Live on Edge Down Under - Mar 24 & Apr 5 - NZ and S Australia 🛳️🇦🇺🦘🇳🇿🥝🛳️

[81Zoomie]

Coming soon… our adventures down under on Edge!  We booked this trip in Dec 2021 on our first cruise after the shutdown.  It’s hard to believe we are in Sydney and almost ready to set sail. First time to Australia, first time to New Zealand, and first time on Edge.  I hope to provide some insights, some laughs, and inspire you to explore new destinations.  After all, travel helps us grow a bit closer to other people, cultures, and ways of life.

[hcat]

looking forward to your review 

EDGE is a great ship!

[princess76021]

Looking forward to your cruise!!  I've never been "down under" and I've never been on the Edge!!

Happy sailing!!

 

Hugs from Texas

[emdmistycc]

Looking forward to reading all about your experiences.

We will be boarding on 4/5 for the first leg of our B2b.

Enjoy and happy cruising!

Elaine

[depplep]

We're going down under in October on Princess for first time and first time on Celebrity Beyond in July so this ticks off two of my boxes reading your review. Can't wait, have a GREAT time!

[vickykay]

We did this cruise several years ago on the Solstice.  Amazing!  Enjoy Sydney.  We loved it.  

[Barwick Cruiser]

Looking forward to following along also! We just spent a month in NZ visiting family…such a beautiful country with lovely friendly people! 
A few years ago we did a cruise out of Sydney to NZ…you’ll love the fjords! We also enjoyed a few days pre cruise in Sydney…check out the Blue Mountains..amazing! We haven’t done a E class ship yet so I’m interested in hearing your experience…are you in Retreat or where we usually end up a regular cabin 🙄😅 Have a wonderful holiday! 🥂 

[Norwaylady]

Bon Voyage! 
You will have a great time🥰

[Minorhawk]

Looking forward to virtually cruising with you! Bucket list trip for sure.

[Jim_Iain]

Look forward to following along.  You will love Sydney, Australia, New Zealand and Edge.  Have a great adventure

 

[Condogirl]

We were on the Edge in 2019 and did Italy and Greece! Loved the ship. We are also going to be on the Edge for the Australia/New Zealand Cruise the end of January 2025. Very excited to hear of your adventures on this cruise!

[TheHawk1]

I have been looking for one of these reviews.  Just put a future cruise deposit on this itinerary on Edge.  Can't wait to hear about your experience.

[debfed65]

We are on the TP on Edge on April 14th 💃 looking forward to your review!

[81Zoomie]

How did we select this cruise?  We were on our first cruise in a suite on Equinox and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Actually, it was Capt Tasos’ last cruise on Equinox, and we were docked next to his brother’s ship and an M Class in St Kitts.  We spun a 360 at sailaway to celebrate his final sailaway on Equinox.  It was a fun horn honking adventure 😊 While sipping an adult beverage and watching the world go by we began to ponder winding down at work.  After some thought we decided I would work two more years and we would celebrate with a memorable cruise down under.  
 

Like always, we considered ship size, itinerary, price, timing, and must do list. After looking at Princess (circumnavigation), Azamara (open jaw), and Celebrity (out & backs) we ended up with the Celebrity Edge.  We wanted to sail outside the busy summer season when the temperatures were more moderate.  Key for us was also the ability to spend some quality time in Sydney.  And coming ALL THE WAY here, we wanted to see NZ as well.  We had never been on an E Class ship when we booked this, never sailed longer than 13 nights, and never done a back to back before.  So there are many firsts for us!  And yes, for this special occasion, a suite.  We settled on a Magic Carpet Sky Suite.  We like to sail more than once a year, so it’s either a bigger cabin/ suite or more cruises.  Life is about compromise!

 

We have been looking forward to this cruise for so long.  Life is about logistics and this was no exception.  How would we get to Australia, what would we pack, business or economy class, caring for our cat, paying bills, etc.  We have followed Yellowfish on her blog, @Norwaylady, and @Jim_Iain on many of their adventures and have learned from them.

 

And so the planning began…

[81Zoomie]

There is always a reason for every cruise.  First thought we had was we had never sailed on the E Class.  Second thought was would we enjoy the cabin we were planning to spend 3 weeks in???  Well, there was only one solution, we needed to cruise on an E Class ship.  We picked a cruise during shoulder season when the prices were a bit lower (Much lower by today’s standards).  I was going to select an SV, but DH was insistent we find a MC SS in a similar location.  Twist my arm…., I gave in and we booked on Apex.   This was our test drive 😎.  We really enjoyed the cabin and location.  The bathroom was lovely and we had a large actual verandah (165sq ft by Celebrity’s count) with 2 sitting chairs and 2 loungers!  The ship was different, and the S Class is definitely our sweet spot, but our Aus/NZ adventure is more about the destination.  So we were confident to proceed with our plans.

[81Zoomie]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Look forward to following along.  You will love Sydney, Australia, New Zealand and Edge.  Have a great adventure

 

Hi @Jim_Iain, we are thoroughly enjoying Sydney.  You will be delighted by the weather when you arrive.  It’s just about perfect now and much cooler than when you were here last time ☀️.

[Lastdance]

We were on the same cruises, but unfortunately, life happens.  Though we haven’t been to Australia, we have had the experience of New Zealand’s hiking, along with driving all around South Island.  The air is so clean that breathing is a unique and wonderful experience!  

 

What a wonderful trip of a lifetime to make such awesome memories.  I hope your weather stays fair and sunny, at least for the majority of your cruise.  We were on the first TA with Edge; except for our precious dog being ill at home, the cruise was very enjoyable.  We were also in a suite, so it was easy to call and receive updates about her health, but we did have a lot of agony and mixed feeling due to being in the middle of the Atlantic.

 

~Safe Travels

[81Zoomie]

Just a bit about us.  We are in our mid 60s and live in Fla.  I have been sailing since my teens, a benefit of growing up in Ft Lauderdale.  First cruise was on Sitmar’s Fairwind.  2022 was all about Celebrity in a Sky Suite (x3) and Azamara in a verandah.  2023 was two Holland America in verandahs, one X S class in Aqua, and a quickie over Christmas on the Summit in a verandah.  As I said,  we mix it up to keep things interesting.  Our adventure on Edge is a splurge to celebrate our next stage of life.  My favorite spot onboard is anywhere looking at the water 💦.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

Hi @Jim_Iain, we are thoroughly enjoying Sydney.  You will be delighted by the weather when you arrive.  It’s just about perfect now and much cooler than when you were here last time ☀️.

Really looking forward to it.      When there in December they cyclone caused a one day sure in temperature up to 105 F / 41 C.     That was our turn around day.  

 

I've been watching the weather in Sydney.   Perfect.    By the time we arrive in about 10 days it should be similar to our Temps in Sunnyvale, CA

 

[81Zoomie]

The next decision was how do we get to Sydney.  We normally select Premium Economy on long haul flights.  Sydney, however, is really long haul.  Business class was the desired option.  Prices were shockingly high.  We tried the consolidators.  However, going to SYD via Singapore, Manila, or Tokyo wasn’t very appealing.  Neither was flying a discount carrier.  We finally narrowed in on Hawaiian Airlines.  Through all the possible routing scenarios I made a discovery.  We could stop in Honolulu for a couple of days for the same price.  We decided to hop, skip, and jump to SYD via MCO, LAX, HNL and the onward to SYD.  This way we would gain time zones in 3 hour chunks.  We would fly Delta from MCO to LAX and spend the night.  Then fly Hawaiian LAX to HNL for 2 nights.  Finally on to SYD.  The plan was coming together.

 

As a side note, I really wanted to stop in Hawaii.  The last time we were there we went to a Pearl Harbor.  Just as we were about to board the ferry to the Arizona Memorial, the winds picked up and the ferries were cancelled.  We never got there.  In my mind, if we were going to pass through HNL, I really wanted to see the Arizona.  
 

And then there was the packing.  Eight overnights on land before 21 nights at sea.  Warm weather, cool weather, and possible rain.  We ended up with one large bag and one carryon size to check and a small bag for the plane.  We also needed to save a little room for souvenirs for the kids and grandkids.  It took about a week for me to sort my clothes.  Fleece and a puffed jacket for NZ went in compression bags.  Everything for our land portion went in my smaller bag. Meds, vitamins, and a change of clothes were in my plane bag.  For a while it looked like a bomb burst in the room I was packing in.  Finally, with 2 days to go I was packed.  Pressure off.

 

As you can see in the pic, my suitcase has stripes.  I made DH one similar with green.  Why you ask???  After searching for my bags for 45 min on a A380 flight I was determined to personalize our bags.  Hence the paint 🎨🖌️🎨

[81Zoomie]

And we were off.  We were so fortunate to have on time flights and no travel disruptions.  MCO to LAX was great on Delta.  We had plenty of room in a coach exit row.  And, the wifi quality and live TV was great.  It really helped to pass the time.  We arrived in LAX and stayed at the airport Marriott.

 

Next morning we flew Hawaiian 🌺 to HNL.  Another on-time departure and happy to be in business class.  No wifi though.  Hawaiian could step up their entertainment a bit.  We have military benefits and stayed at the Hale Koa.  I’d heard so much about it over the years, but somehow never got there.  It was very nice, tranquil, and in a great location.  Happiness is an upgrade to a room with the best ocean view!  It sure did feel great knowing we had 11 hours of flight time behind us and we were not getting on a plane the next day!

[81Zoomie]

Back to the most important reason for this stop.  We are both military veterans.  Our fathers both served in the Navy during WWII.  My dad served on a battleship.  We owe so much to the greatest generation for their sacrifices and tenacity , I felt drawn to pay my respects at the Arizona.

 

We had pre purchased tickets for a 9 am tour.  Didn’t want to take a chance on the wind picking up later in the day.  We made it to the Memorial.  It is sobering when you learn that over 900 men are entombed on the ship. It is a beautiful memorial and quite peaceful.  I am so glad we were able to visit.

 

DH really wanted to see the Missouri because he had never been on a battleship.  We were soon on our way to see the “Mighty Mo”.  It was another great experience with a very knowledgeable guide.  We could walk the decks, peak in the berthing quarters, see the mess halls, etc.  We also stood on the spot where the armistice treaty was signed and WWII ended.  My dad spoke so often about firing “his” 5 inch guns and the power of the 16 inch guns.  I was able to visualize some of his stories.

 

The Arizona and the Missouri are so close to one another and are literally the book ends of WWII.  I encourage you to visit to experience this important part of our history.

Edited March 23 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

We really enjoyed catching our breath and the island spirit in Honolulu.  Now the last egg of our journey on the Sydney!  Back to Hawaiian and our same seats for the LONG flight.  Yes, I am wearing my Hawaiian socks 🌺🧦🌺. Once again, and on time departure.  We ate, slept, read, and the time passed. The nice thing was that this was a day flight.  It left HNL about noon and we arrived in SYD before 8 pm.  Immigration and agriculture were a breeze and we were at the Marriott Circle Quay before 9 pm.  It felt great to get a shower and doze off to sleep.

 

The Marriott is in a great location just a block or so off the harbor.  The M Club has been great for breakfast and a light dinner.  Unlike the states and Canada, the M Club/Concierge Lounge is open 7 days a week and provides complimentary wine, beer, and spirits in the evening.  Our room has a view of the bridge and we are very comfortable.

 

We used Uber for all of our airport transportation needs.  It worked flawlessly.

[81Zoomie]

I want to give a shout out to the Aussie’s on our roll call.  They have been so helpful by providing information and insights as only locals can.  It has made our planning so much easier 😁

 

GOOD MORNING SYDNEY!  Wow, we are waking up in Australia ❤️.  Our plan for the first day was to take it easy and monitor the weather.  Rain was forecast.  We woke up early, about 5 am.  So it goes when you are flying west!  At 6:30, about the time the sun was coming up we ventured out to see the images we have dreamed of for so long.  We watched the sun come up over the Sydney harbor, walked around the Opera house, and marveled at the bridge.  I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to see them up close.

 

It looked a bit like rain after breakfast, so we pivoted go shopping.  Water and wine…right?  DH did some research and found a great wine store at Martin Station, Dan Murphy’s The Cellar.  It has a diverse selection and much better pricing that the little Bottle Shops scattered throughout the city.  We picked up a couple of bottles for the cruise.

 

Yes, it did rain, probably because we left our umbrellas in our suitcases 😂☔️😂.  We managed to escape a drenching and rested for a bit.

 

We were certainly a bit tired, but kept moving by walking across the bridge.  The views were great!  However, we were not that excited about walking back.  It was time to figure out the mass transit and buy our Opal card.  It worked perfectly, just as advertised!  Mass transit is so efficient and easy here!

 

[81Zoomie]

Sydney Day 2.  You guessed it, we were up before sunrise again.  I once read that it takes one day for every time zone change for the body to adjust.  I suppose we have to be patient.  
 

On tap for today is the HOHO bus.  DH bought our tickets online and we caught the early bus at Circle Quay.  it was an enjoyable ride and a nice way to get a feel for the areas of the city we didn’t venture to.  We “hopped off” and walked about in Darling Harbor.  The Oceania Regatta was docked there.  She is small enough to fit under the bridge.  That location is a bit away from the action around Circle Quay, so it would not be our preferred location.

 

We walked back from Darling Harbor to the Rocks.  Sydney has wonderful open and green space as well as walking paths along the water.  The Rocks area has a lot of small bistros, bars, and shops.  It is a very inviting area.

 

Next stop was back to the bridge.  We wanted to do the Pylon museum and the lookout.  This is NOT the bridge climb.  The bridge climb was too many steps and quite pricey.  The pylon was a more manageable option. It was 200 steps, but there are benches and things to look at on most landings.  So you can rest a bit in between flights.  The bridge is quite the engineering marvel.  The views from the observation deck were awesome.  We were so glad we selected this activity!