LIVE: Dec 23 2019, Solstice, 12 Night Holiday New Zealand Cruise

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, Boatharbour said:

I’m sure you have already have plans for Newcastle, but I can highly recommend a day trip to Port Stephens to others planning this trip - twice the size of Sydney Harbour, dolphin cruises, the largest sand dunes in the southern hemisphere, sand boarding, camel rides and spectacular beaches. 
 

 

 

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I found the town of Newcastle itself is very underwhelming (from a tourism standpoint) as we were there on Jan 2018 during our Great Barrier Reef cruise. 
 

I agree with your suggestion and we are going to Port Stephens to ride quad bikes in the nearby sand dunes. 

 

 

[Boatharbour]

32 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I found the town of Newcastle itself is very underwhelming (from a tourism standpoint) as we were there on Jan 2018 during our Great Barrier Reef cruise. 
 

I agree with your suggestion and we are going to Port Stephens to ride quad bikes in the nearby sand dunes. 

 

 

I understand perfectly which is why I made the polite suggestion!
 

The Hunter Valley excursion might appeal to others,  but with expected temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius there this weekend, Port Stephens is a better choice.

 

Thank you for your reviews, which I’ve enjoyed reading. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2020 by Boatharbour

[mfabz]

On 12/30/2019 at 9:21 PM, mahdnc said:

Melissa Martinez, our charming Captain's Club Hostess, in her natural habitat!  According to Melissa, there are 254 Elite and Elite Plus on this sailing. No Zeniths. 

 

 

On 12/30/2019 at 9:21 PM, mahdnc said:

Melissa Martinez, our charming Captain's Club Hostess, in her natural habitat!  According to Melissa, there are 254 Elite and Elite Plus on this sailing. No Zeniths. 

 

Mahdnc -- We were lucky enough to have Melissa as the Captain's Club hostess for our South America cruise last January. She was wonderful.   Do you know how long she will be on the Solstice as we will be on board for the February 17 sailing?

 

Thanks

[mahdnc]

My son and I played blackjack last night and I also played this evening. 

 

The casino was pretty crowded last night, but that was because it was New Year's Eve. It was not very crowded tonight. 

 

Surprisingly (to me at least) there was a $5 blackjack table. Last year during our Reflection cruise, we didn't see any $5 table during any of the 14 nights of our sailing. 

 

There were also a $50 and $15 table as well as a single deck $10 table (no double down after splits allowed for single deck play). It seemed like the dreaded 6:5 payout for a natural blackjack has become the norm although I haven't confirmed that for the $15 and $50 table. 

 

We had a good group of players at tonight's $5 table although the gentlemen playing next to the third base seat was making some wild decisions that left us gasping (although I think they worked out for him more often than not, so whom am I to say?). 
 

 

The dealers are all very competent, warm and friendly including our dealer tonight, Kiara, who is from Italy. Sylvia is the casino host whom we met during last year’s Reflection cruise. 
 

I don't know when this changed, but during our sailing drinks in the casino are free if you are playing.

 

Edited January 1, 2020 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

42 minutes ago, mfabz said:

 

Mahdnc -- We were lucky enough to have Melissa as the Captain's Club hostess for our South America cruise last January. She was wonderful.   Do you know how long she will be on the Solstice as we will be on board for the February 17 sailing?

 

Thanks

 

I don't know, but I can ask her tomorrow. 

[magpies66]

5 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I found the town of Newcastle itself is very underwhelming (from a tourism standpoint) as we were there on Jan 2018 during our Great Barrier Reef cruise. 
 

I agree with your suggestion and we are going to Port Stephens to ride quad bikes in the nearby sand dunes. 

 

 

We are going on the GBR cruise leaving 14 Jan. I  am really enjoying your review and was wondering if you wrote one during your GBR Cruise  in 2018. If you did, would It be possible to post a link that I could follow to read it please?

[mahdnc]

10 minutes ago, magpies66 said:

We are going on the GBR cruise leaving 14 Jan. I  am really enjoying your review and was wondering if you wrote one during your GBR Cruise  in 2018. If you did, would It be possible to post a link that I could follow to read it please?

 Here is the link to the photo review that I did on our GBR cruise:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2507242-photo-review-solstice-12-night-great-barrier-reef-jan-2-2018/

 

It's a very nice cruise. 

Edited January 1, 2020 by mahdnc

[magpies66]

20 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 Here is the link to the photo review that I did on our GBR cruise:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2507242-photo-review-solstice-12-night-great-barrier-reef-jan-2-2018/

 

It's a very nice cruise. 

Thank you very much. I will read it now. 

[Pantheral]

9 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Seas are a little rough today. I have a touch of sickness. 

 

First of all, thanks for the great review. We sailed a similar itinerary in February 2019 and it is great to see all of the wonderful places again, especially Milford Sound.

 

Sorry the weather is less than optimal in the Tasman, but you will be happy to know it is significantly better that we experienced. We had to skirt around a typhoon in the North which not only put us in colder waters to the South, we also had 50 mph winds and 15 foot swells! 😮 Luckily we are not very prone to seasickness and I find the rocking helps me sleep better...

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and safe travels!

[mahdnc]

Good morning from the Tasman Sea. The seas are calmer today. 

 

Edited January 1, 2020 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

We got up early so we could have breakfast in the MDR for the first time this sailing. It was made easier because we gained another hour last night. 

 

On the way there, we meet the Captain in the elevator. 

 

[mahdnc]

Just to clarify, because I posted in a hurry, that was the Staff Captain Georgios Tsilochas.

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

@Suzie66,

 

Another Beyond The Podium presenting involving forensic science this morning. It was preceded by the Navigation presentation given by a bridge officer. That was preceded by a discussion on sharks by Sue Hazlett

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

We had a turnout of about 16 people for the Cruise Critic Luncheon held at noon today at the MDR Deck 4, port side. Thanks to our Event Coordinator, Ranee Tin, for setting this up. 
 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

This was followed 3 hours later by Elegant Tea accompanied by a string duet at the MDR, Deck 3.  I counted about 70 attendees. There were two people who were turned away by the Captain's Club Host, Melissa, because they were wearing shorts. 
 

[mahdnc]

We are in the casino. There was a small roar in the casino and I turned around to see a woman take down a table full of men in Texas Hold 'Em. They all hugged her as they congratulated her. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[Suzi66]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

@Suzie66,

 

Another Beyond The Podium presenting involving forensic science this morning. It was preceded by the Navigation presentation given by a bridge officer. That was preceded by a discussion on sharks by Sue Hazlett

 

 

Excellent.  On at a good time as well.

 

[mahdnc]

Our first day where we could enjoy our balcony for an extended period of time! Outside temperature is mild, no wind to speak of, and gentle seas. A little sunshine would have made things perfect.  

 

Time to get ready for Happy Hour and our last Evening Chic night. 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[Suzi66]

43 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

This was followed 3 hours later by Elegant Tea accompanied by a string duet at the MDR, Deck 3.  I counted about 70 attendees. There were two people who were turned away by the Captain's Club Host, Melissa, because they were wearing shorts. 
 

We did ours last time in Blu.  There were a couple turned away then as well.  Made my husband feel better about the fact that he had put on pants as he normally wears shorts 24/7 except for when we are cruising.  Long trousers go on for dinner, then he is up in the room and swapping back into shorts for the rest of the evening.

[mahdnc]

18 hours ago, mfabz said:

 

Mahdnc -- We were lucky enough to have Melissa as the Captain's Club hostess for our South America cruise last January. She was wonderful.   Do you know how long she will be on the Solstice as we will be on board for the February 17 sailing?

 

Thanks

Melissa told me that she goes on vacation on Jan 25. She will head home to Guatemala for 4 months. 

[peter1956]

22 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 Here is the link to the photo review that I did on our GBR cruise:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2507242-photo-review-solstice-12-night-great-barrier-reef-jan-2-2018/

 

It's a very nice cruise. 

Just finished reading this excellent review. What camera did you use to take photos of the Sydney fireworks and the animals at the zoo?

[mahdnc]

7 hours ago, peter1956 said:

Just finished reading this excellent review. What camera did you use to take photos of the Sydney fireworks and the animals at the zoo?

 

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. 

 

I used a Nikon D5500 DSLR camera for most of the zoo and some of the fireworks photos (all handheld). Believe it or not, many of the fireworks photos were taken with a handheld iPhone X. 

[mahdnc]

We are in the process of docking at Newcastle right now. It's our last port of call. 

 

Surprisingly, we have fog and rain. I hope this means that Australia is getting some badly needed help from Mother Nature in fighting the bush fires. 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mahdnc

[mfabz]

14 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Melissa told me that she goes on vacation on Jan 25. She will head home to Guatemala for 4 months. 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with Melissa.  We were hoping she would be on board in February.

[Jim_Iain]

Continuing to enjoy your review.   Helps survive until our next cruise.