Ground Hog Sea Day…. 103- Days to go

Another sea day, more sunshine, more ocean and more friendships to be made.

As we work our way closer to the northernmost point of Australia, we can see the small islands that dot the horizon and odd the container ship passing by. 

The Facebook page had their Meet and Greet Today.... a very large group in the Universe Lounge.

Played miserably at trivia, deciding that we really do not like this progressive trivia format.

But once again we did enjoy drinks out on our little private deck which I am sure will get busier with time…. Shh, don’t tell anyone about it…

Tonight was the first Formal night which also meant the Captain's Welcome and Champagne Waterfall. I always like this event, even if it is just to hear the few words that Captain Perra shares..

Many may recognize this couple as they celebrate their 12-month anniversary on the ship.  They boarded when the Coral came back into service and plan to disembark after next years world cruise.

Captain Perra

We are all very excited with this first one as it will probably be the night we will look our most glamorous, and as time passes and we get tireder, we will tend to lose that little bit of sparkle.

World Cruise Pressies

 It is always exciting to enter your stateroom and find pressies....  on a world cruise there are always those little special extras that will remind you of this great adventure we have embarked on.

Whoo hoo lanyards are back ....  

An A4 size printout of our cruise, it actually compliments the larger map we have up on our wall

Different type of back pack this and a great beach bag that I use everyday to carry my laptop around.

6 Days of Calm before the storm… 104 days to go

As we now have 6 sea days before we start to hit our international ports, each day I will try to find something different to write about…

Finally, the weather is starting to warm up as we work our way up the Queensland coast, and more and more people are appearing around the pool.

On this first sea day,
all the groups and activities are starting to form.

No one can complain about being bored…  Tai Chi, Zumba, trivia of every shape and form. Bridge, pickleball,  teeth whitening, diamond sales, ukelele, choir, everything is there for the trying… 

One of the nicest things about this cruise at the moment is around every corner there seems to be another familiar face.

Cards in the card room....

A little dark and cool but that will change with every passing day

First port of call…… Brisbane…… 105 Days to go

Waking up to the vibration of the ship as she maneuvers into position at the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.  Certainly didn’t need a window to know that we had arrived as the aroma from the neighboring sewerage works had already permeated into the cabin.  Later in the day you can see the sprinklers in use to try and keep the stench to a bare minimum when ever there is a cruise ship in port.

We had a notice in our rooms that ABF (immigration) had agreed with the ship that transiting guests did not have to leave the ship for the obligatory zero count.  They only specified that if we did we would need to do so before 11am, then understand that we would not be able to reboard until after 11.30 am to coincide with those boarding the world cruise in Brisbane.

Today we were catching up with our wonderful friends, Ros and Arnold.  Arriving in two cars they ferried us to the nearby Stargate Centre where we embarked in some retail therapy at Dan Murphy’s.  Then it was across the road where we shared a lovely lunch at the Novatel Hotel.

With more wine in tow, we were back on board by around 2.30pm.  Just like our first day, squeals of joy could be heard as friends reunited after so many years of no cruising.  If the figures I heard are correct, I believe that approx. 800 people disembarked with only 400 world cruisers boarding which would mean it is not a full ship… but let's wait and see.

Now it was Brisbane’s turn for its sail away party.  Same ship, same show just a different background.  Not as gloomy as Sydney, the setting sun behind the scattered clouds gave us a dramatic vista, as we left the lights of Brissy behind us.

Another delicious dinner in the Bordeaux dining room with our newly assigned waiters that will have to get used to our antics once again.

Tonight’s guest entertainer had us tapping our feet to his repertoire of Johnny Cash Hits.  Dressed in black he made for an excellent night's entertainment.  And with that I close off another day of our exciting world cruise.

Somewhere beyond the Sea …. 106 days to go

We awoke on our first sea day with the gentle movement of the sea lulling us in and out of consciousness.  The biggest challenge with an inside cabin that is constantly blanketed in darkness, is deciding whether it is morning or still some time in the middle of the night…

How easy is it to fall back into our routine, not a question but a statement…  Poached eggs for breakfast, blogging out on the deck, chatting to passers-by that recognize you from previous cruises. 

As Duncan calls it "The Command Centre"

Today's highlight was lunch with many of the friends we have made over our years cruising the high seas. The names you might forget, but the faces you will always recognize.  Not all of the guests at our lunch are doing the world cruise, but they are still on board as they finish their Hawaii cruise back to Brisbane tomorrow.

That night dinner in the dining room was followed by the Princess production show Encore.  Although we always say that we have seen it enough times, we couldn’t help ourselves and we sat through it once again.  

We enjoyed it as we always do, but once again made the decision that we won't go and see it again…..Ha Ha…. till next time...

We are sailing… again…. Day 107

We are sailing, We are sailing…..

world again, cross the sea

We are sailing, out of Sydney waters

To explore you, where we want to be….

Ok maybe not as good as Rod Stewart, but it is the song that is sung over and over again in my head as we pulled away from the wharf in Sydney

On this cruise, we have lots to thank our travel agents,  #cleancruising, and yes I know none of it's free but  I  should use the term included.

It started with a lovely Hamper not long after we paid our final balance and now as part of our package, we had a private 10-seater sprinter come to whisk the four of us and all our luggage to the overseas passenger terminal.

Embarkation was seamless despite all the angst about what paperwork had to be produced…  As long as you followed the very clear Princess Instructions all was good.  Online forums are an excellent resource, but leave the technical stuff to the experts.

Dragging along our 2 carry-ons full of liquid contraband, our longest wait was at the Alcohol declaration desk, but it wasn’t too long before we walked upon the deck with our wine safely stickered and ready to consume.

Spending most of the afternoon turning our cabin into a home for the next few months. Realizing that we may have packed just a little excessively, we won't have to worry about it again until we try to pack it all back up again.

The entertainment staff did a great job with the usual sail away performance …..  But this is the first world cruise out of Australia after so many that were cancelled after covid, maybe something a little extra like the banners or the Muts screen acknowledging that this cruise was a little more special to all the others….

But these were just my momentary thoughts and quickly forgotten with the excitement of sailing out of Sydney Harbour.

Thanks to my man on the ground, oops I mean ship…. Our good mate Dunc organized our set tables for the whole cruise before we boarded. He has done a great job for me.  We have 2 tables of 8 next to each other, and yes we may be confusing our waiters a little as we swap between tables each night, but there is a lot of fun and laughter along the way…

In continuing with our routine, our evenings are rounded off with the show in the Princess Theatre…. 

Tonight's entertainment was with comedian Andre King, a comedian from New Zealand….  An indicator of a good comedian is when everyone laughs out loud, and he certainly achieved that..

You light up my Life….. Vivid 2023

Venturing in the city the day before our cruise we decided to hang around and take in some of the Vivid light installations dotted around the harbour.  Some of the highlights are the wonderful projections on the sails the opera house, the animated displays on customs house, and the beautiful floating lanterns.

Shame that our sail away time was changed from 6.45pm to 4pm as we would miss seeing this wonderful spectacle from the sea.

The Final Countdown!

 When it comes to that final week before you leave for a world cruise, so many to-do's are filling your head and the only way to keep track is to make a list.... 

You do things a little differently when you go away for three and a half months, compared to three and a half weeks.

Today with only six days to go, I started working on my list... writing the list down is good for your sanity and helps you sleep at night... Every time you think of something write it down...

A quick phone call to our health fund sees our policy suspended... this saves us nearly $1500.  This can be done for any holiday over 30 days... but be careful, if your combined income takes you over the threshold (being retired, we don't have a clue what it is), suspending your policy could affect you tax-wise....  if in doubt quick call to the ATO or accountant will put your mind at ease.

Next were several calls to the different banks and CC companies we may need to utilize while we are away. I felt self-conscious as I was reading out all 21 countries we will be visiting.

Having just moved, I made sure all our new utilities had direct debits set up for payments. That way they can be paid automatically, and we don't have to worry about 2 step security verification when you try to make a payment somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Then everything is packed except for those things that you are still using .... the main things that fall under this category are your electronics and toiletries. Then making sure you have enough room in your bag to pack the leftovers on the morning of!!

Of course, then there is the issue of Beautification.  Hair colour and cut, tick, nails, tick, eyebrows, tick... Should I get the legs lasered???  What about a pedicure? nothing looks worse than crappy toenails whilst lying out on deck!!

Oh and that first day of a holiday, when we all look so glamorous for our Sailaway photo, which will look nothing like us when we disembark...

We are at that stage now, if it isn't packed. it's not coming... as long as we have our passports and credit card ..... we can deal with anything.