Wansbrough's Cruise Blog

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

Fitbit Steps 9,185

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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Our cabin is very comfortable and the bed is amazing. A great night’s sleep and only hampered by the 3 motion sensor lights that come on that pretty much illuminate the whole cabin. There is one either side of the bed and another in the lobby outside the bathroom so if I get up to use the toilet all 3 come on. It really only needs the one outside the bathroom so I think a chat with our steward (Armando) is in order.

I was awake around 3:45 this morning so a little later than yesterday, hopefully now we are a little more settled it will only improve over the coming days. For our first breakfast onboard, we went back to the Da Vinci Restaurant on the recommendation of the restaurant manager. While it was okay, I think it might be a case that we try the buffet tomorrow to compare. If we do, I think our timing will be important because when we walked around at 9:00 it was heaving.

We did some more ship exploration seeking out a few places we missed yesterday and then went back to the cabin to sit out on our balcony and enjoy the weather. We did intend to do some walking around the prom deck but the starboard side was coned off for a deep clean which prevented us from that.

Apart from lunch in our restaurant, and going to the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle in Skywalkers Nightclub, I have spent the best part of the afternoon asleep. One notable occurrence was when the Captain came on the public address system late afternoon to inform us about a weather warning for tomorrow and that it could get very rough as we enter the aptly named Storm Bay at Hobart. Such is the severity of the weather forecast, our departure has been delayed by 4 hours so we can sit the worst of the storm out.

Not many photos today because I just haven’t taken any but hopefully tomorrow will be a different matter if the weather doesn’t hamper things.

What l forgot to mention yesterday about our hotel stay is that we were upgraded to a city view room. Apart from it providing a great view, one of the plus points of waking up at an unreasonable hour is that you get an amazing night panorama of the city. It sort of made up for not being able to sleep.

Despite waking up at 3:00 am this morning I did manage to get a decent amount of sleep and felt quite refreshed this morning. Initially I fiddled around on my phone for a while then managed another hours sleep so it was better than anticipated. The hotel breakfast opened at 7:00 and we were there not long after. A buffet style breakfast came included but the selection wasn’t very clever and my guess is it was because they were trying to push the not so cheap a la carte menu. We ate enough of the free items to see us through the morning and decided to go for a walk around the peninsula passing Mrs Macquarie’s Chair which is part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was busy with loads of joggers this morning with a marathon of some sort taking place.

Once completed, we went back to the hotel and checked out. The hotel stored our bags and we set off again towards Circular Quay to explore more in order to fill the time before we could board the ship which wasn’t until 2:00 pm. The weather was perfect for walking and as we neared the Opera House we caught sight of the ship for the first time. It looked huge when next to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Being a Saturday and turnaround day for the ship, it was an extremely busy area. The Saturday market in The Rocks only adding more people. After a walk around the area, a spot of imbibing ensued in The Fortune of War which claims to be Sydney’s oldest pub. They do a great pint of Guinness there and we actually went back later to have another while waiting for the boarding queues to die down.

From there it was back to the hotel again to collect our luggage followed by an Uber to the cruise terminal.

The queues were really long but fortunately we were able to drop the cases off at the bag drop and go for the previously mentioned drink. We gave it an hour before attempting to join the queue but even then it still took over an hour to get onboard. There were plenty of snake queues and it gave us a good idea of what the passenger demographic was, I would say we fit into the lower age bracket which I would put at around 20%. It’s certainly going to be a very interesting cruise with so many oldies onboard. It’s going to be like cruising in God’s Waiting Room and I think the odds of being run over by a mobility scooter are pretty high.

Our cabin was ready when we boarded and all the cases were there too so Nicole made swift work of unpacking. In between that and sail away we explored the ship a little and started to put together a list of places that we liked and ways of getting to them.

We have Flexible Dining and have a special Reserve Class area in the Da Vinci Restaurant. A perk of having a mini suite and our first nights dining was possibly one of the most positive ones we have experienced to date. Great food, great service and Nicole had a vegan menu to choose from which was an amazing start to the cruise. Embarkation day is always a busy one so I will keep it brief today and hopefully tell you more over the coming sea days.

After clearing immigration and collecting our luggage, we booked an Uber to get us to our hotel where we will spend one night before boarding the ship.

Finding a hotel in Sydney that ticked boxes became a bit of a challenge and I eventually picked the Ovolo Woolloomooloo which is on the site of Sydney’s very first fish market, in the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. It’s something a bit out of the ordinary and with a bit of history to it and even though it’s had plenty of mixed reviews on TripAdvisor we decided to give it a go anyway.

Obviously arriving at 8:30 in the morning, our room was never going to be ready so we dumped our cases off and went for a walk for some fresh air and get our muscles moving again after being on the plane for so long. Our walk took us through the Royal Botanical Gardens and to the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Rocks area where we wandered for a while before heading back to the hotel.

Upon our return we where we delighted to discover our room was ready. After we had both showered, we spent some downtime just chilling out and coming to terms with our jetlag. We came to the conclusion that an early meal followed by bed was going to be a good approach so that is what we did. I’m sure we will both feel the benefit from a decent amount of sleep regardless of what time we wake up.

Tomorrow we will board the Crown Princess at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Wharf.