Semi Live Ovation 16th Nov b2b Our Trip to a Land Down Under

[kernow]

3 hours ago, M-H-B said:

Do you have many more days to fill up? If you do, a day trip out to Katoomba/Blue Mountains would be nice

We are here until Wednesday, we did look into Blue Mountains but thought it was quite a long train journey. 

 

Currently at Westfield Parramatta, much more my sort of shopping mall😀. Thanks to those who suggested it.

[kernow]

Last night we walked down to Darling Harbour to watch the fireworks, they were lovely. Thousands of people there of all ages, very well behaved and organised. These are happening every Saturday night in Dec in the run up to Christmas.

[cruiselover04]

Just found this thread. I have some catching up to do. 🙂 We’re on the Ovation in March so very interested to read your live. Thank you. 
 

Jenni

[cruiselover04]

On 11/10/2022 at 5:32 PM, crzndeb said:

Thanks for doing the report. I love the Ovation. I will be boarding on March 27 for a B5B. It will be my first time to NZ, so anxious to hear your report from there.

We’re also doing the B5B. See you on board. 
 

Jenni

[resordanis]

Hi Julie and Mark. The Picton Wine Tour was amazing. Jenny and Mark took some photos and we did think of you both! Enjoy the rest of your holiday and travel home safely!

[kernow]

16 minutes ago, resordanis said:

Hi Julie and Mark. The Picton Wine Tour was amazing. Jenny and Mark took some photos and we did think of you both! Enjoy the rest of your holiday and travel home safely!

We thought of you too, glad you enjoyed it and sorry we missed it.

 

Hope your trip is going well.

[kernow]

So today should have been our last full day on Ovation, instead it is our last full day in Sydney. Tomorrow we fly to Singapore for 3 nights and then back to the cold in England.

 

Even though the last 11 days have been different from what we planned we've really enjoyed Sydney and will definitely be back to experience more of Australia and hopefully next time New Zealand too. We have decided that we'll wait until testing for cruises has been dropped here like it has in Europe and the US before we book again though. 

 

Below are some pics from the last few days, including our first Christmas Dinner of the year, and some pics from our visit to the Art Gallery of NSW. 

[kernow]

I think this one could almost be on a cruise ship.

[Coralc]

3 minutes ago, kernow said:

I think this one could almost be on a cruise ship.

 

 

 

You look lovely! I'm so glad you were able to make the best of it. Thanks for sharing with us. And enjoy your time in Singapore! We'd love to see photos. We have never been there. 

[BecAus]

So glad you’ve made the best of a bad situation and still managed to have a great time

Thanks for sharing about your trip and sharing all your lovely photos

You’ll love Singapore (I’ve been lots of times as it’s a short flight from Perth)

Gardens by the Bay is not to be missed!

A river cruise is lovely too!

 

So…we get off Ovation tomorrow 

Hubby tested positive last night

He didn’t really have any symptoms - he slept a lot yesterday & was a bit achy but that’s it. No cough, runny nose or any other symptoms. We tested to be safe/sure not expecting it to be +

(Him sleeping a lot is not unusual - we work really long hours at home, 7 days a week so recuperation / sleep a lot on holidays is usual)

Rang Medical this AM & he went down

It was a waste of time really - they don’t do any testing, won’t write any sort of medical certificate stating C19 positive so not sure what the point was

I’m not saying we would have let him walk around positive, we absolutely wouldn’t do that, but we may as well have self managed / isolated ourselves 

All they did is offer free internet/room service but we get that in a suite anyway

 

We did several ship tours & there were people who were obviously sick with a cough / runny nose.

There was more than a couple near us on the last tour in Wellington

Coughing in CK & theatre as well.

 

I tested negative. I’m immunocompromised & have been wearing a mask most of the time

He did not wear a mask except when told to on tour shuttles etc

I’ve been told to disembark as regular with other guests 

Hubby will be collected later & escorted off - a guy just knocked on the door with (brown) tags for him - said they wanted to collect the bag in 1/2 hr - I told him you can’t do that with so little notice 

Hubby will walk his bag off

You would really think they would have the process for this a bit more organised by now!

 

So..then we have a problem/dilemma tomorrow 

We are boarding the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Perth

I checked their website & it said please call ASAP if unwell

I rang this morning & was pretty stunned at the response 

There are no restrictions - they don’t care if you have C19 

If we don’t board we lose the full amount (10K) - I said I can’t believe you are telling C19+ passengers to board and she said yes, Aus / NSW has no current restrictions so you board or lose it - no credit note offered or any other option.

 

I actually have 2 travel insurance policies (incl. C19 cover) but neither will be any good

Their PDS states that you must contact your travel provider ASAP to minimise the loss - given they are happy for us to board we wouldn’t be covered if we choose not to

 

So…I guess we’re boarding 

He’s not really unwell at all

He’ll wear a mask even though it’s not required & we’ll stay in our cabin as much as possible - what else are we supposed to do, I’m not throwing 10k down the drain

Anyway..that’s how our trip ended up 

It was mostly ok for the first 9 - 10 days with minimal complaints - I guess that’s what travel is like ATM

We’d managed to avoid C19 till now and we’ve been away several times but them’s the breaks I guess

 

Safe travels back home x

 

 

[aussielozzie18]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

I think this one could almost be on a cruise ship.

I am so pleased you saw the newly renovated Art Gallery NSW in Sydney.  You have been blessed with wonderful weather.  Glad you turned a negative into a positive and enjoyed your time here.

Enjoy Singapore & safe trip home

[sgmn]

Safe journey onto Singapore. I lived there for several years as a child and we were meant to visit in March 2020 but that never happened.

Weather is getting pretty cold now in Blighty so enjoy the warm weather whilst you can.

I'm glad you've had a great time in the end and made the best of the situation 

[sgmn]

8 minutes ago, BecAus said:

So glad you’ve made the best of a bad situation and still managed to have a great time

Thanks for sharing about your trip and sharing all your lovely photos

You’ll love Singapore (I’ve been lots of times as it’s a short flight from Perth)

Gardens by the Bay is not to be missed!

A river cruise is lovely too!

 

So…we get off Ovation tomorrow 

Hubby tested positive last night

He didn’t really have any symptoms - he slept a lot yesterday & was a bit achy but that’s it. No cough, runny nose or any other symptoms. We tested to be safe/sure not expecting it to be +

(Him sleeping a lot is not unusual - we work really long hours at home, 7 days a week so recuperation / sleep a lot on holidays is usual)

Rang Medical this AM & he went down

It was a waste of time really - they don’t do any testing, won’t write any sort of medical certificate stating C19 positive so not sure what the point was

I’m not saying we would have let him walk around positive, we absolutely wouldn’t do that, but we may as well have self managed / isolated ourselves 

All they did is offer free internet/room service but we get that in a suite anyway

 

We did several ship tours & there were people who were obviously sick with a cough / runny nose.

There was more than a couple near us on the last tour in Wellington

Coughing in CK & theatre as well.

 

I tested negative. I’m immunocompromised & have been wearing a mask most of the time

He did not wear a mask except when told to on tour shuttles etc

I’ve been told to disembark as regular with other guests 

Hubby will be collected later & escorted off - a guy just knocked on the door with (brown) tags for him - said they wanted to collect the bag in 1/2 hr - I told him you can’t do that with so little notice 

Hubby will walk his bag off

You would really think they would have the process for this a bit more organised by now!

 

So..then we have a problem/dilemma tomorrow 

We are boarding the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Perth

I checked their website & it said please call ASAP if unwell

I rang this morning & was pretty stunned at the response 

There are no restrictions - they don’t care if you have C19 

If we don’t board we lose the full amount (10K) - I said I can’t believe you are telling C19+ passengers to board and she said yes, Aus / NSW has no current restrictions so you board or lose it - no credit note offered or any other option.

 

I actually have 2 travel insurance policies (incl. C19 cover) but neither will be any good

Their PDS states that you must contact your travel provider ASAP to minimise the loss - given they are happy for us to board we wouldn’t be covered if we choose not to

 

So…I guess we’re boarding 

He’s not really unwell at all

He’ll wear a mask even though it’s not required & we’ll stay in our cabin as much as possible - what else are we supposed to do, I’m not throwing 10k down the drain

Anyway..that’s how our trip ended up 

It was mostly ok for the first 9 - 10 days with minimal complaints - I guess that’s what travel is like ATM

We’d managed to avoid C19 till now and we’ve been away several times but them’s the breaks I guess

 

Safe travels back home x

 

 

Sorry BecAus , covid does seem to be an occupational hazard of cruising now. Glad that his symptoms are mild and that it didn't happen earlier in the cruise.

Safe travels home. The train sounds amazing 

Edited December 6, 2022 by sgmn

[kernow]

2 hours ago, BecAus said:

So glad you’ve made the best of a bad situation and still managed to have a great time

Thanks for sharing about your trip and sharing all your lovely photos

You’ll love Singapore (I’ve been lots of times as it’s a short flight from Perth)

Gardens by the Bay is not to be missed!

A river cruise is lovely too!

 

So…we get off Ovation tomorrow 

Hubby tested positive last night

He didn’t really have any symptoms - he slept a lot yesterday & was a bit achy but that’s it. No cough, runny nose or any other symptoms. We tested to be safe/sure not expecting it to be +

(Him sleeping a lot is not unusual - we work really long hours at home, 7 days a week so recuperation / sleep a lot on holidays is usual)

Rang Medical this AM & he went down

It was a waste of time really - they don’t do any testing, won’t write any sort of medical certificate stating C19 positive so not sure what the point was

I’m not saying we would have let him walk around positive, we absolutely wouldn’t do that, but we may as well have self managed / isolated ourselves 

All they did is offer free internet/room service but we get that in a suite anyway

 

We did several ship tours & there were people who were obviously sick with a cough / runny nose.

There was more than a couple near us on the last tour in Wellington

Coughing in CK & theatre as well.

 

I tested negative. I’m immunocompromised & have been wearing a mask most of the time

He did not wear a mask except when told to on tour shuttles etc

I’ve been told to disembark as regular with other guests 

Hubby will be collected later & escorted off - a guy just knocked on the door with (brown) tags for him - said they wanted to collect the bag in 1/2 hr - I told him you can’t do that with so little notice 

Hubby will walk his bag off

You would really think they would have the process for this a bit more organised by now!

 

So..then we have a problem/dilemma tomorrow 

We are boarding the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Perth

I checked their website & it said please call ASAP if unwell

I rang this morning & was pretty stunned at the response 

There are no restrictions - they don’t care if you have C19 

If we don’t board we lose the full amount (10K) - I said I can’t believe you are telling C19+ passengers to board and she said yes, Aus / NSW has no current restrictions so you board or lose it - no credit note offered or any other option.

 

I actually have 2 travel insurance policies (incl. C19 cover) but neither will be any good

Their PDS states that you must contact your travel provider ASAP to minimise the loss - given they are happy for us to board we wouldn’t be covered if we choose not to

 

So…I guess we’re boarding 

He’s not really unwell at all

He’ll wear a mask even though it’s not required & we’ll stay in our cabin as much as possible - what else are we supposed to do, I’m not throwing 10k down the drain

Anyway..that’s how our trip ended up 

It was mostly ok for the first 9 - 10 days with minimal complaints - I guess that’s what travel is like ATM

We’d managed to avoid C19 till now and we’ve been away several times but them’s the breaks I guess

 

Safe travels back home x

 

 

Sorry to hear about your hubby. It sounds similar to me last week, I think the ship hopes to avoid as many positive cases as possible (I've just seen it is level 2 the same as our cruise was). We both stayed in the cabin and were walked off together, also took our own luggage. Not sure that is what was supposed to happen but like you it was a bit disorganised.

Your train trip sounds amazing, hope you are borh able to enjoy it.

 

We're looking forward to Singapore, we were last there over 20 years ago so think we'll see some changes. We were also meant to go in Feb 2020 for a cruise on Quantum but that was the first cruise that RCL cancelled.

 

 

[kernow]

Hello from Singapore. 

We arrived late last night and have spent the day walking around getting our bearings. We've swapped blue skies and sunshine for cloudy and hot steamy weather. For anyone like me whose hair goes into a frizz at the slightest bit of moisture Sydney was happy hair city and Singapore is horrible hair city😁.

 

While much of the city has not changed much since we were last here the whole Marina Bay area is quite different with reclaimed land where once there was just water.

[kernow]

Everything behind us in this picture did not exist last time we were here, it was all just sea.

 

Tonight we're going down to the Gardens by the Bay to see the light show.

[kernow]

Some pics from the light shows last night, first of all we went to the Gardens by the Bay and then walked over to Spectra at Sands resort.

 

We walked over 30,000 steps yesterday so just having a lazy day by the pool now, weather is still cloudy and a bit damp but it's so warm it doesn't really matter.

[kernow]

Final update. We landed back at Heathrow yesterday morning. As we left the plane they announced it was minus 4 and to be careful leaving the plane as the jetty connecting to the walkway had ice on it. They had put blankets down on the floor but it could still be slippy. Welcome back to England❄️😁.

 

Overall we had a great time on the trip even though things didn't go as planned. We feel like we made the best of it given the circumstances. I've added Sydney to my list of favourite cities, loved it there.

 

The cruise bit of the holiday seems like a long time ago now, we loved the destination but even without me catching covid I don't think it was one of our best Royal cruises, there just seemed to be a lot lacking on the ship.  Probably down to the whole covid situation, hopefully our next one will be back to normal.

 

As for Australia, we'll be back, loved the people and the place. Not sure when exactly but on our list is a Trans-pacific or the round Australia cruise or even a South Pacific cruise on one of the small luxury ships (but we might have to win the lottery for that one😆).

 

Thanks to everyone for following and for sticking with it even though it hasn't been so much about cruising. I've enjoyed having you along and greatful for your tips on Sydney.

 

Until the next time, Happy Cruising🛳🌞🥂.

[sgmn]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

Final update. We landed back at Heathrow yesterday morning. As we left the plane they announced it was minus 4 and to be careful leaving the plane as the jetty connecting to the walkway had ice on it. They had put blankets down on the floor but it could still be slippy. Welcome back to England❄️😁.

 

Overall we had a great time on the trip even though things didn't go as planned. We feel like we made the best of it given the circumstances. I've added Sydney to my list of favourite cities, loved it there.

 

The cruise bit of the holiday seems like a long time ago now, we loved the destination but even without me catching covid I don't think it was one of our best Royal cruises, there just seemed to be a lot lacking on the ship.  Probably down to the whole covid situation, hopefully our next one will be back to normal.

 

As for Australia, we'll be back, loved the people and the place. Not sure when exactly but on our list is a Trans-pacific or the round Australia cruise or even a South Pacific cruise on one of the small luxury ships (but we might have to win the lottery for that one😆).

 

Thanks to everyone for following and for sticking with it even though it hasn't been so much about cruising. I've enjoyed having you along and greatful for your tips on Sydney.

 

Until the next time, Happy Cruising🛳🌞🥂.

Welcome home and be careful driving home. The snow and ice is pretty widespread.

Glad you had a good time even with covid.  Thanks for your great blog

[FionaMG]

Thanks for sharing. It was great to see how you turned a covid lemon into a huge pitcher of lemonade. 😊

[dani negreanu]

11 hours ago, sgmn said:

Welcome home and be careful driving home. The snow and ice is pretty widespread.

Glad you had a good time even with covid.  Thanks for your great blog

 

11 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Thanks for sharing. It was great to see how you turned a covid lemon into a huge pitcher of lemonade. 😊

 

 + 3 👍 🙏