St Pete Cruiser

After Melbourne was Sydney, the real Sydney, not the one in Nova Scotia that I have been to several times. We got up early to watch the sail in at 6am. Magnificent! It was a beautiful clear day. The Opera House, the Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park, Darlington Harbour and the Overseas Terminal area, which is the prime dock between the Bridge and Opera House with all the ferries coming and going. Sailaway was the best ever with Captain Pieter Bant using the horn to the max as it echoed off the high rise towers of Sydney. I'll try to post the pics as I can.

Thanks! We needed the exercise and enjoyed seeing the city on foot.

After Hobart, a day at sea and then Melbourne. Crossing thru a rather narrow entrance you must sail to the far side to see Melbourne. We docked at Port Melbourne and walked into the city along a mostly green space walkway. Melbourne features a free zone CBD tram, which many of used as a hop on hop off tram. Melbourne is a city of 5 million and you must target what you want to see. Our favorites were the Art Museum and Royal Botanical Gardens. At 6:30 , the good ship Noordam left for our final Australian port, Sydney.

I will be posting pics of Melbourne later as I get wifi.

After leaving Milford Sound, our next port was Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Two sea days crossing was a little bumpy, but most of us did just fine. Hobart was an enjoyable beginning to Australia and proved to be walkable from the dock. We especially enjoyed the Royal Botanical Gardens.

We rounded the southern tip of the south island of NZ enroute to Dusky Sound. It was rather rough waters with clouds, but the good ship Noordam under Captain Pieter Bant entered Dusky. We passed in and out a different sound giving good views with limited sun. Much to our disappointment, we could not enter Doubtful Sound as the winds had increased to 50 knots. We continued on to Milford Sound and with less wind and better visabilty, Noordam entered Milford. I found deck 9 forward was a great spot for viewing, and the bow was open there, too. We spun near the end of the deep sound and quickly the wind and heavy hit. Milford is very narrow for a ship the size of Noordam. We saw several small tour boats. Near the exit to the Tasman Sea, the pilot left us and to my delight we blew some very good toots as we left New Zealand.

It was a nice sailaway from Pt Chalmers as the ship hugs the port side of the channel leaving. We stayed outside on deck 10 to watch until we came to the ocean where we saw numerous albatross.

After leaving Lyttelton, we encountered some long swells which were enough to give the Noordam some motion, but not uncomfortable. Contarre did the third show, which I thought was their best with old show tunes including Put A Little Star In Your Pocket. Billboard and then off to our room. We arrived at Port Chalmers on time and took the bus into Dunedin where we saw the old train depot, the history museum, two churches, the octagon park and another ride to see some Edwardian houses and the steepest street. I'm posting the pics before boarding with shoreside wifi. We wont have service until Hobart. Tomorrow is scenic cruising of Fjordland and Milford Sound!

I haven't been able to keep up with our daily while way down here in New Zealand, but wanted to check in. Please know that the good ship Noordam will indeed be heading north in a few days as we sail for Vancouver from Australia. A few pics of my favorite vista class ship, the only with an Oak Room off the Crows Nest and a real Crows Nest without the EXC Center.

Yes, with the port of Wellington closing due to the gale force winds, the Captain made way for Lyttelton and we were allowed to dock about 4pm on Wednesday. The shuttle bus was available both into Lyttelton and Christchurch by 5, and we went to Christchurch center. It was easy to walk around and see the main interest points and still return to the ship for our later dinner and BBC Earth show with Lincoln Center accompaniment. Billboard 80's night closed out our night.The Noordam remained in port for a full day Thursday.

Picton was our next port call with an early sunrise arrival in Queen Elizabeth Sound. The good ship Noordam turned and backed into the dock again. Complimentary shuttles took us into the town center next to the railroad station where a steam engine train was running. We walked the town and over a small bridge to Queen Victoria Park and a path along the cliff. As predicted, heavy rain blew in mid afternoon with a drop in temperature and south wind. Before leaving at 8PM, Captain Pieter said Wellington was cancelling our arrival for Wednesday due to the gale force winds. We enjoyed dinner with new friends, Contarre quartet and a comedy show before being rocked to sleep. The Noordam took the rough seas very well at 10 knots into the night.

Napier was our third port, another beautiful and enjoyable call. The Noordam turned around and backed into what looked like a lumber dock with a huge supply of logs awaiting export. We had courtesy shuttle buses into the historic city with its Art Deco buildings. Three Packard automobiles were there for you to look at, and ride in for a fee as well. A 1937, 1938 and a 1940 model, all built in Detroit but assembled in Windsor across the border in Canada as right hand drive. A 1938 Buick Special was at the dock on return along with a 4 member band playing 1930's music. The Buick was built in Flint, Michigan. Sailaway was easier as like most Holland America Captains prefer, we were headed out after backing in.

No, not yet.

Tauranga on Sunday was a beautiful port. We walked "The Mall" from the ship to Mt Maungatui, which is the mountain at the port entrance. We walked around the base and then climbed up to the top which was indeed difficult. The views were rewarding. Our first Gala night, our shirts hadn't come back from the laundry, so we were gala attired. Captain's Toast by Captain Peter was enjoyable with his witty remarks. Lots of toots as we left port for the season.

Upside down of MDR ceiling, oh well, we are down under. Crow's Nest pics:

A bucket list destination of mine has been New Zealand and Australia. When covid shut down these countries, I realized I would need to put them on the top of the list if I was to actually make it happen. Although this itinerary is short on Australia with just Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney, it does New Zealand quite well. Plus it put the dreaded long flight first, allowing us to return from North America. Maybe a circumnavigation of Australia will come later. The Grand Australia, at 94 days, was sure tempting except for the price tag! We booked 4 nights in a Airbnb in Auckland and embarked the good ship Noordam Saturday, the 25th at the rather ancient Queens Wharf pier. I had taken the Noordam in 2012 from Ft. Lauderdale to Civitvechia and liked it very much, although I was still partial to the S and R class ships. Noordam was just 6 years old then and the newest of the vista class with only the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam newer. Now onboard in 2023, she looks quite dated compared to the Pinnacle class ships of which I have more recently been on. Already on day two, she is winning me back with her wide promenade deck and deck chairs, her classic look dining room and Ocean Bar and theater. Maybe beat of all is her Crow's Nest without EXC and her Oak Room just off of it. At the ripe old age of 17, she is still a beauty. A few picks of the Noordam:

Good Friday morning from Auckland, New Zealand. We embark Noordam tomorrow. My first time in NZ, it has been a bucket list item! We took the ferry to a name most of us know from Holland America cruising: Half Moon! Beautiful sea side community with huge homes overlooking the bay. Quantum OTS, too large to dock at Queens Wharf, at the cargo port.

Good morning from sunny and warm (high 78F) St Petersburg. A triple ship day in Ft Lauderdale today for sailaway; it should be nice. Our St Patrick's Day potluck social had 50 in attendance last night, an enjoyable night. I've been to Corrinto twice. First on the Rotterdam 2011 and on the Volendam in 2018. The first time just walked the city which was just ok. Then in 2018, we got a small van with driver and guide who drove us by the volcano and onto Leon. I remember seeing horses and donkeys along the side of the road keeping the grass trimmed! We were told the country encourages their owners to bring them there for exactly that reason and then return them to their quarters by evening. I highly recommend venturing on such a tour there.

There are good ships, and wood ships, and ships that sail the seas, but the best ships are the Dam ships and may they always be.

Actually, we docked in both Saguenay and St John, NB, last October on the Nieuw Statendam. I liked both ports as you can walk off the ship and see the communities without needing transportation, unless you want to venture further. The Volendam can get under the bridge near Quebec, thus allowing it to dock in Montreal which the vista class and larger can not do.

Reflection with 3 long toots. Very good! Thanks for a nice sailaway everyone.

Caribbean Princess with four long toots. She doesn't have the love boat tooter, being almost 20 years old (2004).

Three long and five short. Excellent. Score 10. Roy, we had Itzhak Perlman play last night at the Florida Orchestra. Schindler's List was his best number. A very nice concert.

Nicer profile than the Pinnacle class IMHO.

I don't think so as she has a fairly high-speed run to Aruba and Curacao this week.