Live on Edge Down Under - Mar 24 & Apr 5 - NZ and S Australia 🛳️🇦🇺🦘🇳🇿🥝🛳️

[81Zoomie]

We returned to the ship about 7pm.  By the time we got to dinner it was nearly 8.  Dinner was good, nothing extraordinary.  Here is a quick download of the food 🥗🍖🍗
 

 

 

Amuse bouche was a fish ball with squid ink and tomatoes.  It tasted a bit like a crab cake. DH had the fennel soup and the pasta, blueberry mouse for dessert.  I had the asparagus, chicken and salted caramel with chocolate.  We both had a glass of Elegance  Cabernet.

 

DH is fast asleep 😴 💤💤💤.  The sun, wind, and water 💧, and salt air certainly do tire you out! We have a morning excursion in Auckland tomorrow, so I should close my eyes as well.  We really enjoyed our first day in NZ 😁👍😎.

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

We walked around the pier before about 7:20 am to see the ship and take some pictures from the pier.  When we asked someone in a yellow vest what time baggage drop opens he said you can drop it now.  We dropped our bags a little after 9.  I will caveat this because I think Edge may have docked a little earlier than expected.

 

Thanks --- We don't have to be out of our AirBnB until 10 so should be OK.  We did a B2B in Sydney in December and all B2B's had to be off ship by 9:15.    I thought I remembered that Luggage delivery --- just like your picture had a number of porters just hanging out. 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

 

 

looks interesting - never had that one.

Edited March 27 by Jim_Iain

[81Zoomie]

Day 5 - Auckland.  Good day from the harbor in Auckland.  We are tied up at the pier and now side by side with a Hilton hotel.  Those harbor view rooms now have a stunning view of our floating condo 🏙️.  We were awakened by an announcement at 6:30, not sure what it was.  The ship was cleared about 8 am.

 

With our late dinner I wasn’t too hungry.  DH wanted an omelet and headed up to the Oceanview.  I had a lite bite at the spa cafe.  The view at breakfast was quite entertaining!  This must be new crew survival training.

 

 

This is quite civilized survival training accompanied by spa music in a warm pool.  The water temps in Bay of Islands yesterday was 68 deg.  
 

We will disembark shortly for our small group tour of the Auckland city highlights.  It’s Thursday on this side of the date line.  We understand the Easter holiday is Friday through Monday here.  Not certain what will and will not be open for the long weekend beginning tomorrow.

[81Zoomie]

We are very fortunate to be enjoying a safe sea journey.  Our hearts go out to the friends and families impacted by the 2 recent maritime mishaps.

 

- Two crew members perished in an engineering accident on HAL’s Nieuw Amsterdam.  How tragic.

 

- The ship collision and collapse of the Key Bridge in Maryland was catastrophic mishap.  It has closed the port of Baltimore and will impact trade and transportation for some time.  Several people are unaccounted for.

 

We are thankful for the safety precautions in place to keep us safe when at sea.  It is a reminder to live in the moment because life can change in an instant. 🙏🏻❤️❤️‍🩹⛑️

[kiwichick62]

Welcome to Auckland!  Turned the sun on for your arrival. ☀️ but watch out for showers later this afternoon.  🌦️

Expect most shops (stores) to be closed Good Friday and Easter Monday.  As mentioned it is a four day holiday so there will be locals out and about enjoying the good weather.

[screwsmcernst]

15 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

I spoke to the shoreside concierge before sailing.  When we got to Luminae  my name was tagged.  I preorder dinner either early in the day or the night before.  We have the same waiter each night.  He checks with the chef if there is a question.  So far so good for me.

 

Funny you should mention celiacs.  Our daughter is gluten free as well.  We noticed the Luminae menu does not annotate gluten free.  The Oceanview Cafe marks almost all their offerings with contents.

 

 

 

We sail X because they take such good care with food allergies.  This will be our first time in Luminae, and I did notice their menu did not have allergen symbols.  

 

I filled out the suite questionnaire, and put down my celiac disease.  I also think our TA puts it in whenever we book a cruise.  I will also mention it when we board the ship.  Hopefully I will be safe.  

[cruzzzinma]

38 minutes ago, screwsmcernst said:

I filled out the suite questionnaire, and put down my celiac disease.  I also think our TA puts it in whenever we book a cruise.  I will also mention it when we board the ship.  Hopefully I will be safe.  

My husband had serious dairy allergies. Talk to the Maitre’D and the hostess when you go to Luminae. Explain and ask for someone who is really good at allergies and talk to them about what you can and cannot do. For example, my husband could eat butter and cooked milk but no uncooked milk, ice cream or cheese. I always had to explain eggs were not dairy even though they are with the dairy in the grocery store.

 

if you find someone who is good for you, please write what used to be the “attention to detail.” Ask a retreat concierge to show you how to do it. It is easy but not intuitive to get to.

Edited March 28 by cruzzzinma

[81Zoomie]

7 hours ago, kiwichick62 said:

Welcome to Auckland!  Turned the sun on for your arrival. ☀️ but watch out for showers later this afternoon.  🌦️

Expect most shops (stores) to be closed Good Friday and Easter Monday.  As mentioned it is a four day holiday so there will be locals out and about enjoying the good weather.

@Kiwichick62, we have been so fortunate with the beautiful weather!  Thanks so much for the warm sunny ☀️ and breezy day 😎

 

[81Zoomie]

We had a marvelous 4 hour tour of Auckland.  It was very informative and scenic.  We learned:

 

Auckland is made up of 52 volcanoes, with one remaining active.  We visited several of the extinct volcanoes which provided grand spots for viewing.  The highest spot in Auckland has an impressive caldera and is Mt Eden.

 

 

The only active volcano was referred to as “Sleeping Beauty”.  It is only 2 km from Auckland.

 

 

We visited St Mary’s, the largest Catholic Church in Auckland ✝️.  It was a fascinating mix of old and new.  It was enlarged at some point and the old stone gothic type architecture was blended with a modern linear wooden sanctuary.  Oddly enough, the mix and match worked well.

 

 

 

Auckland has its own bridge with a unique history 🌉.  The bridge was built in 1959.  Over the next decade traffic increased dramatically.  The government searched for a way to expand the bridge, but did not have the technical expertise.  Japan stepped up and offered to help.  They designed and “pinned” space for 2 additional lanes on each side of the existing structure.  No money was exchanged for this grand effort.  Instead, Japan asked they be allowed to export cars to New Zealand without any import tax.  This tax free import deal is still in place today!

 

 

We worked up a bit of an appetite during our tour.  At the conclusion we walked the waterfront stopped for a late lunch.  DH had fish and chips and I had fish tacos. 🌮 🐟🍟.  And, we decided to taste some NZ beverages 🍷🍺

 

 

We wandered a bit and picked up a few items at the stores.  I was delighted to find some Kombucha, as there is none on the ship.  Other than a brief shower and a bit of wind, we had another great day in NZ 🥝🥝🥝.

[81Zoomie]

We returned to the ship and freshened up a bit.  🚿🧼.  It was still a bit breezy.  We walked by the Sunset Bar and the pool bars, but it was cool and very windy.  To our surprise, it was “Dinner on the Edge” night.  I wonder how that went with the wind and chill.  Still in search of a bar 👀 and being up top we went to the Retreat.  The door opened to a full house, it was packed.  A couple was exiting and the gentleman said, “ We can drink faster than they can serve.”  That was good feedback and we decided to head to Eden. There were seats at the bar!!!  We ordered drinks and enjoyed the venue. 🥃🍹.  DH ordered one of the specialty Eden drinks.  It was $24, $4 over the premium limit.  Just me, but I thought that was a bit pricey.

 

I wasn’t particularly hungry after our late lunch, but filet mignon popped up on the menu In Luminae.  To our surprise, Luminae was hopping at 8 pm.  DH ordered the tea soaked salmon, I had the bursts, and we both had filet mignon.  For dessert DH had ice cream and I had the almond cake with buttermilk icing.  Since it was filet, we sprung for a glass of Opulence Cab 🍷🍷(+$10 each).  We have not signed any slips in Luminae, the charge just appears.  This is probably a good thing.  There is only one wine steward, and he is crazy busy 🏃🏽‍♂️. Dinner was very good, the filet was quite large and very tender.

 

 

We walked through the casino after dinner.  It was closed, for the 2nd day in a row.  We must never leave NZ territorial waters.

 

The martini bar area was quite lively with music and people dancing.  DH did comment that the music selections were from the 60s. 🎶🎵🎤🎸

 

 

 

[81Zoomie]

Day 6 - Good morning from Tauranga!  It is noticeably cooler with a high of 63 deg expected. 

 

 

 

In a bit of a twist for us, DH and I are doing separate tours.  He is doing a full day tour that includes the Hobbit set.  That didn’t really appeal to me, so I am doing a several hour tour of the local area highlights.  
 

I had a quick breakfast in the Spa Cafe again.  It’s very convenient for a quick bite.  Fruit and avocado toast.

 

 

I did pass through the Oceanview to grab a danish.  One thing I noticed was there are no longer individual packets of hot chocolate.  The powder now comes in syrup containers.  I guess you have to estimate the amount you need.

 

 

I spotted chicken sausages for the first time today.  They are also 1/2 size.  For the gluten free folks, here are today’s pastries.

 

 

 

[Galaxy2004]

I love the extra bits of details you provide, particularly regarding the bridge. Very interesting!

[maggieq]

On 3/26/2024 at 11:09 AM, Norwaylady said:

Seems like your up to a good start❤️

 

We are not suffering in any ways on EQ⚓️😎

What I miss is the walking track on Edge💪🏻

Enjoy NZ❤️🤩 

@Norwaylady  we loved the track on the edge 

[81Zoomie]

Well, the weather held will we were ashore 😎.  DH loved crawling through the Hobbit holes.  I must admit, I didn’t read the books 📖.  I enjoyed my shorter tour of the local area.  NZ is so lush and green!

 

Once again, it took a bit of time to get off the ship.  One gangway was open with one lane.  They announced another was open as well,  it I never saw a second.

 

We also learned that Tauranga is the busiest port in NZ.  It is the only NZ port that can accommodate the 10,000 container Maersk ships.  Most container ships only carry 3000 containers.  Who knew???

 

We went to some scenic points, had a look at kiwis growing on their vines, saw a waterfall, tasted the local ice cream and muffins, and sampled green, yellow, and red kiwis, and kiwi juice 🥝🥝🥝.  I had never seen or tasted a yellow or red kiwi before.

 

We had a very calm sail away.  Since the food pictured here was ”lunch” DH convinced me that it might be a good night for an early dinner.  Skipped cocktails and headed upstairs to eat!

Edited March 29 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

We arrived just after Luminae opened at 5:30.  It was so quiet!  It was also amazing how quick the service was compared to later in the evening!

 

 

DH and I both had the taco and duck.  The taco was quite tasty.  I’m not a huge duck fan, but the combination of flavors and the cherries 🍒 came together quite well.

 

 

I had the cheese cake and he had the caramel ganache for dessert.

 

 

After dinner we went to the musical performance with Tom Ward.  He is an amazing classical guitarist.  We also enjoyed his matinee performance.  We popped into the casino for a little while.  Our last stop was “Finish the Song”.  It was fun to sing along and cheer on the contestants!

 

 

We had a busy day today.  We are currently sailing at a quick clip of 20 knots. The Captain has reported that we can expect rain and 35 kt winds in Napier tomorrow.  It is a short port call, only 5 hours.  When we received tomorrow’s Daily tonight it said they expect delays with the gangway and getting folks ashore.  There are added activities on board for those who would like to stay on the ship.

 

We have a private wine tasting tour booked tomorrow.  After the difficulties leaving the ship the last 2 days we are a little nervous.  I anticipate we will be lining up well before we are alongside the dock at 10 am.

[barneyboy]

1 hour ago, 81Zoomie said:

We arrived just after Luminae opened at 5:30.  It was so quiet!  It was also amazing how quick the service was compared to later in the evening!

 

 

DH and I both had the taco and duck.  The taco was quite tasty.  I’m not a huge duck fan, but the combination of flavors and the cherries 🍒 came together quite well.

 

 

I had the cheese cake and he had the caramel ganache for dessert.

 

 

After dinner we went to the musical performance with Tom Ward.  He is an amazing classical guitarist.  We also enjoyed his matinee performance.  We popped into the casino for a little while.  Our last stop was “Finish the Song”.  It was fun to sing along and cheer on the contestants!

 

 

We had a busy day today.  We are currently sailing at a quick clip of 20 knots. The Captain has reported that we can expect rain and 35 kt winds in Napier tomorrow.  It is a short port call, only 5 hours.  When we received tomorrow’s Daily tonight it said they expect delays with the gangway and getting folks ashore.  There are added activities on board for those who would like to stay on the ship.

 

We have a private wine tasting tour booked tomorrow.  After the difficulties leaving the ship the last 2 days we are a little nervous.  I anticipate we will be lining up well before we are alongside the dock at 10 am.

Last week we had long delays when disembarking and almost missed our wine tour in Picton. However I notice that you are in the Retreat so you shouldn’t have to queue and will be escorted off by your butler. That’s what happened last week with those on our tour who were in the Retreat. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Not sure how I missed this live review but luckily I stumbled upon it this morning and have delighted in reading about your adventures over my morning cup of coffee.  Looking forward to continuing with you on this journey.  We will be in a MC SS on Edge at the end of May!  Thank you for the wonderful commentary and pictures!

[hcat]

I am  very much enjoying the photos..so beautiful!   Do you have any from the Hobbit tour?  My husb would love that one..I would've gone with your choice!

 

Looks like you are eating well!  Enjoy!

[81Zoomie]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

I am  very much enjoying the photos..so beautiful!   Do you have any from the Hobbit tour?  My husb would love that one..I would've gone with your choice!

 

Looks like you are eating well!  Enjoy!

I didn’t go on the Hobbits tour, DH did.  I know he has pictures.  I will grab some from his phone to share.  He said it was very well done and he really enjoyed it.  Apparently, the Hobbit folks no longer accept ship tours because they tend to cancel at the last minute if not enough people sign up.  I know he booked direct with Zealander Tours.

[hcat]

thanks.. my husb is a big Tolkien fan!

I made it through the Hobbit & maybe a bit more,  but not my thing! Seems the movies are on cable TV quite often.

 

.  We met some really devoted fans on one of our cruises, who did immersive trips,   but I could never endure the long travel!

[81Zoomie]

Day 7 - Napier

 

@barneyboy, thanks for the hint on the butler.  We will give that a try!  Maybe that will reduce the stress since we only have 5 hours in port.

 

Well, it was a blustery night as the Captain predicted.  We didn’t get the best night’s sleep.  Our balcony door started “ rat a tat tatting, click, click, clicking” about 10 pm and continued throughout the night.  At one point DH got up and opened and closed the door.  No help.  Then the door to the water closet started swinging.  So, we are not as chipper us usual.  Our room has been very quiet to this point.  I noticed a shim between the wall and ceiling and it is apparently doing its job.

 

 

DH was still sleeping so I popped up to the Oceanview for breakfast.  For those of you that likes the lemon, apple cranberry, and raspberry flavored teas, they were all missing the first few days.  Occasionally you can find a lemon.  The Retreat has raspberry nectar.  Yesterday ginger lemon tea appeared in the Oceanview.  It was quiet up top for breakfast and I had a view!

 

 

With the wind I noticed we have a tug to assist if needed.

 

The weather looks iffy this morning, but we have been very lucky thus far.  Maybe the rainbow 🌈 is a good omen!

 

 

 

 

 

[81Zoomie]

Today”s activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[81Zoomie]

Still searching for the elusive coconut macaroons!  They are plentiful on the M class ships in multiple flavors.  They are more scarce on the S class ships.  I have yet to fine one at Cafe Al Bacio on Edge!  Maybe they will make an appearance?

 

[southerngoose]

Hi...question - on Royal Caribbean, they would video tape the evening entertainment so that you could watch it on tv later.   I'm curious if Celebrity does this.   I find that 8:30pm is too late for me to go to a game show, if I need to be running off the ship the next morning.    But I do enjoy watching.   TV isn't as good as "live" but at least I can do everything I want to do without missing out.

 

I thought that Royal Caribbean had tons of activities, but Celebrity seems to have even more, particularly on port days.    I wonder if some activities would be repeated because it seems odd, to me, to skip a port to do the fun activities.  Though, I may find that I only need 5-6 hrs on land and maybe I'll appreciate some activities being available on the ship.   I just remember the Med where you were off the ship for maybe 7-8 hrs a day and it was so exhausting, yet, you didn't want to skip a port day.   Not sure if New Zealand is at the same pace (more of the "attractions" seem to be closer to the port than it was in Europe so maybe it's not as bad?)