Wansbrough's Cruise Blog

After the disappointment of yesterday, we arrived at Fremantle on schedule. The pilot came aboard just before 5:00 and we continued our journey into the port itself, eventually tying up around an hour later. During breakfast the announcement was made that clearance had been given so we went back to the cabin to gather our things and made our way off. Due to timings and the length of the visit, we decided to stay in Fremantle today and give Perth a miss. The weather forecast wasn’t great so we made sure that we had waterproofs in the bag as well as umbrellas.

Even here the wind was really strong as you can see from the flag.

We were off the ship by 8:30 with no specific plans other than to walk and explore. After grabbing a map of local attractions from the information desk in the cruise terminal, we set off towards the town centre and Fremantle Prison which was just a flying visit. All the guided tours and in particular the underground tunnel tour just didn’t work with our departure time so after a quick look at the free stuff we moved on.

There are plenty of old buildings in Fremantle and it was amazing to wander around noting all the dates, many of which were pre 1900 and built during the gold boom period.

Our exploring took us up and down many of the streets and the most notable being High Street which leads to the Round House. This building is Fremantle’s oldest public building and was originally opened in 1831 as a gaol.

For some unknown reason, Fremantle Market which again dates back to the Gold Boom are only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so all we could do is view the outside. One of our highlights was the WA Shipwrecks Museum which was a fascinating experience. It contains lots of relics from ships that were wrecked along Western Australia’s coast. There is even a section of the hull of the Batavia which was a Dutch vessel that sunk in 1629 and there are loads of artifacts on display from the wreck in its own area in the museum.

I think we probably covered just about all the streets in the CBD before heading back to the ship. En route we stopped at the WA Maritime Museum which was vaguely of interest, it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the Shipwrecks Museum. I thought it was more of a display rather than a museum as such. Fremantle must have some amazing artifacts from it’s boom years but they weren’t here.

Back onboard for 3:00 and a quick bite to eat before retiring to the cabin and sit out on the balcony which was bathed in sunshine. So much for the weather forecast!!!

Sailaway was delayed by 30 minutes and we eventually set off for Exmouth before which will be after another sea day.

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Despite the Captain telling us last night that he intended to arrive 1 hour earlier than planned, the weather had other ideas. The wind was strong enough to delay our arrival rather than improve it. We arrived at our tendering position at just after 9:00 and it was just after 9:30 that the Captain announced that due to sea conditions it was unsafe to commence tendering so it would not be operating today, as the unseasonable weather was forecasted to continue all day, unfortunately Busselton would not happen.

Instead, we would continue on to our next stop which is Fremantle. With nothing other than lunch to break our day up, I got down to reading some more of my book. A revised version of Princess Patter was delivered to our cabin around lunch time so someone had been busy in the morning. On the way back from lunch we spotted some new commemorative plaques on the wall on the central staircase on deck 7. They didn’t take long to put up.

The sun graced our balcony and we enjoyed a few hours sat out there after lunch.

Late afternoon we did six laps of the prom deck which according to the notice is 2.8 laps is equal to 1 mile. Our evening drill then kicked in with dinner and an early night.

We are both still struggling with adapting to the timezones at the moment. Both waking up early and feeling very tired around 9:00pm.

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Over the last 2 days we have crossed a sea of water called the Great Australian Bight and we arrived at Albany on schedule this morning at 7:00 am. Also, there was another time change last night with the clocks going back another hour which makes it 3 in total since we left Melbourne.

Before passing through the cruise terminal we were treated to an Aboriginal smoking ceremony which is a traditional spiritual healing practice that involves burning native plants to create smoke that cleanses and refreshes the land and people. The ceremony can be used for many purposes, including healing, helping strengthen and renew the spirit, celebrate a birth and in our case today a welcome to a country.

Our privately booked excursion was for 4 hours and departed at 9:00 from outside the port gate. Our guide and also our driver was a man called Tim and there were 24 of us in his bus. We booked this about a year ago but received an email a few weeks back telling us one the places we were due to visit (The Gap) was now closed for renovation until the end of December. Given there was little else of interest thrown up when searching for things to do in Albany we decided to carry on with this tour.

Our first stop came after about a 15 minute drive and was a quick stop at a place called Goode Beach and as well as being extremely pleasing on the eyes also helped orientate us.

Back in the van and then on to Frenchman Bay which was the site of a former whaling station. Only a few terracotta bricks remain of what was quite a large operation. Today it is another picturesque spot that you would never know what its history was.

Frenchman Bay is also where George Vancouver, the first European explorer of King George Sound, landed in 1791 so quite a significant place in the area.

Back in the van again and this time to Albany’s Historic Whaling Station where we had a mid morning drink with some delicious scones with jam and cream (Cornwall style before you ask). We were there for 40 minutes and Tim provided us with a talk about the site and how it was the last whaling operation in Australia. It closed in 1978 and is now a tourist attraction to make people aware of the area’s history. We didn’t actually go in as there wasn’t enough time but were able to get a general idea about the area and operation.

Our next stop was to view Albany’s 18 windmill wind farm, not the most exciting place but it was very picturesque and it does supply 80% of Albany’s electric. All the tours were stopping here so it just shows you how little there is to see in the area.

Back in the bus for one final stop which was to Mount Clarence, home to the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial and the Padre White lookout. Again there were some fantastic views over King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour We finished our day in port by being dropped off in Albany itself eventually walking back to the ship. We covered some distance today and saw some incredible scenery which has changed little since the first settlers arrived here in 1826 when Major Edmund Lockyer arrived on the Amity, from Sydney, and founded a British military outpost thus claiming the area for the British.

There is a replica of his ship, Amity which we passed on the way to our first stop. With more time permitting, it would have been nice to visit but as sail away was at four, we headed back to the ship.

A medical emergency delayed our departure for an hour with some poor soul being taken away in an ambulance.

Our evening followed the usual routine with dinner in the MDR but we were too fatigued to visit the theatre so retired to the cabin for the evening.

Tomorrow we have the tender port of Busselton

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To my surprise, I didn’t wake up until 6:00 which considering the clocks going back 1 ½ hours wasn’t at all what I expected.

BTW, a quick stat that I forgot to mention from last night which the captain had revealed, there are just short of 3000 passengers onboard of which just over 2000 are Australian.

Back to today, it was our usual morning drill with coffee and then breakfast in Horizon Court (buffet) before making our way back to the cabin but not before collecting another coffee en route. We did stop momentarily to watch the deck crew trying to secure the netting over one of the pools which wasn’t the easiest thing to do with the water sloshing around as it was but they eventually managed it.

The forecast for today wasn’t great and the ship was doing plenty of rocking and rolling throughout the day. In the morning we found a spot outside that was central, out of the wind and under cover from the odd shower. There weren’t many of us braving the elements at that point and who can blame the others for wanting to stay in the warm. Lunch was in the MDR where we were treated to another Valentin pasta dish which today was Spaghetti Aglio e Olio which was absolutely amazing, so good my gluttony kicked into overdrive and I had two portions. I shouldn’t have but I did and Valentin even came over and had a photo taken with me because it was the first time that anyone had ever had seconds. To help digestion we took a walk around the prom deck for a while, the front section was closed off so we did several ‘U’ and marvelled at sea conditions and the size of some of the waves.

It was really exhilarating being so close to some of the giant waves that we were sailing through and crashing against the side of the ship. The photos just don’t do it justice.

After, we made our way up to deck 15 and enjoyed sitting outside where there was some unbroken sunshine thus raising the temperature.

All the fresh air made us feel really tired so at 5:00 pm we went back to the cabin for a quick nap and shower before going to dinner.

Tomorrow we are in Albany and have a 4 hour tour booked

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I forgot to mention yesterday about our ½ hour time change, it was the first of what will be six on this cruise and the 3 heading in this direction are all back so we get extra time in bed. It does pose the potential of me waking up at some ungodly hour of the morning over the coming weeks just as I am getting accustomed to the time zone.

Today was a real kickback day and for us, the morning was spent at the aft on the Sun Deck (16) where the weather was mostly cloudy, but there were brief moments when the sun poked through making it quite pleasant. Lunch in the dining room today was listed as a pub lunch and I enjoyed a chicken curry followed by a sherry trifle.

I’m was relieved it wasn’t the normal type of menu as on previous sea days I have gone a bit over the top with my selections then done the same in the evening which consequently left me feeling rather full and very uncomfortable. The word gluttony springs to mind. In the afternoon we managed to secure a couple of beds that were virtually in the same place as the morning so just continued to enjoy the downtime. To help while away the hours, I have been reading a book that my brother bought me just prior to leaving the UK. It’s by Bill Bryson and called “Down Under”, he’s an author I have heard of but have never read any of his books and so far I am really enjoying reading it. I don’t read much at home so it makes a nice change to be able to pick up a book.

The weather deteriorated as the afternoon went on and at 4:00 we eventually succumbed to the cooler temperature and made our way back to the cabin which appeared to be what everyone else had done because the ship was deserted.

This evening was a dress to impress night and although a few made the effort, we made the decision not to. Apart from the extra luggage which we didn’t really have room for, we much prefer to dress for dinner in more comfortable attire these days. I do wonder how much longer the few will continue to make the effort on the cruise lines that still have what was the old formal night.

We didn’t venture out again until we went to eat and stumbled upon a presentation of first officers and a pyramid of fizz in The Piazza.

This culminated with Captain Christopher B. Lye giving a speech about Princess Cruises and their pledge to serve us all during the cruise hoping that we are all enjoying the cruise and their service.

Another short post today and the clocks go back 1 ½ hours tonight so I will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.

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We arrived at Adelaide on schedule at just before 7:00 but getting ashore became a bit of an issue. This was a maiden call to this port for Crown Princess and nobody had checked the width of the gang plank. The one at the cruise terminal was too wide for the ship so we had to wait for them to come up with a workaround which delayed everyone getting ashore. Lots of head scratching and discussion about how to get around this problem, the gangplank was actually in place at one point but deemed unsafe to use so down it came only to be repositioned. At 8:30 the captain made a public announcement over the PA informing us our departure had been delayed by an hour even though at this point the gang plank was still firmly rooted to the quayside. Eventually, at 8:50 the gang plank was officially opened and we could get off and start to enjoy the day.

The ship was docked at Adelaide Outer Harbour which is around 18 miles to Adelaide CBD so with nothing coming up that interested us there, we had made the decision to go to Port Adelaide and do a Heritage Walk ( link here) and although there were a couple of options for getting there, the train station was heaving due to everyone getting off at the same time so we got a taxi. Port Adelaide was once a thriving port and commercial center from the mid 1800’s up until 1970 and there are lots of older buildings remaining that were crucial to it’s heyday. I downloaded a map and itinerary while in the UK so it was just a case of following the route around and finding the places of interest. It wasn’t the longest self guided walk we have ever done but we had fun navigating our way around.

I had anticipated there being more to do in Port Adelaide but we quickly ran out of options for places to visit so decided to get to the railway station and get the train into Adelaide itself but the next train was cancelled and the following one wasn’t for another 70 minutes so we decided to go back, have a couple of drinks then try the Southern Australian Maritime Museum.

To our surprise, the museum was actually quite interesting, lots of items, details and photos documenting the migration to Australia from the rest of the world through the ages.

By the time we had finished, there wasn’t really enough time to have another go at Adelaide so we caught a packed train back to the Outer Harbour which took 30 minutes and all five carriages were packed with fellow cruise passengers travelling the 6 mile journey so the locals must hate it when a ship is in port as it probably overruns their public transport system.

After grabbing a bite to eat we spent the remainder of the afternoon sat in the sun and enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t windy.

Sail away was delayed this evening with two no shows, after waiting for 30 minutes and still nothing we set sail for Albany.

We also visited the theatre for the first time on the recommendation of some fellow diners. It was a comedy duo with acoustic guitars called Scared Weird Little Guys who played around with popular tunes giving them a new twist. Very funny and great fun to watch.

Two sea days back to back now so more eating and drinking to be done 😁

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It was good to kick back today after the excitement of yesterday, unfortunately the weather in the morning wasn’t good enough to sit outside.

Our day started with a trip to get coffee which we picked up en route to the Horizon Court (buffet) for breakfast. The proper tasting coffee comes as part of the Plus Package and is a very welcome perk. Princess has done some sort of deal with Lavazza Coffee which is a huge step up from the basic stuff you get out of the machines. It’s got to the stage now where you start to see people doing the same thing every day (we are no exception) and there are 2 couples in Horizon Court that sit near and every morning they spread four napkins out on the table that form a sort of table cloth. Quite what the benefits are goodness only knows but as long as they are happy then that’s all that counts.

Once again it was very windy and there was a fair amount of movement onboard, in fact while waiting for another coffee to take back to the cabin, I was watching the pool slosh around and wondering how long it would be before they emptied them.

By lunch time all but one had been emptied. It was a very laid back morning and lunch was a nice distraction as it’s always a great experience with the three people who look after us. Twice a week, the restaurant manager (Valentin) makes a fresh pasta dish actually in the restaurant and today was one of the days, today it was pasta with pancetta and tomato sauce which was a real treat and absolutely delicious. Having talked to him about it, we have found out that he loves cooking so it’s a win win for us.

We spent the afternoon out out by the pool by Neptune’s Reef where around 3:00 pm the skies cleared and the wind dropped a little making it really nice to sit outside. What a difference having clear skies made because prior to that it was quite chilly.

Today was Halloween and there were decorations all over the ship and bar staff even joining in with some makeup and costumes. How has Halloween evolved in such a way that you now wish people a happy one? Our evening was the usual drill with Adelaide to come tomorrow.

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Today was rather special, it wasn’t because it was our first time in Melbourne or that we visited somewhere spectacular. It was because Nicole met a family member that until March this year, she never even knew existed. I would love to tell you more about it but on this occasion, I am going to refrain from going into too much detail to protect the privacy of those involved. We have watched programmes about this sort of thing on TV and today we experienced it first hand for ourselves which was an incredible experience. We did see some of Melbourne while getting to know one another and prior to travelling had picked a couple of locations that we could enjoy as a group.

Our day started with our arrival at Station Pier, the weather looked a bit ominous with plenty of dark clouds all around but thankfully it never came to anything. Once off the ship we booked an Uber to take us to the Docklands area for our meet up and the venue of our first attraction which was great fun. It was called Artvo which is an immersive art gallery or ‘trick art’ gallery, it’s the first of its kind in Australia and what you do is follow a route around the building taking photos on your phone at some of the really clever art but adding yourself to the picture. It was great fun to do and a great way to get to know the new family.

After a quick lunch, we headed off by taxi to attraction number two which was the Melbourne Skydeck where 88 floors up you can be manoeuvred out over the edge on a glass floored cube called “The Edge”. While you are suspended there looking down through the glass floor,  the sound of cracking glass is broadcast over the speakers. Not for the faint hearted but a unique experience.

Today was all about meeting family and the rest of the day was spent just doing a bit of walking and plenty of chatting which unfortunately was over all too soon.

After we said our goodbyes, we made our way back to the ship via taxi during Melbourne’s rush hour which seemed to take forever. Once we were back onboard, it was the usual evening drill with food and drinks and in today’s case an early night as we were both exhausted. Thankfully tomorrow is a sea day and will allow us to recharge our batteries.

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Last night was the best I have slept all trip, plus I didn’t wake up until 6:00 am so was feeling good this morning. Breakfast was again taken in Horizon Court (buffet) which at 7:00 in the morning is actually quite user friendly. On our brief walk around this morning after we had eaten, we found out the two places that we can get the juices that are included with the drinks package so might give them a go one morning. Today was a sea day and I was surprised to see our route to Melbourne is up the east coast of Tasmania and not the west as I was expecting. I thought we would continue on round and not double back on ourselves.

There was a chilly wind and our balcony was in the shade so we found a couple of beds out of the wind next to Neptune’s Reef Pool on deck 15. If it wasn’t for the cool breeze, the weather would have been really lovely.

Not many people were venturing out on the open decks because of the wind and we eventually succumbed and went inside when lunch was served. We are both really enjoying the food on this ship, Nicole’s vegan options have been absolutely brilliant, they have been very creative and have provided a really good balanced diet.

After lunch such was the temperature of the wind that we spent an hour in the cabin before venturing out again to find a sheltered spot which we did at the aft.

Again, after about an hour the weather pushed us back inside because it clouded over and the cold wind became too much to endure.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the cabin catching up with a few things and just taking it easy. Tomorrow it’s Melbourne and we have something exciting to do.

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Weatherwise, it did get very windy last night and the ship was rocking a bit but nothing too drastic. It was still breezy this morning and very chilly too. Our morning started with breakfast in Horizon Court (buffet) which was a test to compare it with the MDR experience of yesterday. The MDR wasn’t the best place for Nicole to eat a vegan breakfast so we decided to give the alternative a go which was a big improvement, if we get there early enough it’s going to be the place to get breakfast.

The last time we were in Hobart, we hired a car and visited Mount Field National Park, and drove up to the top of Mount Wellington. This time we decided to do one of the things we considered last time and visit Port Arthur. To do this we booked with a local company called Tours Tasmania who provided a driver some really useful information about each stop but didn’t escort us around them.

We were quickly off the ship as soon as clearance was given with a 10 minute walk to our rendezvous point. To our surprise, there was only us and another couple so an early result.

Our drive to the Tasman Peninsula took about an hour and 20 minutes and our first stop was Tasmanian Devil Unzoo  to see some of the unique local wildlife. It’s only a small place but you can get up close to the animals and even feed some of them. The highlight was seeing the feeding of the Tasmanian Devils who won us both over.

Amazing little creatures that are on the endangered list but this little unzoo is breeding them and releasing them back into the wild when they are old enough.

Our next stop was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Port Arthur.

We enjoyed approximately 2.5 hours exploring this open-air museum. We walked around the main penitentiary, solitary confinement cells, and thoroughly enjoyed the stunning surroundings. There are over 30 historic buildings and ruins, some of which have been restored.

Part of the entrance fee included a complimentary Harbour Cruise around the Isle of the Dead, the onboard commentary provided some really great information about the site. We have visited a few stunning places now that have had a really dark history, this one is no exception.

On the way back to Hobart, we took a brief detour to view the Tasman National Park Lookout, which provided a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape along the coast. There really is some stunning scenery along this peninsula.

It was quite a busy day today and our driver, come guide was a good listen as he drove us to, from and around the sites. After being dropped off at the CBD, we walked back to the cruise terminal and went straight to the buffet for a quick bite to eat and a very welcome beer.

Sea day tomorrow so it will be less hectic.

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