World Cruise--Our Overnight Stay in Sydney

The signal for an announcement from the bridge came around nine at night as we sat in the Queen’s Room watching the ballroom dancing. As most everyone else thought, we wondered what sort of medical emergency might have happened. The last time, the call was for O positive blood donors. This time it was the ship that needed some help.

As the captain said, there were technical problems that had slowed the progress of the ship and our arrival in Sydney would be significantly delayed. Our original arrival time was 6:30 AM. Now it was estimated to be three and a half hours later at ten o’clock. There was never an explanation for the technical difficulties but everyone was now scrambling to readjust their plans for excursions and/or flights home as there were a little over 1300 who were disembarking.

Added to all the confusion and reorganization was the need to have face to face immigration which meant that everyone on board had to leave the ship and go through immigration personally, all 3,000 passengers. And add to that there would be a crew drill for the benefit of the Australian Coast Guard, a health inspection and I believe one more official act that I can’t remember. I really felt for the crew and staff. What a nightmare day.

Our plans for visiting the Blue Mountains were scrapped. The train ride would have been two hours each way and we would have needed at least three hours to tour and eat lunch. Now our immigration appointment time had been changed to 12:30 and it was moving slowly. We ended up eating lunch before we showed up for our “face to face” and decided that once off the ship, we would look for a harbor cruise instead.

The good news of the day was that we didn’t have to get up at five in the morning to see the sail in. It was a spectacular event with several tugboats spraying water as we entered the harbor to celebrate the maiden call of the Queen Anne. Cunard is a British cruise line even though it is owned by Carnival so the connection between Great Britain and Australia was properly celebrated.

Our pier was situated between the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge and the equally iconic Opera House. It was right next to the ferry docks where the ferries could take you most any place you wanted to go in the area. At the end of the pier was the Circular Quay station for the metro line which is where we would have caught a ride to the Central Station for the train to the mountains. Sigh.

The day was heating up by the time we exited the immigration area and started around Circular Quay to the ferry docks and the area where there were harbor cruises offered. We found one that was an hour and a half long and leaving soon. It turned out to be a perfect choice. We sat by open windows and enjoyed the sunshine and refreshing breeze as we listened to the commentary of our tour guide. The harbor tour reminded us a lot of the tour that is offered in Miami where the boat travels around the harbor and points out the homes of the rich and famous. Some of those here included Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.

The Sydney area is densely populated around the large harbor. It explains all the ferries that are constantly back and forth providing easier access to the outlying areas for commuters as well as tourists. The other traffic in the harbor included hundreds of sailboats of all sizes. There were quite a few racing sails that were practicing for regattas. We passed one huge sailboat that our guide said was one that does the race to Hobart in Tasmania, which is usually a two day sail.

On Saturday (we had an overnight in port), we took a ferry to Manly Beach. The slower ferry was a twenty minute ride which was nice because we could see a lot of the sailboat races that were going on. The harbor is so busy it amazed me how the ferries threaded their way through all the sailboats which don’t turn so quickly depending on the wind and direction of it.

Manly beach was a mass of people. The waves coming in were large enough to attract hundreds of surfers. We had thought about taking off our shoes and wading along the water’s edge but I was afraid we’d get run over by a surf board. There was a section where the waves were not breaking quite as bad and it was crowded with “wave jumpers”. You couldn’t really swim in the breaking waves.

Further down the beach, it appeared that the lifesaving club was doing drills or training. There were groups of them with various lifesaving paraphernalia working together. They were dressed in uniforms of sorts but as Bob remarked, “It’s not Bay Watch.”

And even further down the beach was an organization set up for a beach volleyball competition. There must have been at least 25 “courts” set up. We watched in awe as some of the players deftly moved through the sand to bat the volleyball back over the net.

The beach town is interesting and we wandered around a bit. There was a craft market set up in the middle of the pedestrian area. After a brewed Starbucks and a stop for a few supplies we needed, we made our way back to the ferry. We were a bit like salmon heading the wrong way downstream instead of upstream. The beach was obviously getting more crowded.

Back on the ship, we dressed a little earlier for dinner. The sail away was scheduled for five and our side of the ship was going to be able to catch the last glimpses of the Opera House as we turned and sailed out. We settled ourselves on our balcony for the view. The trip out to the ocean took about a half an hour before the harbor pilot was left off and we were on our way out into the open ocean.

Our next adventure could include skirting the Cyclone Alfred which is making its way down the east coast of Queensland. The captain explained that we would try to “get ahead of the game” and arrive a bit early in Brisbane, our next port of call. We’ll hope for the best.

My Top Ten Places For The City Lover

A large city is not the number one place on my favorites list of travel destinations but there are some cities that have been fun to explore because of their history or their beauty or their people or all three. Here is a list of the top ten favorite places I've visited.

Sydney, Australia. If you peruse my blog it won't take long to know that Australia is one of our favorite places to visit and if we must be in a big city, Sydney is a great place to be. It's a pretty city with it's harbor area being the jewel. Easy to get around and the iconic opera house and bridge are must sees. Lots of great restaurants with every kind of ethnic food imaginable and plenty of entertainment venues as well.

Paris, France. We've visited Paris several times and always find it the romantic city it is advertised to be. Lots of history, art, shopping, eating. Parks and places to stroll arm in arm. And it definitely lives up to its nickname, the city of lights.

London, England. London was the first place that we ever ventured to out of the country (Canada not included). It's where we got infected with the travel bug. We've been back several times and always find it a delight. Easy to navigate the "tube" and find yourself in a variety of neighborhoods from the formal areas surrounding the palace to the eclectic theater district around Piccadilly Circle and the exciting area across from the Parliament buildings and Big Ben. Fun, food and fabulous people watching.

Cape Town, South Africa. While we didn't get to explore a great deal of Capetown since we were on a cruise, we did get a good taste of it and it was enough to make us want to go back. It is set on the coast of South Africa with a spectacular backdrop of mountains, the most famous, the Tabletop Mountain that actually looks like it has a tablecloth covering it when the clouds sit on top of it and spill over.

New York, New York. Frank Sinatra sang of this city for good reason. It is quite a place. We've been there for the Macy Thanksgiving Parade and again for the tree lighting at Rockefeller Plaza and several times in between. It's fun to take in a Broadway show and stroll Times Square now that its been cleaned up. A tour of the harbor and a peek at the Statue of Liberty is a must and of course a trip to the 9/11 memorial. We need to go back and take in the museum that opened a little while ago. And don't forget to stop into a neighborhood deli and grab one of those great sandwiches!

Tokyo, Japan. We have been to Tokyo twice and now that our son and his family are living there we will return again. Tokyo is a little like London in that there are different areas to explore and each has something unique to offer. While I wouldn't want to eat anything but Japanese food there (there are so many varieties), there are lots of other ethnic restaurants available as well because it is such an international city. The history extends back so far that it boggles the mind but walking through the temples you get a sense of ancient tradition that has carried on through the years. Contrasted with the amazing technology of today that is exhibited as well, it is quite an interesting city to explore.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates. While this is probably a one time visit for me, it is still a fascinating city to see. It sits in the middle of desert and on the shore of the Persian Gulf. The biggest, largest, widest, tallest everything seems to be there. A ski resort inside a mall, the world's largest piece of plexiglas that forms one side of a huge aquarium in another mall, and of course the world's tallest building,Burg Kalifa. I'm guessing that the tea we went to at the tallest hotel, Burg al Arab, was probably the most expensive as well.

Barcelona, Spain. Again a city with lots of history and one huge cathedral that has been years in the building and is not done yet. Bob always jokes that we're not going back until they finish the la Segrada Familia. The hop-on hop-off bus is a fun way to see the city but be sure to spend time walking the main street, Las Ramblas, and seeing the performers there and enjoying some tapas. Oh, and don't miss the churros with hot chocolate!

Venice, Italy. When we first arrived in Venice it was raining and it looked dirty and dull and I wondered why we were there. Then the sun came out and the buildings came alive. The architecture surrounding St. Mark's Square is amazing. History abounds and romance ignites with a gondola ride and or a stroll through the little piazzas that surround the main part of the city. Enjoy a cappuccino on the square but be sure to order enough that you don't get charged a cover fee if you are sitting in one of the little outdoor cafes that has musicians playing.


Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland? Yes. There will be lots of people discovering Cleveland as a destination in about 11 months as they descend on the area for the Republican National Convention. There is much to see if time allows. We have quite a history as well. Wonderful architectural examples of years past. A beautiful lake front by the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Museums. A fantastic ballpark. Aquarium. Lots of restaurants with many ethnic choices and new modern cuisine. And a premium theater district, Playhouse Square, that is the second largest complex in the country.

So that's it for now. While I favor little towns and open country, there are some amazing things the big cities have to offer so to be a well rounded traveler put a little of both into your itinerary.

World Cruise - Sydney, Australia

The news came as a shock to many. We would not be at a dock for our visit to Sydney, Australia. It was explained that Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth bumped us from our spot. Now there was lots of scuttlebutt about why we were bumped. Cunard had paid for the extension of the dock thereby giving it priority was a favorite tidbit to circulate. The confusing part was that both cruise lines, I’m sure, had their itineraries planned at least a year in advance and would have put in for dock space. Bumped? I don’t know.

We were also told that we should be up early for the sail-in to the harbor which was to happen at 7. We were up at 6:30 and found that we were already anchored in our spot. The bright side: we got to see the sun come up and enhance the beauty of the Sydney Harbor. I for one was glad we hadn’t docked. Our view was much nicer than it would have been from the dock.

Large local tenders (tour boats) were on their way to begin ferrying passengers back and forth to our tender drop off spot under the bridge and about ten minutes walking distance from Circular Quay. The tenders were nice and scheduled every half hour. We finished our breakfast-with-a-view and got in line for our face-to-face immigration meeting. We’ve been involved with these before. Once it went well. Once it didn’t and the line wound around the whole deck of the ship. This one was somewhere in between the two. While the line got long when internet didn’t work well, it went quickly once they got it together.

Our passports and visas accepted, no Ebola problems (we haven’t been to Africa yet) and nothing to declare, we returned to our room and grabbed our gear. We were headed for the Blue Mountains and needed as early a start as possible.

After a brisk walk to the transportation terminal in Circular Quay, we bought our ticket to Katoomba and received our instructions on where to change trains. We’d done this before but somehow it seemed a little more confusing this time. Once on the train to Katoomba though, we relaxed and enjoyed the two hour ride and the changing scenery out the window. Plus there was internet on the train!

The Explorer Bus that is a hop on hop off for the area was right around the corner from the train depot and bus ticket place. We needed to hop on the first one that came along because there would be an hour gap of time for the drivers’ lunch if we didn’t but we were hungry too. (Cruise passengers get used to little time lapse between meals.) We happened upon a Subway and grabbed a quick sandwich, wolfed it down and ran across the street in enough time to catch our bus.

We got off at one stop in the park and walked to another to see the cable car and sky train (funicular) that gives you a spectacular view. We’d done the sky train before and had no stomach for the cable car but it was fun to watch others.

As we waited for the bus, we studied our map and decided we could do the rim walk. Once we found our way to the right trail we began what turned out to be a three hour walk, a little longer than we’d planned on but there were some ups and downs to the trail. The downs aren’t bad but as the saying goes when we hike, what goes down must come up. The ups are a little harder.

We finally made it around to Echo Park where the famous Three Sisters landmark is and had enough time for pictures before meeting the bus. It was an hour later than we planned but there was still time to make it back to the ship. It just meant that there wouldn’t be time for dinner on shore like we planned—mainly because we needed showers before we could be presentable in a restaurant and Bob didn’t want to go fast food again when I suggested Hungry Jack’s (Australia’s version of Burger King).

Still, by the time we made it back on board, our dinner seating time had passed. We showered quickly and headed for a specialty restaurant called Tastes on Deck 12. Tastes has lots of ala carte dishes and is sort of like Spanish tapas. We had no reservation and hoped we could get in. It was more crowded than we counted on but the charming maitre’d managed to find room for us after a short wait. Soon we were dining on our favorite lamb kebobs, salad, and a variety of other dishes and of course what has become my favorite dessert, a trifle that resembles bananas foster.

Our evening ended with a stroll around the deck and my camera set up on a tripod to take pictures of the opera house and bridge at night before we left for the open seas again. There would be a day at sea before getting into Melbourne and what a day it would be!