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

33 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

34 Kangaroos, Wallabies, etc - Taronga Zoo

 

35 Dingos - Taronga Zoo

 

36 Topiary Clock - Taronga Zoo

 

37 Taronga Zoo pavilion

 

38 Arabian Camels - Taronga Zoo

 

39 Arabian Camels - Taronga Zoo

 

40 Asian Elephants - Taronga Zoo

 

41 Spoonbills - Taronga Zoo

 

Our time was limited as the last ferry took off from below the lower entrance at 4:50.  We caught it.

 

 

42 Taronga Zoo Ferry

[Video – no sound, be patient while it loads!]

 

Back at Circular Quay, we walked around and then took the lift to the 4th floor observation deck of the Overseas Passenger Terminal.  [Our tour guide had pointed this out on the first day, but we had to wait for a time when the view wasn’t blocked by one of the mega-cruise ships...]

 

We walked through the Campbells Corner area and scouted out Caminetto’s for dinner and Gelato on the Rocks for dessert [to check its closing time].  Then we headed back to the hotel to regroup and shower.

 

We walked back to Caminetto’s and ordered a large marinara seafood pizza and a lovely green salad with olives, tomato, cucumber and red peppers.  The only thing that marred our dinner was spotting a couple of huge rats scurrying around the perimeter as the evening was winding down.  The waitress acknowledged their being there, pointing to the construction going on above.  At least they weren’t running around near our feet!  We hurriedly paid our bill and headed to Gelato on the Rocks for our last treat.

 

Back at the hotel we repacked our suitcases TSA-style in preparation for the long trip home tomorrow.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Saturday February 17, 2024 – Flyin’ Home

 

Up at 7 am to go down to check out at 8 and get Uber.  There was a good bit of traffic near Sydney Airport but we checked in quickly once we found Qantas.  We went through passport control and security before heading upstairs to the Qantas International Business Lounge where we had some breakfast—scrambled eggs, croissant/pastry, bacon/sausage, fruit, hot drink.

 

They never announced our flight but we went downstairs in search of our gate and there was no movement there.  It seemed very disorganized.  They eventually let us board.  We were on the upper level of this A380-800 plane.  Sitting directly behind us were two fellows that we recognized from the ship.  DW started chatting and learned they lived in Thornwood, NY and that this man used to teach in the public school in our town in the ’70s!  Small world...

 

There was some mechanical issue that needed attention so our takeoff was delayed about an hour, until around noon.  There were plenty of cabin attendants scurrying about, but we didn’t find most particularly friendly.  As usual upon boarding, they offered us a glass of champagne or water.  Menus were in each cubby and we were soon asked our meal preferences.  Once at cruising altitude (~37,000 ft), they started serving beginning with a mozzarella and pine nut pesto arancini amuse bouche.  I skipped the appetizer but DW took it—Bannockburn chicken skewers with pineapple pickle.

 

We both had Barrington Hinterland beef fillet with roasted potatoes, braised cabbage (sauerkraut?), and porcini mushroom butter.  Not a hit with DW who gave me her fillet and finished appetizer instead.  We both had the cheese platter for dessert—Tarwin Blue (blue vein, cow’s milk), Woombye Ash Brie (triple cream, cow’s milk—no challenge to our favorite, St-André) and Pyengana (matured cheddar, cow’s milk—good) with crackers and a slice of a fig/nut roll.

 

The cabin was exceptionally cold.  People were donning fleeces or the freebie Qantas PJs and/or wrapping themselves in the Q quilts.  As the flight progressed, or as our bodies warmed with the intake of food, the temperature became more comfortable.

 

After all our dishes were cleared away, window shades came down and overhead lighting was turned off.  Time to sleep, people, and leave the FAs alone to get some time off.  We still had nine more hours of flying time to LAX.  At least now DW didn’t hear passengers snoring as she had before the meal service.

 

We had the occasional patch of turbulence but nothing too disturbing.  (Just a bit challenging for the woman typing this journal.  Haha!)  I read a book (the latest installment of Lawrence Ellsworth’s wonderful new translation of the Three Musketeers series – book 6 of a planned 9 swashbucklers, and just the right length for this plane ride).  DW watched 2 movies (with closed captioning as she hates to wear the big headset), did a number of Sudokus and did some reading.  I caught some winks; DW less than an hour.

 

About 90 minutes prior to landing, breakfast was served—fresh fruit salad, crumpet with butter and jam, scrambled eggs, sausage, kale and baked beans, and a hot beverage.

 

We landed at LAX around 7:30 am (only a half-hour late and no problem thanks to the long layover I had built in).  [Note that we landed ‘before’ we took off.  This means either we won't live the extra day we lost on the way to Auckland, or we have gained another 4 and a half hours of life...] 

 

We had to claim our luggage and drag it to Domestic Flights, check it there, go through Security with our hand luggage and find the American Airlines Flagship Lounge.  We didn’t eat much: I had some mini pastries and DW some fresh cut fruit.  I worked on my iPhone and DW dozed.

 

We reported to the nearby gate and boarded our flight in Business Class.  Lots of leg room and only one FA who was very attentive and constantly working.  She brought the drink cart and small bowls of mixed nuts for each of us.  Next came lunch—a really lovely green salad with big, red strawberries and dressing on the side.  The main course was short ribs/gravy, mashed potatoes and zucchini.  Dessert was ice cream sundae which she put together according to our preferences.

 

I watched the latest Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise [I had had a preview over the shoulder of the passenger a row ahead on the Qantas flight, and the car chase looked really cool – a bright yellow Fiat 500 vs a Hummer and all the cops in the world...] and DW took a long nap.

 

As we had departed LAX on schedule at 10:48 am, we landed at JFK around 6:48 pm.

 

We got a scare when Find My said that DW’s large suitcase was in Winslow, AZ [ask the Eagles about that city featured in their song Take It Easy].  However, when we went to Baggage Claim, it was there!  And our limo driver was outside waiting for us.

 

We had some traffic but were inside our house by 9 pm.  We arrived home to find that our hard-working son had taken care of snow removal very efficiently.  We started the sorting of mail, unpacking and separating of clean clothes to put away and dirties for the laundry.

 

DW’s final observations on New Zealand and Australia: they talk funny, don’t drive on the right side of the road, have really strange animals, messed up politics (don’t we all?), minimal graffiti, lots of hills, NIPs (Norfolk Island Pines), and are really far away!  Glad we went, but one and done!

 

That’s all folks!  [until next time...]

[curmudgeon98]

Thanks very much for the detailed report and review.  DW and I had been looking at doing a AU/NZ cruise this year.  As we looked at various itineraries, though, they all seemed rather limited when compared to the land-based trip we had made 10 years ago (time on Rarotonga, plus 2.5 weeks via rental cars in NZ).  I don't think the ports bring out the highlights of NZ.  If I were to overlay maps of your trip and ours, I think the only touch points would have been Milford Sound, Queenstown, and Auckland airport. 

 

That said, there is still a lot of convenience factor to a cruise there, and we might still end up on one some day (less travel time for us from the west coast).  Great Ocean Road is still on my list to see, but hopefully not at peak tourist season.   

[Host Jazzbeau]

19 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

I don't think the ports bring out the highlights of NZ.  If I were to overlay maps of your trip and ours, I think the only touch points would have been Milford Sound, Queenstown, and Auckland airport.

I don't know where you went in NZ, but in all my research I didn't find many places that called out to me that were far from a port.  Each of the three cruises we booked had some variation in ports (would have liked to see Napier and Gisborne, but a day would certainly have been sufficient), but I felt that this itinerary [with the addition of Queenstown and the International Antarctic Centre, and aerial views of Mt. Cook] was a compleat enough introduction that we feel we 'did' New Zealand.

[curmudgeon98]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't know where you went in NZ, but in all my research I didn't find many places that called out to me that were far from a port.  Each of the three cruises we booked had some variation in ports (would have liked to see Napier and Gisborne, but a day would certainly have been sufficient), but I felt that this itinerary [with the addition of Queenstown and the International Antarctic Centre, and aerial views of Mt. Cook] was a compleat enough introduction that we feel we 'did' New Zealand.

There is a lot of sheep country in NZ that I felt was interesting for a day, but not much more.  The vineyards have more potential, but we are surrounded by wine country at home. The towns and cities were pleasant enough, but not compelling.  

 

Our favorites on the South Island: Abel Tasman NP, Milford Sound, Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, lake and glowworm cave at Te Anau, the mountain passes.  Would have liked to have gone to Bluff and Oban, and maybe Queen Charlotte trek, but not enough time.

 

Our favorites on the North Island: Kerikeri/Bay of Islands and some of the forest reserves in the area, Mahurangi Inlet.  We didn't make it to Taupo or Rotorua.  

 

But there are always more places one could go on a trip, and we all have different priorities and time limitations.  We've though about organizing a family group trip to NZ, and doing it via a cruise would make life vastly simpler so that may be our return visit model.

 

[onlyslightlymad]

Thank you for the review.  It's always interesting to get an outsider's perspective.  I, too, struggle to understand a lot of American accents (even when they are speaking a variant of English), but then it's always fun to experience something different and I like the way an person's accent says something about their history, or the history of the place they are from.

[CintiPam]

I very much enjoyed this review for several reasons, including your (unusual but very much appreciated) sense of humor, but primarily because New Zealand and Australia have been on my very short bucket list for a very long time. (However, my marital partner of 48+ years has no interest.)

 

I particularly enjoyed every last bit of detail and accompanying photos from your tour of the Sydney Opera House. Its construction began in my early grade school years; and its progress (along with that of the Aswan Dam) are my two significant memories from that small newspaper my Jersey Shore school subscribed to for every one of us. Also, my one and only penpal of my youth was from Sydney, so I always wanted to visit her. Lastly, my best friend (and fellow nerd) and I simply adored Joan Sutherland (not to mention her spouse), and we convinced her father to drive us on a weeknight 90 minutes each way for us to hear her sing in person.

 

Thank you, thank you. 
 

Best regards to you and your DW.

[RetiredandTravel]

Thanks Host Jazz

 

We are considering a South America cruise on the Whisper.  Although we like the small ship concept we do have concerns about the dining (limited menu?) and room quality on the Whisper.   Did you write a final review?

 

How did you like the Four Seasons in Sydney?

 

Thanks Again.

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

19 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Did you write a final review?

 

How did you like the Four Seasons in Sydney?

 

The review is post #1 in this thread.

 

The Four Seasons in Sydney was very nice and very well located [main entrance leads directly to Circular Quay, back entrance to The Rocks], but a little cold compared to boutique hotels.  The hotel restaurants are very pricey [breakfast is $60AUS per person], but luckily there are lots of good restaurants in The Rocks and Circular Quay areas and uber is cheap and reliable to any other restaurant you fancy.

[DavyWavey70]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

The review is post #1 in this thread.

 

The Four Seasons in Sydney was very nice and very well located [main entrance leads directly to Circular Quay, back entrance to The Rocks], but a little cold compared to boutique hotels.  The hotel restaurants are very pricey [breakfast is $60AUS per person], but luckily there are lots of good restaurants in The Rocks and Circular Quay areas and uber is cheap and reliable to any other restaurant you fancy.

I Had a corner suite at the Shangri-La and can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a few minutes walk up from the rocks and very hilly but an amazing hotel.