arxcards

A bit of a see-saw happening. Is it windy at Mt Barker?

I read it that there are some agencies that will give you additional OBC as part of your booking, without having to pay a membership fee for the privilege.

I get that, but why wouldn't they just make the port bookings with Adventure to get the WOW tongues wagging early. I would suggest that the name on the booking is the most probable ship.

I would guess boarding starting at around 1pm. There will be a crowd of people who will gather from before 11am and wait. You should get a text from Princess in the morning.

They had engaged an architect, so presumably have plans drawn. Much of the talk around being green & carbon neutral makes it sound like it will be on par with what already exists at Conflict Islands, with maybe an extra bit of WOW. What has been removed from Royal's slate - billions of dollars lost by RCI during the covid years. Dollars spent now need an accelerated return on investment.

But what is the point of hiding a Voyager class ships bookings behind Voyager of the Seas bookings. Different if they wanted to go WOW, surprise, here is Freedom of the Seas (example). Apart from buying a different fridge magnet, Adventure would just be a charade to those that need some good oil in their WOW.

Docking at around 8:30, which will have first disembark around 9:30. I hope anyone with international flights has opted for flights after noon 😉 That delay and a bit of residual weather could make for an OPT Ship Show. It makes sense though, as the conditions are a bit rough for the pilot to board in the dark.

I noticed Noordam has pushed out to sea a bit to try and circle around the current squall that you are cruising towards as you approach Wollongong. Noordam has pushed back their arrival till 11am, but I think that has been imposed due to harbour runoff. Coming in close to high tide won't allow them enough bridge clearance. No midnight stroll on deck for you tonight! Still, I would rather be cruising in it than driving to work in it.

Lelepa is real. Royal anchoring off the island and offering access to both Port Vila and Lelepa Island is quite plausible, as Lelepa only needs a tender wharf to offer access to a beach. Perfect Day at Lelepa resort? Well, I would call that fiction for now, and for a few years to come. Would be WOW, but even Chinese money evaporates into the hierarchy.

They will also leave shareholders behind when they are late back to the ship 😉

I don't know what they set out to achieve last night, but they were back in Newcastle at the scheduled time this morning. Just seemed a shame to waste such a neat speech bubble.

An SOS from Brilliance?

As far as I can tell, she didn't exceed 10 knots, but maybe that was the plan anyway.

You aren't on your own on a private tour either. The cruise lines shipping agent will normally assist you to make your way to the meet the ship at the next available port, but at your own expense. It is possible that for such an obscure port that there was no shipping agent present on Bom Bom Island.

A control issue with one of the pods, but yes, 18 knots would confirm both pods are fully back in service. There should be a few different turns to test that as well, so lets hope she doesn't just go round in circles. Lovely weather for it!

Nelson Bay is great, but a shame your cruises were affected. Good luck with your claims. Brilliance has gone to sea tonight to test the repairs, due to return to Newcastle in the morning. Hopefully it is all working well for those boarding on Sunday, as well as those on the transpacific next week.

A bit of extra time, yes. The 2nd sentence places the altered timeline on the Port of Sydney. An interesting tone, no mention of out-of-pocket, and is only missing an Ahoy Sailor.

To say this as if it is Sydney's fault they can't embark a cruise till Sunday. They could embark via Captain Cook cruises boats from White Bay on just about any day. A crap embarkation for sure, but better than waiting 3 days, especially for anyone who has already travelled to Sydney to board. They could provision the ship by loading-up prior to departing Newcastle - Channel Berth was set-up for cruise ship turnarounds, but just lacks an embarkation facility and staff. Alternately, they could also board on any evening at OPT. I get the feeling the truth is she won't be shipshape for another couple of days.

Brilliance of the Seas is still in Newcastle (7am). Perhaps a day of passing on a message? Sydney Ports is now not expecting her off Sydney Heads until Sunday morning. https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/sydney-harbour/pilotage-navigation/daily-vessel-movements/

Where there is smoke ...... Brilliance of the Seas entries have dropped-off Sydney Ports shipping movement page for today, now showing an arrival from Newcastle on Sunday.

Not due into Sydney now until 10am, which is still on time considering nobody is disembarking. Still a curious delay though, as she was meant to be leaving Newcastle at 6pm last night. There has been a restriction that cruise ships arrive and depart in daylight hours, and I wonder if the were caught out by that port rule that may still apply, even without passengers.

Not that there is a rush, but Brillance was due to depart Newcastle att 6pm. Still at Channel Berth in Newcastle. No tugs nearby, but there are some taking a collier in that could connect to Brillance on their way back.

Not enough WOW for me, although I am overdue for Johnny Rockets on whichever ship arrives with it.

Shame the way it has all ended for now. A nice alternative, something different. I also think it will be a long piece of string.

Yes, a beautiful ship operated by a company in heavy debt to a venture capital financier, and with a reputation of chopping & changing itineraries without any goodwill to affected passengers. I will be surprised if they even bother to launch the itineraries prior to cancelling their 25/26 OZ season. When they can get enough revenue to eventually finish & launch Brilliant Lady, then I will start to wonder when they will bring a ship back down here.