Photo Review: Solstice 12 Night Great Barrier Reef Jan 2 2018

[mahdnc]

Day 10, Thu Jan 11: At Sea Day #4 of 5

 

Celebrity Today

MDR Dinner Menu page 2

MDR Dessert Menu page 2

 

Another glorious sea day. The weather on this day (like the day before) was absolutely magnificent. And the seas were very calm. A lot people took good advantage of the nice weather out by the pool.

 

 

This was our family's 12th Celebrity cruise. We have been on Horizon class, Century class, Millennium class, and Solstice class ships. So although we know our way around a Celebrity ship, this was the first cruise that I walked into an area that surprisingly intimidated me: the ship's gym. I am not a gym rat although our two kids work out quite often. I had just begun an exercise program on the treadmill at home and I decided to continue my exercise discipline during this sailing. This was the very first time that I have worked out with all sorts of healthy people around me. It was a new experience.

 

 

On sea days I usually worked out at around 2-3 pm. At that time of day, there were plenty of unused treadmills. I really liked the idea of using one while gazing out over the ocean. On this day, a woman adjacent to me was using the feature on the LCD screen on her treadmill that gave you a street scene which simulated jogging around a city block. I kind of laughed inside at the thought of simulating an urban environment while surrounded by a wonderful view of the sea.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2018 by mahdnc

[Suzi66]

Haha. On our cruise previous to this my husband and older son accidentally walked into the gym. They looked at each other and backed out telling each other that they would pretend it never happened. They keep insisting there is no gym on the ship even though I tell them there is.

Walking around the track outside in the fresh air is preferable to me.

 

 

On the weather, I don't think I have ever been on a cruise where the water has been so smooth, other than a slight bump when we went into the Sydney Heads I really didn't feel anything. Normally I can feel it when we leave Sydney but this time not a thing. We are leaving on another trip on the Solstice in just over a week and there is currently a cyclone in the area we are going to. Somehow I don't think the seas will be quite as smooth this time.

[mahdnc]

 

Day 10, Thu Jan 11: At Sea Day #4 of 5 (continued)

 

We did not have any big plans on these sea day. It was an opportunity for the family to rest. Our kids have become cruise mature to the point where they really treasure sea days. In fact when I "announce" that I have booked the family on a cruise, that is one of the first questions asked--how many sea days?

 

 

We ate at the MDR for breakfast on this day for the 3rd and final time. Besides getting an opportunity to meet other people on the cruise, I like the MDR for breakfast because it gives us a chance to be seated at a different table location. Today, we were seated by ourselves, but we were at a window side table.

 

I very much like the peacefulness and the tranquility of the indoor Solarium. I rarely use it, but I like knowing that its there.

 

 

I find the fountains mesmerizing. The natural laws of physics cause these streams to assume a parabolic shape. The laminar (turbulent free) flow of the stream makes them look like glass rods. Yes, I am easily entertained.

 

 

Not publicized much anymore, but the solarium glass ceiling has some of the 216 solar panels that are installed on Solstice for electrical generation.

 

Edited March 10, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

 

 

Day 11, Fri Jan 12: Brisbane (Docked)

Celebrity Today

MDR Dinner Menu page 2 (incl lobster tail)

MDR Dessert Menu page 1

Last day before the ship's clock is advanced forward one hour

 

 

Like our other port days, we had breakfast brought to our cabin. I decided to enjoy mine out on the balcony to watch Solstice sail thru Moreton Bay on her way to the port in Brisbane. Like her first port of call, Solstice would be docked at her final port of call before debarkation day. We were scheduled to be docked from 8 am to 8 pm today. Solstice pretty much arrived on time, if not a bit earlier to her designated spot at the "Multi-User Terminal" marked as the General Purpose Wharf in this map. This berth was also used by the aircraft carrier, USS George Washington in 2013.

 

 

We did not see any cruise ships at all during our entire 12 night sailing which was a first for me. Not one at any of our ports (including both days at Sydney) nor any while at sea. The closest I got to seeing another cruise ship was here at Brisbane where P&O's Pacific Aria was scheduled to be. However she got to dock at the sexy Portside Wharf, a relatively new facility built specifically to handle cruise ships. This port has the added advantage of being located further up river--close to downtown Brisbane.

 

7:25 am: Solstice is preparing to dock at the Port of Brisbane. Our berth is located in front of the blue horizontal structure in the photo.

Solstice could not dock at Portside because she is too long. And even if she could, she is too tall to make it past the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges (formerly known as the Gateway Bridge). This meant that Solstice would be at the Port of Brisbane which is located at the mouth of the Brisbane River. This also puts downtown Brisbane over 10 miles away which makes ground transportation a little more complicated.

 

 

Like the port at Newcastle, the Port of Brisbane is primarily set up for industry--loading grain, coal, crude oil and containers. And like the port at Newcastle, a shuttle bus is available to take you from the ship to downtown Brisbane. But unlike Newcastle, this shuttle is not free. It costs $28 USD per person, but it is good for the whole day.

 

We took shore excursions which left directly from the ship and so I do not have experience with the shuttle to share. The details are published in Celebrity Today. According to the document, the shuttle is 45 minutes long each way. Buses run every 30 minutes from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm (last bus leaving downtown). The downtown drop off point is ANZAC Square (map).

 

5:32 pm: Solstice casts a long shadow in the late afternoon sun! The ship in front of us is hauling newly manufactured cars from either Japan or South Korea (I couldn't tell). The cars are being driven off the ship through the back ramp and then parked in the parking lot in the right hand side of the picture.

 

 

 

Because the berth used by Solstice is also used for grain shipping, there is a very long horizontal blue grain conveyor that pretty much blocks the view of the higher balconies facing port. The horizontal conveyor runs almost the full length of the ship. This is evident in a couple of my photos here. It looked like it affected Decks 9 & 10 the most--robbing them of the industrial view of the port.

 

One of the things I found while doing research on this cruise was this Schedule of Port Charges which includes cruise ships.

 

4:22 pm: Although the weather when we pulled into port was cloudy and overcast, by the time we returned from our shore excursion, the sun was already out in full force!

Edited March 12, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

 

 

Day 11, Fri Jan 12: Brisbane Shore Excursions

 

At this port, our family was going to split up during our time ashore between two different Celebrity shore excursions. My son and I were going on BS08, "Australian Experience" which was a visit to the Australia Zoo of Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter) fame. My wife and daughter were going on BS10, "Day at the Gold Coast" which was being used purely as cheap transportation with the ultimate objective of getting to Mermaid Beach for my daughter to get a certain tattoo from a certain artist there.

 

I don't have anything of substance to say about the Day at the Gold Coast excursion except to say that my daughter got her coveted tattoo and she arrived safely back to the ship with her mother at about 4:00 - 4:30 pm. So I guess, mission accomplished for the excursion price of $59 USD per person (plus additional Uber costs to get to Mermaid Beach). The rest of this review is devoted to the Australian Experience.

 

 

Let me first say that Celebrity offers a dizzying array of different Australia Zoo excursions including an extreme version (with an extreme price to go with it), a cuddly version, and a Segway version. There are two regular versions with similar names, BS07 (Australia Zoo Express) and BS08 (Australian Experience). From the website and brochure, it appears that with BS08 you are buying 2 extra hours at the zoo for an additional $20 USD per person. Since the zoo's admission prices are for the whole day, then the additional monies must go towards the extra 2 hours for renting the bus, driver, tour guide and whatever little is left over goes to Celebrity's treasury vault.

 

When the shore excursions were first made available for purchase, BS08 was listed for $139 USD per person. I purchased the shore excursion from home 3 months before the cruise for $132 USD per person. By the time we embarked, the published price at the Shore Excursion desk for BS08 was $149 USD per person.

 

 

I spent considerable time trying to figure out a way to do this excursion on our own. The online admission thru the Australia Zoo's own website is $59 AUD per person for a single day adult pass. That works out to about a $100 USD per person savings over buying the excursion while on the ship. And for a family of 4 such as mine, that's $400 USD of motivation to figure out ground transportation with. But because the zoo is an hour north of the port and it wasn't straightforward to use public transportation, it was not easy finding a ground transportation solution. When the number of people in my family going to the zoo dropped to two people, I decided to give up and simply buy the excursion thru Celebrity.

 

Both shore excursions required us to be present at the Celebrity Theatre on Deck 4 at 8:30 am. For our group (designated with a red #1 sticker), we got on our motorcoach bus. We were part of a two bus caravan that would eventually reach the Australia Zoo. I don't know if the 2nd bus was for the shorter excursion (BS07) or whether our BS08 group was large enough to require 2 buses.

 

Makes you think about signing up for a Galapagos cruise, doesn't it?

Edited March 13, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

 

Day 11, Fri Jan 12 Shore Excursion: BS08 Australian Experience

 

Our bus left the pier at about 8:30 am and we got off the bus at 9:45 am. The ride on the way there was ok. There was a tour guide that provided commentary during the trip, pointing out the sights along the way. She restrained herself and only made mild comments about American politics. My son and I sat on the right hand side of the bus (starboard). From there we got to see the Brisbane skyline as well as the local IKEA store (the North Lakes store location). The people on the left side of the bus (port side) got to see glimpses of the famous Glass House Mountains which I had never heard of before and when I saw them. From what I could see looking through the windows on the far side of the bus, they looked pretty cool. So if you are going on this bus ride to the zoo, you have a choice--sit on the starboard side to see IKEA or on the port side to see the Glass House Mountains. By the way, don't over-think it and plan on seeing the Glass House Mountains on the way back, by then you are too tired to see anything (you could be asleep), the tour guide doesn't point it out on the way back, and the sun will mercilessly beat on you through the windows on that starboard side of the bus, that you will be forced to close the curtains.

 

 

When you get to the zoo, the bus rolls right up to the admission gate and drops you off before it is parked. You are given final instructions--mainly on when and where to come back to the bus. Our tour guide--who does not tour you through the park--advised our group to visit the new animal hospital last. In other words, to see it after you are done with the zoo because it is outside of the zoo itself. The tour guide told us that there was a $2 AUD donation that is desired when you see it.

 

 

Surprisingly, there were no physical tickets handed out before entering the zoo. We were sort of just shuffled through the admission gate with our tour guide vouching for us and with only our red #1 stickers that we wore before getting on the bus as the only proof we had that we belonged in a zoo (as customers).

 

 

The zoo is very well done. A lot of thought went into its design, its ecological message, and its customer experience. I was under the assumption that the zoo was built after Steve Irwin's accidental death (2007) as a tribute to the famous Crocodile Hunter that my kids grew up watching on television. I was wrong. It actually was opened in 1970 by Steve's parents and there Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles.

 

 

The zoo is also fairly spread out (map). There is a free tram that we made use of. Lunch is not included in the shore excursion, but there were plenty of places in the zoo where you could buy food.

 

Fantasy and Fear!

Edited March 13, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

 

 

Day 11, Fri Jan 12 Shore Excursion: BS08 Australian Experience (continued)

 

When you get to the zoo, I suggest heading over immediately to the desk where Zoo Experience tickets can be purchased. These are extra cost activities such as animal encounters and wildlife photos. They can also be purchased on line in advance, but you have to buy it as part of buying an admission ticket which you don't want to do if you are buying the zoo trip through Celebrity. So by the time we arrived to check out what was available, the pickings were slim, as they say. All of the animal encounters were booked and just a few of the wildlife photos were available. We booked a 1:30 pm appointment to have our pictures taken with a cheetah. I think it was $69 AUD for the two of us together. Once that was booked we went about our day.

 

 

My son and I had a good time although the sun was out and it was slowly sapping our strength as the day wore on. One of our favorite exhibits was the kangaroo area. It is a very large park that you can enter to see them up close. There were kangaroos everywhere--a few of them with joeys in their pouch. They were quite willing to have their picture taken with you.

 

 

The crocodiles take center stage in this zoo. We made time to see the 2:30 pm "Croc" show. I wasn't expecting much, but in the end I was very impressed. Let's just say, I am glad that we saw this at our last port after all our diving was done!

 

What surprised me the most was to see one of the crocodiles crawl out of the clear water that it had been laying in. The water made the crocodile look small and once it crawled out of the water, it was like looking at the Incredible Hulk expanding in size. This thing was huge as it was crawling towards the zoo keeper who was dangling a whole (dead) chicken in front of it to lure it out of the water.

 

 

The other surprise was that we ran into Captain Kafetzis at the zoo. Actually my son recognized him first. I was slow to notice him because he was out of uniform and wearing clothing that was appropriate for this hot day--shorts and a tee shirt. The Captain was standing in the next group after ours waiting to get his photo taken with the cheetah. I smiled thinking that a person who has passengers every day getting their picture taken with him was spending time to get a photo--one that he wants--taken with a cheetah.

 

 

My son and I skipped the animal hospital. Too tired to see it and too poor--I didn't have the mandatory $2 AUD cash donation on me. I think we were told to be back on the bus by 3:00 pm or so. The bus met us at the same convenient spot it dropped us off at--right in front of the admission gate. The tour guide gave us the option of her narrating on the trip back to the ship. We politely declined, and she politely obliged. The bus returned us back to the pier at 4:30 pm--giving us precisely the 8 hour tour we had paid for.

 

As always, it was great to be back on the ship. Back for a hot shower, change of clothes, food and alcohol!

 

"Ok, so who's gonna tell the boss we broke the tree?"

Edited March 13, 2018 by mahdnc

[Innkeepers]

Great photos! Can't wait to see the animals in person.

[Suzi66]

Brisbane. - Susanne's version.

 

We have family here so nothing was planned other than family things. I left first as I was spending the day with my aunt and so she collected me from the carpark.

The most important thing I need to say to anyone who is reading this is if you are planning on doing the day alone, and expecting to grab a cab - book one! I walked off the ship and was waiting for a while (because my aunt got lost) in the sun as only one 10' x 10' tent was supplied with all the passengers waiting for taxis. In 45 minutes (I did say a while) only one taxi turned up. The crowds for taxis were getting bigger and bigger, and none were coming.

 

I've only got a couple of photos to share. I went to Mt Coot-tha for lunch and we looked out at the city views. You could see the Gold Coast from here to up north.

 

 

[FishinChris]

Thanks for the review. Your story telling through photography is outstanding! We also like to Scuba while on vacation in warm water ports. Now that you have done it, would you keep an intensive dive schedule or would you find other things to do?

[mahdnc]

If we were to go back, we would definitely dive again. It's like going back to a national park, we're gonna hike it again. The only caveat is Airlie Beach because our experience was subpar. So there, we might do an air tour of the GBR.

[mahdnc]

Day 11, Fri Jan 12: Brisbane (Docked)

 

Just a few more notes about this stop in Brisbane.

 

First, I need to correct myself. The shore excursion tickets for our day in Brisbane instructed us to be at the Celebrity Theatre Deck 4 at 8:15 am not 8:30 am as I had said earlier. You can see that in the photos of the excursion tickets

 

 

During our Elite Cocktail Hour in the Sky Lounge, there were a few people standing at the front windows fixated on something down below. I had to get up to look to see what the fuss was all about. It was cars. Hyundais to be specific. They were being driven off the back of the massive car freighter docked in front of Solstice. It was interesting to watch for a while the operation. There were only several guys involved in the driving. After they drove their car onto the large parking lot, there was a van there to pick them up and drive back inside the freighter. Then nothing would happen for a few minutes, and then a small parade of cars would drive off the back end of the ship. And the cycle would start over. Drive, park, repeat.

 

 

This night's MDR dinner menu (lobster tail) was one that I used to associate with the final formal night of the cruise (and formal nights have been replaced by evening chic). However the evening dress was smart casual with the cruise's final evening chic night having been the night before. So I was expecting lobster tail on the menu for the night before and when I didn't see it, I figured it was a Celebrity Cruise cost cutback casualty. So I was pleasantly surprised to see on this evening's menu.

 

 

With only two evenings left in the sailing, my cruise withdrawal anxiety grew knowing that I soon would be going back to the real world in wintry Chicago. The only remedy for that was to visit the Future Cruise Office that evening. It is amazing how the real estate for this office has grown with each successive new line of Celebrity ships. The first time I booked a cruise on board a ship it was with Mercury in 1998. At the time, there was a simple stand alone desk in the Grand Foyer staffed by one person.

 

The Future Cruise Office on board Solstice class is quite large and organized--you use your SeaPass card to check in at the kiosk at the front. There were several "dealers" willing to prey on my addiction. I ended up booking a 12 night Holiday 2019 New Zealand round trip cruise out of Sydney on Solstice. My cruise withdrawal symptoms immediately got a little better. And yes, I booked one of the four FV cabins (one had been booked already) Other than the OBC ($200 for a normal balcony) and the reduced deposit (aka higher final payment), there were no additional incentives for booking on board. I was given the option to book a refundable or non-refundable fare, I chose the refundable fare because the cruise was 2 years away and the savings for getting a non-refundable fare was small.

 

I want to take this moment to lament the loss of my long time travel agent who unexpectedly passed away at only 52 years old in Mar of last year. She was an owner of a small travel agency in Arkansas and I had booked all of our cruises with her since 2007. As I sat in the Future Cruise Office, I thought quite a bit about her as this was going to be the first booking I would do without her and without the annual phone call with her that usually came from it. She was a class act and even though I never met her in person, I will miss her.

Edited March 14, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Watching cars from the Sky Lounge at Brisbane

[Suzi66]

I was surprised about the lack of lobster at the evening chic night and having it at Brisbane instead. I was wondering was it an intentional swap of menus or an accidental swap.

[mahdnc]

 

 

Day 12, Sat Jan 13: At Sea Day #5 of 5

 

Celebrity Today

MDR Dinner Menu

MDR Dessert Menu

 

Our last sea day--our last full day of the cruise, actually. The ship's clock was set forward an hour during the night so we had a little less sleep. The weather was nice and the seas were calm for our final full day of the cruise. We were planning on doing early self-debarkation tomorrow which allowed us to delay any packing until the evening. That allowed us to more fully enjoy our last day of the cruise. We had nothing planned for the day.

 

 

The only things we had to do was get our digital photos from the photo shop (we bought the unlimited package), pick up our finalized paperwork for the cruise that I had booked on board, and print out boarding passes for our flights. Really all that was left was saying our goodbyes to various passengers and crew that we had seen for the past 12 days.

 

 

I meant to post these shore excursion catalogs for our sailing in case it is of interest to anybody. They are differences between them in terms of prices and what excursions were still available.

1. Jan 2 2018 Solstice Shore Excursion catalog available online before the cruise.

2. Jan 2 2018 Solstice Shore Excursion catalog available at the Shore Excursion Desk.

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2018 by mahdnc

[TFLG]

 

With only two evenings left in the sailing, my cruise withdrawal anxiety grew knowing that I soon would be going back to the real world in wintry Chicago. The only remedy for that was to visit the Future Cruise Office that evening.

 

The Future Cruise Office on board Solstice class is quite large and organized--you use your SeaPass card to check in at the kiosk at the front. There were several "dealers" willing to prey on my addiction. I ended up booking a 12 night Holiday 2019 New Zealand round trip cruise out of Sydney on Solstice. My cruise withdrawal symptoms immediately got a little better. And yes, I booked one of the four FV cabins (one had been booked already) Other than the OBC ($200 for a normal balcony) and the reduced deposit (aka higher final payment), there were no additional incentives for booking on board. I was given the option to book a refundable or non-refundable fare, I chose the refundable fare because the cruise was 2 years away and the savings for getting a non-refundable fare was small.

 

You might need this...

[mtn_couple]

Great review, thank you! We did Brisbane, Airlie Beach & Cairns on the Sydney to Singapore cruise for her refurb in 2016. Next month, we take her to Hawaii! I love reading other people’s experiences on board.

[mahdnc]

You might need this...

 

 

 

 

Nice shirt!

[mahdnc]

 

 

Celebrity iLounge

 

Published Internet Plan Prices

 

The first time I used the internet at sea was on board Celebrity's Infinity in Feb 2002. There was no wireless service back then and so you had to connect your laptop using an ethernet cable or phone cord (smartphones were not common back then as the first iPhone was still 5 years away). Although it was slow, it was only $100 for the whole 7 night cruise (that was the only way you could buy it) and I got my employer to pay for it because I was having to email my proposals for salary increases for the people that worked for me. The deadline was during the cruise and it was not something that could be done ahead of time because there were special forms involved.

 

 

Back then, when someone would post a question on the Celebrity board about the ship's internet, there invariably would be a debate about the pros/cons of being connected at sea. It was a good debate, but the arguments were the same. Some people said that this stuff should stay at home, others said they needed it for their job or for their business.

 

As our society has begun using the smartphone and the apps that go with it in our daily lives, that debate has become mostly moot. Now free unlimited wifi has become one of Celebrity's offered perks and, as many of you know, Edge will allow you to use your smartphone for a lot of on-board conveniences.

 

 

This is the first cruise that we bought not one, but two unlimited packages to service our family of 4 iPhones, I mean, adults. The first package was purchased for $299 minus a 30% CC Elite discount. The second package was purchased for $299 minus 50% as part of a "buy one, get the second for half off" promotion that was offered to all passengers. Using the Captains Club discount on your first package did not disqualify you from getting the 2nd package at 50% off. We used both packages quite a bit--along with the 3 remaining Capt Club Elite benefits for 90 free on-line minutes each and 2 coupons for 40 on line minutes free each.

 

 

We took care of the intetnet purchases on the first evening of the cruise in the iLounge working with one of the staff members there. And that was how we spent the first of our OBC on this sailing.

 

This is the first time we had used Xcelerate on an S class ship. The speeds are better than the old system, but it still wasn't great. Best speeds were obtained early in the morning when usage was low. WiFi signal strength seemed good everywhere on the ship including our cabin.

 

 

For some reason, our United Airlines app said that we could not get our boarding passes electronically and that we would have to get them the old way--by printing them out. So I ended up going to the iLounge to getting them printed out for the first time ever. The paper and printer was free, you just had to have an internet account which was not necessarily free.

 

 

At many of our ports (when we went ashore) we used the local cell towers to call for a taxi or Uber. This meant we paid Verizon Wireless $10 for each phone that used the roaming service as part of the TravelPass option. The fee was good for 24 hours. When on board, we had to make sure that we didn't lock onto the ship's cell tower which meant that we put our iPhones into Airplane mode and then selectively turn on the wireless to get the ship's precious WiFi signal.

Edited March 17, 2018 by mahdnc

[Wansbrough]

Great review, thank you! I love reading other people’s experiences on board.

Completely agree with your post. I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread and its made me want to go back. :D

[Rosethorn40]

You might need this...

 

Love the shirt! We need that

[mahdnc]

 

 

Day 13, Sun Jan 15: Sydney (Disembarkation)

"The Long Journey Home"

 

Celebrity Today

 

This is a day of mixed feelings. We feel bad for having to get off the ship, but the people who are getting on the ship later that day are feeling pretty good.

 

I woke up early because I wanted to see us pull into Sydney Harbour. After all, we missed seeing it on the first day of the cruise because we had Main Seating (6 pm) in the MDR. So when I got up, I rushed over to our bedroom window and saw Sydney and rain. Mother Nature snuck in some rain clouds while we were sleeping. It was raining pretty hard as we sailed through the harbour. Fortunately it stopped just as Solstice pulled up to the pier.

 

5:57 am, Sunday Jan 14 2018

The big objective for the day was to make it to Sydney airport in time to catch our 11:30 am international flight which would take us first to Los Angeles. I figured that we should aim for getting there two hours early which was 9:30 am. When planning this day from home, it wasn't clear to me that we could make it to the airport in time if we followed the normal disembarkation process. So I had quickly concluded that we would have to do the self disembarkation which would get us off the ship first.

 

I usually book our return flights so that they leave in the afternoon of the day we get off the ship to allow for ample time and unforeseen delays. But the choices for United flights out of Sydney to Chicago using award tickets were slim. I think there were two flights to choose from--one that leaves at 11:30 am to go to LAX and one that leaves at 12:30 pm to go to SFO. The 12:30 pm flight would be a better choice but I could not get any economy saver award tickets on that flight where I could for the 11:30 am one.

 

6:09 am

Getting off the ship early was half the plan. The ground transportation to get to the airport was the other half. I had briefly considered taking the train as the train station (Circular Quay) is very near the cruise terminal. But earlier in the trip we used the train to get from the airport to the hotel and that was a mess because it was difficult to haul our luggage around Central Railway Station when we changed trains. So no train. Also I figured that car traffic would be light on a early Saturday morning. So the ground transportation plan was to use a taxicab or if necessary, Uber.

 

Part of the disembarkation was going to include a stop at security in the terminal to get our "Prohibited Item" back. It was a multi-outlet electrical extension cord that was confiscated before we got on the ship. I was concerned about how much time we would spend in trying to reclaim this $11 USD item. Knowing that the rest of the ship was getting off behind us, every minute of delay getting out of the cruise terminal could mean two minutes of delay arriving at the airport. I had considered leaving it behind for that reason.

 

 

I have not done a self walk off from a cruise ship ever. So I didn't know what to expect. Our instructions were to show up at 6:45 am on Deck 5 midship which is where we would physically get off the ship. My family and I showed up a few minutes early--and so did about 10% of the ship's passengers. Based on the length of the line, I estimate that there were 300 people (and their luggage) queued up for the self walk off. The line snaked all the way down to the Tuscan Grille and U-turned back up and ended at mid-ship.

 

We managed to get a place in line near the Tuscan Grille and while standing there, I reasoned that a lot of people must be in our situation--needing to catch an early flight out of Sydney (SYD). I didn't anticipate the crowd being this big and if that would have an impact on how fast we would get off the ship. From our place in line, you could not see the front of the line and hence get any idea on when they started letting our group off the ship. But once our line got moving, it progressed very quickly.

 

We got off the ship, using our SeaPass card for the last time. Inside the terminal, I stopped at the security table and presented my claim ticket to recover my precious "prohibited" item. I think I was the first one there. The security officer dumped out a bag of all the prohibited items onto a table and started looking for mine There were some very odd confiscated items on the table and I really now regret that out of the hundreds of photos I took that I didn't take one of that. The security officer found it and after I signed for it, my prohibited item and I were reunited at last. I imagine that there is not a lot of tipping that goes on at this table.

 

7:07 am

 

We then proceeded to the Overseas Passenger Terminal exit. There were signs that clearly told you where to go to get a taxi. As it turned out, you have to take an elevator to go up in order to get to the taxi area. Once out of the elevator, it's an easy stroll to the taxi line. However I don't know if the elevator becomes a bottleneck when the full crowd gets off Solstice. By the time we got to the taxi stand, there was very little line. I looked at my watch, it was 7:07 am, we were doing well on time so far.

 

An attendant was very efficient at directing the people flow--telling us which numbered position to stand under to wait for our taxi (there were a total of 13 numbered spots). We told him that we needed a min-van taxi to haul all of us along with our luggage. That meant we had to wait a couple of minutes as the flow of empty taxis waiting to pick up passengers drove by until we saw a mini-van. At 7:09 am, a mini-van taxi appeared and was directed toward our spot. We loaded it up to the brim with people and luggage. By 7:13 am, our loaded taxi was driving away from the cruise terminal curb and we were well ahead of schedule.

 

7:11 am Our taxi arrives and we have begun loading the rear compartment with our luggage.

Edited March 17, 2018 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

7:14 am Goodbye Solstice, see you in two years back in Sydney!

 

Day 13, Sun Jan 15: Sydney (Disembarkation) Continued

"The Long Journey Home"

I got one last glimpse at Solstice (above photo) as our taxi sped off to the airport.

 

7:35 am Arriving SYD

 

There wasn't much traffic on the road The ride to the airport was pretty fast. We left the cruise terminal at 7:13 am and arrived at our unloading spot at the airport terminal at 7:37 am. So, the drive took 24 min. The fare was $79.27 AUD including all taxes and fees.

 

7:59 am Waiting for the United ticket counters to open at SYD.

 

We got to the United ticket counter but none of the counters were open yet. I would say by about 8:00 am the first counter opened. We were near the front of the general line, but that line was not that long.

 

8:35 am Made it into secure area of SYD

 

By 8:35 am we made it past security and were in the very large duty free shop section of the airport. The shops in the duty free area are much nicer and numerous than what we are used to in the United States, so we spent some time looking around--trying to find an opportunity to spend the last of my Australian currency.

 

8:52 am SYD

 

We also were looking around for food as we really didn't each much of a breakfast on the ship and it was now lunch time. In looking around for a restaurant, we ran into Kim's (travelling8) son and girlfriend. They (and Kim and husband Jim) would be on the same flight to Los Angeles as us. From there they would be flying on home to Montreal while we would be on our way to Chicago. We were all going to have a long travel day.

 

Unlike our flights getting to Sydney a couple weeks earlier, there would be no excitement nor nearly missed connections on the way home. The only problem I saw was a leak from the ventilation system that was dripping water onto a couple of passengers seated in the cabin a few rows ahead of us. It was Kim's son and girlfriend. They were given some tissue paper that they tore into pieces and jammed them into the holes that were causing the leak. It didn't look pretty, but it worked just fine.

 

9:14 am LAX

 

There's not much to say about our time in LAX. It was uneventful. We had no problems getting thru Customs and Immigration. We had 4.5 hours between flights and we spent most of the time at the United Club Lounge which was pretty busy on this Sunday morning.

 

We got to our home in the outskirts of Chicago at 6:02 pm. Our dog, Cookie, was so happy to see us. Our entire family missed her during the cruise. After rolling our luggage through the garage and into the house, I collapsed on the living room sofa. I was thinking about a hot shower, change of clothes, some food, and alcohol!

Edited March 18, 2018 by mahdnc

[Muffinz]

I just wanted to say thank you for your very detailed and extensive review of your cruise (and for the clips on youtube)

it has been very valuable for us to get information / advice for our cruise that leaves 30 March.

We're flying into Sydney (from Auckland NZ) the day before the cruise and we're having another 4 days in Sydney after the cruise.

just out of interest how much was the taxi to the airport from the cruise terminal?

[mahdnc]

8:20 am Sunday Jan 15, View from the United Club lounge at LAX Terminal 7

Muffinz,

 

You are very welcome. I had the CC-ers on your sailing in mind when I wrote this review. And I am thankful for the reviews that Suzi66 provided because it really made this a more complete review. I think between the two of us, we have this sailing covered from air, land, and sea!

 

The taxi fare from the cruise terminal to the airport terminal was $79.27 AUD and it was for a mini-van taxi which I believe is extra. On embarkation day, the fare from the Westin Sydney to the cruise terminal was $18.59 AUD and that was for a regular taxi--we had to use two taxi cars to get to the pier!

Here's another GoPro video that I don't think I've posted: 32 sec video of a darting Ray on Cairns Day 1

You are going to have a fantastic cruise and an awesome vacation.

Edited March 19, 2018 by mahdnc